ATE: It's that time again everyone. Thanks go out to Lelleg, Boston Rider, VG fan 1, Gekkou no Netsu, Eruwaedhiel95, and myharlequinromance321 for their reviews on chapter 7. Everyone else is just plan awesome for sticking around! I still remember writing this chapter down on paper a few weeks or so back and remembering how different some things were than how they ended up being as far as this chapter goes. Enjoy!
Declaimer: I'd think by now we all know that I'll never own the rights to The Hobbit and/or Lord of the Rings. That's just wishful thinking in general. I only own my OCs.
~*~Chapter 8~*~
Gandalf had pulled Radagast off to the side so they could talk, leaving the others to their own device for the time being. Silvia followed Bilbo's advice and sat down after witnessing the stick insect incident that occurred not that long ago. Luckily it helped her to calm down much to her relief. She kept looking over at Radagast's sleigh, or more specifically the large rabbit that pulled it. They were larger than normal rabbits, but all the same they were rabbits. Their heads turned to face her, their eyes staring at her, and that was when she realized that she must've gotten up at one point since she stood before them. She slowly got on her knees since she didn't want to scare them.
'They look so fluffy.' She thought, slowly reaching out with the intent of petting one. 'Maybe they're as soft as they look.'
Silvia was surprised when the rabbit didn't back away from her; the exact opposite, actually. It came to her before nuzzling its face into the palm of her hand. She giggled at this, amazed that she didn't scare it off. Then again Radagast was using them to pull his sleigh so they probably weren't like normal animals. She had been right about the rabbit being soft when she petted its fur. Silvia was even more surprised when the other rabbits came up to her also wanting attention. At this point a huge smile broke out on her face.
"It seems you also attract animals for company as well."
Silvia turned around to face the person talking to her, her smile never leaving her face.
"Hello, Gloin." She greeted. "They're surprisingly friendly considering the nature of rabbits."
Gloin chuckled at this.
"Even from a completely different race, women still end up having at least one thing in common with each other." He stated.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because it's true. Sure they may have their differences and preferences, but when it comes down to it they can all agree on two things."
"And what would those be?"
"The capability to like and dislike something or someone."
She could admit that Gloin had a good point, but found that it could apply to all races and gender and not just women. But now that she thought about it, when was the last time she'd been able to interact with another woman? Try as she might Silvia couldn't find the answer in her mind.
"How are you feeling, lass?"
"What?" Silvia asked, being pulled from her thoughts.
Gloin sighed.
"I'm asking how you're feeling after what happened in the Troll-hoard." He told her.
"Oh." She lowered her head. "I've never smelled something so horrible before. I was practically choking on the air itself."
"A Troll-hoard can do that to you the first time or so. It's nothing to be ashamed about."
"I wish I didn't have to be so weak."
"But what you lack in strength you easily make up for in kindness and consideration. That's just as valuable as any treasure."
Silvia smiled.
"Thank you for your kind words. I'm sure Gimli is proud to have you as his father." She said.
"Any Dwarf would be proud to be a parent, let alone have a family. It's a shame that not many of us get the chance."
"Yeah, it is."
Suddenly a howling sound broke the peace the Company had been enjoying and the Dwarves were suddenly on guard. Silvia quickly got up, holding her hands over her chest fearfully as she looked around with wide eyes.
"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked fearfully. "A-are there wolves out there?"
"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Bofur said, his usually cheery tone absent from his voice. He almost sounded scared.
Suddenly what appeared to be some sort of giant wolf came out of nowhere and tried to attack the Company. Thorin had been quick to take care of it, but then a second one came out to replace it.
"Kili! Get your bow!" Thorin yelled.
Silvia watched as an arrow embedded itself in the giant wolf's left shoulder, causing it to lose its footing. However it soon got up and her eyes widened when it began charging towards her. On reflex she tried to get away, but she ended up tripping over something and her ankle flared up in pain as she fell. The giant wolf wasted no time pouncing on her and she screamed while struggling desperately to escape what she knew was coming. Right when she thought it was going to kill her the giant wolf suddenly stopped moving before it felt on top of her, pinning Silvia in place.
