Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR.

Rating: PG – 13

Author's Note: Many thanks to Coolio02, for giving me belated reviews of multiple chapters! ;) I do love it when I get reviews for past chapters too...hehe.

Many thanks also to messenger of the Elvenking, who reviewed The Strength of One Green Leaf! So good to hear that you liked it! I do love Thranduil, and I am still working on the Hobbit...sigh. And don't you worry, your English is fine...and I am not a native speaker either. ;)

Thank you also to Azla, who reviewed Beasts of Burden! I am happy that you liked it!

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by Kasmi Kassim

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From Twilight to Dawn

Chapter 9: Sins of the Father

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"So, how came you to be exiled from Mirkwood?" asked Gama, as their horses treaded the forest path. All eyes turned toward the elf.

The elf had been looking around, as if admiring the beauty of the forest for the first time. His eyes were lost and dreamy as he stared into the green shrubbery and brown bark of the trees. Even the twisted, gnarled trees seemed to look beautiful to him.

"I committed a crime," said the elf hesitantly. He looked up and bit his lip. "I tried to...seduce a married lady."

The men stared. They looked at each other, and then back toward the elf. Their expressions were shocked, disbelieving. Gama was no different.

"You were banished for something like that?" he asked, frowning. Then it was the elf's turn to be shocked.

"That is treachery! Dishonorable, and false..." he trailed off, and looked gloomily down onto his horse's back. Gama shook his head in disgust, muttering something about elves.

"If they see me, they will kill me, and suspect all of you. It is best that I stay out of view," said the elf in a soft voice. Gama nodded, and motioned toward one of his men. A slender youth with red hair took off his heavy cloak and handed it to Gama. Gama threw it toward the elf, who caught it with surprise.

"Take it," instructed the man. "Make sure to stay out of view."

Quickly donning the thick apparel, the elf peered out from underneath the hood, scanning the band of men. "So," he ventured, "what is your reason for wanting to kill the Mirkwood populace?"

He did not miss the changes of expression that took place among the men. Gama gripped his reins tight as he snarled. "Your king massacred our people."

The elf blinked.

"I do not understand," he ventured with uncertainty. His eyes darted from one man to another, gauging their reactions. They all looked glum, and quite angry.

"We were exiles as well," muttered Gama. "At least, our forefathers were. We came to join them decades later, because they promised to establish a village in this forest."

The elf nodded, a thoughtful expression clouding his face.

Gama jerked his horse's reins. "All we found was a village burned to the ground. Not a single living creature left. And all of us found pieces of items that used to belong to our parents, or in some cases, grandparents." He glanced darkly at the elf. "And Rolof told us that we had to catch a certain elf named Legolas, for he had something to do with it."

The elf blinked slowly, as if digesting the information. "How did Rolof know?"

Gama shrugged. "He is older than us, and had come to the site before we had. We never knew how he found out. Perhaps he was lying."

The young elf's hand slowly rose to his heart, as if stilling it. The thin hand, not yet matured, was veiled under the thick cloak.

"Then," he mused, "perhaps he had lied about the massacre. Perhaps he had also been lying about Legolas. There may be no such elf."

Gama frowned. "Perhaps," he muttered dubiously. Then he glanced toward the elf. "If you try anything, you will be the first to die," he muttered. The elf nodded.

"After I help your revenge," he said, "you must free me."

Gama looked long at him through narrowed eyes. Finally, he nodded. The elf let out a breath, and looked ahead. The forest path cleared, and he slowed. A fork in the road loomed before them.

The elf inhaled deeply. "This way." He turned to the left.

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The king was all but scowling.

His advisors kept silent, eying each other and the king in turn. Anxiety loomed heavily in the grand hall; there were still no reports from the scouts. And the elves could feel a darkness approaching. Perhaps this shadow was the source of the evil that was hindering their expected guests. They prayed that the guests were merely being hindered.

It had been a difficult task, to set up the whole affair. The advisors had nearly jumped back when the distracted – no doubt worrying about his son – king reacted to their careful suggestion. King Thranduil was not someone who so flatly refused his advisors' suggestions. But this case was different. It had taken long to convince him of the benefits of the new trade relationship.

And they could not blame the king. No, not at all. Not after what had happened only years ago.

So the subject had been dropped quickly, and the advisors had resigned themselves to giving up the idea. The king's suspicions were well-founded; they had been burned by trust before. No, they could not trust men.

But the benefits were too great. Trading with them could do wonders for their kingdom. If only the men proved themselves to be trustworthy.

That condition was what the king had settled for, when he brought up the subject to his disappointed advisors. Though reluctant, he had offered to give the men a chance. After all, the men were desperate, and the kingdom could use some trade. So the meeting had been set with meticulous attention to details, the advisors of the court seeing to every minute particle of the affair. Even so, the whole kingdom was uneasy, wary.

And the fact that the men were not showing up was not improving the situation.

The advisors' eyes were restless as they glanced at one another. The king was silent and motionless, eyes glittering dangerously, and the advisors had a feeling that the meeting would not go as perfectly as they had all hoped.

"My lord!"

All eyes turned to the elf who ran in, panting. "They are here," gasped the young messenger, bowing.

