Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or the Hobbit. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Note: Very good responses to the last couple chapters and I just want to thank you all for all the positive reviews you sent my way. They meant a lot.

Note: My treatment of Legolas here is going to be a bit different than what is probably expected. It started off as writing the infinitely loyal son showed in the Hobbit movies, but then I factored in his character from the LOTR and changed it up. He's loyal, but unlike his father he has honor. I tried to depict that here and hopefully it lands.

Chapter Ten - Meeting The Elven King

Tauriel's two soldiers had run off ahead of them, and Harry didn't really care enough to forbid it, so now the two of them were walking side by side through the trees, growing ever closer to a distant pair of high wooden doors built into an apparent depression in the earth. Undercity indeed.

"The bond, explain it please. I asked Luna but she just keeps laughing." he said.

Tauriel blinked, "Yes, the blond woman. I am sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. It was hard at first but few can say their loved ones are always with them as I can. Now explain."

The red haired she-elf braced herself. Just being in this man's presence was making her blood sing… just as her mother had said it would. "The bond, as I said, means that we are fated to be together. Elves are only capable of being with, and thus procreating with, one person in their lifetime. It is why our people are not so numerous as men or even dwarves. When we find our Fated Ones a connection happens when physical contact is made. We are… bound to each other. For good or ill."

Harry eyed the downcast expression on the elf's face and observed, "You seem to think being with me will be all ill?"

"I have seen your memories, and know you to be quite violent with a very questionable moral compass. I am… wary of being with you." The way he'd phrased the question suddenly struck her, "You accept this bond then? Even though you hold no love for fate?"

Harry was silent for a moment, watching the ground get eaten up by their long legs beneath them. Finally he said, "Luna says you're something special and she's never steered me wrong. Along with stating I'd be an utter fool to turn away from you. Also, I can't deny you feel… calming to me. I obviously want to learn much more about you before going so far as to call you my mate, but I'm not averse to the prospect. Hell, as long lived as the elves are I wouldn't even need to turn you to ensure you live as long as I do."

Putting that comment to the side, Tauriel said, "If you don't mind me asking, what did you see of me when we bonded?"

Before Harry could answer, the bushes next to the road started shaking and a very tall old man stepped out, batting at the foliage with his staff. "Sorry to interrupt what sounded like an incredibly personal conversation Harry, but I've been waiting here for quite a while now. Are we set to blow down the doors? I assume that is your plan?"

The vampire grinned, "Hell yes."

"Absolutely not!" Tauriel commanded, stepping in front of both of them. "Harry, you promised not to burn down my home until you spoke with my king. As far as I am concerned that promise extends to these doors. I'm a captain of the guard so I can literally just let you in. No destruction necessary."

Harry deflated, "Now I know you're my future wife. Just taking the fun out of things."

In spite of the stressful situation, Tauriel smiled at the slumped shoulders of the human looking monster before clenching her fist and slamming the gate with the rhythm that would announce her as the captain of the guard. It opened at once and they were faced with the unhappy visage of Prince Legolas. Apparently he had been waiting there just for them, and he was holding a sheathed Orcrist in his hands.

Harry's eyes narrowed at the sight. "That sword does not belong to you." He hissed, earning a raised brow from the elf.

"It might as well. My father, the king, retrieved it from its thief and gave it me to wield. Better in my hands than those of a thieving dwarf." he turned to Tauriel and switched to Quenya, "Why are these two not in chains, Tauriel? Father ordered all intruders to our lands imprisoned."

Speaking over the she-elf in the same language, Harry answered, "She could not chain us if she tried, and you would not even be a challenge should we choose to walk through you, which we are seconds away from doing, sword or not. As for thieving dwarves, did you even look at the scabbard you hold before taking it from Thorin, or were you so arrogant as to believe there was no other possibility than thievery, prick?"

Legolas' jaw grew slack for a moment at his use of fluent Quenya, but he quickly regained control and examined the weapon, only for his jaw to drop once more. "This sheath bears the crest of Elrond Half-Elven."

