A chorusing of howls, the baying of night hunters, signals the start of the chase.
There is an explosion of breaking tree branches as Radagast bursts from the foliage, hollering "Come and get me!" The wargs and riders immediately give chase, the wolfish creatures loping after the diminutive wizard with long strides.
As Radagast crests the rise in terrain, wargs in close pursuit, Gandalf pulls the dwarves together, grabbing gear and rounding each other up, slinging packs onto shoulders, checking their numbers to make sure they have all fourteen of their company. Well, actually it's fifteen now, Gandalf muses quietly.
The woman rushes over to the dead warg, sticks her fingers deep into the head wound Dwalin dealt the creature and smears the dark blood across the thigh of her pants before any of the dwarves can react. She looks up at the bewildered faces and chooses to meet Thorin's eyes. "To disguise the smell of my wound," she says, her words quiet but fierce. He gives a slight nod of grudging respect, having not thought of that himself.
Kili grabs the girl's forearm as they run out of the cover of the trees, then looks at her in shock. His hand completely encircles her arm, she is so starved. She stumbles a bit but manages to keep up with the dwarves as they leave the safety of the trees behind. She heavily favors one leg but struggles onward, terror spurring them all forward. "Come on!" Gandalf yells. Fili, next to his brother as always, notices grimly that her leg is bleeding afresh, her blood mingling with the warg blood she smothered it with. His brows knit with concern.
Fili and Kili flank her as they run across the plains. The bloodcurdling warg howls make the fine hairs at the nape of their necks stand on end. The rock formations jutting from the land like buried giant fingers give them some measure of protection as they speed away from the rock walls of the Arnor low-lands and merge into the vast plains west of the Misty Mountains.
Radagast is leading the warg riders on a merry chase as the company tries to stick to the shelter of the rocks and sparse tree cover on the mostly barren plains. They are now crossing the broad expanse of the Arnor downs and the landscape offers precious little coverage. The small rolling hills break up the Orcs' line of sight as long as the dwarves stay relatively close together and stay within the small valleys between them.
Radagast doubles back and Thorin in the lead has to stop short, wargs passing in front of them, not more than a half league away. "Stay together!" Gandalf warns, keeping his voice low.
"Move!" Thorin barks to the dwarves, as they swing wide to reverse direction back into the rocky spires.
Thorin charges to the front, hoping the wargs won't double back again but they do as Radagast changes direction again. Ori stumbles ahead of Thorin as he pulls up short again and Thorin grabs the back of his shirt. "Ori, no! Get back!" They stay close, trying not to break cover.
Gandalf has taken the lead but where he intends to find refuge, they know not. Fili hears Thorin ask Gandalf "Where are you leading us?" as he passes Thorin, bringing up the rear of the company but the wizard's only answer is a worried grimace and to keep moving together. Thorin's brow darkens, knowing he has no choice but to trust Gandalf.
They run as they have never run before, blisters and soreness forgotten. For a moment, the woman stumbles and Fili catches her, helping her upright again. Her breathing is ragged and uneven, eyes glossy with pain but she struggles up with his help. Gently, she taps his arm where the matching knife Kili gave her earlier is hidden. She doesn't have to say anything but he can read the thought in her eyes. Just in case. He unsheathes the matching knife and she grips it firmly in her small hand.
Radagast cackles with laughter at the chase, the wargs passing too close to them. Bilbo stays close to Gandalf, knowing that the wizard is their best bet of safety right now. But despite his terror, he also keeps a close eye on the girl who is tight-lipped with pain, although she doesn't mutter a sound of protest.
The company takes refuge under a small overhang of rock sliding off of a larger boulder embedded in the grassy plains. A warg and its rider crest the formation they are hiding under and everyone freezes, straining to stay silent. The woman presses her hand hard into her leg, pushing hard against the open wound, trying to staunch the bleeding and minimize the scent of it. The orc prowls above them, the warg slobbering on the rocks and the orc swiveling its grotesque head this way and that, its ugly, twisted sword held tightly in a swollen-fingered grasp. Its nose looks as if it has been smashed flat to its face in a previous fight and its blocky teeth show far too wide in a split lipped grimace.
