Apologies- I posted the wrong chapter so that Orcrist should follow this one.

Chapter 4: Anglach's dwarf.

Thranduil was not pleased. Legolas could see the way his mouth was set and Anglach stood with Galadhon, and was even now telling the King what had happened. Thranduil 's eyes were steel and Legolas had been on the receiving end of that look often enough to sympathise with them both. But for now, he was well away from the King's ire and he and Thalos merely spectators.

'Tonight of all nights, dwarves choose to invade us,' Thalos said with a grimace for he too would be hauled up before Thranduil, they both knew.

Thalos turned, for Galadhon was approaching and Anglach trailed behind him. Both Legolas and Thalos walked to meet their friends.

'You have survived, Galadhon,' said Thalos, clasping his oldest friend's shoulder.

Galadhon did not look happy. 'Only just, but I would rather Smaug anytime than the King when he is angry,' he muttered and both Legolas and Thalos quietly agreed. 'He is right to be.' Galadhon glared over his shoulder at Anglach who was trotting back towards them, his face downcast. 'Even better would be to tie up Anglach and send him with a pretty bow to Erebor and let Smaug have him!'

Thalos grinned sympathetically. 'He will call for me next.' He meant Thranduil, but Legolas felt a sudden unease, for Smaug had also called for Thalos and it was time, surely, for the next Danedh-Amlung to be sent. He smothered a gasp and glanced at Thalos, but he seemed unperturbed. Perhaps Thranduil had not yet spoken to him of Smaug and his pledge?

'He already has,' Galadhon was saying uncomfortably. 'Told me to tell you to see him in his study once we have dealt with this.' He gestured towards a low hump in the grass that was not a grass at all but a dwarf, deeply asleep.

'Oh! One of them fallen under the King's enchantment. I think he was the leader.' Anglach's face transformed when he saw the sleeping dwarf with an excited light in his eyes.

'That will be the first one to have broken the charmed circle,' said Legolas moodily and he kicked the dwarf with his foot but not hard, and the dwarf merely muttered in his sleep and rolled over. 'Honestly, why couldn't you have kept a closer eye on them?'

'I am sure the King will want to speak with it when it wakes!' Anglach smiled delightedly and draped his cloak over the unconscious dwarf.

'What in all of Arda are you doing?' Thalos asked. 'Legolas, have a word with your idiot friend,' he cautioned, throwing a look towards Thranduil who had also seen that tender gesture and whose face did not look as though he might understand or have any sympathy. The King leaned down and muttered something to one of the guards, Ceredir. Legolas rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. 'What is wrong with you, Anglach? You are a warrior worth ten dwarves and yet you are a complete idiot when the silliness takes you. Don't say anything though to the King about feeling sorry for the dwarves, whatever you do. He won't like it.'

At that moment, Ceredir trotted over with a grim expression. 'The King says to take that dwarf to the stronghold for questioning,' he said. He stared down at the dwarf in distaste. 'Someone needs to carry it.'

Anglach opened his mouth and before Legolas could stop him he said, 'I will!' He had a silly expression of delight on his face as he stared down at the dwarf that Legolas knew only too well.

'The King thought you might,' Ceredir said wryly. 'And he said that if you do, Legolas must go with you to stop you from doing anything daft.'

Anglach threw a hurt and puzzled look at Legolas. 'That is outrageous really considering the things you have done,' he said accusingly to Legolas. 'I am quite insulted.'

Legolas glared at the dwarf and cursed under his breath. He looked around the clearing at the elves who were gradually seating themselves on the benches and sawn tree trunks, and the wine was beginning to be passed around once more. He threw the rest of his own wine into the grass. 'You owe me for this, Anglach. I am missing out on dancing with Tauriel because of this. And Miriel.' Anglach lifted a skeptical eyebrow but wisely did not speak and at just that moment, Miriel whirled past on some dashing elf's arm and gave Legolas a coquettish smile. He sighed heavily. 'Very well. I will help you escort the Dwarf to the stronghold and put him in some cupboard or something until the King returns.' Anglach gave him a quick grin. 'But I'm not taking any responsibility for this! If something happens I expect you to take the rap.'

'Come then Legolas, you take one end of the dwarf and I will take the other. You can choose since you are missing out on the feast.' said Anglach generously.

