Hello my lovely readers! Well, I've done it again! the Valar know how, but two chapters in a weekend!
So what do you think about Freya's little moment with our favourite dwarf king? I know, I'm mean, and I am super evil as there is a long road yet for them to travel! Please review, I would be really interested in hearing your thoughts!
Thank you to everyone who has favourited or followed! Mahal bless you ;-)
~ G
Chapter 10: Fight, Flight or both
Freya felt a pair of gentle hands cup her head and press a water skin to her lips. She realised she must have closed her eyes again and looked up to see Thorin, now freed, leant over her with concern written over his features. Gandalf was knelt beside her and was checking her over, a frown of concentration crinkling his brows together. Thorin smiled at her, the smile changing his whole face as usual, warming it and making him seem younger.
"Freya, I need you to stay awake now, Master Oin is on his way to look at you." Said Gandalf
"I… have a concussion… and I think bruised ribs. But I could just be winded." She said "If you let me out of this sack I can examine myself more thoroughly." She concluded as Thorin helped her to sit up and then slowly get onto her feet where she stood swaying slightly. She could see the other dwarves helping each other out of their sacks and back into their armour.
Thorin was still only dressed in a loosely fitted tunic, unlaced at the front and his breeches and boots. Gandalf untied the sack and they both turned away modestly as it fell away to reveal her in just her leggings and a form fitting tunic and breast band. The knife the trolls had used to remove her leather bodice had made a slice up the side of the tunic and her creamy white skin was visible beneath it along with a shallow cut where the knife had grazed her. The cut was inconsequential however and had already formed a neat scab. She as thankful that her breast bindings were still in place and that Thorin and Gandalf had both had the decency to think of her modesty.
Gandalf reached backwards without looking, handing her the corset and her boots and she set about putting them on. She found that Gandalf had added a couple of short strips of string from somewhere to use as lacings so that she could still hold the armour on, but somehow it did not feel as secure as it should have with its leather laces. When she had her boots on and her armour as secure as she could get it, she turned and took a step forwards towards the wizard and the dwarf king, both still with their backs to her.
"And what, prey, was that?" She demanded stopping in front of Thorin retying her hair into a hasty ponytail.
"What do you mean, what was that?" Thorin asked incredulously.
"I mean I told you we needed a plan, but you just go barrelling on through the woods like the proverbial bull in a china shop!" She said, her voice rising slightly in anger. Thorin stared a moment, taken aback before finding his voice again.
"I improvised!" He defended "In any case you were captured as well, you did not seem to have a plan. It did not work out as well as it might have, but even so! I could not simply allow the trolls to eat four of our ponies and our burglar!" He finished heatedly.
Gandalf had stepped away seemingly uncomfortable about the row going on in front of him. Or it may have been the way Thorin and Freya were now standing so close to each other in their anger they were separated by inches, each glaring daggers at each other. Freya's anger had gotten the better of her, this man was unbelievable. She huffed in frustration.
"The man is impossible! I don't know whether to stab him, curse him… or… hug him for going to rescue Bilbo!" She projected with her mind at Gandalf, still glaring at the dwarf king, who for his part seemed unwilling to break the staring match. Gandalf's only response was a hearty laugh which gained some puzzled looks from the others as he examined the stone trolls.
Freya spun on her heel and Thorin moved out of the way just in time to avoid being flicked in the face by Freya's long ponytail.
"Where are you going! Don't you dare turn your back on me." Thorin shouted.
"I am going to get my healing equipment." She said turning back briefly and giving a mock bow. Thorin scowled at her retreating back, knowing she should be escorted, but too angry to care.
The Company finished re-fitting their armour as Freya tended to a few burns, cuts and bruises that the company had managed to acquire. Oin had looked at her and concluded that she was concuss but that she was able to go about healing minor scrapes and burns Her ribs were not bruised and so if she took it steady, she would recover in a day or so. She was already feeling better and was tending to Ori, who had sprained his wrist when he was dropped by the troll. He smiled nervously at her.
"How do you do it?" Asked the youngest dwarf in the Company. Freya gave him a puzzled look and he elaborated.
