Authors Note: After this chapter we're off into uncharted territories with little to no guidance from Peter Jackson… only the book and my imagination. It will be interesting after the second movie is released to see if there are any parallels to this story and what ends up on screen. Thanks for reading and please review!
-O-
Chapter 35 – Saving Thorin
Eliana
When she saw Thorin's limp body in the jaws of the white Warg she knew what she must do. She sent Laurwyn off to help the dwarves in the tree, she knew that's where Fili and Kili would probably be. Bilbo was the only one nearby, his small blue sword was glowing bright as it shook in his hand, he raised it at an orc that was about to attack him. She drew her bow and fired at the orc that was raising his sword at Bilbo, her next shot went to the white Warg that held Thorin in its jaws. The orc fell dead at Bilbo's feet with an arrow piercing its chest. The Warg reared in pain as the arrow struck its jaw, it immediately dropped Thorin to the ground. She ran up behind Bilbo and grabbed his shoulder causing the startled hobbit to turn and thrust his blade at Eli.
"Bilbo it's me!" she cried pulling back her hood she dodged out of the way of his swing. The hobbit's eyes widened when he saw her and he lowered his blade.
"Eli! I'm so sorry! How did you get here?" he asked. Eli shook her head as she watched the pale orc try to control the white Warg as it thrashed about in pain.
"No time… go quickly! Go back to the tree!" she said as pushed him back towards the cliff. "Help the dwarves… I'll get Thorin," she said briskly as she pulled back her bow. Bilbo didn't move, he stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Trust me Bilbo… go!" she yelled harshly. Bilbo startled and started to back away before turning and running through the small path between the burning trees. Eli let loose three more arrows at the other riders. She rushed forward to where Thorin lay, she reached down and pressed her fingers onto his neck… Eli let out a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. The pale orc reached forward and ripped the arrow out of the jaw of the white Warg, the animal yelped loudly in pain. She quickly grabbed the last handful of arrows from her quiver and started firing off shots at the Wargs. The pale orc screamed in anger as one by one his forces around him died. His pale blue eyes focused on her…Azog spurred his Warg to attack her. Eli quickly moved away from Thorin, she didn't want the Warg to trample him, she swiftly sprinted away to a small area next to the burning trees. The Warg gave chase, biting and snapping at Eli as she ran. She used the rocky terrain to her advantage by leaping off stones and limbs making the chase difficult for the Warg. Eli swung her bow over her head and arm then drew her blades as she ran with the Warg right behind her. A large fallen log was a few paces in front of her, she ran and jumped over the log. When she landed she dropped to her knees and brought her swords up just as the Warg jumped over the log. The sharp blades sliced open the entire underbelly of the Warg spilling its intestines on the rocky ground before her. The beasts stumbled and fell throwing the pale orc to the ground in a heap. Eli quickly got to her feet and backed away as she watched Azog stand, she glanced over at Thorin… he laid there unconscious, she could see the blood pooling near his side. She cursed under her breath as the massive orc drew his mace and turned towards her.
"I know who you are little she-elf… Gaz Matum, the little death," the pale orc laughed insidiously. "You are even a greater prize than the dwarf king…" Azog said with a wicked grin. He smelled the air and his eyes narrowed. "You hide your scent… clever she-elf, no wonder you were not captured before." The orc raised his mace and puffed up his chest in an attempt to intimidate her… he started to circle her. Eli watched him as he walked around her, she pivoted slightly waiting for the strike she knew was coming. "Surrender to me and I will be gentle…" he sneered. "The Goblin King is dead… I will claim his lands and reign over all of the Misty Mountains!" he bellowed raising his arms wide and gesturing at the mountainside. "You will be my little queen!" Azog laughed as he leered at her. Eli felt a wave of disgust shoot through her, just being in the presence of this orc nauseated her.
"I would rather throw myself off the cliff…" Eli spat, she gripped her blades tighter. She reminded herself this was an orc, just like the hundreds of orcs she's killed before… it was just bigger, stronger and maybe more skilled but still just an orc. Through narrowed eyes she sized up her opponent, the thick knots of muscle were going to make a kill difficult… she had no desire to get close enough to the fiend to thrust her blades deep enough. The orc was big so he would be slower than her… a plan started to take shape in her mind.
