Thank you to everyone who have been constantly checking up, even after my really long disappearance, I'm sorry as well. This is for all of you!
(Much love as always to my beta, chaoticviolin! *hugs*)
Fourteen: Gathrod
Tauriel secured the two daggers by her waist. Her back felt empty without her bow, but Aegnir had not seen it on his way to find her. Nonetheless, she was thankful she did not have to rely solely on the rusty old sword she had stolen from her prison guards.
"We need to leave quickly," he told her, all the tenderness he had shown her dissipating as he released her from his arms.
She nodded, not even glancing at the dead orcs they passed along their way. "Now can you explain to me how you have found me here?" she asked, her hand automatically reaching out and grabbing the hooded cloak he tossed her way as they walked through the tunnel with hurried steps.
"It is a long story, but it is also a long walk to the other end of this tunnel," his brows crinkled thoughtfully. After a while, he told her of his tale, how they had found the caves after years of search, and how they had been returning to the Kingdom when he met Meginor and his friends, the dwarves, and Legolas. At the mention of his name, Tauriel's graceful movements faltered. But if Aegnir noticed it, he made no mention of it. She sighed in relief of knowing he was safe, and her heart sped up with the pace of their footsteps, remembering the words she had yet to speak to him. Whether or not she would have the chance to tell him was a future unknown to them all.
They had journeyed to the caves, passing Esgaroth on the way. Fili had wanted to stay with Kili, but the sick dwarf had pleaded with his brother to join the search for her instead. Aegnir had paused when he spoke of Kili, and he had given her a meaningful glance.
"You healed him?" he asked, pausing from telling tales of their travels.
"Yes."
Instead of reacting with the same disbelief and aversion she had seen from others, he smiled at her. "He seemed very grateful for it."
She smiled back, now reflecting on how similar they were, Kili and Aegnir. "You would have liked him. Kili is very... lively. And his stories will shame even the bards that visit Rivendell."
Aegnir looked thoughtful. "Legolas certainly seems not to be fond of him."
"No," she agreed easily. "He is not."
He nodded, relapsing back to his account. From Esgaroth, it was a three-day journey to the caves. They had found difficulties in remaining unseen, with a fellowship as big and as queer as theirs. Yet they managed to locate the mountain that housed the grottoes. It was there that the dwarves had taken the lead. There was only one opening to the inside of the mountain, and it was used both as an entrance and exit by the forces in black. However, there was a fix unknown to them at the eastern side, far from the entrance. It was large enough for them to file in one at a time, but small enough that only the dwarves had discovered its existence.
"But how did you manage to find me here? Surely the orcs outside my prison are not the only guards within this cave." She remembered the elves that had visited her, and the Captain they spoke repeatedly of.
"It was not easy," the torches around them grew more numerous, and Tauriel saw for the first time how weary he looked. She fought the instinct to touch him and ask about his condition. "We found a few discarded cloaks in the first room we passed. The rest we stole from the guards stationed outside of the caves. After that, blending with the elves of this cave was easy."
"And the dwarves? Surely they would have been easily noticeable with their... stature and build."
"We had anticipated that, and the three chose to stay outside. As for the inhabitants of this cave, their attention was elsewhere. We fought a few of them on the way here," he seemed to hesitate as he said this, but continued on. "We decided it was best for us to separate, scourging this mountain in one group would have taken days. I thought it curious, that I did not encounter much of them. But I understood when I passed their main hall. All of the elves were assembled there, as if getting ready for a battle. There were probably dozens of them. Not as much as we had feared, but a troubling number nonetheless. And it was not just them, orcs were there as well, though not as great in number. We are not sure what battle it is they are preparing for, but we have seen stirrings of it from the orcs of the south and west as well."
Tauriel did not comment, but the associations of the elves and orcs still made her cringe.
"They were too busy filing in their ranks to pay attention to the smaller tunnels and fixtures within. Infiltrating the cave was the easy part. None of the orcs that caught our scent questioned our presence there, for elves were all around them. And as for the elves, none of them bothered to check beneath our hoods."
