1
One of Us
...
Thirty years had passed since the Battle of the Five Armies. Even though some scars were still vivid in his mind, Thranduil continued fulfilling his duties and coping with the aftermath to the best of his abilities.
In an effort to prevent another wide-scale attack from Sauron's forces, the Elvenking expanded the routes of the patrol guard to areas beyond his borders. He also solidified a new treaty with King Barg that strengthened trade relations between Dale and Mirkwood.
Thranduil was still prioritizing the wellbeing of his own people above everything else. However, the rapport that he had built with Bard over the years had always been one of mutual respect, and their coalition had proven to be highly beneficial for both the city of men and his Elven realm.
Legolas had already made contact with the Dúnedain ranger in the North and would occasionally send letters disclosing his whereabouts and on-going ventures. Based off the tone of his letters, he seemed rather intrigued by affairs taking place in the outside world and was content pursuing his journey away from home.
Life had not been as optimistic for the Elvenking following his son's departure, however. Even though Thranduil kept his impassive demeanor in the public eye, he was missing his son greatly and couldn't help but remind himself of the distant father he had been to Legolas after his late wife's passing. Their bond had yet to heal over time considering all the trauma that had broken their family apart; however, Legolas was keeping some sort of contact with him through correspondence at the very least. It was a start.
Things were also improving for Tauriel since she was restored to captain, respectively. The memory of Kili would not fade completely from the young elleth's mind, as expected, but she was slowly finding herself again since she was put in charge of the new patrol routes. In spite of her great loss and the trials that laid ahead, Tauriel possessed a resilient spirit and her role as captain had always given her a strong sense of purpose. The young elleth could be stubborn from time to time, but Thranduil had always cared for her as a guardian and mentor despite their past grievances, even though he rarely showed it.
The king continued pondering his thoughts as he sat on his throne. Everybody was seemingly moving on with their lives after the great battle, but he was feeling slightly restless for reasons he could not yet fathom.
He had successfully kept the Woodland Realm safe from the countless threats that had raided Middle-earth, but his keen Elven senses were picking on something that had yet to come. He did not bear one of the Three Elven Rings or have the gift of foresight like Galadriel and Elrond did. However, he had been around for thousands of years, and his extensive battle experience had sharpened his senses enough for him to sense danger lurking in the shadows. In that particular instance, the king's intuition was warning him of a faceless that was approaching ever slowly.
If they were meant to face a new evil, he would make sure that his realm was well-equipped to defeat it.
"My lord! Permission to speak." Thranduil was taken out of his thoughts when Tauriel and Feren hastily made their way into the throne room and bowed to him. She was wearing one of her patrol uniforms and had a wary expression on her face.
"There is a situation that requires your immediate attention, sire." Thranduil couldn't help but notice the unusual sense of urgency in her voice. He immediately stood up from his throne and walked down the stairs to hear what she had to say.
"Proceed." Thranduil instructed.
"There was an attack close to our western borders, my lord." The Elvenking's gaze hardened at the mention of the incident. "A group of men traveling from Edoras were slaughtered. No one survived the attack." She explained, looking slightly shaken by what she had seen.
"We already inspected the bodies and found strange fang and claw markings on them. There was also a trail of beast-like footprints on the site of the attack, which continued on into our borders. We suspect fifteen to twenty trespassers. The footprints were not from orcs or great spiders, my lord." Tauriel concluded.
"Dale has been warned about the slaughter, and King Bard's forces are already on high alert, sire. However, they do not bear any knowledge of a creature matching those footprints." Feren added.
"An attack of such gravity took place and the Enchanted River did not have any effect on the trespassers whatsoever?" The Elvenking inquired.
"That seems to be the case, my lord. No one in the patrol units was able to sense the attackers, as well. We've never had a disturbance of this nature in my time serving as captain of the guard. This is unprecedented." Tauriel remarked in a serious manner.
"Where does the trail of footprints end?" The king asked.
