The Saviour
Author : Twice Born Balrog Slayer
Summary : Legolas from Greenwood, friends of birds, accidentaly killed one of them and feel soooo....guilty. What he will do to made up his mistake ?
A.n : This is my second work, but I posted it in the same time I posted 'Fishing Time'. I haven't get any feedback or critic yet, of course, but I will happy to get.
Legolas Greenleaf always loved to walk and play merrily between the woven trees of his realm, Greenwood. He was about 17 years old (or about 6-7 years if you are human, whatsoever) now and t'was his favourite occasion, rather than playing with another elfling. And now he was listening his favourite musical schore, the song of the whispered leaves of green trees and the chirped birds. But when he sitting lied on one of the trees, he heard another bird sounds.
And looks like it was hurt.
Legolas rose from the ground and started to looking for the hurting bird. He stopped before a large ash tree which the sounds came from and started to climb it. At the middle of the trunk, he immediately found it. A little sparrow, with an ugly gash spread on it's left wing, probably because the claws of wild cat. Legolas' heart sank when he saw the state of the bird. He always loved birds, and this view made him feeling urge to save those poor creature.
Slowly, he gathered the bird in his hand. The bird chirped nervously, being token by stranger, but Legolas whispering near it softly.
"Hush, hush, little one. I will save you."
After held the bird in his hand safely, Legolas started to climbed down the tree. He stepped carefully, branches by branches, but suddendly a branch beneath his foot released a little cracking sound. Legolas surprised as his body was swayed, and his sudden movement made the bird surprised also and suddendly, instinctively, poked Legolas' hand with his beak.
"Ai !" Legolas released a whimper and reflectly released the bird. And after he realized what he did, he gave a look of horror when the bird's body finally crashed to the rock between the tree's root and laid unmoved on the ground.
"Oh, no ! No !" Legolas hurriedly climb down from the tree and knelt besides the bird's body. He lifted it gently, just to find the new wound at the bird's head and it's neck was hanging limply. The crash made it's neck broken.
The bird was death.
"Oh, no, please wake up ! Wake up ! Don't be death !" Legolas caressed the bird's chest slowly and rocked it, just like if his touch could bring the bird's souls back. But of course, the bird was not reacted.
"Oh, little bird, I'm sorry, I'm sorry !" Legolas finally broke into tears, hugged the bird on his chest. For a moment he just knelt and crying, hugged the little bird. Finally, he rose and walked to the riverbank. He then found a perfect spot to buried the bird, under the big oak tree, next to the group of daffodil's. He then dug the soil with bare hand, and after that he snatched some dried leaves from around him and arranged those inside the hole. Next, he placed the bird onto the leaves bed and covered it with another leaves before buried it. Finally, he looking for a stone and placed it after the grave, make it as a tomb. Then he touched the grave softly and sobbed again, feeling miserable. He was a Silvan elf and it was his second nature to being friends with animal, especially birds. But now, he was killing one of them.
"I'm sorry, little bird. I killed you. I'm sorry...."
He crying silently for few minutes, before finally looked up to the sky and prayed to Elbereth for forgiveness, and then rose up and walked home.
In his palace, Thrandil was worked with some usual document and answered some letter from the Lake City, when suddendly he heard a little footsteps in corridor. Thinking that it must be his son, he rosed and stepped forward to the corridor to greeted him.
"Legolas, my child. How's your day ?"
Legolas looked up to his father, and Thranduil frowned when he saw his son's eyes was red, like he was cried.
"Legolas ? My child, what happened ?"
Legolas, feeling sad, guilt, and angry for himself, finally sobbed again and ran to his father, who acted instinctively with lift him in his arms and stroked his back lovingly.
For next few minutes, Legolas just cuddled in his father's warm body, crying hard when Thranduil just continued to stroked his back and hair, holding his tongue to bombarded his sons with questions about what was ailed him. Finally, the cries slowly faded into soft sobs, and Thranduil swept his son's tears with his sleeve.
"Now, can you tell me what mades you cry ?"
Legolas bowed his head and answered with choked sound. "I...I've killed...it..."
