A Helping Hand
You knew you had been in this bed for a good while. For the past few weeks, you have slowly gotten stronger. The poison from that spider wound had really taken the fight out of you.
The first week since you woke up, King Thranduil (who had insisted you call him by his given name) had always attended to your needs, which really surprised you.
You were just an apprentice for Radagast, so you were completely shocked that Thranduil would take his time and help you with every little thing.
Even Legolas and Tauriel kept you company when you were up to visitors, which you loved. They always asked you what you did with Radagast and you would explain to them everything you told Thranduil when you had first woken up, all those weeks ago.
Though you did get lonely sometimes when Radagast always left without letting you know when he would be back. You didn't mind being by yourself, as you had many animal that would come up to you. That included Sebastian and the other hedgehogs, though you preferred speaking to people.
You also enjoyed Legolas and Tauriel's company, you knew that you had to leave this bed. You were becoming restless.
It was a shaky start as you pushed the covers off you and tentatively holstered your body to the edge of the bed. You then placed your left hand on the headboard and slowly got up.
Just as you stand, you buckle and land back on the bed. Your breathing was ragged and for a moment, you stayed put, waiting for your heart to go back to its original state.
Taking a deep breath, you slowly sat up again and decided to try again. You placed your left hand on the headboard once more and this time, you concentrated as you you slowly got up from the bed. For a few minutes, you stayed put, trying to get your bearings together.
When you knew that you wasn't about to fall again, you slowly made your way towards the wardrobe, holding anything that could keep your balance. Upon arriving towards the wardrobe, you pulled it open with great difficultly and your eyes grew wide when you saw what was in there.
Many elegant dresses hung in there and you wondered who they belonged too. Seeing as you couldn't stay in this long stylish white robe, you hesitantly placed your right hand on a green dress that was nice to look at but was not as stylish as the others were.
Besides to your reckoning, you were praying that you would come across your own attire very soon. You didn't really like wearing other people's clothes, especially when you had no idea on who they really belonged too. It felt very wrong, but you knew you had no choice.
You change out of your nightwear and place the green dress over your head, before placing your arms in the short sleeves. You then tie the pretty green ribbon behind your back, before searching for footwear.
Bending slightly, you look down and see many, many shoes. Having no choice, you look through them and found a pair of light green flat shoes which seemed to be your size. You placed them on your bare feet, of course they fit perfectly, which was a little surprising.
Touching your hair, you loosely braided it and then decided to investigate as to where your sword and your bow and arrows were and of course your in clothes as well. You slowly made your way to the wooden door and opened it, stopping for a second, wondering which way to go.
The hallway looked long on either side of you and for a second, you closed your eyes before deciding to go to your right. You held onto the wooden pillars when you passed them, noticing many little symbols around the bottom and top of them. You wondered if they held some sort of meaning and would definitely ask Thranduil or Legolas about that.
You started walking again and that was when you heard raised voices. It was coming from a double wooden door that was slightly ajar. You walk past the doors whe you heard a familiar voice.
"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself, suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary or something of that ilk."
You knew that was Thranduil's voice, though he sounded different to when he sees you. His voice sounded sarcastic and nasty. You edge near the door and open the double doors a little more, listening in.
"You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule, the king's jewel. The Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure.I understand that. There's gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight." carried on Thranduil.
You peer in the room and are instantly blown away with the design. There are many waterfalls atop of the throne. The wooden path leading to Thranduil's throne were curvy and below the flight of stairs was Thranduil with a much shorter person, to which you realised was a dwarf.
"I am listening." replied Thranduil's guest.
You have heard the other voice before, but you couldn't figure out where.
"I will let you go, if you but return what is mine."
"A favour for a favour."
"You have my word. One King to another." replied Thranduil.
"I would not trust Thranduil the great King to his own word. Till the end of all days be upon us!"
Despite your better judgement, you gasped at the way Thranduil's guest had treated him. This caused Thranduil to glance in your direction and you instantly saw his disdain that you had witnessed this little episode.
"Tatiana, you should be resting. What are you doing out of bed?"
