The eagles flew through the night but, between my worry for the rest of the company and the excruciating pain in my leg, I found no rest. Finally, around dawn, they set us down on a high rock peak that was vaguely shaped like a bear. It jutted up from a forested plain with a river encircling its base.
I kept a close watch on the eagle in front of me, as it was carrying the still unconscious Thorin in its talons who, despite calls from several members of the company, had not stirred since the confrontation on the cliff.
"Please, please don't let him be dead!" I prayed.
The eagle carrying him flew down and set him down gently then flew off again. Gandalf landed next and, as soon as his feet touched the rock, ran over to check on Thorin.
I was finally set down, having to grab ahold of the eagle's leg as my leg almost collapsed under me upon landing, and hobbled over to a rocky shelf and sat down, covering my wounded leg with the end of my cloak and hiding it from sight, as Gandalf continued to try and revive Thorin. With all the other dwarves gathered around them Bilbo and I tried to keep out of the way. Finally there was a sigh from the group around Gandalf and I could see one of Thorin's feet move. Releasing the breath that I did not realize I was holding, I heard a grumbled question. Though it was said too low for me to understand what was said, I recognized Thorin's voice.
"It's alright. Bilbo and Farren are here. They are quiet safe." Gandalf answered him and Thorin fought his way to his feet with the help of Kili and Dwalin.
"You! What did you think you were doing?! You almost got yourself killed!" Thorin yelled at Bilbo.
Bilbo looked at me for help and I was about to speak up when Thorin continued.
"Did I not say you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you had no place among us?" He yelled.
I could feel my temper rise and was about to say something when I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Gandalf standing there. He shook his head at me and I turned back to Thorin, confused as to why Gandalf has stopped me from intervening.
"I have never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin said and I sat there in complete shock as he embraced Bilbo, who looked just about as shocked.
I refused to look over at Gandalf again, knowing all I would get was his usual "I told you so" look. "Wizards can be so annoying when they are right!" I thought as everyone started walking past me, looking off in to the distance.
"The wounded need to be tended to," Oin stated eyeing Thorin worriedly, "But it would be easier if I had access to the river below."
"Well we have found a way down." Fili said walking up after he and Kili had finished scouting the Carrock, as Gandalf had called it.
"There are some steps carved into the side that lead down." Kili said.
The rest of the company went and looked and agreed to try it. I watched as everyone prepared to make their way down, knowing that this was going to be hard.
"If I can just get down to the river, I can tend to my wounds myself." I thought and forced myself up, the pain making me dizzy for a moment.
"Are you alright?" Bilbo, who I noticed was standing next to me, asked.
Upon hearing his question, most of the company turned to look at me. I pulled my cloak closer around me, hiding my wounded leg, and answered, "I'm fine, just a little tired is all."I could feel Thorin's eyes on me but refused to meet his look as we all started down the rough stairs.
The decent took a couple hours, as we moved slowly and stopped several times to rest. I kept falling farther and farther behind as the pain grew and my endurance dwindled. Finally we reached the plain by mid-day and I hobbled over to a boulder and sat with my back to it to rest a while.
"Bombur, Gloin set up camp. Dwalin, Fili scout out the area. No one is to wander away from camp until we know it's safe." Thorin ordered.
"Alright enough with the orders! Now sit down and let me see your wounds." Oin said with an exasperated huff and waited as Thorin removed his coat, armor, tunic and under tunic.
I could feel my eyes widen as each layer came off and quickly turned away before I was caught staring and leaned my head back, closing my eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing of my leg.
The minutes seemed to tick by slowly but finally Oin's grunts and mutterings and the occasional curse from Thorin finally ended and all became quiet in the camp. I shifted, trying to get comfortable and wondered when Dwalin and Fili would get back. Unbeknownst to me, Bilbo had been watching me worriedly ever since we left the top of the Carrock this morning.
"I think Farren may be injured." he said to Thorin as he walked up to him and Thorin looked over and noticed, for the first time, that there was blood staining the cloak Farren wore. It seemed to be seeping from the inside where it laid over her leg.
I had finally found a somewhat comfortable position and was enjoying the rare opportunity on the journey to rest when a large shadow blocked the sun out. I open my eyes to find Thorin standing over me, glaring. I looked up at him and raised my brows questioningly.
