AN: So how do you feel about these side quest sort of chapters? Would you prefer the story to stay in Ered Luin for a bit or are you ansty about jumping into the Hobbit plot? I ask because I have some scenes that I may or may not cut, depending on your view, because I can't decide lol.
To Jo: Wait no more! Here it is! :D
To punky warhammer: Thanks! Coming right up lol
Chapter XIV
The Fantastic Four
Kili and I descended into the dark and bloodied room, hoping to rejoin Fili and Gimli. A growl of a groan from the library spurred us to go faster, the injuries to my knee and foot coming back with a vengeance.
Suddenly, Kili cupped his hands around his mouth and starting making a weird cooing noise. I shot him an annoyed look, the pain ebbing my patience.
"What are you doing?" I hissed.
"Hooting like a brown owl," he replied, going back to the bird call.
I rolled my eyes. "What good will that do? There're no owls or anything down here except us and the troll!"
Kili paused, staring at me as if I had grown wings and turned purple. He cleared his throat, trying not to appear embarrassed. "Fili," he called. "Gim—look, over there!"
At the far side of the room was the blue light of the crystal, waving side to side in an attempt to get our attention. I grinned and we headed for it as the troll's recovery became apparent. There was a bang of what I assumed was a shelf flying into a wall. We were halfway to the light when the troll made its reappearance. It came barreling out of the library and leapt off the landing, sailing a good ten feet through the air. Kili pulled me along, forcing me to keep moving instead of gaping at the massive creature. When the troll finally hit the ground, its weight threw us a good foot into the air—I kid you not! The pair of us crashed to our knees—earning a cry from me—but Kili's fear fueled him back into action, dragging me with him.
"THIS GAME ENDS NOW, LITTLE SHEEP!" the troll bellowed. It smashed something in the middle of the room, crushing it to bits as chucks of stone scattered to all corners. "I will devour you all! Piece by piece!"
Kili's grip on my arm tightened. I ran on, the pain shooting up and down my leg becoming a constant dull ache. The blue light was ahead of us and I could now see Gimli standing in a hole in the wall. When we drew near, he waved us closer.
"Quickly!" Gimli whispered. "This way, follow me!"
The ginger Dwarf turned and ducked into the hole, the two of us dogging behind. It led to a hallway that ran left and right. Gimli went right, and so did we, the light of the crystal illuminating only a few feet.
"Gimli?" came Fili's voice in the darkness. "Have you found them?"
"Aye, cousin!"
We caught sight of the prince, slouched on the ground and looking tired. Fili stood upon seeing us, throwing up his strong heroic appearance rather impressively. Without missing a beat, Kili rushed up and embraced him. There were whispered words but I didn't try to hear. They pulled back, grinning wearily, and Fili's gaze turned towards me.
"That was very foolish what you did," Fili chastised, smiling. "But brave nonetheless."
"Yes," Kili agreed. "You came after me… I never thanked you."
I blushed slightly at the pair. "Of course," I shrugged. "I mean, we're a team."
"That's right," said Fili, looking determined. He met each of our eyes and continued, "The four of us have shed blood together," he said, holding up his sliced palm. "This day, a bond has formed between us. One that cannot be broken by time nor travel. And especially not a troll."
A shiver ran through me at his words. Fili was a born leader; he seemed to have the same motivational qualities as his uncle. On instinct, I held out my hand, the one I had cut. The others seemed to know my intention for Fili covered my hand with his own wounded one then Gimli was next then Kili.
"We will conquer our foe together," he pledged.
"Together," Kili agreed.
"Together!" Gimli cheered.
I nodded, a smile on my lips. "Together."
We remained like that for a moment longer, our confidence almost tangible. But as our hands fell away, and we started down the hall, I saw Fili's poise falter. He knew better than to believe our situation was hopeful—not that he had given up hope per se but it seemed he wouldn't let it cloud his actions. If anything, Fili's speech was meant to encourage us, I think, since we all basically saw him as our unofficial leader.
Fili caught me looking and lagged behind to walk beside me.
"How are you feeling?" I asked quietly.
