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Chapter 25: Coming clear

Allie was restlessly tapping with her fingers on the wooden table. About an hour ago Tauriel had brought her here to this enormous guest chamber in the western wing of the Woodland Realm. Because the furniture was made for the elves, everything was far too big for her. Her feet didn't even reach the floor.

Since she was here as a royal guest she had servants to tend her every needs outside the door. They had placed a platter of various foods on the table and a jug filled with ice water, which looked clean and refreshing. It hadn't taken long until Allie had finished the entire platter. She had been so hungry and thirsty for days now that it felt incredibly good to not have that feeling anymore.

Now that she was all alone with her thoughts she couldn't help but worry about the rest of her company. She hoped that they were treated fairly in the dungeons. Allie knew elves well enough to know that they would provide them with enough food and water, so that was a small reassurance. Still it didn't sit right with her that they were stuck behind bars while she was free to do as she pleased.

Then there was the fact that it was still unclear where Bilbo was. She prayed that he wasn't killed during their capture and had run away. Or perhaps he was still here in the Woodland Realm, using that ring of his to go by unnoticed. Despite Allie liking Bilbo and wanting to see him again, she hoped that he wouldn't be close to these elves. They were indeed far more dangerous than those they had encountered in Rivendell. Bilbo wouldn't stand a chance against them if he was caught.

Allie had the journal that Ori had gifted her folded open in front of her and was studying the drawing the young dwarf had made. Seeing her and Bilbo in such cheerful spirit pained her because that hadn't been the case for weeks now. She missed being so happy around the Halfling. She just missed him which wasn't strange if you had developed strong feelings for someone.

She kept the journal on the desk and then took off her clothing, leaving only her shirt on as she got into the bed. The mattress was surprisingly soft and it wasn't difficult to find a comfortable place underneath the cover. Because Allie hadn't had a good night's rest in such a long she fell into a dreamless sleep within minutes.

Allie wasn't aware for how she had been sleeping, but she woke up from a constant knocking on the door and it was already light in her room. Still disoriented Allie got up from the bed and answered the door. One of those elven servants stood before her and held out a piece of parchment. "I had to give this to you, Milady." He bowed.

She looked at the paper.

Lady Fairchild,

I had received word that you are to be staying here in Mirkwood as our royal guest as long as the dwarves remain imprisoned. I am offering to show you around Mirkwood myself if you are interested to see more of the woods. If you are, do ask one of the guards to escort you to the courtyard.

If not I do hope to see you this evening during dinner. My father expects you to be here. I suggest that you do keep him as a friend.

Legolas of the Woodland Realm

Allie hadn't expected to get a note like that, and not from the Prince of Mirkwood. Still she figured that he would be pleasant company compared to his father. Allie didn't see in any harm in getting to see more of Mirkwood. She was stuck in here anyway whilst the dwarves were being captured. This way if Legolas showed her where everything was, she might be able to conduct an escape plan one day.

"Do you wish to get dressed, Milady?" the female servant asked her.

Slowly, Allie nodded. "Y-yes. Sure."

The blonde woman bowed. "Then we will help you." In came three more female servants. Allie was ushered into a chair in front of the vanity while the elven women took charge of her clothing and her hair.

There were some clothes in the nearby closest. Just like back in Mirkwood these clothes were obviously made for elven children. That meant that they wouldn't fit Allie perfectly because she had a different body shape, but for now it would do nicely.

The women had picked out a dress for her and helped Allie into it. One of them sang a merry song in the elven language that Allie couldn't understand, but it sounded very soothing to listen to.

The dark green dress existed of large bird feathers on the front. It had ferns and a silk bodice and long sleeves. There were twigs from the forest and thorns around her neckline, going down to her waist. There was also some fur to keep her warm.

Allie wasn't sure how many feathers the dress had but it looked like it was more than a hundred. The dress was truly astonishing and Allie assumed that this was something an elven queen or princess of this kingdom would wear. No commoner would be allowed to wear this.

When Allie was comfortable in her dress they focused on her hair. They first untangled her curls, which had gotten knotted badly from the weeks of not being able to brush it. The weather sure hadn't done her hair any good.

