Chapter XXXI

15th Narabeleth 3002 T.A

The journey to Dale was quiet. Fili had decided to come and make it a matter between kings, behind him was Kili and Tauriel lost in conversation with each other and Eliel behind them observing how they could easily ignore her and only focus on each other. Hain was trailing Eliel basically following her every move, he believed the story but was still not as trusting as everyone else. Eliel could feel his stare in the back of her and every now and again she would turn around and glare at him just she could.

"Why do you hate me so much? If anything I should be the one to hate you the most." Eliel decided to ask.

"Do you not?"

"Well I do not hate you. I don't like you either though" By now Hain was walking beside Eliel to defend himself.

"I saw a criminal take advantage of my family, my trust in you is minimal. Let's just say you are not worth saving."

"Either way I don't see myself getting along with you because I want to."

"That makes two of us. But it is good to see my uncle happy even though that happiness did create a half breed.

"I'm sorry? Did I just hear you refer to me as a half breed? You?" Eliel had stopped in her tracks, the rest of the company had forgotten about the two young heirs and was well ahead and the conversation was out of range. "Do not be so false. Are you ashamed of your heritage that you would look down on your cousin for being exactly what you are?"

"Please you take things so out of perspective. You knew what I meant." Eliel had raised her eyebrows and walked away from him.

"Okay look I apologize. It's just that I have always been the eldest Durin in this generation. I am only 58 you know."

"So? It is not like I am in line for the throne and your human genes make you look older than me anyway?"

"Let's just call it even?"

"What is there to even?" Eliel had back chatted

"Argh, you are so so-"

"What? Stubborn? I believe that might be the dwarf coming out in me. How about we stop talking before we kill each other. Good Settled." Eliel had pushed forward so she was away from him as much as possible before she was charged with killing the future King of Erebor.

"Hurry up Eliel." Kili had yelled to her from gate to Dale. Eliel had hardly recognized it all, everything was such a blur last time she was here. There was something familiar about it but mostly it was as if she had never been here before.

"We will speak with Bain firstly. Tauriel I want you to say here with Eliel, you both can wait in the foyer while we talk business. I do not want my daughter arrested again and since she is an escapee there is a very high chance she will be."

Kili escorted them into the foyer and Tauriel kissed his on the forehead as he walked up the stairs. Eliel stood by her mother in an awkward silence casually hiding her face every time a guard would patrol nearby. It was not until Hain approached the stairs ad summoned them that her nerves jolted around her body. She followed Tauriel up and down the hallway her hand clasped in front her, nails digging into her skin. She was frightened. Scared that she was going to get thrown into that pit of misery and torture that those humans called a jail. She walked into a large room the man who commanded her torture and his son was sitting either side of an older man hunched in the throne.

"King Bain has summoned you." Tauriel bowed and stayed bowed until Eliel joined her. Eliel was frozen into place by the cold glares of older prince.

"It is customary to bow at the presence of a royal." Brand spoke but Eliel could not help herself and her hostility took over.

"It is also customary to not throw young royals into dungeons when they tell nothing but the truth."

Everyone was shocked by the rudeness and Tauriel and Kili both scolded their daughter but Eliel kept her head high and stood up for herself as she had always done.

"You are quite the spirited one aren't you?" She nodded her head

"Tauriel. I remember you. You protected by sisters and I when my father could not and you saved the life of a Prince of Erebor. You are highly respected by this family. Now for this girl who you say is your daughter is another thing entirely."

Tauriel still held her positon by Eliel's bracing herself for the worst case scenario, she was determined to make sure no harm came to her again. She held her hand to Kili and he took it recklessly, they stood together.

"I have heard your story and if it was up to my son you would be thrown back into jail but as the King I will not let that happen saying that I also cannot let you walked out of here without punishment." Tauriel squeezed Eliel's shoulder ready to make any possible move. "Since there is a treaty between the men of Dale and the mighty dwarves of Erebor I cannot charge any part of the Royal line of Durin with any crime under that treaty."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and Eliel felt the grasp on her shoulder relax. "But you are not officially a part of the royal Durin line. Your father may be a Durin but your mother is not and I have been informed that they are not wed and you did not had an official coronation. Kili and Tauriel seeing you here I trust you and will give you just over a month for prepare, if not Eliel will be arrested for crimes against Dale and her people."

"We will accept those terms, King Bain." Fili bowed speaking for his younger brother.

