Tara looked up and noticed Faedra standing next to a blonde elf, talking with him in a whisper. They made eye contact and Faedra took a step forward before being grabbed by a guard and led away. Tara walked to the back of the cell, sliding her back against the wall to sit down. Kili was tossed in with her and he was talking to the beautiful she-elf.
"Aren't you going to search me?" He asked, "I could have anything down my trousers."
"Or nothing," She said, and shut the door.
"Your trousers, really?" Tara asked, smiling.
"What?" Kili asked, "Would you rather do the honor?"
He put his hands up and Tara started to laugh. Kili smiled at her and went to sit next to her. He pulled out shiny, black stone and started to inspect it.
"What is it?" Tara asked as she looked down at the stone.
"It is a talisman," He replied, "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed."
He quickly held up the stone in Tara's face, making her jump a bit. She noticed a small smile play on his lips and she slapped him.
"Or not," he said, still smiling, "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token."
Tara rolled her eyes, but couldn't wipe the smile on her face.
"A runestone," Kili said, "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."
"What promise?" Tara, now curious, asked.
"That I will come back to her," He continued on, "She worries. She thinks I'm reckless."
"Not a surprising thought," Tara said.
It was Kili's turn to roll his eyes. He threw it up in the air, but it slipped from his grasp and started to roll away. Tara put her foot on top of it, picking it up and inspected it. She could hear elves laughing in the distance, and she didn't need her elf ears to hear clearly that they were having a party.
"Sounds like quite a party they're having up there," Kili pointed out.
"It is Mereth-en-Gilith," Tara explained, "The Feast of Starlight."
She shut her eyes, imagining the stars above.
"All light is sacred to the Eldar, but the mountain elves, my people, love best the light of the stars, like the woodland elves."
"I always thought it is a cold light, remote and far away," Kili told his opinion.
"It is memory," Tara spoke earnestly, "Precious and pure. Like your promise."
She handed back the stone to Kili and continued, "I have walked there sometimes, beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away and the white light forever fill the air."
"I saw a fire moon once," Kili said "It rose over the pass near Dunland, huge; red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, they were trading in Silverbuck for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then, this huge fire moon, right in our path. I wish I could show you."
"Perhaps," Tara said, "You can."
Kili smiled and leaned in to kiss her. When they released, she noticed the red haired she-elf walk past the gate. She wondered how much she had heard. She soon heard the dwarves start to complain, hours after the she-elf had left.
"Not stuck in here you're not," She heard a familiar voice speak.
"Bilbo!" Tarab and Kili said in unison as they approached the locked door.
"Shh there are guards nearby," Bilbo quietly yelled and the dwarves immediately shut up.
"Shut the gates," Tara ordered, "It will buy us more time."
They followed Bilbo down the steps and into the cellars. The dwarves started to complain and question Bilbo's plan, causing them to argue.
"Everyone climb into the barrels," Biblo commanded.
Tara, without hesitation swung herself into a barrel. The dwarves, on the other hand, start whispering to one another, trying to decide.
"Do as he says," She heard the voice of Thorin.
The dwarves quickly piled in and Bofur was the first to ask, "What do we do now?"
"Hold your breath," Biblo approached a lever.
"Biblo, no, don't you…" but Tara's words were replaced by a scream as they started to roll.
She did as ordered and the cold water hit her quickly by surprise. The barrel floated back up and she let in a breath of air.
"You alright?" Kili asked beside her.
She just nodded and started to spit out water. Not long afterwards, another splash was heard and Tara noticed Bilbo clinging on to one of the barrels.
"Well done, Master Baggins," Thorin said.
Everyone started to paddle forward with the help of the flow of the river. Thorin then yelled something that Tara didn't hear.
"What?" Tara said but soon found out as her barrel went sliding down a waterfall.
Her barrel popped above the water again making Tara choke on water again. An elvish horn was heard in the distance making Tara's eyes wide.
"That can't be good," She muttered to herself.
She heard Thorin yell again and she plowed into the suddenly stopped barrels. A body fell on her and she just realized with horror that it was an elven guard. She pushed him off and orcs were flooding over the bridge. Kili jumped out of his barrel and made his way towards the lever. Tara helped the dwarves by pulling off weapons from the dead orcs that fell on her. She heard scream of pain from above and looked up to find Kili falling to the ground, a black arrow piercing his leg.
"Kili!" Tara and Fili cried out in unison.
An orc appeared in front of him, lifting his weapon to strike.
"No!" Tara screamed, until an arrow shot through the orcs head.
She looked for the shooter in surprise and noticed Tauriel running through the bushes. She started killing orcs on the spot, stabbing and shooting. A movement in the corner of Tara's eye made her look forward. The gate had opened and the dwarves started to float down the wild river. Tara tried her best to stay with Fili until Kili had gotten in a barrel, but she wasn't strong enough and the current yanked her away.
The dwarves, who had retrieved more weapons, started killing at the orcs who were jumping on them or shooting them. They were throwing knives and spears with amazing aim that surprised Tara. A flash of dark brown made Tara look and she noticed Kili, clearly in pain. They continued to slash at the multitude of orcs that followed with help from the elves and Bombur when he was catapulted onto land.
The river seemed to be running faster, because they were starting to lose the orcs. Though sadly it didn't last for long. The river finally started to slow until they had lost the current. They paddled towards land and shoved themselves out of the barrels. Noticing Kili's pain, Tara quickly approached him. He put a bit of cloth to it making a pained expression.
"I'm fine," Kili said, acting tough," It's nothing."
"Kili let me look at it," Tara ordered.
"No, I said i'm fine," He said.
"Save me from your stubbornness," Tara said, "You're almost as bad as Faedra and Faren. Now put your stubbornness beside and let me look. That's an order!"
She was yelling now, because all the dwarves had looked away. Kili sighed in defeat and took off the cloth.
"All I can do now is bind it for now," Tara said, "I was robbed from all my medicine by the elves sadly."
She started to tear her tunic and wrapped it gently around his leg. She noticed his jaw clenched, but she could tell he didn't want to seem weak in front of her. A shadow appeared on a rock, an arrow drawn in a bow. Dwalin stepped in front of Nori, holding a tree branch. The figure shot the arrow, landing it in the middle of the branch. Kili lifted a stone, but it shot it out of his hand. Tara had cowered a little after Kili had lifted the stone.
"Do it again," The voice of a man spoke, "And you're dead."
Balin was the first to speak, talking nicely to the man. He lowered his bow looking at the dwarves skeptically. Another figure emerged behind him, making Tara gasped in surprise.