Another Love

III. The Mirkwood 'Princess'

It seems Gandalf had left the group, off to do whatever a mysterious wizard liked to do. Honestly, Lucien just joined this company and now he was leaving him? Something seemed a little unfair there.

The company had to follow the path through the sickness of the forest and it only slightly caused relief for Lucien. He knew the power this place had against wandering souls, it would affect them.

Fili, Kili, Bilbo and Lucien all stuck close together for the benefit of their own reassurance of the safety of one another. They didn't dare step a foot over the stone path for fear of losing their way, they would never get to Erebor if they were to get lost amongst the trees, they would all surely die

"Does anyone else have a bad feeling?" Fili questioned his companions, receiving nods in return.

"This place is sick," Lucien informed them, his eyes sharp and staring at anything that moved, "Dark creature roam the land, ready to kill those that they deem threatening."

Bilbo's eyes widened, "What?!"

"Don't worry Bilbo," The wizard grinned as he placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder, bending slightly just to reach it, "I shall protect thee. It is my job after all." It was true that he was a protector of middle earth but was it his job? It seemed it was now. Though he did not mind, the hobbit was adorable and he knew they were going to be good friends.

The company turned through the neverending stretch of trees and felt as if they had been walking for days which they might have been, they could not tell through the thickness of the trees above what time of day it was.

The dwarves ahead of Lucien were obviously exhausted as they dragged their feet along, bumping into one another and nearly walking in the opposite direction it wasn't for Lucien pulling them back onto the stone which the only sometimes noticed.

"I think we should stop Thorin," Balin suggested from the front of the group, "The others won't last much longer."

The prince grumbled, turning to look over his shoulder, "If we must." The small sentence caused half of the company to drop to the ground, groaning and complaining of sore feet.

Lucien shook his head in amusement and bent down to pull Ori off of his brother and have him sit next to the dwarf instead, knowing there would soon be a squabble. "Is everyone rather comfortable?" The wizard sarcastically questioned and he received many groans and grumbles as an answer which sounded a lot like a yes. This made Lucien grin, trying to keep his laugh at bay. "Good. Very good."

"Wizard," Lucien heard Thorin call, "Does this...spell affect you as well?" He raised his eyebrows in question. Did he think he was unstoppable? That would be nice. Lucien's ego had suddenly been boosted and that was never a good thing.

The wizard nodded, "I'm afraid so. Though maybe not as strong, it would still throw me off course and I would surely be lost forever in this place." His black eyes glared at the swaying branches of the trees, it irked him that this place was once a beautiful forest. Why did this have to be?

Kili hummed in thought, "It would be best for you to stay here then, hm?" He spoke rhetorically but Lucien had to agree with him, it definitely would be in his best interest.

Stepping over the resting dwarves, the wizard made his way to the front to see what the path entailed though he did not see much from beyond a few feet. It was dark yet they could see quite clearly.

Moonlight. It was high in the sky and it loomed over them like a watcher of the night. If Lucien squinted hard enough he could catch a glimpse of the sparkling stars through the branches. Specks of flickering light shining into any gaps they could find. It almost looked like glittering diamonds that had caught the light, like gems woven into the rotten wood making it appear there was some beauty there after all. But it was just the world outside peering in, nothing more.