So last chapter was long which is why I waited so long to post this one.
My Birthday gift to you guys is chapters! (Yeah it's really my birthday, I'm not kidding, I'm 19 now, yay) I'm going to post another chapter later today.
As of 5/24/2018 I've fixed dialog grammatical errors and revised the chapter...again.
(5/24/2018: Also did I really post this two years ago? I'm sorry my updates are so slow in rewriting this)
The sun was higher in the sky; the dwarves had all been freed from the spit and from the sacks and had all gotten dressed. Bofur and Bombur helped Bifur up then helped him crack his back. Fili walked up to Lucy.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Lucy reached up and pushed some of her hair out of her face.
"I'm okay now," she said. Fili's eyes widened and he grabbed her hand gently.
"When did this happen?" he asked. Lucy looked down to see the cut from the pocket knife; her entire palm was red but the blood had already started to crust over. She sighed.
"I tried to take my knife away from Tony," she said.
"Oin!" Fili called. "I need a bandage!"
"You alright, lad?" Oin asked came over and he handed Fili a bandage along with an herbal ointment of some kind.
"Not for me." Fili shook his head as he took them. He took out his water flask and poured a bit on Lucy's cut making her gasp and jump slightly. "Sorry," Fili said before putting the ointment on then wrapping her hand. Lucy noticed Thorin's hard gaze and lowered her head as she looked away. Once Fili had finished wrapping her hand he held it in his for a moment making her looked up at him.
"Thank you," she said and he smiled at her.
"Tell us whenever you get hurt," he said as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.
"Okay," she said as she returned the smile shyly.
...
Gandalf walked to one of the troll statues and thumped it with his staff, a pleased smile on his face.
"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin asked Gandalf.
"To look ahead," Gandalf said.
"What brought you back?" Thorin asked.
"Looking behind. Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece."
"No thanks to your burglar."
"He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that." Thorin looked repentant. Gandalf and Thorin examined the statues of the trolls. "They must have come down from the Ettenmoors," Gandalf said.
"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?"
"Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf and Thorin looked meaningfully at each other. "They could not have moved in daylight."
"There must be a cave nearby," Thorin said as he turned.
...
The company found a large cave nearby and a few of them entered it. It was full of treasure the trolls had been hoarding.
"Oh, what's that stench?!" Nori asked.
"It's a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch," Gandalf said. As they entered the cave, many of the dwarves coughed and retched at the pungency. Inside, they found piles of gold coins and other treasure in caskets.
"Seems a shame just to leave it lyin' around," Bofur said as he pushed around some of the gold with his boot. "Anyone could take it."
"Agreed. Nori, get a shovel," Gloin said. Lucy entered with a hand over her nose and mouth. Dwalin heard her and turned to see her looking around.
"You alright, lass?" he asked.
"I can't breathe in here," Lucy groaned. Dwalin chuckled as she quickly left.
...
While exploring the treasures, Thorin found two swords covered in cobwebs. Gandalf approached him.
"These swords were not made by any troll," Thorin said. Thorin handed one sword to Gandalf and kept the other one.
"Nor were they made by any smith among men," Gandalf said. He drew the sword in his hand out of its sheath a few inches. "These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age." Realizing that they were Elven swords, Thorin started to put his away in disgust.
"You could not wish for a finer blade," Gandalf snapped. Reluctantly, Thorin held on to the sword. He drew it out of its sheath a few inches as well. He closed it before looking back at the swords thoughtfully. He took out a shorter one and held it out to Gandalf who raised an eyebrow.
"For the boy," Thorin said and Gandalf nodded. Thorin looked back at the swords and took out another before heading towards the exit. Some of the dwarves filled a chest with treasure and buried it in a hole in the ground. Dwalin looked on in disgust.
"We're makin' a long term deposit," Gloin said.
"Let's get out of this foul place. Come on, let's go. Bofur! Gloin! Nori!" Thorin called as he left.
On his way out, Gandalf stepped on something metallic. Brushing aside the leaves beneath him with his staff, he found another smaller sword. Gandalf exited the cave and headed over to where Bilbo was sitting.
