Chapter Twenty-One
Her lungs had grown heavy sense entering the forest. Breathing was hard at times and her head was beginning to swim.
Do not succumb to the forest. she thought to herself. It is what the darkness wants.
The trees around her gave a loud creaking sound. The star shivered.
"The path goes this way." she heard Thorin yell from the front of the Company. She quietly followed the person in front of her, eyes always scanning and watching. She knew the elves that lived here well. And she knew they were not ones who took kindly to intruders.
The traveling was silent with an occasional shout saying which way the path went. The forest still continued to creak and move, but that seemed to only bother her.
They traveled through for what seemed hours over fallen trees and hills that lead them farther down before anyone said anything.
"Air." Bofur said suddenly, startling everyone. "I need air."
"My head!" Oin said in agreement. "It's swimming."
Small delicate seedlings floated down on them, and Arirua brushed them off her shoulders. She remembered watching the same thing happen when she had visited the Greenwood all those years ago, but back then it had looked more beautiful and magical than it did now. It no longer looked magical but deadly.
"We found the bridge!" Kili yelled from the front of the group. Arirua frowned. Something was wrong; the air around her felt thicker than it had only moments ago.
"Bridge." Bofur repeated loudly.
Arirua walked up behind the dwarves as the clumped together to look at the bridge. The center of the bridge was completely gone, most likely under the misty waters of the river. The enchanted river did not move. Arirua could tell there was nothing living under the moss that had grown over the top. The star was now almost chocking on how thick the air had become.
"We could try and swim it." Bofur offered.
"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said?" Thorin asked, breathing heavy. "A dark magic lies upon this forest. The waters of this stream are enchanted."
"Doesn't look very enchanting to me." the hat wearing dwarf muttered.
"We must find another way across." the king said.
"I do not believe there is another." Arirua said softly. "I remember this bridge last time I was here. We crossed over it."
"Then we will have to figure something out. We need to get out of this forest."
"I know Thorin." the star whispered as she walked to the edge, looking down at the stream. The water was black and pieces of moss and wood floated on the top. She stared down into the dark water and as she did, a feeling of something pulling her into the water came over her.
"These vines look strong enough." Kili shouted, pulling the star's attention away from the dark waters and the feeling disappeared as soon as her eyes were pulled from the waters. She watched as he reached out to pull one to himself but his uncle called out to him.
"Kili!" The younger prince looked at his uncle. "We send the lightest first."
Everyone looked at the hobbit.
He instantly gave them an annoyed expression.
He marched over and placed his foot on the first vine he saw. Arirua watched nervously as he reached out to grab another vine to keep himself balanced.
"It's all right." he yelled back over his shoulder. "Can't see any problem."
He reached for another vine to keep moving, missed it, and fell with his legs wrapped around the thick vine he had been standing on, head dangling over the river.
"There's one. Everything's fine."
"Bilbo," Arirua said in a raised voice, "clear your mind. Focus."
"Got it."
He swung himself around and stood up on another vine that was sticking out of the river. And proceed to fall forward, barely grabbing onto another vine. Once more, he was only inches away from the river. Arirua took a step forward to help him, but Thorin put his hand up, ordering her to stop without saying a word. She looked at between him and the hobbit, but she didn't move. The star stayed where she was and watched the hobbit hop and balance his way across the river until he leapt off the last vine and landed on the solid ground on the other side.
"Let's go." Thorin said.
Arirua, not liking the idea, waited for the rest of the Company to throw themselves onto the vines before she joined them and began climbing.
"I can't get a grip!" Dwalin groaned.
Arirua silently weaved her way through the dwarves as best she could. Being thinner and lighter than most, as well as taller, jumping from vine to vine was easier for her.
"How are you so good at this?" Nori asked her as she gracefully swung her way next to him. He was out of breath and holding onto the vine as tightly as he could.
"I was trained by elves, Nori."
That was all she said.
Then the sound of something falling into the river filled her ears. She looked over to see that Bombur had completely let go of the vines and had fallen into the black murky water below.
"Bombur!" Bofur yelled. Bifur shouted loudly at his brother in Khuzdul.
"He cannot hear you." Arirua said as she swung to a vine that was no longer occupied by a dwarf. "The enchantment has taken hold."
The dwarves all hastened to help Bombur out, as best they could without falling in themselves. Arirua leapt off the last branch and landed right next to Thorin and Bilbo.
"I advised against this." was all she said before she began to walking up the path a little way to find something to carry the large dwarf on.
Eventually she found two sturdy branches that had once been part of a tall strong oak. The star returned to the Company, seeing that they had found a way to get the dwarf out of the river without anymore falling to its spell. She told Dwalin and Fili where the pieces of wood were and they quickly went and retrieved it. Arirua ordered them to lay them down on the ground and she demanded the cloaks of several. They all handed her their cloaks, rather unwillingly, and she made a bed like structure for the large dwarf to be carried on. The large dwarf was loaded onto the creation and lifted by the two princes, Bofur, and Dwalin.
Turning back to Thorin, Arirua said, "Shall we continue?"
The king didn't reply but turned and began to continue down the Elven Path. The rest of the Company fell in behind him and Arirua fell in behind them.
