BlondiezHere: Thank you. I am planning a sequel story that focuses on Edana, explaining what she is and why she fell into Middle Earth with Sarah.

pink bunny: Thank you. I love cliffhangers too. Not as a reader, but as a writer.

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Hobbit."

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Chapter 17: Attack

Sarah and Cheyenne traveled until it was noon and stopped by a stream. Sarah got out the map and studied it, making note of how far she had to go and splitting it up, making note of landmarks to pass to make sure she had gone as far as she planned. When she was done with that, she took stock of the provisions Edana had given her, splitting up the food to match her planned travel time and eating lunch for that day – she had completely skipped breakfast.

Once she had her travel plan, she opened up her mind to the animals around her. She laid out her plan for them and asked them to spread the word on ahead. They agreed to make sure she kept on the right path. A fox pointed out a wild blueberry bush to her that was nearby. She found it and ate a handful, not taking too much to insure that there was still some left for the animals.

After all that, Sarah slept until nightfall. When it was dark she started off again, the nocturnal animals watching her and warning her about any obstacles in her path. They walked until late in the morning when Sarah had gone past her first landmark.

This cycle repeated itself for the next few days. Sarah would stop at late morning and check the map to make sure she was keeping up with her schedule. The animals would lead her to edible wild berries, nuts, and roots and clean water. If there was enough, she would eat just those instead of what Edana had given her. She still kept to her original rations for what food she had in case an emergency came up and she was delayed. She would then sleep until nightfall, when she would start traveling again. This system worked quite well and she was making good time.

Three days after she left Rivendell, Sarah felt something dark at the edge of her magical range. Wargs. And if there were wargs nearby, then there was bound to be orcs with them.

Sarah picked up the pace. She didn't stop at noon for any longer than it took to check the map and replenish her water stores. She slept on Cheyenne's back, the wise mare making sure that her rider didn't fall. This continued for two days.

Five days after leaving Rivendell, the birds reported to Sarah that the orc pack wasn't too far off and they were picking up speed. They didn't need to tell her though; her magic could sense the wargs. Sarah checked her daggers and took out her bow and notched it. She could feel Cheyenne tense up beneath her, ready to bolt as soon as her mistress gave her the signal.

The first warg came over the hill and sprang at the horse and rider. Sarah took it out with a single arrow, silently thanking Tauriel for the hours of lessons. Another warg followed, and then another. The third warg had an orc rider, and Sarah could sense more coming. She was outnumbered. She dug her heels into Cheyenne's sides and the mare sprang into a gallop.

Riding away, Sarah heard cries of pain in her magical ears. She had forgotten about her animal friends! Hundreds of birds attacked the faces of the orcs and wargs, pecking at their eyes and blinding them. Squirrels dropped heavy pinecones and branches from their places in the trees above. Foxes, raccoons, and badgers attacked the wargs' legs, making them trip and stumble. Obviously the orcs and wargs fought back, and many of the animals lost their lives defending and protecting their elven friend.

Sarah tried to stop them, tried to tell them to stay out of the battle, but they wouldn't listen. Every time one of her friends died for her, it felt like an arrow had pierced her heart. She gathered up what magic she could muster and threw it out to those animals who were wounded but not dying, doing what she could to heal them from a distance. It took quite a bit of energy out of her.

Suddenly, Cheyenne stumbled and fell, one of her legs breaking in the process. Sarah was thrown off and rolled away as the wargs set upon the fallen mare. Sarah didn't have time, however, to grieve as she felt Cheyenne's life slip away. The orcs had surrounded her.

Sarah pulled out her two daggers as the first orc charged at her. She ducked out of the way of his first slash towards her and swiped one dagger across his throat and plunged the other one into his heart. She turned her attention to another orc approaching her from the front, but she didn't see the one that had come up behind her. He grabbed her arms and pinned them to her side. The orc that was approaching from the front readied his sword. Sarah kicked him in the balls.

The orc holding her threw her into a tree as the one she had just kicked fell to the ground in pain. Sarah hit her head hard against the trunk and stumbled, dropping her daggers. She tried to shake away the black spots that now danced in front of her eyes and ignore the pain as she turned to the orcs and picked up her fallen daggers. She knew it was pointless, though. Even if she wasn't injured from the tree or exhausted from using her magic, there were too many of them and she was not experienced in actual combat or even skilled enough to handle so many. She mentally prepared herself to die.

Just as one of the orcs was preparing to finish her off, though, she felt something at the edge of her magical senses. Straining, because her magic was already weak and her injury only made it worse, she felt about a dozen horses and one elk ride into view. She smiled. Her father had come after her. Sarah let herself drop to the ground and allowed the blissful darkness of unconsciousness to roll over her.

Thranduil rode into view of the battlefield just in time to see his daughter fall to the ground. He wasted no time. He rode to the orc who was about to kill Sarah and decapitated him. The elves who were with him made short work of the remaining orcs and wargs.

As soon as there were no more enemies to slay, Thranduil dismounted and ran over to Sarah's fallen form. He checked her for injuries, only finding a bump on her head from hitting the tree. It was bleeding slightly. Other than that, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with her.

Thranduil picked up his daughter and cradled her in his arms, holding her close. He couldn't stop the tears that fell from his eyes. She was alive! She would be alright. He carried her over to Idhrenion and mounted again, turning the elk towards Rivendell and riding off, ignoring the other elves who watched him go.

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And you thought Mirkwood was dangerous, Thranduil.

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