A Promise Kept by chrissystriped

A Promise Kept

Written for this postcard prompt.

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Text: Shall we walk here again and cross the bridge in sunlight?

The sun was standing low in the west, shining through the trees and coating everything in a green-golden light. The weather was almost obscenely cheerful for this grim day, Mablung thought as he crossed the bridge over Esgalduin. He gripped the strap of his bag tighter and rested his spear on his shoulder. Beleg was waiting for him on the border, they would travel north together. North and to battle. To a battle that would very likely decide the future of the whole of Beleriand.

“Mablung, wait!”

Mablung sighed and turned around.

“Take me with you.” Thranduil was wearing his armour, a bow in his hand, a quiver full of arrows on his belt.

“Not this time, kid.”

“I’m not a child anymore!” Thranduil glowered at him and Mablung hid a smile.

“You are right, Thranduil, you’ve grown into a fine man”, he said. “That’s why I need you to understand that you can’t come with me. Thingol forbids everyone to join Maedhros’s Union. Beleg and me go against his wishes in this. You don’t want to defy your king, do you? Besides, your father would have my head, if I let you come with me.”

“And how is it, that you can defy the king?”, Thranduil challenged, stepping onto the bridge.

“Beleg and I, we are Unbegotten. Thingol knows we are loyal to him, he also knows there are things he can’t forbid us to do. This is one of them. We will fight, we won’t hide behind the Queens Girdle while the Noldor fight a war that is not only theirs.”

“But you expect me to?”

“Yes!” Mablung walked back and laid his hand on Thranduil’s cheek. The kid had never seen a real battle. Border skirmishes, yes, but nothing like the battles in the starbright dark before the sun and moon. He knew it was useless to tell him war was more dirt and blood than glory and honour. “I ask you to stay.”

There were tears in Thranduil’s eyes. “Will you come back?”, he asked.

“Yes.” Mablung kissed his forehead gently.

“Do you promise.”

“I promise”, Mablung answered, although he knew he shouldn’t.

They were fleeing out of the ruin of what later would be called the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. They were both injured. Beleg had a deep wound in his leg and was only upright because he was leaning heavily on Mablung, his arm thrown around his shoulders.

Mablung wiped the blood out of his eye. He had a gash on his forehead that wouldn’t stop bleeding and many shallow wounds all over his body. He’d put a tourniquet around Beleg’s leg, but there hadn’t been time to bind their wounds properly. They needed to get away first. South, as far south as their strength would last. He was not sure, Beleg was still concious.

Mablung thought of Thranduil standing on the bridge bathed in golden evening light and held that picture in his mind. He’d made a promise. They would stand on that bridge again. He would come back and he would make sure Beleg also came back. And Thranduil would smile at him because he’d kept his promise.