Opening the large bureau in his bedroom, Thranduil pulled out his sword and slipped the weapon from the scabbard. Inspecting the blade for a quick moment, he slipped it back into the scabbard and set the sword onto the bed. From the bureau he also pulled out a dagger which he slipped into his boot before closing the bureau's doors. He changed tunics to wear one not so bloody soaked and grabbed his sword before leaving his bedroom. The hallway was surprisingly empty as he walked down the hallway with silent steps. It seemed that the inhabitants of Mirkwood knew what was coming and locked themselves in their homes. Thranduil's wrath for people hurting his son was legendary and this was going to be no exception.
He took the long way to the stables in hopes of avoiding anyone that may try and stop him. A light rain was just falling as he entered the stables and saw Elrohir lead his mare out of her stall. The two nodded to each other before Thranduil opened the stall door and let his stallion out. Easily swinging onto their mounts, they rode out of the stables and across the courtyard. Thranduil stopped his horse and looked up towards the healing wing where he could see shapes moving around. Blinking the rainwater from his eyes, Thranduil turned his horse and galloped through the gates with Elrohir following. Their horses moved quickly through the forest as they leaned over the horses' necks and urged them to move faster. The rain started to come down harder as they neared the river and heard the rushing water. Slowing their horses, they also heard sounds of something moving quickly towards them. A nicker greeted them as a dark horse trotted up to them and nuzzled Elrohir's leg.
"It is Estel's horse. He must be near by. We need to find the entrance of where Bretharso is hiding."
Estel's horse suddenly bit Thranduil on the forearm and tossed his massive head up and down. The horse walked away a few steps and nickered again.
"I believe he wants us to follow him," Elrohir said as Thranduil rubbed his arm where the horse had bitten him.
"Do you really think so?" Thranduil asked sarcastically before following the animal.
Elrohir raised an eyebrow at the elf king's sarcastic tone of voice. Now he knew where Legolas got it from. But then again, Elrohir really hadn't spent that much time alone with Thranduil so the elf king could always be this sarcastic. Or maybe Elrohir brought the sarcasm out of people whenever they interacted.
The horse led them to a dark hole in the ground in a clearing that looked like someone had fallen through. Casting a glace to Thranduil, Elrohir slowly started to climb down while searching for a sturdy foot and hand holds. Soon, both of them were muddy from head to toe and they still hadn't reached the bottom. There were several times that one of them almost slipped down the hole but a brief scramble would keep them relatively in place.
The ground was wet and slippery with mud when they finally reached the bottom of the hole. Elrohir hoped that Aragorn hadn't gone down that way the hard way. But knowing that human he probably did, Elrohir thought dryly to himself. He already had his twin blades out and ready as Thranduil and he started to move down the tunnel. Farther up, the ground was well trod and a few other tunnels branched off from the one they were in. From down one of the tunnels, they both heard a raised voice as the person continued to yell. Thranduil motioned towards that tunnel and slowly crept down the darkened tunnel. Few people knew how silent elves could move when they wanted to. Superstitious humans whispered that elves move more silently than death. Bringing rise to the belief that elves brought around death, which those who knew elves normally laughed at. Elves just let the rumors run their course and die out. Good thing elves lived long and could watch them die out, Elrohir thought randomly to himself.
They moved against the shadowed wall as they neared a dimly lit room where the raised voices were coming from. Motioning Elrohir back, Thranduil carefully peered around the corner to view the room. His heart immediately sank at what he saw before pulling back to the shadows. He suddenly worried that bringing Elrohir along might not had been a good idea. The younger Peredhil twin would not be happy in the least.
"What do you mean they have left?" Bretharso snapped angrily at the stout orc.
"They grow tired of your empty promises, Bretharso! They want the realm today!"
"It is kind of hard to do that if Thranduil is still alive! I do not have confirmation that he is dead yet!"
"It is of no matter. You must finish this on your own, elf."
