Cale au Aratar 8
He watched his beloved son standing in front of him, his head held high his proud form not revealing that only hours ago he had lost conscious due to the constant pain he was experiencing. Only vaguely he heard the words Mithrandir and Aragorn, now King Elessar Telcontar, spoke declaring Aragorn king of Gondor – he had only eyes for his son.
How long would his little Greenleaf be able to withstand the combined power of Morgoths-Tears and his breaking heart? How long before he died – or worse became like him, unable to show his feelings a mere shadow of his former self.
It seemed to him as if it had only been yesterday when he had buried first his father and then only two years later his wife and his daughter. Tinmirwen had only been forty, a mere child to the first born. They had been on their way back home from Lothlorien when they had been ambushed by a stray band of Orcs. Legolas had been in the party that found the mangled body of his mother, Silruinel had still been a live and died in the arms of her son, her red hair matted with her own blood.
They had spoken only once about the way Legolas had found his mother and sister, only once his son had been able to bear to talk about what he had seen. He had not seen the bodies of his wife and daughter as Legolas had threatened that he would join his mother and sister in Namos' halls if he insisted on seeing them. As much as he had wanted to say goodbye to his love and child he knew that the sight of them must have been truly horribly for his son to threaten him in such a way.
For a moment his eyes strayed away from his son and swept over all those others in attendance elf and men alike – not to forget an Istari, a dwarf and four hobbits – and landed on Elrond. Once they had been close friends, before the battle at mount Orodruin, before his father and later his wife and child had been killed, before his heart had broken. ) ( ) ( Elrond tilted his head to his side as he felt someone looking at him. Thranduil. The king of Eryn Lasgalen looked lost among all those celebrating elves and men, lost because his normally impassive face showed a hint of fear, of apprehension, visible only to those who knew him well.
He knew that in his own expression could be found the same emotions if one were to look closely enough. And if one were to look even closer at his eyes they could see that he was nearly as heavily drugged as Legolas.
It was seldom that he allowed someone to drug him it didn't matter if he was gravely wounded or if he was only surrounded by many others as he was today. Neither his agility nor his senses were affected by the herbs he had taken only his ability to receive visions was dampened and yet he felt as if one of his senses had been cut of.
The battle at the Orodruin had raged for two days, during the first he had believed to be able to fight without dampening his visions but when evening came he had readily agreed with Thranduil that he needed to be drugged to be able to fight on.
When he had been younger, still a child, he had had visions nearly every night at that time he had feared to sleep and only years after he had met Galadriel had his visions lessened in frequency and he lost his fear to sleep.
After the leaving of Celebrian the visions had returned with vigour and his friends and family had feared for his sanity when he had two or more visions a day. Since they insisted that he took calming herbs before he went to a large gathering such as this coronation, at least when more then a few dozen men were present.
His thoughts went back to Thranduil, what would the king do if Legolas were to die? Would he survive or would he follow his family? He at least would still have his sons when Arwen followed Aragorn to death. Thranduil would have nothing left, his parents, brother, wife and daughter long gone.
No, they could not allow that to happen! If not for Legolas himself then at least for the race of the first born, for Althilwen, for his father. All those would fade soon after Legolas. They had to find a way to unbreak´ his heart and cure the poison! None of them wanted to loose Legolas - not Luin Nor but Legolas the mischievous temperamental elf who did not care if he blew up at a High King or his horse, the one who befriended elves, men, hobbits and dwarfs alike and did not care what others thought of his choice of friends.
Even if Legolas would survive his own daughter would not, she had chosen a mortal life like his own brother Elros millennia ago. She would die like the man she loved, fade away like his brother. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain she would experience, no herbs or teas would take the pain of mortality from her. Joy and sadness filled his heart at the thought of Arwens and Aragorns love, at the love of his youngest child and a descendent of his brother. Loving Aragorn had brought Arwen mortality and ultimately death but it had also brought her the greatest happiness – a happiness he himself had found with Celebrian and his brother with Elena a mortal woman.
How could he scorn his daughter and Aragorn the love they had found even if it meant his daughters death? No, as much pain it brought to him he could not do that, he would treasur the few years he had left with his child and hope that she found the same happiness he had found with her mother.
) ( ) ( )
Legolas smiled as he saw Aragorn come over to him, newly crowned and ready to fulfil his destiny. Even through his smile he saw the sadness in his friends eyes that Arwen had not been there t witness his coronation. For a moment Legolas considered to let Aragorn continue in this believe before he decided that that would be cruel so with a small smile he stepped aside allowing a banner-holding elleth to step forward.
