Chapter Fifteen
Following closely behind Gandalf, the Company was lead deeper into the mountain. Arirua wondered at how vast the mountain truly was, but she did not question it too much as she need to be focused on the task at hand.
Glancing back, Arirua could see hundreds of goblins running after them. And the swarm of goblins that was only growing bigger. "Gandalf!" Arirua yelled as a warning.
The wizard quickly turned his head to see was the cause of the alarm, and when he saw the army of goblins running behind them, his eyes grew wide with fear. "Quickly!" he yelled to the Company as he turned his attention back to the path before them.
And suddenly, they were no longer just behind them, but in front of them and all around them. Arirua could see that it was Dwalin who attacked first. With his twin axes Grasper and Keeper, which he had eagerly told the star about one night when she had asked what the meaning of the markings upon the blades of his axes, the bald dwarf quickly took down two goblins. He suddenly yelled "POST!" and he, Nori, Fili, and Bifur quickly cut off a poorly made railing from its place. And with a loud shout from Dwalin, they proceeded to use it to shove several of the goblins off the edge of the wooden bridge into darkness and shadows. After shoving several goblins into the abyss below, the four dwarves dropped the railing and continued running through the goblin's halls with the rest of the Company right on their tails.
As she ran, Arirua dispatched as many fowl looking creatures in her path as she could, trying not to leave any goblins behind for the others to fight off.
"Shiny, shiny!" she heard a gruff voice say from her right, glancing over she saw nothing, but she knew something was there. Glancing under the rickety bridge she could see between the cracks a goblin holding onto the rope that bound the bridge for dear life. Stopping for a moment, Arirua twirled her sword and with a swing and a twirl of Lalar she cut off the head of the goblin that was crawling up the side of the bridge to attack her and down into the eye of the goblin who had spoken.
"My blade is indeed shiny is it not?" she replied with a hiss. She could feel her anger rising, getting dangerously high. Pulling the blade from the goblin, the star took off running again, now towards the end of the precession. How dare these creatures of darkness and death speak of light as if they know it. the star screamed in her head as she stabbed another goblin.
Ahead, Arirua could see many of the Company taking out the goblins with as much fiery as she. She could make out Thorin as he decapitated the large goblin and moved on to run two through with his sword at the same time. Balin was also killing off several of the beasts in several quick sweeps. These were dwarves who had seen battle before, dwarves who knew that it was their duty to get rid of the enemy as quickly as possible. No fancy swordplay was need or wanted for that matter.
"Cut the ropes!" yelled Thorin. Doing as the king said, Arirua brought her blade down and across the thick rope that was tied before her. Arirua glanced up to see why Thorin had ordered the ropes to be cut. The goblins that had been swinging down on vines of rope were now wrapped around a chunk of the bridge that had been above the Company only moments ago.
The star quickly took up fighting off on coming goblins when she heard a noise that made her heart skip a beat. Over all the noise that filled the cavern, Arirua heard let out a loud yell of frustration that belonged to only one.
"KILI!" the pale haired girl yelled. Gripping her sword tightly, Arirua took off running down the bridge, dodging her comrades and slicing away at the enemy.
It took her only a few mere moments to reach him where he was his sword to block off the oncoming arrows of the goblin archers. What he didn't see was the goblin standing behind him that was holding up a crude, rusted blade that was standing between herself and her prince.
Without stopping, Arirua, using the momentum from her running, pushed off, feeling her feet leave the ground. As she flipped over the goblin, she knocked his blade away with Lalar. When she landed right on the other side of the goblin, Arirua quickly turned around and sliced the legs of the vile thing out from under it.
"None of you shall touch what is precious to me." she whispered before she used her foot to push the creature into the darkness underneath them. Turning, she grabbed a hold of the ladder that Kili had grabbed along with several others. With a great amount of strength, they used the ladder to shove several goblins off the end of the bridge. Then, they quickly threw the end of the ladder to the other side of the gap where Dwalin was waiting. The four dwarves, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Kili, and herself all ran across the ladder to the other side of the gap. And as soon as Arirua right foot left the ladder's last rung, Dwalin flipped the wooden ladder into the abyss so that the other goblins behind them would have one less way to follow them across. And then they were running again.
Until they came to the dead end.
A section of the bridge had taken so much wear and tear that a huge piece of it had fallen into the abyss below, leaving a grapping hole in their way. Taking it all in quickly, realizing that there was nowhere for them to go and nothing left to do, Arirua turned to Kili and whispered,
"Cut the rope."
