"This is the Mirkwood stables?" Angeli gasped, looking down the rows of horses. There were black horses, brown horses, grey horses, tan horses, spotted horses, and finally, at the very end of the stables, a honey colored horse and pure white horse stood, happily munching oats. Tauriel went to her horse first.
"Hello Mellis, come with me," she began in a soothing tone, "good boy."
Legolas's horse, however, was more experienced, and as soon as the prince unlocked the door, it was standing with perked ears, ready to go.
"Ready Arod?" Legolas asked.
Arod nayed once and Legolas mounted him, one hand on his bow, the other on his horse. Tauriel also mounted her horse and got into the same position as Legolas.
"Ok, so you've both got your horses, where's mine?" Angeli asked.
Tauriel and Legolas both shared an uncertain look, as if deciding who Angeli would be less likely to kill and who's life was more valuable. Finally, Tauriel sighed and offered Angeli a hand.
"You will be riding with me," she murmured, pulling Angeli's arm so the princess could sit behind her.
"Tauriel, I'm not sure about this," Legolas whispered.
"The king will already be mad at me for sneaking Angeli out of Mirkwood and dragging you along with me; I don't want him to get more enraged when he finds out I let his only son ride on the same horse as the elleth that tried to kill him," Tauriel pointed out.
"But-"
"I'll be fine. Just wait until Sherlock returns."
"What?"
"Never mind. Just wait on the bank of River Running, we will be there in a minute."
"But-"
"Just do it!" With that, Tauriel rode away, leaving Legolas with just one question.
"Who the hell is Sherlock?" He shouted a loud.
0o0
"So Legolas seriously doesn't know who Sherlock is?" Angeli asked.
"I know, right? Next thing you know, he'll be asking who the Doctor is!"
Angeli murmured in agreement and they stopped.
"Come with me," Tauriel whispered, dismounting her horse and dragging Angeli by the hand.
She went into her bedroom and grabbed a hair elastic and green cloak. Then, with nimble fingers, she quickly braided Angeli's hair and forced her to wear the cloak.
"But why?" Angeli whined.
"This cloak will hide your face, and with your hair braided and out of sight, you will almost be completely unrecognizable," Tauriel explained hastily, adjusting Angeli's cloak and hair so she looked like a pair of eyes in the darkness.
"There," Tauriel murmured at last, pleased with her work, "Now we must get going, Legolas is waiting."
Tauriel made for the door, but Angeli stopped her.
"I just want to say, thanks for helping me...even though you could get in trouble," Angeli whispered.
Will get in trouble and hear about for the rest of my life, Tauriel mentally corrected. A loud, she just murmured, "It is the right thing to do."
Angeli looked deep into the leaf green eyes of her rival.
"I am so sorry," she whispered.
"I know," Tauriel murmured back. It was not an act of resentment, nor an act of forgiveness. Maybe it was possibly just the chief of guards stating that she was done with the conflict between her, Legolas and Angeli. No one knows but Tauriel. The two elleths stood there for a moment, nether one moving. Then Tauriel pushed past Angeli and the two made their way back to Mellis, and began their journey to River Running.
I really hope Bard will care for Angeli, Tauriel thought to herself with concern, if he doesn't, I don't know what will happen to her.
What's going to happen to me? Angeli wondered.
0o0
Legolas stood on the bank of River Running, waiting for Tauriel and Angeli. The sky was pitch black and the prince could barley see the water in front of him. Sighing, he looked up at the stars that glimmered brightly in the sky, letting the soft sounds of the river calm him down. At the sound of soft paw steps behind him, he opened his eyes and turned his head.
"Ready?" Legolas asked as Mellis trotted up to him with the elleths on his back.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Tauriel responded with a sigh.
"Let's go then, it will take a while to get to our destination."
0o0
After a long, exhausting gallop to Long Lake, the three elves finally reached Lake-town. They left their horses on the bank of the Lake, then silently walked into the town. Curious gazes followed them as the trio walked past the townsfolk, staying close together with cloaks wrapped around them tightly.
"Do you remember where he lives?" Tauriel whispered to Legolas.
The prince didn't answer for a while.
"We shall find out," he finally muttered.
While Legolas and Tauriel were focused on finding Bard's house, Angeli was daydreaming while being pulled around by Tauriel.
