Chapter Twenty -Two

"We will all step one at a time."

Bilbo nervously stepped around Balin trying to get a glimpse of what was going on up ahead. From the little he could make out, there was a bridge with a river flowing beneath it. Five elven archers were already on the other side surveying the darkened forest, their bows and arrows ready for anything.

Bilbo shivered, goosebumps appeared all over his skin, the hairs on the back of his neck raised in alarm. He felt watched. Taking his eye off the bridge he brought them up towards the highest trees, no light penetrated through. His sense of time was like a broken compass, he didn't know if they were going the correct way or not. Tauriel did say to follow and not stray from her or the path which of course they had followed like an order.

The hobbit rubbed his face in exhaustion, he looked back up only to find that he was alone. Balin, the bridge and the elves were out of his sight. Panicked clawed at him, he turned this and that way trying to figure out his whereabouts. He patted his body in hopes of finding some that could help. "Balin! Fili, Kili!?" he screamed. He could feel himself grow unsteady, he knew not what was in the forest, for all he knew spiders could already be making their way to him.

"Bilbo, get a hold of yourself."

Everything came rushing back like a tidal wave, one moment he was lost and the next he was back where he started, Balin was beside him slapping his cheek in desperate measure to bring him back from wherever he was. "I? How did you get here so fast?"

"What are you speaking about? We all have been here and then you started screaming." Balin said.

The hobbit shook his head in confusion and fear.

"Tauriel what's going on?" The eleven warrior kneeled beside the hobbit, she took one look at him and figured out what was happening.

"We need to get to the kingdom as fast as possible. If he's having side effects from the forest the others won't be far."

"What do you mean by others?"Dwalin asked.

"Your kin. This forest is not made for your kind, your minds are not as strong as ours." Bilbo could hear the insult. Fili glared at the woman and Kili for agreeing with her. He elbowed his brother, Kili chuckled but understood his sibling.

"How much longer?" Ori whined.

"Less than two hours that is if you can keep up." Bilbo wondered how she continued to joke around even in the present situation.

The best course of action would be to tie himself to someone and that was exactly what the hobbit did. He took a vine off a tree that had wound itself around and tied one end to his wrists and the other on Bofur's

"There we're all set."

"I'll have to blame you if we get lost. " Bilbo gaped at the dwarf ready to speak in his defense, Bofur doubled over in laughter. "I'm only jokin' come on, we don't want to be left behind."

The day wore on or was it night? Bilbo couldn't tell and by the looks on everyone else's face they thought the same. Tauriel must've lied. Even without the sense of time Bilbo suspected they had walked more than an hour and they had kept their pace with the elves. What was taking so long?

Bilbo continued on, they had quickened their pace, the vine around his wrist constantly pulled at him to keep up, he fell to one knee, exhaustion evident on his face.

"Wait. Don't pull. Let me rest for a bit." The relief he felt on his wrist made the fall bearable. "Thank you."

"Hobbit! We cannot rest. Get up!" He could faintly hear Tauriel, he felt the vine pull once more. Out of the corner of his eyes Tauriel approached, his hands shot out, feeling for anything to get a grip on and haul himself up. He came into contact with a long vine like string, he gripped it. "No! Don't touch that!" The warning came too late.

His exhaustion disappeared, his eyes locked onto the long almost invisible line his fingers grasped like a lifeline. He quickly let go, the line sticking to his palm.

He stepped back mortified, his gaze going from the line to his palm and then to the company around him.

"Split in half. Take the crown prince away from here. The rest will stay with me for a counterattack." The orders were given, one of them broke from the group and gathered Thorin in his arms. There were protests from the company, but they could do nothing as half of the elves disappeared into the trees. "You dwarves better be ready. It won't be long till they arrive. Gear up."

Wordlessly, Nori came up to the hobbit and dropped his weapons. He tried apologizing but Nori shook his head. Everyone including Gandalf and the rest of the elf's prepared for an attack, they gathered their weapons , Bilbo followed suit. He no longer has his hidden daggers but he still has his two blades. He strapped silencer to his back and kept the other at hand.

The trees shuddered at the weight of the spiders, they could not see them but they could hear them. The silence made it all that worse. Bilbo had Bofur at his side and behind him was Nori, their backs to each other but touching. The vine connecting Bofur and himself was long gone. Steading his breathing he waited like everyone else. The first arrow was let loose, it soared through the air breaking the wind around it and disappeared into the forest. There was a cry.

