1 | dark pasts [oakenshield]

Forty-four

Thranduil tried to smile, sighing painfully. He shook his head, swallowing and taking a breath. "You were always so hard on yourself," he laughed. "You, my brave daughter, always blaming yourself when it's never your fault." He grinned. "I guess that's one more reason why you're so stubborn."

Anne was confused. "What do you mean?"

"You were never wrong," he answered. "You did exactly what you were supposed to do, and it killed me to let you go." He sighed. "But I did it to protect you, and to protect at all of us. I knew that the Orc filth would be after you, and I knew they would attack the kingdom."

Anne blinked. "They did, didn't they?"

"Numerous times until they finally figured out that you were gone," he answered weakly. "The forest grew sick and foul, and spiders were sent to watch us and spy until you finally came back." Thranduil exhaled and looked to the sky, his eyes heavy. "I only wish I could've told you this when you came home instead of saying those foul words so I could've gained your forgiveness."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Ada, don't fade on me, okay?" Anne said, using her free hand to make him face her again and tap him lightly so his eyes remained open. She looked at him sadly, fighting her tears back. "I forgive you," she whispered. "I know you were just trying to do what was right."

Thranduil smiled. "Thank you," he breathed. "Farewell, my daughter."

"No. No, no, no, no, no. No. You are not allowed to leave me, you understand? You're going to live, and we are going to start over. We're going to get this right. Just—" She stopped mid-sentence, letting go of his hand to put one hand on his chest and wrap her fingers on one of the arrows, about to rip the shaft out of his body until Thranduil put his arm on her right shoulder.

"Leave it!" he grunted, gritting his teeth. "My time has come."

"Don't say that, Ada."

"No, listen to me—"

"Thranduil, stay still."

"Anne, listen to me!" Thranduil grunted once more.

"No, you listen! I am not letting you die! I'm not losing another piece of my family!"

Thranduil could see then how scared his daughter really was, and there were tears gliding down her face. She stared him in the eye, shaking her head slowly and pursing her lips. The Elven King tried to smile, using the hand that was on her shoulder to wipe her tears away. "You will make a lovely Queen," he whispered. "I want you to be happy, Anne. If staying with the Dwarf makes you feel comforted, then I support you."

Anne was at a loss for words. "Ada..."

"I should've been there for you," he said, more to himself than anything. "I should've had Lord Elrond bring you back home when the Orcs stopped their pursuit. I shouldn't have left you alone for so long like I did." He inhaled sharply, practically croaking his words out. "I should've been a better father Anne, and I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you." He coughed and looked to the sky, his breathing becoming uneven.

Anne panicked and held the hand that was resting diagonally across her chest and on her shoulder. "No, no, no, Ada, it's okay," she assured him. "You redeemed yourself, and that's all that matters."

Thranduil smiled weakly, taking a ragged breath. "I will see you in a different life," he said, a few tears streaming down his face. "Gi mellin, Anne."

Panic started to settle in. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ada. Ada! No, don't you dare!"

The hand that was holding hers was getting weaker as Thranduil's eyes seemed to become heavy. She panicked and started making noises.