A/N: This is all Emma's and my OC's...sorry! Felith is Oropher's wife; Emlineth is the wife of Halmir, who is Felith's fourth cousin. Halmir and Emlineth's children are Thoroniel, their eldest, and their twins Fileg and Aiwen. Halmir, Fileg, and Halmir's father Dagorion are fighting alongside Oropher and Thranduil in the War of the Last Alliance.

As this is all OC's, this is my first (hopefully only) ficlet not told from the POV of one of the Elmoi...but they are members of the Greenwood royal family, and the elder members were all born in Doriath.

On with the story, then!

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"No." Felith Istuioniel, Queen of the Greenwood, woke up in the night with that single word thundering through her mind. "No. No. NO!" she screamed, as her kinswomen came running. Lady Emlineth, her cousin Halmir's wife and chief lady-in-waiting, ran to Felith's bedside while young Lady Thoroniel and Lady Aiwen, her two daughters, clambered up on the empty, cold side of the bed that had been missing its inhabitant for several coronari now.

"Felith!"

"Aunt Felith!" Dropping all titles, they crowded around the one who was weeping as though her heart had been wrenched from her body.

"Felith...gwathel-nin...what is it, what has happened?" Lady Emlineth clutched the Queen to her bosom as Felith's lithe frame shook with sobs. "Felith...shhh...what? What is it?"

"Is it Thranduil?" Aiwen whispered. Felith shook her head against Emlineth's shoulder, trembling.

"Uncle Oropher," Thoroniel said, barely audibly, and a fresh round of sobs burst forth from the Queen. "It's him...isn't it?" Felith's cries were answer enough.

 "Was it a vision?" Emlineth asked tentatively, knowing that though the Seers of Felith's line dreamed true, in this Age where the Dark yet battled their forces, the Sight was not so reliable. Felith lifted her head, gulping back sobs, gasping for air. "No...vision...but..." She pressed a hand to her heart, and Emlineth understood. There was no way to feign that, the severing of one fae from another when bonded so strongly. Oh, the marriage was still valid; not even death would divide them fully. But Oropher was gone. Felith would know.

 "Thranduil is King, then," Thoroniel said softly, glancing sideways at Aiwen, who, she knew, loved Thranduil in a deeper manner than mere kinship would require. Aiwen had closed her eyes tightly, biting her lip.

"Thranduil is not here, though," Aiwen said finally.
"No. Thranduil is not here," Emlineth said, agreeing with her younger daughter. "Felith," she said very gently, "grieve as you must, here with us. But remember, too, that your people need their Queen."
"No."

 "No?" Emlineth asked, raising an eyebrow. "Felith...I know it's not fair, but--"

"It's not fair!" Felith all but screamed, whirling on Emlineth. "How would you like it if it was Halmir? My husband just...is gone, and you have the Belain-damned nerve to tell me what to do? Oh, be the Queen, be strong for your people! Well, they were Oropher's people, and now they're Thranduil's! My baby, my elfling, still out there, and what if I lose him, too? What are you going to say to that, Emlineth?" Felith demanded. Emlineth stared back at her, blue eyes bright with compassion.

"Halmir is out there, and so is our son. It could be anyone's husband, anyone's son, anyone's father. I could lose Fileg. I could lose Halmir, or Dagorion--" naming her father-in-law. "Anyone could lose their husband or son or brother; many probably already have. It is not their fault; it is not your fault. You can be strong for your people, our people, because you understand them. They will be strong for you, if you be strong for them. This is a queen's sacrifice, gwathel-nin."

She took the younger elleth's hands in hers. "Oropher made the ultimate sacrifice for our people. He lent his strength to the battlefield. Lend your strength to the ellith and elflings our ellyn left behind."

 Felith bowed her head. "I will try."
"That is all we can ask, gwathel muin nin." Emlineth kissed Felith's cheek, and embraced her tightly, as Thoroniel and Aiwen, too, wrapped their arms about the Queen.

"I love you...all of you," Felith whispered.

"And we love you," Emlineth replied, as her daughters murmured agreement. There would be no more sleep tonight, for any of them; together the four would sit up together, making plans on what steps to take next for a kingdom bereft of its kings.