It was a large round tent that Juniper entered . She walking with Thranduil holding her small hand and making sure she was steady. There were the Kings there. Thranduil, Elesar and Eomer. Their advisors which now included Finnola and Legolas. There were the Kings Guards as well Elthian Stood more towards the center of the room along with another Elf she did not know. Galadiel was there as well standing in the middle. Juniper would stand in the front with Thranduil .
The would lead Nilastiel in and put him in the center. He was in chains. A collar around his neck chains ran from it to his wrists then down to his ankles. The rest would now spread out forming a circle around the traitor . He would look around the room and say nothing but when his eyes fell on the Pixie he would grin and wickedly at that. Galadriel would speak to him " You will no tell us all who your Master is . We know you work for someone ..or something Nilastiel Will you freely speak? " Nilastiel looked to the Lady his lips twitched . " Why don't you Get on your knees and suck My Co..." Galadriel arched a brow and before he could even finish his insult Elthian and the other elf had struck him behind the knees with the butt of their spears . Nilastiel would fall to his hands and knees . A grimace of pain on his face.
" You speak like a common orc crawling from the gutter Nilastiel are you sure you were ever an Elf?" Galadriel spoke in a monotone . He would push himself back so he was kneeling and looked up at her. Juniper studied him . Her eyes roamed up and down. All she could see now was darkness. before she saw dark and some light but that had all changed . " Will you freely tell us who your Master is?" She would ask again. " I work for Me it was all my idea. You can buy as many orcs and goblins as you want if you have the money." Junipers eyes lifted to look to Thranduil. " Thats a lie" She would tell him . Nilastiels gaze shot to her. " I wanted the kingdom all for myself and as soon as the King... " He would say the word king with mirth and spit on the ground towards Thranduil . " dead then I would have that pretty little Queen all to myself . To rape every night until she faded into nothing. " Soon as those words spat from Nilastiels mouth Legolas and Finnola would have to pull the King back . " Juniper looked un-phased." That was both the truth and a lie. Truth is you wanted the kingdom for yourself The lie was about having me. " All eyes were on Juniper now.
"I see right into you . " She would say her eyes never leaving Nilastiel. " I see your fea. Its tainted and dark. You stopped being an Elf long ago. " Her hand squeezes Thranduils and she looks up. " I'm ready are you?" Thranduil would take a breath and nod. Galadriel would look to the pixie. " Just like you were shown ." Juniper would nod then her eyes went back to Nilastiel . Galadriel would whisper a few words and the chains around his wrist grew so heavy he was bent forward with his hands on the ground again.
" No .. do not touch me you witch. Filth in the guise of purity .. You will be the downfall of My people . I wanted to save them . " Juniper said nothing. Her hands reaching out as she and thranduil approached him. He tries to recoil but can not. Thranduils hands lay upon her shoulders . He standing behind small soft fingers press to Nilastiels head . Her hands would grip fingers tensing . Her eyes closing.
Nilastiel would go silent. She was seeing him speaking with his conspirators. Lysanthir and Vesryn. The scene had no talk of anyone he served just them speaking about their own greed and the fall of the king . She pushed further in... seeing the court in session then Him whispering in the ears of other court members. Every word spoke was a lie. She would tell Thranduil that . They were connected and he could hear her as well. She pushes deeper . and deeper . Nilastiel was beginning to shake as he remained on his hands and knees in the center of the floor.
" You will let me in . You will show me. " Her voice would echo through his mind. He was resisting. " Show me . Show me more. " she demands and inches in deeper . sinking into the dark recesses of his mind. " You will grant me the Woodland Realm ? You will give me Power beyond measure? " He asks. " I will" a cold deep dark penetrating voice would say . She was shaking now . Thranduil would lower his head . His arms tremble . "Show me . " Then they were not alone. It was dark it was void of light just a swirl of grey mist in all the darkness and the voice . " Come to me Juniper. Come to me. " The mist was reaching for her . Thranduils eyes shoot open . " Stop Juniper ." He would say in a panicked voice . " STOP!" He was trying to pull her away . Galadriel tried to break the bond but couldn't . Blood was pouring from Junipers nose . Finnola would push forward and wrap her arms around Juniper and with all her strength she would finally pull the Pixie away from Nilastiel . They would tumble back into the Kings . Finnola on her back . Juniper laying on her chest began to scream in agony just as she had before with Galadriel.