"They were no longer visible at the west wing of the Old Forest Road, my liege." Feren confirmed, as he and Tauriel awaited the king's orders.
"Inform our wardens to remain vigilant until further notice. Double our watch at the gates. Nobody leaves the kingdom without me knowing of it." The Elvenking instructed as he rapidly began walking towards the armory room, followed by Tauriel and Feren.
"Gather thirty soldiers for a first-priority eradication mission. Those hostile creatures might still be roaming the areas closed to the attack site. If they emerge from the shadows, we will face them head-on and get rid of them as soon as possible. I will personally lead the company." Thranduil commanded in an authoritative manner.
"Yes, my lord!"
Feren and Tauriel saw to the order immediately.
Thranduil changed into his battle outfit and put on his intricate armor, along with the matching head circlet. He wielded his set of great Elven swords and proceeded to meet his company at the gate.
…
The sky was darker than usual, and the forest felt ominous that night.
Tauriel, Feren, and the rest of the Mirkwood soldiers were already waiting for their king when he made his way out.
Thranduil looked at them briefly and could tell they were more than ready to undertake the task at hand, no matter the risks. There was no need for speeches or further details at the time.
"Off we go!" The king commanded.
The company began moving towards the attack site on foot to better conceal their presence.
'A storm is coming.' The king echoed his thoughts as he realized the faceless threat that he had been sensing in recent years was already beginning to take shape.
…
Tauriel and the rest of the company were rapidly following the Elvenking throughout the forest trees on their way to the attack site.
Even though she had not made any comments on the matter, she was slightly surprised that Thranduil stepped forth to lead their company that night. The king very rarely joined expeditions out of the realm unless the circumstances were dire, or there was an issue of great importance that required immediate attention.
The great spider infestations had not been as prominent since their patrol routes were expanded, so she wondered what could have ignited the king's sense of urgency at that moment.
Tauriel did not always agree with Thranduil's views on certain matters. However, she had much to thank him for, regardless of their past quarrels. After all, the king took her under his wing when her parents died; he acknowledged her potential for combat early on, and promoted her to captain of the guard, respectively. Moreover, he lifted her banishment after the Battle of Erebor, despite the fact that she neglected most of his orders at the time.
The war had claimed Kili's life, leaving her with a grieving heart. In addition, Legolas, her closest friend from childhood and most thrusted comrade in arms, had decided to leave the realm for reasons she felt partially responsible. Understandably, she felt quite relieved when she was restored to captain. After all, her duties were the only thing helping her cope with her losses following the great battle.
Tauriel was well aware that she was getting a chance at redemption for her past shortcomings, so she continued serving the Elvenking and the Woodland Realm to the best of her abilities, even if that meant disagreeing with Thranduil on certain issues, as contradicting as that sounded.
The king led his company into an abandoned spider nest ground that was close to the site of the attack. There were a few cobwebs hanging from the trees, and some were laid down on the floor.
Thranduil gestured for the company to halt all of a sudden. He unsheathed one of his intricate swords and was looking around for any signs of movement.
'He must have sensed a disturbance out here…' Tauriel thought as she took her own daggers out and remained on alert.
The other elves in the company followed suit and prepared themselves for battle, as the king continued looking at their surroundings.
There was an eerie silence for a brief moment. Then, out of nowhere, a roar came from behind them followed by a loud scream.
Everybody in the company turned around to see what was going on, and they quickly realized one of their own comrades was bitten by a faulty beast that Thraundil had never seen in his life. Quickly after, more growling beasts with a similar appearance emerged from the trees, and they began running towards the Mirkwood soldiers with the intent to kill.
The beasts seemed to resemble canine-like creatures with protuberant black spikes on their heads and tails. All of them stood on two feet and were pretty tall in height, towering over the Elvenking himself.
"Stand your ground!" Thranduil commanded right before the beasts clashed against the company.
