Chapter 9 - Mirkwood
Slowly trotting towards the woods avoiding the past for as long as she could, Ivy kept to the back of the company, it seemed foolish an elf that was avoiding the woods but this seemed to be a reasonable exception. Climbing down from her horse she set him free to return to Beorn, who could still be seen in his bear form watching over his lands.
"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." Ivy heard Gandalf speaking to Thorin as she walked over, Gandalf grasped the reins to his own horse once more.
"Where are you going?" Ivy questioned, eyeing him curiously.
Avoiding her question he continue, looking at at her firmly, "This is not the Greenwood of old, the very air of the forest is heavy with illusion that will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray. Ivy, I'm trusting you do get them through safely."
Ivy nodded, "Of course," she answered placing a hand upon a nearby tree, "It won't be easy, this forest is filled with disease, its in a deep sickness."
"No it won't, but you must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again. Ivy, you of all tread with caution, as an elf of Mirkwood the woods will not affect you the same," Gandalf warned, as he headed to his horse riding off.
"What is that suppose to mean," Ivy called to him.
"You will understand in time. No matter what may come, stay on the path!" Gandalf called out riding away.
"Come on, we must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day. Let's go, we've but one chance to find the hidden door." Thorin directed, heading into the forest.
They followed after, the path was easy enough to follow at the beginning Thorin led the way, for a bit Dwalin tapped the ground with the end of his axe making sure they stayed upon the path they were meant to follow. Ivy felt eerily at ease in the forest mindlessly letting her feet carry her through trees, while she walked hands grasped firmly on her bow as she allowed her instincts to fully take over. Ivy paid little mind to the company knowing which way they needed to go.
"Ivy!" Someone called out. "Ivy!"
"What," Ivy stopped all movement turning to see Thorin calling out to her.
"You've wandered away from the path," he called worriedly.
"It matters not," She spoke calmly, smiling.
"Indeed it does," Thorin turned to speak to Nori who was apparently leading at the time, "Why have you stopped?"
"The path, its disappeared!" Nori answered worried.
"Whats going on?" Ori called coming forward.
"We've lost the path?"
"We've lost nothing Bofur," Ivy smiled.
"Ivy, please." Thorin snapped out. "There is no sign of a path anywhere."
"Trust the dwarf to know the way then, of course."
"Look for the path," Dwalin called to the others, ignoring Ivy as Thorin began looking to.
Ivy stood in the same place never moving, watching them wander around in circles searching for the path, keeping her mouth quiet choosing to say for Thorin thought he knew better.
"I don't remember this place, none of it's familiar." Balin spoke, shaking his head.
"It's got to be here." Dori cursed.
"What hour is it?" Thorin asked, searching the ground for any sign of the path.
"I don't know, I don't even know what day it is." Dwalin grumbled.
"Is there no end to this accursed forest!" Thorin hollered.
"Actually it's this way,"Ivy smirked, again being ignored by an overly prideful dwarf.
Ivy grew more and more impatient with her companions walking in circles, whilst their leader blatantly ignored her.
"Look, a tobacco pouch. There's Dwarves in these woods." Dori mused taking it from his brother who found it upon the ground.
"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine." Bofur spoke shocked as he took it from Dori.
"Because it is yours, do you understand? We're going around in circles, we are lost!" Bilbo snapped, one mostly sane friend.
"We are not lost. We keep heading east." Thorin grew angrier.
"That says to me that you would be lost, Thorin." Ivy offered sarcastically.
"But which way is the east? We've lost the sun!" Dwlain called looking around trying to find his way.
"This way!" Ivy called offering up her help once more, "Nope Gandalf only told to help get you through safely for humours sake. Am I even here right now? Bilbo help me out here!" She demanded as he passed her by, the dwarves had began mindlessly bickering.
"The sun. We have to find.. the sun," he tapped his head thinking. Up there," Blibo said pointing upwards.
Ivy nodded letting him climb his way up, sighing still maybe this was easier... safer even.
"Enough! Quiet! All of you! We are being watched." Thorin yelled, "Ivy, what's out there?"
"Oh, now I'm useful?" Ivy snapped, "Stay here." She demanded, leaping through the trees before coming face to face with a giant spider. Shooting it down easily she headed back to the others to give them a warning to prepare arms, there were more around she could hear them crawling through the trees. However, when she returned there was no one to be seen. "For fucks sake!" She cursed out to herself.
Following the sounds that rang through the quiet and stillness of the forest Ivy easily found the others, dwarves were far too loud.
"Dwalin! Kill it! Kill it!" Thorin yelled, a spider having hold of him from behind. Ivy shot an arrow from the tree killing it before leaping down landing beside him. Looking over at him with a tight lipped smiled and raised eyebrows.
