The Silvan (Lord of the Rings-Legolas)[Wattys2016]

Chapter 59: Circle of Love

This is the story of two great women...

"I first admired her from afar, for in my youth I was fond of revelling in the forests with the Silvan people, much to the amusement of Oropher. My father was king and I a happy young prince," he smiled in remembrance, her lovely face floating before his mind's eye and wrenching from him a watery smile.

Thranduil's avid audience had finally settled, as much as it could after the shocking events in the Council Hall. Sipping on potent wine, Handir and Rinion sat shoulder to shoulder, physically closer than they had done in centuries, something that did not escape Thranduil's notice, and Legolas had focussed his eyes once more. The ragged cut on his arm had been cleaned and bandaged, albeit the bruise on the side of his head had reached an interesting shade of purple. Elladan and Glorfindel sat on either side of him and Thranduil found it strange that his Silvan son should be flanked by Noldorin lords.

Mithrandir, who had stayed behind to oversee the cleanup together with Aradan, had joined them a while later, standing now in one corner as he listened and watched the broken family from the sidelines, watched its leader extend his figurative hand in open invitation to belong once more, to close the circle that had once been so cruelly broken.

"It was her eyes - those enormous pools of river moss that sparkled and shone and told you everything she felt. So open, so giving, such a child of nature ... I fell in love with her that night and in my excitement, I told my father I had met someone, for back then, there was nothing we could not speak of, nothing I would hide from my father...

Yet he was not pleased that she was not of noble descent and I cannot say I had not expected that. It was not because he did not approve, not because she was Silvan but because the Council would be hard-pressed to agree to such a union. I was disappointed but I did not give up hope for I loved my father and he loved me. Indeed, after much pleading on my part, he finally allowed it and I was ecstatic," he smiled, a small part of his remembered joy teasing his bruised spirit as one hand fiddled endlessly with the roughly-cut emerald upon his index finger.

"Yet all that changed one day, and I could not understand how that had come about. He told me Lassiel had a reputation, and that I was not to see her any more. I tried to explain that this was nonsense, hearsay and gossip but he was adamant. It was one thing to overlook her family, but to allow his Crown Prince to court a woman of ill-repute was too much. This time, there was no changing his mind and so, knowing I would never court another for thus I told him in no uncertain words, he chose a bride for me, a political union between two of the highest born Sindarin families.

Our relationship was never the same after that, for although I was a loyal and dutiful heir, he hurt me too deeply - I could never really forgive him, even though I loved him fiercely," whispered Thranduil, his eyes momentarily glancing over at Glorfindel, who sat protectively next to Legolas.

"Aglareb was grace and elegance," he continued, "and even when I told her of Lassiel, she did not falter in the fulfilment of her father's wishes. She married me, knowing that I did not love her, that I loved another. She said it was her duty, that she would remain by my side and give me children and yet I learned, later, that it was not simply her desire to carry out her father's wishes - she loved me, so much that she gave up her own happiness in exchange for simply being close to me. Had I known, perhaps I would never have agreed to it at all, for I inadvertently ruined her life."

The king paused here, turning to the window for a moment and sipping his wine, and when he spoke again, it was as if he spoke to himself, ironing out the pieces of this convoluted puzzle.