An iceling in mirkwood ~ thranduil love story

Book 2: Chapter 11 ~ the lost and found

The elf in question was part of haldir's company and had come to the stream to refill his water pouch whilst on night duty.
"Are you lost?" He asked the child (who looked terrified) quietly. Tertious had been told that if he did ever seen an elf that he should run in the opposite direction and never look back. But his feet where glued to the spot, his heart beating fast.
"I am not going to hurt you little one. Where is your family. Your mother? Your father?" Asked the elf but the boy stayed silent. "Are you-" the elf started but he looked beyond the little boy. With his gifted elven sight the guard could see through the small gap in the tree and there he saw luca's camp. The elf rose and Tertious cowered, seeing the how tall the elf really was. The guard sprinted back towards where haldir was and finally came to a halt.
"Captain, just over there, past the trees is a camp of gypsies" he caught his breathe back and haldir glanced in the direction the guard pointed.
"You are sure of it?" Asked haldir and the guard nodded confidently. Haldir assembled a few guards and they silently stalked over to where the first guard had pointed. And there it was. Caravans and horses were in the field and in the middle a large fire that had gone out a few hours ago. All the elves raised their arrows, ready for some sort of attack.
Suddenly luca's horses whinnied loudly at the intruders, waking Luca instantly from inside his caravan. He clumsily put on a shirt, grabbed his father's sword and kicked open the door. Several arrows were pointed at him at one time and although Luca could not make out much he saw they were not friends. One elf in particular stepped forwards and Luca glared furiously.
"What do you want?" Spat Luca, sword still at the ready. Haldir signalled for his men to lower their arrows as he stepped forwards to address Luca.
"You are the leader of this camp?" He asked.
"Who is asking?" Spat Luca from atop his caravan.
"Just myself-"
"Luca?" Came the small and worried voice of valladea. "Luca what is going on?" She stood and looked out over Luca's shoulders. By now other members of his camp were awakening nervously but being kept at bay by the elves bow and arrows.
"Helke" whispered haldir as he recognised the white hair and eyes. Haldir glared at Luca angrily and the gypsy king gritted his teeth. Damn, he recognised her.
"Give her to us Luca" said haldir, putting two and two together. He was told it may have been a traveler that had taken helke and now it made sense to be Luca, the half Iceler.
"Back off" growled Luca to haldir in warning. As Luca jumped off his caravan, making to strike haldir, the elf pulled out his own just in time and the two warrior's swords clashed noisily. Haldir ducked as Luca took a ferocious swing at his neck.
"Stop!" Shouted vall from the caravan as she watched the two male fighting. She tried to get off but a few elves stopped her, keeping her atop of the caravan with arrows. She growled in frustration before going back and grabbing her bow and and arrow and re-appearing. She calmed herself and outstretched her palm, closing her eyes and wishing with all her might. As she wished a clear sheet of ice stretched out over the guards and vall climbed atop it and slid down the other side. She located Luca by the sound of clashing swords and snuck up behind the blond elf fighting him. She readied an arrow and the elf stopped, aware of the threat behind him.
"Leave" whispered vall, her hands shaking. Tears filled her eyes when orophin pointed an arrow to luca's neck.
"Tye berth dramm nin gwanur, im indome dramm din" growled orophin. Vall recognised the words and language, the accent which he spoke with but did not understand what the elf had said. She shifted nervously and slowly lowered the bow as Luca looked frustrated. In a flash Luca tilted his body and round-house kicked haldir hard in the jaw. Orophin hit luca's nerve point on his neck and he fell to the floor limp and unconscious.
"Luca!!" Cried vall as she tried to kneel down but another elf grabbed her arms, making her straighten up. "Let us go please!" Vall begged but haldir sighed and wiped the blood from his chin. Now that he was straightened up vall recognised this tall male. She wasn't sure where but in her heart she felt that she owed him an awful lot.
"Helke-"
"Stop!" Vall called desperately. "Please, you have the wrong person. My name is valladea, not helke". Haldir stared at her in confusion. Had she not liked her life with thranduil? Did you enjoy it more with this...peasant?! Or maybe she was pretending? Maybe Luca was forcing her to?
"You do not have to be afraid helke-"
"My name is not helke!!" Vall cried out and sharp ice jetted around the guards but haldir stood his ground.
"We will take them back to lothlorien with us" haldir commanded and the other guards lifted Luca onto a horse as his people watched in fear. When ruminating offered his hand to help vall upon his horse she quietly muttered.
"I can walk"
Orophin however grabbed her by the waist and set her upon her brothers horse and she squealed in protest. She sadly held onto rumil's waist so she would not fall off but looked sadly back at Luca as they began to travel back to lothlorien.
It would appear that fayla had not been informed about helke's dealing with the dwarves and so did not know that helke had visited lothlorien. Because of this, as soon as she stepped foot inside lothlorien she gasped. She recognised it, all of it, along with haldir who had rescued her.
"What is this place?" She asked rumil.
"Lothlorien, home of Galadriel, lady of light" rumil told her and vall murmured the name. She recognised that as well. She said nothing more as they continued to ride through the forest and she received delighted looks from other guards.
"Why are they smiling at me?" Asked vall, looking at the other guards.
"You've been missing for two years now" he replied and helke cocked her head to the side. Did she live here before Luca had taken her in. She did not have funny pointed ears as the rest did so ruled it out. "Do you not remember?" Asked rumil. "You lived in mirkwood, you were bore from the moon there. You and his majesty thranduil were very close" rumil reminded her but vall shook her head. She remembered none of this. And who was this 'thranduil' she had been so close to? Had they been in love? Made love? Was HE the reason she felt she could not commit to Luca? She was so lost in thought that she did not notice that they had stopped and that rumil had dismounted the horse and offered his hand to help her off. She scowled but took his hand anyway, knowing she would fall if she did not and dismounted as well. Luca was coming to consciousness as he was dragged (a little unceremoniously) off the horse.
He groaned, his head spinning as he realised what was happening. He looked up suddenly and tried to fight the elves grip but two held him down and he growled.
"Take him to the dungeons" haldir said, looking coldly a Luca. Who did he think he was? Taking something as beautiful and pure as helke and try to turn her into something like him.
"No! Please!" Vall begged and haldir turned round to look at her surprised. Was she truly in love with this gypsy? This rouge? "Please, don't hurt him" she begged quietly.
"No harm will come to him hel-" he stopped himself. She no longer accepted the name helke. "You will be taken to see Galadriel lady of light tomorrow morn, for now you are to rest" he said in a softer tone. "Take her to a healing room" he said to a guard and he nodded at his superior, leading vall up the stairs.
"Please, what will happen to Luca?" Vall begged but the elf stayed silent as he lead her. She was placed in a comfortable room with a large bed surrounded by net curtains with cream walls and white furniture. But she found no comfort in this room. She heard the door lock behind her and she banged on the door desperately. "Let me out!" She shouted but no one replied. She looked around and ran to the balcony windows. They were locked as well.
She sat on the bed and cried quietly, trying to think of a way out. She felt trapped, scared, confused and frustrated. Who was helke and why was everyone calling her that? And who on earth was thranduil?!! She punched the bed post and sharp ice shot out around it...

"Send word to king thranduil that Helke is safely in lothlorien." Haldir told one of his men.
"Should I tell him about her memory, Captain?" Replied the guard, referring to helke's confused state.
"No" haldir shook his head and turned away as the guard also went on his way...

* the sentence orophin spoke to helke translates: "you dare strike my brother I will strike him"