Hey guys! I'm back with this story! Hope you all enjoy!
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Guest Palacegirl girl – Here the next chapter for you, I hope you enjoy xx
Chapter 32
In Laketown, Bofur runs through Laketown, trying to find Kingsfoil. He smells some flowers on a windowsill and rejects them.
"Na."
As he continues running about, he doesn't notice Bolg and other orcs spying on him from a rooftop.
An orc looks to Bolg. "Khozd!"
Bolg growls softly. Bofur finds a pig eating some weeds; he yanks it out of the pig's mouth and examines it, then smiles and turns to get back to Kili. Bolg and his Orcs follow on the rooftops.
At Bard's house, long after Bain returned without Bard, Sigrid leans over the balcony outside the front door, looking for her father. She hears a noise and calls out.
"Da? Is that you, Da?"
She looks around for Bard but doesn't look up and see Orcs creeping on the roofs of the neighboring houses. Inside, Oin hears a noise on the roof and looks up. As Sigrid turns to walk back inside, an Orc drops on the balcony behind her. She screams and slams the door, but the Orc stops it with his sword. Hearing the screams, Bain, Tilda, and the dwarves jump up.
As Bofur hurries toward Bard's house, an Orcs leaps at him from above. As the Orc swings its axe, Bofur falls backward and drops the Kingsfoil.
At the house, another door opens and an Orc strides inside. Oin throws a stack of plates at its head, but another Orc breaks through the roof and falls into the house. The first orc at the door swings at Sigrid, at she falls backward onto the table benches. She slides under the table and pulls the bench sideways next to her as a shield. Fili grapples with an Orc. As another orc falls in through the roof, Tilda throws a plate at it, then Sigrid pulls her under the table as well.
"Get down!"
An orc threatens Bain, and Bain pushes the bench at it, knocking it over. Bain then grabs the end of the bench and throws it up, hitting the Orc in the head. More orcs jump in through the roof, and one approaches Kili, who is lying in bed.
Bofur tries to crawl away, but the Orc grabs him by the legs and pulls him back, then throws him onto a table which tips and causes Bofur to roll away. The orc raises its sword to cut Bofur down, but is suddenly skewered by an arrow through its chest. It falls over dead.
Having finally reached Lake Town, we look around for the orcs, but then hear the sound of a girl screaming. The three of us immediately run in the direction of the screams which continue, along with growls and shouts of the orcs. Coming to a house, we split up; Tauriel going up the stairs at the front, Legolas onto the roof and jumping into the hole, while I run in the back and look to see three children, Fili, Kili and Oin along with the attacking orcs. Seeing orcs heading for Oin, who is protecting the children, I immediately take out my blades and swing at them, killing them instantly.
Legolas, Tauriel and I continue to take out the orcs within the confined space of the house. Hearing Kili screaming in pain, I turn to see an orc dragging him by his wounded leg. As I'm about to deal with it, Tauriel throws her knife, it plunging into the orc's throat/
As an Orc runs at them, Fili grabs the boy and forces him down.
"Get down!"
I swing a blade above Fili's head and kill it, Tauriel going to kill another that's heading towards me, Kili also stabbing it with the knife Tauriel threw, together killing the orc. But, Kili then falls over onto the floor, howling in pain, and Tauriel looks at him in worry.
With Legolas taking care of the last couple of orcs, I immediately run over to him, taking his hand and placing the other on his forehead, feeling him burning up, as I kneel beside him.
"Kili. . ."
My heart sinks seeing him so deathly white, his skin drenched with sweat and his breathing laboured. He opens his eyes to look at me, I almost break down at seeing the pain in them.
"C-Caladwen?"
I smile as I squeeze his hand in comfort. "I'm here, everything will be alright now."
He takes in another staggered breath and cries out again.
"You killed them all." I hear the boy say.
"There are others. Caladwen, Tauriel, come."
Legolas strides toward the door. Tauriel, who had been standing by me, looks up. I just keep my gaze on Kili as Oin and Fili drop by us, Oin examining him.
"We're losing him!"
I turn to the healer. "Have you got any Atheleas?" at his confusion, I change the word, "Kingsfoil?"
"Bofur left to get some, he should have been back hours ago!" Fili says from next to me.
At hearing his despair, I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Caladwen. Tauriel."
