Thranduil and Miquella exchanged a few final words while, at the same time, several Elven soldiers were ordered to lead the Elden to the cells to begin that carefully planned little performance.
Trina had already gone ahead to inform Malenia and the other Elden of the situation, ensuring that Bilbo remained undiscovered and that the script continued without a hitch.
Now, Miquella advanced through the paths of the Elven kingdom with his hands held by shackles. However, rather than a transfer to a cell, it seemed more like a stroll. They walked leisurely, without any pressure, while the Elvenking himself pointed out various corners of his realm. The soldiers followed at a distance, far enough to grant them privacy—a clear demonstration of the trust Thranduil placed in his guest.
"I wish you success in your mission," Thranduil said in a relaxed tone. There was a hint of satisfaction in his voice; he hoped the relationship with the Elden would endure over time.
"As do I," Miquella replied naturally, glancing toward a specific direction, guided by a subtle signal Trina had made to him.
There, in the distance, was something that might go unnoticed by human eyes, but not by those of an Elf or a Demigod: an Elf-maid stood with other warriors or scouts, adjusting her gear with impeccable discipline, as if preparing to jump into action at any moment. Perhaps it was just routine, perhaps not.
"Is something the matter?" Thranduil asked, noticing Miquella had stopped.
"Nothing important…" he replied, resuming his pace. "I was just thinking that I am offering quite a lot. Perhaps it wouldn't be wrong to ask for something more on my part."
"And what is it you desire?" the King asked, slightly confused. Certainly, the Elden were delivering much, and as long as the request was not excessive, he was willing to consider it.
"Nothing, nothing… I was just mentioning it," Miquella said, then added with apparent nonchalance. "By the way, you have excellent Elves under your command. For instance, that beautiful Elf who accompanied me here: kind, competent… and very skilled with weapons."
Thranduil frowned at the observation but followed the direction of Miquella's gaze and distinguished Tauriel in the distance. He raised an eyebrow, surprised by the Elden king's blatant insinuation.
"Yes, Tauriel. Captain of the Guard," he responded with measured calm. "A very capable Elf."
His tone made it clear he had no intention of parting with her easily.
"Impressive, isn't she?" Miquella continued. "I believe even your son can see how valuable she is… So capable that it isn't hard to imagine she could steal anyone's heart, from the simplest commoner to the noblest of princes."
Miquella looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a clearly mischievous expression.
Thranduil remained silent. He scowled with a certain annoyance, but soon his expression turned pensive as he watched Tauriel in the distance.
"Perhaps…" he finally murmured, with a much less reluctant tone.
Then he turned toward the Elven guards following them.
"Please, inform Captain Tauriel that she is to escort our guest."
The Elvenking added nothing more. He simply nodded slightly toward Miquella, a gesture that was returned with equal discretion.
...
In the cells, the dwarves remained trapped. Some tried to free themselves by force, but it soon became clear it was impossible… or so it seemed.
Those bearing the Troll Rune managed to make the bars vibrate, eliciting a metallic hum that sparked hope for a few moments. There were shouts of excitement, repeated blows, and strength applied to the limit. However, after a long bout of effort, reality set in: that prison was magnificently constructed. Even if it felt like they were making progress, breaking out would take them a long time… and consume energy they simply didn't have.
Others didn't even try. They merely sat down, resigned, hoping that this confinement was nothing more than a brief interlude in their journey.
Neither the Elden, nor Bilbo, nor Thorin were present. This, curiously, could be interpreted as an opportunity.
The first disappointment arrived when Thorin was dragged to one of the cells, just like the rest.
"What happened?" Dwalin asked, approaching the bars.
"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin added, watching him closely.
"Are we getting out of here?" other dwarves asked, those close enough to hear.
The tension was palpable. First, it had been the Scarlet Rot—which fortunately Miquella had managed to heal—and now the future of the journey was once again completely uncertain.
"Thranduil offered me a deal…" Thorin said in a somewhat calmer voice, pacing back and forth inside his cell. "And I told him go îsh kakhfê ai'd dur-rugnul." He raised his voice at the end with a taunt full of contempt. "And his whole kind with him."
Balin and the sisters could only sigh. They knew perfectly well how screwed they were. Getting out of there would be no easy feat.
"Well… we still have another chance," one of the dwarves tried to cheer up. "The Elden aren't here. Maybe they can get us out."
"Yes, maybe they're hidden and coming to rescue us."
"Or maybe they've already left," another said in a gloomier tone. "The Elves have nothing against them. Maybe they were sent away."
The dwarves began to debate their uncertain future, exchanging hypotheses without reaching anything concrete. Then, Thorin spoke again, in a low tone laden with bitterness.
"Perhaps they have already betrayed us…"
Several gazes turned toward him, confused.
"Miquella and Thranduil seemed very willing to reach an agreement…"
"Hhmmm… perhaps that isn't such a bad thing," Balin said cautiously. "Maybe we still have a chance to get out if Miquella manages to negotiate."
