SMCB: thanks for reviewing. Some parts will be different such as Evengel's personality (a little bit), maybe how awful her father was. But mostly I will be taking out parts that weren't needed. But I may or may not change the original ending. I haven't decided that yet.
Evengel stared blearily as what could only be described as a sleigh led by a team of rabbits burst through the trees. She did not notice that she could not feel her left arm, not as she saw the strange looking man atop the sleigh. The white haired dwarf helped her to her feet, her legs quivering from exhaustion.
"Oh dear," the man Gandalf introduced as Radagast exclaimed when she caught his eye. He opened his coat and rummaged through his pockets before he grabbed a dirty jar and rushed towards her.
Gandalf noticed Thorin's grip on his sword tighten as the brown wizard moved.
"I have something for that," Radagast said moving around her to look at her back. Balin watched the wizard, holding the wary woman's hand.
Evengel turned to look over her shoulder to see what had caused such worry in the strange wizard. "There's an arrow in my shoulder," she whispered.
"Milady?" Balin questioned as he squeezed her hand to offer some sort of comfort.
"Did you all know there was an arrow in my shoulder?" Evengel demanded looking at them all, her eyes wide with great concern. They nodded at her waiting for the tears they knew would come, but she took a deep breath and after a moment nodded. "Alright."
"Alright?" Bilbo asked and she looked at the small hobbit.
"If we are all aware there is an arrow in my shoulder, then alright." She was in no way pleased but her mind was spinning far too much for her to take much note of it; besides, it didn't even hurt.
"Alright," repeated Gandalf with a smile.
Fili and Kili looked at one another. "She took that better than I thought she would."
Radagast opened the jar and scooped out something brown and gelatinous, and rubbed it around where the arrow was lodged in her shoulder. Those in front of her noticed her slight wince before her face cleared.
"Will this heal her?" Balin asked.
Radagast giggled. "Oh no, she'll probably need elvish care to heal it. This just takes away the pain."
Evengel turned her head slightly to look at the brown wizard behind her. "Thank you," she said softly, remembering courtesy.
"No trouble deary, you look a little worse for the weather," Radagast said patting her shoulder.
Evengel smiled slightly at the man, seeing his large eyes and dirty hair, and a long line of white bird droppings running down the side of his face. He smiled kindly back before walking to where Gandalf was.
Balin looked at the goo on her back, which smelled like flowers and dirt, and reached his arms out as she swayed heavily. Her blinking was rapid as she tried to see through the swirling glaze that was her vision.
"What did you give her," Thorin's voice questioned angrily as he watched the young woman begin fading. The moment he had agreed to her accompanying them had been the moment he had taken the responsibility of keeping her safe – especially now that she had woken.
"I forgot," Radagast said apologetically, "it is supposed to make you sleepy so wounds can be healed."
Evengel leaned heavily on the white haired dwarf, who had introduced himself as Balin, trying to keep her eyes open. She did not know where she was, she did not know who she was with save Gandalf who she had met once; all she knew was that she was not safe.
The moment the howl sounded Balin had positioned himself in front of the wilting woman, his sword in hand and determination masking his fear.
They all looked forward, in the same direction, not sure where the sound had come from. The sound however, had come from behind them. A low growling was heard before a warg leaped from atop the hill behind them. Thorin struck the beast with his sword, and heard the whizzing of an arrow shooting past his head, and saw that Kili had killed a warg behind him, and Dwalin finished off the first warg.
"Milady," Balin said quietly when he felt her hand on his back. He held her up as best he could, seeing she was now afraid as well as exhausted.
Evengel heard the buzzing of panicked speaking but her eyes were drooping closed and she was now falling asleep.
"Who did you tell?" Gandalf nearly yelled.
Evengel's eyes shot open, landing on a dead warg, and she told herself she could not fall asleep – even if she so very much wanted to. She wanted to curl up beside that tree right there, where the roots would hide her, and she could finally rest.
