Luin was halfway through a goblet of wine when someone approached him. (It was his second goblet and it was good stuff, Mirkwood elves really knew how to choose their alcohol). Everyone at this feast had been giving him a wide birth since the whole time he had been there. They merely pointed and whispered from afar. So Luin had had a few glasses, grateful for his golden core which was able to filter out the alcohol in his blood stream.

He was leaning back against the stone wall, watching the dancers as he drank. Trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, which was impossible due to his dark hair and blue robes. He turned to his left as a she-elf walked over. Luin recognised her as the red haired elf who had rescued Kili from the spiders yesterday. The captain of the guard and Legolas' friend. She was wearing a fancier version of her uniform, the green bringing out the colour in her hair. She smiled at Luin politely, maybe even kindly.

"Tauriel", she stared in greeting, not bothering with a bland sentence about the party or a fake compliment. Luin appreciated her bluntness.

"Luin", he replied with a nod. Tauriel also nodded.

"May I join you?" She asked in the human tongue. He doubted that many of the common elf citizens spoke anything other than elvish. Speaking in human tongue gave them a bit of privacy.

"If you wish to", Luin muttered with a shrug. This amused her and she laughed. She leaned against the wall next to him and turned her face towards the dancers. There was some sort of slow dance going on that Luin had no idea about. But it looked pretty to watch. The spinning of glittering material and the long light hair of elves fanning out in the candle light. Luin could see how elves embodied gracefulness and beauty.

"Why are you helping the dwarves?" Tauriel asked suddenly. Luin took a long gulp of his drink.

"Why not?" He stared at her calmly. Tauriel met his gaze for a moment before looking away. She seemed shifty, uncertain about something.

"The dwarf you saved. His name is Kili", Luin said with a slight smile. Tauriel's eyes widened for a moment. A answer to a unspoken question. Luin knew that he had said the right thing.

"I didn't"- she broke off with a sigh. "What do you know of the spiders in our forest?"

Luin raised an eyebrow at the change of topic. "Why are you asking and not your king?" He frowned at his now empty goblet with disappointment. The wine was pretty good and he wondered if he should get another glass.

"I am the captain of the guard. It is my responsibility to ask", Tauriel stared firmly. Luin gave her a side long glance and sighed, deciding to throw her a bone to easy her concerns. It was obvious she cared more for Mirkwood than Thranduil.

"Gandalf the grey is looking into it with Radagast the brown. That is all I will be able to tell you". Tauriel huffed at the vague answer. She didn't look happy about it but she nodded.

She turned to walk away but turned around at the last minute. "Those braids", she said with a smile. She gestured to Luin's hair with one hand. "They're pretty". Luin felt his cheeks redden as he reflexively traced his fingers along one plait. Tauriel laughed and disappeared back into the crowd.

Luin didn't quite know what to make of her. She seemed intelligent and aware as well as compassionate. It made her a good captain of the guard. There was definitely something going on there between her and Kili which was interesting. He wondered how it would play out. A dwarf and a Elf.

Further musings were spared by a sudden dip in noise. Thranduil had risen to his feet and lifted his goblet up into the air. Everyone had stopped talking and turned to look at him. "My fellow people" , he said with a slight smile. "Welcome to our celebration. It is nearing midnight and as I promised, we will have a performance from our esteemed guest". Thranduil turned and gestured to Luin. "Come and play for us Luin the blue". He made hand movement like calling a dog.

Luin bit his lip to stop the growing anger rising in his chest. Standing straight, he placed his goblet on the nearest table and walked over towards where the musicians were positioned across the hall. Thranduil waved a hand. "Come here". Luin stopped and changed direction. He stepped up onto the podium where the Thranduil stood. The king placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him to sit cross legged on the floor beside the throne. Luin allowed himself to be guided like a doll. He let the king push him into a seated position and took his case off his back. He unbuckled it and took out his guqin. Thranduil smiled and went back to sit in his throne.

Luin could feel all the eyes on him as the crowd stood silently. To his right, Tauriel and Legolas were visible. They were standing against the wall together, hands each holding a goblet. Legolas was watching with a unreadable expression whilst Tauriel looked intrigued. Luin's eyes met that of the prince's. He stood out with his silver blonde hair, easily visible. Legolas raised his goblet in a silent acknowledgment. If there was a message in that, Luin had no idea.

The strings of his guqin hummed as he began to play. It was the same song he had played in Thranduil's throne room and it echoed with deep resonance through the room. The crowd stayed silent to listen to the new music. As Luin descended into a second song, a few of them moved into a dance. Elves partnered up and began a slow winding dance as Luin's fingers moved across the strings. Their robes billowing around them as they flowed in smooth movements.

Thranduil held up a hand on the third song, a happier melody that seemed to be a hit with the crowd. Luin stopped playing. "Tell me Wizard", the king said in a bored tone as he swirled the wine around his goblet. "Do you sing?"

"Yes", Luin answered honestly. He could sing. He just didn't do it very often.

"Sing for me then", he commanded. "Sing about the dwarves and their doomed quest. Sing about the fall of Erebor".

Luin's eyes widened at the command. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Legolas and Tauriel stand up straight, anger on their faces. Thranduil looked smug and Luin realised what the king wanted. He was parading him around, demeaning him to show his power. It was all to show how he was above other races. The king sought to humiliate the dwarves through him. This meant that the dwarves were nearby, close enough that the sound of the music could reach them.

