Hello all here is the promised post! Thank you so much for the faith you put in me to continue (and you're right, I thought about giving up but just couldn't do it. I know how I feel when someone doesn't finish a story I like a lot.)
I feel very loved right now. It's nice! :) Thanks again.
A couple notes: 1. If you're interested, my LotR/Earth crossover has a few references to this story in the coming post (and one little tiny thing you do not know, that hints towards a lot more than it tells) :p. 2. Elrond is WAY TOTALLY AND EXTREMELY out of character in this post, and I'm sorry. I decided to lengthen the post at 11 pm last night, in a towel, when I had to be up by 5. Forgive me. 3. HOW DO YOU SPELL THRANDUILION sp? Was I right or way off? If I'm off don't kill me!
*****
Thranduil gave a sigh that appeared to shake him down to his very core. Elrond stared at him in disbelief. Thranduil of all people should know what he was condemning his son to.
Thranduil looked at his son for a long moment, and it seemed as if his heart had been torn from his chest by the impassive look in his son's eyes, as if the child he had known was gone. Kadorin's eyes were shining, and finally, unable to stand it any longer, he turned to make a hasty retreat. "Kadorin!" Thranduil called without taking his eyes off Legolas, who had dropped his gaze from his father's in what Elrond was sure was shame.
Kadorin's hand flew up to his face, and everyone there knew that he was wiping away tears before he turned around, but no one said anything. Thranduil looked to his son sadly, his eyes seeming to speak his sorrow. "Have the guards escort the prisoner to his chambers." He said, and Kadorin eagerly started to oblige, happy that, at the very least, Legolas was going to have the comfort of the familiarity of his own rooms.
"My lord!!" Legolas cried, but there was no respect in his tone as he gave Thranduil a stern look. "I have asked to be treated as a criminal, a criminal who is responsible for the death of your daughter, and the princess of Mirkwood!" Thranduil seemed to flinch slightly with every word. Legolas shook off Kadorin's hand that had landed on his bicep, begging him wordlessly to let it be, to not cause their father anymore pain.
Legolas was having none of it. He wanted justice to be carried out, and he had lived in Mirkwood long enough to know that this was not the normal routine. "I have denied my rights as prince, and yet you would have me kept in a prince's rooms?!!" He demanded, and Thranduil could not deny what Legolas was speaking of. Legolas' rooms were indeed spacious, being actually five rooms, as they were to serve him after he married and bore heirs.
Thranduil gave another sigh, but gestured to the guards. "Take him to the dungeons." He said sadly, turning away and walking back towards the palace. He did not see Elrond look angrily from Legolas, who was being led away, and Thranduil before following Thranduil quickly.
*****
Elrohir hastily picked up his sister as the voices in the room on the other side of the door he and his siblings were waiting at got louder. Arwen was probably to old to be carried, but she was babied by the family since she was the youngest, and old habits die hard. Arwen usually would have protested, but she was at the moment confused and extremely worried, so she accepted her brother's comfort.
Elladan watched his sister sadly as she buried her face in her brother's shoulder, as if that could push away the sound of their father's angry voice and Thranduil's quieter one. Even Arwen knew that this fight was about Legolas, though they could not hear the words, and they knew the fight did not bode well.
*****
Elrond was pacing back and forth in front of Thranduil, well into his rant. Had he been a little less furious, he would have thought it strange that Thranduil was not defending himself and his actions as loudly and vehemently as Elrond.
"You cannot seriously mean to go through with this!" Elrond was saying. "Legolas is still only an elfing, no matter how mature he is acting. You do not know the half of what he has been through! I am amazed Legolas has survived through the beatings he withstood. When he came to me, I could still make out fading bruises and scars. He has more than paid for any transgression he says he has committed, through I know from the tale of his own lips that he has done nothing. And now you mean to punish him for it?!!" Elrond demanded, staring expectantly at Thranduil.
