Chapter 30
Running
I looked on in horror as the dragon prepared to send fire my way.
"Ella!" A voice yelled and someone tackled me out-of-the-way as the fire hit the spot where I stood. I rolled down the piles of gold and came to a stop and saw that it was Bilbo that saved me from my fate.
"Thank you, Bilbo." I said.
"Ella. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Nori and the others?" Bilbo asked as we hurry towards the pathway that would take us out of the treasure hoard.
"Thorin didn't want to come rescue you and I was getting tired of his stubbornness. So, I came down to help." I said. We run up the steps of the overhang and see Thorin standing there, almost looking in a daze.
"Thorin." I said. He turns to us.
"You're alive!" Thorin said.
"Not for much longer!" Biblo said.
"We got a dragon on our tail." I said.
"Did you find the Arkenstone?" Throin asked. I raised an eyebrow at that.
"Didn't you hear what Ella said. The dragon's coming!" Bilbo siad.
"The Arkenstone!" Thorin said, getting angry. He was blocking the entrance to the tunnel so we couldn't get out. I swore in elvish. The sickness was starting to get to him. I could tell as Thorin and Bilbo stared at each other. "Did you find it?"
"No. We have to get out." Bilbo said. He tries to enter the tunnel but Thorin stops him with his sword. Thorin presses he blade against Bilbo, who stumbles back.
"Thorin. We don't have time for this." I said, seeing the look in Thorin's eyes.
"Thorin. Thorin!" Biblo said as Thorin steps forward, forcing Bilbo to step back. I saw fear in Bilbo's eyes as Thorin's face is steel and blank with emotion. I heard a sound and turn my head. Smaug was approaching us over the mountain of treasure. Smaug snarls when he sees Thorin. We were suddenly joined by the rest of the dwarves. Nori grabbed me and shoved me behind him as the dwarves held out their weapons. Smaug roars and rushes towards us with his chest and neck glow orange.
"You will burn!" Smaug yelled.
"RUN!" I scream as Smaug bellows fire at us and we turn and jump off the staircase. I let out a squeak as we tumble-down the pile of treasure and land near an entrance to another tunnel that we quickly ran down.
"Come on, Biblo!" Dori said. I could hear Smaug sending fire everywhere. We run into a room and Thorin joins us with his coat on fire. He falls to the ground and rolls to extinguish the flames and jumps back up. Nori grabs me.
"What were you thinking? You could have been killed." Nori said with anger in his voice.
"I was not going to have one of my friends die because no one would go rescue him. I made my choice and I don't regret it." I said.
"Woman. I don't want to lose you and if I will. I will lock you in our chambers and not let you out." Nori said. I pulled free and snap.
"I will not be held hostage and I will find my way to get out. I make my own choices here. Not you." I said, anger and hurt in my voice.
"Stop arguing for another time and let's go." Thorin said. I ran ahead with Dwalin and Gloin leaving Nori with his brothers. We could hear Smaug roaring behind us. Everything was quiet and dark with no sign of the dragon yet. We come out of the tunnel and approach a stone bridge over a chasm. I stood between Dwalin and Balin who didn't seem to have an issue since they both heard our argument. Thorin raises his hand and we all quiet down.
"Shh. Shh." Thorin said.
"Quiet." Dori said. We near the bridge and Thorin peers around the edge of the tunnel, looking for any sign of Smaug. "We given him the slip."
"Not for long." I said.
"No, he's too cunning for that." Dwalin said.
"So where to now?" Bilbo asked.
"The western guardroom. There may be a way out." Thorin said.
"It's too high. There's no chance that way." Balin said.
"It's our only chance. We have to try." Thorin said. We tiptoe across the bridge, looking around. I kept my elf ears open for any noise. A coin suddenly falls to the floor in front of Bilbo and rings loudly. I freeze along with the rest of the dwarves. I look towards Bilbo and see him frantically checking his jacket if some coins had been stuck in a fold. More coins started to fall. I put my hands over my mouth as we look up to see Smaug crawling just above us, looking for us. I held back my whimper as Dwalin put a hand on my shoulder to make sure I was alright. I give him a nod. Thorin motions for us to keep moving.