He had to fight to keep the grin from his face that threatened to form on his lips as Aragorns eyes lit up in hope as he recognised the banner as one from Imladris and even saw a smiling Elrond slightly to the left of the girl.
It truly was a comical sight as Arwen stepped from behind of the banner and all Aragorn could do for a few moments was stare at her – that is before he collected himself and rushed forward to engage her in a heated kiss.
Looking around in an attempt to grant his soon-to-be niece and nephew a little privacy he noticed that Arwen was not the only one who was crying: most of the older matrons of Gondor had tears flowing down their cheeks as well as some of the elves. Among them also Arwens father Elrond who did nothing to hide his tears.
To everyone who was not Elven or did not know much about their race this tears were only seen as happiness, even when they were so much more, tears of happiness and joy but also tears of sadness and longing. Sadness at loosing his daughter not only to a husband but also to death and longing for his own wife Celebrian.
He wondered how long Elrond would to stay now that the official ceremony was over. The herbs he himself had been given were stronger then those Elrond had taken and already did he feel their effect waning. As he bowed with the others in front of the four hobbits he nearly stumbled as pain shot from his side through his whole body. Luckily his father and the ilsa tirnoë had not noticed the lack of grace as he stood once again tall and proud or they would have send him immediately back to bed.
After he had fainted in the morning they had tried to convince him not to come to the coronation but he would have had none of that.
Once he had readied himself and calmed the pain that pulsed inside of him he looked around to determine if someone had seen his laps of pain and was worried to notice all four hobbits as well as Eowyn and Eomer shooting him worried glances.
) ( ) ( )
This chapter is not meant to justify the use of drugs in any way! The only reason Elrond uses them in this chapter is because otherwise he would be flooded with visions and consecutively pass out. The herbs he has taken dampen his ability to receive visions but he takes them only in emergencies – like a huge battle or a mass-gathering like a coronation. Think of it as something like a pain-reliever – it doesn't sharpen your senses or dampen them it only stops something "Unnatural" like pain and visions. Both – pain and visions – are useful as a warning and it is therefor not wise to stop it completely but in certain situations they are a hindrance.
That said on to more pressing matters:
1. I'm not sure yet if Legolas will die in this story or not but it will still take some time till I get to the point where I have to decide.
2. I will have to stop updating in two weeks for about two months as I will be without a computer but I'll try to update as much as possible before that.
3. Please review!
He watched his beloved son standing in front of him, his head held high his proud form not revealing that only hours ago he had lost conscious due to the constant pain he was experiencing. Only vaguely he heard the words Mithrandir and Aragorn, now King Elessar Telcontar, spoke declaring Aragorn king of Gondor – he had only eyes for his son.
How long would his little Greenleaf be able to withstand the combined power of Morgoths-Tears and his breaking heart? How long before he died – or worse became like him, unable to show his feelings a mere shadow of his former self.
It seemed to him as if it had only been yesterday when he had buried first his father and then only two years later his wife and his daughter. Tinmirwen had only been forty, a mere child to the first born. They had been on their way back home from Lothlorien when they had been ambushed by a stray band of Orcs. Legolas had been in the party that found the mangled body of his mother, Silruinel had still been a live and died in the arms of her son, her red hair matted with her own blood.
They had spoken only once about the way Legolas had found his mother and sister, only once his son had been able to bear to talk about what he had seen. He had not seen the bodies of his wife and daughter as Legolas had threatened that he would join his mother and sister in Namos' halls if he insisted on seeing them. As much as he had wanted to say goodbye to his love and child he knew that the sight of them must have been truly horribly for his son to threaten him in such a way.
For a moment his eyes strayed away from his son and swept over all those others in attendance elf and men alike – not to forget an Istari, a dwarf and four hobbits – and landed on Elrond. Once they had been close friends, before the battle at mount Orodruin, before his father and later his wife and child had been killed, before his heart had broken. ) ( ) ( Elrond tilted his head to his side as he felt someone looking at him. Thranduil. The king of Eryn Lasgalen looked lost among all those celebrating elves and men, lost because his normally impassive face showed a hint of fear, of apprehension, visible only to those who knew him well.
He knew that in his own expression could be found the same emotions if one were to look closely enough. And if one were to look even closer at his eyes they could see that he was nearly as heavily drugged as Legolas.
It was seldom that he allowed someone to drug him it didn't matter if he was gravely wounded or if he was only surrounded by many others as he was today. Neither his agility nor his senses were affected by the herbs he had taken only his ability to receive visions was dampened and yet he felt as if one of his senses had been cut of.
The battle at the Orodruin had raged for two days, during the first he had believed to be able to fight without dampening his visions but when evening came he had readily agreed with Thranduil that he needed to be drugged to be able to fight on.
