Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any characters and/or places
thereof
*****
A week later, in the clutches of one of those unkind hours of the day when anyone in their right mind would rather be sleeping, Lord Elrond slumped his shoulders and rested his face in his hands. King Thranduil himself had come to Imladris. There, at least, something good had happened: he had come for his son, not sent riders for his prince. Who, naturally, had been so elated he had hardly stopped telling those awful jokes to sleep.
The treaty had been drafted, picked over, drafted, and finalized. For hours the three of them, Elrond, Thranduil and Legolas had been sitting up arguing over the document. Elrond kept a close eye on Legolas, when he could spare it, but found that nothing in the Prince's behaviour could be found wanting.
Now that final document rested before Elrond, but worry stayed his hand.
Yes, Thranduil had come to Rivendell and this had meant to Legolas more than words could tell. However, he had done nothing further. They had not had any talks about Legolas' mother's death nor had Thranduil tried to breach that topic, in point of fact he avoided it like the plague, figuratively speaking. Elrond feared that soon the two would leave, and then what might happen? Any number of things could set Legolas's mind back all the steps he had fought so hard to take!
"You should not worry so, love," Lady Celebrían said, entering and setting a cup of tea at her husband's elbow. "Drink that."
Elrond looked at the cup, then at his wife. She knew how he hated tea. Wincing, Elrond tipped his head back and emptied the contents of the cup in one efficient slug. Celebrían covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "You are up early."
"As are you and the boys," Celebrían answered. "Tell me what weighs so heavily on your mind."
"Legolas and Thranduil," he told her honestly. "When they leave here, I fear Thranduil will not know what to do. Someone has to talk to that boy and how I wish it was not he that must! Even now I cannot council him, he would not have it."
Celebrían looked out the window, wondering if she might catch a glimpse of the boys. "You could talk to him, Elrond. You have yet to try."
"Come, Galadriel's child can not be innocent of the ways of politics! Thranduil is a King, it is not my place to dictate to him his actions."
The woman smiled ethereally, one trick (thought Elrond) that she learned from her mother. "You must decide what is of greatest import to you, Peredhil," Celebrían said. She turned to go and, as she did so, encountered Thranduil just outside the door, raising his hand to knock. "Good morrow, King Thranduil," Celebrían said pleasantly, slipping past him.
"Good morrow. . ."
"Hail, Thranduil of Mirkwood," Elrond said to him. "The treaty is yet unsigned."
Thranduil nodded, accepting this. He turned to leave and, deciding all at once that Legolas's health mattered more than treaty, Elrond called to him, "Thranduil, if you would but wait a moment--" Then, instead of waiting for him, Elrond rose and went to the King.
"Thranduil, I speak to you now as a friend. Your son is not well. He needs you now, he needs to know that he can rely on you to be there when he needs. Legolas is only a boy and this is a very difficult time for him."
Thranduil looked to Elrond with a sort of anger born of weakness but not of insult. "And how do you know?" Thranduil asked. "Can you understand how this is tearing my family apart? It is easy enough for you to criticize me, your wife is here and safe in Imladris! How would you feel if you were not to see her again? How can you blame me for mourning?"
"I do not blame you for mourning," answered Elrond, "but you must speak with Legolas. He needs you."
"He is only a boy, he will forget. Children are like that, they bounce right back."
When Thranduil had gone Elrond stood by the hearth with the treaty in his hands. He wished Legolas strength, and realized then that the boy had been strong, and would be strong. It was his father who was weak. "I am sorry, Legolas," he said. "Nay, you will understand this. Your efforts were valiant."
While the alliance burned to ashes, Elrond smiled. He recalled his brother, not dying, not old and decrepit, but young, the day when Elros stole Elrond's hair-ties and climbed up a great tree to keep out of his little brother's reach, grinning and laughing.
*****
Legolas smiled at the biting wind on his cheeks. He had started at a trot early in the morning and now came closer and closer to the lip of the valley Imladris. Nothing mattered now but that freedom, knowing that he could go where so ever he wished, into the valley or into the wild as he chose.
When he halted his horse the mountains lay across the valley in front of him, a thick copse to his left, all the lands to chose from: Lothlorien and Mirkwood, Fangorn if he felt brave, Gondor of Men for adventure and the lands of Halflings, those mythical beings, should he feel that curiosity tug at his heart. He needed but pick a direction and ride.
Elladan came to a halt at Legolas's left and Elrohir at his right. For a moment they sat in silence, each with his own thoughts, then Legolas spoke, "Here we are. . .Here we can go where so ever we please. I saw my mother ravaged by the orcs, again and again as they passed her around like chattel. They cut her to bleed to a slow death then started. . .they would have done the same to me, had my brothers not saved us. Saved me. She. . .passed to Mandos. I like to think she has that same freedom, that she may ride where she wishes, but this should not suit her well. I hope she is somewhere where she is happy. Mother would not have liked to move hither and tither such."
The twins knew not what to say but watched their friend, expecting sadness and tears in his eyes. Legolas looked deeply into the eyes of Elrohir and Elladan in turn, then pulled his reins thus that his horse reared up in surprise. "Last one to Lorien is a rotten egg!" Legolas shouted, then turned his horse to a gallop back into the valley of Imladris.
*****
THE END
.
.
.
.
This story does have a prequel in which Legolas meets the twins for the first time. I'm going to write the whole of that one before I post it, so you all will not have to wait so long between chapters, but it will be up in time. I hope you enjoyed this story!