Two of the soldiers in the back attempted to aid the comrade that had been bitten, but it was already too late by the time they tried to stop the beast. Out of the twenty monsters that made an appearance that night, three went after the Elvenking himself, while the rest scattered throughout the company.
Thranduil was swinging his blade at the monsters with fluid but precise movements—a distinctive trait from his renown swordsmanship. In very little time, the Elvenking had managed to slaughter the three creatures. However, two of the beasts stood back up and went after him, before he had a chance to assist his company.
The king blocked the monsters' attacks before they got a chance to inflict damage and started fighting them again.
'What just happened? I am sure I had already disposed of these creatures.' Thranduil thought as he was rapidly assessing the situation while fighting the two beasts at once.
"My king!" One of the soldiers called out to him in the middle of the chaotic confrontation. "We have struck down some of the beasts, but they keep coming back for some reason! What should we-" The soldier was not able to finish his inquiry when one of the creatures got him by the throat.
Thranduil could only look in horror as yet another soldier from his company had been killed in front of his eyes, and he was not able to get there in time to aid him.
The king kept blocking the monsters' attacks as he was trying to figure out what was going on. He widened his eyes slightly when he realized the beast that he had taken down first did not rise back up again.
Drawing deeper into his sharp Elven senses, Thranduil jumped a bit farther away to take a quick look at the one beast that was down and the damage that he inflicted on the other two monsters as well.
'When I struck the final blows, I stabbed the fallen beast on its skull and the other two on their torsos. Their skulls… That must be their vital point!'
Coming to such a realization in a heartbeat, Thranduil unsheathed his other sword and ran towards the two beasts, stabbing them on their skulls simultaneously. The two beasts fell and did not rise again that time.
"Everybody to me!" The king addressed his company, gaining the attention of his soldiers. "Pierce their skulls! The beasts will not rise again if you pierce their skulls! Let's put an end to this!" Thranduil commanded.
"Yes, my king!" The Mirkwood soldiers followed their king's command immediately and began slaying the beasts for good.
Thranduil struck down three more beasts and went to assist his company in eliminating the others.
The creatures were proving to be quite challenging for the Mirkwood elves, as they were pretty agile and strong. Most of the soldiers were either exhausted or injured, but they kept on fighting with everything they'd got.
Based on his calculations, there were supposed to be ten beasts left in the nest ground, but there were only four left, which a couple of his soldiers were still trying to take down. His thoughts suddenly blurred out when he realized Tauriel was missing.
Where in Arda was she? Had the other beasts gone after her?
The Elvenking tried his best to stand his ground as he was rapidly trying to come up with a plan. However, before he got a chance to take any further action, eight cloaked figures jumped into the fight out of the blue and took down the remaining four beasts on the ground rather swiftly.
The eight strangers wore a red cloak with golden Elven ornaments and a black scarfed mask that partially covered their faces.
Unlike the Mirkwood soldiers, whose fighting style involved the use of a single curved sword or dual daggers in close combat, the strangers fought with dual scimitar swords and spears that contained Elven cravings in them. In addition to the clear display of Elven iconography on their weapons and attire, Thranduil made notice of the strangers' pointy ears, further confirming that they were elves of sorts. However, he had no idea where those elves had come from, as they did not bear sigils from the other Elven realms established in Middle-earth.
The masked strangers headed up north right after they eliminated the monsters, suggesting that they had another primary objective to fulfill.
'Who are they?' Thranduil wondered as he saw them get further away and out of sight.
The Mirkwood soldiers were slightly surprised by the strangers' unexpected arrival, but they were relieved that aid had come their way in a moment of such need.
The king made a quick note to recall as many details from the strangers' appearance as he could in order to look into the matter more closely later on. Yes, their aid had been most welcome for his company, but they were still strangers who had stepped on his lands unannounced.
Thranduil made a few initial assumptions based on first impressions. The cloaked warriors seemed to be a group of highly trained Elven scouts fulfilling some sort of secret mission, as they were wearing masks that concealed their identities.
