We were one day's journey home when I decided to set up our last camp. Far from the endless tents that filled the forests with thousands of elves weeks earlier, we resembled lost souls seeking refuge existing on meager rations.
All was quiet. The night had turned the daytime rains to mists beneath the moonless night. I stood within the entrance of my tent staring into the dark in the direction of Eryn Galen. The loss of so many lingered on my mind like an anchor of a ship, weighing down my heart. I was alive. I would see Êlúriel again. As much as I loved her, I could not find comfort in all that I had witnessed and what remained of my duties as King.
"Thranduil," I heard a voice say. I looked around, but there was no one. "Thranduil, I know you can hear me."
"Who are you?" For a moment I thought I had lost my sanity.
"Look toward home," she said. I walked out of my tent toward home when I saw Êlúriel standing before me. Her gown was green and she wore a pure white hooded cloak. I walked closer and she held up her hand to stop me. "Come no further. I am here by sight only."
"I do not understand," I said.
"You do understand," she said. "You pretend you do not because you choose to do so. Why?"
"Because, Êlúriel, I do not want to believe such things possible. Everyone would think me mad. I think I am mad because I am seeing you when I should not. Should someone hear me, do you think they would not question my ability to rule?"
"No one would question you, Thranduil," she said, removing her hood. She was so beautiful. "Your heart calls to me, I will answer."
"Then why can I not hold you," I asked.
"Because then everyone would question your sanity."
Yes, it was Êlúriel. Only my wife would say such a thing. I began to wonder if my heart had spoken so loudly to hers.
"Is it true," I asked. "Can you hear my heart call to you?"
"Yes, my love," she said smiling. "It always has. My heart cannot help but hear it, and I cannot help but come to you. The heart and the mind are not tethered to impossibilities. For there are none for them when it comes to love."
"I do love you," I said, forgetting myself. "I love you very much."
"And I love you," she said. "Tomorrow I will see you again. But there will be no joy in it for I know what you must do. Do not let the pain take love from us. That would be unbearable."
"I have lost so much," I said. "Do not think ill of me. I am suffering. So much suffering."
"I know, for I have felt it. But I will be there for you. Always. No matter what you do or say. I will never let you suffer alone even in your solitude."
She pulled her hood over her head and turned to walk away.
"Êlúriel," I pleaded. "Do not go." She turned and smiled.
"I must, Thranduil," she said and pointed. I looked behind me to see Fëaluin and Eldôr approaching. When I looked back at her, she was gone.
"Thranduil, who were you speaking with just now," Eldôr asked concerned. "Are you feeling well?"
"Yes, Uncle," I answered. "It was nothing. I suppose I am still torn from the losses."
"We all are, Thranduil," Fëaluin answered. "How do I tell Sinomë her husband is lost? How do I tell my mother she lost a son and husband?"
"How do I tell Eryn Galen they lost their King," I asked.
"You do not, Thranduil," Eldôr said. "For you are their King now. You must tell your mother she lost her husband.
YOU ARE READING
Book II: The Saga of Thranduil
Fanfiction"I am Thranduil, I was born to rule." The Saga of Thranduil has been called many things by those that have read it--from Fan Fiction to a Continuation of the stories of Middle Earth given to us by the legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien. It is the story...
