Tópico: [Fanfic 4, cap. 22] Loyalty, Honor etc - A Way Out

[Luinwen]

Queridos pasteleiros,
desculpem os updates aleatórios, estou bem complicada com meu trabalho, por isso quando consigo chegar aqui vou postar sempre uns dois capítulos, ok?
Fico feliz com comentários, são sempre respondidos!
Bjokas da Titia Luinwen
Legolas had been assigned to accompany Ellen wherever she wanted to go to; she could be called a guest, and she was not in closed dungeons like her friends, but there was no real freedom. So, she decided to use her time along the blond elf to gather information and weave her nets to turn the tide.
The elves of Mirkwood didn’t all dwell underground. The stone halls were living for Thranduil and some others, a place to keep his hoard, dungeons, pantries, cellars, guardrooms and so on; but most of the elves lived in wood houses in the open, mostly built on the trees. So, Ellen was able to get the amount of sunlight she needed to get over her seasonal depression. Besides their houses, they had watch platforms built very high, so they could see far. To one of them Legolas guided Ellen that afternoon to see the setting sun and chat for a while. They had done so sometimes already, and she thought he was becoming more confident in her, so, it was time for another step forward.
“Why is your father keeping the dwarves in prison?”
“They have not said what they are about. Maybe, if you could tell something...”
“No, I cannot. They only spoke in that ugly language of them when minding their own business. “
“What a pity.”
“But I deem it strange. They were only walking through the forest to reach the other side, why has he to treat them like if they were doing something evil?”
“It looks like you are in their defense. Were you not a prisoner of them?”
“Yes, sure. But if I had to choose someone to arrest me, I’d rather have the dwarves.”
The son of the king felt insulted.
“Why? Are you saying my father is worse than a dwarf?”
“Don’t be angry at me, my friend! I can only talk about what I see, but what I see I cannot deny.”
“What do you mean?”
She numbered in her fingers.
“The dwarves never tied my hands or blindfolded me; they didn’t take my weapons away; they shared their food with me to the very last crumble; when I got an orc arrow stuck in my side their healer treated me with what means she had. They kidnapped me because they have a purpose for me, even if I don’t know what this purpose might be. And what has you father done to the dwarves? They were sent to prison only because they were begging food, out of dire need. It doesn’t seem fair for me.”
The blond one was silent, pondering what she said.
“But they are perilous. Father guesses they might stir the dragon that lies in Erebor and that they kidnapped you because of your sword’s name. To stir Smaug could be dangerous even for us. It is better to leave it to itself.”
She looked at him as if he were completely crazy.
“What? You are telling me there is a living dragon so close that he could reach your home and burn it down to ashes and your king is doing nothing about it?”
“It was the dwarven hoard that attracted Smaug, why should we fight it, put our lives in jeopardy?”
“Hmm, it looks like a pretty stupid way of thinking, in my opinion.”
“What do you mean?”
Legolas was visibly annoyed.
“Tell me, where have those beasty spiders come from? When has Greenwood turned into Mirkwood?”
“Why are you asking this?”
“If someone had done something about the spiders when they started to appear, there would not be as many as they are by now. I am sure they came not out of the blue, there must be some dark power behind this, even if it is far from here. Whoever stirred the spiders can stir de dragon too. If someone addressed this dark power before, the spiders would not come close as they are. But then someone might have thought that spiders were not his problem, and now they are at your door. If you don’t address the dragon because it was not you who brought it close, you can end up with it at your door just the same.” Ellen embraced her knees close to her chest. “Would you not prefer to live in a brighter place?”
Legolas lowered his eyes. That stranger was saying things he himself used to think about sometimes, but muttered.
“It is beyond our power.”
“To defeat Sauron was beyond the power of both elves and men in the past, but Gil Galad and Elendil did it nonetheless. With a lot of help, of course. No one does great deeds without a bunch of allies.”
The blond elf looked down at his hands, gloomy.
“Gil Galad was a great elf, from beyond the sea. We are twilight elves, we have not seen the Trees. We are not... as mighty.”
“Don’t deem yourself unable of doing great deeds, Legolas.” She put a hand on his shoulder and begun to talk like a bloody Human Resources Manager. “I am sure you are completely capable of doing whatever is needed to achieve a set goal.” Then Ellen set the bait. “I would not leave my own forest to be called Mirkwood if I where you. I’d try to do something.”
“But what can I do? Father backs off, he says it is not our business, that if we didn’t set this into motion then it is not our place to do something as long as our borders are safe.”
“And are they? Tell me, if that dragon you told about came here today and burned your home, how could your people flee into the forest if it is full of spiders? You have no safe borders at all with those spiders around. If a dragon really can came flying and attacked you, what would it be of your people?”
“Once again, lady Ellen, what do you think I can do about it? I cannot possibly go openly against my father’s orders, I cannot go out of the realm without his consent, what could I do to help this dragon to be killed?”
The strange elf felt her chance at hand and took it.
“May I give you some ideas?”
“Sure!”

