The Goblin king stood, frowning at Essence, who stood with her light figure in the middle of the platform. Suddenly, realization crossed his face.
"Essence…" he said, staring at her, his bloodshot eyes widening. "You…" he looked behind her at the dwarves, who all wore looks of perplexity on their faces. Even the dwarven king, Thorin had his eyebrows narrowed in confusion at the young girl. "How come you by here?"
"I was traveling when your clever trap caught me, I'm afraid," she responded as if she knew she was superior to him. The dwarves stared at her.
"You travel with dwarves, Lady Essence?" asked the Goblin King condescendingly, making the dwarves frown.
"You are quick to judge," mused Essence, turning back to look at the dwarves. Thorin glared at her, his eyes seeming to ask what she was doing. She flashed him a reassuring look before looking back towards the Goblin King. She held herself with a grace no one in the room possessed, and it made her look quite out of place. The king looked disgruntled and somewhat frightened atop his crude throne.
"Nevertheless you were correct," she said, and the Goblin King straightened himself. She began coating her words in honey, making them smooth. Everything around her silenced completely, and they hung at ease. "This is my party, and we wish to pass through here unharmed." Her voice cracked a little, and though she hoped the King would not notice, he did. The Goblin King's eyes bulged, and he let out a loud laugh.
"Let dwarves pass through here?" He chuckled, and the room let out a collective laugh. "Preposterous!" As he laughed, his chin swayed to the side and he stumbled to the right, shaking the table once more. "Do you have such nerve as to ask me this?"
"I do," she said simply, seemingly unfazed by his outburst. Inside, Essence's nerves were bubbling so much she feared she would scream. Though she had expected the Goblin King's stubbornness, she realized this may not work after all. The Goblin King looked down at her menacingly.
"How dare you ask such a thing!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. She remained composed, staring the Goblin King down.
"Think about it," cogitated the young girl, her dark hair swinging over her shoulder with a push. "Killing me, I mean. How would Mandos take that?" She smiled smugly at the Goblin King as fear raced through his eyes. "I can't imagine killing me would strengthen your relationship with the death Vala." Essence smiled superiorly at him, and the king's lips quivered in anger.
"Are you trying to entice me, Lady Essence?" asked the Goblin King, tilting his head to the side. Essence's eyes widened, but she held her poise.
"No," replied Essence plainly. "I simply ask for you to let us go." Essence's words were strong with hypnotism, and if the creature was like man or dwarf, he would have fallen under her spell in seconds. But the Goblin King just laughed, swinging his staff up in the air madly.
"While Mandos will not have you killed," the Goblin King feigned pondering his thoughts. His head looked out into the crowds, then back at Essence with a thirst for blood. "What about dwarves?" he smiled nastily at her, and she swallowed thickly.
"He would not have me or my company harmed," she said, glowering at the Goblin King.
"No, not the dwarves," said the Goblin King, and Essence's olive skin paled. "The dwarves will die." He stared at the stout company, his dry mouth lifting into a merciless smile. "Mandos will forgive me for doing what I must…" The Goblin King laughed, and the entire stadium erupted into hysterics. "While no harm will come to you, Lady Essence," the Goblin King mocked a bow at her, making her face heat up, "The dwarves?" His eyes darkened with bloodlust. "They are no concern of his. He would be happy to see them dead."
Essence opened her mouth to speak, but was instead grabbed by another goblin. This one stood well above her own height and had a hunched back. Its face dripped with snot and saliva, its prickly skin a tint of green and yellow. It smiled, or, as close as a goblin could get to smiling, at her, and grasped her arm firmly.
"You're goin' with me, lassie," said the goblin, his breath ragged. "Mandos migh' have pi'y on us if we offa you som' hospitali'y!" The goblin's rough skin made goose bumps erupt on her arm, and the creature smiled. "O' would yew ratha' watch you' li'le dwa'fies ge' crush' ta death?"
As if in a response, the Goblin King raised his staff, a very scary addition to his looks, and made the crowd roar. "Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung!" he yelled, banging his staff on the platform in sync to the words he was shouting, and the goblins began stamping their feet to the rhythm. "You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung!" He moved his fists with the beat, then flicked a finger. The goblins began attacking the dwarves, and Essence pulled the goblin restraining her. He just laughed and grabbed her, pulling her back.
