Chapter 9, I hope you like it!


Fili ran as fast as his legs carried him, one of his swords brandished in his right hand, even though his shoulder was now throbbing with excruciating pain. He heard the wargs gaining on them from behind as they ran downhill through the forest, and it wasn't long until the first of the beasts had caught up to them. The blond dwarf swung his sword at a warg that was snapping at his heels, catching it across the face. He didn't stay to fight and finish it off though and instead just kept running, knowing that if he were to stop to fight off one of them, many more would soon catch up to him.

The sky had grown dark by now and Fili suddenly saw the companions before him coming to a stumbling halt. His eyes widened when he saw the approaching cliff edge. They had run straight into a dead end, he realised with horror.

"Up into the trees!" Gandalf shouted over the howls and snarls of the approaching wargs. "Quickly! Climb!"

Fili didn't hesitate, seeing his little brother climbing one of the large fir trees a little ways ahead. He made straight for it and caught the hand that Kili was reaching down toward him, the brunet dwarf heaving him onto one of its branches, while the others were climbing onto trees further up. Fili cried out as the wound on his shoulder stretched with the effort of getting onto the tree, breathing heavily as he exchanged a meaningful look with his brother.

"Bilbo! Bilbo, run! Run!" The young dwarf suddenly heard a female voice scream and he looked around at Arinna's audible panic, his eyes finding the hobbit trying to retrieve his small sword from the head of a dead warg. Fili didn't take the time to think about the fact that the hobbit had apparently been able to kill one of the beasts and instead just called for him as well.

Bilbo finally managed to pull out his sword and, seeing that all his companions were up in the trees, began running toward them. Fili saw one warg closing in dangerously behind the hobbit before an arrow suddenly pierced its head and it fell dead to the floor at the hobbit's heels. The blond dwarf didn't have to look around to know who had shot the arrow, for there were only two archers among them and his brother was beside him, busy reaching down to catch the hobbit's outstretched hand. Fili helped pull Bilbo up into the tree in the nick of time, the two brothers manoeuvring him to safety as a warg snapped at his hairy feet.

The trees shook with the weight of the wargs that were now throwing themselves against them, jumping up the trunks to try and reach the dwarves. Arinna was holding on to a branch above her head up in the last tree before the very edge of the cliff, watching the scene before her unfold with fear pounding in her heart and her blood whooshing in her ears. She heard Ori cry out beneath her and looked down, seeing a warg jumping and snapping at the very branch he was standing on, threatening to snap it and bring the young scribe down.

"Ori!" She yelled, reaching down her right arm to him. "Climb up! Quickly!"

The young dwarf took her hand and she pulled with all her might as he scrambled upwards, but Ori was heavier than she thought, and so she had to use her left arm as well, struggling to keep her balance as she grabbed the dwarf with both hands. She cried out slightly through gritted teeth with Ori's weight pulling on her scarred arm but managed to get him up in time as the warg broke the branch beneath.

Then she suddenly heard great groans and cracks as the trees around her were uprooted, tilting and falling with the dwarves still hanging on for dear life. Arinna watched as her companions jumped from one tree to the next, each one giving way beneath them and falling under the wargs' continuing assaults. A few moments later, all of her friends were trapped on the very same tree as her, the last one still standing. But Arinna could already feel the roots groaning with the pressure put on them, her hand pressed against the bark of the trunk as she held on.

And then Arinna could see him. A small distance further up the hill, stood at the front of a pack of warg-riders, was a Pale Orc astride a white warg, just as the goblin king had said. Azog the Defiler was still alive and had found them. He was speaking slowly, though she did not understand what he was saying. His gaze rested on something below her and the druid looked down to see that it was Thorin he was staring at, a cruel grin playing on his face.

It was at that moment that a burning pine cone suddenly flew past her head toward the ground, smashing into the forest floor and sending sparks flying. Three more cones followed swiftly after it, quickly spreading their fire across the ground, and the wargs howled and moved back from the tree they were trapped on, one of them even catching on fire and running off into the trees. The druid heard the dwarves cheer for a moment, but their victory was short lived. As the fire spread below them, the tree they were hanging on to finally gave out, beginning to tilt over the edge of the cliff.

"ARINNA!" Gandalf's call reached her ears and she looked up at him questioningly, seeing his bright eyes staring meaningfully at her, his voice commanding urgency. "The tree! The tree!"

