Sorry for the horrible cliffhanger in the last chapter, I promise you it won't be that bad in this one. Read, Review, Enjoy!
Chapter 41
"What Happened?"
Darkness was all Torshar could see as she stood up from her prone position and gazed around to try to figure out where it was she now found herself. Racking her brain she figured out that the last thing she remembered was being tossed over the rampart by Thorin. Immediately her heart sank as she asked herself, "Am I dead…?"
"No, but close…" a dark voice chuckled, making her turn to come face-to-face with her evil uncle.
"Harar…" she glared, "What have you done?"
He chuckled again, "I have done nothing but save you from death, my dear."
Her suspicions began to peak, "Why? All you have done my whole life is try to destroy me and those I love… Why help me now."
"Because it will be that much sweeter when I tell you the conditions of my saving you." The dark Dwarf stated cryptically.
"Enough of these riddles, Harar! What do you want from me?!" the versifier demanded, earning another chuckle.
"It's quite simple really… I want Thorin Oakenshield dead."
"No… I won't betray him…"
A window-like portal opened beside the two and began to show events before she blacked out as her uncle spoke again, "Even after everything he has done to you? The name calling, the physical abuse, the denial of your children…" as he talked, the memories flashed inside the portal showing the duo everything from her point of view.
"All of this… Because of treasure… Tsk, tsk, tsk. It would be cruel of me to not stand up for you by giving you a choice on what you can do next."
As she continued to watch tears began to fall, "What choice…?" she whispered.
Smirking, Harar disappeared and reappeared behind her, "At this moment Thorin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili are riding up to Raven Hill to kill Azog the Defiler. I have foreseen that Oakenshield will be successful but I want you to kill him."
Her eyes widened in anger as she pulled away from him, "How dare you ask that of me! No matter Thorin has done to me in the past, I will never turn on him! I love him…"
"Love…" Harar sneered, "Love is nothing but a weakness. All it brings you is heartbreak."
"How would you know…?"
"Because I was in love once… Uriess…"
"My… My mother…?" she asked in horror.
The older Dwarf nodded as his own memory appeared in the portal of a young Harar and Yurbir sparring in the Valtek training arena.
"Is that all you've got, little brother?!" Harar laughed as he blocked another blow from Yurbir's broadsword. The two were covered in sweat as their father, Ovval, approached.
"Boys, get back to the house and clean up, we have guests arriving within the hour." They both nodded and did as they were told.
Shortly after the brothers were clean and dressed, an elderly noble and a young woman entered their father's hall. The woman had long black hair that was pulled back from her face with a silver comb, her blue eyes shined with innocence and wonder as she glanced at the men. Her elder companion appeared to be extremely pale and fatigued and was immediately offered a seat by Ovval.
"Sir, these are my sons, Harar and Yurbir. Boys, this is Sir Thrvar and his daughter Lady Uriess, they are traveling merchants." Ovval explained and the three young Dwarves exchanged courteous nods before he continued, "Unfortunately, Thrvar is falling behind with his sales and his health is not great so we have struck a bargain. In exchange for purchasing all of their wares and paying them handsomely, one of you will marry Uriess but with one stipulation; Lady Uriess will choose."
"And I assume she chose my father and you weren't happy with it…" Torshar predicted as she watched the memory continue.
Harar spoke slowly and deadly, "Yes… She was all I ever wanted from life and he took her from me… Then when your brothers were born, I began to dabble in the dark arts. Yet… When you were born sickly I thought that if you died it would drive them apart, because Uriess always wanted a girl, and that I could win her back. So I cursed you to become sicker but apparently Thautam had other plans." Her uncle explained and made his memory disappear with a flick of his wrist.
"What makes you think I would help you?" she asked.
"Simply put, either you kill Thorin or I kill you and your unborn twins and guarantee that you never have any children ever again." He answered with a simple and cocky smile.
Her heart quivered as she touched her stomach, making his smile turn into and evil grin. Her inner instinct was telling her to give in to her uncle's twisted deal but her heart was saying that had to be some other way out of this. Suddenly, a small warm presence fell over her, immediately calming her racing thoughts though Harar took no notice.
"No… I will not do what you wish, uncle…" she stated.
"You would give up the lives of your unborn children for a man who doesn't even love you?!" he shouted, making her smile softly.
"Yes… Because Thorin will prevail and conquer Dragon Sickness. Then he will find a new woman to love and continue his line or one of his nephews will take the throne. Either way, he's happy if not content."
Groaning, Harar slapped his niece hard, knocking her down, "You are a fool." Then her world faded to black once more.
Harar growled as he ripped Torshar's necklace from her unmoving body and stood, "If you want something done right you have to do it yourself." He whispered to himself as he disappeared just as Gandalf and Calyr rounded the corner.
The healer took notice of her and shouted; "Torshar!" then ran over and knelt by her unconscious form, the grey wizard close on his heels.
"So this was where she ended up…" Gandalf said to himself and knelt on the opposite side of Calyr as he examined her, "What is the damage?"
"A couple of broken ribs, bruises, nothing life-threatening but her mind is vacant."
"What do you mean?" the wizard asked worried.
The healer lifted one of the versifier's eyelids and revealed that her pupil was missing, "I have seen this only one other time but I am sure that it is the problem. When the mind becomes vacant, the body responds by closing off the senses. The pupils disappear, the eardrums won't vibrate, etc."
"Is there no way to restore her?"
"There is nothing to restore…" Calyr said solemnly then perked up for a moment, "Unless… Unless the mind is buried so deep within the subconscious that the body loses connection therefore believing the mind to be vacant."
Gandalf was surprised by the Elf's extensive knowledge, "How do we uncover it if that is indeed the problem?"
Thinking for a moment, the brunette stood and paced, "A trigger word would work if her ears could listen… Nothing involving the senses will work…"
As the healer continued to pace and talk to himself, Gandalf positioned himself at the versifier's head, placed his hand on her temples, and began to quietly chant.
Thorin watched the pale Orc's body float beneath the layer of ice he stood on after his enemy fell in to the freezing waters. Without a second thought, the Dwarf prince drove Orchrist through the ice and pierced Azog's chest, causing him to gasp begin to flail to free himself but it only seemed to aid his demise further along until the life drained from his eyes. With a sigh of relief, Thorin pulled his blade from the ice with a grunt.
But his victory was short lived as slow clapping rode the wind and caused the warrior to pick up his gaze to find himself staring at the once head elder of Valtek, "Harar…" he growled.
"Congratulations, Thorin, I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it to the finale."
"Why are you hear?!" the king demanded.
Chuckling, the elder stepped closer so that they stood thirty to forty feet away from each other, "I'm here to kill you, like I did my frail little niece." He answered and threw her pendant towards the king who caught it and gazed it in sorrow and shock, "As to how she survived, when you threw her from the I created a portal that she fell through and landed in my arms in Dale."
"That was why she disappeared before our eyes…"
"Precisely, but Dain was approaching and you were wrapped up in your sickness." Harar chuckled, "Oh, and I also acquired another belonging of your beloved's." he reached behind his head and pulled out Isenbold.
"You're a heartless bastard… She was your family!" Thorin shouted in rage.
"She was supposed to be my daughter! Not my brother's! and now… I'm going to destroy the one thing she loved more than life. AAAHHH!" he screamed and charged the warrior prince.