※※Chapter Two※※
Thranduil was awoken from a light rest to harsh knocking on his door, rousing him into an upright position as he ran a hand through his hair and groggily mumbled "What is it?" at a volume barely loud enough to be heard by the guard on the other side
"The King Elessar has requested that you join him for a meeting in half an hour, my Lord. He will be awaiting your presence in the Council Chambers"
"You may assure the King that I will be there, thank you" he stated in return, waiting until he heard the footsteps of the guard leave their place outside his door before standing from the bed so that he could begin preparing for the meeting.
It was strange for him to be called upon. He had taken up a much more passive role in the City than anyone had ever expected, barely involving himself with politics and preferring to spend his days reclining in the gardens or, alternatively, riding out to the nearby Druadan Forest for a few nights at a time. Being called to a meeting of some kind was not unheard of, but it was something to regard as highly important. It must be, else he would still be relaxing in his bed in nightclothes, not stood in front of a mirror dressed in the elegant robes of an Elvish Lord.
The finishing touch was the subtle silver circlet adorning his head to ensure his status was not forgotten, along with the new addition of a small and almost hidden braid on either side of his head, running in front of his ears. He made sure to double check that he looked as perfect as his gradually waning fëa would allow before walking out from the room and going down the marble halls to take his seat at a table of mortals, his head bowed slightly to maintain an air of more attentive and submissive grace than he would usually prefer. After all, he did not want to make himself seem self entitled or give the impression that he should be in a higher position of power than he had been permitted to hold.
The meeting began shortly after he had arrived, immediately getting to dragging on with formalities and routine checks of the food stores and people's contentment for some time. It did have Thranduil wondering just why he needed to be present in such a dull conversation before, finally, something piqued the Elven-King's interest.
"My King, if we may move on to the main subject of the meeting.. we have reason to believe that orcs are once again spreading their filth in Gondor"
That comment caused an immediate hush to fall over the table, and the Elven-King to sit up far more straight, leaning forwards too, his sudden change of position alone enough to alert everyone in the room that he was very much interested in the new topic.
"Please continue, Hirgon. Do you have any more details? We cannot send a company out after rumours" Aragorn prompted, glancing briefly at all those at the table to gauge their reactions before trying to settle back in his own chair. He was desperate to avoid seeming on edge and making anyone any more nervous than they were already sure to be. Nerves and misjudgement were not something they could afford in matters of war and darkness.
Hirgon cleared his throat and spent a brief moment fiddling with a button on his shirt before looking at the King to continue his explanation of the reports that had been flooding in.
"Well- Many of our scouts have been turning in daily records which include sightings of small groups. No bigger than fifty or seventy at a time, but still a nuisance to clear. Apparently, they are getting bolder. Most of the men agree that they are originating from the West, closer to Near Harad than Gondor, but are spreading so far that they have begun to gather around the River Sirith and it's tributary Celos. Messenger birds from Pelargir have mentioned several instances of small scale raids as well. They are pressing the Capital for action"
"Had this been brought to our attention earlier, the Capital may have been able to put an end to these raids before they began" Another man piped up, sending a deliberate glare in the direction of Hirgon, who immediately shrank down into his chair, as if to blame him for the slow communication. Mortal men's lack of patience was ever a source of irritation for the Elven-King, and this meeting was certainly no exception to that rule.
"Enough, Damrod. It is no fault of anyone's that communication has been delayed. We are out of practice, the world has been at peace for too long now for us to maintain such quality in our practices" The King scolded, raising a hand to rest lightly on his temple as he took a few moments to think of their next move.
"You say they are in small groups? Our best course of action may be to face them on the road. A force of a few hundred should suffice. They could take the Western trails down through the Lossarnach and cross the river Erui. If your reports are true, the bulk of the groups will be here. That would give us the perfect opportunity to cut their numbers down severely and deter them from carrying out any more attacks."
That brief description was met with murmurs of approval from all the men at the table, and a short nod from the Elven-King. It sounded like it could work perfectly, making sure that their forces do not get too big and beating them back, away from the towns of Gondor. A few hundred men would not be too costly, and it would do them good to get back out of the City for something more than a patrol. On top of that, Thranduil was eager to join too. He had been lacking purpose, struggling to find things to occupy his mind with. Training alone hardly did anything to keep him interested, though it did ensure that his skills in the battlefield had remained impressive. He had his armour and his weapons in his room, why should he not take the opportunity to use them?
"Though the men are easy to acquire and brief on the situation, we are in need of a leader"
Exactly the comment Thranduil had been waiting for.
"-Allow me, King Elessar," he interjected, softly clearing his throat to draw some attention to himself, standing, and raising a hand to rest over his heart, his gaze showing nothing but determination.
",I have not ridden to battle in many years, but I assure you that my skills have not been dulled by the ages. I would be honoured to walk at the head of your men and lead them to victory, even in such a small matter"
He made his case as clearly and concisely as he could, then bowed slightly and returned calmly to his seat as the King smiled fondly at him. It became quickly apparent that his suggestion had been accepted, Elessar standing and nodding in agreement before turning to one of the other men.
"Have a message written up and sent to Pelargir. Tell them that we are dispatching a force of four hundred with an experienced General to lead. Their orc problem will be dealt with come the end of the week. Make sure that they are prepared to accept the force into their gates for rest or to dispatch men of their own to reinforce the capital's. I need the letter to be there as quickly as possible. Send it with one of the messenger eagles"
The order went out quickly, a letter sent to arrive within a few hours, and Thranduil soon found himself at the stables with his two remaining guards, Mírdanion and Neston, all three of them in their armour with weapons on their hips. He had explained what he was doing to the elves and had many wishes of good luck and to stay safe, a few words of caution from his ex-councilman, and a promise to protect him from his guards, who refused to allow him to go and fight without at least one of them. In the end, both of them decided to join the party of men at either side of their King, not willing to part from the one another.
A few words were exchanged between Thranduil and Elessar, the men had the plans explained to them in more detail, and they were ready to leave. Ready to cleanse the Western lands of Gondor of all the orc filth they may encounter on the road, and ready to once again return the kingdom to peace.
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Ennas esse Anui estel
There is always hope
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Chapter two, finished!
It's a rather dialogue-heavy chapter, and I'm sure Thranduil wasn't the only one irritated by mortals and their meetings, but things get a little more interesting from this point onwards~
-Talfen
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