Please don't hate me for the last cliffhanger! I am so happy that these chapters are coming out of my brain so fast! Enjoy this one; review, follow, and favorite!

Chapter 23

"Mirkwood, Part 1"

The next morning Thorin sat beside Torshar as the men saddled some of Beorn's ponies. She had not awakened still and the worry in the prince's heart only grew. Late the night before he had gone to Ori and asked for a piece of parchment and a pencil, which the artist provided without question. Finding a quiet corner, he sat down and wrote a letter to Torshar. Now, he laid the folded parchment beside the bed on the nightstand, and a white rose from one of Beorn's bushes on top.

Before leaving the room, Thorin leaned over, kissed the versifier's lips and whispered his undying love for her. His heavy steps carried him outside into the light of day and drew him to the side of one of the horses. Hesitating, he wondered if he was truly doing the right thing.

The wizard was called away from his companions by the skin-changer, "You will leave my ponies before you enter the forest." He stated in a low voice when the other man joined him.

"You have my word, Beorn." Gandalf assured; ravens cawing ominously around them, "We're being watched."

"Yes… The Orcs will not give up. They will hunt the Dwarves until they see them destroyed." The massive man mentioned.

Gandalf voiced the question that had been bugging him, "Why now? What has made the Defiler crawl from his hole?"

"According to Calyr, there is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the sorcerer in Dol Guldur."

"Are you sure of this?"

The skin-changer seemed to become uneasy, "Packs have been seen gathering there. Each day, more and more come."

"What do you know of this sorcerer? The one they call the Necromancer." The wizard continued.

"I know he is not what he seems. Fell things are drawn to his power. Azog pays homage to him, as well as another…" Beorn turned his gaze from the trees to that of his companion.

Gandalf's heart shook with worry, "Who else?"

"The one known as Harar."

This made the magician sigh sadly, "That would be Torshar's uncle…"

The skin-changer became slightly confused, "Why would he be after the blood of his own kin?"

"Only Torshar knows the true answer to that."

Just then Thorin's voice reached the pair from atop his pony, "Gandalf, time is wasting."

The conjurer nodded, bowed to their host then began to walk away, "There is more." This made him stop and Beorn approached, "Not long past, word spread the dead had been seen walking near the High Fells of Rhudaur. Is it true? Are there tombs in those mountains?"

He thought for a moment of Lady Galadriel's story that was told in Rivendell, 'When Angmar fell the Men of the North took his body and all that he possessed and sealed it within the High Fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock, they buried him. In a tomb so dark it would never come to light.' "Yes… Yes there are tombs up there."

This made Beorn sigh, "I remember a time when a great evil ruled these lands. One powerful enough to raise the dead. If that enemy has returned to Middle-Earth… I would have you tell me."

"Saruman the White says it's not possible. The Enemy was destroyed and will never return."

"And what does Gandalf the Grey say?" ravens cawed again, making everyone unsteady, "Go now. While you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind." Their host urged and Gandalf quickly mounted his steed and led the Dwarves towards Mirkwood while Beorn stayed behind and offered protection in his bear form.

Clouds had begun to roll in as the group arrived at the entrance to the dark forest now known as Mirkwood. Gandalf dismounted and slowly approached, "The Elven Gate… Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

Dwalin gazed around with his axe ready, "No sign of the Orcs… We have luck on our side."

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." The Istari member ordered.

Bilbo carefully stepped up to the edge of the gate, "forest feels… Sick. As if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" he asked.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles North… Or twice that distance South…" the wizard sighed and slowly ventured into the gate; hearing Galadriel's warning coming to the forefront of his mind, 'Something moves in the shadows unseen, hidden from our sight. Every day it grows in strength. Beware the Necromancer. He is not what he seems. If our Enemy has returned, we must know. Go to the tombs in the mountains.' Gandalf whispers to himself when he revealed a crude representation of the Eye of Sauron painted on one of the statues, "The High Fells… So be it."

Nori, who was unbuckling the saddle of the last horse, quickly stood when the voice of the wizard reached him, "Not my horse, I need it!"

"You're not leaving us?" the Hobbit spoke up with concern lacing every word.

"I would not do this unless I had to." The grey old man stated as he passed then stop and turned to address Belladonna Took's son directly, "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire."

Said Hobbit shifted his weight between his feet in nervousness, "I was going to tell you. I… Found something in the Goblin Tunnels."

