Chapter 14
Traveling Through Mirkwood

We traveled fast across the land. We slow down as we neared the forest. I looked at it and frown. Its been a long time since I was here and its not as beautiful as it use to be. It was gloomy-looking now. Gandalf dismounts from his horse and approaches the forest through an ancient archway.

"The Elven Gate." I said. Gandalf turns to us.

"Here lies our path through Mirkwood." Gandalf called.

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side." Dwalin said. I turn my head as Dwalin got off our pony and see Beorn in his bear-form watching them from a distant ridge.

"Thank you friend." I whisper.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." Gandalf said. He disappears into the woods.

"Come on, love. Ye can't stay up there forever." Dwalin said. I looked at him and he held out his arms. I slid off the pony and into his arms. Dwalin pressed a light kiss to my forehead and headed to help the others unload the ponies. My stomach was twisting at the forest. It felt sick.

"Vanya. Come help." Dwalin called. I turned and I fell back as fiery red eye. I landed on the ground, clutching my head. "Vanya!" I felt hand on my face. I look up at Dwalin's face. "What's wrong?"

"Lass. What's wrong?" Balin asked.

"Something isn't right." I said. Dwalin pulled me to my feet and pulls me in a hug, holding me close as Nori started to unsaddle Gandalf's horse when Gandalf came running back.

"Not my horse! I need it." Gandalf said. We look at him in shock and I knew I was right.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asked.

"I would not do this unless I had to." Gandalf said. Gandalf looks at me and sees I'm paler then normal. "You feel it to, don't you?" I nod as Dwalin holds me close. "As I feared." Gandalf looks at Bilbo and talks.

"Vanya." Dwalin said. I looked up into his eyes. What did ye see, lass?" Dwalin runs a hand down my check. I couldn't hide it from him.

"A fiery eye is all that I could see." I said. Dwalin raised an eyebrow but saw how scared I looked. "Something's not right Dwalin. I can feel it." Dwalin took my face in his hands.

"We will be fine, love. Stop worrying for now." Dwalin said. I nod. He smiles as he strokes my checks gently. I press my lips against him and we kissed. We pulled apart when Gandalf talked.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter the mountain without me." Gandalf said, giving Thorin the look. I roll my eyes, knowing he will not listen. Gandalf walks towards his horse. "This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo asked, looking at Dwalin and me. Gandalf gets on his horse as it starts to rain even though the sun was out.

"You must stay on the path, do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf said. He rides away. "No matter what may come, stay to the path." We all turn towards the forest. I let out a sigh. This was going to be interesting. We headed towards the path with Thorin leading.

"Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day." Thorin said. It was a few weeks away but the dwarves wanted time to get there.

"Durin's Day. Let's go." Dwalin said, taking my hand.

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door." Thorin said. We enter Mirkwood. We follow the paved path that started at the Elven Gate. The path turns at one point. "The path goes this way." We keep following the path through the forest. Somehow. Dwalin moved to the front while I stayed with Fili and Kili. The path twists and turns over all sorts of terrain like bare ground, high ledges, fallen tree trunks, etc. I look at the path and notice it was a blue/gray texture. Dwalin thumps the handle of his hammer on the ground to find the trail.

"This way." Dwalin said. We continue walking. I felt like my head was spinning.

"Air. I need air." Bofur said.

"My head, it's spinning." Oin said. I put a hand to my face and ran right into Dwalin's back as all the dwarves ran into each other as Nori came to a complete stop.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"What's happening?" Oin said. Thorin heads up to Nori to find out what's going on.

"Keep moving. Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin asked.

"The path...it's disappeared." Nori said.

"Valar." I said.

"What's going on?" Dwalin asked.

"We've lost the path!" Oin said. I come and look to see us standing in front of a steep path with no path in sight. We wandered off the path.

"Find it. All of you look. Look for the path!" Thorin yelled. We wander through the forest. I stagger over my own feet and know the forest was making me sick.

"I don't remember this place before. None of it's familiar." Balin said.

"It's got to be here." Dori said. I stood on a rock watching the dwarves.

"What hour is it?" Thorin asked.

"I do not know. I don't even know what day it is." Dwalin said.

"Is there no end to this accursed place?" Thorin asked. I turn and see a spiderweb. I heard vibrations and saw that it was Bilbo that did it. I heard whispering noises and I had a bad feeling. We continued walking. I rubbed my temples, trying to control my dizzieness. Ori picks something up.

"Look." Ori said. Dori takes the pouch from him.

"A tobacco pouch. There's dwarves in these woods." Dori said. Bofur takes the pouch from Dori.

"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine." Bofur said.

"Because it is your. You understand?" Bilbo said.

"We're going in circles." I said.

"We're not lost. We keep heading east." Dwalin said.

"But what way is east? We've lost the sun." Oin said. I looked up.

"We need to climb. Bilbo." I said.

"I'm on it." Bilbo said, climbing. The weird whispering comes and I turn in its direction. I look with my elf eyes and see nothing. They were hiding in the darkness of the forest.

"Something's watching us." I said.

"What? What's that?" Thorin asked, coming to my side and listened as well. Throin turns to the dwarves as the dwarves fight. I didn't pay attention to the fighting. "Enough! Quiet! All of you! We're being watched." The dwarves went silent and listen. Something white grabbed my leg and I was pulled forward. I land hard on my back as I was dragged into the shadows.

"Vanya!" Dwalin yelled. A spider lands on top of me. I scream as a pincher landed on my chest and pinched me right near my heart. Everything went black.

AN: There's the new chapter. Poor Vanya. Elves are in the next chapter.