Note: Hello everyone! Thank you to all who've liked and followed my story! I just want to announce that I have a short story posted - A Granddaughter and Her Grandfathers - and I would love for people to check that out! Also, please let me know your take on the whole Tauriel-Kili romance that Peter Jackson displayed in the movies. Personally, as an avid Tolkien fan, I felt it was really rushed and wouldn't be possible on Tolkien's actual lore because elves and dwarves kinda hate each other, LOL. PJ owns Tauriel, Tolkien owns Middle-Earth and its characters, I own my OCs. Thanks!

Chapter XI

That day, the feast of Mereth En Gilith was being held. The only thing woodland elves held more scared than Yavanna's trees were the stars of Varda. They rejoiced in starlight. Eruanna was too exhausted to attend the festivities and spent hours thinking about what to do with the dwarves. She didn't wish to anger her grandfather but nor did she wish to give the dwarves any reason to mistrust her.

Eruanna laid on her bed, not knowing what to do. Fed up, she decided to take a walk throughout the Kingdom. She hadn't bothered to take off her dragon riding outfit or her weapons. Just then, she heard footsteps in the dungeon and peeked inside to see Tauriel standing before Kili's cell. "Not dressed for Mereth En Gilith?", Eruanna muttered to herself.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?", Tauriel asked Kili. "It is a talisman. A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed", he held up the stone to her and she stepped back slightly. She began to walk away but Kili spoke up again.

"Or not", he said, laughing slightly. She looked back at him. "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token", he laughed. She smiled at him.

"A runestone", the dwarf said. "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise." Eruanna smiled softly, fingering the talisman in her hand. Tauriel seemed curious. "What promise?", she asked. "That I will come back to her. She worries", he said, throwing the stone in the air and catching it. He looked at Tauriel. "She thinks I'm reckless", he looked back at Tauriel. Eruanna smiled. She thought the same about her uncles.

"Are you?", Tauriel asked, smiling. "Nah", he said. The stone ended up rolling out of the cell and Tauriel caught it with her foot. She picked it up and tried to read the runes.

Elves were laughing in the distance. "Sounds like quite the party you're having up there", Kili remarked. "It is Mereth En Gilith, the Feast of Starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar but wood elves love best the light of the stars", Tauriel said. "I always thought it was a cold light, remote and far away", the dwarf said. "It is memory, precious and pure", Tauriel said. "Like your promise", she handed back his stone.

Eruanna quickly walked away, stunned. "Valar spare me", she muttered.

Tauriel saw Eruanna putting on her armor. Word had gotten around that she was permitted by her grandfather to join after hours of talking him into it and assuring him that she would be well protected. Glorfindel was joining them to protect his Princess as Lord Elrond, Eruanna's maternal grandfather, had urged him to do. She was the youngest patrol member in the group.

Tauriel passed by her. "Careful, Princess. Patrol is no place for a young elleth who just passed her majority."

Eruanna looked up at her and her deep blue eyes held a small fire in them. "I'm sorry?"

"It will be dangerous", Tauriel said.

"I know what I'm getting myself into, Tauriel", Eruanna said, slightly annoyed. "My grandfather and father have warned me countless times. Besides, Glorfindel has been training me since I could hold a bow. I'll be fine. But I thank you for your concern."

Eruanna knew how Tauriel saw her and feared that others would see her the same way. She'd been eager to prove herself, not just on her grandfather's council but in patrols as well.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be too worried, considering that you have your bodyguard with you", Tauriel said, teasing the younger elf slightly.

Normally Eruanna wouldn't mind but something about Tauriel irked her. "I'm not some petty Princess, Tauriel. And I'll prove everyone wrong if that's the last thing I'll ever do."

Eruanna walked around for another hour when Feren called to her. "What is it, Feren?", she asked him.

"Forgive me for disturbing you but there is something you must see", he responded, leading her to the dungeons and Eruanna gasped.

The cells were empty.

"What in the name of Eru?", Eruanna shouted. "Where is the keeper of the keys? Where is that moronic fool?"

Tauriel came down looking stunned. "Did you happen to have anything to do with this? I saw you talking to one of the dwarves", Eruanna accused her.

"Why would I? And are you not helping them? How do we know you didn't have anything to do about it, Princess?", Tauriel retorted. Eruanna growled and slapped her across the face, stunning the other elves.

"You miserable excuse for a Captain", Eruanna snarled. "Where is the cursed keeper?"

Eruanna was quite frightening when enraged. She had inherited Thranduil's temper and it was without a doubt that she was his granddaughter.

"Hiril nin! The keeper is in the wine cellar!", a guard responded.

"Tolo hi!", Eruanna shouted as we raced down to the cellar. Sure enough, the dwarves had escaped and the keeper of the keys was drunk and passed out with a few other elves. Eruanna grabbed him and flung him onto the ground, kicking him hard in his side and making him groan in pain.

"Echuio a úhaelath! Lyst is siam! (Wake up you fools! The cells are empty!)", she snarled. Secretly, she was glad they escaped but had they been orcs the situation would have been different and more dire. The elves had to be responsible and at the ready at all times. "Bado mîbo orch! (Go kiss an orc!)", she cursed the drunken elves.

