Struggle Street! I really need to get a gucci as desk chair. One that leans back and stuff...that'd be nice.
As the sun began to rise, Tauriel followed the children as they hurried throughout the makeshift camp of survivors on the bank of the Lake. The dwarves were packing a boat with scavenged supplies, ready to make way for Erebor.
Kili approached her. "Tauriel."
"Kili! Come on! We're leaving!" Fili shouted as they finished packing the boat.
Tauriel looked from the boat of dwarves to Kili, feeling sad as her eyes fell upon the hopeful look on the dwarf's face. "They are your people. You must go."
He looked distraught for a moment as she walked past him, to follow the children who were walking further along the bank. "Come with me!" he said whirling around to look at her. "I know how I feel, I'm not afraid. You make me feel alive."
She turned her head slightly. "I can't."
He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Tauriel, amralime."
She turned to look at Kili in shock and surprise, before trying to compose herself. "I don't know what that means," she replied.
He smiled at her cheekily. "I think you do."
She smiled, wanting to reply, but quickly straightened as a familiar aura approached her from behind. "My lord, Legolas." She saw Kili's face scowl as he looked behind her at the Elven prince.
"Take your leave of the dwarf," he ordered. "You are needed elsewhere."
Tauriel looked at Kili for another moment before turning away, she was torn between her duty and what it was her heart begged of her. As she was walking away she felt Kili grab her hand, placing the black runestone that he had shown her in the jails in Greenwood. He folded her fingers over the stone before leaning close to whisper. "Keep it, as a promise."
They smiled at each other before Kili ran back to join his brother and comrades.
Legolas looked on in confusion as Tauriel looked at the stone in her hand, she could feel tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.
Tilda and Sigrid watched as Alfrid, the Master of Laketown's right hand man, argued with a woman over a blanket. Tilda held Sigrid around the shoulders, protectively pulling her away. They watched as Alfrid raised his hand at the woman, only to have someone else grab it.
The owner of the hand shoved Alfrid away. It was the woman who had been helping the elves, the one who had gone in search of their father.
"That's enough of that then," she said coldly to Alfrid who had fallen to the ground.
The girls hurried toward her. "Did you find our father?" they both asked hopefully. She held her hands up to quieten them both, before stepping to one side. Bard and Bain stood behind her, Bain holding his shoulder like he was hurt.
"Da!" They both embraced their father and brother, crying with happiness. Sigrid looked to the woman. "Thank you!"
The woman gave a small smile, before moving away to where the elves were approaching them.
Bard looked to Alfrid on the ground. "I wouldn't go turning on your own, Alfrid. Not now."
oOOo
Valisilwen walked towards the three elves who looked at her expectantly. Legolas looked her up and down. "You look terrible."
She narrowed her eyes at him. She could just imagine how terrible she looked in comparison to the elves. "Someone had to actually do some work," she retorted. He smirked, but gave her a nod. She figured that was his best attempt at congratulating her. She licked her lip, tasting a little blood. She had collected with one of the jetties on the way down from the tower, clearly it had left its mark on her.
Rilien stepped forward, reaching for her face. She pulled away quickly, glaring at him warningly. He raised his eyebrows, giving her a calm smile. "I just want to check your injuries."
"They'll be fine in a little while," she replied, swatting away his hand as he tried to check her lip again. She looked back to the people gathered on the beach. A small man pushed his way to the front of the crowd gathered around Bard.
"It was Bard and the woman! They killed the dragon! I saw it with my own eyes!" he shouted, pointing at Bard and then herself. "They brought the beast down. They shot him dead with a black arrow!"
Valisilwen ground her teeth and crossed her arms across her chest as the people began cheering for Bard and laying their hands on him as they exclaimed their thanks. Some tried to grab her but she shot them a warning look.
She watched as the slimey looking man from moments ago appeared, grabbing Bard's arm and raising it in the air triumphantly. "All hail – to the Dragonslayer! All hail – King Bard!" The crowd around them went silent and Bard yanked his arm away from Bard throwing him a wary look. "I have said it many times – this is a man of noble stock. A born leader!"
"Do not call me that!" Bard growled at Alfrid, causing Valisilwen to raise her eyebrows at the aggression in his voice. "I'm not the master of this town." Bard looked around the crowd, seemingly searching for someone. "Where is he? Where is the master?"
Valisilwen and the three elves also looked around. There appeared to be nobody with the appearance of nobility around them anywhere.
"Halfway down the Anduin, with all our coin, I don't doubt," a woman scoffed loudly. She looked at Alfrid and pointed. "You would know!" He looked at her fearfully. "You helped him empty the treasury."
