The Warrior Princess- Desolation Of Smaug
By Corinne Bell
Authors Note
I do not own most of the characters in this novel although I own one Enya, who I have made for the purpose of this story the sister of Bard. I am borrowing the rest of the characters off JRR Tolkien whom I admire (and thank). I love his world and words so much, it has sparked my imagination and I promise I am not tampering with his story too much. I hope you enjoy it, as much as I have writing it. Thanks. All the best.
Corinne Bell
Chapter One –The Beginning
Enya smiled to herself as she watched her brother Bard with his three children. She suddenly felt out of place. Her brother looked up at her with his dark hazel eyes, and frowned at her. She gave a small smile and hugged him.
"Be careful brother, you know I don't like it, if you're gone too long" with that she kissed him on the cheek. He laughed and grabbed his bag, looked over to his children one last time he turned and left. They heard his footsteps going down the wooden steps and onto the busy streets of Lake Town.
Enya went to the window pulling back the thin curtains watched her brother disappear into the throng of people, she felt tense and nervous, she knew why but couldn't say anything, they were only rumors after all, ones that she didn't take too lightly.
She had dreamed the other night that the dragon Smaug had come to destroy Esgaroth or Lake Town and it scared her. The whole town knew about her and Bards father Girion, he couldn't kill the dragon and because of it Dale fell. Enya and Bard were openly mocked about it, which is why Bard hated Enya going out and about, along with his children. The Master of Lake Town allowed them to stay, although because of Enya's beauty he had asked her to marry him, she had point blankly refused, he was a loathsome greedy man in her eyes, who thought he was better than everybody, just thinking about him, made her feel angry, she looked down not realizing that she had been clenching her fists and quickly unclenched them.
The day passed slowly she kept the children busy, they were good children, looked exactly like Bard. Bain the eldest son was tall, with wild brown hair and the same eyes as his father. The girls had mouse brown hair and dark eyes although the youngest looked slightly more like her mother.
As she stood making supper the door suddenly swung open, she turned, expecting to see Bard but to her surprise she saw the Master and his puppet servant, he grinned at her. Bain came to stand next to her a silent support. "Enya, my dear lovely Enya" the Master cooed and before she had a chance to back away he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Enya felt sick at his touch and snatched her hand away quickly. "What do you want?" she kept an eye on the servant who was walking around the table with his hands behind his back. The Master smiled again and sat at the table grabbing a goblet and shaking it at his servant who quickly filled it with wine from the jug on the table. "I know you don't like me Enya, and that pains me, it really does you know?" he gave her a sad look then drank from the goblet. Enya sighed and rolled her eyes "and what has that got to do with anything?" she stared at him longing him to leave. "well I have come to know you now, and realize you are stubborn and so won't change your opinion of me, however I know you wish to be free, and I also know that your brother has arranged for your marriage" Enya felt the breath leave her body, the whole room went silent. Enya looked away, not believing her brother would do that, especially behind her back. She turned back to the Master " I don't believe you" the master looked pityingly at her " I thought you would say that, which is why I brought proof, proof that you have been sold to the prince of Rohan, cheer up, it could be worse" she felt her knees weaken, her brother knew she didn't want to marry, she wanted to be free, that had always been what she wanted, to roam the lands, not to be confined to a man she had never even met.
Anger suddenly ran through her just as Bard came in, he looked exhausted but he smiled as soon as he saw the children "Da" The little girl got up from the chair and ran to him throwing her arms round him. He picked her up and twirled her round, she giggled and he put her gently down and smiled at the other two, his smile faltered when he saw his sisters piercing gaze and at the Master who sat in the chair with the goblet "Well that's me, I better be off, thank you very much for the wine" the Master stood and beckoned his servant who gave a big smile and the two left.
