The next day I woke up in my bed and stretched, I got up and changed into another Elven dress which was shorter than last nights but I wore trousers with it as well with my boots. Heading out I opened the door and walked into two of the younger dwarves, Fili and Kili.
"Ahh, Raine, we were just coming to get you. We are all going to explore the grounds for a short time, would you like to join us?" Kili asked, I smiled and nodded,
"Definitely." I accepted their invitation and followed the brothers through the halls. It was nice to relax a bit and not have to worry about being attacked by Orcs or trolls.
I followed the brothers until we arrived outside, and I saw the other dwarves walking around the garden,
"What are you all doing?" I walked over to Balin who was sat watching the other dwarves fighting against each other in the garden.
"Just taking some time to relax, we are leaving Gandalf to talk to Elrond to try and get him to help us tonight" Balin rolled his eyes around his head thinking Elrond shouldn't have anything to do with this. I watched Dwalin start fighting against Fili, they were all skilled in combat. Some more than others so this was a good thing to do with each other every now and again. I looked up and saw Thorin at the side watching the two, he looked at me for a moment and then bowed his head slightly acknowledging my presence.
I did the same to him, but the moments later sensed something weird in the air. I looked to my right and frowned; I felt a familiar aura.
I walked away from Balin feeling confused, but I was also curious about this feeling I had. Little did I know that Elrond had been watching from a distance and was waiting for this with Gandalf. Thorin had noticed me leave and followed after me. I walked through the garden, he further in I got the denser the plants became.
"Raine..." I heard Thorin call, I did not reply, it was like I had been put in a trance, my body continued to move forward through the trees until an opening was found, in the centre was a stone monument on the floor. Four gems were positioned in the centre of the stone monument, I walked to them and knelt.
"Raine, what is this?" Thorin asked, he still did not get a reply from myself. I looked into the four coloured gems and frowned as I studied them. Inside the green gem was a tree on a cliff edge. The blue gem held a tidal wave. The red held a flame and the white shown a hurricane. I looked at my bracelets and sat on the floor.
"This is somehow linked to my past..." I spoke, Thorin moved closer and peered over my shoulder and looked at the gems. I looked up at Thorin and then slowly stood, "Why would the elves have this here?" I muttered until the gems started moving away from each other and outwards towards the edge of the monument. A plate of silver was shown underneath the gems which opened and lifted two weapons out. A sword and a bow. Both made from what looked to be silver, I knelt and looked at both weapons.
"They are yours my lady," I jumped up and looked at Elrond. Thorin was staring at him as well, "I was told that when you were almost ready to return home you would be able to find these weapons on your own. One is for yourself and the other is for your other half." Elrond explained,
"My other half?" I questioned, "What do you mean? Like lover? You said, 'almost ready to return home.' So who decides when I am fully ready?" I had so many questions as I looked back at the weapons in the ground. "Who am I?" I asked,
"You will find out. But there is more to your journey yet." Elrond explained as I turned and pulled both the bow and sword from their holsters.
"I'm not good with a sword." I explained as Elrond nodded,
"Your other half is." Elrond smiled, I was so confused, I put my hands to my face and took a deep breath.
I looked towards Thorin and tried to breathe deeply to remain calm. Nothing like this had ever happened to me, I had never been given another piece of my past or told what to do with it... I felt my head spin as I looked at the bow in my hand, it was well balanced, I would be able to hit my target with this. But as I looked to Thorin, his mouth opened slightly, and he looked worried as my body fell limp in his arms.
"What have you done?" Thorin snapped at Elrond,
"I've just helped Raine on her next steps to finding her true home. There is more to this story though, Thorin, you need to protect her. She's at risk now until she realises who she truly is. A man with white hair will come to her aid in the future. I don't know how soon. But he needs to be with her." Elrond spoke towards Thorin as he picked up my weak body, I was phasing in and out of my dreams.
