Anna's hands were shackled and she was uncomfortably pushed along a bridge leading to the Woodland Palace. Anna's eyes widened as she was taken across a large bridge inside the kingdom. It looked as if the kingdom had been built around the forest, and nothing had been moved for it, they just went around.
The elves led the company to the dungeons, where they were locked up in the cells. The she-elf who had rescued Kili pushed him into a cell and he turned to face her as she went to close the cell door.
"Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers." Kili said.
"Or nothing." The elf replied, closing the cell door. Anna could feel Kale deflate slightly, before she was shoved into her own cell. The elf with the blonde hair went to return up to the halls above when he was stopped by a less than happy figure.
"Legolas, what in the Valar's name do you think you're doing?" The figure hissed, and the light in the dungeons dimmed.
"My Lady Kylie, these are trespassers on our borders." Legolas pleaded. Anna could make out the guards quietly slipping away from the two.
"So, the new elements and their companions are trespassers are they now?" Kylie grumbled angrily.
"My Lady, they have trespassed on our borders, if you want them released, you'll have to talk to my father." Legolas replied.
"What I don't think you realize Legolas is that Anna alone could burn down this entire kingdom from her cell if she wanted to but she hasn't. And why is that?" Kylie sneered, beginning to pace around Legolas. "Sebastian could make every tree in these halls manifest and attack your people. Willow could easily assist Anna in blowing the flames around to every corner of this realm, as well as destroying your peoples works with her powerful gusts of wind." Kylie continued, and Legolas's expression grew troubled.
"Kale could summon a giant tsunami and destroy everything, or flood the river and make the bottom floors of this palace unstable." Kylie added. "And well, I can make this entire palace grow as black as night, and I can talk to dead people." Kylie added. "So, I suggest you get convincing, before your father has to come deal with me." Kylie hissed, and Legolas quickly ran up to the other floors.
"Talk to dead people?!" Anna yelled angrily, glaring at Kylie through the bars on her cell.
"Why yes Anna, it is nice to see you too." Kylie joked as she walked over to Anna's cell.
"Who is this?! An elvish spy?!" Anna heard Dwalin yell.
"NO DWALIN! This is an old friend.." Anna yelled back, her temper growing short. "How are you even here?! I didn't dream about you dying!" Anna cried, grabbing onto the bars of her cell.
"That is because I can travel to both of our worlds without dying Anna." Kylie replied. Anna froze, and narrowed her eyes. "I am one of the original elements Anna." Kylie added.
"Y..You said, you can talk to dead people." Anna started. Kylie nodded, her face blank and emotionless.
"Since my element is that of darkness, it has allowed me to communicate with the dead." Kylie replied. "If a soul comes forward, I can speak with it." Kylie continued. Kylie looked at Anna, her dark gray eyes searching Anna's amber ones. "You have a lot of souls trying to speak with you." Kylie added.
"What?" Anna muttered, looking at Kylie.
"You do remember what Kale has told you about the war, do you not?" Kylie asked, her eyes filling with worry. Anna nodded. The company watched silently. Kylie's brows furrowed, and she paused. "Ethan is stepping forwards.." Kylie hissed, loud enough for only Anna to hear.
"What?!" Anna growled, standing upwards. "I don't think I need to speak with him at a time like this!" Anna added angrily. Anna then paused, a flame of recognition sparking in her eyes. "He is dead?" Anna hissed.
Kylie nodded. "He says he cannot find words to express how sorry he is for what he has done to you.. And is happy that you have moved on." Kylie muttered. Anna looked at Kylie in concealed shock. Anna's gaze was shifted when she saw Thorin being pushed down the stairs into the dungeons by an elvish guard.
"Mellon nîn, I will escort the 'prisoner' from here." Kylie growled as she walked over to the elf. The elvish guard's eyes widened somewhat in fear, and he nodded, handing the keys to Kylie and quickly skipping up the stairs. Kylie smiled at Thorin. "Even as much as I hate to have you all imprisoned, I can't exactly let you all go free at my whim. Follow me." Kylie ordered Thorin.
Thorin reluctantly followed Thorin to a cell where he stepped inside and Kylie locked the cell door. Kylie went back over and sat down on the stairs in front of Anna's cell.
"Another person steps forward.. I can not tell who.." Kylie muttered. Kylie's expressions changed from curiosity, shock, then anger.
"Kylie..?" Anna muttered.
Kylie leapt to her feet and a dark figure manifested in front of her. "I have allowed you to be seen, now what do you want?!" Kylie yelled, and Anna took a step back in horror. The figure moved around Kylie and she scowled at it. "You will leave her." Kylie hissed, and a mocking laugh could faintly be heard.
"You will torment her no longer!" Kylie yelled, and the figure screeched and disappeared.
"W..Who was that..?" Anna asked shakily. Kylie's eyes glinted towards Anna.
