They travelled again the next day for hours on end. She rode with Kili today, something that didn't go unnoticed by Thorin. She was beginning to truly enjoy the company of the two brothers, along with most of the company. Gandalf rode up alongside her and Kili and struck up a light-hearted conversation with Fili.
The clouds that had once loomed in the distance now started to send rain down upon the company. Soon it started to rain even harder, soaking the company to the bone.
"Hey, Mr. Gandalf," Dori called. "Cant you do something about this deluge?"
"It is raining master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done," Gandalf replied with a huff. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."
"Are there any?" Bilbo asked.
"What?"
"Other wizards," he clarified.
"There are five others. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White, then there are the two blue wizards... you know I've quite forgotten their names," Gandalf said, pensively.
"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo pressed.
"Well that would be Radagast, the Brown."
"Is he a great wizard, or is he... more like you?" asked the hobbit, curious to learn about other wizards.
"I think he is a very great wizard, in his own way," Gandalf replied. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East. And a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."
"My dear," Gandalf said as he glanced over to Thessa, "we must find you some suitable clothes and shoes, it wouldn't do to have you succumb to a cold by the time we reach our destination." Thessa chuckled at the old wizard and shivered slightly when a breeze blew by. Thorin had been watching them occasionally and saw Thessa shiver from the cold, unbeknownst to his nephew who was chatting with his brother.
"Kili!" Thorin called to him, making his nephew turn to him quickly. "She's cold, give her your cloak."
They all looked over to Thessa, who had her arms wrapped around herself. Her two items of clothing provided little protection from the elements.
"Oh, Thessa I'm so sorry! Here!" Kili said as her took off his cloak to put around Thessa's shoulders. Thessa leaned her head down so that Kili could drape the cloak over her, and Kili noticed a small tattoo on the back of her neck.
"Thessa, what is that on you neck?" Kili asked, curious about the strange rune. He did not know what language it was and was curious as to why a maiden would have a tattoo. Dwarvish men had tattoos, but the women usually preferred not to mar their skin with ink.
"Oh that?" Thessa laughed nervously, "It's just a rune, for protection," she lied. Please don't ask anything else, she prayed to herself.
Thorin glanced back at her, a suspicious look in his eyes.
"What language is it?" Fili asked, coming up closer beside his brother.
"Uh, Elvish," Thessa said, although when she caught Gandalf's gaze she could tell that he knew she was lying. She gave him a pleading look that expressed her desire to keep it secret. Gandalf gave an imperceptible nod of his head that she caught and gave him a grateful look.
"Why would you have an Elvish rune on your neck then, lassie?" Dwalin challenged. It was obvious that the bald dwarf didn't trust her.
"I just thought it looked elegant, their language is quite artistic," Thessa covered, but it wasn't very good. She knew a little Elvish, after all, Sindarin was based on Sirenian. The elves adopted their language from her people's tongue long ago. Thessa's people were here before the elves, but many seemed to have forgotten that fact, and the history of her people had faded into myth.
"I think it looks quite lovely, my dear," Gandalf spoke up, giving her a small wink as he rode on toward the front of the caravan. She gave a small sigh of relief. Gandalf knew more about her than he let on, she would have to speak with him soon.
The hours passed by quietly until Thorin called for them to stop as the rain finally let up. He had them unload the ponies and make camp by the burnt shell of an old farm house. Thessa didn't like the looks of it, but she wasn't about to question Thorin.
"There's a stream just a bit that way to bathe in!" Nori called from the edge of the camp. Thessa looked at the dwarf with the strange hairstyle and concluded that he was more reserved and observant than the rest of the group. He often scouted around the camp when they stopped to rest and stuck to the shadows mostly, always keeping an eye on Ori.
"Good," Thorin said. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies, make sure you stay with them, Óin, Gloin, get a fire going." As soon as she heard the word fire, she knew that meant dinner and Thessa's stomach grumbled loudly. She had eaten nothing but bread on the road and had skipped dinner the night before. She walked slowly over to where Bombur was setting up the dinner cookware when he noticed her.
"Excuse me, Bomber," she said politely, "but I've noticed that you all enjoy meat in your soup, but I have never been able to eat meat, as it makes me very ill. Would it be alright if I got a bowl of the soup before you put the meat in it?" she asked hopefully. The portly dwarf looked up and gave her a kind smile.
