The Great Sacrifice

An Unexpected Discovery

Thranduil had spent the entire night watching the storm until it finally settled. Before the first light of dawn, he turned away from the window and marched to his door that was wide open within seconds by the command of his mind. The guards stationed outside turned to him and bowed in reverence.

"Inform all guards, at the break of dawn we are riding out to assess the damage in the dwellings beyond the palace walls," he commanded.

As one of the guards departed, Thranduil turned around and re-entered his chamber. He changed his royal robes to comfortable leggings and a gray tunic, before his armor was adjusted on him. Thranduil looked into the mirror and eyed himself. His wise eyes looked back at him questioningly. Was he the king whom his people deserved? What if his son would not return? Thranduil frowned and shook his head before turning away from his reflection. He detested such weak thoughts. Peace had finally come and he did not need an heir. But his son, Legolas... The Elvenking banished these thoughts from his mind and heart. He was very skilled at it. He did not want to be weak. He hated weakness.

Tauriel. Yes, she had been weak and had fallen in love with a dwarf. Thranduil despised them and Tauriel. He had banished her from her home. A home that he had offered her when she was young. Thranduil had protected her all those years and what had happened? How had it actually happened? Had he driven her away, just as he had done with Legolas? He had not approved Legolas' feelings for the elleth. What would have happened if he had merely accepted the facts? Where would they be today? In his realm? Or would fate have made a different turn? Thranduil shook his head.

He had been convinced that Tauriel had been weak. But when he found her weeping over the dead dwarf, he was strangely touched by the sight. At that moment he understood that it must been strength that had made her stand up for her love, not weakness. She had fought for her love. She would have died for her love. Strength can come to light in different situations. The fact that Thranduil would see and recognize it in this way had surprised him greatly.

"Love... Love..." Thranduil did not know much about love. Especially not about love between an ellon and an elleth. He had been denied the possibility of experiencing such a kind of love. And now, with the relatively small number of ellith in Middle-Earth still unwed, he found his chances for love and happiness almost reduced to none. He would rule alone as he had always done and he would remain strong for his people. Thranduil had already accepted this a long time ago, and he ignored the stinging pain that this thought had been causing in his heart for some time.

Thranduil left his chamber and headed for the stables. This is how it would be for all times, he thought as he walked through the dark corridors of his palace. Soon the guards would gather at the gates and Thranduil intended to be there before the first elves appeared. After all, he was their king and he cared about them.

He entered the stable and smelt the air. Horses, hay and the scent of the rainy spring forest was in the air. Leftovers of the oats and carrots in the feeding troughs... And something else that Thranduil could not identify. His brow was now furrowed. Never before had he smelled such a thing. Silently he drew his sword and walked slowly into the stable. He felt the presence of unfamiliar energy and two steps further he sensed a heartbeat. Someone or something was here.

Perhaps an unknown creature from the forest had found its way into the stable to escape the fierce storm. But how had it got past his gates? He would have known. Cautiously he made his way into the left side of the stable, following the traces of the alien scent. Thranduil, intrigued and cautious at the same time, now turned to the backside of the stable. Those horses looked different from the ones the elves used. More sturdy and hardy. His eyes roamed around in the fading darkness of the stable until he made out a horse lying on the ground by the wall. Stepping closer his eyes first narrowed, before they widened in surprise. On the floor lay a cloaked body.

The horse raised its head and stood still, not feeling any dread or danger by the elf. Thranduil turned his eyes back to the cloaked figure. Though awkwardly surprised, he could sense the bond between the horse and the sleeping creature. It was strong. Thranduil suspected what lay asleep before him was a member of the group of humans he had accepted in his halls to shelter from the storm. A guard had requested refuge for them that night as they had proven to be peaceful and kind. But if this creature was a member of their company, why did he not recognize the scent of a human?

Thranduil stared for a moment before he quietly turned a bucket upside down and curiously sat down to watch. After a while, he noticed a reddish light that seemed to emanate from the creature's body, and he rose slowly. When the light suddenly disappeared, the person lay motionless. Before Thranduil could sit down again, the red light re-appeared but this time it was much more intense. It flickered and waved in motions as restless as the person beneath it. The body tossed faster and the horse finally stood up. Something distressing was happening. Thranduil sensed the negative energy that was emerging from the figure now and resolved on waking the creature. He laid his hand firmly on the cloaked shoulder and shook it. In an instance, with an unlikely swift movement the creature was up on their legs in a defensive posture.