Legolas grunted and picked up the dwarf's legs. The dwarf was much heavier than he had expected for such a short race. And his boots were well made and though worn, of better quality than most. If he was a merchant, then he was a rich one indeed, Legolas thought. Then he looked more carefully. The cloak was finer than he first thought for it was weather stained and torn, ragged edges, but the fabric itself was finely woven and there was beautifully stitched embroidery where there was still a hem. He heaved the body up and shoved forwards, Anglach shuffled ahead of him and they clumsily hefted the unconscious dwarf between them, stopping often and Legolas complaining the whole journey.

Now the King's stronghold lay some miles from the edge of the forest, beneath a great hill, swathed in enchantment and magic, and about the hill the forest river ran, dark and strong. It was where Thranduil kept his treasure; his folk in times of war, and the harvest which fed all.

'When we get back, I'd quite like to talk to it, Legolas, so don't be so rough,' Anglach complained as they shoved and pushed and pulled and between them carried the remarkably heavy dwarf to the stronghold.

Legolas stared at his friend in astonishment. 'Anglach! This Naugrim attacked us. He led the attack when we and our folk were peacefully feasting in the Wood…our Wood. I think he will be lucky if the King does not keep him locked up forever!'

Anglach tutted. 'They didn't really attack. I think they are starving.'

'How can they starve in the forest?' Legolas asked in astonishment. 'There is so much food here! Come on, let's get him to the stronghold and then perhaps I can return to the feast. There will be plenty of drinking and dancing by the time I return,'

'You need to acknowledge to yourself,' Anglach said with an air of wisdom that was, in Legolas' view, completely unjustified, 'that none of the maidens will dance with you while your breath stinks like a warg's fart and you have the face of the Goblin-King himself.'

Suffice to say they bickered and squabbled like two old fishwives all the way along the path towards the bridge across the river, bickering as they went and, I am afraid, dropping the dwarf a number of times because when one pushed the other did not necessarily pull. And when the one pulled, the other was not necessarily pushing. So the dwarf had a few more bruises and his hood was askew and cloak a little more torn by the time they had reached the river.

They were just crossing the bridge, when quite suddenly, the dwarf lashed out with his feet and struck Legolas on the chin. Legolas reeled back, dropping the dwarf heavily and had the dwarf not been drowsy and drugged with Thranduil's enchantment, he would have escaped. As it was, he staggered and Anglach was able to wrestle him, quite gently, to the ground and Legolas, a lot less gently and with his knee in the dwarf's back, pinned him to the ground, pulled his hands behind him and wrapped his own belt tightly around the dwarf's wrists.

How the dwarf cursed and swore, loudly and viciously in his own tongue, khuzdul, thought Legolas as he dragged the dwarf to his feet, his hand clutching his jaw for the dwarf's boots were indeed well made, with steel caps and he felt like he had been kicked by a horse. 'You can walk yourself from here,' he said in Westron and the dwarf spat something back that Legolas could not understand but was sure it was not polite.

'And I feel the same about you!' he said nastily in Westron again, certain the dwarf could understand.

But Anglach smiled kindly. 'I apologise for my friend,' he said, although the dwarf could not possibly have understood his words for Anglach's Westron was never a strong point and he had such a strong Silvan accent that it was unintelligible to anyone not born in the Wood.

Legolas snorted derisively. 'You just spoke gibberish,' he said, moving his jaw tentatively, testing for damage.

'Dehersu zirin kall' spat the dwarf, just as derisive.

The voice was deep, resonant and Legolas stared down at the dwarf for he suddenly seemed bigger somehow, more impressive. This was no mere miner it seemed… But foolish nevertheless, to think he could take a short cut through the Woods and on the King's own road without permission or even a thank you.

But Anglach was delighted. 'It spoke!' he cried jubilantly. He squatted again in front of the dwarf and smiled kindly. 'Now, are you hungry? I can get you something to eat. What do you like?' At least that is what he intended to say, but it was again, unintelligible and the dwarf just glared at him with a fire in his eyes that clearly indicated a wish for both elves to spontaneously combust. Anglach seemed completely oblivious and looked up at Legolas and said speculatively. 'Do you think they eat ordinary food like us, or do they need rocks and things?'

'Anglach, you are a complete idiot.'Legolas said with unaccustomed grumpiness. 'And I don't think you can really call that foul and ugly tongue speaking. I don't think he is being very polite or nice to you, Anglach. Come on! Let's get him into a cupboard somewhere and get back to the feast.'

The dwarf looked straight at him then, and Legolas's own eyes widened for he had only ever seen such intense dislike and hatred in the eyes of Orcs. 'Ishkhaqwi ai durugnu' said the dwarf.

