DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Hobbit or its characters from books and movies. Or any references to other movies. I only own my OC's.
A/N: Thank you for viewing, reviewing, following, and favoriting!
Let's meet some Mirkwood elves!
Enjoy and review!
Chapter 25:
Lindsey's POV
"It will be alright Lindsey. Just stay close to me." Fili whispers to me as he walks in front of me. We are all walking in a single file line. The entrance to the path is like a sort of arch leading into a gloomy tunnel made by two big and tall trees that lean together. I have to say, it looks awesome, but it is very scary looking.
"This path is so narrow!" Reagan exclaims. The path winds in and out among the trunks.
The thing that I can tell is scaring us all the most is the quiet. You can literally hear every step we take, except for probably Lauren because she is an elf. Grr…. Hate elves.
The trees lean over us blocking almost all traces of light. Occasionally there is a sunbeam that pokes through the trees, but it is still, dark.
"Do you hear anything weird Lauren?" I ask the elf behind me. Thorin is in the lead and Lauren took the back.
"I have good hearing too. I hear—" Fili whispers to me without looking.
"Not you!" I hiss at him.
"I just hear grunts and scuffling's in the shrubs. I don't see any animals though besides the squirrels." She whispers to me.
"I don't like these cobwebs." I hear Reagan say.
The dark dense, really dense, cobwebs mostly stretch from tree to tree and everywhere else around us, except the path which is clear of everything except leaves.
"This is Mirkwood? Whoa. Talk about your fixer-upper." Megan whispers to herself.
Lauren tries not to laugh with the rest of us. The dwarves had a small smile when Megan said that too.
-10 minutes later-
"I hate this forest." Dwalin grumbles.
"I hate it just as much as the tunnels of those goblins." Nori adds.
"This is going to be a while." I sigh.
-Fast Forward-
No air is felt as we are walking. The dark trees block out all light and air. It is dark and stuffy.
Even the dwarves who are used to tunneling and Bilbo who lives in a hole feel like they are slowly suffocating.
"When are we stopping? It's starting to get dark, well, darker." I tell Fili.
"We are stopping for the night." Thorin commands.
Megan's POV
"Wow. Finally!" I exclaim. "Just why does it have to be so dark?" I whimper slightly.
"You're afraid of the dark?" Kili asks me. I don't answer and I see him grinning in the dark.
"No dwarf is afraid of the dark! That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard-" he pauses. I feel a tear falling down my face.
"I didn't mean to make you cry." He tells me.
"No. it's alright. You're forgetting that I'm from a different world and I used to be mortal." I sigh.
Even though it's dark I can see his face has guilt on it.
"I apologize. You can—" I nod my head with a small smile and walk away from him because I am very tired. I feel like I'm about to drop asleep where I am.
"—you can sleep beside, me." Kili finishes. He sees Megan going next to Lauren so he just lays out his bed mat and goes to sleep.
"You okay Lauren?" I ask her.
"I don't like the dark either." She says.
"At least it's not storming rain and thunder." I tell her. She nods.
"If it helps any, you can think of lying next to Lindir." I tell her. I can't see her face anymore, but I felt her slap on my head. Lindsey giggles.
"Goodnight." Lauren whispers.
The whole company, and us, slept all huddled together.
-FAST FORWARD-
Lindsey's POV
"Two weeks! Two stinking weeks we've been traveling in this darkness!" Reagan lets out as Bilbo jolts at her voice.
"Tell it to the world Reagan." I say snapping my fingers.
"We are all hungry, we hardly have any left, Megan is growing delirious which is bad-"Reagan lets out again as we look to Megan who is singing to herself.
"B-B-B-Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean, mean time
I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart-My songs know what you did in the dark!
So light 'em up, up, up—"
There are silent whispers of conversation as we walk, it's not all quiet. But we all can't mostly really help but not be quiet like the rest of the forest.
We come across a black river. There was a bridge, but it has fallen leaving only the broken posts near the bank.
Bilbo speaks, "There is a boat on the far side of the bank! Of course it just couldn't be on our side."
"Of course." Reagan agrees.
"How far away do you think it is?" Thorin asks. Fili and Kili look around.
Lauren speaks up, "Not that far. I shouldn't think above twelve yards or so which is as good as a mile."
Thorin nods.
"Wow Lauren, you know numbers too?" I ask her gasping. I love joking with my friends. Lauren gives me a small smile.
"We can't jump it. And we can't try to wade it or swim." Bofur exclaims. Bifur says something in dwarfish but we can't understand him.
Thorin nods his head at Bifur, "Just as I was thinking. Can any of you throw a rope?"
"What's the good of that? The boat is sure to be tied up, even if we could hook it, which I doubt." Dori says.
"I don't think it's tied." Bilbo says squinting trying to see across the lake.
"It almost looks like it was drawn up on a bank." Lauren says as Bilbo nods in agreement.
