Wow, I'm actually surprised at myself for how fast I was able to write this chapter and update the story! I guess I was just fueled by all the great reviews and responses I got from the last chapter! :D

Yes, I know, the end was cruel and a lot of you may question my motives behind Kili's memory loss, but I promise you, it will be expounded upon over the next couple chapters and it all make sense and come together eventually. I have a plan...just trust me! ;)

And now...hold tight cuz this ride's about to get even bumpier! xD

.

The Dwarves were led out of the forest and to the great Elven fortress of the Woodland Realm. None of them were at all enthusiastic about being there, since it was the one place they wanted to avoid altogether. Reluctantly, they trudged through the large gate and heard the echo of it closing behind them.

They were led down a winding bridge made from tree branches, through a long hall with numerous, twisted pillars of marble, until they came to a platform with a large, wooden throne. Above the throne hung a giant pair of moose antlers and lounging upon the throne was an Elf with long, blonde locks and dark eyebrows, dressed in the finest, silver robes and intricate jewelry. His head was adorned with a large crown made of twigs, vines and red berries and in his hand he held a large scepter. He was, in Elvish terms, fair to look upon. However, his fair features were slightly hidden under his cold, stony gaze which he cast upon the Dwarven company that was brought before him.

This was Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood; the Elf who had abandoned the Dwarves of Erebor the day Smaug besieged the mountain.

Everyone in the company was roughly pushed forward until they stood before the Elf King, all of them glaring up at him. Aira, who was already feeling upset about what had happened to Kili, felt her anger boiling inside her as she laid eyes for the first time upon the Elf who had betrayed her father. She noticed that he too was angry as she saw his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

"We found these Dwarves trespassing through the forest," Legolas reported to the King. "What would you have us do with them?"

Thranduil's gaze examined the company of Dwarves before him before he answered in a low, smooth voice, "Take them to the dungeons. All of them except…." He slowly raised a hand and pointed at Thorin in the front. "Him."

But then his hand drifted just slightly to his left.

"And the young woman."

Aira froze, startled. What could the Elvenking possibly want with her? She looked around at everyone in the company and, judging by their expressions, found they were thinking the same thing. No one was surprised that Thranduil wanted to keep Thorin around, but they were surprised that he wanted her there, too.

Without hesitation, the Elven soldiers pushed the rest of the company forward and led them all to the dungeons where they were roughly shoved into all the individual cells.

"This is not the end of it! Do you hear me?!" Dwalin shouted furiously.

As Fili was being put into his cell, an Elf soldier discovered one more large hunting knife hidden away inside his jacket that they had missed. Fili sighed exasperatedly as it was confiscated, thinking he had managed to sneak one weapon past them.

Kili, on the opposite side, was being put in his cell by Tauriel. He turned to her and asked her, "Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers…!" Personally, he had no idea why that statement had come to mind, but it seemed like a good idea and a clever thing to say.

But she simply raised her eyebrows and retorted back before closing the cell door on him, "Or nothing."

Kili watched her as she walked away and felt his lips curl up into a grin. She hadn't reacted to his remark in disgust or flattery. She had, without hesitation, responded with a clever comeback, despite how demeaning towards him it was. She was fiery and had spunk…and he actually kind of liked that. That added to the fact that he already found her quite fair and lovely to look upon. He had thought so upon seeing her face for the first time after she saved him from the spiders.

"I see that look, brother!" came Fili's voice from across the way.

Kili glanced over and saw Fili partially glaring at him through the bars.

"What of it?" he asked.

"She is an Elf!"

"And what of that?"

"She cannot be trusted, Kili! And besides, you have someone already! You have Aira. You cannot do this to her."

Kili groaned quietly, irritated. Why was his brother suddenly so adamant about him and that other Dwarf-girl being together? He didn't know her. Both Fili and the girl, Aira, were trying to convince him that he knew her and that they had a history, but yet he had no recollection of anything involving her whatsoever. To him, she was just a stranger; a slightly odd and forward girl who was trying to get his attention.

"Fili, I told you: if she really is my One; my true love, then I'm certain I would know it."

"But you can't remember! That's the point! Your mind has been infected with poison and has made you lose your memories of her. I'm trying to help you remember or at least see that you still have something worth holding on to. You have Aira and I have Maori; we both found love together!"

"Who is Maori?"

"Oh, by Mahal…!" Fili slammed the palm of his hand onto his forehead hard and shook his head in unbelief. "You have forgotten her, as well? She's Aira's friend that—"

"Look, just save your breath, brother! I don't know who that girl, Aira, is and honestly, right now, I have no interest in knowing her. The both of you are so set on the notion that we should be together for many reasons I don't know and it's really irritating me!"

