Part 6

Legolas stood next to Mithrandir in the back as the remaining dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield's company silently paid their last respects to their leader and his brave sister-sons in the kingdom under the mountain. The fallen dwarves were lying on richly ornamented stone tables in the magnificent hall of Erebor with flickering candles placed all around them. Thorin's company made their farewells by stopping in front of each table, bowing their heads ever so slightly in remembrance of their cherished friends and the battles they had fought alongside each other. Legolas' heart grew heavy as he saw the anguish on their faces and heard the low hum of a mourning song filling up the vast halls. Those mortal races, he thought as he witnessed the impact of death on mortal beings for the first time, they do not have forever. For them, life is so deeply intertwined with death that one cannot exist without the other. As Legolas watched the Halfling's lips tremble with the effort to hold back tears, he could not help but think of how he would feel if Thranduil had been amongst the slain on the field of battle and, all of a sudden, the blood feud that had erupted between the dwarves and his own kin over treasures seemed utterly insignificant.

When the dwarves had said their farewells, Bard, Lord of Dale, came forth and laid the king's jewel upon Thorin's breast. "There let it lie," Bard announced in a solemn voice, "until the mountain falls. May it bring good fortune to all his folk that dwell here after."

Thranduil stepped forward after the dark-haired man and drew a sword with a beautifully jeweled hilt from Gondolin that Legolas recognized as the Elvish blade he had taken from Thorin during their encounter in Mirkwood. Thranduil gently placed Orcrist upon the late mountain king's tomb, bowing his head in respectful silence as he did so, murmuring a soft, "May you find the peace in death you could not find in life, Thorin Oakenshield."

Dain Ironfoot, who succeeded Thorin as the rightful heir to the throne of Erebor, was so grateful for the Elvenking's gesture of respect that, after the burial was finished and the Elves prepared to leave for their homeland, he and Balin, eldest and wisest of Thorin's company, passed to Thranduil the white gems of Lasgalen.

The tale of the white gems was a sad one. In the First Age, Thingol, king of Doriath, had commissioned some of the most skillful Dwarven craftsmen to place one of the Silmarils into the Nauglamír, the finest piece of all Dwarvish jewelry. By the time the Dwarves had finished, however, they had become obsessed with the Silmaril and demanded the necklace as payment for their labor. Thingol, having become obsessed with the jewelry himself, refused and a dispute grew over the necklace between the two races, leading to the slaying of Thingol and the sacking of Menegroth. Thousands of Elves, many of Thranduil's friends and family, lost their lives during this raid and the white gems, a precious heirloom of the Sindar, were taken by the Dwarves.

Upon having the precious gems returned to him, Thranduil bowed his head again, this time in gratefulness, and said, "Long shall these halls prosper under your reign, King under the mountain." Legolas gave a nod by means of farewell and so it came to pass that King and Prince of Mirkwood left The Lonely Mountain side by side, riding in silence as they left behind the desolation of Smaug and the wreckage of battle.

"May I asked what changed your mind, Ada?" Legolas queried as they drew near to the borders of Mirkwood, to the north of the place where the Forest River ran out, turning at last to the path that would lead them home. "You did set out to march on Erebor, didn't you? To reclaim the gems?"

A faint smile came onto Thranduil's lips. "Yes, I did."

Yet, his father had not pursued the matter he had initially come for, not even after the battle was over and Thorin had perished. If Dain had not given him the gems, he would have left without them.

"What changed your mind?" Legolas repeated softly.

"The amassment of treasure is a dangerous thing," Thranduil responded thoughtfully. "The measure of power in this world has always been synonymous to a kingdom's wealth, a king's wealth. Kings believe that accumulating precious stones will cement our kingdom's place and strength but it might easily turn against us. The dwarves and the Halfling were willing to sacrifice their lives for Thorin Oakenshield. They accepted him as their king long before he conquered back their kingdom. But it was never enough for him. Entering that mountain, seeing the vast treasure that his forefathers had amassed, led Thorin to believe that he was now a greater king, a more powerful leader. It corrupted his mind and eventually turned him against those who had always believed in him."

"Dragon sickness," Legolas murmured softly.

"It is more than just that." Thranduil exhaled a breath, his weary eyes set on the horizon. "Although Thorin Oakenshield's claim to the throne of Erebor was indeed legitimate, he always feared that his bloodline was too weak to be on a par with the dwarvish kingdoms of old. After Thror succumbed to greed and Thrain to madness, he felt the constant need to prove that he would be a greater king than his forefathers. Still, he could not free himself from the belief that the treasure hidden inside the mountain would validate his kingship once he reclaimed it from Smaug. It is unfortunate that it was his ambition to prove himself—and the insecurity that came with it—that led him to repeat his grandfather's mistakes."

