Chapter Two, Goblin King...
The collision between the hard rock ground and her body sent the air from her lungs. Estrein moaned, attempting to lift herself from the stone cold ground but to not avail. Her eyes opened, and she took in one short breath before the familiar shrieks of goblins sent a shivering jolt through her spine. They carried whips, which they used to pick the girl and the dwarves up to their feet. And then, whipping once more to make them run forward.
It was a confusing journey, over bridges and for what seemed the one thousandth left turn. But once the goblins stopped ridding them forwards, it was no better than being on the way. Estreins eyes fell onto a large cavern, filled to the brim with screaming goblins.
"Well, what have we here?" there came a voice unlike the others. Estreins heart seemed to freeze at the mere sound of it. Her icy blue eyes faced, startled, a giant of a goblin. The Goblin King.
"Dwarves your malevolence."
Estreins heart beat frantically. They were completely surrounded, from each end of the cave with goblins. Their weapons had been stripped off them, if she looked down, Estrein could still see her bow and quiver of arrows lying in the pile with the rest of the dwarves swords.
"But what's this…" the Goblin King spoke. Estreins heart raced momentarily before she raised her eyes to look up at the creature. The two beady like lamps were turned to stare directly at her. The half elf felt her heart race faster, each hair on her body standing up. "A woman with the pack…" he let out a loud throaty laugh. The cave erupted into a chorus of the Goblins laughs altogether at once.
"What are you doing in these paths?" the Goblin King spoke. Estrein was pushed forwards and onto her knees by one of the goblins. Her fingers, merely inches away from the bow that lay beside her. Her bow. "Speak" he demanded.
Silence followed. Estrein only dared turn her head slightly, the corner of her eye glimpsing her group of dwarves. "Very well, if they will not talk, well make them squak! Bring out the wrangler, bring out the bone breaker! Start with the woman!"
She wished to scream and run. The goblins moved forwards, their greedy and long bony fingers grabbing her arms tightly, enough to let out a pitiful squeak from her lips.
"WAIT!"
The voice was unmistakably Thorins. Estrein closed her eyes, willing to wish the fingers to let her skinny arms go. She turned her eyes to look behind her, watching as the dwarf prince stepped from behind his comrades. His eyes momentarily met hers, and for a brief second Estrein thought she could see concern flash inside them.
"Well well well, look who it is" The Goblin King spoke. His henchmen released Estreins arms, and moved to the sides avoiding Thorin as he stepped forward and settled beside the white haired girl. "Thorin, son of Thrair son of Thror. King under the mountain. Oh wait, I have forgotten, you have no mountain" the ugly Goblin sneered. "And you're not a king. Which makes you, nobody really…"
Estrein felt anger boil inside her. Her eyes glared upwards, and her fingers itched to grab for the wooden weapon lying beside her. "I happen to know someone, who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached" the Goblin King laughed.
"Azog the defiler is dead" Thorin muttered lowly.
"Is he now? Send out a message to the pale orc, I have found his prize" The Goblin King spoke to a smaller orc at his side.
It seemed a little like a nightmare. Estrein closed her eyes many times, praying from time to time that when she opened them again, she would be back in Rivendell safe and sound with her brother somewhere in the house, making friends with elves and learning how to fend for himself. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still in the same old cave with the Goblins. Her friends were pushed around, dropped to the hard rock ground and whipped, and she herself had her long white hair pulled in every direction.
"Bones will be shattered you'll be eaten-" The Goblin Kings frightening song was cut short by his blood curdling scream. "I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver" he yelled, pointing at a weapon at Thorins feet.
What happened next, Estrein would never be able to recall. She remembered the ai and the scream which left her when the Goblins began to whip them even harder. But then she remembered a bright, piercing flash of blue. Unblocking her eyes from the view, Estreins eyes fell upon the wizard.
"Take up arm" he spoke, his voice rugged and old. "Fight, fight!"
The girl grabbed her bow and quiver. Fixing an arrow into the string as she stood up, running forward following Gandalf. She could hear the struggles of the other dwarves, and the screams of glee ad outrage of the goblins as they chased after them. Only the goblins were much faster and soon enough they were right on the party's tail.
Turning around, Estrein let her arrow loose. It flew, straight over the heads of the dwarves and into, and through, the head of one of the goblins connected his partner with him. The enemies fell to their feet. "That should stall them, come on now Estrein" Gandalf murmured, beckoning for the half elf girl to follow.
The mountain was a maze through the darkness. The dwarves and Estrein were guided by the dim light which came from Gandalfs staff. A pale blue bulb of hope amidst the darkness. For the most part, running away became a blur. Goblins flew from the bridge, left and right with dreadful bloodcurdling shrieks. The path way seemed clear, and just in time for Estreins arrows had begun to run clear. Until; the Goblin King jumped down in front of them with a ground shaking thud.
"You thought you could escape me" he rumbled. His arm swung, and Gandalf stumbled back. The dwarves pushed him forwards back to his feet. Estrein looked behind her, her eyes meeting with the fleet of goblins that had gathered behind. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" Wrong words for such a confident foe it seemed. Gandalf's staff flew forwards an inch, meeting with the Kings eye. He howled in pain. A slash! And he fell to his knees. One more confident strike from Gandalf, and the Goblin King was down.
The platform shook. Estrein held out her arms, attempting for balance but to no good. The wood collapsed and their party was plummeting down into the very hearth of the mountain. She shrieked, feeling her skin acquire new marks, of the fall, not of the battle. But in that moment, it seemed that the fall was on their side. For they met with the ground with ease. Estrein helped herself out of the fallen bridge, spitting out a tuft of her dusty hair.
"Well that could've been worse." She wanted to laugh, at the light attempt of humor but also because she, and everyone else was alive. THUD! The heavy body of the Goblin King fell right on top of the party tangled in between the wooden floorboards. And maybe that's when she would have laughed, if only the noise of the army of Goblins did not distract her. Her hands felt for any new arrows, except her fingers fell short. None.
"GANDALF!" Kili yelled.
"There's too many" Estrein breathed. "We can't fight them."
"Only one thing will save us!" Gandalf yelled, his arms reaching for the nearest dwarf to help him to his feet. "Daylight!"
"RUN!" Estrein yelled, her voice ringing across the cavern, drowned by the dozen of screaming goblins. And they ran, faster than before if it was possible. Estrein focused on her breathing. Felt a fire forming inside her mind. A blazing hot flame which egged her to move faster and faster and faster. The deafening roar of the Goblins at the back of her head. Her hand clutched her bow tighter. And suddenly. daylight! The freedom of the trees! The shining bright light of the sun! The half-elf sighed with joy. Safety!