Here we go again!
Thanks to XxBlindXxAngelXx and Bleeding Blue Kunoichi for your reviews on the last chapter! I loved to read your thoughts and you'll see how it all turns out with Thranduil and the elves in the next chapters!
Hope you'll enjoy this one! As always, I'd love to hear from you!
Cinna didn't know how long she had been unconscious when she finally felt the darkness that clouded her mind subside slightly, and though her head was still spinning it slowly began to feel lighter than it had for weeks and the air flowing freely through her lungs once again.
She could feel warmth on her face and as she took a deep breath she felt the fresh air giving her back some strength to gather her thoughts, leaving no trace of how stuffy the forest had felt before. However, she did feel rather confused as to how this could be, remembering the last thing that had happened while she had still been conscious. How she had killed one of the giant spiders and how she had been defeated by another only moments later. She didn't know what had happened afterwards, though as she thought about it, for only a moment she thought that she might have died in the meantime and gone to a much brighter and kinder place.
That was until she suddenly became aware of voices filling the air around her and it took her a moment until she recognised them as those of her friends, perking up her ears as she heard them grumble and growl into their beards, though she could not make out what they were saying exactly.
The fae's eyes fluttered open slowly then, and she squinted against the sunlight that was illuminating the sky above her, warming her face. She felt her heart flutter excitedly at the sight of a blue sky poking through the roof of leaves above her head, though the feeling did not last long as she yelped in surprise not even two seconds later when an unfamiliar face suddenly blocked her vision.
Bright blue eyes were staring down at her out of a handsome elven face and Cinna's eyes widened as she finally realised that she was being carried through the forest.
"Let me down!" she demanded immediately, the high-pitched tone of her voice conveying the shock she felt. The elf halted in his steps and complied without a word, putting the fae down on her two feet as she took a defensive step away from him, swaying slightly but willing herself not to stumble as she eyed the tall elf warily.
"Lass!" she suddenly heard someone call and she turned around in confusion only to come face to face with her companions. A sigh of relief escaped her as she saw the familiar faces of the dwarves, ignoring the dirt and scratches on their skin, though her forehead creased with a confused frown again as she noticed the ropes that were tied around their wrists. She looked at her friends in confusion before her eyes wandered away from them and she noticed the bunch of strangers that were surrounding them, weapons drawn and pointed at the company.
"Elves," she uttered in surprise, more to herself than anyone else but the dwarves just shot her dark nods and grumbles in reply to her words.
"I am glad that you seem to be alright," another voice suddenly said from behind her and the fae flinched slightly before she turned around abruptly, staring up at the blond elf that had been carrying her before.
Cinna narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling rather certain that she did not like this elf. "Well, why wouldn't I be?" she retorted, crossing her arms defensively over her chest as he raised his eyebrows at her slightly, surprise visible in his eyes.
"Your companions seemed to be rather convinced that the forest was causing you harm," he answered calmly, observing her closely as she huffed slightly though she still did not seem very stable on her own two feet. "Rather unusual, to find a faerie in these woods. I do wonder what brought you there."
Cinna didn't say anything for a moment, daring a glance over her shoulder toward Thorin who caught her gaze quickly and shook his head at her almost unnoticeably. The fae cleared her throat slightly as she turned back to the blond elf that had followed the exchange silently, unsure what to think of it. "I am sure you do," she uttered dismissively then, staring up at him with a defiant twinkle in her emerald eyes. "You know what else is rather unusual? Waking up in the arms of a stranger and finding your friends taken prisoner. And not only is it unusual, it is rather unpleasant."
"I am sure it is," Legolas answered, almost finding himself smiling at her bold demeanour. "Your friends were trespassing in our realm, they are being taken to the king to answer for their crime. In fact, seeing as you were with them when we found them, it would only be reasonable to assume that you are another trespasser. You should be happy that we did not tie you up, as well."
Cinna's eyes darkened slightly at his statement and she shortly glanced at her companions who were following the scene in silence, though all of them were sending the elves around them and especially the one that she was talking to dirty looks. The fae quickly made up her mind and held her head high as she turned back to the elf before her.
"Well, I do not care for any special treatment," she said coolly as she held out her hands to him, sending him a pointed look. "You may tie my wrists and I will be happy to join my friends."
Legolas only stared at the small woman before him for a moment, surprised at how loyal she seemed to be to these dwarves, some of whom were now chuckling proudly behind her. The blond elf raised his eyebrows at the fae but she merely kept staring at him expectantly, her arms still stretched out in front of her and it was another moment before Legolas shook his head slightly, motioning for one of his companions to do as the small redhead wished.
Cinna watched the blond elf step away from her as a tall red-haired she-elf came to stand in front of her, bending down slightly as she tied the fae's wrists together with a piece of thin rope. The fae met the redheaded elf's gaze as she tied a secure knot, eyebrows rising in surprise at the small, nearly untraceable smile that was pulling at the she-elf's lips.