"You are the only one who can speak your mind to Thorin or Gandalf… How do you, you know, get the courage to stand up to them and speak your mind?" He enquired. She raised a brow, the obvious answer was that they were somewhat lenient because of her gender, but she did not wish to call attention to that. She could also speak openly with Gandalf because after a century of being his student, they had developed a more candid way of communicating than was usual among those of her race when addressing a wizard, but she did not wish to bring attention to that either!
"There, that should do it." She said finishing bandaging his wrist for support by way of an answer. She stood and offered him her arm to help him stand and patted his shoulder before turning away. Dori approached and started fussing over him as Freya walked away, shaking her head and smiling indulgently.
Gandalf was still walking around the trolls examining them.
"And where did you go to if I may ask?" Said Thoin approaching him, now fully reclothed and armoured.
"To look ahead." The Istari responded.
"And what brought you back?"
"Looking behind." Said Gandalf earning a rare smile from Thorin "A nasty business, still everyone is in one piece." Continued the wizard.
"No thanks to your burglar." Stated Thorin acidly.
"When things were dire, when you were captured and Freya was injured, he had the nonce to play for time. None of you thought about that." Thorin looked contrite casting a glance from Gandalf to the rest of the company, lingering momentarily on Freya's back as she crouched inspecting a burn on Bofur's cheek.
"They must have come down from the Etenmoors." Said Gandalf his train of thought continuing as he turned and looked at Thorin thoughtfully.
"Since when have Mountain Trolls ventured this far south?" Asked Thorin, perplexed.
"Well, they haven't; not in an age… not since a darker power ruled this place." Gandalf mused as Freya slowly approached them, having calmed down somewhat while tending the wounded.
"They could not have moved in daylight." She contributed, they appeared to mull her words over for a moment, Thorin now resolutely not looking at her when he finally offered.
"That means there must be a cave nearby." He scanned the horizon. "There, it looks like something is beyond those trees in the cliff, there is a trail leading to it." He added and so he, the wizard and the woman headed off in that direction. Thorin called orders for the Company to follow as they started walking.
Freya walked in the lead with Gandalf, Thorin close behind. They smelled the cave long before they saw it. Freya lifted her sleeve to her nose in an attempt to block the smell. Flies were buzzing around the cave entrance, rotting meat that Freya did not wish to consider the origins of, was visible in the entrance.
Freya did not think she could enter the cave. The stench was simply too much for her, and she started to gag even stepping into the entrance despite her raised sleeve. Some of the others ventured inside though, Gandalf in the lead, Thorin following close behind. She stayed outside the cave with Bilbo while Bofur, Dwalin, Gloin and Nori followed their king.
They had been in the cave a few minutes when Kili approached Freya as she fussed with her hair, putting it back into its customary messy bun with her ivory pins. If she was honest with herself, she was still shaken from the encounter with the trolls and her later argument with Thorin. She had no idea where the anger had come from but it had hit her with the force of the Falls of Rauros. She looked up at Kili who was clearly approaching cautiously, she sighed and sat on a nearby rock. He cautiously sat next to her and took a breath sitting with his hands on his knees as though bracing himself. Freya in turn stiffened and attempted to ready herself for the coming conversation, she did not think she could stand to argue with Kili as well. But when Kili started to speak, his voice was gentle and full of regret.
"Freya, you know that… earlier when I was short with you, I was just…" Freya turned and pulled Kili into a hug effectively cutting off the end of his sentence.
"I know Kili." She said as Kili returned the hug. Fili grinned and patted Freya on the back, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head and holding her shoulders gently from behind in a soft embrace as she held his brother. She smiled up at him from where she sat. He was so much like Thorin, almost as tall, only fair haired and more care free. She relaxed her grip on Kili, placing an arm around each of their waists and smiled while the three of them held each other.
"Seems I owe your uncle yet another apology!" She joined the princes in a quiet chuckle. Kili's arms were still wrapped around her and he stretched up to place a soft kiss on top of her head as his brother had done.
"Ready to move?" Came a stern voice from the mouth of the cave. Thorin was glaring at them looking angry and a little hurt. I really do owe him another apology. She thought to herself. He was trying to save Bilbo and now looks so angry with me, I think I crossed the line… and then there is what ever that was back at the destroyed farm house. She sighed and walked over. As she did so she caught sight of the sword in Thorin's grasp. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised it was clearly of elvish make.
She approached Thorin as he continued to glare, she found it more than a little daunting.