"Well enough," he answered and if it weren't for the slight wobble in his step, I'd have believed him.
I raised a brow and he half-sighed. "A little light-headed," he told me. "How is your knee?"
"In desperate need of Advil."
He furrowed his brow, "Add-Ville?"
"Er, pain medicine."
The hallway began to incline slightly, making us use the wall for balance. Gimli and Kili stopped suddenly and the former exclaimed, "By my beard!"
"What is it?" Fili asked, stepping closer.
They stood aside so we could see and my eyes went wide. In the hall, lying on the floor was a body, by the looks of it, a Dwarven body—dead. The corpse was ancient and dusty, its skeleton showing through.
"What was a Dwarf doing in an Elvish city?" mused Kili.
"He looks to have been dead for centuries," added Gimli.
"Whatever the case, we must keep moving," Fili told them. "Go on. The troll will not be stalled for long."
This made them all but run on ahead, taking the glow of the crystal with them. Reluctantly, Fili and I hurried after, an ominous booming sound echoing from behind us. We shared a look—the troll. The sound seemed to have gotten the others' attention as well.
"What are we to do?" Gimli asked, axe in hand again, shaking considerably.
"Only fight if necessary," said Fili sternly. "I do not want any of you near that creature, should it find us. We hide and evade it until we can no longer. Understand?"
The three of us nodded.
Ba-boom! Kssshhh.
It sounded like falling stones.
"The troll has breached the hallway," said Kili, worriedly. "It will be upon us!"
"There is nowhere to hide!" cried Gimli.
Fili grabbed his shoulder. "We are not to give in to fear. Not yet. These halls are narrow; the troll will not easily walk through them. It will take time to navigate them and find us."
"But it will find us," Kili frowned.
"Hey. What did your brother just say?" I asked. "Let's just move our asses before it does."
My choice words made them smile and they agreed, moving full steam ahead, the troll's grunts bouncing down the hall. I was really scared, actually. We were running more blind than the troll and it was only a matter of time before we hit a dead end. If we had to fight, I didn't think we could win. It was just raw power, its blindness was hardly a hindrance to it yet our wounds made us near useless.
"Oh ho!" I heard Gimli exclaim happily.
"What is it?" Kili asked.
"Just look!" the ginger cried, pointing at the wall.
In the smooth carved marble were streaks and swirls of green. The princes were grinning too. I raised a brow, not understanding their cause for near giddiness. "What is it…?"
"It's glasrock," Kili breathed.
"Oh…kay?"
"Glasrock is only found at higher elevations," Fili explained to me. "We must be near the surface!"
Oh my god! Now I was grinning too!
"Keep moving!" Fili ordered, ushering us along.
We flat out ran, not quite knowing what to expect, but if every step took us closer to escaping, we'd crawl our way out if we had to!
The hallway leveled out finally into another room. I felt somewhat let down—our sprint was just long enough to give me delusions of a grand exit and fresh air. This room was only a quarter size of the last, although not as badly damaged. It was roughly circular with Elvish statues on either side of what was once a fountain, now dried and dirty. The same ornate pillars lined the walls and around them were wooden scaffolds as if the designs weren't finished and were still being worked on when the place was evacuated.
Our quiet surprise and assessment of the room was cut short as the troll made itself known again. "You cannot hide from me," the troll all but cooed, its voice dangerously farther along the hall than we'd have thought.
My heart doubled in speed.
"Search for an exit!" ordered Fili and we four split up to explore.
Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Just walls and more walls!
"It's a dead end!" Kili shouted. "We're trapped!"
I held Fili's sword with trembling hands. Was this it? The moment of truth? Kill or be killed? Was this really the place where we may die? If we did, would Thorin call off the quest? Would our deaths prevent his? Oh, way to think positively, Emily!
We met back near the fountain, weapons drawn. I watched emotions washed over Fili's face. "This cannot be the end," he whispered, more to himself than us.
"Then we fight!" growled Kili. "Let it come!"
"No," Fili breathed. "We will not fight like this."
"What choice do we have?" shot Kili.
"Would you rather us surrender like cowards?" barked Gimli. "Not this Dwarf!"