Nilastiel begins to seize and falls to the floor . Foam and blood pouring from his mouth . The blood was black. Thranduil scooped the wailing Fae up and rushed her from the tent Galadriel following along with Legolas. Tauriel who was outside watches the King run from the Tent with Juniper and began to follow in concern.
Those around would look seeing the Warrior Queen in sheer agony . Hearing her cries and watching her being swept away with the Kings and The Galadriel following. Thranduil swiftly entered the tent the elves following Elesar making sure everyone else stayed outside. Thranduil sat on the bed with Juniper in his lap her hands on her head . She thrashes in her pain. This was much worse than before . Galadriel quickly mixed some medicine Thranduil places his hand on her head and begins to whispers to her. The spell begins to calm her but the pain was still there. Galadriel fed her the liquid slowly . In small sips until it would begin to take effect .
The Blood would slow and stop. Her head would stop exploding in pain. Now she lay against Thranduil simply sobbing from the experience as he rocked her gently and kept whispering to her.
Elthian couches beside the body of Nilastiel. He no longer smelled like an elf . He smelled more like something fell like the twisted animals they had been fighting. He smelled like the Grindylow that attacked Juniper.
Galadriel would finally take a breath. He turned to Legolas who had just watched this is horror. "Tell the them she will be fine she just needs to rest and we will give them a report soon. " He would nod and slip out of the tent to assure all outside that she was no longer in danger. She looked to Thranduil and spoke to his mind not wanting to upset the Fae any more. " What did you see?" Thranduil would look to her . " Darkness , Malice, Evil and it wants Juniper. " He would say silently back. Then look back to his precious wife and kiss her head softly.
Galadriel had a bath drawn for Juniper. one of the large wooden tubs had been brought from Lorien with medical supplies had been brought to the tent. The water steamy and smells of calming herbs. " I will bathe her " Thanduil said . He waves his hand at any protest from the healers and Galadriel. " I will take care of my Wife. now please go. " He was covered in blood as was she . He pulled off his robes and tossed them aside . Leaving him in soft dark leggings and his grey shirt . Carefully he would undress her. Then undress her wounds . He knew how to make the poultice they used and he knew how to dress wounds . He would do this tonight .
Gently he lifted her and carried her to the bath. She was silent accept for sniffles and soft whimpers when he moved her. The very very carefully he would lower her into the waters. He sat on a stool and would begin to wash her blood streaked face. She finally lifting her reddened eyes to look at him as the soft cloth gently ran over her cheeks. " You will not let him get me? " He sighed and shook his head." He will have you over mine and every kings here dead bodies My Love. No one especially I will allow such a thing. Do you know who he is?" she shook her head. " No Do you?" He would wring the cloth out . " No I do not ."
Soon all the blood was off her face and he lightly bathed her body . She was so petite to be so battered. Yet the bruises on her left side were already yellowing and when he place his hand over her ribs and searched for her injury with his fea He would be happy to find her ribs were already mostly healed. The crudely cauterized wound on her arm was another story. Burns took a long time to heal fully . He knew that better than anyone.
When they were done He would lift her from the tub and sit her on the stool. He would take care in drying her off. His hands would gently smooth soothing pain relieving oils all over her flesh. Fingers dragging over her breast and down over her belly. He would smile " I can not wait to get you home ." She would smile. " I can't wait for you to get me home. " He would stop for the moment and lean in and kiss her tenderly His hands slowly smoothing oil down her back . He pulled her closer for a deeper kiss. His tongue slips past her lips and she eagerly accepts it . He would feel himself responding to her. His flesh rising He groans and sits back.
" You are still too tender for me to do what My body is screaming for. " She would giggle a bit at his words. " I think I will heal fast when I am home and safe within the fortress. " That was strange for her to say usually she was struggling to get out from behind the walls for their home. What had happened had a profound effect on her . She was truly scared. "We will return soon I believe The other 2 kings will be heading home soon . The Lady is taking the badly wounded back to Lorien until they are fully recovered. " She held her arms up so Thranduil could lay the sticky poultice against her side. She would wince a bit but she was no longer sobbing from this. He would then wrap it tightly. Her arm was redressed as well and He would dress her in warm gown . She really didn't want to go out of the tent any more that day and He wasn't going to force her. She would lay in their bed . He laying beside her. " You know I will need to go talk with them. " He said and kissed her shoulder. She would move close to him. " I know. I don't want to be alone. " He smiles and kisses her temple softly. " I will send Tauriel and I promise to be back as soon as I can." She would agree to this.