"Kill what ?"
"The...sparrow...I dropped it...." Legolas was continued to crying again. "I've killed it, Ada ! I was trying to helped... but I dropped it from tree...my fault !" And once more, he broke into cry.
Thrandil, whose seems was captured about what really happened, feeling concerned. He can understand that his son's feeling must be so miserable, being a Silvan elf means being the friends of birds, but now he believed that he was killing the bird, even not on his purpose.
"Hush, hush, child. Do not blame yourself. It was an accident and you've tried to help...."
"But Ada, I made it fell ! It was death ! I've killed it !"
Thranduil shook his head, trying to reassure his beloved son. "Aiya, Legolas...of course not ! You've tried to helped it, you really had no intention to kill it, don't you ?"
Thranduil lifted his son's chin and looked at him with stern look. "Listen to me. Are you really wanted to killed that bird ?"
Legolas shook his head.
"Are you killed it in purpose ?"
Legolas shook his head.
"Then do not need to cry. You're not to blamed. Now we must be cleaned your face, okay ?"
Legolas just nodded. But he still keep quiet when Thranduil took him to his room and helped him cleaned his muddy hand and shirt. He still quiet until night, when he and his father sat on the table to dinner, even Thranduil was trying hard to make him happy again.
"Look, Legolas, it is your favourite, isn't it ?" Thranduil pointed a bowl of mushroom soup in front of his son, but Legolas just took his spoon slowly and scooped the soup few times unwillingly before stopped.
"I'm going to bed." He rose and walked away to his bedroom, while Thranduil looked at him in saddened.
In his bed, Legolas was crying again.
Next morning, Thranduil was sitting alone at dining table, while the servant prepared breakfast. Looked to his son's empty chair, he addressed the servant.
"Where is my child ?"
The servant, now pouring hot tea to the lord's cup, answer politely. "I think Young Prince was still asleep, my lord."
Thrandui frowned. It was out of Legolas' nature to woke up so late. He always woke up immediately while the birds was started to chirp outside his window every morning.
"Is something amiss, my lord ?" The servant looked at him worriedly. "Should I check in Young Prince' room ?"
Thranduil shook his head. "No, you don't need to. I will check him."
The servant nodded when Thrandui rose from his chair and walked to his son's room. He was really worried about his son's behavior and hoped that nothing bad happen to him. When he finally stood in front of his son's door, he hesitant for a while before knocked the door softly.
"Legolas ?"
No answer came.
"Legolas ? My child ? Open the door, please ?"
Still no answer came.
Thranduil opened the door but failed, found that door was locked. So he knock again, with slightly hard this time.
"Legolas, it's me ! Opened the door, please ?"
There was still no answer, and Thranduil, finally gave up, walked back to his room and approaching the table. He opened the drawer and took a bundle chain of keys, picking one by one before choose one key which was opened to Legolas' room. He knew it was dirty, but he was really worried, and also sick.
After picked the key, Thranduil ran back to his son's room and slowly opened his door with the key. After the door was opened, he scanned the room but found no one. He gasped when he saw the window was opened, and he discovered the large oak tree outside the window. Someone could escaped through that.
Thranduil ran to the window and he saw tiny figure running to the forest. Northern forest. he felt his heart sank, realized that his son was running to the giant's spiders territory. He rushed back to the hall and after took a breath, he escaped the air from his lung with a single scream.
"GUARDS !"
Legolas running through the woven trees, and finally, he slumped beneath a large tree with exhausted. At morning, he was woken up by the chirped of birds. Usually, he will feeling granted and happy. But now, he felt so miserable, when he heard the chirpen, which looks like those birds was hating and loathing him.
"I'm sorry, my friends...." He continued to cry again, but suddendly, he heard some rush and panic chirped from behind the trees. He rose and walked to the source of sounds, and gasped in horror at the view in front of his eyes.
A bird's nest, looks like it was dropped from the tree's branch, fulled with little bird's infant which chirped panickly while a giant spider was stood in front of them, ready to attack.
