Chapter 9
Suddenly Gandalf is there a big flash of light coming from his staff which blinds and confuses the goblins allowing the dwarves to escape. The dwarves flee through the underground caverns fighting the pursuing Goblins. Kili does not have time to think about Primrose as everything is happening quickly and he constantly has to fight when Goblins try to stop them again. He has to concentrate on staying alive and getting out in one piece. Finally they reach opening that leads out onto the mountainside and make their way out of the mountain onto the mountainside. There Gandalf does a headcount and it is discovered Primrose isn't with them.
"Where's Primrose?" Kili asks looking all around hoping to spot her.
It is only then that he realised that she hadn't re-joined them and he was very worried about her.
"She's obviously escaped the mountain and gone back to Hobbiton," Bofur said.
"Prim wouldn't do that. She wouldn't leave me. She loves me and I love her," Kili said.
"He's right," Fili said, "Prim loves my brother very much. Haven't you noticed how they are always looking at each other with such love in their eyes?" he adds.
"Fili is right. I've seen the love they have for each other," Thorin said.
"Then where could she be?" Gandalf asked.
The dwarves looked at each other all at a loss as to where Primrose could be. The last time they recalled seeing her was when the Goblins captured them and began to take them towards the Goblin King. He had been killed by Gandalf during the escape but not before he had sent word to Azog that he'd captured the dwarves.
"I'm here," Primrose said, stepping out from behind a tree.
Kili lit up when he heard her voice and turned as she joined him. The two kissed and hugged glad to be together again.
"Where did you get to?" Thorin asked.
"I fell down a crevice and landed on a Goblin. There was this other creature there, not a goblin, not unlike me really, and he killed the goblin then dragged it away to eat. I must have disturbed him trying to find my way out as he discovered me. We had this game of riddles and I made him promise if I won that he'd lead me out. To cut a long story short I won but the creature wouldn't lead me out so I had to find my own way out which I did, escaping the creature who was trying to find me again," Primrose said.
She left out the fact that the creature had dropped a ring which she'd picked up and that she'd discovered that putting on the ring made her invisible. This she intended to share with Kili privately later.
"You should have killed that creature," Kili said.
"I was going to but I felt pity for him and decided not to," Primrose said.
"I'm just glad you are ok," Kili said.
He was gently cupping her face in his hands as he said this and he leant forward and kissed her. Primrose kissed back their kiss quickly deepening. Suddenly warg howls split the air, interrupting their kiss.
"Quick run," Thorin barked out.
Everybody ran and soon they reached a sudden drop as the ground became a cliff and there was nowhere to go. The wargs suddenly appear and they have orcs riding them. One is a large white Warg with Azog riding it. He calls out in orcish and the Wargs approach the company.
Everyone scrambled up a tree, Kili helping Primrose to climb up the tree behind him and Fili. The wargs throw themselves at the trees making them shake violently.
"Hang on my love" Kili said.
Primrose was hanging on to the tree for grim life. Suddenly it leaned over and she and Kili had to jump to the next tree. Gandalf had grabbed something and touched it to his staff. Suddenly it burst into flame and Primrose realised it was a pinecone. Gandalf threw the pinecone at the wargs and the ground where it landed burst into flames. He quickly lit more pinecones and threw them to the dwarves and Primrose who hurled them at the wargs. Soon there was a semi-circle of burning grass and trees around the trees the dwarves and Primrose were in. The wargs had retreated from the fire but were waiting just beyond it. Suddenly Azog appeared riding his white warg and Primrose saw Thorin drop to the ground a determined look on his face. She and the dwarves could only watch as Thorin ran towards Azog and get knocked down by his warg. Thorin got back to his feet and he and Azog fought for a few minutes until suddenly Azog's warg picked Thorin up and flung him away. He landed with a thud and lay barely moving, Orcrist just out of his reach. Azog looked down at Thorin then said something and another orc approached Thorin holding a wicked looking scimitar which he placed at Thorin's throat then raised it.