Thranduil's face was weary. "Elrond, I know all this. I have no doubts in my son, and I know he could commit no such act as he has accused himself of. However, he chose to 'admit' to his crimes in front of many witnesses." Thranduil sat down slowly and let his head fall in his hands.
"I am king, Elrond, and I cannot always do what seems to be the best course of action. I know you must understand this." Thranduil continued in a low tone. Elrond waited, knowing that Thranduil was not finished. The king of Mirkwood lifted his head and looked at him. "I cannot allow myself to appear to have any weaknesses, for weaknesses breed fear in one's people, and it strengthens one's enemy. If Legolas admits to such a heinous crime, be it true or not, I must act on it so I don't appear to be biased!"
Thranduil's eyes were darker than usual with grief as he stood and turned from Elrond. "I wanted nothing more than to embrace my son and lead him back into the castle, and to disregard what he had said as grief. That was what I wanted as a father." He turned his head just enough to look at Thranduil. "As king, I could not do it. You of all people should know how this pains me."
Elrond stared for a long moment into Thranduil's eyes before turning to go. His hand paused as he reached for the door, though, and he stopped. "Legolas is dying, you know." He heard faintly the quick intake of air from Thranduil and turned around to see the king looking at him desperately, begging him wordlessly to be lying. Elrond wished he was. "I am sorry for my outburst, but that is why I was so enraged. I had hoped bringing him here would help him, but it seems to only have made things worse." He paused for a moment. "Legolas is dying of grief. He is fading. Unless his guilt lifts, he will not live much longer."
Thranduil no longer tried to hide the tears going down his cheeks as he slowly sat down again. There was a long silence before Thranduil spoke. "I cannot take back what I have declared." The words seemed to physically pain him just to say, and he looked out the window in obvious sorrow. "I can only hope the Valar will not take another child from me."
Elrond watched Thranduil for a moment, able to see the pain Thranduil was in, and yet still not sure if this was the right course of action. "You are a good king Thranduil." Elrond said, opening the door. "But it remains to be seen how good of a father you are." With that, he was gone, beckoning to his children to follow him, the door shutting silently. Thranduil was left alone to weep for the son he might be losing.
*****
Legolas did not speak to the Mirkwood guards at any time, though he knew them all by name. He simply sat in his cell and tried to stay awake. His body was exhausted, but he did not want to face his dreams. He wished his father would hurry and get his trial started, for the waiting was killing him.
He did not have to wait long, fortunately. The guards opened the cell door and waited silently for him to come with them. Legolas obeyed, walking down the halls slowly, bombarded with memories of carefree days bounding down these halls, held hostage by giggling fits as his brother mercilessly tickled him.
Turning a corner, a vivid memory of playing hide and go seek with his sister one day when she was desperately bored came to him. Could that really have been so long ago? It seemed only like yesterday, and yet Legolas knew that much had happened since then, and things would never be the same. Luminal was dead, and he had changed.
The guards pushed open the doors to Thranduil's throne room, and Legolas quietly walked inside. The gathering was few, consisting mostly of advisors and such for his father. Legolas saw Elrond sitting in a far corner in the room and dimly wondered where his children where.
Legolas was led to his seat in the middle of the room, and he sat wearily, hardly seeming to notice the eyes on him in his eagerness for this to be over. The sooner the trial was over, the sooner he would be punished, and the sooner his guilt for Luminal's death would be satisfied.
Thranduil looked at his son for a long moment, struggling against tears, before nodding to Kadorin, who stood up and called for quiet. As soon as the room was silent, Kadorin spoke. "This trial is to ascertain the amount of guilt Legolas Thranduilion bears for the death of Luminal Thranduilion. Since he has presented himself for judgement of his own free will, this will be a simple and short trial, with testimony from Legolas himself and Lord Elrond of Rivendell, followed by a short interval in which the Legolas' guilt will be decided, and a verdict will be given by King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Let us proceed."
