A/N: Helloooo everybody! Alright, so this chapter is going to be a tiny bit different. Different perspective ;) I really like this one so with that being said I hope you all like it too!

-B

Brittany POV

Fourth Age, December, 727:

You pull open your chamber doors and step out, looking around as you finish a thin braid.

"Morning, Princess." An elven guard smiles as he walks by and you nod in greeting with a polite smile before looking over yourself in your tight brown trousers, brown knee length boots, and dark blue tunic. You pull your hair over your right shoulder as you walk away from your chamber door and towards the set of stairs to the west of the platform.

You walk through the halls, and pass by the staircase that leads to the cell level.

You purse your lips and glance towards it as you stop.

The female rider, Santana, and her two dwarves have been held in the cells for, nearing, ten days. Your father, Irenaeus has his mind set on using the rider as a message to her people and everyone who was aware of his intentions couldn't be happier.

Apart from yourself.

Which angered you more than knowing it was her family to bring harm to yours.

While you know you should be pleased that it will be blood for blood, you can't help but think about her and the sincere way she spoke of being different than those humans your people are so wary of. The way she swore to you in the throne room had you questioning yourself and your father, and even more so when the two of you had your small face off in the Halls.

Something pulls at your heart and you look around subtly before hesitantly glancing towards the cells staircase.

"Damned human." You grumble under your breath before moving down the stairs.

You slowly walk through the halls of the cell level, your gaze flicking from cell to cell as prisoners reach out for you with pleading calls. You curl your lips in distaste as you continue down the root bridge, slowing as you come to the cell before the rider and her dwarves.

You look over yourself quickly before realizing what you're doing and widening your eyes, shaking your head at yourself. You clear your throat and wet your lips before stepping out of the shadows and in front of the trio's cell.

You step closer to the cell, tilting your head as the tan dwarf with the atrocious hair lies on the ground, pulling his cloak over his head.

"Bugger off, Sam." He grumbles and the blond dwarf, pacing the cell, huffs and bends down, picking up a rock before throwing it at the tan one. "Sam!"

Sam scowls and hangs his head as he continues to pace the cell, and you shift your piercing gaze towards the rider leaning against the rock wall of the cell with her head tilted back, her eyes closed. You look over her facial features, your eyes running down her sculpted nose, long eye lashes, and her high cheek bones. Your eyes lower to her plump lips and you wet your own subconsciously.

"How long have we been in here?" Sam asks suddenly and you widen your eyes, thinking he's seen you before you see him looking towards the rider.

"I do not know, Sam. I stopped counting after the fifth night." She admits and you watch her swallow, taking a sharp breath.

You shake your head with furrowed brows scolding yourself for admiring the other woman, and lift a hand, wrapping your fingers around one of the bars of the cell, "It's been nine days." You state with a strong voice and Sam spins around, tripping over his feet and landing himself on his backside while Santana jumps, looking at you, the tan dwarf lifting his cloak from his head, looking at you in fear.

"Nine days." Santana repeats, looking behind you for guards you assume.

"Yes." You nod and roll your eyes when she cranes her neck, "I'm alone, rider."

She looks back at you before hesitantly pushing off the wall and walking closer. She stops directly in front of you and only the cell door is keeping you apart.

"Your father, Irenaeus, he said my stay would be a short one." She says lowly and you nod.

"He's determining when the perfect moment to dispense of you will be." You state and Santana's jaw drops as her eyebrows lift in panic.

"Dispense of me?"

"Yes, your family is responsible for thousands of deaths of my kin." You remind her with an arched brow, "Blood for blood."

"I didn't-" she begins loudly before stopping herself and hanging her head, "I did not know. I was not even born. My parents, grandparents…what happened, happened generations ago." She states, lifting her head and looking between your eyes quickly. "What will killing me do for you?"

"For me?"

"Your people, your father, whoever."

