Thranduil dropped to his knees and stared at the other elf in disbelieve.
Who was that?
He looked like Legolas' older brother. Only... that was impossible. His son had no sibling.
The prince had rushed to his father's side and grabbed him by the shoulder to held him steady. "What are you doing?! Stop! Don't... Elrond!", he cried out when he noticed the amount of blood that was oozing out of the wound in Thranduils chest.
"No, no, no, no...you can't die now...please...why did you do this?" Legolas was paralyzed, he didn't know what to do. He hardly noticed that Elrond knelt beside him.
The Lord of Imladris was equally shocked but was able act sooner. He ripped the glass shard out of Thranduils chest and immediately put pressure on the wound with his hands, muttering powerful elfish healing words. He hoped that the king wasn't as close to death as it seemed. This way the power of Vilya would still work on him.
Even when Thranduil lost his consciousness and Legolas had to gently lay him down on the floor, Elrond didn't stop. He couldn't! He had promised this stupid and stubborn elf that he would help him get through all this. And that was exactly what he would do. Get him through this!
Death had no right to claim him! Not now!
Suddenly Thranduil drew a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Bewilderment was the first thing he felt and soon after frustration.
"NO!", he screamed and pushed Elrond's hands away. Awkwardly he tried to get up but the stabbing pain in his chest allowed him only to crawl. His legs were too wobbly and his head was pounding. He had a hard time moving at all. After a few inches he stopped, breathing heavily.
"I chose to die! Why won't you let me die?!"
Before Elrond could say something, Legolas chimed in: "You don't mean that, Ada. You...can't." Tears were visible in the younger elfs eyes.
All he got in response was a confused and angry look and the hurtful words again: "Why are you calling me 'ada'? I have only one child and he is much younger than you are."
"You know what...? I've had enough of this." Anger was bubbling up inside Legolas, whisking away the fear that had him in its grasp seconds before. He moved closer to his father, who was still sitting on the floor and knelt down beside him.
"I am your son, I am Legolas. But you might as well ignore me now. You've ignored me my entire life. After my mother...your wife...died, you made yourself scarce. You didn't give me comfort, you didn't even took me in your arms, when I cried in my sleep. And I do remember it, you know. I may have been little, but I do remember that mother died and that you somehow died with her. Because you changed. You were distant, short tempered and so cold to me. I can recall the way you used to hug and kiss me before, Ada. The way you sang to me when I was scared or couldn't sleep. How you smiled at me. I buried those memories deep inside, when I realized that the father I used to know was gone. I was left to my own devices. But you know what? I could hate you for that, but I don't . I am angry though and I'm sad that you don't love me, Ada. Because I still do. I know it's foolish. You obviously want nothing to do with me. You made that quite clear, numerous times. So go ahead then. Kill yourself. Why should I miss you? You were never there for me! You've been dead for such a long time already...go on! Do it!"
Legolas got up, turned around and walked over to the bed.
Something had changed. All the words that had been unsaid for so many years were out now. Legolas finally allowed himself to show all the suppressed anger inside of him. Allowed himself to tell his father how abandoned he'd felt.
And Thranduil changed.
At first, his mind was overstrained by all the things this blonde elf said to him. Because after all, in his world, Legolas was still a child and his wife had just died. This future, the part where he would raise his son, was yet to come. It made no sense to him. But with each new sentence, something inside of him remembered.
He remembered being cold and distant and at times even cruel to Legolas. This was how he had treated his own son.
His mind switched again to the current time and all the memories came back to him. This was his life. This was how he had tried to cope with the loss of his own father, the loss of his wife and the loss of countless warriors under his protection...by not coping with it.
By shoving the pain away. Ignoring it until it was no longer possible to ignore it.
What had he done?
Thranduil wanted to scream, he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He stared at the floor until his eyes burned and he had to blink. There was nothing he could say. It was all true, he had been a terrible father. No, he hadn't been a father at all. He had been cruel, selfish and drowning in self-pity. He had been a cold and distant king instead of a loving father at a time when Legolas had needed him most.
"Help me up", the king said to Elrond, who had witnessed the whole thing in silence. He noticed that Thranduil 's mind was in the right time again. And the fact that Legolas had been able to pull him out of the past just by talking to him was a very good sign. Maybe this was the long awaited turning point. The Lord of Imladris drew hope from that.
Elrond did what the king had asked of him. Thranduil wanted to go over to his son, who was still standing next to the bed.
Legolas hung his head, eyes closed. He tried to shut out all that was going on in this room. If his father wanted to kill himself so badly, he could do it. But he wouldn't stand there and watch him.
To his surprise the king suddenly stood in front of him and pulled him into his arms. At first the prince was shocked. He wasn't used to hugs and now... his Ada was hugging him? It felt so strange. But when Legolas breathed in the familiar but long lost scent of his father, he wrapped his arms around him and started to cry.