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SAYING FAREWELL TO BEORN WAS A TEARFUL ONE FOR MARISTELA and the Skin-changer had to push her towards Fíli's horse knowing she wouldn't leave willingly; and through he was sad to see her go, he knew she was too important to the Company to stay longer by his side. The Company rides rapidly across the land, slowing to a stop as they approach a looming, gloomy-looking forest. Gandalf dismounts and walks into the edge of the forest through an ancient archway, Maristela soon follows behind him instantly picking up on the dark energy in the trees.

"The Elven Gate," Gandalf breathed out before turning to the Company, "Here lies our path through Mirkwood." Maristela placed her hand lightly on the closest tree before whispering in Elvish, "My dear tree, darkness flows through you but fear not, you will be free." Maristela's ring shone for a moment as the Elleth focused her energy on the tree until a voice echoed within her mind, "Your powers are strong but you will cannot survive." Galadriel's melodic voice warned prompting Maristela to lower her hand, the Lady was right and the Elleth knew that.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to Beorn," Maristela instructed the Company as she noticed her fathers far-off look. "This forest feels... sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" Bilbo asked Gandalf. "Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south," Gandalf answered him, Maristela nodded in agreement. Gandalf follows a path a few feet further into the shadows and approaches a plant-covered statue with Maristela watching his every step as she tried to ignore the sickness that lies within the forest of Mirkwood.

At the same time, Bilbo, who is standing by himself, reaches into his pocket and, after some internal conflict, slowly pulls out the Ring and fingers it. Maristela took notice of the new presence of dark aura, she furrowed her brows and turned her head to Bilbo before noticing the ring in between his fingers. Her own ring tingled around her finger, alarm bells ringing in her head like a warning to stay away from the Ring causing Maristela to feel anxious and uncertain about the ring within Bilbo's grasp. "Not my horse! I need it," Gandalf exclaimed pulling Maristela from her spiraling fear.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked with wide eyes while Maristela walked towards her father as he approached his horse. "I would not do this unless I had to," Gandalf told him with certainty, he glanced at Thorin before looking back at a dejected Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire," Gandalf pointed out with Maristela agreeing with his words, the presence of the Ring within her thoughts. "I was going to tell you; I... found something in the Goblin tunnels," Bilbo responded cautiously, Gandalf leaned forward curiously and suspiciously.

"What did you find?" Gandalf pressed on, Bilbo stays silent for several more seconds before responding, "My courage." Maristela let out a breath, she wasn't sure how she felt about the presence of the ring but knew they could only deal with one thing at a time. "Good. Well, that's good. You'll need it," Gandalf told Bilbo before turning to Thorin with a stern look, "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me." Maristela felt uneasy as her father climbed upon his horse.

"This is not the Greenwood of Old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray," Gandalf warned as Maristela stopped him, her hand resting on the horse. "Father?" Maristela's voice was as soft as the whispers in the wind, her worried eyes focused on Gandalf pulling on his heartstrings; for a moment, he saw the little girl who loved picking flowers and running through the halls of Rivendell, giggling. "I will see you soon, Marisol. Do not let the shadows lead you astray. And be wary of the halls," Gandalf told her, he patted her hand before bowing his head.

"You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again," Gandalf warned the Company as Maristela stepped back from the horse, falling into step with Fíli and Kíli. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" Gandalf called back as he rode off into the distance, Maristela took a steady breath. No matter how many times she and her father parted ways, it always hurt to see him leave; she hoped that he would be okay. "Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's day," Thorin instructed the Company, Maristela nodding before following the Dwarven King.

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As the Dwarves, Bilbo, and Maristela keep following the path through Mirkwood, it twists and turns over all sorts of terrain such as bare ground, high ledges, fallen tree trunks, and more. Dwalin continues to thump the handle of his axe on the ground to find the paving stones of the trail, Maristela felt light-headed within the sick trees but it was nothing compared to the effects on the Dwarves and Bilbo. "This way," Dwalin informed them as he lead the way. "Air. I need air," Bofur spoke up desperately. "My head, it's spinning," Oin voiced in a tired voice. The Dwarves suddenly run into each other as Nori, who ended up in front, stops abruptly.

