I love antagonizing Thraunduil ^_^ Yea, he's not a bad guy, but he's not Lu's best friend...don't for to review! Reviews are fun and magical!
The next morning, they reached the outskirts of Mirkwood. Lulyn started to turn, but Thorin kept right on going. "Thorin, what are you doing?" She said, turning Brisa.
"We're going through Mirkwood." He said.
"Gandalf specifically told you NOT to go through Mirkwood. In fact, he couldn't stress it enough." Lulyn reminded. Thorin glared. "This will be quicker, we're going through Mirkwood."
"I think Lu's right. Gandalf did say to go around Mirkwood." Kili put in. Lulyn was surprised Kii was on her side. She thought he always wanted to impress Thorin...not as much as Fili, but that's another story entirely.
Lulyn looked to Thorin, waiting for him to stick to the original plan. Thorin just shook his head. Lulyn sighed and gripped her reins tightly. "At least let the ponies go around. Mirkwood is no place for equines." Thorin begrudgingly agreed and dismounted. Lulyn told Kor to lead the ponies around Mirkwood. And with that he chattered and fluttered over the sit on one of the ponies' heads. Thorin turned and walked into the dark forest. Lulyn watched as the company hesitantly followed him. She followed after them, only to stay in the back. "This won't end well." She muttered to Kili.
The company wandered through the woods for what seemed like days, but it had only been a few hours. Around noon, the company stopped to eat. Gloin got a fire going to cook soup. Lulyn leaned anxiously against a tree, rubbing her arm. When she was offered lunch, but she declined. Lulyn didn't have any appetite. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. As everyone was finishing, they began to walk again. Lulyn jumped at every little sound she didn't recognize.
Eventually, Kili said, "Hey, calm down, Lu. It'll be fine." He put a hand on her shoulder. Lu couldn't help but relax. Okay, she seriously had a problem. The last time she relaxed when someone had said something like that, it was her father speaking. Her train of thought was broken when an arrow whistled and stuck into the ground at her feet. She jumped back and tripped over the root of a tree. She caught herself, but froze when she heard the sound of elven voices calling to each other nearby. Many elves with white blonde or auburn hair jumped from trees and some seemed to step out of nowhere, weapons drawn. Lulyn backed toward Kili. They were back to back. She whispered, "Told you this wouldn't end well."
Lulyn saw a few dwarves charge, but the moment they did, the elves simply parried the attack and grabbed the dwarf to bind their hands. An elf grabbed Lulyn and bound her hands. "Unhand me! You have no right to do this!" She yelled as he dragged her off.
The elves threw each of the dwarves into a prison cell, not in the most gentle way either.
"I never thought I'd be back in here." Gloin said.
Thorin hit the bars of his cell and let out an angry yell. Lulyn wanted to say "I told you so!" In the worst way, but she didn't think that wouldn't help the situation. Many dwarves attempted to bust their way out, slamming against the prison cell's bars.
"It's no use," Balin said. "You all remember, we've tried before, it won't work. These bars are of elvish make."
Lulyn sighed and rested her head on the bars. She tried to think of this as a detour, but it didn't help with her worry for Brisa and Kor. She was afraid orcs would attack them or something.
An hour or two later, Lulyn found herself asleep, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Her slumber was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She dragged herself to the bars and stood up. She saw the Elvenking Thranduil heading toward her cell. He stopped in front of her cell, towering over her. Lulyn took a step or two backward, seeing his elf size compared to her small dwarf height.
"Ah, Lulyn Nobleheart. It's been far too long." He said rather sarcastically. "So I see you're traveling with this company of dwarves now. Hm. Small world. These dwarves have been in my prisons before."
Lulyn raised an eyebrow. "I do not believe we have met." She said.
Thranduil chuckled. "No, you're right. We have not. But I knew your father quite well." He said. "I'm sure you do recall me. This isn't our first encounter with each other, though it is our first meeting."
Lulyn tried to figure out what he meant, but she never fully understood elves. Of course she knew who he was but she...wait. "You. You were the one I saw that day...when—"
"Yes. I was there when your line was nearly ended. You are lucky you're alive, Lulyn Nobleheart."
Lulyn was speechless, her mouth hung open as if she were going to say something.
"You know, your father should have come to me, the day he died." He said, bringing up Lulyn's past, something she did not want to talk about. "He knew he couldn't run from his past. Or his kin. He knew he needed my help."
"He never needed your help!" Lulyn exploded. "My father hated elves, you know that! He wouldn't turn to you if you were the last person in Middle Earth!"
"You don't think he needed my help? With you gone, he was facing an Orc pack alone. I had a group of elves at the ready, if only he would have asked. He might still be alive today." Thranduil taunted.
"You waited for him to ask?! Why you...you cowardly elfling! You should have helped him! All you did was stand by and watch him die!" Lulyn yelled, tears rolling down her face.
"And perhaps he is better dead. He was only half elf. His blood was tainted by the dwarves. So is yours, so don't expect any special treatment. " Thranduil said, turning and leaving. "I don't want your favor anyway!" Lulyn shouted after him, her voice breaking. She retreated to the back of her cell and sat against the wall, knees to her chest, crying. She knew that past didn't matter, what's done is done. But the way Thranduil spoke to her really fueled her hate for elves, and her past was almost too painful for her to think about, so it was often shoved to the back of her mind.
Lulyn rested her head on her knees as she quietly sobbed. A scratching sound caught her attention, and she saw a rock on the wall fall to the ground, then the face of Kili through the little opening. Lulyn sniffled. "Kili?" She asked.
Kili nodded and smiled. "Looks like someone who was here in the past wanted to talk to his neighbor." He chuckled.
Lulyn gave Kili a sad smile, another tear ran down her face. "Oh, here." Kili said, reaching into his pocket. He handed her a piece of crumpled off-white fabric. Lulyn un-wadded the fabric and saw it was the handkerchief. "You dropped it when the mountain was coming down. I figured you might still need it at some point." Kili smiled.
Lulyn gave him another sad smile and dried her eyes with the handkerchief.
"You're part elf?" He asked. Lulyn nodded.
"My father was half elf. He was the one who taught me how to shoot. He also taught me elvish." She said, trying to keep her voice from breaking again.
"So then elves can't be all that bad." Kili smiled. "I knew an elf once. I met her out in the wood while we were attacked by giant spiders. And later on, after we had been captured, she told me of starlight, how she had walked up there sometimes. I wished she would take me with her, so I could see the white light of forever...Tauriel, her name was."
"What became of her?" Lulyn asked.
"I don't know. The last time I saw her was..." He trailed off, thinking. "Right before..." Kili was interrupted by elven guards coming down the steps, they quickly covered their little window and slid away from the wall, acting as if they were bored out of their minds. They went to Thorin's cell and dragged him upstairs. Lulyn assumed he was going to talk to Thranduil, which of course, ended in Thorin yelling, mostly in dwarvish. Some of the things...correction, most of the things he said weren't too nice, and so they will not be repeated.
Thorin was again dragged back down the steps and thrown back into his cell. He cursed and sat down. Lulyn took in a deep breath. It was time for her to make an escape plan.