Fili shook his head. "I did not mean it like that."
"Do you have a plan?" I asked, hopefully.
"If we are closer to the surface, we are closer to the sun," the blonde said, a small smirk on his face.
Our eyes lit up in recognition.
"Trolls turn to stone in sunlight!" Kili gasped, pointing out the obvious.
"We climb and try to dig through to the surface," Fili told us, pointing to a scaffold. "Now! All of us stay together!"
The four of us clambered onto the ladder, one after another, climbing as fast as we could for the troll had to be no more than a few minutes time away. The wood creaked and groaned, making us all pause fearfully.
"Slowly," Fili told us. "Go."
The ladder rungs were more spaced out than normal, most likely due to the EIves' naturally graceful movement. They could probably scale this in a few bounds whereas as we struggled to not lose our grip or footing. I kept my gaze only on the next rung, not daring to look at what was ahead or behind. Gimli reached the first level of the scaffold, about halfway up the pillar. From there, thank god, it continued up in a set of stairs. He helped pull me up and we waited, not long, for the others to join us before ascending higher.
The scaffold ended at the ceiling as we wasted no time. The four of us just started wailing on the marble surface with our weapons, trying to concentrate our blows in one section.
Ka-klink! Ka-klink! Ka-klink! Ka-klink!
I squinted my eyes against the stone that crumbled away, not even feeling bad about destroying the beautiful vined carvings. We were weak but our resolve drove us on, hitting the stone harder each time. My arms ached and grew sore but I pressed on. The hilt of my sword rubbed against my wounded palm and I tried to focus the pain into power. One, two, three, hit! One, two, three, hit!
A large slab of the smooth stone fell away, revealing a crumbing layer of glasrock. The discovery urged us on! One, two, three, hit! One, two, three, hit! One, two, three, hit! One, two, three, hit! Don't give up, Emily!
The green stone was much softer and fell away quickly. The only problem was, we didn't know how far left we had to dig—it could've been a few miles to the surface!
Padded footsteps drew our attention as the troll entered the room, grunting and sniffing heavily. We paused in our digging, hoping not to draw its attention. Our labored breathing filled the air, despite our best efforts. This wasn't going to work. We had to keep digging and that meant noise.
Hardly missing a beat, Kili was on his way down the scaffold, Gimli following after him. Fili cursed. This was necessary—we needed a distraction or else we wouldn't dig through.
"There you are," the troll grinned. "Just in time for supper."
I looked at Fili briefly. Out of the whole group, we were the worst for wear. The urge to jump in and help Kili and Gimli was strong but we knew that we'd be more help up here. He nodded once and we drove our swords upwards, into the glasrock. I stuck the sword into the soft mineral, driving it deeper into the earth, twisting the blade.
"You cannot run forever, little sheep," I heard the troll goad. "If you give in now, I may devour you quickly."
"I don't think so!" Kili growled, and I almost face-palmed as he gave away his position. Why was he so easy to provoke?
I couldn't help but glance down at the scene. It was considerably darker below us as we were left with the glow crystal. Kili and Gimli were at opposite ends of the room, the troll between them. One would make a noise, draw its attention then dash away as it charged them, then the other would do the same. It was a simple plan of diversion but I doubted it would last. I dug faster.
The troll roared, knocking a statue over in anger. It picked up the head and lobbed it at Gimli who had to scramble away. He just made it.
Fili sharply drew in a breath and I looked to him quickly, thinking him hurt. "Emily, look!" he gasped and at our feet lay a pale powdery substance—snow! We broke through!
Frantically, we tried clearing the snow. Looking up, we could see the glow of the sun. Yes! A little farther! Hold on, guys! But our blades couldn't go any higher, even pushing them up with our fingertips. Panic set in for a moment. No, we're so close!
"We shake it loose!" Fili cried, banging his sword against the ceiling.
I followed suit, the snow starting to fall, and then with a final blow from the prince, the last clump of snow fell and the light of the sun shone through. We turned away like vampires but it didn't quite have the effect we'd anticipated. It was only a sole beam of light that fell onto the scaffold floor, dull and orange. Our cheeks met as we tried to see through to the outside. The sky was a dark blue directly above us and closer to the horizon, a reddish orange.
