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.)
Skreeeeeeeeeee!
The sudden noise jerked me awake, and I twisted, trying to get my bearings straight. I could hardly see through the thick gossamer webbing that covered my face, only shadows crossing in front of my face. A huge shape reared up, screeching in pain. It stumbled, then fell forward. I heard a few loud crunches as it hit branches down on the way to the ground.
A small shape caught the corner of my eye and I cried out in relief when I realized it was Bilbo. His shadow form began to cut the dwarves free. They slowly slipped to the ground where I could hear them yelling and cursing in frustration.
"Hold still." Bilbo said softly, coming to stand in front of me. I tried my best to freeze, but my heart was racing again, the left over feelings of panic from not being able to move or breathe properly beginning to over come me again. Bilbo raised his sword and hacked once, twice, and then three times before I was finally free. I slid down the giant web and hit the ground, rolling as I did so.
I gasped as my shoulder hit the ground, the pain that shot through me leaving me breathless. I struggled to get my arms free, but my left arm would not obey me. I fought endlessly before finally getting my right arm through. I tugged and pulled until I was breathing in great pained gasps.
"Talya!" Balin ran to my side and began to help pull the webbing from me. When I could finally move, I stood, unbalanced, with my left arm dangling uselessly at my side. Balin looked over it with concern.
"Don't… worry about it. We need to.. .Go. More spiders." I gasped, panting. I held it to me the best I could and waited until everyone was free.
"Where's Bilbo?"
"Bilbo!"
"I'm up here!" Called Bilbo from above. Something crashed through the canopy then, and I instinctively ducked as my eyes trailed up and watched as Bilbo fell somewhere off to our left. Spiders began to descend down on us, and I dropped my arm before pulling my blade free, knowing there was no way in hell I'd be able to draw my bow.
One of the towering behemoths came at me, its legging stabbing through the dirt and leaves, its fangs clicking, its many eyes shifting rapidly in the pale light. I backed up until I hit a tree and paled as the great beast came ever closer. It reared up on its back legs, its fangs poised to strike. While its head was back, its eyes were out of sight, and I took that moment to throw myself forward under its belly. I bit back a loud gasp of pain and thrust my sword up with as much strength as I could muster. As my blade sunk deep within the spiders' thorax, it screeched deafeningly and scrambled backwards, its legs buckling and twitching. I held on to my sword the best I could and tugged hard. With a disgustingly wet sound, it came free of the spider and I was suddenly sprayed with thick, dark, blood.
"Grab a leg!"
"PULL!"
Around me it was chaos. Spiders came at us from all sides and we fought, hacking and chopping at the hellish creatures. Their screams echoed around us and the cries of my companions came and went.
"KILI!" I glanced behind me to where a spider had managed to grab a hold of Kili. I hesitated for a split second too long, and was knocked aside by a huge hairy leg. I went crashing to the ground and slid into Bofur, who hauled me to my feet by the back of my shirt.
"We must go!" Thorin called out, waving Orcrist. We took off at a fast run towards the direction Kili was being pulled in. Thick strands of silk began to descend on us, with the spiders following after. Above us, lithe and graceful forms began to appear in the trees, shooting at and cutting down spiders where they stood. One by one, the elves began to drop around us, bows drawn back in ready, swords bared. We pushed closer together and, just like in the goblin caves, the dwarves huddled around me. At the head of our pack was Thorin, Orcrist in hand.
"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." I looked up towards the elf who spoke to find a very serious Legolas, his bow drawn with an arrow in Thorins face. Hair the color of straw was braided back away from his smooth face, intense green-blue eyes staring out from perfectly arched eyebrows.
"HELP!" I jerked my head back in the direction of Kili, who was still fighting off the spider, his legs half covered and helplessly tangled in thick strands of silk.
"Kili!" Fili cried out again, desperate to get to his brother. I pushed past Balin and Ori and took a few hurried steps in Kili's direction, but I was checked by an elf. The hilt of his knife caught me in the gut and I doubled over, dropped my sword, and landed on my knees. I felt the blade touch the side of my neck and I flinched, the razor sharp blade leaving a hair-thin scratch.