We run through a hall and emerge in the western guardroom.
"Stay close." Thorin said. We come to a stop as we see that the guardroom is full of rotted, dust and cobweb covered corpses.
"That's it then. There's no way out." Dwalin said. A landslide or something was blocking the exit. I looked at the corpses with a sad look on my face.
"The last of our kin. They must have come here, hoping beyond hope." Balin said. I saw what looked like a dwarf woman holding a small child close. I fought back tears with fear that it would be my fate along with Nori's. I looked towards Nori who was watching me with a sad look on his face. "We could try to reach the Mines. We might last a few days." Balin said.
"No. I will not die like this. Cowering. clawing for breath. We make for the forges." Thorin siad.
"He'll see us, sure as death." Dwalin said.
"Not if we split up." Thorin said.
"Thorin, we'll never make it." I said.
"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will burn together." Thorin said. We all knew he was right and split up. I was with Thorin, Bilbo, and Balin as we run across the bridge from earlier. "This way." Thorin said. A boom rings out and we turn to see Smaug appear.
"Flee, flee! Run for your lives! There is nowhere to hide." Smaug said, going after us, but turns when Dori, Ori, and Bombur are running on another bridge.
"Behind you!" Dori yelled. Smaug lunges towards them and they turn and run. "Come on!" Dori yelled. Thorin, Balin, Bilbo and I hurry across the bridge. I prayed to Valar that Nori was going to be alright as we run down a huge hallway. Balin turns into a side tunnel, but we continue forward.
"It's this way! This way! Come on!" Balin said. Bilbo stops and Thorin and I run ahead.
"Thorin! Ella." Bilbo calls. We turn to head back and we stop. We see Smaug at the end of the hallway.
"Go with Balin." I said, shoving Thorin towards Balin.
"No." Thorin said.
"Ella!" Bilbo said.
"Come on." Balin said, pulling Bilbo and Thorin into the side tunnel as Smaug's chest glows orange and he unleashes his fire throughout the hall. I run the other way and leap into the air, falling into a pit that I saw earlier. I grab onto a chain with a bucket at the end of it and begin to decend. I look up to see Smaug leap into the pit. I cry out as Smaug jaws start snapping at me as he claws down the pit. I saw Nori and Dwalin appear at the mouth of the pit.
"ELLA!" Nori yelled out with pain evident in his voice. Dwalin swings his axe into the machinery holdign the chain I was holding onto. The chain stops descending, giving me whip lash. Another bucket falls and my arm is almost ripped out of its socket as the chain flies upward taking me with. I nearly miss Smaug's head. Smaug turns and grabs the end of the chain, stopping it from moving. I scream as Smaug pulls down. I heard Nori's shout again as I land on the tip of Smaug's closed mouth.
"I am not dragon food. So someone better save my behind." I said in Dwalin and Nori's head as Smaug growls and opens his mouth.
"There's another chain. Get to that one, lass." Dwalin thought back to me. Smaug starts to close his mouth to eat me, I leap off to the side and grab another chain. Smaug turns to bite me, but a falling machinery strikes him in the face.
"NOW!" I scream. Nori hits another machine and I heard gears spin rapidly, pulling my chair upward. I heard Smaug roar and blows smoke straight up the pit after me. I reach the top and throw myself on the ledge and into Nori's arms as the fire erupts beside us.
"You alright, love?" Nori asked.
"I'm fine now. I'm sorry." I said.
"Your forgiven. Just be more careful." Nori said, pressing a kiss to my lips and we kiss.
"Time for that later. Go! Go!" Dwalin said, pushing us. We ran down the hall towards the forges with the dragon roaring behind us.
AN: There you go. I had to much fun writing this chapter. LOL. And I wanted to have Ella do what Thorin did instead of Thorin. Hope you didn't mind. I'll update soon. :)