Warnings: giant spiders
Word count: 1827
Other: -
Requested: Continuation for this series has been asked by so many of you guys, so here it is. The idea for this oneshot comes from Vesta2020
You run into the spiders again when you are outside the castle walls without permission and alone. Luckily, help is close.
You knew that you were not supposed to go to the forest and especially not alone, but you had wanted to show Peaches what was in there. You had thought that you had been right beside the kingdom gates, but when the spiderwebs started to appear, you realized that you were much farther from the kingdom than you had though. You had tried making your way back, but it was getting dark and you couldn't clearly see your footprints on the dry and hard soil, so panic was slowly setting in. Your memories of what had almost happened last time you had been alone in the woods weren't helping with your fear. But you chose the way you were almost certain you had come from and slowly started to walk there, taking extra care to keep your footsteps silent, not wanting to draw any attention. You squeezed Peaches tightly to your chest, petting his soft head gently.
"We'll be home soon, don't worry."
Your journey was unfortunately interrupted by a spider, and this time, you didn't waste a second and sprinted away, keeping in mind what Legolas had said.
"The spiders are not as agile as you, head for the undergrowth, they won't have room to move as quickly." That was exactly what you did, sprinting towards the bramble bush on your left, your legs carrying you faster than you had ever run before. You dove headfirst into the bush, a few spikes catching your cheeks and clothing, but you didn't even notice. You crawled deeper into the bush, squeezing Peaches harder, not wanting to lose him. You settled next to a trunk of a tree, the bush above you so thick that it was hard to see the darkening sky.
The spider hadn't given up, you could hear it pacing around your hiding place, sometimes trying to poke a leg or a pincer trough the thick bush, in effort to reach you. Every crack and rustle it made sent a thrill of fear trough your spine, and you wiped your nose to your sleeve, not wanting to make a noise. Tears slid down your cheeks, and you wiped them away quietly, hoping that if you were absolutely quiet it would forget you and go away. Luckily, it didn't get nowhere near you as the bush around you was so thick and so filled with thorns that even the spider couldn't force it's way trough without tearing it's limbs and body apart.
You curled on the roots of the old oak, shuffling your clothing so it would cover as much of your body as possible. The setting sun was taking the warmth of the day with it, and your thin clothing wasn't doing much to shield the cold away from your skin. The spider still hadn't given up, it was still trying to force it's large carcass inside, but there was no way it would fit. The branches of the tree were entangled in with the brambles and they provided you with a sturdier shelter, one that the spider couldn't crush or force itself trough. But you were still just as afraid as before, the 'what if's' rolling around in your head. Your hands were still holding Peaches tightly, the soft fabric giving you only slight comfort in the darkening evening.
You squeaked as a barbed leg of the spider suddenly pierced the roof of your hiding place. It was immediately pulled back with a spluttering hiss, a few drops of dark and sticky blood landing on your arm. Cool night air flooded into your relatively sheltered hiding place, causing you to shiver. The leg returned and you shuffled away from it to the other side of the small space as it groped around, trying to find leverage. The tip of it brushed your leg, one of the barbs cutting a small shallow wound to it. A whine of pain escaped your mouth, you couldn't help it. The spider gave a splutter, probably excited as it had found you, but before it could drag you out of your hiding place, the leg disappeared.
A shuffling sound reached your ears, the angry splutters of the spider making hope rise in your chest. You hadn't heard them make those sounds other than when they felt threatened. Your suspicions of there being someone else out there were confirmed when a deep, rumbling voice sounded.
"Cursed spiders." You could hear the air whooshing as something heavy was swung around, the spider screeching in apparent pain. You could feel it's eight legs pounding against the ground as it tried to get away, but it was no use. There was a sickening crack and the area settled into silence again. The voice spoke again, this time calmer as a squelching sound filled the air, a loud thud following soon after.
You didn't move until you could hear footsteps that were heading away from your hiding spot. You scurried to the spot you had used to dive in the bush and peeked out.
"Wait!" You squeaked at the back of the huge man, fighting to get the thorns to let go your clothes so you could crawl out. The man yanked himself around, his huge ax raised, and you let out a squeak and pulled back into the safety of the bush.
