Chapter 4
The elleth's hair moved in the air as she run through the trees of the forest. She had a smile on her face as she run and found herself looking back a few times at the person who was chasing after her.
"You're getting slow!" She teased, continuing to run.
"I think I should say that to you, Eliriel!" The blonde elven prince said to her as he suddenly passed her. Now running ahead of her.
'What!? How did he get here so fast!! Oh, I'm not going to let him win, not this time!' Eliriel thought as she picked up her speed to catch up to Legolas.
Just then, she heard a few cracks and looked sideways to see Tauriel and Laerornel running a few meters behind her.
"Hello girls!" She smirked as she greeted her friends. "You finally caught up to me!"
"Very funny Eliriel, but I'm not going to let you win so easily!" Tauriel smirked back, getting closer to Eliriel by the second.
"Too bad, Legolas beat you to it!" Eliriel said mentally groaning. She didn't like the idea of losing.
Now the three friends were running together and could see Legolas in the distance.
Eliriel, Laerornel, Tauriel and Legolas have all become good friends after all the time the two first have spent in Mirkwood. It's been 5 centuries in total, now both Eliriel and Laerornel are almost 600 years old. That's still pretty young for an elf. When they all get together after completing their daily duties, they usually have fun and compete in many things, such as archery, sword fighting and of course running speed. The most competitive of the group was Legolas and Eliriel but after some bickering they always got back to their normal selves.
Also after all this time Eliriel practiced hard on her special powers as well, making her be able to use them with ease. Still, the only people who knew about them were Tauriel and Laerornel. It's not that she doesn't trust Legolas, but she knows he will tell Thranduil and that's the last thing she wants.
"But...I'm not going to let him win!" Eliriel stated and picked up more speed, now leaving her two friends behind.
"Why are they always so competitive?" Laerornel groaned as she got tired of running so much.
"I don't know." Tauriel answered her, thinking for a bit before smiling. "But it's fun to watch!"
Eliriel was far ahead of the two girls and was now getting closer to Legolas. She thought of a plan to win this time since just running past him doesn't work. She knows that too well.
'I hope this works!' The girl thought as she jumped and grabbed a thick tree branch and pulled herself forward, going from one tree to another much faster than when she was running. She made sure to stay as quiet and hidden from Legolas as possible to make him think she was far behind him.
And surprisingly it was working. Legolas had no idea she was going after him by climbing the trees.
After a few moments Tauriel and Laerornel got close to Legolas (and Eliriel but they didn't know it) and they could all see the agreed finish line. As the crew grew closer to the finishing line, Eliriel jumped down on the ground and rolled to smoothen her landing, surprising the rest of her friends while doing so.
"Now where did you come from?" Laerornel asked confused as her friend appeared out of nowhere.
Eliriel just chuckled as they were all a few meters away from the finishing line. She was determined to win this time.
"Don't you know that she will do anything to win?" Tauriel laughed and Eliriel nodded, making Laerornel smirk knowing that her friend has a plan to win.
"That is if she can beat me!" Legolas stated smirking back at his friends but when he looked at Eliriel who was at his right side, he found her smirking back.
"I think I just did!" She said as she passed him, her foot touching the finish line.
Tauriel and Laerornel started laughing at Legolas's disappointed expression since he lost and Eliriel just grinned at him, enjoying her victory.
"It seems you are indeed getting slower!" Eliriel teased him like she did before.
"I just got distracted is all! Don't think you're going to win next time." He responded finding an excuse to justify his loss. " I am not getting slower!"
"Whatever you say Legolas!" Eliriel chuckled, enjoying teasing him.
All four friends talked a bit while walking back. As they were getting closer to the gates, a male elf came running to them. A worried expression on his face.
"What is it Galdir?" Legolas said as the group stopped to listen to the elf.
"It's the spiders my lord." The elf said bowing slightly to the group. "They are getting closer and closer to our borders!"
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Moments after the elf informed Legolas, he gathered a few guards and his friends and they all went in the forest. As they were walking deeper and deeper into the forest, the encountered more and more spiders. Which of course they killed. But Laerornel noticed that the ones that got away were all going in the same direction. And it wasn't towards the kingdom.
Just then, they all heard shrieks coming from that direction. 'Something is off.' Tauriel thought as she looked at her friends and by the look in their eyes they agreed with her too.