The druid gave a rash nod at his words, gathering the wizard's meaning quickly, as she pressed one palm firmly against the bark of the tree, closing her eyes.

"Vurte na i rruna," she muttered quietly, trying to concentrate on her thoughts and words amidst all the chaos around her. "Vurte na i rruna. Tha es sal numonro."

She kept her eyes firmly closed as the tree groaned beneath her touch, keeping up her quiet chant. But she could still hear what was happening around her and so she heard when the dwarves suddenly called after Thorin, their voices filled with fear and shock. The druid couldn't help herself and looked up for just a moment, seeing the dwarf-king running at the Pale Orc with his sword raised and a battle cry on his lips.

The tree tilted further with a sudden lurch and Arinna pressed her eyes shut again, her words growing more desperate as she tried to give the roots some strength. "Vurte na i rruna, tha es sal numonro… tha es sal numonro!"

She heard a snarl and Thorin's scream, desperately keeping up her chant as tears escaped from behind her closed lids. She could not let the tree fall, otherwise they would all die. But then she heard Bilbo, the hobbit's voice ringing out over the noise around her and again her eyes opened of their own volition. She saw the little hobbit race across the forest floor, fire burning around him as he threw himself in front of an unconscious Thorin, ripping an orc off its feet before he buried his sword in its chest.

As the Pale Orc approached Bilbo on his warg, the beast snarling dangerously at him as he positioned himself protectively in front of Thorin, the rest of the dwarves suddenly rose from their positions. They scrambled to their feet and jumped down onto the ground, rushing to the hobbit's aid with their weapons drawn.

Arinna's grip on the tree faltered as she watched her companions charge into the line of orcs and she looked up at Gandalf for a moment, seeing that he was leaning over the edge of the tree, his staff the only thing that kept Dori and Ori from falling to their deaths as they hung onto it for dear life. She hadn't even registered Ori loosing his balance, she realised with a start, but her thoughts went elsewhere as the wizard caught her gaze, a knowing look in his eyes. Arinna could see him nod his head almost unnoticeably and she quickly let go of the bark and grabbed her sword instead.

Fili and Kili were fighting alongside each other, slashing their way through the orcs and wargs, hellbent on getting to and protecting their uncle even though they were clearly and hopelessly outnumbered. Fili dove out of the way as a sword came at him and heard it collide with his brother's blade instead. He saw Kili being thrown to the ground at the impact, burying his sword in a warg's neck, knocking the rider off it as it fell. The blond dwarf tried to scramble to his feet when he saw another riderless warg run at him, bracing himself for impact when suddenly another figure charged at the beast from the side.

The young prince watched Arinna mercilessly drive her blade into the warg's side and he took her hand when she reached him, letting her pull him to his feet. They exchanged a small look before they spun around again, ready to keep fighting a loosing battle when suddenly great caws filled the night sky above them.

"Eagles!" Arinna breathed, her eyes widening in wonder as she looked up and Fili followed her awestruck gaze, seeing a dozen giant eagles swoop down upon the burning cliff edge. They grabbed orcs and wargs in their large talons, lifting them up mid-flight and knocking them down again, or unceremoniously dropping them over the edge. He saw another eagle blow the raging fire in bursts at the beasts by batting its great wings at them and felt his heart fill with new hope.

Some of the majestic animals began to collect the dwarves then, picking them up with their talons and carrying them off. Fili watched as one of them grabbed his little brother off the ground and it was only a moment later that he was lifted up himself, the eagle grabbing him with one talon and Arinna with the other. They both screamed as they were dropped into thin air only moments later, before they landed on the back of another eagle.

Fili looked back over his shoulder as the birds carried them away from the burning forest and he caught a glimpse of the Pale Orc standing by the edge of it, staring after them with a dark snarl on its face. Then the prince's gaze darted forward and his eyes searched for his uncle, finding him only a few seconds later being carried unconscious in an eagle's grasp.

"Thorin," he breathed fearfully, before he raised his voice, calling out to his uncle. "Thorin!"

There was no response and no movement in the dwarf-king and Fili felt his stomach tighten in a concerned knot.


The eagles carried them over the peaks of the Misty Mountains, the sun rising on the horizon and dipping the lands below them into golden light. Arinna was sat in front of Fili on the back of one of the eagles, though they had not spoken for hours now, not since they had escaped the orcs. She could tell that the blond dwarf's thoughts were preoccupied with his uncle, who was still unconscious. Arinna was worried for the dwarf-king, as well, though another thought was nagging at her, being part of the cause why she had not said a word to Fili so far. She simply couldn't shake the image she had of him in her head, pale and breathless from his already injured shoulder, dried blood still on his face, trying to scramble to his feet in the face of an attacking warg.

