Chapter Nine
"Whom comes and disturbs my kingdom? Thieves?! Assassins?!" demanded the Great Goblin. "Dwarves, your malevolence." said a goblin. The Great Goblin looked at the company, and he also noticed Lalina. "Female Dwarf. Haven't seen one of those in ages! A lovely thing too. She would be quite useful for us, lads! What do you think?" snickered the Great Goblin. "Don't you touch my wife!" Thorin bellowed as he stepped forward.
The Great Goblin turned his attention to Thorin. "Well, well, well! Look whom we have here! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under The Mountain! O, wait! You don't have a mountain! You have nothing!-Well so they say. I hear a certain old foe of yours have a pretty price on your head!" sneered the Great Goblin. "Liar! He died long ago!" shouted Thorin. "So you think! Send a message to the Pale Orc and tell him we got his prize!" The Great Goblin demanded to a goblin messenger, and the goblin left.
Then the Great Goblin demanded to the goblins to carry the dwarves to the torture devices. Beginning with Lalina. "THORIN!" Lalina screamed.
"The pretty one goes first!" chuckled the Great Goblin. The dwarves fiercely fought with the goblins as they dragged them to the devices. "I feel a song coming on!" chirped The Great Goblin, and he started to sing:
Clap snap, the black crack!
Grip grab pinch and nab
Batter and beat
Make them stammer and squeak!
Pound, pound far from underground
Down, down, down in Goblin Town!
Lalina covered her ears, as the Goblin King and his goblins sang. "Somebody make it stop!" shouted Bofur. "My dog can sing better than that, and I don't even have a dog!" shouted Lalina. Gandalf, where in the hell are you? Lalina thought, as she felt more cracks of the whips striking her back. Suddenly, Gandalf stormed in, brandishing his sword, Glamdring, killing goblins in his path. "Recover your weapons, quick! Follow me!" Gandalf shouted, after he rescued them.
The company took up their weapons, as they followed Gandalf, while fighting goblins at the same time.
It didn't take them long as they reached a bridge, and suddenly the Great Goblin jumped out in front of them. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" snarled the Great Goblin. Without a word, Gandalf thrusts his sword into the Goblin King's gut. "That will do it." The Great Goblin concluded, as he fell through the bridge, and the rest of the bridge collapsed, taking down everyone already on it.
The Company crash landed upon a bunch of debris. "Well that could have been worse!" spoke up Bofur, and no soon as he said that, the corpse of the Great Goblin fell on top of them. "You've got to be kidding!" shouted Dwalin. "Nice going, Bofur! Jinx us, why don't you?!" called out Lalina. "Sorry!" Bofur called out. After Gandalf removed the debris from the Company, they followed the wizard out of the Goblin Caves, and out into the fresh air again.
Lalina sighed, happy she could breathe the air again. Once they reached a clearing, Gandalf counted everyone to make sure everyone was there and accounted for. However, there was one person in the group that is missing, and that is Bilbo. "Where's Bilbo? Where's our hobbit?" asked Gandalf. And there was no reply from the Company. "Answer me! Where is he?" Gandalf demanded. "Curse the Halfling! It was Dori whom last seen him!" shouted Gloin.
"Well don't blame me, it was Nori whom last seen the hobbit!" snapped Dori. "Face it! The hobbit is long gone. He went back to his home, his cozy fire and books. He is no more!" snarled Thorin. Lalina slapped Thorin on the back of the head. "You didn't learn anything, did you!" hissed Lalina. Just as Thorin was about to say something to Lalina, Bilbo appeared out from the trees, much to everyone's surprise.
"BILBO!" Lalina, and she embraced him, and at the same time, giving Thorin a 'I told you So' look. When their brace broke, it was Kili who spoke first. "We thought we given you up!" said Kili. "How did you get passed the goblins?!" asked Fili. "It doesn't matter now! Our hobbit is back!" said Gandalf. "It matters! Why did you come back?" asked Gandalf.
It was that, Bilbo began his moving speech, and promising the dwarves o helping them get their home back.
"How small do you feel now, Thorin?" joked Lalina, winking at the dwarf. Thorin rolled his eyes and sighed. Suddenly, they could hear howling in the distance. "Wargs, which means orcs are nearby." gasped Lalina. "Out of the frying pan!" whispered Thorin. "Into the Fire! RUN!" Gandalf shouted, as they bolted. Lalina looked behind her as she saw orcs following them. "Into the trees, QUICK!" Gandalf demanded. And everyone climbed into the trees.
Lalina took her place near Balin and Dwalin. Suddenly, she could hear a familiar voice, a voice she hoped she didn't want to hear again. Lalina looked down, and there stood the Pale Orc, glaring at the Company, and he noticed her with them. "Do you smell it? The smell of fear?!" said Azog. "He's dead! I thought you said he was dead!" shouted Lalina. Balin looked at Lalina. "Sorry, Lalina." said Balin quietly. "Nobody told me he was still living!" shrieked Lalina, angrily. "Lass.." began Dwalin.
