Lorinand Memoirs: The Bough Breaks

Chapter - 06

"Insolent to very end!" Oropher spat angrily as he refilled his goblet. "You should have seen it Garävegión! They were fawning all over him as if he was the king himself!"

"It is not surprising. He does not share your prejudices toward the Silvan elves and they know this." Lord Garävegión said quietly, guarding his tone as he watched the king sink slowly back into the large chair opposite him. "It has been nearly four months. Surely you did not believe his absence would have gone unnoticed." He added, continuing to needle him as he studied the king.

"The arrogance! He is being punished and he tells them he is the Ambassador of the Woodland Realm!" Oropher exclaimed, waving his hand in the air in frustration. "Well, he'll find out soon enough that all of his foolish notions are over!" He continued to rant as he glared at Garävegión angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Lord Garävegión asked quietly, a sinking feeling in his gut that he was not going to like the answer.

"I have asked King Amdír to seek out and offer arrangements for a suitable young Sindar as a wife for him." Oropher stated with a smile. "That will put a stop to his foolish dalliances. It is time he accepts his responsibility to produce an heir." He added, a slight lilt of humor in his tone as his icy blue eyes danced.

"You cannot be serious Oropher!" Garävegión exclaimed, his eyes widening as he stared at him in disbelief. "For Eru's (God's) sake he's still very much a child!"

"He stopped being a child almost four hundred years ago!" Oropher retorted angrily.

"Yes! In age he is no longer a child!" Lord Garävegión exclaimed, his eyes narrowing at the king. "But he is not ready. All his life you have done nothing but bark orders at him, tell him what to do and how to do it! You have never allowed him to think for himself and when he tries you do nothing but criticize him. You have done your best to segregate him from the very people he is supposed to govern. He is not ready for the world you are trying to shove him into!" He ranted, unable to stop himself now that he was angry enough to speak his mind.

"I had to do something!" Oropher exclaimed, frowning at him. "I regret that I reacted the way I did but I could not have him going about with those..."

He stopped himself as he remembered seeing his son's face while he slept under heavy sedation from the brew Galion had made for him. He was thankful that nothing was broken save the ugly split in his swollen lower lip. The deep purple bruises that marred his beautiful face, across his cheek and under his one eyes were painful just to look upon, he could only imagine the pain his son had felt. Even the dark bruising on his wrist, so obviously shaped in a hand print had hit him hard in his gut. He truly regretted striking out at him in anger.

"I do not understand why you felt the need to barge in there the way you did." Lord Garävegión stated, bracing himself for the tirade that was sure to follow. Yet it was necessary, when he was angry the king was far less careful in his choice of words and he wanted him to say something, anything that would come close to an admission for what he had done to his son.

"What else was I supposed to do?!" Oropher bellowed angrily, his ice blue eyes focusing on his Chief Adviser. "I could not very well have that..."

"That was my son." Lord Garävegión interrupted him, his own anger now rising from the pit of his stomach like a foul taste. "And I have dealt with him as you so ordered. But you remember this Oropher." He continued, his tone was cold as he rose from the chair. "I know about Cerályië, I am not the only one who was there when she found out about him. You destroyed her, she is gone because of you, not that child whom you have blamed and abused his entire life. Do not fool yourself into believing what you have done is not known. I hope you can forgive yourself because I never will."