A/N: Update! I don't have much to say. I'm writing as much as I can between school, work, and trying to make a relationship work. I hope you enjoy! It's kinda short, but I'm hoping to make the next one longer.

My body jolted awake. The only thing I saw was black. I pushed myself up, groaning at the pain that set fire again in my thigh. Leaning back on my hands, I looked to see where I was. It was a cell. I was laid on the only bench they had here. From the little light seeping in from the barred door I could see a pile of straw in the corner. After quickly scanning through the cell, the only thing that was in here was the straw and a tray of food in front of the door. I used my good leg to help me settle onto the ground and scooted myself forward.

On the tray was a loaf of bread and soup so thin one could pretty much call it water. I need something to eat though. My soup was finished in a minute and the bread followed close behind it. As I pushed the last little bit of bread into my mouth, I looked at my thigh.

After the initial shock, it really wasn't as bad as it could have been. Yes, I could see my muscle. Yes, it was still bleeding a bit. I couldn't see the bone like I initially thought though.

"That's right Wynter," I whispered softly to myself. "Optimism."

Sure the elf I was completely in love with didn't know me. Sure he had his own person he loved right now. So what if Gandalf was gone and I was separated from everyone? Who cares that my injury was deep. At least there wasn't a bone.

I grimaced at the forced optimism. There was nothing good about this. Slowly, carefully, I started picking the couple twigs and leaves that were stuck in the wound. Something sticky was near the bottom of it and it took everything I could not to scream. Pulling it out, I saw it was a piece of webbing. That was probably what I mistook for my bone.

"Harlot."

I rolled my eyes, hearing the voice I least wanted to. "I told you that's not my name. Not even my occupation."

"It matters not," Tauriel replied, "My king wants to see you."

I looked up at the elf. I sure hope he was willing to come down here or someone was willing to carry me because otherwise, this meeting wouldn't happen. Sadly, I wasn't in a position to negotiate…

And then I noticed something. Tauriel was whispering. Was it that late?

"How late is it?"

"Late enough for everyone to be asleep."

I looked at her confused. She stared down at me. "Are you able to walk?"

Shaking my head I replied, "I can barely put any pressure on it before it become agonizing. I won't get very far."

She sighed before opening the cell outward. Quietly walking around my body, she grabbed my left arm and put it around her shoulders. The elf started to stand and straighten. My body was lifted with her and we began the hobble out of the cell. She closed the gate once we exited and so began our track up the stairs. The view surrounding us as we went was beautiful. It was like the inside of a giant castle. There were platforms everywhere leading to different places and stairs… A lot of stairs…

Our whole way when we encountered stairs, it was time consuming. I hated those stairs. My body naturally wanted to stable itself with both of my legs and so my leg would touch down. The elleth took us to the edge of the tree, dragging me along side her up a walkway. There were doors periodically on the side and we kept climbing higher. By the time we reached an ornate oak door, my body was burning and my head was screaming. Tauriel supported me as she opened the door and quickly pulled me through the door.

The first thing that hit me was the scent of the room. Pine and rain. My heart rate spiked as I scanned through the room. It was a large room filled with rugs, chairs, a fireplace and a desk. Across the room there was an archway that I could see a bed with a canopy. Chiffon looking drapes surrounded the bed. Between both rooms there were floor to ceiling windows, the half moon illuminating a figure sitting by the window on a bench. It was an ellon. Palpitations began as my mind went haywire. Sure Tauriel had said it was her king. That didn't mean Legolas wasn't here.

His hair shone silver in the moonlight, laying undone around his body. The elf was staring out the window looking at the sky. A goblet was in his left hand and he took a small drink from it before turning to face Tauriel and me.

"Bring her closer."

The ice in his voice sent shivers through me, stopping cold whatever anxiety attack that was about to form. Definitely not Legolas. The similarities between him and his father were striking. His eyebrows were darker and more defined, but the ears, the nose, the eyes. Nearly identical to his son, Tauriel dragged me closer, stopping a few feet away from the King of Mirkwood. His head nodded towards his desk, "Bring a chair for her to sit. You may leave after."

Tauriel dipped her head before leaving my body the responsibility of supporting itself. My knees buckled beneath me as my vision blurred. Before my legs could give out, Tauriel pushed me gently into the chair. I looked at the elleth. She nodded her head at me before leaving. The king in front of me looked me head to toe, taking another sip of his drink. Even after the door thudded behind me, he stared. After what felt to be an eternity, he stood gracefully. He paced casually around me.

"I hear from my Captain that you had a portrait of my son."

My body tensed. If he knew, does that mean Legolas knows? My body shook in fear at the prospect of Legolas knowing I had a drawing of him. Would it change our future? Could it change our future?

"Why was such a thing in your possession?"

I didn't know what to say. Telling the truth wouldn't do me any good. Either it would change the future or I'd be deemed a mad woman.

"It is interesting that a human girl would be in possession of my son's portrait, seeing as he has never stepped foot out of Mirkwood."

My breathing started to come in shorter bursts. He was painting me into a corner. He wanted information and it was information I couldn't give. It wouldn't matter what I would say right now, none of this would end well.

"Tell me," he stopped in front of me, "is my son in danger?"

