C 11

The dwarves that greeted them were indeed from Erebor sent by King Thorin. Dwalin rode at the head of a platoon of fully armored dwarves all riding on the back of sleek looking battle rams, all in full plate armor that had been polished to a high shine and made a striking sight. Instantly Tauriel bristled at the show of force despite the fact that both Dis and Sada were so clearly glad to see others of their own kind and she knew that her king would see it the same way she had; as an insult. She had protected dozens of individuals and their wares over the last decade and she had protected the princess and Fili's betrothed so far and she was more than sure she could get them through the gates of Erebor unharmed without the aid of a full, armed platoon of grim, if well armoured, dwarves.

"I guess I should be calling you ambassador instead of jailer now?" There was just a twinkle of amusement in Dwalin's eyes that took the sting out of what could have been a disparaging statement as she dismounted in front of him.

"Commander Dwalin." Tauriel inclined her head to the tall dwarf. He was unlike the dwarves that moved around him; tall with a head covered in geometric tattoos rather than hair, although his beard was thick and brown and unadorned the way that some of the others were. He was muscle bound and wore only light armor despite the fact that he, himself, was well armed with two axes at his waist and a large war hammer slung across his back. "Call me what you wish but my name works as well as any title." Tauriel shrugged, letting her own feelings on the matter go in hopes that the two could move past the events that had happened years ago and do their best to ensure the safety of those around them in the present.

"Dwalin!" Sada greeted him enthusiastically as Aranel pulled her horse up alongside Tauriel and raised her eyebrows as young warrior greeted the older enthusiastically.

"Dwarves tend to be very demonstrative in their dealings with each other." She explained softly as a number of dwarves in uniform rushed forward securing the reins of their horses as Dis and Elarinya dismounted. Dis walked forward, quickly greeting him and saying a few quick words in Khuzdul that they clearly weren't meant to understand.

"Shall we pause for lunch before heading on to Erebor?" Dis looked over at the elves as Mithrandir rode up and swung off his own horse and looked around him.

"Are we preparing for an attack Master Dwalin?" The wizard was frowning as he stopped in front of Dwalin.

"It seems that we are seen as a threat rather than allies." Elarinya commented dryly seemingly to the wizard but she was looking directly at Tauriel when she said the words.

"We just want to make sure that the members of our royal family are safely delivered to their home." Dwalin retorted sharply.

"Elves have not once attacked your princess and your prince's betrothed but many dwarves have. Can you vouch for all your men? Do you know for a fact that they mean them no harm?" The blonde's head snapped to look at the dwarven commander with contempt.

"Sîdh!" Tauriel barked and waving off her new head of security. Elarinya gave her a sharp look but stepped back, turning toward the rest of the elven retinue, her jaw set in a tight line that signaled her annoyance.

"Á hauta sinomë!" She called out to their people as she moved away and the muscles in Tauriel's neck and shoulders tightened.

Elves didn't trust dwarves and dwarves did not trust elves. The fact that Dwalin was still glaring at the back of Elarinya's neck as she left was proof of that if the fact that a whole platoon of heavily armed and armored dwarves wasn't enough. This was going to be just as difficult an assignment as she had feared it was and there wasn't going to be any easing into it either.

"Was this necessary Master Dwalin?" Mithrandir used his staff to motion to the now dismounted platoon.

"I did as my king bid but perhaps full armor was not necessary." He conceded with a shrug that proved he really didn't care if it was appropriate or not. "Now what's this about dwarrow attacking you Sada?" His attention swiveled to the young redhead with a frown firmly fixed to his face, that made him look even more intimidating.

"Perhaps a conversation to go with introductions over that meal that the princess suggested?" Aranel suggested her tone far more formal than it had been before.

"A good idea." Dis agreed. "Did you bring enough food for all?" She motioned toward the elven retinue that was standing at attention next to their horses watching the parley carefully. He nodded in reply.

"Thank you but that isn't necessary, we each have packed a light lunch that will keep us moving quickly toward the mountain. I'd rather not stay stationary as much as possible." Tauriel shook her head. "Let us talk quickly and then be on our way."

"That urgent?" Dwalin's frown deepened considerably.

"We have been being followed by a mixed contingent of dwarves and men since we left Imladris. We were attacked outright once and Tauriel scattered a following force a second time." Aranel replied.