Knowing you were rumbled, you walked towards the Elven King and his guest, noticing at last what his guest looked like. He had long black hair with a few strands of grey hair and many cobwebs in his ebony hair. He had two braids on either side of his ears. He wore a coat with fur on top and underneath that, was blue armour.
Your eyes widen. You knew who he was and his own blue eyes mirrored your own. You had not seen him in a long time and you were shocked to see him here.
"Thorin." You whispered more to yourself then to the others.
You knew he had suffered a lot in his life, for you were there when Smaug attacked Erebor all those years ago. You had even aided Thorin when no one offered to help him and his kin.
You turn your attention to Thranduil, who looked annoyed that you were there. You noticed he was wearing a silver robe. He was also now wearing a crown on his head. Taking no notice of that now, you now stand beside Thorin who was watching you intently.
"I can not stay in bed all day, my lord," You saw Thranduil arch an eyebrow at you "I think it is time I should return to Radagast."
"That is out of the question!"
It was your turn to arch an eyebrow.
"There are many spiders that are in the forest. My guards do kill them, but other spiders take the previous ones place!" You watch one another before he continues "It will be my honour, if you stayed for a while longer."
You are about to answer him, but Thorin beat you to it.
"You, lack all honour! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help, but you turned your back! You, turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! Imrid amrad ursul! (Die a death of flames!) May you die in dragon fire!"
You look aghast at Thorin standing next to you. You just could not believe you had heard him insult Thranduil in Khuzdul. Your eyes went on Thranduil when you saw his face contort in anger.
"Do not talk to me or dragon fire! I know it's wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the North!"
You watch in complete shock as Thranduil's left side changed. Instead of smooth skin, you saw his left cheek completely burnt beyond repair. You had no idea if this was part of his magic or if this really happened, but you found yourself walking up to him, while his right blue eye, (his left now looked cloudy,) was staring at the dwarf with disgust etched on his face.
Your hand gently touched Thranduil's scarred cheek and this caused him to look at you with shock. You had no idea why you were touching him, but it seems like it might calm him down.
You watch him cautiously and saw that his scars were once again disappearing. His blue eyes never left yours as he found himself gently taking hold of your hand from his cheek. He never let go of your hand when he returned his attention on Thorin.
"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen," Thanduil holds your hand tightly as he gently take you up the steps to his throne "You are just like him."
You watch as Thranduil summons his guards to come forward and holds Thorin to which he is now struggling and takes him away.
"Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an elf. I'm patient. I can wait." shouts Thranduil.
You watch the retreating form of the guards as they took Thorin back to the cell. You returned your attention back to Thranduil who was quietly watching you with a look of wonder on his face.
"You are not repulsed by me?" He finally asked.
You arch your eyebrow watching him.
"No, I am not, my lord. Should I be?"
"I thought we established that you call me Thranduil," He said to you, who was now looking down at your hand he was currently holding "I did not mean to scare you Tatiana."
Your eyes stayed on Thranduil's face, as he continues looking at your hand, before glancing back at your worried expression.
"You didn't and you don't have to explain anything to me,Thranduil. It is none of my business. However what he said to you in Khuzdul, was completely disgusting and uncalled for."
"You speak Khuzdul?"
"I had a good teacher." You admitted to him.
"You really are a mystery," smiles Thranduil "you slay spiders without a backward glance, you have a strange wizard friend whose hat is a home for birds and yet, you don't appear to be anything like Radagast. Yes, you are a mystery."
"I'm just an apprentice, I am not a mystery. Curious maybe, but not a mystery."
You saw Thranduil's smile broaden.
"You want to know who my prisoner was."
Despite your better judgement, you could feel your cheeks burn a little.
"I already know who he is," You whispered, noticing Thranduil's blue eyes go wide "I was there when Smaug attacked Erebor. I decided to aid him and his men to safely."
You refused to meet the Elven King's face. You had expected disgust etched on his face but when you did look into his eyes, he surprised you. He was smiling.
"Do you always help those that need it?" asked Thranduil softly.
You nodded your head, wondering what was going through his mind.
"No human can live that long!" He whispered.