"Fili!" It was Kili, Ivy turned to see Fili killing another spider.
"Come on, keep up!" Dwalin yelled.
"Clear!" Thorin called.
"Not even close," Ivy sighed nocking another arrow, letting it lose almost instantly as another landed directly in front of Thorin. "We have visitors," Ivy called out.
A blonde elf, leading a dozen or more wood elves killed the spiders that lingered in the trees. As the last spider lay motionless upon the ground the woodland elves turned their arrows at the company an action that Ivy returned happily standing face to with the blonde elf who was clearly in charge here.
Ivy paused momentarily looking over this newcomer, his striking resemblance to king made it clear who he was.
"Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf. It would be my pleasure," he sneered hatefully, looking over at Thorin.
"You would regret such actions, Elf," Ivy sneered back hatefully aiming her bow at him.
"Why does an elf such as yourself travel with such creatures?" He asked turning his attention to Ivy, he eyes running over her form taken in her strange garb and messy braid.
"I would spent a thousand lifetimes with the dwarves, then to have spent one with the likes of you, elf." Ivy sneered, curling her lip in disgust.
The screams of Kili reached her ears, through a small clearing in a tree she could see the spider attacking Ivy tried to turn her bow to shoot it down, however, the blonde stop her movement's with his own.
Glaring at each other momentarily.
"Kili!" Fili yelled out worried for his brother.
"Ivy, drop the bow." Thorin commanded of me, as the others lowered their own weapons to the ground.
Glancing behind her, Ivy could see most were already unarmed.
"Yes, Ivy. Drop the bow." The blonde elf smirked as he rolled her name off of his tongue smoothly, smirking down at her still.
"Ego mibo orqu!(Go kiss an orc!)" Ivy sneered, returning the smirk before shooting the arrow past his ear tossing the bow to the side as Thorin ordered, in the same flash of movement she whipped out a pair of daggers. An action that was meet equally, the sound of metal tinging together rang in the clearing.
Thorin sighed, others chuckled lightly.
"You think that wise?" He asked narrowing his eyes, as he pushed against her weapons they fought in a moment of strength and authority.
"Do you?" Ivy sneered back, breaking out into a fight of daggers. They fought well and for sometime but still Ivy found herself backed into a tree each of the fighting elves having disarmed the other of a single dagger. The second was now pressed against each others neck only her hand upon his wrist, and his upon hers held their daggers back in a fight of strength to not get cut. Ivy's arm was wavering slightly against his brute force. They stood holding a dagger to each others neck, grasping one another wrists pushing the blade away, glaring waiting for someone to make the next move, if nothing happened soon Ivy could feel her fingers slipping the elvish princeling was clearly much stronger than she gave him credit for.
"If I may be so bold," a red haired elf spoke entering the clearing, "Either kill the dwarf-lover or tie the nuisance up."
Thorin command Ivy to drop the dagger. In that single moment of distraction, caused by Thorin, the elf disarmed the dagger forcing Ivy around slamming her body into the tree, binding her hands behind her back. Ivy felt his hot breath against her cheek as he leaned forward gripping her arm, "I assume you understand now the foolishness of your actions, elf."
Growling angrily Ivy struggled in his arms, fighting until she grew breathless.
As they rejoined the group a firm hand on her upper arm Legolas lead the way. "Search them!" He called out the order, never loosen his grip as he searched Gloin.
"Hey, give it back! That's private!" Gloin protested, as he pulled out a picture of his family.
"Who is this? Your brother?" the elvish princeling sneered with a look of disgust.
"That is my wife!" Gloin snapped indignantly.
"And what is this horrid creature? A Goblin Mutant?" the blonde drawled out, at his comment Ivy threw her head back nailing him in the mouth.
"That's my wee lad, Gimli!"
Growling at the impact he quickly grasped Ivy's now loose hair, the leather thong that had held together having fallen in their fighting. "Now, now," He breathed too close to her ear. Ivy started struggling again knowing if he caught sight of her ear things would only get worse, "What are you trying to hide?" He questioned at her sudden struggling, pushing her into a nearby tree, with inching fingers he gathered the rest of Ivy's hair into the palm of his hand slowly revealing her marking.
"What's going on, Legolas?" The red haired elleth asked coming to stand beside him.
Without a reply he twisted Ivy's hair around his fist, forcing her head to the side revealing the marked ear to his Capitan.
Her eyes widened, "A traitor's daughter, accompanies the dwarves."
Without another word the company were led away from the forest Legolas never loosened his relentless grip upon Ivy. Thorin was brought immediately to King Thranduil while the rest of them were taken away to the dungeons.
"Some may imagine that a Noble quest is at hand. A Quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I, myself, suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary, or something of that ilk." Thranduil spoke with an air of superiority, leaning down he stared at Thorin. "You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. A King's jewel. The Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure, I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help."
