[Lord of the Rings] Green Leaf's Blessing

Thranduil has been waiting.And when the leaves outside the window of the restored old residence turned from emerald green in summer to golden in autumn, what he waited for was nothing but the brief letter.

"I'm fine here, don't worry about me, Ada. In the future, I want to live here forever. Ithilien's forest is so beautiful that I won't let you go. Here, I ask for your permission. Please let Tessier take Some of the clansmen who voluntarily followed came with me, and lived with me in this beautiful forest."

On the thin letter paper with the faint fragrance of green leaves, this is all the information Thranduil can get.Such short words, such a bland description, never explained a word, did not mention anything about going home.

Thranduil didn't ask too much, and he ordered Tessier to send Legolas a more brief reply: "If Ithilien is really as beautiful as you say, I wish you happiness, son .”

After the Great War, the rebuilding work in the forest was cumbersome and complicated, which took up a large part of Thranduil's time. His tall, unchanged figure always shuttled among the busy elves, his silent appearance and his surroundings laughed happily. The Sylvans are in stark contrast.At that time, the group of innocent and simple forest elves still firmly believed that their royal highness would return soon.

No one expected that it was the taciturn father who lost hope first.

The white flower still stood silently beside his throne, and now Thranduil was sitting there, without the young and happy figure of the past, only being with him.He didn't know when the flower bloomed and how long it bloomed.He only knew that when he stared at the flower that would reveal a faint white light in the quiet night, his lonely heart would always feel warm and peaceful.

But the flower occasionally unsettled him.Under its slender appearance, there was still a tenacious strength hidden. When Thranduil covered it with his palm, he could feel it, but even that was still too weak.It is so beautiful, yet so pitiful and sad - the light cannot hide its soft moans, and the exhaustion shown on it seems to never fade like the memory of the war.

And what Thranduil can do is to hug it gently with his hands, there is nothing else.

"Why don't you go to him?" Fino once asked him, "Don't worry about the king and etiquette, you are his father and his only relative, and this is enough for all reasons."

"Because... the first thing I think about is," Thranduil's voice was still faint, like the first snow falling in early winter, "why won't he come back. As a king and father, I have always respected his decision, It doesn't change no matter how much time passes."

And if it's just as a father, I can't bear to expose the secret he carefully guarded for me.

It was early spring of the following year when the dragging procession of the wood elves reached the southern forests of Ithilien.Most of them are elves who are about the same age as Tessir. They have experienced too little in this world, and being too young makes them more likely to yearn for a distant place instead of staying in place.

What overflowed from their mouths was still a beautiful note, and what stayed on their cheeks was still a simple and happy smile.This group of young children, blessed by the forest, are as far away from the further damage that war can cause as the saplings sheltered from the heavy rain by the big tree.Only their innocent and graceful voice of hope can heal the pain experienced by the whole world again, and push all good things back to their proper track again.

Legolas was still young, but his face greeted everyone with a faint smile, showing a kind of exhaustion that ordinary people could not understand.The glow of the forest makes the curvature of his eyelashes extremely beautiful, but the moment he blinks his eyes, one can't help but suspect that the aura of luster in those blue eyes will follow the short-lived sunset.He seemed to fall down anytime and anywhere, and his footsteps on the grass and tree roots hardly made any sound.

But the way he looked at the crowd was still reassuring, and the group of innocent Silvan elves quickly put aside their hazy doubts.Among them, only Tessier knew what happened, and only he understood what kind of sacrifices their Prince Highness had made in order to make their homeland and clansmen persist until the last moment.

And it wasn't until the quiet corner after the dinner that he was finally able to support the leader and relative he respected and loved with his strong arms.Legolas leaned slightly on his shoulder, panting weakly, only Valar knew how he spent these days alone, and how much effort he expended in disguising and concealing.

Tessier felt extremely heartbroken, that heroic warrior in high spirits could never come back.The forest will indeed be reborn after the war, but the damage that has already been done is done, and no one can completely erase those marks. At the end of every exciting story, there is always such a regret.

"Why don't you ask me... about him?"

"Because I know," Legolas' voice was as soft as the breath of the forest at night, "I know, even if I'm thousands of miles away from home, even if I'm not by his side."

"Do you think you can really keep it from him?"

"I never thought I could hide it from him, Tessier. We are father and son, and no one knows each other better than we do. We can't keep any secrets between us. All we can do is not to tell and not to ask. "

Looking at the face that was still the same but seemed to have lost too much, Tessier could no longer control the tears from welling up in his eyes, and gently hugged the body that was still light but not angry.

"I'm so sad to see you like this, Uncle Luye... Is it really worth it?"

"Isn't your safety what you deserve?" Legolas stroked the young elf's brown hair, "The safety of everyone, the safety of the forest, the safety of the tribe, and the safety of Adar..."

Tessier supported the elf in front of him with his arms, but leaned his face weakly on the opponent's shoulder, and could not restrain more and more tears to flow down his cheeks.

"You're not going back, are you, Uncle Luye?" He asked hoarsely.

How could he go back?Even himself, seeing him like this now makes his heart ache so much, how could he have the heart to let his father wait for him like this?This is indeed no longer a secret, but even at this point, the father and son still try their best to hide everything for each other, and they have always only cared about each other's feelings.

Legolas nodded slightly, his blond hair brushing against Tessier's tear-stained cheek.

"But...you really have the heart to stay here and never go back?"

Legolas lifted the young elf's cheek, looking at him with gentle, tired and firm eyes.

"The word 'forever' has become a luxury for me in every way, but wherever I end up, I will always keep my word. Have you forgotten, Tessier? I never left the forest, A part of my soul will always be there to accompany and guard all that I love."