"You cannot hope to defeat me little she-elf… I would rather not damage you much so I can enjoy you longer…" he said with a vile grin. Eli's elven ears could hear more Wargs in the distance, she knew that she had to finish this quickly… she was out of arrows… Eli regretting giving Laurwyn extra arrows at this point, there would be no way to fight a fresh batch of Wargs. Another sound made her almost turn her eyes away from the orc… it was the sound of wings flapping in the air… too loud to be a normal bird, there was only one explanation… eagles! The wizard must have called them… there was hope. Eli decided to goad the beast into attacking her… she knew she couldn't kill him easily but she could hurt the orc. If she made him angry then he would overextend giving her the advantage… she took an almost casual stance and a seemingly relaxed pose. Her name on the wind suddenly made it very difficult to keep her focus on the orc… it sounded like Fili's voice, she had to force herself to not turn. She listened but did not hear anything else…
"I have killed hundreds if not thousands of your kind orc… you are no more remarkable than any other that have fallen to my bow or blades," she said confidently as she appeared to let her guard down some.
"Oh little she-elf you will learn that I am quite remarkable," Azog said as sneered at her, his eyes full of hunger. Eli snorted.
"Oh I very much doubt that orc," she said disdainfully. "You may be bigger and have pale skin but you are still as worthless as any other slave of Sauron," she said her voice full of hate. She could see her words starting to affect the orc.
"I am no slave she-elf," Azog snapped, he thrust his mace towards her in anger. "I rule over these mountains now!" Eli rolled her eyes at the beast forcing herself to stay calm as she purposely riled the massive orc.
"A slave as well as a fool… when Sauron calls you will go crawling to your master like the filthy dog you are," she said with a bitter laugh. "You will never know freedom orc… you will just be allowed to play a king by your master… well until he tires of you, then you will just be Azog the Discarded." Azog roared in rage as he swung his mace at Eli, she easily dodged the blow and sliced a long gash down the orc's arm before moving out of his range. Azog quickly recovered and came at her swinging his mace wildly, Eli knew if she took one hit from that mace it would be over. She could hear the Wargs getting closer, she dared not look at what the eagles were doing… one moment of distraction would be her undoing. Azog grew frustrated at his inability to hit her, his rage made him vulnerable and Eli used that to her advantage. After only a few moments of combat she managed to land several strikes… each leaving long cuts on the massive orc, black blood trailed down its white chest. The pale orc glared at her as he ran his finger through the blood that trailed down his massive chest. Azog brought his finger up and licked his blood, he smiled wickedly as he glanced over at Thorin who was laying on the ground nearby.
"You may be too quick for me to hit… but the dwarf is not," Azog said as he started to walk towards the fallen dwarf. Eli quickly pursued the orc, she couldn't let him kill Thorin... the orc had found a weakness. She was almost on him when he turned exceptionally fast and swung, Eli dived down on the ground barely missing the blow that could have ended her life. She rolled into the beasts legs and brought her sword up and sliced open the back of Azog's thigh. The orc roared in pain as his knee buckled and he crashed down to the ground, Eli started to get to her feet but Azog grabbed ahold of her cloak. "I've got you now little she-elf," Azog growled as he yanked her backwards knocking her off her feet. The orc pounced… he landed on top of Eli and knocked the wind out of her. Everything happened so fast, before she caught her breath and was able to fight back Azog already had knocked her weapons out of her hands. Eli was in a total state of panic as she fought back, kicking and punching all the while the pale orc laughed. Azog had her almost completely pinned to the ground, he smiled lewdly as he brought his hand down towards her face.
"No!" Eli screamed as she brought up her hand to knock his away. In that moment there was a blinding flash of green light and she felt the orc be pushed off of her by some unseen force. It knocked him back on the ground a couple feet away. Not wasting a second, Eli jumped to her feet, she grabbed her sword off the ground… she turned and slashed at the pale orc's neck. Azog grabbed his neck and cried out, it was a hollow gurgling sound as blood filled his throat. She heard the Wargs rushing down the hillside, they would be there in moments. Azog was trying to stand but the damage she done with her sword had rendered his leg useless for now. Still gasping for breath, Eli rushed to Thorin side and started to drag him away from the orc and towards the burning trees. The flapping of wings caused her to look up, an eagle hovered above her head, she waved to it and the giant bird started to descend. The eagle gently gathered Thorin in its talons, Eli quickly collected her weapons and grabbed ahold of Orcrist from the ground then she jumped up and grabbed ahold of the eagle's leg. Eli pulled herself up and squatted on the giant bird's foot, Wargs filled the area… there was several goblin's among them, some started to assist the fallen Azog. She knew the orc would not die… her cut had not been deep enough. It almost had her… if it wasn't for that flash of green light that had knocked him off of her she would be dead or worse. She was having a difficult time breathing still and her heart was racing. Eli checked Thorin's pulse again with trembling hands as the eagle lifted them high in the air and far from the chaos below. It was weaker, she had to do something. She stood up and told the eagle that she needed to tend the dwarf's wounds, the bird nodded its head and flew towards another eagle. It took a moment as the birds lined themselves up, then the eagle gently lowered Thorin down on the other eagle's back. Eli thanked the giant bird and jumped down next to the fallen king.