"Fili has the best sight out of us besides Lauren and Bilbo." Thorin exclaims motioning for his nephew to look with Lauren.
The dwarves pulled out a lot of rope.
"We can maybe use Lauren's hair too." I say. Fili grins at me.
At the end of the longest rope they tied a large iron hook they had used for catching their packs to the straps about their shoulders.
Fili took this in his hand, balanced it, and then flung it across the stream.
Megan chants, "Miss, miss, miss."
Thorin looks to her confused.
Splash, it falls in the water.
"Not far enough, a couple more feet and you would've dropped it onto the boat." Bilbo says.
Fili picks up the wet hook in disgust.
"It's just wet Fili." I tell him. He throws it again this time making it.
"Steady! You have thrown it right into the wood on the other side now. Draw it back gently." Lauren tells Fili.
Fili hauled the rope back slowly.
"He is so strong." I sigh quietly to myself. Thankfully no one heard me.
"Carefully! It is lying on the boat. Let's hope the hook will catch." Lauren exclaims.
It did. The rope went taut, and Fili pulled in vain. Kili, Oin, and Gloin cam to help him resulting them falling on their backs.
"Eh, he's not that strong." Megan says next me grinning. I push her down making her fall over.
Bilbo caught the rope, "Help!" he shouts.
Balin and Reagan were there just in time before the boat floated off down the current.
Balin smiles looking at the snapped painter that was dangling from it, "It was tied after all. That was a good pull my lads. And a good job that our rope was the stronger."
"Who'll cross first?" Bilbo asks.
"Ladies first?" Kili says.
"No." My friends and I say.
"I shall with Bilbo, Fili, and Balin. The boat looks it can only hold four at a time. After that Reagan, Megan, Lindsey, and Lauren; next Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dori; then Ori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur; then last Dwalin and Bombur." Thorin commands.
Lauren asks, "There aren't any oars. How are you going to push the boat back to the far bank?"
"Give me another length of rope and a hook." Fili says when they got the boat ready.
He casted it into the darkness ahead as high as he could throw it. Since it did not fall down, it is stuck in the branches.
"Get in now." Says Fili. "one of you haul on the rope that is stuck in a tree on the other side. One of the others must keep hold of the hook we used at first, and when we are safe on the other side he can hook it on, and you can draw the boat back."
In this way we were all soon on the far bank safe across the enchanted stream.
"The enchanted stream. It sounds like the movie Elf with Will Ferrell; 'I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops' and then I sailed across the enchanted stream!" Megan says and we burst out laughing.
Dwalin scrambles out of the boat with the coiled rope on his arm. Bombur is about to get out but something bad happened.
"Hooves!" Lauren shouts.
"What?" I ask her.
Out of the gloom came a flying deer. It charged into us and bowled us over then gathered itself for a leap. It jumped so high, it cleared the water. But it did not reach the other side safely.
Thorin was the only one who kept his feet and wits. Thorin notched and arrow to his bow.
"No." Lauren whispers knowing what he's going to do.
Thorin shoots the arrow into the jumping deer. As it reached the further bank it stumbled. The shadows swallowed it up but we heard the sound of hooves quickly falter, and then go still.
Lauren has tears in her eyes, "No. Poor deer."
She is always this sensitive. Reagan helps Lauren up.
"Bombur! Bombur has fallen in!" Bilbo shouts. We all panic.
"He's drowning!" Lauren says running to the boat to try to get Bombur. Thorin pulls Lauren back.
"We don't want you falling in too!" Thorin says.
Quickly they flung a rope with a hook towards him. His hand caught it and they pulled him to shore.
He was drenched, but he was fast asleep with one hand holding onto the rope so tight, they couldn't get it out of his grasp.
We just stood there not knowing what to do next.
"You guys hear that?" Lauren breaks the silence.
Everyone listened and became aware of horns in the wood and the sound as of dogs baying far off. A great hunt is going by to the north of the path Fili told me.
Bombur slept on with a smile on his face.
Later on some white deer, a hind, and fawns as snowy white as the hart had been dark.
Before Thorin could cry out, three dwarves got their bow and arrows ready.
"No—" I cover Lauren's mouth with my hands.
"Stop! Stop!" shouts Thorin as the deer disappear. The excited dwarves wasted their last arrows.
I let go of Lauren who scrambled to her feet to check her quiver of arrows.
"You wasted mine too!" Lauren shouts.
"The bows are now useless." Megan exclaims.
-Fast Forward still Lindsey's POV-
Leaves are rustling down from trees. It's autumn.
"Is there no end to this accursed forest?" Thorin says.
"I can see the forest goes on forever and ever in all directions!" Lauren says.
"We haven't bathed in months! So unhealthy." Reagan says.
Bombur wakes up suddenly when we stop. He scratches his head and looks disoriented.
