Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Luck had evaded them that day, Fili had decided. The factor that had firmed his decision was not losing his uncle in the forest, nor was it encountering the giant spiders, no, it had been getting captured by elves. Few things damage a dwarf's pride, one of those few is being at the mercy of elves. Though Fili held less animosity for elves in general than his kin, he did not appreciate being held at arrow point and marched like a criminal into the Woodland elves' kingdom. Being stripped of his various weapons put him ill at ease and his brother's interested looks towards the red-headed she-elf were adding to his discomfort. He understood his brother's interest if it was purely for saving his life and her skill with weapons but Kili's interest seemed to run a bit deeper. Times like these made his dislike knowing his brother so well.
The walk wouldn't have been so uncomfortable if they had been able to verbally share their discomfort. Any time one would begin to grumble of mutter they were promptly reprimanded either verbally or physically, though it was never more than a push. The company was also still feeling the effects of the spiders poison and lack of nourishment.
Fili was worried for his uncle, as he'd not been seen since before the spiders had attacked. He knew his uncle could care for himself but the whole company was worried. Fili glanced at Kili, seeing his eyes staring in front of him, worry evident in them. Knowing Kili he was probably worrying for everyone and their situation, especially Bilbo, as they hadn't seen him since the elves appeared. Fili was also worried for their resident burglar but had the strangest feeling Master Baggins would be just fine on his own.
As they approached the elvish kingdom the trees lightened and the air became easier to breathe. Light pierced the canopy of leaves, the trees grew in size and intertwined to create pathways and houses. Fili would've considered it beautiful if he wasn't seeing it as a captive. It held a lightness that the rest of the forest lacked, but seemed no less foreboding. The stories Thorin told him and Kili of the Elven king of Mirkwood were of a deceitful and cruel elf who betrayed their kin and left them for dead to a dragon. The elves who captured and were escorting them to the palace didn't seem cruel, but reacting logically to intruders. The blond elf and the red-headed she-elf seemed to be in charge of the group.
The large wooden doors that they passed through slammed behind them, giving Fili the feeling of being trapped. He knew there was a definite possibility the doors were locked magically as this was an elven kingdom. The looming sense of being imprisoned only grew as they approached what appeared to be a throne room. The blond leading the company spoke quietly to the guards then opened the door, leading them on.
Fili had expected to see a self-important elf-king, sitting on a throne sneering down at them. He had not expected, however, to see a small she-elf being berated by said king. They had stopped a bit behind the two guards and young elf addressing the king. Fili had been at the front with Balin and Dwalin so he had a mostly unobstructed view of the proceedings. He also noticed how the blond male elf leading them had tensed after seeing the three extras in the throne room.
Princess Nanaiel, as the king had called her, held herself in a manner that showed she was not as young as her height would imply. Her words held weight even as the king seemed to dismiss them. Her appearance was unusual to say the least, as most elves were light haired and pale skinned, while her hair was as black as a raven's wings and skin though pale seemed more from lack of sun than naturally light. The curious aspect of her was the braids and beads in her hair. They were partially hidden, as if they would be taken if seen. There were only two and hey seemed to be styled similar to dwarvish a coming of age braid and family braid, with beads to match.
Wait, had she said a dwarrow father and elven mother? That could not be possible, no self-respecting dwarrow would mate with an elf. It would only be if they had found their…
…One. But that wouldn't do, Mahal would not make an elf the soulmate of one of his creations.
The blond elf cleared his throat, catching the attention of the king and princess. Fili's eyes caught the movement of her turning to inspect the new additions to the throne room. Her eyes caught the blond and the red-heads and she smiled before scanning the company with curious green eyes. Fili had never seen eyes so green, almost emerald in color. Not even Mr. Baggins' hazel had been so green. Those eyes widened as they took in the company, as if she had never seen dwarves. Her face lacked the hair of a dwarrowdam and retained the shape of an elf.
She turned her attention back to the elf king. They were arguing over her comings and goings in the kingdom. But as princess wouldn't she have free reign? Kili and he had only had restrictions during hostile situations but this seemed like a daily basis. If she was princess wouldn't she inherit the kingdom? It would seem she is just as much a prisoner here as the company was at the moment. Then the conversation had caught up to him.
"If you did not ignore my rules I would not need to punish you," the king stated. "And if you did leave, where would you go? Taking into account you were not killed before leaving the forest."
"I would go to Rivendell, I remember Lord Elrond to be welcoming. Or maybe I would travel all the way to Ered Luin, Father and I once visited when I was young. Surely they would accept me if I needed to leave," She snapped.
Ered Luin? He knew most of the dwarves in Ered Luin and none would have anything to do with elves. Maybe she was only trying to get a rise out of the king.
In his musings, Fili had only caught the end of the king's statement.
"-You may look like my sister but you do her memory dishonor for I know she did not raise you to be ignorant and disrespectful." He growled.
