Forever Alone (Thranduil Fanfic)

Chapter 8 - Meetings and the Arkenstone

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while coz I ave no idea where this story is going at the moment so sorry this chapter is kind of bad.

Arriving back at the tent, the bargeman takes his leave and I turn to Thranduil.

"Thranduil, you are seriously not going to go to war over gems are you?" I ask him.

"I will if needed. They are the heirlooms of my people and if those dwarves won't give it back, I will go to war." He tells me.

I sigh and walk up to him. I look up and say "If you are going into war, I will follow you"

He wraps his arms around my waist. "I wish you wouldn't follow me to war because I want you to be safe"

"I can look after myself Thranduil" I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a small kiss. I pull back and lean my forehead against his. He smiles at me and goes for another kiss. We stay like that for a while before being interrupted by one of the guards.

"My king, my queen. Bard wishes to talk to you" the guard informs.

"Send him in" Thranduil says and then turns back to me.

I wiggle out of his arms and sit on his chair. He frowns before literally picking me up and sitting down before putting me on his lap. I blush a dark shade of red and try to hide my face. Bard comes through the tent flaps a few moments later, looking at us with raised eyebrows before speaking.

"Gandalf the Grey wishes to speak to you King Thranduil."

"Gandalf?" I question.

"Yes my lady. It has been a while" an old man's voice appears. We all turn to the tent flaps to see Gandalf with a kind smile.

"Gandalf!" I exclaim. I get off Thranduil's lap, much to his disappointment and run and hug the old man.

"Ahh, Miriel! I have missed you. You were such a small elfling the last I saw you. Look at you now. You are a queen" he says.

"Thank you" I stand next to Gandalf for the rest of the meeting.

"You must set aside your petty grievances with the Dwarves. War is coming. The cesspits of Dol Guldur have been emptied. You're all in mortal danger." Gandalf exasperates.

"What danger?" I ask.

"What are you talking about?" Bard also asks.

"I can see you know nothing of wizards. They are like winter thunder on a wild wind, rolling in from a distance breaking hard in alarm. But sometimes a storm is just a storm." Thranduil buts in.

I sigh and glare at him while he pours himself a glass of wine.

"Not this time. Armies of Orcs are on the move. These are fighters, they have been bred for war. Our enemy has summoned his full strength." Gandalf informs, I fill with worry.

"Why show his hand now?" Thranduil asks, looking towards the wizard.

"Because we forced him. We forced him when the company of Thorin Oakenshield set out to reclaim their homeland. The Dwarves were never meant to reach Erebor, Azog the Defiler was sent to kill them." We walk outside the tent and look outside. "His master seeks control of the Mountain, not just for the treasure within, but for where it lies, its strategic position. This is the gateway to reclaiming the lands of Angmar in the North. If that fell Kingdom should rise again Rivendell, Lórien, the Shire even Gondor itself will fall."

"These Orc armies you speak of, Mithrandir, where are they?" Thranduil asks, again.

We all look at him and all he does is stay silent, with an unknown emotion.

Bard now sits in the corner of the tent while I sit in the other corner. Thranduil and Gandalf however keep bickering like a married couple. Bard and I send looks to each other every now and then.

"Since when has my council counted for so little? What do you think I'm trying to do?" Gandalf says, annoyed.

"I think you're trying to save your Dwarvish friends. And I admire your loyalty to them. But it does not dissuade me from my cause. You started this, Mithrandir, you will forgive me if I finish it." Thranduil turns to one of our elven soldiers. "Are the archers in position?"

"Yes, My Lord." The elf says.

"Give the order. If anything moves on that mountain, kill it. The Dwarves are out of time." Thranduil orders.

Gandalf and Bard leave the tent, leaving Him and I.

I had enough. "Thranduil! You are being stupid"

"Miriel, stay out of this" he demands.

"No! This is madness Thranduil! Gandalf told us that there is an army coming and you don't even care?"

"I do care, but I am going to leave before those orcs come, so it doesn't concern me Miriel" he sits on his 'throne' and sips his wine.

I am about to say something else when Gandalf and Bard walk back in. Bard sits in his corner again and Gandalf stands next to a small boy. Wait. That's a Hobbit!

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the Halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards." Thranduil speaks first.

"Yeesh, sorry about that" the hobbit awkwardly shuffles his feet around.

I smile and in the corner of my eye, I see Bard with an amused expression.

"I came, to give you this" The hobbit says, walking towards the table and placing a cloth on it. He unwraps the object inside and my eyes widen.

"The heart of the mountain. The king's jewel" Thranduil says amazed. Everyone crowded around the jewel.

"And worth a king's ransom" Bard inputs. "How is this yours to give?"

"I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure." The hobbit said.

"Why would you do this? You owe us no loyalty." Bard tells him.

"I'm not doing it for you. I know that Dwarves can be obstinate and pigheaded and difficult. And suspicious and secretive with the worst manners you can possibly imagine, but they are also brave and kind and loyal to a fault. I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can. But Thorin values this stone above all else. In exchange for its return, I believe he will give you what you were owed. There will be no need for war." The hobbit explains.

I nod in agreement and I look up to see Bard and Thranduil exchanging looks. Thranduil looks at me and I raise my eyebrows at him. He gives me a small smile. I have a feeling this may work out.