Thorin gasped. "No, it cannot be." said Thorin, quietly. Gandalf lit up pine cones, and began throwing them at the orcs, with Fili, Kili and Bilbo helping him. Suddenly, Lalina saw Thorin climbing down the tree, and she followed him. When Thorin felt her presence behind him, he turned. "No! You stay in the trees!" hissed Thorin. "Thorin, he killed my father. I made a promise! I'm not going to back down on that promise!" said Lalina. "I said into the trees, Lalina! And that's an ORDER!" snapped Thorin. "NO!" screamed Lalina. Stubborn ass dwarf, I faced him before, and I will face him again! Lalina thought.
Lalina stood at the bottom of the tree, and watch Thorin. And soon Thorin and Azog faced off in a fierce battle.
Several times Thorin attempted to attack Azog, but every time, Thorin got knocked down from the striking of Azog's hammer. "THORIN!" screamed Lalina, and she picked up her sword, as she saw a warg climbing on top of Thorin, gnawing on him like a chew toy. "Behead the King, kill the others!" Azog demanded to his orc scout, and the Orc approached Thorin, with his sword, preparing to behead the dwarf. Suddenly, both Bilbo and Lalina jumped out from the trees. "YOU BASTARD!" Lalina screamed.
"Lady Silverfire! You managed to survive, considering I killed your father, your best friend, and destroyed your home. And now you will be next!" snapped Azog. "You're going to die, you beast! You will pay for what you done to my father!" Lalina screamed as she charged at the Pale Orc. "LALINA! What are you doing? Have you gone mad?!" screamed Dwalin. "LALINA!" Kili called out. But Lalina ignored. As for Bilbo, he killed the Orc and warg in time before the Orc scout beheaded Thorin.
Thorin weakly looked up as he watched his wife fighting Azog. "Lalina!" gasped Thorin, and he fell into unconsciousness. As for Lalina, she was failing miserably fighting against the Pale Orc. With one swing, Azog took his hammer, striking Lalina in the back, and she tumbled over to the ground next to Thorin. "LALINA! NO!" shrieked Kili.
Kili jumped out from the trees, followed by the rest of the Company followed, as they fought the orcs. Lalina laid next to Thorin, in a puddle of blood, as she too fell into unconsciousness. Two hours went by, and she woke up, hearing voices calling out for her.
Lalina's POV:
I woke up, my vision blurry, and my entire body in pain, especially my back. When I looked up, I could see Gandalf and Oin looking down at me. "Lalina, are you okay? Are you in pain?" asked Gandalf. "My back, I can barely move." I said weakly. "Lalina, we're going to turn you over so I can look at your back, this may hurt, are you okay with this?" asked Oin. "Yes…Where's Thorin?" I asked. "I'm right here, love.." Thorin said, as he sat beside me. "Ready to turn her over?" asked Gandalf. "Ready!" Both Thorin and Oin said together.
I winced in pain, as they turned me over. "Its not broken isn't it?" I asked. "Thankfully no, but I'm afraid parts of your spine is fractured. Some of us have to carry you, or at least Thorin." said Oin. "Yes, I can barely move, or even walk." I said weakly. Then I turned to look at Thorin. "Thorin, I swear if you give me a lecture, I will kill you!" I said.
"What makes you think I'm going to lecture you, Lalina? If it weren't for you and Bilbo, I would've been a goner. Lalina, I understand you attentions and motives against Azog. You weren't the only one who lost a family member because of that filth." Thorin whispered. "Thorin, my injury is going to make me a burden of the quest." said Lalina. "You are, and never will be a burden, Lalin." whispered Thorin, running his fingers through her hair.
"Thorin, pick up Lalina, and carry here. We will find a place to set up camp." said Gandalf. Thorin nodded, as he picked up Lalina and carried her, following the Company as they climbed down from the Carrock. After that, they walked several miles and they set up camp. Bilbo helped Thorin set up Lalina's bedroll, as Thorin gently laid Lalina down on it. "I don't think I'll be able to sit up." said Lalina. "Try and sit up, if you can." said Oin. Lalina nodded, and she slowly did, leaning her back against the tree, wincing in pain as she done so.
"Are you alright?" asked Thorin. "I'm fine." said Lalina. "I'm going to borrow your husband, Lalina to work on his injuries! We'll be back in a jiffy." said Oin. Lalina nodded as she watched Thorin and Oin walk away.
An hour later, Thorin and Oin returned, and Oin decided to look at Lalina's back once more. "How long do you think it would take for my back to heal? Would I walk again?" asked Lalina. "I'm afraid its going to be a while for you to heal, my dear. In time, it will heal, and soon you will be on your feet again." said Oin. Thorin sat behind her, as he pulled her into his arms. "You may rest on me if you like." said Thorin gently. Lalina nodded, as she moved onto his lap, and leaned back against his chest.
Bombur served food for everyone, as they ate. "Wow, you eat like you haven't eaten before!" said Thorin. "Considering I haven't eaten in days, I'm surely hungry by now." said Lalina. Thorin chuckled. "I love you, Lalina, although you can be a little reckless and hare brained." said Thorin. "Hare brained? Excuse me? Were you the one who made an oath at your father's grave of getting revenge?" snapped Lalina. "I was only joking, Lalina..!" chuckled Thorin. "That wasn't funny, you nut." said Lalina, poking at his chest. "Careful, Lalina." said Thorin. "Oh, my apologies, Thorin." said Lalina. "That's okay." said Thorin.
After supper, Lalina laid her head upon Thorin's chest, and she dozed off. Thorin remained awake with the others, and talked quietly, as they discussed plans of the next leg of the journey.