Chapter 3
Kili's POV
She squirmed in the troll's grip, trying to get out.
"Ava!" I yelled, but Thorin stopped me.
"No!" he yelled. Ava glanced at me before looking at Thorin.
"Save Bilbo!" she told him.
"Shut up!" the troll squeaked, squeezing her in his huge hand. She gave a short cry in pain as a series of cracks sounded from her body. I turned to Thorin desperately. He threw his sword to the ground and the rest of the company did the same. Soon, the two trolls began stuffing the company in sacks. Half of us were tied to a large log and placed over the large fire. I was thrown with Thorin, Fi, Bilbo, Oin, Bombur, and Balin in a pile near a rock. I struggled but remembered Ava and looked over at her. She still struggled in the troll's hand. "Quit your squirmin'! Bert! Can we keep er'?" He asked in his obnoxious voice.
"I am no pet!" she yelled at him, haunches raised. I saw her look over the large fingers around her abdomen. She pulled a dagger out of her boot and brought it down into the troll's hand. It squealed in pain and let her go. She landed hard and I squirmed in my sack, trying to free myself to get to her. She managed to get up, sweat glistening on her pale face. One of the troll's picked up a large rock and came up behind her.
"Ava! Look out!" I screamed. But it was too late. She spun around to be met with the rock. It hit her on her temple and she crumpled to the ground.
"No!" Fili and I yelled. The trolls ignored her and went back to thinking of ways to cook us.
"Don't bother cookin' em'. Let's just sit on 'em and squash 'em into jelly." The high-pitched troll proposed. I growled, trying to pull open the sack.
"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." The cook—Bert- thought.
"That does sound quite nice." The squeaky one remarked.
"Never mind the seasoning. We ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." The head troll told the others. All of a sudden, Bilbo spoke up.
"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake." He said.
"You can't reason with them! They're half-wits!" Dori called.
"Half-wits? What does that make us?" Bofur replied.
"I meant with the, uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo told them, hopping to his feet.
"What about the seasoning?" A troll asked him.
"Well, have you smelt them? You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." He said.
"Traitor!" some of the dwarves yelled.
"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" another troll asked.
"Shut up. Let the, uh, flurgaburburhobbit talk." Bert said.
"Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is…" he paused, trying to think of something.
"Yes, I'm telling you. The secret is… to skin them first!" he ended. All of us dwarves, including me, started yelling at him. Damn hobbit.
"Tom, get me filleting knife." The troll ordered.
"What a load of rubbish!" The other deep voiced troll called out. "I've eaten plenty of 'em with their skins on! Scarf'em I say, boots and all." He proposed.
"He's right. Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf." Tom, the high-pitched troll said, picking up Bombur.
"Nice and crunchy." He held the large dwarf over his gaping mouth.
"Oh, not that one! He's infected!" Bilbo cried.
"You wot?" a troll wondered.
"He's got worms in his… tubes." Bilbo pipped. The high-pitched troll squealed and threw Bombur onto us. I groaned as his weight knocked the wind out of me. "In fact they all have. They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it. I really wouldn't." Bilbo requested.
"Parasites? Did he say parasites?" Oin spoke.
"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" I yelled. We kept screaming at Bilbo until I felt a kick in the back of my head. I looked up to see Uncle Thorin. I got his message but I noticed his eyes looked at Ava, whose body was still unmoving.
"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin called.
"I've got the biggest parasites! I've got huge parasites!" I added.
"We're riddled!" the dwarves on the spit cried.
"What would you have us do, then? Let them all go?" Bert asked.
"Well…" Bilbo said.
"Do you think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools." The troll accused.
"Ferret?" Bilbo squeaked.
"The dawn will take you all!" a booming voice yelled. We all looked up to see Gandalf standing on top of a huge boulder.
"Who's that?"
"Can we eat him, too?" the trolls asked. Gandalf brought his staff down onto the rock. It broke in two, sunlight pouring into the clearing. The trolls screamed and writhed in pain as their skin hardened to stone. The others cheered in triumph but I was trying to get to Ava. Suddenly, Fili came into my vision. He used one of his knives and slit open the bag around me.