She quickly pulled open his coat and unbuckled his shredded armor, the Warg teeth had left the chest piece completely useless. She tossed it off the side of the eagle and continued to pull open his bloodied shirt below, he had several deep gashes from the Warg teeth and a large area that was bruised on his chest. Taking care of Thorin helped calm her mind that was still on edge, remembering the smell of the orc and feeling of its disgusting hands on her was causing the terror she had felt to keep resurfacing. Eli pulled her healer pack off her shoulder and grabbed two vials from within and a small box metal box… she forced herself to focus at the task at hand. When she looked back she found Thorin staring at her, he reached his hand up and caressed her cheek.
"So beautiful…" he murmured softly. Eli reached up and removed his hand from her cheek, she noticed his glazed over eyes and brought his hand back down to his side. She almost laughed at the situation and noted she needed to check his head for injuries. Thorin had always disliked her, to have him call her beautiful was almost comical. At least it was a distraction from her troubled thoughts.
"Thorin… I need you to drink this," she said as she bent down, she braced her arm behind his head and lifted him up slightly so he could drink. Eli placed the vial at his lips, Thorin grasped her hand holding it tight as he drank… his eyes never left her face as he swallowed the liquid. It unnerved Eli to have him look at her like that, once he was done she gently pulled her hand from his and proceeded to check his head for obvious wounds. After finding none, she went back to tending the wounds on his chest and stomach. With her mind focused she felt her heart slow and her breathing calmed, she forced herself to not think of the orc… they escaped, it was done. She carefully cleaned each of his bleeding gashes and poured the binding fluid on the deepest wounds. Thorin cried out in pain as the liquid started to fizz and foam in the wounds. Eli held his hand and laid a comforting hand on his brow in attempt to calm him… she didn't want him thrashing about while they were hundreds of feet above the ground. He reached up and touched her face again… his gently ran his fingers down the side of her face, Eli sighed and pulled his hand from her face. He must be in shock and hallucinating, she thought as she laid his hand at his side. The binding fluid had worked well, no blood was draining from any of the wound. She glanced up and saw that they were heading north-east… the other eagles were way ahead of them, her and Thorin must have been the last ones the eagles saved. The sun had started to rise, her elven eyes searched the backs of the eagles until she found Fili, relief and happiness filled her at just seeing him in the distance. It was odd, she just knew he was ok… perhaps it had something to do with the bond they shared. When she glanced back down she saw that Thorin had passed out, she was relieved for that too. It made her feel uncomfortable for him to touch her so intimately. She knew he was not himself but still it bothered her.
Eli sat down next do Thorin and pulled a roll of bandages from her bag. She opened the little metal box and wiped the pine tar mixture around the wounds with her finger. Using her dagger she cut the bandages and placed them over the cuts, covering and protecting them for now… later she would wrap the wounds properly. When she was done Eli pulled his coat back together and checked his pulse, it was stronger than earlier. Relieved Eli sat back and tried to relax, something she hasn't been able to do for almost a week. Her mind started to go over the events in the past day and her fight with the pale orc, the fear started to come back… she had underestimated the orc and overestimated her own skills. A near fatal mistake that she was not going to make again… she had too much to live for.
It had been a few hundred years since she's traveled on the back of an eagle, it was a rare treat to see the world from this perspective. Judging from the direction that they were flying she surmised that they were being taken to Eyrie, the home of the Great Eagles where Gwaihir ruled. Eli hoped the Lord of the Eagles would let them stay for a few days… Thorin would need to rest before he was ready to travel again. Although it wasn't something she liked to admit, she needed time as well… everything that had happened was just too much. There were caves in the high mountains next to Eyrie that they could use, the elves had used them in the past when they were working with the eagles in the Second Age. Elrohir once told her about them, she hoped they were still useable.
