Nora was singing again, this time some song about a lumberjack, and Avice was considering the many benefits of murderer and cutting tongues out when she almost died of a heart attack.
“Hello everyone!” The company rushed to their cells to see Runa calmly walking into the dungeons as if she was Queen of Mirkwood.
“Runa!” exclaimed Nora, echoed quickly by Nienna, the twins and other dwarves. Runa cheekily waved at them all as Aelith frantically hushed them.
“Where have you been?” Avice asked grumpily. Runa shrugged,
“Oh you know, here and there. Endearing myself to the locals.” Aelith groaned,
“What did you do now? No, wait,” she held up a hand as it to use some hidden power to prevent Runa from speaking. “I don’t want to know.”
Runa shrugged,
“Well I wasn’t going to tell you anyway.”
“Runa… is that a bandage?” asked Nienna, who’d been watching her friend closely and noticed a slight limp.
“It’s nothing,” said Runa, drawing her cloak closer about her.
“Runa,” began Aelith in a tone that foretold a lecture on the benefits of caution, that was forestalled by a fierce look sent her way.
“It’s nothing,” repeated Runa firmly.
Just then, noises came from the staircase, signaling the approach of another.
“Runa, Bilbo is somewhere hiding in the palace. He thinks he might have found a way out, so make sure you come back and check in,” Aelith whispered. “Now go! Quickly!”
Runa waved slightly, before darting back into the doorway where the footsteps were coming from.
“Won’t she run into the guards?” asked Nori worriedly. Nienna smirked,
“Probably, but the guards won’t see her.” Then, Nienna retreated into the back of her cell.
Though the dwarves still waited in some misapprehension, there was no uproar and the elves who entered moments later weren’t dragging their friend behind them. Silvia entered with a strange guard, carrying some trays of food.
She began dispersing the nourishment amongst the prisoner, skipping over Nienna. Nienna, watching Silvia walk past her cell without stopping, frowned.
“Am I not eating?” she inquired in irritation. Silvia looked at her apologetically,
“Sorry, I was told not to serve you. I think someone else is bringing you food in a bit.” Nienna sighed grumpily, sinking back into the stone, cutout bench of her cell.
“Oh!” said Silvia suddenly. “I almost forgot! This will brighten you day!” She had the guard unlock Nienna’s cell and entered.
“What?” asked Nienna, eyeing the chains the Silvia held.
“Would you like a bath?”
***
Runa was watching the elven king again. She was scrubbed clean and her wounds bandaged. She even managed to clean her clothes quite respectably and they now hung dry and soft on her small shoulders.
A trip of the kitchens had almost resulted in discovery, but the soft rolls in her pocket were well worth the risk. The kitchens had been busy preparing a veritable feast, making Runa suspect some festival or ball was going to happen, and it had provided enough cover for a small figure such as herself to sneak in, steal food and slip out again.
Now she watched as Thranduil conferred with a guard in the entryway. After a brief exchange, the guard nodded and exited out of sight, the doors swinging closed behind him. Thranduil seemed lost in thought, staring at the double doors in silence, giving Runa a beautiful opportunity.
“Evening Your Highness.”
Thranduil spun to see Runa perched on one of the impressive antlers jutting out from his throne. A single eyebrow raised at her.
“Well. I say evening, but I don’t really know. I assumed based off the delicious kitchen activities.” She popped the last bit of sweet bread into her mouth while Thranduil continued to watch her, his face impassive.
“You’re clean.” Runa rolled her eyes and stood, calmly walking along the antler to the other side.
“How perceptive of Your Majesty…”
“Don’t call me that,” he said abruptly, looking almost as surprised as Runa at his words.
“Beg pardon?”
“Your Majesty and Your Highness. I sounds like you’re mocking me…” Runa’s laugh echoed pleasantly about his throne room.
“Very well. What would you prefer?” The elf king paused, now unsure. “How about we skip straight to first names then.” Runa took the king’s hesitation as a yes, “Thranduil it is!”
