Erebor
As the sun was beginning to set, Strider, Tinu and Legolas approached the border near the town of Dale that was still in the process of being rebuilt by the former inhabitants of Lake Town. Though as they rode past Tinu shifted to look up at the city since they were down below it as she soon heard the voice of the one she was riding with from behind her. "That is the city of Dale." He said as Tinu looked up at him with wide green eyes before looking back toward the city as the sun setting gave it and even the mountain they were racing toward a warm glow.
"Dale…" she said in a low tone as she then turned her eyes towards the mountain as she saw how the sun made it appear as though it was ablaze in a warm welcoming light. Though something told her the light she was seeing was not like the warm light of the fire that had been the only light she had seen until the two had taken her away from the realm of the Elven king that had kept her for as long as she could remember. Though as she watched the light change to a much softer hue on the face of the mountain she looked back up at the dark haired male who was being sure to keep her steady on the horse while at the same time urging it to run as fast as it could toward the mountain as the other male was doing the same on his own horse beside them. "What that?" she asked pointing toward the mountain as they were drawing ever closer.
"That is Erebor, one of the great dwarf domains." The dark haired male spoke as they were now so close that Tinu had to incline her pale face to keep looking up at the mountain as she had a look of pure wonder on her face as her green eyes seemed to have gained a new light to them at being allowed outside the captivity of the Elven king. "Once inside we will find your mother, young one." He said as they were riding up to two massive stone statues that had Tinu's full attention as they looked beyond majestic and yet at the same time cold despite the faint orange glow from the setting sun. Though as they were even with the statues the horses slowed to a stop only to be fully stopped when they were just past the statues in a vast hall that to Tinu was beyond cavernous with how the ceiling was so high she could barely find it even while craning her neck. There were large pillars that seemed to lead to passages past them or even just split up what appeared to be a former market for trade from what Tinu guessed. Though she did not get to linger on that as the two males were dismounting as the dark haired male reached up and lifted her up off of the horse and moved her down only to hold her for a second before Tinu squirmed and he seemed to take the hint and put her down so she was on her own two feet so she could look around.
Though while she was looking around she felt someone staring at her as she looked to see that the male who had rode a horse on his own was staring at her as she stared back only for him to walk closer and kneel down in front of her giving her a questioning look as she tilted her head to the side so her matted silver blonde hair fell slightly in her face. "Who you?" she asked showing once again but now toward the male facing her that she was not very literate.
Legolas felt like his breath was being knocked from his lungs staring at the young elf before him. There was no denying that she was his, all due to how she had the mixed features that he could tell were from both him and from Tauriel, that and despite her having a bit of a grungy look, he could tell that she also had a regal appearance that was common among elves. Though within her eyes was something that seemed to draw him in. Eyes more brilliant than any star he had ever gazed at but they held the color of life within the forest, of a new budding just come to life. Though when he heard the small innocent voice of the child he swallowed but found his mouth was dry as he closed his eyes for a brief second only to look at them as blue met green. "I am your father." He said as he half expected his daughter to not acknowledge him in the slightest.
But her reaction was at first how he expected, she stood there seeming to be shocked to hear him declare that he was her father. Though once it seemed to sink in, Tinu blinked her wide green eyes as she stepped closer to Legolas and put her arms around his neck as she stood on her tip toes to do so as she hugged him for all she was worth which was not that much due to how she was malnourished and not that strong. "Daddy!" she said as she continued to hug him as Legolas remained knelt there for a moment with a surprised look on his face only to see out of the corner of his eye that his friend was smiling down at him as Legolas closed his eyes only to bring his arms up and encircle his daughter holding her close.
As they were embracing one another, Tauriel had come up from down one of the corridors where the dwarves in charge of this place had agreed to allow them sanctuary for the time being. She had not expected them to be back yet, and yet when her eyes fell on Strider and then Legolas knelt on the floor with their daughter in her arms, Tauriel felt tears come to her eyes at that sight. Something that she felt they had been denied since he had not known she was pregnant with their daughter when he had left after the battle. She shook her head forcing those thoughts away since that was in the past, and she needed to focus now because she was sure that Thranduil would not take kindly to how his own son and a friend had broken in and taken one who had been his secret prisoner for five years.
She slowly started walking toward the others as Legolas heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps as he opened his eyes and glanced toward Tauriel who stopped not too far from where Legolas and Tinu were as after a second the small child looked toward Tauriel while she was still in her father's arms as Tauriel felt a single tear fall from her eyes. She was all but the image of her father but she had her eyes. "T-Tinu…" she whispered as the child gave her a confused look as she stepped closer. "I am sorry I was not able to protect you from the Elven king." She said not offering the king the chance to be known as the grandfather of her child.
