Thanks to both Nilmandra and Daw for beta/proof-reading this for me. 

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“Adar, I would speak with you.”

Oropher eyed Thranduil for a moment before motioning him to a seat and nodding.

“Very well.”

Thranduil’s eyes moved over his father’s desk. It appeared that he had been preparing his response already.

“You cannot be seriously considering honoring Gil-galad’s request.”

Oropher sat back in his chair, but remained silent. Thranduil took it as an invitation to continue.

“Our people need us here, particularly now when we have so many outsiders wandering the forest.”

Oropher was silent for a long while and Thranduil was beginning to wonder if his father was going to speak at all.

“Thranduil, you are not a fool,” Oropher said at last, “surely you can see that the enemy will not be content to sit back and rest on his achievements if he defeats the alliance. We will be next. Forests are burning, Thranduil. If we do not stop him now, we will all suffer.”

Oropher leaned forward, resting his arms on the large oak desk in front of him. “All of us. Do not fool yourself into thinking that he will not be coming for us next.”

How could his father not see that this course of action was folly? Thranduil had seen the weapons and armor of the armies marching south, and he knew that by comparison the warriors of Greenwood were ill-prepared. He could not even imagine how the volunteers would appear – if they were able to arm them at all. He did not doubt their ability to aid Gil-Galad and Elendil, but he did question the wisdom of rushing off to an unknown land.

“What I can see is that you are allowing yourself to be swayed by a few well-worded letters delivered on bended knee!”

“You go too far with your assumptions,” Oropher retorted.

“If you insist on this, then we will certainly all suffer, and then we come home to... what? Will the ones we leave behind be able to defend themselves if the need arises and who will be providing for everyone? Adar, I do not see mothers and elflings battling unforeseen enemies!”

Oropher sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Sauron is weak and the time to strike is now. Our help is needed and we will give it, whether you wish to or not. Gil-galad has made a persuasive argument.”

Thranduil felt as though his words were falling on deaf ears. In truth, he felt as though his opinion was being ignored.

“Adar! The majority of our people have only leather armor!” He was aware of his rising voice, but he did not care. “And you know as well as I do that if you send out a call, the vast majority of those able will follow to wherever you lead! With nothing but a few scraps of leather, we will be orc fodder!”

Thranduil had never felt so adamant. He continued his barrage.

“You may have the luxury of full plate armor that you dragged along from Doriath, but you are one of only a handful!”

“Enough!” Oropher roared. “I will not sit here and listen while you continue to search for reasons to continue this seclusion! You have no faith in your own people! Our help is needed and we will give it.”

Thranduil grimaced before he found himself rising to his feet, not able to sit any longer. He paced across the floor in front of his father’s desk.

“I do not see how you can ask us to abandon our home, Adar. We are singularly unprepared, and your desire to prove yourself to someone who would use Greenwood and her king is leading us to an ill-conceived war.”

Oropher lept to his feet.

“This has nothing to do with me or my desires, Thranduil! Do you think me so ignorant of the greater world around us that I do not know the weapons and armor of those who seek our help? Our people are well known as excellent archers, able to put out even a bird’s eye, and you would stand there and doubt any contribution we could make?”

“If you know, then you must see. Adar, you are asking too much! We defend our homes from the trees, where we have stealth on our side. We drop down and surprise the enemy before they even know we are there. They will know we are there in this war.”

“I see more than you realize, and they will know we are there by the strength of our force.”

“Wait until we have the time to arm ourselves properly and to train! Elrond has been training their troops in Imladris for longer than we have even been considering this! Let us take the same time!.”

Oropher sank back into his chair. He ran a hand over his face and sighed, maintaining a calmer outward demeanor than his son.

“We do not have the time to take. We must strike now, or it will be too late. This opportunity will not present itself again, ion-nín, and I have been told that they march for Mordor in a matter of a few months.. Surely you can understand that we have no choice. If we do not see an end to Sauron now, then we will see Greenwood shrivel and die under the weight of his evil. He will not stop, Thranduil. Those who crave power are seldom satisfied. We do not have the luxury of waiting. We will join Gil-galad's alliance.”

“And leave elflings to protect their mothers at home.”

Thranduil spun on his heel and walked out, letting the door close loudly behind him.

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Thranduil woke with a groan. He rolled over, opening only one eye to confirm that it was indeed morning. He rather wished it were not. Oropher had called a chieftains’ meeting for today, and over the last several days leaders from all of the major families had been arriving at the King’s Hall. Today his father would ask for their support in going to war. He suspected Oropher would find little resistance. The people had asked his father to assume the role of their king, and they had, in return, given him fierce loyalty. Not to mention the fact that a collective feeling of superiority kept them feeling more than capable of dealing with a few orcs. Thranduil rolled out of bed and made quick work of dressing. He opted for black. It matched his mood. This was not a meeting he looked forward to.

Taking a deep breath, Thranduil entered his father's council chamber. As expected, every chieftain was present. Thranduil nodded and took his seat. His father has not yet arrived. The room did not fall utterly silent at Thranduil's entrance, but it certainly seemed less animated than it had been. He suspected everyone here already knew why they had been called.