"Bilbo," Gandalf said.
"Hmm?" Bilbo looked up.
"Here. This is about your size," Gandalf said as he handed him the small sword.
"I can't take this."
"The blade is of Elvish make which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby."
"I have never used a sword in my life."
"And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one," Gandalf said and then spotted Tony. "Ah, Mister Montgomery." Tony turned to look up at him, raising an eyebrow in question. "This sword is about your size, should fit you nicely." Tony's eyes lit up as Gandalf handed it to him.
"Sweet!" he exclaimed and grinned as he took it. Gandalf saw Lucy frown as she watched Tony unsheathe it.
"It's not a toy, Tony," she said. Tony's grin was replaced with a scowl and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah, I know!" he said. Lucy opened her mouth to speak as he took a few practice swings, but stopped and turned away. Thorin walked up to her and she looked at him in question before he held out the other sword he had picked out.
"Learn," he snapped as he shoved the blade into her arms. "Try to keep yourself and that brother of yours out of trouble." Lucy bit her tongue but glared at his back as he walked away. She pulled the out the blade from its sheath and saw it was black. Turning it over in her hands a small frown formed on her face before she started cleaning off the cobwebs. The pommel was wrapped in brown leather and the upper hilt extended outwards with a blue jewel while the second smaller one curved to points. "Something's coming!" Thorin shouted when he heard something moving through the forest.
"Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves," Gandalf said. Bilbo slowly drew his sword and looked at it. He then followed the others, who had run off in the direction of the noise. Lucy looked around, quickly found Tony and stood by him.
...
Radagast the Brown rode at full speed through the forest on his rabbit-drawn sled.
"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" he shouted as he pulled up short by the Company.
"Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.
"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."
"Yes?" Radagast opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. He opened his mouth again, but closed it again. He had forgotten what he was going to say.
"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." He curled up his tongue, and looked surprised. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old..." Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of Radagast's mouth before putting it in Radagast's palm. "-stick insect!" The dwarves and Bilbo looked flustered. Tony and Lucy exchanged disgusted looks.
...
Radagast and Gandalf went off a few paces and to speak privately. Tony walked away from the group and unsheathed his sword again. He grinned at it before he started swinging it around again. Lucy looked down at her own sword with a frown. She turned to look at Thorin who was talking with Dwalin and Balin. Balin glanced over at her as she looked back down at her sword and pulled it out of its sheathe slightly.
"I see Tony's got himself a sword as well," Kili said as he approached Lucy. She nodded with a frown. "He'll be fine; now that he has a weapon of his own, Fili can train him to protect himself better." Lucy nodded.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "I just don't want him to get hurt."
"I'm sure Kili could give you lessons as well," Fili said popping up on her other side. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself either, you know." Kili smiled.
"Sure I could, what do ya say?" Kili asked as he nudged her arm gently.
"Of course I could always give you fighting lessons as well," Fili said. "Ya know, just so you're extra prepared," he added with a smirk.
"I'd like that," Lucy said as she smiled at the two. "Thank you. Hey, Kili?"
"Yes?"
"Would you teach me archery?" Lucy asked. Kili's eyes lit up.
"Of course!" he said. "I didn't know you'd be interested."
"Well I figured since you're the only one with a bow that must mean you're pretty good."
"Oh, he's the best," Fili boasted giving his brother a nudge. Kili grinned.
"So how about we start that lesson-" he was cut off as a howl was heard in the distance.
"Was that a wolf? Are there-are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked.
"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf," Bofur said. From behind a nearby crag, a Warg appeared; it leaped into the midst of the Company, knocking down Dori. Thorin struck and killed it using his new sword. Another Warg attacked from the other side; Kili shot it with an arrow, bringing it down. It got back up, only to be killed by Dwalin.
"Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind," Thorin said.
"Orc pack?" Bilbo asked.
"That doesn't sound good," Tony said.
"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin.
"No one," he insisted.
"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf asked against urgently.