Thranduil tilted his head, his smiled broadened.
"Unless your part of the Dunedain lineage."
You slowly shook your head, noticing Thanduil frown a little. You couldn't bear to see him suffer and decided to tell him what you really were.
"I am an angel," You began "helping those that need it."
You stayed quiet for while thinking about your past. This caused Thranduil to gently pull you forward to sit on his throne. Your eyes widen when you realised this and gave him a puzzled look and tried standing up.
"You are still recovering mellon," He said pushing you back in the chair "I insist you rest."
You didn't say anything. You were thinking why he was so kind to you and yet so hostile towards Thorin. You have known Thorin for a long time and yet to see him in shackles was not what you were expecting.
"Why is Thorin here?" You finally ask him, again averting your eyes at him.
"He and his companions were trespassing in my forest," replied Thranduil "Legolas and the guards seized them at once."
You looked at him with a frown on your face.
"And now you have them all locked up in your cells." You whispered, not liking this at all.
You averted your eyes again as you knew his eyes were ever watchful.
"That is correct. The leader, Thorin Oakenshield is a very stubborn dwarf, who refuses to see reason."
"Perhaps there is a plausible reason."
Thranduil watched you carefully as you stood up. You had heard enough and was about to walk down the steps when Thranduil grabbed your hand, starting you.
"There is," He informed you "Thorin and his kin are trying to get back their homeland."
Your eyes went back on Thranduil.
"Erebor?"
Thranduil nodded while you bite down on your lip remembering the last time you had spoken to Gandalf and it finally slotted into place.
~~Flashback~~
You remembered what you were doing, the day you saw Gandalf. You were practising your sword technique on the wooden dummy Radagast had made for you.
You were about to strike the torso of the wooden dummy when you heard a soft cough coming from behind you. This lost you your concentration and you stumbled a little before straightening yourself out. Turning around, you saw Gandalf with a bemused look on his face.
"I see you are coming along fine with your training Tatiana," He chuckled "you are very agile."
You placed your sword on your belt and walked over to the wooden table. On the table was a jug of water. You offered some to Gandalf who politely shook his head. Picking up the jug you answered,
"It keeps me active. You never know when you might need your weapons." You graced Gandalf with a smile "Radagast is not here. He went deep into the forest searching for herbs and such."
You poured the contents into a goblet, before taking a sip of cool water.
"It was actually you I wanted a word with," taking another sip of water, you motion for him to continue "what do you remember about Dale?"
You choke on your water and saw that Gandalf was heading towards you as you coughed. He gently rubbed your back until your coughing subsided.
"Thank you'" You whispered, you then took a deep breath and took a moment to get your bearings "I remember the mass destruction brought on by that red dragon."
You look at Gandalf with a sadness in your eyes.
"The air had smelt differently that day, normally it would smell I like roasted chestnuts and flowers but that day, it smelt odd and I knew something bad was about to transpire."
You closed your eyes remembering the screens as a big red dragon flew across the city, using his fire breath and brute strength on buildings, homes, tents that used to have merchandise in there, now all gone, burnt to cinders.
"I helped pull people to safety before I carried on running towards the mountain, Erebor," You carried on opening your eyes "I had seen the dragon fly off in the direction of the mountain and I knew more trouble was about to come."
"I know that Tatiana," Gandalf graced you with a small smile "I only ask because that dragon hasn't been seen for over sixty years. I think the day has come for action to commence. It is time for that dragon to get out of that mountain."
You watched him carefully. Surely he wasn't thinking of venturing inside Erebor? If he was indeed planning on going there, he would need some kind of help.
"I believe Smaug is currently in some sort of slumber," You replied "if however you do decide to step inside Erebor, He would know immediately. Not only is that dragon dangerous, he would smell you in seconds."
"Tatiana, though you are correct about that, I was actually thinking on a sneaky way in entering Erebor."
You raise your eyebrows wondering what he was up to you raise your eyebrows at him, hoping he would tell you more.
"Which is?" You finally asked.
"All in good time my dear friend." replied Gandalf.
~~End Flashback~~
Snapping out of your reverie, you glanced back at Thranduil who was watching you with concern etched on his face.