The air got thicker, or was it thinner, as they traveled on. The traveling was getting harder and the Company was getting angry.
"We need to take a rest." Ori said, voice ringing through the otherwise silent forest.
Arirua looked around her and saw that the dwarves were far more effected by the air than she. Several of them were swaying on their feet and looking around with glassy expressions. Glancing over, she could see Bilbo was feeling unwell as well.
"No." she told them. "We must trek on and get away from this accursed forest."
"What is that?" Bilbo asked suddenly. Arirua spun around to look at him full on.
"What is what?" the star asked.
"Those voices."
Arirua felt all the blood in her body run cold.
"Do you hear them?" the hobbit asked her.
"I hear nothing." Thorin said. "No wind, no birds. What hour is it?"
"I do not know." Dwalin slurred. "I don't even know what day it is."
"This is taking too long." the king snarled. "Is there no end to this accursed forest?"
"None that I can see. Only trees and more trees." Gloin said.
Thorin suddenly stood up and began walking a direction away from the path.
"This way!" he yelled.
"But Gandalf said..." Oin started.
"Do as I say." Thorin interrupted. "Follow me."
Arirua opened her mouth to speak but the air was gone. For a moment she back in her dream, oxygen cut off, mind swimming. The darkness that was in the forest was starting to affect her. Just like it had affected the others.
"Wait!" Bilbo yelled after the Company, standing up. "Stop! We can't leave the pat...We must stay on the path! Am I right?" Arirua looked at him and nodded slowly, still trying to get her breathing in order. "See, Arirua agrees with me!"
But the Company didn't stop.
Bilbo took off running after them, and Arirua looked back at the path longingly before she too went after them.
They walked on, tromping through the forest, making their own path as they went.
"Spread out." Thorin ordered after they had been walking for several hours. "Find the path. We must return to it."
The Company spread out, looking around for the stone path they had been following.
"None of it's familiar." Balin yelled.
"It's got to be here." Dori argued loudly. "It can't have just disappeared."
"Yes it could have." Arirua whispered as she sat down next to the hobbit. Her breath had come back but breathing was still difficult for her.
"Unless someone's moved it." Dwalin muttered.
"It's not over here neither!" Ori informed everyone.
And then they were walking again, through the thick forest, following whatever path Thorin created for them. The deeper they got into the forest, the more ridged Arirua became. Her hand always remained resting on her sword and her eyes never left the scenery around them. She tried to keep her mind sharp, tried not to succumb to the poisonous air, but she could feel it creeping through her veins. At moments, she felt eyes staring at the back of her head, but when she turned around, nothing was there. She could have sworn she saw movement out of the corners of her eyes several times, but once again, when she would look, nothing was there.
"Look." Ori said, grabbing everyone's attention.
"A tobacco pouch." Dori muttered, grabbing it from him. The Company came to a halt, looking around at their surroundings. "There's dwarves in these woods."
"Dwarves from the Blue Mountains no less." Bofur grabbed the pouch away from Nori. "This is exactly the same as mine."
Arirua's eyes grew wide with realization. How could she have been so blind to it before.
"Because it is yours." Bilbo told him. "Do you understand? We're going 'round in circles."
Then he said the words the whole Company were dreading.
"We are lost."
"We are not lost." Thorin tried to argue. "We keep heading east."
"And what way is east?" Arirua snapped.
"We've lost the sun." the old medicine dwarf informed them.
"I thought you were an expert." Dwalin commented rudely.
The dwarves all began arguing and shoving each other. They yelled at each other, blaming the other for them getting lost.
"Silence!" Arirua screamed. They all fell silent and looked at her. None of them had ever seen her this angry before.
"I said this place was covered in darkness." Arirua muttered. "But you did not listen to me. This forest reeks of death and evil. And yet you tromp through it as though it were some ordinary forest. But it is not. It is now home to sinister things, things that hide from the light. Things that revel in death and the black abyss that is evil. And you pretend to be oblivious to it. My father was right about this world. I should have left it alone; let it fall to the darkness it seems to revel in."
Kili tried to grab her hand.
"Do not touch me." she snarled.
"Something is wrong." Kili said, trying to reason with her. "You are speaking nonsense. This is your home."
"I only speak the truth." Arirua told him. "And you are wrong about one thing. This is not my home. The heavens are my home."
Hurt expresses crossed the Company faces, but none as heartbreaking as Kili's.
There was a crack of branches behind them. At first Arirua paid no attention to the noise, for the forest had been creaking the whole duration of their trip through it, but when the creaking didn't stop, she knew they had caught the attention of the foul creatures that had come to call Mirkwood their home.
A large creature landed on top of her before she could draw her sword.
And before the world went black, she saw eight pitch black eyes staring back at her. The words she had overheard Radagast saying earlier filled her mind.
"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur."
The darkness had finally caught up with her.
A/N: I know, I know I disappeared again, but you can completely blame that one on school. School is literally sucking the life out of me right now. But here's a little something! I'm very excited for everything I have planned for DoS! I hope yall are ready for the ride!
Much love to you all like always! Don't forget to leave comments, questions, or anything else. Also, don't forget to check out my other fanfic Project Artemis, if you're into MARVEL stuff!
RogueStarz