The Ultimatum

I stepped up to the bars and gazed outside. It had been day three times and then night again since Gimli and I had ended up in the cells of the Woodland Realm. Except for the guard who brought us food and a bucket so we could relieve ourselves, we had seen no one and no one had asked us any questions. By being in a cave system, it had been impossible for us to see into the sky, but that had only made one thing clearer: "They're trying to soften us up." Gimli stood up. "I'm afraid that's not a good sign."

"No," I replied quietly. "It's not." All the unspoken questions that hung between us and that we dared not voice aloud felt as oppressive as a slab of rock weighing on both Gimli's and my chest. Where was Legolas? Why did he make no attempt to free us? Did they know about the Silmaril splitters in my pocket? Why were we being detained in the first place? I still hadn't received an explanation, and that despite asking the guard about it every time I saw him. It was as if they had parked us here temporarily - like pesky flies that you first lock up before you grilled them.

With a sigh, I lowered myself back onto the bunk. Gimli remained standing at the bars of the door, his gaze alertly fixed on the other, empty cells and the staircase. We had had a lot of time to talk in the last few days, and the dwarf had been surprisingly open: He had spoken of his family, of his father, Glóin, his mother, and of his uncle, Óin, who, like his father, had been part of the venture that had brought Bilbo the One Ring and led the dwarves to Erebor. He had admitted that he had envied their adventures - until his own befell him, and had been quite different from what he had imagined. Out of my thoughts, I asked, "Don't you want to go back, Gimli?"

"Back where, lass?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the staircase.

"Home, to your family."

Now the dwarf did turn around. "I guess I forgot to mention that in all my stories," he said with a shake of his head. "Part of my kin has followed me from the Lonely Mountain to the Glittering Caves. I have them around when I'm not rebuilding the city with the Elven Princeling."

"Oh." I had to smile. "That's good."

"Yes," he said, "Aglarond will hopefully bring us more luck than Erebor has been able to."

I wanted to ask how he meant that, but at that moment I heard footsteps. Technically, it was too early for the guard to be bringing our food, and it wasn't the guard's turn yet either. Gimli and I glanced at each other. "Just like we talked about, lass," he said so low I almost didn't hear him. But I knew what he meant: in the dark hours of the night, Gimli and I had not been idle. We had worked out exactly what we would do if they decided to interrogate us together or separately. It hadn't been much, but it felt good to have done at least something.

Two elves came down the stairs. They were heading toward our cell. Neither of them wore the uniform that the guards normally wore, but that of the King's Guard. I remembered it from the banquet.

As I stepped next to the dwarf, I sensed how tense he was. Unlike Legolas, who never let his tension show, Gimli rocked back and forth gently.

"Stand back." The elves had posted themselves in front of the entrance to our cell, and we did as they instructed. When the distance was far enough from their view, one of them opened the door. "The king wishes to speak with the woman. Only with the woman," he added, as Gimli made a noise. "Will you follow us voluntarily?"

The unspoken question "Or must we drag you to Thranduil's throne against your will?" hung in the room looming. I put a hand on Gimli's shoulder and stepped forward. "I come with you by choice."

The guard who had opened the door stepped into the cell and closed his hand around my upper arm - but only until we had left the cell behind and the door was closed again. I gave Gimli one last look and he nodded at me. Even though I knew he was trying to cheer me up, I felt uneasy. But without the dwarf, the last days would have looked much grimmer. At least Legolas had made sure that we could spend the time together.

The way to the throne room was far too short. While I was still walking, flanked by the two guards, I was racking my mind about how Thranduil would approach the topic and what I had to say about it - whether I could say anything at all that he didn't already know.

We reached the entrance to the hall. As in my first encounter with the king of the Woodland Realm, he was seated on the throne. This time, too, he looked as if nothing could touch him: His legs crossed, one finger to his chin. But as soon as our eyes met, my chest felt as if an arrow of ice were piercing it. I had to swallow.

"Leave us," Thranduil said when we had come to a halt in front of him.

The guards did not oppose his order, though I sensed they were puzzled, and Thranduil waited until the last one had left the room. Only when the doors of the throne room were closed with a sound did he stand up.