Harry reached into one of the many pockets on his coat and retrieved a particular roll of parchment that he handed to Tauriel. "This is a writ of bequeathment signed by Lord Elrond himself. If you'd actually bothered to search or question Thorin then you'd have found the copy he too carries. That sword, Gandalf's, and my own," he jiggled the hilt of Gurthang for good measure, "were found and gifted, not stolen. The only thief here is you."

To his credit, the prince did look suitably off-put by what he was seeing, especially when Tuariel gave him a nod to show the document did in fact detail what he had claimed. Then he did something that really surprised the traveler's. He bowed and handed the sword forward hilt first.

"Clearly a mistake has been made at least in this regard, though we still must handle the issue of trespassing. You have my sincere apologies for assuming theft of these ancestral blades."

"Hmph." Gandalf stepped forward and retrieved the weapon, folding it under his arm as he swept his gaze over the contrite prince. "Perhaps the line of Thranduil is not as forsaken as we feared."

That brought the bristle right back to Legolas' face. "Who are you to question my father?"

Equally annoyed, the wizard proclaimed, "I am Gandalf, or Mithradir as the elves know me, and I am a member of the White Council whom your father has seen fit to insult by failing in his duties to maintain these lands. Lead us to him."

Before an argument could break out, or get any worse, Tauriel offered, "Prince Legolas, they would need to go before the king anyway. Let us lead them to him and be done with this."

Something about the intensity of her words made him look closer, and Legolas finally noticed just how close his captain was standing to the red eyed man. Something about it was raising his hackles.

"Or you could just lead us to my dwarves so I can take them off your hands." Harry's words were pure malice and his shadow was literally writhing with suppressed rage, a fact that escaped no one's notice.

"I'll… take you to the throne room." Legolas finally agreed after witnessing the pleading look in Tauriel's eyes. "the dwarves should still be there. My father was interrogating them when your two soldiers arrived and he sent me here to await you. From what I gathered before leaving, he would let them go if Thorin agrees to turn over some promised jewels should he retake the mountain of Erebor."

"So blackmail is your father's game." Gandalf huffed.

Legolas blanched at those words, though he tried not to show it. Indeed, those words from his father's mouth had been… difficult to comprehend.

"Lead the way." Harry's voice escaped in a hiss of displaced air and all around them all, the wall ensconced torches sputtered down to minute sparks of light in the darkness, casting wicked shadows in every direction. For his part, Gandalf was fine following behind his wrathful young friend as Legolas led them. He was just as angered by this turn of events, but as a wise wizard he was supposed to keep a level head. The vampire was under no such restrictions, and he rather looked forward to seeing what he brought about in the coming moments.

Tauriel however was less excited by the eventual outcome. Legolas had been surprisingly easy to deal with about the sword considering his devotion to his father, but she knew if he got in Harry's way…. she might not care for the prince the way he did for her, but she had no desire to see the smear he'd make upon the cut marble of the floor.

They carried on for what seemed a surprisingly long length of hallway before finally arriving at a great set of silver doors. A pair of heavily armed elves slammed fists to their chests at the sight of Legolas and a moment later the obstacle was opened, granting the newcomers audience to the throne room.

As in the memory, Thranduil sat upon his tree hewn throne, a circlet of silver upon his brow. The differences in this case were the two soldiers that had been in the woods with Tauriel knelt behind him, and the five dwarves on their knees on the floor before the throne, metal collars around their necks.

The moment Thorin saw his brother stalking into the chamber he exclaimed, "Kill them all!"

"Gladly!" Harry drew his blade, readying to charge the dais, when Tauriel's hand fell on his arm, halting his motion. "You promised to speak first."

"He put them in collars." He ground out.

Tauriel didn't really have an argument for that. For the life of her she could not make sense of this situation, so she said, "Convince him to take them off then."