"Ava!" I yelled, jumping up. Fi and I both ran to her side. I turned her onto her back and saw she was still unconscious. A small stream of blood was falling down her temple into her flaming hair. I pressed to fingers to her wrist. "She's alive. We just have to wait until she wakes up." I told my brother. He nodded and looked behind me.
"How is she?" Thorin asked, to my surprise.
"Just knocked out, should be alright." I told him. He nodded before walking over to talk to Gandalf.
"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" He asked the wizard.
"To look ahead." He replied.
"What brought you back?" Thorin questioned.
"Looking behind. Nasty business. Still, they're all in one piece." Gandalf said, glancing at Ava.
"No thanks to your burglar." Thorin told him.
"He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that." The wizard defended, before turning to the trolls. "They must have come down from the Ettenmoors." He thought.
"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" Thorin wondered.
"Not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf clued. I held Ava tight in my arms as if to protect her from an invisible enemy.
"They could not have moved in daylight." Gandalf muttered.
"There must be a cave nearby." Thorin realized. The company began looking around for the cave before Bofur found it. Ava was still asleep so I gently picked her up. I followed the others and sat down on a rock, laying Ava down. Fi went into the cave. I sat there as half the company explored. After a few minutes, Fi came out, holding something in his hands. He walked over.
"I found this. You should give it to her." He smirked, handing me the small thing. Before I could reply, I felt movement next to me. I shoved the item in my pocket.
"Where are we?" I heard a soft voice ask. I looked down to see a pair of pale green eyes flutter open.
Ava's POV
I felt an aching pain around my ribs and my head.
"Where are we?" I asked, not opening my eyes. I felt movement next to me.
"Ava?" Kili's voice whispered. I opened my eyes to his hazel eyes and Fi's blue eyes looking worriedly at me.
"Hello, boys." I smiled. I sat up, and groaned. I was pretty sure at least one of my ribs is broken.
"How do you feel?" he wondered.
"I'll be fine. Where are we?" I asked again.
"Troll hoard. The company's investigating." Fili told me, sitting on my other side. I looked towards the cave.
"How did those freaks fit in there?" I joked, making the boys laugh. The company emerged from the cave as we laughed. Thorin glanced at me before walking away. I held my bow in my hands, watching out for possible threats.
"Something's coming!" Thorin yelled. I stood up, drawing an arrow in my bow. Fili and Kili stood by me as we prepared to attack.
"Stay together! Hurry now! Arm yourselves!" Gandalf instructed. Fili had his swords drawn; Kili an arrow taut, and the three of us ran over to the rest of the company. A man riding on a sleigh burst through the trees.
"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" he screamed, coming to a stop. I noticed rabbits pulled the sleigh. The mystery man was dressed in brown rags. He had dried bird poop framing his face, making my nose wrinkle up.
"Radagast." Gandalf said, happily. My eyebrows furrowed and I leaned in towards Kili.
"Are you seeing this as well?" I whispered.
"I think so." He replied.
"It's Radagast the Brown! Well… What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf questioned.
"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." Radagast said.
"Yes?" the grey wizard pressed. Radagast opened his mouth to say something but he closed it.
"Just give me a minute. Oh, I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was right there on the tip of my tongue." He whimpered. I looked around and the others had the same reaction I did. "Oh, it's not a thought at all. It's a silly old stick insect." He curled his tongue and Gandalf removed a long insect from his mouth. I turned around in disgust. The two wizards left to talk in private.
"Well, that was something." I sighed, sitting on a log next to the two brothers. I absently massaged my ribs, not wanting to see the undoubtedly grotesque damage of the troll's hand.
"You want Oin to look at it?" Kili asked, worriedly.
"I'll manage." I answered. All of the sudden, a howl sounded. I jumped up, grabbing my bow and notching an arrow.
"Was that a wolf? Are there – are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked, nervously.
"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Bofur answered. I heard a growl from behind us. I spun around just to see a warg tackle one of the dwarves. Thorin killed it with his sword and another came up behind him. Kili and I both raised our bows at the same time and shot it. It rolled to the ground and Dwalin slammed his hammer down in its head.
"Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind." Thorin warned us.
"Orc pack?" Bilbo repeated, fear in his voice.
"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin.
"No one." The dwarf answered.
"Who did you tell?!" he yelled.
"No one, I swear." Thorin swore.
"What in Durin's name is going on?" he wondered.
"You are being hunted." Gandalf said, looking around.
"We have to get out of here." Dwalin told us, gruffly.
"We can't! We have no ponies! They bolted!" Ori cried.
"I'll draw them off." Radagast proposed.
"These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you." Gandalf argued.
"These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try." He smiled. We waited at the edge of the forest, waiting for Radagast to lead the orcs away. We suddenly heard him fly from the trees, yelling at the orcs to follow him.
"That man is absolutely mad." I breathed.
"Come on." Gandalf told us. We started running. Fili and Kili stayed by my side the whole time. The company ran across the plains, around rock formations and down hills. Thorin stopped and we all paused. Radagast was crossing in front of us and the orcs would soon see us.
"Stay together." Gandalf said.
"Move!" Thorin yelled. My ribs made it hard to breath but I pushed myself harder. We all stopped but Ori and I were about to keep going.
"Ori, Ava no!" Thorin yelled. He grabbed Ori and I felt Kili grip my arm and hold me close to him.
"All of you, come on! Come on, quick." Gandalf ordered. We started running, single file. Radagast past in front of us again and we ran for cover next to a huge rock. I stood with my back against the cool boulder, in between Kili and Fili. As I tried to catch my breath, I heard a warg snarling above us. Thorin looked from Kili to his bow, a small smile of encouragement on his face. He drew an arrow and notched it. Taking a deep breath, he ran out and fired. The warg and his orc rider toppled down in front of us. The dwarves all attacked, but they weren't silent as they died. Their screams alerted the other scouts of our location. Wargs howled as I felt my blood run cold.
"Move! Run!" Gandalf roared. I felt a hand take mine and pull me along. I realized it was Kili and I ran after Gandalf. It was getting harder to breath but Kili held onto me tightly.
"There they are!" Gloin yelled, pointing.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf ordered. We were suddenly cut off. All of us grouped together in a circle.
"There's more coming!" Kili alerted.
"Kili! Ava! Shoot them!" Thorin screamed. We both started shooting as many orcs I could.
"We're surrounded!" Fi cried from the other side of the group.
"Where's Gandalf?!" Dori asked the rest of us as we grouped together.
"He's abandoned us." Dwalin growled.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered, brandishing his new elven sword. The orcs were closing in.
"This way, you fools!" said Gandalf, popping out from an opening in some rocks.
"Come on, move! Quickly! All of you!" Thorin yelled. Fili clutched my hand, leading me to the entrance. The others were one by one sliding into the cave. I pulled away from Fi.
"Kili! Come on!" I screamed. He turned around and sprinted to us. The three of us skated down together. Thorin slid down last and we stepped back. I was breathing heavily, knowing that something was wrong with me. My breath came out in ragged bursts. A horn blared outside. I heard the orcs screaming and the trotting of hooves. I put my bow back in my quiver, holding the hilt of my sword. An orc rolled down the entrance. Kili pushed me behind him and I wrapped an arm around my ribs. Gandalf poked the orc with his staff. It didn't move. Thorin ripped the arrow out of the body and examined it.
"Elves." He said in disgust.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads! Do we follow it or no?!" Dwalin called from the end of the passage.
"Follow it, of course!" Bofur answered. We started moving again through the thin hall. I shook my head to try and relieve my dizziness. The pathway opened after a while and we filed out. I gazed out and was met with a beautiful valley. My eyes widened in awe as Ki and Fi had the same reactions from beside me. A magnificent city was built on the face of a huge ridge. Waterfalls flowed into a river underneath.
"Its beautiful." I whispered.
"The Valley of Imladris. In the common tongue, it's known by another name." Gandalf told us.
"Rivendell." Bilbo answered.
"Here lies the last homely house east of the sea." Gandalf told us. Suddenly, I couldn't breath. I gasped and fell to my knees.