I could feel Thorin carrying me through the garden as I was looking at the sky,
"Thorin..." I spoke quietly, he looked at me as my eyes opened and closed for a second. "Thank you... For catching me." I murmured and fell back into dreamland.
I woke up screaming in my bed later and put my hand to my forehead, I frowned in anger and felt even more confused than I had ever before. Pulling my knees to my chest the door opened suddenly and Kili ran in with Fili,
"Are you okay, Raine?" Kili asked and walked over to me, I nodded,
"Just a dream..." I replied and sighed, looking down at my bed sheets Kili sat on the edge of the bed and sighed,
"You seem to have a dream every night you sleep." Fili spoke, I looked at him in surprise, "At first we thought it was a one off but then we have been taking shifts watching you sleep. You seem to dream about the same thing every night. Saying names like Austen, Aulton and mentioning your mother and father." Fili had walked over to the bed and sat next to his brother as my eyes darted between the brothers,
"I can never remember my dreams." I moved to face them kneeling on my bed, "I know I dream but I always believe it is a nightmare." I explained,
"It seems to go from a pleasant dream to a nightmare." Kili nodded, "At the end you are always screaming out for your parents. There have been many times we have wanted to wake you from it but Gandalf has always stopped us. Saying we should not stop you from having these dreams." Kili explained, I looked at my hands and bawled them up into fists, tears had formed in my eyes. I wish I could remember these dreams...
"I wish I could remember their faces..." I muttered, "I cannot even remember my mother's voice, let alone her face." I looked up at the brothers, a tear escaped one of my eyes and as I looked towards the door, I saw Thorin standing there with Bilbo, they both walked in, and I quickly turned away and wiped my left cheek to hide my tear.
"What happened?" I asked and looked to Thorin,
"We know a way in." Thorin explained, "We'll talk more in the morning, come on boys. Let Raine sleep in peace." Thorin called for Fili and Kili to leave me be. Bilbo had noticed that my mood wasn't too great but decided to leave me to think alone, which I was grateful for.
I sat back and pulled my legs to my chest. I felt tired and fed up, I had my fill of sleep and decided to get up and walk the grounds for a while, pulling on some proper clothes I moved out of my room and down the corridor heading back to the gardens. I wanted to look at that monument in more detail, I walked relatively quick through the hallways and into the garden. Retracing my steps, I found my way back to the open area... But there was nothing there... No stone monument or gems on the floor. All that stood in the centre was a new black leather quiver with ten new arrows inside alongside a black leather sheath for the sword. I frowned in confusion touching the ground which had turned into grass. Where was the stone? Grass wouldn't have grown over this so quickly... Why had this happened... I picked up the quiver and sheath from the floor.
"What is going on?" I muttered looking at the clean design on each item.
I moved through the gardens and back to the main buildings, but I saw Gandalf and Elrond walking through together.
"Of course I was going to tell you. I was waiting for this very chance. And really, I think you can trust that I know what I am doing." Gandalf spoke,
"Do you? That dragon has slept for sixty years. What will happen if your plan should fail, if you wake that beast?" Elrond didn't seem so happy by his tone of voice.
"What if we succeed? If the dwarves take back the mountain, our defences in the east will be strengthened." Gandalf made a good point, but this mission was still very dangerous.
"It is a dangerous move, Gandalf." Elrond spoke as I heard their footsteps getting closer to passing me,
"It is also dangerous to do nothing. The throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright, what is it you fear?" Gandalf asked, I felt like there was more to this story.
"Have you forgotten? A strain of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall? Gandalf, these decisions do not rest with us alone. It is not up to you or me to redraw the map of Middle Earth." Elrond explained, I frowned in confusion, what was wrong with Thorin's family? What happened to his father and grandfather? I never really knew the story of why the dragon attacked the mountain...
I moved from the corner and started heading back to my room, I had heard enough for tonight and I will question the others about it another day. As I got to my room, I pulled the doors closed behind and returned to my bed, tomorrow would be a new day... And hopefully a lot easier.
