Out of Mirkwood
Scribbles-on-Parchment
August 15, 2020
Chapter 54 – Preparing for Battle
Kélion watched as Meldir and Narril helped his adar sit in the plush chair that stood beside his bed. The elleth had not been pleased to come into the room and find the crown prince on the floor clutching at his chest in pain and finding Thranduil standing shakily by the door to his room had not helped her demeanor any. Both Sindar ellyn had received quite a harsh admonishment from her on the dangers of their suborn egos. Only after both father and son had been looked over to check for any life-threatening injuries had Narril finally given in to Kélion's demands to speak with his adar in private.
Meldir had not left his side through all of this which the prince was very grateful for. Both the suddenness and intense pain of the attack had startled the prince and left him greatly troubled. He had seen his adar suffer through several of these attacks before, but he did not understand why he was suddenly experiencing them. With the king now no longer standing at death's door why had the power of the barrier not fallen back to him? Why had he been left with it?
The Sinda paced worriedly beside his adar as Narril bowed and quietly left the royal chambers, shutting the door softly on her way out. If yrch were truly preparing to attack the Greenwood then action needed to be taken soon to prevent another mass bloodshed of their people.
"You felt it too didn't you," Thranduil's words were more of a statement than a question as soon as the healer had left, "You felt that attack on the barrier. That is why you are so anxious."
Kélion glanced over at Meldir who just stared back, worry filling his gaze.
"Why did I feel and see those things adar? Why do I sense as if a great burden has been handed to me and is weighing heavily on my mind?"
The Sinda king sighed deeply.
"I feared that this would happen ion nín, yet I was foolish and did not prepare you fully for what to expect when you are king."
"What do you mean?" Kélion's voice came out harsher than he had anticipated, "I am not king."
"I mean only that whatever Úmmon poisoned me with has weakened my power greatly. I feel as if with every waking moment there is a force that is taking energy straight from my súlë. I worry that my heart is fading and I can do nothing to stop it."
All of the blood ran from the faces of the three ellyn present. Did their king just admit to them that he was dying in front of their very eyes? Êmand was the first to speak,
"Hîr nín why do you say these things? Do you mean to say that Kélion is seeing these visions and feeling these pains because he is taking over your place as king?"
Thranduil lowered his head, too saddened to look his son in the eye and answer him. He had known ever since he had woken up that the power being taken from him by this unknown force would be the end of him. He was powerful, yes, but it would only be a matter of time before his súlë lost the ability to sustain him and he passed into the Halls of Mandos.
"Let us speak no more of this now," the king's voice was shaking slightly, "Ion nín please tell me what you saw in the vision for my heart fears for what you witnessed."
Kélion's eyes widened. He had almost forgotten about his vision upon hearing of his adar's fading. But at this reminder, all of the anxiety and panic he had first felt came rushing back.
"Yrch. I saw an army of evil coming through the forest cutting down great trees and burning them. I saw them break into the palace and slaughter every ellon and ellyth they came across. I felt them breaking through the barrier. It cut at my heart and I felt a great weakening in my body as if my power was being taken to try and strengthen it even as it crumbled," the prince paused and cast a glance at Êmand who stood guard by the door, "Then the vision faded to mist but I was left with a great pain in my heart still."
Meldir narrowed his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the turmoil behind the ellon's azure eyes. He was hiding something. He had witnessed something else in the vision that he was not telling, but the Silvan decided to ask his friend more about this later.
"I feared it would come to this," Thranduil looked up at his son, "I seem to have failed all of you. I have not the power to protect my own people. my son is being forced to watch his king fade away to nothing, and Legolas…"
The Sinda broke off unable to say more as a dead look appeared in normally cold, blue eyes. None of the ellyn spoke as they witnessed this. Never before had they seen the great king look so defeated and destroyed. The ellon seemed to have already given into his grief and to have let the hopelessness overtake him.
"No!" Kélion's voice rang out in the still room causing everyone to jump in surprise, "I will not let you sit here and wallow in your self-pity. What has happened to you in the past several days that you have forgotten your hope? What has happened that you have abandoned your will to live?"
