The Hobbit: Odd Love in Strange Times

Chapter 9 of my Hobbit story, enjoy.

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Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: The Hobbit belongs to JRR Tolkien, Peter Jackson and all associated companies.

Chapter 9

Sigrid held her younger sister as close as she could; wincing as Bain's screams echoed throughout the caves. She knew the orcs were torturing him, in whatever horrific manner they could think of. What was worse; the orcs had been intending to do this to Tilda; but Bain had intervened.

Knowing the orcs had such depraved minds, she could only imagine what would happen after they were done. Would they take Tilda and torture her later, or was Bain going to be tortured even more since he had 'taken Tilda's turn'. Tilda heard the screams of her brother and gasped before sobbing harder.

"No…Bain…" She choked out.

Despite her own fear, Sigrid tried to remain strong for her sister, gently kissing the top of her head. She didn't know what to say however; she shivered, not just from fear but from cold. Aside from whatever injuries they had, their clothes had been damaged, but this wasn't the time to consider the damage that had been done.

Tilda whimpered; trembling and trying to get her tears under control.

'Why, why…? Oh Bain; you didn't have to; I know it would have hurt, badly.' She thought to herself. 'But you shouldn't suffer because of me; you should have let them take me, I would have endured. I can be brave…but this, this is…'

She let out a choked gasp as another agonized scream reached their ears.

Sigrid gently rocked back and forth, trying to calm Tilda's trembling form. She was quietly, fervently, praying.

Her thoughts raced as she prayed for their rescue. 'Oh please, please let it end…Don't let them hurt us anymore, please, let us be saved.'

Her thoughts then changed, shocking even her, as they drifted towards a certain golden haired Dwarven Prince.

'Fili; he will save us, I know it. He…Wait, what am I doing? Why am I thinking of him; like that, especially now.' She was shocked by this; her feelings were in fact building and she slowly realized the truth. 'It can't be…can I…?'

She inhaled shakily; finally admitting the truth, at least to herself. 'I-I do…I love him.'

"Sigrid." Tilda said, worry colouring her voice.

Sigrid shook herself out of her thoughts quickly. "I'm alright, don't worry…"

Tilda shook her head, tears still sliding down her cheeks. "No it's not…I…Bain's stopped screaming."

Sigrid froze, listening and realized, to her horror, that Tilda was right. There was silence; no screams.

"What-What does this mean?" She meant to simply think it, not blurt it out.

But she had and Tilda heard; she whimpered. "Is he…?"

She quickly shook her head; realizing her mistake. "No. I'm sure he…They wouldn't truly…"

She couldn't get the words out; but Tilda knew what she meant. While it wasn't any real comfort, she knew the orcs surely hadn't killed Bain yet. They planned after all, on killing her first. No doubt making her siblings watch as they did so.

The silence was almost deafening as the girls waited fearfully. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they heard the orcs footsteps. They waited, their breathing quickening as the orcs drew closer. Finally the door opened and the orcs stepped in; dragging Bain with them. Sigrid gasped in horror and Tilda let out a strangled yell.

As Bain was dragged in, it was impossible to miss the fact that he was covered with blood and burns; clear indicators of the torture he had to endure.

"Bain!" Sigrid cried out; fearful.

Her fears were laid to rest however as Bain coughed harshly, clearly in pain, but most definitely alive. The orcs laughed and threw the injured boy to the floor of the cave; drawing a cry from him.

The orc captain laughed. "We'll be back later, rest up while you can."

He kicked Bain in the side, drawing another pain filled cry from him before the orcs left, closing and locking the door behind them again. Tilda tried to move and, realizing this, Sigrid lifted her arms up so she could. As Sigrid lowered her arms again, Tilda crawled along the floor, using her bound hands for leverage.

She soon reached Bain's side; Sigrid wanted to move too, but she still felt frozen; still afraid. Bain's trembling was currently their only confirmation he was alive, yet his exact condition was unknown.

It was then, finally, Bain lifted his head; Tilda gasped as she saw his face. There were burns on his face too, also his nose had clearly been busted, the blood covered his nose and mouth. He tried to speak, but he coughed again, and had to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Finally he spoke. "I…I will be alright, don't worry."

Tilda gaped, unable to believe he was even saying this. Sigrid was also shocked.

"I will; I know it looks bad." He said through gritted teeth. "But don't worry; I don't care what they do to me. I won't let them hurt you."

Tilda shook her head, tearfully. "Bain…You shouldn't have done that."

Bain just sighed. He then gently began to explore his sensations, regarding his injuries and the damage done to his clothing. He could feel the pain of the countless lashes on his back; the stinging sensation of the whip still lingering. There were burns on nearly all his exposed skin; due to the damage done to his clothes, this was more than normal.

The ropes around his wrists were tight and rubbed badly, resulting in his wrists being cut bloody. He had several cuts and bruises too, along with his busted nose. He was also covered in filth and grime; in terms of clothing damage, his tunic and coat were completely shredded.

As a result he was unclothed from the waist up. His breeches were shredded below the left knee and his boots completely ruined so he was now barefoot. He grit his teeth against the pain and steeled himself. He had sworn to protect his sisters and he would keep that promise.

Likewise the girls were assessing their injuries and the damage done to their clothes. Unlike Bain the girls luckily had sustained no serious injuries at the moment. In Tilda's case, it was simple cuts and bruises, like Bain however she had several cuts and bruises and was covered in filth and grime.

Her wrists were also bloody from the ropes. In terms of clothing damage her dress had suffered several rips and tears. Apart from a thin remained of material going over her shoulder; the left shoulder part of her dress was completely shredded, along with both sleeves. The skirt of her dress was also completely shredded up to a short distance above her knees. She let out a slow breath, it wasn't as bad as she feared, but she was still afraid. Things could, after all, easily get worse.

Sigrid found she had the same injuries as Tilda, along with the same other issues such as filth and grime and rips and tears in her dress. However her dress had more damage than Tilda's; her skirt having been shredded up to the middle of her thighs. The sleeves and upper dress above her breasts were also completely shredded, covering her only from the tops of her breasts to the mid-thigh. However, as Sigrid tried to move, she realized a problem this created.

She froze; horrified. 'They didn't? Oh no, the damage done to my dress. It…'

She felt her face heating up and prayed she wasn't blushing. She quickly moved her arms to hold the front of her dress. Without that; she would have to suffer a rather embarrassing issue, especially if she moved the wrong way. She was afraid and embarrassed due to this and their current situation. She was now more and more desperate, praying that they would be saved and soon.

End of chapter, things are gradually growing worse, how much more will they have to endure, wait and see. Read and review please.