5 ❂ Video

[elvenking]

My name is Thranduil. I am King of the Woodland Realm in Northern Mirkwood, in Middle-earth. That which has happened in these last days is unsettling, but since I am unable to stop it, the best comfort I may offer you is this: if you experience any of my memories you find troubling, you may speak to me about them. I do not mind. Perhaps I may put your mind at ease, for you are seeing only a little of a very long story. I do not expect the same of you in return.

[OOC: Side effects of an empathic link with Thranduil are here. Memories for each of his empathic links can be found here. This post can be action, text, voice, whatever you need, and used as a catch-all for his interactions for the month which are related to the empathy plot.]

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action, third wave

[longestnose]

Fili knew who's memories these were. There was no doubt of that. They were bothersome, troubling, they weighed heavy. He knew that this was not the Thranduil he knew, now; time brings things together in different ways, and brings new insight into people.

It was all he could cling to, and hope that Thranduil did not feel that way still, somewhere, within him.

Shaky hands move towards the Oxygen garden, needing to see Thranduil, needing to make sure that things were fine between them, still.

[ooc: The death scene I wrote up is here hope it is ok.]

SCREAMING SKLDFJHSDF THAT MEMORY

[elvenking]

His hand goes occasionally to his throat, rubbing the pale skin there to make sure it is whole. He knows, of course, who that memory came from, and maybe it's the link that lets him know to wait here for him. Or maybe it's just that he knows Fili.

When he sees the dwarf, he still has his hand on his throat. He doesn't speak, only holds him in his eyes as if silently asking him if he's okay.

[longestnose]

Fili saw Thranduil's hand at his throat, where his own scar resided, hidden by his beard. Where he occasionally saw Kili touch on his own neck, as if to assure himself that he was still whole.

He had the memories of Thranduil, if the dwarves, of why he had not liked them, mistrusted him--

--but some of that was pushed away by the look in the elf's eyes.

"...I am sorry you saw that."

As if it was his fault; but it had been, had it not? He had made fatal errors, and he had died. Everyone he held dear had.

[elvenking]

Thranduil gives a brief nod and sets his hand firmly on the ground. "What did you see?"

[longestnose]

"...the sack of Menegroth." Fili frowned, coming to sit next to Thranduil, trying to ignore his hands, shaking, to touch the Arkenstone that sits just below his belt, a warmth and a memory. Of all that his people have done, in the name of treasure. Such unneeded treasure. "...and you hoping that it would not come to war, when Thorin would not give you gold."

Fili does not look at Thranduil; he could feel things, enough; the coldness towards dwarves had been difficult enough. He did not want to feel that directed towards himself again.

[elvenking]

Well that's...awkward. It is entirely possible that first one is the most awkward memory Fili could see. Thranduil bows his head and leans slightly into his companion so their shoulders touch. The feeling awkwardness eases at the touch.

"I have seen enough war waged over treasures."

[longestnose]

Fili leans into Thranduil, letting out a breath; it felt better just to be closer, as if a weight was lifting off him, just slightly.

"I have seen one. That was enough."

[unbraided]

It's not that he doesn't know whose memories they are, because the names follow quickly, speared behind the wariness and the dislike. The Thranduil that he knows now, and the one he met before in Middle Earth is not the same elf, not entirely.

It still steals away his breath to feel the anger bubbling up beneath his skin and to see the sheer fury upon Thorin's face in his memories. So Kili takes a few moments to breathe and ease the agitation before he heads to the gardens. In truth, it's not until he's down there that Kili even remembers Thranduil probably has his own memories rattling about his mind, and that's not really a help. Still, there's also the whisper of fondness, of telling an all too familiar hobbit that he is an elf-friend and welcomed. It helps.

Kili's brow is furrowed when he finds Thranduil, still worried, and it is only the fact that it is still good to see him awake that has Kili stepping closer easily.

"Thranduil?"

[elvenking]

Thranduil doesn't even glance up from mending a seam in one of his undertunics. He's not the least bit surprised that Kili is here. He got a veritable flood of memories from him earlier, and they were some of the most adorable memories possible. But Fili has already proved how awkward some of these things can be.

