Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, events or places in Lord of the Rings.
A/N: I am evil homer, I am evil homer! Sorry, Simpson's moment. But seriously, is it truly that evil to leave you horrible lot on a cliffhanger? Anyway, me see Kingdom of Heaven! But my stupid boyfriend fast-forwarded through the love scene, I was like 'err hello? Orlando has a body you can only dream of and you deny me the chance to see it? You slimy little…' and well I'll leave the rest to your imaginations. Anyway, I don't think there will be any cliffhangers in this chapter and also, it focuses mostly on Gelmir, one of Legolas' Merry Men. C'mon, Legolas is like Robin Hood, archery wise of course.
Chapter 33
Lovers and traitors.
"Gelmir, what's wrong?" Gelmir looked down at Tari. She was a maid in Thranduil's palace and she was Gelmir's lover. Gelmir sighed and looked away from her. Tari lifted herself up and looked at him straight in the eye. She had the most beautiful pair of gray eyes. Gelmir smiled as he remembered how they had met some four hundred years before. He had just entered the army and she had just started work as a maid. They had literally run into each other as they tried to please their new superiors. They had been inseparable ever since. "I could get used to this," said Gelmir.
"Get used to what?" asked Tari.
"Waking up next to you," said Gelmir. Tari blushed. Even after being lovers for so long, talking about the physical act of love made her cheeks turn red. "Gelmir, don't change the subject," she said, "What is wrong?" Gelmir sighed again as Tari's fingers traced over his chest. "Promise you'll keep it to yourself," said Gelmir.
"On my maidenhood," she joked.
"Don't swear on what is mine," said Gelmir, "Anyway, it's Legolas."
"What's he done now?" asked Tari, tiredly.
"He met someone whilst he was away, and he fell in love," said Gelmir, "He found the solar-blessed woman." Tari looked up at Gelmir.
"He fell in love with her and married her," said Gelmir, "They had a son. But…somehow the rebels found out about them and yesterday, they were kidnapped. Thranduil and Legolas have four days left until Tigerlily, Legolas' wife, is killed. They have nine before the baby is killed too. Tari, I think the rebels are going to win." Tari stared at Gelmir for a moment before looking out a window. "Damn!" she said, "Is that the time?" She got out of the bed and quickly found her clothes as an amused Gelmir watched. "Oh, I'm glad this amuses you my lord," she said, "Unlike commanders in our great army, maids cannot lie abed all day!"
"I've told you a hundred times, ask to become my maid, then you won't have to work if I don't want you to," said Gelmir.
"But then, Gelmir, nothing would ever get done," she replied, "You are very much like the prince, when it comes to women you have a one track mind." She smiled as she left. Gelmir sighed and hauled himself out of bed. He dressed himself and was pulling on his boots when he accidentally knocked the desk and a book fell out of a cupboard. Gelmir had been promising to fix that door for fifty years but had never got round to it. He picked up the book. He could see no title or clue as to what it was. He sat down on the floor and opened it. It was Tari's diary. Gelmir felt no guilt in reading it. He had known Tari for four hundred years, surely there was nothing in there he didn't already know. He turned the page and began to read. It spoke of what sort of work she was doing, lords and ladies she was serving, how much she wished she could visit her mother. It even mentioned a brief attraction to Legolas but soon it mentioned him. Gelmir smiled when she noted what her mother had said of him. 'A fine elf to be sure, my dear, but remember soldiers can be unreliable, remember your father?' Tari's father, an elf named Taurvantian, had been notoriously unreliable and had been killed by spiders when Tari had been very young. Tari couldn't even remember what he looked like, save for a portrait of him in the Hall of Honour where dead heroes were remembered. But in the next entry, there was something that made his blood run cold. That name, Ainion. He read exactly what had been written. "Lord Ainion called me into his study today. I thought maybe he wanted me to do something. He does, but it is far more terrible than I ever could have imagined. He wants me to join the rebels. He says if I don't then my mother shall meet an unfortunate accident, just like my father! Oh, spiders didn't kill dear Ada, Ainion had him murdered. Ainion also says he will hurt Gelmir if I don't. Yes, I have no choice but to join him. My dear Gelmir, I pray that you will forgive me!" Gelmir felt sick. His Tari, his beloved Tari, was the very enemy he had been fighting against. How could she? But still…she may know where Tigerlily and Oropher were being held. Gelmir had no choice, he had to arrest her.
"Are you sure, Gelmir?" asked Thranduil, looking out the window.
"Yes, my lord, Tari, Taurvantian's daughter, is a rebel," said Gelmir, "I read it in her own hand."
"Gelmir, I know you love Tari," said Thranduil, "I will understand if you don't want to take part in this."
"No, I shall do my duty and arrest her," he said.
"Very well then," said Thranduil, "Take Turin and Andaer. Arrest her and attract as little attention as possible."
"Yes, my King," said Gelmir.
Gelmir stood looking down the corridor. Tari was scrubbing clean a set of old elvish armour. She was up to her elbows in soapy water. "Look, you can back out at anytime," said Andaer, "Leave it to us."
"No, I have to do this," said Gelmir. He marched up to Tari.
"Hello, my love," she said sweetly. Her smile faltered when she saw Gelmir's face.
"Tari Oakenvale," said Gelmir, "You are under arrest for treason." He took a firm grasp on her arm. "What? Gelmir, what's going on?" she asked.
"You heard me," said Gelmir, "Traitor."
Several hours later, Tari was in tears. Thranduil and Gelmir had presented her with evidence of her guilt and she was crying. "Please Gelmir," she said from her chair, "Please listen to me." Gelmir just stared at her. She wasn't the elf he had fallen in love with. "Why should I?" he growled. Tari fell to her knees on the floor and grabbed the edge of Gelmir's tunic. "Please! Let me explain," she cried, "He was going to kill you and my mother!"
"You should have come to us, told me," said Thranduil. Legolas hadn't been allowed into the interrogation; he could have gotten a little violent. "No," cried Tari, "Please, listen! I did it, to help the royal family."
"By giving away secrets that could destroy them?" shouted Gelmir.
"No! I never told Ainion anything remotely true!" said Tari; "I fed him lies, made him run around in circles as it were. I never told him anything that he could have used. I joined them so I could find out THEIR secrets, to help YOU!"
"What?" said Gelmir.
"That's what I've been doing," said Tari, "Gathering information to give you! I know where they're hiding! And I know where they have Tigerlily and Oropher."
"How?" asked Thranduil.
"The head chef," said Tari, "For the right price, he will tell you anything."
"You didn't want to hurt the royal family?" said Gelmir. Tari shook her head.
"You could be lying, you're very good at that," he said.
"No!" said Tari. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bunch of papers. She gave them to Gelmir. They were drawings, maps and diagrams. They were very detailed. "They're the details to the hideouts of the rebels," she said, "I was going to give them to you today. I didn't know Tigerlily had been taken until you told me." Gelmir found a letter, addressed to Thranduil. It was dated ten years before. "Why did you never send this?" asked Gelmir, getting down to Tari's level. "I was too scared," she said, "I thought he wouldn't believe me and throw me in the dungeons. Please tell me that you can help save Tigerlily and that poor baby."
"Of course we can," said Thranduil, looking at the maps over Gelmir's shoulder, "Can you give us a list of all the rebels you know?" Tari nodded.
"Three days," said Thranduil, "Then we'll strike, when they least expect it."