"Thorin, I… I wish to speak with you". She stuttered feeling nervous again. His gaze softened only slightly before he responded.
"Now? Oh, very well." He said tersely leading her slightly away from the group and turning to face her. He could see his nephews exchange a look and smile smugly, he knew he was going to have to have words with them. Freya meanwhile stood with her back to the rest of the group looking seriously at Thorin.
"I just wanted to apologise… Again." She begun as his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "By the Valar I seem to spend all my time apologising to you for loosing my temper. Gandalf must be so disappointed with me!" She said hanging her head slightly and rubbing the back of her neck, avoiding making eye contact while she collected her thoughts.
As Thorin looked at her, his anger started to melt away. She suddenly seemed so vulnerable and he remembered how badly hurt she had been by the trolls… and how worried he had felt when he saw her slumped there unmoving. She was from the race of men after all and could therefore not expect to take as many knocks as a dwarf, even if one excluded her gender.
He felt almost uncontrollable urge not only to forgive her, but comfort her as well. Then there was that odd sensation in his gut like a small bird had taken up residence and was having second thoughts about its new lodgings… and his seemingly uncontrollable urge to hold her. When he had seen Fili and Kili holding her and kiss her head he had been filled with a sudden jealousy that vanished as soon as he had spoken. He wondered where this had all come from so suddenly, he had never been jealous of his nephews before, he had never had cause. His feet seemed to act of their own accord as he took an automatic step forwards, when suddenly her head whipped around.
"Something is coming, fast!" She said. Thorin felt only a momentary pang of regret which was replaced in short order by a wave of gratitude that she had not noticed him stepping towards her before she had looked away. But what was he about to do though? Hold her in front of the whole company? No that would not do, it was better this way. Better to ignore this uncomfortable feeling and focus on the quest, that was what he needed to do - Focus. He sprang into action and alerted the rest of the company, but his mind was still curious and his eyes drifted to Freya as she helped Gloin to stand.
Freya looked around to Gandalf who was walking away from the cave entrance patting Bilbo on the shoulder calling for the dwarves to arm themselves and drawing a newly acquired elvish blade. Past him she could see Bilbo drawing a small stylised elvish dagger which in his hands looked like a short sword. She grabbed her staff and rested a hand on her off-hand dagger stepping beside Thorin.
His new blade was naked and glinted in the sun light. Her eyes briefly found his and he smiled his small but charming half smile that was starting to do peculiar things to her. Damn it all Freya, you need to concentrate and not daydream like a teenage girl, she berated herself!
"I accept your apology." He murmured "But I get the feeling there is still much we need to discuss." and much that is unexplained about you he added to himself as whatever it was got closer and he readied himself.
When she saw the first Rosgobel Rabbit burst through the undergrowth followed in close order by an eccentric wizard on a slay Freya smiled and relaxed her stance, removing her hand from her dagger. The wizard was clearly in an anxious state and was shouting out to the company, oblivious to their weapons.
"Thieves, Fire, Murder!" The newcomer shouted. Gandalf supplied a name for the odd newcomer with a slight chuckle.
"Radagast!"
Freya turned to Thorin a smirk on her lips, agreeing.
"Oh, you have no idea!" Though confused Thorin smirked back and Freya felt that now familiar butterfly feeling in her stomach. Valar stop it Freya! She thought desperately, turning her attentions to the situation at hand.
She moved over to the two Wizards. The other dwarves were lowering their weapons seeing that the stranger was known to Gandalf and Freya.
"… I was looking for you Gandalf. Something is wrong, something is terribly wrong!"
"Yes?" questioned Gandalf as the other wizard hesitated, about to say something. He started again, and stopped
"Oh bother! I had a thought and I lost it! It was right there, on the tip of my tongue! Oh, it's not a thought at all, it's just a silly old stick insect!" He said as Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of his mouth. Bilbo and Fili stood next to Freya looking disgusted, she merely giggled causing Radagast to notice her for the first time.
"Freya? Well, well I wondered if I would find you here with Gandalf and here you are!" Gandalf cast Freya a look.
"Radagast and I must speak alone. We do not wish to be followed." He projected to her, Radagast had been included and nodded enthusiastically as they made for an area slightly away from the rest of the Company. Nobody seemed to notice the non verbal communication between the three, probably passing off Radagast's nod as a tick.
