A King's Suffering

The Prince of Greenwood stood a lone figure in a field of the fallen. The blood of their enemies mingling with the pools of his kin and the Followers. What seemed to be leagues away, more figures picked through the fallen, shutting eyes and breathing final prayers over loved ones. There was only a single action left to do. One step...another...and yet another took him to the resting place of a pale, silvery blonde headed elf, eyes still open, staring off at some distant non-existent star. Kneeling, he gently closed the elf's eyes, allowing a tear to trickle down his own grim streaked cheek.

"Ada..." The one word barely whispered, to be heard above the soft breeze. He smoothed the wrinkled and bloodied fabric of the tunic over the large gash that gaped on the elf's chest.

A spear, an arrow, a sword...whatever it was....whatever caused his father to sink to his knees, graceful even in death throes. Whatever caused him to gaze up at his son with pain lidded eyes, usually cold and emotionless. Whatever abruptly made him, Thranduil son of Oropher, king of the Greenwood. Whatever it was...whoever did this, Thranduil hated them. He could still see it, the way his father had fallen to lie among the multitude of his already slain kin. The look of almost surprise written across the king's face as he beheld his only son who was supposed to have been safe in the West, not fighting for his very survival in the Last Alliance. The way he had looked at his only son with a dying smile, and had whispered his last word with his final breath. The way Oropher, King of Greenwood, had frozen, exhaling softly, a sound he heard even over the din of the warriors around him. And then he, Thranduil, had been whisked away into another dance with an enemy, leaving his father to be trampled underfoot of the battle.

It wasn't supposed to end like this...all this death and chaos. It was not meant to be like this...yet the Valar must have wished it to be so...and it had come true. Murmuring one last prayer over his father's body, Thranduil stood, wiping the moisture from beneath his eyes. Finally he allowed himself to fully observe the battle field surrounding him. There was not much to behold but death and pain. He gazed with half-awake eyes, suddenly weary from the battle as if all the strength had suddenly fled from his veins.

Before him a figure memorized from the mist that seemed to have sprung from nowhere. As it drew closer, he could discern the Lord of Imladris' grimy and resigned face. Ever so slightly, he bowed his head to the Lord. "Lord Elrond..." Thranduil said.

He returned the nod with a huff of a sigh. "Isildur would not do it." He said gruffly. "I could not persuade him to cast the Ring into the shadow."

Thranduil looked away. It was as he had feared in the deepest depths of his mind. All this death had been for naught. He turned slightly to see Isildur riding slowly out of the field and out of sight, yet even over a thousand yards away he could feel the malice of the Ring from where it rested against Isildur's chest. "He is a fool." He said finally, meeting Elrond's sharp gaze. "Death will follow." He swallowed, glancing down at his father's body at his feet.

Elrond Half-Elven followed his gaze, eyes glittering with more unshod tears and brimming with sorrow. "It will not be for naught." He said softer than the whispering breeze before nodding once in respect and walking slowly to where his kin stood waiting.

He watched him briefly before kneeling once more at his father's side. "I am truly sorry, Ada." He said with barely controlled emotion, tears once more slipping from his eyelids. "It will not be for naught. The Greenwood will survive through and through." He gulped slightly before pressing his lips to the now cold forehead of what was once the proud King of Greenwood. Sitting back on his hunches he gazed without seeing into the distance, letting the tears fall from his eyes unchecked in tiny rivulets down his checks. After what may have been an eternity or only a few seconds, he rose one last time, shedding his tears from his face.