*****
"….I heard the shout for my cooperation or my sister's death, but in the haze of my anger, I paid no heed. In blind rage I killed the human girl, and it was only then that I heard Luminal Thranduilion's cry of pain as she was stabbed. She died soon after this, and afterwards, I was given swift and well-deserved beatings, deserved for different reasons than they were administered, before I was smuggled out by a halfling. Lord Elrond found me among the exiles I was hidden with, and I have returned to pay for the injustice done to my Lord and to Mirkwood. Please deal with me as you see fit." Legolas finished quietly, and touched his heart in a broad gesture of respect before sitting quietly.
Thranduil quickly stood. "Due to the length of this account, there will be a short break." He said quickly, nodding to Kadorin, who was not the only one who saw the tears in his father's eyes, knowing just how the king felt as he left as quickly and as dignified as he could under the circumstances.
"Return in five minutes for Lord Elrond of Rivendell's accounting, afterwhich we will adjourn until King Thranduil's decision."
*****
"….As Legolas finished telling me the same story you have just heard, I cannot help feeling that Legolas can bear no guilt in these circumstances. Any other decisions he would have made would have certainly resulted in at least his death and probably your daughter's as well. And, in my opinion, from the scars the defendant bore and still bears, not only on his body but on his soul, are more then enough, and another death is not called for, nor wise to invite." Elrond's look was meaningful as he gazed at Thranduil, not noticing how upset Legolas looked at his account.
One of the advisors spoke up. "Do you think the beatings the accused withstood were life-threatening at any point or could have been?"
Elrond looked at him steadily. "I believe that Legolas survival through what he has been through is amazing, and that had he been put through anything that traumatizing once more he would most surely not be with us today. I believe that somehow it is the will of the Valar that he survived, since it his being alive is as amazing as it is, and I do not believe that we should question their will."
Legolas moaned and dropped his head into his hands, not believing Elrond was attributing his survival to the Valar. He was almost tempted to believe this was not Elrond, as the Elf was acting so different from the person Legolas had known. Dimly, he heard his brother dismiss everyone until the following morning, and did not resist as he was led away.
*****
Well? What think ye?
*waits nervously* Been too long since I posted....
I feel very loved right now. It's nice! :) Thanks again.
A couple notes: 1. If you're interested, my LotR/Earth crossover has a few references to this story in the coming post (and one little tiny thing you do not know, that hints towards a lot more than it tells) :p. 2. Elrond is WAY TOTALLY AND EXTREMELY out of character in this post, and I'm sorry. I decided to lengthen the post at 11 pm last night, in a towel, when I had to be up by 5. Forgive me. 3. HOW DO YOU SPELL THRANDUILION sp? Was I right or way off? If I'm off don't kill me!
*****
Thranduil gave a sigh that appeared to shake him down to his very core. Elrond stared at him in disbelief. Thranduil of all people should know what he was condemning his son to.
Thranduil looked at his son for a long moment, and it seemed as if his heart had been torn from his chest by the impassive look in his son's eyes, as if the child he had known was gone. Kadorin's eyes were shining, and finally, unable to stand it any longer, he turned to make a hasty retreat. "Kadorin!" Thranduil called without taking his eyes off Legolas, who had dropped his gaze from his father's in what Elrond was sure was shame.
Kadorin's hand flew up to his face, and everyone there knew that he was wiping away tears before he turned around, but no one said anything. Thranduil looked to his son sadly, his eyes seeming to speak his sorrow. "Have the guards escort the prisoner to his chambers." He said, and Kadorin eagerly started to oblige, happy that, at the very least, Legolas was going to have the comfort of the familiarity of his own rooms.
"My lord!!" Legolas cried, but there was no respect in his tone as he gave Thranduil a stern look. "I have asked to be treated as a criminal, a criminal who is responsible for the death of your daughter, and the princess of Mirkwood!" Thranduil seemed to flinch slightly with every word. Legolas shook off Kadorin's hand that had landed on his bicep, begging him wordlessly to let it be, to not cause their father anymore pain.