Any further words were cut off as Thranduil spoke for the first time. "More stolen swords." He waved a hand to the guards lining the walls, "Take them."

"You promised." Tauriel reiterated, earning a sigh from her mate as he sheathed his blade.

Instead of fighting as the elves approached to take his property he stepped back, put a hand on Gandalf's shoulder, and tapped into the power of the wraith. All around them the world dimmed, sound fell as though through a strainer, and their bodies leached of all color.

"What is this?" Gandalf asked, rather amused as the hands of their molesters seemed to fall straight through their bodies without being able to grasp any part of them or article on their persons.

"The unseen world, Gandalf. Since Dol Guldur I've been able to step into it. I played a hunch and I guess I can bring people with me. We're just far enough out of this plane of existence to avoid dealing with pesky things like physical connections.

"Enough." Thranduil did not raise his voice, but nevertheless it carried throughout the chamber and his guards retreated to ready positions on the steps before the dais this time. Once clear, the wizards returned to corporeal form. "Thieves and trespassers all. What is to be done with you?"

Harry nudged Gandalf forward, not trusting himself to hold his temper, and not wanting to lose it right off the bat with Tauriel watching. Those pleading green eyes should be illegal.

The old man, true to form, rose to the occasion. "We are not thieves, and nor are we trespassing. Had you bothered to look closely at Thorin's sword, or our own given the chance, you would see the sigil of Lord Elrond. They were given to us freely by the ruler of Rivendell and we have further documentation to prove it. What is more, I am a member of the White Council, and we are here under their authority. You have failed in your oaths and duty to maintain the paths of Mirkwood, what is more we have reason to believe you have absconded with over a dozen Rivendell elves, and we would hear you reasons for this."

The king waved a lazy hand, still not looking at them directly, though for some reason Harry noticed his ear was constantly centered on who was speaking. Much as it was on one of Tauriel's elves who was currently whispering to him.

"I do not care whom you claim to serve, Gandalf the Grey. The White Council holds no power or authority here."

"You signed your name to the charter of our remit." Gandalf ground out. "You made an oath."

"That was centuries ago and much has changed. I see no reason to bind myself to a group of old fools too senile to realize their time of power and necessity has since faded. Mirkwood has no need of the Council, nor any responsibility to heed its words. Now stand aside, I have inquiries for your companion."

Beside them all, Harry took notice of Legolas face. His eyes were constantly flitting between shock at his father's words, and horror at the collars on the dwarves necks. What was that about? Sure they were anger inducing, but horror?

Brushing aside an enraged elder wizard, the elf king pointed a loose finger at the vampire. "You. My men have reported your strange abilities and appearance, and they put me in mind of a creature I met long ago. Thuringwethil. A monster of might and power. Would you perchance be a blood drinker?"

"So what if I am?"

Thranduil smiled, "Perfect. Behold your little… friends. They were being unreasonable so I decided to entice them to listen to my reason. By happy accident I think it will work with you as well. Around their necks are rune engraved collars of mithril with an interesting effect. You try to remove them, they die. They leave the bounds of my city, they die. I give the mental order, they die."

"My king, this is too far!" Tauriel exclaimed at the same time as Legolas yelled, "Father you swore never to use those! You proclaimed them to be a blight upon our race for ever having been made by our kind's hands!"

"Be silent!" Thranduil raged, showing the first signs of emotion during this entire encounter. Addressing the vampire once more he said, "Thuringwethil once claimed to be able to make more like herself but died before ever proving her words. Such creatures in number could have leveled any battlefield beneath their power. I desire such potential for my own people. So I command it now, if you wish your friends to live, Thorin will give me the reward I asked and you will grant your powers to a group of my soldiers. I will have the powers of night in my army."

Into the stunned silence those words created, the barking sound of Harry's laughter, along with that of the dwarves, sounded. "You really are an idiot if you think I'd grant the gift of my power to any person under your command. None of you are worthy." Harry scoffed.