These elven women were incredibly skilled with her hair it seemed, for they were able to weave Allie's hair in a beautiful elven style way on the back of her head. It kind of reminded Allie to when Arwen had braided her hair, for it was a bit similar.

"You look very beautiful, Milady," one of the women said.

"You look fair enough to be an elf," the other added.

That made Allie frown. "I'm not an elf. I am proud of my heritage," she made clear. "Thank you. Can any of you show me where the courtyard is?"

The black-haired woman bowed. "Of course, Milady. Follow me."

Allie walked alongside the women out of her chambers. She studied the various elven architecture. This place wasn't as detailed as Rivendell was, but there rest some darkness on these woods and Allie could feel that it was sick. This place was grim, and there wasn't much light that shone through it.

Still there was something haunting and magical about this place as well. There were elves dancing and laughing and Allie heard the sound of cheerful laughter. The servant Allie was with had guided her to a courtyard. It was surrounded by large brown trees and there was a waterfall that came down in the center. It was a strange, but pleasing sight.

Allie thanked the servant as she saw Legolas standing near the waterfall. "Lady Fairchild," he greeted, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I wouldn't waste the opportunity of getting to know these woods better," Allie replied with a smile.

"Fair enough. I shall show you the wonders that Mirkwood has to offer," Legolas said to her. "I'd ask you to go out for a ride later today, but you're obviously not dressed for that."

"Perhaps another time."

And so Legolas began his tour of the Woodland Realm. He told Allie all kinds of stories about it as he showed her all the things that they could see here. He escorted her to the training ground, the library, the feasting area, and the hidden meadows.

While they walked Allie tried to memorize the route he had taken her, but since Mirkwood existed of so many different steps and paths it was becoming a blur inside her head. She doubted that she would be able to find her way around here if she were alone. It would take some time for her to get used to the paths.

When they went passed the dungeons Allie felt her hope fading. The prisons were quite a distance away from her chambers. There were many guards on duty outside. There was no way for her to sneak into it unnoticed.

The day basically went on like that and Allie had to admit that Mirkwood definitely had some charms left, despite it being sick. Legolas had guided her to all the admirable places that Mirkwood had and she had enjoyed seeing them.

By the time they had returned to the great hall it had the light had already gone. There were fires that showed them where they needed to go. As they entered the hall they found that the large dining table in the center had already been filled with all kinds of food.

There were lots of elves gathered around the table and Allie assumed that they were some sort of council. Allie took a seat next to an elven woman with gorgeous brown hair.

"Lady Fairchild," Thranduil greeted from the throne he sat in on the head of the table. "I'd take it you had a good day exploring Mirkwood." He was wearing a similar robe to the one he had worn the previous day.

Allie hadn't counted on the interest of the elven King, and hid her astonishment. "I did, Your Grace. There is some beauty still inside your kingdom," she replied truthfully. "Your son was kind enough to show it to me."

"Yes, Legolas is generous like that," the king responded.

Allie felt bold enough to ask him another question. "What happens to my kin?"

Thranduil didn't seem pleased with the mention and frowned back at her. "The dwarves will stay where they are until they tell me why they were trespassing in my land," he clarified, taking a sip from his wine.

"And what about me?" Allie asked. "Are you just going to keep me here like a pet?"

The elven king's lip twitched, but not in a good way. "You are not a pet, Lady Fairchild. We've only treated you just and with respect."

Allie took a bite from her salad. "That may be true, but I'm not allowed to go anywhere I please. Some people would call that imprisonment."

She heard some of the elves on the council gasp at the boldness of her comment. No one would dare to speak to the King like that and would get away with it. But clearly there was something different about Allie.

"I've told you that you are to stay here until I know why you and those filthy dwarves were here. You could just tell me now," Thranduil went on, but Allie simply glared at him. "Or not. See it's not up to me for how long you'll be staying here."

"Then why didn't you throw me in the dungeon with the rest of my filthy dwarves, as you call them," Allie said. "Why keep me here? I hope it's not because I'm a woman -"

"That's not the case at all," Thranduil almost snapped. "I wouldn't be so cruel as you dwarves claim that I am. You are bestowed with the title Elf-friend, which means that you are to be a guest in all the elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth. I can't throw you in the dungeon, unless you committed a crime."