"I hope the others are safe," she answered with a frown.
Aegnir nodded solemnly. "We have agreed to reassemble at the entrance we found, but the dwarves have warned us to hurry," his eyes roved the ceiling and the walls around them. "They have heard the rock and mountain groaning with age. It will collapse upon itself, very soon."
Tauriel followed his eyes, remembering with dread how she had felt the earth tremble, and how she had watched the fall of pebbles and dust.
The Main Hall connected all the tunnels. It was wider than Tauriel had expected. It was smaller than the great halls of Mirkwood, but was large enough to house the elves and orcs that prepared for battle. She glanced from the hood of her cape, and it pacified her minutely to see that the black cloaked elves still kept to one side of the cave, as far from the orcs as possible—though this still did not justify why they had agreed to work with the dark creatures.
She glanced at the ceiling, and saw the same condition she had seen when she awoke at the mouth of the cave. Dust and pebbles trembled to the ground with each sudden movement within. Her heart gave a skip. It looked like the giant rocks were on the verge of crashing upon them all.
She bit back her observations as she and Aegnir passed a group of elves who were banding at the side. She did not see Luindes nor her two companions in the group. Just as Aegnir had predicted, no one paid them any attention. "Where?" she whispered to him, and he gave a small gesture with his hand, calling her to follow him.
He led her to the rightmost tunnel. It was deep within this passageway that they saw a cluster of elves blocking their way. There were three, and even without nearing, Tauriel recognized Dachon as one of them.
Her footsteps slowed. "Just walk," Aegnir whispered, sensing her discomfort. She lowered her head as they passed them, wishing for the shadow of her hood to cover her face—and a lock of her red hair fell from the clasps of her cloak. Dachon was the nearest to her, and he had a clear view of her hair. Even among the elves she had encountered, she had seen no one with similar shade of hair. Dachon seemed to recognize this as well, for he stopped in the middle of his speech, and fixed his eyes upon her. She and Aegnir quickened their pace. "Wait!" he called out. Tauriel froze, but Aegnir pulled her arm.
"Run!"
Their shadows danced, forwards and back, as they passed one torch after the other. Arrows flew from behind them, but the tunnel curved continuously, and they hit nothing but the walls. They ran on, until they reached a fork. Aegnir cursed quietly, before taking the passage to the right. It opened to a corridor, and they entered the first door to their right. They rushed across the room, one filled with tables and paper, to another door leading to yet another passage.
The footsteps and hostile shouts followed them even as they went deeper, passing more junctions and even more curves.
Sweat trickled down Tauriel's back by the time they stopped, and even Aegnir breathed heavily. There were no more arrows flying their way, and only darkness and quiet leered at their backs. Aegnir's mindless steering had served its purpose. They had shaken off their pursuers, but Tauriel knew they were also lost.
"There might be no way ahead," she groaned as she watched the dark path that stretched before them.
"We have to go back," he answered her.
"Will we find our way?"
"Yes," he smiled ironically. "It's just a matter of tracing our way again."
Slowly, they turned, but footsteps again echoed from the darkness they had yet to trek.
"Will they ever stop?" she hissed.
"Wait," Aegnir frowned. "Listen."
Tauriel did, and she understood. There was only one pair of footsteps, and it was not the same hurried pace that had been pursuing them. "We can fight," she said, readying her daggers.
He nodded, hand already on the hilt of his blade.
They waited for what seemed like hours for the figure to emerge from the shadows. The footsteps grew louder, and Tauriel raised her daggers, ready to throw. But when the figure came into view, her whole body froze. He was also cloaked in black, yet even without seeing his face, she easily recognized his weapon. It was one she had watched for many years.
He was also prepared for them, and he watched them through the arrow notched on his bow. But, like her, his eyes grew wide as he took sight of them. "Tauriel," he breathed, his voice filled with doubt, then relief.
Aegnir released a breath. "It seems we're not the only ones lost."
Legolas dropped his weapon, his eyes never leaving her. Had it been like before, she was sure he would have rushed to her, scolding her for her bruises and checking her for wounds. Yet it was not like before, confessions and kisses in the night made sure of that. He remained standing a few feet away, his eyes never leaving hers.