"I am listening." Thorin sounded amused.
"I will let you all go and your marked partner, no questions asked, if you but return what is mine." Thranduil offered.
"A favor for a favor." Thorin mused.
"You have my word. One King to another." Thranduil spoke.
"I would not trust, Thranduil, the great King, to only his word. Till the end of all days be upon us!" Thorin sneered, at the Elven King causing him to recoil slightly in shock. "You, who lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless; seeking your help. But you turned your back! You, turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us!" Thorin always letting his pride get in the way.
"May you die in dragon fire!" Thorin spat out in dwarvish.
"Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the North." The Elven King sneered back, leaning directly in front of Thorin as his face changed showing the signs of him once being burnt, taking a step back it quickly returned to normal.
"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen." He called walking up the steps to his throne, "You are just like him." Waving his hand in a command guards grabbed Thorin and I, "Bring the elf, that goes by Ivy to my chambers, we have other matters to discuss. As for you, stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an Elf. I'm patient. I can wait."
"Leave her alone! Don't you dare harm her! " Thorin yelled as they began to drag him away.
"That option is no longer open to you, you should have taken my help when it was offered. She is at my mercy now." The Elven King called to Thorin who continued to yell and struggle.
Thorin was tossed roughly into the dungeons with the rest of them. "Tell me you made a deal with the king?" Ivy pleaded as she saw the guards nearing her own cell.
Thorin growled spitting out just what he had told the king.
"No," Ivy breathed out as the door to her cell was swung open,
The guards tossed Ivy to the ground roughening her up, making her cry out all over again as their blows rained down upon her body. She laid motionless letting tears pour from her eyes, a numbness clouding her wits, the feeling of warm blood trickling down her chin. The cries and outburst from her fellow dwarves in nearby cells she spent every ounce of energy she had left fighting to but it was useless.
They left Ivy standing on weak feet in front of their king. Thranduil glaring down upon her he sat upon a large throne like chair, she noticed off to the side her father was there. "If it isn't the elf of the mountains, do you think it wise to have wandered through my lands." Thranduil lounged taking a sip of his wine awaiting an answer.
Maybe it was her anger at Thorin and his stupid prideful ways, or maybe she was harbouring her own hate for the elf for too long or simply the fear for what the king had in store for the unwanted marked elf, such as she was. Whatever it was as Ivy looked up to him she could not hold back her own crude dwarvish ways. Growling out a sharp, "Amin doletha lle." (I hate you.)
"Very well," he sighed seemingly bored, with a flick of his hand a couple guards came up behind Ivy forcing her down on her knees pressing the cold hard iron of their daggers into her neck. Thranduil shot Ivy a look, cocking his head to one side, "Let's not forget, who's halls your captive in. My hunters took your mother's head and I will take yours, if it pleases me for what you've done!"
Breathing quickly, her mouth drying out, lip quivering she forced her eyes closed for a second before slowing her own fear of the King, "What I have done? I have done nothing!"
His eyes widened at her words, sneering hatefully. For a second Ivy was sure he was going to order her head removed immediately, though he spared her life and for that she was thankful.
Thranduil stood from his seat stalking his way to her, before grasping her hair painfully revealing her already marked ear, "You are not only the daughter of a traitor but a traitor yourself, you freed that despicable elleth forcing me to use valuable resources to find the two of you for many years, you then managed to escape my hunters. Now you seem to think you can just trespass through my woods! You will not go unpunished for it. Who is your king?" Thranduil sneered inches from her face.
Ivy took breath, before spitting out an answer. "Thorin." She sneered.
Thranduil smirked down at her loosening his grip slightly he backed hand her himself before re-tightening his grip. Ivy cried out her hands coming to grasped his wrist trying to tug him away from her but it was futile, she lost, she was his now.
Ivy gasped out, as he shoved her flat against the ground a guard digging his knee into the small of her back holding her now arms down painfully. The second guard replaced the king's hand in her hair twisting Ivy's head to the side pinning it against the cold floor, passing the king a dagger.
"Please," She found herself begging suddenly, "Please, I know not what she did. I'm sorry for helping her, I did not know. I was only elfling, please..."
The guard holding Ivy's head down pushed down harder making her vision blur from the pain, silencing the elves words.
Pulling back her hair Thranduil brought the dagger down to her unmarked ear, that's when Ivy began to scream and struggle. Ivy managed to free one of her hands grasping the kings arm to try and push him away from her body, trying to force back his hand and dagger away. "Please, I beg of you, my Lord." Ivy cried tears unwillingly pouring down her cheeks.
A faithful close guard to the king, pulled back his arm punching her square in the face before grabbing her hand pinning it behind her back again. With his one free hand he clasped over her mouth silencing her screams.
