Chapter 11
"The Halfling?" The words came out of Thorin´s mouth. Emilia looked at Thorin shocked. He was alive. The Dwarf King slowly opened his eyes and looked at Gandalf. The wizard smiled.
"It´s alright, Bilbo is here, he´s quite safe," Gandalf said. Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin up, but he shook them off. He turned to Bilbo, with not a very happy face.
"You! What were you doing?" Thorin asked. Bilbo looked rather uncomfortable under Thorin´s gaze. "You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the Wild, and you had no place amongst us?" He walked closer to Bilbo as he spoke. "I have never been so wrong, in all my life." Thorin takes Bilbo in a embrace and the Dwarves and Emilia cheered.
"I´m sorry I doubted you."
"N-No, I would have doubted me too," Bilbo said. "I´m not a hero, nor a warrior. Not even a burglar." He looked at Gandalf. The Eagles fly around the Carrock and they all looked at them as they fly back to the mountain.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked. Emilia turned and saw him and Thorin look at something in the distance. Emilia walked closer to them. There across a huge forest was a mountain.
"Erebor!" Gandalf said. Emilia was surprised it was Erebor. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle-earth."
"Our home," Thorin said and looked at Bilbo. He then looked at Emilia on his other side. She looked stunned at the mountain. They noticed a bird flying over them and towards the mountain.
"A raven!" Oin said. "The birds are returning to the mountain."
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf said.
"Well we´ll take it as a sign, a good omen," Thorin said.
"You´re right," Bilbo said. "I do believe the worst is behind us." A bad feeling came across Emilia, the feeling got worse as she looked more at Erebor. She ignored it as the Dwarves turned.
"Let´s get down from here," Balin said. "We need supplies and some rest." The Dwarves agreed to that. "Most of us I believe Emilia needs it." She looked at him.
"Aye, the lass did some magic over there," Dwalin said. "Not to say she turned the Pale Orc away from Thorin." Thorin looked at her.
"I´m not sure that was such a good idea, Miss Emilia," Gandalf said. "He knows we have you." Emilia thought back at Azog.
"It was something about the Pale Orc´s smile, he looked at me and smiled," she said. Gandalf looked down at her.
"What do you mean?" He asked worried.
"I don´t know, he just smiled," she said. Gandalf frowned and then they all walked down from the Carrock.
"How do you feel, Miss Taylor?" Thorin asked her. She looked at him as they walked down from there. "How much magic did you do?" He was worried, she saw that.
"I—" She thought about it. "I feel actually not bad. But I assume I feel exhausted when I first get some rest." Thorin nodded and let her walk first down the small pathway. She turned to him. "Oh and call me Emilia, not Miss Taylor. I think we have both went pass that." Thorin smiled to her. She felt she was lost in his smile.
"Very well, Emilia." She smiled when he said her name and then she continued down. The Dwarves behind them looked at each other with a smile and then followed Thorin.
They found a small river not far from the Carrock. There they tended with wounds, thirst and rest. "We must find a safe place for tonight," Thorin said and were about to stand up.
"Oh sit down, lad," Oin said and got him down on the rock. "My apologize, Thorin, but your wounds need healing." Thorin made a small smile.
"Forgive me, Master Oin," Thorin said. He was shirtless. Thorin looked over at Emilia. She sat on her knees next to the river a little further away from the camp. "Have you checked on Emilia?" He asked Oin.
"You are the one with the wounds, Thorin. She will be fine," Oin said. Thorin only nodded, he was still worried about Emilia.
Emilia sat on her knees at the river; she was washing her face and hands. Now she only looked at herself in the river. They were in a forest, when they get out it will be a huge open landscape they have to get through. After that it is Mirkwood, the home of the Elves.
"Emilia?" She looked to her left and saw Thorin. He only had one shirt on, it showed how big his muscles was. Even she did peek over to him when he had it off.
"Are we leaving?" She asked and sat more up.
"No, not yet," he said. "I´m worried about you." She smiled to try convincing him other wise.
"I´m just worried myself," she said. "About what lies ahead." Emilia stood up.
"It will be dangerous ahead, I will be honest with you. It will be very dangerous, so you must be careful," he said. "I don´t want anything to happen to you."
"You don´t?" She asked.
"You are part of the Company, Emilia. No one wants you to get hurt." She nodded. "Especially me." He looked away from her. "Uhm…" She smiled seeing how he got nervous.
"I never thought you would get nervous on anything, Thorin Oakenshield," she said. He looked back at her and smiled. "You should smile often, it fits you."
Emilia had decided to join Fíli, Kili and Dwalin on scouting. She had ended up in a huge argument with Thorin about this, but she stood by hers and he let her go with them after Dwalin volunteered of joining.
"Why did you join us, Emilia?" Fíli asked her. They had been away for half an hour now, seeing nothing but trees.
"I needed a walk," she answered. "To clear my mind, if I lay down I will fall asleep," she said with a smile.
"And you´re all well, right?" Fíli asked. "You will not pass out or anything?" She looked at him stupid.
