Hello, dearies!
How was everyone's week thus far?
Big thank you to Knowing Grace for your kind review (and I don't mind the fandom refrences)
Anyway, we saw Barathon again. Yay!
At this part in the story, we are about halfway through what I have already written.
Just as a warning, in a few chapters, there will be a darker chapter and I just wanted to pepare y'all.
I'll warn you again as we get closer.
As always, please review! (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record LOL)
Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!
~ Rachel
When she awoke again, Eraveth was lying in the middle of some woods. She tried to remember how she had escaped or how she had ended up here but all that she could recall was the encounter with Azog. She tried to stand but her limbs refused to work. She could not remember that last time that she had eaten. The pain in her stomach told her that it had been awhile, at least before they had been captured by the goblins. Just as she tried to stand again, a branch snapped behind her.
Eraveth turned to see a huge man step toward her. The man was larger than anyone that Eraveth had seen, but she smiled as she looked into his face. She could never forget that face. As he came closer and picked her up, she whispered his name, "Beorn, it's good to see you."
She rested her head wearily against his shoulder. The huge man smiled down at her and said, "Yes, little one, it is good to see you as well. I came along just in time, it seems. You had orcs following you."
Eraveth's mind didn't seem to register his words. His concern grew as she stared vacantly into the distance. His home was not far away and he hurried to take Eraveth to safety. He entered his yard quickly and quietly and moved to the rear of his house. He entered through the back door and ordered his animals to make a broth. He walked quietly so as not to awaken his other guests and lay Eraveth down on a bed in a spare room.
A sheep brought in a tray balanced on its back. Beorn took the bowl of broth off the tray and thanked the animal. He helped Eraveth drink the broth. Eraveth felt her strength return to her quickly and she thanked Beorn weakly.
"You are welcome, Little Fawn," he said with a kind smile. "I am glad I found you when I did. There is a company of dwarves that will be very happy to hear that you are safe."
"They're here?" Eraveth asked as she quickly sat up.
"Yes, little one, they are here. They came here just yesterday. Their tale was very interesting, but they spoke of one that they had lost. I recognized your brother and the grief in his eyes. I will bring him to you."
Beorn left her in order to retrieve Tosur. Eraveth took a moment to look in the mirror that rested across from the bed. The right side of her face was horribly bruised as was the area around her mouth. There was a cut on her right cheek from Azog's hook. Her leather jerkin was gone and her white shirt billowed around her. It hung low on her left shoulder. It was stained with dirt and blood. Her brown skirt had not fared any better. It was torn and stained as well.
Beorn moved to the room where the dwarves were sleeping. He moved slowly and nudged Tosur with his foot. When Tosur opened his eyes with a grumble, he motioned for Tosur to follow him. They crept silently through the room, so as not to wake the others. The look of confusion was evident on Tosur's face when Beorn moved into a spare bedroom.
Tosur walked into the room hesitantly and stopped when he saw the figure on the bed. "Era!" he cried as he launched himself at her. He held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "I thought I would never see you again. How did you escape? When did you get here?"
Eraveth leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "I don't know. I can't remember anything about escaping. How did you escape the goblins?"
Tosur told her how Gandalf had shown up just after she was taken and that they had fought the goblins. He explained how they had fallen down the cavern and how the Goblin King that Gandalf had killed had landed on top of them. They had raced through the tunnels and made it outside only to be hunted down by Azog. As he told her the story, Eraveth closed her eyes at the memory of Azog that came rushing to her mind.
Tosur had just finished explaining how the eagles had save them when a soft knock sounded on the door. Beorn came in which surprised the siblings because they hadn't noticed him exit. He came into the room and said, "The others are waking up, Little Fawn. They will want to know that you are safe."
"Of course," Eraveth said as she slid off the bed. The noticed the set of clothes Beorn was holding in his hands. She gave him a grateful smile and accepted the clothes.
"You left those the last time you were here," he explained as he and Tosur left the room for her to change. "I kept them in hopes that you would one day return."
Once they were gone, Eraveth quickly set about changing her clothes. She pulled on the black skirt and the grey blouse. She smiled when she noticed the black with grey embroidered jerkin. She had forgotten that she had left this set of clothes here. She fastened the jerkin over the grey blouse and looked at the mirror once again. Beorn had also brought her a brush and she used it to rid her hair of the tangles.
Once she had finished, she moved out of the room and followed the noise of the dwarves into the dining room. Tosur and Beorn were the only ones to notice her entrance and by the smile on Tosur's face they had not told anyone of her survival. She shot him a cheeky smile and decided to play along. She stayed put and watched the events unfold.
Balin was the first to notice Tosur's happy face and when he questioned it Tosur replied, "Aye, I am happy this morning. I saw Eraveth this earlier."
The room went deathly silent as every head turned to face him. Looks of concern crossed many faces and Balin reached over to pat Tosur's shoulder.
"It's alright, lad," he said in a kind tone. "She is in a better place."
