tolkien one shots

a halfling's love {thranduil} (c)

word count: 1850
"Surely you do not mean it?" Bilbo was staring at you, eyes wide. "(Y/N), you cannot remain here. I won't allow it."

You smiled at your brother, trying to feel brave. "If I do not do this, how shall you and the Company escape? Bilbo, there is no other choice. The King will be kind to me; he has already." It was true; when the Company was taken into the elvenking's palace, you were not grabbed like the rest, but rather lead. And you were not thrown into the dungeon as the others; you were given a room, albeit a locked one. You knew that the elvenking would treat you kindly, though you were not surprised that Bilbo- and the Dwarves- thought otherwise.

"I agree with the hobbit," Thorin chimed in. "The King is ruthless. He will treat you no better than he does the spiders that threaten his borders once he finds out you helped us escape."

"And who said he was going to find out?" You argued back. "I'm not going to tell him, and certainly you won't either? Considering you will be well on your way by then, my friend." You smiled again. "Now, please, we don't have much time. Get into the barrels; I will help you through the gate." You waited as Bilbo and the others came to terms with your plan; for it was the only one you had.

Bilbo was the first one to break the silence. "All right. Fine. You'll stay here- but we'll be back for you, you hear me? We'll be back." You nodded and started pushing them towards the barrels.

"Quickly now- the guards are merely drunk, not incapacitated! Hurry now!" You ushered the dwarves into the barrels, though they gave you incredulous looks. You smiled to reassure them, and Thorin gave a single nod, getting into a barrel himself. The others quickly followed, until it was just you and Bilbo. You gestured for him to get in one, but there were none left. You heard a ruckus coming from the stairs, and your eyes widened. You quickly pulled the lever, releasing the barrels into the water. "Grab onto one of the barrels!" You directed your brother, and he did so out of instinct.

"Grab on!" He held a hand out, but as you went to grab it the Elves arrived, and you quickly shut the trap door as the final barrel went through. You looked at it for a bit before turning to face the elves. One was a she-elf, with long red hair, seemingly the leader. She looked at you weirdly, and hurriedly rushed to you.

"What have you done, little one?" She said mournfully.

You held your head high. "The right thing."

She looked at you in contemplation. "Let us hope he thinks so as well." She responded, saying something in elvish to the elf next to her. He nodded and turned away, heading back up the stairs. "Little one," she started, "you must be smart. The King will not be kind to you after this."

You nodded gravely. "I am aware," you whispered.

She seemed surprised by your bravery but pushed it aside as the guard returned. They spoke in elvish before the she-elf turned back to you. "Follow me closely, halfling. And do not speak until spoken to." You nodded, waiting for her lead. With guards at your back, you left up the stairs from the cellar, knowing you were being taken to see the King. You had seen only glimpses of him; the first of which being when you arrived, and the next only because he had passed your room once as you were being fed dinner. From what you saw, he had flowing platinum hair and a slender build. Other than that you knew very little of the elvenking. You weren't even aware of his name.

It was a short trip to the throne room, and all too soon you were standing just outside the doors, waiting to be judged for your justified sins. When the doors were opened and the she-elf stepped in, she spoke to the king before saying something to the guard, who then brought you in. You were in awe of the size of the room, though your eyes were instantly drawn to the elf on the wooden throne. He wore a crown of sticks and flowers, with eyes like a day's sky that shone brighter than the sun. His features were sharp, and you found him to be rather intimidating. The King gestured to his guards and they left, until you, the she-elf, and him were the only ones left.