Don't Let Me Go

Chapter 17

Haiii guys! I was beyond excited to be writing this chapter for you all. Thank you guys (I know I say 'you guys' a lot but you can't really blame a girl from South Jersey, eh? XD) for staying tuned in and being so supportive! I'm currently working on the next chapter :) Ah, I cannot wait. Oh, some changes to the plot that you may have noticed already - There will be NO Tauriel in this fanfiction. She is a very badass female, but I feel if I put her in, I'll have to add the romance and no, just no. Well, how are you guys doing? Feel free to message me!

Mirkwood was hardly the way I had remembered it - dark and sick. It was sick long before I arrived in this world, but the death of the Queen had make it worse. There is a tale I would often here when in the Woodland Realm, and often Mira, Mai and I would speak of it. The soul of an Elf lives in the trees, and when an Elf dies, so does the tree. I thought it was just a legend, but seeing the sick trees and dead bushes made the legend a reality.

"The path goes this way." As the dwarves, Bilbo, and I keep following the path through the forest, it twists and turns over all sorts of terrain such as bare ground, high ledges, fallen tree trunks, and more. Dwalin thumps the handle of his hammer on the ground to find the paving stones of the trail.

"This way." He claims as we continue walking. I hear the leaves crunch beneath me, and I feel the rough bark of the trees I pass.

"Air. I need air."

"My head, it's spinning." The dwarves suddenly run into each other as Nori, in front, stops abruptly. Woah, OK - what's going on?

"What's happening?"

"Keep moving. Nori, why have we stopped?"

"The path...it's disappeared!"

"What's going on?" Dwalin questioned, stumbling forward.

"We've lost the path!" Oin claims as he shoves his hearing trumpet in his ear. I examine the area, and we are standing in front of a steep cliff, and there is no path ahead of us. Well, that's just bloody great!

"Find it. All of you look. Look for the path!" The dwarves wander through the forest. The forest is beginning to affect them mentally, and they stagger about.

"I don't remember this place before. None of it's familiar."

"It's got to be here."

"What hour is it?"

"I do not know. I don't even know what day it is."

"Is there no end to this accursed place?"

The dwarves are all muttering and rambling as they wander about. Bilbo absentmindedly plucks a spiderweb; it vibrates, and the vibrations continue through the various linked spiderwebs and far off into the forest. As we're walking, I turn around to check on Bilbo and I see Mira and Mai walking behind me happily with bright smiles. I nearly fall back onto Ori, but luckily he catches me and pats my back. I feel a headache start to invade and I whimper in pain; migraines are the worst.

"Are you alright, Miss Maia?" He asks, and forces a smile.

"Of course, I just tripped is all." I lie, and rub the tiredness from my eyes. Ori leans down and picks up a tobacco pouch. Dori then takes it from him.

"Look."

"A tobacco pouch. There's dwarves in these woods." Bofur takes the pouch from Dori.

"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine." Bofur examines the pouch closely.

"Because it is yours. You understand? We're going round in circles. We are lost." Bilbo growls, and I keep walking.

"We're not lost. We keep heading east." Someone protests.

"But which way is east? We've lost the sun." As the dwarves begin bickering indistinctly, Bilbo looks up and sees a bit of sun through the tree canopy far above him. He speaks quietly, and no one else can hear him over the bickering. I try to pay attention, but the headache has progressively worsened.

"The sun. We have to find the sun. Up there. We need to-" The dwarves have started fighting and pushing each other around. Thorin stands apart, listening.

"What? What's that?" The whispering continues and I hold my head in my hands as the headache progresses, and gets worse.

"Enough! Quiet! All of you! We're being watched." Thorin growls, and suddenly, I hear someone calling for me. I turn and see Mira and Mai standing on a elevated rock ahead, and it seems the two haven't aged a day. Is it really them?

"Maia, follow us." Mira's words were soothing to the soul, and I could help but feel compelled to listen and do as told. I shuffled through the trees, and over the rocks until I reached the spirits. Were they spirits or were they alive? I followed the two Assassins through the trees, over the small streams, and around bushes until Mira and Mai turned to me.

"We must go. Good luck!" All of the sudden, the two Assassins had basically evaporated before my eyes. I looked around, confused, and I felt a breakdown coming. Elves dropped from the trees and I screamed bloody murder as I fell back to the ground and curled into a ball, scared for my life. Why was I like this? Get your act together, Maia, and fight to the death!

"Maia… what are you doing here?" A elf questioned as he quickly approached, and I peaked out to examine him. He was tall and slim, his hair a dusty brown color, and short, and his bright green eyes gave the forest some life. Elijah, also known as Eli, and Mira's betrothed.

"Elijah… I don't know w-where I am, what I-I'm doing here, or where my companions are at the-the moment. I need your help!" I cried as tears flowed down my cheeks. I was tired, lost, and hungry, and I just needed help.

"Captain Elijah, what should we do with the prisoner?" A fellow elf asked as he drew back his bowstring, ready to fire.

"Hold your fire!" Elijah orders as he kneels down beside me. I wipe my tears quickly and sniffle as Elijah brings me into his arms. I feel my body succumbing to the tired feeling and I allow my eyes to droop. Nearly passing out, I hear a few words exchanged.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Not even an Assassin could withstand the darkness of Mirkwood… not like this."

So, how did I do? Feel free to review and tell me, and take note I'm open to criticism :D whatever helps me improve as a writer. I really wanna talk to all of you guys. Goodness. You make my day.