*WORDS IN ITALIC IS ELVEN SPEECH*
Haraldur enters the the forest behind Balin and almost immediately is hit with a sense of dark magic and an oppressing feeling, as if the very air lay heavy upon him. He looks around concerned, not even the Forbidden Foreset felt this bad. He wonders what horrible creatures could be hiding in here, he shutters at the thought.
They continue to head deeper into the forest following the battered Elven trail. Every now and then, Haraldur casts the Point Me spell to make sure it still works. He wants to have a back up plan just in case they do lose the trail. They walk for hours, the deeper they walk into the forest the darker it gets. The Dwarves light torches but it draws the attention of giant moths, and other foul creature. Haraldur flicks his wand, draws his wand back and flicks it again while uttering the incantation.
"Lumnos Maxima!"
A blinding flash of bright white light from the tip of Haraldur's wand is produced. It illuminates the surrounding area for several minutes driving back the beasts that lurk in the shadows. Once it goes dark again, Haraldur utters another incantantation.
"Lumnos."
Which gives off just enough light for them to see that whatever was watching them has now fled. Haraldur keeps the tip of his wand lit while Thorin and Dwalin lead the way. After another few hours they decide to make camp. Since they can't light a fire without attracting the moths, they all eat dried meats and fruits rationing out their water. Haraldur is worried that they may run out of water before they run out of food, but he's fairly confident that he can produce more if he needs to.
The next day they begin their trek through the forest once again, once again Haraldur casts his Point Me spell to make sure they're still following the Elven Road. As they walk through the forest, it begins to feel like the air is becoming more oppressive.
"Air, I need air!" Bofur says.
"My head, it's swimming!" Oin declares.
They continue, for what seems like forever, down the Elven Road. Every now and then losing sight of it, but finding it again. Until they come to the enchanted river and a broken bridge.
"We found the bridge." Kili informs the others.
Bofur suggest that they swim it, but Thorin reminds him that a dark magic lies upon the forest and that the waters are enchanted.
"We must find another way across." Thorin tells them.
They all look around for ways to cross the river, when Kili notices the vines in the trees that go all the way across.
"These look strong enough." Kili says as he takes hold of one and is about to hoist himself up.
"Kili, we send the lightest first." Thorin tells him.
All eyes turn to Bilbo, but then they hear a noise behind them and Haraldur has already scrambled his way up the vines and is crossing the river.
Thorin looks on in horror, "Haraldur, come down from there right now!" Thorin bellows.
"You said that the lightest should go first," Haraldur says as he continues to cross, "I am the lightest one, don't worry, Thorin, I'll be fine." Haraldur says with a smile.
All Thorin can do is watch as the Dwarfling makes his way across, his heart in his throat as Haraldur nearly slips off the vine half way across. Deeming it safe the rest of the Dwarves begin to crosss using the vines. By the time Haraldur makes it across Bilbo and the others are already half way across, with Thorin in the lead.
Thorin comes to land next to Haraldur, "Don't ever do that again."
"But you said-"
"I know what I said, I didn't mean you. But since you made it across safely, we'll forget the whole thing."
Bilbo suddenly lands behind Thorin, they look off into the distance and see a white Stag. Thorin draws his bow, fires, missing it.
"You shouldn't have done that, it's bad luck." Bilbo says with Haraldur agreeing with him.
"I don't believe in luck, we make our own luck." Thorin says.
And as if he called the bad luck to them, Bombur falls dead asleep, landing right in the enchanted river. They haul him out of the river and are preparing to make a stretcher to carry him when Haraldur steps forward.
"I got this, Wingardium Leviosa," Bombur begins to levitate, they tie a rope to his foot in order to float him along like a big balloon.
They continue marching on until Nori calls for a rest. With that, Bilbo and the Dwarves sit down leaning against each other obviously affected by the magic in the air, Haraldur on the other hand is just fine. Thorin's brow furrows as he looks at the boy.
"Don't you feel ill, Haraldur, like the rest of us?"
"No, why, Thorin, should I?" Haraldur asks.
"The rest of us are being affected by the magic in the air, are you telling me that you're not?" Asks Thorin.
"No, I guess my magic is protecting me." Haldur says, its the only conclusion he can come up with.
Suddenly Thorin gets it in his head that he knows the way out, he tells everyone to follow him. He leads them off the path and into the forest, all the while Bilbo is protesting trying to get them back on the path. Thorin ends up getting them thoroughly lost.
"I don't remember this place, none of it's familar." Balin says as they desperately looking around for the path.
They continue walking only to end up going in circles, the whole time Haraldur is trying to get Thorin's attention, but with the fog in Thorin's brain he pays little attention to the Dwarfling. Until finally Haraldur has had enough, he kicks Thorin in the shin to get his attention. The pain from the kick to the shin brings Thorin out of his fog.
"Why did you kick me, boy?" Thorin asks kind of angry but not.
"I needed to get your attention, look I can find the path just give me a second." Haraldur pulls out his wand, "Point me to the Elven Road."
Haraldur's wand begins to spin around erratically then finally begins to slow down, it finally settles on a direction. Haraldur cheers in triumph.
Thorin pats him on the shoulder, "Well done, come on, this way!" Thorin yells for the Company to follow Haraldur.
They get back on the Elven road and continue on, only this time they are being followed. Thorin suddenly stops, an eerie feeling begins to crawl up his spine, he leans into Dwalin.
"Be on your guard."
Instantly Dwalin becomes more alert. "Why?" he asks.
"We being watched" Thorin informs Dwalin, he in turns quietly passes it on to the other dwarves who have now drawn their weapons.