She glanced over at Thorin as he slept, he looked so peaceful… seeing him like this reminded her of a time when Thorin was young. He was so idealistic and determined then… she remembered that time fondly. It was before he changed… before the very sight of her drew his anger. For a few months back then they had been friends, she use to enjoy the conversations they would have late into the night over a pot of spiced tea. The conversations suddenly turned into arguments… then soon even the arguments stopped, angry silence followed. Eli never understood what had happened… what she did or didn't do that caused him to hate her. It has always bothered her when Thorin had turned against her… it hurt, she had considered him a close friend. She had even thought at one time it could have been more… maybe that is why it hurt so much. Eli was glad things worked out as they did though because now she had her Fili and soon she would be in his arms again… she desperately needed the comfort of his embrace. Her heart filled with joy just thinking about it, she couldn't stand being away from him… these past six days have been painful for her. She needed her husband and she was not going to let Thorin or anyone else separate them again.
The eagles in the distance changed course and started to glide lower in the sky, she knew that Eyrie must be close. She checked Thorin's pulse again and then sat back and anxiously waited. One by one she saw the eagles land on the faraway plateau. She watched the giant birds deposit their passengers and then fly up into the intricate network of nests on the rocky ledges above. Eli held on to Thorin as the eagle dived down towards the plateau then hovered in the air above it as the dwarves moved out of the way. The great bird landed softly, it bent down so it was lower to the ground. Gandalf rushed forward, with Eli's help he gently lowered Thorin to the ground. The old wizard gave her an expectant look.
"He'll live… he will need to rest for a few days," she said as her eyes scanned the crowd of dwarves until they met the pair of clear blue eyes she has longed to see.
"I'll see if I can wake him and hasten his healing," Gandalf said, Eli barely heard him as she started to push past the others until she reached Fili. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, he hugged her back just as fiercely… his strong arms pulled her so close that he lifted her off the ground.
"I had to follow… I couldn't stay… I had to come… forgive me," she sobbed as she clung to him, her throat quickly becoming raw with each broken gasp.
"Shh my love, there is nothing to forgive. You have no idea how happy I am that you didn't stay," he murmured into her hair as he held her. Fili pulled away to look at her, he brought his hand up and lovingly cupped her cheek. Eli tried to calm her breath as she gazed into his eyes… it was a struggle to control her emotions. She was still so distraught over the encounter with the pale orc that every nerve she had was frayed and raw. When he bent down and captured her lips with his it was like a wave of warm water washed away everything that had been troubling her. Eli's fingers quickly became tangled in his golden mane as the kiss deepened into one full of desperation and passion. She didn't care that there was others around, she needed this… she needed her husband. Fili was her true love and bonded… her center, she just wanted a few moments to be lost in his kiss. When he pulled away they were both short of breath, he rested his forehead on hers. "I've missed you…" he breathed before capturing her lips again. "I love you…" he said as his lips brushed against hers. She felt her heart swell and rejoice at his words.
"I love you too," she whispered. "Being apart is too painful… I cannot do it again," she said softly before kissing him fiercely… it was many moments before they pulled away. Eli looked up and for the first time really noticing the deep bruise on his cheek and the dried blood on the side of his face. He had been hurt… her fingers gently traced the outline of the bruise. Her worried eyes shifted to clump of bloody matted hair, Fili reached up and gently grasped her face between his hands. "I am all right… just a little banged up," he said trying to reassure her. Eli's eyes started to burn with tears again as she thought of everything that happened and how close both of them had been to death. Fili leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "I was so worried about you…" he murmured. "I saw you… on the other side of the fire before the eagle took me. I saw the orc…" Eli leaned up and kissed him, she didn't want to think or talk about the orc… not now. After a few moments she pulled away and caressed his cheek before resting her head on his chest with a contented sigh, her arms wrapped tightly around his chest.
"Eliana…" a deep angry voice said, Eli knew that voice. She looked up at Thorin who was standing near Gandalf with Dwalin's help. Fili's arms tightened around her, Eli started to pull away reluctantly… she gave her husband a reassuring look and a brief kiss before pulling away completely to see what Thorin wanted. She wiped the tears off her cheeks before walking towards the dwarf king.
"Thorin…" she said evenly as Thorin limped towards her.
"Why?" he asked gruffly, Eli gave him a confused look. "I saw you fight Azog... why would you do that? I have not been kind to you… I've tried to keep you away from my family, this quest. I have said horrible things to you…" he said as he stepped closer. "Why did you not just leave me to my fate? Why did you risk yourself? Why?" he nearly yelled. Eli flinched then glared up at Thorin.
"Why? How can you even ask me that question?" she said angrily. "No, you have not been kind to me… not since Erebor… but there was a brief time that I called you my friend before you loathed the very sight of me. You may have forgotten but I have not… I still care. Dis, Frerin and you were the closest I've ever had to having a family… the Kings of Erebor were always kind to me but your family made me feel like I truly belonged." Tears were streaming down her face as she looked up into his guarded eyes. "How could I leave you there to be a plaything of that monster? Do you really think that low of me?" Thorin stepped closer and grabbed her arms, she looked down at his hands startled that he would touch her.
