Thranduil looked at me, stood up and left. I became very concerned. First he would never just leave me without a word and I just got my memory back, this wasn't exactly the happy ever after I was hoping for. I was left in the library alone, but I was overwhelmed with curiosity. I got up and silently snuck out and saw that not only were the guards not around but the halls were dead silent. Wondering where everyone was I stumbled into the throne room and sat behind the staircase, undetected. I could hear Thranduil's voice although very faint, but he was not alone. Someone else was talking and who ever it was sounded very angry. I slowly got up and lifted my head to peek over the side.
To my surprise it was a dwarf. He had long black hair and looked very serious. I was wondering what was going on but I was not going to interrupt. Instead I figured I would talk it out of Thranduil later. The guards came at Thranduil's signal and took the dwarf away. I'm not sure what it was but it made me very upset to see how they treated him. They treated him more like a prisoner than a guest and for all I knew the dwarf did nothing wrong. I followed the guards to the dungeons where I spotted multiple dwarves in cells. I counted and came to 13 dwarves, this was surely strange.
"What are you doing?" Thranduil asked me.
I turned in surprise at the sound of his voice.
"Why are you hiding things from me?" I asked him.
"Because I do not want to concern you with these things," he whispered.
I placed my hands on my hips as I said "And what have these dwarves done that they deserve this treatment?"
I have not seen Thranduil so stern and isolated in himself. There must've been a past connection or something that caused such a rift between him and these dwarves.
Thranduil sighed at my words and slowly my heart was hurting that he would hide things from me.
"You can tell me anything, but please just let them go," I said looking up at him.
"Mireth...I can't," he said trying to hug me.
I backed up and approached the cell where the dwarf with the dark hair was just locked in. I looked around and could see them all looking at me, but their faces seemed sad.
"Then lock me in there with them!" I yelled.
I knew I was making a sense, but that was exactly what I wanted to do. No matter what I was going to let them go. They had done nothing to harm anyone, but if they had that is a different story.
"Mireth! Gwaem!" Thranduil yelled, turning around.
"No, you come now and let them go.Dôl gîn lost. An ngell nîn," I said trying to negotiate with him.
"Try to understand where I'm coming from," he said.
"How can I when you won't let me? How do you expect me to know when you tell me nothing! Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniathog," I said looking down.
Thranduil seemed now not only upset but broken, seeming to be thinking and arguing with himself.
"I'll grant your wish, after all you were never given a proper bed, were you? Maybe you'll feel more comfortable in a cell alongside your new friends," he said.
The guards followed Thranduil out and I sat there back against the wall looking at the dwarf who was in there with me.
It was hard because I did not know what to say and he seemed hard to talk to, but he eventually spoke.
"We do not need your sympathy," he said in a deep voice.
"And I do not need yours," I responded.
We sat there in silence before I had the courage to speak up. Although my memories had returned and some memories of the knowledge I had of dwarves I was very curious as to who he was, since he had a very mysterious persona around him.
"What's your name?" I asked causing him to look up.
He glared at me.
"I'm Mireth," I said smiling, but he didn't budge.
"I've been living the past years without memory of who I was. Most of my life I was living as someone else. It's difficult but things happen as they will," I whispered.
There was silence once more until he said "Thorin."
"What?" I asked.
"Thorin Oakenshield," he said looking up.
The name ringed in my mind for a moment and then it clicked, Thorin Oakenshield. I knew who he was and now I understood why Thranduil was so hostile towards him. I felt a little stupid that I didn't notice before and Thranduil was justified in his emotions, but at the same time he did not tell me. When we were in the library and he left, he did not bother to say anything to me. I was kind of pleased to be in that cell with Thorin, now was my chance to get to know him. Although Thranduil may have a deep hatred towards dwarves maybe Throin and these dwarves were different. Maybe there was some way I would be able to reconnect their people.
"He's not that bad of a person ya know," I said to Thorin.
He automatically knew who I was talking about and anger seemed to radiate through him.
"I would never associate with a traitor like him," he said with a loud voice.
"I understand, but other than the past do you have any reason to hate him?" I asked.
"There is no other reason I need but the past," he answered.
He seemed like he would never let the past go, so I knew it would be harder than I thought. The only other way to establish some kind of level ground was to set them up. I spent the rest of my time in the cell thinking of a plan and before I knew it I had everything thought out.
A hobbit came and released the dwarves but I told them I would cover for them. I walked back up and towards Thranduil's room. I knocked silently, knowing what I had to do: apologize.
As much as it pained me to apologize I had to do it if I wanted my plan to work at all.
"Thranduil?" I asked.
He was laying in bed and was staring right at me as I entered the room. He remained quiet as I sat next to him.
"Gwestog?" I asked him softly.
"Promise what?" he asked in an annoyed voice.
"That you will never hide things from me," I said looking into his eyes.
"What kind of question is that?" he asked.
"One that is bothering me," I whispered.
He placed his hand on mine as he said "You know I would never hide things from you unless I had to."
"I want to share your pain. If anything is bothering you, I want you to tell me," I said "I'm here so you won't have to go through those things alone," I said.
"I feel like you're saying all the things I'm supposed to say," he said laughing. "Mireth, Gi Melin. Goheno nin."
"Hmm.. Ú-iston," I said smiling.
"I'll prove it," he said getting out from under his blanket. He slid towards me and I leaned back. He brushed my hair back and gently kissed my forehead.
"That's it?" I asked him, disappointed.
"You'll have to stay here and find out," he whispered in my ear.
I laid there heated by the warmth of his body next to mine. I watched as he peacefully slept and I couldn't stop thinking about how if my plan didn't work then I would have betrayed him. Am I willing to risk it? There is no turning back now.
I turned so my back was to his, but he pulled me closer as he whispered "I'm never letting you go."
A tear slowly fell down my cheek but I wiped it and closed my eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
What is her plan, I wonder? Well I'm going to put up the next chapter as fast as I can but make sure to leave a comment. Oh I almost forgot, here are the translations since I put a lot more elvish in this chapter:
Gwaem: Let's go
Dôl gîn lost: Your head is empty
An ngell nîn: Please
Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniathog: I can say what I wish and you wont' understand me
Gwestog?: Do you promise?
Gi melin: I love you
Goheno nin: Forgive me
Ú-iston: I don't know