The orc waddled out as Bretharso fumed silently. A moment later, Bretharso spun and kicked something at his feet that immediately moaned. Thranduil felt Elrohir tense beside him and pressed the younger elf back. It would not be a good idea just running into the open with Bretharso standing over Aragorn. Thranduil knew that they would have to play calm and collected if they were going to defeat Bretharso. Calming his racing heart, Thranduil waited until Bretharso moved away from Aragorn before stepping out into the open. The dark elf immediately looked over to the king and watched as Elrohir stepped up to flank Thranduil. If Bretharso was surprised to see his old friend then he didn't show it. Elrohir glanced over to where Aragorn lay and felt his anger start to boil. Aragorn was lying on his side curled into himself to protect his chest and abdomen with his hands tied behind his back. Elrohir couldn't see the extent of his little brother's injuries but it didn't matter. That dark elf had signed his own death wish when he first hit his little brother.
"Thranduil, it is always a pleasure," Bretharso greeted sarcastically.
"I thought you had died or sailed. I have not seen you in about three thousand years," Thranduil commented quietly while watching Bretharso.
"A lot of things you do not notice when you are being king. Amazing how you lose contact with the real world and those that use to be your friends."
"I did not such thing as that. You pulled away, Bretharso."
Thranduil and Bretharso started to walk on parallel lines while watching the other elf. Elrohir moved in the other direction and circled around to where Aragorn lay. Slitting the bonds, he carefully rolled his little brother onto his back and grimaced when Aragorn hissed sharply. Apologizing softly, Elrohir quickly examined his little brother and ranked his injuries. The worst was a couple of broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. While probing his shoulder, Estel shifted and moaned softly as he slowly woke up.
"Shhh, rest easy, Estel. Do not move," he soothed as Estel's eyes fluttered wildly.
Elrohir turned his attention partially to Thranduil and Bretharso to keep both of them in mind as he worked over Aragorn.
"Why did you do this, Bretharso? When have I ever wronged you?"
"You wronged me when you condemned my wife and son to a cruel death! It was you who handed them to the orcs and stood by while they were violated, tortured, and murdered," Bretharso yelled as they slowly circled each other.
Thranduil's shock was easily visible as he heard Bretharso's words. He never knew that Bretharso had a wife or a child. Had he really lost touch with who he once was and his friends? The majority of all his old friends had sailed long ago to be with their family or loved ones. The only old friend he still had was Drulanean and that friendship had started when Oropher assigned Drulanean as Thranduil's body guard.
"You must know that I would never do such a thing to you, Bretharso, or to your family. You must believe me," Thranduil said, hoping to avoid a battle.
"You abandoned a town to a horde of orcs to save your whelp of a son from a little skirmish! Elves died and you did not bat an eyelash," Bretharso snapped angrily.
"If I remember correctly, that was a diversion. Hundreds of orcs were pressing against our eastern boarder. I ordered that town evacuated! Some stayed behind, ignoring my orders; I grieve for those lost but I did everything I could."
"'Everything you could' is not good enough, Thranduil King! Because of you, I went two thousand years without my wife or child until I happened to stumble across a book. A book that helped me greatly in solving one part of my problem."
"It only created a new problem for you. Your 'son' failed in his mission and I have my son waiting for me at home. But now you have me as a true enemy for you harmed my son, and now I will make you pay."
Thranduil attacked first and lunged with his sword as Bretharso leapt to the side. Rushing past the table, the dark elf grabbed his sword and spun to face Thranduil. The two tapped swords to test the other's reflexes as they slowly circled each other. Thranduil watched Bretharso carefully while minding where he himself warily moved around. He was unsure of the footing around him and didn't want to foolishly trip and possibly get himself killed. When Bretharso attacked, Thranduil quickly parried and swept to the side as he switched sword hands and struck Bretharso on the upper arm. The dark elf stumbled away and held the wound as he looked at the blood. Thranduil was silently amazed that he had gotten in a hit. Either Bretharso hadn't been practicing or Thranduil was getting better; but he could be wrong as Bretharso attacked him again. Thranduil felt the warrior in him start to emerge as he pushed Bretharso back. The skills he forgot he had, the immaculate balance and speed he had to his advantage started to come back to him quickly.
Slamming the hilt of his sword into Bretharso's face, Thranduil jumped onto the table to get out of the corner Bretharso was pushing him into. Sprinting to the end of the table, he leapt off and faced the advancing dark elf. Blood streamed from Bretharso' nose as he lunged and knocked Thranduil's sword from his hand. The hard blow jolted his wrist as he grabbed a metal candle holder and parried the next blow. He couldn't believe that he was actually fighting with a candle stick holder. His entire household would fall over laughing if they ever heard of this.
