Trapped (Thranduil FanFiction)

Chapter 20

The people of Laketown followed Bard, his family and I through the rough path that lead up to the mountain. It was a cold day, fall was coming and it made its presence known. A sense of familiarity filled me more and more the further we went. It had been a very long time since I'd been on the Mountains; maybe these weren't the mountains of my childhood but it felt good to be back. Laketown became nothing more than a pile of ashes in a distant lake and Middle Earth showed itself before us. My mind went back to the days up in the North where I'd watch Middle Earth through out the whole day, right now it felt exactly the same; the forests, lakes and the Misty Mountains laid before us. I breathed in the cold mountain air and smiled.

"You look happy my lady." Bard said as his blue eyes studdied my face.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply. "It reminds me of my home." I whispered and looked at him with softened eyes.

"Mirkwood?" Bard couldn't help but laugh.

"No!" I swatted his arm playfuly and his head shot up with uncontrolled laughter.

When he managed to pull himself together his eyes filled with intrigue. "Tell me then, its still half a days walk to Dale." In his eyes I could tell I'd picked his interest.

"I'm not a Sindarin elf." I started to say and then remained silent only to tease him.

"So? Is that all you're going to tell me?" His voice was lined with amusement and a smirk crossed his lips.

Bard was the first man I'd ever met and he was terribly handsome. So much had happened since my departure from Rivendell and I'd met so many amazing people in different ways. Thranduil whom I loved deeply was broken, alluring and when he wanted to he was kind, Tauriel and Legolas were strong, caring and loyal, Thorin reminded me of myself and him and I had grown close in the few days we'd known each other. But Bard and his family made me feel safe; they were all so allien to my problems it felt good to talk to them.

"I was raised in the Northern Mountains; further away than Erebor, just at the border of Middle Earth. My kin and I lived isolated from the rest of the elves." The mountain became steeper so I paused in order to regain my footing.

"That explains why you're such an avid climber." Bard laughed.

"I had to be. I also had to be strong and unmoved by the harsh winters. Sometimes we wouldn't find game for three days. We had to eat roots. My kin and I were fighters but then the orcs came they were killed. I tried my best to help but we were outnumbered by the enemy. They killed my father and my twin brother died in my arms. I don't know what they wanted in our lands but I lost my home." It was the first time I told my story without faltering. The past was past and I needed to move on, that was a concept I was beggining to understand.

Bard looked at me with fasination. "You're amazing you know that? Being through hell and back, now you're helping people you don't even know reclaim what's theirs. That's why you helped Thorin in the first place wasn't it?"

"Yes." I nodded. "And that's why I'm helping you too."

*

Dale in its time had been a magnificent city; its streets had been filled with life, you could hear the laughter of children as they flew their kites, the murmur of water trickling down the fountain. Its houses had been beautiful white stone buildings and the streets had been filled with colorful flowes. Now, all of that was a memory. The place seemed decayed, grey, sad and death was still palpable in the air. The very same being responsable for the siege of Erebor had been the one to reduce this city to a memory. Seeing the faces of the eldest citizens of Laketown helped me understand how great this city had been in its time.