1 | dark pasts [oakenshield]

Forty-four

happy gif for a sad chapter :(
play the audio when i tell you. trust me......

Eagle flying was supposed to be fun, and not at all traumatizing. Well, the traumatizing thing was that her father was out there in Ravenhill somewhere, and she had no idea if he was even alive or not, and she had to take an eagle to go look for him.

Fun, right?

The eagle soared over the sky, Anne using her Elven vision to look all over the place. She even looked at the place where Fili and Kili nearly died at, yet she found nothing but the same blood prints that were left. She checked all the halls, but to no avail. So she got on her eagle once more and flew in the air, Anne looking around.

"There!" she cried, pointing to the north.

Bodies were everywhere, both Elvish and Orc, as well as bats and a few fallen eagles. The eagle crowed and swooped down, slowing its course when he was close to the ground. Anne jumped off, running a short way forwards.

"Ada!" she shouted. "Thranduil?!"

She received no reply, and she started to walk on the battlefield. She looked around, feeling a slight pang of pain and sadness when she saw the faces of her dead kin: some were afraid, and some were peaceful, while others were determined.

That's when she saw a familiar gray and velvet cloak on the ground covered in both red and black blood. Anne shook her head fast, running across the area. She skidded to a halt and knelt, picking up the fabric and feeling it. Her heart dropped.

"ADA!" she screamed, standing up and clutching the cloak. "Father, where are you?! ADA!!"

There was a moan; Anne whipped her head forward. She felt her heart start to break as she ran forwards, skidding next the right side of a body that was underneath the carcass of an Orc. She grunted as she pushed the carcass to the side, choking back sobs.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!"

There he was, on the floor, three arrows pierced through his armor and in his chest. His blond hair was sticky with Orc blood, and there was blood running down the side of his mouth and his cheek. He was wheezing, coughing and trying to suck in air. Anne shook her head fast, putting his soft face in her hands. "Ada, stay with me, okay? You've got to... you've just got to hold on. Don't let go yet."

Thranduil just barely opened his eyes and swallowed, taking labored breaths and grabbing her hand with his gloved one. "Anne," he croaked, "you're alive."

"I'm okay, and so are you. You're okay, Ada," Anne said, her voice wavering.

Thranduil seemed to panic for a few moments. "Where's your brother? Where's Legolas? Is he safe? Is he alright?"

"He's okay," she promised.

He sighed painfully in relief. "Good."

Anne nodded her head, swallowing and trying to stay calm. "You're going to be okay, too. Just... just hold onto me and look into my eyes, and everything will be okay."

So Thranduil turned his head so he was staring into his daughter's scared eyes. Even though he knew she was also determined to not let him die, he found it impossible. She gripped his hand tightly and squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply.

[START THE MUSIC AND READ WITH IT]

"I'm so sorry," she croaked. "This never would've happened if I didn't make that mistake all those years ago."

Thranduil blinked.

"I should have protected her, and I'm so sorry. You were right, Ada. And now you're dying because of me." Her voice broke, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from breaking down. "This is all my fault. Everything is my fault."