"What brought you here?" Aegnir asked.
Legolas turned to Aegnir like he had noticed his presence only now. "I was searching for her."
Tauriel dropped her gaze, guilt gnawing at the back of her mind. He had been looking for her, even now, hours after they had moved in. Even with the dwarves' warning of the cave's collapse.
Aegnir nodded. "As you can see, there is no need for that now," he replaced his sword into its scabbard. "We have to make our way out. Do you know whether an exit lies behind you?"
Legolas shook his head. "It is a maze. And both orcs and the elves have filed into the passageways," he nodded at the path that stretched before them. "That is our way. It leads to a room that connects to the path we took," he brushed past them, not looking back at her.
Aegnir gave her another nod, and they followed the blonde haired prince's silent footsteps. It was yet another long tunnel, and the elves navigated it easily. Their boots made minimal sounds even with the pebbles and stones that littered their way. The torches lessened in number and Tauriel watched as her friends' faces descended into masks of shadow. She marveled again at how their cloaks blended so easily into the blackness. It was not difficult to see how the other elves had evaded them so easily in the forest.
She supposed they were halfway along the tunnel when Legolas raised his hand, a gesture for them all to stop. His shoulders became tense, and Tauriel knew there was something wrong. She paused, closing her eyes until the growling under her feet reached her ears. Before any of them could move or speak, the ground shook. Dust fell from the ceilings and some of the torches they passed behind them dropped to the floor. Rocks fell as well, and they brought their cloaks above their heads to ward off the debris.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the shaking stopped.
"It has begun," Legolas said, eyes wider as he looked around them. "We have to hurry."
He then proceeded at a quicker pace. Many minutes passed, yet nothing changed in their surroundings. It was when Tauriel thought that the tunnel would never stop, that their path finally narrowed, and torches again began to grow in number. The walls closed in, until it stopped, just at the corners of a single, great door. Bright light filtered through its hinges, and even steps away, Tauriel felt the warmth emanating from the other side.
Legolas walked confidently towards it, and then pulled the knob. Hot, humid air blew through the opening. After days locked beneath the cold of anything but rocks, Tauriel reached for the warmth. They entered, and Tauriel stared disbelievingly at the room. It was a square area, with three doors. One was behind them, the other in front, and another at the side. On the fourth side of the room was a large forge. It was as wide as three elves standing side by side, and as tall as Tauriel. Ash and hammers littered the floor around it. The fire was long distinguished, but the room was preserved in the heat of its light.
She had no time to marvel, for Legolas gestured to the door in front of them, and they made towards it. They were halfway across the room when a voice resounded from the third door.
"Where is Arros?"
They froze, silence falling on them like a blanket.
"He is wounded. He rests now but declares that he will be joining the attack tomorrow," a voice replied.
There was a long pause. Tauriel made a move to continue to their exit, but Aegnir pulled at her cloak. "Wait," he mouthed, eyes narrowed at the door. Legolas' full attention was towards it as well, and Tauriel again settled to listen.
"And what of Aegnir?"
Tauriel's breath hitched at the mention of her friend's name. "Were you able to find him, at least?"
There was another pause and Tauriel listened to her furiously beating heart.
The pause drew on so long that Tauriel made a conscious effort to slow her heart when she realized that she recognized the two voices.
"No," the hidden ruthlessness overpowered the high pitched tone, but it was unmistakably Nimriel. "We lost them at the forest. We were searching for him when we were attacked, thus leading to the death of our two companions."
"By whom?"
Tauriel frowned. It was a male's voice. She was sure she had heard the voice before, but it was not Dachon.
"Thranduil's son, and Tauriel," Nimriel answered.
The other voice laughed. "Well how would you have expected to fare against Legolas, Nimriel?" his laughter died down. "But that gives you no excuse. You all know we are weak in forces. We have not been able to find more soldiers in the past years, and yet there you throw your lives recklessly away."
"Forgive us, Captain."