All too soon spiders of varying sizes either crawled down the trees or broke through the trees. There were arrows flying, swords piercing strong skin, the grunts of battle helped the hobbit focus. Bilbo reacted, a spider charged at him, Bilbo swung letting out a battle cry in the process. He ran headlong and at the last minute before clashing with the spider, he slid underneath the spider's belly, throwing his sword up into its belly. He stood back up, sword ready for more blood spill, the spider screeched, blood and guts poured underneath but it continued onward, it was angry and dying and it affected its movements. Bilbo found an opening , he groped the handle and struck the sword into the spider's head, the impact making his hands sting. The creature crumbled to the forest floor with a thud.

No one had been gravely hurt, Kili sported cuts here and there, Fili had bandages made entirely of leaves and paste from the trees. He wasn't too happy since it had been Tauriel who assisted him. Bilbo was not surprised to see Ori and his ink but he was surprised to see Dwalin helping the younger dwarrow. Oin had gone around and patched anyone who needed it, Tauriel and the rest of the elves guided them through the forest, no one said a word as they walked.

Guilt ate at the hobbit. He couldn't help but feel responsible for their attack. If it wasn't for him, they would have already been inside the kingdom, with Thorin. He needed to apologize, to speak to the company and ask for their forgiveness, out of everyone in the group it seemed that Frerin was the only one that was willing to talk to him, but then again, it was Frerin. Bilbo felt it best to stay away from him even if he wanted to talk to someone.

Light seeped through the giant trees their leaves cascading down like a veil around them. The smell of fresh air hit the hobbit , making him think back of the shire, it was like the first fresh air they've breathed in after days underground. It was tantalizing and sweet, sweeter than anything in the world. Bilbo hurried ahead, the two princes following behind.

"King Thranduil awaits inside." One of the guards announced. A nod from Tauriel sent the other elven scouts back inside the forest. Gandalf and Bilbo were at the back, He couldn't help but compare both Rivendell and Mirkwood. Both were gorgeous in their own right, but Mirkwood held something else, something that was only unique to it. Whatever it was it's beauty was welcoming, even if there was no waterfalls or as much open air.

The inside was as grand as the outside, you could say the kingdom was rooted to the trees around it, pillars of tree trunks, vines all interlaced with one another creating magnificent hallways and arches. As they walked deeper and deeper through hallways that all looked the same to them, they finally made it to two double doors that were wide open. Two guards elegantly stood at their posts, not once did they eye them as they walked past them only to give a brief nod to Tauriel.

Thranduil was perched on his throne. Velvet fabric draped down the arm rest , he gracefully stood from

His throne, long legs descending down the wooden stairs. A crown made of the very material of the woods was just as grand as the elven king himself.

"Welcome. I heard about the horrendous attack. " Thranduil said without so much of a hint of actually caring about the attack. He could have been talking about the weather.

"I am prince Kili, one of the heirs to crown prince Thorin. " Kili went as far as to bend down to king thranduil. Surprisingly thranduil repeated the action.

"Say no more. Your uncle is in good hands. There's an elf waiting outside the and he will guide you to him. Your brother may go with you." Thranduil said. "The rest can follow Tauriel; she will take you to your chambers, there will be food waiting." He carelessly settled his eyes on the hobbit, making him stand still, he watched as the rest of the company left.

"You must be the hobbit, the very one whom Frerin is supposed to marry." His words made the disgraced prince arch an eyebrow, but said no further if one were to look closely they would see the anger radiating out of him.

Bilbo flinched at the words, especially Frerin's name and the word marry. He hadn't thought about Frerin in such a way for a long time, it had been lost to him that at one point in the start of their journey that he had once been thinking of marrying him, living inside the mountains and having a blissful marriage. No, that was not the case anymore and everyone in the room knew it and that included Thranduil.

It was no secret, Bilbo oftentimes wore his heart on his sleeve. Bilbo really didn't care.

"Ah, so it's true." Thranduil words hung in the air. Bilbo said nothing, Frerin stayed silent as well as the wizard. "I had heard rumors of a hobbit that played two brothers," the eleven king strode about the throne room, his hands behind his back. Bilbo bristled at the implication.

"I did not play anyone, King Thranduil."

Bilbo watched the elven king stop, his head whipped around, the hobbit was ready to be called otherwise.

"No, you didn't. Thremil, step forward."

Bilbo dared a look at Frerin, the disgraced prince perked at the name, a sly smile adorned his dirtied pale face. Behind the throne room a figure stepped out, they were about dwarven height, definitely taller than Bilbo. It was a female, long brown locks framed their face making it rounder and softer and a beard making it more pronounced. Their eyes regarded the hobbit before running up to Frerin and engulfing him and a hug.

"I , I thought you were dead. I was worried." Her hands ran through Frerin's blonde locks, she took in all of his injuries and grimaced at how red they still were.

"You need to be tended to and then we can leave." Thremil intertwined her fingers with the prince and dragged him out of the throne room.

