To Live Again: Waiting Between Worlds {Lord of the Rings Fanfiction}

10. The Northern Call

Borders of Gondor 3441 S.A. -
The return of the
Silvan of Greenwood

Aradan paused momentarily on his chestnut mount, and observed the horizon with his keen eyesight. The lines of his people marched a little chaotically in the distance, they were weary and the captain resolved they should rest soon. There were the beginnings of a sparse wood to his right, and already his heart was lifting at the knowledge that Mordor was fading with every step he and his people took.

Aradan felt his arm twinge in pain, and his legs burned from their excessive use - a reminder that he too would not last much longer without rest. He could never have imagined how much the loss of one arm could impact on things he had previously achieved with ease. Riding without his arm required him to execute more balance, and he found it tired him quickly. Everything seemed to tire him out so easily nowadays, and he was beginning to realize a life within the guard was not going to be possible...at least not a life as captain.

With this thought he hung his head shamefully, and considered how much he would need to lean on Oliel now, he still required so much assistance. As much as he wanted to return home, he was certainly in no rush to see the horror on his wife's eyes when she beheld his sorry situation. However, the sound of quickened hooves had Aradan lift his gaze again, and snap to attention. For as much as he tried he could not shake his warrior reactions, and though his body had difficulty keeping up to his mind, his senses still remained alert and sharp.

Over the hilly ridge of sparse and withered grass, came two cantering horses. One a recognizable ebony that was so powerful in his movements that he dwarfed his grey companion. With a sigh and roll of his eyes Aradan acknowledged the appearance of both Thranduil, and his newly acquired pet...Galion appeared to follow him around like a lost fawn.

"You should not be riding so vigorously Thranduil, you'll open that wound!" Aradan groaned, and tilted his head to gesture at the heavily padded stomach of his reckless new King.

"That is what I keep telling him!" Galion squeaked in panic. "He just does as he wishes! We were all ambling along at a nice pleasant pace, which was dictated by the healers...and then he just sprung off like a wolf trailing his prey - completely ignored all our concerns!"

"Welcome to the gratuitous task of serving his royal highness," Aradan smirked and shifted uneasily, recognising that he shouldn't be so flippant with his words. Thranduil was now his King, and he supposed that would probably put to bed their years of brutal bantering.

"Are both of you quite finished fluttering over me like I am some hapless child?" Thranduil queried, one eyebrow raised as he halted Sirdal to behold the trees.

Trees!

It had been years since he had seen trees, and he felt their energy now flow so vibrantly that it almost made him sigh in ecstasy. Thranduil craned towards their sound and their scent. Their spirits sang so beautifully and so innocently that he couldn't help himself but to follow their comfort. Carefully he attempted to dismount his horse, but of course found the movement too excruciating to complete without assistance, and of course Galion was immediately at his side, ensuring he did not jostle himself further. Once his two feet found the ground, he took his staff and marched determinedly towards the trees - his overly protective caretakers in tow.

He reached the trunk of the first young sapling he found, and with weak hands he explored the smooth bark and felt the waxy leaves under the tips of his calloused fingers. The young tree delighted at the touch, and its young branches unfurled and reached in enthusiasm to the kindred spirit that greeted it. It recognized the elf, it had memories of seven years previous, when the same elf dispelled some of the darkness that had sank into its roots. The elf returned changed, but his nature was constant, and so the young sapling sang soothingly to its brothers and sisters. The cluster of trees that had once been a sad and broken mess, were now growing and flourishing with the eradication of the evil that had once haunted them.

Slowly their voices awoke and their spirits lulled that of the hurting elf in their midst, seeking out for him a song they had heard passed through the leagues. A song and a prayer they had promised to keep in mind should this elf pass them by again - a message to him from the Great Wood in the North. Their spirits drew together a melody for him that only he would recognize - a voice of another kindred soul.

When Thranduil heard the familiar note in their voices, his heart ceased to beat for fear he had heard it wrong.

Retracting his hand from the bark he lifted his gaze upward to watch the wind in the leaves, how it rustled and moved the song along. There was only one other, apart from himself, who he knew could bend the melodies of the trees to their will - and she no longer existed within the realms of Middle Earth. Thranduil felt his mouth pop open when he realized the truth, for the voice in the trees though similar to his Naneth's was not her, but a remnant of her...a descendant by blood...a granddaughter.

"Celairiel..." He breathed her name out in awe, and before he could stop himself, tears brimmed and then fell in relief from his eyes; "Celairiel...I hear you child. Do not fear little light, Ada will see you soon."

Resting his head against the trunk of young tree, both with a mixture of weariness and hope, Thranduil departed a message of his own. He was not sure how much his little daughter would grasp, or if she even knew the power she had running through her veins just yet, but he was certain her spirit would hear a familiar heart song and respond. His mother used to send him such lullabies, and he to her, when she spent nights away from him as a child. Thranduil only hoped to enjoy such a blessing with his own children, and if Celairiel could hear him then just maybe she could bring her own mother and brother some comfort with assurance of his return.

He would see them soon, but for his heart it could not be nearly soon enough.

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A/N: And here endth the war chapters.  The next time you meet Thranduil he will be in familiar surroundings...I know I can't wait either!

Song: Swordplay - Harry Gregson -Williams (Kingdom of Heaven OST)  I love this composition because it reminds and inspires me a lot regarding the voices of the trees and the profound Woodland Spirit that is shared down the generations of Thranduil's family - from his mother, to him, to his own daughter.