"Indeed, she is," Eraveth finally spoke up from her position in the doorway. Every head snapped around so quickly that she was sure that they had hurt their necks. Eyes bulged as she walked forward. She stepped toward Fili and pushed his mouth closed. His eyes widened and he enveloped her in a giant hug.
"You're alive!" he said as he twirled her around.
"Yes, I am alive," she said with a laugh. "Now, please put me down.'
The others snapped out of their stupor and rushed toward her. She was passed around as many of the dwarves gave her back-breaking hugs as if to make sure she was truly there. Even Dwalin reached over and tousled her hair lightly. When they were all done, Eraveth turned to find Thorin standing behind her. Unbeknownst to him, his face was a stony mask with confusion in his eyes.
As Thorin took a step toward her, Eraveth unconsciously began to back away. He looked at her and couldn't help but ask in wonder, "How did you get away?"
His voice was scarcely louder than a whisper and Eraveth shook her head ever so slightly.
"I don't know," she said in a low voice. Just then, her back hit the wall and her mind went to a different place. She was no longer in Beorn's dining room with the dwarves; she was in a sealed room once again with Azog. Her body began to tremble with fear.
Thorin watched in bewilderment as Eraveth's eyes went wild with fear. She looked like a wounded animal trying to find an escape. He took another step toward her with his hand outstretched, but he instantly pulled it back when she jerked away violently. He looked to the others and saw the concern etched into their faces. Tosur was pleading with her to calm down but she did not seem to hear him.
Eraveth began to speak again, starting with a soft whisper and growing louder and louder until she was almost screaming, "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know! I DON'T KNOW!"
Thorin watched as she brought her hands up to the sides of her head as if to block out a loud noise. Before he knew what he was doing, he walked forward and pulled her into his arms. At first, she fought to escape but slowly, she stopped her struggle. Her face was buried in his shoulder and she shook as harsh sobs wracked her body. He held her close and gently ran his hand up and down her back in a comforting way.
The others watched in silence as Eraveth stilled in Thorin's arms. Tosur resisted the urge to take his sister into his own arms. Kili and Fili gazed at their uncle in amazement. They each remembered when he had held them when they were young and had quietly waited for their tears to stop, but they had never seen him do this for another living being. Fili would have smiled if he had not been so concerned about Eraveth. It was clear that something horrid had happened to her while she had been captured. Beorn was almost shaken by the sight of this young girl being reduced to tear. He went outside to patrol the perimeter and give the company some privacy.
Thorin craned his head around trying to get a glimpse of her face. She had turned to the side and was now staring into his eyes. He no longer saw fear in their depths but rather another emotion that he could not name. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her bottom lip quivered slightly. Thorin watched her as she reached up to wipe away the tears.
"I'm sorry," she said as she leaned her head back but she made no attempt to escape his arms. "I truly do not know how I came to escape. The last thing I remember was being in a room with Azog."
The room seemed to cringe at this confession. No one wanted to think of what Azog might have done to her. They knew he was not called "The Defiler" for nothing. Thorin cringed at the thought of that foul creature even being in the same room as Eraveth. His grip tightened around her unconsciously and Eraveth found comfort in his embrace. It gave her strength to continue.
"After I was taken in Goblintown," she began with a deep breath, still being held against Thorin's chest, "one of the goblins knocked me unconscious. I woke up in a cage with orc guards on either side of it. It wasn't long after I had woken up that Azog came into the room. He motioned for the guards to bring me to a room down a long narrow hallway. It only had one entrance and was dimly lit by torches on the wall. In the middle of the room sat a stone table and two wooden chairs. The guards placed me on one of the chairs and unchained me before leaving and barring the door."
Eraveth paused for a moment and drew a shaky breath before continuing, "Azog sat in the other chair and questioned me about the company. He offered me my freedom if I would tell him where you were going. I didn't tell him. I promise I didn't. When I remained silent, he pushed harder for me to tell him and began to taunt me. When I still refused to speak, he hit me and all I saw was darkness. The next thing I knew was I was in the woods and Beorn had found me. I don't know how I came to be there, but I am certain that I did not do it on my own."
Thorin looked down into her eyes and saw them searching for confirmation that he believed her. He gave her a slight nod and loosened his hold on her. Eraveth felt cold when he dropped his arms from around her. She stood back and looked to the dwarves. Most seemed to accept what she said, but when she looked at Balin, she knew that the wise, old dwarf had figured out that there was more that she was not telling them. She moved her eyes away from his knowing gaze and looked back at Thorin and said, "I swear, I did not say a word of your quest to him."
Thorin looked at the pleading in her eyes and said with a soft voice, "I believe you, Eraveth."
Something erupted in Eraveth, deep in her gut, when she heard Thorin say her name. She felt light-headed and happy at the same time, but the feeling did not last. It left as quickly as it came when he turned and walked away from her. The others also went back to their forgotten breakfast.
So, any thoughts?
Anything you think I should change?
I tell ya, if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
I'd even settle for some constructive criticism.
(I promise I won't break!)