"Your killer." Kylie replied. Anna's expression went to pure terror, to some sort of relief.
"He is dead?" Anna asked.
"A..After your body was found.. They found your killer, but they could not lock him away as they did not have enough evidence, even though everyone knew it was him who did it. After the trial he was jumped and beaten to death." Kale replied quietly. Anna was silent for a moment, letting the information sink in.
"Anna?" Thorin asked, concern lacing his deep voice. Then, Anna began to laugh. It was a relieved, carefree laughter, and made Kylie smile.
"I see you're quite pleased with the news?" Kylie asked, and Anna smiled widely at her.
"What about mine?" Willow asked in a small voice, and the dwarves fell silent. Kylie slowly closed her eyes, and sighed heavily.
"He has not been found, they are close though." Kylie replied, opening her dark grey eyes to look into Willow's pale ones. Willow nodded solemnly, and sunk into the cot on her bed.
"Who is this?" Thorin finally asked, a hint of suspicion on his voice.
"I am Kylie, the original Element of Darkness." Kylie replied, walking over in front of Thorin's cell.
"Element of Darkness?" Thorin questioned, the suspicion in his voice raising.
"I am not evil, I just have the power to control darkness, and talk, along with interact to people who have passed on." Kylie replied. Thorin nodded, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Is there anything you can do to get us out of here?" Thorin asked.
"Though me and Thranduil are friends, if he decides to keep you in these cells, then so be it. I have learned not to question his orders." Kylie replied. "But if I can, I will get you out of here." Kylie finished. "You have my word." Kylie added. Thorin inclined his head in thanks to her.
"I should get back to the upper halls, the guards should be down with your first meal in a matter of minutes." Kylie said, before she skipped up the stairs leading to the upper halls of the kingdom.
Sooner or later, the situation that the company was in began to sink into the dwarves, and they began to bang against their cell doors, in hopes of breaking them down.
"Would you all stop that?! There is no way out of here, unless Kylie gets us out!" Sebastian yelled. Everyone froze, as it was the first time Sebastian had used that powerful of a voice. "Even if we were to break out we would be overwhelmed within minutes, this is no ordinary dungeon!" Sebastian continued, obviously angry.
The company was silent, until the guards came down with trays of food for the company. Anna popped a piece of granola into her mouth. Anna paused, before she began to pile the food into her mouth more rapidly, ravenous from the exhausting journey to, and through Mirkwood.
Anna's gaze crept upwards as she noticed Kylie slowly descend the stairs and unlock her cell. With a grim look, Kylie looked up at Anna.
"Thranduil wishes to speak with you."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Anna glared at the Elf King, her Amber Eyes piercing his cold blue ones.
"You did not get answers from Thorin, so you come to me?" Anna hissed mockingly, a smirk lacing her lips. Traces of a scowl crossed Thranduil's face.
"Thorin Oakenshield has too much pride for his own good, that is why I will ask you now, what is your dealings in my realm?" Thranduil asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I'm afraid it is not mine to say." Anna replied.
"Do not think I don't recognize Dwarven Courting beads when I see them, I know you have information about this so called quest of yours." Thranduil replied coldly.
"Our journey is ours, and ours alone, My Lord. You have no right to pry on the lives of others." Anna replied, her gaze growing cold.
"You are in my realm, and you will answer my questions!" Thranduil hissed back, growing impatient.
"Last time I recalled you weren't my king." Anna replied. "I answer to one, and one alone. You will not break me." Anna added coldly.
"I warned his grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he did not listen. Thorin is just like him, and will fall to the same sickness that befell his forefathers." Thranduil hissed.
"Take this woman out of my sight." Thranduil ordered. "100 years is but a blink in the life of an elf, I am patient, I can wait." Thranduil hissed as Kylie appeared out of the shadows and led Anna back down to her cell. Anna walked along the path to her cell with her head held high, a smug look on her face.
When Kylie had locked Anna back in her cell and left, the dwarves began to yell questions to her.
"What did that elvish filth ask you?!" Thorin demanded.
"He was unlucky enough to think I would spill the details of our journey to him, seeing as you didn't." Anna replied, and the dwarves cheered. "Kale, Willow, Sebastian, don't be surprised if he questions you as well." Anna added.
"Well you haven't exactly told us anything about this quest, we just tagged along." Sebastian added.
"True, once we get out of here we'll tell you the details." Anna replied. Anna leaned back in her cot, and prepared herself for the long days to come.
Kylie soon came storming back down the stairs. "What were you doing? Thranduil is furious, a deal was your only way out of here! That was your only hope!" Kylie hissed as the area around her darkened as she came to stand in front of Anna's cell.
"Not our only hope." Anna replied.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"I'll bet the sun is on the rise.. Must be nearly dawn.." Kale muttered sadly, sitting defeated in her cell.
"We're never going to reach the mountain are we..?" Ori replied sadly.
