Out of Mirkwood
Scribbles-on-Parchment
July 18, 2020
Chapter 49 – The First Attack
Kélion groaned. Was everything bound to go wrong for him? The ellon slammed his fist into the wooden table in frustration causing the chalice of water to sway dangerously. Úmmon had taken his own life and those of his two young guards sometime in the night. He had hoped to question the elf to find out more of what had led to his treason and attempted assassination of his adar. He had wanted to ask the eldar why he had done these things before he decided what to do with the prisoner. But now he no longer had to make a choice; Úmmon had made it for him instead.
The prince's mind was in turmoil. He could not understand what had driven the ellon to do something like this? He had stayed up the entire night talking with Narril, Nalledir, and Êmand about the events of the day and what should be done with Úmmon. Nalledir had told him all of the events he had remembered from the attack in the healing room and the emotional breakdown the older healer seemed to have. Kélion had talked with his adar only briefly the night before about what had all happened and the ellon had further added to his confusion.
How had Úmmon gone from protecting and healing the king one moment to attempting to kill him the next? If he had wanted to kill Thranduil why had he not just done it in the tunnels, far from any guards? Then he had appeared to have a moment of break-through only to go insane and commit two brutal murders and then kill himself?
Kélion ran his hand through his loose blond hair and let out a deep sigh. He had been furious with Úmmon yesterday, but even in his anger he would have never wished death on the elf. He had known the healer all his life and he was sure that the ellon who had attacked Nalledir and the king was not the true Úmmon.
The Sinda dropped his hand to his side. There had been so much death in the past several days. To the prince it felt as if the entire world was crumbling around him, as if everything his adar had built was collapsing. But what had frightened him the most was the fact that he knew if he had walked into the healer's chambers to find his adar dead, he would have begun to fade immediately. Had he truly lost so much of his will to continue on?
"Mellon nín?"
Kélion glanced up at the sound of Meldir's soft voice. He had been so lost in his thoughts he had not realized his friend had been speaking to him.
"Naethen. I was thinking."
"I could tell," the Silvan commander offered the prince a soft smile full of understanding, "I was telling you that your adar is awake and that Annion and Brêgon have requested to speak with you."
Kélion's head instantly shot over to the door that led to his adar's room as if expecting to see the great king walk out at any moment.
"What is it that they wish to discuss?" the Sinda had already started walking over to the door as he asked this. He knew that speaking with the two lead guards would no doubt be important, but he was too anxious about his adar to care at the moment.
"I don't know. I did not ask, but I can take a guess, judging on their faces, that it is not good. However, I will tell them to wait for a moment while you see to your adar."
Kélion nodded his thanks to Meldir as he disappeared into the king's sleeping chambers.
The interior of the bedroom was flooded with bright, warm sunlight, the curtains having been pulled back. Êmand sat in a chair by Thranduil's bed having asked to stay and guard the king all night. As the two elves made eye contact, Kélion could not help but feel a stab of regret. The harsh words he had spoken the night before still hung heavy on his heart and he knew they had affected the Silvan greatly, though Êmand would never show it. However, all thoughts of guilt were quickly dispersed as Thranduil laid eyes on his eldest son and tried to sit up.
"Ion nín, how are you? Are you well?"
Kélion could not help but smile. He hurried over to his adar's bed and helped the ellon sit up fully on the silk sheets. To see the great king awake, responsive and the sharp glint back in his eyes, made a huge burden seem to lift off of the prince's shoulders.
"I am just so grateful that you are awake and talking. I had such great worry for you. Why in the Valar did you have to frighten me like that?"
Thranduil said nothing but took his son's hands in his own as he noticed the slight trembling in the prince's hands.
"Trust me Kélion. It was never my intention to ever cause you pain."
The younger ellon looked into his adar's eyes and, to the king's surprise, flung his arms around him.
"I did not think I would ever see you alive again. I had a horrible feeling that you were going to leave me as Legolas has."
A single tear slipped out from under the king's dark lashes as he held his son, the sudden pain of Legolas's death ripping through him once more.
Êmand walked quietly over to Meldir, who stood by the door watching as the two Sindar embraced. He did not want to disturb such an intimate reunion between both royals. The two ellyn stepped out of the room and Meldir shut the door quietly. He was glad that his friend was having a touching moment with his adar, but the two scouts who stood waiting by the fire were causing him concern.
