Chapter 17: Her First

Edyth wishes all she could hear is the sound of feet thumping against the ground. The sound alone is loud, being fifteen of them, but alas, the air is filled with howls of Wargs. She is already breathing hard, her throat feeling open and raw but there is no slowing of her pace just of yet.

Fili is by her side, acting as a constant marker to keep up with. Bilbo is just in front of her, a good thing too otherwise she would be looking around for him constantly. No one is particularly in the lead, in terms of running at the front anyway, but there is no doubt that they are running on Thorin's orders. And Edyth has no hesitation to follow them.

There is no telling whether the howls are becoming closer or not, but she does catch a glimpse of them every minute or so, trailing close behind Radagast and his Rhosgobel rabbits.

"Come on!" Gandalf urges.

They slow down slightly coming to a sharp turn around a rock. "For an old man-" she breathes –"he's got stamina." No one responds verbally, but Fili gives her a look of agreement. It's a comfort to know she isn't the only one feeling the strain.

There is not much cover where they are. The land is mostly a sea of hills, scattered with rocks and trees. The Wargs sprint over it with ease, but there is no doubt that the terrain is slowing the company down.

Up ahead, Thorin changes direction, directing the company to the left which is behind a rock instead of straight. Edyth follows Fili but makes a crucial mistake by letting her attention be held by the Wargs which now run over their previously intended path. Her foot catches in a small ditch, sending her body crashing to the ground. Her chest receives the bulk of the fall, earning a few bruises as she skids along a few meters but to protect her head, she tucks it to the side. Her jaw and cheek sting like a hot knife has been scorched to her skin.

The first thing she does is look up, already seeing Dwarvish boots continuing forward. One pair comes to a skidding stop, recognisable as Fili's but it is not he who reaches her first. Someone grasps the back of her vest, heaving her into the air.

"On your feet," Thorin growls. He lets go of her vest, continuing to run with the company. Ignoring the pain in her face and chest, Edyth picks up her pace again, returning to Fili's side. She doesn't even have the chance to say a quick thank you to either of them as they are forced in yet again, another direction.

With each and every step, the pain in her ankle becomes more apparent. Sprained. Or twisted. But for now, her adrenaline keeps her going with little focus on it. The pain on her jaw and cheek stings more than her ankle. But it doesn't stop her frustration growing – of course she's injured herself at a life-threatening moment. How much more useless could she be? Even Bilbo is holding his own and she always thought that it would be her that would prove their worth.

But there is little time to dwell on her thoughts. They slow to a stop, Thorin back in the lead, watching the sleigh, tailed by Orcs riding Wargs, ride directly in front of them. "Stick together," Gandalf warns.

"Move!" Thorin commands, waving his sword. Clenching her eyes for a moment, Edyth spins around, pushing off the ground with her worsening foot and continues running. Her marker – Fili – has moved around, no longer at her side. And Bilbo is no longer in front of her. But another favoured Dwarf appears next to her, the yellow-tipped arrows gleaming out of the corner of her eye. Edyth fixes her pace to match his, sharing the briefest of glances.

They run parallel to a large rock and Edyth nearly runs into Kili's back as he stops in front of her.

"Ori no!"

Thorin pulls Ori back, pushing him behind the cover of rock as Radagast leads the Orcs on a wild chase. She takes the moment to breathe, checking around for Fili, finding him now behind her. Thorin waits for the enemy to pass, and once they do, he orders them to continue on their original path. "Go, go." Their leader waits for them all to pass – something Edyth takes notice of.

Edyth loses her pace with Kili, falling back in line with Dwalin. He doesn't appear to take any notice of her, but she sticks close to his side, using his pace as her goal. By now, her lungs are crying for air through open lips which are pulled back with soft pants. Step after step, it doesn't feel like it can ever end. Tired and brimming on exhaustion – no sleep or rest in thirty hours – coughs rack through her chest, every muscle begging for her to give up and let fate have its decision on her life.

"Come on."

Edyth lifts her head, once more finding Kili running next to her, bow in hand. Edyth forces her eyes up and forward, watching where they are going. She wants just a little longer with the Dwarves and her brother. A little more of this adventure – and that keeps her going.

Thorin spots an Orc straying from the rest of its pack, roaming towards their current position. It has yet to see them. An arm spreads across her front, pushing her backwards and the pair of them run to the cover of stone. Their backs press up against the cold, hard wall. Edyth's hands raise to the arm across her front, pulling it down but giving Kili a thankful squeeze. Fili is back on her left, Thorin on the right of Kili and Bilbo just past him.