ooo000ooo

Bilbo followed Ellen’s idea and sought for the wine. He already knew where the main pantry was, but the barrels that crowded it there were full of assorted kinds of food, from flour to apples and from butter to honey, but no wine at all. Anyway, it was clear that not only the wine came from abroad, but some of that food also. The hobbit put a small piece of cheese under his cloak and the last apples of a barrel in his pocket and waited.
He was almost dozing off when he heard steps close to the pantry door. Immediately Bilbo stood up and hid himself behind a stack of potatoes, because even invisible he casted a dim shadow if light got directly on him, and surely whoever came to the pantry would have a torch with him.
It was a kitchen helper Bilbo had seen before, a dark haired and somewhat short for an elf one, as if she were not full grown yet. She lit the torch close to the door with the one hanging on the corridor wall and came in, a basket in her hand, and headed straight to the empty apple barrel. Although he understood very little of elvish, and the elvish they spoke in Mirkwood was a bit different from the one he heard back in Imladris, he was sure she cursed whoever left the barrel empty and didn’t take it away. Then she rummaged for another apple barrel, took its lid off, filled her basket with apples and left the basket in the corridor close to the door. She shook her head, cursed again and went for the empty barrel, half pushing half spinning it until it was out of the pantry. Once there, the barrel was tumbled on his side and made to roll down the corridor by the elf, who followed it to control its turns at the meanders of the tunnels.
Bilbo got out of his hiding place as soon as the girl tumbled the barrel and went right after her in the barrel tunnel down chase, holding his cloak side tight to him not to lose the cheese. He didn’t quite understand the palace went so deep under the hill it was carved into, but then he didn’t know the lay of the land, and that the door they came in was almost at the top of the hill, some storeys above the level the river settled after getting into the mountain close to the front door and cascading down inside the living rock.
To this lowest level the elf girl took the barrel, and stored it along with a lot of other barrels of many sizes. The hobbit heard the sound of water and saw a section of the floor made out of wood instead of stone. That would be a place to study in his search for a way out, but right now Bilbo had to follow the elf back to the upper levels if he didn’t want to get lost in the new found corridors.
The way up was slower, to his relief, but he was cursing the absence of a handkerchief to dry his forehead when the elf stopped.
“Helo, Tauriel, what brings you here so low?”
She embraced the guard captain that was coming down the corridor and took a step back. Bilbo was glad that the elves used to talk in Westron most of the time, on behalf of dealing with men.
“That stubborn dwarf, as always, Finglas. He doesn’t say a single useful word but Thranduil wants me to question him every day. I’m becoming really tired of this dwarf bunch.”
Bilbo held his breath. None of the Company was so low in the palace, it could only be Thorin. He listened to the elves talking, as Finglas laughed quietly.
“Tired of the dwarves or tired of being captain? I don’t see you happy since your rise.”