Thranduil's eyes were so full of sorrow and regret that Legolas did no longer know whether his father was indeed talking about Thorin Oakenshield or about himself. Compared with the great remaining Elvish kingdoms in Middle Earth—Lord Elrond in Rivendell, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn in Lothlórien, and even Círdan in the Grey Havens—their bloodline was rather weak. The Silvan Elves had chosen Thranduil's father, Oropher, to be their king but, in comparison with the other Elvish lords, the house of Oropher was still of a lesser noble strain. All at once, it stood to reason why Thranduil too would prioritize the reclaim of the white gems of Lasgalen over anything else. In his father's sight, the possession of the gems—the heirloom of the Sindar—would once and for all legitimate his claim to the throne of Mirkwood, demonstrating that his kingdom was just as powerful as that of the other Elvish lords left in Middle Earth.

"But he did not," Legolas objected firmly. "Thorin did not succumb to that same madness. Ultimately, he prevailed against it."

"He did."

"Is that what changed our mind? What made you decide to fight?"

"It is possible that one day, you might become king of the Woodland realm, Legolas," Thranduil replied as he gave him a piercing look, wiping the late Thorin's struggles off with a swift movement of his hand. "And as king you too might be faced with one choice before you: How shall this day end? Shall we allow the darkness to spread outside our borders to protect the lives of our own or shall we attempt to prevent the vile of evil creeping over Middle Earth, even if that means the sacrifice of our kin?"

Legolas opened his mouth to speak but his father silenced him. "Despite what you may believe, this is not an easy choice, son. Very few choices are indeed easy once you become king." Thranduil's eyes mirrored all the sorrows of his long life. "I witnessed the death of many of our kin throughout the years."

"Ada—" Legolas fell silent.

"I do not want you to question my reign," Thranduil continued. "You know how many of our people we lost." And that your mother was among them, was one thing the Elvenking did not need to add. "Whatever I did, I did to protect you and our kingdom."

"I was wrong to question your reign, Ada," Legolas whispered, humbled by his father's hardship. "I vow not to be dismissive ever again. I just didn't see how it could be right to cowardly hide behind the walls of our kingdom when the rest of the world was facing the menace from the East. And Tauriel—" Again, the prince was groping for words. He was still at a loss as to how Tauriel's need to take vengeance for her parents' death had instilled in him the rebellious spark that had propelled him to turn against his father's orders. "Tauriel seemed to occupy the moral high ground."

Thranduil looked him straight in the eye. "I have forgiven Tauriel, Legolas. She set out to take what she thought was the right path for her, for the both of you. She was of the opinion that the two of you shared the same fate because both of you have grown up motherless. She saw an ally in you, unaware that you are of royal descent and that the consequences of the choices you might have to face one day are of a much greater magnitude than she can even begin to fathom."

As his father's words sank in, a torrent of images flooded Legolas' mind. He clearly remembered the day when Tauriel joined the Royal Guard as a 120-year-old, fierce and furious after her parents' death but with a glimmer of hope in her dark green eyes. She had been an excellent fighter, too wild and too angry at times to fight in the sublime manner of the Elves but simultaneously so swift and determined that Legolas had come to admire her for her commitment and her will to change the world. He remembered how quickly she had stopped to regard him as her instructor upon noticing his admiration for her, how she had confided in him and how, eventually, a friendship had formed between them. He remembered their innumerable conversations as they patrolled a forest that became ever more infested with darkness and evil. He remembered her vows to defend him and his kingdom to her own death. He remembered her silver laugh in those rare moments when all her agony seemed to dissolve. He remembered how her eyes beamed with pride the first time Thranduil had praised her performance in a fight.

Into these images burst memories of his own childhood. Thranduil rocking him to sleep, singing softly in Doriathrin. Thranduil teaching him archery when he was an Elfling, tirelessly standing by his side as he missed his target at each time. Thranduil waking him with a soft kiss on the forehead every year on the day of his mother's death, cradling him to his chest, filling his entire being with warmth and love. Thranduil telling him how he, Legolas, was the greatest gift he had ever received and how sadness could never be all he felt when thinking about his late wife because he would always see her face in his and would forever be grateful for the life they had created together. His mind then wandered to Thranduil teaching him how to read all the languages of Middle Earth, educating him on all the dialects of the Elvish tongues and The Dark Tongue of Mordor. He remembered Thranduil telling him bedtime stories about the long history of his kin, his voice vibrating with pride as he recounted the deeds of his forebears. He remembered his father describing the Elven kingdom of Doriath in the days of old and his grandfather Oropher's migration over the Blue Mountains to the establishment of his dominion in Greenwood the Great after the War of Wrath. He remembered the heartbreak on his Thranduil's face when he told the story of the War or the Last Alliance and Oropher's death in the Battle of Dagorlad. He remembered his own anguish that followed the hearing of these stories. He too remembered when Thranduil appointed him as instructor of the Royal Guard, his eyes radiating unshakeable confidence in his son's abilities. The bond between them was stronger than friendship. It was a bond going back more than 1,500 years. A bond that would not be easily broken.

"Have you forgiven me, Ada?" Legolas asked at last, still mortified that he had let himself be carried away.