"And you are?" He raised an eyebrow at her as his eyes took in her form from top to bottom.

"Aranel daughter of Luthon and Mirel; emissary from Imladris sent by Lord Elrond." Aranel answered him with a small incline of her head.

"Are you indeed?" If it was possible his eyebrows raised even further. "So that's where you've been hiding?" Dwalin was no longer looking at Aranel but back to her.

"I have never been in hiding. I have gone where I wanted and where I have felt that I have been needed most and that has meant that I have, indeed, been working out of Imladris for some time now." Tauriel responded, taking a deep breath before dismissing the accusation. "If we press forward how close do you think we can make it to the lonely mountain before dark?" She quickly changed back to the topic currently most important to her. She had to get Sada safely home and even with a contingent of well-armed and at least mostly friendly dwarves with them she felt uneasy.

"I assumed that we wouldn't make it to the mountain until mid-morning tomorrow." He answered.

"And if we broke down our two contingents, left the majority of them behind along with the wagons and only stopped for a short rest if the animals required it?" Aranel pressed, picking up on Tauriel's thoughts.

"Our safety is no longer your concern, we are grateful for what you have done thus far but my confidence lies with my kin. We will do as Commander Dwalin advises, if you would like to do something different then you may, we however, no longer have to do as you bid." Dis snapped tossing her hair over her shoulder in dismissal as she turned back to the dwarven commander.

"Since your safety was only put in question by association, perhaps it's Sada's opinion that we should be asking rather than your own, your highness." The edge to Aranel's voice was quickly moving toward disrespectful so Tauriel put a hand on her arm and shook her head. The younger elleth made a sound of annoyance at the back of her throat but nodded in return and crossed her arms over her chest instead of speaking again.

Tauriel took a deep breath and tried to exercise all the patience that Uiron had taught her. She had known this assignment was going to be tough before she had found out that Kili still lived and she knew it was only going to be more difficult now that she knew the truth but she refused to fail right out of the starting gate. She was going to get nowhere arguing with the princess and inspite of Sada's boldness the night before she had taken a backseat in favor of her elder in almost all things since they had arrived in her king's court and she couldn't see that changing any time soon.

"Commander Dwalin," She addressed the dwarf who had been mostly silent throughout the exchange. "You and I have not always seen eye to eye but I believe that there are a few things that we can agree upon. The first and foremost of theses things being that the lives of the families we serve are more important than our own prejudice or pride. I do not know who wishes Lady Sada dead, only that there are many who would gain among your people. Moving quickly with a small contingent of people that you would stake your own life on being loyal and those I feel the same about would allow us to move faster and has a higher likelihood of getting all the important personal home safely."

"Dwarves and men you say?" Dwalin his eyebrows folding over his expressive brown eyes, he was clearly not ready to be pushed into a hasty decision.

"The men, I think, were from the north. Mercenaries with no people from the look of them, though I did not pause to ask from whence they came." Tauriel nodded.

"The dwarves were Ironfeet, Blackblades and Bloodfists." Sada contributed. "As much mercenaries as the men I think. We aren't sure if they were a group who already worked together or two separate groups working together, just like we don't know who hired them."

"We do know that none of their kind live within the walls of Erebor." Dis growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"When were you first attacked?" He ignored the princess, his focus still on the younger female.

"After I crossed the Anduin for the first time. They've dogged my trail ever since." Sada answered with a shrug.

"I see." Dwalin was frowning now. "Perhaps the ambassador is right." He looked sharply over at Tauriel again. "Pick five to come with us, leave the rest with your caravan. I shall do the same and we will ride with all haste to Erabor. Let's get the Princess and Sada back within safe walls and to their kin as quickly as possible."

"My thanks commander." She inclined her head to him before turning to Aranel even as Dwalin turned away from them and started barking orders to his own men. "Find Elarinya tell her to gather Sídhon, Eliedir and Lûgil and have them strip their horses to guard essentials and ride to the front immediately. Have her leave Thala in charge of the caravan and let her know that I expect them not only to stay with the rest of the dwarven retinue but to treat them with all respect as well. Their warm welcome in Erebor will rely on the way they have treated our allies between now and then no matter what insult may or may not be given. "

"Tauriel." The younger elleth nodded her head with a grin. "Should I assume that I am the fifth?"

