A/N: Watched The Desolation of Smaug yesterday, so I got into a writing mood. Hope this chapter satisfies!

Chaos Unleashed: Part Two

Chapter Seven

Kaia's POV

I stared down at the pitiful thing, waiting. "Well? I asked you a question."

Gollum's pale blue eyes jumped around, surveying the scene around him. "...W-We didn't mean to hurts them!" he sputtered, squirming and letting out a gasp when Aragorn tightened his hold on the creature. "We only meant-"

"To what?" I cut him off. "Steal the Ring? Oh yeah, that's no big deal. Go right ahead!" I scoffed.

He let out a strangled-sounding moan, eyes wide with fear. "Oh, they doesn't understand us, Precious!" he said to himself. "They must understand!"

"Understand? Oh, I think I understand just fine," I said lowly. "You attacked us. We have every right to kill you."

"No! No!" he wailed. "You mustn't kill us! We are sorry, precious! We are sorry!"

"Are you?"

But suddenly, I felt a small hand grab at my wrist. "Kaia, wait." I turned and looked at Frodo. "Don't hurt him."

Though I knew exactly how this was supposed to play out, I was still less than enthusiastic to listen to the hobbit. I gave him a disappointed look. "Don't tell me you actually believe him!"

He shook his head. "I don't...but now that I see him, I pity him." He glanced at Gollum, who stayed crouched on the ground, watching us both carefully. There was a tense silence as Frodo turned to him and took a few cautious steps forward. I shifted slightly, prepared to defend him if I needed to.

"Frodo, no," Aragorn whispered. "He's dangerous."

But Frodo didn't even acknowledge him. "You tracked us here, didn't you?" Gollum nodded. "You've been following us the past few days?" Another nod. "Then you know that we're lost." A pause, but then a third nod. The unnatural creature seemed confused. "...Do you know the way out?"

"...Yes..." Gollum breathed, seemingly fearful of even little Frodo who stood in front of him.

The hobbit stared at him awhile longer, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he thought. Making a bold move, Frodo reached into his shirt and pulled out the Ring on its chain. Gollum's eyes immediately moved to it, and I could see the hunger for it in them clear as day. He looked like he was about to leap for it, but Aragorn pressed the blade even closer to his neck, holding him back. "We will not kill you...if you swear on the Ring to lead us out of here." I glanced at Aragorn, looking for a reaction. He gave none.

Gollum took a moment to process what Frodo had said. "...On the Precious?..."

"The Ring is treacherous," he said firmly. "It will hold you to your word."

"And if that doesn't convince you, then I'll hold to mine as well," I cut in. "You try anything funny, and I'll slit your throat where you stand." I narrowed my eyes at him. I'd kill myself before I let you get your slimy hands on any of these guys.

Wide eyes flicked back and forth between Frodo and I, and it seemed like an eternity before he choked out an answer. "...We will serve...the Master...of the Precious...Yes...Yes, Precious! We will!"

"You swear? On the...Precious?" Frodo pushed again.

Gollum nodded eagerly. "On the Precious..."

I stared at him for the longest time, searching for the smallest hint that he was lying, and found none. But he will betray us eventually, I thought. It's in his nature. Even if Smeagol's loyal to us, Gollum won't be. Either way, though, I knew that we would at least have to put up with him for now. It was clear that we'd never find out way out of Emyn Muil without a guide. "Seems like a fair enough deal to me. Any objections?" I glanced around.

Merry tugged on my arm, and I leaned down to have him whisper in my ear. "How do we know he won't betray us?"

"We don't," I replied calmly. "But if he does, we'll be ready. Aragorn and I will protect you." I was kind of shocked at the dark look in the blonde's eyes. Standing back up to my full height, I looked to Aragorn. "So. Are we doing this?"

The ranger was silent for several seconds, though I could tell that he knew he didn't really have any other options to go with at this point. "...Yes. You will serve as our guide," he said to Gollum, "and nothing more. But do not think for one moment that this means you are free." he warned. Then his eyes lifted to look at Pippin. "Bring the rope."

As Pippin ran off to do as he was told, and a general air of quiet settled over our group, Frodo turned back to me. "I do not expect you to trust him," he said quietly.

I laughed bitterly. "Of course I don't. Which is why from this point on, I'm making myself your personal bodyguard until he's not a threat anymore." He chuckled a bit at that, but then I looked at him seriously again. "But Frodo...I just want to make sure you're okay with this. I mean, he is a dried-up creature with a double personality who likes to stalk hobbits for fun. You do know what you're getting into, right?"

