Accusations, lies and unintended actions....a filler, but not so much
Tw: Thranduil being a bitch (Luna, ruining your favorite Tolkien characters since 2021), Bilbo and Raewyn being adorably caught up in rather uncomfortable misconceptions of cultures. Raewyn threatens to kill herself, but it's merely words, don't worry. Mentions/description of an isolation cell. Mentions of hanging someone. Lot of skips, but it will make sense in act III. Raewyn's hair gets cut involuntarily.
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"Who?" Raewyn uttered, narrowing her eyes at the elven king.
"The former queen of Greenwood." He immediately revealed, now standing in front of the Asha.
Raewyn's eyes widened at his words, truly confused by the sudden revelations.
"I think you are mistaken." She argued. "I have not once met any Silvan elves. Let alone wander through these woods. I could not have encountered your queen."
"And you did not," Thranduil confessed. "But your kin did."
"My kin died." The ranger shot back, spitting the words out like venom.
"And they went unpunished."
"They died!" Raewyn fumed.
"Your kin cannot stand trial for their deeds, so you must." The king finalized. "Either you stand trial and perhaps manage to walk out of here alive, or your final breath will be taken in these halls."
Raewyn gaped at the king, shaking her head as she tried to look around for any form of sympathy. Yet, upon noticing none with an apologetical face, she turned back to the king, frowning when she met his eyes.
"How can I defend myself for something I did not even know happened?" She ranted.
"You cannot." The king agreed. "But Oakenshield insisted on a trial."
At those words, she let her eyes wander the room, landing on Thorin, who offered her a mere nod.
"Shall we begin?" Thranduil announced, causing a feeling of pure dread and fear to run through Raewyn's stomach. And even though Thorin had stalled for time by demanding a trial, she already knew there was little, to no chance of her ever escaping these halls. All she could do now, was talk around the subject for as long as she could.
——
In the dungeons, the dwarves wallowed away in silence, trying to find any form of distraction or comfort. Fili had been anxiously biting on the inside of his cheek, running his tongue over his teeth every so often, casting occasional looks towards the empty cell in front of him.
In the cell next to him, Kili was inspecting a polished black stone. The red-haired elf from earlier walked through the dungeons, keeping an eye on every single one of the dwarves, when her eyes caught Kili flipping the rock in the air, catching it halfway. She paused in front of him, looking down at the object.
"The stone in your hand, what is it?" She asked.
"It is a talisman." The dwarf began. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed." As he spoke those words, he held the stone in front of him, showing the runes to the elf. She took a step back in shock, looking back at the floor.
"Or not," Kili quickly shot as the elf prepared herself to walk away. "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token." He shrugged, smiling at the elf, who kindly smiles back.
"A runestone." He clarifies. "My mother face it to me so I'd remember my promise."
"What promise?"
"That I will come back to her. She worries. She thinks I'm reckless." The dwarf spoke.
"Are you?" The elf wondered.
"Nah." Kili scoffed, tossing up his runestone. When he reached out to catch the object, it tipped out of his hand, rolling out through the bars on his door. As the elf reached down to grab it, Kili dared to look up, now focused on the sound coming from the halls of Mirkwood. Dread immediately filled his system as he thought of Raewyn, who was up there now for her supposed death trial. The possibilities about what the elves were cheering about were enough to send his mind reeling.
"What will happen with Raewyn?" He asked the elf, who was staring at the runes on his stone. She looked down at the dwarf, almost frowning in sympathy.
"The Asha?" She questioned, to which Kili frantically nodded. "I fear I cannot tell you that."
"Why not?" Kili prodded. "Can you not at least tell me what she is on trial for?"
The elf looked down at her feet, debating on whether or not to walk away. But when her eyes met the dwarf's, desperation was written in them. And she could not deny him that answer.
"She murdered Greenwood's queen. That is what she is on trial for." She revealed.
And for once, Kili did not know what to say. Sure, Raewyn had quite the reputation for her, but she would not kill any queen. If anything, she had told him to have never even set foot in Mirkwood's forest. She always walked around.
"She could not have." He whispered.
"She did not. Smaug did." The elf conceded. "When the fire drake flew above our forests, her family was running from the beast. They came to us for shelter, but Thranduil refused." She now whispered, almost as if she was scared someone would hear her. "It was the queen who pitied them and ran after them to welcome the family. That's when the dragon struck."