"Are you injured?" he asked bluntly.
"I'm fine." I said quickly but he gave me a disbelieving look and knelt down next to me.
Then, moving faster than I thought an injured man could, he grabbed my left leg just below the knee and pulled my cloak away.
"What do you call that?" he growled at me.
Looking at my leg I could see that the Warg's fangs had torn through my boot and that the wounds were worse than I thought.
"It's nothing. I can take care of it myself." I asserted.
He just shook his head at me and yelled over his shoulder. "Oin! You have another patient." Thorin said and I glared at him.
"What is this?! Misery loves company?!" I snapped at him, pointedly looking at the bandages that showed through the open collar of his under tunic.
"Thorin, I told you to get some rest!" Oin yelled as he stomped over.
"You need to look at Farren's leg. She was injured." Thorin said in the way of answering and sat down next to me to keep Oin from yelling at him again.
"I can tend to this on my own!" I said again, as Oin bent over to look at my leg, and I tried to move away from them.
"Lass, this needs to be looked at." Oin said patiently firmly grasping my ankle while Thorin grabbed my arm and pulled my back down.
That was when I began to struggle against them, kicking out at Oin and pushing away from Thorin.
"Kili! Dori! Grab a her legs!" Oin ordered as Thorin managed to get his right arm around me and pinned me against the uninjured side of his chest and held my hands in his.
"Stop this!" Thorin ordered and I turned and looked at him, our faces inches apart.
"Let me go! I can tend my own wounds!" I gasped as I tried to keep fighting.
The last time I had allowed someone else to tend my wounds I had almost died from infection, after this I never trusted anyone else to tend to me. As Oin began removing my boot and examining the four wounds, two on either side of my leg where the Warg's canines had torn into my leg, I felt fear and panic set in. My elbow connected with Thorin's injured ribs and I heard him grunt in pain but his hold did not slacken.
"Lass please!" Oin begged, "I am going to have to put stitches in your leg but you must hold still."
"No! This is not happening again!" I screamed, terror taking control and I could feel my control over my talent slipping.
Suddenly I felt someone place their hand on the top of my head and, before I could react, darkness overtook me and I fell into a deep slumber.
***Thorin POV***
"No! This is not happening again!" Farren screamed and it took a lot of Thorin's remaining strength to hang onto her as she fought to get free.
Suddenly Gandalf walked up, placed his hand on the top of her head and murmured something, and she fell into a deep slumber. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as her desperate struggles ceased.
"I have made her to sleep for the time being, but you might want to work quickly. I cannot guarantee how long it will last." Gandalf explained.
Oin nodded and went to work as Thorin tucked Farren against his side and placed her head in the crook of his neck, as was more comfortable for the both of them.
"What was that all about?" Thorin questioned Gandalf, not wanting to admit how much her fear had bothered him.
"Why was she so afraid of letting us tend to her wounds?" he asked and Gandalf sighed.
"A little over a year after she came to live in Lothlorien, Farren was traveling to Rivendell. For what reason, I know not. But upon crossing the mountains, she was captured by the goblins much the same way you were. She was able to escape, but had been badly injured. She had managed to make it to a small settlement at the foot of the mountains before collapsing. The people there had tried to tend to her, but they had no healer and she caught an infection. If it had not been for Lord Elrond sending a party to look for her she would have died. I do not think she has allowed anyone, not even Lord Elrond, to tend to any of her wounds since." Gandalf explained.
Thorin nodded, he could understand her fear. He watched as Oin meticulously cleaned the wounds then stitched and bound them with clean bandages, all the while muttering that she was not going to get an infection this time. As Oin finished up and everyone moved away, some to the river to clean up, as Fili and Dwalin had come back saying that everything looked safe, and others laid down to sleep, Thorin settled himself down with Farren in his arms, taking time to remove her pack, and swords from her back and the daggers from her belt, setting them aside. He turned and looked at her face; the same feeling of recognition tickled the back of his mind. He could not place it but he was sure he had met her before. Farren began to stir, mumbling something in her sleep. Thorin, without thinking about it, began to gently rub her back to comfort her and she sighed and settled down closer to him and into a deeper sleep. He smiled at her, unable to explain the sudden tender feeling he felt in his chest for her. Thorin just shook his head at the thought and settled down to sleep, all the while holding Farren close as if to keep her safe.