Tauriel knew now why the other voice had sounded familiar. He was the Captain that Luindes had referred to. The one who had been carrying her when she awoke from her unconsciousness. Tauriel frowned, yet her attention was stolen when Legolas stiffened beside her, and even Aegnir shook his head violently. "It cannot be," he whispered.
"Nonetheless," the Captain walked and his shadow emerged and grew larger as he seemed to walk nearer to their main source of fire. "They will call for the attack in a few hours. We can convince many of our kin to join us after we emerge victorious. And if they do not come quietly, well... perhaps we can convince them in some other ways." There was another pause. "It is ready, is it not?" he asked.
"Yes, Captain," now it was Luides's voice that answered. "It has been distributed to our forces. It takes effect after a few hours, slowly. It was not as quick as what we used before, but there will be no lapses. We found a way to make the poison flow directly into the veins. Even the smallest cut would be harmful. As long as the liquid touches the flesh beneath the skin, it takes over reasoning completely. There will be no lapses, as what happened with Gobelion."
At these words, Legolas' eyes grew wide, and in the dank light of the room, Aegnir lost all his color. Tauriel watched him worriedly, but his troubled look remained. After a few breaths, he turned to her and tried to smile at her reassuringly.
She did not believe it. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but the next words from within the door rooted her speechless.
"Good," the Captain commented. "Now come, we must make sure they are ready for the battle."
The knob twisted, and Tauriel knew she and her friends would not be able to reach the exit on time. They pulled their weapons out as the door swung open.
Four elves emerged from the door. They stopped in surprise, when they saw Tauriel, Legolas, and Aegnir.
Tauriel recognized Nimriel and Luindes, and there was another younger elf, but it was the fourth figure that made the air freeze in her chest. Memories of Legolas and Aegnir's stories came flooding to her mind. Tales about the elf so brave and valiant, who disappeared many years ago. She knew now why they had called him "Captain".
"I did not want to believe it, even when I heard your voice," Legolas said, his arrow notched and ready to fly. "We thought you dead."
"Adassir," Aegnir was the first to speak his name, and Tauriel knew from the way his voice broke that Adassir's presence rattled him much more than her. "What are you doing here?"
She had seen only glimpses of Mirkwood's past Captain of the Guard before, but she remembered enough to know that he remained largely unchanged. He was perhaps paler and leaner than before, but he had the same piercing eyes. He recovered quickly from his surprise, and he returned the two elves' stares with a grim expression.
"I do not see the need to ask him questions you already know the answer to," it was Luindes who answered. She looked warily at them, and her hand rested on the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist.
"What do you mean?" Aegnir almost shouted back, his clenched fists trembled at his sides.
"It is simple: he grew tired of your Kingdom and decided to join us."
"Us?" Legolas' eyes narrowed.
"Of course," Nimriel laughed, her eyes glinting maliciously. "How could we expect you to understand? I suppose you think us dead. And we never really had the chance to meet before, although your mother told us so much about you whenever she came to visit us."
Legolas froze.
"We would not have killed her, but she knew of our plans, and the elder had no choice," her face folded into a pretend frown.
Only then did Tauriel understand. They were the elves of Ethellin.
They were the great elven-smiths, who forged much of the weapons that the elven dwellings used even until today. It was said that they had long died, though Tauriel knew now that it was not true. They had often visited by the Queen of Mirkwood, and it was at their hands that she had died. Aegnir's words resounded in her head. She was killed by the very elves she wished to help.
"Why are you doing this?" she had not wanted to speak, but these words she could not contain. It was in knowing what they had done that Thranduil and his son had fallen to isolation. She had to know why they did it, and how they could accept destroying lives so easily. Her voice was only a whisper, and it was broken and weak, but they heard it.
"They follow their leader," Adassir spoke for the first time. "They are loyal to him. This was his choice, and so it is theirs."
"And you?" Aegnir's voice was even harsher than before.
"My reasons are my own," he did not look back at Aegnir.
"But to this extent? Working side by side with the orcs? Hurting your kin, your own blood—?"
