Hey guys! Here's a new story that's been bubbling around in my head for months now and I've finally started writing it up! I've already got four chapters written, but I'll just give you this one for now to hear your thoughts on it. I really do hope you enjoy this!
A Whole New World
I groan as I feel myself coming too and hold my still fuzzy head. Man, that was some ride. Opening my eyes, the first thing I see are the leaves and branches of trees. Trees? Weren't we in the middle of an alleyway? This causes me to sit bolt upright and look around me.
I see I am sitting on grass and am surrounded by trees. If this sight doesn't panic me, the knowledge Aiden isn't with me certainly does.
"Aiden? Aiden!?"
I look around for him, hoping and praying that he is close by. . .but he doesn't call back to me. Picking a direction to go, I force my feet to move and start walking, keeping my eyes out and pray beyond hope I can find my son.
After what feels like hours, I sit on a nearby boulder, my head in my hands as I still haven't found Aiden.
"Aiden. . .where ever you are. . .please be safe." I pray to myself, sending another prayer to the gods to keep him safe until I can get to him.
Hearing a twig snap, I jump up and spin in the direction of the sound, but don't see anything. Assuming it's a woodland animal, I turn back and decide to keep walking. Before I do however, there's a rustle in the nearby bushes and then footsteps. . .heavy footsteps. Not wanting to meet the owner of those feet, I turn to run off, but as I do, I bump straight into the chest of a huge man. He towered over me, standing at least six foot to my measly five foot. He looks as though he works out quite a lot, his arms enormous. His black hair slightly greasy and eyes full of greed and malice, a wicked grin on his face.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here boys?"
Hearing more steps, I look around to see two more men walk out of the shadows, both wearing the same grins as the first. These two men look smaller in stature, but no less powerful.
"Pretty little thing you have here, Ernie." one of them said with a sneer.
The man behind me, Ernire, grabbed hold of my upper arms. "Aye. What do you think lads? Make a nice little bed warmer, don't you think?"
My eyes go wide as the other two men start laughing in agreement. I start to struggle against Ernie, trying to rip my arms out of his grip. He just laughs at my attempt.
"I love them feisty."
"Let me go!" I yell out.
"No can do, missy, you belong to us now." the third man spoke as he and the other walked over.
As they advance, I manage to slam the heel of my foot hard into the shin of Ernie, causing him to cry out and let go to grab his leg. I go to run off but one of the other two manages to grab me and pushes me back into a tree. I manage to let out a scream just before he covers my mouth with his gloved hand and my eyes widen further as he takes a dagger out and holds it up in front of my face.
"You shouldn't have done that lass. You've only managed to gone and make things worse for yourself."
He then proceeds to use the dagger to cut open my shirt, making me struggle more. I cry out into his hand in pain as he slices a gash into my upper arm. I can only look at the man in fear, tears coursing down my face.
"I warned you."
As Ernie and the other guy get closer, five men suddenly burst out of some other bushes, swords and axes out as they attacked Ernie and the other guy. I raise my knee and it collides into the privates of the guys holding me. As he crouches, I manage to push him aside and try to make a run for it before I'm tackled to the ground. Being forced onto my back, the man raises his dagger, aiming for my chest. Before he can get the chance to do anything, there's a sudden woosh and his body goes stiff and rigid, his eyes wide before he falls to the ground.
I crawl away, eyes wide as I see an arrow protruding out of his back. Behind him stands a small man with long brown hair, and slight stubble on his face. His eyes go wide as he sees me and rushes over.
"Uncle!"
The man kneels beside me, after noticing I'm trying to hold my torn shirt together, a blush appears on his cheeks as he takes off a cloak and wraps it around me.
"Are you alright, miss?" he asks in concern.
I nod as I pull the cloak closer around me. I look up as one of the other men walk over and kneel in front of me. He has long black hair with streaks of white, a few braids hanging on either side of his head and tied off with beads, short black beard and moustache. He wore a blue tunic with black pants and a blue cloak with fur lining.
What catches my eyes are his own eyes, the deepest blue I had ever seen, with hints of grey in them. The eyes look as though this man has seen a lot of horrors in his life. . .and maybe he has.
"Are you alright?" He asks in a deep strong voice.
I nod. "Yes. . .thank you for helping me."
He nods back. "You are welcome. Where are you from?"
I look around. "Not from around here, I don't think. . .where are we?"
"A few miles West of Bree."
I look to him in confusion. "Bree? I don't know where that is."
He looks to me for a moment before sighing. "Come, it is getting late. You can rest at our camp for tonight."
"I can't. . .I need to find my son."
"Your son is lost?"
"Yes. . .I don't know where he could be. . ."
He seems to think for a moment, he eyes showing some sign of compassion and sympathy.
"I'm afraid we cannot do anything for him at the moment. It is too late and too dark to go looking for him. For now, would be better if you came with us. We will work something out in the morning."
I nod my thanks as he gently but firmly takes my arm to help me stand. Even though he was gentle, he had took hold of my injured arm and I yelped in pain as he caught my gash. He instantly took his hand away, looking at me in worry.
"You are injured?"