"Found what?" the blue hated one asked as his curiosity was peaked, "What did you find?"

"… My courage."

"Good. Well, that's good. You'll need it." Just then the clouds opened and rain began to fall as Gandalf mounted his horse once more, "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe." He meets Thorin's gaze, "not enter that mountain without me. This is not the Greenwood of old. There is a stream in the woods that carries a dark enchantment. Do not touch the water. Cross only by the stone bridge. The very air of the forest is heavy with Illusion. It'll enter your mind and lead you astray."

"'Lead us astray'? What does that mean?" Bilbo wondered aloud to himself.

The conjurer warned even further, "You must stay on the path. Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again. No matter what may come, stay on the path!" he then turns his horse and gallops away.

Thorin then stepped up and assumed his duty as the group's leader by beginning to guide them into the forest, "Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day. It is our one chance to find the hidden door. The path turns this way." He indicated as he turned to the left. The group continued to follow through twists and turns for a couple of hours.

Kili was the first to see the path turn into a small stone bridge but the years had not been well because the middle had eroded and fallen into the stream, "We found the bridge."

Bofur stepped up next to him, "We could try and swim it…?"

"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said? A dark magic lies upon this forest. The waters of this stream are enchanted." Thorin stated as he took a seat on a fallen tree trunk to catch his breath, "Let us rest here for awhile and figure out how to get across."

Calyr guided the horses to the water trough as they returned from Mirkwood. When he counted them, he found that one was missing! Deciding to talk to Beorn about it when he returned, The Elf fed the horses, refilled the trough, and gave them fresh hay. As he turned to head back inside, he caught sight of moon white hair and starlight silver eyes from Torshar's window! He quickly dashed inside, threw open the door, and was stunned to find his eyes were not lying; the Dwarf woman was indeed awake and sitting up with tear stained cheeks and a wrinkled letter in her hands.

"Torshar…? How are you feeling?" the healer asked cautiously.

The versifier slowly breathed in, "Like my heart has just broken…"

"Can you elaborate?" he asked as he carefully approached so not to startle her.

She shook her head, "No… I do not wish to go into detail…"

Calyr nodded, "Very well… Will you allow me to check your wounds?" when he received no indication of defiance or defense, he checked her heart, lungs, and wounds. The chest was still bad but the small infection that had begun to fester had miraculously disappeared. The healer applied more salve then rewrapped her chest once more, "I'll go make you something to eat…" and with that, he closed the door; leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Fresh tears began to fall as she picked up the letter and silently read it again:

My Dearest Torshar,

If you are reading this then that means that you have finally awoken and are on the road to recovery. I thank the heavens for it. I know that you probably think that we… I abandoned you but that is not true! With a heavy heart, I decided to leave you in Calyr and Beorn's care. You were not well enough to travel and I was not taking a chance of causing you further injury. As I sit here writing this, I think back to that night in Valtek when we danced without a care in the world… That night I decided that I would make you mine forever. I love you with every fiber of my being, Torshar. **By the moon as I sit to seek your glory, the white roses I see create a new story. Seasons are many, their reasons few. What remains is that I will always love you.

Forever Yours,

Thorin Oakenshield

Tears fell down her cheeks as she read and reread the letter a couple more times; her heart shattering the more she gazed at his words. Her eyes moved to the rose that still lay on the side table; its unblemished petals glowing in the last rays of sunlight as the clouds rolled in.

Rain began to patter the roof as Calyr entered once more with a bowl of soup and a cup of Chamomile tea, "Try to eat something, Torshar. Now that you're awake, you need to keep your strength up." When he received a small nod he left the bowl and tea beside the rose for her to eat at her leisure.

No one knew how long they had been sitting by the bridge but Gloin noticed that the sun was going down as the shadows began to grow. He stood, grabbed Oin and Dori, and then they set to gathering firewood but not leaving the group. When they returned a mere five minutes later, the sunlight was nearly gone so Gloin set to work on building a fire so they all would be a little safer from whatever lay in the shadows of the trees.

Thorin seemed extremely out of it as he gazed intently at the dancing flames as they roared to life. With the exhaustion, and whatever effect of the forest, the flames began to take the form of himself and Torshar dancing like they did in Valtek. A smile spread across his face then quickly disappeared as he thought about her; unconscious, alone and possibly dying. Needless to say he did not sleep well that night; for fear of waking to find himself back in Beorn's cottage and receiving the news from Calyr that the woman he loved had passed away in the night.