Queen of Mirkwood (hobbit/lord of the rings fanfic)**Under Major Construction**

Chapter 12

Thranduil paced back and forth, his face drawn and pained. The loud chatters did nothing but alleviate the harsh feelings that was boiling inside of him, it wouldn't take too long before he burst. Interrupting his chaotic brooding was an elf, his breathing laboured as he ran up the stairs. "My l-lord,"he struggled to speak as he has yet to steady his breathing. "Lady Lirah, she's trying to free them my lord. The dwarves! What are we to do?"

The elven king's face turned sharply, his eyes expressing much hatred that the elf felt that he was so small. "My lord, we refuse to lay a hand on Lady Lirah..but she is going to escape with them if we don't intervene" Thranduil's face further hardened as he thought of the possibility of Lirah leaving him again, they are not finished ..just yet. "What are we to do?" the elf asked again.

"Put her in one of the dungeons, far away from the other dwarves" he commanded, turning away from the elf. Thranduil tightly clutched a wooden branch nearby, he never expected to use such words in regards to Lirah. There was something in his chest that beats so painfully that he wasn't sure if he could bear it.The white council would come for him and as it turns out, the elven king found himself not caring about the consequences.

"My lord...This is Lady Lirah we speak of, it's an offense to her and to Lord Elrond" The elf could not believe what he was hearing , his body trembled and his voice was hysterical. "I can't-" The thought of laying a hand on a noble elf sickened him, she did nothing wrong to deserve the imprisonment.

"You will do as I ask," Thranduil said coldly, his tone rising "your lord commands you and you will obey. Tell me Esteldir, would you rather be the one that I put in those dark cold cell?" With the threat hanging over his head, the elf ran swiftly downstairs.

"No, Esteldir." one of the younger elf-guard said "I will not force Lady Lirah into the dirty and stinky dungeon. We all refuse, if the king so desperately wanted it to happen then perhaps he could go down and do it himself" The other elves seemed to agree, moving themselves far away from Lirah.

"We must-- I must,''Esteldir said, shaking lightly again. " the king will punish me.." Lirah stood still, temporarily stopping her attempts of destroying the bars that was between her and the dwarves.

"Punishing those who oppose him severely, he is truly mad. I suppose if he could banish his own wife , he could do much more to others that are not his kin." The dwarves rattled against the bars and walls as they saw her go inside a lonely dungeon voluntarily, Thorin screamed at her at the top of his lungs. "What are you doing!"

Calmy, Lirah sat herself at the cold hard ground. She was too exhausted. "I will not let others take the punishment for me, If I have just enough rest I can free us from here" Her voice wasn't gentle anymore , Thorin himself was taken aback at the foreign roughness of her voice. "Let me rest Thorin, please. I will find a way for us to escape" Thorin walked away from the bars and hid himself at the corner of the prison cell. There was no use to arguing, at least he has hope that Bilbo will come and rescue them. Bringing the elf was more trouble than it's worth.

Esteldir seemed so grateful of what she has done that he removed his cloak and gave it to her. The same cloak that his mother has made for him, he believed that it will bring comfort to his queen like it did with him. "Please forgive me" the elf repented, not wanting to stand any closer. "I will let lord Elrond know"

Lirah nodded, leaning on a wall and resting. She has closed her eyes, who would have thought that it would be much tiring to have her heart be broken in pieces than months of journeying across middle earth. What will happen to Legolas? Will he cast him away? Suddenly she felt possessive, she didn't want to share another piece of her to Thranduil, he might as well ruin her son too. Thranduil is no longer the wise and kind king, and she would not expect him to be a good father either.