"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"
"You are being hunted."
"Looks like your lessons will have to wait," Fili said.
"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said.
"We can't! We have no ponies; they bolted!" Ori shouted.
"Great," Tony groaned. "We have to run."
"I'll draw them off," Radagast said.
"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you," Gandalf warned.
"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try," Radagast said with a smirk. He got back on his sled. Gandalf gathered everyone together.
Yazneg, the orc leader of the Warg Riders, and his Wargs were searching right outside the forest for the Company; suddenly Radagast and his rabbits shot out from the trees and the Wargs started chasing him.
"Come and get me! Ha ha!" Radagast laughed. Gandalf watched from behind a rock as Radagast and the Wargs disappeared in the distance.
"Come on!" Gandalf shouted. The Company rushed across a rocky plain, Lucy made sure to keep Tony in front of her. In the distance, Radagast was being chased by the Wargs. One of them crashed while trying to catch him. As the Company ran across the plain, they saw the Wargs not too far from them, so they hid behind the rocks. "Stay together." Lucy put a hand on Tony's arm.
"Stay close to me," she said. He shook her hand off and Lucy frowned.
"Move!" Thorin commanded. Lucy stayed as close to her brother as she could. As the Company ran, Radagast drove his sled beneath an overhanging projection of rock; he ducked, but the Orc on the Warg behind him got knocked off. As the chase continued, Thorin and the others stopped behind a rock so that they were not seen by the Wargs. Ori stared to run out of cover. "Ori, no! Get back!" Thorin grabbed him and pulled him back.
"Quick, come on! Quick!" Gandalf said once it was clear to go. As the dwarves continued running past him and Thorin, Thorin turned to Gandalf.
"Where are you leading us?" he asked. Gandalf didn't answer. As the Warg scouts chased Radagast, one of them stopped and sniffed the air. The dwarves took cover behind an outcropping of rock. The scout and his Warg appeared on top of the outcropping, sniffing the air. Thorin looked at Kili and nodded; readying an arrow, Kili quickly stepped out and shot the Warg. The Warg and the orc on it fell near the dwarves. Tony ran forward but Thorin pushed him back as the other attacked and killed the orc and warg. The sounds of their fight carried quite far; the other Wargs and Orcs stopped chasing Radagast as they heard the roars and screams from behind the rocks. The Warg scouts howled as they stop pursuing Radagast and began pursuing the Company.
"Move! Run!" Gandalf shouted. As the company ran through a grassy plain Wargs began to surround them from all sides.
"There they are!" Gloin shouted.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted. They ran for a while longer, and then stopped in a clearing as they saw Wargs on all sides. Lucy grabbed Tony and pulled him to her. He shrugged her off.
"Get off, Lucy!" he said sounding annoyed. Lucy bit her lip. The dwarves were quiet spread out but were slowly being forced back towards a large rock.
"There's more coming!" Kili shouted as he ran closer to the others.
"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouted. Gandalf saw a large rock; he ran toward it and disappeared into a crack. Lucy, seeing this started running over.
"Quick, down here!" she shouted. No one listened to her. "Tony!" Tony glanced over at her but quickly looked away as he held up his sword. "Tony-!"
"I wanna fight!" Tony protested as he started to move back.
"You'll get yourself killed!" Lucy shouted. Tony rolled his eyes.
"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted. Kili began shooting at the Wargs and the Warg-riders, killing some of them.
"Where is Gandalf?!" Kili shouted.
"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin shouted. The dwarves gathered closer to each other near the rock Gandalf disappeared by. As Yazneg and his Warg approached, Ori shot a rock at him with his slingshot, to no effect. Thorin pulled out his sword.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted. Lucy unsheathed her sword as she walked backwards away from the Wargs. Gandalf popped up from the crack in the rock.
"This way, you fools!" he shouted.
"Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go, go!" Thorin shouted running to the rock and getting up a small one nearby. Lucy looked extremely annoyed that everyone only started to move because it was Gandalf who said where to go. As the Wargs approached, the dwarves and Bilbo slid into the large crack in the rock and into a cave.