This shocked everyone in the room it seemed. The princess' form had gone ridged and recoiled as if slapped. To be told that one was a dishonor to a deceased parent was one of the most heartbreaking feelings. Fili had been told such lies' as a child by the children of Man in Ered Luin. He knew the pain of falsified rejection and dishonor. He could see the king was lying as his eyes betrayed his knowledge of his sister's views but he wanted to inflict the pain he felt onto the girl.
Princess Nanaiel suddenly pulled her head up. Her shoulders went back as she straightened. Her posture giving her an air of confidence. The next words she spat made Fili proud and then shocked them all.
"Both my parents would have been proud of me. Not just for standing up for myself to you, but for seeking freedom from wrongful imprisonment. You'd do well to remember not to speak for my mother as you do not have the right to her voice or her thoughts. The only one who has that right is me, as Nanaiel daughter of Nanelien, Princess of Mirkwood, and Nalin, son of Fundin, Dwarf of Erebor," She declared, straightening her shoulders and turning to exit the throne room. She passed the scouting party and dwarf prisoners.
Fili felt Dwalin and Balin go rigid on either side of him. The entire company felt the effects of her words. Daughter of a dwarf of Erebor, not just any dwarf but Nalin, son of Fundin, brother to Dwalin and Balin. They had only met her once as he recalled, and when their brother died there was no news of the little half dwarf so she was thought dead. And to be the daughter of elven royalty, Fili thought she would be treated as such not as a prisoner in her own home. With the king's sister and wife gone, he should be treating family as coveted jewels.
The king turned his icy gaze onto the company. He addressed to blond and red-head.
"Legolas, my son, and Tauriel, captain of my guard, how went the mission. Are the spiders dispatched? And I see we have unwelcome visitors," He observed, scanning the group of dwarves. His tone was as cold as his eyes.
The blond elf, Prince Legolas, watched his father for a moment before informing him of the happenings in the forest, with Tauriel's input. How they had found many spiders, the dwarves fighting off the spiders, and capturing said dwarves.
While this was going on, he felt both Dwalin and Balin silently communicating about the new information they received. It seemed while both shocking and important, it would have to be put off until after they got out of the Elven King's presence.
Suddenly the king's attention was brought back to the dwarves. His attention was focused on Balin as he had step forward slightly to make it seem as if he were in charge of the group. Fili was thankful for this, he would have no idea what to say and would be worried about offending the king.
The king, Thranduil, he recalled, tried questioning them as to why they were in his realm and what their intention was. Balin artfully deflected any attempt at questioning their quest out of them. He spun a tail of starving dwarves and spider attacks, dark memory-stealing rivers and a skilled capture, leaving their mysteriously disappeared burglar out of any piece.
While Balin worked his words, Fili wondered where the princess had gone. Most likely to her room, his mind supplied. She seemed to have an interesting character and plenty courage. She intrigued him. If only his uncle could see him now, becoming intrigued by an elf-dwarf half-breed.
"After all the disturbance you have made I have right to know what brings you here, and if you will not tell me now, I will keep you all in prison until you learn sense and manners," King Thranduil snapped. "Take them away. One to a cell."
That snapped Fili from his thoughts. They were ushered out a side door. He tried to keep track of where they were going but the halls were so maze-like. When they finally reached the cells, Fili had the distinct feeling they were underground. Fili was stopped once more before entering his cell, the guard pulling out his last hidden dagger from the seams of his coat. He grumbled, irritated at the turn of events.
"Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers," he heard Kili say to the red-head, Tauriel. Fili rolled his eyes, nice brother, flirt with the she-elf who is imprisoning us. He couldn't really fault his brother. From the looks he had been giving the she-elf, he had come to admire the lass. More than his brother would like but who was he to speak, being interested, though unromantically, in the little princess.
"Or nothing," she replied. Fili couldn't help but give a small laugh at his brother. He could just imagine the look on Kili's face when she said that. He watched all of the guards leave before addressing his brother.
"I do not think the she-elf appreciated you're sentiment, brother. Maybe dwarves are not to her liking, though I haven't a clue why you're interested in a she-elf," Fili chuckled. He heard Kili grunt, obviously not amused with his brother's jests.
"Oh yes, maybe I should faun over the little half-elf princess. But I do not think you will appreciate the competition brother," Kili shot back. Fili stiffened a bit, whether at the implication of him finding romantic interest in an elf or at his brother pursuing the elvish dwarrowdam. The latter seemed a bit ridiculous, why would he care if she was pursued as he had no interest in her.
"Stop messing around, you two we need to get out of here," Gloin snapped, slamming himself into the bars of his cell. Both boys grew serious. Soon there was loud bangs as around half the company tried forcing their cell doors open.
"Leave it! There is no way out! This is no Orc dungeon. These are the Halls of the Woodland realm. No one leaves here, but, by the King's consent," Balin called. There was a collective groan in the room as all slumped, some to the floor most against the wall. Fili rested his head against the wall, thinking.
Was his uncle alright? How would they escape? Would they? And what of the girl? She seemed just as in need of rescue as they. If they escaped, would they take her with them? She was Balin and Dwalin's niece, after all.