The king was not amused. "The collars do more than allow me to kill the dwarves, vampire." A second later Thorin fell to the ground writhing in pain. "I can make them suffer if I wish. Now give in to my-" He cut off as his words became drowned out by a strange slurping sound. All present turned toward the source, and found Harry, having vanished in a blink from his previous position, now stood at the base of the stairs to the throne's dais with his teeth clamped over the throat of one of the guards. A few seconds later the elf fell to the ground, dead.

"What have you done?" Thranduil whispered.

Instead of answering, Harry moved to the next guard, easily smacking the blow of his weapon away and draining him just as fast as the first. The third fell soon after, then the fourth, and the fifth. He was only a few steps away from the last, standing firm on the center of the rising stairway before the throne when Thorin's groans of pain finally ceased and Harry spied him sitting back up, the others moving to aid him. Oddly enough, Legolas was amongst their number, checking the dwarf's body for any visible wounds.

Harry slowly rose the rest of the way up the dais to the throne, bitch slapping the last guard out of the way as he did until he was staring the king in the eyes, or at least trying to. The elf just kept infuriatingly looking just shy of him. Kind of like some of the smoke blinded dwarves he'd met in the Iron Hills that had adapted to a world without sight. Wait…. he opened his gaze to the unseen world and sure enough…

With a smile Harry wiped away the glamour on the elder elf's face and revealed his true visage to all present. The burned out ruin of his left eye caused more than one body to flinch in shock. "I guess no one else knew you were half-blind did they? How much can you actually perceive visually I wonder in the one eye remaining? Is that why you fail in your duties and insist on isolation? You're terrified of the world outside, the world you can only barely see." And it was true, Harry could see the damage done to the retina of the remaining orb, most likely as a result of the smoke and heat that had ruined the other.

Thranduil growled, his face taking on an ugly visage of pure rage as he rose to his feet to square off with his foe, "You dare-"

"Let me be clear," Harry slowly pulled his sword free of its scabbard once more and began tapping it on the steps at his feet, delighting in the way the king's ear twitched at every sound, "You don't dictate orders to me. You don't threaten me. You have no power over me."

"I can hurt your friends."

"And every time you do I'll kill more of your people."

"I can kill them with a thought."

"And I'll wipe your city off the map the moment one dies." In a flash Harry disappeared from sight, blending into the shadows. His voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere, "You cannot outrun me, you cannot hide from me, you cannot fight me off, you cannot even see me to try."

"I can still hear you."

"Can you?" Harry breathed on the king's neck before misting back into the shadows as the man spun faster than the eye could see with his own blade to cut the air where he'd just been, even half-blind the skill of centuries showing in his technique. "So close." Again, the king spun and stabbed, only this time the blade hit home, cleaving deep into the vampire's stomach. He only laughed before clamping his hand on Thranduil's throat and beginning to squeeze. The elf lord tried to pull himself free, to break the arm that held him, to do anything to get away. He had no chance. "So easy. Here in the heart of your power all it would take to end you permanently is one full squeeze of my hand. Remember that." He leaned in to whisper in his ear, "What a small little man you are in the end." Around the sword his body disassembled and he vacated the dais.

Appearing once more before the wizard and his friends, the vampire said, "You seem to be under a misconception that you have some power here, Thranduil, some leg of any kind to stand on. But you've not locked me in here with you. You've locked your entire population in here with me. And to my eyes they all look tasty."

"I will not release the dwarves until they and you give me what I desire." Thranduil bit out, doubling down on his demand and clutching at the bruise he could feel forming on his throat.

"And I refuse to give you anything at all. Seems we're in a bit of a standoff here. Come along, fellas." The dwarves easily got to their feet, supporting Thorin between them as they marched toward the door.

"I have not dismissed you!" the king bellowed.

"What part of 'you have no authority' did you not get?" Harry called back over his shoulder as he handed his brother back his sword. "We'll go wherever the hell we damned please. Give us a call when you're ready to remove the collars." So saying, the vampire, dwarves, and grey wizard left the chamber in tandem, leaving only the elves and the corpses behind in their wake.

