I'll Keep You Like An Oath

The elvenking looked with disdain at the dead creatures at his feet. His armour, that before was polished and burned the brightest kind of silver one had ever seen, was now tarnished and marred by the black blood of the orcs. His sword too was stained with their blood, a dark substance that burrowed its way into the engraved crevices on the curved steel and dried, he knew, stubbornly. It would prove difficult to remove and Thranduil thought absentmindedly about investing in a new sword. It had been such a long time since he had a new one forged. Not since… he stopped. Not since the death of his wife. The thought saddened him, and his momentary lapse in concentration allowed an orc to fire an arrow into his elk's side. The creature beneath him tumbled, and taken almost by surprise, Thranduil was forced to fight on his feet. He was surrounded.Now is not the time to think of new swords, he thought to himself. He slew many of the creatures that fenced him in, and although more kept coming, he was not overwhelmed.When they were all dead, and the battle seemed to have a momentary lull, for just one small moment, Thranduil had a chance to breathe. He felt the cool air fill his lungs and when he exhaled, he felt his eyes close. The battle was almost over, but he could still not tell who would be victorious. Both sides were losing; both sides were winning.It was at that moment that the king beheld a sight that stilled his heart.A young elf with hair as blonde as his own lay before him. His eyes were open, but they had ceased to see. His armour was pierced by many arrows, but Thranduil could see the gash in the metal work at the chest where a blade had forced its way through. Thranduil's eyes widened, and his limbs were frozen and unable to move. He could not see the face of the dead elf. He almost did not want to. In that golden hair and in those slender limbs he saw his son.Once the king could finally will his legs to move, he moved towards the elf. In his heart he knew it was not his Legolas - Legolas was not wearing such heavy armour - but the sight of that golden hair - the exact shade of that of his son - stained with blood and the messes of war broke the king's heart in two. Beneath the hair of this dead elf, Thranduil saw his only child lying motionless and unresponsive, his eyes absent and the beating in his chest stilled.It was an unbearable notion. One that made the king feel sick to his stomach.Looking at the tarnished and broken armour, Thranduil hardened his resolve.The dwarves in the mountain were stubborn. They refused his help and he would lose no more life over such a matter. He had lost too much already.Absently, he thought of the gems that he had longed for. They can wait, his mind whispered. The safety of your son cannot."No more." He shouted, beginning his retreat. "No gem is worth more than my Legolas."

a/n - title comes from new fall out boy song Uma Thurman