Thranduil sighed. It seemed that all eyes of the kingdom were focused on this ordeal. Well, he would make good his promise and try his best. He rose from his throne, scanning the eager faces of the elves.

"Guide them to their chambers," he instructed. "We will meet for dinner within the hour."

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"Are you insane?" hissed the young elf, pulling free of Gama's grasp. "I cannot go to a feast hall full of elves!"

The man crossed his arms and glared darkly. His men were watching from behind his broad back, curious.

"Like I said, draw up your cloak about you and-"

"I cannot do that in front of the king!" The young elf was practically baring his teeth. "They will suspect me!"

With a frustrated growl, Gama ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, I can't leave you alone here – you must come with us!" He glowered with a smirk. "You are our guide."

The elf did not move from his position by the bed. The men were all flocked behind Gama, watching the exchange in one of the guest chambers to which they were guided a while earlier. And the elf refused to step away from the corner of the room.

"You still do not trust me?" exclaimed the elf, tossing back his long hair. "I guided you safely through the dark forest paths! I fought with you when you ambushed the merchants!"

Gama tilted his head, contemplating. It was true, what the elf claimed. He knew the forest paths well, and though the men had shivered at the sinister sounds of darkness coming from the enchanted forest, they had arrived at the havens without running into harm. And this elf had even joined the fray when the party attacked the merchants on the way, for he claimed that gleaning information from the men was far more useful than killing them. It was the elf who had moved swifter than the wind, knocking every man in the merchant party unconscious before any of Gama's men could raise their blades for blood. Perhaps he could be trusted.

With a sigh, he looked up toward the ceiling. "Perhaps I may trust you yet." He looked down and eyed the elf sharply. "But wrap the cloak about you and join us for the dinner. I will make up an excuse."

The elf was still poised near the bed, regarding them all with apprehension. "Why do you all insist on dragging this out?" he muttered. "Did you not say you wanted to poison their water source? I can sneak into the kitchen and spread the poison."

Gama turned around, hearing a general murmur of agreement among the men. One of the men shrugged, holding up his hands.

"Like the elf says, Gama, why do you insist on going to the feast? We can easily poison them all right now."

Gama glanced toward the elf. "The elf will stay by my side at all times," he growled, and turned back to the men. "He cannot be trusted before we have safely killed the king. And have you fools not seen the grandeur of the palace? Have your eyes missed the bright emeralds and rubies glittering at the scabbards of the guards that walk these halls? Have you not seen the gold inlays in the carved doorways?" He sighed dreamily, and laid his hands on his hips. "No, my comrades, we will not poison them all. We will join forces with the elves, and rebel against the monarch. Then we can share the wealth of the elvenland, with their powers protecting us from the evils of the forest. We cannot dwell alone in the midst of this dark forest."

Mouths fell open. The men stared with incredulity, especially the elf. He seemed to have missed the entire speech.

"You want to rule this kingdom with rebels?" he asked softly, his young eyes disbelieving.

Gama cocked his head. "What say you? Are there enough elves here that harbor resentment toward the king's rule?"

The men behind him began to shake their heads. "What makes you think they will not balk at the idea, Gama?" one of them said. "The plan is far too perilous."

The young man shook his head confidently. "Remember, the merchants said some dark-haired elves had spoken of their painful efforts to change the king's mind about trading with men." He smirked. "There are conflicting interests here, my friends."

The elf spoke up thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are right. The king is of Sindarin descent after all. And many elves here are Silvan elves, who had no king until the present king arrived with his father and established a monarchy."

Gama's eyes lit up. "Hear that?" he cried excitedly, pointing toward the elf. "An ancient grudge! Perfect!"

An encouraged murmur began to spread through the small crowd of men. With a triumphant smile, Gama turned back to the elf. "We will claim this palace as our residence, as the elvenking has stripped us of our families and home. Let us begin our plan."

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To Be Continued

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Templa Otmena: You dazzle me with such compliments every time. I am blushing...yet again! ;) I am so giddy to hear that I am somewhat being successful at delivering my attempts at what you eloquently call 'verse'...so very kind of you! And you are such a deep reader, I am amazed every time. And to have connected this piece to Unfinished Earth! Yes, Unfinished Earth is the baking of the soil that I am beginning to put together in this long tale...;) I am so glad that you see the connection! Thank you for your lovely review! How are things going for you?

Rede: Sorry it took so long for me to get to the turning point – the pace will definitely pick up from here on out, I can assure you. This is called angst/action/adventure for a reason. ;) Thank you for the review! Hang in there!

elvingirl3737: Evil ff net! Bad! Oh, I so want that devoured review back! Oooooh! Well, anyway. I'm calm now. ;) Thank you for your patience in reviewing again! ;)

Brazgirl: Rolof? Well, you'll have to see. He will not be gone from this story forever. ;) Thank you for the review!

Beling: I am glad to hear that you are still a dedicated fanfic reader! Yay! A comrade! Tee hee. It's always exciting to hear that a reader is enjoying one's story. Thank you for your comments!

Unsung Heroine: Yes, I love making you curious...;) Anyway, I agree that PJ did a wonderful job at his movie. And thank you for your promise – I will hold you to it! Be afraid. Mwahahahaha.