Fili couldn't believe his ears; that he was hearing such words coming from Kili. His heart and mind were both seriously upset and incredibly angry with his brother at the same time.

He gripped the handle bars to try and calm his building anger. "Kili, I swear…," he said in a low, rough-edged tone, "if we were not in these cells and I had my weapons, I would club you over the head with the hilt of my short-sword!"

Kili's eyebrows rose almost challengingly at him.

"It's horrible enough that the spider poison has made you forget Aira completely," Fili went on, sounding angry still, "but the fact that you don't even want to try and remember her and what you have together is even worse! You are choosing to cast aside the greatest thing that has ever happened to you! I will not stand by and watch you break her heart!

Kili sat back against the wall of his cell, turned his face away and replied, "I'm sorry, Fili…but it's just no use."

Over in his cell, Fili ran a hand up and down his face, frustrated and bewildered. He couldn't believe this was happening. Kili and Aira had a strong and true love together and now it was all completely gone. Kili wasn't going to even attempt to try and remember any of it and that infuriated Fili to no end. He wasn't going to let it end that way.

"When we get out of these filthy Elf dungeons, I'm going to get him to love Aira again if it's the last thing I do!" he vowed in his mind as he began to kick at the bars of the cell in aggravation.

In the other cells, some of the other Dwarves, like Dwalin, Oin and Gloin were also throwing themselves against the doors to try and break them down.

"Leave it!" Balin shouted so everyone could hear. "There's no way out!" He sighed. "This is no Orc dungeon. These are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here…but by the King's consent."

That only made the Dwarves more angry or upset.

If no one left but by the King's consent…then they were never getting out.

After the company had been taken away, both Thorin and Aira stood alone on the platform, aside from some Elven guards standing off the sides. They remained silent as they looked up at Thranduil, still casually lounging on his throne.

He cast a malicious grin at them. "It has been a long time since Thorin Oakenshield travelled so far east," he stated cooly. "For what purpose, I wonder…."

The Elvenking gracefully stood up from his throne and began to slowly walk down the staircase to his right that led down to the platform, the train of his robe trailing behind him.

Aira tightened her fists together. She didn't want the Elf traitor to come anywhere near her or Thorin. Being in his presence sickened her and she could only imagine what he would say or do now that he had them in his halls.

As he came down onto the platform and gradually approached them, Thranduil said, "However, before I delve into that matter…." He waved a hand to his guards who then came forward and suddenly grabbed Thorin by the arms and started pulling him back.

Surprised, Aira stood in place, hesitant as to what was happening and what she should do, and watched as Thorin struggled against the guards for a moment.

"…I wish to speak to the young lady in our midst." Thranduil's head tilted and he glanced at Aira with a suspicious look in his icy blue eyes.

She felt her throat tighten up and she took a slight step back, feeling more than uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her and at the fact he wanted to speak to her.

"If you dare lay a hand on her…," Thorin growled, his hands clenching into tight fists and he tried once more to wrench himself free.

But Thranduil held up a hand and replied almost patronizingly, "Stay your anger, Oakenshield. I mean her no harm." He took another step closer to Aira and looked her over curiously. "Tell me your name, child," he said.

Aira stiffened, internally debating whether or not she should answer, even though she mostly didn't want to. But then she figured that, if she just answered whatever he asked her, it would be over soon enough. However, even though she decided to answer, she really didn't wish for him to know her real name.

So she cast a hard glance up at him and simply replied, "Telyna."

Even though he didn't show it next to her, Thorin was briefly caught off guard by her response, but then caught on right away. She didn't trust the Elf and therefore didn't want him to know her true identity, using her mother's identity instead. Then he understood.

Thranduil remained silent and continued to stare at her peculiarly. He seemed to believe her little lie, for he did not question it. He began to slowly walk in a circle around her, continuing to look her over with a sense of curiosity in his face. He seemed somewhat intrigued by the presence of a female Dwarf travelling with a group of male Dwarves, as if it was a rare sight.

"What purpose does a young Dwarf-woman like you serve here?" he asked in a low voice as he rounded behind her. "You seem quite out of place amongst such a number of Dwarf men."

He came around in front of her again and gave her an inquisitive look. "Why are you here, Telyna?" he questioned, drawing uncomfortably closer to her and making her shrink back.

Thorin snarled deeply within his chest just loud enough for Thranduil to hear and to consider himself warned. Without turning away, Thranduil took one step back away from Aira.

"You seem to be of great importance to Thorin Oakenshield," he deducted, "judging by how fiercely he is behaving in trying to protect you." He cast a side-glance at Thorin, who only glared back in response.

Then he turned back to Aira. "I can only imagine that would mean one thing…however, you appear quite young to be his consort."