"Oh, my god…" I breathed. "The sun's setting."
"We're losing light," Fili stated. "There's no time!"
What do we—?
Fili placed the flat of his sword in the path of the sunlight and the beam reflected on the far wall.
"Oh, you're a bloody genius, Fili!"
He grinned, trying to aim the reflection downwards. "Finally, I am appreciated," he smirked.
I couldn't use my sword without blocking Fili's so I watched him work. The splash of light hit the ground. Slowly and carefully, Fili angled the blade, bouncing the light closer to the unsuspecting troll.
"To the left!"
"I know!"
And then finally, there was contact. The light hit the troll's left arm and it began to sizzle and harden. The troll let out a howl of surprise, stumbling back out of the path of light. We all whooped as it began to turn to stone! We won! We… Only its arm turned to stone, from its hand to the joint of its shoulder and no more.
"YOU!" it bellowed. "HOW DARE YOU! I WILL RIP YOU APART FOR THIS!"
It charged after Kili, swinging its stone arm as a club.
"I WILL PULL YOUR LIMBS OFF, ONE BY ONE!"
"Aim, Fili!"
"I am trying! It's moving too fast!"
It was! The troll was all over the place and poor Kili and Gimli were scrambling away like ants under a magnifying glass. We had to do something! We needed another reflection! Or… my science classes came back to me suddenly. A reflection or…a refraction!
My eyes found the crystal on the scaffold and snatched it. Please work! I held it up to the sunbeam, scattering the rays in all directions. Tiny patches of light danced on all corners of the room, some of which hit the troll.
It roared, swatting at the air. "No! It burns! The sun!"
I swiveled the crystal, trying to hit more of the troll. Said troll roared and bawled its blind eyes out, trying to retreat back into the hallway as its skin smoked and cracked. And then, just as our victory seemed eminent, the sun sank farther down as the evening set in, and its last few rays strayed short of us. The fractals disappeared and I held the crystal in stunned silence. Everyone looked to the troll, praying that it had died.
But it hadn't.
There were merely splotches of stone set into the troll's skin. It writhed and howled in both agony and fury.
"You will, all of you, pay for this!" the troll sobbed, its cry turning into a howl. "I WILL NOT REST UNTIL YOU LAY DEAD IN MY GUT!"
The troll swung its club arm and by coincidence, or really bad fortune, hit the scaffold we were on. The front wooden support beams splintered and as gravity would have it, the scaffold groaned and leaned forward. There was no stopping it!
"Hold on, Emily!" Fili shouted, one hand on the rail and the other around me.
I gripped the wooden railing as the scaffold went forward. The wood bent and snapped and we fell, right onto the troll. Fili rolled, taking me with him, out of immediately danger and we smacked into the hard floor.
"Are you hurt?" Gimli asked, trying to get us to stand.
Kili ran over to join us, scanning his brother for serious injury.
There was no time to answer as the troll was unfazed by the fallen scaffold. It stamped on the wood in rage, kicking and smashing whatever it could. Teeth bared, the troll took a long sniiiff and grunted, breathing heavily.
"No blasted sun will save you!" it taunted. "Your blood hangs in my nostrils! Your sweat rests on my tongue! Your breath stirs in my ears!"
This was it.
This was our showdown.
"Remenu! Weapons high!" Fili shouted. "We stand together!"
I scrambled for my sword which I didn't remember dropping. The four of us stood side by side, I was wedged between Gimli and Fili.
"Aim for the head if you can," Fili told us.
The troll made the first move, barreling towards us like a bull. We split in half on instinct, leaping out of its path. As it kept charging once it passed us, we pursued it, hoping to get in a few attacks. Something snapped within me and I charged at the beast with as much fervor as my Dwarven comrades.
