The Hobbit | Bard/Thranduil | 13,500 words | NC-17
Many years have passed since they last met, and yet Bard still cannot help but look towards the great forests above the lake, wonder whether the Wood King will one day call upon him again; but it is not until Legolas’ return that he realises Thranduil’s long silence may have a more sinister cause.
When you get this, please publicly post something nice about at least 5 different people you follow, then copy and paste this in each of their ask boxes. There's nothing wrong if you don't, but it's always nice to spread a little love! c:
Ah god, okay, I've received about five of these and I've been too lazy/busy playing in the snow to get around to them, but I'mma go ahead and do it right now, so, under the cut is a lot of affectionate rambling about a lot of amazing people.
sovereignofdeceitI'm not sure I can even put into words how much I love you and your characters and your writing and your everything (up to and including ur ass). I'm so, so freaking glad that I found you, way back when I only had one muse ( l o l ) and I was busy meting out blind!feels all over the place. So first off, in terms of writing -- you've really, really helped me to explore my limits and push past them in terms of creativity and language. Writing with you has always been a constant delight, and I'm never anything short of amazed by your easy eloquence, as well as your ability to get the mood of your characters into every word you write. We all know that in terms of my ships, ironhawk will really forever be my OTP to end all OTPs, and you're a huge cornerstone in regards to that. In terms of art, I'm fucking jealous of ur talent. You're a fantastic artist and I consider myself ridiculously lucky that I get to see the things you create, and I absolutely treasure your arts (especially that one birthday art that I accidentally made sad with a drabble before I even saw it). You're an inspiration. And in personal terms, you've been such an amazing friend. You've been there when I've been down, a bunch of times, and you never fail to wallow with me when I need it, or to pull me out of a funk ass-first with some ridiculous funnies, and I really, really appreciate it, you have no idea. I'm constantly amazed by your strength with regards to some of the shit you've been through, and you really have made my life much brighter! There's been a fair few times where I've fallen asleep to the sound of u swearing profusely on one of your streams, and it's been amazing <3 darn this puddle between us. One day, I am determined I will give u a thorough cuddling, even if I will have to find a box to stand on in order to do so, being a hobbit and all. Don't ever stop being amazing.
tonyandhisbotsWasa. I think we both know that you're one of my best friends, and that I absolutely treasure you. It doesn't really need to be said, but fuck u, I'm gonna say it anyway. You're a huge part of the foundations of my beloved ship. I mean, I shipped it hard before we started writing, but once we got going it was a like a downward spiral into the depths of a fiery shipping hell that we couldn't escape from. Except we didn't really want to, and we just toasted marshmallows over the flaming angst and then threw them at each other to see who'd cry first. I am still forever impressed at the timeline we've managed to reverse engineer for Tony and Clint, and frankly, I don't think I'll ever be over it. So much of every day life has become associated with crippling feels, and I love it. You're also like, a huge influencing factor on my interests and probably my personality. I mean, without you and Ellie, I'd never have played a video game in my life, and I'd never have watched Leverage, or Resident Evil, or a hundred other things which are now stained onto my soul in the best possibly way. You're a constant delight and I can't express how lucky I feel to be friends with you. I love how easygoing you are, and you make me laugh but at the same time I think we work really well together in a creative sort of way, stimulating each other and exploring ideas (hurry up and finish dat novel, I wanna read it) and without you around I'm pretty sure my creativity levels would be a fair bit lower. I cannot wait until you make your way over here and we can hang out properly, I don't even care if we're just sitting in silence blogging together (remember that time we just sat in silence on skype and studied together? I was actually super productive that day). You're amazing, I can't say I love you in a manner that gets across how much it's true, so you'll have to settle with the knowledge that you're one of my best friends, and I love you with the heat of a thousand fiery suns, and you've changed my life so much for the better, and I'm grateful every day for it.