Bretharso's fist slipped past his defenses and slammed into his jaw to knock the king onto the floor. His head slammed into something stone and stars exploded in his vision as everything swam in and out of focus. Looking up blurrily at Bretharso, he watched as he held the sword in both hands, ready to plunge it into Thranduil's heart.
"Now, I can kill you," he panted and plunged the blade down.
Neither Thranduil nor Bretharso saw Aragorn until the last moment. He dove towards the king while kicking at Bretharso and knocking the dark elf back. Instead of piercing the king's chest, the blade ran through Aragorn's thigh to the stone floor under him. The force of his dive sent Thranduil and him tumbling down the small incline to the underground lake. During the tumble, the blade snapped in half before they splashed into the water as a tangle of arms and legs. Elrohir glanced down to the lake and to the tunnel where Bretharso had disappeared down. Sheathing his blades, he scrambled down the incline and splashed into the lake. He hadn't moved fast enough to stop Aragorn from scrambling to his feet and running towards the king and dark elf. Elrohir was already forming a lecture in his head for his little brother as he helped Thranduil bring Aragorn back to shore.
"You stupid, over-exuberant Ranger. Just wait until I tell father of this; and Elladan, and Legolas. You will never live it down," Elrohir snapped and ripped open the pant's leg.
"I am really not in the mood for this, Elrohir," Aragorn growled and clenched his teeth as his brother examined the wound around the blade.
"Then you are not going to like this. I can not take the blade out here; I have not the correct equipment and you may bleed out. We can only set your shoulder and bring you back to the palace. Ada can help you there," Elrohir said and wrapped a cloth tightly around Aragorn's thigh to staunch the slow bleeding.
"Ada is here? Why?"
"I know not. He arrived with Gandalf so that could mean anything."
"We need to go now. Bretharso may be bringing back some orcs and Estel needs aid now before slipping into shock," Thranduil interrupted as he glanced around again.
"He is correct, Estel. I need to set your shoulder before we move, though," Elrohir said and felt around the human's shoulder.
Nodding his consent, Aragorn focused on relaxing his muscles and not tensing against what he knew was coming. Elrohir forced the shoulder back into place, ignoring Aragorn's gasp and shallow breathing. Binding the arm to the human's chest the best he could, Elrohir stood and started to pick Estel up; thanking the Valar that Aragorn had slipped into unconsciousness.
"I will carry him, young one. Your back is still tender and it would be too much of a strain," Thranduil stated softly as he rested a hand on Elrohir's shoulder.
Elrohir was about to protest but saw the look in Thranduil's eyes. The elf king was trying to come to terms with Aragorn pushing him aside and taking the blade in his thigh. Elrohir wasn't about to admit that the king had a point about his back; it was aching badly. Moving past the tables, Elrohir grabbed the thick dark book that sat open and slammed it shut before tucking it under his arm. Gandalf would probably want to see this whenever everything had calmed down. Thranduil carefully cradled Aragorn in his arms and followed Elrohir along the way they came. It would be much harder going up then when they came down; especially now that Thranduil was carrying Aragorn. Thranduil carefully slung the unconscious Ranger over his good shoulder and started climbing first. Elrohir came after him in case he accidentally dropped Estel, Valar forbid he did that. It was still raining when they reached the opening and collapsed on the rain soaked ground. Thranduil gently massaged his shoulder as Elrohir looked his brother over again and sat back to catch his breath. Their horses were waiting patiently in the trees and came immediately when called. Elrohir handed Estel up to Thranduil was on his stallion first and then swung onto his mare. Aragorn's horse followed closely as they galloped through the forest with their swords drawn. Mirkwood spiders would be drawn to the smell of fresh blood coming from the three of them. The horses knew that the spiders were nearing and ran faster through the night. Elrohir's blade lashed out and cut a spider in half that dared to come too close. Thranduil held Aragorn close as he leaned farther over the horse's neck. Estel's horse was also getting in some good hits as his hooves lashed out to kick the spiders.
The palace gates were in sight as thunder rumbled loudly behind them. The horses strained to go faster as the spiders started to back off. The animals flew through the gates and into the courtyard before slowing and coming to a stop at the main steps. The steps were slippery as they ran up them and burst into the building. Blood trailed behind them as they moved quickly down the hall. Reaching the doors to the healing rooms, Thranduil wondered why the doors were closed as Elrohir pushed the doors open. They both slid to a stop in shock at what they saw before them, not believing their eyes.
