Chapter XXI

Ivanneth 18th 3002 T.A

Walking through the dark forest alone and starving was not how Eliel had pictured her 60th birthday. She really did not know how she pictured it but this was not something she could have ever imagined. Ever since she had parted ways with the wizard she had grown accustomed to talking to herself, just small things like when she discovered a new ingredient or when she would read her books aloud.

Another thing she had started was practicing her conversations she was planning having with her father when she met him. "Hello Kili? You don't know me but um, no that's not it. I am your daughter? I am YOUR daughter?" She repeated the words putting emphasis on different words but nothing felt right.

"What about, hello there Kili, my name is Eliel. No that is not it. Okay okay, my mother was Tauriel and I am looking for my father? No nothing is right!" This usually went on for hours several times a day.

She did take in Gandalf's precaution of the forest but it did not affect her the way Gandalf was meaning. Mirkwood felt comfortable for her and she would not mind coming back here after she found Kili.

"What if he already has a daughter? He might disown me and this could all be for nothing." Eliel had come to the understanding that 60 years had passed and he could be an old man in his eighties and might not even remember Tauriel.

She was too focused on her thoughts and the paths to notice shadows that had been constantly following her for several hours waiting for her to stop and rest. Eliel continued on the path fatigue not settling in and kept thinking about her father. At first she was determined to find her mother after all she was immortal but knowing her father was alive made her advance after him. Taking an inner break from her thoughts she was able to pick up on the rustling of the leaves on the ground. They were too loud to be picked up by the wind and she was certain she was not imagining things, Eliel did not stop to investigate but fastened her pace until she heard it again.

Eliel stopped dead in her tracks and looked around the darkness, her fingers twitching, anticipating the agile movements she would need to grab her bow. She grabbed her bow anyway and turned to continue when something or someone dropped from the trees below in front of her blocking her way. Eliel screamed but it was silenced by a hand from behind which only made her thrash around more, the hooded figure in front of her pulled out a dagger which Eliel tense with anxiety. "Do not scream, no one will hear you and frankly it is annoying." The hand was relaxed from her mouth and she stood there frozen in fear.

"Hand over everything valuable you own and we promise not to harm you" The deep calm voice spoke. Thieves. Eliel thought it was ironic that she was being robbed after everything she had robbed in the past. "Do I look like I have any valuables?" Her anxiety had swallowed any rational thought and she relied on sarcasm to get her out of this.

They were not expecting a question and only acknowledge sarcasm with sarcasm. "Yes you look very lousy with gold, not like we did not see it when you opened your bag along the road many hours ago." Eliel sensed the presence behind her move around towards the front where they whispered something into the frontrunner's ear. She assumed it was two men as she could not see underneath the hoods. There was only a small window to get out of this and Eliel took it, she quickly grabbed a steel arrow and in one swift movement she shot the arrow through the quieter's one leg, this caused him to scream out in pain and drop to the ground.

Eliel felt the sting of the blade as it sliced the back of her hand. She drew back her hand and dodged the daggers as the man tried to stab and slash at her. She used her bow as a shield and when he lunged again she caught his hand in the bow and bent it in an unnatural way, he yelled in a similar fashion as his partner and Eliel made a mad dash off the path and into the gloomy forest. She was being chased she was no match at hand to hand combat it was only a lucky chance, if she could climb a tree without being seen she could easily kill the man.

Eliel weaved through the trees with only the moon to guide her. This was no forest to be chased, fallen trees and roots were placed in difficult positions making her stumble a few times. She was still being hunted as she assumed the stranger was accustomed to the woods, her hand was stinging and was profusely bleeding and she had no sense of direction. As the canopy overhead thickened, her steps grew muffled by the pine needles that blanketed the forest floor, she followed the moon with her eyes letting it guide her towards the edge of the forest. Her face was scratched from the twigs and branches that attacked her face, but it was better than being dead. The sap from the tree matted her already damaged hair causing more grass and twigs to stick in it. Eliel did not stop until her hood got caught on an ancient branch, she pulled and pulled not noticing the drop behind her. She had loosened the hood only to be thrown backwards down an embankment, her body flailing against the mounds in the ground and pain shooting through her healed wounds and only to be thrown into the river below.

The cold rushing water pushed down on her from all sides, the more she struggled to swim up the more disorientated. Eliel's lungs burned for air as she tried to find the surface. Up was down and left was right but she had managed to push herself up from the murky bottom and resurfaced onto the shore coughing up the icy water that were beginning to fill her lungs. Eliel laid on her stomach and turned her head she opened her eyes and in the distance she saw the Lonely Mountain.

With a sigh of relief she breathed out "Happy birthday Eliel."