A/N: I'll be posting two chapters today ^-^ Gah, I love Kili so much. Aidan Turner, rather. I want to finish this story first before I distract myself with Poldark. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are highly appreciated.
By sundown, Gandalf hasn't come back leaving Bilbo Baggins worried. Bofur assured him things were going to be alright and instructed him to hand over two bowls of stew to Fili and Kili who were both busy looking after the ponies. Harriet, on the other hand, was still in the premises of the farmhouse with Balin still not allowed to have anything to eat. She ignored the rumbling of her stomach by listening to the stories of Balin. The old dwarf explained to her middle earth and the creatures that lived in it including men and how their kingdoms were taken by orcs and dragons, resulting to years of dispute between dwarves and elves. Somehow, things were starting to make sense to Harriet. Well, she still didn't understand how or why she was there in the first place but with the help of Balin, she had a better understanding of the world she was in. It was hard to believe but it was the reality she was in at the moment.
Their conversation was abruptly cut short when the brothers Fili and Kili emerged from the woods looking very disheveled. According to them, Bilbo was taken captive by a group of trolls and so were a few of their ponies. With Thorin's lead, they all followed Kili back into the woods wherein they saw the trolls take Bilbo. As they left the campsite, Fili ran back into the ruins of the farmhouse where Dwalin had tied Harriet securely against a wooden pole.
"Trolls?" Harried repeated after hearing what they've said. "There are trolls?"
"Aye and they eat anything they see" Fili said, pulling out a dagger from underneath his fur coat. "Even humans" he added, cutting through the rope binding Harriet's hands together. When the rope was loose enough, he pulled it off her and threw it on the ground. Harriet couldn't hide her happiness. Her wrists stung and bled due to the rope burns but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that she was finally free. "Here, take this" Fili handed her the dagger he used then smiled. "Take this opportunity to escape"
Before Harriet could even thank him, Fili already sprinted into the woods to join the rest in rescuing their burglar. Harriet clutched onto the dagger and limped her way towards the opposite direction without looking back. There was a sharp pang every time her left foot touched the ground but she ignored it by clenching her teeth and ran ahead, limping. She was finally free from her captors and all she could think of was getting back home to her family. She continued to run in the dark, passing through thick bushes and disregarded the twigs and leaves that smacked her face. When she was almost half a kilometer away from where she came from, she let out a squeal right after tripping on a root of a tree and fell down scraping her knee. She sat up groaning in pain and looked down at her bleeding knee and sprained ankle. Being free was useless after remembering that she wasn't in her own world. She didn't even know how she got there in the first place and obviously had no clue how to get back home. Plus, Balin mentioned about strange creatures lurking every corner of middle earth—creatures far worse than dwarves who would actually tear her into pieces. She looked down at the dagger she was holding. Most of the dwarves disliked her, especially Thorin, but not all of them were bad. Taking a deep breath, Harriet got up on her feet and turned around, limping as she followed the direction Fili took.
ooOoo
It wasn't really that hard to locate the whereabouts of her companions as the culprits left obvious trails. She followed the direction of the uprooted trees and the humongous footprints embedded on the ground. By the time she reached the middle of the woods, she dived behind a bush right after hearing the cries of her former captors. She took a peek and saw a glowing light, far bigger than the bonfire the dwarves created, and heard big bellowing voices. Her mouth was gaping the moment she saw three towering trolls preparing to cook the dwarves and Bilbo, unable to believe that such creatures did exist.
Half of the dwarves were tied on a pole, ready to be roasted over a fire, while the others were piled on one corner and stuffed in individual sacks. Kili was muttering angrily in Khuzdul, kicking and trying his best to free himself when he caught sight of something—or someone—moving behind a bush. He recognized it as their captive, Harriet. Although he was glad to see her, he was rather puzzled as to why she was there when she had all the time in the world to finally escape. He shifted his attention towards Bilbo as he was picked up by one of the trolls, about to be gobbled up alive.
To everyone's surprise, Harriet jumped out of the bush and plunged the dagger into the foot of the troll that was attempting to eat Bilbo. The troll dropped Bilbo from his clutch and fell back, squawking in pain. The adrenaline was running through Harriet's veins as she didn't exactly know what she was doing. She was obviously no match against three gigantic trolls but she felt in her heart that she had to do something and help the dwarves escape. The trolls were in a pandemonium, swinging their hands left and right trying to capture her. Harriet swung her dagger towards them then ducked and ran, avoiding them as much as possible. But with the excruciating pain coming from her sprained ankle, she fell onto the ground and eventually got caught. The troll locked her within its grip and looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" the first troll, Bert, asked.
