Lorinand Memoirs: The Bough Breaks

Chapter - 13

Flashing a wide grin as he dropped the reins, Thranduil repeated the motion and closed his eyes as he felt Maeglir's body move in unison with him. Lightly squeezing his knees, he turned his hips slightly in the opposite direction and immediately sensed the shift in the steeds muscles as Maeglir continued to match him turn for turn.

"Run Maeglir, run!" Thranduil whispered excitedly as he leaned forward, stretching his arms out like wings as the steed suddenly lurched forward in a charging gallop through the tall grass of the sun drenched plains bordering the forest just north of Lórinand.

Narrowing his eyes against the buffeting wind, he luxuriated in the freedom he felt working with the great steed. Gripping the wide barrel of the steeds' girth tightly with his thighs as the wind ripped passed them, the silk of his tunic clung to his sweat drenched chest. Long tresses of silvery blond hair trailed behind him as they raced in seemingly meaningless patterns through the field. Concentrating on nothing but the sound of the pounding hooves and the feel of the wind cooling his overheated skin, he found a level of tranquility he could find nowhere else.

"Easy boy." He stated firmly as he lightly squeezed his knees, carefully slowing him to a fast paced canter. He continued to talk to him as he gently guided him with subtle movements of his hips, they moved in a wide circle as Thranduil slowly brought the steed to a comfortable walk.

"I think this is the first time I have seen him truly smile." Gilaiwë commented absently as she watched him from her vantage point of one of the scout posts, high within the branches of the Vellanräé tree.

"It's the only time he is truly happy because he is allowed to be himself." Galion said quietly, a frown creasing his brow as he leaned back against the smooth bark of the tree. "Oropher grants him little time to himself beyond the training of Maeglir. It's the one thing even he understands only Thranduil can do if he is to bond properly with him as his personal mount."

"Amdír told me of Garävegión's visit a fortnight ago." She said, scooting closer to him, curling her feet beneath her on the platform. "It is true?" She added, her voice was barely above a whisper as she studied Galions' face.

"I'm afraid so." He replied, blinking as his eyes misted over slightly. "I only wish I had gone to him sooner with my concerns." He sighed heavily, turning sad eyes back toward the horse and rider in the distant field.

"You cannot blame yourself for this!" She exclaimed, clasping his folded hands firmly in her own. "None of this is your fault! Lenwë explained everything to me, there was no way you could have known!"

"But I should have known." He insisted, dropping his gaze to his hands. "I felt something was not right when he started pulling away from me. I thought perhaps he was just getting older, more independent as we all do when we reach a certain age. But he changed so much, too fast. I missed the spirited little elfling he was." He admitted, glancing at her with a shaky smile.

"Once Oropher granted him his own rooms, I would sometimes sneak in during the middle of the night to check on him." He said quietly, smiling slightly as he looked back out toward the field where Thranduil now lay across Maeglir's back. "Still, I was weak and just as afraid of Oropher as everyone else until I found him..." He cut himself off, closing his eyes as the memory flashed in his mind.

Horrified, Gilaiwë sat in silence as she listened as her old friend recalled the evening he felt the sudden urge to go to Thranduil's rooms. It was the first time in all the years he had served the royal family that he barged into the princes' rooms without knocking or announcing himself. The sight of his crumpled body on the floor, discarded like an unwanted child's toy had stopped him, freezing him where he stood in disbelief. Even that had not prepared him for the bloodied face and the vacant look in his beautiful eyes as the prince looked up at him through a flood of tears.