Lovely story. Exactly as I imagine them... exactly... Thanks for posting.

This is a fitting tribute to Father's Day. A poignant reminder that a father's love supercedes everything. I had a smile on my face when I finished reading this. Truly, a lovely story.

Oh wow...that was absolutely brilliant, wonderful, excellent, fantastic, perfect, awesome, and totally great! I loved it! You did a great job! :)

I'm afraid that if I try to analyze this beautiful thing any more than I did in the preview, I'll destroy it. You're right that this isn't your best. Thranduil's thoughts come in chunks, chunks that are usually well-put, but in some places they go on for too long to command attention and in others the wordiness detracts from the beauty of what he's mulling over. It's worst just after the emotional climax - you could say it all in one sentence, maybe skip to the dialogue entirely, and anyone could still understand it. But it's beautiful anyway. For the love in their family that they have, or don't have; for Thranduil, who I can feel for even though he's not a hero, and admire him even though he's so imperfect; for Legolas, who has a father as he wanted, even if it's not the father he wants... for that...

Thank you for writing this. Weird thing to say, I know, but thank you.

This is so sweet, and sad, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful... there are hardly words to describe it. I laughed out loud at the beginning, "Thranduil had an especially harsh glare reserved for fools who believed such nonsense." I knew the first paragraph was a set up, I just knew it, and then this capped it off with the perfect style and wit I've come to expect from one of your works.

But then we swiftly dropped down into serious contemplation, and I got a little bit teary. You describe Mirkwood exactly as I imagine it - the constant strain of fighting the Shadow would force even those playful Wood-elves to be disciplined above all else, and there is a reason that Mirkwood has the finest archers in Middle-earth. And truly the strain would be greatest on the royal family, but still, to see it laid out like this, the idea that they haven't truly even been a family for centuries... it's so sad.

And when Legolas asked forgiveness for putting his family above the others, something that would be considered normal and expected of anyone else... oh, it's just so sad.

But Thranduil's response is perfect, and captures just the right tone of love and honor and duty. It's so good to see them together, for just a moment, as father and son. Thank you.