Everything was a blur. Our battle cries mixed as one with the troll's furious roar. I had no idea what I was doing but I kept swinging at the troll, wherever I could land a hit. The sword did little damage, only managing to chip off a few stone scabs, but the futility only fueled my assault. Little Gimli surprised us all, managing to climb onto the troll's back somehow and burying his axe between the trolls shoulder blades. He got throw off right after but his axe remained.
And of course, the troll fought back, trying to crush us with its massive stone arm.
It swung blindly (no pun intended) but we were so close, it was impossible to miss us indefinitely. And as luck would have it, I was the first. It wasn't a dead on hit or else, I swear, every bone in my body would've exploded on impact. Its petrified open hand smacked me in the upper back, only its fingers grazing me. But the force behind his blow was enough to send me flying.
"Emily!"
When I regained my senses, I found myself sprawled on the floor by the rundown fountain. I groaned to find Gimli by my side. He leaned on his knee, saying something then looked back at the princes.
"What?" I mumbled.
"I asked you if anything was broken?"
"Broken?" Bones, right. "No, I don't think—Holy shit, watch out!"
Gimli turned around just in time to see the troll lumbering at us, no more than a few feet away. He held up a wooden plank in defense, only to have it whipped out of his grasp. Gimli let out a shout of surprise, falling onto his rear end, and trying to crab-walk backwards. And in that moment, as the troll loomed over him, my kamikaze instincts kicked in and I threw myself at the monstrous creature. Alright, I kind of bounced right off of it but my clumsy actions spared Gimli its wrath.
"Over here, bitch!" were my choice words for the troll.
"So the ewe wants to be slaughtered first," the troll leered, coming after me now. Good. Not really. What was I thinking?! I didn't even have my sword!
I tried to do a lap around the room, the others attempting to come to my aid but the troll was too fast and I didn't want to put them at risk. It seemed that the troll had zeroed in on my scent—now that I think of it, I would have the most distinct smell, being the only human.
"What is she doing?" Kili cried as I ran in near circles, ducking under the remaining scaffolds.
Things slowed down considerably and at the same, moved double. There was a crash behind me which only spurred me on faster but that was my mistake for the scaffold I had just passed under fell in the direction I was running. I skidded to a halt and had to backtrack to avoid the wooden beams and subsequently crashed into the troll. I tried to correct my movement but I tripped up on the broken wood and wasn't fast enough. My eyes found the others, too far away to do anything. The troll raised its stone arm, preparing to pummel me into the ground.
I was aware of my heart beating rapidly. And the pain in my knee was like a still dagger. The last thing I thought of, before the troll brought its arm down on me, was of my floral pillow back home and how the frilly trim sometimes tickled my nose.
There was a blinding light.
And a furious wind that blew back my hair and felt warm on my face.
Is this what dying feels like?
Through the void of white, I saw a figure. Someone standing over me. An angel or a reaper, I wasn't sure.
And then the light faded as quickly as it had come, leaving me blinking to recover and I realized I wasn't dead. And that it wasn't an ethereal entity standing over me. It was Thorin.
He held a sword horizontally, holding off the troll's attack, saving my life. For a good long moment, all I could do was stare up at him, his dark hair thrown across his back, the protective snarl on his profile.
With a growl, Thorin redirected the troll's attack to the side and then brought his blade down upon the troll's stone arm, splitting it in half. In the troll's moment of surprise, the others sprang up from behind, slicing at its legs and gaining its fury.
"Away, you fools!" came Gandalf's booming voice from within the room.
The princes and Gimli fell back at his command and suddenly the ground beneath the troll gave way. With a yelp of surprise, the troll plummeted into the pit.
Thorin turned to me, a default scowl on his face. "Can you stand?" he asked in his deep voice that almost made me forget the question.
"I… yes."
He offered a hand which I took, gratefully. I hobbled slightly, the injuries to my knee and foot taking their toll. Again. Embarrassing…
"Come, Miss Parker," said Thorin, looking incredibly put off. "There are still—"
A deep rumbling filled the room; it was the troll, and it was laughing. "Do you think I, Grither, can be so easily defeated?" it yelled from the pit.
Thorin guided me back with his hand, sword raised in front of us. I was aware of the others coming to meet us from behind. Gandalf stood in front of us all, staff held out cautiously.
