A shadow lies on Thranduil and his forest, and only a power stronger than the darkness of old can save them.
Grief and loss have turned him into a king with a heart of ice, and if he is ever to find redemption, the chains of guilt and remorse holdin...
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Let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide (Sleeping At Last: North)
His mind refreshed and his heart eager to see Anna again, Thranduil made his way back to the palace with a renewed spring in his step. The song of his beloved trees had lifted his spirits and filled his soul with confidence. Not only that, between frozen cushions of moss he had come across a single blossom of niphredil. To the unsuspecting eye it might have looked like a small blot of snow, but the Elvenking recognised its tiny white head beyond doubt and the rare sight filled him with joy, for it was highly unusual to find one of those blossoms so early on. They heralded the onset of spring, which was still nearly three moons away. He ran his fingers across the shivering petals, amazed at how they, despite their delicacy, braved the cold. Star of the Earth they were called, revered by his kin, and to him they were a blessing amidst all the barren frost. Maybe there was still hope for his forest and even for himself.
He crossed the bridge leading to his palace with long strides, his voluminous cloak trailing behind him through the snow. This time he would do the right thing. He would ask Anna's forgiveness and there would be no more deceptions and spells. Although, there would have to be at least one, necessary to bring back her memory, and he did not feel overly confident about it. In the long millennia of his lifetime he had perfected an impressive set of enchantments, the glamour hiding his scars being a marvellous display of advanced magic, but alas, a person's memory was a different thing altogether. The mind was a highly complex matter, be it of elf or human, and when meddling with it, the prospect of things going horribly awry always loomed in the background. This would require all his skill and utmost delicacy and even then the outcome was still unsure. He hoped fervently that Anna would not bring up the topic of this particular piece of magic, but of course he knew better than that. It would possibly be the first thing on her mind. He looked up into the sky, sinister patches of black ink in between ghostly branches, but the stars were veiled in their endless dome above. No guidance would come from them tonight. He was on his own in this.
The entrance to his palace lay in wintry silence before him, all sounds muffled by the snow, and while the gates were being pulled open, he brushed off a thick layer of snowflakes that had settled on his cloak, wisps of glittering white swirling around him as he stepped through. Darkness had fallen hours ago and there was no more time to be wasted. He would go directly to Anna's rooms, the gloomy loneliness of his own chambers not anything he was particularly looking forward to. He pulled back his hood, soaked through from the hours spent outside, the lengths of his hair plastered to his cloak in wet strands of silvery gold, but for once, changing into fitting clothes, or rather dry ones, would have to wait in favour of more important matters. The hallways around him were filled with an unusual bustle, something that slightly annoyed him as he was hoping for a swift and unperturbed return. Despite the late hour many elves in the palace were still up and going about their business. No doubt the good news of the army's return from Dale must have spread like wildfire down to the very last cavern. A certain sense of elation permeated the air and a humming like that of a beehive enveloped him as he passed the subterranean stairways branching off towards the lower levels, small groups of elves standing in animated chatter in shadowy corners to his left and right. Most likely it was also an open secret by now that not only the prince but also the head of the king's guard were on their way back to the Woodland Realm and even for the most common elf this translated into some sort of reconciliation between them and the king. The further particulars might remain unclear, but there was not a single elf in the palace who was not eager to see the new relationship, especially between father and son, with their own eyes.
