The rising sun bathed dawn in a golden glow. One by one, each member of the company stirred from sleep and snoring, and awoke to the rays shining in their faces. Leaving was an immediate welcoming thought for most. Grunts and grumbles escaped those still wanting more rest as they gathered their effects in a timely manner and made way for the hidden passage out of Rivendell.
Thorin stopped and overlooked the elven city they were about to leave behind. He had been displeased with Gandalf's initial actions of leading them here, but they certainly found answers to their questions regarding the map and key. That, he couldn't argue over. Durin's Day would soon be upon them and he had no intentions of seeking refuge with any more elves. Balin was appointed to lead on as he was most familiar with the route. The sooner they were gone, the further they would be from the elves. It didn't matter to Thorin whether or not Gandalf caught up. He just wanted to be far away from their current location and closer to their destination.
The leader eyed the hobbit and their newest addition bringing up the back. "Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up."
Bilbo took one last look at Rivendell before following the others.
By early afternoon, the company had found a good pass over the mountain range. Danger was not fooled, for every wrong step it lurked. They continued over the mountain-tops before coming down to a hilly field. Fortunately, the skies were clear, but the heat from the afternoon sun beamed down on them.
Thorin allowed a short rest under a shaded embankment with a partial waterfall before moving on to the next checkpoint: the Misty Mountains. Éla caught his eye before observing his nephews who plopped themselves on the grass. Everyone seemed to do the same from exhaustion. No one conversed during this time as they caught a much needed breath.
Alas, there were conjointly several more long days of weary travelling to endure prior to reaching their objective...
On the thirteenth day, a few hours past well into the evening before they reached the summit of the Misty Mountains, still pressing forward. Conversation was scarce as the pace Thorin had set distanced each member from the other. The only ones relatively close together were Kili and Fili, who were ahead of Élarinya and Bilbo. Bofur was several meters behind her with Nori bringing up the very rear. The hobbit's pace slowed, allowing the female dwarf to catch up.
"So, what brought you to Rivendell?" He asked politely. His question took her none by surprise. In fact, she was relieved to have some form of communication after nearly going a full day in silence. The beauty of the landscape could only entertain for so long.
"Exploration...and a bit of curiosity. I had set a goal to travel as far eastwards as I could in half a year, before returning to my home in the Blue Mountains. Well, what may be left of it if burglars and thieves haven't already raided through the front door." She winked at the last remark.
He caught on to her humor. "I'm no burglar."
She smiled at his honesty. "Gandalf said you were, but I guess time shall tell. Mind you, Nori appears to have more burglar potential than yourself. You may be in luck."
"What makes you say that?"
"I caught him attempting to hide a few elvish souvenirs in his sack before we left. Small stuff."
Bilbo stole a glance from behind. Bofur was the only one in sight for a mere second before the rest rounded a boulder.
"Are you friends with the elves?"
Élarinya thought about her answer. "You could say that. I'm also acquainted with small towns of men, south of the Blue Mountains as well."
"You don't hate them like the other dwarves for what they did: for not helping?"
She followed him around another tight corner of sharp rocks, being careful of her footing. She was glad he didn't notice the uneasiness that settled in from his question. She was even more thankful that the other dwarves weren't in earshot.
"I can't change the past nor can I change their actions, even our own for that matter. We were dealing with a dragon back then and the possibility of one now. Those who stood their ground and fought were honored, but the Elvenking chose to avoid the risk of losing his kin to such a mighty foe." She paused, losing herself in thought. "There was nothing any dwarf could have done in such little time. All I remember was being told to run."
And here she was now, aiding this small company in retaking their homeland. None of them knew if the dragon was truly gone; however, that hadn't dampened their determination in the slightest.
"What about the quest? Do you believe we'll be able to take back your home?" Bilbo was full of questions. She figured he was more curious than attempting to make small-talk.
"I can't say." Élarinya pondered the idea. He seemed distraught by her answer.
"Everything is an unknown, but that's half the fun. Even if things don't go as planned, it will definitely be something to remember."
Bilbo remained silent. Dread glazed his eyes, if only briefly as he cleared his throat in discomfort.
"Have a bit of faith, Master Baggins." He looked up at a reassuring face.
"Bilbo is fine." He corrected with a half-smile.
"Éla."
Up ahead, Fili tapped his younger brother on the shoulder and pointed over his own. Both grinned at the other and fell back to the hobbit and maiden's position.
"What are you two talking about?" Kili asked cheekily.
