Neither of us moved until a sudden thought struck us both. Legolas pulled away, something akin to terror in his gaze. "What are you going here?" he hissed, pulling me a few yards away from the main group, keeping a vice-like grip on my upper arms. "You know better than to come back after what you did! And now you come back in the company of dwarves?! What were you thinking?"
I looked up at him with wide eyes, feeling his body shaking nearly as much as my own. "I have to get to Esgaroth," I said softly. "And I was leading the dwarves through the Green—" I gulped, "—through Mirkwood. Spiders attacked us when we strayed from the path, and we encountered each other here. Brother, we have done nothing wrong, please let us pass," I begged.
He hesitated for a moment, looking over at the she-elf behind us. I glanced over to see Tauriel, my dear friend. "Tauriel," I whispered, smiling. "It has been too long, my friend."
"It is good to see you again, Princess," she said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. She turned to my brother and leaned in to him, whispering in his ear so that we could hear her but no one else could. "Legolas, you know the rules of your father," she said, looking down at me apologetically. "If we do not bring her in, he will send someone else who will. It is better for your sister to be brought in now so you and I will be responsible for her than for someone else to do so that will lock your sister away forever."
My brother had gone quite pale, nearly as pale as I had. He looked down at me, sorrow and anger present in his gaze. Sorrow at losing me again, anger for having to listen to our father. "So be it," he said. He leaned down for a moment so that his lips brushed my ear as he breathed words so soft I could barely hear them. "I am sorry," he whispered. "But what I am about to do will save your life." He turned back to the other elves. "Take her," he said, pushing me gently towards the main group. The dwarves were protesting my treatment, the younger ones glaring angrily at my brother and the surrounding elves.
One of the elves tied my arms behind my back, and although I was angry, my rage was not directed at my brother. He did what he had to do, and I would rather he be on my side than be alone. At the same time though, I felt my heart sinking down to my toes; I had all but given myself up on a silver platter, in front of an audience, with no way out. I sighed, my shoulders slumping, hopelessness overtaking me.
As we began marching along, Bofur turned around to face Thorin. "Where's Bilbo?" he whispered, having just enough time to speak before being turned around. Thorin's head jerked up and he looked around, but there was no sign of our hobbit. Hope bloomed in my heart; maybe, just maybe, we had a chance after all.
Kili somehow managed to shoulder his way over to me, and we walked side by side, his comforting hand on my shoulder to make sure I didn't stumble. "Why would you do that?" he asked quietly, brown eyes wide. "You could have gotten away…?"
I smiled softly, bumping my shoulder with his in a friendly manner. "And left you behind?" I questioned, tilting my head a bit. "Never."
He smiled sadly. "Thank you," he said, "For saving me. Again," he added.
I bit my lip, thinking about my promise as we continued our trek through the forest, which seemed to be growing lighter. "It's nothing," I finally said, ignoring the questioning glances from the other elves who seemed to be wondering why my brother hadn't released me. I recognized several of them as some of the elven warriors from that fateful day two centuries before, and from the respectful and ashamed looks they were giving me, I knew they remembered what I had done and both respected me for it and were ashamed of their own actions. It was well known that those who had followed me had been exiled.
Kili's hand squeezed my shoulder gently. "It's not nothing," he said, frowning. "I owe you my life, Princess."
I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent until we exited the trees, walking over a bridge that spanned the Forest River that cut across Mirkwood. "Close the gates," my brother said to the guards as the company and I were bustled inside.
We were led down to the dungeons of the Woodland Realm, each assigned a cell but for me. Tauriel stood, her hand on my shoulder, as the other dwarves were imprisoned, and I winced at their yells.
"This is not the end of it! Do you hear me?!" Dwalin bellowed, glaring at the guard who was striding away from his cell.
"Let us out of here!" Bofur cried angrily, his smoldering gaze softening for a moment as it landed on me.
The dwarves began throwing themselves against the bars of their cells as Tauriel led me to an overhang above the prison, and I flinched each time their bodies rebounded against the bars.
"Arhhg...again!" Gloin yelled.
Balin, the voice of reason, called out, "Leave it! There is no way out! This is no Orc dungeon. These are the Halls of the Woodland realm. No one leaves here, but by the King's consent."
As I watched, the keeper of the keys let Thorin out of his cell and led him up to where Tauriel and I stood before leading the Dwarf king and I to my father's throne room. I was visibly shaking, terrified, and Thorin placed a comforting hand on my elbow, keeping my body from freezing up. The guards held me back in the shadows as my father spoke to Thorin; I didn't know if he knew I was there yet.