I was shaking wake in what seemed to be the late hours of the morning, I looked around and saw Thorin above me as he peered over,
"Get ready, we are planning to leave soon." Thorin spoke, I sat up and rubbed my eyes,
"Did I oversleep?" I asked and looked out towards the window.
"Only by an hour, Balin thought it would be a good idea to let you rest for a bit longer after what happened yesterday." Thorin had started walking back to the door,
"Oh... Okay." I nodded as Thorin stopped by the door,
"Get ready quickly, we want to try and leave without being detected." Thorin spoke, I immediately jumped out of bed and got ready.
"I know a way through without being seen by the guards. I'll show you the best way out." I explained as I grabbed my top and trousers. I quickly got ready into my clothes which had been repaired by one of my friends here, they had put some elven armour on the side for myself also, I took that and wore it proudly. I threw the bow and quiver over my shoulders and tied the new sheath of the sword on my belt with the sword set inside.
Walking out the door I was met by Fili and Kili who smiled up at me.
"We are guessing you are ready then?" Fili asked with a smirk,
"As I'll ever be." I replied with a chuckle.
I followed the brothers to find the other dwarves hidden away with Bilbo,
"Alright, show us the way out." Thorin looked at me, he quickly noticed my new uniform as I turned and moved forward, I led the dwarves through hidden pathways and under bridges until we managed to get to the edge of Rivendell later that day.
We all started walking single file on the edge of the mountain, I was the last to follow the group, looking up I saw Bilbo looking back at Rivendell.
"Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on." Thorin called towards Balin who was in front of me,
"Aye." Balin spoke, I saw Bilbo's face the closer I got, and he seemed to miss the place already,
"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." Thorin called, I stopped by Bilbo and placed my hand on his shoulder, Bilbo looked up at me and nodded slowly with half a smile before heading back to the line and walking in front of myself.
We had travelled for many hours that day, along winding paths through the mountains near into the darkness, it felt like a very long day. I slowly picked up the pace and found myself besides Kili who started talking to me about the dwarves and how long they had travelled for. I found it all incredibly interesting until the storms hit us. The weather was fierce and strong, the wind blew against us, and thunder was heard in the distance. Lightning stuck the mountains also as we all walked through.
"Hold on!" Thorin yelled as a stone fell from above and cracked a part of the rock, I saw Dwalin pull Bilbo back in time, "We must find shelter!" Thorin called back, I couldn't agree more. This weather was getting worse by the second.
"Watch out!" Dwalin yelled and pointed up as we all saw a hug boulder hurtling through the air, the rock hit the mountain above us and rocks started falling down.
"This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!" Balin yelled as we all saw a huge figure made from stone stand in the distance, it pulled off a chunk from another mountain and held it above its head.
"Well bless me, the legends are true. Giants; Stone Giants!" Bofur yelled,
"Take cover: you'll fall!" Thorin called,
"What's happening?" Kili yelled, the original giant threw the boulder far in the air, but just then another giant appeared behind us all and the boulder hit the second giant's head. I felt Fili grab me back against the wall as we both held on. I took a deep breath and looked to my left as we felt the earth vibrate under our feet and the rocks began to part between the group.
"Kili! Grab my hand! Ki..." Fili called but it was too late, the group had been pulled apart and we were all holding on for our lives. I held onto Bilbo next to me as we were on a third stone giant. This was unlike anything I had ever seen, in all my years. I heard the legends but never believed they were true. I looked up and saw the first stone giant had come over and hit its own head against the one we were on, a second later I looked to my left and saw Thorin, Oin, Gloin and Kili make it safely to another part whereas we were thrown forwards, spun around and then as I looked straight ahead, we were going to smash right into the mountain.
I heard Thorin yell in the distances but as the stone giant fell forward, we all flew onto the pathway and landed heavily in a group. I was furthest away as Thorin and the others ran around,
"We're all right! We're alive!" Balin yelled, I stayed seated for a moment panting, in all my years... I never expected this to happen.
"Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?" Bofur yelled, I immediately looked up and saw that he wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"There!" Ori called, pointing at the cliff edge,
"Get him!" Dwalin yelled, I moved around to the edge of the group to see Bilbo hanging off, Ori dove down to save the hobbit, but Bilbo slipped and fell another few feet before he was grabbed by another dwarf. Bofur struggled to pull him up until Thorin jumped off the edge and helped Bilbo up the mountainside, my mouth dropped slightly at his actions. But then Thorin slipped and Dwalin managed to grab him in time as I half screamed in fear of losing him. Kili looked at me for a second as I let out a deep sigh of relief to see Thorin safely pulled up.
"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin smirked,
"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin!" Thorin walked through everyone and past myself, I frowned slightly and looked back at Bilbo to see him standing there looking hurt, I followed the dwarves, Thorin was right in a way... Bilbo had never been comfortable on this journey.
We luckily managed to find a cave later, it was cold and dark, but it would do after what we had all just been through. My hair was soaked through as I pulled it forward and squeezed out the water.
"It looks safe enough." Dwalin spoke,
"Search to the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied." Thorin spoke as I sat down for a second, Dwalin moved through with a lantern and searched the back,
"There's nothing here." Dwalin spoke, Gloin dropped a bundle of wood to the floor and started rubbing his hands together.
"Right then! Let's get a fire started." Gloin spoke with a smile,
"No, No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light." Thorin explained, as much as I wanted a fire, I knew that this would be a bad place to make one, easily draw attention to us else.
"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan." Balin explained,
"Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch." Thorin explained as I sighed. I really wanted to not lose Gandalf... He helped me through this so far.
Everyone else got settled inside the cave and found places to rest, I didn't want to sleep but I knew I needed to... I just hoped my dreams wouldn't wake people. If I really did talk in my sleep, I didn't want to disturb the others. I sighed as I lay on the floor. Though as I felt exhausted from the long day my eyes drifted off into the world of dreams.
I was waking up to shouting and people moving,
"Wake up. Wake up!" Thorin yelled as I opened my eyes and looked around, I saw Bilbo and Bofur by the entrance and Thorin was close to myself. But before I could react the ground opened below us and we all fell onto rockslides and started hurtling through caverns, we all landed heavily in a cage.
Groaning at the weight of the others on top of me I looked up and saw a horde of Goblins running towards us. We all tried to get up in time to fight the goblins, but we didn't have much luck. I was dragged forward by a goblin from the ground as it grabbed my hair. I moaned loudly feeling them yank my hair forward, but I felt someone kick the goblin off me, I looked up and saw Thorin had pushed the goblin off and Fili helped me from the ground quickly.
Note to self, after I get out of here, I need to tie my hair up again.
We were all pushed forward by the goblins though as we walked through music started playing as the goblins moved us forward. I was near the front of the group and looked back over my shoulder for a second to see if the others were still being kept behind me.
"Clap, snap, the black crack!
Grip, grab, pinch, and nab!
Batter and beat,
Make 'em stammer and squeak!
Pound, pound, far underground,
Down, down, down to Goblin town." We all heard a deep voice singing, though this didn't seem like a normal song.
"With a swish and smack,
And a whip and a crack.
Everybody talks when they're on my rack,
Pound, pound, far underground
Down, down, down in Goblin Town!" We were pulled onto a massive area in the centre of a huge cave where a massive goblin was dancing around, guessing he was the Goblin king. I had never seen anything so disgusting in my entire life.
"Hammer and tongs, get out your knockers and gongs.
You won't last long on the end of my prongs.
Clash, breach, crush and smish.
Bang, break, shiver and shake.
You can yammer and yelp,
But there ain't no help.
Pound, pound, far underground,
Down, down, down in Goblin Town." The Goblin King cheered as the song finished and the other Goblins cheered, he turned towards us and smirked with his ugly face, "What do you think? I came up with the melody myself." The Goblin King spoke, we all stayed silent for a moment until one of us spoke up.