Thorin bends down to Haraldur's level and whispers in his ear, "Be on your guard, Little One, we are being watched."
Haraldur starts looking around trying to see what could be hunting them now, then he hears it, the familar scuttling of legs above in the trees, he closes his eyes, trying to strain his hearing. He also hears the closing and opening of pincers. His eyes fly open when he realizes what they are, Acromantulas.
He turns to Thorin, "They're giant spiders, Thorin."
And right on cue the Acromantulas leap down from the trees, but they're not like the Acromantulas that Haraldur is familar with, they may be another form of giant Spider. Nevertheless they are dangerous.
The Company is being attacked from all sides, on the upside with all the shouting and screaming, Bombur has woken up. Bilbo and The Dwarves fight bravely while Haraldur starts sending out spell after spell.
"Arania Exumai!"
He keeps blasting the spiders back with a blue light that erupts from his wand, but they still keep coming closer and closer. Haraldur has no other choice, but to switch to his sword. He begins hacking away at the spiders that come near him, using all the moves that the Dwarves and Elves taught him to stay out of reach of the spiders. Thorin keeps trying to make his way over to Haraldur but the spiders keep blocking him, he soon realizes that the spiders are trying to separte Haraldur from the rest so they can take him.
"Dwalin, Haraldur is in trouble!" Thorin screams as his efforts to get to the boy are renewed.
Between Dwalin and Thorin they begin to mow down the spiders that are blocking their way. As they get closer they see the boy valiently defending himself using his sword. He is holding up well against the spiders until one begins to sneak up behind him, Thorin and Dwalin start yelling for Haraldur to look behind him. When Haraldur turns, he sees that it's too late the spider is about to bite him in half.
Haldur closes his eyes and waits, but nothing happens. He opens his eyes and sees the spider lying in front of him dead with two arrows sticking out of its head. Haraldur immediately recognises the arrow, Elves. Sure enough a large group of Elves appear out of nowhere and begin to lay waste to the spiders. They begin, so it seems, to help the Dwarves defeat the spiders, but when it's all over one Elf has his bow pointed right at Thorin.
"Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf, it would be my pleasure." A blonde Elf tells Thorin.
Thorin looks around and notices that they are surrounded. He pushes Haraldur to stand behind him, that's when he notices that Kili is not with them.
"Kili!"
Kili is being attacked by a spider and is unarmed. Kili is about to meet his doom when lucky for him a She Elf shows up to rescue him. She is able to kill all surrounding spiders single handedly. She then escorts Kili back to the others.
When they arrive with the others, the blonde Elf orders for them to be searched. While they are busy searching the others Haraldur quickly and descreetly casts the language spell on himself again. He hears the blonde asks the red head about whether the spiders are dead. She tells him yes, but there will be more and they are growing bolder. Haraldur finds it interesting that they are having problems with these spiders, where are they coming from? As they search Thorin, the Elves take Orcrist away from him and the short sword away from Haraldur.
*These are ancient Elvish Blades, forged by my kin.*
"Where did you get this? The Blonde demands.
"It was given to me." Thorin answers.
"Not just a thief, but a liar as well." The blonde accuses Thorin.
That did it, Haraldur was mad, he steps forward to stand right in front of the Elf.
"Don't you dare call Thorin a liar, he has no reason to lie. Those ancient Elvish blades as you call them were given to us by Lord Elrond himself. Who, incidentally, is also kin to the Elves of Gondolin." Haraldur says in a huff. The blonde looks at the Dwarfling startled, but it passess quickly.
*You, boy, how do you know our language?* The blonde asks in Elvish.
"Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindel taught me in Rivendell." Haraldur answers. It wasn't entirely a lie, they were teaching him before he left.
The blonde finds it interesting that Lord Elrond would teach a Dwarfling, their enemy, Elvish. Well… the enemy of Mirkwood, not of Rivendell. Rivendell has nothing against Dwarves.
*Search the boy.* The blonde orders. They come back with a dagger and a stick, the blonde picks up the stick and waves it.
"What's this?" The blonde asks.
"Just a stick that I play with, may I have it back, please?" Haraldur says nonchalantly, but on the inside he's quaking in his boots.
The blonde seems to be considering the request.
"Surely you don't think that a Dwarfling can harm you with a mere stick, do you?" Thorin asks in a mocking tone.
The blonde glares at Thorin, then hands the stick back to Haraldur.
"Put it away, if I see you with it, I'll take it from you, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir." Haraldur says, placing his wand in his pocket, thanking the Valar that he got to keep it.
After that the blonde elf orders them to move out. Bofur get close to Thorin to ask him a question.
"Thorin, where's Bilbo?" Thorin looks around and wonders the same thing as he is made to march along.
It's a long walk back to the palace and their progress is being slowed down by a tiny Dwarfling who can't keep up with the fast pace the Elves have set. Prince Legolas, as Haraldur finds out the blonde is called, is getting impatient. He call for a halt and tells one of the Elves to carry the boy, but the red head volunteers.
*Fine, Tauriel, you carry the Dwarfling.* Legolas says with a huff.
Tauriel kneels down in front of the Dwarfling, "Hello, there, would you mind if I carry you?"
"No, Tauriel that would be fine." Haraldur answers. Tauriel looks at him surprised.
*You do understand our language.* Tauriel says.
"Yes, I don't speak it very well, though." Haraldur informs her.
Tauriel laughs and swings the boy up onto her hip, marveling at how light he is. She was expecting him to be a lot heavier considering how sturdy he looks. Once that is settled they continue on to the palace, where they will meet King Thranduil.