"Of course, dear! You should have said something sooner! I'll be making sure that there's always something for you to eat from here on out," He replied, his smile pulling up on the two large braids that hung from the sides of his large red beard.
"Thank you, Bombur," Thessa replied and stooped to give the dwarf a hug, grateful that he had been so understanding.
Thorin strode over to Gandalf, who stood inside the remnants of the old farm house. "I think it would be wiser to move on," Gandalf said. "We could make for the hidden valley."
"I told you already," Thorin said, "I will not go near that place." If there was one thing Thorin hated most, besides dragons and orcs, it was elves.
"Why not? The elves could help us, we could get food, rest, advice," Gandalf recommended.
"I do not need their advice," Thorin sneered.
"We have a map that we cannot read, Lord Elrond could help us."
"Help?" Thorin questioned, "When the dragon attacked Erebor, what help came from the elves that day? The orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the elves looked on and did nothing!" He hissed. "You ask me to seek help from the people who betrayed my grandfather, who betrayed my father."
"You are neither of them," Gandalf reminded him. "I did not give you that map and key to hold on to the past."
"I did not know that they were yours to keep," Thorin countered with a dark look. Gandalf had had enough at this point, and strode away from the obstinate dwarf king and passed the company.
"Everything alright?" Bilbo asked as Gandalf blew by him. "Gandalf, where are you going?"
"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense!"
"Well who's that?" Bilbo asked, feeling slightly insulted.
"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day," Gandalf bellowed as he stalked away from the company and into the trees. Everyone was quiet for a moment or two, but they soon resumed their activities. Thessa sat on a log for a good while, watching the company move about the camp.
"Lass, would you be wanting to bathe before dinner?" Balin asked as he and some of the other dwarves and Bilbo returned from the stream.
"That would be wonderful!" She sighed. She needed a bath, and it would be nice to touch some water again. Balin gave her directions to the stream and she headed that way, missing the small smirk the old dwarf gave to Gloin as he overheard their conversation.
"What's so funny?" Bilbo asked hesitantly when he saw the two dwarves' looks to each other.
"Oh nothing, Bilbo. I just hope the lass likes what she sees," came Gloin's reply as the other dwarves around them burst into loud guffaws.
As Thessa was making her way toward the river, she noticed that the ground was rather rocky and starting to slope downhill. She tried to pick her way across the uneven ground when a couple rocks slid from under her feet. She lost her balance and fell to the ground and tumbled down the embankment toward the water.
A splash drew Thorin's attention as he saw someone fell into the water a short distance from where he was washing his hair. He held in his gasp when Thessa surfaced and he moved to stand behind a boulder that was large enough to hide his form. This was the last thing he needed, he thought. Although, try as he might, he couldn't help but peer over to where Thessa had been.
Thessa had a few scrapes on her arms and legs from her fall into the river, but the water felt so nice and it healed her injuries after a few seconds. She decided to keep the breeches and tunic on since they were already wet as it is.
From behind the boulder, Thorin watched as Thessa, who had her back to him, brought her hands up to the kerchief around her hair. She untied the white cloth with some difficulty, but finally removed it from her head. She then took a small pin out of her hair that seemed to be holding her bun in place. Thorin watched, enthralled, as long silky strands of brown hair slipped from its confines and down to her hips. It shone brightly in the light of the setting sun, framing her silhouette. He could see that there were things braided into her hair that glinted from the sunlight. He wanted more than anything to run his hands through that hair and feel its softness for himself.
Thessa sighed in contentment as her hair fell from the bun and she sank down into the water to wash the long tresses. When she rose back out of the water, she turned slightly to the side, facing where the camp was and looked around for any members of the company that she might have missed heading her way. Confident that she was alone, she stripped off her tunic and tried to get as much dirt out of it as she could before putting it back on.
Thorin had watched her come up out of the water, her hair soaked. She turned slightly so he could now see her from the side and he saw how the wet tunic clung to her curves. He quickly ducked behind the boulder with his back to the woman. He tried not to think about how curvy her hips had been or the swell of her breasts that he could see from the way her tunic clung to her like a second skin. He had to get out of there before he did something he might regret.
Thessa was just beginning to wash her hair more thoroughly in the cool water when she heard a soft splash coming from behind a boulder.
"Hello?" she called. She could have sworn that she was alone. Then she saw Thorin step out from behind the boulder, making her gasp.