Tauriel rose once she had finished and gave a small nod toward the company of dwarves, watching the small fae with slightly raised eyebrows as she made her way over to them, almost disappearing from view as the dwarves huddled around her, bringing her to the middle of the company as they were forced to move forward again.
They had been walking for a while when Cinna's legs slowly began to feel stronger again. Her head had stopped spinning completely now and as she looked around she saw the forest around her lose its darkness with every step they took, the trees here healthy and just starting to change their colours for autumn. The fae felt how the sickness that had been affecting her fell away with every moment she put more distance between her and the dark centre of the forest. And yet her heart still weighed heavy in her chest, her thoughts, now that they were once again clear, circling around the horrible thing she had done.
"You seem to be doing better," someone said from behind her and the fae quickly glanced over her shoulder as she was ripped out of her thoughts, finding Kili walking behind her and sending her a relieved look. The brunet dwarf had noticed how her steps had begun to lighten again over the past hour or so as they had been walking, had seen her taking deep breaths of fresh air and her face regaining its colour as she looked at the trees around her. And yet, as he met her gaze now, she seemed troubled. "Cin?"
He frowned slightly when she turned her gaze away, almost stumbling as he concentrated on the back of her head rather than the ground. The brunet dwarf cleared his throat as he followed her down the small hill they were walking down, their path leading them down to a narrow bridge.
"I'm a horrible person," he heard her sigh then and Kili's frown deepened, not only because of her words but also because he could now see that the bridge led over a clear and quick running river far below, directly to a great gate, which constituted the entrance to the Woodland Palace.
"What do you mean?" he then asked quietly, taking a step closer to her back so that he could hear what she was saying.
"I'm a murderess," Cinna murmured almost soundlessly as they passed the gate and entered the elven halls but Kili heard her nonetheless. His eyebrows rose as he digested her words, ignoring the high ceilings that were now above them and the winding paths that they were made to follow, leading them deeper into the palace as the heavy gate fell closed behind them with a deep thud.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Kili whispered, afraid that his voice would echo off the walls. Cinna shot him a dark look over her shoulder as she walked, following as the elves led them through various halls and down narrow paths.
"I killed something," the fae hissed quietly, anger clear to see in her eyes as she returned Kili's gaze while they were huddled into a group before another great gate, neither of the two paying much attention to their surroundings. While one of the elves, Legolas, made to open the gate, Kili and Cinna were still wrapped up in their hushed conversation that was quickly turning into a whispered argument.
"Is this about one of those spiders? Are you being serious?" Kili questioned incredulously, staring at the fae intently as she returned his gaze, her emerald eyes showing the guilt she felt and the anger that their conversation was rousing.
"Yes, I'm serious, Kili! I murdered a living, breathing being. My sword tore through its head and killed it," she hissed while some of the dwarves around them sent the pair odd looks, clearing their throat slightly before they glanced back at the gate before them that was now opening slowly, revealing a great throne hall on the other side.
"It was a bloody spider! And it was trying to kill me!" Kili retorted in irritation, disbelief clearly visible on his face as he listened to the fae.
"It does not matter, it was a living creature!" Cinna answered, her voice still hushed though she was struggling to keep it that way as she glared at the brunet dwarf. She barely noticed as the elves made them move forward again, the company entering the throne hall one after the other. Cinna shortly glanced up, the ceiling in this hall so high that she could barely see it from down here.
"It was an abhorrent beast! Would you rather it had lived?" Kili interrupted her thoughts once more and the fae turned around to him with a huff.
"Yes!"
"And that it had succeeded in killing me?"
Now Cinna's face fell slightly, her eyes widening and staring at Kili as he looked at her questioningly. She shook her head lightly; shocked that he would assume such a thing. She had only attacked the spider in the first place because he had been in danger. She would never have intervened had it not been for his cries and struggle. Would probably never have had the courage to even draw her sword had it not been for him. "What? No! Kili, of course not!"
"Well, then I say you made the right choice," Kili huffed, feeling rather relieved at how horrified she seemed at the thought of him dying, though he was still irritated that she would feel so guilty for killing such a detestable creature. He simply did not understand why it bothered her so much. He was about to utter his thoughts when another voice suddenly cut into their argument.
"You know, I'm not saying that I like being the prisoner of elves," Fili hissed as he leaned in between the two of them from where he had been standing behind them, sending them both an annoyed look. "But the whole thing would be so much more pleasant if you two could just stop bickering!"
"Thank you," Fili huffed quietly as they both fell silent in surprise upon his words before he straightened up again and glanced toward the great throne that they were being led towards. The blond dwarf sighed quietly as he saw the tall blond elf sitting there.
The elven king, Thranduil, was lounging comfortably on his throne as he watched the dwarves enter his halls grimly, disdain clear to see in his icy grey eyes as his gaze fell upon the dark-haired dwarf that stood at the front of the group. Thorin held his head high as he returned Thranduil's gaze darkly, narrowing his eyes slightly as a small, astute smile came to play on the elven king's lips.