Aftermath 
jenolas  
nbozovic@optushome.com.au 

PG  - Drama 
Disclaimer: LOTR belongs to the creative genius of JRR Tolkien, not me.
Summary- A short confrontation between Elrond and Thranduil after the Last 
Alliance.


Aftermath.

In an act of great courage borne of desperation in a battle that was all but 
lost, Isildur, son of the slain King of Men, cut the One Ring, from Sauron's 
very hand, thereby breaking his evil hold over Middle Earth and turning certain 
defeat to victory for the Last Alliance. The Dark Lord and all his minions were 
returned to dust and ashes and had been scattered by the cleansing wind and the 
darkness and deep sense of gloom was lifted from the hearts of the Elves and 
Men. The dim grey of twilight gave way to the sunrise of a new day, the dawn of 
the Third Age.

Thranduil watched from his vantage point on a rocky outcrop at the foothills of 
Mount Doom as the first rays of sunlight slowly made their way into the valley 
of Gorgoroth. The dark clouds that had been a constant in the skies above Mordor 
were no more; the glare of sunlight that had not been seen for many years forced 
him to put his hand to his forehead to shade his eyes as he paid silent homage 
to the thousands of Men and Elves who now lay in their final resting place. Each 
time the advancing sunlight was reflected from the remains of the armour or 
weapons that littered the ash covered valley floor, it seemed to him that the 
Valar were blessing those who would not return home.

Weeping silently, his thoughts turned to his own loss, that of his father, 
Oropher, King of Greenwood the Great. He took the elegantly crafted silver and 
gold circlet from his belt pouch and studied the intricate leaf design. The 
crown of the Woodland King was now his, but he had not the heart to place it on 
his head. It had been his since the first attack on the gates of Mordor when 
Oropher had fallen as he proudly lead his host of Silvan Elves in the attack. 
Although they were poorly trained warriors who lacked the fine weapons and 
armour of their more wealthy kin from the West, they certainly did not want for 
courage and desired only to fight as well as they could for the honour of their 
King.

It was Oropher's pride, according to Gil-galad, that had been his downfall, for 
he refused to submit to the authority of the Elf Lord and had attacked too soon. 
Many lives were lost, including the King's. Thranduil had angrily refused to 
accept this and there was much ill feeling between the two leaders, but the 
uncrowned King had remained to honour his father's commitment to help defend his 
Race. It had taken seven years, but the battle had been won.

"The Hall of Mandos is once again filled," Elrond commented as he approached 
Thranduil, who was still deep in thought. "It is a high price we have paid for 
victory this time."

"Yes, the price was high, but have we really won?" Thranduil asked turning to 
face the new leader of the Elven host; Gil-galad had also lost his life in the 
final battle.

"Sauron was defeated, the One Ring taken from him," Elrond said, slightly 
puzzled. "Is that not victory?"

. "Isildur should not have kept it!" Thranduil said vehemently.

"No, he should have cast it into the fires of Mount Doom," Elrond agreed, "but 
he refused to destroy it and I could not convince him otherwise."

"Then why did not you or Cirdan simply take it from him and destroy it?" 
Thranduil asked, his anger building. "Surely two great Elf Lords such as 
yourselves would have been able to overpower him and take the cursed thing!"

"We could have done so," Elrond admitted, managing to control his temper, " but 
because we possess two of the three Elven Rings, neither of us could risk 
touching it, even with Sauron defeated. I fear the ring still holds his power 
and his evil and he must never know of the Three."

"So, although Sauron's physical form is no more his evil lingers still." 
Thranduil surmised, concentrating on his inner light. "Yes, even I can still 
feel a shadow on the edge of my senses," he said nodding his head slowly. "This 
does not bode well for the future, Elrond. Already the numbers of our people 
have been decimated, and when we return home, there will be fewer still as many 
of the wives and loved ones of the fallen pass into the West with their grief." 
It was painful to acknowledge, for he knew that his beloved mother would be 
among those who travelled to Valinor. "When Sauron rises again from the ashes of 
his defeat, he will seek revenge on the heirs of Isildur as well as the Elves. 
Lorien and Imladris will have the protection of the rings, but the Woodland 
Elves will have only the power we draw from within ourselves and our link to the 
natural world."

"It is a formidable power you possess, Thranduil, strong enough to keep the 
Shadow at bay, should it become necessary." Thranduil snorted at the compliment.

"As long as the One Ring exists, no thanks to you or the weakness of Men, it 
will be necessary." The contempt in his voice was unmistakeable and Elrond 
sighed in frustration. He had hoped to keep an amicable relationship with the 
Elvenking, but it did not seem likely. "I must keep a constant vigil on my 
borders and whenever I look to the south I will remember the danger," said 
Thranduil.

"Then perhaps you should make haste back to Greenwood," Elrond said haughtily, 
"and prepare your defences."

"I have already made plans to leave tonight, we prefer to travel by starlight." 
Thranduil said angrily as he started to walk towards his camp. "Mark my words, 
Elrond, he will return to reclaim the Ring of Power."