Hey guys! sorry I haven't updated anything in FOREVER! But life hasn't been the best to me. Sorry to plague you with all of my unnecessary ramblings, but I thought you;d like to know that I've changed a couple of things from this point on. The reason for this is I just didn't like the way some things were turning out, and I felt that some things needed to be omitted. To be completely honest with you, though, not much has changed. I hope you like what I've done to 'revamp' the story, and as always, your reviews and general feedback are greatly appreciated! Love you all! -Veronique
Kili's POV
That little brown Wizard was either crazy or completely insane. I went with the latter, even though Gandalf appeared to trust him. I watched as Radagast flew by on his little sleigh pulled by over-sized rabbits, thinking there was no way he'd outrun Gundabad Wargs. I shook my head as we all followed Gandalf and Thorin, running out onto open ground. My heart did a nervous leap when I noticed there was almost no cover, save for a few crumbling boulders.
I turned around halfway, seeing Laerwen running hand in hand with Bofur. Glad she was in somewhat good hands, I turned back around just in time to see Gandalf run around the side of a boulder. We all followed him, hearing the wargs snarl as they trailed Radagast up ahead. Gandalf whispered loudly, "stay together!" As if we would do anything else!
Thorin waved an arm, "move!" He then led the way past another boulder until he glimpsed a warg up ahead. Ori was still running though, and Thorin pulled him back, "Ori, no! Come back!" Ori thanked Thorin, his face red, eyes wide with fright.
Gandalf bade us keep moving when the warg passed us by, "All of you, come on, come on! Quick!"
My very frustrated and stressed uncle hissed at Gandalf, "where are you leading us?" I was beginning to wonder the very same thing, when suddenly an Orc riding a Warg came sniffing around, perched on the boulder above us. Thorin motioned for me to shoot it, and I spun away from the rock and shot the beast in the neck. It fell from the boulder, rider squealing with it, and I watched as Thorin, Dwalin and Gloin hacked the beasts to pieces. My confidence in my battle skills grew very thin when I realized I hadn't killed it in the first shot. I scowled at my brother who was too busy caring for Laerwen to notice the look I gave him.
Gandalf yelled at us as he pushed us from behind, "Move! Run!"
Gloin notices the Orcs and Wargs racing towards us and yells, "there they are!" We all ran in fright, but then I heard someone yell, "Lady Laerwen!" I hadn't time to check on Laerwen so I trusted fate and the rest of the company to keep her safe.
Gandalf rounded another boulder, "this way! Quickly!" As if we weren't going our fastest already!
I chanced a look behind me and was glad I did for there were more Wargs and Orc riders bearing down on us! I shouted, "there's more coming!" and pulled my bow from my back, stringing an arrow on it.
Thorin called to me to shoot them and I said to myself, "two steps ahead of you uncle!" and I shot a warg in the eye, killing it.
Fili shouted, startling me, "we're surrounded!" and I saw that we were, indeed, surrounded. I shot another Orc and aimed for the next Warg bearing down on me. Fili called to Thorin, "where's Gandalf?!"
Dwalin answered angrily, "he's abandoned us!"
Thorin shouted over the sounds of the Orc pack and the snarling Wargs, "hold your ground!"
Suddenly Gandalf appeared from behind a rock, "this way you fools!" The Wizard then turned and disappeared behind the rock he'd just appeared by.
Thorin bellowed, "come on, move! Quickly! All of you!" We follow him only to find Gandalf standing near a dark hole in the boulder. Throin pushed the Dwarves in front of me inside the tunnel, but I whip around to shoot a few of the Wargs gaining on us. Thorin screams my name and I whip myself around and run into the tunnel as fast as my legs could carry me. I felt something hot brush my legs as I fell down a stone chute, and whatever it was whumphed to the floor after me.
I turned to see an Orc lying right next to me and I scrambled to my feet, only noticing the unfamiliar arrow sticking out of his back when I'd stood. I looked up to the tunnel entrance when I hear the sounds of arrows being fired. Thorin let out an angry hiss, "Elves."
Suddenly something fell and I saw Laerwen lying on the ground, her white shirt stained red. White swam before my eyes as I knelt by her. Fili was already at her side, "Thorin, she was shot as we were escaping the Orcs! I don't know whether or not the arrow was poisoned, but at any rate, her wounds need tending!"
