Chapter 8: Helplessness
WARNING! This chapter contains content of an MA rating, and is not suitable for under-aged readers. Please be respectful!
Thorin felt utterly useless as he stood watching Gandalf speaking in soft tones to the crimson cloak. In a moment, Gandalf stepped away and joined the group, counting heads to make sure everyone was there. He soon realized one was missing, Bilbo.
"Where is our young hobbit?" He asked with a tone of concern. Lily turned her head slightly at the remark, her eyes scanning the group for her young friend.
"The last I saw of him was when we dropped into the giant basket." Said Nori.
"Then what happened to him?" Gandalf demanded, turning on the dwarf.
"I don't know, he just, disappeared." Nori said.
"I think our Mr. Baggins is long gone. Back to his books and his warm hearth." Thorin said in a grumble.
As Thorin finished his sentence, Bilbo stepped out from behind the tree he was listening from.
"No, I'm afraid not." Bilbo said, stepping forward with his chest out.
"Bilbo! How did you escape?" Kili asked.
"We thought you were lost!" Said Fili.
Gandalf spied the glint of gold in Bilbo's hand as he slid something into his pocket.
"What does it matter, he is here now." Gandalf said in a feigned cheer.
"It matters, I want to know, why did you come back?" Thorin asked, resting on his sword.
"You were right, I do miss my home, I miss my maps and books. See, that's where I belong, and that's why I came back." Bilbo said, looking around and playing with his suspenders. "Because you don't have one, a home I mean. And I will help you take it back, if I can." He finished, sincerely.
Lily smiled to herself at the brave words of her little companion. She knew they would affect Thorin, for he was not heartless. She was indeed right, Thorin's opinion of Bilbo changed slightly then, and he regarded him with a different air. However, the new found understanding between the hobbit and the dwarf king was not long lived, as the deep, low howling from just over the ridge brought back a chill to their spines.
"Out of the frying pan..."Thorin remarked grimly.
"And into the fire!" Gandalf said loudly. "To the trees! Run!" He bellowed at the dwarves.
In that moment Thorin spun around to find Lily, and noticed she was already running in the direction of the trees. He then began to run as well, watching as she climbed high into one nearby. He then began to climb another not far away. The wargs came spilling into the valley just as everyone had reached a safe branch. Their snarls were menacing, and their howls were blood-curdling.
They began to circle the trees, sniffing at the air to see what their quarry was. Soon a small group gathered around the tree in which Lily was perched, and without warning, one began to ram at the trunk, causing the tree to shake violently and lean backwards. Lily's eyes were filled with fear, she let out a gasp of surprise, not being able to look away from the animals below.
"Lily! Hold on!" Thorin yelled. He began to try a descent, but Dwalin grabbed his arm.
"No, wait!" He urged. He had noticed the wargs not far from the base of their own tree.
The wargs then began their assault, ramming each tree with mighty lunges. Soon the trees all began to uproot and fall backwards. The dwarves all quickly climbed to the next tree and the next as they crashed into each other, until they were finally with Gandalf in the last tree on the ledge. Gandalf then sent a moth to call for help from the eagles. Time was short. Thorin's eyes swept the scene to find Lily, only to see at the last minute, that the tree in which she was, not far off, was rammed again with such force that Lily was knocked out before she could transfer to the new tree behind.
His heart stopped for a moment as she fell through the air and landed in a cloud of dust on the earth. Gandalf saw that the moment had come to act quickly. He began to light pine cones and throw them into the wargs, lighting the fallen trees as they went. It seemed to work to keep them at bay, except that the fire had not reached near enough to Lily.
Her head was pounding, but the low howl behind her told her she was in grave danger. She stood up and looked over he shoulder to see the wargs bounding towards her with a menacing snarl. She then ran forward as quickly as she could, but it felt as though the world had slowed down, all but the wargs. Just as she reached the base of the tree where the others were, she could hear them calling her name, urging her to climb quickly. Thorin was hurriedly trying to climb down to pull her up, but Lily knew she would not make it.
Time slowed. She turned to look behind her, there were three angry wargs but feet from her. She looked up at Thorin with sad eyes. He was so desperate, his booming voice calling her name, his eyes were wide with fear. She shook her head at her king, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek.
An ice cold fear swept over Thorin, what was she doing? Why was she not trying to climb? She could make it, he would help her,
"CLIMB!" He bellowed down at her. She merely shook her head. The look in her eyes terrified him. Was she giving up? "CLIMB, LILY!" He urged again, trying to move faster down to her.
Lily knew that if Thorin came down to help her, they would both be killed. She could not bear the thought of being the cause of her king's death.