The Orc rides just above them, atop of the large rock. Edyth swallows, closing her eyes for a moment and searches for the arm once more, regretting pushing it away. It feels almost like a waiting game, the growls low and strong. Edyth focuses on Thorin to her right, waiting to see what he does. Thorin gives a small gesture to Kili who silently reaches up to his quiver.

Edyth's heart races as he loads his bow, wanting to reach out and keep him under the safety of the rocky cover. 'Warrior' she reminds herself. They're trained for this. Slowly, she draws her own new sword, holding it close. Kili darts out, aiming his bow at the top of the rocky formation and releases within a second. A pain-filled screech hits their ears, even causing Thorin to flinch and look up. Kili loads his bow again, shooting.

A large form tumbles directly over her head which would have hit her if she had not ducked in frightful anticipation. A Warg and its rider collapse on the ground directly in front of her, not yet dead, but the beast has two arrows poking out of it.

The Orc, unharmed, slides off his beast, standing tall with a mangy sword in its hand. She is the closest to it, no doubt about that. And it's looking at her – she's never seen eyes so dark and foul. An animalistic growl erupts from its throat – one she would think belongs to a Warg if she did not see the Orc in front of her.

Edyth is the first to react.

Using her height, she jumps forward, ducking underneath any potential swing it may throw at her. Hearing metal through the wind, she knows it was the right decision. Swinging her own blade, she cuts horizontally through the air, her blade slicing through both of the Orc's thighs. It howls in pain, stumbling back and falls down, but not yet dead.

It is already making move to stand back up, swinging its sword around while it does so. She avoids the blade, stepping to the side and out of its reach. But the Orc makes a crucial mistake. To rise back to its feet, the Orc turns on its stomach to push up. Recognising this advantage, Edyth darts forward, holding the bone hilt of her sword and plunges it through the apex of its back, just underneath the neck. For a second its squirms, falling back down but any cries cut off as it becomes limp.

Edyth can hardly believe herself. Her head snaps back towards the company. Dwalin and Fili have stepped forward towards Edyth and the Orc, weapons raised and ready to strike. Just to the right, the Warg is close to death, screeching out and forced to the ground by constant attacks from the Dwarves.

Edyth catches Fili's wide eye; likely matching her own. She just killed an Orc. Snapping her attention to the other foe, she finds Kili with a loaded bow pulled tautly, also facing her, his eyes flickering between her and the Orc beneath her which still has her sword planted in its back. Kili gives her the briefest of nods, which she is too stunned to return, before twisting around and aiming at the Warg instead. He releases, his shot along with Bifur's axe and Thorin's sword help to end its life.

Edyth pulls her sword back, grimacing at the blood soaking the metal and runs back to Fili's side in disbelief that she even left it.

"That was loud," she mutters darkly, knowing exactly the consequences of their foe's screeches. She catches Thorin's eye, which is dark, but not as dark as the Orcs. He glances to the dead Orc before scanning the horizon. As though to prove her words, Wargs in the distance howl.

"Move!" Gandalf exclaims. Edyth moves instantly, sheathing her sword and follows that Thorin begins to sprint in. "Run!"

Adrenaline is once again pumping through her veins, though she begins to wonder how much more energy her body can find before it finds nothing. She never even ate last night. But her feet keep her running strong, ignoring every flare of muscle, burn in her ankle and the dryness of her throat. Everything around her is a blur except for Thorin right in front. Right now, she is relying everything on him. Trust. Trust that he is leading her and the rest of the company on the safest path.

"There they are!" Gloin cries.

Their direction changes slightly, moving more towards the right in hopes that the enemy will continue straight and miss crossing paths. Over hills and through sparse trees. Barks and howls. It begins to feel like no amount of running will get them free. They haven't even made it half-way to Erebor yet.

They run down a shallow hill, Edyth still surprisingly at the front. But their reign of avoidance ends as an Orc perched on his beast mount appears over the rim of another hill just a hundred yards in front of them.

Thorin falters, coming to a stop. And that is what scares Edyth more than anything. In the past month – the entire time she has known him – not once has she ever seen him frightened. Even with the Trolls, he was angry. Stoic. But right now, she is seeing true fear on his face, destroying the image he so desperately keeps. His fear shatters any wall that holds her own façade in place.

"There's more coming!" Kili cries, coming from the rear.

Thorin circles around as Edyth stumbles backwards slightly, drawing her sword slowly. "Kili! Shoot them!"

"We're surrounded!"

On every single front possible, there is either a Warg alone or with a rider. There is no safe way to face her back. She can hear the fear in Fili's voice as well, and the while the Dwarves are fearful, Edyth is downright petrified. The Dwarves begin to retreat back to a smaller form, using Thorin as the centre. Bilbo is behind her already.

