till forever falls apart

chapter 4: patrolling

Thranduil ground his teeth together, trying not to let his frustration show. He was failing utterly and he knew it. Trying to be calm, he folded his arms instead and refused to look up. To do so would mean to give in to his father and cease this argument. Heat thundered through his body, his cheeks aflame with the ire this refusal had brought. "Look at me!" his father commanded. Thranduil refused. He kept his gaze locked with a particularly interesting chip in the stone floor. "You are not helping your case by acting like a petulant child! Look at me!"

Forcing his jaw to relax, he did as asked. How could his father be so cold with this? Had they not spent an age together hunting and patrolling in the forest? Thranduil had thought they'd reached an understanding together out there. That they had bonded and become more than just father and son, but friends as well. Once again he was wrong.

"I want you to understand the reasons behind my decision, Thranduil." Oropher sat in his study at his desk. He had been working on some business when Thranduil had entered with his request. The study itself was a comfortable room, the soft light of the summer sun filtered through the window warming the room. "Well?" he asked.

"You're getting older and have so much more to see and learn, besides your arranged to be married to Lady Idhrenel. What will she say?" he said. When Thanduil went to point out that he was willing to wait for a different answer, Oropher held up his hand. "That is not the only reason so keep your mouth closed. I know you're going to tell me that you're willing to wait. I also know that you'll tell me that she is as well, I know you think you love Êlúriel, she might think she loves you-" Thranduil was about to interrupt and say that Êlúriel was just a friend but his father signalled for him to say nothing. "Maturity may shed some light on that and I won't have you entangle yourself with someone else at this age and point in your life. " His father finished. "That brings me to the second reason I am refusing this request," he said. Thranduil let his hands drop to his sides and waited for his father to continue. "Who are you?"

"What?"

"Remember your manners Thranduil!"

"Excuse me?"

"Who are you?" his father repeated.

"I am Thranduil, son of Oropher. What is the point of all this?"

"You are my son, and that comes with a weight of responsibility. You are my heir and you have so much to learn when it comes to ruling. You were born into this place of privilege and it is about time you understood what that means. One day, you will be responsible for our people."

"I am aware of that," he said. "Are you?" Oropher rose from his seat and stepped out from behind the desk. He paced the floor in front of the empty fireplace. "I am not so sure you fully understand what that means. You will spend a lot of your time tending to the needs of others when I am gone. Their needs have to come first, not yours. This you will come to understand as I teach you these things." Thranduil turned to look out of his fathers office window as he rolled his eyes.

...

 Smoke filled the streets, wide as they were, and the sound of panic echoed all around. Seeing was difficult, the smoke made his eyes sting. Still he clawed his way towards his destination. He had no idea how it had come to this. Spending time away had him at a disadvantage.

The patrol he had been on had been summoned back with a hastily scrawled message that made no sense. It had done the trick and they'd returned as quickly as they could. The moment the four of them smelled the fire, they'd ran to their home. Oropher, was covered in soot already. Panic touched him. He'd grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a firm embrace. "Get as many as you can, send them to the hill in the east. We have to leave this place." Those words rang in his ears, "Get as many as you can..." There were loads of dead elves in the street, sword marks and blood staining the bodies. Thranduil's thoughts cycled as he picked his way through. "Get as many as you can." These were his people. He had to tell them where to go. Thranduil pulled a door open, "To the eastern hill, my father is waiting for you," he shouted into the room. The occupants darted forward. "To the east?"

"Yes! Take others. All you can find!" They nodded and darted into the smoke. Thranduil coughed and followed them. Covering his mouth with his sleeve, he headed towards other dwellings. Êlúriel! She had to be here somewhere. Thunder pounded in his ears. His chest clenched, tightening around heart like a band. Looking around, he orientated himself. She lived to the south. A glance that way told him that the worst of the smoke was that way. There was no hesitation. Picking up the pace, he jogged down the street, racing towards her house. She had to be there! Had to. What if they had got to her? His childhood best friend. By the time he got to where Êlúriel lived, the house was ablaze. Great gouts of flame tore up the walls, rushing to consume the thatched roof. He tried to take a step forward, but the heat of the fire kept him at bay. Nothing could survive such a blaze. 

Slowly, he turned away. He backed off down the street back the way he came as he tried to stop his tears from flowing down his ashen cheeks. Checking houses, he found others trapped and gave them the direction they needed. Some stayed with him and some made their own way. The flames consumed everything in their path; Thranduil knew their home was lost. As the sparks rose higher, he knew they had to go. They did not stop until they reached the trees. Turning, Thranduil saw the complete destruction of their once beautiful home. There had been no part of it that hadn't been touched. "The Noldor did this." His father said as they both looked at the flames. His hand rested on his sons shoulder. "For what?"

"Greed," he said. "Where will we go?" Thranduil asked. "Over the sea, we have passage. We'll take our people east, to Middle Earth. I know the forests are dense, we can build ourselves a secure home, away from all others, from the Noldor, and anyone else who would do us harm." Oropher said. Thranduil nodded. He bit his lip and swallowed. "Come on, don't mourn now, we can do that later." He nodded again, and they melted back into the trees. Thranduil didn't speak, the crushing heaviness in his chest robbed him of his voice. All he could do was place one foot in front of the other and follow his people up to the crest of the hill. His thoughts turned back to the loss of his best friend. He should have been there for her. He could have saved her! Reaching the top of the hill, he let out a deep sigh.