He would go over the unexpected events of the night with his captains and lieutenants later on, but his priority at the moment was finding Tauriel as soon as possible. He had no idea if she had been injured or kidnapped by the beasts, but he hoped to find her alive somewhere in the midst of all the chaos. He tried his best to avoid overthinking worst-case scenarios and went right into action.
"Has anybody seen Tauriel?" The king inquired.
"Yes, my lord! Six of the beasts went after her right when the pack ambushed us." Feren responded, looking slightly worn off by the fight. "She ran into the grove up north to tackle the beasts on her own, I believe. My unit attempted to go after her to help, but we were held back by the monsters attacking us here, sire."
The king tried his best to hide his frustration at Tauriel's actions. Yes, she was a highly skilled warrior and very formidable in battle, but it was not the first time the captain had made reckless decisions that put her own life in significant danger.
'Why would so many of the monsters go after her in particular? Was she being targeted?' The king kept speculating as he got ready to head north.
"Tend to the wounded, but do not let your guard down. Those remaining six creatures are still on the run. Be ready to engage them if they resurface. I will look for Tauriel myself and come back right after, no matter the outcome." Thranduil commanded.
The company acknowledged the Elevenking's orders, and he rapidly went into the grove as fast as he could.
Having some of his soldiers join the search would have helped save valuable time under less dire circumstances, however, most of them were pretty beat up at the time. Thus, it would be much easier and a lot faster for him to eliminate the remaining monsters and find Tauriel on his own.
Curiously enough, the grove Tauriel had disappeared into was in the same direction that the cloaked elves had headed towards right after they took down the remaining beasts at the site.
The strangers seemed quite experienced at fighting those beasts, so they must have been familiar with the monsters' origins.
In any case, he had to focus on saving his captain and keeping the rest of his soldiers alive first. Everything else could wait.
'Hang in there, Tauriel. Do not die on me!' Thranduil pressed on as he quickly moved in between the trees, looking for signs of young elleth.
…
Tauriel was sitting on a tree branch in the grove up north. She was still holding her daggers and keeping her guard up, but was slightly out of breath and visibly bruised. Her battle uniform was barely hanging on to her, torn and bloody, as she was clearly not in the best shape to continue fighting.
The captain was trying to conceal her presence as much as she could, but the six beasts were still roaming the grounds below, waiting for their chance to get her. She knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to move from her hiding spot again, while still trying to figure out how to permanently eliminate those filthy creatures.
The monsters had not put much of a challenge against her advanced combat and archery skills, but for some reason they kept rising back up every time she had struck them down. Her strength was running short, and she could no longer keep up her usual pace to move.
All of a sudden, one of the monsters attempted to climb the tree and managed to place a paw on the branch where she was sitting. Tauriel hissed in pain when the creature scratched her leg with its claws and roared at her. She moved her leg away and started jumping from tree to tree as fast as she could while the monsters chased after her on the ground. However, she soon realized she wouldn't find any more places to hide when she reached the end of the grove and ran into a dead end at the foot of a mountain.
Tauriel found herself cornered against the mountain wall as the six creatures were approaching her rather quickly. Climbing the mountain wouldn't have been an issue for her under normal circumstances, but she had almost no energy left to move at that point.
She couldn't help but sign in frustration as she foresaw her end nearing.
In that one moment of hopelessness, flashbacks from previous events played in her head. Getting to know Kili, the Battle of Erebor, her disagreements with the king, her banishment, Kili dying, her grieving, Legolas leaving the kingdom...
'Legolas.'
Her thoughts hung on to memories of her childhood friend for reasons she could not fathom at the time. The way things had ended between the Elven prince and her was not ideal by any means. They had parted ways without speaking a single word to one another, and she did not get a chance to give him a proper farewell before he left due to her sudden grief at the loss of her beloved Kili.
