Thranduil, King of Mirkwood

We walked back to Mirkwood followed by Legolas and Tauriel to meet with the Elven King, Thranduil, who none of us like. Once we had entered the gates, we were immediately got searched and got put into cells except for Thorin. I saw Tauriel escort Kili to his cell next to mine and heard him. "Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers."

I smiled and looked at Tauriel's expression as she gazed back at my cousin and replied back. "Or nothing," then she shut the door. Kili smiled and I giggled.

Once Tauriel left, I spoke to Kili. "You've got a thing for her," I smiled widely.

Kili smiled back. "What are you talking about? No, I don't."

I rolled my eyes and replied back. "Kili, please! Yes, you do! I can see it in your eyes, you were flirting with her!" I looked over at Fili, who had been listening. "Fili, sure Kili was flirting with Tauriel?"

Fili stole a glance at his brother, who was waiting for his answer. "She's kind of right, brother. Even though it's none of my business about your love life, you can do whatever you want and we will support you all the way," he smiled lovingly and Kili returned it.

"See? It doesn't matter who you have feelings for or not, but even though Thorin won't accept it, then it's none of his business either," I said and sighed. "Anyway, we should just relax and see what Thorin and Thranduil have decided, then try and get out of here."

Everyone nodded and we waited until Thorin had come back.

oOo

Thorin and Thranduil were standing in front of each other, gazing into one another's eyes for a long moment. Thranduil was the first one to break eye contact and turned his back to Thorin. "I here that you and your company are on a quest. A quest to reclaim a home land and slay a dragon," he turned and gazed at Thorin once more. "You seek upon a jewel and have a right to rule under the mountain. The Arkenstone. I, too, seek gems from the mountain. White gems of starlight. I offer you my help," he bowed his head and closed his eyes for a second then returned his gaze to the dwarf king.

Thorin shook his head and smiled a little. "I am listening."

"If I let you go, you will return what is rightfully mine," replied the elf king.

Thorin turned his back to Thranduil and replied back. "A favour for a favour," he was thinking about it.

"A king to a king."

Thorin shook his head again and made a decision. "I will not trust Thranduil, the great king. I know how you treat your friends! I asked for your help years ago for the suffering of my people, but you turned your back!" Thorin shouted something in Khuzdul and Thranduil went into his face.

"Do not talk to me about dragon fire!" He shuddered as half of his face showed flesh and bone, "I've seen the serpents of the North! If that's how you are going to treat me like that, then so be it," he signalled the guards to take the dwarf away. "You can stay here and rot in the cells with your company and I'll be waiting."

oOo

I sat on the floor, humming a tune, but was stopped when I heard the guards dragging my father to his cell. I got up and shouted on him. "Father!"

Balin was the next to speak. "Did he offer you a deal?"

Thorin paced and replied back. "He did, but I told him to shove it up his arse and all of his kin!"

Everyone sighed. "Well that's it then. That deal was our only hope," replied Balin.

"Not our only hope," said Thorin as he was searching for the hobbit who was still nowhere to be found.

I sat back down again and closed my eyes. Fili also rested his back against the wall in defeat. Bilbo was somewhere in this place but I was worried in case he got caught and then we would never be able to get to the mountain in time for Durin's Day. I started singing again to calm my nerves. Sometimes my Aunt Dis sings to the boys when they were younger and her voice is really like an angel. I heard someone coming from outside of our cells and I glanced over at Tauriel, who walked over to Kili's cell and stopped to whatever caught her attention. "The stone in your hand, what is it?" asked the She-Elf.

Kili glanced up from his sitting position. "It is a talisman. A powerful source that if any dwarf comes to hold this stone, they will be forever cursed," he extended his hand sharply as to scare the elf. Tauriel was about to walk away, but Kili quickly spoke again. "Or not. If you believe in that sort of thing, it's just a token. A rune stone," he sighed. "My mother gave it to me so that I can keep my promise."

Tauriel took a step forward and asked. "What promise?"

Kili looked up at her. "That I will come back to her. She worries, she thinks I'm reckless," he smiled.

Tauriel challenged back. "Are you?"

Kili shook his head. "Nah," he dropped his stone and it rolled out of the cell but Tauriel stopped it with her foot. She picked it up with her hand and examined the object in the light.

There was some laughing in the background. "Sounds quite a party you're having up there," said Kili.

Tauriel replied back. "It's Marithe en Gillithe, the feast of star-light. All lies sink to Aldar, a woman's love's best among the stars."

"I always thought it was a cold light, remote and faraway." Kili stared at nothing when he said that.

Tauriel walked forward. "It is of memory, precious and pure. Like your promise," she handed the stone back to him as Kili took it and smiled. "I have walked there sometimes, beyond the forest into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and then the white light forever filled the air."

Kili was intrigued. "I saw a fire-moon once. It rose over the past near Dundan, It was huge. Red and gold it was that filled the sky. We were with escorts and merchants in Ered Luin, they were trading silver wear first and then we took the Green way south. People in the mountains to our left, and we were just mesmerised but the fire-moon at the top of Ered Luin."

Tauriel sat down on the steps when she listened to Kili's story, star-struck about the fire-moon. She continued to listen. What they both didn't know was that a figure standing above them had also been listening. Legolas stood motionless as he watched the two getting on, which made him jealous because he is very fond of Tauriel himself other than the dwarf was fond of her too.

Once Tauriel and Kili finished talking, Tauriel had excused herself and went to join the party that was going on upstairs. Kili sat back down and couldn't stop thinking about the She-Elf, but he knew that they would not be together because he didn't want Thorin mad. He had enough on his shoulders as it is.

A/N: And that's the first chapter of the new sequel The Desolation of Smaug. It's the second instalment of An Unexpected Journey. Thanks for reading and leave any reviews and I'll update soon.

~Shelbi