Adventure of a Lifetime: VOL 1

Part 2: Chapter 5

            Except, there were no dwarves when the two women arrived in the cells. Each one was empty. "Where is the keeper of the keys?" Tauriel asks angrily, though Willow is not sure if she is angry or afraid. She follows Tauriel into the cellars, where the keeper of the keys is waking up from a drunken slumber. A trapdoor in the floor is closing as they arrive. Seeing as they are surrounded by barrels, Willow can only assume that the trap door releases empty ones. Only, this time they contained dwarves, and quite possibly a hobbit. "Go up those stairs, out the door. Follow the river to the gate. I will meet you there," Tauriel instructs Willow. The young woman nods, sprinting up the stairs. She bursts through the door, Legolas already outside, one of his captains blowing a horn. "Willow," he warns, but the young woman is already gone. She follows Tauriel's instructions, navigating beside the river. She looks over towards the gate. The few elves guarding it are about to attack the dwarves when suddenly, a long, black shaft pierces ones helmet. Willow's eyes widen, orcs climbing over the wall, killing the elves that stand there. Willow draws her bow, shooting one from afar. Fili spins around in his barrel. "Willow!" He shouts. "Willow's here!" Balin shouts, but the dwarves attention is diverted to the immediate threat of death. Willow runs faster, drawing her sword. She climbs a tree, swinging from branch to branch, landing on the rocks beside the gate. She swings and spins through the orcs, finally climbing up the stone gate. As soon as she reaches the top, a strangled cry can be heard just below her. She looks down, and there falls Kili, a long arrow stuck in his leg. "Kili! "Fili cries. Willow jumps down, stabbing an orc headed for Kili, as Tauriel emerges from the trees with a group of elves. Willow leans down, touching Kili on the shoulder. "I'm alright," he grunts, brushing off her concern. "I'll have a look at that later," Willow assures him, stabbing an orc behind her. "I'm sure you will," Kili sighs with a pained smile. "Took you long enough!" She shouts, jumping towards the red-haired elf. "That looks good on you," Tauriel grins, shooting an orc behind Willow. "Kili's been shot, Tauriel," Willow breathes. "What?" Tauriel gasps, looking past Willow at Kili. With a cry, he stands and pulls the lever down, opening the gate. Willow jumps back up to him. "Willow! Kili! The barrels!" Fili calls. Willow looks back and forth between Tauriel, Legolas, and Fili. "Willow, come with us," Kili begs. Willow smiles sadly at him. "I can't leave them to suffer. I will find you," she says, pushing Kili over the edge and into his barrel, the arrow snapping off. "I will find both of you." Fili looks up at her, their eyes meeting before his barrel floats under the bridge and down the waterfall.

Willow trails the orcs and dwarves with Legolas and Tauriel, swinging across the trees. Willow is smaller than the other elves, and struggles to keep up. When she finally reaches Tauriel, the elder elf is holding one of the orcs captive with her knives. "Leave him alive," Legolas says as Willow skids to a halt, panting. Legolas raises an eyebrow. "What? I'm only half elf, and quite small at that!" She huffs, her attention turning to the orc. "You've seen this one before?" Tauriel asks, raising her eyebrows. "Yes," Willow gulps. "They have been tracking the dwarves since before they reached Rivendell. I saw him, sitting with Azog, when they nearly drove us off a cliff." Legolas places a steady hand on Willow's shoulder, the young woman trembling with fear. "We must take it to my father. He will want all the information he can get out of it," Legolas says. Willow looks down river, where the dwarves are rounding the bend, out of sight. Legolas' hand squeezes her shoulder. "Come," he says. Willow looks down the river, then back to Legolas and Tauriel. She sighs, roughly grabbing one of the arms of the orc. Tauriel nods, the pair dragging the orc back to Mirkwood behind Legolas.

"Such is the nature of evil. Out there in the vast ignorance of the world it festers and spreads," Thranduil begins. Legolas holds the orc steady, Willow and Tauriel standing off to the side. "A shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black, as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was. So will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth," Thranduil continues. "You were tracking a company of 13 Dwarves. Why?" Legolas asks. "Not 13. Not anymore," the orc sneers, looking directly at Willow and Tauriel. "The young one." Kili. "The black-haired archer." Anyone but Kili. "We stuck him with a Morgul shaft." Willow gasps. "The poison's in his blood. He'll be choking on it soon." "Answer the question, filth," Tauriel spits. "No!" Willow whispers, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Kili's been poisoned, and none of the dwarves have the skill to heal it. "I would not antagonize them," Legolas warns as the orc spits at Willow and Tauriel's feet. "You like things, Orc?" Tauriel asks, slowly walking towards the orc. "You like death?" Her daggers poised behind her forearms. "Then let me give it to you!" She lunges, stopping mere centimeters from the orcs face. "Tauriel! Willow! Leave us!" Thranduil instructs. Tauriel hesitates, her face ridden with disgust as she stares at the orc. Willow runs down the steps. Legolas looks after her, feeling the pain and fear radiating from her. Tauriel turns away from the orc, walking swiftly after the young woman. Legolas watches, knowing full well that one of them will not be staying here long.

Tauriel catches up to Willow, the young woman breaking into sobs. "Come now, Willow. We must hurry if we are to save our dwarves," Tauriel whispers, gently wiping the young woman's tears. "We're going after them?" Willow sniffles. "Yes, my dear. We are," Tauriel smiles, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Willow nods enthusiastically, hurrying after Tauriel as they head towards the main gate. "Where are you going?" A guard tries to stop them, but Tauriel brushes him off. "Tauriel!" He calls, but the women pay him no mind. Willow follows Tauriel through the forest, the pair following the river and the orc tracks. They come to a clearing, a rocky beach covered in blood. The carcass of a deer creates most of the blood. "The orcs must have gotten hungry," Tauriel remarks. Willow gets close to the ground. "The dwarves were here," she says. She dips the tip of her finger in a small pool of blood, slightly darker than the rest. "Kili sat here, someone bandaged his wound," she looks up at Tauriel. Suddenly, Tauriel spins around, drawing her bow. Willow turns, Legolas stands behind them, his bow drawn. "I thought you were an orc," Tauriel jests. "If I were an orc, you both would be dead," Legolas smiles, the pair lowering their weapons. "Tauriel, you cannot hunt 30 orcs just the two of you," Legolas says. "But there are not just two of us," she replies. "You knew I would come," Legolas remarks. Tauriel nods. "The king is angry, Tauriel. For 600 years my father protected you, favored you," Legolas says. "You defied his orders. You betrayed his trust." Willow stands off to the side, watching. "Come back with me, and he will forgive you," Legolas says. "But I will not. The king has never let orc filth roam our lands, yet he would let this pack cross our borders, kill our prisoners," Tauriel replies. "It is not our fight," Legolas says. "It is our fight. It is everyone's fight, Legolas," Willow speaks up. "It will not end here. With every victory, this evil will grow," Tauriel continues. "If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light, and let darkness descend." Tauriel looks over to Willow. "Are we not part of this world? Just as she is, just as they are?" Legolas tilts his head, listening. "Tell me, mellon. When did we let evil become stronger than us?" Tauriel asks. "Legolas, my friend is dying. Please," Willow begs. Legolas walks up to her, his tall figure towering over her petite one. "If we are to save him, we must hurry. It will take us longer to reach Laketown than they did," he says after a moment. Tauriel smiles, and Willow breathes a sigh of relief. There may yet be a chance for Kili.

A/N: Awe, Legolas is so nice to Willow. We're nearing the end of Part 2! What do you think we have in store next?