C8
Sada was angry.
She was angry at Dis who had wasted little time calling a seemingly random raven from the sky to send a message home to Erebor, angry at the wizard who had done nothing but mutter to himself since the departure of the main company of elves who had descended upon them and taken away their guide and the object of Sada's own quest. Now Tauriel had been taken by someone who had nothing but malicious feelings toward her and she wasn't sure if she would ever see her again let alone reach her goal of getting the stubborn warrior back into Erebor so that she and her soon to be brother-in-law could work out the tangled mess they had made of their own lives as well as each other's.
She had slept fitfully through the night when it seemed like the others, except their ever alert elven guard, had slept soundly. She had come so close to completing her mission, she was so close to what had become her home and the dwarrow that she loved with a passion that made his hurts and his problems her own and she was failing. What would he say to her if she came home with nothing to prove their forced separation and the danger to her own life had been worth it?
She had brooded through the last of their trek into the famed woodland realm and had watched dispassionately as their horses and ponies laden with their belongings had been taken from them, along with their weapons when they had reached the main gates of the city. Elarinya led them inside at a relaxed pace, happy to allow their wondering eyes time to take in the vast splendor of the halls of her people as she took them to what turned out to be large, well-appointed and luxurious guest chambers. Their bags had already been brought to the rooms and they were shown to what ended up being a wet room with tubs full of hot water gently scented with herbs ready and waiting for them before heading back to a small seating room.
"Your Royal Highness." The well-dressed elf who was waiting for them bowed to Dis. "My Lady, Mithrandir." He acknowledged her and the wizard before looking at the female guard that had escorted them thus far. "Elarinya, the King wishes your report immediately."
"Of course Hîr nín Uiron!" The bow she gave him was much deeper than the one he had afforded Erebor's princess. "Lord Uiron is the King's seneschal, he shall see to your needs."
"I shall go with you." Gandalf informed her, sweeping out of the room before anyone could argue with him.
"At least the wizard will be afforded answers to our questions." Sada grumbled to Dis, looking at the seneschal distrustfully.
"Trust the wizard Sada." Dis snapped, making a slashing movement with her hand to signal that she didn't want to hear more on the subject.
"I would be happy to answer whatever questions you have." Urion inclined his head to her, a gentile smile gracing his face.
"Where are Tauriel and Aranel?" She lifted her chin and demanded, ignoring Dis' previous warning.
"They are currently in the guard keep. After King Thranduil has spoken to Elarinya and you have been received I shall see if I can get you more news of them. Please bathe, eat and refresh yourselves, the King keeps to his own time but wishes you to feel relaxed here and trust that he is working on putting together an appropriate escort to return you to your home in Erebor. A message was sent to the King Under The Mountain this morning telling him of both your safety." Uiron answered her honestly.
"How am I supposed to relax when the one who got us this far is languishing in a jail cell?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.
"Take a bath Sada." Dis commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument. She glared at her fiancé's mother, snatched her bag from the floor next to one of the plush fainting couches and moved off to the door.
"While their lodgings may not be the most comfortable, trust me that I have insured that they have been well tended and fed." The expression on the seneschal's face was compassionate. "I know that there are a few in these halls that feel Tauriel's betrayal keenly and have reacted out of anger because of that betrayal. I also know that there are even more of us that are glad to have her back safe and well." She just raised an eyebrow at him before she turned away from them and into the bathing room.
Even she had to admit that the hot water felt nice as she slid her tired and somewhat achy body into one of the prepared tubs. Whoever had prepared them had tossed chamomile, linden and orange blossom petals along with sage leaves into the water creating not only something that was meant to be soothing but that would relieve some of the physical and mental stress of her travels. Despite her annoyance, the bath and the herbs worked, even when Dis arrived, stripped and slid into the bath that was next to the one she was in.
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the edge of the tub. Even though she was stuck with the older dwarrowdam for the duration of her life she didn't have to talk to her at the moment. She had to work out what her next move was going to be and how she was going to get Tauriel to Erebor despite everyone that seemed to be working against her including the elf herself who still believed that Kili was dead and that Erebor held nothing but unhappy memories for her.
"I want my son to be happy Sada." Dis broke the silence after they had both bathed, changed clothes.
Sada was sat in front of a ridiculously fancy vanity fixing her hair into a pattern of intricate braids that to any other dwarf would instantly proclaim her Clan, her position within her family and the fact that she was indeed engaged to be married to one of the line of Durin, braids that she hadn't worn since she had left Erebor but that now felt imperative to what would happen next here in the halls of the King of Mirkwood. She didn't say anything in return as she fixed the mithril beads that Fili had given her when they had announced their betrothal to her braids.
"The peace between our peoples has not been an easy one since the first age and there have been far too many hurts between our peoples since. Kili may love that elf and she may just love him in return but that isn't going to get them anywhere in this lifetime and if she can find peace and happiness here in what has always been her home then she should be allowed to have it." The elder dwarrowdam continued to speak despite her refusal to engage.
