Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not my own, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not making any money off of this. (Though I wish I could.)
With Thorin and Gandalf leading the way, we went off in search of the trolls' cave. Bilbo and I walked side by side quietly, reeling with the events of the evening before. I was still confused as to why Gandalf had barely made it to the trolls on time, and why it took me finding him for it to happen. I tried to think of the implications, but after a night of no sleep, it was making my head hurt.
"You gave me the idea, you know," Bilbo said suddenly, looking at me with a small smile.
"Huh?" I asked, frowning slightly. I had just thought about the trolls and how hideous they had really been up close. Not to mention the smell. Even being in their presence made me feel the need to bathe.
"The worms. I remembered what you said about Dwalin eating the raw meat, and so I though to myself, if they are really that terrible… Then maybe it would make the trolls hesitate."
I fought the urge to frown harder, once again the implication that *I* had been a part of a plot in the story making my head hurt worse. I forced a smile.
"It was quick thinking, Master Burglar," I said, not being able to help teasing him, just a little.
"That it was, lad." Balin said from just behind us. "An' don't think we aren't grateful."
"And what about Talya? She brought Gandalf back to us." Bilbo said.
"We are grateful to you, too, lassie." Balin said, smiling kindly at me. I nodded and mimed a small bow towards him.
"I couldn't let you guys get eaten. Poor trolls probably never had anything so terrible," I said with a straight face.
"Bah!" Nori snorted and made a rude gesture. I returned in and we both grinned. '
"You surprised Thorin, you know," Bilbo said softly after a moment.
"Not as much as you did. It may take him awhile to realize it, but if it hadn't been for you stalling, Gandalf would never have made it back in time."
Bilbo looked ahead thoughtfully. There was some commotion, and we stopped.
"We found the cave," Dori said from the front of the group. We neared the cave and nearly everyone started retching.
"Oh, whats that stench?!" Nori asked as he neared the mouth of the cave.
"It's a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch."
One by one, we picked our way into the cave. I gagged and tugged my under shirt to cover my nose. It may have reeked of sweat and dirt, but it was preferable to the stench of the trolls cavern.
Torches were lit and passed around. Our eyes went wide at the sight before us. There was gold and gems, swords and daggers. Bones of animal and man alike. Rot and decay permeated the air.
"Seems such a shame just to leave it lyin' around. Anyone could take it." I glanced in the direction of Bifur and Gloin as they packed as much treasure they could into a box and began to bury it. I rolled my eyes and began to cautiously pick through the cave.
I gingerly picked up some gold coins and tucked them into my boot. I still had the small pouch of coins in my bag from Gandalf and his bet on Bilbo, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to take more in the off chance I could purchase supplies somewhere. As I searched, my eyes lit on a small skeleton. Being this far out, I doubted it was a hobbit and I felt an uncomfortable knot in my chest when I realized it was probably a child.
"Tayla?" Kilis voice was suddenly behind me and I tore my eyes away from the body of the child. I met his eyes and he smiled and held out a bow to me. I took it and turned it over in my hands.
It was dusty and covered in webs, but I could tell it was solidly made. The string was a bit frayed, but I knew that could be repaired easily. It wasn't as large as Kili's bow, and I hoped this would mean I would be able to draw it back a bit better.
"And a quiver for the lady," Fili said as he stepped up to his brother. He gave an embellished flourish as he held out a simple quiver that held a few dozen grey-fletched arrows. The strap on the quiver was broken, and a few of the arrows would need new fletching, but otherwise they were in good shape. I smiled.
"Thank you," I said sincerely.
"You are welcome, Talya." Fili said.
"We found a few swords, too, but nothing with a blade that would hold up to your hacking." Kili said with a straight face. Fili's lips twitched and I glared at the two.
"Why did you have to ruin a nice gesture with a smart ass comment like that?" I asked, swatting Kili, the closer of the two. They just laughed and turned back to searching through the horde.
I picked my way outside and set about cleaning the webs and debris from the bow and arrows. They were rather plain looking and I doubt they had a nifty story behind them like Orcrist or Glamdring. It didn't matter to me though. I finally had a weapon of my own, other then my knife.
I drew the bow back a few times and was pleased to find that, while my stitches pulled something fierce, I was able to draw the string back completely with a lot less difficulty than I had with Kili's bow. No doubt that mine would not do the same damage at the same distance as his, but that was fine. I doubt I would ever be able to match Kili's deadly accuracy.
The afternoon passed slowly and knowing that we would soon be running again, I suggested to Bilbo and a few others that we take our rest where we could. I lay my head down after eating a little jerky and drinking some water. I dozed for awhile under the mid-days sun.
I was rudely awoken some time later by Thorin's deep voice.