"As the emissary for Imladris that is your place." She nodded before turning her head as a dwarf she did not know walked up to Sada but as the young warrior exclaimed in delight she turned back to her friend and the wizard who was looking past them with a frown. Sada had knocked a number of items from the young dwarf's hand as she had thrown her arms around him and even though she was angry at her in general, she was glad that she was once more among those whom she trusted as friends and family.

"You wish to get to the mountain as quickly as possible." Mithrandir pulled her attention away from the scene of comradery. He was frowning deeply, his eyes still watching what she could only see out of the corner of her eye.

"I fear that even once we get to the mountain Sada's enemies will be less in the open and more in the shadows but perhaps between Commander Dwalin and Prince Fili they will be able to keep her safer than I have any hope of doing out with their influence especially with the princess working so openly to undermine me." She nodded. While part of her would rather tuck tail and run back the way they had come to take refuge once more in Imladris or even in Lothlórien and hide from the reality of facing the doomed love that she still held for a dwarf prince who, even if he did reciprocate her feelings, could never act on them any more than she would be able, she knew that for Sada to be safe they would have to reach the walls of Erebor and hope that there would be solace and safety in the ancient kingdom.

A shout of alarm from Sada had her spinning away from her companions and watching wide-eyed as the dwarf-maid grappled with the dwarf she had just greeted so enthusiastically. Steel flashed in his hand as she gripped his wrist and he backhanded her with his free hand. Her hand lost it's grip as she dropped to her knees dazed, blood tickling from a split in her lips down her chin as she looked up at her attacker.

It seemed for a moment that there was movement everywhere but it was Sídhon's sword that cut through the air and right through part of the hand that held the blade. Tauriel was already moving as Lûgil wrapped a cloth around the severed portion of his hand even as she bound his wrists and knelt on the small of his back to keep him down on the ground as Sada was scooped out of the way by Dis who was sheet white and Dwalin came roaring in like a bull, one axe held in a solid grip in his hand as he surveyed the scene in front of them. The offending dwarf had already stopped struggling, giving up on his assault as soon as it had been stopped and not defying those who had caught him.

"Tol!" Sada cried as Sídhon bent and picked up a blade that had fallen with the fingers that he had cleaved from the fallen dwarves' hand. "Why?" For the first time since Tauriel had met Fili's young betrothed, she looked close to tears as one hand wiped away the blood on her chin.

"Man agoreg, Sídhon?" Tauriel asked as the young guard handed both his own blade and the thin pointed blade that he had picked up off the ground to Commander Dwalin who looked like he wasn't sure who to take out his wrath on.

"Be careful my lord, I believe the shorter blade is coated with something that would do a fair amount of damage to any pricked by it." The first words were to Dwalin, the second were to her. "Lady Firebeard knocked something from this filth's hand when she greeted him, when she released him he reached for something in his coat. I thought nothing of it until I saw the cross-guard and he reached for her again, híril nín." He looked away from her to the dwarf commander once more.

"Filth is too good a word for one such as this who betrays lifelong friends!" Dwalin virtually roared as he jerked the bound and bleeding dwarf to his feet. He didn't even try to resist, just hung limply in Dwalin's grasp, his eyes downcast toward the ground where three of his fingers lay severed in the mud.

"What have I done to you that you would seek my death?" Sada snatched herself out of Dis' grasp and practically poked a finger in the dwarf's chest from behind Dwalin who positioned himself to now allow her to pass. "You were my friend and Fili's. We grew up together, trained together, fought together!" Her voice was laced with genuine anguish and Tauriel couldn't help but feel for her. It was a deep pain, the betrayal of one who was once thought a friend.

"Sada," Dis' voice held warning as her hands reached out to grasp the trembling warrior once more.

"No," Sada jerked away. "I will know why!"

"Because we are just warriors. That we were ever as close as we were to the Princes was a blessing that none of the rest of us tried to abuse. You looked beyond your station, Erebor has to be saved." Soft brown eyes looked up filled with sorrow and guilt and for a moment Tauriel almost felt sorry for him as Dwalin shook him hard then cast him back toward Lûgil.

"Would your people make sure that he is safely brought back to Erebor with no more harm done him than is current?" His request took her off guard as Lûgil forced the prisoner to his knees in front of her. "I wish to do the harming myself and would not have my men feel they must be overzealous in retaliation to harm almost done to the Prince's betrothed." He explained himself further.