"No! I tried to stop him," he retorted. His voice reached a higher pitch, telling Valisilwen he was lying. She sighed and shook her head as the villagers around him started yelling angrily at him. "I pleaded. I pleaded. I said, 'Master – no! Think of the children.'" He moved behind Tilda, forcing her in front of him. "Will nobody think of the children?!"
Tilda was having none of that, she stomped on his foot, forcing him to let her go as the people began yelling for Alfrid's head. Valisilwen looked to the elves, but could see they had no interest in getting involved.
She sighed and stepped forward, reefing the slimey looking man away from the angry villagers who were starting to try and drag him away. She lifted him from the ground with ease by the back of his coat, moving away. The villagers looked at her in shock and awe, although still shouted for Alfrid's head, some even having the audacity to try and grab him from her.
"Enough!" Bard shouted, moving in front of Valisilwen, as if to protect her. She smirked at that. "She helped save you all! Yet you show such disregard to her!" The villagers looked from Bard to Valisilwen, shame on their faces. "Look around you! Have you not had your fill of death?"
The villagers began to murmur amongst one another. Valisilwen released Alfrid and gave him a good shove away from her, before looking back to Bard. "We should look at finding you and your people shelter, tending to the wounded. That type of thing."
He looked sideways at her before nodding. "We shall head toward the mountain, to the ruins of the old town."
Alfrid suddenly appeared at Valisilwen's shoulder, causing her to scowl. "The mountain! You are a genius, sire. We can take refuge inside the mountain. It might smell a bit of dragon, the women can clean up. It will be safe and warm and dry, and full of stores, bedding, clothing...the odd bit of gold."
Valisilwen sensed Legolas approaching them, but did not look to him as he moved to her side.
"What gold is in that mountain is cursed," Bard muttered. "We will take only what was promised to us, only what we need to rebuild our lives." He narrowed his eyes at the former Master of Laketown's right hand man, before dumping a bundle of sticks into Alfrid's hands and began to walk away. "Here, pull your weight." Bard motioned for her to follow him.
Valisilwen smirked before following after Bard with Legolas. "News of the death of Smaug will have spread through the lands," Legolas stated as they followed the man as he tended to the people.
"Aye," Bard replied flatly. Valisilwen furrowed her brow thoughtfully. Something was pulling at her mind, something that she could not quite put her finger on.
"Others will now look to the mountain, for its wealth or its position."
Bard stopped what he was doing and looked back at the Prince of the Greenwood Realm, as did Valisilwen. "What is it you know?" the man asked suspiciously.
"Nothing for certain," Legolas admitted, also glancing back at Valisilwen. "It's what I fear may come." He turned to look towards the East. She smirked, the elf prince was learning.
oOOo
Valisilwen and Legolas walked back to join Tauriel and Rilien who were waiting patiently on the upper banks of the lake, watching over the people as they began to scavenge what they could. Something was still pulling at Valisilwen's mind, although she still could not yet put her finger on it.
Legolas nodded to Tauriel and Rilien as they approached, continuing to walk through the Laketown camp.
"You saw something out there," Tauriel stated as she followed.
He nodded as they kept walking. "The Orc we pursued out of Laketown," he looked to Valisilwen, drawing her attention to him. "I know who he is. He is Bolg, a spawn of Azog the Defiler." This was nothing new to Valisilwen, she knew of Azog well, too well even. Bolg she did not know so much about, but then again, it had been many years since she had been encamped and tortured by the Orcs, the only Orcs she came across since then before joining the company of dwarves were raiding parties to the north when she was with her Dunedain brothers. And she didn't exactly spend a lot of time talking to them then, usually she would just cut off their heads and be done with it.
"A Warg pack was waiting for him on the outskirts of Esgaroth. They had fled into the north. These Orcs were different from the others. They wore a mark I had not seen for a long time. The mark of the Gundabad."
Tauriel stopped and stared at Legolas. "Gundabad?"
Valisilwen also stopped, looking out over the distance, her eyes narrowed. She could feel something, or someone, calling to her. "Gundabad is an Orc stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains."
As Tauriel was about to ask something else, they were stopped in the conversation by an elf wearing the colours of the Greenwood Realm.
"My Lord, Legolas, I bring word from your father," he said with a bow of his head. "You are to return to him immediately."
"Come, Tauriel, Rilien," Legolas said, before looking at Valisilwen. "And you too, Lady Ranger."
"My lord, Legolas, Tauriel is banished." The elf looked sympathetically to Tauriel as he said those words.
Valisilwen raised her eyebrows, finally looking to her companions.
"Banished?" Legolas asked in surprise. Tauriel looked like she had just had her heart ripped from her chest.
"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Valisilwen said looking at Legolas, who was looking at Tauriel sadly. She looked at Rilien, who also looked sadly at Tauriel. "For what?"