Bretharso stood in front of them with a blade pressed against Legolas' neck and his arm twisted behind his back. The room was empty except for Elladan who was still unconscious on the bed from the earlier drugs. A thick, heavy chair was leveled against the door to the storeroom and Thranduil only had to guess that the others were in there. Legolas' eyes darted between Thranduil and Elrohir before landing on Aragorn's limp form in Thranduil's arms. Blood was dripping from his leg and back as Thranduil slowly lowered Aragorn to the ground.
"Bretharso, you really do not want to do this. Please reconsider," Thranduil pleaded as he held his hands up.
"You killed my family. You deserve death," Bretharso snapped as he slowly backed up and pulled Legolas with him.
Elrohir glanced up from his position next to Aragorn and pressed harder to slow the blood flow. The puddle under them was slowly growing as Estel shifted under his hands. Elrohir pressed his fingertips to his little brother's lips to keep him quiet.
"Hush, Estel. Remain silent," he murmured while keeping his eyes on the two older elves.
Aragorn cracked an eye open and slowly looked around the room. He saw Thranduil near his legs and Bretharso holding the blade to Legolas' neck. His arm started to move towards Elrohir, behind him, and eventually found is bother's ankle. He knew that both his brothers kept a dagger in each boot just in case. Slipping his fingers into the top of the boot, he slid the dagger out and rotated it to hold onto the blade. Slowly opening his eyes more, Aragorn eyed his target: Bretharso's forearm. Thankfully, his throwing arm wasn't the one that suffered from the dislocated shoulder. Catching Legolas' eye at the last moment to see his friend's relief, he flung the dagger with deadly accuracy.
Bretharso yelled in pain and loosened his hold on Legolas enough for the young elf to slam his head back and hit Bretharso in the face. Bretharso shoved Legolas to the ground and hurled the dagger at Aragorn moments before Thranduil tackled the dark elf. The two crashed through the window and tumbled down the courtyard. Rain lashed at the two elves as they rolled to a stop. Thranduil immediately pulled out his spare dagger from his boot and crouched lightly as Bretharso stood.
"Is this going to be like our old sparring days, Thranduil? You will try your best and I will win like I always did. It grew to be so boring."
"Things have changed, Bretharso. I have gotten better and you have…stayed the same," Thranduil stated as his eyes narrowed against the driving rain.
"More things will change. After I kill you, I will kill your whelp of a son.
"You can not kill me, you will not kill Legolas!"
Bretharso lunged for Thranduil and dodged away from the dagger. His own dagger was clenched tightly in his hand as he swiped at Thranduil. Lashing out quickly, Thranduil's foot kicked the dagger from Bretharso's hand and he tackled Bretharso to the ground. Bretharso's hands grappled with Thranduil's hand as he forced the dagger towards the dark elf's chest. The two strained as the dagger wavered unsteadily between them.
"Ada!"
At Legolas' shout, Thranduil's concentration wavered and Bretharso took full advantage. The hilt of the dagger slammed into Thranduil's face to knock him backwards onto the ground with a splash. Bretharso was immediately upon Thranduil, pressing the dagger's tip to the king's throat. Thranduil felt the sharp tip graze his skin as his arms started to quiver from exertion. His gaze turned towards the window where he could see his son struggling with someone.
"Ada, where is Nana?"
The King of Mirkwood lifted his tear stained face and looked over to where his son had appeared in the door way. The elfling carried his favorite toy, a stuffed horse aptly named Roch. His blonde hair seemed to shimmer in the night and cast its light all around him as Thranduil weakly smiled.
"What are you doing up, little one?"
"Nana never came to tuck me in. Where is Nana, Ada?"
Thranduil held out his arms to his son as the little one hurried into his father's strong arms as Thranduil lifted him up and into his lap. How as the king to break this to his only son? Were there certain words you used? A certain tone of voice that he never knew of?
"Little one, I have something to tell you. Do you remember all the activity from this afternoon?"
The little elf nodded.
"Well, something happened to Naneth and she was hurt. The healers tried to help her but they could not. So…she went to another place. A great place where she could be hurt no more."
"Can I go and visit her?"
Thranduil struggled to hold his sobs back as he tightly hugged his son. He could see so much of his wife in their son when he had that curious expression in his eyes.
