✓ | Forget-Me-Not ~ Fili FanFiction / Hobbit FanFiction / Fili FF

「 Chapter 26 」

Her legs and feet already ached a bit from the many jumps and the rocky ground. But Ilèyn kept running and did not allow her body to prevent her from catching up with the dwarfs.
She knew where the river would lead the barrels and who would be waiting for them there. She also knew that the pack of orcs was right behind her and she had to see that she made up enough time.
The river beside her calmed down as she left the rugged surroundings of Mirkwood and approached the valley. She couldn't have fallen far behind the dwarves, which meant that she should find them at the mouth of the river in the Long Lake east of Mirkwood.
What would Thorin and the others think of her return?
With Fili and Kili she was sure that they would forgive her and that they would take her back into their ranks without hesitation.
She was just as sure about Bilbo, Bofur, Balin and Nori.
If she thought it right, her doubts lay solely with Thorin himself. He had invited her to remain a member of the company. But a lot had happened since then. Quite a lot of unsightly...
She had noticed how closely he followed her actions. And whenever she talked to Fili, it seemed as if Oakenshield wanted to push himself into the conversation at any cost or want to remove his nephew from her.
The high rocks between which the river had dug subsided and soon the clear river water gushed directly at Ilèyn's feet.
She had reached the valley and was looking for a way to get to the estuary as quickly as possible. She stayed on the bank, kept peering over to the other side of the river and listening intently into the forest right next to her. At any moment the orcs could attack her. She really hated to travel with that in mind.

It rustled.
Ilèyn immediately dived into the shelter of a rock, bow at hand, an arrow ready to shot.
Beside her the river murmured down the river bed, the trees rustled softly.
Ilèyn's eyes darted feverishly between the trees, the river bank and the path she had come.
Another rustle, followed by a crack.
Ilèyn jumped out from behind the rock and aimed at the source of the sound.
"Stop!" rang out from behind a tree.
Ilèyn narrowed her eyes.
"Who's there?" she shouted tense. "Show yourselves!"
A figure appeared from behind the tree, bow and arrow at hand, aiming at Ilèyn's head. Gray eyes stared over at her, filled more with fear than courage. Her head was adorned with dark blond hair, decorated with small braids, and pointed ears peeked out from under her hair. Long fingers held the bowstring in a rather shaky grip.
Both stood facing each other, both aimed at each other, both had fixed their eyes on the person opposite.
"It is you..." the elf girl said "Ilèyn..."
The dwarf slowly lowered the bow.
"Diari...?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes..." the elf said and a smile crept onto her face. She put the weapon down and started laughing softly.
"It really is you!" she burst out joyfully and she came running towards the dwarf. The Elf held her in a tight hug, which was so strong that Ilèyn pressed out a groan of help. The difference in size lifted Ilèyn's feet off the ground.
"Oh, sorry, sorry." Diari said then and put Ilèyn down again. "Body contact and all that... I know." Embarrassed, she scratched one of her pointy ears.
Diari was arguably the only person in Thranduil's palace that Ilèyn knew better than anyone else. At least as far as the time before Ilèyn's exile was concerned. From the beginning they learned together, hunted together, fought together. The young Elf had always been a lively, happy, open and confident contemporary, all qualities that Ilèyn had very little in herself.
The dwarf had been the more combative, a bit stubborn, obstinate one, and also a talented healer. They were the perfect team and complemented each other perfectly. Ilèyn showed Diari tricks in combat, explained trapping and other things to her.
Diari, on the other hand, had supported her in all situations that Ilèyn could not deal with, especially after the death of her mother.
The open-hearted manner and the happiness that Diari brought out into the world had always been very strange to Ilèyn. She couldn't imagine showing emotion in any way. Diari had often tried to explain to her how it was with emotions and Ilèyn had tried to understand. Many evenings and nights had been filled with conversations and discussions about just everything.

