The Elf, the Hobbit and the Dwarf - Book 1 NEW VERSION

Lake-town

"Legolas we cannot leave!" Míriel said to him.

Legolas turned around and looked into her eyes, he clearly didn't plan on staying behind and helping the Dwarf. Míriel broke away from his eyes and looked at Kíli who was breathing heavily and crying out in pain while Oín and Bofur tried to help him. This was the reason she had come; she didn't care about any Orcs. Legolas obviously hadn't seen that Míriel had come for the Dwarves' sake, but now he seemed to understand how much she cared for them.

"We're losing him," said Oín who was kneeling next to Kíli still. Kíli was groaning and his eyes were slipping away. Míriel saw Tauriel's terrified look and how she was struggling to decide on what to do. She cared about Kíli too, but Tauriel couldn't possibly leave her lord behind because of a Dwarf? There was no need, though, for even if Tauriel or Legolas would not stay, Míriel surely would.

"I can save him," Míriel said decisively and turned toward Kíli again.

"No," Legolas stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "You cannot save him; you are going to get hurt."

Míriel turned toward him again and stared into his eyes, not being able to see how heartless he was about a person's life. Was he really like his father or was there something else bothering his mind? If Legolas wanted to follow the Orcs rather than saving a life, that was his choice, but Míriel wouldn't make the same decision as him.

"There's no guarantee that I will," Míriel said and shook her head. She gazed into Legolas' eyes and tried to make him understand. She would never do this if she wasn't completely sure about it, and she was. "And even if I do, it is worth it because at least he would be alive. He is too young to die; he has all his life ahead of him. I have to try to save him, he is my friend."

"I won't let you!" Legolas said angrily. Míriel frowned, Legolas seemed to think that he had some kind of say in her decisions. He most certainly did not. "I won't let you kill yourself because of him. Míriel, I cannot lose you."

His words made Míriel see that it was because of his fear of losing Míriel that Legolas was acting in this way. Legolas cared about her, but he did not trust her enough to believe in her. That was why Míriel pulled her arm away from his and shook her head. Legolas' eyes shone with hurt as he had taken her motion as a way of dismissing his feelings.

The Prince sighed and turned away, started running to catch up with the Orcs. He would not stay there to watch as Míriel was putting her life at risk, and though it hurt to see him leave, Míriel would never be able to live with herself knowing that she could've tried saving Kíli's life without doing so.

Tauriel turned to walk away too, tears evident in her eyes. It hurt her to turn away from Kíli, leaving him to die. She stopped when she heard him groan again, looked back and forth between the way Legolas had gone and then at Kíli.

Míriel prepared to start helping him, kneeled next to him and tried talking to him soothingly. She heard footsteps on the stairs and suddenly Bofur came up running, a weed in his hands. It was the Kingsfoil, something that could help healing Kíli if it was used properly.

"Athelas," Tauriel said, taking the weed from Bofur and holding it in her hands while examining it in awe. "Athelas."

"What are you doing?" Bofur asked Tauriel and seemed slightly frightened by Tauriel reaction of the Kingsfoil.

Míriel saw a small smile on Tauriel's lips and knew that Tauriel had made a decision to not follow Legolas. It was nice to see that Tauriel did care for Kíli and did not have the heart to leave him behind. Besides that, it showed something that never happened before - an Elf was willing to sacrifice herself for a Dwarf, and another was choosing the same Dwarf instead of her lord.