That time when Thorin gets to rescue Wren for a change, while she's trying to find out who's behind his bounty.
A/N: Wynni, thank you for the prompt!
And UKReader, I already have three more chapters written since I fulfill prompts in the order they were submitted. So I LOVE that I have to put your trolls somewhere now where they don't fit at all. I ADORE challenge like that! :) And all of your ideas are rad! That is going to be so much fun!
"We have to get out of here," Dwalin rasped, but then they heard Ori's panicked voice.
"We can't! We have no ponies. They bolted."
The mad wizard with dung on his head, and surely someone should have said something to him, suddenly puffed up his chest and offered, "I'll draw them off." Thorin was willing to agree. The old tosser wouldn't last long, but munching on him would keep wargs occupied for a while.
Gandalf of course just had to interfere, "These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!"
The answer from the madman was predictably barmy, "These are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."
And so they ran, through the valley, ducking behind boulders, hearing the barking and roaring of wargs in a distance. They tried to stay together, Thorin felt he was herding them like sheep, when Ori stepped ahead, from behind a large rock while the Orc pack was once again not too far.
He barked, "Ori, no! Come back," and jerked the boy's collar back. They pressed their backs to the large stone, and that's when he saw her.
She was hard to miss, with her bright orange curls, and the already familiar black outfit, the tight trousers and the double breasted doublet, clearly visible against a wind worn boulder. Her eyes were widened, and she was holding her curved Elven blade in her hand. He assumed all his companions had the same shocked expression on their faces as him. Her eyes met his, as if asking him what his opinion of her was these days, and without thinking he stretched his hand to her in a clear invitation.
She rushed across the space between their boulders and pressed her back to the stone near him.
"My lord," her voice wasn't shaking, as if she was greeting him in a common room of an inn.
"Lady Wren," he mimicked her tone. "Pleasure to have you with us." She gave him a smile, and they she slightly nodded to the grey wizard.
"Gandalf the Grey, I presume." The old man's attentive eyes studies ehr, and then he smiled and gave her a small bow. "I'm Wren of Enedwaith."
"What in the Durin's name are you doing here?" Thorin asked peeking from around the rock to see the pack.
"Just taking a walk." Her tone was light, and he gave her an exasperated stare.
"Why do I always find you in trouble?"
"Me? I seem to recall you arse deep in a bog once, and the last time I saw you, you were tied to a chair." Their squabbling was clearly heard by the company, who all were staring at her in pure astoundment.
"No time for your marital discord," grumbled Gandalf and rushed ahead, "Common, stay together!"
She ran after the wizard, and Dwarves followed her example, each one passing him would give him a questioning look, when Fili walking the last asked, "Who is she, Uncle?"
Thorin didn't spare him a glance, and here they were moving again, hiding behind rocks. At some point he asked the wizard where the latter was leading them, but didn't get any answer. They ran again, and suddenly neither the wizard, nor the redhead were anywhere to be seen.
They killed the warg and its rider who spotted them, but the pack noticed. They were surrounded and fought when suddenly he saw the wizard's pointy hat and the mane of mad copper curls sticking out from the middle of a group of boulders. They all slid in, Kili and Fili last, he quickly exhaled in relief, the boys were too eager to stay and fight, and he followed.
That's when they heard the horn, and then a dead Orc rolled down into the cavern they were hiding in. They all jerked back from the body, and she squeaked and pressed into him. He felt her shuddering, and his hand instinctively lay on the back of her head protectively.
Still pressing her into him, he pulled an arrow out of the dead Orc, and in disgust he understood it was Elven. Dwalin meanwhile found the passage leading out of the cave. All the Dwarves moved along following Dwalin when she suddenly pulled at his sleeve.
"I'm not going there. I'll find a way out. I don't like Elves." Her tone was irritated, and he thought he might like her even more than he thought. He met the wizard's eyes asking for a minute, and the old man nodded and followed the rest of the company. The hobbit nervously twitched his nose and left as well.
He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "There is an Orc pack there."
"They are probably dead by now, haven't you heard the Elven horn?" She wanted to step back from him but he didn't let her. "I'll be fine, it's not my first day in the wild." He was still full of doubt, when she suddenly cupped his face. "Thank you for worrying for me."
"Why are you always on my way?" He grumbled, and she chuckled softly.
"Perhaps you are just that lucky," she quickly leaned in and kisses him lightly. "Or it's destiny."
"What were you doing here?" He had no time for mawkishness, he needed to go, but he wanted one more moment with her. Maybe because he had almost died just now, or perhaps because of how scared for her he felt when he saw her at that boulder.
"I was looking for those who put a price on your head." He narrowed his eyes trying to decipher her meaning. She was looking directly in his eyes.
"To sell it or to save it?" There was no time for equivocal talk.
"I was going to decide once I knew the price." She jerked her chin up, and he assumed that was the honest answer since he didn't like it. "The Orcs, by the way since you didn't ask. Some big Orc leader wants your head. I haven't found out much more, and then I ran into them here."
He nodded and released her. "Is it big? The price?"
She smiled and adjusted the strap of her sack preparing to run, "Yes. Just like the head itself, Mister Oakenshield." Her eyes were mischievous, and he quickly regretted there was no time for one more kiss.
"Till we meet again, Wren." He gave her a small bow.
"Mahzirikhi zu gang ghukhil, melhekhuh." Have a safe journey, my King. Her Khuzdul was impeccable. She disappeared over the edge of the rocks, and he was still standing frozen when Dwalin called his name, and he rushed after his company.