It was another while later that the eagles finally began their descent, dropping the company off on an enormous lone-standing cliff that Arinna recognised as the Carrock. One could hardly mistake it with its rough, bear-like form. She saw Gandalf bending over Thorin on the ground as their eagle landed and she quickly jumped off, followed by Fili. They swiftly made their way over to the wizard and Arinna watched with relief as Thorin's eyes fluttered open. He gasped for air, saying something to Gandalf, though it was too low for Arinna to hear. She heard Fili breathe a deep sigh of relief beside her.

"It's all right," Gandalf answered Thorin's words. "Bilbo is here. He's quite safe."

The druid looked over to where the hobbit stood with Kili and Bofur not far from Thorin and the wizard, his eyes worriedly roaming over the dwarf-king's form. She watched Bilbo with pride and amazement in her eyes, remembering that the hobbit had risked his own life to save Thorin's. She had known that Bilbo would find his courage eventually, though she couldn't help but be surprised at just how brave the little hobbit truly was.

"You!" Thorin growled then, causing not only the druid but other members of the company to frown in confusion as he approached the hobbit. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

Bilbo shrank back from the dwarf-king as he came to stand face to face with him, looking worried and frightened at Thorin's gruff tone. He opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out. And then Thorin suddenly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Bilbo, catching him in a firm hug.

"I've never been so wrong in all my life!"

Arinna felt herself relax, a smile appearing on her lips at the amazed look on the hobbit's face, while the dwarves cheered around her and slapped each other on the back. It took Bilbo a few seconds before he returned the dwarf-king's hug and Thorin held him by the shoulders as he pulled back.

"I am sorry I doubted you."

The hobbit shook his head with a small smile. "No, I would have doubted me, too. I'm not a hero or a warrior… not even a burglar."

The companions chuckled at Bilbo's words and Arinna shook her head slightly, still smiling.

"You're selling yourself short, my friend," she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else but Thorin had heard her, sending her a short look over his shoulder before he nodded, glancing back at the hobbit as he released him.

"Indeed," he agreed with a rare smile, patting Bilbo's shoulder affectionately. And then his gaze slowly drifted over the hobbit's shoulder, his blue eyes widening in wonder as he stepped past Bilbo, further toward the edge of the cliff. The others followed him, suddenly realising what he was looking at, as well.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked quietly and Thorin nodded, unable to say anything as he stared at the peak of Lonely Mountain, rising up on the distant horizon.

"Erebor," Gandalf answered the hobbit's question, his gaze set on it, as well. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home," muttered Thorin and the company stood with him for another few moments, taking the time to appreciate that their goal was now already in sight. It would be a long time yet before they would reach the mountain, but still they were filled with new hope and vigour.

A little while later, while the sun was still high in the sky, they began their descent down the cliff. Big and uneven steps had been carved into the side of it and the company was moving slowly and in line as they made their way down. Arinna was walking behind Bilbo, not really speaking with anyone while her eyes kept flicking between the uneven ground and the back of Fili's head, who was a little further ahead.

The hike down the Carrock took them over an hour and they marched on a little further once they had reached solid ground again, until they found a good spot to make camp. Though it would still be a while before evening, Thorin decided to stop for the day, as they were all exhausted from the events of the previous day and night.

Arinna had set up her bedroll quickly, pulling a few of her supplies out of her pack as she walked over to where Thorin sat. Oin was already at his side, practically ordering the dwarf-king to let him take a look at his wounds. The druid crouched down in front of them, handing a small satchel to the dwarven healer.

"This will help with the swelling and pain," she explained softly and Oin nodded appreciatively, as he took the satchel from her. Then her gaze fell on Thorin, who was watching her silently. "If you wish, I can gather some herbs and brew you a special kind of tea later to help with an undisturbed sleep."

"I think I'm tired enough to fall asleep on the spot," the dwarf-king answered in a friendly rumble, inclining his head at her gratefully. "I will be fine. Thank you, Arinna."

The druid nodded and stood, about to turn away when Oin spoke up. "Would ye mind taking care of young Fili, lass?" He asked, as he would be busy tending to Thorin. He shot her a meaningful look. "We don't want his wounds getting infected."