"You dare interrupt a king while he is bathing?" Thorin growled at her. He scowled at Thessa and stood his ground. Thessa blushed painfully as she thought she had been alone this whole time.
"I- I'm sorry, Thorin. I didn't know anyone was down here!" Thessa said as she crossed her arms over her chest to regain a bit of modesty. She noticed then that he was shirtless and his wet hair hung in dark waves over his shoulders. She watched the water from his hair travel down over his broad chest and his well-defined abdomen. Thankfully the water came up just below his navel, but she had seen enough to send her heart hammering in her chest.
"Well if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to finish bathing," he said gruffly. Thessa nodded, slightly stunned, and scrambled over to the bank. She hauled herself out of the water and carefully made her way back up to the camp while pinning up her hair once more.
When Thessa returned to the camp she saw all eyes were on her. Some of the company smirked and passed a parchment roll to each other behind their backs. She took a seat by the fire to warm herself and dry her clothes as most of the company went back to whatever they were doing.
Bombur came over and handed Thessa a bowl of soup that he had yet to put meat in, smiling softly at the small woman.
"Thank you, Bombur" Thessa smiled. She saw the company all stop what they were doing and she turned to see where they were looking. The dwarf king had returned from the river wearing nothing but his breeches. His wet hair still dripped water down his torso and Thessa had to force herself to look away, blushing red.
Bofur and Gloin watched the interaction between Thessa and their uncle and moved to take the parchment out of Balin's hands and scribbled something on it while snickering to each other. Thessa was confused as to what they were doing, but she brushed it off and turned her attention back to her soup. Fili and Kili were checking on the ponies and the other members of the company were chatting about this thing and that over their dinner. Thessa looked around the group and noticed that their little hobbit was not present. Strange, she thought. Bilbo didn't usually go wandering off alone. And then suddenly there was a shout.
"Trolls!" Fili and Kili called out as they burst from the forest to rejoin the company. Thorin's head whipped around to where his nephews were.
"What's happened?" Thorin called to them.
"Trolls! They've taken the ponies, and Bilbo as well!" Kili added, looking worriedly at his uncle.
"Everyone, with me!" Thorin called to the group, "you stay here" he pointed at Thessa, who looked up at him from where she sat. She watched the dwarves race off into the forest and she wanted to help. She was the general of an army for Valar's sake, she was not going to just sit there. She looked around the camp and found a bow and some arrows strewn about. Probably one of the company's set that they left behind in place of their sword, she figured. Quickly, she grabbed them as she rose up on her shaky legs and staggered after the dwarves into the woods.
She wasn't moving very quietly as her legs would not seem to cooperate. Blasted things, she thought with a huff. She came upon the clearing where Bilbo and the rest of the company were fighting the trolls. She glanced around, trying to decide what she should do. She knew that she couldn't run very well, so she had to stick to the shadows and remain unseen. Her specialty. She heard the sounds of clanging metal and knew the company was trying to beat the trolls back, and it was then that she decided the best way should could help would be to try and blind the monsters.
Thessa drew an arrow back from behind a tree and took aim at one of the trolls. She fired the arrow and it hit its mark with deadly accuracy. The troll she had hit bellowed and pressed his hand to his eye. The other trolls took notice of their wounded friend, looking around for a dwarf that carried a bow and arrows.
One of the trolls began searching around the trees and looking for the shooter that injured one of them when another arrow came flying toward them. The second arrow struck another troll in his right eye and that troll too bellowed loudly and stomped on the ground. It looked like the dwarves were gaining the upper hand now, so Thessa retreated further away from the action. All of a sudden, the trolls held up Bilbo by his arms and legs.
"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off!" the largest troll shouted. Thorin looked murderous as he hesitated a moment, then stuck his sword into the ground with a growl. The other dwarves dropped their weapons and were tied up by the trolls. Some were tied to a spit over a fire, but most were tied up in sacks on the ground with only their heads poking out. Thessa wanted to do something, but she couldn't get a clear shot from where she sat and she didn't want to give any her position.
"Don't bother cooking him, let's just sit on him and squash him into jelly!" one of the trolls that Thessa had partially blinded said. Thessa heard one troll say something about the dawn coming and being turned to stone. If daylight could harm these things, then it was waiting game now. She just had to stall them long enough. She grabbed two more arrows and let them fly, striking both eyes of the third troll who had yet to be shot by her arrows. Thessa internally congratulated herself, but it was no surprise to her that she had hit her mark, one doesn't get to be leader of a merfolk army without becoming a sharpshooter.
