Chapter 12:

Gandalf walked toward the gate, as Dwalin said we had luck on our side. I looked behind and saw Beorn's bear form up on a ridge, watching us. "Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." Gandalf ordered and then walked into the forest, I watched Beorn for a moment longer and then turned back to the forest, I really didn't want to go in there. Bilbo didn't want to go either and asked about another way.

I knew the answer, but Gandalf still explained, knowing something was wrong. "Elisa? Are you alright?" I looked up and met Thorin's eyes, he was speaking to me, in front of everyone. "Fine, just feel like we shouldn't go into the woods." I explained my fears, knowing he would understand. "Can't be helped, we are going." they began to set the horses go and they took off like the devil was at their feet.

"Not my horse! I need it!" Gandalf called, appearing from the forest and moving quickly. I met his eyes as Bilbo asked if he was leaving. "You can't leave!" I said, moving over to him, standing between him and his horse. "I can't control my powers, I need your help!" I begged and he gently moved me to the side, mounting the horse. The skies opened up and rain came pouring down, as if it was sad to see us part.

It gave me the feeling that I would never see Gandalf again, although he seemed to think different as he explained where we were going to meet up and for none of us to enter the mountain without him. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It'll seek to enter your mind and lead you astray. You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again." and with those words Gandalf left our company.

Thorin spared no more looks or words, he led the way into the forest, I followed beside Bilbo and we entered the diseased forest. "The path turns this way." Thorin said, kicking some leaves away to better see. I noticed something moving, but it was only a web, a small spider was trying to grab a meal. I followed after them, feeling a deadness in my mind, it was hard to think now.

I looked up as we continued through the forest, the trees were tall and thick, no light was coming through. Further and further we went, with no clear end in sight. Suddenly Nori said the path was gone and we were lost. I searched and searched, but it seemed that the path had completely disappeared. We walked more and more, Bilbo turned and looked at me, but didn't seem to be actually looking at me, his face seemed confused and shocked.

Bilbo was arguing with Bofur, Oin, and Ori about a pouch, saying we are going in circles. I moved toward Thorin, hoping to try to talk to him about turning back until we found the path again. I was almost at him when the dwarves started pushing and shoving, fighting with each other. I cried out as one large boot stomped on my foot and Throin yelled for everyone to shut up.

He said we were being watched and I moved even closer to him, trying to get close enough to talk. I saw movement and then a long twig started moving around, yet no wind blew it. I shook my head, cursing myself for allowing the illusions to get to me. "Thorin, we must speak." "Just find the path woman, leave me be." I was shocked by his words. I took a step toward him, feeling my anger.

"Thorin, now!" I whispered, trying to touch his arm. He jerked away and then slung his arm around, making me move back to avoid being hit. "I don't care what you are going to say! Do as I said!" I felt tears running down my cheeks and turned away so he wouldn't see. I went to find Bilbo, but he was gone. I sank on a stump, wiping my eyes and trying to stop the tears. I heard more movement and then jumped at a breeze behind me.

I tripped over a broken branch and fell into a pile of sticky white stuff. I blinked and tried to move, but I couldn't, I noticed it was like spider webs and then screamed as the largest spider I have ever seen came down from the trees and began to wrap me up. It all happened so fast that I couldn't even begin to feel anything that would allow me use of my powers. Soon I was unable to move and being dragged to other sacs, which oddly looked like dwarves.

I tried to free myself, but there was multiple spiders, who all seemed really hungry. I was scared to death and frightened for everyone. I knew we should have never came here, this was all a mistake. I thought of Thorin, but his last words to me were unkind and not like him, I didn't want it to end like that. I heard some movement, then all the spiders disappeared, except one.

I couldn't see anything, but heard a screech of a spider, then my body dropped suddenly, as if I was released. I hit the ground and then more sacs hit the ground around me, some landing on top of me. I groaned and noticed it was a bit easier to move. I struggled and kicked, slowly getting free of my sac. I pushed the dwarves off of me and stood up, looking into the trees to see why we were free.

I thought I heard Bilbo, but then the spiders were back and very pissed off that their dinner was free once again. We all helped each other up and out of the sacks, then started stumbling and running along the first path we saw. One came at Dwalin, but he swung his weapon and quickly killed it. Another went for Thorin, but his sword cut right through it. I felt my breathing coming in tiny pants, I was scared and couldn't feel my body. I watched them all attack the spiders, with no fear at all.

I heard a thud and turned to see a spider about to bite Bombur! I realized I had to do something. 'Please work.' I thought and then threw my arms out, trying to feel the rage to burn the spider away. Absolutely nothing happened. Thankfully the dwarves came to his aid, grabbing the legs and pulling them off. More spiders came from everywhere, they seemed to never end. I got knocked out of the way by someone, I couldn't tell who and hit the trunk of a tree. There was a pain in my head and my vision went blurry for a moment. I blinked a few times and saw a spider coming straight for me, I couldn't move! I was about to scream and threw my arms up in a pitiful defense when I felt a strong wind surround me.

It was as if the very winds caressed my skin and blew the spider back. I slowly stood up, scared the wind would blow me away, yet it only surrounded me as if protecting me. I noticed the others were busy fighting more spiders, always watching each others back, always coming to the aid of those who needed. Yet here I was, standing alone by a tree, almost eaten by a spider. I felt my anger building. They only cared about each other, they cared nothing about me and my well being.

