Bold is elvish
GandalfPOV
It was a relatively calm ride to the edge of Mirkwood. The air was clean and the sun was out. But the closer we got to the wood the air smelled of rotting flesh and a dark shadow came over the land.
"It get's worse every time I go through." said Caldeon. She dropped off her pony and gazed at the desolate forest. She went to the gate and touched an ivy covered stone statue. She seemed to look around in the trees, searching for something.
"What it is?" Thorin asked in concern.
"Gandalf, where did the mocking birds go?" Caldeon said in a sad, dreamy voice.
"They flew away dear, those who stayed either died or are dying. It is becoming to dark in their home." I said, her eyes became depressed. She whistled a little tune then strained to hear something. A weak tweet came from under a leaf, she disappeared from our sight for a moment.
When she returned she had something cupped in her hands. "The last one." she declared softly. She placed the little bird in a pocket on her saddle. She grabbed her bag and let the pony go. "Beorn would want his ponies back." she said so the company followed by example.
I was just about to leave when I heard Bilbo say,"Are you not coming?"
"No my lad, I something to finish. Good luck to you all." I squeezed my knees to make the horse go. "Do not stray off the path."
FiliPOV
We had just crossed the river when I felt a wave of vertigo. It became difficult to walk and my head hurt making me dizzy. I ride to focus on what was directly in front of me. But I couldn't do it, I almost fell, fortunately I was next to a tree that caught my fall. "You ok?" Caldeon asked helping me to my feet.
"Yeah." I said rubbing my head.
"The air is getting to you isn't it?" she asked.
"I guess so. I feel dizzy, like everything is backwards."
"It's normal, even I have only built up a small amount of tolerance." she then whispered. "Don't tell anyone but I haven't gone through the whole wood by myself."
"You haven't." I said on disbelief.
"No. I usually collapse at some point, then Thranduil's men find me and guide me to where I need to go. We won't go through the whole way either without at least running into some elves."
"Why do you think that?"
"Mocking birds used to be everywhere, they would sing any song that you sang to them. They are beautiful, pure, and are like the canary in the mine. The less there are the more likely we are going to need help from the elves."
"You haven't told Thorin?" I asking wondering.
"When we get desperate I will. But even then what are the chances my father will actively seek help from Thranduil?" She said.
"None." I said flatly.
"And I can tell you that the chances that Thranduil will help us selflessly are the same."
CaldeonPOV
The days seemed to get longer and slower. The hallucinations got worse for all of us, I would see bright swirling colors and one day I was tariffed to see the company becoming undead beasts and I almost fainted.
One day we found that we had gone in circles the whole day. We were all so tired that we decided to take a break. There was something about that place felt out-of-place, it was cold and if possible the air was even stuffier. The spider webs were more concentrated. My hand-made its way to my bow I knocked it and this caught the attention of the company.
"What's wrong?" said Bofur, I hushed him. A small movement and sound caught my attention.
I turned back when I heard Ori cry out, I saw a large hairy black spider baring its fangs. I shot but missed because of a painful nip on my neck.
Saliva foamed in my mouth and my body went numb, I couldn't even feel my self hitting the ground. My eye sight started to darken, my only sense was my hearing because I could hear my father's yells.
The webbing was torn away and my eyes slowly focused but my body didn't respond."Caldeon! Caldeon! Dammit wake up!" Dwalin forcefully shook me into awareness. He picked me up and settled me on my feet.
The spider venom was still in my veins, being pumped through my body with every beat of my heart. It made my muscles burn with weakness and made my head feel like it was stuffed with cotton. When I fought the spiders, I fought on adrenalin alone.
I took my daggers and drove them into the monsters, they let out an ear piecing scream before dying. Thorin ran to me eminently to protect me (which I didn't need). Together we took down any spider that came close.
I stabbed my daggers into the beady eyes of the dark creatures. Terror came over me as I felt the hairy legs of a spider wrapped around, pulling me up. Thorin easily struck it down with Orcrist.
"This way! Run! Run!." he yelled. I ran and ran. Another spider was in our way. Thorin raised his sword defensively. A half moment later it screamed and died, a person slid down on the rope of silk, slid underneath a branch and appeared in front of my father's face.
With his arrow fixed at Thorin's nose he said," Do not think I won't kill you dwarf." he spat out the last word as if it had a horrible flavor. I recognized him as Prince Legolas. I stepped forward to counsel him but when I took a step the distinctive sound of creaking bows filled the atmosphere.
"Peace my friends." I said With my hands in the air.
"Caldeon." said the prince."Where are you going with dwarves?"
"I will not betray my friends' trust by revealing their destination." I small ring of mocking chuckles echoed around me, I tried to keep my head up even though I felt very insecure.
Legolas sported his own sly grin as he pulled the arrow away,"So you call dwarves your friends now? You were always a strange one." Then he said to his company,"Search them, unarm them, and bind them." I heard the grunts of the dwarves as they were pushed, prodded, and searched. I knew it would be easier just to hand over my weapons then to have them forced out of my hand.
I gave them my daggers and my borrowed bow and quiver to one guard. I was surprised when they bound my friends yet they left my wrists free of any restraint. "Why are my hands left unbound while all of my other friends must be tied." I asked.
"You are a messenger of Rivendell and a guest, you will have only a guard." Legolas responded.
I don't know why I did what I did next, I guess I felt as though my bond with Thorin was being denied or maybe I felt weak that I wasn't deemed a large enough threat that needed to be restrained. Another thing I didn't know was what this next action would do to me until much later.
"Well if you deem that my father should be bound, why shouldn't I, the daughter, not be bound?" I said.
When I said father another echo in common tongue rotated about us.
Legolas' eyes widened in curiosity. "Father." he said. I saw Throin stiffen and his eyes harden over Legolas' shoulder. Legolas followed my gaze and realization flooded his features. "Father." he repeated. He reached to find my braid, he rolled the bead between his thumb and forefinger and found the crest of Durin marked in the silver. This caught the attention of the company, they were surprisingly silent and still. Legolas leaned next to my ear and whispered,"You agreed to this?"
"Yes." I responded. He stepped away for a moment to speak with the captain of the guard Tauriel. After their discussion he grabbed a length if rope and bound my hands in front of me. Thorin started to fight three elven soldiers when I was lead away by a leash connected to my wrists. I knew he would get me or himself hurt if he continued,"I'll be fine."
"They are to return to the palace unharmed and unspoiled." said Legolas. He lead me to a clearing where a large beautiful elk stood in waiting. Legolas grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the saddle, he climbed on behind me and grabbed the reins.
"Why are you separating me from my friends?" I asked as the elk began to move.
"If you refused to reveal the destination of the dwarves what are the chances they will without any...encouragement. Let's see what Thorin Oakenshield will do to get his daughter back."
"So you're holding me ransom." I said knowing the truth.
"I guess you could think of it that way." Legolas said as if it was nothing.
"You're starting to sound like your father."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment and you know it." I said, I felt his arms tense around me.
I feel like the plot is going to go skyward from now on. Please review i like to hear what you say.