Freya had made no indication that she had been given an instruction, but stepped in front of the path they had just taken an turned her back on them to allow them privacy without being followed. She could not hear much of the conversation, as the dwarves broke into a low murmur. She did however make out some of their communication; she heard Radagast telling Gandalf that the Greenwood was sick, then something about giant spiders and Dol Gudor, then something about a Necromancer.
She mused over this as she watched the others. Her eyes fell on Thorin as they so often seemed to do. He glanced up at her and away again as he spoke with Balin. She knew that despite his words all was not yet forgiven and the more they spoke the more questions he seemed to have regarding her. He seemed to miss very little that was going on and that made her wonder, as Gandalf had told her, how long her Gift or her past could remain hidden.
Freya jumped as the slightest of noises caused Bilbo to squeak out an enquiry.
"What was that? Was that a wolf?"
"Wolf, no that is no wolf." Answered Bofur, the rest of the company reaching for their weapons.
With that a mangy looking Warg jumped from the rocks behind them. It looked like a large ugly wolf, it's skull alone easily the size of a small wolf. It's ears were longer than a wolfs and more pointed. It's fur was brown and patchy where something was corrupting it, probably mange. Thorin acted quickly to dispatch the Warg with his new sword. Before he could turn, another approached from behind him, Kili shot it with his bow and Dwalin finished it off.
"Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind!" Said Thorin, the adrenalin starting to kick in. Freya was on her feet next to Bilbo, and the wizards had approached them to offer assistance with the commotion.
"Orc pack?" asked Bilbo looking at Thorin, a note of fear in his voice.
"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your own kin?" Demanded Gandalf stepping closer to Thorin.
"No-one!" Replied Thorin without even a moment's hesitation.
"Who did you tell?" Demanded Gandalf more urgently.
"No-one I swear!" Replied Thorin indignantly "What in Durin's name is going on?"
"Freya is not the only one who is being hunted." Replied Gandalf seriously.
Bilbo looked terrified and Freya was considering using her magic to calm the poor hobbit. However she decided against it, she had a feeling that he would need that fear to motivate him to run... or fight.
"We have to get out of here." Said Dwalin to nods of agreement of the rest of the Company.
"We can't we have no ponies, they have bolted." Shouted Ori urgently as he returned to the clearing. Bilbo looked as though he was rapidly losing his composure. Freya moved closer to him and grabbed his hand. He looked up at her and she cast a reassuring smile at him and looked straight into his eyes.
"Bilbo, stay with me, do you understand?" She asked and the frightened hobbit seemed to take some fortitude, he gave her a very weak smile and nodded.
"I will draw them off." offered Radagast in a determined tone. Exasperated Gandalf countered.
"These are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you!"
"These are Rosgobel Rabbits! I'd like to see them try!" Said Radagast holding himself higher than Freya had ever seen him, his voice full of pride at his beloved rabbits. Gandalf nodded and looked at Freya.
"We have little choice it seems. Freya, stay with the Company no matter what happens." Freya nodded, her eyes alert and her mouth set into a determined line.
They could hear unearthly howls growing closer. Radagast bid them a quick farewell as he mounted his sledge casting a quick spell to draw the wargs towards him. The company waited until they could hear Radagast calling at the wargs before breaking cover and running from the woods to a large boulder.
The company ran from boulder to boulder, weapons drawn but trying not to be seen nonetheless. Thorin led the way as they changed direction to avoid the turn of the pack. As she ran past and out of cover Freya could hear Thorin stop and speak to Gandalf in a suspicious tone.
"Where are you leading us?" He received no answer from the wizard.
The company continued to run, Freya helping along an exhausted looking Oin but still hand in hand with Bilbo. Her lungs were starting to burn, they had been running for what seemed like hours, any sense of progress they seemed to be making was hampered by frequent changes in direction to avoid the Orc pack and their Wargs.
As they took cover behind another boulder and caught their breath, they heard what they feared the most; the growl of an Orc and it's Warg that had broken away from the rest of the pack then the gentle 'slink' sound as the fell creature drew a weapon.
Thorin gave Kili a nod and a meaningful look. The young dwarf nodded drawing an arrow and notching it ready for release. He stepped from cover taking aim, the arrow hit home bringing the Warg down, but it was not a killing shot. It took several members of the company to bring the beasts down, and the deaths were not quick and quiet. They could hear the keening sounds as the Wargs changed course and headed in their direction.