wasthatnotprocedureElliebear. My lovely amazing super fantastic lil Elliebear. You're also one of my best friends, and frankly I think you and Wasa might be a little disturbed if you could hear how much I talk about you two on a daily basis to my friends and family, and then have to awkwardly explain that I've never actually met you both. But don't worry, I have plans to change this in the future, and I'm determined that all three of us are gonna have an amazing time together one day. You are the reason for so many of the writing things I've done. I'd never have shipped Clint/Maria or Clint/Tony/Maria without you, that's for sure, and I actually might not even have really known much about Maria Hill at all. I would never have made a Hardison blog or a Quinn blog, and I wouldn't have known about the amazingness that is Leverage. I wouldn't have feelings about a Psycho and a Siren, either. The things I write with you might vary from the downright stupid to the absolutely heartbreaking, but every single one of them is a joy and you're always so good at adapting to the tone of a thread. I really admire your writing on every blog ever, and I hope that you never give it up. I adore spending time with you ooc too. You're funny and you're intelligent and you're thoughtful and you're strong and I know you've been through a whole heap of crap, but I'm constantly amazed by your ability to get up and keep moving. I honestly am in awe of everything you're doing -- going back to school and working a full time job and everything else on the side, and I think you're such a fantastic human being. It doesn't need to be said that I love you, because I think it's pretty clear, but once again I'm gonna say it anyway, so there. You make me laugh, you make me cry, you provoke a huge amount of creativity in my brain, and once again I think that, without you in my life, I'd be a much duller person. You deserve everything that's good in the world and I'd do anything to help you get it.
immortalspxrrowCarlota, you're a little shit and I hate you. Nah okay, just kidding, gonna go full serious for a moment, so go ahead and hold on to ur panties. You're one of my closest friends and it's constantly a sad thing to me that there's a goddamn ocean between us, because you're honestly one of those people I just want to spend time with. Like, all the boring stuff. Eating pizza and drinking and just like, lying around doing nothing, or marathoning shows or movies, or just like smacking each other around the fact with feels. Oh wait, we do that last one already. Basically what I'm saying here is that we just clicked, personality-wise, really well, and I'm determined that you, too, will one day live at the end of my bed. Or at least on the same landmass, but end of the bed is entirely preferable. I've created some really frickin' unique kinds of pain with you, in terms of writing. It's one of those things that's impossible to explain to anyone else who hasn't watched the entire Jack/Phae relationship unfold right from the very beginning, and all the twists and turns and aus we've included along the way. This will forever kill me, and when I made the blog I certainly didn't expect it to end up like that, but I'm so, so fricking glad it did, because writing with you is one of my constant delights, as you can probably tell from the fact that I write with you on every blog ever. You're a fantastic writer, you're awesome at capturing the voice of your muse, and you always seem so in character that I'm fairly sure that you are actually Jack -- sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow (also a lil hobbit). You really help me to up my writing game, and I'm super grateful for that, and I will always enjoy writing with you in any capacity at all. Also your art is fantastic, you're an interesting and engaging person, and you don't mind when I just insult you and leave because you know that it's nothing other than affection. I adore you. Okay, serious bit over. Ur a bitch.
tenebrouscrownMALLORY. I had a dream last night that Lee Pace and Orlando Bloom came into my shop and I made them record a message for you but then you were mad because they called you mallory and none of your friends believed that it was meant for you. Just felt you needed to know. I am SO GLAD that we ever found each other. I'm pretty sure it was through the Initiative, but my memory is awful and I could be entirely wrong. Either way, however we met, I'm ridiculously glad that it happened, because I absolutely love writing with you, and messing around with you, and you're just an eternally awesome person. In the writing department, you astound me. Your Thranduil is, and for ever will be, pretty much the only Thranduil for me, and I literally defer to you in all matters elf, because in my mind you just are one, sitting behind a laptop with ur lil pointy ears. You manage to capture such a complex character so effectively, and you're a delight to write with, even if it really, really hurts (I'm talking 'bout baby!Thran here and you know it). Even when I'm super absent as I have been recently, I do still stalk your writing, just so you know. It's just that good. You are also, hands down, one of the funniest people I know. I cannot count on both hands the number of times you have literally made me cry with laughter, and I have never been able to look at Little Bo Peep the same way ever again. (jang<3jang<3). Your art is to die for, and you're just such an excellent person in every way, and one day when I'm rich (hahahaha) I'm determined that I'm gonna come across to the mysterious land yonder and visit you all so I can sort of flail at you in person. You're amazing, etc.
