Coming Home

Day's in the Dungoens

 All right, so I edited something in the story. Again. If you want it to make a little more sense, re-read the chapter "Down to Goblin town and Up to Burning Trees". Please comment and vote!

Robin

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    Being taken down to the cells that you once put criminals in was not something that she had anticipated when she had agreed to enter Mirkwood. In all truth, she had been sure that she would have been given a poison to drink and then her body would have been buried or burned, or perhaps set on the river in a boat. That would have been a bit less embarrassing. But being walked down like a common criminal, that was worse, far worse. She had passed may elves that she had known in the past, and they had stopped to stare at her as she was marched by. If she had been marched down by any other guards than the kings own it might have been different. They might have come up and asked her why she was back, or how she was doing. It was humiliating.

Tauriel met her at the entrance to the stair that led down to the prison cells, looking a little flustered. Raising an eyebrow, she waited for the guards to explain to her friend what the sentence was and how it was to be executed. Tauriel listened raptly, every detail was important. Finally, after what seemed like an age the guards handed her over and left to attend the kings throne room. Tauriel kept up her charade until they were well out of hearing distance, for both dwarves and men, before letting go of her arm.

"I'm not going to drag you down there like some criminal, because I am certain that you are anything but," the elf said nudging her down the stairs.

She snorted, "I'm sure you're one of the few who feel that way."

"The king is being unreasonable, you're his niece through his wife's sister after all. You're practically royalty."

"I'm not sure Thranduil feels the same way, Mellonin." She chuckled as they made their way down the familiar stair-way.

"I know that Legolas thinks it, though his is afraid to voice it in front of his father."

"My Uncle is set in his ways, and he will not be changing anytime soon."

"I second that, Lothwen." Tauriel chortled.

"So, which cell am I to have today?" She asked sarcastically as they exited the stairway.

"Look, it's Authora!"

"What did the elven brat want?"

"Why were you gone so long?"

"Look, she's got that red-haired she-elf with her!"

"Hush up lads."

She chuckled, even if she was about to be thrown into a prison cell, this was quite comical.

"I'm fine, the king just wanted to let me know that I'll be having a very long visit with him and that I'll be enjoying a lovely meal each evening," she joked, trying to be lighthearted. "And you have nothing to fear from Tauriel, she's a friend."

"Yes, and I would prefer to have you in a nice room of your own rather than one of these cells," Tauriel said eyeing the cells with distaste.

"How do we know she's a friend? She's the one that put us in here!" Dwalin barked.

"I knew her before my banishment."

Silence...

"I thought you said you were told to leave, not that you were banished," Thorin spoke from his cell door, glaring at her accusingly.