"Get your hands off of her!" Thorin snapped. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and watched him stare down the elf who was now standing in front of me, his posture menacing.
"Her?" Legolas' asked, surprised. Thorin flinched.
Legolas relaxed his grip on his bow and carefully lowered it. He made his way over to me and, using the tip of his bow, tilted my face up. He studied me for a moment, then stepped back, looking over the rest of the dwarves.
"Search them." Came his casual command.
The elf who had struck me with his hilt came closer and, with a crude smirk, kicked away my sword and pulled my bow free from my injured shoulder. I closed my eyes tightly at the painful movement, nausea suddenly hitting me.
The elf barked something at me I didn't understand. When it was obvious I wasn't going to move, he repeated himself and motioned for me to stand. I leaned forward and attempted to stand slowly, but apparently that wasn't good enough. He grabbed my injured arm and began to pull.
"Wait, Wait!" I demanded, the pain becoming unbearable.
The elf hauled me rudely to my feet and, with the nausea getting the better of me, I did the only thing I could do. I vomited all over the front of him..
He gave me a hard shove backwards in disgust, leveling his blade at me, and I once again sprawled on my ass, not being able to catch myself with only one good arm.
"Talya..!" Balin called out, helplessly surrounded by our captors. Thorin was watching me with a surprisingly pained expression.
"I said leave her!" He barked. Legolas turned at the noise, and looked at my guard. He called something out sharply and the two held a brief conversation. The elf scowled at me in disgust
Legolas' attention was drawn elsewhere as a tall auburn haired elleth came into view with Kili in tow. The spoke together, their voices serious. After a brief pause, he looked in my direction and nodded towards me. The elleth, who I figured just had to be Tauriel, followed his gaze, nodded once, and came to me. She helped me to my feet slowly, the curiosity in her eyes very much obvious.
"Where did you get this?" Legolas' voice snapped after a moments pause. I turned to find Thorin and him facing each other.
"It was given to me." Thorin answered vaguely. Legolas sneered and pointed the blade tip in Thorins' face.
"Not just a thief, but a liar as well," Legolas growled.
"He is neither. We have the blessings of Lord Elrond of Rivendell, and of Lady Galadriel of the golden wood." I called out, holding my left arm against my body. Legolas turned to face me.
"If you have your doubts, look at my bow. Lady Galadriel herself gifted it to me," I rasped out. Legolas gestured once with his free hand, lowering Orcrist so the point faced the ground. Another elf brought forward my bow and Legolas took it gingerly. He glanced out at us.
"Enwenno hain!"
The elves began to push us forward, flanking us on all sides. Legolas led the way, calling out orders in elvish to the warriors that still fought on the outskirts, taking down spiders as they dared to near us. I clutched my arm tightly to myself and glared daggers at the elf who had my bow.
We walked for hours. Tauriel stayed by my side, only glancing at me every once and awhile. She finally seemed to take pity on me. She called out for Legolas' to halt for a moment, then waved him over. She spoke in soft tones, and he looked me over for a moment, before giving a brief nod.
"Your shoulder is out of place," Tauriel said, her statement blunt. "It should be righted before the swelling worsens."
I swallowed dryly and paled, if that was even possible, since I knew my face was already an ashen shade from exhaustion and pain. I nodded quickly.
"Hold still," Tauriel leaned forward to grab my shoulder while Legolas went to brace me. I flinched as he laid his hand on me.
"Wait!" Thorin snapped from ahead of us. Both the elves turned to look at him. "She is my responsibility. I will help her."
For Thorin, this was downright diplomatic.
"Come, then," Tauriel said simply.
Legolas leveled a sharp look at her, but made no move to halt the guard who had stopped Thorin from advancing. The elf took a step back and Thorin made his way to my side. There was a pained look in his eyes. He brushed back one of my braids away from my face and I held my breath as he stepped behind me and very gently wrapped his arms around my middle. He held me tight to his chest and I felt a thrill that had nothing to do with pain course through me. Legolas watched carefully, his sharp eyes not missing a beat.
"I will begin to pull on the count of three," Tauriel said softly, taking my wrist in her hands. Thorin braced himself and began to murmur quietly to me in soft dwarvish.