"I saw him take you down before I blacked out again! I thought…" his voice broke. "Do you know what would have happened to you?" he said, his voice was raw… his stony façade cracked and broken. He pulled her into a tight embrace shocking Eli, she just froze unsure what to do. "I'm so sorry... please forgive me, you never deserved my ire. I was such a fool…" Eli never thought she would ever hear Thorin say any of those words to her. She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes as she returned his embrace. "Thank you…" he murmured after a few moments, he kissed her cheek before pulling away. Eli was flabbergasted, she stood there searching for words. She reached up and cupped his cheek and smiled at him.
"There is nothing to forgive… we are family now," she said as gestured to Fili who stood with his brother and Laurwyn nearby, her smile lessened slightly when she saw her husband's frown. Eli pulled her hand away from Thorin's cheek suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. "Bilbo deserves your gratitude as well… if he would not have delayed them you may not have been there when I arrived," she said as she smiled at Bilbo. Thorin looked surprised, he took a couple pained steps to the hobbit. Bilbo looked away bashfully, Eli could tell that he didn't feel he deserved praise for what he had done.
"You delayed them?" Thorin asked. Bilbo nodded.
"Everyone else was tangled in the tree or too far away… so I tried to help. It was nothing really," he said, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Thorin gave him a genuine smile and pulled him into a quick embrace.
"I underestimated your worth Master Baggins… thank you," he said with a chuckle as he pulled away. He patted Bilbo on the back and turned to say something when he winced in pain. Eli rushed up and started to check the bandages… there was one that was bleeding, she cursed under her breath.
"You should not be on your feet… you'll tear open the rest," she scolded. Eli glanced at Gandalf, "Where is Lord Gwaihir? There should be an elven way station near here that we can use…" Gandalf walked over to her and pulled a key from his pocket and smiled. Eli rolled her eyes, "I should have known… lead the way." Gandalf waved them over to stairs leading up the mountainside towards the nests. Eli called Dwalin and Bofur over to help Thorin, once he was situated she sought out her husband. He had moved to the far side of the plateau and was looking off the cliff and down to the valley below. She walked up and wrapped her arm around his, she could feel that he was tense. "Fili?" she asked softly. He continued to stare at valley.
"Is what my uncle said true? Did Azog almost capture you?" he said, his voice was raw. Eli reach up and cupped his cheek and turned his face to hers.
"I got away… do not focus on what could have happened," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. For a moment she thought about telling him about the green flash that knocked the orc off of her… but she wanted to talk to the wizard about it first. Maybe he could tell her what it was because she did not know… not in her thirteen hundred years has she seen anything like that. Fili brought his arms around her and hugged her tight.
"I can't help it… What if it had happened? I wouldn't be able to find you… the beast would…" Eli placed her finger on his lips interrupting him.
"And I could have run down the mountainside and found nothing… the goblins would have killed in the tunnels you before I could have gotten to you," she said as she shook her head. "Or you could have been in that tree when it tumbled off the mountain… You can't think like that or you'll drive yourself mad." Eli brought her hand up and caressed his cheek before leaning in and kissing him tenderly. She broke the kiss and gazed into his clear blue eyes. "No 'what ifs'… just what is right now," Eli said as she kissed him. "And our future…" she kissed him again. After a few moments Fili pulled away and rested his head on hers.
"Have you felt anything yet?" he asked as he gently rested a hand on her lower stomach. She couldn't help but feel her heart flutter when he did that. Eli reached her hand down to cover his and shook her head.
"No… not yet but soon… you will know as soon as I do," she said softly before she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. They stood there in each other's arms for several minutes until Ori interrupted them.
"Lady Eliana… Balin told me to fetch you… Thorin is bleeding worse," he called from the stairs. Eli cursed under her breath causing Fili to smirk and raise an eyebrow at his wife.
"Ok Ori, tell Balin I'll be right there…" she replied. Eli looked up at her husband and sighed. "I should give him sleeping draught or he's going to reopen his wounds…" she muttered. "I best tend to you as well," she said as she checked his head with a critical eye.
"I'm fine," he said dismissively. Eli gave him a rather pointed look. "Well I'm fine enough… tend to my uncle and the others first. Make sure you check to see if my uncle took a knock to the head… after how he was acting earlier I wouldn't be surprised," Fili said sardonically. Eli laughed, she grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him towards the stairs.
ooOoo