Legolas was having none of it. He wanted justice to be carried out, and he had lived in Mirkwood long enough to know that this was not the normal routine. "I have denied my rights as prince, and yet you would have me kept in a prince's rooms?!!" He demanded, and Thranduil could not deny what Legolas was speaking of. Legolas' rooms were indeed spacious, being actually five rooms, as they were to serve him after he married and bore heirs.
Thranduil gave another sigh, but gestured to the guards. "Take him to the dungeons." He said sadly, turning away and walking back towards the palace. He did not see Elrond look angrily from Legolas, who was being led away, and Thranduil before following Thranduil quickly.
*****
Elrohir hastily picked up his sister as the voices in the room on the other side of the door he and his siblings were waiting at got louder. Arwen was probably to old to be carried, but she was babied by the family since she was the youngest, and old habits die hard. Arwen usually would have protested, but she was at the moment confused and extremely worried, so she accepted her brother's comfort.
Elladan watched his sister sadly as she buried her face in her brother's shoulder, as if that could push away the sound of their father's angry voice and Thranduil's quieter one. Even Arwen knew that this fight was about Legolas, though they could not hear the words, and they knew the fight did not bode well.
*****
Elrond was pacing back and forth in front of Thranduil, well into his rant. Had he been a little less furious, he would have thought it strange that Thranduil was not defending himself and his actions as loudly and vehemently as Elrond.
"You cannot seriously mean to go through with this!" Elrond was saying. "Legolas is still only an elfing, no matter how mature he is acting. You do not know the half of what he has been through! I am amazed Legolas has survived through the beatings he withstood. When he came to me, I could still make out fading bruises and scars. He has more than paid for any transgression he says he has committed, through I know from the tale of his own lips that he has done nothing. And now you mean to punish him for it?!!" Elrond demanded, staring expectantly at Thranduil.
Thranduil's face was weary. "Elrond, I know all this. I have no doubts in my son, and I know he could commit no such act as he has accused himself of. However, he chose to 'admit' to his crimes in front of many witnesses." Thranduil sat down slowly and let his head fall in his hands.
"I am king, Elrond, and I cannot always do what seems to be the best course of action. I know you must understand this." Thranduil continued in a low tone. Elrond waited, knowing that Thranduil was not finished. The king of Mirkwood lifted his head and looked at him. "I cannot allow myself to appear to have any weaknesses, for weaknesses breed fear in one's people, and it strengthens one's enemy. If Legolas admits to such a heinous crime, be it true or not, I must act on it so I don't appear to be biased!"
Thranduil's eyes were darker than usual with grief as he stood and turned from Elrond. "I wanted nothing more than to embrace my son and lead him back into the castle, and to disregard what he had said as grief. That was what I wanted as a father." He turned his head just enough to look at Thranduil. "As king, I could not do it. You of all people should know how this pains me."
Elrond stared for a long moment into Thranduil's eyes before turning to go. His hand paused as he reached for the door, though, and he stopped. "Legolas is dying, you know." He heard faintly the quick intake of air from Thranduil and turned around to see the king looking at him desperately, begging him wordlessly to be lying. Elrond wished he was. "I am sorry for my outburst, but that is why I was so enraged. I had hoped bringing him here would help him, but it seems to only have made things worse." He paused for a moment. "Legolas is dying of grief. He is fading. Unless his guilt lifts, he will not live much longer."
Thranduil no longer tried to hide the tears going down his cheeks as he slowly sat down again. There was a long silence before Thranduil spoke. "I cannot take back what I have declared." The words seemed to physically pain him just to say, and he looked out the window in obvious sorrow. "I can only hope the Valar will not take another child from me."
Elrond watched Thranduil for a moment, able to see the pain Thranduil was in, and yet still not sure if this was the right course of action. "You are a good king Thranduil." Elrond said, opening the door. "But it remains to be seen how good of a father you are." With that, he was gone, beckoning to his children to follow him, the door shutting silently. Thranduil was left alone to weep for the son he might be losing.