It was then that Tauriel realized she had so many unresolved issues with her childhood friend. Perhaps that was her biggest regret right there and then—the moment leading to her imminent death.
She never imagined this was how she would fall, but she accepted the outcome bravely nonetheless. She would pass into the Halls of Mandos fighting for her king, her realm, and her convictions. She couldn't have asked for a more honorable death.
Tauriel closed her eyes for a few seconds awaiting the unavoidable demise to take its course, but her anticipation was interrupted when she heard a noise coming from above.
When she looked up, a hooded female with her face partially covered spun in the air and landed effortlessly in front of her. The beasts were only a few steps away from reaching her at that point, but the female made a series of hand signals right that instant and recited what Tauriel had believed to be a spell in ancient Elvish.
"Pandas Ruina! (Blazing Shield!)" The female commanded in an authoritative voice as a partially transparent energy orb with moving fire trails formed around them both, instantly pushing all the beasts away.
The energy surrounding the orb was moving their clothes slightly in a wind-like manner, allowing Tauriel to see the female's pointy ears as she realized the mysterious individual was also an elleth, just like her.
The beasts were slowly standing from the ground, looking a bit disoriented and growling, almost as if they didn't get a glimpse of what had sent them flying into the air in the first place. However, the cloaked warrior did not give them much of a chance to recover, as she immediately drew out her two scimitar swords and recited another spell.
"Nár Urya! (Enflame!)" At her command, her two swords were imbued with fire and she started slaying the beasts one by one, swiftly, by piercing their skulls or cutting off their tails.
The elleth's eyes were shining scarlet, and they had a rare glow to them.
Her fast movements, aggressive spins, and swordplay technique were unlike anything Tauriel had seen before. She watched the masked elleth in awe, impressed by her display of combat skills and rare ability to control fire.
When she was done eliminating all the beasts for good, the cloaked figure sheathed her swords back in, and turned her attention to Tauriel as she started walking towards her.
The scarlet glow gradually faded from the elleth's eyes, and her natural eye color was revealed.
The warrior's bright emerald green eyes made contact with Tauriel's own pine green ones, as a rare sense of mutual understanding seemed to have formed between them, even though they were unacquainted with one another.
Anybody would have been terrified at the sight of elleth's power, but Tauriel did not feel afraid in the slightest for some reason. Not only had the cloaked female rescued her from those monsters, but there was something about her that just felt… safe. Familiar even.
Tauriel was still sitting at the foot of the mountain, resting from her injuries, when the masked warrior kneeled down in front of her.
"Do not fear, Tauriel of Mirkwood. I come in peace." She reassured her with a gentle voice.
'How does she know my name?' The captain wondered.
"I have an important piece of information to relay to you, so please, listen carefully." The cloaked female remarked, peaking Tauriel's curiosity. "You are one of us." The elleth emphasized looking at her attentively.
'What is she talking about?' Tauriel thought, looking even more confused by her sudden affirmation.
"I cannot reveal who we are just yet, but this will lead you to the truth." The masked warrior took a scroll out of her leather pocket and handed it to her. "Take it and protect it with your life."
Tauriel hesitantly grabbed the scroll.
"Reach out. I will be waiting." The elleth remarked.
Before Tauriel got a chance to ask any questions, the cloaked female suddenly looked to her right in surprise as she stood up rather quickly and drew her two scimitar swords out to block something coming her way.
In a split second, another pair of ornate Elven swords that Tauriel recognized instantly clashed against the elleth's as her bright emerald green ones were now met by icy blue ones. The move had such a force behind it that the mysterious elleth had to jump a few feet back to better absorb the impact of the strike.
"My lord!" Tauriel spoke in surprise as the Elvenking stood in front of her while exhibiting his commanding presence. He stared at the cloaked female as she landed on the floor pretty swiftly on one knee.
The elleth stood back up with her scimitar swords still on her hands, and she glared back at him, realizing he was the one who had dared attack her in such a manner.