"Arghg!" the troll screamed as he stomped around and knocked into the other two trolls. One of the trolls who still had a good eye saw where the arrows came from and started reaching around in the shrubs.
The dwarves all looked around, taking count of who was there and trying to figure out who amongst the company hadn't been captured. Thorin counted thirteen dwarves and one hobbit. It must be Gandalf shooting the arrows from the behind the trees.
Gasps came from the company as Thessa was lifted into the air by a troll as she held a bow and arrow in her hands. They watched as she fired her last arrow into the remaining eye of the troll holding her, blinding him completely. Now, two of the three trolls had been totally blinded and the third had only one good eye left. Thessa was slung about in the hand of the troll she had just struck and was thrown into the pile of dwarves.
Thorin grunted as Thessa's head connected with his own and her small body slumped over his, her head now on his chest. He fought to see if she was okay and called out to her.
"Woman!" No response. "Thessalia!" he whispered forcefully. He was met with a groan and her eyes opened slightly and fluttered closed again.
The last troll that could see reached for Thessa and lifted her off of Thorin and brought her limp body up to his mouth. He was about to swallow the young woman whole when Gandalf appeared atop a boulder.
"The dawn will take you all!" he shouted as the boulder he stood on split down the middle, letting the light of the rising sun turn the scrambling trolls to stone. The troll holding Thessa had turned to stone with her still in its grip and her unconscious body hanging above them in the troll's stone hand.
"Thessa!" Kili cried and he was freed from his sack and moved to climb up to her.
"How do we get her down?" Fili called to Gandalf and the others as he climbed up the stone troll to help his brother free their new friend. Gandalf came over and struck the troll's leg with his staff, shattering the troll into pieces as the dwarves all shielded their eyes. Fili, Kili, and Thessa all fell to the ground and the brothers rushed to Thessa's body. Thessa opened her eyes to see the two young brothers standing over her and they helped her to her feet. They had to steady her as she swayed and lost her balance until Kili finally hoisted her up into his arms. He carried her back to their camp and set her down on the log she sat on earlier by the fire. Her head felt like someone was beating the back of it with a hammer. But at least she gave them enough time for Gandalf to arrive.
Thorin pushed his way through the company until he stood in front of her. "I told you to stay here!" he growled at her. Thessa shrunk away from his rage and tried not to look at him directly. Now she had really done it, she thought. Of course he would be angry that his company was saved by a woman.
"I'm sorry Thorin" she said, "I just wanted to help."
"That was some mighty fine shooting, lassie!" Gloin said from behind Thorin, breaking the tension. The rest of the company adamantly agreed and praised her for her bravery and sharp shooting, but Thorin remained unimpressed. He turned away from her to speak with Gandalf. Why would she do something that foolish, he thought. She could have gotten herself killed! Although, he did have to admit, her shooting was better than he expected from a farm girl.
"They could not have moved in daylight," Gandalf pondered as Thorin approached.
"There must be a cave nearby," Thorin said. He signaled for the company to pack their things once more and Gandalf led them into the troll hoard they spotted a little way away. Thessa, who was at the back of the group came to the mouth of the cave and gagged at the smell. Gloin looked back and saw that she had not followed them into the cave.
"You alright there, lassie?" he called to her.
"Yes, yes. I just don't think I want to linger in there with that smell" she replied, covering her nose with the sleeve of her oversized tunic. A few minutes later the company emerged from the cave. They looked over the spoils they returned with as Gandalf approached Bilbo, handing him a small elvish blade.
"I can't take this," Bilbo said to the wizard.
"The blade is of elvish make, which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby," Gandalf offered. He continued to give the hobbit a few words of encouragement when they heard Thorin call out.
"Something's coming!"
Radagast the Brown, one of the five wizards, burst through the trees on a wooden sled pulled by rabbits. Gandalf quickly drew him to the side to speak with him in hushed voices away from the company.
Thessa took a seat on a boulder nearby when Bifur came to sit by her. He used his hands in order to tell her something.
"I'm sorry, Bifur, I don't know what you're saying" Thessa said to the dwarf. She knew that he couldn't speak the common tongue due to the ax he took to the head.
"He wants to ask how your legs are, lassie!" Bofur called over to them, translating for Bifur.
