6.

Thranduil Oropherion, King of Eryn Lasgalen, Prince of Doriath of Old,

To His Beloved Son, Legolas the Green Knight, Protector of Dale and Ithilien, Renowned of the Ring War, Lord of Dol Galenehtar,

Greetings.

My esteem for you, my Son, has risen to such giddying heights upon the receipt of your gift to us, that I can scarce put pen to parchment, so beset with gratitude that I stand amazed still at your offering, which lies before me upon my desk.  Yes, beloved Greenleaf, I have scarce the courage to wear mine, though your mother in effusive delight did snatch hers up forthwith to place it upon her breast with a glad laugh.  Where, Legolas, did you find such gems of purity and fire, matched all twelve in perfection and set in its gold so richly designed?  It cannot be Dwarf-make, for I know well the style of their fabrication, yet it does not seem to be either Elvish or Mannish – from whence did these brooches come?  They are surpassing splendid, and your Lady Mother did instruct me to wear mine during our next function, in Dale before King Girion, to so bedazzle the eyes of the mortals they shall be faint and weak at the sight of us as we stand gleaming and glimmering upon the dais.  Even as I write it mocks me with its splendor, catching the lamplight in its gleaming soul and casting it back faceted and scattered and rainbow-hued upon the page.  I thank you, my Legolas, for so gracious a gift; once again you have taken from me my very tongue.

Meglinidar did relate to me, my Son, the troubles and trials in your court attendant to your seneschal's and valet's endeavors to have you wed; I am sorry you resist this, but I am insistent that the presence of a lady by your side would release from you many duties, thus lightening your own load and making your Hall a more pleasant place.  It is most unseemly for a Lord to shun feminine company as you have done, and all the more repellent for you to rely upon ladies who own you not, to perform the duties and functions of the true hostess, as Queen Undómiel and Lady Éowyn are constrained to do through your obstinacy.  Think you upon them, my Son, and upon their noble husbands, that their visits with you would be made the lighter in duty were you to have by your side a suitable wife to ease the strain.  And though your Lady Mother does chivvy me to press you with this, I shall desist for now, for I know this topic to be painful for you, and I would spare you discomfort if I could; that is why I suggest you find a lady, to ease your responsibilities somewhat, and give you rest.

You asked in your last letter, my Legolas, the state of affairs in the southern realm; I have had a runner from Baranil, who did inform me the spiders had been forced back nearly to the ruin of Dol Guldur; there he met with a faction of Celeborn's militia, and they did confer, deciding to surround the ruin, then press in during daylight in their attempt to dispatch the foul beasts completely.  As far as campaigns go it was a success; soon, Baranil did assure me, shall they have all the stragglers gathered up and slain, so that my realm might once again have peace.  Also did Baranil tell me, that he met upon the field an Elf named Rúmil, who claimed acquaintance with you, saying his friend had met you as well at Edoras in Rohan, and you did seem most taken with her, yet as another warden had desired her you released her company to him.  It is a pity, my Son, that your interest seems fixed upon those women whom you cannot attain and who belong to others – is this perchance your method of avoiding marriage entirely?  If so it seems quite effective, though I cannot admit to liking its results overmuch.

There!  I have disobeyed mine own interdiction, to not mention marriage again.  Heretoforth I shall refer to it only as "union."   Shall that be less offensive to you, my Son?

Anyway the state of affairs in Lothlórien, as well you know, wanes with Celeborn's disinterest in rule; since the Lady Galadriel's parting his heart has withered, and their realm as well; I shall quote verbatim to you what Baranil said in his message:  "The Elves of Lórien are weary, sad, and burdened with grief; it is in my mind that they shall fade, or pass in to the West, or find other homes, which is a great shame, for still the mallyrn trees grow tall and golden, and the elanor in the fields reflect back the rays of the sun."  I suggest to you, my Legolas, that you open your gates to those Silvan brothers of ours, that if they in their loneliness and torpor seek egress they might pass through your fair land first, as it is upon the Anduin to the Sea.  That way perchance they may linger, to yet perfume Middle Earth with their grace, and swell your kingdom to greater proportions, increasing your own eminence and honor within the world of Men.