Legolas ordered everyone to quietly follow him as he walked towards the sound. To make minimum noise the elves climbed on the trees and inspected their surroundings.
Suddenly a group of dwarves came into their view. They were getting attacked by the spiders and were trying to save themselves.
'It's Thorin and the company!' Eliriel thought, her eyes widening but she quickly changed her expression not wanting to get noticed.
Legolas's face hardens as he sees the dwarves. He motioned everyone to attack the spiders and then he jumped off the tree, grabbing the web string of a spider's web and using that to slide down killing two spiders in the process. After that he slided in front of Thorin, who was holding his sword ready for an attack. At that point the entire company was surrounded by elves.
"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf, it would be my pleasure." Legolas said in a serious tone while holding his bow in front of him ready to fire an arrow at Thorin.
Thorin and the company just glared at him as more elves came closer to them.
Suddenly yelling was heard and Fili turned around recognizing the voice. "Kili!" He shouted worried that something had happened to his brother.
Tauriel and Eliriel were closer to him and jumped of a tree, after killing a lot of spiders on it, to help him.
Kili was trying to kick a spider off of him as it bit his leg. But then Tauriel shot the spider with on of her arrows, making Kili turn around to look, while Eliriel rolled on the ground as she landed and stabbed another spider that was close to them.
The two elleths were busy trying to save the dwarf killing spiders left and right.
"Throw me a dagger!" Kili shouted at the girls desperate as a spider was getting close to him. "Quick!"
"If you think we're giving you a weapon dwarf..." Tauriel said while she and Eliriel were fighting a spider together. "You're mistaken!" She finished as both girls threw their daggers at the spider near Kili.
Kili looked at the two elleths with shock and amazement in his eyes. He had to admit that they were very skilled.
Tauriel just looked at him for a second before walking to Legolas and Eliriel just gave him a small smile before doing the same.
"Search them!" Legolas commanded and soon the elves followed his order.
Eliriel approached Dori and started calmly taking his weapons. The dwarf glared at her for doing that but at least appreciated the fact that she wasn't aggressive.
After she finished with him she moved on to Ori, the youngest of the company. She gently took his slingshot and saw his journal in his bag but she didn't take it, she just slightly smiled at him and then moved on. She knew it was important to the dwarf. 'She didn't take it!' Ori thought surprised at the elf's behavior.
After she was done she looked at another elf who was searching Fili struggling to get all of his weapons. I mean that dwarf has weapons hidden in all of his pockets. Fili just shrugged the whole time as the poor elf tried his best to find them.
"Give it back, that's private!" A dwarf yelled suddenly making Eliriel look at him. It was actually Glóin, he was being searched by Legolas.
"Who is this?" Legolas asked the dwarf with a raised eyebrow while holding a picture. "Your brother?"
"That is my wife!" Glóin answered annoyed at Legolas.
"And this horrid creature? A goblin mutant?" Legolas asked again with disgust.
"That's my wee lad, Gimli!" Glóin answered again offended at Legolas's comment. Eliriel had to suppress a laugh while watching them.
Legolas then turned to Tauriel and Eliriel approached them as well. "Are the spiders dead?" He asked Tauriel in elvish. "Yes, but more will come." She answered back making Legolas tilt his head slightly. "They are growing bolder." Eliriel stated making both her friends look at her.
Just then, an elf gives Legolas a sword from the dwarves. Specifically Thorin's. "This is an ancient Elvish blade." Legolas stated, examining the blade. "Forged by my kin."
"Where did you get this?" He asked Thorin still holding the sword. "It was given to me." Thorin responded with a low voice.
Legolas didn't like his answer. "Not just a thief, but a liar as well." He said as he pointed the sword at Thorin's throat. "Take them!" He ordered the elves and just like that the dwarves were binded, shoved and led to gates.
Eliriel was standing near Kili and waited for Tauriel to grab him, but since she saw her somewhere else she decided to take him herself, gently pushing the young dwarf forward.
He looked up at her a few times while they walked with his usual playful smile but Eliriel just ignored him, smiling to herself only when he turned around.
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After the dwarves walked through the gates, they were led to prison cells. Except for one, Thorin.
Soon, one by one the dwarves were shoved into the prison cells despite their loud protests.
Eliriel was hesitant while pushing Kili towards his cell since it was different in the movies. But at last she pushed him in.
