Benders: Dragonfire

Travelers Alone

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Mykar tapped lightly on the door of his parent's chamber. He felt a flash of guilt for intruding as Thranduil and Cinwe broke apart their kiss.

"Forgive me for interrupting," Mykar apologized. "But I had no choice as the matter is urgent. I am afraid Realn is gone."

"Gone?" Cinwe wondered. "Gone where?"

Mykar licked his lips as he held up a piece of paper and read aloud, glancing up at his parents with worried eyes.

"Dear Mykar,

"This is for your eyes alone as I know ada and nana will neither understand or approve. I hope they will forgive me when I return and forget hate and anger. I will miss and love them, but I must trust my own heart, no matter the cost of my actions.

"I have set out to prove to ada and, more importantly, myself that my anger attacks do not make me inferior or unfit to be on my own. Ada seems to think it is so and I am afraid it is true, but I have to be sure, and the only way to truly know is to test it for myself. Most likely, I will follow Brenen.

"Oh, Mykar, even as I write this, I am terrified of the path ahead, of being alive without you all there with me. If I live and return, I am so afraid I will not be welcome.

"I will be thinking of you as I go forth and hope I shall return alive though I wonder if I would rather die than face our parents. Without the blessings ada and nana gave to Brenen, I feel small and afraid knowing I am not believed in.

"I do not wish to be searched for, little brother. No matter how much you may worry, you have to let me go. I am almost sure my plea will not stay you when your heart aches too much but at least the time of your hesitance will give me time to put distance between me and home.

Love, Realn."

Cinwe collapsed in an armchair, her face turning as white as her dress. Mykar reached for Thranduil's hand. "I know my brother and I am sorry to see he does not know you. I wait to tell you since I felt bad about breaking his trust in me but Realn knew I would and I know I have done the right thing."

Cinwe twisted her hands. "How could we not believe in him? We rejected him, Thranduil. Without so much as knowing it, we rejected him! See now what we have done!"

Thranduil patted Mykar's back. "You have done the right thing. I know Realn understands."

"Legolas knows," Mykar said. "Realn left him a letter as well. We—we discussed it before I came to you."

Thranduil paced the room. "What to do? Do we honor Realn's wish and let him go? Do we send a party of elves after him and let our actions say we do not believe in him?"

"Oh, he could die!" Cinwe protested.

"But he is not a child any longer," Thranduil said softly. "We must accept that he is an adult, able to care for himself. He needs our belief in him more than anything now and I say we let him go. He will find his brother, fulfill the needs of his heart, and come back to us stronger."

"Or not at all," Cinwe whispered. "But you are right; we need to let him go."

"Thank you," Mykar breathed. "I knew you would understand; both of you."

Cinwe smiled. Mykar added, "Oh! It nearly slipped my mind; Tauriel has been gone a day without any word."

"Valar!" Thranduil groaned. "The Kingdom falls apart! Send a party after her; she has no bending and trailing after the dwarf who has stolen her heart, according to Brenen, may be fatal. I will not see elven lives lost."