Thorin motioned to Oin, "take care of her... and hurry..."
Oin did a quick examination of where the arrow was still lodged in Laerwen's back and turned to face Thorin, "I'm sorry Thorin, this little one needs more help than I can give her."
I almost died right there; Laerwen was slowly dying right before our very eyes. I had almost opened my mouth to yell at Thorin when Dwalin said, "I cannot see where the pathway leads, but do we follow it or not?"
Bofur spoke for me, "we follow it of course!"
Gandalf agreed, "I think it would be wise, especially since Lady Laerwen is hurt." The other Dwarves agreed, and we all walked through the tunnel, until not thirty minutes later we walked blinking into an open valley. Gandalf smiled, "The valley of Imladris. In the common tongue it's known by another name."
Bilbo clarified, "Rivendell." The Dwarves murmured in speculation and distrust.
Gandalf ignored them, "Here lies the last homely house, east of the sea." I had no idea what he meant by that so I just shoved the thought aside.
Thorin threw Gandalf a furiously accusatory look, "this was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy."
Gandalf gave Thorin an angry frown, "you have no enemy here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself." I felt my insides squish at the forwardness of the Wizard; no one talked to my uncle like that and got away with it.
As expected, Thorin snapped, "you think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."
Gandalf scoffed, "Of course, they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful this will need to be handles with tact, and respect, and no small degree of charm, which is why you will leave the talking to me. " Thorin growled at the wizard but nodded and we set off down the hill to Rivendell.
We reached the gate just as the sun began to touch the tops of the trees. I looked back at Fili who was carrying Laerwen and blanched at the sight of her pale skin and flushed cheeks. The arrow had been poisoned then. I turned to tell Thorin to hurry, but just then a tall, fair skinned and dark haired elf walked out of the gate and greeted Gandalf.
"Mithrandir," the elf bowed his head slightly to the Wizard.
Gandalf looked glad to see him, "ah, Lindir."
I heard Thorin whisper to Dwalin, "stay sharp." I gripped my bow harder.
The Elf began speaking to the Wizard in some frilly, musical language which none of us dwarves or hobbit understood. To our surprise Gandalf answered back in the same tongue until the sound of a horn blasted through the trees. We all whipped around at the noise, Thorin yelling, "close ranks!" We all circled around Laerwen and Fili on instinct, holding our weapons at the ready.
A party of Elves on horseback rode through the trees and surrounded us. We all looked around warily, waiting for one of them to strike. We all jumped a little when the leading Elf leapt gracefully from his horse and greeted Gandalf.
Gandalf grinned, "Lord Elrond." The two men embraced each other's forearms and then parted, both using that frilly language from before. I quietly wished they would speak so everyone could understand, and a few of the other Dwarves around me murmured their agreement.
Suddenly, the Elf talking to Gandalf looked at Thorin, as if seeing him for the first time. I knew he'd already seen us all, Thorin included, but the silly Elf chose to aknowledge us only just then. He nodded to Thorin, "welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."
Thorin looked a little confused as to how this Elf knew his name, "I do not believe we have met."
The Elf just smiled, "you have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain."
Thorin gave a bemused smirk, "indeed? He made no mention of you." I myself smirked at this slight on the Elf's importance. Then the Elf spoke again in his strange tongue, looking at us each in turn.
Gloin became flustered, "what is he saying? Does he offer us insult?"
Gandalf gave a disbelieving chuckle, "no, Master Gloin, he's offering you food."
Gloin consulted with a couple of the others and replied, "Ah, well. In that case, lead on." Lord Elrond and Gandalf turned to lead us up a set of stair into the city. I tried to be patient, but I could take it no longer, "excuse me, but this girl needs medical attention!" everyone turned to me, and Lord Elrond gestured to an Elf in the shadows.
He said in the common tongue, "please, let Amorel take her to the infirmary. I assure you we will not harm her." The Elf he'd gestured to neared our group and we all reluctantly parted so he could reach Laerwen. The elf took her from Fili's arms and carried her up a long set of stairs and out of sight. I hated seeing Laerwen in the arms of an Elf, but if it meant her getting the attention she needed, well then I was going to let her go for now.
I followed the rest of the company as Lord Elrond led us into Rivendell.
