I apologize for the long delay for this chapter. The computer broke down but from now on I will try to update on Friday but no promises. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I also might have gotten some details wrong concerning the First Age so please let me no if there are. Also big thanks to all the people who have followed, Favorited and Reviewed!
"We will camp here for the night" Thorin said when they had reached a rocky cliff edge. It was early evening and Eliza was exhausted from another long day of riding. The last few days had passed pretty much the same as the first.
Most of the dwarves in the company had come to accept her, even though they still didn't like the fact that she was a female. Thorin and Dwalin mainly acted as if Eliza and Bilbo weren't there. She didn't mind it though, it was better than them throwing insults at her.
Fili and Kili, the youngest two dwarves reminded her a lot of Leia and Lexi. They loved play pranks and tell jokes, though they loved to tell of their home in Ered Luin the most. Eliza could sense that they were very fond of their mother, the way they talked about her.
Among the jokers of the company was Bofur, he and his cousin Bifur were toy makers back at the Blue Mountains. Bofur had explained to Eliza that Bifur had an axe engraved into his skull from a war. Now he could on speak in the dwarfish language, Khuzdul, because of his injury. The dwarves had been beyond shocked to find out that Eliza couldn't understand the language. To them it was more important than reading and writing.
Shy Ori would sometimes ask her questions about things in her world. Out of all of the dwarves, he was the most curious about the place Eliza had come from. Ori always listen to Eliza intently then write it all down in his little notebook. Ori had told her proudly that he was the company's scribe, and that it was his job to write all about the quest.
Ori's older brothers, Dori and Nori, were both completely different from each other. Dori was like a mother hen always fussing over Ori, while Nori was a thief. Nori had assured her that he wasn't going to take anything from the company, not that she owned anything of importance.
Eliza had come to really like Balin. He was very patient and understanding for a dwarf. He tried to get her to see the positive side of riding the ponies. "It may be uncomfortable at first, but walking would be far worse than this."
Out of all the members of the company, Eliza had soon become the closest with Bilbo. It probably was because they were both outsiders. In Throin's eyes anyway, and that they both missed their homes. Bilbo loved to talk of the Shire and the hobbits in it, he was also very interested when she told him of Leia and Lexi. Eliza felt sorry for poor Bilbo besides from her he only had the wizard to talk to, Fili and Kili would sometimes talk to him but mostly tease him. One thing she had found out about the dwarves was that they were very thick brained. The dwarves didn't see what Bilbo had given up to help them.
The journey so far had been more peaceful than she expected, it was nice for once to not worry about her job or this and that. The only thing she had to worry about was when they would eat. If the journey stays as peaceful as this, she might actually enjoy it. To her it was like an extra long vacation.
Most of the dwarves had dismounted their ponies and were carrying out the orders Thorin had given them. "Do you still need help dismounting?" asked Fili coming up to her.
"Nah, I'm good," she replied swinging her leg over and dismounting successfully for the first time.
"As seen," said Fili with a small smile.
"Do you need help with the ponies?" she asked. Thorin hadn't given her any jobs to do and she felt like she should help out in some way.
"I've managed so far without any trouble so I'm pretty sure I'll be alright, but thank you anyway," he replied. He took the reins of her pony and led them away from the fire.
Feeling absolutely useless Eliza made her way over to Gandalf who sitting against the rock wall talking to Bilbo. "And what can I do for you Eliza?" Gandalf asked when she had plopped down next to Bilbo.
"I was just wanting to ask you about the person who came to Middle Earth during the First Age." she said. Eliza had been wanting to now of the person Gandalf briefly mentioned.
"Oh, that was Jonathan Rowe. He helped win the War of Wrath in the First Age, the battle in which the Dark Lord Morgoth was overthrown." said Gandalf.
"What happened to him?" asked Eliza. It seemed to her that the Valar only brought people in when a war was soon to happen.
"He was given the choice to either return to his world or stay in Middle Earth," piped up Bilbo. Eliza later found out that the tale of Jonathan Rowe was widely known.
"What did he chose?"
"He choice to stay in Middle Earth. The Valar granted him the lifespan of the Dunedain, he later married Eileen daughter of Elner." said Gandalf
"Oh, so when this quest is over, will I be given that choice?" Eliza asked excitedly.
"Only the Valar knows," said Gandalf in his vague Gandalf-like way.
"Right," Eliza mumbled.
The house was dark like it always was. Six year old Eliza was alone. She had just woken up from a nightmare to find the house empty again. Even at her young age she knew that it wouldn't be good when her mummy and daddy got home. Clutching her worn out teddy bear, she sat up in bed looking out at the stars. Besides her teddy bear, the stars gave her some sort of comfort.
All of a sudden there was the sound of a door slamming, signalling her parents return. Eliza felt her body go rigid with fear. She was hoping against hope that her parents would just go to bed.
She could hear lots of shouting and thumps. Eliza held on to her bear tighter she wanted to cry but she didn't dare, that would only grab their attention. Next second there was an ear piercing scream and a deafening bang making Eliza cry out in fear.
Eliza shot up shaking. She never usually dreamed of her parents, and here she was still afraid of them. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, she glanced over at Fili and Kili who were sitting next to the fire.
A piercing scream made Eliza's blood run cold, "What the hell was that?" she hissed.
"Orcs" answered Kili quietly.
"Orcs?" asked Bilbo quickly coming over to the fire. He had been over at Myrtle when Eliza woke up
"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." said Fili in a low voice. Eliza began to get nervous looking over her shoulder for any Orcs.
"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." added Kili.
"I think I get the point," said Eliza she was nervous enough as it was, they didn't have to make her any more scared. Bilbo looked around in fright,and Fili and Kili glanced at each other and began to chuckle. Eliza noticed this and her fear was replaced with anger.
"Why you little..." she began but was cut off by Thorin who had heard what Fili and Kili had said.
"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" he said.
"We didn't mean anything by it," said Kili.
"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world," said Thorin walking past them to stand at the cliff's edge. Fili and Kili both looked down in shame at Thorin's words, and Eliza couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
"] "Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." said Balin joining the group. "After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundobad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."
Eliza shuddered at the thought of Thror being beheaded. Balin continued on with the story. "Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent, wielding nothing by an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, nor song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."
"Wow..." Eliza said looking up at Thorin who had turned around to see all of the company looking at him. Eliza began to see Thorin in a new light. Yes, he was moody all the time and maybe a tad arrogant, but he had experienced things she would never have dreamed of.
"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" asked Bilbo turning back to Balin.
"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." answered Thorin. Eliza knew that Azog wasn't really dead and neither did Balin or Gandalf.
"Get some sleep, all of you. We rise at first light," Thorin said heading back to his bedroll.
"Nighty night guys," Said Eliza lying back down and closing her eyes.