I shook my head. His eyebrow raised, "I don't believe you. What I see is a human woman who is conveniently traveling with a group of dwarves. Dwarves who are on a dangerous journey, but from what I understand, you have no gain from it. What would persuade a young woman to leave her family to travel with no gain to a foreign land?"

"M-My guardian."

My mouth worked before my head could catch up. The elf's footsteps stopped behind me. My heart started racing as my voice kept pace with it.

"My guardian was traveling with them. He left us before we reached Mirkwood."

The footsteps resumed. "I do not understand what you think to accomplish by lying to me."

"I'm not. I was with my guardian."

"I'm sure you were with a guardian at one point. I do not believe they were traveling with you. Who sent you?"

"No one did."

"Except for whoever sent me here this time." The fuzziness in my head contributed. That wouldn't suffice as an answer though. Round and around the king kept walking. The pain in my thigh died down and my head started clearing up slowly. Finally the elf stopped in front of me. He took a sip of his goblet again before taking a couple steps back.

"Let me offer you a proposition then."

Proposition doesn't sound great…

"I will get you medical aid for your leg if you tell me why you were looking for my son. If not," the Elven King sat back on his bench again, "you won't be around much longer to be a threat."

My body clenched as words from my AP History teacher came back to me. One, if you have a time machine, don't go any farther back than the 1970's because you will die. Two, the number one cause of death before WWII was infection of sustained wounds. I glanced down at my leg, remembering all the twigs and leaves I pulled from it. If I told the King that I was in some convoluted plot to kill Legolas, though, I would still be killed. I bit my lip.

"I told you the truth and what I know. If you choose not to believe me, that's your choice."

The King frowned before shrugging. "If that is your choice than so be it. You will no longer be a concern in a fortnight at the latest."

-3rd Person POV-

Tauriel knocked at the study door, waiting to be called in. She had just finished taking the prisoner back to her cell. The girl's face was starting to become grey and as much as Tauriel tried to ignore it, she could still hear the girl crying as she left her in the darkness. Her cries stuck with the elleth. Whispered apologies and questions. Breaths coming in faster bursts.

King Thranduil's voice sounded from behind the door. The elleth stepped through the door, shutting it softly behind her. The blond king was at attention, peering down at the sketch found on the girl. His long fingers were crossed in front of his face as a hard look settled on to the parchment.

"The girl has been returned to her cell my lord."

"Did she say anything as you were leaving?"

"No sir," the Tauriel replied unsurely. "All I heard as I left was her crying."

"What did you say her name was again?"

Tauriel blinked, surprised that he had not asked the girl himself. "She said her name was Little Bird."

"It sounds much like a code name. Send out scouts to find out more about it. Maybe it will lead us to who she is in league with."

"My lord," Tauriel interjected, "I do not think her to be so naive as to give us a code name if indeed she was looking to hurt the prince."

"Or maybe it was given to throw us off her trail. If my son is in danger, Tauriel, I will not hesitate to go down every path to see that he is safe," the king stood with his goblet in hand. He took a long sip of his wine. And then another.

"Do we tell the prince, my king?"

"No." Thranduil turned back to his Captain. "He need not worry about this. Ensure he does not enter the dungeon without you or myself and the guards are not informed. We do not need rumors of this going around Mirkwood. If she is looking to hurt him, she would do it alone. Be sure none of our healers see her also. Her wound is more than likely to be infected and once she dies from it, the threat she holds will no longer be a concern."

Tauriel's gut twisted, unsure of her king's choice. As much as the king came off as cold hearted and stagnant, he did his best to care for those in his care. Even the occasional prisoner that appeared in their midsts…

Her prince could be in danger though.

"You may retire now Tauriel. You may also show up late for training tomorrow. It is already past the dead's hour."

Tauriel bowed her head, thanking her king as she did so. Her body did not move to leave though. Thranduil glanced at the elleth. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"My lord," Tauriel paused unsure how to continue, "gossip of her has already started circulating around Mirkwood,"

The King's eyebrow twitched. He moved to put his goblet down and turned to the Captain of the Guard.

"What are they saying?"

"Well, you saw the girl. She's clearly human in all the physical features, but…"

"Yes, I am aware."

"They think she is one of the Istari. Some have even gone so far as to suggest she is one of the Valar."

The king sighed. Mereth-en-Gilith tomorrow would only spur the rumors. Thranduil picked his goblet up again, forcing himself to sip the potent wine. Was there anyway for him to silence the rumors before they went too far?

"Change the dungeon guard. Choose only those who have proven to be secretive. I will find some way to promote a change in rumors at the Feast tomorrow."

The elleth nodded, bowing once more before excusing herself. Thranduil watched as the auburn left, contemplating how to disrupt "Little Bird's" rumors. Now in his sole companionship, the king gulped the last of his wine before refilling the goblet to the brim. At times like this, Thranduil wished his wife was still here. This would be a very long day.

A/N: We're gonna be using the book timeline for Mirkwood. So we'll be there about a month. I don't know if I should drag it out a couple chapters or do one long Mirkwood chapter. In short one long "fluff" chapter or multiple short "fluff" chapters. Any opinions? I hope you enjoyed! Review?