"Unless you made me to do so," she said. Fíli took his hand through his hair.
"Oh well, I know I´m handsome, but you don´t have to pass out by looking at me." She punched him in the chest. Fíli and Kili both laughed.
"Quiet!" Dwalin said. They all three looked at him. He was looking at something else. They turned to it, they only saw trees. But then they heard it. Something was coming. They all three went to hide behind some bushes. Dwalin walked first and they all three followed. Emilia was placed between Fíli and Kili.
Emilia looked at the Dwarves, she was missing something, for they all looked like they knew what was out there and she didn´t. She touched the earth with her right hand and let it fill her slowly and carefully. She heard heavy steps on the ground, and heavy breaths. She heard someone speak on a weird language. Someone touched her arm and she found out she had closed her eyes.
"Are you all right, lassie?" Dwalin asked her. She nodded.
"I hear Orcs and Wargs through the Earth, not far from here," she whispered. Dwalin nodded and stood up. They followed him, but stopped. Emilia looked at them. They then heard something breathing heavy behind them. Dwalin turned around fast; with his two axes raised he attacked the Warg. Fíli and Kili pulled their weapons and attacked the Wargs that ran fast towards them. Emilia pulled her sword as the others side, but not fast enough as an Orc slashed his weapons towards her.
"Emilia!" Fíli whispered. "Emilia!" She slowly opened her eyes with a massive headache. She had a cut on her forehead; her hands were tied up behind her like Fíli, Kili and Dwalin. Emilia found out she was lying on her side, Fíli was next to her, but she could not see the other two Dwarves that were behind her. "Thank Mahal you´re awake."
"That won´t be long unless we do something," Kili said. Emilia looked around from where she lay. She saw a group of Orcs a little far from them; they were talking, yelling and fighting. Until one Orc stopped the fighting.
"Everyone all right?" Emilia asked dizzy. They all said yes. The Orcs spotted she was awake and they all went over to them.
"Sleeping beauty is up!" One Orc said. Emilia growled by the nickname. "What are you all doing in these parts? Are you in the Oakenshield Company?" One poked Emilia with his weapon. No one said anything.
"Not talking, huh? Let´s torture the girl, let it scream!" One Orc said. The Orc placed its foot on her, making her roll on her back. The Dwarves tried to get up, tried to do something.
"No! Wait!" Kili said. The Orcs looked at him. Kili looked at them. Not knowing what he was going to say.
"Don´t hurt the girl!" An Orc said. The Orcs that were around them looked up and saw another group of Orcs on Wargs approach them. "Our Master wants the girl alive!" Emilia looked at the Orc. "They are with Oakenshield. Torture the Dwarves to make her tell where he is!"
"Don´t tell them," Dwalin said. One Orc kicked him in his ribs. One Orc grabbed Emilia, dragging her away from the Dwarves.
"Let go! You stinky-" She said.
"What?" The Orc said. "Don´t you want to watch?" The Orcs were kicking the Dwarves. Emilia saw one take forth a long blade and going towards Fíli.
"Wait!" She said. The Orc looked at her. "Don´t, please," she begged. "Let them go."
"Emilia!" Dwalin said, tried to get free of the Orcs. They only pushed him down on the ground and kicked him once again.
"It´s me you want, right?" Emilia asked.
"Also Oakenshield!" The Orc from the other group said. He dismounts his Warg and stood right before her. He took his dirty hand around her neck. "Where is he?"
"I will tell, if you let my friends go," she said. The Orc nodded to another Orc and he took forth his blade again. They dragged Fíli up before Emilia.
"Again, where is Oakenshield?" The Orc asked her. She looked at Fíli, tried to show no emotions. But Fíli saw right through her; he saw how scared she was. "All right, then," he said. The Orc stabbed the blade into Fíli´s side.
"NO!" Emilia screamed. Kili looked at Fíli, he stood on his knees, frozen, not available to move. Of everything in the world, he wanted to move to his side.
"D- Don´t s-s-ay anything," Fíli said. He had leaned over.
"Why does your master want me?" Emilia asked the Orc. He was still holding around her neck.
"Don´t know," the Orc said.
"If you let them go, I will tell you everything you want to know," she said.
"Let them go," another Orc said. "We can follow them till they lead us to Oakenshield." Emilia rolled her eyes.
"Now they´re not that stupid," Emilia said. The Orc looked back at Emilia. "I´m more worth than Oakenshield."
"No! Emilia!" Fíli said.
"See? They don´t want me to say it," Emilia said. The Orc throws her down on the ground. Fíli had fallen down and Emilia crawled over to him. "Fíli?" She saw it he was in great pain. She looked down on his side and saw the blood. Emilia turned to look at another Warg with an Orc on come riding. The Orc that was holding around her neck approached the new Orc. They exchanged words on the black speech.
"Fíli, hold on," Emilia said to him. The two Orcs turned to them.
"This is how it will be. The Dwarf archer stays here with the girl, you other two go back to Oakenshield and tell him we want him," the Orc said. "An exchange. We´ll let his nephew and the girl live, in exchange for his head!"