bluemountainbofurI have never seen anyone get a character's voice and character down so perfectly. Bofur's not an easy character to get right, but you've managed to get him spot-on, and I'm always amazed by it and your perfection. Let's talk writing. You made me ship so many things, you asshole! Do you know how much I still struggle to find Clint/Rhodey anything? But I'm so glad that Pablo nudged me to clamber into your inbox and ask if you wanted to do the thing, because I absolutely adore writing with you no matter the character, and I adore knowing you ooc as well. You're such an enabler, and you've just been all 8D whatever blog I make and whatever strange ship comes out of it at the other end, and trust me, I love you for it. I think you might be the only other person in the universe who ships Jack & Phae like me and Carlota do. You are so much fun to know, too! You're hilarious (thanks to all you guys I'm fairly sure my abs are in a much more advanced state of formation than they would be otherwise) and adorable and I really miss talking to you guys as much as I used to, because you make me so happy. You listened to all my complaining about things I had literally signed up for (my entire degree, for example) and you're always so willing to let me throw feels at you :) You're right up there in my list of favourite people, and I'm hoping that as my life sorts itself out (here's hoping) I'll be around more and more on these accounts, and it'll be just like old times. You're a babe, and you're MY babe, and I love you *tugs on yr beard*
backoffbubRAE I MISS YOU. I haven't written with you or spoken with you for ages, which is entirely my fault, but I'm gonna move to rectify that asap, because you are also on my list of fave people. I owe you for so many things, including enabling me on the blog front (always nice to have someone just be like DO IT WHO CARES IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT), ships (can I get a Clint/Logan, and a Clint/Bruce) and like 230948209384 separate laughs, which must have contributed to a great deal of pulled muscles over the years bc you make me laugh so hard that I spasm. You're such a fantastic writer, and you've covered such wildly different muses. I'm in awe of your ability to find a voice and settle into it, and yet to find an entirely different one at the same time, and be just as effective with that one. Your Logan is the One True Logan, and I adore reading your stuff even when I'm not around. Particularly a fan of watching you and Carlota, and you and Mallory, since you swing from utter hilarity to oh no I think my heart just broke in like 0.0008 seconds. I'm so glad that the initiative brought us closer together, I absolutely love hanging out with you ooc. I think I've told you all on this list that you're the funniest person I know, but you're all just so capable of lifting my mood and making me laugh whatever else is going on. CAH games with you guys has always been amazing, and I'm just so glad I know a bunch of people who are so in tune with my sense of humour. You've really helped me grow as a person, both in terms of writing and creativity, but also in terms of personality and how I express myself, and I'm eternally grateful for it. You're a babe.
You cannot blame me for looking upon
your visit with suspicion, Mithrandir,
when you so rarely visit. Let alone with
the intention of it being a social visit.
But of course you are welcome here.
---- well. That is, indeed, the purpose of my
visit. It is a long road I travel, and it may be
a long age before I pass through this realm
again. I could not leave it without so much
as a farewell! And so, if you will allow me, I
will trespass on your hospitality a little, and
not give you a single trouble.
"And I have no doubt you will yet be meddling among us, even then.”
Tone edged as the Arrow they would retrieve when the fires finally banked, Bard turned away. Resting his hands on a jagged bit of railing that had somehow survived the collapse of the main hall, he found himself unwilling to share what sorrow welled in his heart as he once more looked over the ravaged landscape that had been his home, even to so staunch an ally as the wizard. Hardly a structure here still stood, in truth, and none at all undamaged.