From out of the crater crawled the troll, the might in its one arm enough to heave it from the pit. It barred its yellowed teeth. "More sheep for my dinner," it grinned. "What a feast this will be!"
"Hold your ground," Gandalf demanded of us as the troll charged.
"Is he mad?" shouted Kili.
The others exchanged worried looks but I trusted Gandalf. He was the SOB that took down a Balrog (or will); a one armed troll should be a walk in the park for him. But then again, he technically died after he fought the Balrog, a little voice reminded me.
The Wizard's staff shone white and a magical dome encased us. The troll hit like it like a train, causing everyone save Gandalf to flinch, but the shield held up, actually repelling the beast back some feet. The troll, or Grither as it called itself, rose to its feet. It stood there, confused, for a moment before coming at us again even angrier. It beat the shield with its fist mercilessly, howling with rage at its denied meal.
"Can you not slay it?" shouted Thorin, looking at Gandalf uncertainly.
I decided to throw in my own two cents. "This might sound stupid," I said, which should be my general disclaimer, "but could you make the sun rise? There's a hole in the ceiling that could let the light in!"
"The sun, no," Gandalf replied, his eyes focused on the troll, "but perhaps something else of light and fire."
I hadn't a clue what he meant but that normally was a good sign. It was when Gandalf spoke plainly that you had to watch out.
Before any of us could question him, he raised his staff and from above us came a mighty crack of thunder. From the small opening in the ceiling rained down a bolt of lightning which arched and streaked through the air until it found its target: the axe Gimli had driven into the troll's back. The troll's body convulsed and a terrible sound issued from its gaping mouth with blood. Its blind eyes blackened and burst from their sockets and at that even Thorin turned his head in disgust.
After a moment longer, the assault from the heavens stopped and the troll hit the ground with an air of finality. It was dead. In fact, that was overkill. The barrier dissipated and the stench of charred flesh hit us. I gagged and covered my mouth and nose.
Kili cleared his throat. "Reckon we weakened it a bit first," he shrugged. "Or else it would not have been killed so quickly."
"Reckon the lightning was enough on its own, Kili," Fili said, giving his brother a look.
"And my axe! Did you see what my axe did?" Gimli piped up. "Someone help me retrieve it! I'll have it as a trophy!"
"It is much too hot to touch, young master," Gandalf warned, but Gimli seemed determined to try anyway, resulting in burnt hands.
"Ow, hot, hot!" he cried, blowing on his fingers. We laughed so hard, we doubled over. The giddiness of victory won us over, even if it had been mostly Gandalf's doing.
"But did you see when I bested it?" Kili was saying. "Back in the library, you should have seen me—"
"Enough!"
Thorin's voice shook us like an earthquake.
At the sight of their fuming uncle, Fili and Kili took a subconscious step closer to Gimli and I, as if we could buffer them from his scornful gaze. We had fought a troll, but Thorin was much more formidable and fearsome, it seemed!
"Do you think this is a joke?" he demanded. "Had none of you the sense to wait for help? You could have all been slaughtered and then the troll could have stormed the kingdom! The homesteads lay not but few moments walk from here—women and children would have been at this beast's mercy because of your pride and stupidity!"
We stared at him, rather shell shocked at his unexpected anger which was mostly directed at his nephews. I didn't understand at first why he was so mad. Okay, yes, we were stupid and started adventuring like we were in an Indiana Jones movie but… C'mon, what had we done but survive a troll attack? But then it hit me. Walking into a room dripping with our blood must have sent Thorin into an unsurmounted panic. I mean it looked like we'd been murdered twice over, or exploded. He must've had fifty heart attacks as he and Gandalf rushed to find us, thinking his nephews could be dead. And Gimli too. And… well, I dunno if his mind would've strayed to me. Gandalf's might have.
"You knew aid would come and yet you chose to venture deeper into this place," Thorin growled.
"Uncle, please—" Fili began in a timid voice but was cut off by a sharp look.
Thorin appeared to be breathing normally again and took on an eerily calm demeanor that unnerved me more than his rage.