"Yeah! No more carrying!" Megan cheers with Bofur.
"What's that over there?" Balin points.
We all see some lights in the distance. We get up and start walking fast and go behind some trees.
We peer from behind it and see… elves partying.
The smell of roast meats came to all of our senses and fire. We all get up and make our way over, but as soon as we step into the clearing, the lights went out, as if by magic.
"Feels like college all over again." Megan grumbles quietly. Somebody kicked the fire out.
We are now lost in completely lightless dark again. We soon start walking which involved walking into trees, falling over logs, shouting and calling waking probably everything in the forest.
"Oh no. Which direction were we going in?" Bilbo asks panicking.
"We strayed off the path!" Reagan shouts quietly.
"Look! More lights! Dozens of them!" Dwalin says and we all crept over slowly.
We see elves passing bowls from hand to hand across fire. They were talking and singing beautifully.
The second time, Bilbo tried stepping in, al lights went out.
The third time after traveling a little further, Thorin stepped in and all turned quiet. Dead silence and all lights went out.
"Stupid elves, where do they disappear too?!" I shout.
Everybody is calling each other's name. It is pitch dark.
Then I feel someone picking me up and it felt weird. I yell, "HELP!"
And everyone else was shouting help too.
Reagan's POV
Spiders took us. They wrapped each of us up in webs. Right now, I'm wrapped up and I can't see anything but webs. It is slimy, sticky, cold, wet, and I can hardly breathe.
I try to kick it and I scream.
I hear muffled voices. The spiders. They can talk.
I feel one spider leg prodding me with its leg I assume.
I then hear commotion. I hear rocks being thrown, lots of thumping on the ground; that tells me I'm dangling from a tree; and I hear..singing?
I put my ear to the side of the web I'm inside of and listen to someone climbing the tree and wriggling along the branch.
I see a sword slice through and I shriek.
"Ah! Reagan! It's alright, its safe!" Bilbo says releasing me. I emerge from the web and fall onto the ground. Other dwarves were out too jumping around because of all of the webs on them.
"You think this is funny!" I yell up to Bilbo who is laughing at us.
When we all got alright again, lots of spiders are goggling at us.
"This is WAR!" Megan yells. Some dwarves had knives, some with sticks, and rocks. My friends and I had rocks. Bilbo has his newly named sword, Sting.
We all killed and injured spiders. They are so huge!
The spiders then began to weave us all again in their webs from tree to tree. Bilbo looks at me sadly.
"I am going to disappear." Bilbo starts saying. Is he telling us all about the ring?
"I shall draw the spiders off, if I can; and you must keep together and make in the opposite direction."
Balin, who grasped Bilbo's plan better than the rest, huddled us all and we all through stones at the spiders like rain.
"Go on! Go on! I'll do the stinging!" Bilbo says. He started fighting the spiders that soon became tired and they crawled off disappearing into the dark. Bilbo is still invisible.
We all turn our heads looking for him only to hear something coming our way. The dwarves who have sticks and rocks raise them.
A person slides in coming to a stand with his arrow notched on his bow aiming at Thorin's head.
"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf." An elf I recognize is Legolas.
I'm speechless. I know my friends are swooning on the inside.
Legolas' face remains unchanged. Without a doubt in my mind, I think he meant it.
All of us, including Thorin, remain silent.
Legolas still has his arrow notched and he starts to walk around us.
The dwarves move close together still with their weapons out and rose. I can tell they don't like him.
"What is a company of dwarves, a Halfling, and an elleth doing in these parts?" He asks us in the same tone. His eyes lose their intense look replaced with curiosity when he walks past Lauren. Now coming back in front of Thorin with his bow still raised, he has an intense look in his eyes, but it lessened.
"We are just passing through." Thorin answers gruffly.
Legolas looks at him, "You are Thorin. The King Under the Mountain."
Thorin doesn't react.
"Yes. He is Thorin Oakenshield." An elleth walks up behind Legolas. She has bright fiery red hair and she has a dagger in each hand.
"The King knows of their existence in our wood. We must bring them forth to the Elvenking." She says with a serious look in her green eyes.
All of the dwarves frown and look angry. Thorin looks peeved.
"We never meant to come this way." Balin says.
"Well you are here now. And the Elvenking wants to speak with you. You are coming with us whether you like it or not." Legolas says powerfully. He is very different now. Well this is like 60 years before the fellowship, so that makes sense I guess.
Before the dwarves could argue Thorin speaks, "So be it."
"Start walking." Legolas hisses. Thorin starts walking into the direction Legolas motioned to.
We all walk in a single file line with Tauriel walking on the left side of us with Legolas a few feet behind her.
Legolas eventually put away his bow and arrow.
And Bilbo is still nowhere to be seen.
A/N: Sorry I couldn't fit Thranduil into this chapter. Next chapter will be up hopefully soon! Hope you like it, please review! :)