Almost agonizingly slow, he descended down the stairs that led to his throne. I could not bear to watch him, and instead had taken to examining the floor beneath my feet. It was made of dark, polished stone, probably having cost a fortune.

Thranduil stopped a good meter away. "Well," he said, breaking the silence that had almost crushed me, "I don't think it's necessary for us to keep up the charade."

I swallowed again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him start moving again. He was drawing circles around me like a shark in the water. "After some initial hesitation, my son has revealed some things to me about you."

"Did he." I didn't believe a word he said. Would not believe a word he said. Legolas would not betray me. Or would he?

"And the delegation from Lothlórien was very helpful in that regard, too."

He was trying to lure me out of hiding, to tempt me into saying something rash. But I would not do him that favor. "Then I'm sure you already know everything your heart desires - I don't see how I could be of any further help to you." I looked up and sucked in a surprised breath. The Elven King had come to a halt directly in front of me. And he was tall. Considerably taller than his son. That alone gave him a certain aura. "What my heart desires, you say?" His voice sounded cool, but not half as calculating as it had a few seconds ago. "This isn't necessarily about mine, is it?"

I didn't allow more than a blink, but that seemed to be enough for him. I felt his presence almost physically, and I knew he could hurt me if he wanted to. Because of that, and because I couldn't bear to look at him, I continued to stare at the ground in front of me and at his feet. But Thranduil seemed to have other intentions. "You are amazingly resilient - for a human. You have not given up, and you still do not. I can only hope that this trait holds true for many second-borns of your time."

So he knew. My heart leapt. What else had Legolas told him? And why the hell had he done that? "What do you want from me?", I asked therefore.

"Ah." This time Thranduil sounded amused. "I see we're getting closer."

Part of me wanted to ask the question again, because I didn't have the slightest clue what he was trying to tell me. Another part knew I'd rather not. Fortunately, I didn't have to counter anything; the Elf King took care of that himself. "You think I'm narrow-minded, a monarch fixated on the realm, thinking only to his own borders, isn't that the case?"

Surprised by his change of course, I did raise my eyes now. I wish I hadn't. Thranduil's gaze was similarly captivating as his son's - only for different reasons. And none of them felt good. "What does it matter?"

"More than you may know." He turned away and began circling around me again. Did he know this made me nervous? Probably. "There are certain... developments that need to find their own way. Unlike other powerful members of my kin, I understood that a long time ago. If you had revealed yourself to me earlier, you would not be in the situation you are in now. And neither would I."

What did that mean? Was he going to let me go? But then why had he kept Gimli and me locked up? I couldn't take my eyes off his gaze as these and many more questions flashed through my mind. But finally, it seemed almost an eternity, the puzzle piece slipped into place. Yet all I could manage was, "Lothlórien?"

"And blessed with a sharp mind." He folded his arms in front of his chest. "They refuse to leave my realm, at least not without you. Or should I say without what you carry?"

My mouth went dry. Yes, he definitely knew what was going on. "Are you going to turn me in?"

Thranduil remained silent for a moment that seemed as long as an age. Then he said, "No."

"What then?"

"I will let you go."

I should have been relieved, but something told me that all this was tied to a condition that I would not like at all. So I asked, "Just like that?"

This time I didn't imagine the amused expression on Thranduil's face. At the same time, it was laced with a sharpness that made it abundantly clear to me that he meant every word he said. "I can almost understand my son's fascination." He turned his back on me, strode up the steps to his throne, and settled on it. "This task has come to you, and I will let you fulfill it."

"Only without your son," I said. More a statement than a question.

"Legolas will accompany you, I trust no one else in this matter. He will help you complete your task - whatever it may be."

I sensed he wasn't done yet. And I was to be right about that.

"But I hope I am making myself very clear when I say that certain other developments will find no continuation after the completion of your endeavor."

The Elf King didn't have to spell out what he meant by that. It was clear. And it felt like he was putting his hand around my heart and squeezing it tight. Before I could stop myself, I said, "I don't think I'm the only one who has a say in this."

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but you are."

The feeling of helplessness that was slowly spreading through my chest increased. "What do you mean?"

"My arm is long enough to let you go despite Celeborn's desires. Rest assured it will also be long enough to entrap you again."