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Chapter 4

It has been a couple of hours since everyone has fallen asleep. Only Fili, Kili, Gandalf and myself are awake. Gandlf and Fili are smoking, Kili is fletching and I'm still standing at the edge, an arrow drawn. I glance back at Thorin and smile as I see him snoozing on a boulder above where Shana is sleeping. It doesn't look very comfortable.

Hearing a sound, I look back and see Bilbo standing and stretching. He smiles at me as he passes to go to the ponies. I watch as he stands in front of a brown pony, I recognise it as being the one he rode on.

He pets her snout. "Hello, girl. That's a good girl."

I smile as, after looking at the others, he sneakily feeds her an apple.

"It's our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one. sh, sh"

I give a fond chuckle just before my body tenses as there's a screech ringing through the night air. Orcs.

Bilbo looks between me and the boys. "What was that?"

"Orcs." Kili says after a moment.

Another scream is heard. Thorin, jerks awake upon hearing the word "Orcs." Shana also bolts up at the second scream.

Bilbo "Orcs?"

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." Fili begins saying.

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." Kili finishes.

As I watch Bilbo looking away in fright, I see the boys glance at each other before chuckling away. My body becomes as tense as it was before. How could they be so inconsiderate of the feeling of others? Orc raids are nothing to joke about.

Thorin, who I know has been watching me carefully, stand and turns to his nephews. "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

Both boys have the decency to look down in shame.

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili says quietly.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."

Thorin makes his way over to my side, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Are you alright?"

I nod as I take deep breaths to calm myself. "Yes. They are only boys, they will learn."

He doesn't say anything to that and we listen as Balin begins speaking.

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."

I remember that day as if it had happened yesterday.

After arriving at Moria, the battle had really begun. Thorin and I didn't let each other out of sight, fighting side by side. I could also see my father fighting with Thrain and Frerin not too far away.

"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."

Hearing a roar, I look up and my eyes go wide as I see a large, pale orc holding up Thror's head, his body no longer attached.

"Oh no. . ."

I can feel Thorin's grief from next to me, crying out as the orc throws Thror's head, allowing it to fall and roll to our feet.

"Thorin! No!" I yell as he runs towards the orc.

I go to follow, but am stopped by orcs.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc."

As I'm fighting, I watch helplessly as Thorin fights against the pale orc, going up against what seems like an undefeatable foe. Azog uses his mace to knock away Thorin's shield and then his sword, causing Thorin to lose his balance as he falls down an embankment.

"Thorin!" I scream out, watching as Azog advances on him.

Killing the orc in front of me, I try to fight my way to him, struggling among the mass of orcs around me. As Azog swings down, Thorin grabs an oak branch before swinging away, he mace colliding into the ground.

"He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent. . .wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield"

Azog continues wielding his mace against Thorin, who is still on the ground, but Thorin blocks his mace with the oaken branch, which he uses as a shield. I finally get to them as Azog swings one last time, I swing my sword, slicing it across his back, not deep enough to cause lasting damage, but enough to be a distraction. It works, as Azog roars and turns to me, giving Thorin the chance to stand and swing his sword up, cutting off the arm wielding the mace. I stand beside Thorin as Azog falls to his knees, howling in pain as he clutches his stump.

"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken, especially when protected by an Arcanian Princess."

I watch as Azog is rushed into Moria by the other orcs as Thorn begins yelling to the orcs and Arcanians.

"Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!"

Everyone rallies to Thorin and I as we lead the way into battle. The orcs, who had begun fleeing when they saw their leader, stop and return to battle, fighting ferociously. We now seem to finally have the advantage.

"Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived.

The battlefield is covered in the corpses of dwarves, Arcanians and orcs; the survivors weep with one another over their loss. I see Balin and Dwalin hug and put their foreheads together as they weep. Looking back to Thorin, I see him standing, looking over the battlefield, holding his oaken branch.

I give a sad smile. I have never seen him look more like a King then he does in that moment.

Looking around, I spy a familiar shawl not too far away.

"No." I gasp out as I run over.

I stop as I see my father's body, a gaping hole in his chest, his eyes staring blankly at the sky.

"NO!" I scream as I fall by his side.

Lifting him into my arms, I hold him close as I cry, weeping at the loss of my father and soon my mother. I then feel arms around me, but don't move as I know it's Thorin who's giving me some comfort.

I come out of my thoughts as I feel Thorin pull me tighter against him, knowing where my thoughts had gone. I lay my head on his shoulder as he kisses the top.

