The Wanderer

Chapter Four

Swiftly, I journeyed down the halls of the great realm and returned to the dungeons. There, I found Tauriel addressing an elven guard.

"Where is the keeper of the keys?" Tauriel appeared agitated, but I sensed a hint of relief in her voice. I assumed she was glad that the charming dwarf had escaped, but it would be best if I did not confront her about it, at least not yet.

"The cellar," I responded for the guard. Tauriel turned to see who had answered her and spotted me standing there.

"Lady Farren." Tauriel nodded to acknowledge my presence, then sped off towards the cellar.

"Tauriel," I called to her, slightly panicked at her speed, "Is there command from the king?"

Tauriel and her fellow guards paused for her to speak to me. "There is. We must catch the dwarves and those responsible for their release. They do not leave King Thranduil's realm."

"Do you not think that the king's actions are rash? The dwarves are in need of help, not hindrance."

She stiffened at my words as the other guards look to her, waiting for a command. If she were to say to let the dwarves go, I very much doubted her kin would listen. They had orders from the king, and he greatly outranked Tauriel.

"It has been commanded by the king. We must," Tauriel finally said, then she sped off with the guards in tow. I wish I could stall them longer, but there was nothing to be done.

After the guards had left, I ran to the main hall of the palace, where the secret entrance was located. I traveled up the flight of stairs to the door and burst through it into the open air.

Rieka laid where I had left her, but when she saw my hurried entrance, she sprang to her feet. I ignored her as I rushed to the riverside, searching for the band of dwarves. There, the once wine-filled barrels were being carried down the river in the violent current. The watergate was just in front of them, they were almost there.

Before the dwarf-laiden barrels could cross the gate, I heard the shout of an elven voice, commanding that the gates be shut.

"Not yet!" I shouted, but my voice could only be heard by Rieka. She did not show any confusion in her face, she already knew what was happening, once again showing her superior intelligence.

Together, we ran to the guardpost that guarded the gate. The elves upon the post were pulling a lever to close the gate, so I ran faster, urging my legs to work harder.

The gate had barely closed with Rieka pounced on the elven guard, knocking him over and leaving the lever free. I grabbed it and started to pull it in the other direction, but the sudden sound of a painful gasp stopped me.

I looked over and saw the other guard, the one who had not been tackled by Rieka, had an arrow sprouting from his back. He collapsed to the ground, dead. An orc cry resounded in the area.

My hands went slack at the sound. Not orcs; not now. But they were there, and there were a lot of them. The orcs swarmed the bridge, taking out any elf they saw. I let go of the lever and drew my sword, ready for a fight.

The orcs surrounded me and Rieka in seconds. Rieka growled at the orcs behind me as I blocked the attack by a smaller orc. I kicked the orc square in the chest and knocked it off the edge.

Another orc came at me, but I was too quick. With a swift flick, the orcs head was removed from its shoulders. More and more enemies fell onto me and I fought each one with a fierce determination. Rieka did the same.

Some way through the battle, I spotted the dwarf who had charmed Tauriel climb onto the bridge and knock back orcs with a stolen sword. He battled to reach the lever, and right as he was about to pull back the object, a black arrow pierced his leg. He cried out in pain and tried to pull the lever back, but collapsed onto his back instead.