"Of course," Arinna simply answered, nodding as both dwarves bowed their heads at her with thanks. The druid looked around then, finding the blond dwarf sitting with his brother and talking quietly. He seemed to be in a fairly bright mood, and almost as though he had already forgotten about his injured face and shoulder, or else he was simply ignoring both. She sighed quietly to herself before she walked up to him, making a small detour to her pack to pick up some more supplies.

"Come on," she said, causing the brothers to look up at her in question when she reached them. She nodded for Fili to follow her. "Your shoulder needs cleaning and dressing. There's a stream nearby."

The blond dwarf exchanged a short look with his little brother, both of them frowning slightly at the druid's cool tone, before he simply nodded and followed her out of the camp. Arinna led him through the trees and Fili was slightly surprised at how well she seemed to know her way, arriving at the bank of a slowly flowing stream not five minutes later.

"How did you know this was here?" He asked curiously, though she merely gave him a small look.

"I have travelled these lands before. Though this stream is as far as I've gone. Sit," she told him, pointing to a small boulder nearby and Fili, still frowning, did as he was told while the druid walked to the edge of the stream, bending down and dipping a clean piece of fabric into the water. Fili followed her movements with his eyes as she came back toward him, nodding vaguely at his chest. "You'll need to lose some layers. I need proper access to the wound."

The prince hesitated for a moment before he nodded slowly. He undid the clasps of his coat, some of which were still open from when she first had been meaning to take care of his shoulder the day before, before he let it drop to the ground beside him. His tunic followed his coat and the dwarf shot the druid a short look before he cleared his throat and removed his undershirt, as well. His blue eyes found hers again when he was done, sitting before her bare-chested, his shoulder now hurting from all the movement.

Arinna said nothing as she moved behind him and Fili sat still while she took a look at his injury. He heard her sigh deeply, before he felt the wet cloth come into contact with his skin. He shuddered, cold drops of water running down his back as the druid began cleaning his wound.

She worked silently, her gaze trained on the dwarf's shoulder while the muscles in his back twitched. The wound wasn't as bad as she had imagined, the arrow not having gone as deep as she had first feared. He was lucky, but it was still a nasty business, she thought, cleaning out the wound that the grimy goblin arrow had left. Arinna knew that she wasn't being very gentle with the dwarf, her thoughts slightly preoccupied as she worked. She heard him hiss at her touch several times, ignoring it until he suddenly yelped quietly.

"Mahal, woman, are you trying to kill me?"

The druid only huffed quietly in reply, giving the wound a few last dabs before she reached down and retrieved a pot of ointment. She heard Fili speak up again, his shoulder twitching slightly under her fingertips as she spread the salve over his skin.

"It's cold."

"It's supposed to be," Arinna merely stated, continuing to pick up a pile of fresh bandages. As she wrapped it around his shoulder, now careful to dress his wound as best she could, she felt Fili's back rise and fall with a deep sigh.

"Have I done something to offend you?" The dwarf asked, making her glance up at the back of his head for a moment, while she tied off the bandage. He turned his head slightly when she didn't answer. "Arinna?"

"No," the druid said, clearing her throat before she moved in front of him, kneeling down as she began work on his face. Fili's pale blue eyes were fixed on her as she slowly dabbed and wiped away the dried blood from his face. The whip in the goblin cave had caught him on his left side, leaving a minor gash from above his brow down to his ear. He had been lucky, indeed, Arinna thought. A bit lower and he could have lost an eye.

Arinna did not look at Fili as she brushed his hair behind his ear, so she could clean the last bit of blood from his temple, or else she might have seen his lingering gaze at the renewed feeling of her fingers in his hair. He thought again about the first time she had touched his hair after the incident with the trolls and how he hadn't told her the possible implications of it in dwarven culture.

"Are we going to talk about whatever it is that has put you in this foul mood?" Fili asked, deciding again to avoid that particular topic, his voice a quiet rumble on the peaceful bank. He watched as Arinna's eyes drifted over the cut on his face, his patience slowly growing thinner as she raised her hand toward it again without returning his gaze. Fili caught her wrist in mid-air, cocking one eyebrow as her green eyes flicked toward him.

"Leave it, it's fine," he uttered, looking at her pointedly. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"Nothing is on my mind," Arinna retorted, trying to stand up but Fili just pulled her back down and held her in place easily, not loosening his grip on her wrist. "Fili! Let go."