The Goblin King, shaking the platform as he moved, continued singing as the goblins ransacked and pushed the dwarves around some more. "You will die down here and never be found!" He laughed as the goblins around him cheered, and Essence pulled against the goblin again. His course skin scratched her own, and she cried out, staring at the dwarves. She wanted to scream in frustration as they were pushed down, and she felt helpless. "Down in the deep of Goblin Town!"
Suddenly, a scream came, a scratchy goblin scream, and it threw a sword forward, backing up against its kin. A gasp echoed through the goblin stadium, and the Goblin King backed up onto his throne, a wavering finger pointed at the sword.
"I know that sword!" yelled the Goblin King, shuddering as the other goblins backed away from it. "It is the Goblin Cleaver! The biter!" Goblins began attacking the dwarves more fiercely, whipping them with ropes and scratching at them. The dwarves yelled in response, but could not do anything.
"Stop it!" Essence yelled angrily, but no one paid attention to her. More screaming ricocheted through the cavern, covering up any objection she hoped to make. The only one who paid her any attention was the goblin behind her, who grabbed her shoulder and held her up to his chest. He grabbed her face, pointing it at the dwarves as they were attacked.
"Wha's wrong, lassie?" hissed the goblin as she struggled against his firm grasp. Though goblins weren't particularly strong, Essence herself was not either, and the goblin outmatched her. "Sca'ed ta see ou' dwa'fies die naw, aw we?"
"The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" continued the Goblin King as the goblins continued to beat the dwarves. "Slice them! Knead them! Kill them all!" he yelled, and the goblins roared to life. A tear streaked down Essence's cheek as she watched the goblins strike the dwarves with anything they could find, all while Essence was struggling to be freed.
"Nothin' you cun do 'bou' it now, lassie!" the goblin imprisoning her snorted, and she turned to face him.
"Or can I?" she said, spinning hypnotism into her voice to control the goblins. She had never used this so much in her life, and it was wearing her down already. Doubled with the energy of healing Kili, she already felt lightheaded and weak. "If you could just let me go, I'd reward you." The goblin's grip slackened and his beady eyes widened. "Mandos is at my disposal." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Anything you want…" The goblin dropped his hand from Essence's arm, and she reacted quickly. Snapping away from the goblin that was still in a trance, she raced forward towards the dwarves.
"Cut off his head!" yelled the Goblin King once more, and Essence stared at the goblins. Four of them were on top of Thorin, holding him down, as one raised a sword. Essence was about to scream when a flash of light knocked her down, and she fell hard against the wooden boards. Her head banged down, but she lifted it in time to see a grey bearded man with a worn hat and staff in hand staring at them. She recognized him immediately.
"Gandalf the Grey," she whispered to herself, and he walked forward. The goblins and their king seemed to be knocked out of sorts for a moment, barely moving and groaning to themselves.
"Take up arms," said Gandalf quietly. "Fight. Fight!" The dwarves, seemingly unaffected by Gandalf's ray of light, wriggled out from under the goblins and raced towards their weapons. The goblins moved to get up, but were still dazed as the dwarves grabbed hold of them. Essence took this time to stand up and run over to the dwarves, who were getting into fighting stance.
"Naessa!" called the blonde dwarf as a goblin jumped at him. He quickly struck it with his sword and it fell out of the way. Many more stood up and came at the dwarves. "Or, Lady Essence, I know not who you are!" Essence looked up at him, and he tossed her a sheathed dagger. "Try to fight!" He hit another two, and more came dashing forward to fill their place. Gandalf wounded another two, shoving them off the side of the platform.
"I don't know how to fight!" she yelled, running towards Fili who was fighting alongside his brother. He looked at her, his blue eyes ablaze.
"Just brandish it at them!" he said, and though Essence knew he was trying to be encouraging, it scared her. She had spent her whole life helping people—how was she suddenly supposed to wound them on order of a dwarf?
"He wields the Foe-Hammer! The beater! Bright as daylight!" The Goblin King was still crouched on his throne, and all the dwarves grabbed their weapons. They attacked the goblins, whipping them with their swords and stabbing them. Goblin blood splattered everywhere, and Essence centered herself between Fili and Kili. She unsheathed her dagger and swiped it at the nearest goblin. The goblin fell as Kili stabbed it through its middle with a long sword. She glanced up at him; her eyes alight from slicing the goblin.