Thorin looks at Kili meaningfully and Bilbo gulps as Thorin nods to Kili's bow and cocks his head up at the warg. Kili nods and Fili sees him mentally prepared himself before stepping out of cover and taking aim. The first arrow slams home into the wargs foreleg. The hideous orc goes for his horn but the arrow pierces it and the warg and orc topple down towards them, still very much alive and shrieking.
The orc leaps towards them and Bifur and Thorin team up to dispatch the orc as Dwalin sinks his broad-axe deep into the warg's throat. The growling and hollering that ensue are loud and echo against the rocks around them. There is a tense minute of silence as the company strains to hear if they have been heard. There is a grunting sound followed by the guttural language of Black Speech and the sound of a warg hunting howl that draws nearer with each passing second.
"Move! Run!" Gandalf yells, all attempts at stealth forgotten now. The orc pack is closing fast as they sprint away. When Bilbo stumbles, the woman catches him under the arm and keeps him going although it strains her leg to do so. Fili and Kili stay close to her, Kili with his bow still out, an arrow in one fist, the other reaching towards her to help her forward if she falls.
The wargs circle wide on the plains, and Thorin can see with clarity that they are moving to block the company off. "There they are!" Gloin yells in warning.
"This way, quickly!" Gandalf yells.
Despite their best efforts, soon there is nowhere to go, the wargs having pincered them from the south. The dwarves form a loose circle, backs to each other. Weapons are drawn, Bilbo holding onto his own sword with sweaty palms near Dori and the woman. The pines are too sparse here to offer shelter and the lay of the land has flattened, the wargs gaining distance faster now that they are unencumbered by hills and a plucky brown wizard.
Thorin pulls up short as the leader crests the rise in front of him, giving a cruse in dwarvish. "There's more coming!" Kili yells. Thorin surveys the area in a quick sweep.
"Kili! Shoot them!" he orders, barring his new sword, the curved blade glinting in the sunlight.
Gandalf scans the area in desperation, hoping they are close to safety. Only Nori briefly notices the wizard fixate on a rock outcropping with steely determination before the dwarf is occupied with pulling Ori back.
"We're surrounded!" Fili hollers, drawing both of his broadswords. The woman is to his right, daggers fisted tightly, one held forward, the other in a reverse grip, head on the swivel, assessing the battlefield with a keen gaze that belies experience in warfare. Kili's first arrow dispatches an orc clean through the forehead. Ori uses his slingshot to bean a warg with a rock but the snarling creature barely flinches as the orc pack leader closes in, a sneer on his face.
"Where's Gandalf?!" Dori calls in a worried tone.
"He's abandoned us!" Dwalin yells bitterly as they are forced to take a collective step backwards, the wargs tightening the noose slowly around them. Fili exchanges a worried glance with Kili as Thorin scowls. His arrows are dwindling and he is fixated on the wargs, not watching his surroundings as much as he should be.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin hollers. Fili sees the girl cast a worried glance in Bilbo's direction. The little hobbit looks terrified, his grip shaky on his new sword. The girl moves closer in a protective gesture and gives the hobbit a reassuring nod. A rider gets cocky and charges toward Dori, who swings upwards and takes out the warg. Fili dispatched the orc rider before it can regain its footing. Kili lets loose an arrow next to him that strikes another orc square between the eyes.
"This way, you fools!" Gandalf yells.
Thorin's head whips around to see the wizard standing in front of an entrance to a rock alcove.
"Quick, all of you!" Thorin yells, dispensing with the need to ask questions and focusing on the task of getting the company to safety. Bofur slides in first, closely followed by Bilbo. Below he can hear Gandalf counting as the company members join him, always making sure they have everyone. "Come on, move!"
