Playing with Fire [Legolas/Tauriel]

9: Spiders and Dwarves

Chapter 9

Tauriel and Legolas each took two different groups into the forest. They promised to meet in the middle, after Tauriel’s portion of the Guard had killed the spiders and after Legolas’s group had captured the Dwarves.

Legolas could not help but wonder what Dwarves were doing in the forests of Mirkwood. Surely they knew of the forest’s enchantments. It did not affect elves, but Dwarves and humans alike were quite susceptible. It would make them hallucinate; even drive them mad.

But it mattered not. Either way, the Dwarves needed to captured and questioned. Legolas knew of his father’s deep hatred for their kind, and planned to welcome them appropriately.

When engaged in battle or on missions, Tauriel changed. She made sure that any arguments or differences she and Legolas may have had did not affect them in combat. They had two critical responsibilities for today, and she was not about to fail.

Finding the spider’s nest was not a difficult task. The disgusting creatures left webs and corpses in their tracks, and it took Tauriel less than a few minutes to locate the first nest.

“Spread out,” she ordered. “Find all of the nests and destroy them. We need to catch up with Legolas quickly.”

She had to admit; going on this mission had been a wonderful break from the chaos in the palace these past few days. It was here, in the forest, that she felt the most at home. She loved the way her bow flung arrows sharply and precisely into her targets, and how her twin blades made her invincible. It was her one true love: fighting alongside her kin, clearing her world of its impurities and evils.

She was halfway through the nest when she heard shouting, and she knew that Legolas had been successful. But…that is not Legolas’s voice.

The voice was deeper, more panicked. “KILI!”

From her perch, she could vaguely spot a spider cornering a brown-haired Dwarf. This must be Kili.

He was in a tough spot, the spider’s front half completely covering his upper body. He didn’t appear to have a weapon on him. Well, I guess I’d better save him.

With a furious cry, Tauriel launched herself at the last three spiders, bouncing off one, cramming her knife into the other. The third, the one behind Kili, received an arrow between its many eyes. As she was wrestling with a fourth, she heard the Dwarf Kili.

“Throw me a dagger,” he shouted. “Quick!”

Who does he think he is? “If you think I am giving you a weapon Dwarf,” she pulled the knife free and launched it behind her with her words. “You’re mistaken!”

Tauriel let out a breath of satisfaction. She could feel the Dwarf’s gaze on her, and chose not to acknowledge it. Most were amazed by the severity with which the Wood Elves fought; she was used to it.

She did take a better look at him, despite herself. He was taller than the others, with dark brown hair and a scraggly beard that suited him. His skin was tan, as most Dwarves were, but she sensed that he had been traveling for some time now. Their eyes met for a mere moment, before she returned to Legolas’s side.

 Kili’s clothes were a mess, and the other Dwarves were no luckier. They were completely covered in spider webs and forest leaves. There were at least twelve that Tauriel could see, indignant and scruffy looking. They did not, however, look surprised to have been caught by the Guard. Perhaps they had known that their journey through Mirkwood could not have been successful.