"Didn't I trespass your kingdom?" Allie was a kind soul and it would take a lot to anger her, but the way that the elven king was behaving towards her and her kin caused her hands to shake with rage. She could see why the dwarves had so much distaste for him. Still there was a part in Allie that believed that there was a good side to the elf as well. She just hasn't witnessed it yet.

"Allie," Legolas pretty much scolded. "Enough with the questions. You are forgetting that you are speaking to a King."

Allie hadn't forgotten. She knew well enough to who she was talking. Allie saw that everyone was looking at her with a shocked expression on their face. Instead of making the entire situation any worse Allie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I do apologize, your Highness," she said, biting her lip. "I didn't intent to lash out. I just want to know what happens to my kin."

Thranduil took another sip from his wine, his eyes never gone from Allie. "It is as I said before. They will stay there until they tell me why they're here," he explained.

Allie decided to not delve any deeper into the matter because it would be pointless. There was no way that she would convince Thranduil into freeing the dwarves. He'd much sooner set them on fire or something. That's why Allie kept her lips pressed together, and said nothing more.

During the rest of the dinner Allie simply listening to the rest of the elves discussing political matters with each other which she didn't understand. It made her feel out of her element and Allie had never been so homesick to her kin before as she had now.

As soon as the dinner was over Allie returned to her chambers. Of course she was being escorted by some of the servants. They went into the room with her and helped Allie out of her dress until she wore nothing but a simple nightgown. Then they left and Allie was completely alone in the room.

At least that was what she thought. Allie wasn't aware that there was someone else, for she wasn't able to see this person.

"Allie," the voice said.

Allie gasped, spinning around and saw how Bilbo took off his ring and appeared right in front the vanity. His hair was slightly disheveled and his clothes were still covered in the cobweb from the spiders.

"Bilbo!" Allie exclaimed happily at the sight of the Halfling, wanting to pull him into a warm embrace. When she remembered that Bilbo probably wouldn't appreciate that, she stopped. "I'd thought that you were lost somewhere. What has happened?"

"When I heard the elves coming I put on my ring and managed to get away without them seeing me. I followed you all here. I saw that dwarves were being brought to the dungeons to the west. I found out that you weren't with them and I went to look for you. I honestly had no idea that you would be here amongst the elves. Why didn't Thranduil put you in the dungeon with the rest of them?"

Allie sat down on the bed. "I was bestowed with the title Elf-friend by the Lady Galadriel a few weeks prior. She had visited me in my dreams when we were in Rivendell and had given me a pair of elven daggers. Because of that title I am to be treated as an honored guest in all the elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth. Thranduil has to obey that. That's why I'm here surrounded by elves. I am not allowed to leave Mirkwood until he knows the purpose of why we're here," she clarified. "I don't like it at all."

"So you are just treated as a guest here?"

"Yes, I am," Allie replied. "The thing is that I hate being here by myself as a sort of pet from Thranduil while they are being held behind bars. It's not right."

"I do understand your concern. I visited the dungeons earlier today and saw that the elves have provided them with enough food and water," Bilbo explained. "They could be treated worse."

"But they're still being captured, Bilbo," Allie disagreed. "I'd hoped to see them, but it is impossible to get past the guards. I've checked it myself."

"There is one way," Bilbo said, earning Allie's curiosity. "If I were to take you there myself. You know that the ring can make us both invisible. That way we should be able to get inside the prison without anyone seeing us."

"I do like the sound of the idea. There's just one problem. I know for sure that the guards outside my door and the servants that are constantly passing through the corridor are to report my presence to Thranduil. If he'd noticed me gone who would know what he would do to the dwarves."

Bilbo was silent for a few seconds. "We'll think of something. I want to help you with seeing your father." His gaze then fell upon the drawing that lay on the desk that Ori had made of the two of them. Allie had forgotten that she had left it there and that Bilbo wasn't aware that she was keeping it. "H-how?"

"Ori made it of us while we were in Rivendell," Allie cleared up. "He gifted it to me last week because he saw that I liked it."

"We look happy," Bilbo said, studying the drawing.

"Yes. We were."

