Chapter Twelve: Raw Fury and Reconciliation

Thorin was not sure what he was feeling as he led the dwarves to the forest. He wanted to tear apart everything he saw at the thought of his sweet, innocent little elf in the hands of orcs, but he also felt an overwhelming urge to break down and give in to the dark thoughts plaguing his mind. What if she's already dead? What if she is being tortured beyond recognition? She is going to end up just like Frerin, and it will be your entire fault. Murderer….

He shook his head as images of Elona lying dead in a pool of her own blood tormented his mind. She is still alive, he told himself. I have not failed her yet.

He slowed his horse as they neared the forest. He hardly acknowledged Dwalin as he came up beside him, keeping his hard glare on the dark trees. "What do we do Thorin?"

Thorin glanced at Dwalin before speaking. "We follow Tauriel's plan. Surround the orcs, and then wait for my signal to attack. Dwalin, Bofur, Balin, and Tauriel, with me." with that, the dwarves broke off into groups and spread out through the trees. Thorin had no hesitation before nudging his horse into the forest, drawing his sword as he did.

They rode through in silence, listening for any indication of where the camp was. Then they heard it, the harsh, cackling laughter of orcs.

"No! Stop! Please stop!" Thorin whipped his head to the familiar sobbing voice. "Elona, no!" he breathed. He turned his horse to charge, but a hand on his reins stopped him. "Thorin, think!" Dwalin spoke harshly. "If we charge in there, they will kill Elona without a second thought and run before we are in range. She is still alive, and I want to keep her that way."

Thorin glared at his friend before nodding. "Fine. But if he makes her scream like that one more time, then I will charge in there, army behind me or no." he dismounted his horse and signaled the others to do the same. "We will approach them on foot."

The small group slipped silently through the trees until they saw the gleam of the fire. They crouched in the snow out of sight of the orcs, but still able to see the camp. Only now Thorin realized that he could no longer hear Elona's cries. He blanched, until he saw her immobile form laying some ways from the fire.

She was sprawled on her stomach with her face turned to him, her eyes clenched shut and a grimace of pain spread across her features. Her coat had been taken from her and her dress was ripped. Her pale face was covered in blood and her lips were and alarming blue. In front of her was a pile of brown hair…her brown hair…they cut her hair. They cut her hair. The orcs cut her hair! Thorin saw red. How dare they. How dare they cut her hair!

"I will kill them," Thorin hissed to Dwalin. "I will rip them apart piece by piece. They will beg for mercy." He was trembling with rage. "They will rue the day they dared harm the daughter of Thorin Oakenshield." Before anyone could stop him, Thorin raised Orcrist and charged the orcs with a battle cry full of raw fury.

It was a short battle. Thorin saw nothing but red as he cut down the filth that dared defile his Little Miracle. He hardly noticed when Dwalin, Balin, Bofur and Tauriel joined him; he only stopped when he saw no more orcs attacking him. "Burn the bodies," he spat. "They did not deserve so merciful a death."

"Adad?" Thorin whipped around when he heard the weak whimper behind him. "Elona!" she was trying to push herself up on wobbly arms, and he had to catch her before she dropped back onto the hard snow. "Oh Elona, I'm so sorry little one." His heart clenched when he saw her bloody face and uneven hair.

Thorin held her shoulders as he scanned her for more injuries. Her ear was torn and bloodied, but other than that she seemed unharmed. "Thank Aule you're alive." He gently wrapped his arms around her as she clutched his tunic, not noticing the confused expression she gave him when he spoke. She started sobbing into his chest. "Hush little one," he stroked what was left of her curls. "You're safe now. I have you." Thorin held Elona as she cried. He was vaguely aware of the others moving around him, burning the corpses and filling the rest of the company in. He was so focused on soothing Elona that he didn't notice Gandalf walking up to him with his horse.

"Thorin, the child will freeze if she stays out here any longer. You need to get her back to the mountain." Thorin looked up and sighed before nodding. "You're right Gandalf." Gandalf smiled and handed Elona to Thorin after he had mounted his mare. "Tell Balin he is in charge here, get them out of the cold as soon as possible." Gandalf nodded at Thorin's words. "I will. Now go you fool! Get her somewhere warm!" Thorin nodded and spurred his horse forward, but not before rolling his eyes exasperatedly. It seems that Gandalf would never come out of the habit of calling him a fool.

It took him much longer than he would have liked to reach the mountain. He didn't bother going around to the stables, but charged right through the front gates instead. When the guards saw the shivering elleth in his arms and the thunderous look on Thorin's face, they took his horse without question.

There was already a roaring fire in Thorin's room, probably of Fili's making. Thorin gently laid Elona on the couch closest to the fire before adding more logs to it, wanting Elona to be as warm as possible.