No one had come to help me, if I would have been a normal woman, then I would have been dead because I couldn't have fended the spider off. My hair lifted with the wind, which suddenly became very hot. I looked down at myself and saw the gust around me had caught fire and I was basically standing in a fire vortex. I smiled, feeling power running through my veins and filling me. I didn't need protecting…I needed to be feared. I flexed my fingers and hands, getting ready to go destroy these pest.

I found my prey and walked toward it, probably burning the forest with each step. I lifted my arms up and thought about the flaming tornado leaving my body and forcing itself upon the spider's body that was just turning to face me. It was as if the wind and fire reacted to my thoughts and did exactly what I pictured, surrounding the spider and forcing it down until it was nothing but a burnt crisp. I was just about to go for another one when I felt all the power leave me and I fell to my knees, unable to breathe.

"H-Help!" I tried to scream, but it was nothing above a whimper. My vision became blurred as I fell forward, unable to hold myself up. I didn't hit the hard ground, I was on something softer. I wanted to scream, I was probably lying on a dead spider or worse, a dead dwarf! I couldn't move, my body ached and it was as if I had a hundred weights on my body. "Come on, keep up!" "Get moving!" I heard the voices, yet couldn't tell who spoke them. My body hurt so much that I couldn't tell where I was anymore, I couldn't feel anything.

"Don't worry, I got you." I heard the voice in my ear, yet I had no clue who it was. "It would be my pleasure." the words flowed to my ears and I felt a spark within myself, something buried very deep, but it made my mind clear a bit and my ears perked up, wanting to hear more of the voice that allowed me more control over my body. "Kili!" I heard someone yell, then realized it was Fili shouting for his brother, who I could now hear screaming in a distance.

"Search them!" the voice spoke and there was plenty of movement, so I knew we were outnumbered. If only I hadn't wasted my powers on silly spiders, then perhaps I could have gotten us out of this…or at least know what was going on. There was more voices, speaking in a language I didn't understand, yet sounded familiar. I realized it was elvish and we were now captured by the Wood elves of Mirkwood that Beorn spoke of. The voice spoke to Gloin and I felt pain surge my body as I was dropped to the ground. "Hey! Be careful! She's hurt!" I heard Balin say, then heard struggling, as if he was trying to come help me.

"Who is that?" the voice said, coming closer, his footsteps barely there, he stepped so light that I thought he was leaving, not coming near. "A woman? Human?" I felt my body lighten more and more with each word he spoke and I opened my eyes, groaning at the pain. "Alive? Who are you?" I looked up, finally seeing the person that gave me strength. He was blonde, it was very long and straight, almost looked like silk. His face was breath-taking and his eyes buried themselves into my skull and my memory forever.

He didn't speak a word, but dropped down beside me and getting directly into my view. "Your eyes…" his words were soft, as if they were only for me, yet he quickly got up and move away, saying nothing else. He spoke to a female elf that joined the party, speaking in elvish, yet my body strengthened and I rolled over, feeling less pain. "Don't move!" I heard Oin say, coming down to look at me. "I have to make sure no spider bit you or you aren't hurt." I went to answer, but felt my throat burning and thought better to say nothing.

"Where did you get this?" I heard the elf ask, pointing the sword Thorin found at his chest. "It was given to me." He replied, not bothering to hide his disgust. "Not just a thief, but a liar as well." The sword went to Thorin's throat, yet he did nothing, only kept his eyes on the elf. Suddenly the blonde elf shouted in elvish and they all came over to use, shoving us into a line and started moving. "Carry her!" a elf ordered Dwalin, who quickly grabbed me up and started walking.

They walked and walked, probably toward their city and I looked at Dwalin, who seemed very upset about the elves catching us. "Dwalin?" I breathed, keeping my voice low and only for his ears. "Shh, just stay quiet lass, they won't put you in a cell if you act injured, so you come for us. Stay hurt." he whispered and then spoke nothing else, acting instead if I were merely a bag he was hauling around.

I didn't get a chance to see much of where we were, I was trying to play as if I was hurt a lot more than I was, after all, I had no clue how these Elves were going to treat us. There was a voice that called in the distance and then we were stopped. "You, take her." I was shifted into another's arms and felt my body relax, knowing it was Thorin who now held me close. They spoke in elvish and I heard struggling as the rest of the party was led down to their cells.

"Come on! Move!" I felt a shove and Thorin's grip tightened, his anger growing as the elves ordered him around. I peeked up at Thorin, acting as if I was barely able to move and open my eyes. He was staring at me, his eyes showed his worry for me. I felt my heart skip a beat and wanted to throw myself at him, hug him tight and kiss him hard. Yet his eyes left mine and then I watched them harden, his face set in a grim frown. We stopped and I heard movement, then more elvish. "Give her here." the elf ordered, yet Thorin didn't move a inch. "No."

"Now!" I was jerked away and gasped at the pain as my body hit the ground. I heard Thorin shouting and the sounds of struggle, he was probably trying to fight the elf to get to me. "Enough!" I heard another voice boom and all stopped, my body flinched and then I opened my eyes, staring at someone's feet. "Can you move?" I went to answer, but decided to get up instead, I pushed my body off the ground using my arms and then sat on my knees, facing the voice.

"Very good. Look at me." I lifted my gaze up and saw another blonde elf, only he seemed a lot older, yet it was hard to tell. His eyes only gave him away, they were blue like the others, yet his were old, wise, filled with knowledge. His eyes widened for a moment before he moved from his throne and down to where I sat. "Not possible." he spoke and asked me to stand up. I did, but stumbled and his hand caught me. I met his eyes once more and he stared at me hard. "Who are you woman?"