As angry as he was, Luin could not openly disobey. It would cause a war. He placed his guqin back in its case and got to his feet. Thranduil watched with a amused smirk as Luin walked down to the dance floor. Couples parted for him so that he had the whole space to himself. Luin unsheathed his swords and a few people gasped. He let them go and they hovered in the air at his side.

Oh, misty eye of the mountain below

His voice echoed through the hall. It trembled on the last word as Luin raised his arms. His swords raised with him, spinning around above his head. A melody seemed to spark up, from where, no one could tell. The musicians stared down at their instruments with puzzlement but they were still. Luin continued to sing as the hunting melody began to build. Next to the throne, the guqin strings vibrated by themselves.

Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's sons

His voice faded out on the last syllable and the music rose. He spun, feet hitting the floor as a beat began to echo around the room. Magic welled up around him as he moved, his song raising it up as it began to take hold. As he sang, he spun and danced. A wild dance where his feet barely touched the floor. The jade swords flew through the air around him and he flipped over and danced under the sharp blades. His robes billowing and lifting as if underwater, floating in a weightless way as Luin channeled his Qi in fast movements round his body. Faster and faster to the point where he was almost glowing.

If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Calling out for the rope
Stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn on and on
The mountain side, hey
And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time

With each verse, the magic grew stronger. Luin smiled and sang with more strength, projecting Qi into his voice. He wanted the song to echo throughout the city, throughout the forest. It was to be heard all the way down to the lowest dungeons and the tallest towers. The elves needed to hear it.

Oh, should my people fall
Then surely I'll do the same
Confined in mountain halls
We got too close to the flame

The magic was becoming tangible now. A shimmer blue haze colouring the air around him as Luin continued to sing and dance. The spell and magic woven with his Qi and mixed into his voice and movements. Distantly, he heard Thranduil yelling for him to stop. The king had stood from his throne and was pointing at him, screaming for his guards. Legolas and a Tauriel were trying to push through the crowd, swords drawn. Several other green clothed guards were shoving their way in through the doors. Luin's voice rose even further as he flipped and spun, lifting off the floor as the blur magic grew more and more visible.

Calling out for the rope
Hold fast and we will
Watch the flames burn on and on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky

Blue swirls, the colour of the sky at sunset, drifted like smoke through the air. They coiled and uncoiled as they drifted around the room. Twisting around Luin like a ball of pure galaxies. Elf guards that had managed to fight their way through were blocked by a invisible barrier around the dance floor. They pounded at it with their blades, shouting. Luin spun and he caught the faces of Tauriel and Legolas watching from the other side of the barrier. The silver haired prince was watching with a mixture of awe and anger. Luin winked at him as he twirled, a sly smirk crossing his face.

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
And I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
And I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me

And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out

Luin screamed and the music rose to a new crescendo. The beat becoming thunderous. His long coat flared out as he flipped through the air, adding his kinetic movement to the bubbling energy enveloping the hall. Exhaustion was tugging on his limbs and his voice felt horse. But he continued, putting all his strength into the song. He had never preformed this spell on such a large scale before, especially not through the magic of song, and it was wearing on him. But song added more power, so he continued pushing all his energy into the air and weaving blue magic.

Now I see fire
Inside the mountains
I see fire
Burning the trees
I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
I see fire

Oh you know I saw a city burning out (fire)
And I see fire
Feel the heat upon my skin, yeah (fire)
And I see fire (fire)
And I see fire burn on and on the mountain side

Luin's voice cut off abruptly as the song finished. The music stopped and the blue swirling magic burst out in a wave over the hall and through the walls. It travelled over the city, sweeping over the whole of Mirkwood. At once, every elf in the hall collapsed. They fell limply to the floor like puppets with their strings cut. Their eyes closed and the swords dropped out of their hands.

Luin was panting heavily as he drifted back into solid ground. Sweat dripped on his brow and his legs buckled for a short moment. His swords floated towards him and sheathed themselves into his belt. Stumbling, he made his way back towards the throne. Thranduil was slumped back at the foot of it like a drunkard, crown askew on his head and mouth open. Luin stepped over the sprawled elves, being careful not to stand on anyone. Some were snoring, others were piled on each other in tangles of limbs. He collected his guqin case and slung it back over his shoulders. Before making his way over towards the doors.

As he passed, he stopped to kneel next to the fallen form of Legolas. The prince was lying at an odd angle at the edge of the dance floor, one arm twisted under him and head lolling. His hair was spilled across the floor and Luin ran his hands across it softly. Lightly, he checked the elf's breathing and pulse. Finding nothing amiss, he gently moved the prince into a more comfortable position. He gently rolled Legolas onto his side, freeing the trapped arm and resting his head on his elbow. He smoothed the golden hair down with a soft chuckle of amusement. The prince was silent as he sleptu. Tauriel was slumbering at Legolas' side, head rested on her arm as she snorted softly.

Satisfied that Legolas was more comfortable, Luin rose and walked out of the doors. He had some dwarves and a hobbit to find. Hopefully Bilbo got the message he had encoded into his guqin music earlier. If he did then they were going to break out of Mirkwood soon. Now all Luin had to do was find the dwarves.