Figures moved in the distance, picking amongst what remained, salvaging what they could before they would be forced to move on, and the sudden rush of anger bled from him as if from a wound, leaving him cold and so weary he wondered distantly how he still stood.
"I imagine we will rebuild in whatever Thranduil’s kin have yet to spare. Without his aid, we would have been lost, even as had the dragon taken us."
There's a glint in his eye that belies the injured innocence of his tone and expression. Meddling, perhaps, is too strong a word -- but he has been tasked with watching over Middle Earth, and that is what he will do.
"I suspect that Thranduil will give what he is able. He has grown isolated, these past years, and I fear that these losses will drive him further back into his realm -- and yet, you have impressed him, I think."
He's quiet for a moment. There is aught in these lands to interest a King of Elves, now that Erebor's treasure is divided, and the ranks of dead are a keen reminder of the reasons for his withdrawal from the world of men in the first instance. He is not convinced that he will see Thranduil again outside of the Woodland Realm.
"The dwarves, too, may yet give aid. The dragon-sickness is done with, and they will always hold sympathy for those driven from their homes."
"Hrmph," says the wizard, and it's a thoroughly disbelieving sound at best. "I do not flatter at the best of times; I merely speak the truth. And you must, I feel, know what I speak of."
He only realizes how far they’ve gone in silence when the wizard breaks it. Blinking bemusedly at their surroundings, Bilbo finally looks up at Gandalf, something like a sheepish smile on his face.
They’re shaky things these days, his smiles. Bilbo always fears the screams that still claw at his heart will find their way out.
"Sorry—…Gandalf. I got lost in my own thoughts."
Farewell, Master Burglar.
"I don’t—" His voice fails him, and he clears his throat with an annoyed frown before finding his words once again, "I don’t know that I will make for a great traveling companion." Bilbo hides the shudder that crawls up his spine with an apologetic shrug, and a breath of laughter masks the sob that’s been hiding in his throat for several days now.
"We are all of us changed," Gandalf agrees, and for a moment there is a weariness to his voice that hints at the grief he carries, deep in his veins. Too many have died, and for what?
"Some for the better and some, I fear, for the worst. But hobbits always have been most resilient creatures, and I quite believe that travelling is the best balm for a troubled soul." He smiles down at his companion; there is something soothing about the road before one, about having a path to follow, and about following it to its very end. It is what he has spent most of his existence doing, and now is not so very different.
"And soon you will be at home, in your little hobbit-hole, and I don't doubt for a second that you shall be more than glad to see it. But adventure will linger with you, you know, for you are -- as I once told you -- at least partly a Took."
Beneath his skin, there is a flickering thing;
small and pale and young.
”Is this not your way?”
Accusation reigns freely upon the bed of his tongue, but there is no
fire to it. The Elvenking has had enough of war— but the rains that
come after have only burned him further.
"It is my way to go where I am needed, that is true;
but wandering is by no means the same as vanishing."
He watches Thranduil carefully, and with something
rather sad settling itself under his skin, lending a
chill to his bones that had not been there before.
The elf-king bore something of the nature of the
great trees which everywhere filled his realm --
tall, and strong, but with every passing year a little
harder, roots a little more twisted with age and the
burden of the years.
"You are not the only person whom I must aid,
nor is this the only place I am tasked to watch.
You knew that, once."
Well now. There is no call for sounding quite so
suspicious, Thranduil-King. I bring no ill tidings,
and no uninvited guests. I merely bring myself
in my wanderings. Or are the halls of the
Woodland Realm no longer open to wizards?
"Well now. You are an oddity. The face of a man, hm. Yes.
And yet, there is something of magic about you -- something
of Ulmo, and the Great Oceans. Hrm. Curious indeed."
