Out of Mirkwood
Scribbles-on-Parchment
August 3, 2019
Chapter 4 – The King's Anger
Legolas was getting anxious. The longer it took his adar to find him, the longer Thranduil's anger had time to build. There was no doubt that as soon as the elven king found him the young ellon would be in a world of trouble. There was no way he could get out of it.
Legolas sighed and got up from the chair stretching his stiff limbs. He now just wanted his adar to come through the door so he could get it over with. The longer he was forced to wait the worse he knew the confrontation would be. The Sinda knew that when the king came, there would be harsh words and anger on both sides. For years he had kept all his frustration pent up inside him and he was not sure he could hold it in any longer.
The young prince walked over to the window that lay on the other side of his bed and angrily looked out over the palace garden. It was deserted. Legolas was debating if it might be a good idea to try and climb out his window and jump to the closest tree when there was a loud knock at his door.
He instantly froze sure it was his adar.
"Legolas," the voice was muffled by the solid wood of the door, "I know you're in there."
However, it was not the harsh, anger-filled voice of his adar that he had been expecting, but rather the calm voice of his brother.
"Are you going to let me in or shall I continue to talk to the wood?"
Legolas had no desire to talk with Kélion, so he merely glared at the door, "Go away. I don't need to get scolded twice. You always just make things worse anyway."
The elfling knew this was harsh but he was not in the mood to be kind right now.
"I assume that means I should get comfortable with talking to the door," the voice said calmly showing no sign that the angered words had been heard.
Legolas remained silent.
"Well, I had an enlightening talk with adar just a couple of minutes ago. It seems as though you have once again succeeded to get yourself into trouble. Do you find pleasure in having to deal with his temper or do you just have terrible luck? Either way, you should know that adar is rather angry with you at the moment."
The young Sinda snorted.
"And by rather angry I mean that he is ready to lock you in the dungeons."
"Well, I wouldn't feel any different than the way I live now. What difference does it make if I am held captive by iron bars or by the rules that you and adar seem to think I so desperately need," there was silence outside the door, so the ellon continued, "You told me once that I would grow to be the greatest warrior in all of the realm. Well, how am I supposed to do that if I am boxed in by rules that don't even allow me to leave sight of the palace? I am being treated like no more than an elfling."
"But you are an elfling Legolas. You have yet to reach your majority and are the youngest eldar by far in all of the realm. Is it such a bad thing for adar to want to protect you?"
"I am not in the mood to argue with you Kélion. Isn't facing adar enough of a punishment without also having to face you as well?"
Outside the door, the crown prince rested his forehead on the ornate wood. There was no way to talk sense into his younger brother when he got in a mood like this.
"Adar just does this because he loves you Legolas. You remind him so much of naneth that it would break his heart if he also lost you. Do you not see that or are you too blinded by your own self-pity to realize how much he is still hurting?"
In his room, Legolas's eyes darkened with hurt at his brother's words. Could no one see the injustice? Could no one see how he was getting boxed in, tapped? For once could someone try to understand his side of things?
"Naneth died more than 600 years ago Kélion. I don't even remember her. If adar loved her as much as you say, then why did he not protect her? Why was he not there when she was killed?"
"Legolas!" Kélion hissed trying to stop his brother before the elfling said something he would regret.
"If he loved her so much then why does he never talk about her? Why does he never tell me anything about her? I don't think he ever felt any pain over losing her and if he did then he never showed it to me!"
"Legolas! Stop!"
"No Kélion," the young prince was too hurt and frustrated to care about the lasting impact his words could have, "I think that adar is a coward. If he cares about us so much then why has he kept us locked up, away from the outside world for centuries? Why has he never once told me about naneth? Why has he never consulted me about things that directly affect me? I'll tell you why. It's because he doesn't have the guts to stand up to any of us and fix the problems he has caused. It's all his…"
"Dîn!" a thundering voice cut him off causing Legolas to freeze, all the color rapidly draining from his face.
The young ellon just had time to scramble away as the door crashed open revealing the imposing figure of his adar. The monarch looked at his son with enough anger to cause any eldar to quake. His icy blue eyes board into Legolas making him quickly look away. Fury seemed to radiate off the Sinda.
"It would be wise to consider your next words very carefully ion nín."
He practically spat the last two words out.
Legolas looked behind his adar at his brother who stood stiffly in the doorway, but Kélion's eyes showed no sympathy towards him. The crown prince slowly turned and walked away. His brother had gotten himself into this mess and now he had to face the consequences.
"Adar," Legolas said quietly, shocked and slightly hurt that Kélion had left him to face the king's rage alone, "Goheno nin. I did not know you would hear that."
"Obviously," the Sinda's voice shook with anger, "I am ashamed to call you ion nín. You disobey my rules and then go on to insult me and your naneth. Your actions today have landed you on the wrong side of my favor."
Legolas was trembling in fear now. He had never seen his adar this angry before.
"If you were not my son then I would have you locked away in the dungeons for the rest of your miserable life for the words you have spoken."
"Naethen adar," the young elf said realizing how much trouble he was in, "I did not mean what I said. My words were spoken out of ang…"
"Dîn Legolas!" the king thundered, "I have not finished. Your disobedience has caused another elf to be injured. He could have been killed protecting you and you would have had to live with the knowledge that it was your disobedience that caused it. You cannot blame all your actions on me Legolas. You need to take responsibility for what you have done. The blame does not fall on me but on you."
Each of his adar's words cut at the young eldar's heart.
"And how could you have said such cruel things about me and your naneth? Did you forget that she loved you so much that she died saving you? Do you not know that with her dying breath she told me to take you instead? I now have to live every day with the knowledge that I could not save both of you," Thranduil paused before saying coldly, "Your actions have made me think that perhaps I saved the wrong one."
These words tore at Legolas with such fierceness that he suddenly struggled to draw breath. So that was what his adar thought of him. He saw him as a mistake. A worthless son who should have died instead of his naneth.
The young Sinda looked up at his adar, hurt and anger showing clearly in the dark blue depths, as he said calmly,
"So that is all I am, just another one of your mistakes."
Thranduil's eyes narrowed at his son's words. Without thinking he stretched his hand out and slapped his son hard across the face.
"Do not ever speak to me like that again," he spat at Legolas's shocked expression, "You will stay in here until I decide the best punishment for your repulsive behavior."
The elven king spun around and stormed out of his son's room, slamming the door shut as he left. The young prince stood where his adar had left him. A bright red handprint displayed across his pale cheek, tears glistening in his eyes. His adar's harsh words rang in his ears and ripped at his already torn heart.
At last, the young prince walked over to his bed and let himself fall face onto the silky fabric. Never had his adar ever hit him. No matter how angry the Sinda had gotten towards him he had never raised his hand against him. But today that had all changed and Legolas wasn't sure if he could stand it. He felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart and this time there had been no Êmand to pull him out of the way.
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
naneth – mother
dîn – silence
ion nín – my son
goheno nin – forgive me
naethen – I am sorry