“How can I be, sister? Legolas looks at me with hatred since then. And I don’t know why, he knew I wanted it so much.”
“Then, why don’t you quit?”
“And dare Thranduil’s anger? No, little one, I’m not that insane yet. I prefer to believe I still can reach him, somehow, someday.” Tauriel heaved a sight and embraced her sister again. “I must go now, I have to question the dwarf and report nothing to the king again.”
Bilbo followed Tauriel now, planning to find out the exact place where Thorin was held. He just was in doubt if he should follow Tauriel when she left or to talk to Thorin at once at the risk of losing himself in the tunnels. He guessed rightly that if Thorin knew he was there and hadn’t given a life sign he would find a way to escape just to kill him with his bare hands, if needed.
Those weeks in captivity and worry about his followers had taken its toll on the bold dwarf. The others at least knew the whole of the Company was there, only Thorin missing, which was very hard on them too, specially on his nephews and Lily, but knowing Bilbo was free and looking for a way for them to escape gave them hope. Thorin had nothing, didn’t even know if they were dead or alive, and blamed himself for having put them into danger. He was feeling so wretched and miserable he almost considered telling the truth to the elven-king and make a deal to get his help to find his friends and family. Almost.
Some minutes after Tauriel left the cell Bilbo popped out of nothing, taking his ring off and putting it away in his pocket, making Thorin choke with the water he was drinking. He was not present when the hobbit told the story of finding the ring in the caverns of the goblins and was in doubt if he was seeing a ghost, a delirium or an answer to his prayers.
It proved to be the last alternative, as he found out while Bilbo told him the whole story since he fell into the elven party, munching on the spicy cheese the hobbit shared with him.
“Mister Invisible Baggins, please send word to the Company to strive and not tell anything to the elven-king.” Bilbo noticed the use of the word please, which was uncommon in Thorin’s lips. “Not yet, not while there is still hope of escaping in a way you will find out, my friend.”
Bilbo shook his head, unbelieving what he heard. Was it a bit of confidence, and the word friend? If he knew prison would change Thorin so much, he’d managed to jail him sooner.
“I am working in the shadows and Ellen in the open. She has access to the palace while in company of Thranduil’s son, and you know how good she is with words, so she is trying to get help from the enemy himself.”
“It must be conceded that she wields words even better than swords, but isn’t that risky?”
“I asked her the same, and she said simply that to live is risky. I don’t believe she will say a single word to put our quest or anyone of us at risk, even if it costs her own life. You remember the arrow shot she got at the fight with the orcs?”
“I remember she was hurt, but then I was hit by Azog and munched by a warg myself, I really didn’t pay much attention.”
“Iris told me it was aimed at Kíli, the elf shielded his back with her own body.”
Thorin closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head.
“This journey seems to be made for me to learn people can be far different from what one judges at first look.”
“Or for people to find out what they are able to do and didn’t know before.”

ooo000ooo

Next day Bilbo escaped Thorin’s cell when the morning meal was served, and then was busy running along the palace to take word to every member of the Company about their leader, much to everyone’s relief. Lily was hard to keep quiet, she was almost hysterical from happiness. All of them swore to keep the silence they already were keeping and sent word of being at their king’s service.
He left Ellen to be the last one, so he could roam a little more in the palace to study their escape choices, then stole a salami morsel, a bread and a big bunch of grapes from the pantry before following the guard who would take her the dinner. Sleeping in her room had proven more comfortable and safe than out in the palace, where he had not even a pillow to ease his head and worried all the time about being found; the other cells were smaller, and usually there was more than one guard around when the meals were served, so it was riskier to enter the cell without being bumped on. It didn’t keep him from squeezing himself into Iris’ cell, eventually, although Ellen had warned him that if he dared to abuse her trust in him and in her niece she would impale him in her Locënehtar sword and serve him to Smaug with an apple stuck in his mouth.
Ellen opened the bathroom door and found her visitor already visible, setting the table with his contribution for dinner. He felt a little guilty for having eaten almost all of her food the other night and wanted to settle things, even if she didn’t complain.
“Hello, Bilbo, how’re doing?”
“Good evening, lady Ellen!” He answered, smiling. “Much better than two nights ago, you can be sure. And I have excellent news.”
“Wow, you brought fruit! I’m really in your debt now, my friend!”
“Well, I thought it would be too selfish to steal only for me, and...”
“Don’t worry, you don’t owe me any explanations, dear. Now tell me your news and I’ll share mine.”
So they did while munching their meal, exchanging their news and trying to make out what should be the next step. Ellen would try to find out what was it about Tauriel and Legolas, while Bilbo would try to find out more about the barrel storehouse down the palace.
“I’m making up Legolas’ mind to help us, though I hope he still believes I was kidnapped because of my sword. He may be willing, as long as he is not obviously connected to our escape, he must save face. He told me there will be a big feast some days from here, it may give the elves enough amusement and noise to cover up our moves if we manage to find a way out. But what worries me most is how we will open the cells. Any idea?”
“Hmm, not yet. And I’m sorry to say the door is enchanted, it closes right behind any elf that goes through it and only opens with a voiced command, and they change it everyday. There must be another way out. They would not store the empty barrels in the lowest level only to take them back all the way up again to freight them away. I must find out why.”

ooo000ooo

Tauriel was coming up once again from the lowest level of the palace, bored of having the same answers everyday. What was he doing in the forest? Starving. Why had he got into the forest? To starve. What would he do after getting out of the forest? To starve no more. And any change in the questions only made the answers change slightly the ways to conjugate the verb to starve. But she herself starved for other things than food or information, as her sister reminded her not long ago. She starved for dark star shining eyes laughing at her, for blond silken hair touching her skin as strong long fingered hands caressed her body, for hot lips that put her skin on fire and… And it was no more.
She had been so happy about her rise to captain of the guard that she went in shock when she saw his angry eyes on her, his lips closed to a thin line and his back turning to her, without explanation. She never got a chance to talk to him, but she was sure he was angry because he wanted himself to be raised to captain instead of her. But would this be reason to get so mad at her? It was not fair. She trained so hard, she worked so hard to have her talent recognized, he knew she was better than him, he even made jokes about it… before. It has been weeks ago, but felt like years. But she had to keep her mind steady on her job, else she would lose her newly gained status and have neither captainship nor the one she loved.
Her downcast eyes caught a glimpse of a movement and her short sword was in her hand before she could figure out who it was.
“Tauriel, please… put your sword down. I want to talk to you.”
His voice was sweet as she used to know, his eyes pleading, but her mind swirled, confused.
“Why do you want to talk to me now, Legolas? Why not half a season ago?”
Her voice was biter, and trembled lightly. To her surprise, he smiled.
“Because I am stupid!”
She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious.
“And did you find it out all by yourself or somebody told you?”
He rolled his eyes from one side to the other.
“Actually, somebody told me, but it doesn’t change the statement.” Legolas opened his arms, but didn’t dare to get closer to her while her sword was unsheathed. “Tauriel, I am here to beg for your forgiveness, because I want to talk to you and I am stupid.”
“Why should I forgive you if you judged and condemned me for a crime I have no idea what is and gave me no chance to plead for myself?”
“Because I am stupid and…”
“If you repeat one more time you are stupid I’ll…”
“…I love you.”
“You what?”
“Sweet forest lady, shall you please put your sword down and give me a chance to redeem myself?”
Tauriel looked at the sword as if she had forgotten it was in her hands. Then she sheathed it and looked up at him.
“I’m on duty. Find me at home after the turn changes. Then you will tell me why I should forgive you.”

ooo000ooo

“And so, Bilbo, we find out that lack of communication is one of the worst problems of our age.”
“Plus assuming things by only one point of view.”
“Sure!”
“I had a slight idea the king has something twisted, but not that he used to seduce his vassals.” The hobbit drank some of the wine he himself brought to Ellen’s cell that evening. “Hmm, this is strong, but good!”
“Legolas told me there would be coming a Dorwinion wine soon, for the autumn feast, I understood it is stronger than ordinary wine.”
She took a sip of the wine, too; although being a red wine, it reminded her of a Portuguese white port wine, deceivingly sweet but alcoholically strong.
“Back to the subject, that is why Legolas’ mother went away to the West, she could no more take on Thranduil’s behavior. Then, when he rose Tauriel to captain, after she said she would do anything to achieve that post, Legolas’ first thought was that she was seduced by him and rewarded with the captainship, not that she was raised for sheer competence.”
“And as she thought he was jealous for her being risen instead of her, what a mess must it all have been in their minds!”
“But then there is a little lack of logic here; why would Legolas be jealous or envying her raise? He doesn’t need to be captain, he is already son of the king.”
“Perhaps she thinks of him more as a brother in arms than as a prince.”
“If being a prince is to act like his father, I understand why he would prefer to act as a simple soldier.”
They stood silent for a while, digesting the news they exchanged about their supposed allies. Then the elf remembered.
“Hey, Bilbo, and what about the barrels? Did you find out where do they go to?”
The hobbit opened his eyes in a wide startled gaze.
“Goodness, Ellen, I think I may have found our way out of here!”

ooo000ooo

It was close to nightfall, some days after, when Ellen was conduced back to her rooms by an exceptionally well-disposed Legolas, who excused himself with an inconspicuous wink of his eye and spoke so to baffle the guard who would lock her door.
“I’m sorry we cannot finish our conversation about the influence of the brown shoes on the growth of grass tonight, but I’m supposed to be next to my father for the first half of the autumn party.”
“Have a nice feast, my friend! We may continue the subject at another time.”
“I will provide that some autumn fruits are sent for your dinner.”
And so they departed with the plan fully made up and working, and now she had the data about the expected time of the flight. As it would be a whole-night party, and Legolas would have to be there for its first half, they would be escaping sometime after midnight. Making her best to keep anxiety down, she took a bath, put on a night gown, as she used to everyday, and waited for her dinner brushing her hair, so the kitchen maid who would bring her food along with a guard would not perceive anything different from usual.
As soon as she ended her meal, Ellen changed her borrowed clothes to her old battered jeans and tracking boots, and the gray blue shirt Arwen gave her and that she used almost every day since parting from Imladris (“It matches your eyes”, the noble elf said then.), and cursed that her crude leather corselet must have been stored along with the rest of the Company’s plundered stuff. Then she braided her hair to make sure it would be out of the way, and laid down to rest while she could.
Not that she was able to rest at all, as her mind was racing more than an Indy car while her body kept motionless and comfortable. That was probably their only chance to make it out of Thranduil’s halls so to reach the Lonely Mountain in time for Durin’s Day and find the Back Door. She was there when Elrond read the moon runes, she knew it was really necessary for the quest. And, above anything, she would finally meet Kíli again after weeks of parting, and she starved for him more than they starved for food in the forest. Of course they used Bilbo to send reassuring and calming messages one to another, but she lacked his physical presence, the warmth of his skin, the smell of his body, but above all she lacked his quick wit, his humor, his understanding of things beyond what would be reasonable for his dwarven age. Ellen guessed that being around older people, even when hearing their conversation was not suited for him and his brother (of course they heard behind closed doors what the older ones chatted, since it was not approved), made Kíli evolve some qualities and understanding of things that were not expected of him, whom everyone but his brother and his uncle regarded as a footloose. Her niece Iris found out too that those brothers were more than meets the eye, and Ellen understood back at Imladris, in the heat of the forge, why. There are some things, and some people, that are what they are regardless of age, and Kíli was one of these people.
So the hours passed while Ellen daydreamed about her beloved one and about the upcoming challenges, and at the same time concentrating her power of will for the next overcoming events. She woke up to the unobtrusive sound of the door being unlocked.