"Something's' coming!" I jerked awake and quickly climbed to my feet. I slung my bow over my shoulder and held the quiver close.
"Radagast," I said softly. Gandalf spared me a brief look and nodded nearly imperceptibly. He remained alert, but I noticed that some of the tension had leaked out of his shoulders. At least Gandalf took my word.
"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" The voice yelled. A large sled drawn by a dozen or more rabbits flew into our midst and stopped suddenly. My eyes widened at the sight before me. Oh, boy, did the movies get this part wrong. The rabbits were the size of Labrador retrievers. Their sleek fur was mottled browns, their ears tucked down their backs. Once they relaxed some, first one ear, and then the other raised. The sled had a sleek design, obviously meant for speed, and it reminded me less of a sleigh then of the sleds mushers used in the north.
Radagast was wild, his beard and hair matted and unkempt. He had earthy brown eyes that held a feral look. But he did not seem like the crazy wizard that had been portrayed in the movies, nor did he have a myriad of bird shit on his face. He moved very fluidly, the very plants and earth before him seeming to move to accommodate him. Instead of a solid brown, his robes were earthy tones of rich soils and the dappled greens of a moss coated ground.
"Radagast! Radagast the brown! Ah, what in the name of the Valar are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong."
Thorin and company seemed at a complete lost as they regarded the strange wizard before them. I watched Gandalf and Radagast walk a short way away before talking in hushed tones. The dwarves began to drift back towards their belongings, most of them casting wary glances in the direction of the wizards now and then. I stayed where I was for a moment longer, watching the large rabbits move and turn in their traces.
Something occurred to me then. If this quest was following the movie plot then….
"Shit!" I cursed loudly. I headed towards where we had left the horses and ponies to find that they had all, including Grey-mane, bolted. "Shit!"
"What is it, Talya…?" Ori asked as he came running in behind me. I gestured around to the missing animals and his face paled. I grabbed his sleeve and tugged him back towards the others.
"Who did you tell?" Gandalf's voice demanded.
"Noone, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?!" Thorin demanded.
"You are being hunted." Gandalf answered shortly. Thorin looked around for a moment before his eyes fell on me. His eyes lit up with anger.
"You!" His voice was a hiss as he advanced towards me. The amount of hatred he held in his voice stunned me and for a moment all I could do was stare, dumbfounded. Gandalf blocked Thorin's way with his staff and for a moment, Thorin turned the full weight of his stare on Gandalf.
"Enough! Talya is NOT your enemy!"
"We have to get out of here!" Dwalin shouted, trying to get Thorin's attention.
"We can't. We have no mounts; they bolted."
"I'll draw them off," Radagast said, turning to mount his sled.
"These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you!" Gandalf said, turning his attention back to the other wizard.
"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I'd like to see them try." And with that, Radagast mounted his sled. With a loud command in words I did not understand, the rabbits took off, kicking up leaves and brush as they flew by us.
"We must make haste!" Gandalf said, taking off in a different direction. Thorin turned his icy eyes accusingly on me for a moment.
"Lets go!" He called, waving his arm briskly in the direction Gandalf had went. I tightened my grip on my quiver and readjusted my bow before taking off with the rest of the company.
We neared the edge of the woods and waited a moment as Radagast's sled flew past, the orcs and their warg mounts not far behind.
"Come on!" Gandalf yelled in a hushed whisper. We began to move hurriedly across the rocky ground, trying our best to stay low and not draw attention to ourselves.
'Stay together!" Gandalf called out again as Bilbo began to lag behind.
"Move!" Thorn added, glancing back at the poor hobbit.
We slowed just enough for Bilbo to catch back up before we were off again. We were about to round a huge jutting rock when I jerked forward and grabbed Thorin's sleeve. His head snapped in my direction as he was tugged to a startling halt, not having expected the sudden force I was exerting on him.
"Wait, just wait…" I said, nearly out of breath. He narrowed his eyes and looked forward as though he was about to ignore me when he saw the orcs begin to draw near. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ori, who had yet to stop.
"Ori, no! Come back!" He pulled the younger dwarf back to the rocks and we watched as the pack passed us by. Thorin glanced back, his eyes lingering on me for a moment.
"Come on! Quick!" Gandalf yelled, leading us out from behind the rock, a determined expression on his face.
"Where are you leading us?" Thorin demanded. Gandalf ignored the question and led us to another outcropping of large rocks. We paused a moment before we heard the snuffling and snarling of a warg above us. Thorin looked to Kili and made a short, swift motion. Kili nodded in understanding, then stepped out quickly, his bow drawn. He let an arrow fly and the warg and his rider tumbled down amongst us. The dwarves quickly dispatched it, but not before the beasts made a deafening racket.