Elona didn't look at Thorin as he covered her with blankets. She stared forlornly into the flames and refused to meet his eyes. "Elona, what is wrong?" Elona made no notion that she heard him. "Elona?" she still would not move. "Elona, look at me," still nothing. "Elona?" he called a little louder and shook her shoulder. She yelped at the movement before whimpering in pain. "Little one, what is going on? Why won't you look at me?" Elona didn't answer him, but just stared at Thorin with scared, confused eyes. Tears started leaking down her face again, mixing with the blood and grime streaking her cheeks.

Thorin gave her a worried look before warming up some water to wash her face with. When he came back, she had curled into herself and was sobbing silently. He crouched in front of her with the bowl and rag in hand. "Elona Moriah, what is wrong? I know the orcs hurt you, but why won't you talk?" She still didn't answer, but by now, Thorin had caught sight of her torn ear. It looked like something rough had been slowly dragged across it, tearing away the pointy tip and leaving it scarred and bloody.

Thorin gently started cleaning it with the warm rag to get a better look at it. The more he cleaned it, however, he started realizing that the bleeding was coming from inside her ear. "Oh Mahal," he breathed. He set the bowl down and grabbed Elona's small hands, bringing them away from her face. "Elona," when she didn't look at him, Thorin gently grabbed her chin and turned her face to his. "Elona, can you hear me?"

Elona just looked blankly at him before more tears started streaking down her face. That was all the answer Thorin needed. "Oh Elona," he choked, and gathered her in his arms. Elona clung to him, like he was the only thing keeping her sane. How could this happen to her? To sweet, little Elona?

Eventually, Elona cried herself to sleep, but Thorin still held her. He refused to let his own tears fall, but it was hard. His precious daughter, captured by orcs, tortured, disgraced, and now…no. He refused to think it. It was only temporary, it had to be. At least she hadn't been killed.

With this thought, Thorin reluctantly let go of Elona and gently covered her with furs once more. She was still filthy, and needed be cleaned. Thorin warmed the water again and got a clean rag. He cleaned off her face with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed, and tried his hardest to ignore the trail of dried blood leaking out her other ear. He had just barley finished cleaning out the long gash stretching across her face when his door creaked open.

"Thorin?" a soft voice called from the doorway. Thorin started at the familiar voice and turned to see Dis shyly poking her head in. he flashed back to before Smaug came, and Dis would come to room during storms to crawl in bed with him; she had always been afraid of thunder. "Dis, what are you doing?" Thorin stood up, subconsciously coming to stand before Elona.

Dis stepped into the room and softly closed the door. The two stared at each other for a few minutes before Dis decided to talk. "Thorin I…I'm sorry." She ducked her head and Thorin raised an eyebrow. "I've been thinking…a-about what you said, and I…I realize now that I was wrong." She raised her head and Thorin wasn't surprised to see tears streaking down her face. His heart pulled; there wasn't anything he hated more than seeing his strong-willed sister crying.

"You were right about Frerin. He wouldn't leave a child to starve just because of her race. It wasn't the elves' fault that he died. Thranduil is stupid, but it wasn't his fault the orcs caught Fre at Azanulbizar." She let out a sob. "I see how much you truly love that child Thorin, and I'm sorry I've been such a…a spoilt brat about her. Forgive me?" Dis peeked up through her eyelashes. She probably fully expected Thorin to lash out at her, and he thought about it too, but his older brother side won over.

He said nothing, but gave his little sister a small smile and opened his arms to her. She let out a tearful sob and ran to him, like she was a young child again. "There, there Dis," he soothed. "I forgave you a long time ago. Mad or not, I am still you brother, and you are my little sister. I love you Dis." Dis let out another sob into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Thorin. Please, please never get mad at me like that again. I couldn't stand it." Thorin hugged her closer and rested his head on hers. "I know Namadith. I know." he stroked her hair until her sobs quieted into sniffles.

"I love you too, Nadad."

AN: *Huntress is still hiding behind Legolas, but Legolas has his bow put away and is rolling his eyes at Huntress.* Hello again! Two long chapters in one day! Thank you for not coming after me with pitch forks and torches for taking so long to post chapter eleven, but I still think I will hide behind my elf. *Legolas facepalms and wonders why he still puts up with Huntress.* Now now Legolas, you put up with me because you don't want me to kill you off in book two. Right? That's what I thought. Oh the power you have being an author. *Sigh...*

Now, I would just like to remind everyone, I am not a doctor. Well, unless you count doctoring my horses when I don't want to take them to the vet, then yeah. But still. Have any of you guessed what is wrong with our little elfling yet? If you have, then please know that I know it may be impossible for her to get this...infliction the way I said she did, but once again, I am not a doctor, my horses have never gotten it, and I have never known anyone that has gotten it that was not born with it. So there.

I am trying to get chapter thirteen typed up, but it is kinda hard because of what we just discussed in the paragraph above...

Review people, and I might let our elf live! No Legolas, not you, Elona. Why would I let you live? *Legolas pulls out a knife.* Kidding...kidding...