his exception

chapter eleven: cells

"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin questioned as he peered through the bars of his cell. "He did. I told him he could go ishkh khakfe andu null. Him and all his kin!" Thorin shouted, in hope of the King hearing, as Maethel opened the door to his cell. "Well, that's that then. The deal was our only hope." Balin sighed as he slumped back onto the cold floor of his cell. She stuck her hand in front of her as a signal for Thorin to go into his cell. She gave him a small smile when they locked eyes before she locked the door and turned to go.

"Why were you being nice to me?"

This voice halted Maethel. The voice was low and gruff so she didn't recognise it so she guessed it must've been one of the prisoners. Elves like herself had low yet gentle sounding voices. She turned around and saw the prisoner that she had just put in his cell. Alarmed, the young elleth didn't answer straight away. "I-I have never seen a dwarf in real life before.. I've just heard stories about them.. mostly from my ada.." Maethel tilted her head slightly to the left as she spoke before she added, "Though I like to make my own judgements before I turn sour and crude." She waited for the prisoners reply. There was silence for a bit and Maethel noticed her best friend Tauriel speaking to another one of the prisoners.

"Did he just flirt with one of the guards?"

A quiet squeaky voice asked someone who was in the same cell as him and Maethel chuckled lightly to herself. "What is your name?" Her prisoner asked and Maethel turned to face the dwarf. "Maethel Thranduiliel..." She saw the shock on the dwarf's face and she smiled. "I bet you didn't see that coming, master dwarf." Maethel smirked, "King Thranduil's daughter, Mirkwood's princess, talking to a Dwarf who is held in captivity." Thorin opened his mouth to speak again but Maethel beat him to it, "You're Thorin. Thorin Oakenshield, oh yes I've heard a lot about you. Mostly bad.. but some good" Maethel smiled then she dropped it. "I'm pulling your leg, don't look so worried." She laughed before she smiled again.

"Your a Princess.." Thorin paused, "surely you have better things to be doin-" Maethel interrupted, "better things to be doing?" Thorin nodded. "I have finished my duties for the day... I start again tomorrow and continue that for the rest of my looong life.." She sighed and Thorin started to feel sorry for her. Elves, he knew, were immortal and he couldn't imagine having to live forever. He would get bored of it very quickly and lucky for him he was a dwarf.

"Everybody knows my name.. but something about it still feels strange.." Maethel looked up to see Thorin still listening to her. "What if you had it all?" The elleth paused and looked down. "But you had nobody to talk to.. that's what it feels like to be me. Maybe when I'm older, it'll all calm down... though I don't think I'll make a great Queen..." She chuckled lightly to herself. "I think you'll be a likeable Queen, people seem to care about you.. though I barely know you." Thorin replied and Maethel smiled. It was then that noticed the Dwarf noticed a figure lurking in the shadows on the stairs that bent round towards the cells. He then turned back to the elleth who was sitting slumped against his cell door. Thorin had only noticed then how beautiful she was, with her long blonde hair flowing behind her. Every strand was almost a different shade of blonde and her blue eyes shone like the ocean.

"Whatever you said to my ada really angered him.." Maethel chuckled suddenly as Legolas overheard. "You ought to tell me what you said." Thorin felt a smile creep from one side to the other side of his face as he noticed Legolas was listening, growing annoyed. He then laughed. "You mean when I told him he could go ishkh khakfe andu null. Him and all his kin!" He looked deep into her deep blue eyes and Maethel blushed slightly. "You'll go away if I tell you.. and I was just starting to enjoy your company." Thorin joked. Maethel leant closer to the cell door, her brother gritted his teeth. "Try me." Thorin smirked then he answered, "If you wish future Queen of Mirkwood.. I told him he could go die a death of flames. Him and all his kin." Maethel gave Thorin a look then laughed. "I hope you don't want me to die in flames.." Her eyes were wide full of concern and Thorin shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