"Milady," Balin said shaking her gently. "You must stay awake," he urged seeing her try to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes.
Gandalf looked to the young woman who was now leaning on Balin in pure exhaustion. "Can you run, my lady?" he asked her. She turned her dark green eyes to his gray ones and nodded. "We must be quick."
Balin and Dwalin had a hold of Evengel's arms as they hurried through the rest of the woods, and then they held her up as they stood waiting for Radagast to lead the Orc pack away from them. Gandalf led them out of the trees and into an open field where they could see the wargs and their riders chasing the brown wizard and his rabbits. Radagast made a sharp turn right, leading the Orcs closer to the group, and they hurried, most on short legs, to take cover behind boulders.
A few more times they ran in plain sight before they could seek shelter behind more rocks.
"Where are you leading us?" Thorin asked Gandalf, though the wizard did not answer.
They had just pressed their backs against the sharp ridges of a large boulder when they heard the low growl of a warg above them. Evengel stood with her right shoulder to the wall not able to feel her body; she had let both Balin and his brother lead her blinding, praying they would not let her get hurt. Even in her foggy mind she knew they were making too much noise, what with the yelping of the warg and the shrieking of the orc. They know where we are now, she thought bitterly thinking they would now all die; although she thought that might be peaceful if only for some rest. She nearly groaned when Balin pulled on her and they began running again, this time being directly chased. How she craved a sword of her own in that moment.
Balin pulled Evengel after him and they followed the others, Dwalin ran on her other side keeping a close eye on her as he could see fatigue bearing down on her. If Balin hadn't had a hold on her she might have slipped away. Dwalin grabbed her free hand and put it on his belt so she could hold on to it. Even half asleep she ran the same pace as the dwarves on their short legs. Her dress wrapped under her foot and she tripped losing both Balin and Dwalin, though she tore something off his belt as she fell.
She could feel the leather of a hilt, and by its small size realized she'd taken his dagger. She stood on shaky legs and looked around her seeing smudges of grass and swirls of orcs on wargs. She saw a black shape holding what she assumed was a sword and figured it to be a dwarf. The dwarf raised his sword and she saw a gleam of silver as it came down on a big shadow.
Thorin brought his sword down on the warg's side causing it to yelp. It moved around behind him and he turned driving his sword through it's skull. He heard a snarl and turned around to see another coming at him, but it was too close and he did not have time to raise his sword in defense; then he saw a quick flash of silver fly past his head, so close his hair ruffled, and into the warg's mouth killing it. He turned and saw the blonde woman standing a few paces behind him and he ran grabbing her arm and pulled her after him.
He heard Gandalf's shout and looked to see the wizard pointing to a passage beneath the rocks. He called his men and pulled Evengel towards where Gandalf and most of the others had disappeared into. He turned urging his friends to run faster, and yelled for Kili, who was loosing arrows at wargs and their riders; and when they all had slid down into the passage he held the woman to his chest and slid on his back down into the hole.
Balin, who had moved to go back for her but continued on when he saw Thorin grab her, helped Evengel to her feet. She leaned against him as she steadied herself and turned to Thorin.
"I didn't hit you did I?" she asked. "I couldn't really see you."
Thorin stood staring at her with wide eyes. "You threw a dagger in my direction without being able to see me?" he asked appalled, his voice gruff.
"You're welcome," she said before she swayed again. Thorin shook his head before pushing past her towards Gandalf. They heard shouts and screams, and the sounds of horse hooves from above and they all jumped back when an orc fell to their feet. Nori poked the orc and was satisfied when it did not move.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads," came Dwalin's voice from the other side of the cave. "Do we follow it or not?"
"Follow it of course," Bofur exclaimed, not liking the alternative.
Dwalin moved past Bofur and scooped up the woman, holding an around beneath her bottom before he walked through the path.
Evengel was relieved, she did not think she could move forward anymore. She was left half slung over the large dwarf's shoulder, her left arm dangling behind his back, and her eyes now completely drifting shut as sleep settled around her.