There and Back Again: Edith's Story
Chapter IX
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Author's Note: this chapter is a little bit longer than the others…enjoy!
The company settled in a cave for the night after the storm. Edith settled in a corner near Fili, Kili and Bilbo. The others shrugged off their packs and dropped to the ground in relief. Oin had put together a firepit, ready to keep everyone warm and prepare some food.
"Right, I'll get a fire going!" he exclaimed.
"No, no fires here. Caves are seldom unoccupied. We stay low and quiet, for all our sakes." Thorin said, his voice deeper.
Oin sighed before taking apart the firewood again. Edith groaned as she realized everything she owned was soaked. Her cloak had been drenched and was cold and unpleasant. She pried it off her shoulders and wringed it before laying it to dry on the boulder beside her. She and Fili shared a look briefly as he fixed his makeshift bed. Edith was lying on her back, her head resting on her knapsack. None of them had really spoken since the stone giants.
They were all exhausted and hungry. Edith shivered, chills running down her back and her arms from the cold. When Fili went to lie down, Edith turned her back towards him. She curled up a little hoping to warm herself. It would be a while before her cloak dried. The dwarf behind her sighed. She felt a tugging at her blanket and he pulled her closer. His arm wrapped around her and soon enough she was warm.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered to Fili.
"So, you don't freeze to death," he answered, softly. "I could see you shivering."
"I wouldn't have minded using my cloak."
Though she couldn't see it, Fili smiled.
"Yes, but you left it to dry, it wouldn't have been favorable to use."
"You're rather enjoying playing the hero constantly."
"Maybe so," Fili answered. "Now quiet so we can get some rest."
Edith smiled and closed her eyes. She soon drifted to sleep. Weariness got the best of her and she was thankful for the night's rest. There were no dreams that night as far as Edith remembered. She hadn't known how long she slept when she heard the dwarves waking and the sound of sand falling. She sat up and woke Fili up. He looked at her, confused. Edith looked over at the entrance, noticing Bilbo with his pack on and Bofur shifting. She was about to get up.
"Move!" Thorin ordered.
But it was too late, the floor of the cave opened, and the company fell through, rolling downwards and landing in a pile, stuck in a half open cage. Edith cried out in shock and screamed. The sensation of falling several feet made her stomach lurch. Her eyes widened as she landed on top of a few dwarves. All of them were rather surprised but got up as a swarm of goblins attacked them. Edith yelped as she was hauled by them, they searched her and pushed her forward.
"Let her go!" Fili growled, knocking one of the goblins off her.
It shrieked and hissed at him, punching him in the nose.
"Fili!" she exclaimed.
They were all fighting as the goblins dragged them through, hooting and snarling towards their kingdom. They went through paths and caverns, in almost complete darkness. She whimpered as she felt ghastly hands touch her and pulling her on. Through one of the cavern entrances, light appeared. She quickly glanced back at Fili who'd been fighting his own goblins. Edith looked on in horror, the sheer number of goblins she saw frightened her. The two dragging her along growled at her and screeched at her, inches away from her face.
"Get off me!" Edith tried to break free, but the goblin smacked her face.
A horrid melody began to play as they were forced head and before them the Goblin King sang. Edith looked back again, Fili looked at her, his expression panicked.
Clap! Snap! the black crack!
Grib, grab! Pinch, nab!
And down, down, down to Goblin town
You go, my lad! Clash, crash! Crush, smash!
Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!
Pound, pound, down underground! Down, down, down, to Goblin town!
Ho, ho! my lad! Swish, smack! Whip crack!
Batter and beat! Yammer and bleat!
Work, work! Nor dare to shirk,
While Goblins quaff, and Goblins laugh,
Round and round far underground
Edith watched the Goblin King with utter disgust. She was suddenly shoved back towards the dwarves. Fili grabbed her from behind and hid her amongst the other dwarves.
"Stay low," he whispered in her ear.
She nodded once and did as she was told. Edith prayed she wouldn't be noticed. But considering the size of the goblin king, he was bound to notice her.
"That wasn't a song, that was an abomination!" Balin shouted.
"That's all what we have down here in Goblin-town," the goblin king bellowed. "Who dares to enter my domain, thieves, spies, assassins? Search them, every crack and every crevice!"
"Dwarves and a human girl, Your Malevolence," a smaller goblin growled. "Quite a pretty thing she is too."
"Bring forth the girl. Let me see her myself."
Goblins heaved through the dwarves even as they tried to keep Edith inside as much as possible. Fili was shoved aside from her and she was brought forward to the Goblin King's feet. The stench was beyond repulsive, it was a smell Edith would remember for the rest of her life. She clenched her jaw and breathed deeply to retain her temper as a sausage-like, calloused finger lifted her head up roughly. She glared at the goblin.
"She is a very pretty thing. Look at that lovely dark hair and those green eyes almost like emeralds. I'm sure she'd pay for a handsome price, what do you say?" the goblin king continued to look down at her as he spoke.
"No! Let her go!" she heard Fili shout in the background.
He had been punched in the face again by the goblins for speaking out of turn. They grabbed his arms and pinned him down. Edith whimpered as the goblin king turned her around, forcing her to look at the company.
"Tell me what your journey is for or I will dispose of this lovely girl, if you don't we'll make you squawk, starting with the girl and the youngest. Bring out the bone crusher!"
"Woman," Edith hissed.
A goblin held a knife to her throat and growled at her as the others were searched, weapons removed and tossed on the ground. A goblin shrieked at the sight of the Orcrist and threw it on the ground, hissing. She remained still, though fear overtook her emotions. She looked at Fili. He was caught under the foot of a goblin. The others could do nothing, it was a death sentence if they did. Thorin stepped forward.
"Release them both," he demanded.
"Well, well, if it isn't Thorin, son of Thraín, son of Thrór, king under the mountain. Oh, wait, but you don't have a mountain anymore – so that makes you…nobody really," the goblin king crowed. "Why should I let you through my kingdom, Thorin, son of Thraín?"
"I swear, I will kill you if you touch any of them!" Edith growled, her comment earned her a smack across the face.
Edith gasped in pain and shut her eyes. Her jaw clenched, she swallowed the knot in her throat. She would not cry in front of these disgusting goblins or the dwarves. When her nerves calmed, she looked at the company. She glanced between dwarves. Kili looked apprehensive, though he tried to hide it as best he could. Dwalin looked like he was about finished with all the troubles going on with the company. The others could do nothing except watch the spectacle before them. It seemed to be one trial after another. Edith sincerely hoped that this was the last of the troubles ahead of them.
"Edith," Thorin hissed, glaring at her, he then turned his attention back to the Goblin King. "Where our business goes is no concern of yours, you piece of filth. Release her, you have no quarrel with her."
"How much would you pay to have me release this beautiful girl? Is she worth more than hiding where you are going?"
Edith shook her head at Thorin quickly. She would gladly sacrifice herself to allow the company to go on ahead. She hadn't been much of any value to them. Edith hadn't known her true purpose on this journey and if it ended here, defending her brothers, then so be it, she thought.
"I think I can solve this mystery. You are headed to reclaim your homeland, and all that wealth that lay beneath the mountain." Said the Goblin King, as the other smaller goblins jeered and screeched at them again.
Thorin glanced at Edith before responding bitterly,
"Yes, that is my quest, now release her."
The goblin holding her captive shoved her to Thorin. He caught hold of her before she fell.
"Thorin, you fool," she murmured. "You shouldn't have said anything!"
"Get back with the others." Thorin barked, pushing her towards Kili.
Kili stepped in front, closing Edith within the circle of dwarves. Edith looked around for Bilbo. He was nowhere in sight! She suddenly felt betrayed by his actions. How could he just leave them like that? After all he had – no wonder he would have left, he'd been through enough to send him packing back home. Edith wouldn't deny the jealousy she felt that Bilbo had gotten the opportunity to scurry off home. But he why would he have gone without saying good-bye? They had become good friends along the journey. It didn't make any sense that Bilbo would run like that. She looked at Bofur and nudged him.
"Where's Bilbo?" she whispered, hoping he would hear over the noise.
He looked around the company, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"He was about to leave when we fell through. I haven't seen him since the fall." Bofur answered.
"Fool of a hobbit," Edith hissed. "He could be dead!"
"We might be following him." Bofur replied.
"No! We cannot die here! We have to keep going!"
"How do you propose we get out alive?" the dwarf inquired. "There's only thirteen of us. We'll get lost in the caverns. Your stubbornness won't keep you alive now. If anything, it'll get us all killed. Please, Edith, just stay down if not for the rest of us, do it for Fili."
Edith's eyes widened but she decided to not say anything. Did everyone know about her and Fili? Well, how could they not? It was a small company, and everyone knew almost everything about each other.
Edith could no longer bare to listen to Thorin argue with the Goblin King. But at least it was buying the company time to live a little longer. As stealthily as she could, Edith pushed herself back towards Fili.
Her heart raced as she stood barely an inch away from him. She looked at him. He did well hiding his fear for the worst. Edith wanted to smile at him, but she couldn't bring herself to do so in a place like this. Instead, she brushed her hand gently over his – her fingers interweaving into his. He jerked his hand away for a moment, but then saw it was Edith beside him. He gave her a small, apologetic smile. At least none of us will die alone. She whispered as softly as she could to him. Fili snorted, causing him to be shoved by one of the goblins.
Fili took her hand into his and gave it a small squeeze. It was a comforting feeling he gave her. She then looked around her settings and spotted something in the back of the caverns darting around. The figure stopped when Edith glanced over, looking directly at him. He gave her a nod. Gandalf! She thought. She needed to come up with a diversion and quickly.
"I'm going to faint…" Edith gasped, startling Fili, the other dwarves and the goblins.
She collapsed, and Fili caught her.
"What's this now?" the Goblin King exclaimed. "Be gone with her if she has died!"
"Edith, can you hear—,"
A great flash of white light appeared before all of them. Edith's ears rang, and sound was muffled as the light dissipated. She gasped, and her eyes shot open, her breathing hoarse. Fili looked confused and pulled her up. Everything seemed to move slowly for a moment.
"…take up arms, and fight!" Gandalf bellowed, withdrawing his sword. "Fight!"
The dwarves shouted fiercely before grabbing any weapon they could find. Fili tossed Edith one of her blades. A skirmish began. The dwarves fought their way through the sea of goblins, with Gandalf's aid. With adrenalin rushing through her, Edith cut down several goblins attempting to stop her. The only thing on her mind was getting out of these caverns alive. She had no choice but to kill. Fili often glanced at her, astonished by her fighting back and how many goblins she was slaughtering. She hadn't had much training from any of them, but she knew her way with a smaller blade at least.
The company, alongside Gandalf, ran through the twists and turns of the goblin caverns – hoping to find their way in the maze. Edith noticed no matter how many they killed, more seemed to swarm – like ants. Her arm was growing weak. The adrenalin rush was running low and she had not a clue how long she would last. The ground shook as the Goblin King came running towards them, cutting them off at one of the tunnels. He laughed maniacally. They were now trapped, and Edith wondered if there was anyway to get passed without backtracking or getting lost and killed. Dying could not be their only option. She was panting as she grabbed hold of Fili's arm. The Goblin King stepped forward, grinning maliciously at the wizard.
"You thought you could get away that easily? You fool, there is no way out for you," he roared. "You thought that you could so easily outwit me, no doubt you thought you could kill me?"
Gandalf raised his sword, cutting through the swelling, fat. The blade had gone through and cut through the creature's neck. The Goblin King looked surprised before uttering,
"That'll do it."
His head came toppling off, awkwardly rolling down the slope. Edith yelped as it came nearer to her. His eyes had still been open, but they were lifeless. A blueish black tongue fell from its gaping mouth. She whimpered before taking off through the caverns again with the company. Edith panted as she tried to keep up with Gandalf, nearly weeping at the thought of never making it out alive.
"Gandalf, we're going around in circles, we can't keep doing this!" Edith exclaimed.
"Daylight is the only thing that will save us now. We are not far from daylight. The air is less foul this way." Gandalf shouted. "This way you fools!"
Some of the dwarves had turned the wrong tunnel but soon back tracked to where Gandalf, Edith and the others were. Edith cried out with joy when she spotted the light seeping through the entrance way. She bolted out sighing in relief, laughing as they ran downwards. They continued running downhill as far away from the goblin caverns. Gandalf was counting off the company as they passed him. Once well into the woods, Edith was breathing heavily, almost gasping for breath. Her knees were quivering as she dropped onto a pile of leaves, staring up at the sky. She laughed wildly, seeing the world before her again. Some of the dwarves stared at her in utter confusion. How on earth could she possibly be laughing, a sword still in a shaky hand – covered in goblin's blood.
"We're alive!" she gasped, coughing afterwards.
"We're one short. Where is Bilbo? Where is the hobbit?" Gandalf shouted, panicked.
Edith sat up. Her eyes widened – no! Surely, he had to be alright. She hoped for a possibility that Bilbo had made it through.
"I thought you were keeping an eye on him, Nori!" Bofur said.
"Me? I thought he was right behind us when the goblins came!"
"I knew we should never had trusted a halfling to come with us. Nothing but trouble." Dori muttered.
"He abandoned us, Gandalf, he took his chance and he fled. He's thought of nothing but his home ever since he left." Thorin spat.
Edith got up, glaring at Thorin.
"You don't know that for God's sake! He could have fallen to his death, you bloody idiot! I daresay I don't blame him for missing home! That's the only place he has ever known, Thorin Oakenshield. I thought you of all people would be most empathetic to how he is feeling. He left everything he knew to help you reclaim what you lost!" Edith screamed, tears falling. "He didn't have to, but he did! I cannot stand the way you treat him. You are the most arrogant, calloused dwarf I have ever met!"
Everyone was stunned, staring at her with widened eyes. Gandalf released a heavy sigh. Even Fili shook his head, looking at her in disapproval. The elder dwarves looked at Edith with even more disappointment once the anger dissipated. Unknown to the others, Bilbo had been watching the spectacle before him. Edith often defended him, even when the others did not. But he was afraid that that had pushed everyone over the edge. He saw the way the dwarves looked at her. No one ever dared to speak to Thorin the way she did. Bilbo released the breath he had been holding before pulling off his ring.
"I didn't leave any of you." Bilbo said, popping out from behind the tree.
Everyone looked at him, for a moment Edith was grateful for the distraction. Thorin would get the chance later to yell at her but for now, she was relieved to see Bilbo. She walked up to him and embraced him fondly. Bilbo returned her embrace and smiled a little.
"Bilbo Baggins, I have never been more relieved to see anyone in all my life." Gandalf commented, with a smile.
Thorin looked utterly dumbfounded seeing Bilbo standing before him. Edith stepped aside as Thorin walked up to the hobbit.
"Why did you come back?" he asked.
"I know you've doubted me and wondered why someone like me should even be apart of this journey. You're right, I do often think of home, all my books, my garden. I miss home. But you see, that's where I belong. Bag-end is my home. I will do all I can to help you reclaim yours. So, you can feel that comfort and joy again, calling something yours." Bilbo answered. "Please, don't blame Edith for being upset. I know she can be stubborn and temperamental. But she has a caring heart. She cares for all of us. I know I wanted to go home, more than once, but she encouraged me to keep going. I would have stayed behind in Rivendell. You know that she is a soldier. She told me when she trained for war in her homeland, she was taught lots of things but this she remembered often. Never leave a brother behind."
Edith looked at Bilbo gratefully. He gave her a small smile – she knew it would be a long while before any of the dwarves forgave her for yelling at Thorin again. But she knew they wouldn't say much now. Not until everything had calmed down at least. A howl in the distance startled several of them. Edith's blood ran cold as more howls echoed.
Thorin looked at Gandalf in disbelief.
"Out of the frying pan," he said.
"And into the fire," Gandalf finished. "Run, you fools!"