In a nearby cell, Kili held a stone in his hand that has dwarf writing on it, he started tossing it up and catching it, Tauriel who was doing a watch around the prison cells walked up to Kili's cell. " The stone in your hand, what is it?" she asked as she got closer. "It is a Talisman." Kili replied. Tauriel looked at him for more clarification. " A powerful spell lies upon it, if any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone..." He shook his head. " ...they will be forever cursed!" Maethel leaned closer to hear, still sitting slumped against Thorin's cell. Thorin watched her as she listened carefully to what Kili was saying. She watched Kili as he held up the stone making Tauriel take a step back, she looked at him for a moment and then went to leave. "Or not. Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing. It's just a token." He laughed and Tauriel smiled. "A Rune Stone. My mother gave me it to me so I'd remember my promise."

"What promise?" Tauriel asked intrigued in the dwarf. "That I would come back to her. She worries. She thinks I'm reckless." Kili rolled his eyes. "Are you?" She questioned. "Nah." Kili said as he tossed the stone up but it fell out through the bars, Tauriel used her foot to stop it from falling and there was a moment of silence as Tauriel kept her eyes fixed on the stone. "It is Mereth Nuin Giliath; The Feast of Starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar, but we the Wood Elves love best the light of the stars." Maethel answered as she walked up behind them. "Don't want to interfere with your get together- Tauriel shoved her arm into Maethel's side- but we should start making our way upstairs, Tauriel. We can check on them tomorrow."

"Na lû e-govaned vîn." She smiled at Thorin. Then Tauriel and Maethel made their way back up the stairs to the main floor where the party was being held. Legolas was leaning against one wall when his sister walked past. "You got pretty close with that Dwarf.." Maethel scoffed to herself and she turned back to face her older brother. "I Nogoth... amman e tîr gi(n)? Maethel?" (Why does the Dwarf stare at you, Maethel?) "Were you spying on us?" She questioned not answering his statement. She received no answer. "Ú-dangada? E orchal be Nogoth... ...pedithig." (Who can say? He is quite tall for a Dwarf. Do you not think?) His sister smiled as she looked back down at the cells. She could vaguely see Thorin in his cell, Legolas noticed her looking.

"Orchal eb vui... mal uvanui en." Her brothers face started to look concerned but his sister scoffed in annoyance. (Taller than some, but no less ugly.) "There's so much I want to say to you.. but I don't know where to start." She paused before she turned her face away from her brother. "Love love love.. what is it good for? Absolutely nothing."

"If father knew you were here... you really shouldn't stay down here with your injury.." Legolas whispered at his sister and Maethel shot him a look. "Brother, I am fine. The accident was two weeks ago." She tried to walk away. "It was no accident, Maethel. They planned it. They knew you were there, they planned to kill you. You're not.. everyone knows that you're not stron-" Maethel whipped her head around and her face looked sour. "Not strong.. not strong enough? We were outnumbered, Legolas. I've been trapped within these walls my entire life training for this. So sorry if I wanted to have time alone with my friends whilst you were stuck here with your princely duties."

She snapped before glaring at her brother. She made her way towards where Tauriel was. "Father would never allow it.." She heard her brother say and she stopped walking. She knew it was true and she didn't want to believe to it. She then turned around and he noticed she looked like she was fighting back tears. "Go cry over Tauriel.." She muttered as she stormed her way back to the hall. "Dwarves are not our friends, Maethel.." His voice carried along the corridor but his sister brushed it away. Why not? she thought to herself.

She wanted to talk to Tauriel but her father beat her to it. "Legolas said you fought well today. He's grown very fond of you."

"I assure you, my Lord, Legolas thinks of me as not more than a captain of the guard." Tauriel replied as she looked up at her King. "Perhaps he did once. Now I'm not so sure." Tauriel fell silent and Maethel decided it was better to not intrude. "I do not think that you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf." Tauriel answered holding her head down. "No... You are right, I would not. Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none." The King made his way back through the crowd to talk to others whilst Tauriel stood there. Maethel watched from the side but just stood there.