Eruanna went outside to see the dwarves making their way in barrels. The elves rushed outside only to seee that orcs had broken into Mirkwood, hunting the dwarves down. "Holo i annyn! (Shut the gate!)", Legolas said to Feren, having come onto the scene. Tauriel rushed past them and began attacking the orcs. "Kill her! Kill the She-Elf!", said the orc leader as he led a group of orcs through the Woodland Realm. Eruanna then saw Kili who had been shot by one of the orcs. "Kili!", came Fili's cry of fear.

Tauriel got distracted and an orc tried to attack her but Eruanna stabbed it in the head. "Keep your focus", she snapped.

Eruanna's dragons burst onto the scene. "Kill the dragons!", the orcs cried out as they were butchered by Ceveniel, Helegiel, Naurion, Faroniel and Sûlion.

Eventually, the orcs were dealt with. Eruanna watched with her father as the dwarves floated away on a barrel. She'd even seen Bilbo with them. Had he somehow snuck in and freed them?

Just then, they turned around to hear grunts and saw Tauriel had an orc in her hands with a knife pressed to its neck.

"Tauriel! Dartho! Ú-no hono. Ho hebo cuin (Tauriel! Wait! This one we keep alive)", Legolas said. Eruanna continued to watch the dwarves float away and many of them looked at her. She looked at them somberly and shrugged.

Tauriel, Legolas and Eruanna took the captured orc to Thranduil's throne room. Tauriel and Eruanna stood next to each other. Legolas stood with his knife pressed to the orcs neck. Naurion and Helegiel were on the stairs of the throne. Cevniel was perched on Eruanna's shoulder.

"Such is the nature of evil. Out there in the vast ignorance of the world it festers and spreads. A shadow that grows in the dark. The sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was; so it will always be. In time, all foul things come forth", Thranduil said walking behind the orc and his son, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were tracking a company of thirteen dwarves. Why?", Eruanna's father, Legolas, asked.

The orc struggled. "Not thirteen... not anymore. The young one, the black haired archer, stuck him with Morgul shaft, poison is in his blood, he'll be choking on it soon", Eruanna looked at Tauriel and she looked worried. The Dragon Princess looked back at the orc.

"Answer the question filth", Eruanna snapped.

"I do not answer to dogs She-Elf!", the orc snapped. Naurion and Sûlion roared in absolute fury, joined in by Helegiel, Faroniel and Ceveniel.

"Shut them up!", the orc snarled. Eruanna whipped out her knife and her father spoke. "I would not antagonize her", he said. "My dragons are quite protective, and you've insulted their mistress", Eruanna said to the orc.

"You like killing things orc?", Tauriel asked, taking out her dagger. Eruanna glared at her. "You like death? Then let me give it to you!", she said, rushing forward. "Farn! (Enough!)", Thranduil shouted and Tauriel stopped. "Tauriel, ego! Gwao hi! (Tauriel, leave! Go now!)", Thranduil commanded. She stood up and the orc growled at her. She left the room.

"I do not care about one dead dwarf, answer the question. You have nothing to fear, tell us what you know and I will set you free", Thranduil said. "You had orders to kill them, why? What is Thorin Oakenshield to you?", my father asked. "The dwarf runt will never be King", the orc snapped. "King? There is no King Under the Mountain nor will there ever be. None would dare enter Erebor whilst the dragon lives...", Eruanna's father responded.

"Dragon", Eruanna murmured quietly to herself.

"You know nothing, your world will burn...", the orc threatened. "What are you talking about? Speak!", Legolas demanded. "Our time has come again. My master serves The One. Do you understand now elfling? Death is upon you... the flames of war are upon you", the orc laughed until Eruanna's paternal grandfather drew his sword and cut off his head.

"Why did you do that?", Legolas asked, dropping the severed head. "You promised to set him free." "And I did, I freed his wretched head from his miserable shoulders", Thranduil said, pressing his foot down on the orc's shaking corpse.

"There was more the orc could tell us", Legolas said. "There was no more he could tell me", Thranduil responded.

"My dragons can have him for a late night snack if they wish", Eruanna looked at her dragons. Naurion shook his head and Helegiel looked disgusted. Ceveniel also let out a sound of disapproval. "Or not", she said.

The Princess looked at her grandfather as her father asked "What did he mean by 'the flames of war'?"

"He means they intend to unleash a weapon so great it will destroy all before it", King Thrandil said.

"Or that an old enemy has returned. We must be vigilant", Eruanna put in.

"I want the watch doubled at our borders, all roads, all rivers. Nothing moves but I hear of it. No one enters this Kingdom and no one leaves it", her grandfather commanded.

He looked at her. "Will you follow the dwarves?"

"I must", Eruanna said as Legolas left to carry out the orders. When he left Thranduil strode to her. She embraced him. Eruanna felt his face soften as he embraced her back. The King had only one soft spot and it was for his family, especially his granddaughter. She pulled away. "I have to go", Eruanna said.

"You need not continue helping them", her grandfather said.

"I gave them my word. I don't break promises. Not unless they fail to fulfill their end of the bargain. In that case, daeradar, I promise you, they shall be reminded that whilst they rule the mines, I rule the skies."