"I am sorry, the prince will be out in a moment."
Meldir picked up a bottle of wine that sat on the king's desk to pour drinks for the two Silvan guards, but he quickly put it back down as he remembered how Thranduil had been poisoned in the first place.
"I am afraid that this is serious news we bring, and it cannot wait much longer."
Annion took a step towards the door to the king's personal chambers as he said this, a look of deep concern in his dark eyes. But as Meldir shot the ellon a warning look Êmand stepped into his path, blocking the door.
"Whatever news you bear you may tell us if you do not want to wait any longer, if not then you will need to have patience for I will not allow you to enter the king's chamber's."
Both soldiers glanced at one another for a moment before Annion said,
"Brêgon and I stumbled upon something this morning that greatly distressed us, and we feel that the prince will wish to hear of this. However, I will say nothing more until we can speak to Prince Kélion in person for I do not want to spread incorrect information if what I say is proven to be false."
"What is it you speak of?" Meldir cast a stern look at both ellyn, "What is so upsetting that you will not even to speak to Êmand and I of this issue?"
Brêgon opened his mouth to speak but stopped as the door behind Êmand swung open and Kélion stepped out. The prince saw the four elves glaring at one another and raised a slender brow.
"What is this all about? I was with my adar."
"Forgive us hîr nín," Annion bowed his head, "But I believe you will wish to hear what we have to say before you dismiss us."
Kélion folded his arms over his chest, an irritated look flashing over his face, but he nodded none the less causing both ellyn to look greatly relieved.
"Brêgon and I were sent out with our patrols early this morning and we stumbled across something that I believe you need to see."
Annion reached into a small leather pouch that he carried and pulled out a green and gold fletched arrow, the sharp metal tip was coated in black blood. All three elves recognized it immediately, it was Legolas's.
"Where did you find this?" Kélion demanded as the Silvan handed him the arrow.
"In the West woods. It was buried in the head of a giant spider. It looked to have been killed some days ago."
"So, he traveled far enough into the darkened woods to be attacked by a spider before he was captured and killed."
Both Annion and Brêgon glanced nervously at one another before Brêgon cleared his throat and said,
"Well hîr nín, you see this was not all that we discovered."
Kélion did not look up but continued to finger the fletching on his brother's arrow.
"After finding this we scoured that area and came across no signs of yrch. However, there was evidence of several pairs of eleven footprints and even that of a human. Yrch did not appear to take Prince Legolas. I think that he was first taken by elves."
Thranduil watched his son leave the room and shortly afterward heard the faint murmur of voices coming from the other side of the door. Kélion had said he was only leaving for a moment, but due to the intensity of the conversation, the king had a feeling that it would be much longer.
With a weary sigh, the Sinda gently pushed back the cool sheets that lay over his legs and swung them off over the side of the bed. He wanted to test his own strength before Narril came and forced him to lay back down. He had grown increasingly tired of sitting in various beds and was impatient to get up and move around.
Thranduil reached out and grabbed the headboard to his bed before heaving himself to his feet. For a moment he felt his vision go grey and he swayed but managed to steady himself.
How was it that after two day of consuming the poison he still felt so weak? Narril had been quick to tell him that whatever he had drunk had not been intended to kill him. But if this was the case, why did he still feel this way?
As his vision cleared, the elf took a deep breath and took a shaky step towards the far side of the room. To his surprise his legs held and after several agonizingly long minutes Thranduil had made his way to the other end of the room. Though he had managed not to fall on his face, the Sinda felt discouraged. How in the span of only a couple of days had he been reduced to this?
As Thranduil put his hand against the far wall he suddenly gasped and the great king crumpled to his knees, eyes wide in shock as he felt all of the energy in his body leaving him. It was as if someone was siphoning it from his very soul. He had not the strength to cry out or even breathe. The Sinda felt his vision wavering as he felt himself collapsing onto his side. Then, as quickly as it had started, the attack stopped leaving the king trembling on the expensive rug that covered the floor to his room.
Thranduil's chest heaved as he slowly regained his breath and after several minutes, he was able to heave himself back up to his feet. What had happened? Suddenly all of the stories he had ever been told about fading immediately came to mind. Was his body slowly giving way without him even knowing it?
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
mellon nín – my friend
naethen – I am sorry (my sorrow)
ion nín – my son
hîr nín – my lord
yrch - orcs