"Run!" The words left my mouth before I meant to speak them, but I heard no complaints.
"Move!" Gandalf yelled. Everyone began to once more run, though it was obvious our stamina was beginning to fade.
"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf called as he doubled back shortly to lead us through a large and bare clearing. We stopped short. Wargs and orcs surrounded us on two sides, with more coming.
Now that they were closer, I could make out the details of the foul creatures. The wargs looked more like emaciated hyenas, their bones showing through their mangy hides, their teeth long and jagged. Copious amounts of thick, viscous drool dropped from between their fangs while huge slitted eyes roamed over us. Their growls were low and I could feel the reverberating tones in my chest.
The orcs riders were a sickly yellow with pale eyes. Their mouths were black and pulled back into hideous grins, their jcrooked and stained teeth gnashing. Foul words tripped off their tongue in a guttural language so harsh in almost hurt, taunting us.
"There's more coming!" Kili yelled, pointing to the left of us with his bow.
"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin called back. I watched Kili draw back arrow after arrow, bringing down wargs at impossible distances.
"We're surrounded!" Fili yelled. What I assumed was a dwarvish curse left his mouth.
"Where is Gandalf?" Kili asked over his shoulder as he shot down yet another beast.
"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin yelled. I looked over my shoulder in a panic to find that he had indeed gone. I couldn't remember for the life of me which direction he was supposed to take. My lungs were burning, my shoulders heaving as I tried desperately to catch my breathe. I could feel the cold bite of fear begin to take hold as the wargs drew closer.
"Hold your ground!" Thorin called, bracing himself as he wielded his axe before him.
"This way, you fools!" Gandalf called out. Our heads turned in his direction and we found the wizard standing between a grouping of rocks. Thorin turned towards him and stopped just at the entrance
"Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go go!" Thorin shouted. The company turned to run, save for Kili, who was still shooting at the orcs, and myself who watched hesitantly. A warg began to creep closer to the right side of Kili, his rider wielding a wicked cross bow. My heart dropped and I was reminded of my time deployed what seemed like so long ago.
"Kili! Look out!" I yelled. Over the snarling of the wargs and the shouts of their masters, he couldn't hear me. Thorin did, however. His head jerked in the direction of his nephew. He took a few faltering steps towards the danger, but realized he was too far away.
Hoping against hope, I pulled my bow from my back, knocked an arrow, and prayed like hell. The arrow flew swiftly and pierced the wargs throat. It jerked up, throwing its rider just as he was about to shoot. The arrow flew harmlessly over Kili's head while the orc landed under its mount with a sickening crunch.
Thorin whirled around to look in the direction the arrow had come from and his eyes met mine. He glanced back at Kili.
"Kili, Run! Lets go, Talya." Thorin ordered. It was be the first time he ever called me just Talya.
I hesitated as I watched Kili fire one more arrow before turning around and running our way. Once he was level with me, I matched his pace and the two of us jumped gracelessly over the rocks and down the steep slope. Thorin followed us moments later and we all landed at the bottom, crashing into Bombur, Bifur, Nori, and Oin as we landed. The cavern was dimly lit and it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the sudden dark.
Above us, a horn sounded, low and long. We all turned to look up at the light that streamed down the hole we had jumped in.
The Elves of Rivendell, I thought to myself.
I jumped, startled when an orc came flying over the edge. It slid bonelessly down, its putrid corpse landing in front of Thorin. I watched from my spot on the ground as he jerked the arrow out of its chest and sneered, throwing the arrow down as though he had been burned.
"Elves," That one word was so full of hatred it made my blood run cold.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin yelled, peering down the long dark passageway he had found at the opposite end of the cave. He had been one of the first to regain his footing.
"Follow it, of course!" Bofur yelled, as if there were any doubt in the matter.
"I think that would be wise." Gandalf said, more to himself then anything else.
The rest of the company began to pick themselves up and dust themselves off. They began to pick their way towards the path and, one by one, they disappeared. Figuring I should catch up, I attempted to push off with my left arm and hissed as a sharp pain traveled up my arm and it gave under my weight. The adrenaline had mostly left my system now that we were in the relative safety of the caverns. I realized belatedly that I must have torn through my stitches.
A pair of boots appeared on the ground before me and then, a large hand was held out in front of me. I gazed at the rings on the fingers and trailed my eyes up to meet the gaze of Thorin Oakenshield. I hesitantly reached out and grasped his forearm with my right hand. With more grace then I thought possible, he pulled me to my feet.
"You saved my nephew," He said, appraising me. "For that, I will forever be grateful."
An unexpected lump formed in my throat as our eyes met and he looked at me, truly looked at me. And, for the first time, there was a measure of respect reflected in their depths.