Title: One King to Another- Chapter I
Author: Cleo Harrison
Fandom: The Hobbit
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters created by
J.R.R Tolkien, (Writer) or Peter Jackson, (Director)
-Karma's P.O.V-
I fight against Thranduil, managing to smash his head away from mine,smashing my forehead to his so hard, I feel dizzy when he falls backwards. I feel aching behind my eyes and a pain swelling in my head.
"You little-" Thranduil starts, rising from the ground and beginning towards me again. His anger consumes him so he cannot finish his sentence, storming towards me with a deadly gleam in his eyes. He passes me up, untying the hard chains that tie my arms to the column. I begin to walk away from the column, but I am naive the think that he would ever let me go.
"Oh, Karma. You really thought it would be that easy?" Thranduil asks me, pulling the chains on either side of the column back harshly, sending me flying into the air to collide against the column. He ties the chains up higher on the column, leaving me suspended and face to face with him. I feel a broken rib in my chest as I squirm, trying to get out of his grasp. I cry out, feeling the pain surge through me, cutting me open.
"LetMeGo!" I shout, disoriented and frightened. I know he can understand my babbling but he pretends not to either way. He runs a cold finger down my shoulder, leaning back in to kiss me. I'm trapped between his body and the column behind me, and cannot move at all.
"Stop, just stop!" I scream at him, but to no avail. He pulls my head to the side, revealing the bare skin of my neck. He kisses my neck slowly, and trails up to my ear. I try to kick him, but in the way he tied me, my ankles, hips, chest, and neck are all held against the column tightly. I make a quick decision and slam my head against the pole as hard as I can, knocking myself unconscious.
…
When I awaken, I find myself in the same position, tied to the column. The only difference is that Thranduil is gone. I smirk and hope that I had disappointed him when I fell unconscious. I see that it's now daytime through the narrow opening serving as a door. I feel soreness in my chest and shoulders, and a need to stretch fills me.
"Fili, Bilbo, Kili, Thorin, anybody just… help me." I whisper, praying for my love and my friends to find me and help me, but I know it will not come to be. I close my eyes and think of the company. Fat Bombur with too much meat on his bones. Balin with his wisdom and courage. Kili with his wit and humor. Dwalin with his strength and aggressiveness. And finally, Fili, with his bravery, cunning and beauty. I remember calling him a lion the first time we met. It had been at a pub in the blue mountains where I worked as a serving maid.
I had come to set them another round of Lotrita beer, and Fili had joked with me about how I was tall for a lass of Dwarvish blood. I remember telling him about my strange mix of genetics, and he had been one of the first not to judge me on it. He had found my strangeness… somehow amazing.
While lost in thought, I had not realized that 4 armed guards had entered the tent. When I snap out of my reverie, I find one of the guards unclasping the shackles on my hands, and the others standing at attention, probably if I should attempt to run. Once I fall to the ground, landing hard, the elves take me by the arms and lead me from the tent.
"Where are we…going?" I ask, yawning tiredly.
"Silence!" The guard to my right orders me.
"I was just asking-" I'm cut off as a second guard orders me silent
"Silence!" I give up and follow their lead through the forest with no clear pathway leading us. I see the border of the forest tree line ahead, though I cannot see past it. When we reach the border, I find myself looking down at Erebor's gate, broken and mangled before us. Thranduil is straddling his elk and barking commands to the hundreds of Elven soldiers behind him. The guards slowly make their way through the crowd, dragging me along with them as we approach Thranduil.
"Let go of me!" I yell for what seems like the hundredth time in the past two days. Thranduil is distracted by the ruckus I'm making and looks over at me, a smirk playing on his lips. I'm thrown to the front of the army as Thranduil dismounts Turuboris, (His elk) and walks towards me. I see Thorin and the rest of the company, armed and ready for a fight. They stand on top of the makeshift barricade of boulders blocking the entrance to Erebor.
Kili is apparently the first to see me, as he yells to the rest of the group in panic as he points at me. I see Fili, who had been talking to Thorin, look up in shock and fear. I bow my head as Thranduil chuckles at the looks of astonishment on their faces. When I look up after a few moments, the look on Fili's face is heartbreakng. It displays anger, confusion, worry, love, and terror.
Thorin's glare falls upon me, his stare implying that I'm just another difficulty to add to the list. Fili is yelling loudly at all of the dwarves around him, probably trying to discover why I am at the mercy of the merciless King of Mirkwood. All of a sudden, Bilbo's reddish-brown hair bobs into view over the stone railing, and fear grips me as I realise what he's doing. He is telling Fili what happened last night.
Thorin must have overheard the conversation because his eyes turn hateful and deadly as he turns towards Bilbo, rage in his stance. He storms over towards the Hobbit, threateningly waving his fists and yelling.
At first I believe that he is upset that I was captured, but when I hear the word 'Arkenstone' escape his lips, I know that it had been a naive thought. Fili and Thorin both charge Bilbo, but are caught by Kili, Dwalin, Balin, and Nori before they can strike him. I know that if they had not restrained Thorin and Fili, then Bilbo would be laying, dead, at the base of the stone barricade. Fili wrenches out of his brother's grip, nodding calmly and walking back towards the railing.
"Have they harmed you, Karma?" He calls to me, anger evident in his voice. I consider the question, not wanting to lie to him.
"No." I yell back, guilt spreading through my body at the lie. As if to clarify the lie, my broken rib begins to burn in my chest, and I can barely keep from groaning. I look up at Thranduil, the gleam in his eye reminding me that not only did they harm me physically, but also emotionally. The kiss last night had been playing through my mind, over and over, seeming more vile and disgusting each time I replay it.
"What is your purpose of bringing Karma here?" Fili yells towards the King, though he unmistakably already knows the answer to come.
"To make a bargain." Thranduil says, smirking at the dwarves with unhidden hatred. Thorin steps to the front of the group, glaring down at the elves.
"And what bargain do you wish to gain from us, exactly?" He asks with ignorance clear in his voice. I wish they would just skip ahead to the part where Thorin picks the Arkenstone and I get my head ripped off my the stupid elves.
"Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror," Thranduil begins, taking his time.
"I wish of you to make a decision. You may choose either the girl… or the 'Kings Jewel'." My breath hitches as I only just realise the amount of cruelty the statement contains. I see Fili's face turn pale, a knowing scowl on his lips.
"Simple." Thorin says, a calm smile flowing over his lips. I feel tears coming into my eyes, and I slowly turn and walk back into the crowd of elves, not wanting to see Thorin's face.
"Give Karma back to us." I hear Thorin say, yelling louder so as I do not miss his words. I freeze in stunned silence, feeling all eyes turned to me. I squeak as a pair of rough hands pull me from the army, throwing me out in front of Thranduil.
"Oh, Thorin. Are you sure? The gold is behind you, and the Arkenstone will give you the right to own it, claim it." Thranduil taunts, making it clear that he wishes to give up the arkenstone instead of me. I slap his hand away from my shoulder as he reaches to place his hand on it, a hateful glare on my face. Thorin's eyes display uncertainty, but I see many members of the company nodding their heads, about to yell at him for even considering any other option.
Thorin shakes his head, his body displaying tough stature and sureness.
"Arkenstone." He says, not looking at any of the dwarves beside him, ignoring their existence completely.