"Thanks," she breathed, and he barely met her eyes. He quickly turned around and hacked a goblin behind them a few times, making it fall to the ground.
"Don't harm the girl!" screamed the Goblin King from his chair, and she finally grasped what he was saying in her mind. They couldn't harm her, no matter what she did to them. She smiled, holding the dagger in front of her. Still in between Fili and Kili, she lunged out and drove the dagger into what was meant to be the goblins head, and ended up being his neck. She recoiled as the goblin clutched its throat, and then slowly fell to the ground, writhing in pain as a sickly colored blood squirted out of its windpipe. Essence almost moved to heal him out of instinct, but she refrained. Though it was her natural instinct, she thought about what these goblins had done to other people, and that they were cruel—they had done more harm than good, if they had done any good at all.
As if in response, the Goblin King and a few other goblins tumbled off the side of the platform, falling somewhere Essence couldn't see.
"Follow me!" Gandalf boomed, and she rushed towards the sound. She had quicker reflexes than most dwarves, and was racing to Gandalf's side before any the others. "Quick!" he called again, and looked down at Essence. He frowned. "Essence, my darling, what are you doing here?" Essence looked at him, confused for a moment, until she remembered. She had only met Gandalf once while she was staying in Rivendell. They had been introduced and had attended numerous dinners together, having more than one conversation between them.
"It's a long story," she breathed quickly, and he nodded, his eyebrows narrowed. The dwarves piled up behind him and Gandalf took off running, Essence following close behind. They ran forward along a long bridge, following Gandalf as if he knew where he was leading them.
Goblins from all around chased them down the wooden bridge, and Essence feared it would break due to all the weight. She held in a scream as a group of goblins ran towards them from the other side of the bridge, and before she knew what was happening, a few of the dwarves picked up a long pole and began scooping the goblins off the bridge. They fell off the sides of the bridge, probably to death, and the group ran forward.
Goblins came from everywhere—every crook, every crevice, and each of the dwarves fought them off. Essence stayed behind Gandalf for most of the fighting, killing a total of two goblins. Thorin yelled something from behind her, sounding like "Cut the ropes!", and each dwarf swung their choice weapon at the rope, cutting off the tens of goblins that were swinging towards them, and dropping a bridge.
Goblins appeared in front of them again, and Kili grabbed a ladder and shoved them off the edge, then throwing it down to create a makeshift bridge where one didn't exist. They fought their way across the bridge, until Kili slashed a rope holding the bridge together. Their section swung forward, nearing the next bridge.
"Jump!" yelled the wizard, and a few of the dwarves jumped off. Essence scowled as they flew back the other way, ten more goblins jumping onto their bridge section. The dwarves fought them off until they neared the opposite side of the bridge, and the rest jumped off.
"Come on!" yelled Fili, cutting the rope connecting the bridge as it fell. He grabbed Essence's arm, pulling her up. "Don't fall," he said, raising his eyebrows at her, and she shoved him off with a look and ran forward after the rest of the group.
Everything passed in a blur after that. Essence lost track of how many goblins were killed, though she could only imagine hundreds. The dwarves were in constant battle, stabbing and slashing at the goblins as they moved along. Though the goblins never came directly at her, adrenaline like she had never felt before coursed through her veins, her lungs screaming after running for so long.
Unexpectedly, the Goblin King rose from under their bridge and blocked their path. He chuckled, slamming his staff down. The bridge creaked and swayed, and Essence grabbed onto the nearest dwarf she could find to keep from falling off the edge.
"You thought you could escape me," asked the Goblin King laughed, swinging his staff at Gandalf. The wizard nearly missed it, ducking back against the dwarves. The Goblin King turned to look at Essence, his smile wearing off. "You, little girl, will come with me." Essence backed away from the Goblin King, and he laughed. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" Gandalf frowned, reaching forward and stabbing at the Goblin King's eye. He yelped, bringing a hand to his face.
Gandalf sliced the Goblin King's stomach, then his neck. "That'll do it," came a low grown from the misshapen King, and he fell to the ground, dead.
Recently I rewrote all of these chapters up to my modern day standard, if anyone wanted to check them out again. Review, review, review! I love the feedback!