Primrose knew she had to do something. As it was too dark for her to be able to see to shoot the orc with an arrow she did the next best thing. Jumping down from the tree she ran over to where Thorin lay, drawing her sword and leapt at the orc engaging him in battle. All of a sudden she had the orc down on his back and plunged her sword into his chest killing him. She stepped away and looked at Azog. He looked furious and said something and gestured. 3 wargs including Azog's began moving towards Primrose intent on killing her. Suddenly Kili and Fili were there yelling war cries and throwing themselves at the wargs. After a few minutes of fighting the three and Thorin were surrounded.
"I'm sorry my love," Primrose said to Kili.
She grabbed his hand determined that if they were to die they'd die together. Thorin was still lying where he fell still not moving much. However the wargs and their riders never reached Fili, Kili, Primrose or Thorin as giant eagles suddenly appeared and attacked the wargs and their riders grabbing wargs in their talons and flying out over the cliff and hurling the wargs into space. The dwarves cheered and Primrose looked at Kili and smiled. It was going to be ok.
"We're going to be ok my love," Primrose said.
"Yes we are. That was an incredibly brave thing you did saving Uncle's life like that," Kili said.
"I had to do something. I couldn't just stand there and watch Uncle die," Primrose said.
"It was also incredibly stupid as you could have been killed," Kili added.
"But I wasn't," Primrose said.
Kili nodded
"I know. I have a feeling though Uncle won't see it that way. Just be thankful you're a woman or you'd probably be on the receiving end of the armath taur again for being foolish," Kili said.
"You punished me with it," Primrose said.
"I know I did but you're the only female of any race who has been punished with an armath taur. Females do not get punished in that way. Uncle only made me do that to you as he thought he had found a way of getting out of having to approve our union. I had to go through with it as Uncle thought I wouldn't have the balls to discipline you and I wanted to prove him wrong," Kili said.
An eagle grabbed Primrose and bore her up into the sky where she was deposited on the back of another eagle. Then Kili was deposited behind her and Fili behind him. Another eagle carried a still unconscious Thorin in its talons and other eagles were carrying the other dwarves. Kili wrapped his arms around Primrose and held her tightly.
"This is incredible," Primrose called out.
Kili smiled also enjoying the view as they flew along. He was worried about Thorin though as were Fili and Primrose. What if he was mortally wounded? If he died would that mean Fili would be King under the Mountain? Could Fili be an effective leader? If Fili became King he would be next in line to the throne until such time as Fili and his she dwarf back in the Blue Mountains produced an heir.
The eagles eventually deposited everyone on a rocky outcrop from which they could see a mountain rising in the distance.
"That's our home. Erebor," Kili told Primrose.
Primrose looked at the mountain in awe. It was certainly very big.
"It's still some distance away," she said.
"Yes. We still have a long long way to go," Kili said.
Thorin was still lying still where the eagle that had been carrying him had deposited him. Primrose, Kili and Fili made their way over to him fearing the worst. But as they reached Thorin he suddenly stirred and opened his eyes. He was still alive and seemed to be ok as he got to his feet, facing Primrose.
"Prim. I was so wrong about you. Facing that orc as you did was a very brave thing you did. You are truly one of us and I am sorry I made Kili punish you to prove you were as tough as us. I was wrong to do that. I should have accepted your union rather than getting angry about it. Can you forgive me?" Thorin asked.
"Of course I forgive you Uncle," Primrose said.
She hugged Thorin who hugged her back. He then picked up Orcrist which was still lying where the eagle had dropped it when it had deposited him and sheathed it.
"We need to get moving as we need to make camp. Not all of those orcs will be dead and they will be following us," Thorin said.
The company began making their way down the outcrop to the ground below. It was night time so they didn't want to go far before camping. Once everyone was down off the outcrop the company travelled until they found a safe place to camp. It didn't take long to set up camp and once that was done everyone went to bed. Primrose cuddled up tight to Kili in their bedroll and they talked softly.
"When I was separated from the rest of you and I encountered that strange creature I found something that I think it had dropped," Primrose said.
"What did you find?" Kili asked.
"I found a ring. It's plain gold as far as I can see. But I discovered something when escaping the creature and re-joining the rest of you. This needs to stay between us for now so promise me you won't tell the others. Not even Fili," Primrose said.