When he had been younger, still a child, he had had visions nearly every night at that time he had feared to sleep and only years after he had met Galadriel had his visions lessened in frequency and he lost his fear to sleep.
After the leaving of Celebrian the visions had returned with vigour and his friends and family had feared for his sanity when he had two or more visions a day. Since they insisted that he took calming herbs before he went to a large gathering such as this coronation, at least when more then a few dozen men were present.
His thoughts went back to Thranduil, what would the king do if Legolas were to die? Would he survive or would he follow his family? He at least would still have his sons when Arwen followed Aragorn to death. Thranduil would have nothing left, his parents, brother, wife and daughter long gone.
No, they could not allow that to happen! If not for Legolas himself then at least for the race of the first born, for Althilwen, for his father. All those would fade soon after Legolas. They had to find a way to unbreak´ his heart and cure the poison! None of them wanted to loose Legolas - not Luin Nor but Legolas the mischievous temperamental elf who did not care if he blew up at a High King or his horse, the one who befriended elves, men, hobbits and dwarfs alike and did not care what others thought of his choice of friends.
Even if Legolas would survive his own daughter would not, she had chosen a mortal life like his own brother Elros millennia ago. She would die like the man she loved, fade away like his brother. There was nothing he could do to ease the pain she would experience, no herbs or teas would take the pain of mortality from her. Joy and sadness filled his heart at the thought of Arwens and Aragorns love, at the love of his youngest child and a descendent of his brother. Loving Aragorn had brought Arwen mortality and ultimately death but it had also brought her the greatest happiness – a happiness he himself had found with Celebrian and his brother with Elena a mortal woman.
How could he scorn his daughter and Aragorn the love they had found even if it meant his daughters death? No, as much pain it brought to him he could not do that, he would treasur the few years he had left with his child and hope that she found the same happiness he had found with her mother.
) ( ) ( )
Legolas smiled as he saw Aragorn come over to him, newly crowned and ready to fulfil his destiny. Even through his smile he saw the sadness in his friends eyes that Arwen had not been there t witness his coronation. For a moment Legolas considered to let Aragorn continue in this believe before he decided that that would be cruel so with a small smile he stepped aside allowing a banner-holding elleth to step forward.
He had to fight to keep the grin from his face that threatened to form on his lips as Aragorns eyes lit up in hope as he recognised the banner as one from Imladris and even saw a smiling Elrond slightly to the left of the girl.
It truly was a comical sight as Arwen stepped from behind of the banner and all Aragorn could do for a few moments was stare at her – that is before he collected himself and rushed forward to engage her in a heated kiss.
Looking around in an attempt to grant his soon-to-be niece and nephew a little privacy he noticed that Arwen was not the only one who was crying: most of the older matrons of Gondor had tears flowing down their cheeks as well as some of the elves. Among them also Arwens father Elrond who did nothing to hide his tears.
To everyone who was not Elven or did not know much about their race this tears were only seen as happiness, even when they were so much more, tears of happiness and joy but also tears of sadness and longing. Sadness at loosing his daughter not only to a husband but also to death and longing for his own wife Celebrian.
He wondered how long Elrond would to stay now that the official ceremony was over. The herbs he himself had been given were stronger then those Elrond had taken and already did he feel their effect waning. As he bowed with the others in front of the four hobbits he nearly stumbled as pain shot from his side through his whole body. Luckily his father and the ilsa tirnoë had not noticed the lack of grace as he stood once again tall and proud or they would have send him immediately back to bed.
After he had fainted in the morning they had tried to convince him not to come to the coronation but he would have had none of that.
Once he had readied himself and calmed the pain that pulsed inside of him he looked around to determine if someone had seen his laps of pain and was worried to notice all four hobbits as well as Eowyn and Eomer shooting him worried glances.
) ( ) ( )
This chapter is not meant to justify the use of drugs in any way! The only reason Elrond uses them in this chapter is because otherwise he would be flooded with visions and consecutively pass out. The herbs he has taken dampen his ability to receive visions but he takes them only in emergencies – like a huge battle or a mass-gathering like a coronation. Think of it as something like a pain-reliever – it doesn't sharpen your senses or dampen them it only stops something "Unnatural" like pain and visions. Both – pain and visions – are useful as a warning and it is therefor not wise to stop it completely but in certain situations they are a hindrance.
That said on to more pressing matters:
1. I'm not sure yet if Legolas will die in this story or not but it will still take some time till I get to the point where I have to decide.
2. I will have to stop updating in two weeks for about two months as I will be without a computer but I'll try to update as much as possible before that.
3. Please review!