A/N - Apologies for the hiatus. Fundraising and motherly duties side tracked me, but I've got a couple of chapters written up. I've actually got more chapters written up but I'm not entirely happy with them so I will be spending some time working on them to decide what I'm hating so much about them!

Enjoy


Chapter 9

They entered Mirkwood, following the paved path that started at the Elven Gate. Thorin lead the way, leaving Valisilwen to follow up the rear. She had argued that she should lead, as her sense of smell and eyesight was far superior, but Thorin would have none of it.

She had followed them, watching their surrounds carefully. However, apparently she did not watch them carefully enough. She heard a noise behind them, raising her bow and arrow, but saw nothing. The forest appeared to be affecting her sense of smell, the musty smell masked everything.

When she turned back to follow the dwarves, they were no-where to be seen. She looked around incredulously, the path was still before her, but the dwarves and Bilbo were not. "These damned dwarves will be the death of me," she growled. She continued to follow along the path, in the hopes she would find them further along perhaps.

She had been walking for several minutes, and still she saw and heard no dwarves. She stopped and looked around again, sighing in frustration. How could they have wandered off so easily? The path was clear as day!

Suddenly, she heard whispering and the sound of trees moving unnaturally, like the branches were being forced out of the way by something large, in the tree tops. She quickly ducked to one side of the path, waiting and watching. When she could see nothing, she began climbing the tree closest to the path. "These dwarves will be the death of me..."

Once she got high enough, she began to notice the forest appeared to be plagued by spiders. Large spiders, if the webs were anything to go off. She looked down at the path, although she really wanted to follow Gandalf's orders, she had a feeling she would never find the dwarves again if she didn't leave the path.

She began carefully picking her way through the boughs of the trees. She was no elf, but she could still make herself almost invisible when she needed to, thanks to Elladan and Elrohir always trying to annoy her while they were growing up. Wasn't that a blessing in disguise these days.

As she moved along she came across a large gathering of large spiders, they were easily as big as her, if not bigger. They were all looking down towards the ground. She peered down.

'Those bloody dwarves!' she thought to herself. They were surrounded by the spiders. She quickly drew back her bow string, knocking an arrow and firing. She killed a spider instantly that was inching towards Fili. She continued to fire at the spiders from her perch amongst the trees.

"Get them!" Thorin shouted. The dwarves began to fight back, managing to still have all their weapons.

Bombur was knocked to the ground by a spider which then stood over him, trying to bite him.

Several of the dwarves ran forward. "Grab a leg!" They grabbed a leg each. "Pull!"

A moment later they had pulled the legs off the spider, causing the dismembered body to fall on top of Bombur.

The dwarves continued to fight their way through the spiders, trying to find a safe place to escape. Valisilwen continued to shoot at the spiders. She heard a cry from ahead. "Kili!"

She quickly ran forward to see a spider had grabbed Kili, taking off away from the dwarves. The dwarves began to run, having defeated all the nearby spiders, chasing down the spider with Kili clutched between its mandibles. Valisilwen hurried after them through the tree tops, but now the other spiders had spotted her too and some began to make their way toward her.

More spiders dropped down in front of the dwarves, hissing at them, cutting off their only exit. Thorin raised his sword, ready to fight, but paused and looked up, catching Valisilwen's attention as she disposed of another spider that got in her way.

A blonde elf appeared through the treetops, then swung down a spider's silk in order to land on a spider, killing it with an arrow to the head. He then slid along the forest floor under the spider facing Thorin, slicing it in half and came to a kneeling stop before him with an arrow knocked in his bow and pointed at his face. Several other Mirkwood elves appeared, drawing their arrows and pointing them at the dwarves.

"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure."

Valisilwen saw this, and tried her best to hurry to help them but was hindered by the onslaught of spiders.

"Help!" Kili shouted, as the spider continued to try and drag him away, reminding her that he needed saving. She drew her swords.

"Kili!" Fili yelled, the panic evident in his voice.

Valisilwen hurried, diving forward and catching a spider's silk, she swung down, slashing three spiders as she went with her sword, before landing on the spider that had Kili, with her sword piercing through its abdomen. She then threw one of her knives at several that tried to attack as she pulled her sword from the spider that had held Kili, more spiders hurried after them. Valisilwen crouched, ready to receive their attack when she caught sight of a red haired elf hurrying towards her. It fired arrows at several of the spiders behind them, giving Valisilwen the opportunity to attack those in front of her.

The elf, a female, landed by Valisilwen, also dispatching of two spiders, before turning and killing another behind her. Yet another spider rushed at Kili as Valisilwen was occupied with two rather large ones. "Throw me your dagger! Quick!" Kili shouted trying to back away.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!" the elf hissed killing a spider before her. Valisilwen and the elf then both turned, throwing knives and killing the spider that was attacking Kili.

Kili scrambled to his feet, staring at the two creatures who had saved him in amazement, moving away from the dead spider.

