36 hours previously…..
The river roared as it fell angrily upon the rocks lining its banks. It's inhabitants desperately clung to the barrels they rode in, using all their strength.
Sirius was torn between a feeling of exhilaration and terror. He had never even seen a river of this size or power, let alone ridden along one! He concentrated on keeping himself upright in his barrel, determined not to fall out.
As he looked ahead, the young wizard suddenly spotted the poor Hobbit clinging on to one of the barrels for dear life. It had been Bilbo's suggestion to use the barrels as an escape method, however he had not had time to climb into one himself before they had been discovered by the elves. Now, the young hobbit looked terrified, not to mention soaked to the bone.
A new sound alerted Sirius to danger. He had been aware of the elves chasing them; in fact, it was only a quick 'Alohamora' on his part that had opened the gate at the start of the river and allowed them to pass through. But now he could hear terrible shrieking noises, and angry cries that almost didn't sound human. Out of nowhere, scores of creatures appeared with weapons in their hands. Their faces were contorted, and their flesh was an awful sight to look upon. Sirius didn't know what these creatures were called, but he knew that they were not there to help them; more like wound or even kill.
A startled cry from Bilbo caused Sirius to whip round suddenly. The barrel that the hobbit had been clinging to had jolted against one of the sharp rocks, causing Bilbo to lose his grip and slip into the river. Sirius just had enough time to cast a bubblehead charm in the Hobbit's direction before he suddenly found crude arrows being fired towards him. The young wizard swore, realising just how much of a dangerous situation he had landed himself in. He fired off a few stunning spells and other non-lethal hexes, satisfied when more than a few found their mark.
By this time, the elves had concentrated their efforts on killing the foul creatures rather than recapturing the dwarves. Sirius noticed that one blonde elf was attacking the creatures with deadly ferocity and precision, the likes of which he had never seen before. The young wizard dreaded to imagine what trials the Elven prince must have endured in his life to have reached such a stage.
Deciding that now was not the time for deep contemplation, Sirius re-concentrated his efforts towards firing spells at the creatures. He was relieved to see that their numbers were slowly dwindling; they did not seem to have the capacity to match up to the strength of the dwarves nor the precision of the elves. Gradually, the barrels moved further down the river, away from the elves and the orcs. Sirius sank down slightly into his barrel and turned his attention forwards to see a giant lake looming up ahead.
"Onto the next adventure" he thought to himself, his face a cross between grim determination and a small smile.
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The sun had just begun to set over Mirkwood's vast landscape. Lord Elrond and King Thranduil had retreated to the King's main study, having just retired from the evening meal. They had left Fili and Kili in the company of Elrond's sons and the crown prince. The two sat quietly, contemplating the events that had happened and wondering about what would unfold in the coming months.
"We are entering troubled times, my friend" said Elrond, a small frown lining his face. "The arrival of the two wizards has set in motion a new chain of events, and the future is unclear to me."
"Indeed" said Thranduil. "I confess, the arrival of the young wizard in my kingdom took me entirely by surprise. I knew of the dwarves as soon as they had entered Mirkwood, but the wizard appeared as though out of nowhere".
"As wizards are wont to do" said Elrond, a small smile appearing on his face as he thought of Mithrandir.
"It appeared as though the dwarves were just as surprised by his arrival as I myself was, for when I questioned them they did not appear to even know his name. The wizard spoke only of Fili and Kili, the dwarf king's nephews who have accompanied you here" said the King.
"I believe that they are from another realm" said Lord Elrond. "I conversed at length on our journey with the other young wizard, James, and he seemed to understand little of our lands, although I did feel as though he was hiding something from me".
"That is troublesome indeed" said Thranduil, his face remaining as expressionless as always. "More troublesome to me, however, is the fact that Thorin Oakenshield attempts to reclaim the mountain of Erebor. I warned him of the danger of waking that terrible beast, but as was to be expected, his dwarven stubbornness meant that he refused to listen to reason."
"I am also greatly concerned about what perils the dwarves may lead themselves into" said Elrond slowly. "But I cannot deny that it would be of great significance if their race were able to reclaim such an ancient stronghold. For I daresay that having dwarves seated in the Lonely Mountain once more would cause the enemy the utmost dismay".
The only response that the Elven Lord received from the King was a small quirk of his eyebrow.
"The dwarves are no longer in my lands" said Thranduil after a long pause. "I cannot stop them in their journey, but neither will I aid them. As for the two young ones, Fili and Kili, I shall not keep them prisoner, but neither shall I aid them in any way. It is their choice as to where their journey takes them next."
Not a moment after the Elven King had finished speaking, a guard suddenly burst through the doors, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the two elves.
"Forgive the intrusion my King" he said swiftly, "but I thought it of the upmost importance to inform you – the two dwarves and the young wizard have left the palace accompanied by Prince Legolas and are heading for Laketown."