He was wearing something a bit more casual now. Seeing little reason to be formally dressed for this. Leggings and a Tunic the colors of the forest with his soft leather boots. He entered the round tent once more . Galadriel studying the body of Nilastiel. The others gathered looked at him a bit wide eyed. " She is resting and just wants to get home as soon as we can. Which is understandable. " he hoped that would ease their worries a bit more. " For such a small thing she has some ba...Courage. I admire that. " King Eomer would comment. Elesar would smile and try to hide it. " Indeed she does." Thranduil would stand a bit taller. He was proud of his Wife.
"What have you found Lady Galadriel?" Thranduil would ask. She would rise from her crouch and look to them all gravely. " I can not call him an elf. You can smell that stench I am sure. Even a human nose should pick that up. Elthian says it smells like the thing that attacked Juniper and like the other beasts He has killed. " Finnola speaks up. " It smells like the ones I killed on the plains too." Galadriel nods to her. " Its blood is black like orcs but I would say more like Gundabad or Uruk-hai. Yet he was able to maintain the facade of an Elf until he died then the spell that kept what he was hidden... faded. We need to search his person. I suspect there is a talisman or symbol on him that maintained that spell."
No one wanted to touch him. Finnola would roll her eyes. " Oy seriously? Bunch of pansies. " She would step up and roll the corpse over . " Whew yeah that stinks. " She would search him . Pulling out the contents of his pouches and dumping them on the floor. There was nothing unusual in them . It was when she pulled her dagger from its sheath and cut away his tunic the mark was revealed. " Well thats just not normal. "
They looked and brand upon his chest was 3 diamond shapes inside 3 connected triangles. " Does anyone know this mark? " Elesar would ask and look to those gathered . No one knew it. Galadriel looked to Thranduil. " Did you see this mark? " She would ask " No I saw him making a deal with someone . He said ' You will grant me the woodland realm? You will give me power beyond measure?' Then the Voice said 'I will' That was when she tried to force him to show her the face of who he was speaking to . It wasn't a face it was darkness with a grey mist within it . The mist spoke to her . It said 'come to me Juniper' and it was trying to reach her. That is when I called for her to stop and well You saw what it took to pull them apart."
There were a few grumbles among those present. "He allowed himself to be corrupted." Galadriel would say. " I believe so." Thranduil answered." All for power all to gain control of the Woodland Realm." Eomer would sigh. " Did she kill him? Did she kill this filth when she was in his mind?" Thranduil shook his head. " No . " Galadriel speaks up as well . " No she did not . I would have sensed that on her. His Master killed him before he could reveal anymore to her."
" is this Sauron? " Finnola would ask. Galadriel shook her head. " No Sauron was destroyed with the ring. He essence was bound to that ring and died with the ring. " Elesar growled lowly. " Then we have something new or something very very old. Where is Gandalf? " Galadriel looked to Elesar trying to calm him. " Galdalf said he had to look into something urgently and left several days ago. " Thranduil would now roll his eyes. " Just like a Wizard when you need him he is in the wind and when you don't you can not get rid of him."
" I suggest we all head for our homes. I will have the tomes in Lorien searched. Elrond will search his archives as well . I will also send word to radagast to search the archives in Isengard but I believe they are still in shambles. so that might take some doing. Elesar will you look into the records of Gondor? " He would nod and she looked to Eomer " Will you have your Lore Masters search yours?" He nods
" I feel even if this is new its tied to something very very old. We will also have the rangers look into things We must find where this Darkness is hiding ." Galadriel said and Elesar would chime in " I will have Mordor searched but last report was that the sun was shining more there and grasses had begun to grow and animals were returning now that Mount Doom has settled. "
They left the meeting Legolas stayed back to speak to Elesar and Finnola walked out alone . Thranduil caught to her . " Lady Finnola. " She would turn about to scold whoever called her and put Lady in it but she shut up quickly seeing who was speaking to her. " I am very glad you have been here. I am happy My Son has you . " she blinked and smiled " Thank You My Lord. " He would return the smile " You know you are welcomed in My home. I hope you and Legolas will return with Juniper and I . I think she is fond of you. It feels like family when you and he are with us. " He would smile again and turn to head towards His tent where his wife lay.
Legolas was walking towards her a confused look on his face. " Was my father talking to you?" she looked to her beloved and smiled. " Indeed . I am welcomed in your home and he even said it feels like family when we are with him. " Legolas' jaw dropped and he laughed a bit . " I like that. Family. "