"No, ion nin, you can not visit her. But she is always looking in on you and she will always love you. Never forget that. She loved you more than anything in this world. Just as I do."
Thanduil didn't want his son to see him die if that was what was about to happen. He did not think that his Legolas would be able to deal with the death of him. Legolas took it hard when he learned of his Naneth's death. Thranduil did not want to put Legolas through that again. He wanted Legolas to remember him as a warrior and king; not his last memories of his father to be his death in a rain soaked courtyard.
"Ada, where are they going?" a young Legolas asked while holing onto his father's robes.
"They are warriors my son, and they are needed to protect our home."
"I want to be a warrior when I grow up. I will be the strongest warrior of them all."
"I am sure you will, little Greenleaf."
But he still was alive. He could still fight. He would not accept death so willingly when he had so much to live for.
A new strength started to flow through his limbs as he slowly pushed the dagger away from his throat. Bretharso's eyes widened as the dagger was wrenched around and buried into his throat. Thranduil pushed him off and laid there on the stones as he felt the rain fall to his skin. He heard Bretharso' struggles to breathe through the blood as he slowly sat up and moved to his old friend's side. Dark eyes turned to Thranduil as the King of Mirkwood took up his old friend's hand and tightly squeezed.
"Go to them, Bretharso. Go to your wife and son. They await you with open arms," Thranduil murmured and rested his other hand on the dark elf's forehead.
It was only a mere few moments until Bretharso, son of Metharlos, took his last breath and passed on. The rain continued to fall and in the distance, the king could hear a lone wolf's cry into the dark night.
"Lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva. Tenna' san', mallonin," Thranduil whispered and closed Bretharso's eyes before kissing his forehead in farewell.
Thranduil sat back as the storm released its fury on the land, air and himself. His eyes stared vacantly at his old friend and knew that it could have easily been him. If he had been in Bretharso' position, would he have done the same thing? Probably not. Thranduil would have taken his own life if his wife and son had been killed before his very eyes. It was hard enough losing his wife; he could not go through losing his beloved son. The sound of feet splashing in the rain as someone ran towards him pulled Thranduil's attention up to see Legolas running towards him. Holding open his arms, Thranduil caught Legolas tightly in his grip as his son skidded to a stop and knelt on the ground to hug his father. Thranduil held the back of Legolas' head and softly kissed his temple as he sighed.
"I love you, my son. I love you."
Lissenen ar' maska'lalaith tenna' lye omentuva. Tenna' san', mallonin—Sweet water and light laughter till next we meet. Until then, friend.
()()()()()()()()()()
I just had that make that a lovely, dovey ending. I do not know why but I had to. Next chapter will be filled with angst, pain, tears, and all that fun stuff. The same stuff that Linuvial Greenleaf has been pleading for and a few others. So, hope you all liked the chapter and I will continue to write as much as I can. Cheers!
Linuvial Greenleaf- Chica, I am blushing about as red as a lobster over here. But I will admit, this chapter was better than some of the others. I was crying when I was typing it and I rarely cry at my own work. Unless, it is really bad; which is quite often actually. Hope you enjoyed the extra stuff I added in there. Heehee.
BabeyRachey- I know; I just made everyone suffer something. I am so bad like that. If one person has pain then the rest of them should have some too. I am very pleased that you enjoyed the last chapter; I always love hearing from my readers how much they like a certain chapter or a unique idea. Hope I updated quick enough for you.
Got-lotr- Please do not let your penguins toast me on a campfire! I have to finish writing the story! And my other ones too! But have no fear; I have succeeded in covering myself in paint. Well mostly my left leg but that is a whole different story for another time.
Silvertoekee- Elves are very notorious for doing silly things. I have noticed that while reading other stories. Must be something in the genes or whatever. I think it would be hilarious to be like a fly on the wall in Thranduil's home or Elrond's home. I would be laughing hysterically.
Deana- Linuvial Greenleaf and you do that same merry jig thing. It is quite funny when it is visible. I can just imagine the readers bouncing in their seats when they see an Author Alert from me. Or that could just be my own little imaginations; very possible.
Linchi- I thought the tears were a nice touch when I typed it out. Several other people have said how good of a visual it was when they read it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Gozilla- Thank you for the compliment. Hope you enjoy.