"Hurting?" Adassir's eyes flashed. "I have never thrown an arrow, nor have I ever slain an elf. In fact, was it not you who took the lives of two of our companions?"
"You cannot possibly feign innocence for all that has happened," Aegnir growled. "It was your companions that attacked us in the forest. It was your companions that took Tauriel and brought her here. And I am sure it was your companions who made Gobelion what he is now. You do not hurt them, no. What you do is much worse. You poison their minds with darkness until even our medicine and words cannot reach them."
Adassir watched him, his eyes softening. It seemed a few minutes until he finally spoke. "You do not know of what is coming. You do not understand that we hold nothing against the growing darkness. We stand no hopes in trying to fight it. If you continue on this path, our race will be slaughtered, never even to sail the seas. Is that the legacy you wish to leave Middle Earth?" he looked at them with burning eyes. "If we wish to survive, then it is necessary. We only did what was necessary."
"Necessary?" Legolas' voice made Tauriel turn to him. She had never heard him speak with such hatred before. "And my mother's life? Was it necessary to take that as well?"
His next movement was so quick it was but a blur to her eyes.
His fingers released and an arrow that flew straight for the Captain. Tauriel was sure it would be the end of Adassir, but the elf raised the broadsword he had been holding and it was deflected. It flew backwards like a broken feather, and when it touched the ground, the fighting began.
Nimriel leapt before her, and she stared at Tauriel with the same disdain she had directed at her in the prison cell. Unlike Adassir and Luindes, she fought with knives. They glinted in her hands, two silver instruments of death. Tauriel eyed them worriedly, wondering about the poison they had discussed. Nimriel followed her gaze and she laughed. "Don't worry, they aren't poisoned," she grinned. Her face contorted into a kind of fiend in the dancing light of the cave. "I attack to kill, after all."
She leapt towards her, and Tauriel knew with her quick steps that Nimriel was faster than she was. Tauriel planted her feet into the floor, bracing herself for the incoming attack. The pebbles crunched under her weight.
Nimriel was unrelenting. She stopped only a few inches in front of Tauriel, raising her arms in an X. She then ducked, bringing the knives down with such speed that they whistled through the air. Tauriel met the knives with her own. They clanged in contact and she raised them immediately, letting Nimriel's blades slip harmlessly away. Tauriel pulled her knives up, towards her enemy's chest, but Nimriel was nimble as she was quick and she twirled to the side, escaping Tauriel's attack.
There was a second of pause as Nimriel regained her bearing, and Tauriel was tempted to check on her companions. She was sure she had heard somebody cry out in pain, yet before she could even glance away, her foe came crashing again towards her.
Nimriel tried a different strategy now. One knife whittled towards her, and, surprised, Tauriel raised both her daggers to deflect it. She felt the impact on her weapons as her enemy's knife flew back, but her defense had left her vulnerable. Nimriel, crouching once again, used her second dagger to again slice through her legs. Tauriel jumped aside just in time to prevent her thigh from being severed, but she was not fast enough to avoid the knife entirely. It tore easily through her clothing and cut through her flesh. She could feel the line that slid horizontally through her thigh, cool at first, then burning.
She bit back the cry that threatened to come out of her mouth, she would not give her enemy that pleasure. With a newfound fury, Tauriel gripped her knives harder. She caught Nimriel's eyes and saw the first signs of hesitation. It seemed that the she-elf had expected her previous attack to be her last. Only one knife remained in her possession.
Tauriel caught the glinting tool lying a few feet from where they stood.
Nimriel did not waste her speed. She dashed towards the blade, Tauriel following a few paces behind her. Tauriel gave a groan of dismay as she watched Nimriel's small hand wrap around the item. Yet all was not over. The momentary victory of her foe meant that for a split second, her back was exposed to Tauriel.
Tauriel dropped to the ground, swinging her legs as she did so. Nimriel, with all her attention boring on obtaining her lost knife, did not plant herself firmly enough. It took all her limbs' strength, but Tauriel pushed on Nimriel's feet. A gasp fell from her lips as she helplessly fell prey to gravity. Her body dropped to the ground, and the dagger she had just acquired fell along with its partner.