"Ava?!" Kili and Fili cried. I coughed, trying to clear my throat. I saw blood splatter onto my gauntlets. I saw Oin run over.
"It's her wound from the trolls. She needs medical attention." Oin told them, after inspecting my swollen abdomen. Black spots were beginning to cloud my vision. Arms tightened around me and lifted me up.
"Hang in there, Ava. We're gonna get ya help." Kili assured me. We started moving towards the city. I groaned softly in pain, curling into Kili's warm chest. We paused in a clearing. I heard Gandalf and someone talking. There was a distant trotting of horses.
"Close ranks!" Thorin suddenly yelled. Kili was pushed into the middle of the company.
"What's happening?" I whispered.
"Elves are here." He replied.
"Gandalf!" A somehow familiar voice called.
"Lord Elrond." Gandalf replied. The two began speaking in elvish that I couldn't understand.
"Strange for orcs to come so close to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near." Elrond said. I didn't listen to any more, trying to stay awake. After a couple minutes, I felt Kili move. He shoved forward.
"Please, one of our company is injured. Can you help her?" he begged.
"Avaleigh?" Elrond whispered before the darkness took over my vision.
I woke up on a soft bed. My eyes fluttered open and I saw a marble ceiling above me.
"You've awaken." A soft voice stated. I looked over to see a young elf. She had long, wavy hair that was a deep brown color. Her eyes were a leafy green and were filled with kindness.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You had 4 broken ribs. Your lower abdomen was majorly bruised. I wrapped the injury with healing herbs. It should be completely healed in a few days." She explained, with a small smile. I pulled myself up, careful of the bandages.
"Thank you very much." I smiled at her.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Arwen. What's yours?" she wondered.
"Ava." I held out my hand and she shook it.
"My father told me to help prepare you for dinner. A bath has been drawn for you." She told me.
"Thanks again." I smiled gratefully. She helped me up and led me to a room with a large steaming bath.
"There is a towel there for when you finish. Call for me when you finish." She told me. I nodded and she closed the door. I took my clothes off and undid the bandages. I was shocked at how dark the bruises were. I sunk down into the hot water and felt myself relax. I washed away the dirt and grime on my body. I used soap to massage my scalp. I rinsed before stepping out. I grabbed the towel before wrapping it around my body.
"Arwen?" I called, hesitantly. She opened the door and handed me a pair of undergarments.
"Put these on and I'll get you some clothes. You can borrow one of my dresses." Arwen told me.
"Thank you." I smiled before she closed the door. I pulled the undergarments on. Arwen came back in a few minutes later.
"This would look beautiful on you. Perhaps even impress a certain dwarf." She smiled with a wink.
"What do you mean?" I asked, though my cheeks burned bright.
"The dwarf who carried you in. He didn't want to leave your side. Sat outside the door for about an hour before another brought him to his kin. I can tell he cares about you." She explained. I didn't say anything as she sat me down and began doing my hair. When she finished, she applied a brown powder to my eyelids. "There. You look beautiful, Ava." Arwen told me. I looked at myself in the mirror. My fire red hair was elegantly curled, a waterfall braid lining my scalp. Silver and brown powder was dusted on my eyelids, framing my green eyes well. The dress I wore was a dark blue, cerulean vine-like patterns lining the skirt and corset. Dark lace formed loose, flowing sleeves that fell beyond my wrist. A silver circlet was perched on the crown of my head. Black slippers fit comfortably on my feet.
"Oh, goodness. Thank you so much." I smiled, pulling her in for a hug.
"It's no problem, Ava." She told me. "Now, we should get you to dinner. My father will be wondering where we are." She told me, guiding me out the door.
"Who's your father?" I asked, curiously.
"Lord Elrond." She answered, shyly. I gasped slightly.
"Should I curtsy or some formal thing?" I wondered, a small smirk on my face.
"No, it's fine. I wish not to be treated any differently." She told me. We walked through the beautiful halls of Rivendell. I heard voices and I felt nervous for some reason. We got to a room and I saw the company. Most of them were seated at a shorter table while Gandalf, Lord Elrond, and Thorin sat at a taller table. I saw Bofur look at me and gasp.
