Hello and thanks for coming!

This is sort of a companion piece to "Sinking Stones" but you don't have to read that one to understand this one.

Hope you enjoy it!

Kementari is the silvan name for Yavvan, one of the ladies of the valar, queen of nature and all things that grow.

...

He tried to get there before Legolas, but out running an incredibly motivated warrior prince is a rather difficult thing to do. Especially where Thranduil was concerned. It became quickly apparent that the king had fallen during the battle, and even the most desperate search parties had yet to uncover him.

Galion felt the worst kind of Deja vu, but this time he was not searching the dead for Oropher on Thranduil's behalf, but searching for Thranduil on Legolas'. He had wished with everything he had that this time it might be different, and if it wasn't he could at least keep him from discovering his father like that. Not like Thranduil had.

But Legolas was too fast, and by the time Galion reached where the horn had been blown Legolas was already kneeling next to his father who lay motionless and pale on the ground, a spear embedded deep in his back.

Galion felt Legolas' heart shatter. Just like Thranduil's had.

Legolas reached out as if he wanted to touch him, help him in some way, but knew he ought not to touch him in case the spear was in his spine. His shaking hand gently brushed Thranduil's bruised cheek, "Ada?"

The healers were coming.

His voice had not sounded so small since he was a young elfling, as if any strong wind might blow him away, "Ada, please. Wake up, you can't leave."

But the king looked so cold and pale. There were no signs of life.

He moved closer to his father, not noticing the way the blood seeped into his pants and coated one of his hands, the clean one cupped Thranduil's cheek this time, shaking tremendously.

Then he saw Legolas' heart shatter. Shoulders slumped as if the held the weight of the world and the most broken sob Galion had ever heard drifted into the air. Next, Legolas did something he had not done for centuries. He prayed.

"You can't take him. If you are going to leave us to face the darkness alone you cannot take him from me. And if you do, I expect you to do something." Another broken sob. "Kementari please."

The healers had arrived, one gently moved Legolas away so they had room to move. It seemed within seconds they had Thranduil on a stretcher and were whisking him away. Legolas had tried to follow, but they had not let him.

By the official rules of his job, he ought to follow Thranduil, always ready to do whatever his king might need. But Galion knew that his dear king would be furious with him if he learned he had not helped his son, and if this truly was his time of passing, it seemed like he might actually haunt Galion for such a thing.

So he rushed forward, ushering Legolas away from everyone. Away to somewhere private, somewhere he could wash his father's blood off his hands. Legolas was silent the entire time, eyes unfocused but his tears had not slowed.

Galion grabbed the first bucket of clean water he could find in Legolas' tent, not caring that it was nearly freezing cold, he needed to wash the blood off now. Once the hands had been scrubbed to his satisfaction the grabbed a fresh set of clothes and all but tore Legolas out of his old ones. Lastly, he wiped a cloth over his face, washing the dirt, blood, and teas that covered it.

He had stopped crying then, and blinked a few times as if he was coming back to himself, "Galion what do I do?"

Galion wished he could tell him that he could go sit by his father's bedside until he woke, but he couldn't. Legolas was the king now whenas far as the woodland realm was concerned, and kings did not have time to sit with their families in times like this.

He didn't know what to tell the prince, and so he repeated the exact thing Elrond and told Thranduil when they met on the battlefield, the crown so heavy on his head: "We are going to do this one breath a time."

Legolas breathed, eyes sliding shut for a moment. When they opened there was no trace of anything that happened in the last ten minutes. He stood, somehow taller than before, "One breath at a time."

He took another deep breath and then burst back out of the tent, Galion following swiftly.

"I need any uninjured warriors to catch up with the fleeing orc groups, make sure that they are not taking any of our people with them. Extend an offer to the dwarves to help treat any wounded they might have, and give them some antivenom regardless of their answer."

Immediately messengers scrambled away to deliver his orders to those who needed to hear them. Thranduil was going to be so proud of his son when Galion told him about this. Legolas had never wanted to be king, but if he had to, he was going to give it his all.

"Galion, I need you to go find the king and come to get me the very moment I'm needed. I want every elf we came with accounted for by nightfall. Anyone in need of a healer but not greatly so are to be packed into carts and set back to the stronghold to be treated. Humans included."

Galion turned away from the group who followed Legolas around like a tiny school of fish as he made his way through the camp, squeezing him reassuringly on the shoulder as he went. Then he began to sprint towards the king's tent, where he would have been taken to be treated in private. Legolas' voice drifted back to him right before he entered the tent, "And somebody find Bard!"

..

Thanks so much for reading, hope you liked it!

Please leave a review!