Chapter 12
Sigrid
The town was alive this morning with confusion and fear. The damage left behind by the orc pack caused many residents to take to the streets with gossip and dismay.
"I heard they were looking for the dwarves. Did you see what they did to Bard's house?" Touted one of the women of Lakewood to a crowd of people.
"Have any of you seen my father? He did not return home last night." She implored the group, but none of them seemed to know anything about his whereabouts.
"Child, perhaps he was killed in the attack. Have you checked the Hall of the Dead yet?" A somber fisherman questioned.
"My Da is not dead! He cannot be. I will keep looking for him, good day." She quickly hurried away, forcing back tears.
"I would not hurt to check Sigrid. That way we will know for certain." Tauriel said quietly.
"I will go. You two continue asking around, I will meet you at the ale house." Fili nodded at Tauriel and she ushered Sigrid towards the center of town. He took his leave of the ladies and went back to speak to the fisherman.
"He's alive. I know he is. We have lost so much, we cannot lose him too." She said softly as she pulled at the threads on her apron, trying to busy her hands.
"We will find him. Now, let us continue the search." The elf motioned and Sigrid followed.
Fili
The Hall of the Dead was a foul place indeed, and the smell coming from its chambers nearly overwhelmed him. He searched through the cavern for Bard, praying that he would not be among the corpses. Many of the dead were orcs, the reminder of the ambush the evening before sent a wave of anger through his body. "They tried to kill Sigrid and Tilda," he said to himself. "What kind of monster attacks the defenseless?" The scene of Sigrid nearly being stabbed by an orc blade caused his fists to clench and his jaw to tighten; if he had not stayed behind to tend to Kili, what would have happened to her? Surely she- and her siblings- would be in these foul halls. Thinking about her lying on the ground, still and cold, made him swallow hard.
He tried to force the thought from his mind as he continued to search through the dead. "He's not here." He said with relief. "Where could he possibly be then?" Suddenly, it dawned on him to question the steward of the town, perhaps he could be of some assistance. He pulled the door to the Hall shut tight and went to find the ale house.
Tauriel
She could feel the girl's desperation and remembered her own pain of losing her parents long ago; she thought about Legolas, and how he had been there to comfort her. She worried for his safety, as he left alone to pursue the orc pack. He was a more than capable and skilled fighter, but he was greatly outnumbered. She felt a stab of guilt over allowing him to go off on his own and silently prayed that he was alright.
"Sigrid, might I ask you a question?" She forced herself to speak, trying to divert her mind away from Legolas being in peril.
"Yes, anything." Sigrid said.
"How did you come to be acquainted with the dwarves?" She asked as she stopped outside the ale house.
"Da brought them into our home. He said that they needed our help, and that we needed to keep them hidden from The Master. They only stayed with us the one day, then most of them departed for the mountain. A short time later, Bofur knocked on the door and begged us to let them in, on account of Kili being sick." She explained.
"You seem so at ease with them, as if you've known them for many years." She smiled, trying to lift the girl's spirits.
"Well Bofur and Oin seem nice enough, and poor Kili is so sweet, despite being sick, so they made it easy for me to like them." Sigrid stated as she smoothed back her hair.
"And Fili?" She asked.
"He is kind and thankful. He never once left his brother's side when he was ill, his devotion is admirable. Plus he saved my life when the orc's came. I owe him much." Sigrid said softly.
"He's very protective of Kili, I do not think he approves of his brother with an elf." She found herself revealing much to the young woman, but Sigrid had a way about her that made her feel comfortable.
"I would not say that. Fili is just afraid for you two. He thinks the world is not ready to accept your love. But I think that more than anything, he wants Kili to be happy. Give him some time, he will come around." Sigrid allowed herself to smile as she remembered their conversation in the wee hours of the morning.
"Kili told me the same thing back in the dungeons of Mirkwood. I hope you're both correct." She keenly observed Sigrid as she spoke about Fili; noting how her face flushed and how she returned to fidgeting with her apron strings. "His eyes are quite intense. He seems very serious, much more so than Kili anyway."
"He does have intense eyes, but there is a softness about them too. He seemed so sad when we spoke about the two of you, as if he felt it his duty to protect you from the world. He is very selfless and he has the heart of a lion. He would make a wonderful king." She stared off at the mountain as she spoke.
Tauriel wanted to ask her more about her conversation with Fili, but was soon interrupted as the dwarf walked into view. "Here he comes, hopefully with some good news."
Sigrid
He walked with such power and confidence, his gait strong and forceful, and his hair was illuminated in the mid-day sun. She bit her lip as she tried to quiet the swimming feeling in her stomach, not understanding the strange sensations she felt when he was near.
"He is not in among the dead. I think it's time we questioned the town's leader though." He said as his eyes bore into hers.
She shuddered. The Master was conniving and unfair in his treatment of the town's people, but his assistant, Alfrid was worse. He was cruel and shifty; he always watched her when she was about town and as of late, he had made several advances on her that made her most uncomfortable.
"Where do we find him?" Tauriel asked.
"He is usually at his house this time of day. This way." She motioned to the others as she made her way towards the largest, grandest home in Laketown.
She held her breath as she rapped loudly at the front door, half terrified, but determined to converse with the occupants.
"Well what have we here? Ello Sigrid. Come to beg for the release of your father?" Alfrid sneered at her as he leaned against the door.
"My father is in jail?" She gasped. "Why? What could he possibly have done?"
"Any number of charges. He is a menace, a threat to the whole town he is!" The scoliosis afflicted man rampaged.
"My father has done nothing wrong and you need to release him now!" She could feel her anger building towards this wretch of a man, wanting to lash out at him, but knowing it would not help her father's situation.
"Well now, you have quite the little temper, love. I like that in a woman." Alfrid reached his hand out and tried to touch her cheek. She turned away quickly, but it was Fili who intervened.
"I'd keep your hands to yourself if I were you. Tell us why you jailed Bard? We want him released immediately." The golden haired dwarf imposed his will upon the cowardly man.
"Oh he's not getting out anytime soon. And you don't make the rules little man, The Master does and I'm his enforcer. He's going to rot in prison unless, of course, the lady and I can come to some sort of agreement." His eyebrows arched as he loomed over Fili, desperate to seem important.
"She won't be making any agreement with you, and you do not get to speak to her that way." Fili's eyes flashes as he reached for something hidden in his pocket. She quickly put her hand on Fili's shoulder to defuse the tension.
"Alfrid, please may we speak to The Master about the release of my father?" She implored, hoping she might be able to reason with the old man.
"I'm afraid The Master is not available right now. Plus I doubt he'd be willing to listen to the likes of you anyway." Alfrid's lip curled as he spoke, unmoved by her pleas. "Your father is going to stay nice and cozy where he is for a long, long time. If you decide you want to change that fact, then you know what you need to do. Until then, good day." He slammed the door hard, and the clap of sound caused her to jump back.
"I hate that man." She muttered under her breath. "What are we going to do now?" She said turning to her companions. "Where is Tauriel?" Neither had noticed that the fair elf had slipped away.