"Yes the faster they are healed the quicker we can get rid of her." The coroner of the Thranduil's lip curled up in amusement before it was gone.

The chambers they were assigned were different, in Rivendell one could see the skies, the cascades and breathe in the fresh morning air. Mirkwood was set up differently. There were no windows, the only ones were sectioned around the perimeter of the kingdom, where the scouts could keep a look out for any spiders. Bilbo shuddered at the idea of them. It took a lot of effort to banish the fight from earlier.

The hobbit felt trapped, he shared the room with Bofur and Bifur. It was the same with the rest of the company, Gandalf managed to snag his own room. The windowless room made him restless, it had been four hours since the last update from Balin, he gnawed on the inside of his cheek deciding that he needed to find out what was going on.

He was told the eleves remedies had been helping Thorin, it was all he could get out of Balin before he was swept away to his own chambers.

Outside the room stood a guard, he arranged his clothes before turning toward the elf. "Could you point me to where Thorin is staying." The eleven guard said nothing and began moving away from the room. Bilbo took the hint and followed. Every so often they would pass an elf or two and oftentimes they would openly stare at him with curiosity in their eyes but never asked anything. Furthermore, he was not interested in answering them, all his thoughts were on Thorin and his well-being.

What seemed like a puzzling maze, the hobbit was glad to see the guard halt and with a nod toward a door Bilbo figured they had made it to Thorin's quarters.

Not missing a beat Bilbo opened the door and entered. The door itself shut behind him without his help.

"Bilbo? My boy, what are you doing here?" The wizard spoke up, he took up most of the room, Thorin laid on a bed made of what he could tell was a mixture of leaves, trees and vines. It looked comfortable. "I'm here to see Thorin."

"Balin must have informed you already."

"Yes. But- I needed to see him with my own eyes." a small smile spread across the wizard.

"Of course."

"Any changes?" Bilbo asked. He made it to Thorin's side, his fingers raking through Thorin already washed hair. The journeys dirt and grim were nowhere to be seen. He had been bathed. Looking down at his own attire, Bilbo scrunched up his nose. He needed a bath and soon.

"The poison will leave him in two days." A low yet loud voice startled the hobbit. He looked behind him and there stood King Thranduil with an escort of guards behind him.

Bilbo bowed as did Thranduil. His presence was not unwelcome but it put Bilbo on edge. He's heard the stories, how Thorin had whisked away the jewels, Thranduil had wanted and needed, from his grandfather after the promised arrangement was broken by him. If it had not been for that, the eleven king would not have shone up and aided the dwarves of Erebor.

"Who poisoned him?"

"We are not sure," the look Thranduil gave him was of disbelief "Thorin's kin would do no such thing."

"Not saying it was, they are far too loyal, but then there's you." Thranduil declared. He moved away from the door, inspecting the small room, running his fingers along the spines of books. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at the glowering hobbit.

"I don't care what you think you are to him, why would you poison him?" Thranduil now stood above the hobbit, he didn't kneel to his eye level.

"I would do no such thing-"

"Why?"

"I'm as loyal to him as his kin."

"Why?" Thranduil pressed again.

Bilbo opened and closed his mouth at the realization. Thranduil knew why. The interaction they had inside the throne room came back to the forefront of his mind. " I love him. But you already knew that." A brief smile appeared.

"Yes. Tell me hobbit. What is the real story." Once again those piercing grey blue eyes demanded an answer, this time it was curiosity instead of judgment present.

While Thorin slept, Bilbo recounted his side of the story. He told him everything, Bilbo wasn't sure why he wasn't leaving anything out, or why he couldn't stop the words from coming out. Thranduil stood still and listened, his only indication of any emotion was the little micro expression on his face that told him what he was feeling. After he retold his story, Thranduil elegantly stood up, he looked over at the sleeping crown prince.

"Thorin is not tied to me as he is tied to his kin, we are not blood. Even so I consider him someone with greatness, even I can see that." Those piercing eyes turned to look at Bilbo. " I can see the fire you have, it can either extinguish him or make him brighter. Prince Bilbo, keep a close eye on Prince Frerin and Thremil." With such críptic words the elven left the room, robes bellowing behind him.

Bilbo was left with more questions than answers. Did Thranduil imply what he thought about Frerin poisoning his own brother? But why include Thremil? He looked over at Gandalf, he himself had a far away look. They had come to the same conclusion. However, there was no way of proving anything. His priorities shifted as he heard a moan come from Thorin.

A/N; alright. This is a very long chapter and I'm super proud of it. I was at the height of my muse and I had to take advantage of it. Anyway, hope you all liked this chapter as much as I did. Until the next update.