"Yeah... don't worry." Ilèyn said, amused, when the Elf put her down again and smiled slightly at her. "It's really me, Diari. I'm happy to see you!"
"I just can't believe it! When the palace guards whispered that Ilèyn had returned, I didn't dare to hope that you would be here again."
"Why are you down here in the valley. And then also alone?" Ilèyn asked "A horde of orcs is after me, they will be here soon. I have no time, I have to catch up with the dwarves."
Ilèyn took Diari by the arm.
"You have to get out of here before they find you, Diari." she said seriously.
"I know about the orcs, I..." Diari searched for the right words "I didn't believe the guard... I just had to convince myself that it is you."
"I wish I could tell you everything..." Ilèyn said regretfully. "There is a lot to relate."
"What do you have to do with these dwarfs, Ilèyn?" Diari asked a little suspiciously, but looked at the dwarf with great concern.
Ilèyn looked briefly at the floor.
"I can't explain that to you now..." she sighed "I'm sorry, Diari, we don't have any more time. You can't make it against the whole horde, you have to get out of here immediately, do you hear?" Ilèyn turned to go.
"We have only just met again and you'll go now?" Diari asked indignantly and forgot the orcs that were behind them "You can't do that to me, Ilèyn!"
The dwarf didn't turn around and just looked over her shoulder.
"I worry about you, understand that! I know you don't like that and I know you think you could always do everything on your own, but..." Diari's voice shook a little. Again she looked for words.
"You have the option to stay here, so please stay with me..."
"I don't have a single option here, Diari!" Ilèyn said loudly and whirled around "Thranduil hates me, my family is destroyed and I would remain an outsider forever! I have no future in this... dark hole, what the woodland elves rant palace!"
Diari looked at Ilèyn in shock. She knew the dwarf's point of view and heard everything that happened in the palace at that time.
"At some point you and your family will find each other again!" she said confidently.
"Stop doing that!" Ilèyn called. When she realized how loud she had become to her old friend, she let out a deep breath.
"Just stop..." she said wearily "Not everything ends well, Diari... something you still have to learn..."
The young, dark-blonde elf looked down.
The friends faced each other like strangers, yet they were familiar with each other. Ilèyn felt Diari looking at her several times.
"You have changed a lot, Ilèyn..." the Elf said quietly "And despite everything I have the feeling that I still know you as well as I did back then..."
Ilèyn looked up at Diari.
"Because it's the truth." she said and smiled weakly "You just know me too well, Diari..." Ilèyn now tried to sound a bit positive, which she succeeded this time.
Her statement made the Elf smile softly.
"Go." Diari said "hurry up. Then you will definitely find them."
Ilèyn smiled at Diari.
"We'll meet again soon, I promise you." the archer said and the thirst for adventure came through in her voice.
"I would have expected nothing else when we meet." Diari said smiling and winking at her.

Ilèyn turned and took a few steps.
Then she turned back to Diari.
"When you reach the palace, go to Legolas and tell him about our meeting." she said, "He will make the right decision. And you should make sure that you are included in that decision."
Without waiting for an answer, Ilèyn turned and ran the rest of the way down into the valley.
The meeting with Diari had made her pensive. The joy of seeing her again was overshadowed by the hasty departure and the concern that flared up in Ilèyn. Worry that Diari would now run into the middle of the orc pack and they would catch her. Ilèyn was not at all comfortable with this thought.
Before she could worry about it any longer, the Long Lake appeared before her eyes.
The Mirkwood River flowed into the great lake, in the middle of it, hidden in the light mist, one could make out the vague outlines of Esgaroth. Lake Town.
Ilèyn enjoyed the fresh breeze that wafted over to her from the lake and made her way to the mouth of the river.
The mouth was not yet fully visible when Ilèyn turned around a rock, but she immediately recognized some of the barrels from the woodland kingdom lying on the stones.
Immediately her eyes searched hastily the surroundings until she actually recognized Ori, who was sitting by the river and emptying his boot, a whole gush of water came out of the boot.
Ilèyn kept walking towards the group, the other dwarfs also appeared in their field of vision. A huge stone fell from her heart when she saw Fili below them, as unharmed as it looked.
She was just about to call out to them when movement broke out in the group. Dwalin raised a branch defensively and roared, and Fili and Kili were about to throw stones.
What was going on down there?