Let Bygones Be Bygones (2 of 3)

I hear the company struggling as I regain my consciousness, only to realise I'm wrapped tightly in webs upside down I see a spider through the webs, right in front of me, I wriggle and kick the spider causing me to start swinging, I fiddle around for a dagger and slice the webs open. I didn't realise we were so far off the ground and I have to grab hold of the web to prevent falling to the forest floor, I wince at the pain it causes my shoulder, gasping at the shock of the sudden pulse it sent through my muscles. I hear the spider I kicked hiss and I have to turn quickly, as I turn I see the spider stopped dead in front of me with a sword through the side of it's head. I follow the sword and see Bilbo. I'm surprised by the Hobbit and my face no doubt reflects my surprise. I can still feel the spiders toxin in my veins, I feel fairly numb and it is a little bit hard to focus my vision which is slightly blurred. The spider falls as Bilbo pulls his sword out of it, the spider falls through a web net which pulls the former cocoon that I am clinging onto pulling it off the branches it's attached which in turn pulls me down to the floor.

It lowers me a little bumpy as the webs snap off the trees, but letting me land on my feet and I see other cocoons falling through the canopy of webs as Bilbo cuts the company down. I cut open the closest cocoon which has Dwalin inside, I help him up and he automatically starts helping the others, I cut Bofur free and the first thing he does is ask about the Hobbit.
"Where's Bilbo?"

"Bilbo!" a few of the others start to worry about him and before I can reassure them that Bilbo is alright
"I'm up here!" The Hobbit calls down to us before I hear him yell a little. I look up quickly and sheath my dagger before climbing the nearest tree, ignoring my shoulder as much as possible, jumping a little as I climb with haste to get back up to him. I get back up to where he was and look around from him, I don't see him but I do hear and see spiders converging on us from all sides.

"I hate spiders..." I mutter to myself as I draw my bow, nocking an arrow. My arm is shaking because of my wounded shoulder, Kili has been helping me practice my archery when we've been camping, I'm not bad, but I'm not as accurate as I used to be. I have to focus sharply making sure my arrow is lined up on the blurry target, I'm thankful I'm not seeing double. I shake my head with an annoyed groan before letting my arrow fly, managing to get a hit on the foul creature, it's not enough to kill it but it causes it to loose it's grip on the tree and fall to it's death. I jump to different trees so that I keep up with the company who are running below. To my surprise another spider comes at me from my side just as I jump to a tree startling me, I back up stepping on a brittle branch which snaps. I flail my arms a little as I start falling backwards, I turn around and jump, grasping for a branch as a last resort to stop myself from falling. Unable to get a proper grip on the wood I reach for a vine that's hanging off the tree, while falling I wrap the thin rope-like plant around my leg so I slide down to the ground without risking injury. I have to jump because of a spider below climbing the tree trunk towards me. I quickly grab my dagger and stab the spider in the back as I continue to fall, slicing the slightly hairy hide of the arachnid. I jump away from the spider as it falls and I land on my feet on the floor.

I look to my right as I hear hissing, just to see a spider get it's legs torn off by the dwarves pulling each of it's legs, causing it to land on Bombur. The dismembered body of the arachnid gets pushed off Bombur and he's helped to his feet.

We fight off a few more of the creatures as we continue to run, When not fighting I'm looking around for Bilbo. I see him through one of the gaps in the trees, looking a little panicked and what looks like a small spider dead in front of him. I'm about to run towards him when a spider lands in front of us causing me to look to it instead standing defensively as it hisses at us. I see movement above, there are more spiders descending and then I see a figure running on a large branch before swinging down a spider's silk landing on the spider as it lands on the ground, killing it causing it to slide down a small rise in the land, the elf slides down ontop of the corpse before jumping off and sliding on the forest floor underneath the spider that was advancing towards us, gutting the fell beast as he slides. In one smooth motion he sheathes his dagger and draws his bow as he slides to a stop in front of Thorin, kneeling with an arrow nocked and pointed directly at the dwarf prince. I recognise this elf to be Legolas, son of King Thranduil.
"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." the elf prince says to Thorin

I look around and see that we're completely surrounded and outnumbered by Mirkwood Elves, all with their bows drawn and aimed at us. This could get bad...

"Hir Nin Legolas"

My Lord Legolas. I say stepping out of the group, a few of the archers train their bows on me.

To show I mean him no harm I sheath my weapons and hold my hands out slightly. He looks at me quizzically, probably wondering why a dwarf is speaking elvish.
"I eneth nîn Seis, Ídhron peded adh dhen."
My name is Chase. I wish to speak with you

A shout halts our talking and we all turn realising it's Kili.
"Help!"
"Kili!" Fili shouts worried for his brother, he starts to head for him but the sound of more arrows being pointed at him prevents him from moving any further.

"My lord! Please! If you will not let us help him, send someone I beg you!"
he nods his head at one of the elves, I look to the elf he had nodded at, a red-headed female elf, she runs swiftly to the source of the cry for help, and not long after both Kili and the female dwarf emerge from the dense trees.