The prince's face was filled with a mixture of grief, frustration, and anger.
"I will not let you sit here and give up hope while all of your kingdom crumbles around you. You are a king for Valar's sake, and it is time that you start acting like one again. Legolas did not die just for you to give up and follow after him. And what of naneth? Will you join her in the Hall of Mandos full of shame and regret? If being wiped out by yrch is how the Greenwood will at last fall then it will be with her king leading her soldiers into battle, not cowering in shame in the shadows."
Kélion stopped suddenly realizing the words he was speaking, his chest heaving in emotion. Never in his life had he ever imagined himself speaking to his adar in such a way. But the dejected ellon sitting in front of him was not the king he had grown up admiring. This was not the way that the great King Thranduil would draw his last breath.
"Mellon nín," Meldir had come beside the prince and put a hand on his shoulder, "Come outside with me for a moment, you have much anger and hurt in you. Come with me before you speak something you deeply regret. I believe the king has heard enough for now."
Reluctantly Kélion nodded and allowed his friend to lead him out of the room. However, before Êmand closed the door behind them the prince cast one look behind him at where his adar was. Thranduil still sat with his head bowed and did not look up at his son.
But hidden behind the strands of long blond hair the elven king's eyes seemed to spark to life and the deathly pale look began to fade from his face. The Sinda was, at last, waking up from the nightmarish haze the poison had held him in. His son's words had been enough to give him the strength to break free from its suffocating hold.
Outside of the king's chambers Meldir was leading the prince back to his own rooms.
"Where are you taking me?" Kélion glared at his friend.
"I am taking you to your room so that you can tell me what is truly going on. You are hiding something from me and I can see it eating away at you."
The Sinda's face darkened at this. A moment later Meldir guided the crown prince into his own quarters and shut the door firmly behind them so they could speak in private.
With his friend's guidance, Kélion soon found himself sitting in a hard wooden chair, the Silvan glaring at him.
"Speak mellon and do not hide anything from me. For I can read you as easily as one can read a book. I shall know when you speak the truth and when you do not."
The Silvan crossed his arms and waited.
"It was the vision Meldir. There was something not right about it."
Kélion paused.
"What was not right about it? Pray tell me. I will do you no good to keep it to yourself now."
"I saw the yrch," the Sinda said slowly, almost reluctantly, "I saw the flames and blood and death. But I also saw Legolas. He was wielding a bow and had many elves behind him, yet he was different. His body radiated power and he seemed to glow silver and white against the evil around him. Yet he…" Kélion broke off, "He had such anger in his eyes as if he were furious at me. He came to me with such speed that I could do nothing. He demanded to know why I left him, why I did not come to save him. He wanted to know why I had abandoned him."
Meldir's face grew dark at his friend's words and he asked,
"What happened next?"
The prince grew still, his voice just above a whisper.
"His eyes grew black with hatred and I felt unable to move. Then he grabbed my sword from my hand and thrust it into my side. After that all I could see was black mist," Kélion looked at the Silvan, "He killed me. My own brother killed me, but it was as if it was not him. Like it was a shell of his body."
Meldir stepped forward and embraced his friend for the second time that day.
"A vision does not tell of things that will surely happen. Legolas is not here and I fear that it is only evil things that are tormenting your mind. The death of your brother has set off some kind of trigger that has led to a tide of darkness. Do not give into it and do not let it take hold of your mind."
The two ellyn stayed as they were for several moments before the faint sounds of shouting and the running of elven feet in the hall outside the door could be heard. Only then did the friends break apart and look towards the intricately carved door that stood several feet away. Kélion got quickly to his feet,
"What in the Valars' name is going on?"
As he said this the door was flung open and Thalion burst into the room looking flustered. He spotted the prince and gasped,
"You must come quickly, my prince. The king has called for the army to assemble and your guidance is needed to plan for the battle."
Elvish Translations:
adar – father
yrch – orcs
ion nín – my son
súlë – spirit
hîr nín – my lord
naneth – mother
mellon nín – my friend
mellon – friend