Enya didn't even want to stay in the same room as her brother. He had sworn to their mother, that he would protect her and that he would never hurt her. Tears started to form but she pushed them back "so brother, I have just had an interesting conversation with the Master" with that she turned away. Bain grabbed his two sisters and they left the room silently. "Oh" Enya whirled round at her brother's reply and flew towards him pounding him with her fists until he grabbed her wrists and held her. "It's true isn't it, that you have sold me to some random prince, so I am an object to you now, to be bought and sold is that it?" the tears now streamed down her face and he pulled her close as she sobbed, she could feel his heartbeat and the anger melted away to hurt.
He held her close , his head resting on hers, they stood like that for a while until her tears started to slow then he pulled back wiping her tears with his fingers as they fell now silently down her flushed red cheeks. " Oh Enya , I, This is no life for you, you're a princess or you should be, I just want what's best for you, and I think this prince will make you happy." He smiled sadly "But what about what we said to one another, what about our promise to never leave each other, we are a team, have you forgotten that?" she whispered looking up at him, her deep brown eyes shone with sadness. Bard gazed at his sister longing for her to understand, he wanted her to be happy, but he knew she was stubborn and reckless, but he was determined not to lose this battle as it was for the best "Of course I haven't sister, but we made that pact when we were little more than children" Enya's eyes flickered with anger again "so what, just because we were children, it now means nothing to you?" Bard felt exhausted after going to collect all those empty barrels from the Mirkwood Elves. He took her hands in his and brushed back a bit of her waist length long brown hair that had escaped. "Enya I'm sorry, but it is done now, you will marry him." With that before she could argue again he left her standing in the middle of the room by the table, as he climbed up the stairs he felt a tear drop from his eyes and knew that he had hurt her beyond repair, he went to his bedroom and fell into bed where his children already lay fast asleep.
Chapter Two- Runaway Bride
The Moon hung in the night sky, her hands trembled as she ran, and her footsteps ran through the snow. Her heart beat quickly as she ran, the cloak flapped in the wind, as the flurries of snow fell round her. She saw the forest, the forest of Mirkwood the Elf kings domain. She stopped and turned back to the Town across the lake its lights flickered in the darkness "Goodbye Brother" she whispered and turning back towards the woods plunging into the darkness. The moonlight hardly reached through the dense trees, she trembled as the heard noises and rustles pulling out her sword from its sheath, she braced herself as she stumbled. The air she breathed felt heavy and sick, she heard water but every time she went to walk towards it, she never found it.
The trees swayed in a slight breeze she found a slight clearing with a mist that swirled across the ground, trembling she pulled her cloak around her and sat on a rock, gazing into the trees. She was hopelessly lost .Not knowing what to do next, she put her head in her hands until she heard a twig snap, she jumped up pointing her sword towards the noise. More twigs snapped, she grabbed her bag and ran to a bush but before she could hide an orc appeared in front of her. Its eyes glowed in the darkness "oh look what I have found" its breath rancid, she felt sick, and she turned as it reached for its sword, she ran across the clearing but more orcs appeared, blocking her in, she realized she had no choice but to fight, dropping her bag, she braced herself for a fight. The first orc moved towards her thrusting its sword at her, she ducked and blocked the thrust. Roaring the others moved forward attacking, she kicked with all her might, her sword dancing through the air, blocking and attacking. Suddenly an arrow shot past her narrowly missing her face, but hitting the orc right between the eyes. She turned and in that moment of distraction she was hit, everything went black as she felt a sharp pain grip through her.
She awoke to find herself in a small damp cell, she got up slowly her head felt like it was on fire. A dizziness swept over her as she clutched her head. Suddenly she heard footsteps. Two guards appeared in shining armor. They unlocked the door grabbing her, she tried to fight but they easily overpowered her, they dragged her up lots of stairs and she gasped as they appeared along a corridor made of wood they climbed higher and higher until they reached a Throne room and she felt herself gasp, as she saw the Elf sitting in the throne in a gleaming silver tunic, his hair shone, on his head was a crown made of leaves, his face was so beautiful and ethereal she felt she couldn't breathe. He looked down at her, his ice blue eyes racking, stripping her very soul, then he smiled, that's when she thought she would pass out.