Gandalf led them on shouting at them to run, he sounded scared and this in turn was what scared Freya the most. On they ran until the found themselves in a small depression in the ground near yet another formation of rocks. They looked like any other formation of rocks, but Gandalf seemed to be searching for something.
Thorin stopped short as orcs appeared, cresting a ridge not far away from them, catching them in the open. He turned but Kili answered the unspoken command with a frantic cry informing them that more orcs were coming from the other direction..
"Shoot them Kili!" Thorin called as Kili hastened to obey and took aim.
"We are surrounded!" shouted Fili.
Freya pushed Bilbo closer to Bofur and drew her offhand dagger again, clutching her staff tightly and falling into a ready stance.
"Where is Gandalf, he has abandoned us!" Shouted Dwalin ushering Bilbo further into the centre of the group next to Thorin. Freya found herself next to Fili as the foremost Wargs moved in for the attack.
Freya called out in alarm as an Orc atop a Warg came upon them from their flank quickly striking at her right hand side where she held her staff. She had managed to bat it away with her staff and stab the orc with her dagger, but not before it had sliced her arm cutting deeply into the tricep and leaving it bleeding profusely almost immobile with the pain. She grit her teeth and grunted in pain while Fili and Bifur brought the Warg it was riding down. Freya stepped over the dying Warg, slicing the Orc's neck with her dagger in a clean cut and making a satisfied noise as she watched it still beneath her blade. She looked around, barely able to hold her staff up and now dependent on her off-hand dagger.
"Hold your ground!" Ordered Thorin lifting his new elven sword. Kili shot more of the Wargs as they grew closer.
"This way you fools!" They heard Gandalf's voice and everyone turned to see him disappear into what seemed like solid rock. He had found the hidden entrance to the hidden valley of Imladris and Freya sighed with relief; they would be safe if they were not cut down making for the entrance a short way away, but it would be a close thing and truly they need more ranged fighters.
Before Freya could act on that decision, casting any magic to help Kili, Fili grabbed the wrist of Freya's injured arm and pulled her along with him causing her to gasp in pain. Thorin stood at the hidden entrance making sure his Company got through.
"Kili, run!" He called as the Warg's closed in on his nephew. Thorin turned and killed a Warg that was far too close to the entrance just in a nick of time.
He did not see the other Warg approaching from his blind side, around the rock. Freya looked franticly at Fili who has seen it too and they doubled their speed. Kili had turned to shoot a Warg that was hot on his heels and so was unable to help.
"Thorin!" Fili yelled in absolute terror as the Warg was inches away from his uncle while Thorin was busy finishing off the dismounted Orc from the previous Warg. Thorin turned too late to raise his sword and was bowled over.
Freya screamed in anger and felt her magic coming almost unbidden. In a split second the beast was frozen solid, it's lethal teeth no more than an inch from Thorin's throat.
Thorin scrambled away and got hastily to his feet looking from Fili to Freya in utter confusion. Fili had dropped Freya's arm and was staring incredulously.
Forgetting herself completely in the heat of battle Freya let out a triumphant yell as she called upon her magic again. She held up the fist that was still clutching her dagger, which Fili was close enough to see was covered in ice crystals, making a motion as though punching the creature from a distance. A burst of pure energy rushed towards the frozen Warg, it's path slightly visible as pale purple ripples through the air. When it hit the Warg, it caused the frozen creature to burst apart like shattering glass.
Freya's arm dropped to her sides and she gave a triumphant smirk. Now coming back to the urgency of her surroundings Freya continued to run but slowed when she saw the look on Thorin's face. It was there, clear as day, anger. Fili jumped into the gap a few feet ahead of her and Freya went to follow suit but turned first,
"Kili!" She shouted before the young dwarf finally reached them. She jumped into the hidden entrance moments before Thorin.
They sat mere seconds before they heard a sound both familiar and welcome to Freya, but strange and dangerous to the dwarves. Elvish horns were sounding close by. They listened as the sounds of light cavalry and brief and bloody battle reached their ears. A lone Orc tumbled through the entrance already dead, an elven arrow through its heart.
"Elves" Thorin spat.