Thorin stands on the rock hiding the entrance, holding the line as the dwarves run for safety. "Go, Go, GO!" he yells. A riderless warg leaps towards him but he swings the sword and severs half of its jaw. Fili and the girl reach him but neither jump to safety, looking back to make sure the rest are safe. An arrow flies from Kili's bow, the young dwarf still focused on the fight.
"Kili, run!" Thorin bellows.
The young dwarf turns and runs towards him but Thorin can see the warg bearing down on his nephew. He curses his lack of bow and runs towards Kili, afraid he won't get there in time to aid him. There is a blur of motion as someone speeds by him and launches themselves at the warg just as Thorin tackles Kili, bringing him to the ground and out of harm's way.
Since he had expected to be trampled by a warg, Thorin is surprised when they stop rolling that they are unscathed aside from small scrapes from rolling across the boulders and grassy field. He turns just in time to see the farm girl, with Fili's two long daggers in hand, thrust her weapons deep into the warg's head as she comes down from jumping off a boulder. Daggers still in the collapsing creature's head, she holds tightly to the handles and swings both of her booted feet around, whipping her body in a clean arc, both heels cracking into the orc's armor, unseating the unsightly creature. As the dead warg's body skips to a stop, she wrenches the blades free, vaults off the warg and buries both blades deep into the orc's chest, silencing it's squeals permanently.
Then she is up and running with a heavy limp towards them. Thorin helps Kili to his feet and shoves him towards the entrance, waiting to move until the girl has caught up to him. They run for the entrance to the passageway, the girl gritting her teeth in pain. There is blood running in great gushing pulses down her leg but they don't slow because they cannot. Kili jumps down into the rock passage ahead of them, boots skidding on the pebbled surface, Fili waiting on the fringe for them. "Go!" Thorin hollers and reluctantly Fili follows his brother to safety.
The girls stumbles and Thorin turns to help her, only to see another warg bearing down on them. The orc jumps from its mount towards Thorin but the girl tackles it from the side, slamming her blade home into its throat, the other following closely into its lower abdomen, black, filthy blood soaking her hands. Thorin sweeps his sword in a broad stroke, slicing the warg's mouth and the creature collapses. He drags the woman to her feet and they run the last few paces to the pass. He grabs onto the back of her shirt and hauls her in front of him. He holds onto her as they slide and fall, limbs entangled to land on the rock floor, his weight pinning her down.
He pulls his arm out from under her, still breathing hard, and pulls himself off of her. There is a nick on her cheek from his axe, that is hanging over his head and sliced into her face. His fingers graze the cut gently as he pulls her to her feet. She leans heavily on the wall, eyes unfocused. She wobbles slightly but manages to stay upright. "You have my thanks," Thorin says in a quiet, gravelly voice for her ears alone. She gives him a heavy-lidded glance and blinks her lashes slowly in acknowledgement, too battered to do much else.
A horn sounds above them and they watch the tunnel opening with bated breath, wondering what is transpiring on the outside. There is the sickening thud of arrows embedding in flesh and the cries of wounded orcs. There are horse hoof-beats as well now, not just the sharp pad of warg feet. Suddenly, a body tumbles down the stone entrance, rolling to lie inert at their feet. Thorin pulls the arrow out of its chest with a vicious yank and a snarl or disgust. Upon examining the tip, he growls, "Elves." He drops it on the cave floor as if it burns his skin.
Thorin exchanges a look with Gandalf, the wizard masking his expression as well as he can but suspicion is now forming in Thorin's face.
Ahead, Dwalin is already moving down the passage, always scouting ahead. "I can't see where the pathway leads," he calls back. "Do we follow it or no?"
"Follow it of course!" Bofur answers, the rest of the dwarves crushing up against him to see where this passageway leads.
"I think that would be most wise," Gandalf says as he counts again, making sure everyone is still accounted for.
They start down the labyrinthine path, ducking heads to avoid crags and rock protrusions. Kili stops to let Thorin pass and Fili stops as well to wait for his brother. Looking back, Thorin sees Kili take the girl's arm and wrap it around his shoulder to support her as she tries to limp along after them. She murmurs something inaudible to him but he shakes his head and shushed her gently, grasping her arm tighter around his shoulder. She can barely walk, face white and bloodless, blood running freely down her leg.