*****
A week later, in the clutches of one of those unkind hours of the day when anyone in their right mind would rather be sleeping, Lord Elrond slumped his shoulders and rested his face in his hands. King Thranduil himself had come to Imladris. There, at least, something good had happened: he had come for his son, not sent riders for his prince. Who, naturally, had been so elated he had hardly stopped telling those awful jokes to sleep.
The treaty had been drafted, picked over, drafted, and finalized. For hours the three of them, Elrond, Thranduil and Legolas had been sitting up arguing over the document. Elrond kept a close eye on Legolas, when he could spare it, but found that nothing in the Prince's behaviour could be found wanting.
Now that final document rested before Elrond, but worry stayed his hand.
Yes, Thranduil had come to Rivendell and this had meant to Legolas more than words could tell. However, he had done nothing further. They had not had any talks about Legolas' mother's death nor had Thranduil tried to breach that topic, in point of fact he avoided it like the plague, figuratively speaking. Elrond feared that soon the two would leave, and then what might happen? Any number of things could set Legolas's mind back all the steps he had fought so hard to take!
"You should not worry so, love," Lady Celebrían said, entering and setting a cup of tea at her husband's elbow. "Drink that."
Elrond looked at the cup, then at his wife. She knew how he hated tea. Wincing, Elrond tipped his head back and emptied the contents of the cup in one efficient slug. Celebrían covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "You are up early."
"As are you and the boys," Celebrían answered. "Tell me what weighs so heavily on your mind."
"Legolas and Thranduil," he told her honestly. "When they leave here, I fear Thranduil will not know what to do. Someone has to talk to that boy and how I wish it was not he that must! Even now I cannot council him, he would not have it."
Celebrían looked out the window, wondering if she might catch a glimpse of the boys. "You could talk to him, Elrond. You have yet to try."
"Come, Galadriel's child can not be innocent of the ways of politics! Thranduil is a King, it is not my place to dictate to him his actions."
The woman smiled ethereally, one trick (thought Elrond) that she learned from her mother. "You must decide what is of greatest import to you, Peredhil," Celebrían said. She turned to go and, as she did so, encountered Thranduil just outside the door, raising his hand to knock. "Good morrow, King Thranduil," Celebrían said pleasantly, slipping past him.
"Good morrow. . ."
"Hail, Thranduil of Mirkwood," Elrond said to him. "The treaty is yet unsigned."
Thranduil nodded, accepting this. He turned to leave and, deciding all at once that Legolas's health mattered more than treaty, Elrond called to him, "Thranduil, if you would but wait a moment--" Then, instead of waiting for him, Elrond rose and went to the King.
"Thranduil, I speak to you now as a friend. Your son is not well. He needs you now, he needs to know that he can rely on you to be there when he needs. Legolas is only a boy and this is a very difficult time for him."
Thranduil looked to Elrond with a sort of anger born of weakness but not of insult. "And how do you know?" Thranduil asked. "Can you understand how this is tearing my family apart? It is easy enough for you to criticize me, your wife is here and safe in Imladris! How would you feel if you were not to see her again? How can you blame me for mourning?"
"I do not blame you for mourning," answered Elrond, "but you must speak with Legolas. He needs you."
"He is only a boy, he will forget. Children are like that, they bounce right back."
When Thranduil had gone Elrond stood by the hearth with the treaty in his hands. He wished Legolas strength, and realized then that the boy had been strong, and would be strong. It was his father who was weak. "I am sorry, Legolas," he said. "Nay, you will understand this. Your efforts were valiant."
While the alliance burned to ashes, Elrond smiled. He recalled his brother, not dying, not old and decrepit, but young, the day when Elros stole Elrond's hair-ties and climbed up a great tree to keep out of his little brother's reach, grinning and laughing.
*****
Legolas smiled at the biting wind on his cheeks. He had started at a trot early in the morning and now came closer and closer to the lip of the valley Imladris. Nothing mattered now but that freedom, knowing that he could go where so ever he wished, into the valley or into the wild as he chose.
When he halted his horse the mountains lay across the valley in front of him, a thick copse to his left, all the lands to chose from: Lothlorien and Mirkwood, Fangorn if he felt brave, Gondor of Men for adventure and the lands of Halflings, those mythical beings, should he feel that curiosity tug at his heart. He needed but pick a direction and ride.
Elladan came to a halt at Legolas's left and Elrohir at his right. For a moment they sat in silence, each with his own thoughts, then Legolas spoke, "Here we are. . .Here we can go where so ever we please. I saw my mother ravaged by the orcs, again and again as they passed her around like chattel. They cut her to bleed to a slow death then started. . .they would have done the same to me, had my brothers not saved us. Saved me. She. . .passed to Mandos. I like to think she has that same freedom, that she may ride where she wishes, but this should not suit her well. I hope she is somewhere where she is happy. Mother would not have liked to move hither and tither such."
The twins knew not what to say but watched their friend, expecting sadness and tears in his eyes. Legolas looked deeply into the eyes of Elrohir and Elladan in turn, then pulled his reins thus that his horse reared up in surprise. "Last one to Lorien is a rotten egg!" Legolas shouted, then turned his horse to a gallop back into the valley of Imladris.
*****
THE END
.
.
.
.
This story does have a prequel in which Legolas meets the twins for the first time. I'm going to write the whole of that one before I post it, so you all will not have to wait so long between chapters, but it will be up in time. I hope you enjoyed this story!