First chapter of the week, I hope you like it! I really appreciate the lovely reviews so far, I didn't think this fic would get much reception at all, so thank you very much!
Bilbo stood outside the troll cave with the druid, a good distance away from the entrance, while the dwarves were inside. The hobbit and druid talked quietly among themselves, mainly about the earlier events at the troll camp, where Bilbo had also noticed the sudden gusts of wind that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Arinna was just explaining to him that this had indeed been her doing when she saw Gandalf coming toward them, while the rest of the dwarves now exited the cave as well.
„Here, Bilbo," the wizard said as he reached them, holding out a small sword to the hobbit. „This is about your size."
Arinna stepped away from them as Bilbo tried to decline the sword, giving Gandalf a moment to have a quiet talk with the hobbit, who had never used a weapon in his life. The druid could only imagine that it was a difficult step for him to take a sword that he would potentially have to use sooner rather than later.
„Here," she heard someone say close by. „I found something for you."
She turned to see Fili approach her, Bofur and Kili standing close behind with some strange looks on their faces. The druid looked curiously at the object the blond dwarf was holding out to her, finding it to be a small dagger, about the size of her hand, including the hilt. She took it from him with a look of confusion, turning it over in her hand and noticing that it was well made, probably by a smith of Men.
„Why are you giving me this?" Arinna asked, looking up at the dwarf-prince who only inclined his head in return. It had been Kili's idea to give the dagger to the lass and Fili recalled the conversation that had transpired only a little while ago in the troll cave, when he had been exploring it with his brother and Bofur.
He had told them that he had tried to get Arinna to stay behind when the trolls attacked, noticing how the other two shook their heads at him.
„You're barely in a position to tell her what and what not to do, Fili," Kili had told him and Bofur agreed. „She's a grown woman, and a fierce one at that."
„Indeed. Did you even see the girl fight, lad?" Bofur had added. „Never thought druids could be so ruthless with a sword. I think she can handle herself well enough."
„She got knocked unconscious," Fili had interjected, frowning at the two. Bofur had shrugged while Kili tilted his head at his brother.
„That had nothing to do with her skills as a fighter. Anyone of us would have gotten knocked out being smashed into a tree like that," he had said. „Except maybe Bofur with his exceptional blockhead."
The hatted dwarf only laughed at Kili's statement, before the younger brother continued. „Perhaps you should apologise to her," he said. „You know, make a small gesture."
Fili's expression was more than doubtful. „A gesture. Like what?"
Kili had looked around the troll hoard for a few moments, studying the piles of stuff that were lying around them. Then he took a few steps away and retrieved the knife that Arinna was now holding. „How about this? Daggers always say ‚I'm sorry'."
Now that the druid was turning the blade over in her hands though, Fili was feeling rather foolish. He could have just let the whole thing be, never talk about it again, and surely, it would have been just fine. But, of course, he'd had to listen to his little brother and Bofur, of all people, as though those two had ever been known to give good advice. But he was in the thick of it now, so he might as well go on.
„You can put it in your boot," he said, clearing his throat a little awkwardly as her emerald eyes darted up toward him again. „You know, for the next time you come a little too close for comfort to a troll. I was wrong to tell you to stay behind. You're a capable fighter, this is just to… to…"
Arinna smiled brightly as Fili trailed off, unsure what to say exactly. „Thank you, Fili," was all she said before she bowed her head at him and took a step back to bend and put the dagger in her boot, just as he had suggested. Fili let out a small breath of relief.
It was then that a loud noise came from the trees around them, and they looked up as they heard branches snap and leaves rustle wildly. Fili took a small step in front of the still kneeling druid, drawing one of his swords and observing the edge of the tree line.
„Something's coming!" Someone yelled and Arinna quickly got to her feet, drawing her bow and swiftly notching an arrow, pointing it at the trees. Gandalf had ushered Bilbo into the midst of the company again, which now formed a protective half circle, weapons drawn as they listened to the noise approach fast.
„Stay together!" Thorin called. „Stand your ground!"
And it was then that something suddenly shot out of the trees so fast that none of them could really react at all and once Arinna had found her target with her arrow, her grip loosened immediately. Gandalf, recognising the intruder, as well, stepped forward quickly before the dwarves would attack.
„Thieves! Fire! Murder!"
„Radagast!" Gandalf called over the other wizard's cries. „Radagast the Brown! What on earth are you doing here?"
Radagast, regaining his wits, quickly stepped off his ride, which was a sled pulled by a dozen very large rabbits, and approached the grey wizard. „I was looking for you Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong!"
„Here, here," Gandalf muttered, clasping one hand on his friend's shoulder. „Let us speak privately, come."
