When Tracey, Kili and Fili returned late in the afternoon it was with a basket full of fish and better moods than they'd been in when they left. Tracey and the Dwarves were laughing while they walked together up the laid out path at a steady pace, the basket of fish between the two Dwarves while Tracey carried the fishing poles and bait canister. At the moment Kili and Fili were regaling Tracey with stories of their earlier lives before their unexpected journey. Each story was more delightful than the last and many were filled with laughter and good cheer. Tracey returned their stories with one of her own, telling them about how she scared Artemis while she was cooking the bacon for dinner one night by sneaking around the bacon until Artemis could no longer see her until she moved to throw something away and then she saw her. Kili and Fili roared with laughter and another smile came to Tracey's lips.
"Come my friends, I dare say that I never had a meal made by Dwarves before." She said with a laugh. "Please tell me what I need to grab from the kitchens and I will bring them to you, if only to taste a delicacy created by you two."
Fili gave her a list of ingredients but paused when Artemis approached them, she looked distracted and was holding a letter which she read as she walked, her brow was furrowed and she was muttering under her breath. Tracey looked up from their group to see Artemis and concern passed over her face. Fluttering her wings a bit, she took off and landed in front of her.
"Artemis what's wrong? What does the letter say?" Tracey asked in a low voice.
Artemis looked up and blinked, it was obvious she hadn't been expecting them. "I sent a message to Tauriel asking her to come with all haste, I just got a letter from someone in a village a few days away saying that she was attacked;" She opened the letter and read. "The elven woman was found unconscious and injured in the woods with a letter in her bag from your respected person. If you are kin we urge you to come as quick as you may, her injuries are grave and we do not have the skills to help her."
Tracey's eyes went wide and she hastily looked over her shoulder at Fili and Kili, she facial expression turning to a calm composure as she nodded. Looking at Artemis in the eyes she proceeded to speak in a low voice to her.
"We should go immediately and leave Kili and Fili here with Thorin, he wouldn't care to come anyway. I will have Legolas ready our horses while you and I collect our saddlebags and meet in the stables. I'll fly by the kitchens and collect some provisions before I meet up with you. Did the letter say what village and where?"
Artemis put a hand on Tracey's arm. "We can't just leave Tracey; if Tauriel is badly hurt Kili deserves to know. And I think you might find Thorin more⦠civil."
Raising an eyebrow, Tracey shook her head and blinked at the thought of Thorin becoming civil. Slowly she nodded to a conclusion and cleared her throat softly.
"Then we should tell him, but he should stay here, the smaller the company we take the faster we will be able to move... I can only imagine what Legolas's reaction will be and I have half a mind to have him stay here too." She said before turning to address Fili and Kili. "Artemis received a letter that Tauriel has been hurt on her ways here and we are making plans to leave within the hour to go get her. We'll do all that we can for her, but we don't know how badly she's hurt. Please trust us to take of her and stay here."
Kili's face went pale and Fili put a hand on his shoulder looking past Tracey to Artemis. Artemis sighed and handed Fili the letter and he read it quickly, Kili reading alongside him. They looked at each other and nodded. "We're coming." Fii said firmly.
Kili didn't speak, he just looked at Artemis his face a mask hiding the storm of emotions he must have been feeling. "Save me from the stubbornness of Dwarves." Tracey said with an exasperated sigh as she tried to explain further. "We need to travel light and you need to stay out of sight. If anyone should see you alive and recognize you then all that we've done to keep you hidden will be undone."
Her wings fluttered a little bit more.
"Hell I will ground you both if I have to, we don't have time to argue about this." She said, looking back at Artemis almost pleadingly. "Artemis, you're stubborn like them, I could use a little help here."
Artemis folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I agree with Fili on this one." She held up a finger and started ticking off points on her other hand. "One: if she's that badly hurt then Kili deserves the chance to say goodbye, Two: They're going to have to leave Lothlorien some time and now is as good as any, Three: Who is going to recognize them this far from the Blue Mountains or Erebor? Besides I get the feeling if we leave them behind they will raise cain and draw more attention to themselves or follow us and get noticed in the process since they'll have to raid the kitchens, the stables and ride out of here probably in broad daylight. If they come with us we can control the circumstances and the exposure."
The next sounds, noises and gestures from Tracey made no sense and sounded unintelligent as her wings fluttered enough to take her off the ground. She face-palmed into her own hand and shook her head.
"Fine, like I said we don't have time to argue about this." Tracey answered, shaking her head. "Let's gather our things and get moving. The sooner we get moving the sooner was can get to Tauriel and help her... Figure out what you're going to do with those fish, we can't take them with us and I doubt they'll keep. Okay slight change of plans, I'll find Legolas first so he can prepare the supplies and the horses, Artemis, you, Kili and Fili get your things together and I'll go to Lady Galadriel and get my saddlebags."
Without sparing a moment more, Tracey took off with enough force to cause a dust circle on the ground behind her. Flying faster than she had thought possible, she hurried and packed only the essentials into her saddlebags and threw them over her shoulder. Tracey figured that Lady Galadriel would be in her library and that's where she would go first.