"It is the King's word," Rilien murmured. "She went against his orders."
"She's trying to save the forest from the darkness that's spreading and will in turn seep into the Greenwood Realm, it's more than what can be said of the King's efforts," she spat, glancing at Legolas challengingly. She silently willed him to stand up and do the right thing, although she also thought him too weak to even consider standing against his father.
Legolas looked from Valisilwen to Tauriel. "You may tell my father, if there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me."
Tauriel looked at Legolas in alarm, as did Rilien. Valisilwen, however, gave a small smirk, folding her arms across her chest.
"Legolas, it is your King's command," Tauriel said in disbelief and slight shame evident in her voice.
Legolas gave a small smile before answering. "Yes, he is my King, but he does not command my heart." Tauriel looked gobsmacked at Legolas' words as he turned and walked away from the messenger.
Valisilwen rolled her eyes, feeling the urge to gag, and looked at Rilien, to see he was smiling at Tauriel's reaction. "Well, what are you going to do?" she asked him.
He looked up at her in surprise. "If Legolas is staying, I'm staying. I am under his direct command, after all."
She gave the slightest of smiles before following Legolas.
Rilien followed Legolas and Tauriel alongside Valisilwen. He was proud of Legolas, for finally standing up to his father. Although for him, disobeying the King's command would probably cause him much grief later, he was glad to be finally doing something to proactively stop the darkness that was threatening his home.
"I ride north," Legolas stated as they topped a hill overlooking the Laketown camp, where the survivors of Smaug were beginning to move onwards towards the old ruins near The Lonely Mountain. "Will you come with me?" he asked looking from Tauriel to Rilien.
"To where?" Tauriel asked inquisitively.
"To Gundabad."
Rilien raised his eyebrows and glanced at Tauriel. He could see the excitement in her eyes, she was happy to finally be chasing the darkness away. She gave a grim smile and nodded.
Rilien was about to also agree, but looked to Valisilwen, she didn't appear to be paying attention to their conversation, instead she seemed to be looking back towards Mirkwood. He had noticed she seemed to be doing that a lot since she had returned from helping the Bowman defeat Smaug.
"Valisilwen?" Rilien reached out and touched her arm lightly. She looked back at him in surprise and confusion. "Will you go to Gundabad?"
She looked from Rilien to Legolas and Tauriel, before looking back towards Mirkwood. "No, something..." she narrowed her eyes as she continued to stare. "Something is happening in Dol Guldur. Something is drawing me towards it, a strange darkness, or is it, a strange light?"
Rilien raised his eyebrows and looked back towards Mirkwood as well. He wasn't sure what it was she was talking about. He looked back to Legolas who also looked confused, while Tauriel looked thoughtful.
"So you will go to Dol Guldur?" she asked.
Valisilwen turned and looked to Tauriel, looking thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I believe I'm needed there."
Rilien bit his lip. Although he was now working outside his King's command, he still felt it was his duty to keep her safe. She was still his charge, in his mind. Of course, he was well aware that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but should anything happen to her, he would not be able to live with himself.
He looked back to Legolas regretfully. "She is still my charge, I will go with Valisilwen."
Valisilwen whipped her head around in surprise. She seemed taken aback by Rilien's words. "No, that won't be necessary, and we are no longer under the King's command if I am not mistaken," she argued quickly. Rilien thought she sounded almost panicked at the thought, causing him to raise his eyebrows at her.
"That may be," Legolas replied, looking between Rilien and Valisilwen. "However, he is still under my command, and as I have a great respect for Lord Elrond, he will continue to keep watch over you."
Rilien saw her clench her jaw, before shaking her head. "This is ridiculous. You will need the help if you are going to Gundabad."
"We are simply going to investigate."
Her eyes moved from Tauriel and Legolas, before resting again on Rilien. He offered her a warm smile, before folding his arms across his chest, making it obvious that his decision was final. "Fine," she said in a sullen tone.
She turned and walked away in a huff. Rilien turned back to Legolas and Tauriel. "Best of luck, please take care of Prince Legolas, Tauriel."
She nodded once, while Legolas bowed his head in farewell to his right hand man. "We will see each other again very soon."
"Move it, elf," Valisilwen shouted sharply as she continued to walk away, causing Rilien to furrow his brow before turning and hurrying to catch up to her.
oOOo
Valisilwen and Rilien had procured horses from the outskirts of Laketown, and now hurried back towards the ruins of Dol Guldur. He kept a close eye on her, glancing at her now and then. She seemed to be in her own world and getting worse the closer they got to the ruins.