Shocked by everything that happened she was hardly aware of the creature being rolled off her or the arms wrapped around her as she was led away from where she tripped. When she regained awareness she noticed that she was being held by someone and spotted hints of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. She pulled away to see the face of a certain blonde Dwarf as his blue eyes showed concern.
"Fili? What happened?" She asked quietly, surprised that her voice shook.
When Fili didn't answer Silvia become anxious. She glanced around her noticing how everyone seemed to be on edge at the moment. That was when she spotted the giant wolf on the ground and froze. It was lying completely still with an arrow protruding from its left shoulder while something had hit it on its head, a dark substance staining the fur around the injury. That was when she was aware of something wet on her face and brought a hand up to touch it. When she pulled her hand away she saw the same dark substance smeared on it. Her hands suddenly started shaking when her mind started connecting the dots and she became horrified once she realized what happened.
She had almost been killed.
That thing's blood was on her face and hand.
It was dead.
Silvia's heart was pounding in her chest as her breathing sped up. All sound seemed to become distorted as all she could focus on was the dead creature on the ground. Try as she might she was unable to look away from it. That thing almost killed her! It almost killed her! This kept repeating itself in her head like a mantra. Out of nowhere an image of a woman appeared in her head, having brown hair and green eyes. She wore a fancy looking gown with a crown on top of her head. What terrified Silvia was the look on the woman's face as she looked down at her, aiming a gun (how did she know what it was?) at her before pulling the trigger. She felt pain, but at the same time she didn't, and she realized it must've been a memory.
She…died…?
"Listen to me, Silvia!"
Silvia was brought back to reality when a pair of hands were suddenly holding her head and forcing her to turn to face the person speaking to her. She found herself looking at Fili's face, his blue eyes locked on hers. She became aware of the fear she felt and her body trembling as a result of her close encounter with death.
"Focus on me." He told her, his voice quiet as he seemed to be pleading. "Focus on my voice." At first Silvia was confused as to why Fili was telling her this but soon realized he was trying to distract her from what happened. She started feeling anxious again and he picked up on it. "Focus… You're safe…"
His calm tone began to have a soothing effect on her since she started calming down. Eventually Fili pulled his hands away when he deemed her calm enough to be stable and a relieved smile appeared on his face. Silvia then noticed something feeling her ankle and hissed in pain when it touched a certain spot.
"She's twisted her ankle." Oin's voice suddenly said, causing her to turn her head and find the Dwarf examining her now swollen ankle. "Someone will have to carry her."
Wait. Why did she have to have someone carry her?
"I'll do it." Fili volunteered.
Why did she have to be carried?!
Before Silvia could protest she soon found herself being carried on Fili's back which forced her to wrap her arms around his neck. Despite what she knew about Dwarves their strength seemed to surprise her every time without fail.
"I'll draw them off." Radagast's voice said.
"These are Gundabad Wargs." Gandalf stated. "They will outrun you."
"These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."
Everything seemed to pass by in a blur and before she knew it the Company was running through a field as they tried to flee. Silvia didn't know what they were running from, but she got the feeling it had something to do with the giant wolves (or Wargs, she learned) from earlier. What she did know was at the moment they were hiding, waiting for the coast to be clear.
"Come on." Gandalf told them before they started running again, only to suddenly hide again. Some time passed before he spoke again. "Stay together."
"Move!" Thorin ordered.
They started running again, and Silvia had no idea what was going on. They suddenly stopped again and she could hear Fili's heavy breathing, possibly from the adrenaline running through his veins due to the constant feeling of danger the Company was all experiencing as they ran for their lives.
"Ori, no!" Thorin cried out. "Get back."
Judging by Thorin's tone Ori would've been discovered if the Dwarf leader hadn't stopped him.
At one point they almost got discovered before being forced to hide behind a large rock.
"All of you, come on. Quick!" Gandalf said after a bit of a pause.
And then they were running but again they were forced to stop again, this time behind a large boulder. Her breath got stuck in her throat when she heard something above them and a sniffing sound, followed by growling. She did her best to hide her face in Fili's shoulder in fear, too scared to see what was going on. After some time she soon heard the sound of an arrow being fired before hearing the sound of whimpering as (what she assumed) a Warg must've fallen in front of them. Another arrow must've been let loose since she heard the Warg shriek from in front of them. Something else must've been with the Warg since she could hear the Dwarves attacking it and whatever it was let out a horribly loud shriek. Despite how scared she was her curiosity made her want to look and see what it was.
"Don't look!" Fili whispered sharply when she tried lifting her head.
Silvia quickly listened to Fili's order and continued hiding her face. Even if she was curious she thought it better to listen instead. Especially after what happened when she hadn't listened to Kili about the Trolls. Eventually the shrieking suddenly stopped and everything was deathly quiet.
"Move! Run!" Gandalf ordered.
Everyone began running and she realized that after what just happened their pursuers knew where they were and would chase after them. She soon heard them from behind and tightened her hold around Fili's neck slightly while burying her face further into his shoulder.
"There they are!" Gloin yelled and Silvia assumed that he'd spotted their pursuers.
"This way! Quickly!"
"There's more coming!" Kili's voice shouted from behind.
"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouted.
"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted.
Then that meant they were getting close! The Wargs and whatever their riders were would be upon them soon! Silvia squeezed her eyes shut in fear. She was scared and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She could hear the sound of arrows being fired off and hitting their mark.
"Where's Gandalf?" Dori asked.
"He's abandoned us." Dwalin yelled.
Silvia froze. Gandalf abandoned them? That couldn't be true! He'd never do that!
"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted.
Silvia could hear growling nearby and she started shaking. Was this how it was going to end for them?
"This way, you fools!"
Silvia felt relieved to hear Gandalf's voice. She looked up just in time to see Gandalf go behind a ground of boulders and descend as if he were moving down a hill.
"Come one, move!" At Thorin's demand everyone started following after Gandalf. "Quickly! All of you!"
By the time Fili caught up with the others they soon came across a hole leading underground, where the rest of the Company that went ahead were already inside waiting for them. Silvia was surprised when Fili suddenly pulled her from his back before switching her into his arms. She looked at him to see him looking back and forth between the hole and behind him, as if he was trying to decide something before glancing down at the hole in front of them.
"Dwalin! Catch!" He yelled.
"Fili, what are you-?!"
Silvia wasn't able to finish what she was saying because of the scream she let out when Fili dropped her down the hole. She thought she was going to hit the ground, but instead found herself in Dwalin's arms when he caught her.
"You okay, lass?" The gruff Dwarf asked.
"Y-yeah…" She replied, somewhat shaken from her fall. "Thanks…"
Dwalin merely grunted before he carried Silvia over to a nearby rock and placing her down on top of it to sit. She glanced around her at everyone to see if they were all there but found that Fili and two others were missing.
"Kili! Run!" Thorin's voice yelled from above.
Silvia's eyes widened as she turned to look at the opening above. Thorin, Fili, and Kili were still out there! She became worried but it didn't last long when Fili and Kili fell in followed by Thorin. Everyone was relieved but suddenly they heard what sounded like horns piercing the air, followed by the sounds of conflict. Silvia jumped in fright when a grotesque looking creature fell into the hole they were hiding in with an arrow imbedded in its neck.
"What is that?" She asked quietly, unable to hide the fear she felt.
"That, Lady Silvia, is the dead body of an Orc." Fili told her simply.
That thing was an Orc? Silvia gulped. It was horrifying! And a bunch of these creatures had been after them too. Then that meant the shrieking sound she heard when the Dwarves were attacking came from this thing when they were-! No wonder Fili told her not to look.
"Elves." Thorin suddenly spat out, a sneer on his face when he examined the arrow he'd pulled out of the Orc's neck before looking over to Gandalf.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads." Dwalin suddenly said. "Do we follow it or not?"
"Follow it, of course." Bofur answered as if it were obvious.
At this everyone started making their way towards the pathway.
"I think that would be wise." Gandalf commented.
As everyone started making their way to the passage Fili came over to her.
"Can you walk?" He asked her.
Silvia tried to stand up but the pain in her ankle forced her to stop. Upon seeing this Fili went over and allowed her to use him as support.
"Kili." He called, causing the dark haired Dwarf to face him. "Carry her for me."
Before she knew it Silvia found herself being carried on Kili's back while they made their way through the passageway with the others. She found it surprising how Fili and Kili were so willing to carry her so far that it made her feel…she wasn't able to put a word to it, but regardless it felt like a good thing.
"Kili." She called, grabbing his attention. "Are you okay?"
Kili chuckled quietly.
"Of course I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He asked.
"Thorin was yelling at you earlier."
"Oh, that. I was holding off the Orcs to buy us some time. He was only worried about m."
Silvia was quiet at this. So that explained why he was yelling earlier.
"I'm sorry you and Fili had to carry me."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing we're carrying you. You shouldn't keep underestimating Dwarves, you know?" Silvia knew he was trying to make her feel better, but it didn't work for her. He sighed. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't have to apologize. It's not like you could've stopped yourself from spraining your ankle."
"But it's my fault that-!"
"Stop right there!" Kili interrupted firmly, his carefree tone gone. "You're not allowed to think about what happened."
"But I…!" Silvia started, but stopped. She thought of the woman she saw that shot her, deciding it was best not to tell Kili or anyone else in their group. Just like she did with Fili she buried her face into Kili's shoulder. "…I almost died."
"I told you not to think about it." He sighed. "You're alive and safe. Focus on that."
Silvia started trembling slightly and soon found tears leaking from her eyes as she cried silently. She hid her face further into Kili's shoulder, not wanting the others to know. If the Dwarf carrying her noticed this, he didn't say anything about it, which she was glad about. She hated how she'd been crying so much recently and now everyone had to put up with it (despite what Thorin told her yesterday). She knew she was alive and safe and that the Dwarves wouldn't let anything happen to her.
What was the point in keeping her around when she couldn't do anything to defend herself? All she was able to do was cook and help others when it came to setting and packing up camp. She didn't want to be weak or defenseless. She wanted to be able to fight, to adequately pay the Dwarves back for their kindness with more than just her current skills and songs. They deserved that much. That way she could prevent herself from being in another situation like she'd been in with the Warg.
"There's light ahead." Gloin suddenly said.
Silvia suddenly felt the warmth of the sun and the sound of waterfalls in the distances. She lifted her head to see where they were, only to have her breath taken away by what she saw. It was a beautiful white structure that made her think of a very large house, but it didn't look anything like a house in design.
"The Valley of Imladris." Gandalf said after coming out of the pathway. "In the common tongue, it's known by another name."
"Rivendell." Bilbo finished, sounding awestruck.
"Here lies the Last Homely House East of the Sea."
"It's so beautiful." Silvia said, a smile forming on her face.
But the reaction she got from Kili wasn't what she expected. She suddenly felt his hold on her legs tighten slightly as he went tense. In fact looking around at the Dwarves she saw that they had looks of disgust on their faces because of where they were. This confused Silvia. What was wrong with Rivendell?
"This was your plan all along." Thorin said accusingly as he approached Gandalf, not looking at all pleased. "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."
"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."
"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered." Thorin lowered his eyes at this as if admitting the Grey Wizard was right. "It 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."
ATE: Okay, time to explain (may not be in exact order)!
(1) Warg Chase Scene: I cannot express how much I hate this scene, let alone read it in other fanfics because it's practically the same thing every time! I wanted to try something different since we all know how everything plays out in this part of the movie. What you read was the result.
(2) Silvia's sprained ankle: This is a funny little thing that happened without intention. Ironically enough two weeks after I wrote that part down on paper I ended up spraining my ankle temporarily when my left foot decided it wanted to go to sleep one morning. Let's just say that I didn't have a nice fall. I got better!
(3) Fili and Dwalin: Originally Fili was going to go down the hole with Silvia, but when I watched the scene again (because at the time I was writing this part down on paper I was doing everything from memory) I realized that Thorin, Fili, and Kili stayed behind and were the last ones in. So I had to change a few things around and that was why Fili threw Silvia down the hole and had Dwalin catch her.
That's it for now, so please remember to review! ;D
