Bilbo, you're worrying us

The elf king had been worried that perhaps he would never find his son or that treacherous Tauriel. He was passing by a tree when a auburn haired elf ran past, his keen eyes taking in her features. With speed he hadn't used since the battle of five armies, he caught up to the she elf, gripping her from behind. She went to scream, his hand covering her mouth as he spoke into her ear.

"Tauriel, you've been a very rebellious elf." He felt her body go from tense to relaxed. She knew it was over the moment he held her like this. He let go of his hold on her mouth, keeping an arm around her as they began to march off towards his quarters.

"Sire, please..." She started in.

"Think you could run away from your problems? Could escape your fate?" He scoffed. She was such a fool, thinking anything rotten like herself could escape his sensitive nose.

"I knew you realized I visited the dwarfs when you assigned me my mission." She spoke, the king only nodded.

"Yes, I knew you enjoyed their hairy, smelly company. Which I'd rather you with their lot than dirtying my sons linage with your filthy blood. Tell me, Tauriel, where is my beloved Legolas?"

She was quiet, unwilling to respond.

"Fine, we will find him either way."

"He's right there, sire." She was mocking in her tone.

"Excuse me?!" He growled, looking from her to his right, and seeing Legolas headed their way.

"Ah, son! Come, come to Papa!" He smiled serenely, Legolas had a frown plastered on his face, looking dejectedly at Tauriel.

"Father." Was his simple greeting, the prince stopping in front of the two elves.

"Legolas, come. We'll have a nice long chat about your absence after we've taken care of this harlot." He smirked, walking with his son and his prisoner in the direction of his temporary quarters.

Tauriel was chained and left inside the kings bedroom, guarded by five of his men as he and Legolas went to the city's dining area to sit down and chat.

"So, when did you decide to follow the dwarfs?" Thanduril got to the point as the two sat down at a table, food brought over to them in a quick manner. Legolas looked down at his salad with an irritable frown.

"As soon as Tauriel left her post, I pursued her."

His father pecked at his meal, acting casual as he spoke with his son, "We at first assumed that perhaps you had run off with Tauriel for other reasons."

Legolas raised a brow, gazing at his father with questioning eyes, "Other reasons?"

"Legolas, don't toy with me. I meant we all worried that you might have run off to marry her..." He huffed at the thought. "Married to a Silven elf, you would have broke my heart."

"I followed her, hoping she would see the error of her ways. Tauriel is not stupid, though she is stubborn. She wouldn't let go of the quest the dwarfs were on. Staying when I ordered her to leave." Legolas sighed, weary as he told his tale.

"She wouldn't go, so I stayed to make sure she was safe, to escort her back after the dwarfs had reached their destination."

"She stayed because of that dwarf, Thorin's nephew, am I right?" Legolas crossed his arms at this question, looking anywhere but at his father.

"Poor, innocent, kindhearted Legolas. You really thought someone like her would see reason? She's been tainted, there's no help for her now. Leave her punishment to me. She will pay for her actions." The king reached out and patted his sons crossed arms.

"Father, would you have accepted Tauriel as my wife if she had not been fraternizing with a dwarf?" Legolas asked, unwilling to call it relations or any other sexual term.

Awkward silence followed that question, Thanduril looking intently at his meal, chewing on his salad in a thoughtful manner.

"Legolas, you deserve a princess, or at least a noble elf. She has never been good enough for you, son. Dwarf involvement or no." He finally spoke his feelings to his son.

Legolas closed his eyes tiredly, sighing at his fathers words. Could he never love something without his fathers permission? Was he bound to his fathers rule even when it was over his personal life? Tauriel upset him, truly she did, but he didn't want her harmed or imprisoned forever back in Mirkwood.

"Father, I..." As he opened his eyes, his words paused, taking in the approaching dwarf duo.

Thorin Oakenshield and his nephew Kili were headed right for them. Kili held a hurt, glassy eyed look while his uncle held a guarded expression.

"Do you smell that, Legolas?" Thanduril began, "Smells like lies and deceit. It must be Thorin Oakenshield." He turned in his seat to sneer at the approaching dwarfs.

Thorin had heard him, glaring back at the snobbish elf king.

"Thorin Oakenshield, what can we do for you and your kin?" He paused, wanting to call out the king for killing his elk, holding back comments he really wanted to make. He had to wait, to have patience. The Lady of Light might be on the dwarfs side after all...

-0-0-

"Thorin...Thorin?" Bilbo was waking, his eyes slowly opening, starting to take in his surroundings.