It took the young prince a moment to realize what the star was getting at, but he nodded once he understood and quickly cut the rope. Once the rope was cut, the little platform they were standing on began swinging to the opposite side.
"Jump!" Thorin ordered the dwarves. Only four made it off the swinging bridge.
The rest were forced to swing back to the crowd of waiting goblins. The goblins that had been left behind, quickly sprung into action, all making flying leaps for the piece of swinging bridge before it was even close.
"Get ready!" Thorin yelled as the bridge began swinging back to the side that their comrades were on. All the remaining dwarves quickly began running to the end of the platform and as soon as the bridge was in jumping distance, they began to jump off the swinging platform and onto the sturdy one. Arirua was one of the last to jump off, but she swiftly landed on her feet, just as Sythralen had taught her. Fili was the final dwarf off the swinging platform. As soon as the heir of Erebor's boots hit the bridge, he turned and cut the last rope holding up the swinging platform.
And then they were running again quickly through the vast underground cavern. And the amount of goblins never seemed to come to an end.
As the star ran, she was watchful, striking quickly and with an unearthly precision, something that Sythralen had taught her as well. What filth! Arirua thought to herself as she fought off two goblins next to Ori, who had now been gifted with a large hammer that he was using quite well.
"Retched beasts!" she snarled as she drove her sword through two more goblins. "May your death bring a blink of light back into this world!" And with that, she gave the goblins a good shove, forcing them off her sword and into the darkness below.
"Come on!" she heard Gandalf yell. There was a flash of the light and then a small chunk of ceiling fell before Mithrandir's feet. And with a great shove from the traveling wizard and the dwarves, the rock began to move down the path before them, trampling their enemies as it went.
"Come Ori." Arirua said to the young dwarf. "We must not fall behind." The young dwarf mumbled something but took off running after Arirua.
Arirua quickly reached Kili and Fili's side for there was no safer place on the battlefield then next to them, at least to her. Kili smiled at her as they followed the rolling stone, and grabbed her free hand. She could feel him trying to rub her knuckles, something that he had learned seem to sooth her when she was frightened. Out of the corner of her eye, Arirua could see Fili had a goofy grin to spread across his face at the sight of her and his brother. It quickly disappeared though, as well as Kili's hand, as the boulder fell off the cliff and they turned the corner.
For once they turned the corner, they were at war again.
Swinging her sword, Arirua quickly decapitated a goblin just as they turned the corner. All around her she could hear the grunts of dwarves fighting off goblins, the crashing of metal on metal, and the pained noises of wounded goblins.
Arirua could see yet another bridge before her and the Company. One that looked sturdy and safe. It seemed as though the rest of the company agreed with her because the speed of the company quickly picked up.
Then they were on the bridge. And Arirua almost allowed a smile to cross her face. The star could almost feel the sunlight on her face and the wind in her hair, all the things that came with freedom. We are almost out of this accursed darkness.
But the Goblin King sprang through the boards of the bridge, blocking their escape route. A wicked grin of dark joy crossed his face as his goblin servants began to surround them on all sides. The look of anger and hatred quickly crossed the faces of many in the Company, including Arirua.
Gandalf was quickly pushed to the front of the group by the dwarves.
Stepping forward, the Goblin King spoke, "You thought you could escape me?" he questioned as he swung his staff at Gandalf. Mithrandir barely dodged the swings. Falling back from dodging one of the swings, Ori and Nori were forced to catch him. Arirua took a step forward to help her dear friend, when she felt a hand circle her bicep. Glancing back, she could see it was Kili. He shook his head at her, warning her that this was neither a smart nor the safe thing to do.
"What are you going to do now wizard?" the hideous 'King' questioned.
With the help of Nori and Ori, Gandalf was pushed back to his feet, his staff out stretched. The staff stabbed the eye of the Goblin King, momentarily blinding him, allowing Gandalf to easily bring his sword across the oversized goblin's stomach, bring the beast to its knees.
"That'll do it." the Goblin King said, just before Gandalf brought his sword across the beast's neck, silencing him forever.
But as the giant creature fell, the bridge collapsed. Falling into the darkness below.