"It's rude to butt into a conversation, Master Kili. Since you must know, we were discussing the weather." She retorted wittily. "Weren't you taught any manners from your parents?"
"We were raised by our mother, but trained and guided strictly by our uncle." Fili explained, proudly holding one of his swords and sliced the air in front of him.
She laughed at their pretentious mannerisms. "Your uncle obviously has more work to do."
Kili appeared vaguely offended. "Thorin can be hard on us sometimes, but we do learn from the best! Even if we cause some trouble for him..."
"Thorin's your uncle?"
"You didn't know?" Fili asked rather surprised.
Surprise didn't come close to explaining Éla's reaction to the brothers' statement. "Well, no. Gandalf never mentioned any relations between the members of the company other than explaining Thorin's identity."
The two became amused over this sudden development.
"Everyone's related to each other in some way. Kili here is my younger brother." Fili began, placing an arm around his sibling's shoulder. "Then there's Oin and Gloin. Bifur, the one with an axe stuck in his head, is Bofur and Bombur's cousin. Then there's Dori, Nori and Ori, who's the youngest."
He paused and pointed to the very back. "Balin and Dwalin are brothers too. They're pretty close to Thorin. Been in many battles together and such."
"I see the resemblance." She mused, waving the young brothers to push forward.
By now, the dwarves had finally reached a preferably distinguished path leading further into the mountains. The difficult terrain quickly closed the gap between the members as they were far more cautious of their footing on uneven, ragged rocks and narrow inclines.
Within the hour of climbing steep slopes to a more leveled terrain, the sky had darkened into the night. As Élarinya reached the top of the final incline, her footing slipped from a loose rock and slid back a few meters.
"Careful!" Dori shouted, placing a hand on her back to prevent the same from happening to him.
The path they followed became far too narrow for more than one individual to tread. Clouds blackened as the rain began pouring down. Élarinya brought her hood up, as did the others. It wasn't long until their trail further around the mountain became slick and thunder boomed overhead. She spent more time watching where she placed her feet over anything else.
Suddenly, a commotion had arisen in front. She glimpsed ahead to see Bilbo being pulled back and held to the rock wall. She could only imagine the fear from having almost fallen over the edge of the cliff.
"Boulder!" Dwalin screamed over the thunder. Someone grabbed Éla's shoulder and shoved her against the face of the rock, just in time as the boulder broke upon impact, taking out half the path as it fell into the dark abyss below.
"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin yelled.
"Well bless me!" Bofur hollered above the rain. "The legends are true; giants. Stone giants!"
They continued to take shelter against the rock. Opposite from them, a mound uncoiled itself from its embedded form within the mountain. It detached a chunk of rock and threw it over the company's position, slamming into another stone giant.
Within moments, the path began to tremble as the mountain split into two. It wasn't long before they realized they were standing on the legs of another giant. Éla and the others fought to keep their balance.
"Kili! Grab my hand!"
She turned around and saw the mountain had separated between Fili and pulled Kili away from the edge. Another boulder slammed into the giant they stood on, causing it to lose balance. The side Éla was on rammed into another cliff still attached to the mountain. They had just enough time to jump across before the giant became more unstable. As it attempted to stand, it was hit again, slowly moving past them. Fear spread through Éla's veins as the giant's legs crashed into the mountain ahead at great speeds, vanishing with their friends. She heard a yell escape Thorin, but couldn't make out any words over the wind and rain.
Once the remains of the giant fell, the others wasted no time and ran to the impact site. Relief swept over the group as the others were found in one piece, and alive, but it was short lived.
Bofur began frantically searching for something amiss. Éla was shoved closer to the rock wall as several dwarves lunged for the edge of the cliff. They hollered to the one dangling from the ledge: Bilbo. She remained frozen in place. Offering aid was of no use as there were far too many already leaning over the perimeter. In moments, Thorin jumped down and helped the hobbit back up. More commotion spread as their leader was pulled to safety.
"I thought we'd lost our burglar!" Dwalin exclaimed.
Éla went to help Bilbo to his feet, putting an arm around him to calm what almost became of his fate.
"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin voiced bitterly. "He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."
They followed him near a barely visible entrance to a small cave. Bilbo remained between Éla and Bofur as they entered. She pitied the hobbit and wondered if Thorin felt the same about her presence among the company.
"Dwalin, search the back." The dwarf proceeded to do so as Thorin searched the remaining area. "Caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied."
"Nothing here."
The rest entered. Gloin took out an armful of wood and happily dropped it in the center of the cavern. "Alright, let's get a fire going."