"Ava!" he exclaimed. Everyone turned to me.
"Ava!" Fili yelled, jumping up and running to me. I laughed and hugged him, making me groan slightly. I saw Kili staring at me wide eyed before he followed his brother and came over to me.
"Ava, you look amazing." He whispered, pulling me in for a gentle hug.
"Thank you, Kili." I smiled, shyly. I waved to Arwen and she winked at me before leaving. I sat down in between Fi and Ki.
"It's great to see that you're all right, Ava." Bofur grinned at me.
"Thank you, Bofur." I smiled. I looked around for something to eat and only saw greens. "Where's the meat?" I asked loudly. The dwarves burst into laughter. I laughed with them. I looked at Kili to see he was staring at me with a small smile on his face.
"Ki? You well?" I wondered.
"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." He responded. I smiled at him before grabbing some food. After a while, the company left to go to the rooms Elrond let us stay in. I decided to go for a walk. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the valley. I was amazed by the beauty of this place, how peaceful and unaffected by the ugliness of the outer world it was. I found a bench with a view of the sunset and sat down.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked. I spun around to see Elrond. I stood up and bowed. "There is no need for that, Avaleigh." He chuckled, sitting down on the bench. I sat next to him.
"My lord, before I fell unconscious, you said my name. Have we met before?" I asked him, curiously. He looked at me with a small smile.
"It was years ago, you were but a small child. Gandalf brought you here, brutally hurt. We healed you." He explained. My eyes widened as I remembered him taking me in. I suddenly threw my arms around him. He gladly returned it. "It's wonderful to see you again, all grown up. You look just like your mother." He said fondly when we pulled away.
"You knew my mother?" I wondered.
"Annaliese was a talented ranger. She always came to Rivendell. She enjoyed the peace and quiet." He told me. We sat in comfortable silence for a while before he stood. "I have a meeting to attend. It was great speaking to you again, Ava." He smiled. I nodded with a small smile and he walked away. I made my way back to my room and went inside. A loose white blouse and leggings rested on my bed. I changed, laying the dress and circlet on a chair. I climbed into bed and fell asleep.
I screamed as the orcs carved into me. My wrists were chained together, the skin raw and bleeding, as I hung from a tree branch. Blood ran down my arms and back as the orc whipped my back again. I felt tears streaming down my face as I felt my skin rip open again. They stopped after an eternity, leaving me alone.
"Little girl?" a soft voice said from the bushes. I looked up at see an old man in grey. "Don't be alarmed. I am here to save you."
I jolted up in bed, gasping for breath. I checked my surroundings. I was still in my bed in Rivendell; no longer in the hell I was in.
"Ava?" a voice called from outside my door. I jumped up and ran to the door. Kili stood there, looking really worried. "I-I heard you scream. Are you alright?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine. Just a nightmare." I breathed. I just then noticed that he was shirtless, only wearing brown trousers. I blushed and looked him in the eyes, trying not to stare at his chiseled chest. He looked back at me before gently pushing past me into my room.
"What are you doing?" I questioned, shocked.
"Staying with you. Is there a problem?" he wondered, smiling cheekily at me.
"U-um, no. Just, are you sure?" I stuttered, blushing like mad.
"Of course." He smiled. I shyly walked over to the bed and pulled back the blankets. We climbed in and I faced outward. It was silent as I stared at the wall, feeling really awkward. Suddenly, I felt a finger touching my back. I flinched, my body tensing as his warm hand traced the scars on my back. "What happened?" he asked, his voice soft.
"Orcs. After they killed my parents, they took me. Chained me up and tortured me as entertainment." I explained, tears budding in my eyes. I felt an arm wrap around my waist and he pulled my body against his.
"I promise. I won't let anyone ever hurt you again." He whispered in my ear. I shivered and he chuckled. I turned around and curled into his hairy chest.
"Good night, Kili." I muttered.
"Good night, flower."
Thank you for reading! I love you all and I do not own Tolkien's or Peter Jackson's story.