Just as he reached the lower limbs of the tree, his heart stopped. Lily stood on the edge of the cliff, her arms spread out like wings. She took one last look behind her, cast an upward glance at her king, and then silently fell forward into the cloud-covered depths below.
"NOOOOO!" Thorin screamed. His agony was unbearable. Tears swelled in his eyes. Dwalin raced down to him and grabbed hold of him firmly, pulling him away from the lower branches. Thorin struggled against him, but the other dwarves soon came to pull him up as well. The tree beneath them began to slowly uproot, leaning dangerously over the cliff.
He did not have long to wallow in the agony before the familiar voice of the pale orc addressed him. The awful sound made Thorin snap to attention, looking down at the horrid creature. The orc began to taunt Thorin.
"Do you smell that? It is the smell of fear. Your father reeked of it as I killed him, Thorin, son of Thrain." The orc laughed in his terrible, deep, vibrating tone.
Thorin was so overcome with anger and sorrow, that he stood up and ran down the trunk of the tree, sword drawn, to take his revenge on the pale orc, who killed his father and grandfather, and now also his lover. The others called to Thorin to stop, but none could come to his aid, as the branches began to break, and many hung in peril from the tree over the cliff.
Thorin's rage was blinding, and he ran as fast as he could toward the orc. As she swung his sword to strike, the warg beneath the orc leaped and knocked Thorin to the ground. It then turned and bit into him, carrying him in its awful jaws. Thorin cried out in pain. He then swung his sword and cut its face, causing it to throw him away onto a rock. The orc then commanded his followers,
"Bring me the dwarf king's head."
As the orc approached to take the king's head, Bilbo came rushing forward, lunging his small sword into the orc, killing it dead. He then stood facing the pale orc, sword raised, in front of the fallen Thorin. Seeing Bilbo there protecting him made Thorin feel a new respect for the small hobbit, but he could not stay conscious, he was injured and his head was swimming. He soon only saw darkness.
The dwarves then managed to dismount the tree, those that could, and fight alongside Bilbo until the eagles came. They attacked the orcs and wargs before sweeping the dwarves off into the skies. Thorin's dreams were restless, and painful. He kept seeing Lily's face as she fell forward into oblivion. He called her name out loud. The dwarves all feared for their king, he had suffered many mighty blows that day. All were sad, as they thought of the loss of young Lily.
Soon the eagles circled another cliff and laid their passengers down, one by one. Gandalf ran to the unconscious Thorin, saying a small incantation, rousing the dwarf king. Thorin sat up with a start.
"LILY!" He bellowed. His eyes were wild, he looked around frantically.
Gandalf's eyes were sad, as he looked around at the group of men. Bilbo was wiping away tears. Thorin locked eyes with Gandalf, growling breathlessly,
"No! No..."
It was then that Bilbo drew in a sharp breath, facing a small set of stairs that lead down the cliff. All eyes followed his. There was the crimson cloak. She was alive!
Thorin leaped to his feet, rushing to her, grabbing her in his arms, embracing her with such urgency. He began to weep into her neck. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers caressing his hair.
"Hush now, my king, we are all safe." She whispered.
"But how? We all saw you fall!" He asked between tears.
"Gandalf's eagle friends. The Great Eagle saw me falling, and swept beneath me in the cloud cover and brought me here. I was sure I was dead. He told me to wait, that he would go back for you." Lily explained.
The dwarves all clapped and laughed, merrier than they had been for a long time. They all embraced each other, and wept tears of joy. Thorin too smiled with joy, kissing his lover several times, not caring if his men saw. He had never felt so relieved in his life.
He then turned to Bilbo, his expression seemingly changing to something darker.
"Did I not say that you were not one of us, that you did not belong, that you were a burden on us all?" Thorin rumbled at the young hobbit, who suddenly was confused by the king's behavior. Gandalf stepped forward to intervene when suddenly the dwarf king lunged forward and took Bilbo into a strong embrace,
"I have never been so wrong in all my life." The dwarf king said, chuckling merrily.
A look of relief came over Bilbo, and he patted the king's back. Lily smiled at the hobbit, she was sure she would hear about what had happened soon, but for now, she merely wanted to be in Thorin's arms.
The group thanked the Great Eagle and his warriors for their aid, and swore they would forever be in their debt. The Great Eagle then pointed them in the direction of a safe place to camp for the night. The group sung merrily as they made their way down into the valley below. Camp was set up and fires were started. Food was prepared, and everyone was in better spirits, especially the king.
While the others enjoyed their merriment, Thorin pulled Lily off into a patch of woods nearby. Gandalf merely watched with a look of knowing, smiling to himself, a twinkle in his eye as he puffed away on his pipe.