"I promise," Kili said.
Primrose was still wearing a pair of Kili's breeches and she reached into the pocket and pulled out the ring.
"This is the ring I found. Now if I slip it on to my finger like this, this is what happens," Primrose said.
She disappeared and Kili looked around startled.
"Prim?" he asked.
"I'm still beside you. But I'm invisible. I can see you but everything looks different when I have the ring on," Primrose said.
Kili reached out and his fingers touched Primrose's arm confirming she was still there.
"Mahal Prim you startled me," Kili said.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was better to show you what the ring did rather than tell you then show you," Primrose said.
The two continued to talk softly until they went to sleep wrapped in each other's arms. When they woke the next morning they had breakfast and then it was time to resume travelling. Thorin was keen to keep the company moving as he knew that Azog and Bolg and the orcs wouldn't be far behind.
"How far is Thorin expecting us to progress today?" Primrose asked.
"As far as we can I guess. We have to keep ahead of those orcs," Kili said
"Right," Primrose said.
"I could scout ahead using my ring," Primrose said.
"Better to stay with me and be safe," Kili said.
He smiled and they began travelling.
"So tell me about what happened in the goblin caves after I fell down to where that creature was," Primrose said.
"Well Gandalf showed up just as we were about to be tortured and saved us. After that it was a lot of running through the caves and fighting the goblins who were chasing us.
"Sounds exciting and scary at the same time," Primrose said.
"It was. At one stage I took a fall and then everyone else and some bridging fell on top of me. That wasn't so fun. I'm ok though," Kili said.
"Ouch. Poor you," Primrose said.
"I killed a whole lot of Goblins though. With my sword and with my bow," Kili said.
"It sounds like I was safer where I was," Primrose said.
"Yes you were," Kili said, "If you'd fallen like I had and had had the others land on you it could have killed our child," he ended.
The other dwarves were also talking about the escape through the mountain. As they continued to travel Primrose noticed Kili wincing from time to time.
"I'm a bit sore and bruised from the fall and from everyone else and the bridging landing on me," Kili said.
"I'm not surprised as you'd have had a lot of weight landing on you," Primrose said.
"Don't worry about me. It's just bruising. And the important thing is that we both made it out of the goblin caves alive," Kili said.
"Yes that is the most important thing. And baby is ok too," Primrose said.
When they stopped for lunch everyone stayed close and ate as quickly as possible.
"At the end of all this It will be nice to have a home with you my love," Primrose said.
"Yes and that's what we will do. We will need to travel to Hobbiton and see your uncle too," Kili said.
"He will be surprised that I am pregnant," Primrose said.
"Our child will be his great niece or nephew," Kili said.
After the company had eaten they got moving again and kept on the move until dinner time. Then it was back on the move until finally they were surrounded by rocky outcrops and couldn't see what was around them.
"I'll climb to the top of the rocks and see what I can see," Primrose said.
She silently climbed up the rocks and looked around before quickly scrambling down.
"I think we have a problem," she said.
"What is it?" Gandalf asked.
"There is something out there," Primrose said.
"Is it a giant bear?" Gandalf asked.
"Yes," Primrose said.
Everyone began moving again and Kili and Primrose chatted about their plans for the future. Fili talked about his she dwarf back in the Blue Mountains and how he hoped they'd live together in Erebor.
"What's her name?" Primrose asked.
"Her name is Anifried," Fili said.
"A beautiful name. I look forward to meeting her," Primrose said.
"I look forward to introducing you to her," Fili said.
Primrose smiled at him and then everything happened at once. There was the roar of a bear and the company broke into the run. After a short chase with both the bear and the wargs chasing them the company arrived at a huge house and after going through the garden they ran into the door.
"Get the door open. Quickly," Gandalf called out.
Primrose looked around wildly and saw the bear coming and at the same time Thorin strode to the door and quickly had it open. Everyone ran inside and Primrose watched as the dwarves worked to close the door. She pulled her sword out as the bear pushed its muzzle through the door and held it out trying not to look scared. Finally the dwarves pushed the door closed and dropped the latch.