"Oh! They're doing much better, thank you," she smiled at Bifur's attentiveness to her condition. He really was quite a sweet dwarf when one took the time to listen to what he had to say. There was a sudden howl in the distance which immediately put the company on edge.
"What was that? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked, he didn't like the idea of wolves nearby.
"Wolves?" Bofur said, "No that is not a wolf!" A warg sprang from the trees as Kili drew back his bow and killed the beast. The warg was much larger and vicious-looking than a wolf.
"Warg scouts!" Thorin shouted, "which means an orc pack isn't far behind."
"Orc pack?" Bilbo asked, unnerved by the sudden developments. Thessa shared a look with the hobbit and he could tell she was frightened too. She had never fought orcs and she no longer had any weapons to use, since the bow she had borrowed had been Kili's.
"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf approached Thorin.
"No one."
"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf persisted.
"No one I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin asked.
"You are being hunted," the wizard said.
"We have to get out of here," Dwalin called.
"We can't, we haven't got any ponies, they bolted!" Cried Ori from his position on the hill side next to the company.
"I'll draw them off," Radagast said, getting ready to depart.
"These are Gundabad wargs, they will outrun you," Gandalf said, trying to sway his friend from putting himself in danger.
"These are Rhosgobel rabbits! I'd like to see them try," Radagast said with a smirk as he took off into the clearing nearby, drawing the attention of the orc pack and leading them away from the company.
"Come on!" Gandalf lead the company away from the orcs as they ducked behind boulders and outcroppings, trying to remain unseen. But the pack of orcs crossed their path just up ahead and the group was out in the open. Thessa was struggling to keep up, this was the first real running she had done, and she hadn't even mastered walking yet!
"Stay together!" Gandalf called as they turned around the other way and followed after the wizard. Thessa was having a hard time keeping up, the only reason she hadn't fallen too far behind was because Gloin had grabbed her arm and was pulling her along after them. The company stopped behind another large boulder and Thorin turned to Gandalf.
"Where are you leading us?" he asked, suspicious of the answer. But Gandalf only followed after the company as he ushered them down a slope. A warg then perched upon a ledge above where the company was now hiding. Thorin saw the warg, glanced down at Kili's bow, then back up to the warg, making sure his nephew got the message. Kili however shook his head and handed the bow to Thessa. She looked at Kili with wide eyes and then slowly nodded. She set two arrows against the bow and stepped out from the boulder to get a clear shot. One arrow lodged into the skull of the warg and the other into the head of the orc riding it. It wouldn't make a sound as they died, but the bodies were now displayed on top of the boulder where the rest of the pack could see from a distance.
The leader saw the felled warg and its rider and sent the pack scrambling in the company's direction. Gandalf rushed them along again.
"Run!" the wizard called. They were in the open now and Thessa couldn't keep up. Gloin had let go of her hand earlier and the others seemed to forget about her uncooperative limbs. Thorin saw her lagging behind and ran back to her. He hefted her into his arms, passing the bow and arrow back to Kili. Thessa wrapped her arms around Thorin's shoulders and ducked her head down into the crook of his neck.
"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin called to his nephew.
He ran after the company with Thessa in his arms, eventually making it to an underground tunnel that Gandalf had found. His nephews followed soon after. The pack was closing in until a horn sounded and they could hear the rest of the pack being picked off. One orc rolled down into the tunnel with an arrow in its neck. Thorin set Thessa on the ground and pulled the arrow from the orc, inspecting it.
"Elves," he sneered with distaste, throwing the arrow to the ground.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads, do we follow it or not?" Dwalin called to the company from the back of the tunnel.
"We follow it of course!" Bofur yelled. The company followed Dwalin's lead as they headed further into the tunnel, which became more of a small canyon as they progressed. Eventually it let out into a large valley with waterfalls and lush hills. A magnificent elf city was built right into the side of the valley.
"The valley of Imladris, in the common tongue it is known by another name—" Gandalf stated.
"Rivendell," Bilbo finished, amazed at the sight before him.
"This was your plan all along" Thorin said as he came up to Gandalf, "to seek refuge with our enemy."
"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield, the only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself," Gandalf chastised the dwarf king.
"You think the elves will give our quest their blessing?" He asked the wizard, "They will try and stop us."
"Of course they will, but we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact, and respect, and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me," Gandalf finished, leading the company down the hillside and toward the elven city.