"He'll find out she's here. She'll find out he's still alive. There is too close a relationship now between Erebor and Mirkwood for that not to be the case. We should just tell her and let her choose what to do for herself." Sada said as she flipped her hair and braids over her shoulder so that it tumbled in waves down her back. The chocolate colored gown that she was wearing was slightly looser than it had been when she had started out on her journey but it was the only one that she had packed and would therefore have to do. She ran her hands over the skirts, smoothing the pleats and folds with her fingers as she did so.
"That decision might be out of our hands." Dis shrugged, her own braids already arranged in the intricate web that at home in Erebor the tiara that marked her stations would have fit neatly within. There was a knock on the door and the guard that had brought them to Mirkwood stepped into the room after a momentary pause.
"King Thranduil would like you to join him in the receiving hall." She announced and held the door open for them.
"I guess we'll find out." Sada nodded as she waited for her superior to pass her and lead the way into the hall. They were back in the world of courtly behavior and court politics and as such she would have to defer to those above her current station even if she didn't agree with them.
Sídhon had come for Aranel after they had been given a hearty breakfast with orders from King Thranduil for her to have time to put together the messages from Lord Elrond, bathe and change before meeting with him. Elarinya had slipped down to Tauriel's cell with warm water, a comb and a hot roll filled with cheese and meat and the news that her companions had made it to Mirkwood safely and that the wizard was in conference with her King.
Then she had been left to her own devices. She had eaten her food, washed her hands and face, combed her hair and did it so that the braids kept it out of her face but no longer were the uniform type that she had put in it for years as a member and captain of the King's guard. Her treatment thus far had assured her that her return to her homeland was not going to be a particularly friendly one. She had tried to relax, legs crossed and eyes closed but had quickly given up in favor of pacing.
The last time she had spent this much time near this spot it had seemed like it had been very little time at all, although she knew she had spent more than a few hours listening to the stories that Kili had had to tell her and the stories of her own that she had told him. Now the minutes in her cell drug by, wondering what had happened to Aranel, where the wizard and the dwarves were being kept and if Thorin would be sending his people for his wayward family members. She could only hope that either Uiron or Elarinya would be willing to let her know what had happened when all was said and done.
She took a deep breath and tried to refocus herself. From the conversations she had had with Legolas thing had gotten better in Taur-nu-Fuin but if her King felt she needed to be punished further for her actions she had to find a way to come to peace with her situation before she came before him. With that in mind she sat again and leaned her head back against the stone wall. She drew another deep breath into her lungs and forced herself to relax and let her feelings of frustration go.
"Child," It wasn't Aranel's voice that brought her out of her meditation some time later but that of her former friend and the Kingdom's seneschal Lord Uiron. The sound of a key inserted into a lock and the heavy click as it unlocked made her turn her head in his direction. "Come with me. Our King wishes to see you."
"Hîr nín Uiron!" Once she was on her feet she bowed to her former friend.
"None of that Tauriel." He shook his head and swung the cell door open. "I will have no formality between us. I am glad to see you well."
"I am glad to see you also. I have missed you." She admitted as she let her teacher, caretaker and friend lead her back up toward her King's great hall where he received all visitors to his realm. She ducked her head for a moment, surprised to find a layer of grief just below the surface at the idea that that was now all she was in a place that had been her home for centuries.
It was for that reason that she found herself surprised when they took a sharp right at the end of the hall that would lead into the throne room. Instead she was being led toward King Thranduil's private study. She looked over at Uiron questioningly but besides the quiet smile on his face he didn't say anything. It seemed as even though he knew what was to come he wasn't going to give her any forewarning.
He knocked twice on the large door that led into the study before opening it and holding it wide for her to enter. The room hadn't changed, the light seeming to come through a canopy of leaves that didn't exist but gave the same dappled light that she had always loved. The fireplace held a banked fire in it, casting a red glow on the silver robes that her King was wearing. Thranduil was stood next to the fireplace, in one hand a fine glass goblet, his finest crown in its place on top of his long silver blonde hair and an expression of expectancy on his ageless features.
She bowed low next to the seneschal, her eyes carefully lowered as butterflies flew coordinated patterns in her gut. This was one of the last places she had ever envisioned herself being again in her long lifetime. She had sat in this room listening into matters of the Kingdom as a student and later as a guard keeping watch over her King's safety the way that Gwaedhon was now although she hoped that she had looked less smug than he was looking at the moment.
"Thank you Uiron." With a flick of his wrist Thranduil dismissed the seneschal who turned on his heel and left them. "Tauriel." At the sound of her name she straightened and looked him in the face once more.
"Yes my King?" She replied.
"Am I?" He asked, icey blue eyes sweeping over her form as he took a couple of steps toward her.
"Yes your Majesty." She answered.
"And yet, besides your uniform, you come before me baring none of the marks of your office?" He responded.
"My understanding was that I had no office the moment I set foot in the halls of Erebor after the battle for the mountain." She couldn't help but feel confused. This was not the reception she had been expecting. From the morphing expression on Gwaedhon's face it wasn't what he had been expecting either.