Silence struck the two. Tauriel was not quite sure on what to say anymore, knowing that the elves would never believe a word the dwarf would utter, if he did dare to speak. And Kili was simply too stunned to speak. Raewyn was on trial for something she never did.
"He can't do this." Fili now protested, having heard the entire conversation from the cell next to his brother.
"Why would he shove this onto Raewyn?"
"Because she is the last Asha to live," The elf sighed. "And the king has never been able to forgive himself for what happened. So he blamed it on the family she ran after."
"No," Kili mumbled, shaking his head. "You cannot let that happen." He pleaded, standing up from his spot.
"Does she get a fair trial?" Fili asked, now also standing up in his cell.
"I did not know she even got a trial until a few minutes ago." The elf confessed. "Primarily, they were going to execute her the second she stepped out of her cell."
"That does not answer my question." Fili demanded.
"No." Tauriel sighed. "I would not count on it. Thranduil was very keen on hanging your friend once he heard she was in our dungeons."
"You have to stop them!" Kili urged, slamming his frame against the bars, as if it would genuinely help him escape.
"I am afraid I am in no position to do that." The elf objected. "And you are in no position to tell me what to do."
"Raewyn did nothing wrong!" Fili exclaimed now. "Your position does not matter. You must recognize injustice when you see it. She cannot die for things she never did!"
"You cannot let her die!" Kili agreed.
"You are our prisoners. I cannot betray my king for the words of dwarves in our dungeons."
"Please." Kili pleaded. "You could travel with us if your king comes after you."
"We could!" Fili announced desperately.
"What would you do when people behind bars ask you to betray the one person who welcomed you in their kingdom?" The elf returned.
"What makes the most sense." Fili answered nearly immediately.
"You must see that your king is wrong!" Kili objected.
"I am sorry." Tauriel apologized, dropping the stone back in Kili's cell.
She began to walk away, casting one last pitiful glance to the two dwarves, staring after her as if they were waiting for a miracle.
"But I fear I cannot help you."
——
As Tauriel wandered off from the dungeons, one of the elven guards ran up to her, ready to report. "Orcs." He huffed, seemingly having run all this way down.
"Orcs at the gates."
Tauriel frowned at his speech, not having dealt with orcs for a long while.
"Should we send out scouts?" He asked her.
The captain of the guard, took a quick look behind her back, looking at the dwarves, which had been extremely silent since she had passed them. Her eyes fell back on the Durin siblings, who seemed to have admitted their defeat. And then there was this little voice at the back of her head, suddenly calling louder than it had ever called before.
"We should tell Thranduil." She decided, already taking her place on the stairs.
"My captain," The elf protested. "He is busy with the Asha trial."
"It can wait," Tauriel spoke. "Orcs do not."
—
With heavy footsteps, Tauriel entered the main hall. Thranduil had been seated on his throne, looking down at the ranger, who was glaring at the elven king, quiet as ever.
"My king, the orcs have reached our borders." Tauriel spoke, her voice steadfast, not sparing a second look at Raewyn, her eyes set on the taller elf on top of the throne.
"Are you not captain of the guard, Tauriel?" Thranduil questioned.
He would not risk that final chance of redemption for a couple of orcs near his borders. They would be dealt with later. This trial had to happen now.
"Yes, my lord, but-"
"Get rid of the orcs. That is your job." The king interrupted, waving off Tauriel's words.
"My king," Tauriel protested. "Does it not make you wonder how many more orcs might lie in our forest?"
"We shall discuss this later." Thranduil concluded, silently ushering for her to leave. A final look was taken towards the ranger, who was subtly looking around the room, as if looking for something. When she looked back at the king, the elf bowed her head slightly, taking her leave in defeat.
——
"Raewyn Asha, your kin murdered Greenwood's queen; Êlúriel Nenluin. Do you deny this?" The king began as Tauriel abandoned the room.
"I can neither deny nor confirm your words." Raewyn sighed, knowing lying would not get her anywhere to begin with. Not anywhere good in any case.
"No." Thranduil agreed. "But I can, and I will, for I saw it with my own eyes." He explained, leaning down on his throne, nearly taunting the smaller ranger. "Which gives me the distinct advantage."