Tauriel towered over Nimriel, who lay sprawled on the ground, face frowning in confusion and denial. Slowly, she lifted her gaze as she pushed herself on her elbows, and their eyes met. "You will not escape here. And even if you do, he will find you. And you will pay for betraying us," she said defiantly.
There they were again, the riddles. But she would not let them affect her. Not this time. "I can never betray you, for I have never been one of you." She brought her knife down, straight to the top of Nimriel's head. Inches before it could cut through her scalp, Tauriel twisted it in her hand, and it was the heavy hilt of her dagger that fell upon Nimriel's head. There was a crack, and Nimriel fell to the ground unconscious.
She barely had time to catch her breath when a hand tightened around her arm. Breathless and tired, she was spun helplessly and another hand caught her wrist. Her hands were twisted, and she cried out in pain while her daggers clattered to the ground. She was pulled and turned, her back leaning against somebody's firm chest. "Wha—?" her breath hitched when a cold object stuck to her neck.
Her sight darkened as she tried to take in what was happening. "Move, and I will kill her." Adassir's voice was close to her ear, and his chest rumbled when he spoke.
There was silence. At the side of the room, she knew Aegnir and Luindes had stopped in their duel. And Legolas was frozen, a few feet in front of them. On the ground by his feet, lay the fourth elf, whose name was still unknown to Tauriel.
"Look at the heedless death you have caused by your trespass," Adassir continued somberly. "You do not have to continue with this. I have no wish to take your life, or Aegnir's. Or even your Captain's."
Legolas' hands shook, and he leveled Adassir with a glare.
"I will let this pass. I will let you walk away, all you have to do is drop your weapons and leave," his offer seemed too unbelievable, too impossible to happen. Yet everyone in the room knew that Adassir spoke truly. He was a betrayer and a coward, but he was no liar. "Do it."
Go, Tauriel wanted to say. They will not hurt me, not now. I do not know why, but they will not. Leave me, and I will find a way to escape. But she could not speak. The blade clung to her neck, kissing it with its sharp edge. Even the slightest movement of her head would have cut her skin and the veins beneath it. She could imagine the dark blood rushing from her neck, leaving black spots to mark the ground. And so she kept her mouth shut. She closed her eyes as well, wishing that she could surrender this scene into the darkness.
There was a muffled clang of iron hitting the ground. Tauriel bit her tongue, and clenched her eyes tighter, until red spots specked her vision. Legolas, you fool.
"Now release her." It was the weakness in Legolas' voice that urged her to open her eyes. The prince was standing, and he did not blink as he stared at Adassir, but helplessness clung to him like an odor.
"Release her? I never said such a thing."
"And Aegnir will stay as well," Luindes added. "We have long toiled after him. And it is about time he returns to his brethren."
"Luindes," Adassir hissed, and Luindes withdrew. Yet at that moment, Tauriel's thoughts finally aligned. Of course. She had forgotten. Aegnir's parents were also from Ethellin.
Legolas recoiled, and his gaze passed the weapons he had dropped to the floor.
"Just go!" she shouted, ignoring how her actions pushed her throat to the sword. She felt warm blood ooze through the thin cut on her neck. Yet he watched him with hardened eyes. She would not see him hesitate, not when it meant his path to escape unharmed. And Aegnir could leave as well, he was not held hostage as she was. And for all his flaws, Adassir did not seem to look forward to imprisoning his once friend.
"She speaks truthfully," Adassir said. "Do anything foolish and you will leave here with her blood on your hands. Or do you not see the sword?"
Tauriel expected a quick reply, but there was only silence. Her gaze returned to Legolas, and saw that his hold on his weapons had slackened. He was so still, but he let his eyes rove again to the sword held at her throat.
Then, finally, his eyes rose to hers, and she saw something there that she had never seen before.
He was afraid. Unconceivably so.
The weight in her heart multiplied, until even she could not breathe.
"You will leave without her, or not at all."
