Talia, now wearing a jet black dress and carrying her long, Elvish sword, walked around to behind her daughter who had her knives in front and behind Slit, who was now in Talia's throne room and hissing like an enraged snake. Tadeusz stood near the throne, just in case things got ugly.
"You were tracking a company of thirteen dwarf women and a half-ling." Lechsinka said "Why?"
"None of your damn business." Narzug snarled.
"Careful there, buddy." Tadeusz said "I would not antagonize our queen."
"I don't even know who you are." Slit hissed before his eyes darted to Lechsinka "Bet you do. Is he your new boyfriend?"
Lechsinka wanted to cut his throat right there for that comment but restrained herself. She looked up at Tadeusz who shared similar disgust and anger as she. She moved the knives a little closer to Narzug's throat just to be safe.
"Answer the question." Tadeusz said trying to control his anger.
"I'll answer it when I'm dead!" Narzug growled angrily "Piss off!"
Tadeusz then drew out one of his knives, with a very clear intent in mind.
"Easy there, my friend." Lechsinka said softly.
"It's alright, I won't hurt him" Tadeusz said "Too much."
"Enough." Talia bellowed "Sheath your blade."
Tadeusz did as commanded, sheathing his knife and backed away, just as Slit spat at him. It landed it a few inches away from his feet and he looked apathetically at Slit.
"I don't care about what you think of my daughter. Regardless of how...grotesque it is." she said sternly "If you cooperate and tell us what you know, I'll set you free."
"Fat chance." Split laughed.
"Answer the question." Lechsinka demanded as she slowly drove the knife in her right hand into the goblins skin "Why were you hunting Traude Oakenshield?"
"That dwarf bitch will never be queen." Slit growled.
"Queen?" Lechsinka asked in bafflement "That's insane. No one would dare enter Erebor while the dragon lives."
"You know nothing!" Slit hissed "She killed our king! She must die! Just like you."
"What are you talking about?!" Lechsinka demanded.
"Our time has come again. Too long have goblins stayed in the shadows." Slit said in a sadistic tone "It's time for us to rise and show all of you why you once feared the dark. We serve The One."
Talia suddenly felt deeply troubled by this and walked towards her throne and now stood in front of Slit with her back turned towards him.
"Oooh, it seems I struck a nerve. You understand now, don't you?" Slit laughed "Death is upon you. The flames of war are upon you!"
At that moment, Talia drew her sword without even turning around and sliced Slit's head clean off just as Lechsinka lifted her knives in the air. The deceased orcs head plopped onto the ground followed by it's lifeless body. Taduesz and Lechsinka looked equally shocked.
"I thought you said you were going to set him free." Lechsinka asked.
"And I did." Talia replied coldly "I freed his vile head from his miserable shoulders."
Lechsinka looked at her mother and could tell that while she was wiping the goblins blood, she still looked concerned about what Slit had said.
"Mother?" Lechsinka inquired with concern.
"I'm perfectly fine." Talia said as she sheathed her sword.
"W-What do you think he meant by 'the flames of war'?" Taduesz asked.
"It means they wish to unleash a weapon that will destroy all before it." Talia said with a twinge of fear in her voice.
"What'll we do, then?" Lechsinka inquired.
"Simple: nothing." Talia replied as she turned and began walking away.
"Whoa, whoa, wait." Taduesz barked "He said they served The One. And how did goblins make it across our borders?"
"As I seem to recall, captain" Talia went on "you're job is to make sure that doesn't happen again. Not be my war council."
"What if it does?" Lechsinka piped up "Better to act now than not be ready if orcs or goblins come at our door."
"Lechsinka." Talia said sternly as she turned to face her daughter "I refuse to get involved in anyone else's fight."
"That's insane." Lechsinka replied, trying not to sound too angry "If father were here-"
"That's enough!" Talia ordered.
Lechsinka backed away slightly in shock while Talia tried to calm herself down. She rarely ever screamed at Lechsinka and she never liked having to do so when she did. But mentioning her husband had become something of a berserk button for her. It brought back too many memories. Memories of what it was like to lose him. She quickly regained her composure and looked back at her daughter.
"He's not here." she said with a saddened tone in her voice "I am. And no one will enter this kingdom or leave it until I say otherwise."
"Yes, mother." Lechsinka said softly.
"No one." Talia said as she suddenly looked down "Except you two."
Tadeusz and Lechsinka were perplexed by this yet Talia maintained her royal composure.
"I beg your pardon, you're majesty?" Tadeusz inquired.
"As I said I don't intend to get involved in another's fight. But I don't trust either dwarf or goblin." Talia responded without looking up "Follow them at a safe distance. Then come back as soon as you can and tell me what you've seen."
The queen's daughter and captain of the guard looked at one another to see if they were on the same page. It seemed for all her faults, the queen of the woodland realm had at least some foresight. Lechsinka nodded approvingly and curtsied in front of her mother.
"I promise." she said "Tadeusz, come."
Taduesz nodded in reply and followed after the princess. However, Talia then snapped her fingers and the two stopped, as Talia turned slowly.
"Captain, make sure she comes back alive." she said sternly "Or you will not come back at all. Is that clear?"
Taduesz nervously bit his lip. "Yes, my lady."
Talia sighed and gestured for them to get going. And so they did.
—
The goblins burst out from the forest and found themselves on the river bank where the girls first landed. It was late afternoon, with the light of the sun gleaming through the trees as it lowered in the sky. It was then that one goblin with sabre-toothed fangs noticed a tiny pool of blood nearby some ferns. So he walked over to it, dipped his finger in it and then licked his finger to see what it tasted like.
"Dwarf blood!" he snarled "They were here!"
"I find something." said Black Eye.
Narzug and the sabre-toothed goblin named Slicer then walked over to Black Eye and looked down at the her feet and saw a cloth laying there. Slicer picked it up and smelled it. It had a different smell and taste from goblin blood.
"What do you smell?" Narzug asked.
"Man flesh." Slicer said.
Narzug then sniffed the cloth himself and sure enough, it smelled of human.
"Interesting." he said as she threw down the cloth and looked towards the river "They've found a way across the lake."
"How are we going to follow them?" asked one goblin.
"Simple, you idiot." Grinnah said smugly "The night belongs to us. And even then, we have the trees."