*****
Legolas did not speak to the Mirkwood guards at any time, though he knew them all by name. He simply sat in his cell and tried to stay awake. His body was exhausted, but he did not want to face his dreams. He wished his father would hurry and get his trial started, for the waiting was killing him.
He did not have to wait long, fortunately. The guards opened the cell door and waited silently for him to come with them. Legolas obeyed, walking down the halls slowly, bombarded with memories of carefree days bounding down these halls, held hostage by giggling fits as his brother mercilessly tickled him.
Turning a corner, a vivid memory of playing hide and go seek with his sister one day when she was desperately bored came to him. Could that really have been so long ago? It seemed only like yesterday, and yet Legolas knew that much had happened since then, and things would never be the same. Luminal was dead, and he had changed.
The guards pushed open the doors to Thranduil's throne room, and Legolas quietly walked inside. The gathering was few, consisting mostly of advisors and such for his father. Legolas saw Elrond sitting in a far corner in the room and dimly wondered where his children where.
Legolas was led to his seat in the middle of the room, and he sat wearily, hardly seeming to notice the eyes on him in his eagerness for this to be over. The sooner the trial was over, the sooner he would be punished, and the sooner his guilt for Luminal's death would be satisfied.
Thranduil looked at his son for a long moment, struggling against tears, before nodding to Kadorin, who stood up and called for quiet. As soon as the room was silent, Kadorin spoke. "This trial is to ascertain the amount of guilt Legolas Thranduilion bears for the death of Luminal Thranduilion. Since he has presented himself for judgement of his own free will, this will be a simple and short trial, with testimony from Legolas himself and Lord Elrond of Rivendell, followed by a short interval in which the Legolas' guilt will be decided, and a verdict will be given by King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Let us proceed."
*****
"….I heard the shout for my cooperation or my sister's death, but in the haze of my anger, I paid no heed. In blind rage I killed the human girl, and it was only then that I heard Luminal Thranduilion's cry of pain as she was stabbed. She died soon after this, and afterwards, I was given swift and well-deserved beatings, deserved for different reasons than they were administered, before I was smuggled out by a halfling. Lord Elrond found me among the exiles I was hidden with, and I have returned to pay for the injustice done to my Lord and to Mirkwood. Please deal with me as you see fit." Legolas finished quietly, and touched his heart in a broad gesture of respect before sitting quietly.
Thranduil quickly stood. "Due to the length of this account, there will be a short break." He said quickly, nodding to Kadorin, who was not the only one who saw the tears in his father's eyes, knowing just how the king felt as he left as quickly and as dignified as he could under the circumstances.
"Return in five minutes for Lord Elrond of Rivendell's accounting, afterwhich we will adjourn until King Thranduil's decision."
*****
"….As Legolas finished telling me the same story you have just heard, I cannot help feeling that Legolas can bear no guilt in these circumstances. Any other decisions he would have made would have certainly resulted in at least his death and probably your daughter's as well. And, in my opinion, from the scars the defendant bore and still bears, not only on his body but on his soul, are more then enough, and another death is not called for, nor wise to invite." Elrond's look was meaningful as he gazed at Thranduil, not noticing how upset Legolas looked at his account.
One of the advisors spoke up. "Do you think the beatings the accused withstood were life-threatening at any point or could have been?"
Elrond looked at him steadily. "I believe that Legolas survival through what he has been through is amazing, and that had he been put through anything that traumatizing once more he would most surely not be with us today. I believe that somehow it is the will of the Valar that he survived, since it his being alive is as amazing as it is, and I do not believe that we should question their will."
Legolas moaned and dropped his head into his hands, not believing Elrond was attributing his survival to the Valar. He was almost tempted to believe this was not Elrond, as the Elf was acting so different from the person Legolas had known. Dimly, he heard his brother dismiss everyone until the following morning, and did not resist as he was led away.
*****
Well? What think ye?
*waits nervously* Been too long since I posted....