As they reached a small clearing in the woods, Thorin turned and grabbed Lily. His kisses were hot and passionate. Lily returned them eagerly. She was sure she would never see her king again. Thorin pulled off Lily's cloak with one swift movement, dropping it to the grass. In that moment, the shredded garment fell open, exposing her breast that the Great Goblin had defiled. Lily recoiled.
"Don't.." Thorin whispered tenderly. "There is no shame in what happened. I shall wash it away." He said, leading her to a nearby stream.
He stripped her of her ripped dress, undressing himself, he led her into the water. There they stood, facing each other in the moonlight. The king began to gently pour water over her breasts, massaging tenderly, removing the filth of the goblin. Lily shivered under his touch. When he was quite satisfied that the area had been washed clean, he took Lily's chin in between his fingers and began to kiss her tenderly.
He pulled her close against his warm body, a sharp contrast to the cool waters. He could feel her skin come alive with goosebumps. After their kisses began to build in passion and urgency, Thorin lifted her from the water and carried her to the soft grass. He lay her down gently, and lay himself on top of her, kissing her again.
As the heat and passion of the kisses became too intense, Thorin began to move down, making his way to her breasts. As his mouth captured her hardened nipple, he felt her flinch, but only for a second. He continued to suck and bite, and lick her endlessly. She moaned and leaned into him. He then began the same assault on her other breast, massaging the first firmly with his thumb.
His need for her was building, but he didn't dare let himself go. He had to be gentle, she had been through too much. He gently trailed kisses down her navel, and ended at her core. They locked eyes as he lowered his head to tease her folds. She moaned and sighed and cried out. He drew circles around her slick folds, dancing around her nub, never fully making contact, dipping his tongue in and out of her hot core.
Her little cries of pleasure told him she was ready. His own need was so intense, but he could not dare to violently pound her as he so dearly wished to do. He then raised himself up and positioned himself between her legs, resting one hand flat upon her abdomen. Lily reached down and held that hand, looking Thorin firmly in the eyes.
"Do not be gentle. I need you..." She said, her eyes glazed over with desire.
Her command reached down into his very core. All restraint was crushed by his desire. He roughly thrust himself inside her deliciously warm core. He gave out a primal growl, throwing his head back in pleasure. Lily moaned longingly, it was his sign to begin.
His pounding was merciless, hard and fast. She welcomed it, pushing her hips into him, giving out cries of intense pleasure. Thorin did not fully forget himself, he ground into her sensitive nub every once in a while to electrify her system, enjoying the look of utter pleasure on her face. Just as he was sure he would explode, he pulled out roughly with a mighty groan. Lily gave a sound of sharp protest, but she was cut short as he flipped her onto her stomach.
He then came to lie on top of her again, entering from behind, hitting her at such an incredible angle she began to see stars. She could feel his stomach muscles pushing against her back, the feeling was so incredible, and his hand would stray to roughly grab onto her backside and squeeze. Feeling him touching her so made her even more wet with desire. His hand would then trail forward again to find her breasts, massaging her with such skill. The sound of his flesh crashing into hers was euphoria. She needed him so badly.
"Never again shall anyone else claim you. I will make sure of it." He growled into her ear. The timbre in his voice vibrated through her, right to her very aching core.
"You are mine." He growled again, his pounding increasing in need. He was so close, and by her moans and sighs he could tell she was too. His hand slid beneath her and found her nub, using his thumb to apply maddening pressure. She cried out and arched her back. Seeing her incredible curve sent Thorin crashing over the edge, pounding his release deep within her.
"LILY!" He groaned out, every inch of him overwhelmed with pleasure.
He could feel her clenching around him, firm and trembling. That feeling was his addiction. She turned her head back and moaned in such a sensual tone that Thorin felt he might break again,
"Oh Thorin, yes...!"
His grip on her tightened as they rode out the waves of pleasure together. He then rolled onto his back, and pulled her to him. Now was the time for gentle kissing, and they indulged in it for a long while before returning to camp. Thorin had used a pin of his to fasten Lily's dress, just to last until they could find her another.
The others were still enjoying themselves, laughing, telling stories, and singing, so no one paid much attention when the king and Lily returned. They each found a place by the fire, across from each other, so they could better see one another. Thorin's eyes were locked on her. She was his addiction. He could never let her see danger like that again. Perhaps if they came across a safe house he could leave her there, just until they had the mountain recaptured...No. He did not like the thought of leaving her anywhere, he would protect her. He had to.
That night they lay in each other's arms, dreaming of one another. Lily dreamed of a life with her king, and their child, and how despite the years, his desire for her never dimmed. Thorin dreamed of his beautiful Lily in a fine white dress...