"Where is Gandalf?"

"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin crows.

Through her pants, Edyth snaps her head around, but as Dwalin said, Gandalf is nowhere in sight. He wouldn't just leave them?

The Orcs, knowing that their prey is in an utterly vulnerable position, slowly creep forward, taunting their deaths. Edyth looks around for the brothers, finding Fili just arriving, standing a few meters away but Kili is still in the short distance with a loaded bow.

"Hold your ground!"

Thorin draws his sword, one she is certain is new. Edyth holds her own up high, preparing for the inevitable. Did she escape Trolls only to die less than a day later? Why are these Orcs so set on hunting them?

"This way, you fools!"

Thorin's head snaps towards Gandalf who appears just behind them from the cover of a small rock. "Come on, move!" Thorin orders. "Quickly! All of you!" They begin running towards where Gandalf had just appeared. Thorin reaches the entrance first, but once again, does not move down. He stands there, wielding his sword and waits for his company to enter first.

Bofur disappears first into what Edyth guesses as a cave below. Bilbo goes down next, followed by Gloin and Oin. Edyth herself is running towards it, behind most of the other Dwarves. But her feet come to a skidding halt. Spinning around, her eyes dart around for the two brothers who are behind her. Fili is just a moment behind her but Kili is still yards away, shooting at the enemy.

"Kili!"

The cry strains her already dry throat but it is worth the pain it brings. Kili stops shooting, turning around. He finally begins sprinting towards the cover with the rest of the group but Edyth can't bring her feet to move until he is close enough.

Once he is only a few meters away, she turns, beginning to run back to cover which still has Thorin at the top, urging them on. 'Just a few more meters' she repeats, zoning her attention onto the rock. But that attention is broken but a Warg coming towards her from the left. Its eyes are set on her. Edyth pushes her legs faster, but an unfortunate step springs a sharp pain from her ankle. She cries out, stumbling in her step but not falling down, yet it is enough for the Warg to close the gap.

Just before it can pounce on her, another figure attacks it. The Warg falls to the side at the unexpected attack, snapping and snarling. Thorin raises his sword, aiming for its neck but the Warg manages to get a swipe in. Its claws tear through Thorin's left arm. Thorin grunts but doesn't withhold his swing which ultimately kills the beast.

He turns back to Edyth and Kili, pointing to the entrance with his sword. Edyth begins running again – not realising she had stopped. Kili slides in first, Edyth barely a step behind. Not expecting the sharp decline, she falls to her side, sliding down the smooth ground. A heavy thump lets her know Thorin is right behind.

It is dark and a little small inside the cave. Edyth immediately pushes to her feet, panting and exhausted. Her eyes search around for one person in particular, running towards them. Her arms wring around Kili's neck tightly, burrowing her head into his coat. Kili's one free arm wraps under her shoulders with his own pants.

Back up above ground, there is a horn. One that quite clearly does not belong to the Orcs. It is followed by the sound of hooves thundering and arrows meeting flesh. Edyth leaves her moment of comfort, turning to face the entrance just above them. Another waiting game, one in which they are blind to.

An Orc rolls down the slope into the cave and everybody pushes back out of its way. As soon as it stops, weapons are pointed at it, but the Orc is already dead. Thorin kneels down by its head, pulling the arrow out of its chest.

"Elves," he spits, tossing the arrowhead away. Gandalf looks at Thorin and Edyth tries to read his expression, but it is not meant for her to understand. She reaches up, gripping the arm across her front. They actually survived.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads," Dwalin calls from the opposite side of the cave. "Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it of course!" Bofur cries, being the first to move. There is no hesitation from the rest of the company, even Thorin submits to their only choice.

"I think that would be wise," Gandalf mutters.

Edyth's shoulders sag, finally allowing the days' tolls to collapse on her. No sleep, no food, injured ankle, her burning side of her face. Following others lead, she hobbles along after them, eyes low. However, she catches glimpse of Bilbo and pauses, pulling away from the brothers. They look back at her but she only gestures to her own brother with her head.

"Are you alright?" she whispers to Bilbo. Bilbo swallows, nodding.

"I think I'm fine," he breathes, eyes wide in disbelief of the day's events. He sucks his lips, looking over her. "How's your face?"

Edyth shrugs, reaching up to touch it but thinks better of it. "Stings," she chuckles honestly. "But not as bad as when you pushed me down that Hill over Miss Margaret's home."

Bilbo snorts softly at the memory. "Yes, that was quite bad. Sorry 'bout that again."

Edyth shrugs again, smiling as much as she can. "I got my revenge."

"Pushing me from the tree a week later?"

Edyth nods in soft laughter. "That was it," she agrees.