The door opened and Oropher strode in. Everyone rose. Oropher did not sit, but indicated the gathered chieftains should have a seat. Thranduil sat down, turning his attention to his father. The king had been in council with his advisors for several days, and Thranduil knew that he had sent back a response to Gil-galad the day after the messengers had arrived. All that remained was to ensure that he had the support of his people. In this case, Thranduil thought, there was already no doubt of it.

“My friends,” Oropher began, “I trust you all had a safe journey. Safety is, indeed, why I have called you all here. The promise of safety and hope for the future. ”

There were slight mumblings around the table, but as Thranduil looked around, the king seemed to have piqued their interest.

“I have received a request from Lindon, as well as one from Annúminas. Elrond has gathered an army in Imladris and they have been training for an assault against Sauron in Mordor. Gil-galad and Elendil are gathering forces further east to march south later this year. They ask for our help.”

Sador spoke first. “What need do we have to go to war, my lord? Why would we rush to join a battle that is not ours? We have been largely left alone by the outside world, and if we leap into this we will be announcing our presence. We will focus their attention on us. If we stay out of this conflict, we will stay below their eye.”

“The war with Sauron is ours as much as it is anyone else’s and it can no longer be ignored. We have been content to sit back in our forest, largely untouched by the events of the age, but those days are no longer with us. He may be occupied with others now, but mark my words, he will come for us. Who that craves power is ever content with only a portion when they may acquire the whole?”

Sador frowned and sat back in chair, his brow furrowed in thought. He is already won over, Thranduil observed to himself. If that was all the resistance any of them gave, the meeting would be shorter than he had expected.

“According to the information I have been given,” Oropher began again, “Sauron is weak and this is the time to strike at his heart. We have the opportunity to vanquish him to the shadow forever.”

Oropher sat down and folded his hands on the table as he continued, “His armies have suffered heavy losses and he is feeling the strain of war. But if we do not rid the world of this evil now, he will continue to build his forces and we will see the armies of Mordor flooding every land in Arda. The Numenorians have weakened him to a point we have not seen before. The time to strike is now, and our brothers west of the mountains will be doing just that.” The king paused for a moment as he cast a glance at each of those seated before him. “As will our kin in Lorinand.”

Thranduil sat up. He had to give his father credit. Oropher knew how to get what he wanted and needed from his chieftains. They would be much more likely to join a battle they were uncertain of if they knew that their cousins across the river supported it.

He could see Aeglos frowning. Thranduil had expected that if any of the Silvan lords gave Oropher trouble, it would be him.

“This is a war that is being thrust upon us from outside,” Aeglos said. “We defend and protect our forest and that is enough. Strangers from other lands have no right to divert unwanted attention from themselves onto us.”

Even Thranduil was surprised at Aeglos’s attitude. Yes, he too was opposed to joining this war, but his primary concern was a desire to wait until his father was in a better position to equip the Greenwood warriors more appropriately – not ignore their kin from over the mountains completely. Before he could speak, however, Lathron spoke up.

“Have you taken leave of your senses, Aeglos? Even if you think the attention from the west will cause Sauron to cast his attention in our direction, you cannot deny the benefits of being rid of him forever. The time has come for us to take our place among those willing to sacrifice in the name of peace.”

Tarias nodded in agreement. “I see no reason for us not to join this war. Our warriors are capable and fierce. We instill fear in those who would come to our forest to do harm and we would do the same in open battle.”

“You are fooling yourself!” Aeglos was hearing none of it. “You would have us join with the likes of men and the exiles from the west - those who spend their days contemplating war, not peace.”

“We would join the free peoples of Arda in the final struggle again the enemy of this age!” Oropher snapped. “This war,” he accented his words with a firm tap of the end of his index finger on the table, “will put an end to war. A secured victory will see an end to the threats that continuously linger over us, and will banish Sauron’s minions from these lands forever.”

The mood was swinging to the king’s favour. Even Thranduil was finding himself more convinced of the urgency of this war.

“You would send our sons to this foreign land with nothing but deer hide to protect them and then place them under a banner than is not their own?”

“I will not only send my son, but go myself,” Oropher interjected. “I have no intention of placing the warriors of Greenwood under a foreign banner. We are going to war, not sending our sons to join a foreign army.”

Sador, who had obviously been holding his tongue for the last while, seemed no longer capable of silence. “We take our orders from you, of course, my lord, but from whom will you be taking yours?”

Oropher turned a steady look on Sador. “Greenwood answers only to herself.”

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“We spent the majority of the day in council, and while there was no serious opposition, there were plenty of concerns. Many of them echoed my own. It was well known that if the King sent out a call for able-bodied elves to enlist, most of them would. We had skirmished with many roving bands of orcs and even men who were in the ranks of Sauron's army. Our warriors as well as our settlement guards all felt that it would be no different than what we had already faced. It would simply be on a larger scale. Your grandfather fostered that bravado. It helped him secure all the support he needed, and when we left the council, we were preparing for war.”

“Were you still against the war?” Legolas asked.

“In some respects, I was. I felt that our place was keeping our forest secure and providing for our own. But my father was adamant. He made it clear that if there was any hope of defeating Sauron, then the Alliance would need everyone. We also received news that Lorinand had joined the Alliance. Amdir sent his own emissary to Greenwood, hoping to secure our help as well. In the end, I suppose they were right. We could not sit back in our forest while others fought battles from which we would all benefit. But there was still much work to be done before we would be ready for war.”

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