Ivy could feel blood dripping from her now split lip, "Please," she tried to cry out but it came out as nothing more than a muted pathetic whimper between sobs as her body shook from both crying out of pain and the fear.
Ivy lay motionless as the King stood, Ivy was ripped off the floor blood and tear stained as they were about to haul her away Thranduil grasped her chin squeezing tightly, "Never forgot who your king truly is, Traitor. Whether you are in my kingdom or not you belong to me." He tossed her head away from him. "Stand," Thranduil ordered when they were alone asides from her own father.
Ivy glanced up as she tried to obey the order not wishing for more pain to come on her part as she tried to push herself up off the floor her arms began to shake and she quickly collapsed gasping in pain.
More tears fell as she feared what he might do, Thranduil leaned down grasping her by the neck he hauled her up off the floor pushing her body against the wall. "Please." Ivy begged the elven king.
"Your begging and pleading amuse me. Thallan," Thranduil mused, twirling the dagger expertly in his hand. "Stand your daughter up." He ordered as he walked away from her allowing her body to go crashing back to the ground. Pointing the dagger to her throat the king continued to speak, Thallan moved from his spot coming around he pulled his daughter from the floor. "You wish to save yourself the pain, save yourself from being mark as a traitor, I will allow it if you but swear yourself to me. Swear to abide the customs of our people."
"Laiqualassiel, please." Ivy stifled a gasp surprised at her fathers kind, gentle voice. "You are better than this life, you have been forced to live. Please."
"Serve me, and in time I will tell you all you wish to know." Thranduil smirked over at the elleth, looking on as her eyes widened, he could tell she was cracking. "Very well, then." Thranduil sighed, stepping forward as he brought the dagger to her ear once more.
"No," Ivy cried out.
Thranduil backed away with a smirk, "Say it."
"I…swear my allegiance to you, my lord, by whatever means you see fit."
Thranduil smirked to himself, "Come, Thallan, bring your daughter." Thranduil led her through to his bathing chambers, "You may untie your daughter."
Thallan bowed graciously to his kings following the orders.
"So, what is it that you want exactly?" Ivy asked, rubbing at her wrist.
"Do not speak out of turn, or I will show your poor bruised wrists discomfort." Thranduil mocked the elleth, "Disrobe, you will clean yourself up, you're wretched as it stands."
Ivy did as commanded the king and her father awaited her in the kings main chambers, she stood bare when the king commanded her to come back out, her wet tresses flowing down her pale shoulders as Thranduil stalked around her dress in hand.
"I'll take my armour back."
"No. You serve me now and I will not have you wondering about looking like a dwarf." Thranduil said as he commanded her to slip into the white gown made of elven silk, his hands reached around grasping the metal detailing clasping it around her neck. "Lastly," Thranduil mused out loud as he placed an enchantment over her form covering her other marked ear and her dwarven tattoo's.
Ivy stood feeling exposed before the king, though she now stood fully clothed.
Thallan hid a smile glad his daughter had finally come to see reason.
Thranduil now satisfied with her dragged her to the dungeons
Walking passed the other cells, there were cries of protests and questions demanding to know what they did to her. The sounds of her companions screaming in the background, reached her ears.
"Why, are we here?"
"You will bring our prisoners their meal, before we retreat for the remainder of the night to the Starlight festival."
"But…"
Thranduil smirked knowingly, for her to do this meant showing every one of them them that she had summited herself to him. As she went around some looked to her with sadness while others glared hateful thinking of her actions as nothing more than a betrayal. It wasn't until she came to Thorin that her own tears began to fall.
Pushing his food to him, keeping her eyes down she was about to stand leave back to Thranduil and her father when she felt Thorin's hand clamped down around her forearm holding her in place.
Thorin reached through the bars lifting her chin up to look her in the eyes, "Please, don't do this." He pleaded with her.
Ivy could only shake her head trying to tug her arm away, tears threatening to fall again.
Thorin growled tightening his grip as she struggled to pull her arm back, yanking her back her body crashed into the bars. Gasping out in pain the tears she tried desperately to hold at bay fell.
"Thorin, please. I have to go."
"After everything, we have been through together! After we saved you from his hunters, I should have let him have you then."
"I'm so sorry." Ivy cried out her tears falling free.
"You will release her."
Ivy looked up into the eyes of King Thranduil his blade pointing through the bars towards Thorin was quick to release her arm. "Stand up," Thranduil commanded as he re-sheathed his sword.
Ivy stood looking to Thorin her heart aching in her chest, how dare he. She was only doing what she needed to do to survive, he could've prevented this, he could have accepted his deal and they all would have been free.
Thranduil turned away flicking his hand for Thallan and her to follow, Ivy turned to look at them tears rolling down her cheeks she shook her head in apology.