"It must be a tiny human" the second troll, William, answered. "It's not as ugly or meaty as these dwarves"
"And it's such a shame" the last of the trolls, Tom, chimed in. "She looks quite beautiful to be eaten"
"You're right. Maybe we can keep this one as a part of our collection"
"Good thinking, William. Tom, put this in a bag and make sure you do not cook her along with the rest and hurry up, the sun will be rising anytime soon"
The troll handed Harriet to another troll who stuffed her body inside a sack. Once she was trapped inside of it, the troll tossed her onto the pile of dwarves and went back to cooking their stew whilst Bilbo was finding a way to stall. Harriet groaned when she landed right on top of Kili, butting each other's head a little too hard. "Well hello to you too" Kili managed to laugh with a pained expression.
"I-I have no knowledge in fighting trolls" Harriet stammered.
Kili grinned. "You saved Bilbo from being eaten, that's already enough"
Bilbo continued to delay the trolls from eating his companions by talking nonsense until the Grey Wizard, Gandalf, appeared standing on top of a rock. He tapped the end of his staff against the rock, breaking it into two, exposing the trolls in daylight. The three humongous beasts let out a shrill cry until they slowly turned immobile and became stones. All the dwarves cheered, happy to see the wizard back in their company and helped each one of them get loose from the sacks. Kili quickly got out of the sack and hurriedly ripped the one Harriet was in. Just as the young prince was helping the girl up, Thorin pushed his way through the crowd looking completely vexed.
"Tie her up again, immediately" Thorin ordered Kili.
"But Thorin—"
"Don't make me say it again, Kili" he grabbed Harriet by the arm roughly. "Do as I say"
"I think it's safe to assume that that young girl is no threat" Balin finally said, ignoring the appalled look on Thorin's face. "We've all seen it, right? Instead of escaping, she came here and saved Mr. Baggins from being eaten alive."
The other dwarves began to discuss between themselves, agreeing with what Balin said. If Harriet was meant to be a threat, she would've let the trolls eat them. Not wanting to talk about the matter any further, Thorin let go of the girl and turned away in the company of Gandalf to locate the cave of the trolls. The others followed but still kept a watchful eye on Harriet just for precaution until they were completely sure she was on their side. The troll cave wasn't too far from where they were and half of them entered to investigate while some remained outside to be on the lookout.
Harriet chose to stay outside, hissing at the throbbing pain on her ankle, and sat on a rock. She was still in a state of shock. It never occurred to her that she would encounter trolls and yet there she was, almost becoming a part of their collection. She looked down on her arm, studying the strange tattoo that mysteriously appeared and wondered why out of all people it was her who received it. Her skin was also reddish with a hand mark printed on it due to when Thorin grabbed her. She wondered if she made the right choice going back to them or should've just travelled alone until she found help. She lifted her head up when she heard footsteps and saw the blonde prince walking towards her with a handful of medical supplies.
"Let's get those wounds cleaned up, aye?" he said with a gentle voice, setting down the medicines he'd gotten from Oin. "This might sting a bit" after washing the wounds with fresh water, he dabbed a generous amount of ointment on each wrists making Harriet hiss and writhe. It stung a lot and smelled strongly of herbs and tree barks and felt cold when rubbed against the wound. "I gave you the opportunity to run away" he said while wrapping each wound with a bandage before mending her wounded knee. "Why did you come back?"
"I did run away but then I realized there's no point if I don't know where I'm heading" she admitted, looking down her bandaged wrists. "Thank you for all your help" she took the dagger from her dress' pocket and handed it back to him.
Fili smiled and gently pushed it towards her. "Keep it" he said. "I assume you'll be with us for a while. You'll need something to protect yourself with"
Just as Harriet was putting the weapon inside her skirt's pocket, she saw at the corner of her eye the hobbit approaching them. He looked disheveled like everyone else after what they've been through with the trolls but, he managed to smile. "Thank you for saving me back there" he said softly. "I really thought I would be eaten alive"
Harriet smiled. "It's nothing. I didn't do much but I'm glad I was able to make a diversion"
They turned around and saw Kili hurrying towards them, offering his waterskin to Harriet. "Here, have something to drink" he said before sitting down on a nearby rock and saw Thorin's hand have left a mark on her arm. "I'm terribly sorry for Thorin's actions"
Harriet held the waterskin with both hands and drank almost half of it. It was cold and refreshing she had the strong urge of pouring it all over her face. When she was done drinking, she gave the waterskin back and smiled at the both of them. "It's alright" she said. "I guess I would've acted the same way if I found a stranger bearing some sort of message about my family" she studied the both of them curiously. They were supposedly princes but they didn't wear lavish clothing or jewelry. In fact, they looked like ordinary warriors. "If I'm going to be in your company for a while, do I address you both as your highness or my lord?"
The brothers looked at one another and laughed. "I prefer to be called Fili" the older of the two said.
"Well, those two are both good titles to be called with but, I agree with my brother" the younger one answered with a grin. "Kili would suffice"
Whilst spending some time talking with the princes, Harriet saw Gandalf emerging from the troll's cave accompanied by Balin and Thorin, walking towards their direction followed by the rest of the group. She got up on her feet, standing between the brothers, feeling rather worried as if bad news was coming her way. She looked up at the towering height of the wizard and was quite surprised that he was offering her a gentle smile. Surely that's a good sign, right? Harriet thought.