"No, no fires in this place." Thorin exclaimed. "Get some rest. We leave at first light."
Éla watched the uneasiness spread from one member to the other. They would have to make-do without warmth and a hearty meal that night. She placed her bed roll next to the hobbit in an attempt to give him some comfort in knowing that he wasn't alone. A few had already succumbed to slumber.
From the corner of her vision, she caught Thorin watching her before scanning the others. The past several days she had noticed the subtle glances when they stopped for a break. He never approached her, nor did he say a word since their meeting in Rivendell. It intrigued her to know what he was thinking. Heir or not, she wouldn't dare meddle in such a conversation unless he chose to confront her first. That look of uncertainty and inquisitiveness were consistently embedded in his eyes. It sent chills down her spine every time and she couldn't understand why. She knew they trusted her almost as much as the hobbit, but his gaze continued to take an unexpected toll on her mind. She didn't quite care for it, yet didn't mind it either; the unexpected feeling frightened her. Putting the feeling aside, she settled next to the hobbit.
The storm continued to rumble in the distance as they all slowly fell asleep. It wasn't long afterwards when a cry of 'Wake up!' quickly stirred Éla from rest, before the sandy floor plummeted into a hollow hole. The dwarves were barrelled down a chute into a bristly, wooden basket. Éla barely sat up before her arm was yanked and her being pulled from beneath the pile by a cold, slimy hand. A horrible stench wrinkled her nose as eyes adjusted to the well lit underground.
Small, yellowish creatures no taller than herself ran past her to collect the others. Goblins.
The dwarves were dragged along rickety, wooden planks, deep within the mountain. Éla attempted to break the goblins' hold on her but to no prevail. Dwalin had even tried to fight them ahead, pushing one or two as it fell to its death. The vile creatures only strengthened their hold and further tightened ranks around them.
As they were hastily shoved to a large platform, she noticed a massive creature eyeing them venomously.
"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" The much larger, apparent goblin awaited an answer. Éla suspected that he was the intended ruler of this grotesque place he referred to as a kingdom. "Spies? Thieves? ASSASSINS?"
One of the smaller goblins broke away from the group. "Dwarves, your malevolence."
"Dwarves?!"
"Found 'em on the front porch." The one stated as a matter-of-fact.
"Well don't just stand there, search them! Every crack, every crevice!" Protests and wiggling rendered useless as the creatures rid the dwarves of their weapons, even Éla's cleverly hidden dagger beneath her cloak and shirt.
"What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" The Goblin King ordered. No one answered. "Very well. If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!"
His words brought cheer among the ranks. "Bring out the bone crusher! Start with the youngest!"
The Great Goblin pointed to Ori, who was stunned with fear.
"Wait!"
Thorin made his way to the front of the group.
"Well, well, well! Look who it is: Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror! King Under the Mountain." The Goblin King bowed in mockery. "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 a head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak? An old enemy of yours: the pale orc, astride a white warg."
"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!"
"So you think his defiling days are done do you?" The Goblin King turned to his scribe in laughter. "Send word to the pale orc. Tell him I found his prize."
The scribe wiped a note on its parchment then zipped down a pulley system into the dark. Once gone, the massive goblin turned back to the crowd of dwarves. He was about to speak when his eyes shifted behind the dwarf leader.
"What do we have here?"
Éla's muscles tensed as his focus turned to her.
"A female dwarf?! Such a rare piece of treasure you've brought along." He searched her male companions intriguingly. "Who does this dwarven beauty belong to?"
"I belong to no one." She responded cooly, shoving one of the small goblins holding her.
"Oh-ho! Feisty are we?" The Great Goblin took one step, leaning closer. Thorin tried to move in front but his efforts were halted by the other foul creatures. "I like feisty. If you belong to no one, then you'll belong to me. A fate quite fitting, I think."
Snickers and more cheer followed his verdict. "Bring her forth."
As the minions pushed the maiden forward, the other dwarves were restrained in protest.
"She belongs with us." Thorin objected. Éla looked back at him. Fear had stricken her and he saw it.
"Only a king can claim this prize."
The Goblin King took pleasure in their apprehension. He began to sing as the torture devices crept up the walkways. One goblin picked up Thorin's sword that lay on the ground, before jumping back in utter fear, as did the others. The giant goblin manoeuvred to his throne at speeds Éla didn't think possible for someone so large.
