Star-Crossed

Chapter 56

"They're only four feet tall, they're easy to lose in tall grasses or shrubbery." Legolas narrowed his eyes at Beuren. 

"Your humor isn't working." The prince replied. "They were our prisoners. They were trespassing in our kingdom." 

"Legolas, please mellon, they are my family. I cannot abandon them now." Against his better judgement, he shook his head and nodded towards the forest.

"A guard of mine followed them. They are heading to Laketown. I intend on following her and bringing her back here, my father has ordered the Kingdom be secured. I will take you only as far as we may travel to collect her, then you are on your own." 

"I'll take it, get on." She scooted out of the saddle and allowed him to climb in, taking her where he promised.

"They were tailed by an orc pack." Legolas said after some time traveling in the wood.

"Led by?" Legolas was quiet. "LED BY?"

"Bolg, spawn of Azog." 

"Great. Another one that still won't die."

"You've had dealings with them?" 

"Yes, between the two of them they've killed almost everyone I've ever cared for. It's quite annoying anymore." 

"I don't doubt." Legolas said slowly, pulling the horse to a stop and swinging himself out of the saddle. "Stay here." Beuren dismounted and hid behind the trunk of a tree, watching as Legolas neared the edge of the tree line. There, on an outcropping overlooking the water, she stood, long flowing red hair: the girl from the dream. 

"Tauriel, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own." Beuren felt her stomach drop when she heard Legolas speak her name. Tauriel. Beuren nearly fainted from utter shock. This was unreal. "The king is angry, Tauriel." Beuren shook her head, clearing her mind before turning back to the conversation. "Dandolo na nin...e gohenatha."

"Ú-'ohenathon. Cí dadwenithon, ú-'ohenathon im." She insisted, standing her ground firmly.

"The king has never let orc-filth from our lands, yet he would let this orc-pack cross our borders and kill our prisoners."

"Kill your prisoners?!" Beuren leapt out from behind the tree. Both elves turned towards her.

"Who did they kill?"

"Who is she?" 

"WHO DID THEY KILL!" 

"The archer." Legolas said, looking at Tauriel. "Shot him with a Morgul arrow." 

"Kili." Beuren swung herself into the saddle, taking the reins and spurring the horse forward.
"Wait!" The she-elf called after her. Wait my ass, Beuren thought as she made herself as small as possible to avoid branches.

Something felt wholly wrong about the journey to Laketown. She saw no orcs, no sign of Bolg. It was quiet, too quiet. Perhaps she knew the land better, knew how to get around better, where to hide. There was no way that they would have gone into Laketown if they didn't need to, so why did she see no sign of the Company? 

Pulling her horse to a halt, Beuren twisted in her saddle, eyes scouring the shore of the bank that lay before her. She saw no boot prints, no blood, nothing that would suggest that anything but the sand-pipers had been here at all. With a frustrated groan, Beuren leapt from her saddle, unloading the rations and weapons that had been gifted to her by Galadriel. 

"Now I have to search for bodies because Mahal forbid they just listen and stay on the damn path." Beuren situated herself and began her journey along the river, releasing the horse to go back to the elves. "Idiots." It didn't take her long, however-and hour at most-to come across something peculiar. A man stood, older in age for a human, loading several casks onto a small barge. It gave her an idea. "Oi!" He turned to look at her.