In the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies, Thranduil finds the world within his Halls empty. He struggles to come to terms with the absence of his only child and the loss of the one he raised as if she were his own daughter. He begins to r...
Thranduil's army reach the caves of the Mirkwood Mountains to find Tauriel near death. The slave trader Lochinvar and most of his men have fled. With heavy heart, Legolas resurfaces in Imladris and has no knowledge of what is happening within the Woodland Realm. Elrond must now figure out how to counsel the young prince and repair whatever rift may have formed between father and son.
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The irregular breezes seemed to ease the heaviness of the mists within the forest as they pressed forward, bringing with them tantalizing but brief wisps of fresh air. While they were far more aggressive, the smaller shelob (spiders) seemed less willing to attack once Thranduil ordered the search groups to close ranks making them less appealing. The ground had begun a slow upward slant and the trees had already started to thin somewhat, a sign they were nearing the more rocky terrain of the foothills.
"There may still be goblins about." Aldalómë said quietly, moving closer to Thranduil. "These mountains are riddled with small caves."
"Pull the scouts back and close the ranks tighter." Thranduil told him, scanning the tree tops as he listened for signs of the shelob (spiders). "Have the archers fall back once we lose the cover of the forest."
Scanning the tree line in front of him, Thranduil felt the tingle of anticipation begin to prickle across his skin as he mentally prepared himself. Yet his gut twisted with the trepidation of what they might encounter, humans were far more dangerous than the shelob (spiders).
Tirithiáël had been very clever to conceal his plot behind the guise of numerous yet seemingly unrelated tasks known only to those responsible for carrying them out. The only thing Thranduil knew with any certainty was that he had been foolish or reckless enough to put his trust in the greed of ruthless bounty hunters and slave traders whose loyalties were only to themselves. The scouts had recovered two bodies not far from where they found Häëmir. Elvändéruil and the others had managed to kill four others at the outpost, yet he still did not know how many others remained. It was the slave trader Lochinvar that concerned him most as he was known for his penchant for trading elves and having a long reach west of the Misty Mountains.
Catching sight of Aldalómë as he made his way back toward him, Thranduil lifted his sword at his nod, giving the signal to advance, leaving the cover of the forest. The tension within him tightened even more as they moved out into the open, exposing themselves as they traversed the two mile distance to the base of the mountains. Moving quickly, he watched the wave as they reached the mountain, splitting off into single file lines like an army of ants moving up over a mound.
"Get her up now!" Lochinvar hissed angrily, striding purposefully into the cave. "Damn it!" He cursed loudly, stopping in his tracks as he stared at the empty space against the far wall. "Find them!" He hissed as Ardara and Bjorn nearly tripped over themselves rushing into the cave behind him. "They can't be far. Search the ledges, now damn it!"
"You will pay for this!" He growled angrily, grabbing Ardara's neck, choking him as he hurled the smaller body toward the back of the cave.
True fear gripped him as Lord Ortäuré heard the Northman's angry cursing and the heavy rush of footsteps into the outer part of the cave. The slight fissure in the rock wall had been barely wide enough for him to squeeze through and he prayed they wouldn't notice it. Clenching his jaw, he pulled Tauriel's now unconscious body upward toward the narrow crawl space on the rock ledge. The strong metallic scent of blood and the sticky feeling in his hand told him her wound had reopened and she was bleeding. Pushing her into the back of the crevice, he used his body to shield her as he pressed tightly against the thick poultice to stifle the blood flow.