A smirk smoothed out Thranduil's strained features as he responded. "You have always been very fond of her, Legolas. I would have been a fool to turn a blind eye to this and to the bearing she might have on you."

Legolas felt his ears tingle with a sensation that would have undoubtedly caused a mortal being to turn crimson with embarrassment. He could also feel that his father noticed his dismay but he apparently decided not to comment on it.

"I was a prince once," Thranduil said instead, speaking in the inscrutable manner of the Elves. "I was once under the illusion that no hardship would ever come to me under my father's reign."

Legolas felt his mouth running dry.

"Sooner or later, this might change," his father went on, reminding Legolas of that brief moment when he had feared for his Thranduil's life on the battlefield. Reminding him too that it had not only been the loss of a loved one that had scared him but the prospect of taking his father's place as king of Mirkwood.

"This battle was nothing," Thranduil heralded as he spurred on the horse that the men of Dale had given to him after his elk had perished. "The spirit of Sauron endured. The fight for the freedom of Middle Earth has not even begun."

Legolas felt both heavy of heart and at peace when he at last caught sight of the gates of the Woodland Realm. He sensed with every fiber of his being that his unburdened days as the prince who might never become king were over but at the same time, he was confident that he would be able to live up to his father's expectations. He had the best possible teacher after all.

~ The End ~

Notes:

- Hannon le for waiting so long for the final the chapter.

- I know some of you expected me to have Thranduil put Orcrist on Thorin's tomb and, personally, I really loved that scene in the book because it says a lot about what kind of person Thranduil really is. I struggled against the idea for a while because I have always wondered why Thranduil would bring Orcrist with him after taking the weapons of the dwarves upon capturing them. But then I figured, since he did not come for war (he didn't know there would be a war after all; all he did know was that Smaug had perished), he might have brought it as some sort of means of exchange. To cut a long story short, here it is.

- The white gems of Lasgalen … Yes … I really the like the melodic sound of this but I'm also aware that it is not uncontroversial whether there really were gems in that mountain that "Thranduil too desired" and, if so, what exactly those gems were and whether or not he had a claim to anything in that mountain. The movie canon is that those stones were Elvish property and were sent to be made into jewels in Erebor by Thranduil, but then Thror got too greedy and kept the jewels for himself (as told in the EE of AUJ). The book canon is that in ancient days, the elves accused the dwarves of stealing their (not otherwise specified) treasure and that the dwarves said they only took what was their due etc. Dain then gives Thranduil the necklace of Girion; a necklace studded with five hundred emeralds that were as green as grass, which was once owned by Girion. The movie canon bears resemblance to the story of Thingol and the Simlaril/the Nauglamír. Neither the treasure described in The Hobbit by Tolkien nor the white gems portrayed in PJs movies probably have anything to do with the story of the Nauglamír but I thought it would be nice to have both references in there. And when it comes to Thranduil's overall design in the movies, I think white gems suit him more than emeralds, so I went with those. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why they call it 'artistic freedom'.

I took the "drew near to the borders of Mirkwood, to the north of the place where the Forest River ran out" part directly from the book, as I'm sure y'all will have noticed. I briefly considered having Thranduil and Legolas ride home with Gandalf, Bilbo and Beorn in order to stay true to Tolkien's writings but decided against it because the father-son-relationship was my absolute priority since I started writing this story.

About 1 hour and 8 minutes into the EE of BOFA, Thranduil glances up at Thorin with this intense stare, which got me thinking about what might be on his mind. Thranduil is, after all, over 6,000 years old, so he should be able to figure out what exactly it was that led Thorin to act the way he did. He is also intelligent enough to draw parallels to his own behavior and the beliefs his behavior is based on.

- And I can't say it often enough: Thranduil is not the antagonist. He might be somewhat arrogant (yes, we get that from the books, duh) but his dislike for dwarves is more than justified considering the history of his people, many of whom were killed when the dwarves slew Thingol during the sacking of Menegroth. Furthermore, he captured Thorin's company for a good reason and that is because he is a great king whose top priority is to protect his kin; not because he hates dwarves. AND HE WOULD NOT HAVE TRIED TO KILL TAURIEL and he would not have sent Legolas away to look for Aragorn—who was only ten years old when the battle of the five armies took place and couldn't have possibly been known as Strider yet—and Legolas wouldn't have just left his father. There is no way.

- There are no known dates concerning Legolas before TA 3018, so we're all doomed to speculate for ever and ever. I always thought he was very young for an Elf—younger than Arwen anyway. So, I'm going with this Timeline of Arda ( wiki/Timeline_of_Arda) stating he was born TA1225. With the battle of the five armies taking place in TA2941, this would make Legolas 1,716 years old at the time.

- With that said, I hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. After all these years, I haven't yet dared to write from Thranduil's perspective though but that's definitely something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I've been toying with the idea to write something like "Thranduil's memoirs" but I haven't yet dared to tackle the task of writing such a magnificent character.