Circe sighed in content as he watched her leave. He smiled slightly as he closed his book, knowing that they would talk more on their way to Erebor. For now, however, he decided it wasn't the best time to discuss the matter at hand as he heard voices coming from the hallway. He slipped out of his room quietly, making sure to make a show of moving quietly as possible so not to be spotted. He peaked out of the doorway to spot several servants carrying trays stacked high with foods and drinks. One of the maidservants spotted him out of the corner of her eye and called to the other girls working in the kitchen, who then set down the food, towels, and blankets they were carrying.
"Who's that? That looks a lot like Circe." A brunette servant whispered, pointing at Circe who was approaching the staircase. Another servant shrugged, "The king invited him into his room yesterday. Apparently he saved him and Miramae." The two women watched as Circe disappeared up the stairs with the same servants trailing behind her.
"So, what did you think about the princess? Do you think she's pretty?" Asked the second girl excitedly. The third girl gave a small laugh.
"Pretty? She's gorgeous. Miria's probably more handsome."
"Yeah, definitely. Not bad, I guess. She certainly has the face for it."
Circe rolled his eyes in exasperation as he climbed the rest of the steps. He couldn't believe what he had gone through recently just to prove a point that he was no longer blind. No. He wouldn't give up that easily. He'd finally gotten Mirio to see the light, and he was determined to keep Miriya happy and safe forever.
When the group arrived in the throne room, Miriya saw Erza already sitting beside Thranduil who was speaking with Dain and Bard at the center of the room. He looked up briefly at their arrival, his gaze landing momentarily on Miriya. Miriya could feel her heart skip a beat as he smiled softly in greeting at her as she and Circe took their places opposite Dain and Bard.
"We seem to have gathered everyone. Where is your father, Miriya? Is he unwell?" Thranduil questioned, glancing at Miriya briefly as he did. He continued on in an uninterested tone, seemingly not caring enough to address what his son had said regarding Miria. Miriya's expression remained unchanged; she simply nodded in acknowledgment to his words and answered as nonchalantly as possible.
"Yes. He's asleep, thankfully. If he wakes up, I can bring him back up here," she responded. Dain and Bard looked up at her, clearly surprised, and Mirio looked shocked too. Thranduil narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before responding calmly.
"Very well. You may wake him tomorrow, but tell him to stay within the palace. He will receive some punishment should he try to venture out. Understood?" Thranduil's voice carried authority and a strong sense of annoyance, causing Miriya to flinch and nod slightly. She didn't dare defy his order as Dain cleared his throat.
"Er- King Thranduil…" Dain started slowly, clearing his throat awkwardly when Miriya shot him a sharp glare. He continued cautiously, "About last night…the attack on Miriya, and the fight. We've been wondering…where did you even come into contact with those guards? Were you involved somehow? Because, um….because your father never came in contact with those men. They never showed up at our front gate." He stuttered, staring at Mirio as he finished his sentence. Miriya stared back at him incredulously for a few moments as he waited patiently for Miriya's reply while keeping his distance, allowing her the choice of whether to speak in her own defense or continue to remain silent. He knew full well that Miriya couldn't tell anyone exactly what happened. As far as anyone else knew, only Miri had been attacked by those guards and, according to her, she would not be revealing the exact details of what happened to her that day either. At least, not yet. But she also didn't know how long she could keep this up until her father demanded an explanation from Miriya about what was happening and how she was involved. Dain wanted answers. Miriya knew that, but she also knew that there was no use lying to Thranduil. He might not approve of Miri having spent so many years locked up away from society as part of the royal family, but he still cared about her. Her relationship with her father would not change that.
She swallowed nervously as Mirio continued to watch her silently expectantly. "You'll see it when we get there." She replied in a low voice before turning back to face her father. "Father, if you don't mind me asking…are you alright? Your hair and clothes are ruined." She asked carefully. He chuckled humorlessly.
"There isn't much I can really do about that at this moment," He began, rubbing at his forehead as he spoke. His expression darkened as he continued. "However, I am fine. I merely need to rest before we continue on with today's discussion. We haven't been able to come up with anything of importance so perhaps tomorrow, I will have something to add. For now, my advisors and I need to get ready. Please excuse us." He bowed lightly before walking off towards his study without another word to any of them. Miriya sighed sadly as the rest of the group followed behind him, watching as they all went upstairs. She shook her head slightly before following along after them. As Miriya walked past them, she noticed Fili looking at her curiously as he walked by. Miriya hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly, trying to look confident. As Fili walked off, she glanced up, her gaze meeting the eyes of Legolas, who was standing near Mirio at the end of the corridor. Miriya felt herself tense slightly, her body tensing up as she quickly walked past him, hoping that she hadn't made things worse between them. Miriya entered her bedroom and sat down at the foot of her bed as she waited for everyone to gather around in the main room again. When everyone had assembled, Miriya spoke.
"Well," She began, taking a deep breath, "We found out quite a bit about the Ring during the battle at Lake Town. It appeared that we've only been holding it for a few days, but since we weren't given the chance to examine it properly, we aren't entirely certain of its origins. All we know is that someone in Mirkwood stole it from Thorin and then put it on the person who brought him into the mountain, so we were forced to destroy it before we left. It doesn't appear that any of the dwarves were harmed or killed though, which was good news. The Ring seemed to be acting strangely when Thorin grabbed hold of it; he was practically glowing. So, we believe that we may be able to figure out the Ring's purpose once we find it. What we don't know for certain right now is who possessed the Ring originally." Everyone nodded in agreement as she paused for a moment, sighing. "Now, I know we're going to be fighting the orcs in a couple days, so I'd like everyone to be ready. After you are done eating, please follow me to my rooms so I can show you where you will sleep tonight. There's still time before dinner." Once everyone was seated around the table, Miriya stood up, excusing herself from the room.
After leaving the dining hall, she headed towards the library in hopes to relax a little bit and read a book. Miriya was relieved when nobody stopped to ask her questions as soon as they entered the library, because she truly needed a break from everything that had happened over the last four days. Entering the room, she walked over to one of the empty desks in the back corner, pulled out a book, and sat down. She opened the book and began to read quietly, listening to the sounds of her fellow students entering the library and chatting loudly in the background. It was a peaceful silence that she greatly enjoyed. The calm silence was broken when several minutes later, the door creaked open slowly and a familiar voice rang throughout the room. Miriya immediately recognized the male voice and froze instantly. Slowly, she turned around in her chair to face the intruder, whose dark hair fell gently onto his shoulders, and who was dressed rather casually.
He gazed around the library before his eyes landed on Miriya, who sat at the back desk, hidden from view.