Galadriel met her on the stairs looking concerned. "Tracey, the servants tell me you're in a hurry. What has happened?"
Tracey landed on the stairs and had to take several deep breaths before she was able to speak again.
"We've received a letter from a village telling us that Tauriel has been hurt and request that we come to help her. The Dwarves won't listen to reason and so Kili and Fili are coming with us. I don't know if Thorin will be but we need to get our supplies together so we can leave shortly." She answered, giving her a respectful bow.
Galadriel put a hand on Tracey's shoulder and gave her a gentle smile. "Tracey, true wisdom comes not in trying to force a stubborn creature to do what you wish, it comes in knowing how a stubborn creature will act and making it work for you."
"Too true, but at the moment we don't have the time to discuss anything more." Tracey replied, shifting her saddlebags on her shoulder. "With your blessing, we leave within the hour to find Tauriel. I still have to find Legolas and ready the horses."
"I believe Artemis has him filling bags of provisions in the kitchens." Galadriel said with a smile.
She took a small pouch out of her sleeve and handed it to Tracey, it felt heavy and upon inspection Tracey found silver and gold coins and several paper packets. "You may find the herbs of more help than the gold." She said and stepped to the side so Tracey could pass.
"Thank you my Lady." Tracey replied, packing both into her saddlebags quickly. "I'll make good use of these and hopefully we'll be back soon."
Taking off again, Tracey flew to the stables, landing just as several horses whinnied at her arrival. Summer Breeze and Fleet-foot spotted her first as she entered the stables and she couldn't help but smile at them. Tracey put down her saddlebags and greeted both horses lovingly before refocusing on what she needed to do. Under her polite directions she had the stable-hands ready her's and Legolas's horses and then tack up Artemis's horse and two plucky little ponies for Kili and Fili to ride.
"I hope we get to Tauriel in time, despite the emotional reminders that could be involved." She muttered under her breath, buckling her saddlebags to Summer Breeze's saddle and taking the reins from the stable-hand.
The horses were saddled and brought out into the courtyard and now all that were needed were their riders. Artemis came out of the dwarves quarters with Kili and Fili wearing cloaks the hoods pulled up to hide their faces. She ducked her head back in and said something to Thorin then closed the door and headed over to Tracey. Tracey noticed that she'd changed into sturdy black trousers, a long sleeved dark red shirt and a black vest that snugged in at the waist. She was still wearing the boots she'd been wearing when she arrived in Middle Earth and had thrown a gray cloak over it all.
She strode across the courtyard to Tracey just as Legolas came out leading his Horse, all the horses and the ponies had saddlebags filled with provisions and the now gutted fish were hanging on a strange looking rack on Fili's horse. Pulling her own gray cloak from her own saddlebags, Tracey threw it around her shoulders and tied the cords tight after shuffling her wings a bit and folding them against her back. She didn't like hiding her wings, they were meant to be exposed and used, not hidden away, but it was something that had to be done. If the slave traders got wind that she was out and about in the world again it could jeopardize what they were trying to do. She did a quick count and nodded, as if checking off a list in her head and checked her horse's girth strap before putting her foot in the stirrup and swinging her right leg over his flank. Adjusting her cloak as needed, Tracey looked to Artemis and gave her a small smile.
"Okay, where is this small village Tauriel was taken to?" She asked quickly, watching as they all mounted too.
Artemis gave her an amused patient look. "Still living in the fast lane." She said softly and turned her horse heeling it gently and it trotted towards the North. "I asked Gandalf, seeing as he spends more time travelling than the elves and he told me it's about two days from Lothlorien, it sits in a little fork of river between the Anduin and one of its smaller tributaries so we're going to follow the river once we leave the Wood. And I have a map."
Legolas reined his horse in beside Tracey and raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't think I've ever seen you so commanding beloved."
"I'm sorry my love, I'm not normally this demanding." Tracey started, pushing some hair out from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "But we really can't afford to waste time, Tauriel could be dying and if we don't get to her quickly then she could slip away forever."
It suddenly dawned on her that she and Legolas would soon know what that would be like and she shut her mouth quickly. Letting out a sigh, Tracey realized that she had reverted to her normal, fast acting, leaping before looking personality and shook her head. She leaned forward and patted Summer Breeze's neck before straightening her posture again and looking at Legolas again.
"If someone is hurt and it's within my power to help, I make sure I help to the best of my abilities... It's the side of me I always try to show to everyone I meet, but they usually take advantage of that. This is different, however, Tauriel needs our help and she's important to Kili so there isn't time to waste. I can't help but wonder how Tauriel got hurt on her way here... I guess we'll figure that out when we get to the village, I just hope it's not the slave traders again."
"I doubt it." He said and took her hand while they rode. "Whatever happens everything will be alright my love."
"I know it will, but no amount of soothing words will ease my mind until we get to Tauriel, heal her, and get back to the Wood." Tracey replied, giving Legolas's hand a gentle squeeze and looking into his blue eyes.