Frodo nodded, but with a bit of hesitation. "I certainly hope so."

oOo

Boromir's POV

My eyes scanned over everything again one last time, ensuring that I'd gathered all I would need for the journey ahead. I was nearly ready for our departure at dawn, but a faint sense of guilt still simmered within my heart knowing that I was about to turn my back on my friends and leave them behind. I exhaled, starting to pack up what little provisions I was taking with me. I am doing the right thing. Faramir needs me. Erin and Legolas will be fine on their own; they'll have a guide with them. But that, in all honesty, was not my main concern. I worried for Kathryn most of all. Though I was loathe to admit it, I felt ashamed that I was tearing her away from Erin by getting her wrapped up in my own plans. From what I knew, they had been close with each other for ages...and I was about to shatter that completely.

I slowed, then stopped in my packing, the dark-eyed girl still on my mind. Will I be able to live with that? Knowing that I potentially ruined a deep-rooted friendship through my own selfish desires? Erin will see it as a betrayal, after all. I frowned. In truth, I didn't know. But what can be done? She already committed to traveling with me. It would be useless to turn her away now.

After a moment, I sighed in frustration. I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to stay with her and the others. That was the only thing that would satisfy my turbulent conscience. But then that leaves Faramir on his own, up against Valar knows what. And no matter what I did, I absolutely couldn't bring myself to do that to my little brother. To my father...my people...

"So that actually satisfies nothing at all," I muttered to myself, shoving things back into my small pack again. This is infuriating. Why is it so hard for me to come to a decision on this?

I was so deeply enveloped in my thoughts, that I didn't hear the lady of the hour approach me until she spoke out loud. "...Hey...You got a minute?"

I stopped and turned around, frowning slightly. Kathryn looked...conflicted. What would she be worried about? "Yes, of course." I moved towards her slowly. "Is something wrong?"

"No...not really, it's just..." She paused. "...Look, I really feel bad about all these secret, 'hush-hush' plans we're making. Do you think I could tell Erin what's going on? At least just her? She's my best friend; I feel like she deserves to know."

My expression softened. "I know she does," I said, "but they will try to stop us. If Erin knows of our plans to leave, she will never let you out of her sight. And you know she would immediately tell Legolas, too."

Kathryn frowned, looking defeated. "...I don't want to lie to her."

"Neither do I," I said softly. "But we must."

We stood there in silence for a few minutes longer, and I watched her as she blankly stared off at nothing before going on. It baffled me that this one woman and I had grown so close in such a short time that I was having difficulty choosing my own brother over her. Even I could not understand it."I know I told you that I would go with you, Boromir," she murmured, "...but I...I don't know if I can, now that it comes down to it."

That struck me. "No," I said quickly. "No, you will stay with me. You have to."

Her gaze snapped up to meet mine. "But why? I don't understand! Don't you trust me enough to leave me with Erin and Legolas?"

"I trust you," I replied. "I just do not trust the world around you. We have not seen the horrors that Sauron has created, and I would lay down my own life before I ever saw you at the mercy of one of those creatures." I held her gaze steadily, hoping I looked as sincere as I felt. "I want to protect you, Kathryn. I cannot do that from across Middle-Earth."

She stared back at me for a moment, the brief flare of defiance fading from her eyes."I know...I know..." she said, dropping them to the floor with a sigh. "But you at least have to know where I'm coming from on this, right? I've basically committed to leaving my best friend almost completely on her own for your sake. That's not easy for me."

It pained me to hear her speak in such a way. "Kathryn, I am sorry. I...I do not mean to hurt you like this."

"...Then stay with us," she said, looking up at me again. "At least for a little while longer."

I bristled a bit. "You know I can't do that."

"Yes you can!" she said, pleading. "I'm not saying you have to completely call off your plan, just put it on hold for a little while! Besides, Thranduil's escort is going to lead us straight out of Mirkwood anyway. You might as well stick around until then instead of trying to navigate the entire forest by yourself."

My jaw clenched. She was right, but I wasn't ready to admit it. "And lose even more precious time? If we delay any longer in this, we might arrive in Minas Tirith to find everyone dead! Then all our efforts would be for nothing!"

"Boromir, we're gonna get lost if we try and do this on our own. Please, just wait until we get out of Mirkwood. Then you can go off wherever you'd like, and...I might still follow you."

I scoffed slightly, offended that she was considering going back on her word. "Might? If the mood strikes you that day?"

She frowned, but I still saw a flash of guilt on her face. "If I decide that Erin and Legolas will be safe enough without me around. Which will probably happen, because let's face it: I don't have much to offer them anyway."

I held my cool glare, chuckling humorlessly after a moment. "...So this is what you came here for, then? To try and change my mind."

"Yeah," she replied. "because I feel like you're making a stupid decision if you walk away from us now. And I care about you too much to let you do that."

Though a pestering voice in the back of my mind kept telling me she was right, I still refused to wound my pride by backing down. "...I will think about it."

Realizing that this was the best she was going to get out of me for now, Kathryn simply nodded once before turning and heading out. "See you tomorrow morning."

