Daughter of Starlight

Chapter Twenty Four: To Gundabad

Legolas stood in the midst of the crowd of Lakemen all gathering their belongings and loved ones together, readying themselves for the journey to a safer place. The night before, he had witnessed their town go up in flames. Now it seemed that only half of the citizens of Laketown had survived, and they all needed a place to go, a place which Bard already had in mind.

"Where will you go?" the elven prince asked the bowman who he knew had slain the dragon, a man who was humble enough that he asked for no praise. His only intention was to get his fellow Lakemen to safety.

Bard met his questioning gaze, then looked to a lone mountain peak in the distance on the other side of the lake. "There is only one place."

So that's where he was taking them. To the Lonely Mountain. To Erebor.

"The mountain," a rather short man with black hair that hung in greasy clumps around his face spoke. The more he talked, the more Legolas found he extremely disliked him. He thought he'd heard someone call him Alfrid. "You are a genius, Sire. We can take refuge inside the mountain. It might smell a bit of dragon, but the women can clean it up. We'll be safe, and warm, and dry. We'll have full stores. Bedding. Clothing." He stopped to study Bard's reaction, then said, "A little bit of gold."

Bard looked down at Alfrid disgustedly. "What gold is in that mountain is cursed. We will take only what was promised to us, only what we need to rebuild our lives." And with that he dumped a large quantity of firewood into Alfrid's arms, leaving him to stumble under the weight of his newfound workload.

Bard headed back in Legolas's direction, and the prince stood next to him as he said, "News of the death of Smaug will have spread through the lands."

"Aye," the bowman said, gazing across the lake at the Lonely Mountain once again.

"Others will now look to the mountain," Legolas said. "For its wealth, or its position."

Bard finally met his grim gaze. "What is it you know?"

"Nothing for certain," Legolas admitted. "It's what I fear may come." Judging from the look on the bowman's face, he knew exactly what the elf prince was talking about.

Despite Legolas's fear, Bard was still set on going to the Lonely Mountain and collecting what riches the dwarf king had promised him and his fellow Lakemen. Legolas could do nothing to sway him from going, so he turned away and began walking through the crowd to look for Tauriel. While he looked for her, apprehension swirled inside him. His sister was headed for the very same mountain these people were, and he could do nothing thing to help her if anything happened to her. He hated how they had parted ways through an argument, and he had told her things he was ashamed of. He feared that he would never be able to make it up to her before the battle he was sure would come began.

Legolas soon found Tauriel, and he was able to get the grim thoughts that tormented him out of his mind for the moment.

"You saw something out there," Tauriel said as the two elves made their way through the crowd, picking up on the other thoughts that occupied him.

"The orc I pursued out of Lake-town, I know who he is," he said. "Bolg. Spawn of Azog the Defiler. A warg pack was waiting for him on the outskirts of Esgaroth. They fled into the north." The elf prince wore a look that showed his confusion and dread. "These orcs were different from the others. They wore a mark I have not seen for a long time. The mark of Gundabad."

"Gundabad?" Tauriel asked, a look of fear on her face. She had never heard the word, but the way her prince spoke it made her apprehensive.

"An orc stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains," Legolas told her.

The two elves conversation was interrupted by the words uttered in the elvish tongue, "My Lord Legolas."

Tauriel and Legolas directed their gazes to the Silvan elf upon a white horse trotting up to them. It was clear that he was of the Woodland Realm.

"I bring word from your father," the Silvan elf continued. "You are to return to him immediately."

Legolas nodded, saying, "Come, Tauriel," as he began to turn and look for a horse, but the Silvan elf stopped him.

"My Lord," he said, a grim look on his face. "Tauriel is banished."

"Banished?" the elf prince asked in disbelief, but the Silvan elf's face betrayed nothing other than what he had said was true. Legolas's face grew cold as he told the elf, "You may tell my father if there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me."

"Legolas," Tauriel said softly, looking at him imploringly. "It is your king's command." She did not want his father's wrath upon him as it was upon her.

Legolas looked at the she-elf determinedly as he said, "Yes, he is my king, but he does not command my heart." His words conveyed so many things at the same time. His love for Tauriel, which he now knew would never be returned, but he didn't care anymore. As long as she knew how he felt. He also spoke of his beloved sister, who had also been banished unjustly. Every person he had ever cared for in the Woodland Realm was gone, and therefore he had no need nor desire to go back.

"I ride north," he said, resuming his search for a horse. "Will you come with me?"

"To where?" Tauriel asked. He knew it did not matter where he went, she would always go with him, but she still wanted to know.

"To Gundabad," Legolas said, and with that they found a horse and rode out of the crowd of surviving Lakemen. They were headed for Gundabad.