"Never!" Thorin interrupted with fury. "Have you forgotten when the Elves betrayed us? Do you think they can be trusted? If the Elden make a deal with the Elves, it only means one thing: they cannot be trusted either." His paranoia grew with every word. "Perhaps they are deciding right now how to divide the mountain between themselves."
He struck the stone wall with his fist, the sound echoing in the cell.
Some dwarves could only sigh once more at their king's stubbornness. Although a few shared his grudge against the Elves, none wished to alienate the Elden. To them, they were still allies… and friends.
The arguments and distress continued for a long while. The dwarves debated between useless escape attempts and conjectures about what would become of them, locked away with Durin's Day so close… and yet so far.
Then, the voices died down abruptly upon seeing the Elves approaching.
It wasn't silence out of prudence or good behavior; none of them had a problem bothering the jailers with shouts or insults. They fell silent because the Elves were not coming alone.
They were bringing new prisoners: The Elden.
One by one, the Elden were placed into cells, just like the dwarves. However, unlike the latter, they offered no resistance and cooperated fluidly, making the whole process quick and orderly.
The dwarves watched the scene in awe. Some with concern. Thorin, for his part, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief upon seeing them.
"What are you doing!?" shouted one of the dwarves seeing their allies being locked up too.
"Why are you imprisoning them now?"
"Hey! Why do they get to keep their things?"
They soon noticed: the Elden had not only been imprisoned gently, but they retained all their weapons and armor. They lacked absolutely nothing.
"Where is Miquella?" Thorin asked, not seeing him among them.
The thought that he might have reached an agreement with Thranduil deeply unsettled him. He had seen what kind of power the Elden king possessed, and if he allied with the Elves...
The Elden remained silent, retreating into their cells without a word. Only Leda approached the bars to answer, as Malenia didn't even deign to look at Thorin.
"He is healing other Elves tainted by the Scarlet Rot," she said in an indifferent tone. "We know nothing more. Only that we were to come here."
"Healing the Elves!?" a dwarf shouted at the jailers. "And yet you lock up his people!? Is this how you repay your gratitude?"
"These are the orders of King Thranduil… and of the Elden King himself," an Elf replied, pronouncing Miquella's title with evident respect.
"And why do they keep their weapons?" another dwarf asked.
Several of his companions wanted to throw something at him. That detail, far from bothering them, could be an advantage… as long as the Elves didn't change their minds.
"Courtesy of King Thranduil," the jailer replied. "They are prisoners by their own will. They may leave whenever they wish and will be escorted out of the realm."
"I want out! Let me go!" "Yes, get us out of here!" "Let's go! I don't want to set foot in this forest again!"
The dwarves erupted in shouts upon hearing this, hoping they would be released, even if by force and without their belongings.
"Only the Elden have that right," the Elf said with a mocking smile before leaving.
Thus, the company was almost entirely behind bars. For besides Miquella's absence, there was someone else in the prison… but outside the cells.
Bilbo, following the instructions Malenia had given him before they were locked up, had already begun to move, carefully memorizing the layout of the place.
Meanwhile, a new argument broke out between the dwarves and the Elden.
"Come on! Use your weapons to escape and get us out!" one of the dwarves shouted.
"No," Leda replied calmly. "We must wait for Miquella."
"Then throw us a weapon!" another protested. "I feel naked without anything on me."
The dwarves were glad the Elden kept their gear… and expected them to share it. Whether to escape, feel safe, or settle scores with the Elves, they wanted to wield steel once again.
The Elden did not respond. They remained patient, motionless. They did not plan to escape and, certainly, they could not hand over weapons that would only serve to cause a disaster. They could not allow their king's plans to be compromised.
"If you truly consider yourselves allies of the dwarves, at least give us a weapon!" Thorin growled.
Miquella's absence continued to unsettle Thorin. The possibility of an alliance between Elves and Elden gnawed at his mind, and he decided to test the loyalty of those warriors toward the Dwarven people.
Both Elden and dwarves received the demand with caution. Thorin was more stubborn than usual, and everyone understood that the next action could define the future of the relationship between both races. Consequently, a heavy silence fell over the cells, laden with tension and uncertainty.
Then, in the midst of that deathly silence, a knife sliced through the air and embedded itself with a dull thud inside Kilian's cell, taking her completely by surprise. She was one of the dwarves who had shown no impatience or combative attitude; she had remained calm, without asking for weapons or thinking of causing trouble, much like her sister. Precisely because of that, the knife ended up in her cell.
"There is your weapon," Malenia said, addressing Thorin with absolute coldness. "Now, be silent."
Her voice, firm and thundering, silenced everyone instantly. The Elden had fulfilled the demand, though it wasn't a full test: the weapon had been given to someone who clearly didn't plan to use it. Still, it was enough. Thorin said nothing more and merely leaned against the wall of his cell, sulking.
The rest of the dwarves reacted similarly. In truth, the request for weapons hadn't been that important; it had arisen more from their restless and chaotic nature than from real necessity. They didn't expect that demand to cause such a clear rift between dwarves and Elden. Therefore, they chose to remain silent, fearful of causing more trouble without realizing it.
For her part, Kilian took the knife and tucked it into her clothes. She had no intention of using it, but even so, it was better to keep it with her.