"What's happening?" Oin asks in confusion while Maristela looks around, she felt uncomfortable and as though something in the distance was watching her. "Keep moving, Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin asked in a deep tone. "The path... it's disappeared," Nori exclaimed to the Company causing them to panic, Maristela turned her head back towards the strange presence. She hadn't realised that the Dwarves had scattered to find the path nor had she noticed Bilbo step up next to her with worried eyes turning to her for help. "Mari?" Bilbo spoke as he pulled on her sleeve, she turned to him and realised what had happened.

"Oh, Dwarves..." Maristela muttered before motioning for Bilbo to follow her, he stayed by her side as she managed to herd the Dwarves into a group before they lost any of them. Her focus had turned from the Dwarves to the pressure on her mind, she knew the dark presence of the forest was trying to overthrow her natural energy. Whispers pulled her attention to the right, she stopped and turned to the area losing the Dwarves in the process, however, Bilbo had climbed up a tree in hopes of locating exactly where they currently were.

Maristela made her way cautiously towards the presence, her dagger in hand rather than her sword; But she should have known better. A large spider dropped from the branches above Maristela causing her to hit the ground, her dagger was knocked from her hand as the spider worked quickly to wrap her in its webs. Maristela was trying not to hyperventilate over the large spider currently preparing her for its dinner, she really didn't like large spiders. However, taking steady breaths wasn't easy when you are wrapped up in dense spider silk.

All of the Dwarves have also been captured by giant spiders; the spiders have hung them upside down from tree branches. A spider tows a web-encased Bilbo toward the Dwarves, then reaches for him with its jaws, presumably to adminster its poison. Bilbo had woken up and quickly realised what is happening; so just as the spider bends towards him, he manages to swing his sword, which he had been holding, straight up from his body through the web and into the spider. He guts it and flings it over the edge of the branch he had been lying on, sending it crashing to the forest floor onto the spider dragging Maristela.

Maristela is startled by the sudden stop, she heard the spider whine and groan before its movement ceased completely. She tried her hardest to free the dagger that Fíli had slipped into her coat, she had told him not to worry about it but now she was grateful for it; her heart aching at the thought she had lost her mother's dagger, the last thing she had left of her other than the Ring on her finger. With the dagger finally in her grip, she carefully twisted it around and dragged it through the dense silk cutting it open for her to escape. She looked up to see dozens of giant spiders and Bilbo freeing the Dwarves.

"Mari!" Fíli's voice in the distance caught her attention but she became distracted when a spider came barrelling towards her. Maristela pulled her sword free and drove it through the spider's head, she ripped it free before swinging at another spider successfully cutting off its two right legs before slicing down its head practically beheading the dark presence. As another spider rushed toward Maristela, the Dwarves had managed to defeat the spiders closest to them and were running through the forest despite Fíli trying to locate the missing Elleth; Kíli reassuring him that she'd be okay.

More spiders jumped down on threads of silk in front of the Dwarves and hiss at them, Thorin raises his sword in preparation to fight, but pauses and looks up. A blonde Elf runs through the treetops then swings down a spider's silk in order to land on it and kill it. He slides on the forest floor under the spider facing Thorin, slicing it in half, and comes up kneeling with an arrow nocked in his bow and pointed at Thorin directly. Several other Elves of Mirkwood appear from the treetops taking out the spiders close by, the Dwarves huddled in closer together as the Elves drew arrows and pointed them at the Dwarves.

"Where's Mari?" Bofur whispered gaining Thorin's attention, he glanced around noticing that Maristela and Bilbo were missing from the group. "Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf. It would be my pleasure," The blonde Elf warned Thorin who sneered at him. "Help!" Kíli's voice took their attention causing Fíli to panic. "Kíli!" Fíli shouted back, the Dwarves whirl around to see a spider pulling Kíli away by the foot. A female Elf runs through the forest, she kills three spiders with her bow and knife, then kills the spider pulling Kíli with an arrow. She turns to attack another spider behind her and yet another spider rushes Kíli.

