Run It Back Again (Part 1)

Chapter 25

*Era's Pov-

Skyrena was on a melt down, and Thorin was pissed.  We were stuck in Mirkwood, with next to no way out unless Bilbo could manage to slip past the guards and free us.  I took a deep shaky breath, trying to recall what Balin always told me about Mirkwood.  When I started to doze off, I heard a clanking against my door.  There, Legolas stood.

"The king requested we separate you three."  An elf came and yanked me to my feet.  They took me up a few flights and tossed me into a new cell.  Skyrena was put in a cell one flight beneath me.  Legolas looked me up and down.  "He also demands you shift to an elf."  I glared at him defiantly.

"He may be my captor, but he is not my king.  As for my form, I'll take whatever form I choose."  Skyrena growled at the elves and shifted a few times before settling back down into her dwarf form below.  He shook his head at me.

"It would be wiser to cooperate with King Thraudril, shapeshifter.  He is not one to toil with when he's angered."  I huffed and rolled my eyes, wondering how Legolas could have ever been like this.

"I'm not afraid of some elf...  I've faced worse than an elf who has demanded his way."  Legolas raised an eyebrow at me.

"Since you may be stuck here for awhile, may I at least know your name?"  I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why does my name matter to you?"  He crossed his arms at me.

"So I can plead your case before the king.  My father isn't beyond reason, you know..."  I stared him down.

"I never said he was beyond reason..."  He chuckled a little and shook his head at me.

"But, I don't see it fair for him to try to make you stay here."  He shrugged as he started off.  "If you change your mind, I'll be around..."  I watched him go and sat down in a corner of my cell.

He was right:  it wasn't fair for the king to make me stay here.  Maybe Legolas hasn't changed all that much between now and when I met him...

"Provisions for prisoners."  Looking up, I saw the red haired elf who'd saved Kili.  I looked away, too upset to accept her offer.  She sat down beside the door, with her back to me.  "I've never come across another shapeshifter since Skyrena..."  She looked over at me.  "I'm Tauriel."  I rested my chin on my arm.

"Nice to meet you, I believe."  Noting the venom in my voice, I felt bad, thinking about how she'd saved Kili in the woods.  "Thanks for saving our friend from the spiders..."  She smiled a little.

"It was nothing..."  I thought back to how easily she'd disposed of the spiders and couldn't hold back a slight smile.

"I'm sure."  She frowned a little.

"What's that supposed to mean?"  I shrugged.

"You made it look as easy as walking backwards..."  She raised an eyebrow at me and smiled slightly.

"Legolas said you were different from the others...  Though, he was confused about your treatment of him earlier."  I shrugged.

"Technically, he's the one who'd have killed me before letting the spiders get me.  After all, didn't you see the way he treated me in the woods?  How can I trust him?"  She laughed a little and turned towards me.

"Legolas takes his job very seriously...  However, he is unhappy with the way King Thraudril is treating you shapeshifters.  He's especially upset about Skyrena."  I looked down the way at Skyrena, who was pacing in her cell.

"What did she ever do to get banished?"  Tauriel sighed and looked down at the ground.

"She was a shapeshifter...  That's all."  I frowned at her.

"It's not necessarily her fault.  It's not necessarily like it's her fault she's a shapeshifter..."  Tauriel nodded in agreement.

"I know...  King Thraudril was afraid of her.  After he banished her, he went to consult with Lord Elrond of Rivendell and found what his books said about shapeshifters.  That's when he came to regret banishing Skyrena, but, by that time, we couldn't figure out where she was.  So, he vowed he'd find her one day and try to redeem himself.  However, he has a grudge against the line of Durin."  I rolled my eyes.

"Who doesn't anymore...?"  She looked up at me.

"You're only in here because King Thraudril knows you won't join his kingdom unless someone makes you.  And, from what I've seen, the only people who can make you is Skyrena and Thorin."  She stood up and nodded at the blanket and bowl of soup, which sat by the door.  "Until I come back..."  With that, she was gone.  I watched her head down to Skyrena and smiled a little.

This must be the she-elf Legolas told me about during our journey.  The one who eventually fell in love with Kili...  Now, I knew I had to save him.  Someone as kind as Tauriel did't deserve to face the same sadness I knew I'd feel if I had to watch Fili and Kili die.  Below me, Skyrena began to sing the song she taught me as a child.

"Far over, the Misty Mountains rise..."

*Thorin's Pov-

"Provisions..."  A tall, blond elf stood at my door, holding a bowl of soup and a blanket.  Clearly, the elves wanted us to live.  I turned my back to him, my mind on Skyrena and Era.  The elf set down the items and stayed by the door.  "Have you made a decision on the matters of your company?"  I turned and glared at him.

"What is it to you, elf...?"  He shrugged.

"Skyrena was my childhood friend.  I would like to see my father not have to kill her, dwarf.  As for the others..."  He shrugged.  "The only other one I actually care about is the other shapeshifter."  I faced him held his gaze.

"What makes you think your father's deal are the only options we have?  Skyrena is smart...  She may find a way out of here."  He narrowed his eyes.

"We have guards all over the palace and the woods.  She wouldn't get far, then..."  He looked down at the ground.  "I don't think my father would be very forgiving this time around."  I rolled my eyes as he looked back at me.  "You love her, don't you?"