"I'm terribly sorry that I didn't take the opportunity to know who you are, my lady" the wizard spoke with a raspy yet gentle voice. "I was rather given the impression that the only thing that mattered is the journey" he added, taking a glance at the king of the dwarves who pretended not to hear anything and looked away. He looked back at Harriet with a smile. "What is your name?"
"Harriet" she spoke softly, fiddling with her fingers. "Harriet Wellington"
"It's nice meeting you, Harriet" the wizard said with a smile. "I'm Gandalf the Grey. Balin told me you've mentioned about a stone you came across with before you saw a blinding flash of light"
Harriet nodded. "I did. It had weird markings on it that looks like these" she pointed at the tattoo on her arm.
"Do you have this stone you speak of?"
Without any hesitation, Harriet fished through her dress' pocket and pulled out a small stone handing it to the tall wizard. Everyone looked at the small stone—it was smooth, oval shaped, and resembled a black opal with intricate scribbles inside written in cirth. The dwarves of Erebor have encountered so many precious stones and gems underneath their kingdom but never saw anything like it. It was like a dark stone that trapped a hundred stars inside and projected something written in cirth.
"What is it?" Thorin asked.
Gandalf studied the stone closely and hummed, "This is called the Wizard's Stone" he explained, showing them the Khuzdul word written on it. "In all my years roaming the lands of Middle Earth, I've only stumbled across this once. It used to belong to Ordun the Red"
"I thought you said there were only five wizards in Middle Earth?" Bilbo asked, looking at the stone Gandalf was holding.
"Now there's only five but there used to be six"
"What happened to him?"
"No one really knows for sure" Gandalf explained. "This stone contains a powerful magic created by Ordun, himself. It is said that with this, he can travel to realms that do not exist in middle earth" he looked at Harriet. "He stumbled upon a place ruled only by men and fell in love with a mortal who bore him a son. But because magic didn't exist in that world, Ordun's immortality slowly faded. I never saw him in Middle Earth again so it must've meant that he died in the land of men" he looked at Harriet again. "Even though magic does not exist in your land, the powers of a wizard can still be passed on to its kin. And since Balin told me you came across this in your parent's library, It's safe to assume that Ordun's blood runs through your veins. Did your father not tell you anything?"
Harriet shook her head with pursed lips. "My grandfather passed away years before I was born so I never knew who he was" she explained. "But there was a time my father wanted to talk to me about something. He said it was urgent but…" she paused for a moment before she continued with hands balling into tight fists. "Armed bandits came into our home in the middle of the night, stealing most of our belongings and killed my mum and dad"
Gandalf frowned and the rest looked down, feeling terrible for the unfortunate fate of the young girl's parents. "I'm truly sorry to hear that" he said sincerely, handing the stone back to Harriet. "One of Ordun's greatest traits was premonition, something that was taught to him by the Vala Lorien. His visions mostly appeared to him through dreams. Have you ever encountered anything of the like?"
"I saw my parents being killed" she confessed. "But I thought it was just a bad dream. I never thought it would actually come true" she frowned, feeling guilty she wasn't able to prevent her parent's death.
"It's alright" Gandalf gave her a pat on the head. "You're young and didn't have the proper guidance needed until that stone transported you here in middle earth"
"So you're saying that I'm really a wizard?"
"Indeed" Gandalf nodded. "But to be completely honest, this is the first time I have ever heard about a union between man and a wizard. Not to mention, producing a young female wizard"
"Did my wizard powers shrink me?"
Gandalf chuckled. "Probably. Ordun was chiefly fond of Dwarves when he was still here in middle earth. In fact, he was the only wizard the dwarves liked back then" he looked over his shoulder, glancing at Thorin with a smile. "It seems like you don't have a killer after your bloodline after all. Not in your company at least"
Kili had a proud smile on his face. He never doubted Harriet from the beginning and was happy to hear from Gandalf directly that she was good. A wizard even. Now that the mystery about Harriet had been unfolded, the dwarves thought they were already safe until they heard someone coming from somewhere within the woods. Each of them got their weapons ready whilst Fili instructed Harriet to stay behind him and his brother.
ooOoo
What they thought was trouble turned out to be completely harmless. Radagast the Brown came riding a sleigh made out of twigs and was being pulled by a group of rabbits. He looked disheveled, which was rather his normal state, and sent news to Gandalf about the wellbeing of Greenwood. In the middle of their discussion, the group heard a howling from the distant. Harriet screamed when a huge beast pounced on Dori before it was killed by Dwalin with his hammer. Kili quickly pushed Harriet aside as another beast came from the other direction and shot it with his arrow before it could attack Thorin. Harriet, who was completely frightened, heard Thorin refer to the beasts as Wargs which meant that a group of Orcs were nearby. With the help of Radagast, Gandalf and his company ran for their lives before the Orcs could spot them.