To Mirkwood
Chapter 9: Orders from Prince E'thane
Don't own.
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E'thane stood in his own study, looking out the window, his hands clasped behind him. He watched the trees sway in the window, and the rain pour from the sky. He suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned, and saw Tylen. He nodded to the elder elf, then turned back to the window.
Tylen grinned. The once joyful and happy eyes of the youngest prince of Mirkwood were now replaced by fear, anger, confusion, and stress. They were hard, and he knew it would not take long to make his mind the same as his eyes.
"E'thane, are you alright?" Tylen asked. E'thane nodded. "I can sense that you are not happy. Come. Tell me why." E'thane whirled around.
"Why I am not alright? First, my brother gets left behind by my own father, second, Ada gets sick, and Lord Elrond has not yet returned. Third, I was just given the position of Crowned Prince when I am not ready! I am too young! You don't understand!" E'thane said, his face growing slightly red. Tylen moved forward and placed a comforting hand on the young elf's shoulder.
"E'thane, do not worry. I am here to help you. And do not worry about your father. He will get well. As for Legolas…" The elf trailed off. E'thane looked up into his eyes questioningly.
"What about him?"
"Well, it seems all of this was brought on by him. If he had not protested with your father, he would be here, and he would be crowned prince. However, Thranduil has told me that he feels grief over leaving his son behind. Stress and grief are two things that could cause the king to become sick. Now, if Legolas had only cooperated, then none of this would have happened. Don't you agree?" Tylen said. He could see E'thane trying to rationalize what he had just said.
"I don't know. I know Legolas would never give up his right to the throne. He loves Mirkwood…" E'thane's voice lowered. Did he love Mirkwood? He was always away on trips to Lothloríen and Rivendell. Maybe he liked being in other places better than here. And he did suggest that he be sent to Rivendell when Lord Elrond called that emergency meeting…
Tylen saw the anger flare in the young elf's eyes. "Maybe… maybe it is Legolas's fault. He brought this upon his family!" E'thane cried, turning back to the window.
"Yes, my child…" He said, then left the room. Everything was going as planned.
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Legolas rubbed his horse's nose. It had returned during the night, and Legolas had rushed out to bring him into the barn, since it was storming. But now, it was morning, and he was getting ready to leave the small farm. The family was standing behind him, watching him get his horse ready for the journey. Finally, he turned and bowed slightly to the family. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here. You will not be forgotten." Legolas said, looking at each family member.
"You're welcome, Legolas." Nevyn said, coming forward and pulling the elf into a hug. Fayre smiled and nodded to Legolas. The two children ran to Legolas and, since he was much taller than them, they hugged him around the legs. He patted their heads.
"Good bye." He said. The children let go, and Legolas mounted his horse, waved one last time, kicked his horse and he was once again on his way back to Mirkwood.
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Tylen found Bilmar, the captain of the guards, standing with a younger elf at the gates to the palace. He watched silently as he explain the position of gate guard to the young elf.
"I know this is probably the least exciting job of all, but someone has to do it." Bilmar said. The young elf guard got a pained look on his face. Bilmar patted the elf on the head, then turned. He jumped slightly when he saw Tylen standing behind him. "Ah. Master Tylen. What brings you out here?" he asked. Tylen approached the captain and led him away from the gate.
"I have orders from the Crowned Prince." Tylen said. Bilmar raised his eyebrows.
"Sir, I'm sorry but my orders are to only follow the King's orders." Bilmar said.
"King Thranduil is very sick. He appointed Prince E'thane as Crowned Prince since he is unable to perform his duties as king." Tylen explained, trying hard to not let anything slip.
"But…"
"Do not worry. Anything E'thane does goes past me as well as the King." He lied. Bilmar seemed to relax slightly. "The orders are that the former Prince Legolas is not allowed within the boundaries of our realm."
"Sir!" Bilmar exclaimed. "Those cannot truly be Prince E'thane's orders…."
"They are indeed. See to it that they are carried out." Tylen said. He bowed his head a little to the captain, and he spun on his heel and headed back into the palace. Bilmar stared after Tylen, the shook his head. Somehow that didn't seem right. However, Tylen was not an elf to displease, so he hurried off to carry out the orders.
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It wasn't long before the whole realm of Mirkwood found out about the orders that E'thane had supposedly said to keep Legolas out of the realm. Tylen did his best to keep that from E'thane's ears. However, it was only a matter of time…
"Tylen!" E'thane cried, pushing through the large doors. Tylen looked up from his desk, startled.
"Y-yes, Prince E'thane?" he asked.
"What is this I hear about you giving orders to keep my brother from the realm?" He asked, his eyes blazing. Tylen stood and moved to the prince. E'thane took a step back, but Tylen grabbed his shoulders.
"You must understand, E'thane, that if Legolas ever comes back, it will only cause more grief for your father. I did not want to tell you this but…" He trailed off.
"Tell me what?" E'thane demanded. Tylen let go of his shoulders.
"Your father is getting worse. I fear he may not last much longer if Elrond does not return from Minis Tirith." Tylen said. E'thane said nothing. Instead, he turned and ran out of the room, through the halls and to Thranduil's room. He threw himself to the chair beside the bed. He looked at his father's face. It was ashen, like the clouds in the sky when rain is near. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and there were dark circles under his eyes. There were beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks from his forehead. He turned his head slowly to look at his son.
"Be…beware…" He chocked out… but his head rolled to the side, and his eyes closed. He had fallen into a deep sleep. E'thane's eyes widened.
"Ada…" he whispered, and lowered his head to the sheets that covered the bed.
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Sorry for the delay. I've been busy and I've had writer's block. But I couldn't sleep, it's 1:45 am, so… I decided to finish this chapter. So you like so far? Getting interesting yet? Lemme know!
Thanks reviewers!
"Inspirational" Quote:
"Keep you hearts on fire and your minds on ice." –Mr. Pethoud, my band teacher.
Banana Nut Muffin