"I am not his consort," she immediately said back. When Thranduil raised his eyebrows questioningly at her, she sighed, knowing she couldn't pretend; that there was no way out of this one. Then she corrected him, "I am his daughter."

The Elvenking's eyebrows went higher up on his forehead. "Oh, so the Dwarf King has found a Queen in the last many years, I see…," he replied, acting like he was interested.

Aira scoffed lightly. "Oh, don't pretend that you care about the affairs of Dwarves! And no, he has not found a Queen." She sighed again. "I am his adopted daughter."

"And for what reason would the King of the Dwarves adopt a simple girl like you?" Thranduil asked, sounding condescending.

"That is none of your concern…!" she snapped, sneering up at him.

Her statement didn't seem to faze him at all, as his expression never changed. Instead of contradicting her right away, he took a step towards her and then, as if to taunt her, he lifted a hand to her hair and began to run and twist his fingers leisurely through one of her curly locks, eliciting a half-surprised, half-disgusted gasp from her.

This time, Thorin growled loudly and pushed against the arms of the guards holding him back, feeling a furious fire growing within him at the sight of the Elvenking touching his daughter.

Aira didn't dare move, even though every fiber of her being was screaming to push Thranduil away. She was afraid that, if she did, it would possibly anger him and then she, and possibly Thorin, also, would be in trouble. She kept still and simply let him touch her hair, just taking it and enduring it reluctantly.

With a trace of a triumphant smirk on his face, Thranduil bent over a little so that he looked directly into Aira's eyes that looked back at him steadfastly with a small touch of fear hidden within them.

"You are in my realm now, my dear…," he said smugly, "…everything is my concern."

She frowned at him. "I still refuse to grace your question with an answer."

He frowned back and removed his hand from her hair. Then his eyes looked down to the silver chain around her neck and then down to the emblem discs that hung from it. But then, as he looked longer at it, he glimpsed a small fraction of a leather cord underneath the chain as well as her shirt. Now, even more curious, he gently pushed the silver chain to the side and took the leather cord between his fingers.

His hand touching the cord triggered an inner alarm inside of Aira. "Oh, gods…!" she thought, growing fearful at what was going to happen.

After he had a hold of the cord, Thranduil slowly lifted it up until the key to Erebor was pulled out from underneath Aira's shirt and it slid into the Elvenking's hand.

"No…! No…!" Aira then thought despondently. He had discovered the key.

Thranduil turned the key in his hand, observing it carefully. "How intriguing…!" he muttered. "A key of stone…with ancient runes inscribed upon it…."

His gaze lifted up to Aira's again, his eyes now wide with slight realization. "This is no ordinary key," he pointed out. His head then turned and he gave a nod to his guards holding Thorin. They then released Thorin, giving him a slight shove forward.

Thorin cast a worried glance at Aira who returned the same look.

The Elvenking released the key, letting it fall back against Aira's chest, placed his hands behind his back and started casually walking to the side of the platform, speaking more out loud than to Thorin or Aira directly, "Everything is clear to me…some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand; a quest to reclaim a homeland…and slay a dragon."

He had figured them out. Yet Thorin kept silent, stood firm and kept his head held high, refusing to show any emotion to the Elf, keeping his expression hard as stone.

"I myself suspect a more prosaic motive:" Thranduil continued as he moved back in front of them, "attempted burglary…or something of that ilk." He glanced over at the key around Aira's neck for a second before turning back to Thorin. "You have found a way in," he declared as he started backing away. "You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule…the King's Jewel…the Arkenstone."

Hearing the stone's name being mentioned, Thorin felt a flicker of pain and remorse rise up in his heart at the memory of the Arkenstone and he turned his head away.

The Elvenking changed his attentions over to Aira. "Clearly, your father does not love you enough if he has brought you on such a dangerous and perilous journey," he stated to her, his tone sounding quite pretentious.

In response, Aira's jaw clenched and she glowered heatedly up at him.

He looked back to Thorin, his mouth curling up into a malicious grin, saying as the Dwarf glanced again at him, "The stone is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that…there are gems in the mountain that I too desire: white gems of pure starlight."

Then, bowing his head, he said, "I offer you my help."

That made Aira want to laugh out of spite. There was no way that Thranduil would ever dream of actually helping them! She knew that he was lying through his teeth and it just astounded her that he would have the nerve to speak such a lie to their faces.

Thorin didn't buy it, either. "And where was this offer when Smaug came to Erebor…?" he wondered haughtily, which he almost spoke out loud.

But he figured he would humor the pretentious Elf King, so he grinned smugly, let out a quiet scoff and whispered in a deep, gravelly tone, "I am listening."