You furrow your brows as you try to come up with an answer before glancing up at the human, shaking your head, "What does it matter? This is your fate."

"It's bloody hell ridiculous!" The tan dwarf shouts, getting to his feet, "We could've avoided this entire situation if you hadn't brought us here in the first place." He accuses, pointing at you and you narrow your eyes into a glare.

"Return to your wall, dwarf."

"You are lucky this door is between us." He growls as Sam pulls him back.

"I'm quite sure." You roll your eyes and look back at Santana regarding you curiously. You feel another tug inside you and straighten, "What?"

"Nothing." She says, shaking her head. You stand there for another moment before nodding to yourself and turning, "Wait!" You look back at Santana and she takes a breath, "I know this will not mean much but I am sorry for what your people have been put through because of my family. If I was around and I had the authority to stop such orders…I would have." She states in confidence and you look between her eyes, searching for any sign of her statement being a lie.

When you find nothing you feel your shoulders drop slightly before you give her a nod and leave.

"Brittany!"

"Deaglan!" you smile widely, running up the stairs to the throne platform and wrap your arms around your little brother, squeezing him tightly. "When did you get back?" you ask delightfully, pushing him back by the shoulders to look over him.

Deaglan laughs, brushing his hair back. It was almost as white blond as your fathers, and just reaching his shoulders with golden clasps wrapped around one of his braids. His blue-green eyes sparkle as he tells you of his adventure to the Sea of Rhûn with a few of his hunting friends, and you nod along with a proud smile.

"Father told me you encountered a woman from Gondor on your way home." He says carefully, his eyes darkening in hatred and you swallow, nodding as you force a smile.

"I did, yes." You tell him and he lets out a breath through his nose as you look past him to Irenaeus sitting on his throne, "I wish to speak with you about her." You say and Irenaeus smiles, motioning you forwards.

"Is that so?" he asks in fond amusement, "Specifically about what? If I've decided her last day?" he asks and you stop in front of the throne, shaking your head.

"Not particularly." You say and he frowns in confusion as you stutter unsurely. "I-I…I believe what she says." You admit quietly, looking down at your hands.

"I beg your pardon." You flinch at his slow, cold tone, and wet your lips as you hesitantly look up at him; his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I believe she's not like the men who attacked our home all those years ago." You expand further, "I've spoken with her and-"

"You've spoken with our prisoner? You've let her fill your head with lies and manipulate you into believing she's pure?" he asks loudly in anger, getting up.

"Father, I-" you try, taking a few steps back.

"She is one of them, Brittany." He states firmly as you keep your head down, "She is a descendant of the man who ordered his men to invade our home, harm our people, kill thousands, and you, my daughter, the soon to be Queen of our people are telling me you believe that filth is innocent?" he shouts in outrage and you flinch, keeping your head bowed. "Answer me, Brittany."

You take a shaky breath and lift your gaze from the floor, up to meet your father's eyes and nod faintly.

You watch his shoulders drop and a look of disappointment take over his face before he pinches the bridge of his nose, returning to his throne.

"Brittany," he sighs, sitting down. You glance at Deaglan, looking at you in disbelief, and look to your father as he shakes his head, "When the time comes for you to take my throne…I need to know that you'll do right by our people." He says.

"I will, Father, I just-"

"Please." He shakes his head while holding a hand up to silence you and you nod, "This is why I wanted you to focus on your studies when you were a child, focus on getting to know our kingdom and our people. You need to be able to make the hard choices and most of all you need to know what to do to keep our people safe. Humans are not allies to us. You should know that, you've experienced the damage and the hurt they pushed upon us."

"Father, with all due respect, what you're telling me…I'm merely telling you that I don't believe that woman we are holding is of any danger to us." You say, pointing down towards the cell level as you speak in confidence. Irenaeus closes his eyes and shakes his head. "If what she says is true, that she is nothing like her ancestors, that her true family lies with the Rivendell-"

"That's enough!"