When Legolas sensed that Tinu was still confused he shifted her as he stood with her, but where she was balanced sitting on his right forearm as they were facing Tauriel whose green eyes gleamed with tears she was fighting to keep in check. "Tinu…" Legolas said drawing his daughter's attention back to himself as he could read curiosity all but emitting from the young elf he was holding. "That is your mother." He said inclining his head to indicate to Tauriel as Tinu's green eyes widened only for her to look back at Tauriel as though studying her for a moment before Tinu smiled and shifted to hold out her arms as within seconds her voice that sounded almost as though she were singing a soft melody but she was only speaking.
"Mommy!" Tinu called in a happy tone as Tauriel could hold back no longer as she crossed to her child and the father of her child as she hugged Tinu while she was still being held in Legolas' arms. "Mommy and daddy." Tinu spoke in a happy tone as she was trying to hug both of her parents while they were hugging her individually due to how they both felt a deep love for Tinu but both were hesitant about any feelings for each other.
The small family was allowed to stay like that for a brief moment before another set of footfalls met their ears as Tauriel and Legolas looked toward the approaching dwarf who seemed to smile ever so slightly at the sight of those Tauriel had said were on their way. Mainly due to how he had thought it all but a certain thing that they would not make it out of the realm of the Elven king, but it seemed that one of them being the kings son had proven to be useful to them. Though as the dwarf approached Tinu looked toward him with wide green eyes that were not blinking because she had never before seen a dwarf.
"I take it that these three newcomers are the ones you were waiting for?" he asked for confirmation before he felt himself being drawn to look at the child being held between the two older elves. There was something about the small child, almost like a bright near blinding light shining from deep within her, something that made him confident that they had made the right decision to offer shelter to her, her parents and their companion. Though when he saw out of the corner of his eye that Tauriel nodded he closed his eyes breaking eye contact with the child as he spoke. "You are to be staying in a hall a bit further in." he said as he went to turn.
"Who you?" a soft voice that was sweeter in tone than any that the dwarf, Balin, had heard in a while as he found himself once again looking into the shining green eyes of the young elf.
After a brief second he cleared his throat as he spoke. "I am Balin." He said only for the child to smile and repeat his name as though she were trying to memorize it. She was definitely something different, since it seemed almost as though the child was looking into his very soul, it was something that felt unnerving and comforting at the same time. Though he soon pushed that thought away as he turned. "If you would follow me, I will show you to where you are to stay while you are here." He said only to turn and start to lead the small group further into the mountain to an area with vast corridors and rooms off of them. The whole time Tinu was looking around with pure wonder in her eyes but when they got to the room they were to be staying in, Tinu hesitated with going inside. "What is wrong, child?" Balin asked as he looked at her but Tinu shook her head, the smile that had been on her face before was gone.
Legolas stepped closer as he knelt down only for Tinu to throw herself against her father as he could feel that she was shaking. He slowly encircled his arms around her as she kept her pale face pressed against his chest while he looked toward Balin. "She has been held prisoner by my father in a room with no windows." He said as Balin gave the child in Legolas' arms a sad look as he shook his head. Though after a moment Legolas shifted but Tinu did not take that well as she let out a small sob only for Legolas to stop moving as he looked down at the small child in his arms. "Tinu, I promise that you will never again be locked away like you were." He whispered to her as Tinu leaned back slightly looking up at her father with her shinning green eyes. "I will never let that happen to you ever again." Legolas whispered before he gently kissed Tinu on her forehead as she brought up her small hands and wiped away her tears before she nodded. Legolas shifted and went to stand with Tinu in his arms as he walked into the room while Strider and Tauriel stayed close to him only for Balin to take his leave of the small group.
It was not to long before Tauriel managed to get Legolas to give her Tinu insisting that she was going to go give Tinu a quick bath, leaving Legolas alone with Strider. Though once Tauriel had taken Tinu to get a bath, Legolas looked toward Strider with a weary look on his face.
"I doubt that we will be able to stay here for too long." Legolas said as Strider nodded while he sat down on a chair not far from where Legolas was standing.
"Chances are that your father has already started to gather his forces to come after at least you since you aided in the escape of your own child." Strider said as he got out his pipe and started putting tobacco in it before lighting it. "I wouldn't be surprised if we had to flee from here in the next day or two since Mirkwood is all but on Erebor's doorstep." Strider said before taking a deep inhale from the pipe he was using.