"That is no song, that is an abomination!" Balin yelled, I sighed thinking that the dwarves were going to lead us to death if they continued to antagonise the Goblin King.
"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" The Goblin king looked over all of us as the smaller goblins started taking our armour and swords from us.
"Dwarves, Your Malevolence." A shorter goblin spoke,
"Dwarves?" The Goblin King was surprised,
"We found them on the front porch." the shorter one explained,
"Well, don't just stand there; search them! Every crack, every crevice." The Goblin King demanded, two goblins grabbed the sword and my bow and arrows from my side and threw them to the floor with everyone else's items.
"What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" The Goblin King yelled loudly, I felt Fili gently pull me behind him, Kili and near to Thorin, it seemed some of the dwarves wanted to keep me safe in the centre. But nobody responded to the Goblin Kings question. "Well then, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the woman I see them trying to hide." The Goblin King pointed at me; a few goblins started trying to push through but Thorin moved in front of me immediately.
"Wait." Thorin called as he moved forward,
"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain." The Goblin King mocked and bowed, "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg." The Goblin King spoke sarcastically throughout, I really wanted to chop his head off. But as I realised what he said at the end some of the others picked up on it too.
"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago." Thorin explained,
"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The Goblin King laughed and turned to another smaller goblin on a seat near his so-called throne. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize." The Goblin King spoke, the tiny goblin wrote down the message on his little slate and then after pulling a small lever he was sent down a system of ropes away from us.
Sometime past and dozens of goblins carried massive instruments of torture on their shoulders, bringing them to the Goblin King. Meanwhile, the Great Goblin is dancing and singing that horrible song again.
"Bones will be shattered; necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered; from racks you'll be hung. You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin-town." The Goblin King finished, and I looked at one of the goblins as they picked up Thorin's sword and pulled it out of its sheath. The goblin seemed to recognise the sword as he threw it down to the ground and it fell out in front of all the other goblins. Most of them other goblins howl in fear as did the King.
"I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks." The Goblin King pointed at the sword and yelled loudly; I felt a whip hit my shoulder as some of the goblins started whipping us all. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!" The Goblin King called; I looked up as they grabbed Thorin from the group.
"No, Thorin!" I yelled as the goblins pushed him to the ground.
Suddenly, there is a massive explosion of bright light; the sound goes muted as a shockwave rip through the area, flinging goblins in the air and destroying the torturing machines. We were all knocked down, including the Great Goblin. When the force of the explosion has passed, most of the lights in the area had been snuffed out; in the background, a shadow with a tall pointy hat walks up. I recognised that form straight away, Gandalf walked forward to us all. Light slowly returns to the area as the goblins and the dwarves slowly look up, recovering from the shock.
"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" Gandalf yelled at us all, me and the dwarves quickly grabbed our weapons and fought with the goblins. I threw the bow on my shoulders and put the arrows back in the quiver though as a Goblin jumped towards me, I lifted the sheath of the sword up and held it with both hands up in the air as I had kneeled to collect my weapons. The goblin screamed at me, but I pushed myself forward and kicked the goblin back and pulled the sword out of the sheath at the same time. The silver blade ringed through my ears, I slashed at the goblin, and he fell to the ground in front of me.
"He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!" The Goblin King yelled, I saw he was pointing at Gandalf, and I ran towards the wizard, I looked back and saw Nori standing in the middle looking bewildered, but I soon noticed the Goblin King was headed for him.
"Nori!" I yelled, Thorin jumped forward and deflected the Goblin Kings attacked causing the humongous monstrosity to fall backwards and off the edge of his platform.
"Follow me. Quick! Run!" Gandalf called, turning around we followed Gandalf along a pathway leading away from the throne room.
Gandalf was leading us through the suspended passageways of Goblin Town, with hundreds of goblins running after us. "Quickly!" Gandalf yelled again,
"Faster!" I called, Dwalin quickly ran past myself and Gandalf.