Looking to the door, I see Legolas standing there, catching my eyes we look at each other for a moment. This is the time where I have to make a choice; family or dwarves? Though, at hearing Kili moaning in pain, I know there is no choice, not for me. I love my brother, with all my heart and soul, but I can't leave Kili, not now. I just shake my head as I look back to Kili, placing a hand on his cheek and making soothing noises to try to calm him. I hear Legolas leave after a few moments of feeling his gaze on me.
Hearing Tauriel walking to the door, I look up to see her pause as Kili again moans in pain. I can see the indecision on her face. To follow her orders or follow her heart. I know she's starting to have some feelings towards the young dwarf, I saw it when they were talking with each other in the dungeons that time. They may have only just met a few days ago, but I know their love can be just as strong as what mine and Thorin's is. I knew I loved him from the moment I laid eyes on him.
I tense as I see her looking to the stairs, reaching for her knives, but she relaxes as she reaches out for something.
"Athelas." I hear her breathe, sending relief flooding through me, especially as I see the plant in her hands. Bofur's returned. "Athelas. . ."
"What are you doing?" I hear Bofur ask.
"I'm going to save him."
In the mountain, Thorin has decided to go for Bilbo after all. He charges with his sword out through the tunnels, and stops as flames light up the walls of the tunnel. He runs out onto the same overhang Bilbo had earlier reached, then stops abruptly when he sees the mountain of treasure all around him. He breathes heavily, looking over his father's treasure with shock and relief, he is here, he is home. Just then, Bilbo runs up to him.
"You're alive!" Thorin exclaims in relief.
"Not for much longer!"
"Did you find the Arkenstone?"
"The dragon's coming!"
"The Arkenstone!"
They are both standing at the entrance to the tunnel, but Thorin is blocking Bilbo's way. They pause and look at each other for several seconds, then Thorin speaks again, more quietly.
"Did you find it?"
They stare at each other for several seconds, panting heavily.
"No. We have to get out."
Bilbo tries to enter the tunnel, but Thorin swings his sword across it, blocking the entrance. He presses the blade against Bilbo, and Bilbo stumbles back, the sword still touching him. Bilbo and Thorin face each other, with the tip of Thorin's sword against Bilbo's chest.
"Thorin. Thorin!"
Thorin steps forward, forcing Bilbo to step back. Bilbo's eyes are open in fear, and Thorin's face is steel and blank of emotion. Suddenly, Bilbo looks off to the side, Thorin tilts his head in confusion and then hears a sound in the direction the hobbit is looking. His blood turning cold, he turns and sees Smaug approaching over the mountain of treasure. Smaug, recognizing Thorin, snarls. Suddenly, the remaining dwarves run out of the tunnel and face Smaug, their weapons out. Smaug roars and rushes at them; his chest and neck glow orange.
"You will burn!"
Just as Smaug bellows fire at them, the dwarves and Bilbo turn and jump off the staircase. They tumble down the pile of treasure and land near the entrance to another tunnel, which they run into.
"Come on, Bilbo!" Dori calls out.
Angrily, Smaug breathes fire in all directions. Thorin, the last one in the door, is pushed in by the force of the flames. He runs into the room at the other end of the tunnel with the back of his coat on fire, and he throws himself on the ground and rolls to extinguish the flames. He jumps back up.
"Come on."
With Smaug roaring in the background, they run.
At Bard's house, Tauriel washes and tears apart the Kingsfoil in a tub of water held by Tilda. I quickly get the table set up right, turning to Fili, Bofur and Oin.
"Get him on the table." I order as I place a cushion down for his head.
The three of them do so, picking up a moaning and thrashing Kili and laying him on the table and try to hold him down.
"Hold him down."
Tauriel approaches with the bowl of water and examines Kili's wound. I look over from where I'm standing across from her and see how black and festered it is, she and I look to each other in worry. I nod to her as I turn to Fili and Bofur, who are standing at his head on either side, while she's preparing a bit of the mixture in her hands.
"You two, get ready to pin him, he's going to thrash and do everything he can to throw you off, don't let him."
They both nod as they hold his shoulders down. I ask Sigrid to come help, holding down Kili's good leg while I hold him down by both of his shins, Oin standing beside me. We look on as Tauriel closes her eyes and begins chanting in Elvish while she kneads the soaked Kingsfoil in her hand, then presses it to Kili's wound.
"Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth."
As I predicted, Kili screams and thrashes out in pain, causing the four of us to hold him down as best as we can.
"Tilda!" Sigrid calls out.
The young girl, who was standing at the side, holding her doll and looking ready to cry, instantly runs over at her sister's call, helping to keep his good leg down, allowing me to hold the shin and ankle of his bad leg down so he doesn't kick Tauriel while she's trying to work.
Tauriel continues chanting; Fili looks at her strangely, and Oin listens in amazement through his fairly dented hearing trumpet. Kili begins calming down. Looking up at him, I see him staring at her, glassy-eyed. If I didn't know about their feelings before, I certainly do now, as I watch them just looking at each other.
In Erebor, everything is quiet and dark. There is no sign of either the dragon or the dwarves. Suddenly, there are footsteps. The dwarves emerge out of a tunnel and approach a stone bridge over a chasm. Thorin raises his hand and quiets the group.
Thorin holds his hand out. "Shh. Shh."
"Quiet." Dori mutters.
They near the foot of the bridge and Thorin peers around the edge of the tunnel, looking for any sign of Smaug. They all whisper.
"We've given him the slip." Dori says.
Dwalin shakes his head. "No, he's too cunning for that."
"So where to now?" Bilbo asks as he looks to Thorin.
"The western guardroom. There may be a way out."
Balin turns to him. "It's too high. There's no chance that way."
"It's our only chance. We have to try."
Quietly, they tiptoe across the bridge, looking all about. Suddenly, a coin falls to the floor right in front of Bilbo and rings loudly. They all freeze and look at Bilbo, who frantically checks his jacket to see if some coin had been stuck in a fold. Hearing another coin fall, they look up and see Smaug crawling just above them, looking for them. He hasn't seen them. The coins that fell came from his chest and arms, where several coins and gems have embedded themselves after years of him sleeping on them. Thorin motions for them to keep moving.
Having finished with the wound, Tauriel binds Kili's leg with a clean cloth. Kili still lies on the table. I walk over to Oin and Fili are in the kitchen, watching a pot of water boil.
"I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was a privilege to witness."
I grin at Oin as he says this, tuning out Kili's and Tauriel's conversation. "I thought you didn't like anything about elves?"
He shrugs, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. "Just because I don't like elves, apart from you and now her, doesn't mean I don't appreciate their healing methods. I am a healer after all."
I smile and I pat his shoulder as I turn to Fili. "What about you? Are you alright?"
He nods. "I'm fine. I'm glad you came when you did, any longer and. . ."
Seeing his face drop, I reach out and pull him close to me, allowing him to hold me tight.
"Hey, it's alright, he's safe now. He'll heal just fine."
"Do you think she could have loved me?"
I look up at hearing Kili say this. I knew Tauriel had begun to develop feeling for him, but I wasn't so sure about him. But to hear this, I truly think that maybe they could end up being together. I don't know what Thorin would say about this, but he couldn't say much as he is currently engaged to an elf himself.
Looking to Tauriel, I see her just looking at Kili in silence, opening her mouth as if to say something, but she can't speak.
In Erebor, the Company runs through a hall and emerge in the western guardroom.
"Stay close."
They all stop abruptly when they see that the guardroom is full of rotted, dust- and cobweb-covered corpses. A pile of dwarrows, dams and children.
Dwalin sighs. "That's it, then. There's no way out."
It seems like a landslide or something has blocked the exit, trapping the dwarves in the past in the room to die.
Balin steps forward, looking sadly at the bodies. "The last of our kin. They must have come here, hoping beyond hope. We could try to reach the Mines. We might last a few days."
Thorin steps forward. "No. I will not die like this. Cowering, clawing for breath." He looks over his fallen kin, his throat sticking with emotion as he holds back his tears, wanting to mourn for those they had lost, but knowing now isn't the time. He turns to the others. "We make for the forges."
Dwalin shakes his head. "He'll see us, sure as death."
"Not if we split up."
Balin steps up to him. "Thorin, we'll never make it."
"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together."
There we have it. Caladwen has found her way back to her dwarves and won't be leaving again. I hope you enjoyed this one and will see you again in the next xx
Translations;
Khozd! - Dwarves!
Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth. - May the blessing that was given to me be sent from me to him, may he be released from death.