"It will be as you say." Tauriel nodded swiftly before turning to her guards and giving them each a long look. "Mae carnen."

Tauriel should have known that that would not be the last sign of trouble that they saw before they arrived at the gates of the mountain but she had started to feel confident that she would be able to complete her mission and return her charges to the lonely mountain. They had already taken the road that led away from Dale and the gates of Erebor were in sight, the horses and rams had kept up a quick pace and the sun was only just beginning to set in the west casting long shadows off the rocks and knolls that lined the main thoroughfare. As they had gotten closer to the mountains the dwarves in the company had become more relaxed, their voices slightly raised as they began to speak for the first time since they had started ahead of their main force. To them this was a joyful homecoming and the jokes and topics of conversation that were bandied about between them only reinforced their good spirits. Everyone, that was, except for Sada who sat hunched in her saddle, her cloak pulled tightly around her, a heavy frown etched across her features and her voice silent.

"For your loss I am truly sorry." Tauriel found herself dropping back to ride next to her.

"I always knew that there would be those against Fili and I. I just foolishly believed that we would be able to count on the support of our own friends." Her voice was toneless, her eyes dry and only her expression showing her emotion.

"Still, I am sorry." She took a deep breath, trying to find words within her that might give Sada comfort and found herself lacking, her own feelings of betrayal still too close to the surface.

The soft whistle of arrow fletching was all the warning that they got and it was pure reflex that made Tauriel turn her head away from the sound as she, the arrow brushing gently across her cheekbone before carrying on over the heads of the others harmlessly. She reached out her hand, turning her body to use it as a shield as she hauled Sada off her horse as another arrow whizzed overhead. She pulled Sada to her feet and pressed her against her own mare's flank.

"Stay close to her, when you can, take her and ride hard to the gates. Do not look back, do not slow down." She placed a hand on her mare's side. "Bera-in." She said softly to the mare as she pulled her daggers from their sheaths, took a deep breath and vaulted over the back of her mare even as their retinue moved to close ranks around them.

"Tauriel!" She heard her name shouted by more than one voice as she made a mad dash toward the rock outcrop the arrows had come from, dodging one arrow and ignoring the burning in her thigh as another caught her a glancing blow before she was upon the archer and his two companions.

The three dwarves that she came upon were far more skilled with their blades and axes then they had been with their bows and they met her attack with a ferocity that she met with relish. For more than a few heartbeats she had the upper hand and then the shock of her lone attack wore off on her opponents, two of them set about her with renewed energy while panic seemed to set into the third. It was easy to ignore the way that her thigh burned and her cheek stung as she matched their attack and dispatched the first of her opponents as suddenly she caught sight of an axe she hadn't been expecting take out the dwarf to her right. The distraction was enough to cause her to step into a wild slash that cut through her jacket and bit into her bicep making her flinch backwards and stumble. She rolled away from another sword strike, bringing her blades up as she came to her feet to catch the cross guard and wrenched it out of his hands as she snarled in the face of the dwarf in front of her as his eyes widened beneath his helm.

She kicked out, catching him in the diaphragm and knocking him back into a tall boulder that stood tallest amongst the others around it and then stalked toward him as he pulled a small dagger from the top of one of his leg guards. He leapt forward and she brushed his desperate attack aside as she pushed him back knocking the blade from his hand as she sunk one blade into his shoulder and rested the other against his neck just hard enough that his adams apple bobbed against it as he swallowed hard.

"Who sent you?" She growled at him and he spat in her direction saying something that she was sure was uncomplimentary to her in Khuzdul. She twisted the blade she left lodged in his shoulder and he cried out in pain, struggling suddenly against her hold enough that her other blade's edge drew a small line of blood across his neck.

"Tauriel!" Dwalin's voice boomed out behind her.

"Speak dwarf; tell me what it is that I wish to know and I will make sure that your death is swift unlike the fate that awaits you if I turn you over to your own kind." She hissed at him.

"I will not speak under torture or threat of death. What I do, I do for the crown!" He snarled back boldly despite the tremble she could feel through her blades.

"Commander Dwalin, what would you have me do with this dwarf?" Tauriel didn't look away from her prey but was sure none the less that it was Dwalin that was indeed close behind her and inching closer by the moment.

"We will bind him and bring him before Thorin, King Under the Mountain and let him decide how best to loosen this bastard's tongue since he claims to act in the name of the crown." Dwalin sounded both out of breath and angry.