"And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."

Thorin turns away from the view beyond the cliff; I also turn back and see the entire Company is awake and standing in awe, staring at him. I can also see Shana standing, tears in her eyes as she watches us both. Thorin walks between them toward the fire.

Bilbo turns to Balin. "But the pale orc? What happened to him?"

Thorin is the one to answer. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

I share a glance with Gandalf at this, who is looking in my direction. One thing I didn't tell Thorin about the raid, I could have sworn I saw the pale orc standing some way away, watching the fight unfold, sneering at me before riding off into the night. Turning back, that night comes to my head again. Maybe. . .maybe I didn't imagine that. . .maybe he actually was there. . .

The next day, after we've had breakfast and have everything packed away, we ride on. I smile as I ride up front with Thorin, loving the feeling of travelling with him once again. Just riding along beside him brings me such peace I have not felt in a long time.

On the third day of riding, it begins to rain. Everyone but Shana and I are miserable, but having lived all our lives under the trees, the cold and rain don't bother us.

"How can you and your mother be so cheery in this weather?" I hear Kili ask Shana.

"Yeah, aren't you cold at all? You don't even have a cloak or anything." Fili says.

I hear Shana chuckle. "No. The cold doesn't bother us. Our people live among the trees, we don't have walls or roofs to protect us from the elements. It's how I've lived all my life, and I prefer it that way."

I look back to her and we smile at each other before continuing on.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori pipes up.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf replies.

"Are there any?" Bilbo asks.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

I chuckle fondly at the wizard. He may be my old friend and a powerful and wise wizard, but he sure can be forgetful. It must be age catching up to him. . .but let's not let him know I thought that.

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard or is he. . .more like you?"

I let out a snort of laughter, putting a hand over my mouth to muffle it as I feel Gandalf glaring a hole into the back of my head. Thorin chuckles from next to me.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

I just smile. I had heard of Radagast before, but with him living close to Mirkwood, I had never met him. It's nice to have a wizard looking after the lands and animals of the forest. They deserve to be taken care off in these dark times.

About a week or so after we first set off together, we arrive at an old, abandoned farmhouse that is in ruins.

Thorin turns to the company. "We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

I dismount Snowflake, untack her and let her roam before going to the house. I am sure I've been through this way not too long ago, and it wasn't like this.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf says as he joins me.

I nod. "Farmer Thomas. Shana and I came here a few months ago to rest. What could have happened in that time. . ."

"Oin, Gloin." I hear Thorin speak up.

"Aye?" Gloin answers.

"Get a fire going."

"Right you are."

Gandalf stands close to me to speak in elvish. "Do you think you can convince him to go to Rivendell?"

I look up at him. "You ask too much of me, my friend. You know as much as I that he will not step into those lands willingly. Even with me convincing him it will be alright."

"We have to try. We cannot stay here. Surely you can feel something isn't right."

I nod as I look at the trees around us. "I do. I can feel it in the earth. . .it's sad and hurt." I sigh before turning to him. "If you want him to go to Rivendell, you have to be the one to convince him. I will not be the one to cause him pain."

He nods. "So be it." He turns to speak to Thorin who has joined us. "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley."

I watch as Thorin just rolls his eyes as he makes his way towards me. "I have told you already, I will not go near that place."

"Why not? The elves could help us. We could get food, rest, advice."

"I do not need their advice."

"We have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us."

"Help? A dragon attacks Erebor, what help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria, desecrate our sacred halls, the Elves looked on and did nothing. The only help we received were from the Arcanians. You ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and betrayed my father."

"You are neither of them. I did not give you that map and key for you to hold on to the past."

"I did not know that they were yours to keep."

They just glare at each other for some time before Gandalf turns and stomps off.

Bilbo looks up. "Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."

"Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry." Thorin says from the doorway.

Thorin looks to me when I take his hand. "What do you think? Is he right? Should we move on?"

I turn to him before looking at the trees. "I don't know what it is, but I do feel something isn't right. The trees are restless. But, whatever you decide to do, I will follow.

He smiles as he places a tender kiss on the side of my head. "Thank you."

I smile up at him. "I will follow you anywhere, Thorin. You should know that by now. Just like I followed you to that bear cave that time."

He just chuckles, remembering the time we got chased by a mother bear, before we join the others.

Well, there you have it. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please leave me your lovely reviews as I love hearing from you xXx