She casually jumped off the antlers, landing a couple steps down the ten stairs leading up to Thranduil’s throne.
“You ran away,” Thranduil stated approaching the stairway to the throne, but not ascending it.
“Did not,” Runa retorted jauntily. “I merely decided that other matters needed my attention. Besides, where’s the fun in staying? Once there’s a winner and a loser the battle is over.”
Thranduil’s mouth twitched.
“Ah!” said Runa, noticing. “See! You agree!”
“Agreeing and being amused are hardly the same thing,” protested Thranduil, moving one step up. Runa shrugged,
“The point is, were you convinced?”
“Of what?” Thranduil’s innocent question caused Runa to give him a wry look, stepping up one stair.
“Please don’t pretend to be ignorant. It’s embarrassing.” An acknowledging smile appeared on Thranduil’s face.
“As you wish. No. I was not convinced.”
“If you’re going to lie,” said Runa condescendingly, “at least do it well.”
“I’m not lying. Why should I believe you?” Thranduil stepped up another stair. Runa sighed,
“What did your guard tell you?”
“What?”
“Your guard. The one that was just in here.” Thranduil looked at her, before stepping down a step and saying,
“He was reporting on a specific mission I’d sent him on.”
“Oh? And what was that?”
“I sent him to where we’d captured the dwarves and told him to search for the spider’s hatching grounds.”
“Success?”
“Indeed. It was found and…
“And?”
“And every single newborn spider was dead.” Runa looked at Thranduil pointedly, accusing,
“You didn’t believe me.”
“No. A strange lady appears in my throne room, fights a duel with me and then runs away before finishing what she started.” Thranduil came up another step. “Why should I trust you?”
“Oh for the last time!” Runa threw her hands up in the air. “I didn’t run away. It was a test!”
“A test?”
“To test your reactions.” Thranduil frowned,
“But you left…” Runa rolled her eyes, stepping up to the top of the staircase,
“Oh try to keep up. Just because someone isn’t seen doesn't mean they’re not present.” Thranduil looked at Runa,
“You were watching me?”
“Yes.”
“And why am I supposed to trust you again?” He stepped up another two steps.
“Because your instincts are telling you to.”
“What do you know about my instincts?” Thranduil stepped up another two steps, leaving a mere five stairs between them.
Runa was starting to feel her adrenaline leave and control of the conversation slipping out of her hand. She back up slightly, to Thranduil’s throne, refusing to wince at the pain that her wounds were giving her as the medicine she’d swiped began to wear off.
“Well I-”
“You’re assuming. That’s awfully cocky of you,” Thranduil came up another three steps.
“No but-”
“Afterall I don’t even know what you are. You’re not an elf and you’re not a dwarf. You don’t really expect me to believe you’re a hobbit do you? I’ve met hobbits. You’re not a hobbit.”
“I’m-”
“And what other matters could be so important that you’d leave the king’s presence without leave, hmmm? There is a great deal you are not telling me.” The elf king came up the last few steps, noticing the significant height difference for the first time as Runa’s tense figure made it only to his chest.
“Some secrets are for the best,” Runa managed, somehow keeping her voice steady as the numbing effect of the potion wore off and fire tore up her leg, back and stomach, all tightly bandaged and out of sight underneath her cloak.
“Where you visiting your friends? Spying? Stealing?”
“All of the above?” Runa joked weakly, feeling her energy drain. She cursed her own stupidity, she must have reopened a wound with her arrogant acrobats on His Royal Highness’s throne.
“What did you take? Money? Jewels? Weapons?”
“Only what was necessary,” Runa defended in a soft, but firm voice, trying to stay conscious.
“What. Did. You. Take.” Thranduil reached out and grabbed her arms as though to shake her, but ended up brushing the cloak aside.
A flash of red made him freeze. He slowly undid the clasp and the cloak fell to the floor revealing white bandages covering her torso, arms and legs, red beginning to seep through.
“Only what was necessary,” Runa repeated, before fainting dead away into the elven king’s arms.