"NO !" Legolas jumped bravely and put a stone from the ground, threw it to the beast to get it's attention so the beast would not attack the little birds. "I won't let you hurt them !"
He picked another stone and threw it to the spider. The beast finally crawled toward him angrily and attacked him, but he managed to jumped aside, rolled, and grabbed the bird's nest.
"You can't hurt them !"
But another spider suddendly appeared from his back, and one more, and more. Legolas now feeling afraid and hopeles, but when the bird's chirped against his chest, he felt little bit brave. He picked another stone and quickly threw it to one of spider. He continued to fight against them when one of the spider was managed to hit his leg and he dropped to the ground.
The spider finally stood atop him, ready to sting the elfling. Legolas quickly curled up so the bird's nest was cuddled safely in his chest. Suddendly he felt painfully stab on his waist and his body felt burned. The spider was sting him.
"Ada...help me...." Legolas plead, and suddendly a pack of elven soldier appeared behind the trees. They poured the beasts with arrows, and in few minutes struggle, the spiders was all demoulished.
With bleary eyes, Legolas could saw a blur figure with blond hair and armor, holding a big bow, knelt beside him.
"Ada...?" He whispered.
"No, princeling. But your father's here. Please hold on." The blonde figure yelled. "My lord ! I found him !"
Another bleary figure appeared besides Legolas, who whispered weakly. "Ada...?"
Thranduil bowed to Legolas face, looked so worried and frightened. "Yes, yes, Legolas. I'm here. I'm gonna take you home now."
Thranduil gathered his son to his arms, when he saw the bird's nest which still cuddled by his son. And he can easily captured what was happened. Especially when Legolas, with all of his strength, whispered to his ear.
"Please, Ada...save them...."
And after that, he fainted.
Thranduil, being more devastated now, quickly lift his dear burden and mounted to his stallion. After put his son in front of him and hold his waist properly to preventing his son from fall, he urged his stallion to the palace, followed by his men.
Another morning was come. Thranduil was sitting for all night beside his son's bed, without sleep. He was felt so distressed when he saw his son curled up on the ground, while the giant spiders attack him. Legolas state was become more worst in the journey home that seems so long for the lord. He finally can relieved when the healers was finished to tended his son and said that he will be allright.
"He is the strong one." They said.
And now, Thranduil lovingly stared at his son, who was slept peacefully in his bed, safely covered by several warm blanket. There was dark circle under his eyes, and he also starving, from he was forgot to have dinner in his anxiety. But he didn't really care.
After that, Legolas was started to gain a concious.
"Legolas ?"
Legolas struggled to open his eyes. "A...da ?"
Thranduil held his son's hand. "Yes, it's me, Legolas."
Legolas finally opened his eyes, and looked to his father. Suddendly, as he was realized something, he tried to sit, but failed while his waist was still hurt, and he also feel dizzy.
"Do not wake, Legolas. Stay still."
"But...the bird ! Ada, is they allright ?"
"They are fine, my son. Don't worry. The servant was tended them."
Legolas sighed in relief. Thranduil smiled at him. "You are very brave, child." He said, caressed his son's cheek. "But you also make me afraid. When I saw you in forest yesterday, surrounded by those creature, I..." Thranduil halted, unable to continuing what he said while he imagined about the worst scenario by yesterday's accident.
Legolas hung his head. Despite his brave action to save those bird's infant, now he also feeling shame and guilty to made his father's worried. "I'm sorry, Ada. I was fool."
Thranduil smiled. "It's okay, Legolas. But don't do that again next time."
Legolas nodded and smiled happily, seeing his father was smiled again. But then, he froze and stared outside the window. Thranduil frowned. "What is it, Legolas ?"
Legolas looked at his father and smiled again. "Did you hear them, Ada ? They are not hating me anymore !"
Thranduil, realized about joyful chirpes from outside the window, smiled in understanding.
"Birds never hate you, Legolas. Instead, the're seems to thanked to you for what you've done."
Thranduil kiss his son's forehead. "You save of the bird, Legolas. You are very brave saviour. I really proud of you."
Legolas smiled blissfully. And so was Thranduil.
The birds still chirped happily.