"You have been gone for long enough that you will be unaware of the current political climate here in the west." Thranduil looked over at his Captain of the guard. "Call for wine." He ordered before sitting in one of the high backed chairs near the fire and motioned for her to do the same. She looked at Gwaedhon who was moving to complete his orders even as his face darkened with anger.
"I am unaware of most of what has been happening north-east of Rohan except for what little your son told me when he gave me your missive." She moved closer to the chairs but did not sit. "I never thought that I would be asked to do more than guard those who needed my help, let alone be allowed back to the Great Wood."
"Thorin, King Under the Mountain, has done as much as he can to maintain peace and alliance between Erebor, Dale and my own Kingdom." Thranduil responded.
"Your son said as much your majesty." She nodded glad that her voice sounded steady because inside she was shaken, unsure what to expect next and waiting for one of her King's famous mood changes.
"I see." He brushed her comment aside as a young elleth brought an unstoppered bottle of wine into the room. Thranduil raised an eyebrow at her in question and she shook her head, she didn't need any alcohol clouding her senses. With a flick of his fingers the bottle was set on a side table and the elleth left. "For the first time in centuries there are men and elves inside of Erebor in official capacities. Thorin wants his allies close."
She looked at the profile of her King and wondered why after a decade he had called her back to his Kingdom to talk to her about politics. She hadn't been involved in politics, beyond what was necessary as a guard Captain, since she was an adolescent still at her lessons when Legolas and Uiron would quiz her on the ins and outs of the internal politics during dinner at the end of the day. Her skill set lay in the military arts, in the commanding of warriors and of battle tactics and her education had allowed her to follow that path when court intrigue and maneuvering had begun to irritate her beyond rationality.
"Thorin wishes ambassadors from his allies to live and work alongside the dwarves in his Kingdom." He continued unperturbed by her continued silence. "I'm sure that it was much easier for King Bard to find a suitable candidate, his relationship with the dwarves of Erebor not being rooted in the same distrust that my people seem to have with them... for the most part." The last made her whole posture stiffen. It was the first reference that had been made to the reason behind her exile.
"I am sure that you had many within your court up to the challenge." Tauriel offered.
"I have sent Lord Círon." He responded.
"Lord Círon!" She couldn't help her sudden outburst. Lord Círon had hard time getting along with the other members of King Thranduil's court let alone anyone he felt was beneath him and he would most definitely feel that any and every dwarf was below him.
"Do you have a better suggestion?" He raised his eyebrows at her and she realized that he had deliberately talked her into revealing her personal feelings.
"I'm sure that you know what is best for your people, your majesty." She took a deep breath and hoped that her face didn't give more away than she already had.
"Which is why you will be leaving for Erebor in two days time to escort the Princess and the Prince's betrothed back to Erebor and take over the ambassadorship from Lord Círon." The King stood and motioned for her to follow him.
"Your majesty, there must be someone better suited for the job. I am a guard Captain, a warrior, my specialties do not include politics and they are not going to be happy to see me in Erebor. The last time I was there, they threw me out without letting me collect my belongings." She protested as she followed him through the study and into the throne room.
Thranduil swept into the room, his robes flowing behind him as he marched past his guards and a waiting Aranel and Mithrandir. She looked helplessly over at them as the King glided up the stairs to his elevated throne.
"Let them in." He waved toward the door which two guards opened and Elarinya led the rest of her traveling companions into the hall. Sada and Dis looked clean and put together and Sada moved with an elegance that matched the hairstyle and the dress she sported. Suddenly she looked feminine and Tauriel could see why she had turned Fili's head, she truly was a double edged sword both feminine and fierce at once.
"Welcome to the Great Wood." King Thranduil reclined in his throne and lazily waved a hand to indicate the realm that they were in. "I am pleased that the Lady Tauriel was able to get you safely to my halls and I am more than sure that she will be pleased to put together a proper escort to take you on to your own home in Erebor."
Tauriel felt her hands tighten into fists as he proclaimed half of his intentions to the room at large and then felt shock pass through her as he gave her a title in a way that he hadn't since she was adolescent. Technically, as an acknowledged member of the King's personal household, the title of 'Lady' could be given to her but it had never been something she had sought or encouraged. She just wanted a position in the guard, she wanted to defend and protect those that she cared for not have to worry about playing courtly games.
"Lord Uiron was kind enough to let us know that you had sent word of our safe arrival to my brother, The King Under The Mountain." Dis addressed Thranduil. "I thank you for the kindness as well as the generous escort thus far. However, Tauriel has expressed to us her unwillingness to go back to the Kingdom of Erebor and we do not wish to force her into such a position."
"Lady Tauriel has duties that make her feelings on the subject a moot point." Thranduil turned calculating eyes on her once again as he emphasized her title once more. "Unless you would question my ability to know what is best for my people once more?" The question was directed at Tauriel and it was all she could do to steel herself and bow deeply to her King.
"I bow to your will your Majesty." She responded, hoping that her voice wasn't shaking the same way that her hands were.
"Very well." He nodded. "I have business to attend to with the Princess, please make use of your old suite and refresh yourself before dinner. Uiron will meet with you to discuss travel provisions and any staffing needs that you may have." With another wave of his hand she was dismissed.