Lost by LittleApril - Chapter Nine

There was that noise again. The slow and steady thump of the cardiac monitor. My eyelids were heavy, as though they had been glued shut, and sleep began to claim my mind and my body.

"Hannah? Is everything OK?"

My eyelids snapped open, and I stared at the other trainee, offering her a tired smile. "Everything's fine, Claire. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "Still sleep-walking?"

"As always," I muttered, checking off another patient's medical status. "What time is it?"

"Two-thirty in the morning. Ready to go home?"

I tried not to let my desperation show. "God yes," I said, biting my lip to fight back a yawn. "I don't think Dr. Tanner will take kindly to me sleeping in the break room again.

Claire laughed, but no sound left her mouth. I stared at her lips, trying to understand the words she was forming, but I couldn't.

Her voice had transformed into something much more masculine, something rougher and firmer, and it repeated my name.

"Hannah?"

"Hannah?"

"Hannah?"

"Han?"

My eyes blinked open and, with a start, I realised I had fallen asleep resting against one of the large boulders that sat outside the trolls' cave. The stench of the cave had had me gagging, and I had told the others I would stay outside, keeping watch, whilst they raided the cavern for what treasures they could find. Besides, I knew what they would find: swords and daggers, jewels and coins. Nothing I was terribly interested in. I had no use for it.

Fili stood before me, his posture stiff, his eyes staring down at me with a look I couldn't comprehend.

"Sorry," I muttered, attempting to righten myself. "I must've fallen asleep."

"Gandalf has asked for you."

I followed his line of sight back toward the cave. "To the troll hoard?"

He nodded. And he led the way forward, not saying much as was typical of the brother, and gestured for me to walk ahead toward the towering form of the wizard clothed in grey. I was unsteady on my feet, nearly tripping over the jewels and chests, meeting Gandalf by the far end of the cavern with a confused frown upon my face. "Gandalf?"

"Ah, yes," hummed the wizard. My frown deepened with his mumblings. "I have found something for you."

"For me?" I whispered back, trying to keep our conversation as low as possible. "I don't need anything-" But before I could finish my words, the wizard presented me with a fine silver blade no longer than the size of my palm. It was encrusted with delicate jade stones at the shaft, glittering in the firelight of the dwarves' torches. I turned the dagger in my hands. "It's very pretty," I conceded, "but I don't know how to fight-"

"But something tells me you do," argued Gandalf, looking me in the eye.

I shook my head. "I know how to stitch someone or something back together, but not to maim or to…" The words died on the tip of my tongue, and I finally realised that it wasn't what Gandalf was saying, it was what he wasn't saying. A riddle of sorts. "And if I know how to save someone," I said, nodding my head, "I know how to not save someone."

Gandalf turned his head from me, now far too interested in the sword that Thorin had plucked from the collection. He walked forward, leaving me clutching the blade between my fingers.

"What is it you found?"

Fili, again, but this time his brother stood beside him.

"A dagger."

"A fine blade and point," muttered Kili, dark eyes studying the weapon with thought. "Expensive too."

"You know how to fight?"

I shook my head. "Not one bit."

Kili bowed his head. "Then let us hope you never have to use it."

We exited the cave minutes later, the blade now settled on my waist, tucked beneath the layers of clothing. I walked beside the two Durin brothers, our footsteps hurried, and jumped as Thorin bellowed for our group to band together. The trees and bushes surrounding the cave shook as something, or rather someone, raced through the forest, and I stood back, pulling Fili and Kili with me, their weapons drawn, as Radagast the Brown emerged with his group of rabbits.

Knowing that it was just Radagast, and that he had always been a favourite of mine, I made to move forward, but Fili's hand enveloped my wrist and he pushed me back, forcing me to stumble and nearly drop my blade on the ground. My brows contorted. What happened to him detesting me? Oh, I thought. Trolls.

"Radagast," cried Gandalf, stepping forward, sheathing his blade. "Radagast the Brown," he announced, stomping forward to greet his old friend. "What on earth are you doing here?"

It was only then that Fili let go of my wrist, and I looked down to find my wrist was now marked with red from the dwarf's grip.

"This is the wizard Gandalf spoke of?" questioned Fili, looking at the peculiar looking man with interest.

"I suppose," muttered Kili, his eyes trained on the two wizards. "Did you see this, Han?"

"What?" I had been far too interested in watching Thorin's facial expressions. He was too proud. His biggest fault. "Sorry. What did you say?"

Kili's upper lip twitched in slight amusement as he repeated the question.

I merely offered him a glare and stomped away to stand by Balin and Bofur. My arms were folded across my chest and, as the others talked, I realised just how cold it was. My teeth nearly chattered in the cold air, and I slipped Bofur a short smile as he turned to look at me.

The peace in our band was soon interrupted by the sound of a howl piercing the air.

It was Bilbo's turn to question Gandalf. "Was that a wolf?" he asked. "Are there wolves out there?"

How was it that I had completely forgotten about this scene? I had relaxed when a Warg was tracking us.

"Wolves?" repeated Bofur, stepping forward. "No," he said. "That is not a wolf!"

And it leapt out from the thickets and trees behind the group, snarling and snapping its jaws at its prey. Our group jumped back, frightened with weapons drawn, and Thorin's sword sliced through the belly of the beast, but another came running through the trees, and this time it was Kili's arrow that pierced the monster's eye, and Dwalin's weapon that silenced the animal.

"Warg scouts!" cried Thorin, retrieving his blade from the stomach of the slain Warg. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?" repeated Bilbo, aghast.

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" demanded Gandalf, striding forward.

Whilst the others argued, and Kili's eyes swept over the group before landing on my shaking form, I prepared myself for flight. I knew we had to run and that, even thought this was just a dream, I didn't want to die here. I didn't want to be so useless. And so I grabbed the blade Gandalf had presented me with, tightened the cloak around my shoulders, and gripped the dagger in my hands, ready to run. It was then that I looked back up to see that Kili hadn't taken his eyes off of my form, and he nodded.

His look said everything.

"We have to get out of here!" announced Dwalin, voice rough and determined.

"We can't!" cried Ori, reappearing from the rocks behind the group. "We have no ponies!"

"Then we'll run!" I shouted back at him. The words had left my mouth before I could stop them, and I waited for someone to tell me I was wrong, but the rest of the group heeded my words.

All we could do was run.