Angeli walked around in the meadows of Lórien, silently picking daisies and other flowers like every other 300 year old elleth. Soon she realized that her feet were leading her towards her mother Galadriel's mirror. She had secretly always wanted to use Galadriel's mirror, but the Lady of Light had brushed her off.
"When the time is right, the mirror will call you," Galadriel had told her, "Until then, stay away."
Maybe that time is right now, Angeli thought, and with that in mind, she continued on. When she got close to the slope that led to the mirror, however, she heard two voices that were slightly raised.
"It is not fair Galadriel! You cannot keep treating her like this or Eru knows what will happen to her!" It was Lord Celeborn, Angeli's father.
"I know it is unfair," a cool voice replied, "but you know I wanted a boy."
Mother? Father? What on middle-earth are they talking about? Angeli wondered.
Celeborn sighed and walked halfway around the mirror.
"I know, but we have her now. We just have to make the most out of it," he explained, "After all, what can we do, disown her?"
Angeli heard Galadriel murmur in agreement as the Lord and Lady began to make their way back to the palace. She barley avoided them by running to the nearest bush and hiding in it until her parents were gone. For a few moments she just stood there, waiting for something to happen. Then she decided what to do and ran back to the palace, returning a few moments later with a royal blue pitcher that had beautiful silver elvish markings engraved on it. With her feet barley making a sound, she made her way to a little pool of water and began filling the pitcher. After that, she went over to the mirror, with her mother's voice echoing in her mind.
"Mother, when it is my time to look into the mirror, what will I see?" Angeli had asked Galadriel at one point.
Galadriel had turned to her daughter in surprise, then sighed.
"Even the wisest cannot tell for the mirror shows many things. Things that were. Things that are. And some things...that have not yet come to pass."
0o0
"Angeli!"
The princess was jolted out of her memories by Tauriel's urgent whisper. She looked around and noticed that they were stopped in the middle of the town.
"What is going on?" Angeli asked, then she noticed Legolas talking to one of the townsfolk. "And what is Legolas doing?"
Tauriel sighed, "He is asking for directions to Bard's house."
Angeli nodded and tried to listen in on the prince's conversation. Her sharp, pointed ears complied, and within moments she could hear the prince's voice.
"Excuse me," the prince began, "but do you happen to know were I can find Bard's house?"
The man he was talking to paused for a long moment before responding.
"You speak of Bard the Bowman, correct?"
Legolas nodded, and the man laughed. "You're not from around these parts, are you?"
Legolas shook his head and tried to conceal more of his face by pulling more of his cloak over it. "Is it that obvious?" he murmured.
The man nodded, "It is a small town, around here, everyone knows where everyone lives."
"So you know where Bard lives?" Legolas asked again. The man nodded and Angeli zoned out as he gave the prince instructions.
What did I see in mother's mirror again? she asked herself, but the question couldn't be answered right at that moment since Legolas finished getting instructions.
"Let's go," he muttered without turning around.
0o0
They reached his house within the next two minutes, and Legolas began knocking on the door very loudly.
"The children are asleep," Tauriel quietly reminded him.
Legolas knocked on the door once more before it opened. Then they stood face to face with a tiered, and somewhat angry, Bard. Bard peered at the three cloaked figures that stood at his doorstep.
"Who are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"A friend," Legolas responded, lifting his cloak up so that his face was visible.
Bard's eyes got round and his face visibly dropped in disbelief. "Come in," was all he said.
Legolas stepped in first, then Tauriel, and Angeli brought up the rear. They all proceeded to take off their cloaks and sit at Bard's kitchen table. He offered them drinks, but no one was really thirsty, or hungry for that matter.
"So then," Bard began, sitting down with the elves. "What brings the Prince of Mirkwood to Lake-town?"
Legolas and Tauriel exchanged a worried glance, then the prince sighed.
"Bard, we need to ask a favor."
0o0
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was enjoying Christmas with my family. Also, I know that the timeline in this chapter may have confused some people, but rest assured, I have done my recherche. I'm not going to spoil anything for the people who are still reading the books, but let's just say that in my book, nothing happens to Bard or Lake-town. Until next time-Mallowbloom
P.S My friends wrote the whole "Sherlock returns" joke, and after reading it, I realized I had to fit it in.