"Are you able to walk, captain?" Thranduil asked in his deep, commanding voice while his body was still facing the masked warrior. In truth, he felt very relieved that Tauriel was still alive, but as it was customary in his demeanor, he didn't show it.
"Yes, my lord. I am weary from the fight, but I can still move." Tauriel responded also feeling relieved to see a familiar face, as she realized the Elvenking himself had come to her aid.
"Good." Thranduil responded, as he started walking towards the elleth at a firm pace.
"My lord, please wait! She saved my life!" Tauriel pointed out trying to stop the confrontation that was about to take place, but she knew her attempts would be futile if the king had already made up his mind about whatever he was planning on doing.
Thranduil had heard his captain loud and clear, but he kept walking towards the cloaked female regardless.
He didn't know what had transpired between the two ellith before he arrived, but he was already aware that the mysterious warrior had somehow saved Tauriel, as soon as he saw the corpses of the remaining six beasts on the ground.
Tauriel was a skilled combatant, but he highly doubted she could have taken all those monsters down on her own, as injured and exhausted as she was, without knowing their vital points in advance.
Offering his gratitude to the masked elleth for saving Tauriel's life might have been the appropriate course of action to follow under different circumstances, but the fact still remained that all those elves had stepped into the Woodland Realm territory without his knowledge, and they were hiding their identities for some reason.
Thus, he needed information to better understand everything that had taken place that night, and he was not going to miss that one chance to get further knowledge out of the cloaked female, whoever she was.
Thranduil took a quick look at the mysterious elleth as he was approaching her.
There were similarities between her attire and that of the other cloaked elves that they had seen earlier that night. However, he couldn't help but notice a few striking differences as well. Unlike the others, the elleth in question was wearing a golden circlet with an emerald stone on her forehead. Additionally, her mask was red, instead of black.
Her twin scimitar swords were considerably craftier and far more ornate than the weapons carried by the other unidentified elves.
Her cloak, which was open at the front, had an ornate hood that went all the way down to her upper arms, and it was slightly longer than theirs as well.
The attire underneath her cloak consisted of a long-sleeved red leather tunic with golden ornaments, a battle corset attached to her core, trousers underneath her slit skirt, laced knee boots, and fingerless cloves.
There was no doubt about it; That elleth had to be the leader of the bunch. Her attire made her stand out from the other cloaked elves and there was something about her that just felt commanding, somewhat.
Thranduil couldn't help but wonder about the strange and somewhat convenient circumstances that had played out before him at that moment. Who better to share the information that he was seeking than the leader of the group of strangers herself?
With his thoughts already in place, the king proceeded to speak.
"Who are you? And what are you doing in my lands?" He inquired with a firm voice, as he was almost reaching her. However, he was not able to take another step further when the mysterious warrior rapidly sheathed her scimitar swords back in and recited another spell.
"Ramba Nár! (Wall of Flames!)" The elleth commanded as she swung her index finger on the ground from one side to another, creating a barrier of fire in front of her that extended several feet high.
Thranduil's sharp Elven instincts kicked in and he jumped a few feet back, putting a safe distance between him and the fire. His eyes widened a bit as he realized how far and high the flames had expanded.
'Did she just create fire out of nowhere?' He wondered as he was trying to make some sense of what he had just witnessed.
Unlike Tauriel, he had not been there when the elleth used her abilities to fight off the beasts, so he was seeing her power on display for the very first time. He didn't believe her intention with that fire spell had been to kill him, but he did take it as her warning for him to back off, which he did.
Tauriel, on the other hand, could only observe everything that was taking place at a distance with a shocked expression. She had attempted to prevent Thranduil from confronting the masked female for obvious reasons. She had the ability to bend fire at will, and her skill with the twin scimitar swords was quite formidable. However, the Elvenking could be pretty lethal as a master swordsman himself whenever he felt the need for it.
Tauriel had a feeling the upcoming confrontation wasnot going to end well for neither of them if they kept at it.