"Post!" Dwalin yelled, he and some of the dwarves cut a guardrail post from the side of the path and they hold it out in front of them like a massive spear. "Charge!" Dwalin yelled, he and the other dwarves charge at the oncoming goblins and sweep them away with the long rail. Dropping the rail, Dwalin pulls out his axes and begins knocking aside goblins. The rest of us do the same. Gloin hits one goblin who falls and lands on another suspended path, breaking the path and dropping all the goblins on it into the darkness below. The rest of the group also fight the goblins around them with their various weapons and fighting styles. Several goblins snarl as they swing on ropes toward the us.
"Cut the ropes!" Thorin yelled. Thorin, myself and some of the dwarves cut the ropes holding a raised platform in place; the platform falls outward, entangling the goblins swinging on the ropes. As Kili fights, several goblins start shooting arrows at him. He deflects some arrows with his sword; he then grabs a nearby ladder and drops it on the oncoming goblins. Kili and some of the other dwarves run forward, pushing the ladder and the goblins it has trapped in front of them. As they approach a missing area of the path, the goblins fall down into the darkness; the ladder, however, acted as a bridge for the dwarves to cross to the rest of the path. As soon as we crossed it, I looked back and saw Dwalin break the ladder, preventing the goblins chasing them from crossing it.
"Quickly!" Gandalf continued running through the maze-like paths; we got on a section of the path suspended by ropes from above. We slice some ropes, and the pathway swings away from the rest of the path, approaching a different path.
"Jump!" Thorin called, he pushed me forward to get me to jump, I landed on the other side with some of the others; however, before the rest can, the suspended path swings back like a pendulum to where it started, and several goblins leap on. As the path swings back again, the rest of the dwarves and Gandalf manage to jump to the new path as well; they cut the ropes, causing the swinging path and the goblins on it to fall. We all continued running through the tunnels, killing all the goblins in our way. Gandalf strikes a rock above us with his staff, causing the rock to fall down and begin rolling in front of the group, squashing all the goblins in our way. Soon, we approached a bridge between two walls of the cavern. As we tried to cross it, the Goblin King suddenly breaks through from underneath the bridge and pulls himself up onto the bridge, in front of us. Everyone paused, hundreds of goblins approach them from all sides.
"You thought you could escape me?" The Goblin King swings his mace twice and Gandalf, causing Gandalf to stumble back and almost fall but I managed to help him stand forward, "What are you going to do now, wizard?" the goblin King teased, Gandalf leaped forward and slashed the Goblin King in the eye with his staff. The Goblin King drops his mace and clutches his face in pain. "Ow, ow, ow!" The Goblin King cried, Gandalf stepped forward and sliced the Goblin King in the belly; the Great King fells to his knees, clutching his belly. "That'll do it." The Goblin King spoke, I smirked as I watched Gandalf do just what I wanted earlier. Slicing his neck. The Goblin Kings weight causes the bridge to start shaking; suddenly, the section of the bridge on which the group is standing breaks away from the rest of the bridge and starts sliding down the side of the cavern. The bridge slides at a terrific speed down the cavern's wall, demolishing everything in its way; we all cling on, screaming in terror. The bridge slows down and lands at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the group in the timber and wood. Gandalf gets up from the pile of wreckage and inspects the rest of the dwarves, who are still stuck in the wreckage. I manage to climb out from the wood and stone and put my left hand over my right shoulder in agony.
"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur spoke optimistically. Suddenly, the heavy corpse of the Goblin King lands on the wreckage, squishing the dwarves further. They cry out in pain. I couldn't help but cover my smile at the unfortunate event.
"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin yelled.
Gandalf and I helped the other dwarves get out of the wreckage until we were stopped,
"Gandalf!" Kili called, looking up the climb towards the top of the caverns hundreds of goblins started running down towards us.
"There's too many! We can't fight them." Dwalin explained,
"Only one thing will save us: daylight! Come on! Here, on your feet!" Gandalf yelled and we all followed him out.