"Bilbo, you're okay!" Fili's voice greeted him, Bilbo turning his head to stare at the smiling young dwarf.

"Fili? Where's your uncle?" He liked Fili, but Bilbo was really anxious to speak with his special dwarf.

"He wanted me to tell you that he's fine, and that he'll be back. You sure had all of us worried." Fili commented. The hobbit gazed down at his flatter looking stomach. Praise elvish healing, the lady had done it! It was such a relief waking up to no creepy baby growing inside him. Bilbo closed his eyes for a moment in a happy way, before looking about his entire room.

Gandalf was snoring in a corner, sitting in a comfortable chair with a bottle of wine between his knees. The wizard looked peaceful as he continued to doze.

"Where exactly did Thorin go?" He asked, landing his gaze back on Fili.

"Well, we sort of ran into a...situation." He awkwardly began, unsure if he should let Bilbo in on the new development.

"I get rid of an evil baby and you lot find something else to get us in trouble? What is it this time? Not dragon related, I hope." Bilbo tried making light, wanting Fili to feel comfortable enough to talk about it.

"Well, you know Kili's lass?"

"The elf? Yes, why?"

"She was captured by Thanduril and is currently being guarded by five elf warriors in a private room. Kili and uncle went to bargain with the elf king." Fili summed it all up, Bilbo holding a puzzled look at this news.

"What do you mean by bargain?"

-0-0-

"We aren't here to argue or fight, all we want to do is discuss terms." Thorin began, trying to stay curt as he spoke with the elf he loathed.

"Terms? What ever could you mean by that?" Thanduril was coy, playing the part of a clueless king.

"The she elf, we want to bargain for her freedom." Thorin felt dirty just speaking that sentence. Standing up for an elf, what a pile of dragon vomit.

"Freedom? My, does the famous elf hating Thorin Oakenshield wish to recruit a new member? How very unlike you. Though I'm sure your nephew had a lot to do with it. Isn't that right, you dirty little shit?"

Thorin drew his sword, taking offense to Thanduril's rude words towards Kili. No one insulted his kin like that, not even pompous elf kings.

"You'd see her punished either way, let her reside with us, surly that is a punishment by elvish standards." He was holding onto his sword still, trying to speak reason as he felt his anger flowing. This elf never made anything easy.

"Punishment? I'd hardly call her getting pounded by dwarf sausage every day a punishment. It doesn't count when she likes the punishment. No, I think not." Thanduril eyed the dwarf leader coldly.

"Gems then, I know you like the large white ones. Let me buy her freedom." Kili spoke up, Thorin sheathed his sword, shaking his head at his nephews eagerness.

"You'd buy her like a common prostitute? Oh, how sad. I had thought Thorin would have taught you better."

"Enough!" Thorin interrupted, "What will it take, Thanduril?"

"What will it take?" The elf king was red cheeked, his anger about his elk hard to hold back. He wanted to say their blood spilt by his hand would do for starters, but right now in the Lady of Lights kingdom, doing so would be very unwise. He began to count to ten and collect his anger, when Legolas spoke up.

"Let her go, Father. She has chosen a life without our people, let her see the error of her ways by letting her live with them. I do not wish her any harm." He spoke gently, his heart hurt from her decision to be with Kili, but he could not damn her because of it. Thanduril, on the other hand...

"Legolas, did I ask for your opinion?" The king eyed his son coldly. Legolas shuffled awkwardly in his seat, like a child sitting in front of a principal.

"No."

"Then know your place." He hissed cooly at his prince, turning his pissy mood towards the awaiting dwarfs.

"I've given you my answer. No. Now beat it, we have some catching up to do, and don't appreciate the stench of dwarf around our food." He pointed a long, lean finger in the direction they had come from.

"So be it." Thorin huffed, hauling away his hesitant, uncertain kin.

"Well, now that middle earths sexiest men under five feet tall are gone, we can enjoy our meal." Thanduril acted casual, eating his salad in a calm manner.

"Father, you can't punish her."

"Legolas, do you want this fork in your neck?" The king had a strange, crazed look in his eyes, "Keep up your attitude, and I swear by the Eldar your necks going to be forked hard." He stared down his son, the younger elf letting his eyes drop, looking emptily at his meal.

"Now, would you please stop moping and put on a smile? There are plenty of high standing females in this city. Forget about that Silven elf, you'll feel better once you do." He assured his son, seeing no change in the others sullen attitude.

"Children." He sighed under his breath, being a fabulous father was a tiring task. And you never received any gratitude for any of the things you did to help them achieve happiness. Children could just be so darn selfish...

-0-0-

The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien