Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nope, Hobbit is not mine. If it were than Thorin, Kili, and Fili would not die. They would live! THEY WOULD LIVE! But sadly, I don't own Hobbit. But I write this fanfic for amusement, and I hope all you will enjoy it.
Summary: A mistake as a child leaves Elizabeth cursed, and if she falls…so shall the Durin line.
Pairings: Eventual Thorin/OC, Biblo/? (I am open to suggestions on Bilbo's pairing since I haven't anything in mind yet.)
Verse: It will be a mixture of the book and movie, but probably will lean more towards the movie since it's the one I know most about. I've only read half of the book so far.
Warning: Eventual nightmares, torture, sexual themes and more
I want to thank BloodBlackAlchemist, Gingah18, LuvWolves4ever, Wolves of Midnight, chrisd1016929, dianaemrys15, nbowles, Goalphabeticalorder, MYSTERYGEEK, Neewa, ThaliaHuntressGrace, Tiryn, aeriestar, , MissVanora, Prost, TerribleSuccubus, izatelles, jorja85, SprinklingStardust0596, Voletta97, gallant2195, Zinverai, WindyCorners, kassiopeia089, InezSophia, Ogregal, blushingpixie, valeries26, wishmaster720, SpiffyPixie1, cheechee123, BelievingInMiracles, Katya Romanov, FlyingHampsterOfDoom, Shasaria, CrazyDarkness15, ERidg17, Karana92, , Creative Lunatic, AnnieVogel90, Trance20666, Creative Lunatic, Jordan Lynn 7, , DaRk-SnOw-FlOwEr24, lostfeather1, jasmine1810, Emily-Who-Killed-A-Man, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, WackyJ, Yuilhan, Peaceful Watcher Soul, StarlessGalaxies, Beckah Godric-Northman, Just4Me, Mephistominion, machine hearts, PrincessMacaroni, LadyLucy1990, viendla, shinoyami, Farahilde, Whiteling, yukisawer7, 0netflixme0, trulyaddicted4, vanugh, Denpa-chu, Scrubletta, Twilight-WolfxXx, LoverShadowGirl, PR2 and THE WALKING sexy AMC for the follows! Thank you!
I also want to thank dianaemrys15, Tiryn, ThaliaHuntressGrace, TerribleSuccubus, MissVanora and Goalphabeticalorder, jorja85, Voletta97, gallant2195, WindyCorners, camsam17, Ogregal, blushingpixie, SpiffyPixie1, Prost, Shasaria, Jaxx Ren, ERidg17, Karana92, Creative Lunatic, Trance20666, Kaitana08, , DaRk-SnOw-FlOwEr24, PeaceLoveUnicorns94, lostfeather1, kitsune-miko-witch, Emily-Who-Killed-A-Man, Curiouser-and-Curiouser101, lovetobeme14, gosserika99, Peaceful Watcher Soul, Beckah Godric-Northman, GemDragon22, misscoco, sleeplessnite, viendla, basketball4444, yukisawer7, ShannonTheAwesomeOne, Denpa-chu, Scrubletta, Twilight-WolfxXx, LoverShadowGirl and DrAnime203 for the favs.
And I am giving a special thanks to the reviewers, Eleanor, Lily, Twilight-WolfxXx, Onetflixme0, Prost, yukisawer7, Guest and Shasaria! If I missed anyone in the follows, favs, or reivews just shout out at me in a review, or PM. :D
Guest Reviews:
Eleanor: Your answer is the closest to what the company face, so you get to name an OC that will appear in Bree. Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it.
Lily: Thank you so much I'm glad you like the story so much. The response was much more than I thought I would get. It's not a Barlog (though there maybe an encounter with one later one wink wink hint hint), but that was a good guess. Thanks for the review!
Guest: Thank you so much! Everyone's reviews makes my day, and I love to see them. They make me want to get the next chapter done so much faster.
Sorry that this update took so long. I've been without internet for like ever, so I've been sitting here waiting for a chance to post it. :D
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! GLAD YOU ALL LIKE THE FIC! :DThis chapter was inspired by the song 'Nocturnus' and 'Catacombs' by Adrian Von Ziegler. It's a dark instrumental piece that had the feeling that I feel this chapter should have. Go check him out on you tube, his music is worth and I have even subscribed to his page because he is so fantastically talented. :D
CHAPTER TEN
'The Barrows Down'
The daylight was going, and going, and was nearly gone. The uneasiness that had plagued her for so long only grew as the shadows grew with each passing minute. Elizabeth's heart beat was a steady rhythm in her chest, kept even with the slow intake and release of her breaths. Her eyes were wide and swept over the landscape with more than a little tension running through her body. "Panic is your enemy in a fight," Glorfindel once told her. "It will make you erratic, careless, and threat to overwhelm you. You must never give into panic. You must be stronger than your fear."
That however did not stop the initial response. She could feel the tension coil along her limbs, threatening to seize her and still her reasons. There was something about this uneasy feeling that felt so familiar like she knew what it was, but she was too afraid to admit it to herself. The dry grass cracked beneath her feet as she crouched down, trying to draw unwanted attention. She tried to make out the dwarves, spot them anywhere. However, she saw nothing. Her stomach twisted violently, and she licked her parched lips. She drew in a long breath, and let it out slowly. There was a wrongness, she felt it in the air and felt it tremble within the ground beneath her feet. A darkness that toiled from some place deep within.
She jolted when her foot hit something. She jerked her gaze downward, and frowned deeply when she looked at the stone. It was smooth, and squared. Not by the means of nature, but by the hand of man. Lightly with her fingers, she pried the stone from the ground and flipped it open. Her mouth parted ever so slightly at the crudely carved message on the other side.
Let this place be forgotten forever.
Let it be struck from the rolls of history.
Let it never be spoken of by man or elf.
Let its very name be lost to the ages
That wasn't exactly comforting.
Elizabeth stared down at the stone, a scowl twisted across her face. She would bet money that this is the totem that Dolly mentioned in her journal. Her eyes narrowed, and she started forward this time with more haste. The hair on the back of her neck was raised in warning for all of this reeked of danger. Once again, she wished that Gandalf had not wandered off. Perspiration broke along her forehead and the wind made her feel chilled to the bone. There was no dwarves. There also was no wild life. No rabbits scurrying about, no howls of coyotes in the distance. Nothing. That wrong feeling in the pit of her stomach grew tenfold.
A twig snapped to her left. With her torch held out like a weapon, she twisted around and glared into the darkness with an expression of cold fury. "Who goes there?" She demanded, darkly as her hand went on the hilt of her sword. "Show yourself."
And that's when a hobbit and dwarf stepped into the light.
The flood of relief was instantaneous, and she rushed forward. "Bilbo," she breathed out, and carefully pulled him into a one armed hug. Looking over his shoulder, she saw Dwalin standing there with a deep frown on his face and a pile of wood in his arms. "Master Dwalin. The others have been worried," Elizabeth commented, breathlessly.
"We were just on our way back," Bilbo said.
"They send you out here on your own, lass?" Dwalin asked, and she suddenly have a feeling that was not something he was all too happy about.
"Yes," she said.
"No," a voice above her said.
Elizabeth jumped as Nori dropped from the tree limb above, and landed beside her. "What…do you think you are doing?" Elizabeth demanded. "How long have you been following me?" And why didn't I notice it? She added, silently.
"Since Balin told me to. About…a moment or two, after you left," Nori easily let slip. He had a feeling that the lass was a force of nature to be reckoned with, and he would not be the one to face her wrath.
"He said he would give me time," Elizabeth stated, her cheeks flushed.
"He did. He never said how long," Nori stated, studying his fingernails with more focus than necessary.
"Why?" Elizabeth was baffled.
Nori shot her a look. "You did not think we would send you out here alone, did you lass? By yourself? There are many things out here that could harm a young lady like yourself," the Master Theif stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, now you've done it," Bilbo sighed, heavily.
Elizabeth took in a deep breath, and pinned the thief with a glower that promised some kind of revenge. "That…isn't important right now. Right now, we need to find the others."
"But you have found us," Bilbo pointed out with a frown.
"Not you. The others," Elizabeth shook her head.
"Others are missing?" Dwalin narrowed his eyes.
"Thorin, Fili and Bofur," Nori listed off. "Oh, and the wizard."
"Well, actually that might just be Gandalf," Elizabeth stated, with a slight roll of her eyes. "He does like to go gallivanting off without warning or a moments notice, then he appears in the nick of time to save the day."
"I am going to assume that was a compliment, Elizabeth," the grey wizard appeared behind her like he had been there the whole. "For wizards are subtle, and quick to anger."
Elizabeth jolted, and she was happy to say that she wasn't the only one. Bilbo let out a shrill noise, and she swore the hair on his feet stood up on end. Dwalin jerked, and some of the sticks went tumbling out of his arms and onto the ground. Nori stiffened, and merely blinked like an annoyed cat. The Grey Wizard stood there, his grey eyes narrowed on the area around them with deep frown. "Have you…encountered anything?" He looked pointedly at Elizabeth.
"Other than Dwalin and Bilbo, no," Elizabeth said. "And Nori, who apparently falls out of trees after stalking women through the woods."
Gandalf paused, then shot her a look.
"What? It's the truth," Elizabeth shrugged. "Ask him. He knows all about it," she gestured with a thumb over her shoulder at Nori, who looked more amused than offended.
"There is no time for humor, Elizabeth," Gandalf reprimanded her gently. "There is great cause concern. Mister Dwalin, Mister Nori…take Bilbo back to the camp," Gandalf ordered, his tone light yet it held a graveness that left Elizabeth immediately on edge. "Do so swiftly, and quietly. And do not let the flame of your torch go out, and stay in the moonlight, away from the shadows."
"Thankun," Dwalin began, his tone rough.
"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves," Gandalf hissed, and glared down the burly warrior. "I do not have the patience, nor the time to argue with you now! The others know not the danger that lingers here, and someone has to warn and that someone Master Dwalin is you and Bilbo. Get back to camp, stay within the light and make sure the fire is blazing. Light is the only thing shadows fear. Elizabeth and I will continue searching for the others."
Elizabeth stood stock still, her heart was pounding in her chest so hard that it felt like it would burst right out of her chest. The muscles in her back and neck were corded tight with tension, and fear was ripe in her heart. "We'll find them," she swore with a tight nod. "You three make your way back to camp. Warn the others."
Dwalin looked like he wanted to argue. A lot. Nori looked between her and the wizard, a bit suspiciously and more than a little wary. Bilbo just stared at her with wide terrified eyes as he realized what she was talking about. "Now, Mister Dwalin! I would think out of the two dwarves that stand before me you would listen," Gandalf barked, his eyes narrowed into a glare. He held his staff out in a threatening manner, something the warrior dwarf did not miss.
Nori looked affronted, then shrugged it off apparently taking it with a grain of salt. He had been called a lot worse. Dwalin narrowed his eyes like he contemplated hitting the wizard, however common sense won out and he gave a sharp nod. "Come on, Master Hobbit," Dwalin gestured for the hobbit to follow him. "Thief," he added, in Nori's direction.
Nori did not bother hiding his eye roll.
Bilbo didn't move right away, his wide eyes went to Elizabeth. She had not lied to him, she had told him that adventures had their dangers, but knowing that and facing it were to different things.
"Everything will be alright, Bilbo," Elizabeth gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
The hobbit frowned. His hands twisted his waistcoat button's worriedly and he relented with a sigh. "You'd better be," he told her, his voice sharp. "I may be Baggins, but I am also part Took and if you don't keep your promise I will…" His brows furrowed, then he looked at her with a glare. "I will make your life miserable," he stated, firmly.
Elizabeth flashed him a smile. "Fair enough," she nodded. When the trio departed, Elizabeth turned to Gandalf and the brave face she had put up cracked. "Gandalf," she murmured, in Sindirain, "I felt a sense of unrest since we stepped into these woods. I have never felt something like this in the Shire lands before. What is it?"
"We are near the Barrow Downs," was all the Grey Wizard said, and he let her draw her own conclusion.
All the color drained out of her face. "Then we need to find the others with haste," Elizabeth croaked out, her stomach twisted into violent knots. "As much as I hate to suggest it, we will cover more ground by going separate ways."
"Do you carry the daggers that Lady Galadriel gifted you?" Gandalf placed a hand on her shoulder, his gaze searchingly.
She lifted her cloak to the side to showcase the twin blades strapped to her side. "I never leave without them," she said, with a trace of a smirk. "Be careful, Mithrandir."
"I bid the same of you," Gandalf stated, calmly.
The parted in two different directions, and Elizabeth raced across the terrain as fast as her legs would take her. She knew, through stories, that Barrow Downs was a haunted, dark place filled with ghouls and death. She swept her torch left to right, she made out the silhouette of the old barrow sticking up out of the ground against the horizon. A chill shuddered down her spine as she tried to make out any sign of the others, but there was none. It could mean that they were already within the confines of the Barrow, but Elizabeth prayed to Eru that be not the case for it were the chances of getting them out of this alive became even slimmer. The closer she drew, the more a chill drew across her spine in a harsh caress. Her parting word with Gandalf playing back in her mind.
Elizabeth had encountered the draugr before, and they had played many roles in her nightmares. She hadn't had the means to fight them before and despite how much she tried to reassure herself, she wasn't sure she could fight them now. She could not hide from the fear that was welling inside her chest. A crisp wind brushed her cheek, and all the hair on her neck rose up. She turned in a slow circle, she swept the torch in an arc and stared into the inky blackness that surrounded her. Her eyes narrowed, and her hand on her sword tightened belying the nerves she so desperately tried to quell. "Who's there?" She said, her voice was brittle and constricted.
No response.
The hair bristled on her forearms and she drew in a deep breath. "Bofur? Fili? Thorin?" She called out, but she did not shout. Something foul stirred in the air, and in the earth. That something dark and unpleasant that had been plaguing her all along. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, and saw nothing. No eerie green glow, nor did she see any shadow of movement. Her grip on her sword tightened, her leather gauntlets creaking with the effort and she stood still for a long moment. The only noise was the faint stirring of the tree limbs from the quiet breeze, then a twig snapped behind her.
Instinct kicked in, and twisted around her sword ready cleave off any enemies head and came face to face with Thorin. "Yavanna's green earth!" She exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest. It took her a moment to catch her breath, a mixture of relief and annoyance rushing through her. She shot an accusing glance at Thorin, and demanded, "What is wrong with you? Sneaking up on me like? I could have cut off your head!" Thorin just gave her a quick glower, before he looked pointedly at the blade that was held just an inch from his neck. Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush slightly, and she let her blade fall to her side. "What is wron-"
"Silence," Thorin ordered, sharply.
Elizabeth could feel the sharp retort on the edge of her tongue, but the dark expression on his face made her hold in back. Swallowing thickly, she asked, "What has happened? Where are Fili and Bofur? Are they with you?"
Thorin gave her a cutting look. "I know not what happened, but I do have an idea where they are," he informed her, his voice pitched barely above as whisper.
"Where?" Elizabeth's eyebrows shot upward.
Thorin's gaze met hers, then he looked pointedly towards the Barrows. The chill that had been ever present ever since she had seen the jagged shadows of the cairn in the distance turned her blood into ice. "I know not what has them," Thorin said, his voice low and grim. "But I know it is not natural."
"Barrow-wrights," Elizabeth breathed out. A flash of a corpses with a horrid green, unnatural glow to them moving around, their jewels and bones rattling.
"What?" Thorin gave her a look.
"Hobbits think them as nothing more than horror stories told to keep babes from wandering out of their beds at night," Elizabeth spoke, her voice light and faint. "But they are much more than just stories."
"What are they?" Thorin demanded.
Elizabeth gave him a sharp look, but refrained from falling into a petty argument with him like before. Lives were at stake, so grudges must be put aside. "Beings that cannot stand the light, they fester only in darkness. They steal your will by whispering words, or promising you everything you ever wanted. The hobbits know them as the Barrow-Wrights, but elves, dwarves and men know the by another," she said, her lips twisted down in disgust and fear. "The Draugr, servants of the Witch King."
Thorin felt as if he had been slashed through the gut with an axe, as stories told by old warriors-believed to senile or driven mad-flooded through his mind and he ground his teeth together because all of those stories ended in tragedy. He made to march towards the cairn, but Elizabeth grabbed his by the collar jerking him a halt. "What do you think you are doing?" He growled out.
"Stopping you from doing something incredibly stupid," Elizabeth growled back, but hers was not nearly as intimidating as Thorin's. "The Draugr cannot be fought by regular weapons or blades. You would be killed or fallen under their spell before you made it into the passage," she told him, breathlessly. Reaching into her cloak, she pulled a blade that was secured to her side and placed into Thorin's hand.
His sharp, blue eyes narrowed upon the dagger as his lips curled upward. "This is of elvish make," Thorin glowered at the dagger she placed in his hand.
"Yes, the dagger was crafted by elves and imbued with magic by a very special elf lady. It can wound or kill a draugr unlike the ones you carry," Elizabeth explained, firmly. She saw the revulsion on his face and could see that he wished for nothing more than to simply crush the blade in his hand. "Oh, by all means use your weapons," she stated, blithely. "You, however, will not get far and you will be of no use to Fili or Bofur if they have truly been captured."
Thorin locked his jaw, and glared at her as if it were at fault for all of this. However, he reluctantly kept the dagger. "Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. Elizabeth almost said something scathingly in reply, but merely gave him a sour glance and followed him. Each step that drew them closer to the cairn, the temperature plummeted and Elizabeth could not repress the shiver that ran down her spine. Elizabeth would not say she was fearless, she knew she wasn't. But she had always thought that she did not let fear guide her, or get to her.
She could not say that in this moment. Fear ran through her blood like a living thing, and she found herself envious of the calm exterior that Thorin managed to keep up. The only give away that he felt anything, but calm were his two blazing eyes that stared down the stone structure with anger and wariness. The archway was large and intimidating and the large metal doors were already opened. "Woman," he barked out, suddenly.
Elizabeth shot him a look. "Dwarf," she barked back.
He gave her a glance over his shoulder. "You fight with elvish weaponry. Is it safe to assume that you also speak their flowery language?" His upper lip curled ever so slightly.
"…Yes, I speak it," Elizabeth frowned.
"Then what does that say?" Thorin pointed to the pillar.
Elizabeth twisted her head, and narrowed her eyes. Indeed, there were words written there, carved into the stone. Her eyebrows rose into her hairline. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she took a hesitant step forward. "Ye who enter here, know: This place was sealed at great price. Honor those who lie here. Turn back, and leave them to their rest," Elizabeth translated outloud, quickly. Her gaze flickered towards Thorin, her lips dipped into a frown. "It is the resting place of many men of the north, several of the Dunedain. Dark spirits have long since made it their home."
Thorin grunted in reply, and stepped forward. He had ever encountered such a sensation like the one when he felt once he stepped foot into the tomb. A darkness, so vile and sickening, that it turned his stomach. There was only one thing that had ever made him feel this level of fear and biting anger. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg, and Thorin hastily shoved that image to the back of his mind where it was better left. His eyes were heavy with suspicion at every shadow they passed, and he had the strangest sense of the walls pressing in on him. Surrounding him like foes coming in all around from every side. His gaze raked over the dead laid to rest in enclosures built into the walls. They were little more than lifeless skeletons, and yet Thorin felt a sense of unease from looking at them. He turned his gaze off of them, and focused on the path ahead.
Elizabeth had slid her sword back into its scabbard then pulled out the twin to the dagger she had given Thorin, and held it out in front of her. She forced her breaths to even out, and focused on the path in front of her. Get Fili and Bofur then run like hell, she told herself. It sounded like a mighty fine plan if she did say so herself as her eyes swept from side to side. The walls were made from a dark, nearly coal black stone, and she felt something within those walls. Something shift, something unnatural permeating form within. Her fingers were going numb with how hard she was gripping the dagger, and she just prayed they made it out of here alive.
That's when she heard it. The unmistakable sound of bones rattling, and she stiffened. In front of her Thorin froze, his spine straight like arrow and his eyes narrowed at the passage way to the right. When he saw a greenish glow, he seized Elizabeth by the wrist and dragged her through a passage way off to the side. She gave a slight yelp, but did not protest when they hide in the shadows just out of sight. At the angle they were at, she could not see the draugr only the faint, haunting green glow as the creaking of bones. Her heart pounded in her chest, as she heard it grow closer and closer. Her teeth were gnashed together so tightly that her entire jaw went numb, and she felt something run across her mind. Like fingertips dancing across her brain, and Elizabeth immediately recognized the sensation for what it was.
The draugr's thrall. It came off the draugr in waves, fishing for victims to enslave. She felt the sensation painfully plunge into her mind, an attempt to steal her will as the breath was knocked right out of her. If she hadn't known what the feeling was, it would have certainly worked. Instead, it was just a horrible mind numbing pain. She clenched her eyes closed, and forced herself not to scream. If she screamed, then the draugr would certainly know they were here. She trembled with the effort, and resisted the urge to rush out there and stab the creature to death to end her torment. But that would give them away, and if they were given away then Fili and Bofur's lives would be forfeit, she had no doubt.
The green glow began to fade as did the painful tug on her mind, and she slid her eyes open. Dazed and tired, Elizabeth looked up at Thorin and her heart clenched. She saw his blue eyes darken and glaze over, and fear bolted through her as swift as lightning. She drew in a sharp breath, her mind going a million miles in a split second and she did the first thing that she could think of. Her hand reached up, and she knotted her knuckles into his short beard as best she could, and yanked with all her might. In a split second, the haze fell from his eyes and his mouth parted in what appeared to be shock before his hand jerked upward, closing around her wrist painfully.
A shocked gasp parted her lips, and her eyes widened. "What are you—let go!" Elizabeth demanded, in a heated whisper trying to pull her hand free of his grasp.
Thorin did not. Instead, his grip became so painful that her fingertips started to lose all feeling in them. "You touchedmy beard," Thorin looked positively incensed and scandalized.
"No," Elizabeth denied, with a whine. "I yanked on your beard. There is a difference! Now let me go, or else!" She hissed through clenched teeth. The dagger in her free hand quivered as she contemplated nipping him slightly with it in order to get him to back off.
"You touched my beard."
"Oh, for Eru's sake!" Elizabeth sighed, heavily and glowered at him. "You were about to succumb to the draugr's spell, I had to do something! Grabbing your beard was the first thing that came to mind! It wasn't like I was trying to stick my hand down your under things," she stated, exasperatedly.
Thorin's eyes narrowed as he searched her for in sign of deceit then he took her hand away from his face, in a jerky movement. He released her hands as if it burned and stiffly turned away from her. "It has passed now," he stated, his voice a rumble. "We should proceed."
"Whatever you say," she said, twisting her wrist. There would definitely be a bruise there tomorrow. She added some choice words under her breath that described exactly what she thought of him, but she followed him down the hallway in crouch nonetheless. At the far end of the hallway was a doorway that lead to another chamber. Elizabeth breath stuttered ever so slight, and her fingers tightened around her dagger seeking solace in the weapon. "Careful," she whispered out as Thorin reached the threshold. He sent her a look out of the corner of his eye before he looked forward, and cautiously made his way into the room. The shadows cloaked the room in darkness except the altar that stood tall in the center of the room. It was made completely from bones. Skeletons stretch out with their arms raised upward like they were holding up the ceiling, and their feet stood upon an altar made out of broken bones. Arms, legs, and rib bones created the base.
And lying upon that altar draped in jewels, staring lifelessly up at the ceiling were Bofur and Fili. Elizabeth felt as if she had been punched in the gut, and Thorin went still at her side. "Are they…oh, Valar, are they…" Elizabeth was afraid to ask.
Thorin did not answer right away, his eyes narrowing upon his nephew's chest and held his breath. Several seconds ticked by then Fili's chest rose then fell with a shallow breath, and Thorin felt himself slouching against the wall in relief. They were alive. For now, his mind added, grimly. He prepared to rise from his crouch when Elizabeth grasped his arm tightly. He craned his head towards her with a question upon his lips when he saw the frantic look in her eyes as she pressed a solitary finger to her lips in an order of silence. His brows furrowed, and then…
Then he heard it.
The clank of jewel—made from metal and bones—as the unmistakable sound of bones creaking in movement towards them. And a chant, from voices that drained all the warmth right out of his bones. The mantra echoed off the walls:
Cold be hand and heart and bone,
And cold be sleep under stone.
Elizabeth felt her heart leap into her throat as she twisted around to peer at the dark hallway behind them, and slowly a greenish glow began to encompass the passageway. "They're coming this way!" She said, in a urgent whisper.
"Move," Thorin ordered, his hand hauling her to her feet and they stumbled into the chamber. His eyes swept around the room until he found a corner, concealed by a wall filled with dead. "There! Go!"
Elizabeth followed without hesitation, and squeezed into the spot behind the wall. Thorin followed, pressing his back against the wall. The space left little room to move, Elizabeth and Thorin only inches apart. She could feel the rise and fall of Thorin's chest against her back and his warm breath spilled across the nape of her neck. As the chant grew louder both of them went as still as possible, and neither one of them breathed.
Never more to wake on stony bed,
Never till the Sun fails and the moon is dead.
Elizabeth saw them, through the cracked spaces in the wall. They are tall, slim skeletal undead beings with pale, wrinkled skin and gaunt forms. They were covered in ragged and broken armor with jewels stolen from the dead or made from the bones of their victims hung from their necks. In their hand's were weapons, sacrificial swords that were caked in dried blood.
In the black wind the stars shall die,
And still be gold here let them lie,
Till the Dark Lord lifts his hand,
Over dead sea and withered land.
Elizabeth swallowed thickly when the chant came to an end, everything in her body telling her to bolt as a cold, sweat broke out along her spine. The draugr's jaws worked slowly with an ominous creaking with anticipation a meal and they headed towards the altar. She tensed, and Thorin's hand landed on her shoulder. To hold her back, or to keep himself from rushing forward—she did not know. "There are three of them," Elizabeth counted, her heart slammed against her ribs, thumping an erratic rhythm as adrenaline coursed through her veins. "They appear to be rather weak…" She commented, noting the shaky way the draugr paced around the altar as they started their ancient ritual.
"Then we divide and conquer," Thorin stated, his lips twisted downward. "If we can dispatch two of them, then the third should be less trouble."
Hopefully.
The word was not spoken out loud for it would give away the uncertainty, and neither of them could afford that. Elizabeth's tongue darted out to wet her dry lips, and gave a small nod. Thorin leaned forward, his breath hot breath scalding against her ear and she was hyper aware of his presences right behind her. "You go left, and I will go right? Understood?" His voice was thick with emotions, and the hand on her shoulder tighten.
"Yes," she nodded, quickly. She understood his urgency, and his anxiousness. She felt it herself, though she was no near as good as hiding it as Thorin was.
She made no attempt to hide. It would do no good. The only choice they truly had was to attack, and attack fast. She ran forward as fast as her legs would carry her, and the draugr twisted around to face her. She had forgotten how truly terrifying they were. The years had blurred them into faint phantoms in the back of her mind, and she could still remember how they would steal her will. Make her press a blade to her own throat, and try to push herself to take her own life. Every time she managed to fight back, it only made more amusement for Azog. Rage like liquid lightning ran down her spine, and she threw her entire body into each attack.
The draugr made a sharp hissing noise, before it spoke words in a dark, black language that chilled her to the deepest depths of her soul. She pulled back as the draugr brought the axe down, and she brought her dagger down on it's arm severing it from it bodies. Arm and axe fell to the ground uselessly.
A dark satisfaction welled up in her chest as she shoved her entire body at the draugr, intent on destroying it before it could even try to take her will. The stench of death was so pungent that she couldn't help, but to recoil. However, that did not stop her from plunging the dagger over and over again into the draugr's bony chest. A flash of blue light clashed with the glow of green, and there was a sharp noise that crackled through the air. Then suddenly the draugr crumbled down into pile of bones, and Elizabeth stumbled back at the backlash of dark magic that dissipated into the air. She twisted around and saw Thorin slash through the draugr as if he had been fighting them his entire life.
Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he felt the draugr taunt him with hollow promises, like fingers dancing around his mind until they found what could truly tempt him with. But these foul creatures had nothing that could tempt him. Only the halls of his home could move him, and these beings could not promise him that nor would he take any damned promise they made. He would not fall. He could not. He had to hold on or be lost in the dark abyss that edged in around his vision. With a violent roar, he sliced the draugr's head clean off of its body and he watched it drop the ground in a flash of blue with a snarl upon his lips. He stared down at the creature with more than a little disgust on his face, and slowly he raised his gaze to met Elizabeth's.
There was this strange sense of urgency in her blood, a feeling so complex that she could not truly unravel it. Before she had even the time to unravel it, fear cut through her so sharp and sudden that a choked screams tore through her lips. The last draugr had chosen not the fight them, instead it had made its way over to the altar and had it's blade raised straight over Fili's neck.
A scream welled up in throat, and she saw a flash of panic cross across Thorin's face. "FILI!" Thorin gave an agonizing roar as he charged forward in vain. Elizabeth had ran forward, her eyes watched as the blade came within in an inch of Fili's neck. A shower of light so bright that engulfed the entire room, and Elizabeth threw her arm up in an attempt to shield from the strange blast of light. Her eyes were narrowed into slim slits, and though as much as she tried she could not see beyond it. A hush fell of the entire cairn, and it was as if a suddenly weight lifted then the light began to fade away.
Elizabeth stood there still in awe, and then slowly Gandalf came into focus where he stood in the doorway, his staff raised and the tip of it still glowed. Lying on the ground and in pieces was the last draugr. "Gandalf," Thorin huffed out, more than a little exasperation in his voice as his slate blue eyes pinned the wizard with a glare.
Elizabeth shook her head, attempting to shove away her shock and she looked at Fili and Bofur. "Are they…are they alright?" She asked, her legs shaking beneath her still overwhelmed by the burst of magic.
"Fili…" Thorin breathed out, and rushed to his nephew's side. He clasped both his hands on either side of Fili's face, and shook urgently. "Fili, speak to me," he ordered, but his voice was raw with emotion.
"Are…are they alright?" Elizabeth repeated, as she stumbled to his side.
"They will be fine," Gandalf assured the two of them as he marched into the room and eyed all the shadows suspiciously. "I do believe I owe Tom Bombadil a special thanks for teaching me the workings of that spell. It has saved us a great deal of hassle."
"Who?" Elizabeth frowned.
"Tom Bombadil, a merry little fellow! Though it does not surprise me that you know not of him, yet he knows all about you," Gandalf stated, and Elizabeth's eyes widened in alarm. "Ah, there is no need to fear, m'dear. Tom is the oldest and the fatherless and one of the beings that protects the valley though that is a tale for another time. We need to wake up these dwarves." Gandalf waved a hand over the head of each dwarf, his grey eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Well," Thorin said, impatiently. "Why haven't they woken? What is wrong with them?"
"The jewels." Gandalf suddenly said. "It helps to power the draugr's spell and keeps the victim in a state of helplessness. We must remove it. Don't!" Gandalf snapped, when Thorin reached for the jewelry. "Do not touch it with you bare hands, or you will be helpless as they are."
Thorin gave a Gandalf a grudging look, before he wrapped the edges of his cloak around his hands and began to peel the jewelry off of Fili as Elizabeth did the same to Bofur. "The draugr," Elizabeth said, her brows furrowed. "Are there more? Will we have to expect a fight trying to get out of here?"
"No. They have fled the cairn for the time being though there is little doubt in my mind that they will return. They always do," Gandalf stated, with a deep frown. "Though it is most troubling why they have stirred so much. This type of activity is quite unusually, for the to awaken in such a number."
Elizabeth carefully pulled the last necklace off of Bofur and turned towards the wizard. "What are your suspicions?" She asked. Thorin's eyes looked between the two of them before he finished removing the rest of the cursed jewel from his nephew.
"I have many suspicions," Gandalf stated. "Not all of them are meant to be shared at this present point in time."
Elizabeth almost said something, but Bofur beat her to it. The dwarf gave a great yawn and stretched his arms up above his head. "What…what is going on?" Bofur shook his head side to side slowly, his brown eyes dazed. He sat halfway up and blinked at his surrounding. "Why did we make camp in tomb?"
"We didn't," Elizabeth choked on a laugh. It was a light sound full of relief, and it drew Thorin's eyes to her. Thorin did not know why he often found himself studying her. Perhaps it was because she was so full of contradictions. So bright and carefree one moment, then the next she could be haughty or distant. She made no sense at all.
"Then…then what are we doing here?" Fili groaned, running a tired hand over his face. His blue eyes peeled open and he stared up at his uncle in confusion. Thorin shoulders slumped with relief that he could not hide, and he grasped Fili's hand and helped his nephew up off of the altar. "What happened? I remember…the forest then there was this glow…a green glow, and that is all I can recall," Fili stated, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Do not dwell on it as of now," Thorin told him. "You are safe."
"We all are," Elizabeth steadied Bofur as he jumped off the table and staggered ever so slightly. "We should hurry back to the others. To make sure that they too are safe."
"Well, that's a relief," Fili came a lopsided grin, and shook his head ever so slightly. The shake made pieces of hair fall away from his beard and now that he wasn't lying down, it became clear that while the sword that would have taken Fili's head had been blasted away by the light, it still had still down some damage.
"Oooh," Elizabeth made the strange noise before she clap a hand over her mouth. If Thorin has such a violent reaction to her touching his beard, what kind of reaction would Fili have to this? Her blue eyes were wide, and they flickered over at Thorin as if to say, Do you see what I see? Thorin did not acknowledge the look, instead he kept his face carefully blank.
Fili's grin slowly melted into an uncertain expression. "What? What is it?" The blond haired dwarf looked at them, but neither of them answered. He looked over at Bofur who was carefully not looking at him, then lastly he fell on the wizard.
Gandalf winced, and slowly reached up to touch his own beard. Fili's eyes widened comically and he reached up to touch his beard. His screams echoed through the entirety of the Barrow Downs, but thankfully it did not raise the dead.
"My beard…my beautiful beard…"
Elizabeth winced in sympathy and glanced back over her shoulder at the blond dwarf that was stroking his beard with a mournful expression on his face. "Oh, Fili, it's not that bad," she tried to reassure the poor dwarf. "Barely noticeable at all."
"Truly?" Fili looked at her with hopeful eyes.
Elizabeth hesitated, and saw Thorin shoot her a hard look. "Uh…well…" she fumbled for her words awkwardly. Her eyes darted to the uneven sharp of Fili's beard. The blade sliced an inch off the bottom of his beard, at a diagonally angle. Truthfully, there was little hair lost, but Fili was still devastated over it nonetheless. "It's just a little uneven. You just need to make it…level again."
"Level?" Fili blinked.
"Just trim the hair—" Elizabeth began. Fili gasped, and looked at her as if she were Morgoth himself standing before him. Then the blond dwarf carefully made his way around her while Bofur shook his head with a soundless laugh.
"I take that wasn't so helpful," Elizabeth looked bemused.
"Indeed not," the corners of Thorin's mouth tilted upward in small smirk though the stern expression of his face did not falter. For a moment, Elizabeth swore she saw something beneath his cold exterior. She looked away before she got caught staring, and the two strode in silence as they fell to the back of the group lead by Gandalf whose staff glowed like a beacon warding off the shadows.
"It was reckless," Thorin finally spoke. He brought her to a halt when his hand clasped hers, and Elizabeth felt a jolt of awareness rush through her as her heart skipped a beat in her chest. His blue eyes were hard, and unyielding as he stared at her. "Going off alone like that. Why did you? Why risk yourself like this?" He asked, his voice low and husky.
With wide eyes, she looked up at him. His slate blue eyes seemed to be able to see right through her, a fact she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Though there were only mere inches between them, Elizabeth felt small as if he towered over her. "Sometimes things are worth the risk," she admitted, softly. She slowly slid her fingers out of his, and flashed him a quick, uncertain smile before she backed away from him. After they wanted through an on cropping of trees, they finally saw the camp's fire blazing in the distance.
"Fili! Fili!" Kili shouted, and he ran full speed at his brother. The pair nearly tumbled to the ground when Kili threw himself at his brother, pulling the blond into a great hug. Luckily, Thorin caught the two by their shoulders to steady them before they fell over, and Elizabeth knew it was not a figment of her imagination when Thorin looked down at them with a soft look that only an uncle or father could give. Bifur and Bombur treated Bofur much the same way, and Elizabeth had little doubt that Fili or Bofur would not be let out of sight by their family for the next few days. The fact that they had nearly lost two of the company so close to beginning of this journey left her more than a little concern.
"What happened?" Dwalin asked the question that was upon everyone's mind. He tossed a begrudging glare at the Grey wizard. "The wizard was purposefully vague."
Gandalf just puffed on his pipe, without a care.
Thorin let out a heavy sigh. "We were set upon by the draugr," Thorin explained, and gasp went through the camp. Dori immediately pulled Ori into his side while the others looked upon their leader with wide eyes. "They festered in the shadows of a cairn nearby, but they have been dealt with help from the wizard…" Thorin's eyes briefly flickered towards Elizabeth. "Myself, and Miss Morgan. They are gone, and they can no longer bring us harm. Let them bother us no more. Let us be grateful that tonight we were spared the tragedy of loss, and as a Company still whole." His hands rests upon his nephews shoulders as both of them flanked his sides. "In the morning, we shall press onward so that we leave this cursed place behind us, and take care that we do not lose sight of the Lonely Mountain ahead."
Elizabeth saw none of the dwarves loyalty to their leader waver in the slightest, not for one second. If anything it appeared that it had grown. The rumors are true then, she thought with a wryly trace of amusement. Dwarves are made of sterner stuff than the rest of us. Elizabeth settled onto a log, and soaked up the warmth of the fire. The chill brought upon her by the draugr had not fully dissipated and she had a feeling it would be days before she felt warm again.
"Good to see you in one piece, lassie," Balin greeted her. "You know they say when a woman who has much to say says nothing…her silence can be deafening."
Elizabeth spared him a quick glance. "I ponder a great number of things. So many that I fear that my mind has stolen all my words in effort to keep up with all my thoughts," she whispered out on a sigh.
"Then perhaps you should unburden yourself onto a pair of willing ears," Balin commented, patiently.
She twisted and faced him straight on. For several seconds she did not speak. There were many thoughts that ran through her mind. Despite the relief that she felt, they had come very close to having their journey prematurely ended. It left with a heavy feeling in her chest, however she did not feel that she know Balin so well to unburden those thoughts upon him. Instead, she chose the less important matter. "Why did you send Nori after me?" She had to ask.
"It was not because we doubted your capabilities, if that is your concern. You have to understand something, lass," Balin shifted to get more comfortable as his hand searched through his robes from his pipe. After the night's events, a nice smoke would do his nerves some good. "Women are rare in the dwarven race, and treasured above all else."
"But," Elizabeth's brows furrowed, "I'm not a dwarf."
"But you are a part of this company. You were willing to risk yourself for us. We are willing to risk ourselves for you," Balin stated, as if though that should be very obvious.
Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment, and founded herself once again amazed by dwarves. A slow smile spread across her face, and she inclined her lightly. "You words are kind, Master Balin," she stated, softly. "And most appreciated. Now if you'll excuse me…I think I have hobbit I have to talk to."
"Indeed. He has been most worried," Balin nodded.
She rose and slipped past Bofur who carefully knocked heads with Bifur while Bombur held onto his arm worriedly, and towards Bilbo who sat on the roots of a dying willow tree. She came to a stop beside of him, and hesitated to sit down. Finally, she plopped onto the grass with a sigh. "Bilbo, look I-"
"What are you thinking?" Bilbo asked.
Elizabeth felt a breathy laugh escape her lips then she sighed, heavily. "I'm not laughing," she explained, when she caught the look Bilbo sent her. "It's just that you are the second person to ask me that."
"People don't ask you about your thoughts often?" Bilbo asked, archly.
"Perhaps I've just never been around people long enough for them to care to ask," Elizabeth countered, lightly. Her eyes were filled with a type of sorrow that could not be describe with words, and she twisted blades of grass between her fingers idly. "But my thoughts are not what concern me in this moment. It's yours that trouble me so."
Bilbo looked at her. "I feel…discombobulated. Like that feeling when rolling down a hill, and the world is spinning around too fast to stop. I feel like we are going a bit too fast, and are still somehow stuck at the worst place of the story."