Bilbo put the drawing down, meeting Allie's gaze. He licked his lips and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Allie. I want to talk with you about what happened between us," he began shyly. Allie nodded for him to continue as he sat down next to her on the bed. They were both able to feel the tension shifting between them. For weeks now they hadn't done anything about this situation, and that was mainly because they were continuously surrounded by the dwarves. This was the first time that they were completely alone. "I know that what I did to you back at Beorn's lodge was wrong and I wanted to apologize for it. I regret hurting you like that because I have the feeling as if I've taken advantage of you."

Allie was a bit blown away by what he said. She looked down at her hands for a moment as she fidgeted with her fingers. "There is no need to apologize for that. I do appreciate you telling me this," she began. "You didn't take advantage from me, nor did you hurt me. I care about you a great deal and I've spent the last few weeks worrying myself sick that you'd hated me or something because I had ran away after the kiss. I didn't mean to do that. I was just so confused, it wasn't that I hated it at all. I've thought about it for a long time and I guess the kiss was simply meant to happen."

Bilbo's mouth hang agape. He wasn't sure as if he heard her correctly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Bilbo, I'm falling in love with you," Allie blurted out, completely astounding Bilbo. She saw his pupils widen at her words. "I mean it when I say that I don't want to imagine a world without you and the thought of you ever being with another woman hurts me. I didn't know what my feelings were at first for I had always cared for you ever since we met and as time went on those feelings developed into something more. You know about me and Nyad. What I felt for him was nothing compared to what I feel for you now. I'm head over heels for you."

Allie hadn't planned to speak about her heart so openly, and now that Bilbo was staring at her like that she kind of regretted saying it. Clearly he didn't feel the same way about her. Why on earth would he possibly reciprocate those feelings? She felt her hands getting somewhat sweaty as she waited for Bilbo to turn her down. Allie, you're such a fool. She had made a big mistake by coming clean to him.

"Allie," he began quietly, taking her hands. Her icy blue eyes nervously shifted to meet his gaze and Bilbo could tell that she looked slightly terrified by his answer. "You've no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that, Allie. To tell you the truth I've never came across a woman like you. You've fascinated me from the moment I've first laid my eyes on you. There is not a day that I don't think about you and for the last couple of weeks this has only intensified. I was fearful that you wanted nothing to do with and that you wouldn't return my affection. I even thought that I had scared you away with my actions. One thing I know for sure, and that is that I'm falling for you, Allie Fairchild. I am completely besotted."

"If you don't kiss me again I'll -"

Allie's words were silenced when Bilbo pressed his lips against hers, which was a welcome surprise. Her fingers threaded into the soft strands of his auburn hair as she eased into the kiss. The only thing she could feel were Bilbo's lips gently moving against hers, Bilbo's hand against her face and it felt as if she was walking on a cloud.

"Allie, what does this mean now?" Bilbo asked as she pulled back a few inches. He was able to see twinkles in her eyes and the blissful expression on her face. Even in the dim light in the room it struck Bilbo how happy she looked. He knew now that she had been hoping for this moment as much as him.

She placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Well... We've just confessed our feelings to each other, we shared a kiss out of our free will. I'd say that we were courting," Allie replied, playing with a curl from his hair.

Bilbo could only grin at that. "I'd like that, Allie." Bilbo then took his time to tell her about the dream about them being married in the Shire and raising his still unborn nephew together. "I have to say that after that my feelings for you only increased. Mainly because I wanted it to be true."

He had expected that he would scare her aware with his explanation of his dream, because they had only just expressed their feelings for each other. He didn't want to rush into anything and push Allie away. From the way that his heart was beating inside his chest he knew that he wanted her stay.

"Bilbo, we will see how things go," Allie replied, still she wasn't able to get that smile of her face. "We are not rushing into things."

"Of course," Bilbo agreed. He gently pulled away, making Allie's arms fall at her side. "It's getting late. I should leave you and -'

"Don't tell me that you were planning to leave?" Allie guessed. Bilbo nodded unsure. "There's no need for you to be sleeping somewhere on the ground. There is enough space for you here. Besides I would prefer it if you stayed here, with me."

Bilbo gulped, observing the bed that they were in. "I'd thought you wanted to take -

"Relax, Bilbo," Allie said with a giggle when she noticed him backtracking like that. "I just want to sleep and hold you. That's all that I need right now."

He couldn't disagree with that and gave in. Immediately Allie threw her arms around him again and that was all that Bilbo wanted.