"I will let you go…if you but return what is mine," said the Elf King, now acting serious.

Thorin turned his back on Thranduil and took a couple steps away as if contemplating his proposal. "A favor for a favor…!" he stated, sounding like he was trying to understand what had been said.

"You have my word. One King to another," said Thranduil.

His last statement really struck a nerve with Aira. "You are no King!" she snapped. "You may wear a crown and sit upon a throne…but you will never be a true King!"

Before she could say anything else or Thranduil could reply, Thorin then spoke, his voice low but loud enough to where it seemed as though everyone in the realm would hear him, "I would not trust Thranduil…the great King…to honor his word…should the end of all days be upon us!"

That was when the floodgates finally opened and Thorin's boiling anger at Thranduil that had been buried deep inside for so many years came bursting through.

He whipped around and pointed at the Elvenking and started bellowing so loudly, he startled him. "You…lack all honor!" he screamed, pounding his chest. He stepped forward, now beside Aira, as he continued furiously, "I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once…starving…homeless…seeking your help…but you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of my people in the inferno that destroyed us!"

Then his rage completely exploded as he roared in Khuzdul, "Imrid amrad ursul!" ("Die a death of flames!")

In the blink of an eye, Thranduil, in one stride, suddenly appeared right in Thorin's face, his eyes and face blazing with fury. At this sudden movement, Thorin's arm on impulse had shot out to his side and pulled Aira close behind him protectively.

"Do not talk to me of dragon fire!" Thranduil hissed at Thorin in response to his outburst. "I know its wrath and ruin!"

His eyes then shut and he let out a gasp of pain as the left side of his face began to transform. The skin of the entire side dissolved away, showing the muscles beneath and terrible scarring resembling those received from burns. His eye lost its color and it became a ghostly white. Both Thorin and Aira were startled at this.

Thranduil inhaled sharply and declared, "I have faced the great serpents of the North!" Then he drew back and the grotesque illusion vanished, leaving the two Dwarves to only stare at him, bewildered.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon…," he said to Thorin, "…but he would not listen. You are just like him."

Before she could even think, Aira then exclaimed, "If you were so concerned about that, then why did you turn away from the Dwarves of Erebor in their time of need?"

"Hold your tongue, Air—Telyna!" Thorin whispered, catching himself quickly at his almost-mistake and remembering her ruse.

"No…," said Thranduil, grimacing, "let the child speak. I wish to hear what she has to say on a matter she knows nothing of."

Brushing Thorin's arm away, Aira said in response, "I know plenty about what happened that day! What I know is the truth, told to me by those who lived that day and witnessed the destruction and your betrayal firsthand!"

She stepped forward as her tone rose in her anger, which had been fueled even more after hearing Thorin's outbreak from before. "And let me tell you this, you imlekh:" she said, insulting him by calling him a "lesser king" in Khuzdul, "you believe that Thorin, my father, does not love me because he brought me on this journey, but you are wrong! You know nothing about him! It is because he loves me that I am here. He felt I deserved to join in reclaiming our rightful homeland."

Thranduil cried something in Elvish and the guards came up behind Aira and Thorin, taking their arms once more. They both fought back as best they could, but the guards were strong.

The Elvenking approached Aira, a glare of displeasure in his eyes. He reached out and cradled the key hanging over her chest in his hand.

His voice then turned as cold as ice as he said, "Unfortunately…you cannot reclaim your homeland…without this."

With that, he grasped the key to Erebor firmly and wrenched his hand back, snapping the leather cord from around Aira's neck. She let out a pained cry from her head being jerked forward as well as the sting she now felt on her skin.

"No!" she shrieked in alarm, struggling even harder against the grip the guards had on her.

"I think I shall hold on to this…!" Thranduil stated, fingering the key as he made his way up the steps to his throne. He gave a wave of his hand to the guards and they began to drag the two Dwarves away.

"No!" Thorin yelled.

"You monster!" cried Aira.

"Stay here if you will and rot!" the Elvenking cried mockingly as they were pulled away. "A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an Elf! I am patient! I can wait!"

As if things hadn't gone badly enough, they were now much worse. As they were being forcefully led to the dungeons, Aira could not bring herself to look at Thorin, for she was too ashamed and distressed to do so.

He had entrusted his key to her, believing she would be able to keep it safe in case the Elves had found them.

Now, the Elvenking had the key to Erebor in his possession.

Thorin had trusted Aira with something so valuable to him…and she had failed him.

.

I suppose I should start running...cuz I'm pretty sure there's going to be an angry mob after me now! xD

Didn't see that one coming, did ya? xD

Leave a review or drop a PM my way with your comments (please be nice) and stay tuned!