Trapped (Thranduil FanFiction)

Chapter 7

We'd been riding for three days and when we finally arrived at Mirkwood it was just like the songs and tales described it. Mirkwood was a forest as big as the eye could see, filled with dense, leafy green trees and if what the tales said was true we weren't going to see the moon or the sun for a while. It was intimidating really; the way the huge trees loomed over you, the way the sun began to disappear behind the thick foliage and how the air became much cooler once you approached the entrance. 

I took in a deep breath and looked over to Anira who had decided to acompany me and stay with me at Mirkwood. "How can elves live here? It looks so dangerous, so empty." I whispered as I looked into her chocolaty brown eyes. 

"It will be alright my lady. Woodland elves aren't as dangerous as they seem; at least not with their own kin. We'll be fine." Something in her voice showed me that she wasn't convinced by her words, but I had to relax in order to get through the day. 

"How long until we reach the palace?" I asked.

"If we stay on the path we'll be there a little pass sundown." One of the guards escorting me said. He was nice, tall and muscular; he had reddish long hair and cat-like green eyes. He was one of the guards I liked best but I never bothered in learning his name. 

"The path?" I asked. "I thought this place was safe" 

"It was." The guard replied dryly.

"What do you mean?" I pressed. 

The guard looked at me clearly annoyed but he inhaled deeply and his face seemed to lighten. "I'll tell you the story of this place on the way, it might make it more bearable." 

The way he said that made me nervous. Was I about to live in a place so dark, so sad? I thought this was one of the greatest elven settlements, if so why did the other elves dreaded it so much? We rode to the entrance and once we stepped inside the thick forest sunlight disapeared and we were surrounded by shadows. 

The guard began his tale by telling us this was the realm of the Sindarin Elves; known for their skill in battle but also for their lack of wiseness. This place used to be called Greenwood, before a dark shadow took hold of the elven fortress of Dol Guldur. The Sindarin Elves now lived in the Northwest corner of Mirkwood, the only place they were safe from the dark creatures that crawled within. At the mention of evil forces so clearly present in this place my heart thumped with such ferocity I was affraid it might give us away. 

"That's why the Sindarin created this path, to get back home and stay somewhat safe." He concluded. 

Anira and I looked at each other with fear clear in our eyes. I swallowed hard and kept riding not asking any further questions. 

It felt like days since we'd entered Mirkwood, we could only see a limited amount of sunlight, the trees grew tall with twisted and abnormaly big roots making it even harder to ride. The ground was covered with fallen leaves making it hard to see the path. I rode in silence until I noticed my horse started to lag behind. 

"What's wrong with you?" I asked my horse even though I knew it wasn't going to answer. He just walked slower and slower until I could no longer see my companions. "Hey, hey wait for me!" I shouted. The only response I got was my own echo. 

I looked in all directions and then towards the ground. I couldn't see the path. I dismounted my horse and tried to clear out the leaves from the ground, but I saw nothing but dirty brown earth. I took a hold of my horse's reigns and led him in the direction we were going. I tried to look for some sort of sign that I was going the right way, but all of the trees looked the same. My breath became heavy and my hands started shaking with fear. Elrond had given me a sword which I wasn't very good at using but that was better than nothing.