Thranduil's sight adjusted to the smoke coming out of the fire barrier, as he was able to see through the flames. While doing so, he noticed the mysterious elleth standing on the other side of the barrier as she was staring back at him.
Her bright emerald green eyes had turned shinning scarlet, and they had a faint inner glow to them. He presumed that was an effect of her using a power of such magnitude.
Without saying a word, Thranduil sheathed his two swords, and he slowly walked to the spot where she was standing to get a better look.
He didn't know the extent of the elleth's abilities, so being the intelligent warrior that he was, he opted for a more subtle approach to try getting information out of her. If she had wanted him dead, she could've made an attempt on his life with her power way sooner; not that he would've just let her get away with it that easily, of course.
When he stood in front of her at the other side of the fire barrier, the elleth lightly moved her fingers, and the flames came down on that spot. The barrier was now low enough for her to look at him clearly, but still high enough to prevent him from crossing to her side.
His eyes momentarily scanned the area around her silhouette as he sensed a strong energy coming out of her. Her fëa was powerful… very powerful.
"Regroup!" The elleth commanded while keeping her attention on Thranduil.
At that moment, the other eight cloaked elves jumped in and kneeled down a few feet behind her as they awaited her next order. She kept looking at the king with her blazing eyes for a few more seconds before she finally spoke to him.
"A storm is coming." She remarked.
Her voice was firm, but sublime in a very enigmatic way. Thranduil directed an intense look back at her, realizing she had quoted his exact thoughts from earlier.
"We are not the enemy, Elvenking." She emphasized.
Thranduil kept staring back at her, not wanting to give away any expression of doubt or hesitation at her remarks, even though his mind was filled with questions.
It was quite apparent that the mysterious elleth knew who he was, and she wanted him to be aware of that fact. However, what was it that she knew exactly, and what did that have to do with anything?
He was about to voice his inquiries, however, the elleth decided it was time for her to leave and prevented him from speaking his thoughts.
"That is all you ought to know… for now."
Those were her last words to him that night, as she finally broke their gaze and performed another set of hand signals in rapid movement.
"Lerya! (Release!)" The fire barrier vanished at her command, and she immediately retreated into the trees behind her, followed closely by her group of elves.
Thranduil watched her disappear into the wilderness as the events of the evening finally came to an end.
Their eradication mission had succeeded, but not without a cost.
Elvish blood was spilled that night, and lives were lost.
They needed to get back to the palace as soon as possible so Tauriel and the rest of his company could treat their injuries, recover, honor the departed, and start looking into the facts.
Several unforeseen events had taken place, and he would need to spend a considerable amount of time sorting all the pieces together.
Thranduil was aware of the many responsibilities that would follow in the upcoming days, however, there was a particular task that would take priority above all of the others.
He needed to find out who in the world that elleth was, how she came to possess such a rare power, and how she was related to the faceless threat lurking in the shadows.
He would gain clarity on everything that had transpired sooner than later.
...
A/N: Pilot chapter in!
The main OC made quite the entrance on this one! Thranduil doesn't know her name or what she is just yet, but the mysterious elleth is already igniting the Elvenking's interest, isn't she? ;) There is that line that she shared with Tauriel as well. So many puzzles ahead!
If you would like this story to continue, let me know in the reviews. The plot is already partially developed; however, I am deciding whether to resume this project or focus on something else depending on readers' engagement, so your input matters!
I look forward to hearing from you :)
Disclaimers:
- I do not own the LoTR / Hobbit characters from the books and films. Those belong to Professor Tolkien, respectively (and to Peter Jackson and his crew, when applicable). However, I do own the original characters introduced in the context of this story and the lore around them.
- I am neither a Tolkien scholar nor an Elvish specialist. I gathered everything I could through research for the most part, so I apologize in advance for any errors you may find in that regard. Please bear with me!
- I am only posting this story on here at the moment.