"One…. Two…" Tauriel began to pull before the count of three and I let out a gasp as my muscles and tendons began to stretch further. There was a point of sharp agony where everything was pulled past where it should be before my shoulder let out a soft pop and settled back in place. Tauriel gently manipulated my arm in various directions before letting go of my arm. Thorin held me a moment longer.
"Are you steady?" He asked quietly. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He slowly dropped his arms and stepped back. With a last glance at me, Legolas guided him back to his previous guard, and we began on our way again. Already, I could feel the difference in my shoulder. It was no longer a great stabbing pain, but a low, dull ache. Now it was only my heart that hurt.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lady Elf," I said to Tauriel. She spared me a glance and nodded once, but did not speak.
As we walked, I could not help but watch Thorin ahead of us. His touch had been so uncharacteristically tender, his voice soft. I felt butterflies in my chest when I thought about how his arms felt around me, and how the scent of him still clung to me. I felt my heart constrict painfully when I realized something.
I was falling for him.
He was rude, stubborn, and his pride would be his downfall. But he also had a dry sense of humor that I adored. He had compassion in him for those he cared for. He loved those close to him deeply. His people adored him, as did his nephews.
The unfairness of it all threatened to choke me. He was fated to die and if I failed to save him, I don't know how I could live with myself. And if he did live, what then? Could I really expect him to fall in love with a human woman?
The forest was already so dark that it was hard to tell when night had begun and the day had ended. The elves did not seem to have any intent in stopping until we reached our destination, and I envied their stamina.
Water was begrudgingly shared amongst us, though we were hardly able to sate our thirsts before the water bags were taken from our hands rudely and we were once again ushered on. I felt my eyes grow heavy and I hoped that we would reach Thranduil's… Castle? Keep? Whatever, soon. While I knew the welcome would be far from warm, I did not know how much further I could keep up. Even the sturdy dwarves were weary.
It was late when we finally reached a point in the forest where starlight began to peer through the trees. I figured we had to be close because the forest did not seem as sickly as it had when we first started out. In the dim light, I could make out a wall, overgrown with brush, ahead.
Once we reached the towering doors, Legolas called out and the sentries posted there snapped to the side and the doors opened. We were ushered through. Words were spoken hastily between Tauriel and Legolas, and suddenly I was being lead away, two guards following swiftly between the tall she-elf and I.
"Where are you taking her?!" Thorin demanded. Legolas ignored him and I watched as a guard shoved Thorin back. He made an attempt to follow after me a second time, and I shook my head. He, too, must have realized the futility of it. I knew he wanted to fight, but I also knew he was a good leader. He would not risk the lives of everyone else just for me. As I began to walk out of sight, I turned to look back. His eyes had not left me.
Tauriel led me to a room not far down a side hall way. Where Rivendell had been bright and beautiful, Mirkwood was dark and foreboding. Although I was sure it had been beautiful at one point, the darkness that had crept into the woods cast everything in a sinister light.
She gently pushed me into the rooms and followed after, leaving the two guards to stand watch. Without a word, she patted me down more thoroughly, looking for any hidden weapons that had been missed in the whole me-vomiting-on-an-elf situation. When she found nothing, she straightened.
"Someone will be in shortly to check on you," She said curtly before turning and leaving me standing alone in the center of the near-barren room.
I looked around the scarcely furnished area. It was a step up from the dungeons, really, with a small bed, a thread-bare rug, and not much else. I walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down, running my hands over my face. I was so very drained.
I shuffled further back on the bed and leaned against the wall, tugging my cloak tightly around me. I tilted my head back until it rested on the hard stone, and I let out a long agonizing breath. It would only be a matter of time, I was sure, before Thranduil would want to talk to me. Lowly human though I was, I would be too much of a curiosity to him. I worked my jaw, a habit that I had seemed to pick up from Thorin, and wondered if Legolas would tell Thranduil about mine and the dwarf's interaction.
From what I remembered in the movies, his prejudices were colored very much so by his father. I doubted that he would have allowed Thorin to come to my aid in the first place had Tauriel not spoken. I really hoped Thranduil wouldn't read into it more than he should. I was a member of this company, that was all.
Thorin treated me just like he would one of his own, even if a part of me began to wish otherwise.