"Not stuck in here you're not!" A voice said, and Anna gasped in surprise as Bilbo appeared in front of her cell, holding the keys in his hand. The dwarves began to cheer and chatter excitedly to each other.
"Shh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo hissed, and the dwarves immediately fell silent. Anna's grin threatened to go off of her face when Bilbo swung the door to her cell open and she stepped outside.
Bilbo quickly went around to all 17 cells and unlocked them, before he began to lead the company down the stairs.
Bilbo led the company into the Wine Cellars. "What are we doing here?! You're supposed to be leading us out not further in!" Bofur hissed.
"I know what I'm doing!" Bilbo hissed, being shushed by Bofur afterwards. "Everyone, into the barrels, quickly!" Bilbo ordered. Dwalin approached Bilbo.
"Are you mad?! They'll find us!" Dwalin hissed angrily.
"No they won't! I promise you, please, please, you MUST trust me!" Bilbo pleaded. The dwarves began to murmur amongst themselves and Bilbo looked up at Anna with defeat.
"Do as he says!" Anna hissed angrily, sliding herself into a barrel. The dwarves did as Anna told them and with the help of the elements slid themselves into the barrels. Kale poked her head out of the barrel she was in.
"Now what?" Kale asked.
"Hold your breath." Bilbo replied.
"Hold my breath, what-" Kale asked, before she was cut off as the barrels slowly began to tilt downwards and then plunged into the river below. Anna gasped as cold water hit her skin.
The company came around a bend in the barrels where a small waterfall lay just a couple feet ahead of them.
"Hold on!" Thorin bellowed. Anna quickly grabbed Thorin's barrel and the two pulled each other close to them, before they went over the fall.
Kale noticed Bilbo desperately trying to battle the current as he swam from barrel to barrel, looking for a place to grab on. "Master Baggins!" Kale yelled. Bilbo quickly swam over to her and she pulled his torso up above the water.
A horn sounded behind them and the company came up to a gate in the rapids. Anna watched in horror as the gate was shut, and the company pushed up against it. The Elven Guards stood stock still, until an arrow protruded out of the neck of one, and he fell into the water, dead.
"ORCS!" Sebastian yelled. Soon, legions of orcs swarmed the gate, but it was not all lost, as the elves, as well as Kylie had arrived. Kylie fought with an axe as black as night, that left a trail of darkness as it swung, staining itself in the blood of orcs.
Kale and Kili shared a look, and together they leapt out of the water and up to the lever that controlled the gate. An orc charged at the two but Kale made a spout of water appear and it dragged the orc down into the depths of the river.
Kili ran over to the lever. Kale noticed one particular orc aiming its bow at Kili, and let an arrow fly. The next moments went in slow motion.
"KILI!" Kale yelled, and leapt in front of Kili and the arrow embedded itself into her thigh. Kale stood rigid for a moment, before she slowly collapsed against the wall of the stairs. Kili quickly pulled the lever before he grabbed Kale and dove into the barrel, the arrow snapping off as it hit the side of the barrel.
"Agh!" Kale moaned, as she collapsed against Kili as the river went into the rapids below. Anna's barrel turned so that she could see a look of horror embedded on Kylie's features, before she was plunged back down into the river.
Anna's features distinguished that of pure fury as she pushed Thorin down into his barrel and shot flames out of her hands at the surrounding orcs on the bank.
A spear was heaved into Bomburs barrel before it was lodged into an orcs chest, and he was thrown out of the barrel. Anna could catch brief glimpses of Bombur's barrel taking out orcs, before she watched him plunge barrel-less into an empty barrel in the river. Anna scowled as she felt a foot land on her head, only to see the pointy-earred elvish princeling in Mirkwood had just used her head as a pathway across the river to the orcs.
Slowly, Anna and the dwarves out-ran the orcs and the river slowed. "Make for the shore!" Thorin ordered, and began to paddle towards the rocky landscape. Kili hauled Kale out of the barrel and she weakly limped up the rocks until she collapsed slightly on the ground. Willow ran over to her in concern.
"I'm fine, it's nothing." Kale groaned, heaving herself to her feet once more. Kale hissed in pain as she applied weight onto the leg that had been shot.
"Come on! On your feet!" Thorin ordered.
"Kale is wounded! Her leg needs binding!" Fili protested as he shoved his way in beside the Water Element.
"Bind her leg, quickly, we don't have much time!" Anna replied, her voice laced with worry. Anna walked over to the river and promptly wrung what looked like a bucket-loads worth of water out of her hair and into the water. Anna leaned back against the rock, and heaved a massive sigh of relief before a figure behind her caught her eye.
Thorin leapt in front of Anna with a wooden branch, ready to defend her. The man shot an arrow into Thorin's stick before shooting the rock out of Kili's hand that he was about to throw at him.
"Do it again, and you're dead."