"Sit."

Something's bothering Kili, so they may as well figure out what.

[elvenking]

"...I am sorry you saw what you did."

He doesn't mean the conversation with Bard.

[unbraided]

He scrambles over, sitting heavily beside Thranduil and reaches up, nervously, to play with a braid framing his face. It is hard to read Thranduil no matter how long they spend in close contact, and Kili's gaze lingers, assessing.

"You saw something too?"

It will not take long to drag what is bothering him out into the light, but for now he waits, tries to keep a lid on everything.

[elvenking]

"I saw much of a sweet dwarf-child being a sweet dwarf-child." Spoken neutrally. "I am glad that I have heard rightly of your mother."

[unbraided]

He blushes, cheeks and ears burning red as garnets, and quickly frets over what Thranduil had seen, even if he mentioned it being sweet. The mention of his mother has Kili's shoulders relaxing, though, blush fading a bit even as he smiles.

"I am gladdened to hear that." Wistful, maybe.

[longestnose]

"Why?" Fili found his hands sliding to touch his shirt, where he could feel the Arkenstone, warmed by his own body heat. "I lost my Uncle to the madness, heard the stories of what happened to Thror. Why should you be sorry, for what lies so deeply within my kind?" Fili frowned, hands tightening on his shirt.

"Why be sorry for the truth."

[elvenking]

Thranduil idly turns a stone over with his toe. A beetle crawls out from underneath. "Dwarves for gold, Men for power." Elves for beauty. "Every race has that thing which drives them to do mad things. It happened that the Silmaril was such a thing for both our peoples. To value such things over lives, Fili, is the path to such madness. By that right, Fëanor was worse than any of your people, to have caused as much death as he caused. Elves are not more innocent than Dwarves."

[elvenking]

Eyebrows go up. "Were you saddened before?"

[longestnose]

"I am not saying that they are. But..." Fili sighed, running a hand over his face, just trying to wash some of the memories away, the feelings that had resided there.

"What else did you see?" It was perhaps easier to ask Thranduil on that, right now, still trying to process what he saw.

[elvenking]

"A little of your side of the siege." Mostly of Thorin being gold-crazy. "You were close with your brother and the one called Bombur during that time."

action. dated 10/29

[tofindthesun]

[it's.. not unsurprising for him to find thranduil. he would have, anyway, for a regularly scheduled check-in-- if 'regular' were described as 'dropping in whenever he remembers/has the slightest need to see his father'.

(which so happens to be quite sporadic and persistent when it arises.)

he's never known oropher, his grandfather, though he has heard others speak of the first king of greenwood, how they speak of the current king of mirkwood. the face of his father's father looks enough like his father that he blinks for a moment, confused, because he remembers his own archery lessons and they did not include going to war with his father.

the collected produce is tallied up and the hovercart put away. legolas wanders the gardens as he usually does when trying to find his father, preceded by whistles like birdcalls that they have assigned for this very purpose. it's a large place, after all, and mirkwood larger still.]

((ooc: mmmeeemory for papaduil.))

[unbraided]

"Saddened? Nay, not saddened." A pause, fingers rubbing at his chin, "Worried 'tis a better turn of phrase."

[elvenking]

"Why worried?" He knows he can have some worrying memories, but they're only memories. They're in the past.

[unbraided]

There is another pause here, longer, teeth worrying at his lip.

"Sometimes I forget, but such friendship between us would not have existed back in Arda." His gaze flicks away, "Reminders are not always pleasant."

[elvenking]

[Thranduil answers the birdcalls without giving them much thought. The memory he has had, he does not expect to have come from Legolas. The little empathic oddities, however, seem strangely familiar and comfortable. When he sees his son, his smile is easier than normal.]

[longestnose]

Fili remembered well, a sad smile pulling at his lips, as his gaze drifted off towards the trees. "I just remember...how much I wanted to be down there, with you all. That what Thorin had done was wrong but--"

Fili shook his head, "I told you, early on, here, that I regretted not speaking up. That we did not have the courage to help Thorin." It was his fault, his burden to bear.

[elvenking]

A tiny lift of his chin. "Ah. What did you see?"