Arirua held onto the edge of the bridge for dear life as it plummeted down into the darkness. She tried her hardest not to scream in fear, but after a moment, her yells of fear mixed in amongst the dwarves's. The bridge piece slide down the stone wall, crashing into other bridges that had been built. There was wood flying all around them as the wooden beams buckled and cracked against the weight of the bridge.
The cavern's walls quickly began to come together, making it harder for the bridge to keep going at the breakneck speed it had been going at only moments before. And when they finally came to a stop, stopped by how close the walls had come together, the wooden beams that had been supporting the upper levers of the bridge snapped, causing the entire section of bridge to fall on top of the dwarves, Mithrandir, and Arirua. Grunting, Arirua began to try and push herself out from underneath the wreckage, but her foot remained caught under a piece of wood.
"Well, that could have been worse." Arirua heard Bofur comment as she was trying to free herself.
Then the Goblin King landed on top of the wreckage that they were still under.
"Haver!" Dwalin yelled. "You've got to be joking!"
The dwarves quickly began shoving away bits of the wood, digging their way out from underneath the wreckage.
"Gandalf!" Kili yelled, starling everyone, forcing them to look up and see the hundreds of goblins running down the side of the mountain face towards them.
"Give me your hand." Arirua heard above her. The star looked up to see Thorin standing above her with an outstretched hand. "Give me your hand!" Nodding, Arirua reached up and grabbed a hold of the King's hand. Thorin began to pull Arirua out from under the wreckage while she moved her foot around in a manner that would make it easy for him to pull her out.
"Thank..." the star said as she grabbed Lalar off the ground after Thorin had helped her up.
"There is no need to thank me." Thorin interrupted her gruffly. "You are a member of the Company. I would never leave behind my comrades." Arirua opened her mouth to reply to what the King had just said, but Dwalin's voice drowned out her response.
"There's too many! We can't fight them!" Dwalin explained to Gandalf as he pulled Nori from the wreckage.
"Only one thing will save us... daylight! Come on!" Mithrandir informed them. The older wizard grabbed a hold of Oin's hand, pulling him out from underneath a pile of shredded wood and rubble. "Here, on your feet!"
The dwarves quickly pulled themselves and their comrades out from underneath the rubble and wreckage. Then they ran, ran for the sunlight that was somewhere beyond the walls.
Suddenly it was there. The light. A light shining through an opening large enough for all of them to slip through.
The speed of the Company picked up once more. They all wanted to see the light, to see the sun, to be away from the darkness that filled the Misty Mountains.
Arirua ran alongside Kili and Fili, a smile spreading across her face. She no longer worried about the goblins behind them. She was almost free.
"Quick, quick." Gandalf said as he stopped, motioning them through. "This way."
"Come on!" Dori said, rushing forward towards the light.
"Come on, come on." Mithrandir said. "Quickly."
Gandalf then joined the line, running out into the sunlight. All was well, until Arirua ran past a crack in the wall. As f her feet had a mind of their own, she stopped moving. Bombur ran past her with a great amount of speed, but he didn't seem to notice her.
Something is not right. Arirua thought as she glanced around, her hand resting on her sword. She glanced down the crack in the wall. Arirua could have sworn she heard a whisper, as if someone had whispered her name in a desperate attempt to catch her attention. Frowning, Arirua took a small step towards the crack, but then an image of the Company running down the hill flashed across her mind. The star took a deep breath, turned away from the crack in the wall, pushing the idea out of her mind, and ran out into the sunlight.
A smile spread across her face as the sunlight first hit it. The star ran down the hill quickly, avoiding tall trees that grew along the mountain side and boulders that had fallen from the mountains above. With her speed, the star easily caught up with the dwarves and Gandalf. Grin still on her face, Arirua began jumping from large boulder to boulder with great easy and grace, feeling light as a feather now that she was back into the light.
Before the young star could reach the Company, she ran into something that stopped her in her tracks. And then she was being pulled down and a pair of lips were on hers. It was a short kiss but Arirua couldn't help but smile into it. She felt Kili's rough hands reaching up to cradle her face. Breaking the kiss, Arirua put her forehead onto her love's.
"What was that for?" she asked him quietly.
"You're safe." Kili answered. "I keep thinking I'm gonna loose you."
"You won't loose me." Arirua answered him. But there was a pang in her heart... but she ignored it. Now was not the time to dwell on things that she could not control.
"Are you two coming?" Fili yelled back to them. Arirua looked up to see Fili standing on a boulder, looking at them with a goofy grin on his face.
