The last rays of sunlight crept across the palace floor as dusk took its place. The disgruntled king was slumped over on his throne, entangling his hands in his platinum hair. The reappearance of Morynn had brought a new tide of grief to the stage that was his tragic life. He felt a hole of darkness eating away inside him, pulling at his life's threads. He held himself accountable, despite the claims his son and counselors had tried to calm him with. Fate seemed to be mocking him, the moment he started to heal, the bitter whirlwind that was Morynn Elereth stormed into his life.

He felt pathetic. The once mystical forest had begun to rot, reflecting the current state of its king. Even the halls in which he dwelled seemed to mirror the darkness in his heart. There were no sounds of music and laughter, servant children were absent from the halls, celebrations and festivals had ceased. He was a poor excuse for a king.

---
A shock of pain coursed through Morynn's fist. In hindsight, it was a rather foolish idea to take her anger out on the wall. She let out a huff of air, blowing her bangs out of her face. She turned, her back against the wall, lowering her head. She was angry with herself for being tricked into coming to the king's side. Thranduil was too far gone for her to fix. He was nothing but an empty shell, neglecting his son and his duty as king. Yet, there was the promise Morynn had given to her sister in her fading moments. Her son had never known a proper father, only a distant figure who barked orders, while the forest around them fell to ruin. Legolas had been raised by servants, Morynn thought, he deserved to have a loving family.

Morynn flexed her hand, the pain had begun to fade. She had come to a decision, she would help Thranduil, for the sake of her nephew. Although, that could wait until tomorrow. With a sigh she fell upon her bed, pulling the sheets up over her head, slowly losing herself to sleep.
--
Legolas groaned into his hands, his elbows resting on the oak table. His father had yet again decided to skip a council meeting, what he had been doing for years, so it fell to the young prince to run the kingdom the best he could. Of course, because of his youth and lack of experience; Thranduil's advisors were able to manipulate him into siding with one or the other, which is how Mirkwood came to its current state.

"My Lord, if you please, we still have the matter of the spiders to discuss," a haughty-looking elf named Trist piped.

Legolas growled to himself. It was always the spiders. It didn't matter how many troops were sent in to deal with them, the sheer number was too much to handle. "What is there to discuss?"

Trist and his fellow counselors looked at the prince as if he had sprouted six heads. "My Lord," Trist exclaimed, "the spiders have been an everlasting threat to this kingdom, if something isn't done-"

Legolas slams his hands down on the table. "Nothing we've been doing has solved the problem!"

"That is why we are here to discuss it, My Lord," a rather condescending elf called Daller interjected.

Legolas stood up abruptly, surprising the elves gathered around the table. "You can discuss it amongst yourselves!"

With that outburst the Princeling strode from the room, slamming the doors behind him. As he walked through the corridors a feeling of regret  tugged at him, he knew he acted childishly and that it would come back to haunt him later. But he couldn't stand it any longer. He yearned to have his bow in his hands and the forest at his feet, he wanted adventure, but he was tied down to this kingdom, and he always would be.

--
The leaves crunched beneath Morynn's feet as she walked through the gnarled forest. Her cloak swished around her and she took in a deep breath of air. As corrupted as the woods were, it was still a forest, and forests should be appreciated in Morynn's opinion.

The elleth allowed herself a small grin as she reached the stables. She had been meaning to visit them since she arrived at Thranduil's Halls. When she stepped into the wooden stalls her cold exterior melted away. Ever since she was a little girl she had a certain fondness for horses, they were a constant source of companionship.

A doe-eyed mare nuzzled her palm with a wet nose and Morynn smiled softly at the horse. She continued to walk the length of the stable, rubbing noses and scratching flanks, when she came upon the last and largest stall. It was home to a magnificent, yet lonely, elk. The creature shook his head at her and she ran her hand over his soft coat. He looked well-taken care of.

"I wonder who you belong to?" Morynn whispered to herself.

"He is mine," a voice behind her answered.

Morynn started slightly and she turned around, identifying the voice as King Thranduil. She tilted her head curiously.

Thranduil stepped closer to his mount and stroked its nose. "His name is Agnor,"

Morynn nodded once. "What are you doing here? I was under the assumption you never left the throne room,"

Thranduil shrugged. "I visit the stables everyday, to take care of him,"

Morynn blinked in surprise, she had not expected this broken king to have compassion for anything. Her lips curved into a frown. "More than you do for your son,"

As soon as the words left her lips she regretted it. Thranduil lowered his gaze, attempting to hide his hurt look. Morynn had the grace to look guilty.

"I apologize," she said in a softer tone. "I should not have voiced my opinions so brashly,"

Thranduil merely shook his head, letting his hand drop by his side. "You are right,"

Morynn looked at him stunned. She had been called many things before, but very rarely was she right. She urged him to go on.

Thranduil drew a breath and looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "I am a bad father, my own would be ashamed of me," the king muttered. "I do not care for my son the way I should, I have abandoned him,"

Morynn did not know how to respond to such a confession, she glanced down, suddenly afraid to look at him.

Thranduil sighed. "I should not have told you, I knew you wouldn't understand,"

He turned and began to walk out. Morynn tried to stop him, but he left her behind. She slumped against the wall in defeat. So far, her plan was going poorly.

A/N
Hey guys! Sorry that ending kind of sucked, but my dog is being a pain so i had to end it. School is finally over so i hope to find more time to write!
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