Turning to his last remaining guard, Thranduil ordered, "Raise a cadre under your command and chase down those dwarves. I want them in a cell before nightfall."

Before the man could move to carry out the order, Tauriel said, "My king, that will only end in more elven deaths. I have seen Harry's power firsthand and there is not a force in this kingdom that could stand up to him should you make him angry enough. I beg of you, see sense and end this doomed plan you pursue."

The king raised an eyebrow at the same time as his son, "Harry? You seem awfully familiar with the beast. Could it be because you've mated yourself to it? I wonder, if we imprisoned you instead of the dwarves would he be more compliant?"

The captain of the guard shot a betrayed look to her men still kneeling behind the throne. They refused to meet her eyes, and with good reason. It was considered terribly bad form to inform on a mating before the families of those involved were notified.

Legolas stepped quickly to her aid, though the way his shoulders were slumped showed exactly how he felt about that piece of information. "Father, that would be the last straw. You have sullied our name enough by use of those collars and your degradation of the White Council. You may see differently, but you gave your word when signing their charter and I at least mean to keep our honor and agreements. If you imprison Tauriel, one of the most loyal captains to have ever served under your banner for no reason but fear and greed, then I'll-"

"You'll what?"

"I will leave." Silence filled the hall once more. "I will forsake any right to your throne and journey out to Rivendell where Lord Elrond has long held an offer of fostering and tutelage for me. Your line on the Mirkwood throne would end. This I swear by the memory of my mother."

Pain, actual pain, crossed over Thranduil's face at those words. "You would dare bring your mother into this? Even though the beast's abilities in our army could prevent any further deaths like hers? Could prevent any more husbands and wives from suffering the loss of a mate as I did? Get out. Both of you. Until you convince that beast to accede to reason neither of you are to leave on any patrols. You are henceforth bound within the city." So saying he returned to his throne, more than content to wait however many centuries more it would take to get what he wanted. Time was only a blink of a nonexistent eye to him after all, and dwarves and men were not so patient.

Outside, the company of Thorin Oakenshield continued making their way down the main thoroughfare's of the undercity. It was unlike anything they'd seen before. It could not match the majesty of Erebor, or the splendor of the storied halls of Khazad-Dum, but it was strange enough to be unique. Every home built into a massive series of tree roots. Entire buildings shadowed by underground overhangs. The whole space illuminated by an odd series of glowing obstructions in the high ceiling.

"And here I was thinking only dwarves lived underground." Harry noted, earning an annoyed series of grunts from his companions.

"They justify it by claiming to live literally amongst the trees and their roots." Balin explained, making his way to walk beside him. "In that way they claim to be better than all of us. Damn uppity elves. Anyway, Harry, do you have a plan for what to do next? True our position isn't horrible, but every day we spend here is one that we aren't marching on the mountain."

Gandalf added, "I still have my coin. I'll summon the rest of the council to call Thranduil to task for this. All of it."

"Good plan, Gandalf, but we have something that needs doing first." Harry led them all around a corner into an alley and said, "You can come out, Bilbo."

The halfling stepped out from Harry's shadow and the vampire just knew he'd been using that ring of his. "How did you know I was there?"

"Oh you did quite well. Not even a whisper of your steps on the ground. I could smell you however."

"Bilbo!" The entire group crowded around the hobbit with relief and many spent a moment making sure he was absolutely fine after being separated for so long. The last they'd seen of him was the spider attack after all. Finally though, Harry needed to get them back on track.

"Bilbo, you see these collars, we need you to find the key. It will probably be somewhere Thranduil frequents like his rooms or throne."

Gandalf understood at once. "You think if I summon the council now the king will kill the dwarves out of spite?"

"Most definitely, but there is also the matter of the Rivendell elves that have been trapped here as well. This king will most certainly use them as leverage should Elrond just show up out of nowhere."