"Is there anyone here who can testify for that?" Raewyn spoke, boldly, staring directly at the two guards beside Thranduil's throne.
"Raewyn..." Thorin warned under his breath.
"Will you not take my word?" The king smiled, knowing he had the woman cornered.
"You are the one sending me to my death for something I did not know happened, so why don't you think?" Raewyn dared.
In truth, she had been terrified, but she would not give Thranduil the satisfaction of frightening the ranger. She would stand tall for as long as she could. And right now, she felt as if she was on the right track, for he did seem ticked off by her proclamations.
"You make great accusations for someone of your stature." Thranduil sneered.
"And you give small threats for someone so tall." The Asha countered, glaring up at the blond elf, not letting any sense of fear slip past her eyes. And for a second, it seemed to work.
"I would not say death is such a small threat." The elven king defended, now standing up from his seat.
"Death?" The woman scoffed. "She's a family friend."
"Need I remind you that insulting a king can result in punishment too?" The king retaliated harshly, marching up to the woman.
"A fate worse than death? I do wonder what that could be." She tested, raising her head proudly, keeping her eyes on Thranduil's.
And with those words, the elven king smirked, halting his steps. He observed the ranger for a quick minute, before his eyes got caught on something shiny. Something silver, stuck at the bottom of her hair. Without any hesitation, he swiftly grabbed the dagger of one of his guards, slicing the braid halfway, letting the locks of hair with the bead fall onto his hand.
Raewyn's heart felt heavy when she heard the knife slicing through her hair, cutting the strands that held her family bead together off. Even Thorin swore he could see the sudden pain behind her posture. He could only imagine what it must have felt like. And for as far as he could come, it was not a pleasant feeling.
"As do I." Thranduil spoke, observing the silver bead in his hands, hanging it in front of Raewyn's face proudly. "But I intend to find out, ranger. Three days in isolation before your execution would do you well."
The ranger swallowed thickly, staring at her own jewelry, that which had been passed down from generation to generation, dangling from the king's cruel hands. "Oh yes," She coughed, before speaking sarcastically, "three days on my own does sound quite terrible."
"We can make it four." Thranduil sneered.
"Make it five."
"What are you doing?" Thorin whispered, though Raewyn chose to ignore him.
"I would let you rot down there for years, but I would be forced to hear your annoying nagging and sorrowful exclamations for many moons." The king revealed. "Your execution will take place in four days. And your company will be there to witness it."
"Five days." Raewyn pushed.
"Four days." The king stated, untangling the braid in his hand, letting the bead fall into his other hand as he mindlessly dropped her hair onto the floor, missing the looks it gave the Asha and the dwarf in front of him.
"Five days." Raewyn swallowed. "Or I will kill myself before you can."
"You think it matters to me how you die?" Thranduil boomed.
"You would let your only chance of revenge slip from your fingers like that?" Raewyn was quick to counter, surprising nearly everyone in the room.
The king merely stared at her, his expression unreadable, as if it had been set in stone.
"Five days." He spoke, before gesturing towards the two smaller creatures.
"Take the dwarf back to his cell, and put the Asha in isolation. Do not let her pass the dungeons." He ultimately commanded his guards, turning around as to face his back to the small crowd, obviously done with his 'trial'.
The two elven guards marched up to Thorin and Raewyn, grabbing them harshly as they shoved the two forward, making both dwarves stumble in their steps, trying to regain their balance.
"Walk." One elf ordered rudely, shoving Thorin forward again, who begrudgingly followed their words.
As the four walked down all those stairs again, Thorin could not help but look at the ranger every so often. She had appeared so calm and collected throughout the whole ordeal. She even managed to test Thranduil's nerves, while he would have been calling him out for what he truly was. He could not quite grasp how Raewyn managed to act like that. Even more when she insisted on five days of isolation.
"What was all that for?" Thorin mumbled, catching Raewyn's attention. He knew she was looking at the half-cut strand of hair, but he would not mention it to her. Not now.
"That, Oakenshield, was proof that Thranduil can be negotiated with." She revealed in a hushed voice. "Even with something this important to him."
"When will we ever need that information?" He muttered back, making sure the elves could not hear him.
"When you get out." Raewyn answered, her voice now almost quiet, as if it had not even been there to begin with.
"Do you not understand? We will not get out of here." Thorin whispered harshly.