"Thank you," I say gratefully, overjoyed that the young dwarf is unharmed

"Search them" Legolas orders as he turns around to the female elf.

An elf takes Orchrist off Thorin and Walks over to Legolas, handing it to him

"Echannen i vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh." He says inspecting the sword
This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin.

"Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me." Thorin replies simply

The elf prince points the sword at the Dwarf

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well."

"Le dŷr, hîr Elrond od Imladris den aun anden."
You're mistaken it was given to him by Lord Elrond of Rivendell I state respectfully.
He looks at me unsure what to make of my response before telling his people to take us away.

The elves begin to lead us away. Bofur turns and whispers to Thorin

"Thorin, where's Bilbo?"

Thorin looks around, but sees no sign of Bilbo.
I notice the worry on his face and knowing I had seen him, I whisper to Thorin that he is alright

We're are led over a bridge and into King Thranduil's kingdom. Led single file over raised wooden walkways of the Woodland Realm. The entire place is built out of large, ages old tree roots in a subterranean cavern. Thorin is taken out of the group and lead towards the King as we are lead down steps and then pushed, protesting, into several cells.

All the dwarves have individually been taken to see the king, Balin was the last to go, it's not long before he is escorted back to the cells and I am taken out of my cell, confused I look towards Thorin who is simply standing at the closed cell gate looking at me as I am led up the stairs and along the pathway towards the King. Being respectful I greet him with a slight bow, ignoring the pain in my shoulder.

"Ai Thranduil, aran en-Eryn"
Hail Thranduil, King of the Forest. I say as I stand up straight

"Thorin avast dambeded, i phin eithyr avasser eithro, ach nauthon i ech, per-edhel, peditha ammen: i theled gîn vi Eryn Lasgalen."
Thorin would not give me a proper answer, neither would any of the others, presumably you, being half elf, would be more forthcoming about what it is you are doing here in Mirkwood? He gets straight to the point of why I have been summoned.

"Trevedim trî in eryn, ach vistassem uin râd, adh ith ling telir. Sa narn bant, Hîr nin"
We are simply travelling through the forest, but we strayed from the path and then we were attacked by spiders, that is all there is to it my lord. I say careful of what I am saying. It's not a lie and it's not the full truth, surely this will be enough to satisfy his curiosity?

"Nauthagir i he drevaded arod. Trevaded an orthoged mâr adh an ndaged amlug. Im nautha innas ilaurui: Pilu nemmen egor nad sui han. Ichíregir fen. Cethigir ha i anthatha vâl aran an Thorin: i vîr aran, i Arkenstone. Te muin atha ngonoded. Ha chenion. Min orod vîr in eithro ídhron. Silif calad gîl."

Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. (You think that this is a noble journey.) 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 Thorin the right to rule: the King's Jewel, the Arkenstone. It is precious to him beyond measure. I understand that. There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I know of which gems he speaks, if my memory serves me correctly my father used to say he wished for them to be made into jewellery for his wife, since the elves didn't smith he

"I silif Eryn Lasgalen?"
The white gems of Lasgalen?

"Ma."
The same. He says seemingly surprised that I know.
"Gi leithiathon, pi pedig an Thorin Danantho i silif an Thranduil."
I will let you go, if you but convince Thorin to return what is mine. I think for a short moment and turn to look towards the cells, before turning back to him, he looks like he is expecting a positive answer.

"Pedin? Ebenthidh anden ach est avas? Ú-belin prestad i 'ûr dîn, i phith dhîn ú-athevennin. Ú-iston pi pelin prestad i innas dîn."

Convince? You mean you have already offered him these terms but he has refused? I do not know how I am supposed to be able to change his mind, terms like those are not turned down on a whim. I do not know if I can change his mind. I say knowing how stubborn that dwarf can be, and to even suggest this to him... He sees me as more of an elf than a dwarf, but he has only recently gotten over that fact, if I try and convince him... All that trust that I have toiled for may just light up in flames.

"Dem. Sa i vên gîn ed i thaim nîn. Trî lû van cuia peredhel adh drî lû van cuia nawag… Host în? Lephost în? Egor uir? Uir lû and am bostad erui vi mand. Nautho o san."

A pity. That is the only way you are going to be leaving these halls. How long does a half elf live compared to a dwarf. One hundred years? Five hundred years? Or indefinitely? Eternity is a long time to spend in a cell all alone. Think on it.

He motions to his guards to take me away
Once back at the cell and the guards have left Thorin asks me what Thranduil wanted with me.
"He asked me what we were doing here in Mirkwood" I reply
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him we were simply passing through"
"Is that all he wanted from you?"
I won't lie to him "He said he won't let us go unless you accept his offer, told me that is the only way we are going to get out of here, or we can sit here until we die of old age... A deal is our only hope" I say sitting down on the floor in the back of the cell.
"Not our only hope" Thorin states
I have to think for a moment then remember Bilbo wasn't captured.

I hope this chapter isn't confusing.

The elvish translations are underneath, in italics.

Most of the elvish was kindly translated from English into Elvish for me by DreaminFifi of realelvish . net