Back To You (Thranduil Fanfic)

Part One

Dawn had finally broken when the forest guard first pulled Lúthien from the river. The had been floating on a piece of wood, but was stopped by the southern gate which flowed towards lake town. The guards had heard word of a young girl jumping from the bridge and that she'd probably wouldn't be alive. So when they saw Lúthien, the guards didn't expect her to be alive.

"Elros look!" One said pointing at her

"It's the child Nalfir spoke of, from last night. She leapt from the bridge."

"Do you you think she's still alive?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'll go down and get her."

"Wait Elros! What if she's dead?"

"Well I can't just leave her there, she might be alive."

The forest guards was apprehensive at first, and walked out onto the stone steps, reaching out his arm. As she floated towards the shut gate, he grabbed hold of the wood, pulling her towards him. He couldn't see her face at first, Elros feared that she was no longer living, he wanted this poor soul to live. When Lúthien was finally in reach, he took her small arm in his hand, lifting her up and placing her in his lap. She was pale and her lips were turning blue due to the cold, it was easy to assume she was deceased.

"Is she...?"

"I'm trying to find out, quiet you imbecile." Elros replied cooly

He lowered his head to her mouth, trying to hear if she was breathing or not. His heart began racing, for he thought that it was too late to save her. When he held her wrist to check for a pulse, there was't anything he could detect right away, time and time again he tried to feel for something, anything that would signify that she was indeed living. Elros looked down at the still child in his arms, he cursed to himself for not being able to get to her in time. When he heard word of a child in the river, he should've gone looking instead of staying posted where he was.

"Please, forgive me little one." He placed a gentle hand on her forehead, moving away the strands of hair that shielded her face

Elros moved to pull his cloak off his shoulders and wrapped it securely around her small frame.

"I shall take her back to the palace so that she might have a proper burial." He stated, rising to his feet holding her firmly. Nobody was going to tell him otherwise, they knew all to well that attempting to change his mind was dangerous game to play.

Suddenly, there was a small wheeze which grabbed the immediate attention of everyone present. Elros looked down at small Lúthien, she was attempting to breathe and appeared to be panicking. Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion, she remembered the elven guard that threatened to kill her and now she was being held by one. Lúthien attempted to wiggle free of his grasp, but he wasn't going to let her out of his sight.

"Easy...easy now..it's all right. My name is Elros, I've pulled you from the river, you're going to be just fine. Please don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you little one."

Lúthien's rapid wheezing slowed down as she gradually grew accustomed to being held by a forest guard. She could feel how securely she was being held, deep down something was telling her that it was safe now

"Do you have a name child?" Lúthien looked up at him and then at the other forest guards, she decided to remain silent for the time being.

"You don't have to tell me if that is your wish." Elros said softly, walking over to his horse. It snickered when he approached, which caused Lúthien to jump a bit.

"His name is Caríon, you can stroke his mane if you'd like. He's very gentle and sweet." She looked hesitantly at Elros before looking back at Caríon. "I found him in the forest all alone, must have been separated from his mother, so I took him in."

"Car...íon?" Elros's eye grew wide with shock, he didn't think that she'd speak to him so soon

"Yes, yes that's his name." Lúthien reached out to the horse's mane, holding the strands of hair in her small hand.

"Soft." she said quietly

"Come, I must take you back to the palace." She gasped, beginning to tremble

"Oh no, you have nothing to fear, you'll be safe there. I'm going to make sure that you get the care and attention that you need. Nobody will harm you there, I swear to you." Elros said, mounting himself on his horse

As they began moving, Lúthien rested her head on Elros's chest. She was exhausted, cold and hungry. But she was grateful that she had been rescued, she wasn't ready to go just yet.

"Lúthien." she said speaking up so he'd hear her

"Lúthien?"

"My name is Lúthien."

"How old are you Lúthien?"

"A few hundred years old I think, I can't really remember."

"Tell me, how did you end up in the river?"

"They wanted to shoot me." She whispered

"Who wanted to shoot you? A forest guard?" Lúthien confirmed by simply nodding

"I was running from spiders and came running to the palace gates. But after they were killed, one of the guards aimed his bow at me. He pulled an arrow back and told me that I'd end up like those spiders. I was afraid, so I jumped from the bridge."

"Unbelievable, an elven forest guard, threatening to kill one of his own. Absolutely appalling."

"What's going to happen to me? Will they want to kill me?" He could feel that she was beginning to shiver, the water was freezing no doubt.

"Valar, no of course not. I won't let that happen."

"Thank you for saving me Elros." Lúthien said softly, before closing her eyes and falling asleep

Elros knew that her shivering was only going to get worse as time passed. He squeezed his legs against Caríon's sides, asking him to pick up his speed. He was happy to oblige, for Caríon adored galloping through the forest, weaving around the trees and over the brush he pressed on. There wasn't a single thing that could pull him off his course, for Caríon knew the forest and everything that dwelled there all too well. He didn't have a single care in the world.

The guards posted at the southern gate could hear the sound of thundering hooves in the distance. As they averted their attention towards the deep sound, they realized who it was. Elros was approaching on horseback, but it didn't seem like he was planning on stopping.

"Open the gates!" He hollered, the two guards did so immediately, allowing him to fly past them.

"That Elros, always in such a hurry."

Caríon stormed through the palace courtyards, nearly giving everyone a heart attack. But Elros did not ask him slow down let alone stop completely. He needed to get Lúthien to the healers at once. And as soon as they turned the corner, they almost ran into the King himself.

"WOAH!" Elros yelled, immediately pulling back the reins. Caríon stopped, sliding to halt before the King

"Elros."

"My deepest apologies my King!" Elros slid off the Caríon's back, kneeling before the King of the Woodland Realm "Forgive me for riding thorough the courtyards, but there are pressing matters I must attend to."

"And what might those be? Shouldn't you be posted at the southern river?"

"I'm sure you've heard about last night."

"You speak of the child?"

"Yes my King, about that...." Elros revealed the bundle he was holding "I've found her."