I nod as I point to the man the brown haired man shot. "He sliced my arm open before you came."
He scowls at the corpse before gently taking my arm from beneath the cloak so he can look at it. After a moment, he takes out a cloth and presses it onto the wound to stem the bleeding.
"I'll get our healer to take a look at that."
"Thank you. I haven't got anything to pay you for your help."
He just shakes his head as he and the others lead me away.
"You have nothing to repay us for."
After a few moments, we reach a clearing by a cliff's edge where there were other men huddled around a fire with ponies and a horse nearby, all of the looking up in worry when we arrive. I notice all but one are small stature with beards apart from two, one of the two being the shortest and I notice he is bare-footed and has hair on his feet. One of the men is tall and has a long grey beard and hair and wearing grey robes and a pointed hat.
"Is everything alright, Thorin? What happened?" one of the men asks, he has white hair and a white forked beard.
"We just found this woman in the hands of bandits. Oin, she has been injured, can you take care of it?"
"Aye." one of the men with a braided beard which is split in two and curled speaks as he stands. "Come with me, lass."
After glancing to the black haired man beside me, who gives me a comforting nod, I walk over and sit beside the healer who gently takes my arm and looks it over.
"It's going to need stitching, I'm afraid."
I nod. "That's fine."
He then sticks what looks like a trumpet into his ear. "Wine? We haven't got any of that." he then starts to get his medical stuff ready while I look to him.
"He's a little hard of hearing, lassie." a gruff voice speaks up, causing me to look around to face a man with long red hair and a beard, which have a few intricate beards braided into it.
He then bows to me. "Gloin, at your service. That is my brother, Oin."
I nod as I incline my head to Gloin. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Gloin."
I yelp as I feel a stabbing pain in my arm and look to Oin to see him sticking a needle and thread through my skin.
"Sorry, lass."
"It's alright, just caught me off guard. Don't you use anaesthetics?"
He and some of the others nearby look at me strangely.
"Anaes-what?" the blond haired man who had saved me asks.
I look to him just as strangely. "It's a numbing drug so you can't feel the pain of stitching."
I then take the chance to look around properly and think about what has happened in the last few hours from the bright light before passing out, waking up in a forest instead of the alley and the men fighting with swords and axes, and now, the medieval medicinal practices. . .something tells me I'm not on Earth anymore. . .
"There you are, lass." Oin's voice brings me out of my thoughts.
Shaking my head, I look to him to see he is finishing bandaging my arm.
"I will check up on it in the morning."
"Thank you." I reply as I stick my arm under the cloak again.
At that point as Oin walks off, the one who lent me his cloak walks over with a shirt in his hand.
"Here, you can use this since yours is torn."
I smile as I reach out and take the shirt. "Thank you, that's kind of you."
He smiles as he walks away. I turn my back to the men as I change my shirt under the cloak. When I'm finished, I return the cloak to the man who grins as he rolls it up and uses it as a pillow.
The black haired man walks over with the tall grey man.
"How are you feeling, my dear?" the grey man asks.
"I. . .I don't know. I'm in pain, confused and I'm incredibly worried about my son."
"Yes, Thorin here told me you had lost your son. Where did you last see him?"
"He. . .he was with me before I passed out and then I woke up alone in that forest."
"What caused you to become unconscious?"
"My son and I were running from my. . .when we hit a dead end. This bright light suddenly appeared when I wished for a place for us to escape to and I passed out with him in my arms."
He reaches up and runs his hand over his beard as he gives a thoughtful hmm.
"It appears, my dear, the Valar saw fit to give you and your son mercy by bringing you here."
"The Valar?"
"They are powerful beings who have brought you here from your own world."
Thorin scoffs. "There are no such things as other worlds."
"There is a lot more out there than anyone can ever dream of, Thorin. The question is now, what do we do about this young lady?"
"You won't have to worry about me. I'll be leaving to search for my son in the morning."
Thorin shakes his head. "No. You go out on your own with no protection and you will die. I may not like this, but you will have to come with us, until we reach a town at least. Can you fight?"
"Not with weapons. But, I know hand to hand combat."
He nods. "You will be trained with a sword at least. I won't have you become a burden on my men. Understood?"
I nod. "Yes sir. I know that you already have a healer, but I was trained in medicine before I came here, so I can be of help in that way."
He seems to think for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I'll inform Oin you will be helping him."
He then walks off, leaving Gandalf and I alone. Gandalf gives me a comforting smile.
"Well, if you are to travel with us, it would be useful to know your name."
"Sophia. My name is Sophia."
"That is a lovely name. I am Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Gandalf. Can I just ask, are you a wizard or something?"
He smiles. "I am indeed. I am the Grey Wizard."
"Wow. . .I've never met a wizard before."
He grins. "There's always a first for everything, my dear. Now, let us introduce you to the others."
He puts a hand on my shoulder and leads me over to the others and introduces me to them.