In conjunction with this missive, as a planet circles its sun, is a gift from your Lady Mother, who did assure me she had no designs concerning the subject of "union" in mind upon its fabrication; I have seen it, and it is indeed a splendid set of robes, complete with its own circlet and sash, and a jeweled belt beside, for the purpose of displaying your especial charms before the assemblies of Men.  She is sure, my Son, that no eye may be drawn from you, should you wear such an item, as it is of fabulous make and construction, and she bid me convey unto you the formation of its collar and something about its lapels, I cannot recall to mind what it was, but to her it seemed of great importance, though when I cast mine eye upon it I saw naught but lapels.  Beaded lapels to be certain, but they are lapels, and function solely as lapels, so I know not for what purpose she has impressed upon me their superiority to other sorts of lapels; however, should she press you on this only tell her that your father was dutiful and described the lapels fully.  I do not know why I should do this, for if you read this letter you may look upon them yourself and see how they differ from the lapels of your other robes – should you do so, will you explain to me why these particular lapels are of such especial interest?  Perchance it is a thing women find of great import, but to my mind a lapel is a lapel and so long as I can hook my thumbs in them when I feel lethargy due to elaborate speeches, one lapel is as good as another.  But I beg you, do not tell your mother I said so.

I have heard also, from several runners in from Imladris, that you treat with Círdan the Shipwright in Mithlond, to so contain between you the shipping routes from Lhûn to Langstrand, that the cries of agony in the trading-houses along the western coast shall echo all the way to Valinor.  How pleased I am with you, O my Son!  That you and your wise friend Cirien the Yellow Knight should conceive of such a plan, to so enrich your own lands and bring blessing upon the southern reaches of the Ethir Anduin and concomitantly open lines of correspondence previously stilted 'twixt Mithlond and the Sindar!  It is a marvelous opportunity, my Legolas, that you have initiated such ties with Círdan, who is a great and powerful lord and full of graciousness and strength; his people also are wise and practiced ships-builders and know the extent of the sailing routes betwixt Harlindon and Belfalas.  I hope that the trade delegation sent shall arrive in good order in Langstrand, where no doubt they shall meet first with good Cirien, and up the Anduin to your own fiefdom, where you, no doubt, shall greet them with all the spectacle and pageantry due the advocates of such an ancient and mighty lord.  Please, I beg of you, O my beloved Son, relay to me immediately upon their conclusion the consequences of this summit, that I may either render unto you deepest sympathy should they fail, or celebrate to highest zeniths your success (which in my mind is the most likely result).

I have had a letter from dear little Bandobras; he is quite put out with us, my Son, for our harping upon your unmarried state (there I go again, mentioning "union," I apologize, but it seems to be coloring all our thoughts nowadays), and begs us to desist in our efforts.  He also mentioned something about a bull and a wine-barrel, but the letter when it arrived was so disjointed and full of entreaties I confess I understood but little of what he spoke.  Perchance you could elucidate, my Son, so that when I reply to his epistle I shall know what it is I ought to say.  When is he returning to you, Legolas?  When will his mother relent and allow him to restore your acquaintanceship?  For I know you miss him, and desire greatly to see him once more; as a son he is to you, I perceive, and I know that you love him dearly.

You asked me, my Legolas, the final results of the lion hunt east of Dale; let me tell you this, that I have hunted lion before, and regretted its outcome, and this past experience has not changed my mind on this point at all.  Three men were killed, and four horses, six dogs, and a mule, and what did we gain from this event?  One speckled, mangy, dirty carcass with broken teeth and bloodied claws.  Was it worth the loss of life, simply to protect several herds of sheep?  I tell you, my Son, no!  I should rather have given it a propitiation of mutton for the rest of its miserable days than spend mortal blood so, and I did tell this to King Girion when he asked me later "what I thought of the sport."  I do not think my response was to his liking, but in truth I could say naught else, for it was the truth.  Perhaps, though he is slightly aggravated with my answer, it shall produce fruit, for the next lion hunt I do not think I shall be asked to attend, and that is greatly to my liking.

All in my court miss you, my Son, miss your blithe laugh and careless smile, your wicked wit and cheerful countenance, your clear voice and lithe grace; I miss you also, and though I swell with pride to think of the great work you accomplish in the South, it pains me to know you have gone from home, and that your bedchamber, in which you dreamt and played and wept and laughed, remains forlorn and vacant save for occasional visits, which shall grow less in number as the age wanes.  But this is as it must be, for as the parent one works diligently oneself out of one's occupation, and the sign of success as a father is the releasing of obligation to the child.  You are a source of joy to me, O my beloved Son, and know well that your deeds of greatness, both upon the battlefield and behind the conference table, give to me a sense of gratification and selfish indulgence, that it is my own progeny has wrought this.

Your mother bids me send her love, which I do, though it stints not from mine own.

With deepest affection,

Father