"Tatiana, are you alright?"
You nodded.
"I'm fine, just thinking," You turned around and faced Thranduil once more "about Gandalf."
Thranduil raised his right eyebrow at you and you quickly went on.
"He briefly explained to me that he was thinking of sneaking inside Erebor. Though he never revealed what he was up too, I was a little suspicious of his actions."
"What do you mean?"
You sighed.
"In all the time I have known Gandalf, I have never seen him with a determined look on his face before. I knew in my heart he was going to get someone to partake in this quest of his. That someone was Thorin Oakenshield."
Though you were glad to see that Thorin was alright, you couldn't help but worry about him reaching Erebor. How on earth would he be able to sneak inside the mountain without the dragon Smaug not knowing? There was something not right with this picture and it was bugging you.
Thranduil quietly watched you as you yourself thought you heard a noise coming from the far corner where the pillar was. Your eyes stayed there and you could have sworn you had seen a fuzzy child there. You blinked and saw that there was nothing there.
"Could I speak to Thorin?" You asked Thranduil, returning your attention back to him.
You saw him frown and you were about to say something when he replied,
"I rather you didn't."
"Why?" You asked him.
"The dwarf you knew has gone and in his place is a exiled king who wants the Arkenstone more than his home."
You shook your head not believing that for a second. You heard Thranduil sigh and you watched him carefully.
"He would only upset you."
"I can take care of myself Thranduil."
"He has changed."
You didn't want to hear this. It made you more determined to see Thorin.
"Very well, you can see him, but you will be by Legolas's side while you speak to him."
You glance at the floor. You had hoped to speak to Thorin in private, but knew now that wasn't likely to happen.
"I do not trust him Tatiana and it would ease my mind if my son was by your side should any problems arise."
You looked up and graced him with a smile.
"Legolas will be with me at all times while I speak to Thorin." You finally say.
"I don't want you to get hurt Tatiana," He said tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear surprising you "you brighten up my days."
Your eyes went wide hearing that. You had never been close to anyone before, due to the fact that you had trust issues. Since being in Thranduil's realm, you had gained three friends in this kingdom and you knew you would be sad to leave when you were completely healed.
"I will inform Legolas later. For now you need to rest." remarked Thranduil, breaking you out of your thoughts.
"But-,"
He gave you a look that told you to stay silent. You would do what Thranduil suggested, but only hoped Thorin would be all right in that cell he was held in.
o0o
For the past few hours, you had been in your bed chambers thinking on what to say to Thorin. Even know Thranduil had told you to get some sleep, sleep never came. A soft tap on the door brought you out of your thoughts. You walked up to the door and opened it, seeing Legolas on the other side of the door.
"Ada has informed me that you wish to speak to the leader of the dwarves." queried Legolas.
"That is correct."
"May I ask why?"
You raised your eyebrows him. You wasn't expecting this, but thought the truth would be the best course of action, especially as your knew Legolas would be by your side when you finally speak to Thorin.
"Because I know the leader." was all you said.
The look on his face was priceless. He looked at you with a look of horror on his face and you really want to see his more calmer looking face.
"I have known him since that dragon stole his home Legolas. I helped him as much as I could when no one else would."
"There is a valid reason why Ada never helped out Tatiana." remarked Legolas.
You look at him with surprise on your face,. This was news to you. You had no idea Thranduil turned his back on Thorin and his kin. Though since seeing that wound on his face, you had a feeling that was part of the reason.
"I would like to hear both sides of the story," You say to him "that and the fact, I have been worried about Thorin for some time. I know from experience what it is like, losing a home."
You could see the concerned look from Legolas's face and you grace him with a smile.
"Very well. Let's get it over with," He replied with a small smile of his own "however, if that dwarf says anything that will cause offence, I will you pull out of there before you have a chance to intervene. Do we have an agreement about that?"
You were surprised at the way he was acting. You have known Thorin for a long time and yet the way Legolas was watching you, you could see the disgust on his face. Just why did the elves here hate the dwarves? Signing, you nod your head, hoping that there wasn't going to be any trouble.