"I-I will find them as fast as possible then." Bilbo nodded quickly. He hated the idea of his friends being in danger when he had the ability to do something about it. And as a burglar, stealing a key was most definitely within his wheelhouse. "How will I find you?"

"Just look for the most luxurious home in the city. I plan to 'convince' the current owners to vacate."

"Right on then." Bilbo didn't even question how his friend would do so. Part of him really didn't want to know. "I'll see what I can do." A second later he was simply gone from their sight, and the group returned to the street.

True to his words Harry led them up ever higher into the streets, following the flow of homes ever greater and grander until they found the pinnacle. An eight story mansion of white alabaster and fine wood carvings along the arches of the door. A great pool lay visible from the front of a grand lawn and all of them felt that a swim would be glorious after the events of the forest.

"Master Potter, not that this place isn't amazing," Gandalf noted, "but how 'exactly' are you going to clear out the current occupants? I cannot condone violence to those that have done nothing to us."

"Oh it won't be violent. I'm merely going to appeal to their…. better judgement. Stay here." So saying Harry marched to the front doors and literally ripped them off of their frames before marching inside. for several moments later the group heard and saw nothing, then there came a cavernous boom, a series of screams, and a flood of elves went running out, some clutching personal belongings, while others went on the run only half dressed.

A while later Harry came back out with arms wide, "Welcome to our temporary home. Top of the Hill." At Gandalf's pointed look he said, "I didn't hurt anyone to get it so calm down. It was just a concentrated canon blast. A loud noise spell. It shocked them without actually causing harm."

"Hmph." Gandalf stomped his staff before grinning widely at the younger man, "Well done, then."

As a group they laughed at the floundering elves and made their way inside, where the real planning began. How to best utilize the White Council, how to find and free the elves of Rivendell, and most importantly of all, how to piss off Thranduil in the best way possible. Oh yes, if they were going to be trapped here then they were going to find a way to enjoy it.

Tauriel meanwhile was trying to figure out where that annoying mate of hers had run off to. It had been decided by herself and Legolas that it wouldn't be wise to let him go gallivanting all over the place without at least her eyes to keep track of him. She really, really, wanted to be mad about what he'd done in the throne room, but for the life of her she couldn't muster up the rage. He'd technically not broken his word to her. He'd spoken to the king, and her city was still standing. Though after the stunt Thranduil had pulled it seemed a miracle in the end. Yes, the deaths of the elven guard were troubling, but they had been standing in the way of the king who was actively threatening and torturing his companions.

She shuddered at the memory. Her king had always been cold, aloof even, but this… this was not an action worthy of a king. Certainly not one she was proud to follow. There was no honor in it, no reason to be found. If Gandalf was telling the truth, and he had no reason to lie, then their very presence on their lands was legal, as was the possession of their swords. There was no cause to imprison or hold them, let alone go as far as had been done with the collars. And those collars themselves…. she couldn't help but shudder at the recollection. Truly they were horrid things. As a loyal citizen she knew she should accede to the will of Thranduil, but as an elf with a conscience she could not abide such a fell creation's use.

"But are you willing to pay the price for your conscience?" a voice in her head, that sounded suspiciously like Luna, spoke up. "You know what is being done is wrong. Will you do the right thing and work to stop it, even if such an act forces you to leave Mirkwood as an exile and traitor?"

In her heart of hearts Tauriel knew that she was. Above all else, she was an elf of conscience. She had lived her entire life trying to do what she believed was right, and she wouldn't stop now just to satisfy her ruler's sick ambitions. Harry was one thing, he controlled the darkness inside himself, but an untold number of others… with access to such power some were bound to fall to evil.

By the Valar where was Harry?! She had just made up her mind to enlist her guard to sweep the streets when she saw a group of high elves screaming for their lives, dressed in all manor of disarray, and fleeing from the highest hill in the city. "Of course he'd go up there." She muttered before taking off. She had a mate to deal with.