Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The murky waters of the lake held one reflection amongst its barren surface of a small barge harbouring just one person. Her dreaded hair was lengthy and tied back into a bun to prevent it being infested by dirt and other atrocities. She had been sent by the local physician in the town to collect the herbs for the masters medicine at the elven border. The surgery, as he called it, was the dirtiest dingiest and most disgusting rat hole in the town... and to think she once danced through meadows in the moonlight. Now she wouldn't even risk going bare foot.
She approached the dock and tied the rigging up to stop her boat floating away. She wandered through the underbrush before reaching the elven outpost and picking up the two crates of herbs. As she turned to head back she was overcame by the sound of a pair of light footsteps, she knew immediately it was elves by the lightness of their feet, so she didn't think anything of it.
As she wandered back to the dock she spotted two elves standing by it. She completely disregarded them as she stepped on deck and placed the crates on the wooden planks that had always felt unsteady too her. Even with the impending danger of falling through the floor, she still would do anything to get out of her vile place of work.
"We need to use your barge, we will pay you." She looked back at the two elves and investigated them for a moment. Both from Mirkwood obviously, however, the female elleth had been a Silvan elf. In terms of hierarchy she was of low standing. So why on Earth was a Sinda elf with her, a royal one too. "What business do two heavily armed elves have entering Laketown?" "It is no business of your own, we merely ask for transport." She chuckled a little before shaking her head.
"I don't want your money." She said before stepping on the boat and undoing the rigging attached to the dock. "Then what can we give you?" Zaya turned to them and studied them both, the female seemed very wary of the presumed human. She was different to any human they had seen before, she held an aura of complete an utter disrespect but a wisdom like no other. She was different.
And Legolas felt it too.
The mysterious woman stepped off the boat and circled the two elves, looking at their attire and contemplating. She met eyes with the princeling and smirked a little before standing in front of them with her arms crossed. "One of your daggers is all I ask in return of safe passage into the town." Legolas looked at Tauriel and before she could offer hers, Zaya cut in. "Not yours..." she looked at Tauriel before turning her attention to the male. "Yours." He clenched his jaw before unsheathing his dagger that was secured on his back with his bow and quiver. He spun it, admiring the elven craftsmanship before handing it to her. She took it in her hands and ran her hand along the engravings and held the glossed ivory handle before smiling up at them both and motioning for them to get on.
"She's just gonna sell it anyway... what a waste of a weapon." He muttered in his mothering tongue, knowing only Tauriel could understand him. How wrong he was. "You should really not judge a book by its cover, prince." She retorted and he stood tall to face the stranger. "You know Sindarin?" Tauriel asked and she smiled as an obvious answer. "How would you know the language of the elves?"
"You're paying me to take you to Laketown not answer unnecessary questions so if I were you, and actually wanted to get there, I'd keep your mouth shut." Legolas was taken aback with her incivility towards him, despite her once before calling him prince. She knew of his high stature yet she still spoke to him in such a way. Tauriel spotted the tension between them and attempted to stop any chance that their path to the town would be halted.
"Legolas." Tauriel said, gently pulling his arm to summon him away from the captain of the ship who chuckled at his surprising short temper. Not a trait to have in royalty, though he inherited it from his father. His mother was strong but patient, I suppose she balanced Thranduil's ill tempered nature.
"She's different..." Tauriel whispered, looking over to Zaya, who was looking ahead through the smog that enshrouded the town in the distance. Legolas stood and walked over to the woman before lifting a piece of her dreadlocked hair back and looking at her ears. Sure enough they were not pointed, but before he could move away he was elbowed in the gut and knocked back a few steps. She grabbed the knife she had bargained with and spun it to touch his throat. "Touch me again, royal or not, I will kill you." She threatened, a certain fear in her eyes that made him certain she hated any sort of physical contact. Tauriel pulled Legolas back gently and apologised to Zaya for his incompetence before she got back to steering the barge towards the town.
After an hour or so the tension had ceased and they had gained nearer to the town, now being able see it from the barge. Legolas spied the woman who now seemed a lot less cocky and cheerful about her seemingly misplaced wisdom. "Who are you?" He said suddenly, without even thinking about it. "My name is Zaya and that's all you're permitted to know so would be so kind as to leave me alone."
"What makes you believe you can speak to me like that?" She smirked a little, returning to her all knowing attitude. "We're not on your lands anymore you majesty, I have no obligation to show any respect for someone who has none for anyone lower then them." Legolas walked toward her once again and was ready for any attack that she would make. "Legolas what are you doing?" Tauriel said, attempting to stop him.