He stood, she fell to her knees, he slowly drifted gracefully down the steps, the smile fixed upon his face, his gleaming ice blue eyes so cold, chilling her to the bone.
"So we meet at last, sister of Bard, daughter of Girion, the famed beauty of Esgaroth" his eyes gleamed and he smiled again, she couldn't take her eyes off him, she tried to turn her head but she found she couldn't. She saw a movement beside her and felt a presence lingering, its eyes shining into her very soul, suddenly a hand appeared and grabbed her from under the chin pulling her face round to face him another set of cold ice blue eyes appeared in front of her, again a face so beautiful, it was otherworldly but she gasped in pain and he let her go, her head swung back to the Elvenkings.
"What business do you have here?" the other elf spoke his voice not as gentle as the Elvenkings but just as cold. "I got lost, and found myself surrounded by orcs" the other elf interrupting her cut in frowned at her "yes we knew that part, I was there to save your measly little mortal life." His face inches from hers, the words hurt and she felt angry, suddenly standing up she faced the Elf, a look of shock appeared briefly on his face but just as quickly it disappeared into a mask of indifference.
"If you want to know, I have run away, but I see that as no business of yours" she suddenly shouted, it echoed round the whole place, breathing deeply, she suddenly heard a noise behind her two guards appeared with a dwarf. She had never seen a dwarf before and kept staring at him. He was battered and cobwebs where in his hair, his face was grubby and his clothes tattered. "What are you staring at" he grumpily asked her, she quickly turned back to the elven king, he was back on his throne holding his scepter, his eyes shining like a prize had fallen into his lap. His legs where crossed, an air of pure authority and power radiated from him she thought he would be a formidable opponent. "Take her away I will deal with her later" he waved his free hand at two guards who nodded and suddenly grabbed her by the arms and before she could protest she was escorted back to her cell.
As they passed the other cells, she saw now they had other people in them. She looked closely and saw more Dwarfs, one with a long white beard smiled at her as she passed. They lead her to a cell further away from the Dwarfs "so you don't get any ideas, and try to escape" one of the elves said his armor seemed to shine by itself. They left and locked her in, she fell to her knees and silently the tears started to fall another prison she thought.
She must have fallen asleep as she awoke to voices "I don't know where they have put her" the whispering voice whispered quickly " well we don't have time to find her, we have to go now!" another frantic voice cut in " but we can't leave her here" the first voice whispered again " what if they kill her?" a silence for a second then the second voice said " I am sure the girl can look after herself , now let's go, I won't say it again, otherwise none of us will leave alive!"
With that silence surrounded her, she got up off the floor and ran to the barred door trying to look out, but seeing nothing only the flickering torches on the wall. She turned back and looked at the dark empty cell feeling her heart plummet to her feet but then she heard many footsteps and shouting a women appeared at her door at first she thought she was human then she saw her ears, she was an elf with long red hair, wearing a green tunic. A dagger at her waist and a sword. Enya stared at her. The elf said nothing then turned on her heels and left.
She heard more shouting, footsteps, and a clattering of armor then nothing, everything went silent again. Enya went to the back of the cramped cell and slid down the wall, she had never felt so alone and a panic rose within her, she would die here in this cell, she had escaped one prison and run straight into another one, with no way out. "I am sorry brother" she whispered into the darkness burying her head into her knees. Suddenly she heard footsteps gentle and echoing off the walls, she heard the lock turn and looking up she saw the beautiful, cold ice blue eyes in the darkness "I think, we can help each other" he whispered in a gentle voice and held out his hand, she stared at it, in the darkness it was pale, with long beautiful fingers covered in glittering rings, very slowly she reached out and placed her hand in his feeling the cool skin, a tingling rose in her, as he helped her up.
I am Enya Daughter of Girion, sister of Bard and this is the start of my story, I will kill the dragon and earn my freedom.