"Dwalin, I feel, as we have time, we should speak of what we have learned today," Balin suggested. His voice sounded reluctant but firm, as if he wished to hold this conversation in private but needed to be discussed now.
"Can this not wait until we are freed?" Dwalin growled. "This conversation should be priva-."
"We do not have that luxury. If we wait and we are freed, we will most likely never have a choice in the matter. It will be too late," Balin insisted.
"What are we to do then? Even if we decide we wish to have her come with us, we have no clue as to where she is or if she wishes to come. We do not even know she is telling the truth," Dwalin retorted.
"She is of age. She should have a choice in the matter, at the very least. She is our niece, brother. We are the last of her dwarvish family. I do not want to leave her here thinking we disapprove of her," Balin pleaded.
"How are we to ask her if she wishes to come with us? Through the guard? I highly doubt one of these tree-shaggers will deliver a note to the princess from their prisoners," Dwalin grumbled.
He had a point, Fili had to admit. But maybe sending a note through the guard wouldn't be as impossible as it seemed. He had caught the small exchange between the prince, captain of the guard, and the princess. Maybe if one of them came through they would inform the princess of her kin's desire to speak with her.
"My apologies, Mister Dwalin, Mister Balin, for interrupting and eavesdropping, though unintentionally, but the red-haired she-elf seemed to be a friend of the princess. Maybe she'd agree with it, you being her kin and all," Fili suggested. "Anyway, from her conversation with the king, we can probably assume she wishes to be anywhere but here. She also made the point of bringing up her kin in Ered Luin, which can be assumed it was the both of you"
There was a bit of a silence after that until Dwalin decided to question his suggestion.
"Yes, lad, but how do we know if she will take it to the princess or straight to the king. If he knew of our relation to the princess he could try to use her to his advantage," Dwalin argued.
"Then I guess you will just have to trust that I won't," a voice came from a bit down the hall. "I could bring her a letter, but I feel this conversation should be in person."
"Well, it cannot be in person while we are locked up and I highly doubt you would allow any of us to leave just to speak with Nana," Balin replied softly. "A letter is our only chance."
"No, it is not. Nanaiel is as eager to meet with you as you her but she is also under watch by orders of the king," Tauriel responded, moving into the lightened hall and into view of the dwarves. "But she has convinced a friend and me to aid her in speaking to you. If you are patient, we will be able to escort her down and back to her rooms without the king finding she left her quarters."
"Why would you aid us? What do you receive from it?" Dwalin grunted, sounding suspicious.
"Make no mistake, Dwarf. I am not doing this for you. Nanaiel is my friend and if speaking to you will grant her even the smallest happiness then I will do so. She deserves this chance of escape, deserves to be with those who will accept her," Tauriel snapped. "Now tell me, will she be accepted? Will she not be seen as an outsider?"
"We wish to ask if she will join our family, as she should have long ago. She may be of elvish blood, but she is also our kin. We would never disapprove of kin, especially one whom we thought was lost long ago," Balin replied tiredly.
"She is kin? What do you mean by that?" Tauriel asked. She had tensed a bit at 'kin'.
"Balin, this should be a conversation with Nana, not her elf-friend," Dwalin warned.
"Dwalin, if she is breaking the princess out of her rooms, I doubt she will go straight to the king with this information," Balin reasoned with his brother. He looked towards the captain of the guard and sighed. "Nana's father, Nalin, was our brother. She is our niece. We wish to know more about her. We were never welcome in this realm, so we did not know what came of her when her parents died."
Tauriel had gone wide-eyed at the new information, a delighted glint filled her eye before she moved to a more neutral expression.
"This is wonderful news, but I feel Nanaiel should hear this news from you. It will hold more meaning. We planned to find a way down at the end of the week. I will inform you if our plans change," Tauriel explained, moving back towards the door before turning once again. "Thank you for being honest and giving her this chance." She then strode out of the room, footsteps fading until they were heard no more.
There was silence after her exit. Fili guessed Balin and Dwalin were thinking about what the she-elf had said, whether to trust her or not. Fili knew she would be good to her word. One who spoke so fiercely on a friend's behalf would not go back on their word.
"Do you think she will come, brother?" Dwalin asked. The warrior's voice was still gruff but Fili had detected a small hint of insecurity, which was surprising as Fili had never known Dwalin to be insecure.
"Aye, Dwalin, she will come if the captain speaks the truth," Balin replied. Fili could see a bit of a worried smile on the older dwarf's face.
Fili looked up at the ceiling from where he sat in his cell. A week, he thought, a week until he sees the princess again. The dwarrowdam would most likely only find interest in her kin, as it seemed she was only coming to inquire if they lived or where they were.
He closed his eyes, yes this will be a very long week.
A/n: So, chapter two. I'm sorry I didn't get it up last week. English teachers should not give projects right when students get back from break. So I hope everyone likes it so far. Please review. It makes me write more knowing people like it.