Giving Kili a kiss on the cheek, Arirua said, "I believe we will be left behind if we do not hurry up and catch up with the rest."
"Yes of course." Kili said with a silly grin on his face. He then began jogging ahead. Shaking her head, Arirua took off running behind him, easily catching up with the brothers and the rest of the Company.
"Five, six, seven, eight." Gandalf counted out loud. "Bifur, Bofur. That's ten. Fili, Kili, and Arirua. That's thirteen. And Bombur, that makes fourteen."
Frowning, Arirua stopped suddenly, causing the brothers to stop as well, and began looking around, silently counting heads as she went. Someone is missing.
"Where's Bilbo?" Gandalf suddenly asked. Arirua's eyes, along with several others in the Company's, grew wide with realization. "Where is our Hobbit? Where is our Hobbit?!" Gandalf's tone was now harsh.
The dwarves began looking around them, trying to see if the Halfling was there and just had been hidden during the count or if he was indeed gone.
"Curse that Halfling!" Dwalin snarled. "Now he's lost?"
"I thought he was with Dori!" exclaimed Gloin.
"Well don't blame me!" Dori yelled at the Company who had now turned to look at him.
"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf questioned him. Arirua could hear the worry creeping into his voice and Arirua could feel the same worry creeping into her heart. Bilbo was not meant for this kind of world.
"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us." Nori spoke up. Arirua bit the inside of her cheek. The Hobbit could be anywhere now.
"And what happened exactly?" Gandalf asked. "Tell me!"
"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin said, speaking up over the noise that was beginning to form. The Company quieted at the sound of the King's voice. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone." Silence filled the small clearing that the dwarves were standing in as they all looked at each other, wondering if this was indeed true.
Arirua, taking a step forward, opened her mouth to defend her small friend when another voice was heard.
"No. He isn't." Everyone turned to the source of the voice to see Bilbo Baggins of the Shire standing before them.
"Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf said with a voice of relief. "I have never been so happy to see anyone in my life."
"Bilbo." Kili said with a smile. "We had given you up."
"Not all of us did." Arirua interjected. "Welcome back dear friend."
"How on Earth did you get past the Goblins?" Fili questioned.
"How indeed." Dwalin said, looking closely at the hobbit.
Bilbo gave a nervous laugh and Arirua watched as he seemed to stretch his arms a little bit and place his hands in the small pockets in the front of his vest. Arirua could have sworn that she saw a glint of gold flash as he placed his hands in his pocket but she remained silent.
"Well what does it matter?" Gandalf asked, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "He's back."
"It matters." Thorin said, almost interrupting Gandalf. "I want to know... why did you come back?"
Bilbo looked at him, a look crossed his face that Arirua could never explain to anyone who was not there. It was a look of such determination and sadness, that Arirua could never think of what to call it. "Look I know you doubt me. I know you always have." He paused for a moment. "And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."
Silence filled the clearing once more as the dwarves all looked at each other. And then they all looked back at Bilbo with looks of respect and thankfulness. Arirua smiled, stepping away from Kili's side and towards the Hobbit.
"You are a truly a light in the darkness." Ariura told him, giving him a reassuring smile. Nods of agreement could be seen all through the Company, as well smile.
But all the smiles disappeared as the warg howl filled the forest around them.
A/N: Well, this has been a roller coaster hasn't it? Gosh darn it! Anyways, I'm happy to announce that IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!
I'm sorry for all the confusion and chaos that came along with it. But I do want to give a special Thank You to the following: miller330, Kim (Guest), Swimgirl251 (Guest), and Karibookworm (Guest) for bring it to my attention. I was very much asleep when these messages came in so I did not get them to early this morning, as seen in my Author's Note that was deleted.
I also want to thank you all for sticking with this story. It has truly become my baby, and you guys make writing it all the more fun. And on top of that, LokisGeneral and myself have been cooking up some wicked cool stuff for Desolation of Smaug and we've even been tossing around ideas for Battle of the Five Armies. But don't worry, Starlight & Flames, Desolation of Smaug, will remain in the same book, it will just continue on like a normal story. And I also want to apologize for how long it took me to get you all another chapter. Real life has been kicking me in the butt. Having to deal with all my classes, family drama (siblings), work, and plus indulging in my own fanfiction reading, I just really haven't had time until recently. But hopefully sense break is coming up, I'll be able to pump out more chapters to y'all. So be on the look out :D
-RogueStarz