It wasn't every day that Dwarves were sighted in Mirkwood forest. In fact, it wasn't every day that the dungeons of Mirkwood were full of prisoners. Today was clearly special, Tauriel thought to herself as she made her way to the dungeons. 12 of the Dwarves were kept in cells there; Thorin, their leader, was imprisoned secretly and separately from the others. Tauriel walked past all of their cells, trying to decide which one to interrogate. She stopped in front of the last cell.

"You. Come with me," she ordered. The Dwarf in the cell stood up clumsily.

"Me?" he asked, confused. He was a bit tall, for a Dwarf, and seemed to be one of the youngest of the company. His eyes were innocent and kind, and he looked a bit nervous. Tauriel was quite certain she could get him to talk. She unlocked the door and pulled the Dwarf out of his cell, quickly binding his hands. He glanced nervously at the others as she led him out of the dungeons, but he kept silent.

She brought him before Thranduil, who waved his approval for her to begin. She slowly circled around where the Dwarf stood, hands bound behind his back.

"Tell me, Dwarf, what is your name," she asked.

"It's Kili, ma'am… miss," he said awkwardly, "And what, may I ask, is yours?" Tauriel fought a smile. The nerve of him to ask for her name was unbelievable, but she decided to allow it.

"My name is Tauriel," she replied, "And that is the last time you ask a question." Kili's eyes widened a bit, but he nodded in acknowledgement. Just as she had thought, he hadn't intended his question to be rude.

"Tell me… Kili. What business could Dwarves have in Mirkwood?"

"I don't know," Kili replied.

"What were you doing in Mirkwood forest?" she asked again.

"We were hungry… starving, in fact. We needed food." This answer was no surprise to Tauriel; it was the same answer Thorin had given.

"If you tell the truth, we would be willing to release you and your friends."

The Dwarf remained silent, and watched Tauriel as she slowly walked past.

"No?" she asked, "Well perhaps you could be persuaded." She noticed the Dwarf flinch slightly at her words, and again had to fight a smile. Did he think she would torture him? What monsters he must think Elves are. She stopped in front of him and bent closer.

"What if I told you something, just between you and I. Something to put your heart at ease."

The Dwarf's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"Thorin Oakenshield is here," she said, enjoying the way his eyes brightened at her words, the way he let out breath of relief.

"He's perfectly safe," she continued, "There's just one problem. When we asked him what he was doing in Mirkwood forest, he gave us the same answer you did – that he and his company were starving and in search of food. He would give no other answer. So I'm going to propose a solution, Kili. If you tell us what your company was doing in Mirkwood, we'll release you all. You can help everyone, Kili. Just tell us what you know."

"That information isn't mine to give," Kili replied, locking eyes with Tauriel, "Thorin is family, and I could not betray him." His expression was determined, and Tauriel began to wonder if she'd made the wrong choice.

"So be it. Thorin Oakenshield and the rest of your company will remain imprisoned until we receive an answer."

"Then so be it."

Tauriel hesitated for a moment in case he changed his mind, and then took him by the arm and began to lead him back to the dungeons. As they began descending the stairs, Kili cleared his throat.

"May I speak to you?" he asked.

"No," Tauriel replied, pushing him forward.

"I just wanted to thank you, for telling me about Thorin," he said, disregarding her answer. Tauriel stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.

"I told you about Thorin because I thought it might motivate you to do what he could not – which is to give up his pride."

"The information you're asking for isn't mine to give," Kili said again, a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Your blind loyalty to your "King" will be your downfall."

"I could say the same to you," Kili replied, to which Tauriel's eyes widened in surprise.

"You know nothing," she said quietly, and continued on.

Once Kili was back in his cell, Tauriel returned to her own room and flopped down onto the bed. This whole Dwarf ordeal was really wearing on her. None of the Dwarves were budging on information. Thranduil was willing to let them rot in the dungeons, but Tauriel wasn't. It wasn't that she cared for their comfort, but as long as they were prisoners, she and the other Elves would have to feed and care for them.

Her mind kept drifting back to the Dwarf's words, but she kept telling herself that he didn't know her and his words meant nothing. He had been tall for a Dwarf though, and maybe a bit handsome… in a rugged sort of way. What am I saying? Tauriel scolded herself, picking up a book from her bedside table and opening it to where she last left off. Reading always had a way of distracting her from the troubles at hand, and right now she very much needed a distraction.