Lynn-G- Thranduil was very compassionate in this chapter and entire story pretty much. He understood, partly, where Bretharso' rage was coming from because Thranduil himself was also a husband and father. He also could not put aside the friendship they once had together. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Dha-Gal- You must like Elladan angst. I have this ability to recognize things like thatJ. I always have difficulty writing out really good fight scenes. I see a great fight in my head but it is really hard to describe it on paper so I try my hardest and usually have to cut my loses and run with what I put down that makes a bit of sense. There are some people that want to jump everyone in the stories.
Jadesaber- Thank you for the compliment and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others.
Beling- Wow! So you got a double dose of 'An Ancient Bond'. I try to put in as much action as I can without it getting boring or possibly lose the readers. The black tears were just something I typed out when I wrote the story. Hope you liked this chapter. Until next time!
Hiei-Rulez- I was actually really depressed when I killed Bretharso. I liked him as a bad guy. His emotions and feelings were understandable but he went too far with them. Every parent would feel like that if they witnessed what he did. He is seriously a tragic character.
Elvendancer- Sleep is very helpful when I am writing. Right now I have an order going. I update one story then work on the next one, update that one and then move onto the other one and keep working around in a circle. The only problem is sometimes the story that I am working on, the plot bunny is not biting or humping or anything and I am lost. Hope you had a good time at the relatives and enjoy this new chapter.
XxgemxX- You forgot about Estel????? How dare you! Heehee, do not worry; I can easily see how someone would forget him. He was kind of gone from that chapter.
Grumpy- The poor twins did take a beating but they can handle it. They are cool twins.
Wolf Jade- I am updating this story with a headache. I took two Extra Strength Tylenols earlier but they are not helping yet. I hate headaches. Especially the sinus ones because then you can not breath because of the stuffed up nose and everything just hurts at the same time. My fighting scenes are sometimes lacking but I try my hardest. Read one chapter that had [insert fighting scene here]. I just raised an eyebrow. I think it is very possible about a unheard of kingdom in a deep valley that no one could possibly get to except those that live there. There actually was a hidden kingdom called Gondolin (in my other story Order of Glaurung and the name actually means 'Hidden Rock'. So I think it is very possible.
Miriel- Well thank you so much for the compliment. You are really making me blush. I could never handle compliments well but I am glad that you enjoy the story and hope you liked this chapter. I strongly suggest you read Nili, Kaeera, Deana, Firnsarnien, and Linuvial Greenleaf; all those authors are very good and I love all of their stories.
WildBlackWolf and Viva- I would say that they have known each other for about forty or fifty years but I am just guessing.
Leela74- Thank you so much for the compliment on my characterization. I try very hard on writing the characters in the correct scope. Does that make sense?
Snow-Glory- No, Legolas' troubles are just starting. Heehee, I am so bad.
Isadora2- The worst of my life is over and now I am in the process of painting my room and rearranging. Got paint all down my left leg yesterday. It was quite hilarious. When I was in England, we watched the Euro 2004 football game. I can not believe that England just let the game slip out of their fingers like that in the last few minutes of the game and overtime. Gggrrrrr, I was so annoyed.
Riingmarciel- Angst is coming in huge chunks in the next chapter. Enjoy the new chapter.
Elven Kitten- Glad you like the story so much; enjoy the new chapter. BAD COMPUTER!
Mornflower- That question will be solved a bit later on in the story. Yes, I will make Estel feel more pain in the next chapter. I know there was not a lot of it in this chapter but it will be in the next one. And what were you doing up so late if you had to get up early the next morning?
Coolio02- Hope you liked the final battle.
Elven-Star-of-Gold- My friend is really addicted to soda and I tell her she needs to stop but she never listens to me. Hope you liked the new chapter.
Bragoldae- Yes! I am here! Heehee. I hope this chapter explained a lot of what was going on between Bretharso and Thranduil. My stories just take on a life of their own and I just hang on for the ride. Thank you very much for the compliment and you are very welcome. I live near Greenville, in the Upstate part. Surprisingly, Legolas did not follow Thranduil and Elrohir. I have no idea why I did not have him do so but oh well.
Aranna Undomiel- Thank you so much for the compliment and thank you for reading my story. I have a few friends like that. I once read that a good friend will stand in harms' way for you if you ask and a great friend will do so without being asked to. Linuvial Greenleaf is one of those great friends. The whole Gandalf and Elrond being there will come out later in a later chapter.