Chapter 5: The Past
"Ai..." Tonus lay down on his bed and wiped away his current tears. His father, prince Thranduil had just arrived back from the battle of the last Alliance between men and elves with some minor injuries, but Tonus' grandfather, King Oropher, did not.
Tonus was so close to his grandfather it was hard to believe. Thranduil and Aldaril spent less time with him then Oropher would, and Oropher had more duties then they did. But now with his grandfather dead, Tonus had no one, and his father was locked up in his room.
"Grandfather... Why..." Tonus buried his face in his soft pillows when his mother, Aldaril, entered the room.
"Tonus? How are you doing?" Aldaril asked softly.
Tonus gave no reply, so Aldaril sat on his bed and rubbed her son's back.
"Tonus, dear, I have something to tell you that I hope will make you happy." Aldaril whispered. Tonus looked up and she saw her son's damp face from crying.
"What... Naneth...?" Tonus asked softly.
"Before the battle of the last alliance, I was so sad, as I did not want your father to... to be... killed,"
Tonus cringed as that reminded him more and more of his grandfather.
"And I was so hurt, Tonus, to even think that my beloved husband would not return to me... So, the night before your father's final day before leaving for war, your father told me he would give me something to remember him by if ever he were to die and..."
"W-what was it?" Tonus asked softly.
Aldaril took her son's hand and placed it on her stomach.
"W-what?" Tonus was about to jerk his hand away when his eyes widened and he realised what his mother was telling him.
"Your pregnant?" Tonus asked quietly.
"Yes... Tonus, your going to be a big brother... and, and there's more." Aldaril put a hand on Tonus' muscular shoulder.
"What else can there possibly be?" Tonus asked.
"With grandfather gone, your father... Your father was his heir and... Your father will be king! And since you are currently," Aldaril pat her stomach, "His only son, it makes you the heir to the throne... Tonus, you are a prince." Tonus' jaw dropped.
"I can't be." Tonus shook his head.
"You are, and I know it is hard to adjust but think of it Tonus, I am a queen now..." Aldaril as grabbed and pulled into a tight embrace by Tonus.
"Naneth, I don't want this to happen. I want grandfather to still be here." Tonus sobbed.
"I know you do, dear, I want him back too, and your father..."
"Poor adar." Tonus shut his eyes.
"He is king now. You must... Understand that your father will now be busier... Then ever." Aldaril kissed her precious son.
"How... How are the other elves? Who else... died... that we know?"
"A few servants..."
"G-Galion?" Tonus whispered.
"He protected your father when he was in grief, right after grandsire died and... he was injured severely, but he will live." Aldaril said quietly.
"That's... Good." Tonus said quietly.
"Yes, it is. Why don't you go get some fresh air, Tonus? It would do you some good, you have yet to leave the house since your grandfather's passing." Aldaril suggested.
"Alright nana." Tonus stood up and picked up his leather hunting tunic. Tonus undressed himself and dressed in that tunic, then turned to be facing his mother.
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"
"No." Aldaril smiled at seeing her son so curious.
"Do you have any names for the child?" Tonus asked.
"I was so worried that your father were to die that I thought I would be naming this child Thranduil, but now that I know he is perfectly safe, I think that we may name this child Cield if it is a boy and perhaps Aurel if it is a girl. Which would you want, Tonus? A sister or brother?"
"A sister." Tonus smiled, grabbing his bow and quiver, placing his long blade in it's sheath.
"Be careful." Aldaril watched as Tonus stepped onto his balcony to see where he would head.
Tonus looked around, seeing guards, plenty of guards. Then he noticed something else: A beautiful she elf, walking up to the palace doors. She seemed upset. Tonus looked at her fair body and dropped his bow.
Tonus ran down to the palace doors, past all the servants who looked at him as if he where a crazy elf.
Tonus opened the palace doors for the she-elf.
"Sir, are you... One of the servants?" The she-elf asked.
"I am- yes! I am." Tonus lied.
"Well... I came to see if... If my brother, Alyan, survived... he went to battle." The she-elf whispered.
"And your name is?"
"Yáviel."
"Has he come home yet?"
"No."
"Come with me to the healing rooms. If he is not there then we can check where the bodies lay... If he is in neither of those places then I would not be able to tell you where he is." Tonus said, taking Yáviel's hand gently and walking her to the healing rooms.
"Sir, have you tended to an elf named Alyan?"
"No, my lord." The elf bowed and took his cloth and began to heal another elf.
"My lord?" Yáviel pulled her hand away from Tonus.
