Agony • Concealed Memories | | Thranduil

06 • The white spirit of the woods

Elithien stared out the window. At the forest her spouse had just disappeared into, on a hunt for trolls. In the background she could hear the giggling and gibberish of Legolas, but it sounded very far away. She had yet heard from Thranduil nor his men.

The forest had been a safe place until now. There had been a time when she had refused to stay behind alone while Thandruil went to war. She was an adventurer, a warrior. Until she became pregnant with Legolas, then everything had changed.

There was a knock on the door. Elithien turned around, hopefully. 'You can come in,' she said, expecting to see her husband's handsome face, safe and sound. The door opened slowly. Elithien lowered her eyes as the chambermaid bowed to her.

"My apologies, my lady, is there anything else I can do for you?" the girl asked. She was young, not in service for that long and unsure of how to act towards the royal couple, but she was kind and helpful and always smiled when she looked at Legolas in a way that convinced Elithien that she too wants to be a mother someday. And she had served Elithien well during her pregnancy.

Elithien shook her head. 'No, that's not necessary. Thank you, Maethil.' She glanced out the window again. 'Is there any news from the forest yet?'

'Unfortunately not, my queen.'

Elithien didn't want to show that she was frowning in concern. She had to stay strong. She looked sideways at Legolas, who was sitting on a soft rug on the floor, playing with his toys. He paid little attention to the visitor. Perhaps because Maethil visited daily.

'Would you take my son to the kitchens for some treats, Maethil? Not something heavy.'

The girl looked at her with wide eyes. 'Lady?'

'Just a few hours. I'm emtrusting him to you.'

The girl looked sideways at the young prince and couldn't help but smile. She nodded and walked over to Legolas. 'Girdis made some fruit pastries. Maybe there's some juice left.' She lifted the prince off the ground and he immediately grabbed one of her braids.

The chambermaid looked at her again, bowed cautiously, and then walked to the door with the prince in her arms. There she turned around once more. "Forgive my curiosity, majesty, but what are your plans?' Her voice sounded more concerned than curious.

'I need to think for a moment. I expect you to watch my son closely,' Eltihien replied a little gruffly and turned to the window.

'The guards spoke of the white stag, your majesty,' sounded the soft voice of the chambermaid behind her. 'It had to be kept a secret, but I know what the animal means to you.'

Elithien heard the door close. Her heart quickened at those words.

The white stag.

The chambermaid's words haunted her mind. It was a memory that was still as fresh as on that winter night itself. She remembered the words she had shouted at her husband after he had forbidden her to go exploring with him. A ban that imprisoned her, disabled her, hurt her, that he took away her freedom and she was doomed to wander the halls of the kingdom until she was driven to madness.

The queen had ridden into the forest on horseback, yearning for freedom and the wind through her hair, having been inside for months now that frost and chill had taken over the forest. The tears on her cheeks froze and the icy wind stung her skin. The sound of her sobbing was no longer audible above the raging wind and the thundering of hooves on the frozen ground. Darkness surrounded her and the horse, blinding them, causing her faithful mount to suddenly startle and stagger. Elithien was thrown from its back in a noise of shrill whinnying.