I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 125 Woodland Kingdom
Thráin's boot sole rolled over a charred orc's arm, and he looked up to see the eagles go.

It was not until the eagles flapped their wings and flew away that he noticed that the leading eagle had left a letter under a small piece of gravel before leaving.

He walked over slowly and picked up the letter. The yellowed envelope was stained with some ice chips and the black blood foam of the Orcs. When he unfolded it, he found that there was Gandalf's unique rune symbol on the envelope.

"Gandalf's handwriting, the old fellow..."

Thrain smiled, realizing immediately that the letter must have been written by Gandalf.

Although the handwriting in the letter was a little sloppy, it was still clearly legible. It was obvious that Gandalf was in a hurry when he wrote the letter.

Thrain's eyes scanned the scribbled characters, and the tension in his shoulders gradually relaxed.

Gandalf wrote in his letter:

Thrain,

If you are reading this, it means the Eagles have finally found you.

I am aware of Dain's plight, but don't let anger blind you.

Tanes, the lord of the Golden Tree, Bard, the current mayor of Long Lake Town, and I have organized people to support Dain. You don't need to worry too much.

Azog's son Bolger tried to usurp the throne and occupy Lake Town, but was slain by Tanes' sword long ago.

Dain, sheltered by men and the golden tree, will be safer than the ale in your cellar.

Hold your ground, Thráin.

Durin's glory lies not in his rashness, but in his wisdom.

In addition, the main force of the Golden Tree is also on the way to Lonely Mountain.

All you need to do is lead your army and join us.

—Gandalf

After reading the letter, Serlain breathed a sigh of relief, and his worries were slightly relieved.

Although Gandalf did not mention the eagles in his letter, Thrain knew that the eagles that suddenly appeared and helped him were the ones the old wizard had requested to help him.

He said to himself, "It seems I owe Gandalf a great favor, and I also owe one to the lord of the golden tree. Tanes, Tanes, although we have never met, when you kill Azog, I will give you a cart of the best dwarf wine, enough to make your golden tree a drunkard's tree!"

Thrain said "again" because he still remembered that his body was able to quickly recover from that near-death state, thanks to the miraculous healing power in the Golden Tree Territory.

He put the letter away, turned to the dwarven princes around him and said, "Brothers, we have received good news. Dain will be very safe in Long Lake Town, and reinforcements from the Golden Tree are on the way. We only need to continue to advance, meet up with them, and fight against Azog's army together."

Then he looked at his guards and ordered, "Tell the soldiers to ignore the fleeing Orcs! Regroup, count the casualties, and calculate the losses. Although the mist has been blown away by the eagles, we must be more careful in the next few days. Send more scouts and be more clever, lest that Orc scum Azog ambush us again on the road behind us."

"Yes!"

The personal guards took the order and left.

Following the instructions from Thráin's personal guards, the surviving dwarf soldiers began to gather in formation.

The heavy infantry used their hammers to strike their shields to send signals, while the light infantry climbed the rock wall to retrieve undamaged arrows.

The wreckage of the chariots was piled up into a makeshift roadblock. The air was filled with the smell of burnt animal fat and blood, occasionally mixed with the groans of wounded soldiers.

The surviving dwarf lords also left and counted the military losses they had brought.

However, there was still one dwarf lord who remained where he was and did not leave. He was the lord who had previously advised Thrain to calm down.

Thrain noticed that the other party looked thoughtful and reminded him, "What's wrong, my brother? What are you thinking about?"

The dwarven prince came to his senses and spoke his inner thoughts: "I am thinking about something that may make you angry, Thráin. I was just wondering if we could get the elves of the Woodland Kingdom to join us in the Lonely Mountain incident."

Sure enough, when Thrain heard the other party mention the word "elves", his brows furrowed and a look of disgust appeared on his face.

But soon, the disgusted look disappeared, and Thrain nodded calmly: "Go on."

The dwarven lord was stunned. He had expected Thrain to curse the elves' ancestors with the most obscene words in the dwarven language, but he did not expect him to be so calm.

"You...you won't scold me?" the dwarf prince stuttered.