"I know that blade; it is the Goblin Cleaver! The sword that sliced off a thousand heads! Kill them!" He faced Thorin with repulsiveness. "I'll keep her alive as a token to your deaths. Cut off his head!"
The goblins threw hardened whips at the dwarves, immobilizing them to the ground. Three jumped on Thorin as one held a sharp pick above his throat. Éla was thrown out of the way, farther to the left of the enormous throne. Two goblins quickly pinned her down, preventing the maiden from helping her friends.
Just as one was ready to cut Thorin's throat, a sudden bright flash of light tore through the goblin town. Everyone was held in place momentarily by the force. No movement. No sound.
Gandalf had arrived.
"Take up arms." He scanned for the dwarves slowly lifting their heads. "Fight!"
On cue, the company fought back. Bofur, Kili and Gloin gathered their weapons and scattered them to its rightful owners. Éla bolted off the floor and tried to run towards Bofur who had picked up her dagger, but fell to her knees as a goblin grabbed her ankle. She kicked him in the face, only to be jumped by several more. They dragged her back to the throne near the edge of the rigid platform.
The Goblin King regained composure and raised his staff, ready to strike Thorin from behind.
"Thorin!" Fili yelled.
He turned and met the impending attack with his sword. The force rebounded off the staff, knocking the Great Goblin off balance. He tumbled backwards into the smaller creatures holding Éla. She was able to slide to the edge of the platform as they scattered out of the way, not wanting to be knocked over. In the attempt to avoid the unsteady creature, she hugged the floor as closely as possible between his strides.
Unfortunately, his heavy steps shook the plank so violently he tumbled off, grabbing a nearby pillar which broke her grip on the wooden board as she fell with it.
Gandalf joined the fight, clearing a path across a nearby plank for the dwarves. The goblins were in short pursuit from all angles. The only thing left to do was run and fight their way through.
Somewhere below, Éla lifted her head from under various pieces of wood and rock as the dust settled. Her mind slightly dazed and confused, she looked around. All the goblins were running away from her position. They hadn't noticed her laying on a teetering piece of wood, threatening to dive into the chasms below at any given moment. Perhaps they didn't care. She could faintly hear the sounds of fighting fading further ahead, but the thunderous pounds of footsteps remained leveled.
Sharp hearing picked up on heavy breathing from behind. Her heart began to race as she remembered who had fallen before her. Oh no.
Éla quickly turned on her side onto something sturdier, off the tottering wood as something smashed it into pieces. She looked over to where her body laid a moment earlier; a pillar splintered. It moved away, off the ground and was held by the Great Goblin. The maiden clenched her hands into fists and jumped away from her position. The goblin had swung again, missing. He laughed. It sounded faint. What was happening to her hearing? Did she hit her head? She ran to the opposite end of the walkway only to reach a dead-end.
"You can't escape me." He said triumphantly.
Éla madly searched for an escape route, but there was none. They had fallen too far. The only visible ledge was a wooden beam approximately thirteen feet above her. Or was it ten? There was no way she could jump that high. The dwarf faced the massive goblin approaching her.
"There's nowhere to run. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." A grin plastered his ugly visage as he came into arms length.
"Go to hell!"
Soured by rejection, the Goblin King jabbed his staff to the floor, making her body tremble from the force. She fought to stay balanced as the level shook. He grabbed her easily with his free hand, letting go of the battered column as he threw it towards her. With Éla in his grasp, he forcibly punched the rock wall.
She tried to push his hand off her using the rock as leverage, but she was pinned. Slowly, he squeezed harder. The pressure began to increase as there was little room to breathe. Air escaped her lungs as the goblin continued to apply more power. She struggled with great difficulty, his grip not loosening at all.
Éla began to feel light-headed, vision impairing into darkness.
"Please..." She gasped, suffocating under the immense pressure.
It wasn't until the Goblin King removed her from the wall only to punch her into it again, when she felt a searing pain shoot up her left side. Something broke. She hoped to the heavens that it was a rock. Eyes watered from the throbbing, blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but there was no energy. Her breathing came in slow, heavy bursts, but even then, that was becoming difficult. Her strength diminished in a matter of seconds as hands desperately tried to move the large vulgar one away from her broken body.
The Goblin King leaned his face to Éla's. The rotten stench of his breath and mutated body flipped her stomach. This would've been a good time to pass out. She thought.
"No one defies me."
His grip loosened a little as he moved back. Éla took a deep breath in, not realizing she was holding it the entire time. In several swift movements, the goblin reached for the beam above and proceeded to climb.
Thought I'd upload this chapter along with the first. :)