I waited until she had gone before letting out a frustrated groan and running a hand through my hair. Why? Why?! Why is it so difficult suddenly to go through with this? I shot another glare at the doorway. This is ridiculous! The voice continued to prick at my mind, constantly berating me for trying to fight against Kathryn when I knew her reasoning made total sense. And even I can recognize that she's right! So why can I still not come to a solid conclusion? It is either her or Faramir. I cannot have both. My gaze left the door, heart sinking as I slowly thought about the consequences of either option and felt my instinct begin to lean to one side. ...I cannot have both.

oOo

Erin's POV

It wasn't anything grand; our departure. Thranduil hadn't arranged for any big going-away party or fanfare. He knew this quest was still to remain a secret, which I respected him for. All I knew that morning as I woke up and prepared for the journey ahead was that it would be him and a few other guards and elves of high status that would be seeing us off.

I secured the last buckle in place for my ensemble, then quickly turned to toss some last-minute provisions into my pack. Thranduil had be gracious enough to provide Kathryn and I with clothes fit for traveling. I was dressed in brown leggings, boots, and a two-tone deep green tunic with wide sleeves and a high collar. I'd been given a small assortment of knives that were clipped to a belt around my waist, but no other weapons. I'll admit, I felt pretty defenseless, but I knew that we weren't going to get any time for training on the road, so it was useless to give me any kind of larger weapon.

My eyes trailed over the silver embroidery that twisted across the shoulders of my tunic as I pulled on some brown fingerless gloves. As much as I wanted to get out of here and go find Kaia and the others, I didn't feel ready to face the horrors of whatever was out there. Fear twisted my gut as I thought of the monsters Legolas had told me about. If we were lucky, I guessed we'd make it out of Mirkwood with all our limbs still intact.

Closing the small bag and slinging it over my shoulders, I checked one more time to make sure I hadn't left anything important behind and then left my room. I glanced down at my hands as I walked, smiling to myself as I looked over all my rings still spread out across my fingers. Nobody could get me to leave those behind.

When I eventually made it to the throne where we'd been told to meet, a mild embarrassment washed over me as I realized I was the last one to arrive. God, I hope I wasn't too late. I can't tell time in these caves without a clock. Legolas, Kathryn, and Boromir all stood in a line in front of Thranduil and a handful of those closest to him, with Tauriel being one of them. I resisted the urge to growl under my breath and slipped into place beside Legolas, nodding to him subtly as his father began to speak. I noticed that he and Boromir still both wore their normal Fellowship outfits.

"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand," the elvenking began. "I myself see it as a dangerous mission; to venture out into the world alone for what could prove to be a foolish purpose." I eyed the king curiously, not sure whether he was criticizing us or not. "But no matter my views, this is the path you have chosen," he went on, cold eyes sweeping over us and landing last on me. "And I should hope that you will each hold true to your purpose...and to each other, regardless of what evil you may encounter." I raised my chin ever so slightly, recognizing his last subtle comment towards me to uphold our deal.

Thranduil turned from where he stood at the base of the steps leading up to his throne and slowly began to glide up them. "Tauriel." I felt my face drop when he spoke her name. "You are to escort them to the southern borders of the forest on the safest paths you know, and may go no further. Protect them at all costs. You are to be their guide."

I tried not to let my disappointment show as she stepped forward, turning and bowing low to her king before facing us again without a word. My eyes jumped up to meet Thranduil's again, though now he spoke to us with a heavy somberness to his smooth voice. "I can do no more for you. Your fate is in your own hands from this point on." I watched him look directly at his son, who stared back evenly. "Go now, and may the grace of the Valar and all that remains pure in this world be with you."

Legolas nodded and touched a palm to his heart before extending it to his father in a sign of respect. I also bowed slightly to the king, with Boromir and Kathryn following my lead. Tauriel then began walking back down the path that led to the gates, and we had no choice but to quickly follow. I didn't look back over my shoulder as we filed out, but I could feel Thranduil's gaze boring into me the entire time. I will keep Legolas alive for him. Even if I have to die in his place.

Before long, we'd reached the gates, and they were swiftly opened as we approached them so we could slip out quickly and quietly. It was tense, and no one said a word as we left the Halls of Thranduil for good. I turned once we were out into the cool night air, catching one last glimpse of the elven kingdom before the gates shut with a soft boom, and then everything was silent.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the tall doors, suddenly wishing more than anything that I was back inside. I would've stayed there for much longer if Kathryn hadn't grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my daze. "Erin, come on," she said quietly. "Let's go."

I nodded, swallowing as I looked up and noticed how close Legolas was standing next to Tauriel, the two of them speaking rapid-fire elvish to each other in whispers. She smiled at something he said, and I clenched my teeth, grumbling to myself as I followed Kathryn over to them. "This is gonna be a long journey."

A/N: :((( Now I'm sad because we won't be in Mirkwood anymore. I was just getting used to writing for Thranduil, too.

But on the bright side, we're at least on the move with Kathryn and Erin's group! :D Hopefully everyone will be reunited soon, right?

Thanks in advance for the sweet reviews and feedback, guys. They keep me going. C: