No Place for Women

Calili's PoV

The tall, silver haired elf shoved me into a cell along with Dwalin. As he did so, I lost my footing a nearly fell, but seeing as Dwalin was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist easily and caught me before I could fall to the ground. "You alright lassie?" He questioned, looking down at me. I simply nodded, before the sound of Fili screaming filled my ears.

"I'm fine." I nodded, before pushing my hair back behind my ear. Dwalin simply nodded before turning to face the bars that were keeping us in the cell. There were elves walking past, but only two stopped in front of the cell that we were in. They were talking back and forth, while I focused on the yelling that Fili was doing from his cell. "Do you think we would get a reward for taking that one to the king?" One of them said, nodding in my direction.

Dwalin immediately pushed me to here I was standing ever so slightly behind him, blocking me from the view of the two male elves that were standing front of the cell door. The sound of Fili yelling was still filling my ears, but the squeaking sound of the cell door opening cause me to stand on my toes and try to see over Dwalin's shoulder.

"The lady isn't going anywhere with you." Dwalin stated simply, crossing his arms over his chest. Though the two elves stood tall in comparison, they didn't even seem to acknowledge that Dwalin had spoken. One of them simply moved to step around him and get to me, when he stepped to the side and blocked him from me. "I said, she's not going with you." He spoke again, narrowing his eyes into a glare. Though this only distracted him enough for the other man to grab my arm and pull me away from where I had once stood behind him.

"Oi! Let me go!" I shouted quickly, feeling the mans fingernails digging into the skin of my arm through the sleeves of the dress I was wearing. My outburst only seemed to make Fili's shouting louder as I looked over at where he was standing behind bars.

"Calili! Let her go!" My sneaking suspicions were confirmed when I saw his body pressed up against the bars of the cell, his fingers were wrapped around them tightly, and he was shaking furiously trying to find a way to get free from the cell that was containing him. "Fili!" I breathed out ever so slightly, trying to make my way over to him; but I was immediately stopped by the elf whom had his grip on my arm.

The other elf grabbed onto my other arm before they pulled me away from where I was standing. The door to the cell that I had once been in was now closed. I tried my best to not move away from where the cells were, I didn't want to move. "Calili!" Fili shouted again, still trying to break free. I didn't want to be taken away. Not from Fili, or Dwalin, or any of the company. What's going to happen to them?

Kila's PoV

I was standing to the right of Thranduil's throne, waiting for anything to happen. Thranduil, unlike usual, was sitting causally in his chair. Instead of sitting across the chair, with his legs over the arm rests; no, he was sitting normally, with his back pressed against the back of the chair and his arms were resting on the arm rests.

It wasn't long before Legolas had made his way back, and marched into the throne room before coming straight over to where I was standing. "Who is intruding on our land." Thranduil spoke, eying his son strangely.

Legolas didn't reply. Instead, his finger wrapped lightly around my hand before his other hand was placed gently on my cheek. "Are you okay? Nothing's wrong? Nothing happened on your way back here?" He asked, not even bothering to acknowledge the question his father had asked him. I couldn't stop myself from smiling up at him momentarily before looking down at the floor. "I'm fine." I whispered.

My attention, though, didn't stay on the floor for too long before Thranduil's movements captured it. He stood quickly from where he had once been sitting on his throne that seemed to resemble, in my opinion, nothing but tree roots; before turning to face Legolas and I. "I know that the wedding was planned to take place today, but seeing as the events have taken place, we will wait until tomorrow." His eyes looked over the gown that I was wearing, the one I had been given specifically for my wedding to the prince, "You shall be given a new gown for the wedding, do not worry child. You will wed tomorrow."

I noticed as his body visibly tensed up as a loud banging noise echoed throughout the room. The sounds of the doors opening, and slamming against the walls. I shrunk back to where I was hiding behind Thranduil's throne. Seeing as Legolas' hand was still holding my own, he followed with me.

"You're alright, you're safe." He smiled down at me, "I'm here." I couldn't help but let my mind wonder back to the company in this moment. More specifically to Kili. How I cared about him, and how he had promised to protect me from any harm that may come our way; but I had left him all alone. How was he now? Where's the company now? Where's my sister?

The sound of Thranduil's voice filling the room, caused me to snap out of my thoughts. “Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself suspect a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary or something of that ilk. You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule. The king’s jewel. The arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help.” Thranduil's voice was soft but very strong and powerful at the same time.

“I am listening.” A deep, familiar voice echoed through the room, causing my heart to almost flutter through my chest. “I will let you go, if you but return what is mine.” Thranduil spoke again. After a moment of silence, I pushed myself past Legolas, and peaked out from behind the throne. I could tell that Legolas was watching me with a strange look on his face as I moved to see who it was the king was talking to. “A favor for a favor.” There I saw Thorin standing with his back to the king.

“You have my word, one king to another.” Thranduil, slightly nodded his head, as if bowing but not bowing at all. It was silent for a minute, before Thorin spun around to face Thranduil once again; causing me to shrink back just a bit to make sure that I wasn't seen.

“I would not trust Thranduil, the great king, to honor his word should the end of all days be upon us. You lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help! But you turned your back. You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us!" My attention was turned away from what Thorin was saying when Legolas placed his hand on my shoulder. I simply looked at him for a second before shrugging him off and looking back to his father.

Thranduil was immediately standing in front of Thorin, only inches from his face. “ Do not speak to me of dragon fire. I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the north. I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen." He turned to start climbing the stairs back to his throne, I saw a few fading scars a color returning back to one of his eyes. "You are just like him. Stay here if you will and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I’m patient. I can wait.”

I stood silent, watching as Thorin was dragged away from the area by the guards; though the door didn't close when they left the room. Instead two more men came walking through them, with a different person in front of them.

I noticed that it was a small girl, with dark blonde hair. She was wearing a grey dress that had a brown belt wrapped around the center. It couldn't be.

"Calili!" I shouted, running to the girl and wrapping my arms around her as soon as she was close enough. Legolas called after me, trying to get me to stay where I was with him. The weight of both of us caused us to fall to our knees in front of Thranduil's throne as I felt her arms wrap tightly around my waist. "Kila? What are you doing here?" Her voice was muffled from where she had hidden her face in my neck, and it sounded like she was crying.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Thranduil's voice boomed throughout the room. "Who is this girl? Why have you brought her here? Take her back to the cells!" He had stood from where he was once sitting on his throne, and was now looking toward the two men who had brought Calili into the room.

They once more gripped her arms, trying to pull her to her feet and away from me. "No stop it!" I shouted, before quickly running back up the stairs to where Thranduil stood. Though, I tripped on the very top stair, and fell to the ground at his feet. His eyes watched me as I took a handful of his robes between my fingers and looked up at him.

"Please." I whimpered, feeling a pain go shooting through my ankle, "Please your highness, don't send her back down to the cells. I'm begging you." He was looking down at me, before sighing and closing his eyes momentarily before opening them again and speaking. "Give me a reason, child. Why should I not lock her away with the rest of the vermin?" He sighed, though unlike what I was afraid of, he didn't sound agitated.

In fact, he sounded quite calm. "She's my sister." His gaze immediately moved away from me and over to where Calili stood with the two guards. A small smile played on his lips before he ordered them to release her and be on their way. As soon as the men were gone, and the doors had closed behind them Legolas walked over to me and helped me to my feet, and Thranduil marched down the stairs and walked into circles around Calili, taking in her appearance.