An intense silence followed, and Tauriel watched Legolas struggle with his thoughts. Ever since she knew him, he had always put his people before him. Not only because he was their prince. It was simply the way it was. And she was no exception. Always, as far as she could remember, he would have accepted pain rather than see it inflicted upon her. This time was no different, she knew he would not walk away while she was left behind. There was a sudden change in his eyes, and Tauriel understood that he had surrendered their path to escape.
Legolas dropped to the ground, reaching for his weapons. There was a pause before Adassir pushed his blade towards her neck, and with a cry her hands gripped its edge. She pushed with all her strength, curving the knife away from her throat. The sharp edge cut through her hands so easily, breaking through her skin like it was nothing but a thin leaf. And then, before it could press through her hand and cut through her bones, an arrow flew towards Aegnir, and he was too invested on her to block.
The arrow flew straight to Adassir's exposed chest. There was only a quick gasp, before the metal that pushed through her flesh fell to the ground, along with its owner.
It took all her strength for Tauriel to keep herself standing. She gazed at her hands in morbid curiosity, her hands filling with slippery thick red blood. They trembled as she held them up. The blood warmed them, but she felt coldness in the deep gashes that crossed through her palms. There was no pain. Not yet.
Her eyes flittered to the body sprawled below her. His eyes were still wide open, but clearly unseeing. An arrow was deeply imbedded directly above his heart.
"Your hands," Legolas was already upon her, wrapping her wrists quickly and concisely in a black bandage he had torn from his cloak. He was tying it when a door slammed behind them. Tauriel could not even turn her head to look; the flow of blood had made her dizzy. Yet Legolas' eyes grew wide, and a worried expression came over his face. "Aegnir!" he shouted, looking behind her. His hold on Tauriel tightened as he called out their friend's name.
"What's wrong?" She was still too weak to look, and even to speak, but she managed to ask him, her voice a mere whisper.
Legolas' eyes were still narrowed, and his gaze was fixed on something behind her. "Luindes has escaped," he murmured to her after a moment. "And Aeg—,"
"I was careless," Aegnir said. Tauriel heard his footsteps, and then his presence behind her. "Forgive me," he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Legolas stiffened when Aegnir touched her, but he released a breath, and freed her from his tight hold.
Pain now started to buzz from the wounds on her hands, but her strength also flowed back. Control returned to her limbs, and she shifted towards Aegnir. She did her best to curve her lips into a smile. "You have saved me from my cell, and have sacrificed much to come here. I should be the one apologizing."
Aegnir looked down at her softly, but he stood stiffly a good distance away from her.
"What's wrong?" she asked him. His face was pale, and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. She raised a hand to his cheek, but he turned away.
"It's nothing. We should go." Aegnir could not meet her eyes. He walked ahead to the door.
"He's..." she was unsure of what to say, and simply watched her friend walk away.
Legolas' arm wrapped around her, urging her forward. "Come," was all he said, though his eyes were also heavily trained on Aegnir's retreating form.
Tauriel took one last look at the room. The three bodies stayed motionless on the floor. Only Nimriel did not meet her eyes. But for the weak rise and fall of her chest, Tauriel would have thought her dead. The third elf was laying on his side, mouth open in a wordless scream. His blue eyes were much like Adassir's, striking, but blank.
The room smelled of death.
Wordlessly, she looked away and allowed herself to be led out.
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: It was my first time to write a setting that was entirely imagined and created by me, so I hope you forgive me if there are a few confusing details about the cave. I'd draw what it looked like, but you might get even more confused (cos I am really really bad at drawing anything), so...
As my beta pointed out, this is a moving chapter, so I apologize for the lack of fluff. But really, how could I put it there with all that was happening? Haha
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAVE BEEN MESSAGING/REVIEWING FOR ME TO UPDATE. I'd go to a lengthy discussion of everything I've been through, but I guess this sums it up: last year of university. Okay? Anyway, expect quicker updates now, cos the term's about to end yay!
What do you think of this chapter? I'd really love to hear your comments or even your questions if anything's confusing you.
Gathrod = cave, delving, large excavation
Much, much love,
Vee