The company watched as Gandalf led the brown wizard further into the forest. The dwarves followed at a distance, Thorin deeming it unwise to simply stay in an open clearing. While the two wizards were discussing something further away, the company waited somewhat impatiently for their wizard's return.
„What do you suppose they're talking about?" Bilbo asked into the group, though no one was able to provide an answer. The ways of wizards were a mystery to all of them, even Arinna.
„I don't know," Bofur chimed up. „Wizard business. Terribly important. It -"
His words froze on his lips when a sudden howl echoed through the forest. Bilbo looked up fearfully. „Was that a wolf? Are there wolves in these parts?"
„No, that was no wolf," Bofur answered him in a low voice, looking around the tree line. Suddenly, a deep, dark growl sounded from one side and a large warg appeared, baring its razor-sharp teeth at them before it lunged into their midst. The dwarves dove out of the way and Thorin rushed forward, burying his new sword, which he had found in the troll hoard, into the beast's neck. It let out another howl, angry and pitiful before its breath left it. There was no time to rest though, as another of the beasts appeared on the other side of them, running toward them at full speed. An arrow pierced its neck before it reached any of them, and the warg fell and growled ferociously before Dwalin finished it off with his axe.
„Warg scouts," Thorin growled, looking at the two dead beasts in their midst. „Which means an Orc-pack is not far behind."
Arinna's head dropped, while Bilbo repeated the dwarf's words fearfully. „O… Orc-pack?"
Gandalf and Radagast had now hurried back to them, the grey wizard addressing Thorin harshly. „Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"
„No one!"
„Who did you tell?!"
„No one, I swear!" Thorin bellowed. „What in Durin's name is going on?"
Gandalf's eyes narrowed, as more howls sounded through the trees. „You are being hunted."
„We have to get out of here," Dwalin said, though he was interrupted by Ori.
„We can't!" He cried. „We have no ponies, they bolted!"
Arinna's head shot up as she heard Ori's words, worry filling her heart as she realised that they had come up here without their ponies. They had been planning to go back to their original camp later on and continue their journey from there. She only hoped that Lithen had run off with the other ponies, she did not want him to encounter a stray warg.
„I'll draw them off!" Suggested Radagast, motioning back to the sled with which he travelled. Gandalf shook his head.
„These are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you."
„Gandalf," Radagast answered with a sly smile. „Those are Rhosgobel Rabbits, I'd like to see them try."
And with that he sped off and the company moved from their spot into the trees, hearing the howls of the wargs grow closer before another noise could be heard. The noise of Radagast speeding through the forest, drawing the attention of the orcs. They saw him race across the rocky plain that lay before the forest when they reached its edge, the orc-pack following on his tail.
„Come on! Quickly!" Gandalf called and they followed him as he led them out of the forest, running across the plain while Radagast led the orcs away. „Stay together!"
Arinna ran along with the others, her heart beating in her throat as she kept catching glimpses of Radagast, racing ahead of the orcs a bit further away. Her breathing was heavy as they made their way across the plain, hiding behind large rocks to remain unseen by the orcs as they chased after the wizard.
„Where are you leading us, Gandalf?" Thorin called after the wizard but received no answer. They stopped again behind the cover of a large boulder, and Arinna tried to catch her breath when she heard a low growl somewhere above them. She looked around, the others having noticed it as well, and remaining as still as they possibly could.
Thorin gave his younger nephew a pointed look and Kili nodded, slowly drawing an arrow and notching it silently, before he took a quick few steps forward and turned simultaneously, shooting at the warg. The beast came tumbling down, roaring and howling at the arrow imbedded in its neck. Dwalin and Thorin rushed forward, killing the warg and its rider quickly. But it had not been quick enough, they all knew. The noise of the fight had carried over the plain and now the orc-pack had abandoned the chase for Radagast and were coming straight for them.
„Move!" Gandalf shouted. „RUN!"
Arinna felt her feet move of their own, running after the others as fast as she could. They made it onto a grassier part of the plain, still following Gandalf and trusting him blindly to lead them to safety. The druid couldn't help throwing a glance over her shoulder as she ran, seeing the warg-riders approach in a wide circle around them.
„There they are!"
She couldn't tell who was yelling, trying to make her legs move faster still. But she could see that the wargs were now approaching from all sides. They were surrounded.
„Shoot them!" She heard Thorin's loud voice from somewhere, though she could not see him. She did see Kili though, a few yards away, beginning to shoot his arrows at the orcs. Arinna did the same, pulling her bow and quickly firing in the opposite direction that Kili was, trying to stop them circling in on them. She hit several orcs in the head and chest, watching them fall from their beasts, and approaching wargs in the neck. But it took more than an arrow to kill a warg and Arinna watched as one of the beasts, now without rider, rushed toward her.
