Farewell to Mirkwood [01 Jan 2003|12:27am] [ mood | sad ] The evening was quiet on our fourth night in Imladris. The moon glowed full, completely opposite to when Vorladien and I fled Lorien. Inside our secluded room, I sat at a small table, my only lighting, a single candle that stood mere inches from my hand. In our large, bed, Vorladien rolled over in her sleep, clutching the pillow where my head would have been warmly, whimpering and cooing quietly to herself. I would return to bed soon, there was just something I needed to do first. Pulling out a quill, ink and some parchment, I began to write: To my father, It has been almost 70 years since I was home. I miss the woods, the palace, the mountains, the Forest River. You have me betrothed, I know, to a woman I know little about. I am sure your intentions are well, getting me to marry as you have attempted and marry I shall, but not to her. My path lies now with the Daughter of Lorien, Vorladien. I love her intensely father, as I have for centuries now, unbeknowst to you and the rest of Mirkwood. I returned from my duties as prince for one reason only: To be with her. I know that as soon as I set foot in your wood, that I shall forever be seperated from the woman who has given me love, caring, joy, and eventually, a child of my own. We have not married yet, and this child is, by your disgusting definitions, "unnatural". My life has started anew, Father, with or without your support. Sighing, I looked over at Vorladien. She was still fast asleep, her face illuminated a soft amber from the fire of the candle. I turned back to the letter: So, I give to you this proposition: Either you drop this ridiculous endeavor of forcing me to marry a woman that I have never met much less love or you must find yourself a new heir, for I will not return to the Woodland Realm without my true wife and my child by my side. I am sorry, Father, that things had to come to this and I hope that you understand that you can not put a title on love. I can not leave her again. I will die, or at least wish to. An eternity of misery is not a price I wish to pay to be the heir of your kingdom. With that, I leave you with these words: I have always respected your decisions, even if I didn't agree with them. This is just another such occasion. Perhaps your choice would have been easier, more convient, better, but this "mistake" that I am making is one that I will ne'er leave nor stop loving. I love you, Father, and I do hope our paths cross soon. Your son in the Wild, ~~Legolas~~ I sealed the envelope slowly, stamping it closed. I stared at it for a long time then. What are you doing?? I kept asking myself, but my answer was given as I looked over my shoulder into the listless face of my sleeping wife. Getting up from my seat, I grabbed my robes and quietly as a soft wind, I slipped from the room, closing the door silently behind me. At the gates of Imladris stood a lonely messenger. I reached him and handed him the note. "This letter must reach Thranduil of Mirkwood immediately!" I demanded. The messenger nodded in adknowledgement then, attaching the note to a great hawk, sent it flying into the night sky. I was suddenly filled with a small sting of sadness overcame me. I knew that from this point on that I was no longer the son of Mirkwood, for in my fathers eyes, I would no longer be the son of Thranduil. Goodbye, my father... May the future treat you kindly and happiness find you as it has found me.... Farewell post comment

"A Disgrace to Your Title" [01 Jan 2003|11:00am] [ mood | rejected ] A knock was heard at my door, so much more early in the morning than I usually got. I opened and the same messenger from the previous night handed me an envelope, the same manner and style as I had written. It was my father. He was in a disconcerting hurry to write me back I could tell, for as I opened the letter, I saw that the handwriting was hasty, shaking, uneven. Thanking the messenger I sat on the dais, my knees pulled up to my chest as I sat and read. To Legolas: He didn't call me his son... In centuries past, you have been a loyal son to me. You took your duties, no matter how inane or time-consuming without question and you never ever disobeyed me. Recently though, you had become rebellious, headstrong, and to some degree disrepectful to me and to your kingdom in general. Your time was spent too much in the presence of Man, especially with that so-called king, Aragorn. For the longest time, I looked the other way and prayed that you would one day change and rule your kingdom as you were raised to do. However this, Legolas, is inexcusable! I sighed heavilly and read on, knowing that the next few lines could be none too positive... Your relationship to Lady Vorladien was that of a teacher and pupil. Nothing more... You served her, you mentored her and you kept your inhibitions and feelings to yourself! If I had known you were so out of control and unable to restrain yourself, I would have never have allowed you to teach her. Of course, I can not say that I didn't see hints of this unnatural love before, which is why I sent you away in the first place to do my duties for me. I thought that the time apart would have helped and that, once you returned home, you could get married to your own countrymen and not darken the halls of Lorien with your scandalous display. And now you come to me, expecting me to drop a vow I made centuries ago because you ravaged a woman and she is now with child... My "son", you are wrong and quite fantastical if you believe that this outrage can be tossed aside as something trivial. You disobey your mandate to continue your work abroad, you do not return home, you have a child out of wedlock despite your vows, you plan to marry in secret to another, and you have the audacity for me to like this, to rejoice for you. Legolas, you are a disgrace to your title and you don't deserve to keep it... The choices you offered me are very clear, very bold, and I will respect them and give you my final order. You are from this day forth exiled from the woods of Mirkwood. Come as you are, retrieve what possessions you need, and depart. After that, if you step foot in my wood, you will be arrested for disrespecting a sentence lay to you by your king and will be tried for treason. Your "wife", as you choose to call her, will have a similar sentence laid upon her if she decides to come here pleading your cause. In the annals of our history, you will be known for this scandal and your children will never be able to clean themselves of the fact that their father was a prince forced into exile for his lewd, unrestrained behavior. I am sorry, Legolas Greenleaf, but you must pay the consequences for your actions. Farewell, boy, and may our paths never cross again. Regretfully your father, ~~Thranduil~~ I closed the letter slowly then, tears of both sadness and anger streaming from my face. I had expected this sentence, but still the truth struck me like a knife in the back. I knew that what I did was right and necessary for the future of Vorladien and I, and yet a certain amount of grief pained me. "A disgrace"?? After all the years I had served him like some slave, after I saved him from public ridicule because of his jewel-mongering with the dwarves, after all of that, he calls me a "disgrace"! I clenched the note tight in my fist and, placed it in my pocket, my eys cast to the chest where my clothes were being held. I opened it and looked inside. My royal clothes were folded on the very top, neatly, preserved. I pulled them out and looked at them for what seemed to be the longest time then I gathered every court-appointed clothing I owned and walked out by the River Loudwater. There, along the sand and stone, I set up a pyre and let it aflame. It glowed a devilish red against the cool greys, greens, and blues. I looked at my garments again, thinking of how at one point, I would have been proud to wear such things, but not now. Not anymore... With shaky hands, I tossed the clothes into the fire and spoke a death prayer to myself, a farewell to what I was and a greeting to who I was now. For hours, I sat and warmed myself agains the burning remains of my rule and finally, as the last flame was exhausted, I watched as the wind took the ashes of the garments and sent them blowing like memories into the morning sky. I stood then and turned back, returning to the Imladris, my heart heavy, but my hopes for my future light. I smiled as I walked the corridors of the city, sitting out in the courtyard, reading the letters again. Nodding, I tucked it away in my pocket tenderly, as if preserving this hurtful reminder. But I didn't feel as sad anymore because there were other things on my mind at the moment. I had a wedding to plan... post comment

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