"Will you not?" The ranger almost smiled. "Tell me, Oakenshield, where is our master burglar?"
——
Bilbo had been sneaking around the halls of Mirkwood the second the dwarves entered the dungeons. While his company was locked up, the hobbit had busied himself with finding the keys to get them out. Until he ended up in the same room as the elven king. No one had noticed the hobbit yet, but Bilbo could not help but worry. Something about the demeanor of the Mirkwood elves had intimidated him. Even as he grew invisible.
So when the king called out into the darkness, Bilbo could not help, but feel as if he had been talking to the smaller creature hidden out of sight.
"I know you're there." He began. "Why do you linger in the shadows?"
Much to Bilbo's relief, a red-haired elf, whom he had seen earlier, appeared from behind a pillar.
"I was coming to report to you." She spoke, walking up to the elven king.
"I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past." Thranduil remarked, referring to the earlier occurring spiders.
"We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord, but more spiders keep coming from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Goldur." The elf defended. "If we could kill them at their source-"
"That fortress lies beyond our borders. Keep our lands clear of those foul creatures. That is your task." The king ordered.
"And when we drive them off, what then? Will they not spread to other lands?"
"Other lands are not my concern." Thranduil decided. "The fortunes of the world will rise and fall, but here, in this kingdom, we will endure."
Silence struck the two, which Bilbo almost took as his leave. Almost. Until the king spoke up again.
"What of the orcs?"
"We fend them off. But their count was merely three. I suspect more are on the lurk." Tauriel revealed, shaking her head lightly.
"My lord," She spoke, her tone now more hesitant. "Why punish the Asha?"
And those were the words that truly gained Bilbo's attention. He had heard of a trail happening, but he had taken that chance of distraction to capture the keys. However, it could be no coincidence that the two were talking about his friend shortly after the whole trial.
"You question my decision?" Thranduil asked, turning around to face the captain of the guard.
"No, my king." She muttered, bowing her head.
"But?"
"She did not kill our queen." Tauriel spoke. "She does not know what came to pass all those years ago."
"She is as guilty as her kin was." The blond elf announced, his voice sterner than it had been before. "When you grow up in a family where murder is a reasonable solution, you cannot expect the child to behave with common courtesy and well wishes. Will that be all, Tauriel?"
Bilbo silently hissed at the words, no longer expecting any other speech about his friend. The only thing that soothed his mind about their words, was the fact they spoke about Raewyn in present time and not past, for that would have held even more ill thoughts above his head.
With lead in his feet, he snuck down to the dungeons, trying to find the guards who were sure to hold that key he had been so desperately looking for. He wandered through the countless halls and stairs, hoping to find some familiar place he had walked before, but everything just seemed entirely new to him. Even as he turned back around at a wrong turn.
Eventually, he had reached one of the deepest levels in the Mirkwood halls, landing in something that seemed to have been a wine storage.
"We're out of drink." One elf slurred, alerting Bilbo. Slowly, the hobbit turned around, looking at the two elves sitting at a table, participating in what had appeared to be some sort of card game.
"These empty barrels should have been sent back to Esgaroth hours ago. The bargeman will be waiting for them." The second spoke.
"Say what you like about our ill-tempered king, but he has excellent taste in wine. Come, Elros, try it."
"I have the dwarves and Asha in my charge." The elf argued, dangling the keys in the air, before hanging them on a hook in the wall.
"They're locked up." The drinking elf debated. "Where can they go?"
——
"Raewyn?" Bilbo spoke hushed, walking past all the cells with closed doors. Doors where no one could look into. For as far as he heard from the elves, Raewyn was locked in one of the isolation cells for four days, though Bilbo did not know which one. So he tried every single door; knocking on it gently as he called her name.
"Raewyn?" He tried again, knocking on the next door. When no response was heard, he sighed, moving towards the next one.
"Raewyn?" He wondered at the fifth door, but once again, he was answered by silence.
"Bilbo?" Someone suddenly called from a few doors up front. The hobbit's ears perked up at the sound, an immediate smile making its way onto his face. He quickly ran towards the voice, knocking on the door to make sure it was indeed his friend.
"Are you in here?" He asked, laying his ear against the wood.
"Yes!" The ranger answered excitedly. "Can you open the door?"