She reached for another arrow, realising suddenly that she had run out, and she quickly drew her sword as the warg reached her. She dove out of the way and sliced at it when it lunged for her, the beast howling as her sword made contact with its flank.
„We're surrounded!" She heard Fili's voice over the warg's growls as it turned to face her again, teeth bared and drool running down its muzzle. Arinna braced herself for its next attack.
„This way you fools!" She then heard Gandalf's voice somewhere behind her, right as she dove for the ground again, the warg's teeth missing her by a few inches. She turned quickly and buried her sword in its neck, crying out with the effort of pushing it in as far as it would go.
„Run!"
The druid looked around, seeing Thorin standing by a rock not too far away from her and started to make for it. She saw Ori running and jumping down a hole when he reached Thorin, and she also saw Fili and Kili running toward their uncle from the other side. Kili was still shooting arrows at the orcs behind them, while Thorin called out for them again. She had almost reached the rock when she heard another loud snarl from the left and she was barely able to turn her head in time to see the warg coming at her at full speed.
Arinna did not have time to react as the beast slammed into her and she screamed as its teeth connected with her left arm as she raised it to shield her face, feeling them tear through her flesh. She felt the warg shake her around for a moment before it tossed her down and she fell to the ground with another pained outcry.
„Arinna!"
The druid looked around for her sword, her eyes darting over the grass around her in a wild panic as the warg came up behind her again, ready to go for her throat this time. She finally saw it, lying only a few feet away and she scrambled towards it, her injured arm sending bolts of pain through her whole upper body. She had almost reached the sword when she heard the warg howl behind her, and she turned quickly to see three swords buried in the beast's body, two of them belonging to Fili and one to Thorin.
„Come on!" Thorin yelled and pulled her to her feet by her uninjured arm, grabbing her sword off the ground with his other hand. He pulled her with him toward the rock, where Kili was shooting arrow after arrow at anything that came too close to the small group. Meanwhile Fili was trailing behind them, both his swords clasped firmly in his hands, ready to defend them from more approaching wargs.
Arinna cried out again as they reached the rock and Thorin practically tossed her down the hole, sliding down behind her as she met the ground with a thud. His nephews followed close behind him. The druid was in so much pain, the blood whooshing in her hears so loudly, that she barely heard the sound of a horn echo across the plain above them.
„Lass!"
„Arinna!"
„Arinna, are you alright?"
The voices around her began to make sense as she slowly came to. She felt someone pull her into an upright position on the ground, the sudden movement making her cry out in pain once more. Arinna opened her eyes to see the eyes of her companions rest worriedly on her. Oin was kneeling beside her, fussing over her arm, while in front of her she could see Fili looking at her with deep concern.
„Just a scratch," she tried so say jokingly, though her voice only came out as a whisper. She felt sick, trying to ignore the disgusting, heavy, painful throbbing in her arm. Fili's eyebrows drew together as he looked at her, though he said nothing.
„There is a path!" Someone then called from further down the rocky cave. It took the druid a few seconds to put the voice with Bofur's face in her head. „Do we follow it or no?"
„Follow it, of course!" Answered Dwalin, but Thorin's voice cut through the agreeing mumbles like a sharp knife.
„No," he hissed darkly. „Not before you tell me where you are leading us, Gandalf."
The wizard just looked at Thorin sternly, unfazed by the dwarf-king's glare, but before he could say anything, Oin spoke up from where he was bent over the druid woman by the wall. „The lass is losing a lot of blood, Thorin," he said directly to the dwarf-king.
The dark-haired dwarf growled, his eyes moving to the small woman on the ground. Her eyes had already fallen shut again, a fine sheen of sweat appearing on her brow. They had no supplies with them to help her. They had to keep moving, get her somewhere safe to address her wounds, or else she would most likely die here, Thorin knew. He did not want that, of course, he had not risked his own life to save her for her to die pitifully only a few minutes later. And as he was quite sure that Gandalf knew exactly where he was going, though he already knew he probably wouldn't like it, he simply gave a curt nod.
„Very well," he said. „We follow the path. Fili, take the druid. She won't make it far on her own."
His nephew just nodded and Thorin turned and walked ahead as they took the path deeper into the cave. Oin helped Fili gather the small woman in his arms.
„Careful of her arm, lad," he said quietly, worry dripping from his words. Fili tried to be as gentle as he could, but she still groaned harshly when he lifted her up. Oin sighed deeply. „Go on, I'll be right behind you."
And so the blond dwarf carried her down the path after the others, Oin walking close behind him. Kili, who had waited for them, was just ahead of his brother. None of them said much as they made their way along the narrow path, stone walls reaching up high to either side of them. Arinna's heavy breathing was echoing off the stone and Fili tried to ignore that, as well as the fact that her head had by now lulled against his shoulder and she had gone limp as her blood stained his own coat.