"Lucy!" Fili shouted. As she had turned and started to run a Warg, with an orc rider, took off after her.
"Lucy, drop!" Kili shouted. She glanced behind her as the Warg leaped at her before she hit the ground. Kili shot the Warg in the air. It hit the ground and tumbled in front of her but didn't get up. The orc on it however did. It growled at her with its weapon ready. Lucy scrambled to her feet.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" she squeaked.
"Lucy!" Tony screamed.
"Go!" Thorin yelled to Tony as he grabbed him and pushed him towards the rock.
"But-!" Tony looked at him with wide eyes. Thorin looked towards Lucy before looking back at Tony.
"Go!" he commanded. Tony hesitated looking back at Lucy as she held up her sword. She quickly glanced behind her and saw more Wargs far behind her but approaching. The orc swung at Lucy who fell back, having tripped over a rock, and swung at its legs. The sword connected with a sickening crack. There was a sudden squelch sound and the orc fell down with an arrow in its head.
"Lucy!" Kili shouted. Lucy scrambled to get up, letting out a pained gasp as a bolt of pain shot up from her left ankle, and started running as best she could. After about ten feet her ankle gave out and she hit the ground, catching herself on her hands. As Dori slid down into the crack he grabbed Tony, who protested but couldn't do anything about it. The two rolled until they were caught at the bottom by Dwalin. Tony scrambled to stand and stared up at the opening. Thorin killed a Warg that got too close and Kili shot another as Bombur rolled into the cave.
"Nine, ten," Gandalf counted.
"Kili! Run!" Thorin shouted. Fili stopped at the top of the crack beside Thorin and turned to see Lucy trying to stand. Before his uncle could stop him he ran out to her.
"Lucy, come on!" he shouted as she reached her. Fili slipped his arms around her and easily lifted her up; keeping an arm around her waist, he helped her limp quickly to the crack.
Lucy, Fili, Thorin and Kili jumped into the crack last. They scrambled to get up with the help of the others. Lucy closed her eyes as she sat leaned against the wall. She flinched and her eyes snapped open when someone touched her shoulder. Kili looked at her in concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Lucy swallowed and shook her head. She motioned to her ankle with a wince.
Just as Yazneg and his Wargs reached the crack, an Elvish horn sounded, and a group of mounted Elves rushed into the fray, shooting and spearing the Wargs and Orcs. The Company listened to the conflict from inside the crack. One of the orcs, shot by an arrow, fell into the cave. Thorin plucked out the arrow and examined its make. "Elves," he spat as he threw the arrow down. There was a pathway at the end of the cave, leading away.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin asked.
"Follow it, of course!" Bofur said wasting no time in following the others right behind him.
"I think that would be wise," Gandalf agreed. He turned to see Tony looking down at the dead orc. "Come along," he said as he put a guiding hand on Tony's back. Tony walked away from him, after the others, and Gandalf lowered his hand. Fili and Kili helped Lucy stand and follow after the others. She was biting her bottom lip, her knuckles white as she gripped her, now sheathed, sword. She felt Thorin's eyes on her and looked over to see his scowl. He started following everyone else and she and the brothers started to walk quietly behind him.
The Company followed the path. It was quite narrow as it was a crack between two tall cliffs. At times, the dwarves had difficulty going through. The pathway eventually opened out into an open area; there was a valley below, and in that valley was the city of Rivendell.
"The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name," Gandalf said.
"Rivendell," Bilbo said.
"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea," Gandalf said. Thorin turned to Gandalf.
"This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy," he accused.
"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself," Gandalf said.
"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us," Thorin said.
"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." Fili walked up to Lucy and Tony and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Well it looks like you're going to see what elves really look like," he said as he looked down at Tony.
As of 5/24/18: I've added Lucy hurting her ankle because in the book they stay for two weeks and I wanted to come up with more things. (I've also unpublished the next chapters posted so I can rewrite it again)
Old Word Count: 2,766 New Word Count: 3,406