"Y-yes." Bilbo returned, fumbling with the keys in his hand. "I think so, yes."
With every key he tried in the lock, his heart raced more. Only a few keys were left, and he could not leave his friend in the dark. Not now. And so, he desperately began looking for the correct key, trying to make as little sound as possible.
"Bilbo?" Raewyn asked from the other side of the door.
"I have the right key, give me a moment." He pleaded, now turning the keys faster.
"I trust you," she ensured. "But you don't happen to have found my armor laying around somewhere, have you?"
The hobbit frowned at her words, his tongue slipping past his lips for a second, focusing on the annoying pieces of metal in his hands.
"I have not." He answered truthfully. "The king must have stored them elsewhere, but we don't have the time to look for them."
With a final twist of the key, the door finally opened, light streaming into the cold, and insanely dark room. Quickly, Bilbo took the ring off, storing it in his pocket before his friend could see the object. Raewyn's hair was tousled around, as if she had been tugging on it, and her cheeks appeared rosier than they had usually been. Had Raewyn not ran at Bilbo with such an alarming speed, he might have seen the red eyes she had, and the wet skin around them, but he did not.
Raewyn had already lifted the smaller hobbit off the ground, scooping him into a hug. Bilbo hesitantly accepted the hug, his feet dangling over the floor, yet his arms found their way around Raewyn's shoulder.
"I am sorry I took so long." He apologized.
"It is okay, men umrai." She soothed, lowering the hobbit. "I knew you would not leave us."
"Even after you told me to leave?" Bilbo asked confused.
"Especially after I told you to leave." Raewyn confessed, a smile climbing onto her face. "However my heart would be happy knowing you were somewhere safe, it pleases me to see that you decided to come back for us."
The hobbit nodded towards her in thanks, as the ranger glanced at the keys in his hand.
"Walk with me. I know where the rest is." She announced, already taking the lead.
"Raewyn, wait!" The hobbit called after her.
When she turned around to face him, he gestured for her to come closer, making her lean in closer. Bilbo swiftly raised his hand, gently flattening it against the top of her head, before letting them run through her hair, trying to smooth out the pieces that had appeared so disheveled. The Asha froze under his hold, not entirely sure on what to do. Did Bilbo even know what he was doing?
"Ehm.... Bilbo...." She began, hesitating slightly. "I-I'm not quite sure how to tell you, but I don't..." She muttered. "You see, you're not my..."
"What's wrong?" Bilbo asked, completely oblivious.
"W-what do you know about dwarven culture?" Raewyn stuttered out.
"Not that much, but just-" And then, the gears in his head finally began to turn, his eyes widening in realization.
"Oh, dear." He uttered. "You are a good good friend, but-"
"No, I'm not.... I mean, you are not really....It's okay." Raewyn interrupted.
"I am so sorry." Bilbo apologized, taking a step back to give Raewyn more space.
"It's alright. It's just, you're not my One, so it's really-"
"It's weird.... I am sorry for that. I might have forgotten-" Bilbo went on.
"No, it's fine. You are a dear friend, it's okay." The Asha tried to calm down.
"No, but I overstepped. I'm sorry." The hobbit mumbled, looking down at the ground in shame.
"Bilbo, it's okay." Raewyn managed out. "Just give me a warning next time."
"Okay." Bilbo whispered, now too flustered to look back up. Raewyn noticed his struggle and quickly flattened her hair.
"What about now?" She questioned, ushering Bilbo to look back up. When his eyes met hers for a short moment, he gave her a nod.
"You should..." He instructed, wiping his own cheeks, as if wiping off tears. Raewyn quickly caught onto his meaning, following his instructions.
"Perfect." Bilbo agreed, holding one thumb up. "We should really go."
"Yes." The ranger spoke, turning around, before flattening her hair once more.
"Let's go."
——
Regarding Êlúriel Nenluin: It never was clear what happened to Thranduil's wife. She might have been alive during the hobbit for all we know, but Bilbo just chose not to mention her. Therefor, for the storyline, especially later on, I have decided that in this story, she has died. Once again, this is not canon, but canonically, we do not know what happened to her. Êlúriel was the name of the queen, Nenluin was the nickname Thranduil gave her. She is often mentioned with both names next to each other, hence why I used it here. I hope this makes sense.
Men umrai: My friend in Khuzdul (Dwarvish)
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