till forever falls apart

chapter 3: Êlúriel

Spring was Thranduil's favourite time of year. The promise of new life burst everywhere he looked. The fresh leaves on the trees had burst their buds a few days before. The first white flowers of the season poked through the frost hardened soil, bringing with them the promise of truly warmer days.

The morning had passed swiftly, spent as he always did, training with his bow and in martial pursuits. He'd been focusing on archery that particular morning. Using the war bow, rather than the short bow for hunting. It was a weapon he was growing used to. The pull was heavier but it no longer made his shoulder ache the way it had done the first time. He had just arrived back from Lothlorien the day before and Idhrenel was set to arrive in Mirkwood sometime during the next week.

Every pull of the bow hit its mark, every arrow flew true.  Of all the elves he wanted to impress, Oropher was top of the list. Thranduil admired his father more than anyone else and was eager to show that he was worth taking along. After hastily washing off the morning's dirt, he grabbed a basket with some food in. He knew his mother was behind that action, though she was nowhere to be seen. He'd decided to head out into the forest to the spot by the spring. The stream would be coming to life, and that was something Thranduil enjoyed seeing. The scent of clean leaves touched the air, the music of the stream dancing over pebbles filled the space and birdsong echoed through the woodland. He spread a woven blanket onto the damp ground before settling down with his back against a tree.

His gaze was drawn to the other side of the river and he smiled, "Well, come on then, there is enough food in here for both of us," His childhood best friend, Êlúriel stepped out from behind one of the trees, hopped over the stream and settled on the blanket beside him. "No insult for me today?" she asked. "Why ruin a perfect spring day?" he joked. Digging into the basket, he pulled out an apple and handed it to her. She took it and bit into it. "Perfect?" she smiled. "Yes." He pulled out some other bits of food – bread, some cheese and a couple of slices of dried meat. Placing some of the meat between two slices of bread, he nodded again. "Alright, so tell me why!" she said, "Or I'll say something awful and ruin the day for you!"

"I'm leaving tomorrow." Her sweet face fell, the smile all but chased from her face. "Leaving?" she said. The hand that held the apple was paused half way between her mouth and knee where it had been resting. The smile sprang back moments later, "That's good. Yes. That's really good." Thranduil frowned. "I'm going with my father to join the patrols."

"You've wanted to do that for so long," she said, finally biting the apple, "I am pleased for you."

"But..." he said. He bit some more of the bread. "No, really. I am pleased for you, Thranduil."

"But...?"

She turned her vibrant green eyes to him and sighed. "Sometimes, you are so dense," she said. Thranduil searched her face, trying to see what she was getting at. She snorted, "We have spent time together nearly every day since I saw you looking all pathetic at that loom." Thranduil glared at Êlúriel. "I was not looking pathetic." He muttered.

"Yes you were, you had thread everywhere, your finger was pricked until it was bleeding and the cloth was tenser than... well you," she said. He conceded the point with a wave of his hand. "The point I am trying to make is that while I am pleased for you, I am sad for myself." "Because I won't be here to irritate you every day," he said. She put her half-eaten apple down and took both his hands in hers. They were warm despite the mild chill in the air. He looked down at them, a softer smile touching his face. "Not irritate," she said.

"You tell me that every time we're together." His fingers closed around hers; they were small and delicate, and he worried he might break them if he held too tightly. "You are frustrating, irritating, unable to relax..." she said. "But you're so many other things too and I'm going to miss all of them," she said. He flicked his eyes to her face and a flood of understanding rushed through him. For a moment, he was unable to speak. "See, so slow. Have you caught up now?" she asked. "I think so." She narrowed her eyes, "Think?" He brought the back of her hand up to his lips and pressed them against it. Her eyes brightened at the gesture, something he wanted to see again. "I know."

"Then promise me one thing," she said. "What?" Thranduil asked as he returned his gaze back to his friend. "Come back safe," she said. "It's dangerous out there and I want you to come back."

"I will."

"You swear it?"

"I have to come back and annoy you some more, I'm not going to let that duty fall to anyone else am I?" he said. She laughed, and that lovely smile lit up her face once more. "And I have to because Lady Idhrenel of Lothlorien is arriving sometime next week; I really want you to meet her... I think you'd be really good friends." Êlúriel noticed her friends face light up when he said her name so she smiled, a friend of his was a friend of hers. Thranduil found himself laughing again and handed her another apple, "Keep this one for tomorrow, think of me while I am away."

"I always do," she said, taking the apple. "No more talk of leaving until later, let's enjoy the spring afternoon." That was all Thranduil needed to hear, his attention focused on her and the beauty of the early spring day.