"You're stubborn, I'll give you that," Fili said with a raised eyebrow. "But so am I. And I won't take any more of the cold shoulder without knowing what it is that I did. And then, perhaps, I can even apologise."

Arinna rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. I'm… I didn't mean to give you the cold shoulder."

"Then why did you?"

The druid's head dropped in frustration, Fili's hand still wrapped firmly around her wrist as he stared at her. She sighed deeply, trying to figure out a way to tell him what was bothering her without sounding like a complete idiot but her frustration got the better of her before she could think of the right words.

"Why," she muttered. "Why can you never just back down?"

"What do you mean?" Fili asked, brows furrowing as he tried to read her expression. Arinna looked up at him tiredly.

"It just seems to me that you are infuriatingly keen on carrying out every confrontation that presents itself to you, even this one now," the druid growled, trying to articulate her thoughts and suddenly unable to stop herself from continuing. "In fact, you seem to take every chance you get at risking your life. You rush into the midst of a horde of approaching wargs to drag me to safety. When we were trapped in a bloody thunder battle and rushing toward a cliff, you throw yourself in front of me, right into harm's way! You take an arrow to the shoulder and a strike to the face in Goblin Town and yet still throw yourself right back into danger to fight a bunch of orcs at the next opportunity, knowing you can't win!"

Fili's mouth had dropped open slightly as she raged at him and he finally dropped her wrist when she finished, standing up abruptly. He couldn't believe that she was serious, shaking his head as he took a few steps away.

"I'm not done with your head yet," the druid sighed behind him and Fili whirled around, anger suddenly rising within him as he stared at the woman before him.

"Oh, would you give it a rest, I'm fine!" He growled loudly, seeing her press her lips together in frustration, though she said nothing. Although, he didn't exactly give her a chance as he continued to raise his voice at her. "What are you saying, that you think me reckless?! Do you think I did all those things for the fun of it? If Thorin and I hadn't come to your aid with the wargs, you would be dead now! And I thought the same thing in the mountains, so, excuse me for not wanting you to smash face first into a spiky bloody mountainside!"

Arinna had now stood up, as well, opening her mouth to reply but Fili cut over her harshly, taking a few quick steps back toward her as he pointed his finger accusingly in her face.

"And an arrow won't stop me from defending my friends and family," he said, blue eyes sparking furiously. "And neither, I seem to recall, did you back down in the face of danger. If anyone is reckless, it is you, Arinna. You were knocked out during our fight with the trolls, then you get mangled by a warg only a few hours later and -"

Arinna flinched when the dwarf suddenly grasped her chin between his fingers and turned her head slightly, nodding at the scratch on her cheek as he finished. "- you got a face full of goblin. And yet I still see you running into every single next fight. So, don't you tell me to back down. Perhaps I wouldn't have to be so reckless if you could actually protect yourself!"

The druid's eyes narrowed dangerously at him as she jerked her head back, his hand falling from her face. Arinna angrily pushed at Fili's bare chest, making him stumble a step backwards. She stared at the blond dwarf, her chest falling and rising rapidly with deep, furious breaths. Her fists were clenched at her sides, one hand still holding onto the damp cloth that she had been cleaning his face with. Fili was returning her gaze just as angrily, his jaw twitching as he ground his teeth together.

"What on earth is going on down here?" Someone suddenly called from the trees and they both reluctantly turned their heads away from each other, finding Bilbo and Kili standing by the tree line. Bilbo went on, his voice carrying worry and confusion as he looked at them. "We heard raised voices."

"Is everything alright?" Kili added, looking between his brother and the druid with furrowed brows. He had been worried that something might have attacked them but there were only the two of them down here, and so Kili was watching them attentively, trying to make sense of the situation.

It was Arinna who finally spoke, her voice cold as she turned her gaze back toward the blond dwarf. "Yes, everything's fine," she said evenly, her gaze dark as she threw the wet cloth at Fili with some force. It slapped against his naked chest before he caught it with an angry look. "You're quite right, Fili. That cut seems minor, I trust you can take care of it by yourself."

And with that she turned, grabbed her things off the ground and walked away, stalking past Kili and Bilbo back toward the camp without another word. They both looked at each other in confusion, before their gazes fell back on Fili who was still standing rigidly by the stream. The blond dwarf let out a low growl, before he flung the druid's cloth away with such force that it landed in the stream with a loud splash.