They were close when suddenly the horses slid to a stop and refused to continue. "They can feel the darkness coming from the ruins," Rilien murmured as they both climbed off. Valisilwen didn't give her horse a second thought, continuing on foot the moment she was off.
Rilien had to jog to catch up to her. Something about her eyes had him concerned, they were cold and dark. Even her ice blue eye seemed to have deepened the closer they had gotten to the ruins. "We have to hurry," she murmured, breathlessly.
"What is it you sense, Valisilwen?" he asked, matching her stride. It still fascinated him, how perceptive her senses appeared to be, even more so than his own.
"Darkness, similar to a darkness felt throughout the land once." Rilien stared at her, almost tripping over a tree root. "We are close."
She slowed and looked around carefully. He edged closer and could see the dark ruins. The air was cold and stagnant, it appeared as if the ruins had long been empty, but he definitely could detect that at some stage, some form of darkness had touched this earth. "What now?"
As he asked there was a growl, shouting and clanging of metal. Valisilwen's head cocked to one side, as if she was confused for a moment, while Rilien instinctively pulled out his sword, creeping closer towards the stone bridge that led into the ruins.
"Gandalf!" Valisilwen breathed. She went to rush past him, but he held out an arm, stopping her. "I have to help him."
"Wait!" he said, putting his arm out and stopping her. "It could be a trap." He began to walk across the stone bridge himself, watching carefully the shadows through the ruins.
They walked carefully across the bridge, to find a gate on the other side open. Rilien was about to whisper to Valisilwen when they heard eerie screams and shouting from within and even Rilien could sense the darkness increase from the centre of the ruins. "I think this was a bad idea."
"Then move," Valisilwen growled. It was not the growl of a woman though. He turned, to see a Great Wolf of black and white standing behind him.
He was so stunned he raised his sword warningly toward it, until he noticed its eyes. The ice blue eye shone out from its black and white mask. "Valisilwen?"
"I said, move." She didn't wait this time, walking forwards. He quickly stepped aside and she ran through the gate.
Rilien quickly followed behind her. As they ran into the ruins they came across a scene that neither could have possibly expected. Lying on the ground was Gandalf, beaten and battered, with Galadriel by his side, trying to fend off what looked to be ghosts of some sort. They screamed and swooped at Lord Elrond and Saruman who fought around the Lady and wizard.
"Gandalf!" Rilien cried, hurrying through to check on him with Valisilwen guarding him. She lunged at a spirit as it got closer than she liked. Rilien looked to Galadriel who also did not look in good condition. "My Lady, what is going on?"
"The darkness is returning..." she strained to speak. "We must get Gandalf out of here."
There was a whimper as Valisilwen was hit by one of the spirits. Rilien hurried to his feet and began trying to fend off the spirits. He struck one off the cliff and turned back to find Valisilwen had returned to her human form. "I can't fight these things like that," she said holding her arm before drawing one of her swords.
"Valisilwen!" Elrond said moving towards her. He put a hand to a shoulder and quickly looked her over.
"I'm fine, my lord," she said checking the wound on her arm.
"No, you need to get out of here, take Gandalf with you," Elrond ordered as the spirit Rilien had knocked down the cliff clambered back up easily.
"What the..." Rilien said turning to fight it off again.
Valisilwen looked around and then back at Gandalf and Galadriel. "NOW Valis!" Elrond ordered desperately, snapping Valisilwen from her thoughts. She began to move, going to grab both Gandalf and Galadriel.
"No, Valis," Galadriel said, removing herself from the Ranger's arms. "Get him out of here, I must stay."
"But, my lady..."
As she was objecting, there was a flurry of scraping noises and a shout. Rhadagast appeared over the bridge with his rabbits pulling his sled. "Come on! Let's go!"
Valisilwen went to lift Gandalf onto the sled, only to have him grab Galadriel. "Come with me..." he breathed.
"Come on, old man, I haven't got time for this," Valisilwen groaned, her arm bothering her as she tried to lift him.
"I must stay," Galadriel said, turning away. "Go Valis, Rilien."
Valisilwen heaved the wizard onto the sled, sending Rhadagast on his way, before she turned and grabbed Rilien, both turning and making a run for it. Spirits swooped at them, making them duck and dive here and there before they could get to the other side of the bridge. Rilien tried to duck to avoid another, when he missed his footing, slipping off the side of the bridge.
"Aaaah!" he shouted, grabbing at the side of the crumbling bridge. Valisilwen turned quickly, trying to fight away the spirits still attacking them. She grabbed at Rilien's hand.
"For an elf, you're not very sure-footed."
"Shut up and help me up."
She pulled him up and they ran the rest of the way across the bridge and into the forest. They didn't stop until they were well into the forest and could no longer here the screaming and clanging of the fighting within the ruins.
xo
Krayzee