The Hobbit: A Mistaken Home

Chapter 15: Barrel Riders

        "Do we have a deal?"

"You have my word."

        "I hope to see you soon then."

Thranduil nodded in agreement. And with a wave of his hand, Legolas was taking Maya back to the cells. She sighed as they turned away from Thranduil. She wondered if she had done the right thing, and decided it was best if she didn't tell the Company...not yet at least. She was broken out of her thoughts when she saw that Legolas was taking her a different way.

        "Erm, excuse me but, weren't we supposed to take a right turn, not a left?" She said softly, trying not to upset him.

"It's a short cut." Legolas said.

        "Oh...okay then." She started to become nervous and let her mind go berserk. What if Thranduil ordered Legolas to execute her? What if they were going to take her away from Kili and the others? Where's Bilbo?! Thoughts raced through her mind like a raging hail storm.

There was an awkward silence as they passed several passageways and Maya's thoughts were broken again as she heard a small voice speak.

"It was rather brave of you..." Legolas said, "standing up for your friends like that. And that deal you made with my father, very risky, but courageous."

        "Thank you." Replied Maya warmly, "I didn't know Thranduil is your father." She lied, "I guess that makes you a prince then doesn't it?"

"Yes."

        "It is an honor to finally meet you, properly." Maya said and gave a small warm smile and slightly curtsied. "Geez, there's princes everywhere here. Walk around the corner and hey! Another prince!" Maya thought to herself. He gazed at her as she thought and slowly his lips curved into a tiny smile. "It's beautiful, this place." she said.

"It used to be even more so. Before the darkness." Explained Legolas.

        "What do you mean?" She said as she tilted her head.

Legolas sighed "Mirkwood was once a place called 'Greenwood the Great'." He said, "I was very young when the shadow of Sauron fell upon the beloved forest. Since then, Men have called it Mirkwood, and creatures like those filthy spiders keep coming up from the south, from Dul Guldur. They inhabited it and became uncontrollable. Mirkwood used to belong to all the Greenwood Elves, the whole forest, but because of the evil and the spiders, we were forced to be driven east of the forest, then the Old Forest Road became dangerous and unusable because it is too close to Dul Guldor. Therefore we made another path, a safer path close to Esgaroth."

        "Esgaroth?"

"Also known as 'Lake Town'."

        "Oh. And why don't you leave?"

"We have no where to go, unless we cross the sea. We've stayed in in this area ever since the shadow was cast, some still think there is hope for the darkness to be lifted from Mirkwood, and this place is our home, we would never give it up so easily." Legolas said proudly.

        "And what do you think? Is there still hope?" She looked up to him in wonder, he glued his eyes on the path, after a moment he answered:

"I think whatever happens will happen for a reason, I have no control over if darkness falls or rises."

        Maya looked to the ground and had noticed the hurt that he was trying to hide. She thought he wanted to have hope, but reality knocks all that hope out of him. She felt pity for him. "You're right. Whatever will be, will be." She said, "But that does not mean that you can lose all hope. No matter how bad things get, you should never give up hope. You should never give up overall. I know you probably think you're wiser than me and that I have no right to be telling you this, but I've lost things too. There was a point in my life that I lost everything except my mother. I know what it's like to have a broken home. But I'm still standing because I did not give up faith or hope. And neither should you."