"You have asked me to consider your involvement in the Quest of Erebor, to let you prove yourselves," he told the princes, his voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. "And you have. You're reckless, irresponsible, and much too foolish to be a part of this quest."
I watched as the Durin brothers crumbled at their uncle's harsh words. It was awful, watching the hope drain from their eyes as they lowered their heads in submission.
But wasn't this good? In the long run, at least?
This is the deciding factor in keeping them safe. If Fili and Kili didn't come on the quest, they'd live… Even if it would dash their hopes and dreams and make them feel crummy, at least they'd be alive to mope about it!
I bit my lip. But I knew that they were meant to come… They were some of the best fighters and did all of the scouting… They had to come. The group would suffer without them and I couldn't start taking out variables now. I needed to see how the quest would play out with me involved. If things started changing now, it might get way out of control and all of my knowledge would be useless.
I had to do something. My shoulders slumped as I drew in a steady breath. One, two, three, go!
"It's my fault, Thorin," I cried, taking a step forward.
His furious gaze whipped to me. "You?"
"Explain yourself, Emily," Gandalf ordered, watching me critically.
Thorin's gaze was enough to petrify a Basilisk! I tried not to shrink back from his harsh stare and I swear, if I hadn't memorized my next few lines years ago, I'd have fallen over on the spot.
"I went looking for the troll—I've read about them and thought I could handle it… But I was wrong," I said, a hint of a British accent slipping into my words. "If the boys hadn't come after me… I… I'd probably be dead."
Gandalf raised a brow at me, clearly seeing through my words. I gulped, looking at the Dwarf-king. I didn't need him thinking I was a total moron, or a liar—I had been against exploring this place too! But if I didn't cover for the guys, it may screw up everything…
Thorin's eyes narrowed at me before turning to his nephews. "Is this true?" he demanded, still looking and sounding enraged.
Fili lowered his eyes and said nothing but Kili spoke up, coming to his brother's side. "Yes, Uncle. We feared for Miss Emily's safety, is all."
I could practically hear Thorin's teeth grind as he silently fumed, not readily letting go of his anger. It was then that Gandalf chose to come forward and dispel some of the tension. Bless.
"I have found something that should be brought to your attention, Lord Thorin," the Wizard began, edging closer to the wall. "Inscribed here are ancient Elvish runes. It seems that this was once the dwelling of a dark battle."
Thorin frowned and went over to where Gandalf stood to examine the symbols on the wall. "Elves," he spat, "Of course."
The Dwarf-king missed Gandalf's annoyed look at him. "This place existed well before your people came here. It is now no more than a tomb and should be treated with the utmost caution." The Wizard gave a weary look around the cavern. "Something foul has happened here… and it must remain buried, far beyond the reach of those who may stumble upon it." He gave the four of us a pointed look which I found very Dumbledore-esque. All he needed was the glasses. "Others may not be as so lucky as you have been in this occurrence."
"Kili," Thorin started, making the brunette pale. "Take your brother and Miss Parker to the Healing Ward. And see that your cousin finds his father; Gloin should have reached the mines by this time."
"My father?" gulped Gimli, hugging his axe (yes, he managed to rescue it from the troll's corpse) to his chest like a stuffed animal.
"Yes, uncle."
Gandalf caught my eye before I left with the boys. His expression clearly said, "You're not off the hook yet, missy" or something more Gandalf-y. But at the moment, I didn't care about being scolded. We had survived and in our shared peril, we had grown closer. Fili had been right, though. Regardless of what happened, we were together. And that thought made me feel oddly happy.
AN: It's annoying that I need a note at the top, or else the title's all wonky… thus the double ANs.
Anywho, let me know what you thought of this chapter! I had several different ways of how it ended but I decided on this one. It seemed the most realistic to me, that Thorin and Gandalf were physically and magically stronger, respectively than our boys and Em. Though, I think they were a damn fine job at not dying. Not many could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. ;]
Random facts: Glasrock was derived from the Gaelic word glas meaning green. And the troll's name, Grither, came from a Tales From the Darkside episode about a huge monster that came to kill you if you said its name.