Weaving a Song

Chapter 22

c. 2480 TA

Thranduil sighed as he looked at the map of Mirkwood. "We have to do something about this." One of his Council members was saying.

"And what would you have us do?" Tawarthion, one of the oldest members of the Council, asked. "Seek out a shadow? We have as much hope of tracking this sickness as we do asking the sun not to rise."

"Not entirely true," Thranduil spoke finally. Everyone looked at him surprised. "I think we all know where this comes from. What we do not know is how to get rid of it, if we can. Nor do we know exactly who this is."

"Dol Gulder…" Veryan, another elder on the Council muttered, "We have no hope of going there, we would have to take our entire army as well as Imladris' and Lothlórien's." He said. "The better question is who so that we can inform those who need to be informed."

"Always do you seek to gain aid from others?" Veryan and this particular ellon, Rimedur, had always been at odds, ever since Veryan joined the Council. "Why can we not do this ourselves?"

"This could very well be a very powerful sorcerer, we cannot do this on our own." Thranduil listened half-heartedly as argument fell from one mouth to another. Some thought it was nothing, some thought it a man, others a dark Elf, some a sorcerer, others a wizard, one a shadow only, was he really the only one who thought otherwise? Or were they just too scared to say it?

"My King?" Idhrenion, the Head Council member since the beginning, asked. Thranduil glanced up. "Do you have ought to say?" Thranduil sighed. Time to find out.

"Are you really all that forgetful?" Thranduil asked. The entire Council went silent. "This has happened before. It was the same shadow, same sickness on the forest. Mithrandir said he drove it from the fortress, but it must have returned."

"Surely you do not think that it is the Dark Lord? He was said to be destroyed." Melimion said.

Thranduil clenched his jaw. "Last I checked, it was a Nazgul that tried to kill me and that did kill my wife, your Queen. If that does not scream Sauron, I would like to know what proof to offer you?" Melimion was duly abashed and sat down, eyes down cast. The rest of the Council was silent for a minute before Tawarthion braved the silence.

"Granted, it could just be a Nazgul." He said, Thranduil's icy gaze turned to his, but Tawarthion put his hands up in surrender. "I am not saying it is not the Dark Lord, but that it could be. The Witch-King was acting, seemingly on his own, for a while. Was not Moria overtaken? And Gondor threatened and lessened?" The Council was listening to him. "Yes, it could be the Dark Lord, in fact it is very possible. If that is the case, though, should we not be preparing for war once more?" He asked.

"I would rather know for sure who it is before we actually start preparing for war." Veryan said. "One Nazgul is much different than the entirety of the Dark Lord's power."

Thranduil sighed. "That is true, partially. You are, however, discounting the fact that whatever, or whomever, this is has already targeted Mirkwood. Not just in the single attack." Thranduil added. "The shadow grew here first. It took residence here. Sauron or not, the sickness or shadow is affecting us. The trees are darkening, the Spiders and Orcs multiplying. We are already under attack, just by a different way."

"Spiders, Orcs, shadows, none of that spells war to me." Another member said. It occurred to Thranduil that he was also the youngest.

"Perhaps you are too young, but I remember that this used to be Greenwood, not Mirkwood. I even remember it as Greenwood the Great. Are we so used to darkness that it matters not anymore?" Thranduil asked. "Do we sit back and let our home slowly die? Are we so callous to our own situation that we would just allow Mirkwood to fall into complete and utter darkness?"