Thráin glared. "I've been tortured by orcs in Dol Guldur for years, and you're still thinking of fighting with pointy-eared bastards? What the hell do you want those long-legged sissies to do?"

The dwarf lord immediately said, "If those Pointed Ears can join us, with them holding the western side of Lonely Mountain hostage, we can concentrate our forces and storm the main gate of Lonely Mountain!"

He swallowed and added, "The Silvan elves of the Woodland Kingdom are skilled fighters, as you and I have both witnessed. If they can advance through Mirkwood, Azog will surely have to disperse his forces to defend their flanks."

Thráin pondered for a moment and said, "After we pass through the Misty Mountains, I will send an envoy to the Woodland Kingdom, but I cannot guarantee their acceptance."

"I am willing to go to the Woodland Kingdom as an envoy and meet those pointy-eared kings." The dwarf prince volunteered.

Thrain nodded and glanced at him. "Alright, that's what we'll do then. But if the elves start to act arrogantly, return immediately."

While Thráin and his men were still crossing the Misty Mountains, some minor incidents also occurred in the Mirkwood.

The sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows. Legolas moved lightly through the woods, his footsteps remarkably clear in the quiet surroundings. Soon, Legolas arrived before the throne where his father sat.

Thranduil closed his eyes, supporting his cheek with one hand as usual, and gently stroking the golden dewdrop pendant on his chest with the other hand. The cool touch was like a clear spring flowing through his palm.

This pendant was the one that Tanes had given him.

Thranduil has been in a good mood recently because the pendant given to him by Tanes cured the burns on his face that had not healed for many years, and the hideous scars that were once burned by dragon fire have long disappeared.

Now that Thranduil no longer needs to use magic to hide his face, he has been holding banquets recently.

He was reclining on the antler throne, his silver hair falling on his shoulders like a waterfall woven by moonlight, and even his napping posture seemed to have been carefully sculpted by a bard.

After hearing Legolas's footsteps, Thranduil's eyelashes trembled slightly and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't need to open his eyes to know it was his son, because Legolas was always like a gust of wind carrying the fragrance of cedar, and his footsteps were as sharp as arrows breaking through the air.

"Father."

Legolas stopped ten steps away from the throne, simply bowed slightly and then stood up, omitting the complicated elven court etiquette.

The soles of his boots were still stained with mud from the edge of the Mirkwood, and a few strands of spiderwebs hung on his cloak, indicating that he had just returned from patrol.

Thranduil slowly opened his eyes, and the faint smile on the corner of his mouth disappeared in an instant, and he became the stern Elf King again.

His clear voice echoed around the throne: "The moonlight has not yet penetrated the forest canopy, Legolas. The harp for the banquet has not yet been tuned, and you have already played an impatient prelude."

Legolas frowned slightly when he heard Thranduil's careless words. "The Dwarven coalition of the Iron Hills has cooperated with humans in Lake-town to wipe out the Orcs' pursuers! The bodies of Azog's soldiers were thrown into the icy lake like bait. Now humans and dwarves are preparing to counterattack Lonely Mountain! And you—"

He paused, gesturing toward the busy servants he had met along the way, who were weaving winter berries and moonroses into a banquet arch.

Then Legolas said, "—yet you indulge your people in endless feasting, even using border patrols to carry barrels of wine!"

Thranduil propped himself up on his elbows, stared at Legolas, and said calmly, "Legolas, you always like to bring the smell of gunpowder into my hall wrapped in your cloak. Although Lake Town is very close to Mirkwood, it is still some distance away. How did you get this information?"

Legolas replied, "It was Tauriel. Her group was out chasing those giant spiders when they heard noises coming from Lake-town. They approached and witnessed the battle between Men and Dwarves fighting against the Orcs."

"Tauriel." Thranduil read the name of the female elf and stood up from the antler throne.

A trace of displeasure flashed across his face. He walked over to Legolas, raised his hand to help his son straighten his shoulder armor, and took a step back. "She should be fulfilling her duties, hunting those giant spiders and clearing their nests, instead of being distracted by other movements. Legolas, I think you should spend less time with Tauriel, a lowly Silvan elf."