Valisilwen leapt over the tree root between her and Thorin, landing before the blonde elf, bringing her sword down, only to have it blocked.

The blonde elf blinked as the two swords impacted, his baby blue eyes staring at her in surprise. Valisilwen looked to her left to see another elf staring back at her, his sword between her and the blonde elf.

"Drop your sword, we far outnumber and out skill you all," the darker haired elf commanded. His green eyes looked determined.

Valisilwen screwed up her nose. "I really think that is a matter of opinion." The dark haired elf looked stunned at her response, glancing at his blonde companion. She straightened and removed her sword from her opponent's. "However, I won't risk the well-being of my companions," stepping away and sheathing her sword.

"Search them," the blonde elf commanded. The elves approached the dwarves and Valisilwen. She held her hands in the air, looking bored as they began taking her weapons. She looked around, Bilbo was no-where to be found. The clever little hobbit was proving more and more to be quite adept at going unnoticed. She heard Gloin protesting as the blonde haired elf took something from his pocket.

"Who is this? Your brother?" the elf asked snidely.

"That is my wife!" Gloin exclaimed angrily. Valisilwen pressed her lips together so as not to laugh. Even she could see the funny side to such a comment. She turned to watch as an elf took two knives from Fili. He caught her eye and winked, as the elf took another, then another, and yet another. He sighed when the elf even found the one in a hidden pocket.

Valisilwen's attention was caught by the blonde speaking in elvish to the flame haired female elf who had assisted her earlier. "Are the spiders dead?"

"Yes, but more will come. They're growing bolder."

Valisilwen was careful not to look at the elves talking, instead watching as Fili opened his jacket to the elf searching him, showing that he had no knives left, however, the elf lifted his hood and found another. She smirked as the elf that searched her, the dark haired elf from earlier, took her swords, her throwing knives, bow and quiver.

"Anything else?" he asked her, handing her weapons off to another elf.

She held up her gloved hands with a smirk. "You forgot these."

He raised his eyebrows and smirked, making no effort to hide his amusement. "Fair hands such as those could not be deemed dangerous, surely, my lady." He said before turning and walking away. At least he had a sense of humour. Valisilwen scowled slightly.

The elves took the weapons to the blonde and flame haired elf. Clearly these two were their leaders. The blonde elf picked up Thorin's blade, Orcrist, from one of the piles and inspected it. "This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin." He turned to Thorin. "Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"It was given to me," Thorin replied curtly.

The blonde sneered in disgust. "Not just a thief, but a liar as well."

"He is no liar," Valisilwen spoke up. The two leaders and the dark haired elf turned to look at her. "He tells the truth, I sense though, it would matter not what he said to you. You have already made your own conviction of us all."

The flame haired elf looked at her in amusement, a slight smile appearing on her face. The blonde, however, looked at her darkly. "And you, why is it you travel with a company of dwarves?"

"Sightseeing," she replied, not impressed with the tone he used.

The blonde elf narrowed his eyes at her. Clearly he was trying to decide whether she was serious or jesting. "Take them!"

The elves began to lead them away, Valisilwen trailing behind the dwarves with the dark haired elf keeping close, his bow in his hand and ready.

They led the company into the Woodland realm. Valisilwen looked around, this part of the forest was not sick, the trees were tall and their leaves golden. As they crossed the bridge, the water sparkled beneath them, it was quite a pretty sight. Like Imladris, this place was clearly touched by the elfkind.

They passed through a gate where two guards stood. "Close the gate," ordered the blonde elf. Valisilwen stopped for a moment, sensing something behind her that didn't feel quite right. She turned to look across the bridge, her ears picked up what sounded like something small, running, disrupting the air on the bridge, but when she looked, there was nothing.

The dark haired elf pushed her forward, gently, no malice shown in the action. "Come on." She raised an eyebrow at him, surprised at the lack of malice in his touch, but continued on.

They were led through wooden walkways that passed through the tree roots inside a cavern beneath the earth. The younger dwarves looked around the cavern in wonder, while the older dwarves stared ahead, looking to what was before them, darkly.

Valisilwen saw an elf upon a great throne, his hair and face reminded her of the blonde elf who commanded the group of elves around her and on his head he wore a crown. Ah, so this was the King of Mirkwood, the blonde elf his son, Legolas.

The King waved a hand toward the dwarves and all but Thorin were soon being shoved into a different direction to Valisilwen. She watched as they were led away, Kili and Fili shouting to her, trying to return to her. She couldn't help but smile at their dismay, feeling somewhat flattered that they thought she needed protecting.

She felt an arm on her shoulder, looking to see the dark haired elf standing beside. "If you would follow me, please?"

She looked at him in confusion, but allowed him to lead her away from Thorin, with two elves following behind her. So they were taking her joke about her hands with a little truth. "Why am I not going with the dwarves?"