❝ ADVENTURE ❞ ── Thorin Oakenshield ¹

❝ PROLOGUE ❞

▌Prologue ─ Pain ▌

━━━━━ THRANDUIL PACED AROUND while the woman he thought loved him stood staring at him. Elirien was playing with her brother, the two were outside away from the arguing. She could see the angry tracing on his face as he walked back and forth. She didn't want any of this to happen but Elirien needed to be led down a certain path.

"You shouldn't be doing this, she needs to have a family, a mother, someone to love her." Thranduil fought, stopping in his tracks to place his eyes on Faesys.

"No, she needs to believe that I am dead, that you don't love her. Come up with something, make her believe." Faesys walked up to Thranduil grabbing a hold of his hands and holding them in hers. "Her father and I know very well what she is truly destined for. She will know the truth when the time is right. Everything she thinks she knows needs to be fabricated into a lie."

"Then I suggest you leave." Thranduil's words weren't meant to be harsh but they were. Though Faesys didn't blame him. She had just broken his heart for the second time since they had been together.

"Nin mel, please." Faesys lifted her hands from his and placed them on his face holding his face in place so he couldn't look away from her.

"Im am ú- cín mel, im never was." Thranduil pulled himself away from his Queen. Though she was no longer his Queen. "Go, go now. I will deal with Elirien." His words stung but she gave him a nod.

"I never meant to hurt you, my love, know that, please." With those words the woman turned around and walked down the steps leaving Thranduil to bask in his pain. Legolas and Elirien returned to their father; both had been looking for Faesys. Thranduil placed his eyes on the children before him, one his own spawn and the other not even remotely related to him.

Elirien looked up at Thranduil, the small child saw no emotion on his face which was odd to her considering that she alway saw it on his face. Suddenly something felt off to her, Elirien stepped closer to Thranduil who was still glaring at her. He was thinking of the correct words that would hurt her enough to make her leave and never come back. But he knew nothing he could see would cause her to do that so he would have to ban her from the kingdom.

"Elirien, from this day forward you are banned from this kingdom. Never again to step foot in this home." Thranduil moved to Elirien looking at her. The tears were burning her eyes as she tried to fight them back. "I never want to see you again, you are the reason your mother is gone." His words broke her and himself. He had never meant to take it that far but he had done so.

Elirien took a breath in and exhaled it, she shook her head not wanting to believe the words that had just come out of his mouth. How was her mother dead? She was fine, at least she seemed fine. And why had Thranduil been acting so cold to her all of a sudden? Sure it was common here and there but never like this, never as cold as the words had been.

"Why?" Elirien questioned, through a strained voice.

"Because I loved your mother and you took her away from me." He had raised his voice to her. "Go! Leave now!"

Elirien backed away from the King as he held onto Legolas who was trying to run after her, trying to get her to stay. He didn't want to see his sister leave him behind alone. Elirien ran down the steps heading for her room, grabbing whatever she could. And when she had everything she needed she took off running into the forest and leaving everything behind.

Elirien had spent a few months on her own, after Thranduil had kicked her out of her home. Or better yet the place that she thought was her home, but had in fact not been her home. It was in her luck the Gandalf had found her just when she needed the right kind of saving. He took her in and started to teach her his ways. She was going down the path she had always been destined for.

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Elirien was currently resting in a barn with Alice next to her. The horse was of course asleep and as of right now she had been her only friend. The Elf was finding it hard to sleep that night because of the rain. Sometimes she could sleep through the rain, but other nights she couldn't. And this happened to be one of those nights where she just couldn't get sleep.

It was windy outside which also wasn't helping the fact that she couldn't get sleep. Elirien had been on the road for a few months. She was attempting to head back home but for some reason something was stopping her. Rustling could be heard coming from outside, which caused the brunette to jump slightly.

Leaning up from the hay that she had been laying on she grabbed a hold of her bow and notched an arrow into it pulling it back and holding it in front of her body. The arrow was aimed at the door as she waited for whoever she heard outside to come into the barn that she was in. The handle started to jingle a little bit and eventually the door was opened.

Elirien released a heavy sigh and lowered her bow when she saw Gandalf standing across from her as the rain touched down on the mud behind him. He stepped into the barn and closed the door, he looked at the Elf as she placed her arrow and bow back down on the ground. Then Elirien sat back down on the hay waiting for Gandalf to speak.

"You've been traveling for quite some time, my dear." Gandalf stated as he sat down across from her.

Elirien released a soft smile. "Oh, you know me. I need to get out and about to keep my mind of the fact that my mother is dead and my father banned me from my own kingdom. I can't even go back and see my friend, unless I travel around it but that'll take much longer and I don't have the time for it." Elirien remarked, not noticing the look Gandalf had given her when she mentioned her mother and her father.

"How would you like to go on an adventure?" The wizard was quick to change the subject to something else. This seemed to perk her interest, she leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees.

"What kind of adventure are we talking about, Gandalf?"

"I'm sure by now you've heard about the tales of the kingdom under the mountain and what had happened to it?"

"I've heard the stories. What does this have to do with anything?"

"I've been acquired to gather some help, and I believe that you could help the Dwarves reclaim their home."

"Let me guess, Thorin Oakenshield is trying to get his home back?"

"He is, and I want you to help him."

"Why? What's in it for me?" Elirien turned her head slightly, a curious look on her face.

"You'll get an adventure, one that I know you've been searching for." Elirien took in his words and really thought about what he had been telling her. She had to take the risk even if she knew that the Dwarves didn't like her kin.

"Where am I headed?"

Elirien watched the smile that pulled onto Gandalf's lips. "Excellent my dear. You'll be heading to the Shire, look for a mark on the door, you'll know when you see it. Get a good night's rest."

"I'll try." Elirien watched as the wizard stood up and walked out of the barn leaving her alone with Alice again. Eventually sleep filled her eyes and she was able to go into a dream-like state for the remainder of the night.