Oropher woke to a strange noise rippling very softly down the hallway, he listened closely for several minutes but was not able to identify what it was so he got up to investigate. The noise grew only magonly when he eased his bedroom door open and stepped out into the hallway, tilting his head back and forth to discern where the sound was emitting from.

Not entirely surprised when it was from Thranduil's room.

Was not even the dead of the might safe from his son's insistent troublemaking?

He paused outside the door to listen to the sound more closely, but was still unable to place it. With all the grace and stealth that Eru had gifted him, Oropher eased open Thranduil's door to peek inside and see what he was up to.

The sight startled him into stillness.

The source of the noise was crumpled on the floor by the window, having clearly recently fallen through it. Both Thranduil and Luthien were kneeling on either side of the creature, trying their best to soothe it with no success.

Ferdan continued to sob brokenly into a pillow despite their best efforts. Each shattered exhale being the mysterious sound that had claimed the dark hallways.

"Don't listen to him, Fer," Thranduil said with utmost sincerity, leaning farther over until both arms were awkwardly wrapped around Ferdan's chest and his head laid on his left shoulder. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

"He's my father," Ferdan moaned with raw agony, "How could he say those things to me?"

"Becuase he's stupid and arragont, and to self absorbed with his own suffering to care about anybody else's nor the effect his words have on them," Luthien answered.

Thranduil added, "Because he has to hurt somebody to feel better about his own pathetic excuse for an existence. You don't deserve it."

Ferdan's entire body shook with silent sobs, the silence occasionally interrupted by a muffled wail of despair, "How could he say he wishes I had died with my mother? How could he say it would have been better for us? How could he- How could he-"

"Shhhhhhh, my poor sweet darling. Shhhhhhh," Luthien soothed, nearly flattering herself onto the floor in order to try and wrap her arms around him as well.

"How can my own father wish me dead?"

Oropher eased the doorway closed once more, he had heard enough.

As quality as he had approached the door, he retread back to his own bedroom with great haste. The anger in his body making his steps come even faster. He came to stand at the edge of the bed and rubbed a soft hand up and down Muinthel's arm to wake her.

She blinked up at him with curious eyes, "Go to Thranduil's room. There is an elfling there in need of a mother's comfort."

That was all the information she needed before she was already halfway to the wardrobe to pull out a thick roabe to throw over her sleeping clothes while Oropher made his way back to their bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" Muinthel called after him.

"To go reach an understanding with Ferdan's father."

...

Oropher walked down the empty city streets, each footstep echoing in every direction heavy with his disdain. He had never been to Ferdan's home himself, but he knew exactly where it was and how to find it.

There was a figure sitting at the front of the house, a shawl wrapped around slender guiltily slumped shoulders and a stillness about them that seemed to point to the likelihood that their attention was far away from these city streets.

As he drew nearer a hopeful voice called out to him, "Ferdan?"

"No," Oropher answered, taking the last few steps until he reached the small gate that only reached around his waist, "Not Ferdan."

The figure stood up and wrung her hands with worry, "Do you know where he is? I've looked everywhere, but could not find him."

"He's drunk." Oropher said bluntly, "Drunk and sobbing on my son's bedroom floor."

The Elleth looked down at her hands and shook her head and breathed, "My poor, sweet, little thing. He must be so upset."

Oropher raised an eyebrow, "I would have gone words more like 'utterly devastated' and 'soulfully shattered' but if you want to use the word 'upset' that is your choice to do so."

Her shoulders slumped further, "I wasn't here when it happened. But his sibling told me about it as soon as I got back."

Oropher didn't really know what to say, and so he stood there in passive silence. He did not need and introduction to know that this elleths would be Ferdan's Aunt, the caretaker of the home and children since his mother had passed to the hall many years ago.

"I tried to do right by him. Steer him in the right direction, keep him safe, keep him smart." The aunt continued aimlessly. "But then, I've tried many things in my lifetime and so few of them turn out the way I expect or want them to."

"You do not think you raised him right?" Oropher asked.

For the first time since he had walked up, he got a glimpse of eye contact with her before they lowered back down to her hands, "Right enough."

"Right enough?"

"Right enough to find you and Thranduil, right enough to know that he needed to hold onto you. For his own sake."

The two stood in mutual silence for several long moments, each breath they took almost holding more weight than the stars that hung above them. Oropher had been expecting a heated confrontation, not whatever this was.

"You're going to take him from us, arn't you?" She asked, voice smaller than Ferdan's echoed sobs had been.

Orpher had not come here with a plan, not really. He had come here with anger in his heart and the injustice of wrongful heartbreak haunting his ears, but not a plan. Or at least, that's what he thought.

It became apparent what his intent had been this entire time the moment she had asked the question. His strong voice and strong answer seemed all the bigger next to her, "Yes. I am."

Tears began to silently streak from her eyes as she nodded very slightly, "You're going to look after him, right?"

"Yes I am." Oropher answered with the same confidence.

"Teach him right from wrong?"

"He already knows right from wrong," Oropher answered, "In fact, he dances at the very edges of the lines like the most graceful dancer I have ever seen. I do not need to teach him that."

She nodded in a small manner again, "I'll go and fetch you most of his personal things. So he will not have to come back and see his father anytime soon."

"Thank you," Oropher said sincerely, watching her walk back up to the house and vanish inside.

His eyes caught movement from the upstairs bedroom, a dark masculen figure was just barely silhouetted against the dark curtain behind it. Oropher stared up at Ferdans father with hatred and said clearly enough that he was certain it would reach even his dull ears, "I'm going to teach him how to demand the respect that his impeccable soul and character deserves."

"And how to disregard the petty words of those worth, much, much lesser than him from his heart like rotten fruit out of a fruit bowl."

Oropher could feel the heavy gaze of angry eyes resting upon him and that brought him a bit of satisfaction, "I'm going to teach him how to forget all about you, and everything you've done to him."

...0.0.0.

Hello, thank you so much for reading! It's unfortunate that right now i only seem able to do pretty sporadic updates but that is what my life is currently demanding from me and so I am eternally grateful for everybody who's continued to show support and love!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Also! Remember when I wss only going to do 30 of these?

And now we're one chapter away from 130.