"Aren't you going to search me?" Kili asked her after he saw a guard do that to his brother. "I could have anything down my trousers." He said looking at Eliriel, pretending to be innocent.
She just chuckled at his playfulness. "Or nothing!" She said to him stealing a line from the movies. She then closed his cell door and walked away, while Kili looked at her smiling to himself.
But as she walked away, Legolas got in her way. "Why does that dwarf stare at you, Eliriel?" He asked her, staring right at her.
"Law iston. But pay no mind to it." She answered him simply before resuming walking away. She knows that Kili is going to fall in love with Tauriel, plus the dwarf is known for his playfulness. Legolas continued to stare at her as she was leaving and then sent a glare at the dwarf before leaving himself.
Eliriel waited for Legolas to arrive at the main hall, where Thorin stood guarded. After he was present he took Thorin to the throne room, to his father. Thorin glared at him knowing what was coming.
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"Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand." Thranduil spoke his back facing Thorin. "A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon." He continued as he turned around, now walking slowly behind Thorin.
"I myself, suspect a more prosaic motive." Thranduil stated as he walked closer to Thorin. "Attempted burglary, or something of that ilk."
He then looks at Thorin. "You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The king'sjewel. The Arkenstone. " He said as he backed away towards his throne. Thorin looked down at the ground wondering how he knew.
"It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that." Thranduil smirked slightly at Thorin.
Eliriel just stood at the side the whole time with Legolas, Tauriel and Laerornel. Carefully watching the scenes unfold. Although she already knew how it ended.
After a while Thranduil motioned the guards to take Thorin away. "Stay here if you will and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf." He said while standing near his throne. "I am patient. I can wait."
As the guards were leaving so did the four friends after bowing to their king. The guards then took Thorin away and put him back in his cell.
After that incident, Eliriel and Tauriel went to report to Thranduil while Laerornel stayed with Legolas to discuss about the dwarves.
"I know you are there. Why do you linger in the shadows?" Thranduil said calmly.
"We were coming to report to you my lord." Eliriel said as she and Tauriel walked down the stairs to where their king was.
"I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not too moons past." He said as he looked at the two girls.
"We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord. But more spiders coming from the south." Tauriel explained to him while walking side to side. "They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur. If we could kill them at their source-"
"That fortress lies beyond our borders." The king said interrupting Tauriel. "Keep our lands clear of those foul creatures. That is your tasks."
"But even if we do that won't they spread to other lands?" Eliriel asked him but it was useless. Thranduil does not change his mind.
"Other lands are not my concern." He said in a low tone. "The fortunes of the world will rise and fall, but here in this Kingdom we will endure."
Thranduil looked around him after he heard a sound. 'It was probably Bilbo.' Eliriel thought as she and Tauriel bowed and turned, ready to leave, they were interrupted again.
"Legolas said you fought well today." The king spoke making both girls to turn and look at him.
'Oh, he's talking to Tauriel." Eliriel thought and smiled a bit.
"He has grown very fond of you, Eliriel." The king continued.
'Oh'
Eliriel was confused since again this is different from the movies. But pushed the thought away quickly.
"I assure you, my lord, Legolas thinks of me only as a friend." She explained. For her knowledge this was the truth.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not so sure." He said as he turned away from the girl, his expression becoming a more serious one.
Eliriel was out of words. She didn't know what to say. She only looked down in shame.
"You are dismissed." The king said not looking at the two elleths as they left.
After they were at a safe distance Tauriel finally asked her friend. "Are you okay?"
There was a small pause. "Yes, yes I'm fine." Eliriel forced a smile and walked off to find Laerornel. Tauriel didn't look convinced but followed her nonetheless.
Eliriel was in fact not fine. She knew it. Even though she was lying to herself. What Thranduil said to her stayed in her mind.
Back before all this started, on her earth, Legolas was her favorite character from the books and movies. She did have kind of a fictional crush on him but that's all it was. He was a imaginary character and she a real person. But now, now it's different. She was really here. In Middle Earth. A place she never thought was real. And more importantly he was real as well, Legolas.
So now she is conflicted, about her feelings and how she should behave. And she just earned Legolas's friendship, she doesn't want to ruin it.
No, she won't. Legolas only sees her as a friend. Nothing more.
Eliriel's mind was filled with many thoughts, but she tried to push them aside as she walked to find Laerornel.
AN: Don't worry about the scene with Kili, this is still a Legolas x Oc fanfic.