"Throw me your dagger! Quick!" Kíli called out to the female Elf. "If you think I'm giving you a weapon, Dwarf, you're mistaken!" The female Elleth shouted back before killing her spider, she spun around and throws the knife, killing the spider that was attacking Kíli. Kíli looks on in amazement, his eyes wide with awe as he stared at the female Elleth in all her glory. "Search them!" The blonde Elf ordered his companions, they all approached the Dwarves and began searching them. An Elf confiscates two of Fíli's knives as the blonde Elf pulls a picture frame with two pictures out of Gloin's pocket.

"Hey! Give it back! That's private!" Gloin snapped at the Elf. "Who is this? Your brother?" The blonde Elf asked him. "That is my wife!" Gloin sneered up at him. "And what is this horrid creature? A Goblin mutant?" The blonde Elf asked in reference to the second picture within the frame. "That's my wee lad, Gimli," Gloin answered him causing the blonde Elf to raise his eyebrows at Gloin in contempt. Meanwhile, the Elf searching Fíli finds even more knives all around his person before pulling out the bead from his pocket. "Hey, hands off!" Fíli sneered reaching for the bead, the Elf tossing it aside causing Bofur to hold Fíli back knowing it's importance.

"Gyrth in yngyl bain? (Are the spiders dead?)" The blonde Elf asked the brunette Elleth. "Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. Engain nar (Yes, but more will come. They're growing bolder)," The brunette Elleth replied to him before an Elf hands Thorin's sword, Orcrist, to the blonde Elf. "Echannen i vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan gelydh (This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin)," The blonde Elf spoke before sneering at Thorin, "Where di you get this?" Thorin held his head high as the Elf watched him, "It was given to me." The blonde Elf points the sword at Thorin, "Not just a thief, but a liar as well."

Before the blonde Elf could take a step away, Maristela swung down from where she had been perched watching them and swung her blade at the Elf. The blonde was quick to block while the Dwarves cheered for the Elleth, her eyes focused on the blonde who seemed starstruck by the Elleth's presence. She swung her blade at him again causing the brunette Elleth of Mirkwood to step forward, "Legolas!" But Legolas blocked Maristela's swing, he noticed the blade in her hand and knew who she was. "Why protect these Dwarves scum?" Legolas asked in Elvish, Maristela rolled her eyes forcing Orcrist out of his grip and into the air.

Maristela caught Orcrist while pointing the tip of her blade at Legolas' throat, "I protect them because they are my friends. And Orcrist is not yours, it belongs to Thorin Oakenshield, the King of Erebor as given to him by Lord Elrond of Rivendell." Legolas was stunned to hear those words from her lips, he was starstruck by the way she had bested him and willingly stood up for the Company of Dwarves. "Tauriel, no!" Legolas said as the Elleth fired an arrow into Maristela's shoulder causing an uproar by the Dwarves, Fíli fighting the Elves to get to Maristela with no luck. Maristela dropped the swords in her hands and reached for the arrow, her cold eyes landed on Tauriel.

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⊱ ──── {⋆ 🌌 ⋆} ──── ⊰

「 ✦ 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ✦ 」

MARISTELA AND LEGOLAS HAVE MET?!
Honestly, I had three different plans for their first time meeting but ultimately decided to write with the flow to see where it could fit in. And I'm happy with it so hopefully, you might be too!

Thoughts on Maristela and Legolas' first time meeting?

Thoughts on Legolas' starstruck state?
Love at first sight? What do you think?

Thoughts on the Elf throwing Fíli's bead away?

Thoughts on Tauriel hitting Maristela with an arrow?

Thoughts on this chapter?
Predictions? Theories? Suggestions?

See you in the next chapter!