Two dwarves appeared at her side and she removed her blades from the prisoner as they took him into custody and drug him away from where she was now stood. She turned and looked at the dwarven commander and frowned. He was as displeased as she was, his axe was held loosely in his hand, blood and gore dripping from the tip onto the ground as she took a cloth and wiped the blood from her own blades only she was sure that his displeasure was as much directed at her as it was the dwarf now in their custody.

"I don't know how things are done in Mirkwood but in Erebor we do not run into unknown danger alone." He rebuked her. "You were lucky there were only three and that your attack surprised them."

"We needed them to stop shooting at Sada." Was her reply and then she looked around as Aranel arrived with Elarinya's horse prancing in tow.

"Sada took off on your horse. The rest of your guard followed her. They were being urged inside the gates of Erebor last I saw." Aranel dismounted. "How badly are you hurt this time?" The way she asked her question made Tauriel both pause and smile from the shear commonness of it.

"Nothing that a little needle and thread and some hot water won't eventually fix. For now, patch me up as best as you can so at least I am not dripping blood through the halls of Erebor when we arrive." She shook her head taking her right hand off her left arm to inspect the blood on it. "Their blades were sharp and uncoated, given a week or two the damage should be barely noticeable."

She sat on a large boulder that Aranel motioned to and watched as her friend cleaned her thigh first with fresh water from her canteen and then bound it tightly with strips of clean linen packed for the purpose of first aid. She repeated the action with her arm and then gave her a cloth to wipe her face with. The long cut across her cheek wasn't deep and had bled little but it stung when she scrubbed it and then took longer than she would have liked to stop bleeding after she was done.

They were mounted soon after and riding hard to Erebor with Dwalin at their lead and their prisoner tied to the back of Aranel's horse. Tauriel's arm and thigh throbbed in time with the grey gelding's footfalls and the small meal she had partaken in a few hours before was sitting like a hard lump in her stomach. She was both relieved to watch the great gates of Erebor swing wide to admit them as she was frightened when they shut with a clang behind them and dwarves skittered around their horses and rams, taking hold of reins and bridles to allow them to dismount.

"Tauriel!" Sada's voice rang out clear as she dismounted, a steadying hand from Sídhon at her hip as her bad leg hit the ground and she flinched.

"Thank the Valor." She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Sada's mane of wild curls making their way through the crowds with Fili, frowning, at her side.

"I dass carnen, híril nín?" He asked and she nodded. "Shall I call for a healer?" His second question followed quickly.

"I am fine Sídhon. Greetings and presentations must be made before I go to the healing halls but Aranel's bindings will last until then." She shook her head and turned toward the arriving crown prince and his betrothed. "Glassen a chened le." Tauriel bowed deeply to them as they stopped in front of her.

"Thank Mahal!" Sada cried. "When Lord Elrond declared you reckless, he should have added foolish!"

"Did you or the mare sustain injury?" Tauriel inquired, ignoring her admonishing tone.

"No; your mare is being cared for in the stables and only Lûgil and Grímur were injured, though their wounds were small we sent them straight to Oin and his healers which is where it seems we should send you." Sada replied the expression on her face quickly turning to anguish.

"I cannot express my thanks deeply enough for your help in Sada's safe return." Fili caught her attention as he wrapped an arm around Sada's shoulders. "You are most welcome here within the walls of Erebor. Are you well or are you in immediate need of a healer?"

"My wounds are not grievous, your highness. I sense that there is much to do before I will be able to see a healer and what wounds I have will keep until then." She shook her head.

"Then I would bid you to follow me. Dwalin will see to it that your people are delivered to Lord Círon's people and I will take you to see the King and the interim ambassador." Fili nodded.

"Thank you, your highness." She bowed again and looked quickly to her guard. "Help Commander Dwalin as he requests. Aranel will come with me and the rest of you I will see in the morning unless you are sent for." With a last nod from Sídhon and her stomach in knots Tauriel turned and followed the crown prince to her fate.

Glossery

Sîdh - Peace

Á hauta sinomë! - Stop for Rest here

Man agoreg? – What did you do?

híril nín – My Lady

Mae Carnen – well done

Bera-in - Protect her

I dass carnen? – Is it done?

Glassen a chened le – It is my joy to see you