Tauriel look down towards Kili and smiled, approving of the conditions they became lost in themselves again. Eliel did not know if that is what she wanted. She knew she did not want to go back to jail and she knew she wanted to know her family. But to be a royal princess of Erebor and be the Eldest Durin heir it was confusing. Everyone else seemed to want that and it would probably be for the best but she had doubt. Bain stopped with the formalities and invited everyone to join a feast as for Eliel she needed time alone and thought why not go and tell Ahnissi the news, she felt as if she was telling Sonir. She slipped away from the crowd and told a nearby maid of her plans so she would inform her parents.

She remembered the marketplace and could easily find her way back to the family from here, if they have not moved. She felt slightly relaxed and happier when she could hear the annoying sound of the performers, when she arrived Sudi was serving everyone a midday meal.

"Enough for me?" Eliel smiled

"Always. How was your business?" Sudi handed Eliel a slice of bread and cheese. She looked at the plate and wondered if she would have gotten a better meal at the Citadel but it was not the food but rather who she spent the meal with. She recounted her antics from the past few days and watched as everyone hardly touched their food as they were too into her story. "And so that is how I became the lost princess the Erebor."

Next were a lot of questions asked at the same time and a lot of fussing about by Ahnissi and apologies by leaving her with the orcs. Eliel did not care and told everyone to treat her like normal. The afternoon had passed and the sky was full of pastel pinks and oranges as the sun was preparing to set she pondered if her parents had noticed she had been gone for so long. Ahnissi had noticed her silence and questioned it. "What is troubling you?"

"I feel like I have just been thrown into this world and no one has asked what I am feeling. I am tortured by what I experienced and I do not want to live through that again and if I have to become royalty to save myself I will but it is just hard for me to think of myself as a princess when I have been through an adventure that has tested me and damaged me."

"You are tortured by self-doubt and fear and of course it would stop you from being what you are. I have not known you for very long Eliel but I would consider you one of my own but I know the kind of strong, brave, and selfless girl you are. Do not consider yourself as one of them if you do not want. As I see it you can become coroneted then go back home to Pelargir, you are a crowned royal but it does not state that you belong to one place. We must take adventures in order to figure out where we belong."

They sat in silence until Eliel broke it with her goodbyes and promises to invite them to her coronation and made her way back to the Citadel where she knew she was being waited on. When she made her way up the street she could see her cousin waiting patiently for who she assumed was her.

"Uncle had guards out looking for you, they assumed you had run away from punishment."

"What, I told the maid where I was going."

"Well she did not tell everyone I guess." Eliel pushed passed Hain and walked inside to find her mother and father pacing. A guard then went to inform the king about her.

"How could you be so foolish? Running away like that?" Eliel went to defended herself when she was interrupted by words in Khuzdul being yelled at her.

"We have lost you before Eliel do not blame us when we do not want it repeated." Tauriel was stern.

"Okay sorry, but I did tell someone where I was going, this is not my fault."

"It is and for once own up to it instead of blaming someone for your recklessness." Those words had silenced Eliel and they waited to be dismissed by Bain.

They left Dale with enough light and would be back to Erebor before it was completely dark. In the same format as when they left this morning, there was an unsettling mood amongst the company and the only thing that relaxed Kili and Tauriel was each other. Eliel was walking too slowly for Hain to tolerate and he surpassed her only a few steps ahead. Dusk had arrived earlier they were told to stay close due to rocky terrain. As they were approaching the gates of Erebor, Tauriel looked back towards Eliel and caught her eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. Even with the blinding sun in her eyes a figure managed to appear in her vison. Tauriel stopped in her tracks fingers twitching, aching for her bow, the unsteady feeling grew as she continued to inspect the foreigner. Hain saw his uncle's elf standing still and followed where her eyes trailed behind them and saw a hooded figured fatally aiming at his cousin. In several swift movements it was all over, the first arrow was fired and Eliel was pushed to the ground with Hain on top, the next arrow that was shot was not from the stranger but from Tauriel who fired back so easily that it shot through the upper leg of the assassin. Fili, Kili and Tauriel ran to the outsider, assuming Hain saved Eliel, to either arrest him or kill him.

"You can get off me now." Eliel tried to push Hain off but realized his was unresponsive. "Hain? This isn't funny." She rolled from underneath him but his sturdy dwarvish body pinned the delicate half elf to the sharp rocks. That was when Eliel noticed the familiar steel arrow pierced his back and protruding out of the right side of his chest with the steel apex gently pricking her, she scream out for help, hoping he was not dead.