Beorn was confused. What was a child doing out here, so far away from the kingdom? He knelt down onto the small opening he had seen you disappear into.
"Come out, kid, I won't hurt you." You frowned at his words.
"I'm not a goat." Beorn's brow frowned. What on earth were you going on about?
"What?"
"Kid is a baby goat. I'm not a goat. I'm an elf." You peeked out of the bush again, seeing a fleeting smile on his face as he chuckled. He had forgotten how bright little elven children were, even when they were young. It had been long since he had met one.
"Alright. We better get going, 'not-goat', i'm guessing someone is missing you back at the kingdom." You frowned at his words.
"My name is Y/N." He gave only a hum as a response, gesturing with the hilt of his hammer which way to go.
The journey back to the kingdom was shift. Even though everything looked foreign in the cold light of the moon. You had to take fours steps for every one of Beorn's to keep up with him, but you didn't seem to mind. You stayed close to him, glancing around, clearly expecting something to jump out of the bushes. Every crack and shift of shadow made you walk closer to him, and he almost tripped on you numerous times as the journey continued, but he didn't say anything. He just took care where to place his feet, he didn't want to pummel you to the ground. You kept talking about everything and anything, from your favorite pastries to the fact how you hated your needlepoint lessons. Beorn was on high alert for any enemies that might lurk in the forest, thinking that your constant chatter could bring them closer, even if he knew that none of them weren't stupid enough to try and attach you while you were with him.
The forest was pitch black as you finally reached the gates. Fires were burning on the sides of the gates, a familiar figure standing there, surrounded by twelve guards.
"Leggy!" You squeaked and ran to him. Relief washed over his face when he saw you sprinting towards him, and he didn't waste a moment to scoop you up when your reached him. He squeezed you tightly against his chest, his other hand at the back of your head.
"Y/N, how many times we have to tell you, you cannot go into the forest alone. There are spiders there!" Your brother scolded you gently, and you pressed your head against his chest, ashamed and tired.
"I know." You muttered, glancing at your leg. Legolas caught your line of sight and saw the wound there. It wasn't deep and had already started bleeding, and he knew that wiping it with a bit of athelas would sort it out right out.
"I cannot thank you enough for returning her here, the whole kingdom has been looking all over for her." Legolas had turned his attention back to Beorn, who gave a small shake of his head.
"No problem, I didn't want her to be eaten by a spider." He huffed, eyeing your figure in Legolas' arms. Your head was resting on your brother's chest, and your eyelids were drooping.
"But I take it you aren't here just to return my sister home?" Legolas asked, eyeing the skin-changer. He was carrying a backpack, that was by the looks of it, empty.
"Not indeed. I came to get a few new arrows, need 'em for hunting." Legolas nodded and gestured him to follow a guard.
"I will be there shortly, I'll just take her to bed." A small smile visited Beorn's lips again a he glanced your now sleeping figure.
"No hurry."
- - -
Thranduil's legs shook with relief as he opened the door of your room and saw you sleeping on your bed, just like Legolas had said. There was a white bandage on your leg, but you seemed peaceful, your stuffed animals, including Peaches, surrounding you. You looked so peaceful as he snuck inside the room, sitting down at the edge of your bed to watch you for a moment.
"Hi, ada." You greeted, your eyes opening slightly, still drooping and hazy of your interrupted sleep.
"I'm sorry." Thranduil sighed, knowing he should scold you for leaving the kingdom without telling anyone where you were going. But as he opened your mouth to do so, he met your eyes, sleepy and half-lidded, and he smiled.
"Sleep now, sweetness, we'll talk tomorrow." He sighed heavily, running his hand on your head as he tugged the blankets better over you. He could wait until tomorrow. Now, it would be for the best to let you sleep.
I'm so so sorry of my late absence. It has almost been a month since I last posted! Things have been hectic to say the least, with University studies starting again to my motivation being who knows where and the writer's block that has been stalking me. Also, I'm taking Swedish again (mandatory, unfortunately), and it will probably affect my writing, as two foreign languages in my brain at the same time have never been a picnic for me.
But I'll do my best, and I hope to see you guys soon!