"Well... I... I am Thranduil's son." Tonus shrugged.
"You told me you where hired help!" Yáviel took a step back.
"I am sorry... Let me help you find your brother, at the least."
Yáviel followed Tonus in silence around the healing room. No Alyan.
"Come, we can check the bodies, at least if he is there you will know where he is." Tonus said. Yáviel nodded sadly.
Tonus was not permitted in the chambers where all the bodies of the dead Mirkwood elves lay, as Oropher lay there as well.
Tonus pushed open the doors and winced when he saw his grandfather's body in the centre of the room. Yáviel was already off and running.
"What did you see?" Tonus asked, watching as Yáviel stopped at one of the bodies and began to weep.
"That is Alyan?" Tonus asked, looking down at the elf. He remembered seeing this elf being carried into the healing room. The healers said he had no chance of survival so they had let him die.
"It is..." Yáviel whispered, looking at the cleaned injuries on her brother's body.
"He is in mandos now, he will be reborn to Valinor, you will see him again." Tonus said, then a smile appeared on his face.
"I will see him again!" Tonus said in joy.
"What do you speak of?" Yáviel looked at the prince who was grinning in joy.
"Grandfather..." Tonus ran over to his grandfather's body, Yáviel following to see what caused the prince's strange behaviour.
"That is king Oropher!" Yáviel gasped.
"My grandfather. I will see him in Valinor." Tonus whispered, clutching his grandfather's cold hand.
Yáviel looked at the prince's face, and noticed how handsome he truly was.
"You are Tonus, correct? Prince Tonus?" Yáviel asked.
"Yes." Tonus looked at the she-elf.
"Why did you come to greet me, if you are a prince and have servants for such things?"
"Because... I saw you from the balcony in my room and... And..." Tonus' face turned pink.
"And what?" Yáviel was blushing now, nervous to hear what he said.
"I thought you where pretty." Tonus' face went red.
"Don't slap me." Tonus whispered.
"I am not going to! You are handsome yourself, prince Tonus." Yáviel whispered.
"I am glad you think that. Would you like me to escort you home, wherever that may be?" Tonus asked, offering her his arm.
"Thank you, my prince." Yáviel took it.
On the walk to Yáviel's home, the two spoke.
"It will be hard for you too tell your parents that your brother is gone."
"My parents are in Valinor. I am the only of my family left in Middle-Earth, now." Yáviel whispered.
"So you are of age?"
"Barely. I became of age two years ago." Yáviel smiled at the prince, her first smile since Tonus had seen her.
"Your smile is beautiful." Tonus was already pink, and it just made his face redder as he said that.
"Are you of age, prince?"
"In half a year." Tonus whispered.
"This is my house." Yáviel whispered, pointing to a small old house.
"It is small."
"I am not a princess."
"Sorry I am just use to the caves and-
"Don't worry about it." Yáviel bowed to the prince.
"You do not need to bow." Tonus said quietly.
"But I want to... Tonus, would you come inside? I could make some tea or prepare you some food." Yáviel offered, smiling at the young male elf in front of her.
"Certainly." Tonus entered the house with Yáviel. Yáviel made tea and offered Tonus some biscuits.
The two sat and spoke for three long hours, eating and drinking biscuits and tea. Then, Tonus stood up.
"You are leaving, my prince?" Yáviel asked as Tonus nodded.
"Yes... This time here was wonderful, you kept my mind off... the battle that not all elves returned from." Tonus smiled, pulling Yáviel close to him.
"What are you-
Tonus kissed her. He knew he had only known Yáviel for some hours, but he did not care. Tonus was in love.
To be continued...
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Yes, they do deserve to meet Florien and Yáviel... But Tonus likes to keep things to himself, and he dislikes talking to Thranduil about himself, especially if it is something that may upset Thranduil as Tonus knows very well how important a wife and father are and knows how heartbroken Thranduil must be without having them.
Aranna Undomiel: Well, Florien is a real name, not elvish or anything. A site I went to say Florien is a guy's name but it's a girl's name a well, I know that for a fact. I had a great-uncle named Florien!
Here comes the hockey puck: You made Tonus feel better (he reads the reviews over my shoulder whilst I read them). You made an elf happy! You get a cookie that Tonus baked with his new Easy-bake oven.
Rainbow Fish: They all are ugly! I don't know where else there is prime ministers but in Canada... Heck I'd prefer Celeborn then the ugly old guys we get...
Surf all day and do the hula: Go labs! Yay.