You bow your head, closing your eyes, and take a breath.

"I've heard enough." He repeats and you lift your gaze, clenching your jaw. "I know who she is and I will not fall for her lies. And I most certainly will not allow her to continue feeding them to you, trying to turn you on your own kin."

"She is not trying to turn me on you!" you exclaim with a laugh of disbelief, "These are my words. I observed her and spoke with her. I can make my own decisions and this is one of them. Just grant her an audience once more and I'm sure-"

"I will not hear anymore of your nonsense!"

"But, Father-"

"You are to return to your chambers and stay there until noon tomorrow when you will join your brother and I, as well as our people, and watch what happens to those who bring harm to us."

"Father!"

"Do I make myself clear?" He shouts in question and you clench your hands by your sides, "Shall I have my guards accompany you?" he asks slowly and you send him a hard glare.

"If you do I can assure you they will not make it back to your side." You warn and hold his stare before spinning around and leaving him to Deaglan.

You grab your pack, pulling it over your shoulder before sliding your arm through your bow, and tying the strings of your cream cloak.

The rider will be pulled from her cell in a few hours and after returning to your chambers yesterday, you thought continuously about if you could just abide by your fathers orders even if you didn't believe what he was doing was right.

What he is doing is not what your mother would want, and that is one of the reason's you're doing this.

You grab your newest dagger from your bed and slide it into your belt and turn around to face you chamber door, glancing over yourself in your mirror as you head towards it. You spent time earlier in the morning getting everything you needed together, and made sure you bring clothing both warm and easy to put on without constricting your movements.

It is time, you tell yourself when you hear the guard outside your bedroom head off for his five minute break.

You open your door a bit and quickly slide out, closing it quietly before running around the corner and jumping from the bridge.

You grab onto one of the random growths of a root and skillfully descend to the lower cell level within a minute. You drop down in front of Santana and the dwarf's cell and all three heads shoot up, Puck and Sam moving in front of Santana.

They must've heard the news.

You roll your eyes at them and pull out a key from your belt, unlocking the cell for them before stepping back, "Come." You tell them and they look at you like you've grown two extra heads. You scowl, "We haven't much time." You hiss and Puck looks at Sam before running out of the cell with him. Santana, more skeptical of your motives, slowly walks out, keeping her eyes on you as you close the cell and put the key back under your belt.

"You are letting us go?" she asks and you tense, grabbing her arm and pushing her to head to the bridge away from the stairs behind you when you hear voices of guards. "What's wrong?" she asks and you shush her harshly, shoving her into the shadows of a corner before stepping out and looking at the guards.

They startle and smile at you, bowing, "Princess Brittany."

"What are you doing here?" you ask and they arch their brows, looking at each other before looking at you.

"We're retrieving the rider for your father. The ceremony is to begin shortly." One of them tells you as you nod along.

"I must've forgotten." You force a laugh, touching your cheek as you smile.

The taller guard narrows his eyes, looking behind you and you lift your brows in question when he looks over you, "Are you heading out for another travel?" he asks suspiciously and you open your mouth before the shorter one yells dwarf.

You growl and quickly disarm the guards of their bows, sending kicks and elbows to their heads to have them collapse to the ground with thuds. You turn and glare at Puck, looking at you in fear, and growl at him. "You are an absolute moron!" you hiss before looking at Santana, "You travel with imbeciles."

She shifts and shrugs before you roll your eyes and grab her arm, leading them away from the calls and demands to stop.

A/N: Soooo...what'd ya think? My favorite part of this chapter was probably Brittany telling Irenaeus that she doesn't thing Santana should...well...die.

You got to see things from Britt's point of view and why she decided to help Santana and the other two escape. Not sure if this will happen again but you never know. Next chapter there will be quite a bit of "action?" which obviously. It's not like they waltz right out of Mirkwood, right? So yeah, next chapter will be up Friday. I'll try to have it up around noon. Until then, mwah!

-B