Legolas had a puzzled expression on his face. He didn't understand why his father didn't let him contact Tauriel, but he didn't understand even more why his father was indifferent to what happened in Lake Town.

He said seriously, "Father, compared to the spiders, the orcs in the north are the real threat!"

Thranduil chuckled softly, the sound like an icy spring hitting cold rock. "Orcs... they will never be able to break through the defenses of the forest. It was so hundreds of years ago, and it will be so hundreds of years from now."

At this moment, a clear female voice suddenly asked, "What if they go somewhere else? Just like those giant spiders, they no longer spread from the south, but left the dense forest. What if they go somewhere else, such as Long Lake Town?"

Tauriel's slender figure slowly appeared a few steps behind Legolas. She saluted Thranduil respectfully before continuing, "My team and I have been patrolling nearby these days. Spiders have begun to disappear, and a war has broken out in Lake-town between humans, dwarves, and orcs. Lord Thranduil, I believe I must find out what exactly happened in Lonely Mountain."

However, Thranduil's answer was beyond Tauriel's expectations, and even Legolas looked incredulous.

"Other lands concern me no more," said Thranduil calmly. "The fate of the world may rise and fall, but in this kingdom we shall endure forever. As for the Dwarves, let them gnaw at the Orcs among the stones of the Lonely Mountain. The arrows of the Elves shall not be pierced by the whiff of the Dwarves."

Tauriel listened to Thranduil silently, then bowed again and prepared to leave.

But Legolas raised his hand to stop Tauriel from leaving and asked Thranduil, "And what about the humans?"

Thranduil frowned. "Those humans of Lake-town? Ah, I can only express my pity for them. I was willing to allow them to seek refuge in my kingdom when their homeland was destroyed by the Orcs. This was a mercy I showed them."

Legolas shook his head and pointed at the golden pendant on Thranduil's chest. "I'm not talking about the humans in Lake Town, but Tanes who gave you this pendant."

Thranduil heard this and shook his head lightly with a smile: "Taneis? With his strength, even if all those dwarves died, nothing would happen to him. I believe in him."

Legolas glanced at Tauriel, who immediately understood and said, "But Tanis isn't alone now. I don't know how he did it, but when the Orcs entered Lake-town, he did lead an army of about a thousand to assist the humans of Lake-town and the dwarves of the Iron Hills."

Legolas said, "Tanes is leading his brethren from the Golden Tree into battle. Father, you have just accepted his gift, are you going to sit back and do nothing? Wouldn't that make us ungrateful, like those dwarves?"

"Don't compare elves with those dwarves!" Thranduil made an angry sound for the first time, and then his expression softened slightly when he realized that the person he was talking to was his son.

At this time, the test melody of the harp came from outside the hall, and the dinner seemed to be entering the stage of preparation.

Thranduil paced back to sit on the antler throne, adjusted his robe sleeves gracefully, and looked at Legolas and Tauriel. "If Tanis needs the help of the Woodland Kingdom, I will naturally grant his request. Now, Legolas, you should go and choose the lapel pin for tonight's banquet. Remember to choose the one inlaid with green crystal, it will make your face look less gloomy. As for you, Tauriel, after you rest, continue your patrol duty."

After saying this, Thranduil closed his eyes again to rest, but the frequent rise and fall of his chest showed that he was greatly stimulated by Legolas' words just now.

Seeing his father's expression, Legolas knew that he would not listen to anything he said, so he looked at Tauriel and signaled her with his eyes to leave with him.

But Tauriel didn't leave. Instead, she continued respectfully to Thranduil, "Your Majesty, besides the news about the spiders, I have one more thing to report to you. During our patrol today, my team and I discovered countless goblins crossing the forest south of Mirkwood. They came from the underground kingdom of the Misty Mountains and are undoubtedly heading towards the Lonely Mountain."

After she finished speaking, she left with Legolas immediately without waiting for Thranduil to open his eyes or say anything.

Thranduil waited until the two men left before opening his eyes, his brows furrowed as he thought about something.

(End of this chapter)