"That is true, so we are better not getting too comfortable here since chances are that by this time tomorrow or the day after…" Legolas said shaking his head. "I just cannot believe that my father would imprison Tinu when she is of his own line, even if her mother is one that he did not approve of." Legolas said with a hint of frustration in his voice at the thought of his father doing something so horrible to an innocent child. "Though with how my father is more likely to come to the front of the mountain, we will have to look into escaping to the north."
"Then after that we should head to Rivendale." Strider said as Legolas looked at him with a near skeptical look. "Hear me out, my friend." Strider said as Legolas nodded showing that he would at least hear Strider out. "If we go there, then your daughter will be among elves where she belongs, and she will be under the protection of the Lord of Rivendale, Elrond." Strider explained as Legolas got a thoughtful look on his face as he soon nodded showing that he knew what his friend had said was the truth. That Tinu would be safer once they got her to Rivendale.
Though before Legolas and Strider could continue their conversation, Tauriel came back into the room carrying a sleeping Tinu in her arms who was wrapped in a warm blanket but under the blanket she was still in the rags they had found her in. "I did not have anything to change her into so I just put her back in the rags." Tauriel said as she carried Tinu over to the bed and put her down on it keeping the warm blanket around the small child. "What were the two of you talking about?" she asked showing that she had overheard at least the two men talking.
Legolas sighed figuring that since Tauriel was the mother of his child and an able warrior that she had a right to know their next move. "We were discussing where to go next since there is a good chance that my father will be at the entrance to Erebor in the next day or two at the most." Legolas said as Tauriel had a worried look on her face but she nodded as she reached down and shifted some of Tinu's silver blonde hair out of her pale face while she continued to sleep.
"Is there anywhere we can take her that your father will not pursue her?" Tauriel asked as she finished moving some of Tinu's hair out of her face before walking over closer to Legolas and Strider so that the three of them could speak in private without disturbing Tinu.
"The only option we have come up with so far is to take her to Rivendale so that she will be among other elves and also so that she will be better protected there rather than us taking her and running from one end of Middle Earth to the other." Strider said before he took another deep inhale from his pipe and slowly exhaled. "But when we leave here, we would be wise to flee into the north, a terrain that Legolas and I are more familiar with." Strider said as Tauriel nodded in agreement since if they knew the terrain they would have an advantage and be able to move about more quickly.
/
The following morning Tinu woke as she did not open her eyes right away due to how she was worried that she would only find that she had dreamed that she was now free. Though she soon felt someone shift beside her as her green eyes shot open and she saw a figure beside her on the bed. Being careful to not shift or disturb them too much, Tinu carefully sat up to see the figure she had been facing was the man from the day before that she remembered had said that he was her father. While she sat there looking at him she tilted her head to the side slightly since she remembered the day before the one who had said she was her mother had said that Tinu was the near mirror image of her father besides having her mother's eyes. Though Tinu was not sure on that due to how she was still only a small child.
A few seconds later Tinu looked behind herself to see the one who said she was her mother. She had bright red hair that was brighter than the fire that Tinu had grown accustomed to seeing as the only light in her small world in the room the elven king had locked her away in for her whole life up until the man against the wall had come and saved her. However Tinu soon shifted from under the blanket and crawled down the length of the bed only to climb down from the bed and head toward the door to the room as she hesitantly reached up and pulled it open before stepping out leaving the door open while she headed down the corridor in the direction she remembered coming from the day before.
As she walked she glanced around at the vast pillars that reached so high that she had to crane her neck to even try to see the ceiling. Though as she got to the entrance to the mountain Tinu picked up her pace as she ran to the entrance wishing to see the sun again since she could tell that it was already shinning outside. As she got outside she stood there her pale face turned up to the sky as the sun seemed to gleam off of her pale skin not realizing that two sets of eyes were watching her even as she started to turn in circles laughing while her eyes were still closed. At least not until one of them spoke up calling her name as she stopped and looked to see that it was the man she had seen to the side in the room and the dwarf from the day before, Balin. Tinu smiled at them as she went to run back toward the two only to hear something as she stopped and looked off toward the distance as her carefree expression changed to one of pure horror.
Strider rushed forward and knelt down beside Tinu as he looked toward where her gaze was fixed but he was not able to see whatever it was that she did so he looked to her. "Tinu, what is wrong? What do you see?" he asked as Tinu shifted her bright green gaze to Strider as her eyes seemed to shine with the fear she was feeling.
"He is coming…" Tinu whispered.
A/N: I had originally intended for this chapter to be much longer but in order to get it out quicker I decided to cut this chapter in half so that what was to be the second half of this chapter will be the next one. I am very sorry for the delay in the update, I am hoping to have a rotation set up for updating this and my other two active stories on here. Once again I would like to thank the ones reviewing this story: Toraach, 2000Aerobars, and Myra K Kuran.