"The worst place? No, Bilbo, I hate to tell you that this is hardly the worst place. This is just past the beginning, but far from the middle," Elizabeth told him, honestly. "I wish I could ease your worries, or tell you that everything was going to be alright. I wish I could tell you that we were still at the point in the story where you could say: 'Shut the book now, dad; we don't want to read anymore.' But we aren't."
"It is not fear for myself that has me worried," Bilbo shook his head. "Though I cannot say that I have no fears. I have many, but no, that was not what had me frightened so. It was my fright for you."
"For me?" Elizabeth looked faintly surprised.
"Do you ever stop to think of yourself? To ever protect yourself?" Bilbo asked, his lips turned downward in frown. "You don't, do you?"
"If you think that my own existence is of no consequence to me, than you are wrong, Bilbo," Elizabeth denied, lightly. "I do have self-preservation though I'm sure many would contest to its existence. When things are in danger, sacrifices often must be made. Some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them."
"But what if one day that sacrifice is your life?" Bilbo asked.
"Then it is my life," Elizabeth stated, simply. "Dying for something is better than dying for nothing."
Bilbo cocked his head to the side. "I suppose it is," he said, and the matter between them was settled. "Were they truly frightening as the stories depicted them to be? The draugr?" Fear could not quell his curiosity, and nothing piqued his curiosity like a good story, if there was one to be told.
"Oh, the story do not do them justice," Elizabeth said, with a smile curling the edge's of her lips. "Do you want to know?"
Bilbo gave her a flat look. "Do Brandybucks like to dance?"
Elizabeth laughed, and the weight that had been resting on her shoulders slowly slipped away as she began to describe the draugrs in great detail. All the while Thorin's eyes kept drifting over towards her, as if she were some great puzzle in need of solving. And quickly.
When morning came, the relief could not be contained. The wariness that weighed down upon everyone's shoulders had been lifted and the set out as soon as the dawn broke the horizon. No one gave protest for none of them wanted to linger. "Onward," Thorin ordered, his voice strange light and his face lacked the harshness of the previous days for he could not muster the energy to put upon his cold façade. "We make for Bree."
The doors to the Prancing Pony swung wide open, and without preamble, a man clothed in dark brown clothing step through. The smell of stale ale and pipeweed perfume the air as the rowdy crowd was loud with drunken merriment. The man looked them all over with his grey and piercing eyes that glinted from underneath the shadow of his hood, before he stepped towards the bar with purpose in his strides.
"How can I be of service to ye, sir?" The bartender asked.
"I am searching for someone," the man stated, carefully.
"A lot of someones be passing through here," the bartender shrugged. "I can't remember all the names, and faces."
The man smirked ever so slightly. "Believe me. You would remember this face. I'm looking for a young woman, she would be wearing armor and weapons. Her eyes are of the most unnatural sort."
"Hmmm…" the bartender's brows furrowed. "Don't suppose you would give me a name?"
"The name is Elizabeth Morgan."
END OF CHAPTER!
Some bits of this was inspired from Skyrim. It is a good game, and even non game lovers would love the attention to detail put into the game, and how vast the storylines can be.
GeekFacts: Tom Bombadil, the Oldest and Fatherless, was as old as the elves themselves. Perhaps even older. Though it was never made clear as to what he was (everything from him being the spirit of the valley to being a maia to being Eru himself), he did save Frodo and the other hobbits from the Barrow-Wrights in the Fellowship of the Ring. He is quoted to be a "Quite a merry fellow. Bright blue his jacket is, and boots are yellow!"
ANSWER TO CHALLENGE: The Barrow-Wrights (a creation that Tolkien based off the Draugr myth) haunted the Barrow Downs, and Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin encountered them on the way to Bree in the Fellowship of the Ring. The Barrow-Wrights were servants of the Witch King and Nazgul. Which is why Lily, who guessed the Nazgul, will get to name an OC (who is a female hobbit) that will be encountered in Bree. Thanks for all those who participated, and do not worry this is not the only challenge that I will put up. J
CHAPTER EDITED: 7/30/15
Music helps me write. If I have a block or can't figure out how to word something, I'll find a piece of music and close my eyes and listen to it. So I've collected some songs, and decided to make a "Made of Stone OST".
The Soundtrack is incomplete, I will add more songs, but I thought it would be fun to show you some of the songs that helped inspire this story. I have to give props to Shasaria because she helped me discover a few of these gems! Thanks, Shasaria. :D
1.) "Shadow of Doubt" (Elizabeth's Theme) from Escaflowne Soundtrack
2.) "Lullaby for a Stormy Night" (Elrond's Lullaby for Elizabeth) by Vienna Teng
3.) "Florence" (The Shire Theme) from Assassin's Creed 2 Soundtrack
4.) "Babel" (Bilbo Baggins's Theme) by Mumford and Sons
5.) "Reign of the Dark" (Barrow Down Theme) by Adrian Von Ziegler
6.) "Druidic Dreams" (Bree Theme) by Adrian Von Ziegler
7.) "Night Mist" (Fell Winter Theme) by Adrian Von Ziegler
8.) Morning Dew (Rivendell Theme) by Adrian Von Ziegler
9.) "Battle Scars" by Guy Sebastian ft. Lupe Fiasco
10.) "Sakurasou" (Thorin and Elizabeth's Theme 1) by Gackt
11.) "Don't You Worry Child" by Swedish House Mafia
12.) "How Can I Not Love You" (Thorin and Elizabeth's Theme 2) by Joy Enriquez
13.) "Sally's Song" by Amy Lee
14.) "In the Light" by Full Blown Rose
15.) "The Way You Look At Me" (Thorin and Elizabeth's Theme 3) by Christian Bautista
16.) "Love the Way You Lie Pt2" by Rihanna
If you all have a suggestion you want to make, tell me. I'll listen to it and see if it fits in my vision of the story. If so, it might make it on the soundtrack. If not, it might inspire a chapter. Either way, it will help. Thank you all! :D