Suddenly she collapses, legs completely giving out underneath her, her weight pulling on Kili. "Thorin!" Kili calls, panic creeping into his voice, causing their leader to turn. Kili lowers her to the ground and puts a hand under her nose. "She's barely breathing!" he says, fretful and anxious. Thorin and Fili kneel next to him, Gandalf hovering over them.
"Move aside," the wizard orders. He places a hand on her forehead and murmurs under his breath. She doesn't stir. "She's fading, quickly," Gandalf says. "She is badly malnourished and as lost far too much blood. We need to reach the end of this tunnel and fast if she is to survive."
He motions to the three dwarves clustered around her. "One of you will need to carry her."
Kili scoops her up in his arms without further discussion, feeling indebted to her. He is surprised at how light she is, almost fragile in his arms, especially after seeing her unseat that orc.
As Kili and Fili start down the passage after the company, Thorin grabs onto Gandalf's arm, holding the wizard in place. "I will not be responsible for every stray we pick up, Gandalf. She saved Kili's life and for that I am grateful but she needs to stay somewhere safe after this. I don't trust her."
Gandalf sighs, seeing Bilbo watching them up ahead. "Something is at work here Thorin, something even I do not understand. She crossed paths with us for a reason and before you pass judgement on her, perhaps we should unravel the mystery of her presence first. She clearly has weaponry skills and I suspect a great deal to offer your company."
Thorin scowls at the wizard. "I trust your judgement, Gandalf, but you are beginning to try my patience."
"Noted," Gandalf says quietly.
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Filing down the passageway singly gives the dwarves some trouble, mostly due to frayed tempers and copious amounts of gear. Thorin glances upwards at the sky above, a narrow ribbon of white light above them. Bilbo stays close to Gandalf, occasionally looking back at the woman, unconscious in Kili's arms.
The sandy floor scratches under his feet. "Gandalf, where are we?" Bilbo asks.
"You can feel it?" Gandalf asks, a touch of wonder in his voice.
"Yes," comes Bilbo's quick reply. "It feels like-, well it feels like magic." He stutters a bit, feeling embarrassed by his admission.
Gandalf looks at the hobbit with his small wizardly smile, shaking his head ever so slightly. "That's exactly what it is. A very powerful magic." Bilbo looks at him with wide eyes, awed by all around him.
"There's light ahead!" comes Dwalin's voice from further on. Bilbo turns his head towards the voice, then back towards Gandalf, then moves on, still baffled. Gandalf chuckles quietly to himself and follows the hobbit.
Behind them, Kili and Fili keep pace behind Gandalf, each watching over the woman. Her honey-brown hair sticks across her forehead from the clamminess of her skin, her dark eyelashes closed over sallow cheeks. Fili gently brushes the strands of hair from her face, exchanging a glance with his brother as he does so. She has saved both their lives already in the short time they have known her and despite her strange knowledge of their quest, neither dwarf prince will be able to part with her lightly.
Ahead the dwarves exit the passageway one at a time, passing a small, trickling water fall. Dwalin and Bofur lead, and small gasps of awe precede Bilbo before he too exits the gloom of the passage to stand on a precipice above one of the most stunning vistas he has ever seen.
Before them lies a great house, full of arched doorways, airy passages over waterfalls, gleaming in the dying light of day, resplendent with verdant foliage and a mystique unlike anything the mountain-dwelling dwarves have witnessed or the hole-dwelling hobbit have seen in their lives. It is all built into the slopes of the cliffs around it, defying gravity, unearthly with its perfect harmony with the landscape surrounding it.
Gandalf comes up behind them, a small satisfied smile on his face. "The Valley of Imladris," he says by way of introduction. "In the common tongue, it is known by a different name."
"Rivendell," Bilbo breathes.
