Red Snow (The Shadows bk.3)

Chapter 17: Father & Son

"Cousin?" Legolas looked to his father for some kind of explanation. Despite the conversation he had overheard, he knew there was more to the story.

Sairene nodded, her smile changing. "Yes! Is it not wonderful?!" Her gaze flickered between her uncle and cousin, both a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. "Oh come on! This is wonderful!"

"Is it?" Legolas seemed a bit skeptical, while finding out he had extended family was indeed a good thing, he knew there was a much darker aspect; Sairene's smile seemed out of place.

"Of course it is! But then again," she paused, as though in thought. "I always thought your father would be the one to tell you, but I suppose that would mean telling the whole story," turning from her cousin, Sairene faced her silent uncle. "And that would mean telling the truth." Her ice-blue eyes met his in a silent challenge.

After a moment of silence, Sairene glanced between her uncle and cousin. "Well, I will leave the both of you alone because there is much catching up needing to be done." Smiling at both of them a little too cheerfully, she gently patted her cousin on the shoulder before leaving the throne room.

As her footsteps faded, the silence between father and son grew heavier. At that moment Thranduil remembered what Elrond had said to him all those months ago, that he should be the one to tell Legolas who Sairene was, that his son should find out from no one but him.

"Ada? Is it true? What she said."

Thranduil, usually able to look anyone in the eye now found it difficult with his son.

"Ada?"

"Yes."

"So she really is my cousin then?"

"Yes ion nín."

"What exactly did she mean by you having to tell the truth?" Having only gotten hints of the story, Legolas waited to hear what his father had to say.

"You must understand something Legolas," Thranduil looked up and met his son's eyes. "Your cousin's life hasn't exactly been very easy; she lost her mother when she was only 12 years old, in human years you understand. Then six years later she lost her father. As an adult she has had very little guidance when it comes to being a monarch. She has had to learn quite a lot of it by herself you see. But I'm afraid that," he began to pace, "because of what she has experienced when she was younger, that it has effected how she perceives things and how she makes her judgements."

Thinking for a moment, Legolas tried to make a connection between what he had heard and what his father was telling him. "So father, are you saying that she perhaps made it all up, your involvement in her mother's death, as a way of coping with the situation ?"

Hearing his son's words gave the King an idea. "That is exactly what I am saying. Some people, humans especially, use blame as a way of dealing with unfortunate circumstances, they tend to blame the first person that comes to mind. In your cousin's case, that person was and still is, me."

"But if her mother was your sister, then is she not like us, like you and I?"

"No Legolas, she is not."

"How come?"

"Because, her father was human."

"Human? My aunt married a human?"

"Yes," Thranduil's tone clearly displayed his disapproval.

"Is that why you never told me about her or my cousin? Because she chose to marry outside of our kind?"

Thranduil nodded, "yes."

"And is that why my cousin blames you for what happened?"

"That is exactly why."

Slowly but surely it started to make sense to the Prince. During the conversation between her and his father, she had indeed sounded quite convincing. If it had not been for his father's explanation, Legolas would have believed his cousin.

Elvish to English Translations:

Ada - Father
Ion Nín - My Son