First to the thirteen dwarves. Obviously I already knew Thorin, Oin and Gloin, but then there are the brothers Balin – the white haired dwarf and Dwalin – bald dwarf who had also rescued me, Thorin's nephew's Fili and Kili – the blond haired and the one who lent me his cloak. And then there the brother Bofur – the hatted dwarf, Bombur – the overweight dwarf, who has a marvellous beard which circles around his rotund belly and their cousin Bifur – who surprises me at first as I see the axe in his head, but I quickly ignore it as I smile at him, to which he gives a small smile and nods to me. Then there are the brothers Dori – who has intricately braids in his grey hair and beard. Nori – red haired dwarf which is tied into three points above his head and his beard braided into three sections, I'm also sure I can see his eyebrows braided into his hair. And then Ori – about the only dwarf with short hair, apart from Dwalin who has hair around his head. Ori's hair is the same colour and his brother Nori's. And finally, I meet the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who gives me a welcoming smile.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." I say with a smile.
"As it is to meet you, lass. Are you hungry? We still have some stew left." Bofur says as he spoons some stew from a pot into a wooden dish.
"Thank you, Bofur. I am actually quite hungry."
He hands me the dish with a grin. I sit in between Balin and Bilbo and eat quietly.
"How are you feeling, lassie?" Balin asks me.
I swallow the bit of meat I'm chewing before replying to him. "I'm okay, thank you. Just worrying."
"About your lad?" I nod. He pats my arm. "You'll find him soon, don't worry yourself too much."
I sigh. "It's not that simple. He can't talk around strange men, so if he is found by someone, I hope they're patient with him."
Balin nods in understanding. "In that case, I hope they are too."
I smile at the kind dwarf as I finish my supper before Bofur takes my dish away to be washed.
Soon after, everyone gets ready to bed down for the night, Thorin giving his nephews first watch of the night. As he rests up against a boulder, Thorin offers me his bedroll and blanket for the night, I smile at him in thanks before laying down beside him and covering myself with the blanket and am soon lulled to sleep by the gentle snores of those that have already fallen asleep.
My eyes snap open at the sound of screeching and I sit upright thinking we're in danger. Looking around, I just see the dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo and no hint of danger, though I can still hear the echoes of the screech. I'm not the only one to have heard it as Bilbo is looking around worriedly as well as Fili and Kili. He rushes over to the two brothers.
"What was that?"
"Orcs." Kili replies.
I frown. What are Orcs? But as I hear another scream, I suddenly feel as though I don't want to know the answer to that. Beside me, Thorin jerks awake upon hearing the word Orcs. Looking to me and noting the fear on my face, he places a calming hand on my shoulder, which surprisingly does bring me some comfort.
"Orcs?" Bilbo asks, also wondering what these creatures are.
Fili answers this time. "Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."
Kili follows on. "They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood."
Bilbo looks away in fright, looking in the direction the noise came from; Fili and Kili look at each other and begin laughing. My blood running cold with what Fili and Kili just said, I give a slight whimper, causing Thorin to squeeze my shoulder slightly before standing and turning a stern face to his nephews.
"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
Kili looks down in shame. "We didn't mean anything by it."
"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."
Thorin walks off to the edge of the cliff and looks out over the valley. As I'm watching him, I suddenly have a feeling that Thorin has had some sort of bad experience with these Orcs, which soon becomes clear as Balin walks up to Fili and Kili.
"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."
Sensing a story, Bilbo sits beside me as I settle beside the fire to listen.
"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."
My eyes go wide in horror at this as I turn to Thorin, who still has his back to us.
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us."
I look down as I realise that this King, Thror, must have been some sort of relation to Thorin. I can't imagine what Thorin must have felt to have witnessed that.
"That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armour rent. . .wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield."
As he explains how Thorin had defeated Azog, I can picture it in my head like a movie, watching as Thorin, wielding said branch and slicing the pale Orc's arm clean off, although, because I have no idea what an Orc looks like, I'd picture him to be some kind of pale and ugly man.
"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."
Looking to Thorin, I then notice that the other dwarves, who had all awoken at some point during the story, are now standing and facing Thorin, who turns towards us all. Even from here, I can see his eyes glossy, full with unshed tears. He walks between the dwarves towards the fire as I turn back to Balin, a question on my mind.
"But the pale orc? What happened to him?"
Thorin is the one to answer as he reaches us. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."
As he settles back against the boulder and the dwarves back on the ground, I glance out of the corner of my eye Balin and Gandalf sharing looks with each other, and somehow this does not bring me any comfort to Thorin's words.
Standing, I stretch out my back before going back to the bedroll and sitting back down. Glancing at Thorin, I see him have a faraway look in his eyes, lost within painful memories by the looks of it. I reach up and place a hand on his large one, causing him to snap out of his thoughts and look to me. I give him a small smile.
"I'm sorry about what happened to you and your family."
He looks to me for a moment before giving me a nod of thanks.
"Get some sleep, Miss Sophia. You'll need all the rest you can get."
I bid him goodnight before laying down. I lay awake for a little longer, staring at the night sky as I think about all that has happened this night. Apparently I have been transported from my world to this one, attacked by bandits and saved by dwarves. Thinking about the dwarves, hobbit and wizard, all the names are familiar, though I cannot think how I have known their names beforehand since I have never been here before. I sigh as I turn over and with the story and the screeches still fresh in my mind, close my eyes to sleep.