Incredulity held no sway here, not when the skies still burned above them, the scarlet sun and embers alike slowly dying on Laketown’s hazy horizon, and Bard’s gaze was free of rancor when he leveled it at the wizard a few moments later, his eyes dark with the promise of grief. As bad as it had been, it could easily have been so very much worse.
"I never sought that trust. I never wanted it. But I know my duty, Master Gandalf. Better than any. You need not bolster my resolve, or fear I will vanish with the fading smoke.”
A few puffs of his pipe adds a little smoke to the air, though far more sweetly fragranced, and he's silent for a few moments before he turns his gaze on the man.
"And I have no doubt that these unhappy fields shall grow prosperous once again, in time. Your children, and your children's children, will know a green and pleasant land, no doubt." Something like faint amusement tugs at his lips.
"Though it would be wise, perhaps, to build in stone, rather than wood."
And indeed, the sky is scarred with the dark, acrid smoke
of charred wood and flaming flesh.The blackened corpse
of Laketown still smoulders, and Dale with it. Everywhere
is rack, and ruin, and the desolate shells of bodies which
once held life.
"They will continue to look to you, you know.
To rebuild, to start again. You cannot escape
the trust they have placed in you."
He aches bitterly in hearing those words— for they are those
of parting; of removal, of an echo of a different war of a different
era. And yet, the grey pilgrim— Stormcrow —would ever remain a
constant in the dawning of each.
”So it must be. And you— you will vanish,
I imagine, and take your winds elsewhere.
"I will not deny that I would vanish
if I could. To be absent from so much
death, to cease to feel the loss of friends
and allies -- it is an easy wish to make."
And to feel the burden of it, an easy
weight to suffer under.
"But there is not enough magic in these
lands to make it so. I will wander, indeed,
but no -- I shall not vanish."
Typical Gandalf. Always using lots of flowery words when a
few good and short ones would do.
But then—— Kili supposed he had a point, this time. As the
end of paths go, this was not the most pleasant one, and
one he thought — or hoped — that no-one would have liked
to reach, either. The air smelled of acrid smoke and metal,
underpinning the sickly sweet stench of decay. Likelihood
was that they’d be smelling that for quite some time, but
he’d be happy if he never smelled it again.
However, Kili said none of this aloud. He never had been
one for looking too deeply into things, and he wasn’t about
to start now. The bloody wizard would be far too smug, if
he did.
“Endings are endings.” He said aloud. “And sometimes
beginnings, if my mam’s got anything to say about it.
One door closes, a window opens—- or something along
those lines.” He shrugged a shoulder, the other arm still
bundled up in bandages and a linen sling. “It’s not getting
to that final ending that I’m interested in.”
"A woman you would do well to attend to more closely,
I feel," he says, with a fond chuckle, and a shake of
his head. "It sounds as though she has the sense that
you yourself lack."
Kili is not the only one bandaged up, and there will
be a great many bandages in demand for weeks yet;
Erebor has been won, but not without its price. It is
only a wonder that the Company itself did not lose
as many as the armies they fought with, and against.
"And you will be needing sense, soon enough. Men will
take up their homes in the city again, I do not doubt,
and there will be a King Under the Mountain once more.
As a son of Durin, you shall have more to do than simply
waving a bow around."
"It has been a long while, my friend!" //keeperofmirkwood
" -- oh, it has not been such a long time as all that! Well, my old friend, I must say that this is a pleasure quite unexpected. I had not supposed to be passing by this way, but my feet, it seems, have a mind of their own."
" -- and so, we have reached the end of the path."
He surveys the field of broken bones and dented
armour, of blood-slicked earth and blackened
swords which will never again be wielded against
the threat of enemies.
"I fear it was not quite the path that we had intended,
and the cost has been a very great one. I fear -- well,
that is not for you to worry about. You have a home
once more!" There's the trace of an ironic smile as he
surveys the wreckage that is the gates of Erebor.
"Though I imagine it will be rather drafty, for a while
yet."