'I don't know why I am bothering.' Legolas gave up and shoved the dwarf quite roughly along the bridge until they came to the stronghold doors, which were firmly closed.

Anglach murmured the words of opening and the huge stone doors swung silently open and into Thranduil's ancient and enchanted stronghold, that the Wood-elves called their palace.

Here, chambers opened one upon another and another, carved and smoothed in ancient times by water, when the river had swelled with melt water from glaciers and carved passages in caves of rose-coloured stone, and pale-green limestone, white marble and glittering quartz. The very many clefts in the limestone gave the chambers light and air, and the elves had delved these further so there were huge shafts of light that filtered through the trees and poured into the chambers and caves. Upon the steep hill were tall and ancient beech trees and their roots wound about the stone pillars and arches, until one could not see where wood finished and stone began. And so the paths between the chambers were sometimes huge roots, and sometimes sinuous stone bridges that arced through the air from one level to another, and one chamber to another. There were shallow steps cut into the limestone that led away upwards and curved about huge stone pillars, and the sound of water echoed, for there were waterfalls and streams, still pools and the river that flowed around and beneath the hillside.

Legolas heard the dwarf give a small sigh that he quickly stifled and Legolas smiled grimly. At least the dwarf had been impressed, for few had seen the halls of the Elvenking, and even fewer had been his prisoner.

And that posed a problem, for they did not have dungeons.

The same thought had occurred to Anglach because both paused and looked at each other over their prisoner's head. And there were no guards around or indeed, any other elves for everyone was at the feast or had drawn the short straw like Anglach and was guarding the feasts in case the spiders or orcs came to join looked around at the storerooms and cupboards and scratched their heads until at last Anglach found an empty storeroom that had a small grill in the door so they could look in,'and the dwarf can look out and see what is going on,' Anglach added.

Legolas sighed exasperated and shook his head. 'Honestly, Anglach. You had better not say that to anyone else. Especially not Galadhon. Or the King. They will not be happy to think that you are going soft. Next thing you'll be saying the spiders are sweet when they are spinning.' He shoved the dwarf's shoulder, intending to push him into the cupboard but the dwarf suddenly swung about and barged Anglach, pushing him right over and then kicked out at Legolas again, this time catching him on the shins. Legolas yelped with pain and shock and hurled himself after the dwarf, catching him as he scrambled down the steps towards the river. He tackled the dwarf and brought him down hard so they rolled and rolled down the steps, bumping and bruising each other. But the dwarf was hungry, thirsty and bound and it did not take Legolas long to pin him down once more. The dwarf cursed and shouted at Legolas and Legolas cursed and shouted back. Long and hard.

At last he dragged, even more roughly than before, the dwarf back up the steps and threw him bodily into the cupboard, breathing hard.

'And if I have my way, you will stay there and starve!' he shouted, holding his jaw, which he had bumped on the steps again, and feeling a loose tooth with his tongue, his cheek felt sore and his eye throbbed where the dwarf's knee had got him.

Anglach on the other hand, was staring through the bars. 'You have hurt him, Legolas!'

'Good,' Legolas growled and wanted to go in and kick the dwarf again, really hard. But he knew Thranduil would not be pleased and in his current rapture, Anglach might well tell him. He turned the key in the lock of the store room and glared at the dwarf through the bars. The dwarf glared back and shouted something at him that may, thought Legolas, have had something to do with his parentage, but he did not much care. He was going. Back to the feast and Anglach could take care of it, he thought slowly and looked at his friend. 'You can take care of it,' he said. 'I am going back to the feast.'

'Yes. You go,' said Anglach. He was standing with his hands on the bars of the door and gazing at the dwarf. He had a silly smile on his face.

Legolas knew that smile. It was the same as he had when he brought a squirrel back that he had found on the path with a hurt paw. And the same smile he had when he brought back the rabbits and shrews and mice. And the spider.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He could not leave Anglach with the dwarf. Dwarves were cleverer than spiders and look what had happened then. Thranduil had been furious.

And he loved his friend, even if it meant missing dancing with Tauriel or Miriel, for he had conveniently forgotten about the forester and Losgar and imagined himself whisking them away to dance with him, their faces turned up to him adoringly…

'Go and get it some food,' he said resigned. 'And water. And can you bring me some ice. And you had better bring soap and water as well, and bandages. And ointment.' He glanced in at the furious dwarf. 'You better bring some for him too.'

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Dehersu zirin kall -You strike at cold iron

'Ishkhaqwi ai durugnu - insult about Legolas' parentage and ability to produce heirs.

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