"Some may imagine that a Noble quest is at hand," my father said, a smirk on his ageless face as he paced back and forth beside Thorin, "A Quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself, suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary, or something of that ilk," he snarled. He paused and looked down at Thorin, examining him closely. "You have found a way in," he concluded, sounding vaguely surprised, ignoring the glare Thorin sent his way. "You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The King's Jewel: The Arkenstone." Thorin glanced away. "It is precious to you beyond measure, I understand that," he said, turning and striding back to his throne. "There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight." His voice took on a longing tone. He bowed his head somewhat mockingly, allowing his eyes to droop closed. "I offer you my help," he said, smiling as though Thorin couldn't refuse his offer. My lip curled in disgust.
Thorin smiled wearily. To some it would seem as if he were considering. I knew him to be mocking, and I respected him for it even as my trepidation grew. "I am listening."
"I will let you go, if you but return what is mine," Thranduil said, his voice taking on a menacing tone.
"A favor for a favor," Thorin clarified, turning and striding to the edge of the platform.
I tensed, and my guard tightened his grip on my shoulder, thinking I was going to fight. In reality, I was concerned for Thorin: he and I were similar in that we both had fiery tempers. I knew that if the Elvenking didn't choose his words carefully, Thorin would blow up, sentencing the company and I to an eternity in the dungeons of the Elves.
"You have my word," Thranduil said, lifting his voice. "One King to another."
I closed my eyes, knowing that I would never be free again, but I opened them again as Thorin spoke, my heart swelling with pride at the authoritative tone his voice carried. "I would not trust Thranduil, the great King, to honor his word—should the end of all days be upon us!" Thranduil looked visibly shocked at Thorin's words, and I grinned darkly, glaring at him. It was then I realized how much I truly hated him. "You—lack all honor!" Thorin bellowed, turning around and pointing an accusing finger towards him. "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! May you die in dragon fire," he spat in his own language.
Thranduil stepped forward and bent down at the waist so that the two kings stood face to face. "Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin." He closed his eyes, gasping, as burns began to appear on his face, eating away the skin and leaving bone and sinew in its place. He opened his eyes, revealing one to be milky white and blind, as disfigured as the rest of his face. I took a step back, frightened, and my guard didn't stop me; perhaps he was as startled as I was. "I have faced the great serpents of the North." He stepped back, his face becoming perfectly smooth again, but I couldn't shake the memory of his skin dissolving from his skull."I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen." Thranduil walked up the steps to his throne. "You are just like him." He motioned for his guards, who grabbed hold of Thorin and held him fast as he struggled against them."Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an Elf. I'm patient," he said, bending down mockingly. "I can wait."
As he sat down, his words still echoing through the hall, my guard dragged me forward. I couldn't help but wish that I had had my audience first: I now was faced with two hundred years of anger bent towards me, plus the indignation of being called a coward by another king.
"Your Majesty," the guard said, giving me a push. "The princess was found with the dwarves in the woods. She claims to have been leading them through the forest when we captured them."
He looked floored, completely stunned that I stood before him, but his surprise almost instantly gave way to anger. "She is not a princess," he bellowed, "Not anymore." He stood from his throne and strode towards me, silver robes rustling. "How dare you show your face here?" he spat, sending the guards away. They scurried away, out of sight, and I almost called out for them to stay; I did not want to be alone here. "After you betrayed your people? You are fortunate that I do not order you to be killed on sight, Traitor!"
"You are the traitor, Father," I replied, fear creeping into my mind as he moved closer. My voice remained steady even as darkness began to whisper words to my heart. I tried to shake it off; I couldn't lose it, not here. "Thorin Oakenshield has good reason to hate you; you abandoned his people to death and fire!"
"I would not risk my people for his," he spat. "Does that make me a coward?"
"Yes," I replied softly. He looked me over, taking in my changed appearance and worn, muddy clothing; a far cry from the small elfling who once danced through these halls in her gossamer gowns and tiara.
"Why did you come back?" he asked, turning away from me.
"To fulfill to the promise I made to protect the dwarves," I replied softly. I flinched back as he turned around, rage written on his face. At that moment, I felt as helpless as I had in Dol Guldur, and the voices in my head began to grow louder, spurred on by my fear.
"Even now you continue to act as a traitor!" he bellowed. "You would help our enemy?!"
"They are not our enemy, Thranduil!" I yelled back as he turned his back on me. "The only ill will among our people come from the seeds you yourself sowed two centuries ago!"
"Do not speak to me like that," he warned. "I will give you a chance," he said suddenly, his voice sickly sweet. I recoiled, taking a step back. "A chance to gain your freedom."
"I'm listening," I replied, watching him carefully. My voice was as smooth and cautious as Thorin's had been. I saw Thranduil tense as he mad the connection, but he said nothing yet. His back still was turned to me, but we were close enough that we could touch if one of us were to reach out to the other.
"Go with the dwarves," he said, still facing the other way. "Watch and listen. When the time comes, take what is mine and return it to me. I will forgive your disobedience, and you will be reinstated as Princess of the Greenwood. You will be welcomed home. Think of it: you will have your brother's love again. You will have my love and favor once more."
"You would have me lie and steal," I clarified, disgusted. "And for what? My brother loves me; I have no need to earn his affection, and you have always hated me. I decline your offer, you coward," I spat, my voice rising to a shout as I switched to the common tongue so that all would hear and understand. "I am no longer loyal to you; I am loyal to Thorin Oakenshield and his kin, and I will never betray them!"
He yelled and swung around, backhanding me so hard I fell back onto the floor, unable to catch myself due to my bound arms. He strode over and kicked me, hard, in the chest. A sharp pain flared up from my ribs, and I wondered if I could have cracked or broken something on the stone. The entire left side of my face stung, and I felt blood trickling down two cuts on my cheek and above my eye. He knelt down and grabbed my chin in an iron grip, lifting my lower body off the ground. "Do not defy me, Traitor," he yelled as blood from my split lip trickled down my chin and into my mouth. "I could have you killed right now!"
I spat the blood out of my mouth at his feet, feeling a sick satisfaction at the way his face flushed with anger. "Then kill me," I growled. "You coward."
He grabbed me by my hair and the neck of my tunic and yanked me to my feet, then shoved my forward. I fell down the stairs, landing in a heap on the floor. My chest burned, and I recognized the feel of a broken bone. He followed me down and lifted me up again before shoving me into the arms of one of the guards who had rushed up when the king had begun yelling. This guard gripped me roughly; he was one of those loyal completely to the king. "Throw her in the dungeon!" he yelled, watching as I was dragged away. "Since her alliance lies with dwarves, she will rot with them. I will speak to her later and see if her allegiance changes!"
Once we reached the dungeon, the guard unlocked one of the cells and threw me inside, locking the door behind me. Strong arms caught me as I fell and lowered me to the ground, and I heard familiar voices asking questions from outside the cell.
"Is she alright?"
"Is she hurt?"
"What did those bastards do to her?" Dwalin bellowed, who apparently had caught sight of me from his cell as I was dragged past.
"Aeyera, are you alright?" Kili asked. I opened my eyes, one of them rapidly swelling shut, to see his concerned face staring down at me. He gently probed the area around my cuts and I hissed in pain, unable to push his hands away because of my bound hands. "Mahal, Princess," he whispered, horrified. "I though elves were…"
"Civilized?" I offered, my voice sounding strange because of my split lip. I was having trouble breathing; my ribs were either broken or very badly bruised. I coughed, still trying to regain my breath from my fall down the steps. "Kind? Honorable?"
Kili nodded slowly. "Yes," he whispered.
"Not to traitors," I said softly. I closed my eyes. "Not to me."
He helped sit me against the wall before moving to the door of the cell and looking out. The first elf to walk by was Tauriel, and he stopped her. "Wait!" He called.
She stood still, looking at him curiously. After a moment, her gaze slipped past to me, and the color drained from her face. She hurried to the door and knelt down, looking over at me. "What happened?" she demanded, glaring at Kili as if he was the one who had hurt me.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied angrily, slamming his fist against the gate. "A guard threw her in here looking like someone had beat her!"
Tauriel looked stunned, and her fair features were paler than usual. "I-I don't—" she stammered, dumbstruck. Clearly she hadn't thought my father would resort to striking me.
"Bring me a cloth and some water, and some bandages," Kili told her, looking back at me. When he turned back to see that the she-elf hadn't moved, he lost his temper. "Please!" he yelled. Her amber gaze flicked up to his face, and she nodded. A second later, she was gone. He knelt down beside me and turned me around, fiddling with the tight knot in the rope.
"I have a knife in my boot," I offered, wincing at the pain in my chest.
He nodded and reached over to my boot, pulled the knife out, then began sawing at my bonds. A moment later, a snap sounded through the cell as the ropes fell off. I sagged against the dwarf prince in relief as Tauriel appeared holding what Kili had asked of her. He took them, nodding his thanks, and knelt down with my head in his lap as he began gently washing the blood off my face. I winced as the cloth made contact with the cut and he gripped my hands with his free one, murmuring comforting words to me as he worked.
"Thank you," I whispered. I was exhausted. This place was second only to Dol Guldur in the line of places I hated the most.
"Of course," he answered, his voice tired and angry. "Why would he beat you?" he asked after several minutes. Tauriel had long since disappeared, and we were alone.
"I called him a coward," I said slowly. "He asked me to betray you, I refused. He hit me, and his rings cut my face. I landed on the stone, and I couldn't catch myself because of my bound arms. He—" I swallowed. "He kicked me, then my fa—" I corrected myself. "The Elvenking told me that he could have me killed right then, so I told him to do it, and I spat at him. He threw me down the stairs. After that, he sent me back here."
Kili had sat frozen throughout the story, and his skin had gone completely pale. He looked horrified, more so than when I had told him of my imprisonment in Dol Guldur. "I'm sorry," he said morosely. "I can not imagine any parent treating their child in such a manner, especially their daughter."
"Why a daughter?" I asked as he pressed a bandage against the cut on my cheek, gently smoothing it down.
"Because it is very rare for a daughter to be born of the dwarves," he said. "Less than one third of all dwarves are women, and therefore any dwarf lass is considered a true gem; a treasure."
"What of male children?" I asked curiously as he ran the cloth over my split lip. I tried to think of anything other than the growing pain in my chest; I even attempted to breathe less, but it only made my vision turn black. I bit my lip to keep from crying out as Kili's hand accidentally brushed against the place where my bone was undoubtedly broken.
"Because many dwarf women do not marry," he explained, "it is not often that any dwarflings to be born. But since there are two dwarf lads for every lass, the lasses are protected and hidden from harm more often that the lads, although all children are prized." I nodded in understanding. "This is why I do not understand why your father would treat you so badly."
"I goaded him into it," I groaned, trying to move. When Kili opened his mouth to protest, I shook my head to stop him. "I do not offer this as an excuse for his behavior," I said, "but as one explanation. Another is that the same sickness that seemed to affect Thorin's grandfather affects Thranduil, except that he longs for gems of starlight instead of for gold."
"Mithril," Kili said, understanding dawning in his gaze. "True-silver."
I nodded. "Yes."
"That still is no excuse—" Kili began ranting, anger in his voice, but before he could express all his anger, footsteps began echoing through the halls. Moments later my brother appeared with the keeper of the keys, his face pale and drawn.
"Aeyera," he said, his voice breaking as he motioned for the guard to unlock the door. "Open it, now!"
Kili placed his hand protectively on my shoulder, glaring up at my brother. "What?" he growled. "Are you here to beat her too?"
Legolas froze, eyebrows furrowing together. "What are you talking about, Dwarf?"
"I'm talking about your father beating her before throwing her in here!" Kili's voice rose to a shout, and my brother's face turned ashen. His pupils dilated in fear.
"I would never hurt my sister," Legolas whispered. "You have my word. I came to see her because Tauriel said she was hurt."
"Don't touch her," Kili barked, his glare so deadly that my brother nearly left him alone.
"Kili," I whispered, placing my hand on his arm. My chest hurt so badly that I could barely stay awake. "It's okay, he's telling the truth. He would never hurt me." I coughed suddenly, my whole body convulsing as I did so. Tears poured down my cheeks. My chest was on fire, and I cried out as I coughed, struggling to keep from doing so again.
Legolas knelt down beside me as Kili pulled my head back into his lap. He placed his hands on my ribcage, pressing gently on each rib. When he reached the fifth one, I screamed out in pain, lurching backwards into Kili's chest.
"Hold her shoulders," Legolas said to Kili. "Her ribs are broken; I need to set them. Bite on this," he said, pulling an arrow from the quiver on his back. I did so, squeezing my eyes shut and gripping Kili's hand tightly. "Look away," Legolas demanded, glaring at Kili. The young dwarf obeyed as my brother pushed my tunic halfway up my chest, exposing my ribs but not uncovering anything that would otherwise need to remain hidden. "One," he said. "Two—" I turned my head, biting down on the arrow as my brother's fingers pressed down on the bone. "Three!" I shrieked as the bone snapped into place, nearly breaking the arrow apart with my teeth as I arched my back in an attempt to get away. Kili and Legolas held me down, one of the first times an elf and a dwarf had ever worked together. This was repeated twice more, and then my brother wrapped the area around the ribs tightly with bandages, which wound around my back and front, until they were held securely in place. He pulled my tunic back down, covering the bandages once more. "I do not know why the king would do this," my brother said in a menacing tone after my tears had subsided. "He usually is not like this."
"You have been fooled, brother," I gasped out, still gripping Kili's hand tightly. "The man you call Father is a tyrant. He exiled me for trying to save a people from fire. He beat me when I returned on a quest for redemption. And he will keep me here and continue to torture me because he thinks that I will give him what he wants. I will not serve him, Legolas. He knows this, deep down. He will kill me, brother." The two companions remained silent and I lay quiet, drifting in and out of dreams.
After a long time, Tauriel's voice echoed through the prison. "Legolas, your father demands your presence."
My brother stood, unlocked the gate, and then locked it again once he was outside. He tarried for a moment, his hands resting on the bars of the cell. "Do not let her move around," he told Kili. "And under no circumstances do you allow her to leave this cell. I do not want her getting hurt."
"I would die before I let anything happen to her," Kili said, his voice strong and bold and honest.
Legolas searched him for a moment before he nodded, an odd combination of understanding and confusion in his gaze. "I know."
