𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐇𝐄𝐋 || legolas greenleaf¹

TWENTY FOUR ; THE ARKENSTONE

"No, he hasn't." Magauna told Fili and Kili. "In fact...he's been particularly nice to me." The brother's seemed to be relieved. "Why do you ask?"

They exchanged a glance again.

"Well, it's just that we accidentally let slip how you got to Laketown." Fili said, the nervousness in his voice coming back. "You know, with the Elves?"

Magauna opened her mouth to speak, but Kili beat her to it. "We didn't mean to, we promise! Thorin made us."

"Yes," Fili nodded. "He was pressuring us about it. And with how he's been lately, we had to tell him."

"We saw him walk off with you earlier." Kili said. "We thought he was confronting you about it, that he might've gotten aggressive."

Magauna smiled slightly. Once again, Thranduil's statement had been proven wrong.

"You don't have to worry about me." The Half-Elf told the brothers. "Besides, your uncle knew better than to think I would leave this Company."

Once again, they both instantly seemed relieved.

This was still a slightly unknown concept to Magauna. She wasn't used to people worrying for her, caring for her. The years she had spent as a wandering Ranger - her years in exile - had not been kind to her. Neither had the twenty years in a dungeon in Mordor. Kindness was something from Magauna's childhood. Kindness was something that no one had shown Magauna for two hundred years. Kindness was something Magauna only remembered of when she was rescued by Gandalf the Grey. So, kindness was the thing that Magauna cherished everytime she received it.

"What's that?"

Fili's voice snapped Magauna out of her thoughts. The Dwarf and his brother were staring past her with concern on their faces. Turning around to look out upon the land, Magauna realized immediately what the were staring at. In the ruins of Dale, hundred, maybe even thousands, of golden clad Elven warriors stood ready for war. Magauna's eyebrows furrowed with worry. These were Elves from Mirkwood.

Fili and Kili wasted no time rushing down the stairs to warn the others. Magauna made no attempt to kove from her spot, she only stared out at the sight with anxiety. Thranduil was no doubt the one behind this. Only he would be dramatic enough to go to the measures of war, for what was no doubt the white gems hidden deep inside Erebor's hold.

Moments later, the rest of the Company joined her at the overhang, with Thorin in the lead. He stared out at the sight of the army with a scowl.

Magauna glanced over at him. She knew Thorin had made an agreement with the people of Laketown, that he had promised they would get a share of the treasure with Erebor. But with the greed that recent seemed to consume him, the Half-Elf wasn't sure he would stay true to that word.

But, for the love of all things green and good, Magauna hoped that he would.

The thought of a battle between the Elves and the Dwarves made her head spin. If it came down to battles there would be no way the Company would ever survive with how little they were in numbers compared to Mirkwood. And there was also the nagging question in her mind of whether or not Maethor was somewhere in that ginormous army. There was doubt he was. And then she wondered if Legolas and Tauriel were there as well. She didn't think she could bring her self to fight any of the three of them. The very thought made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

Her thoughts lingered in the back of her mind as she watched as a rider came pouncing towards Erebor's walls upon a white horse. She only realized who the rider was until they reached the gates, and stared up at the Company.

It was Bard.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain!" Bard called up for then to hear. "We are glad to find you alive behind hope!"