Date: TA 2941
Thorin: 195 years old
Lina: 192 years old
Thorin slumped sullenly in the corner of his cell, glaring at his large hands as they flexed restlessly. His imprisonment by the Elven king Thranduil was approaching its third week, and the forced confinement when the dwarf wished to move was wearing on his sanity.
From the other side of the cell, Lina watched her husband worriedly. Yet she said nothing. What was there to say? After her second visit to his cell, Thorin had made it clear that unless she was physically present, holding the keys to his cell, and helping him escape, he did not want to hear from her. So she stood quietly in his cell, for a few moments when she could steal them, just to reassure herself that he was alive.
Her goal accomplished, Lina allowed the vision of her husband to fade. Her eyes opened, and she took in the hurried movements of the dwarves around her. Messengers darted about the camp, scraps of parchment from various officers clutched in their hands. The battle clearly renewed while Lina was in her trance. Rising quickly she started off through the camp to the command center.
Nes fell in beside her, as they wove through the army's heart. She was the only one Lina took into confidence regarding her husband's deteriorating condition. Of all the dwarves travelling with the army, only she could understand what it meant to love someone so unconditionally that even when they were breaking her heart, she would not leave them. Her love for Kes was nearly as deep as Lina's for Thorin. So it was to the assassin Lina turned when she knew someone needed to know about Thorin.
To tell Kira would mean risking her army turning back to the stronghold. Though Lina counted the commander as a friend, she also knew that Kira was a mercenary, she would not fight a losing battle. And a battle started by a leader who slipped further into madness with every passing day was a losing battle. In any other instance, Lina would respect her friend's right to know what her fighters faced, but not when the lives of her husband and nephews were on the line.
"News?" Lina spared a glance at the line of wounded on the ground outside the surgeon's tent. There were more than there had been before her trance.
"Four dead, another dozen severely wounded, perhaps twice that with minor injury," the assassin rattled off.
"And the enemy?"
"Regrouping. We expect the next wave to hit within the hour."
The pair fell silent as they reached Kira's circle of guards. Two stepped aside, snapping a salute to Lina as she passed. The older warrior returned the gesture before looking to her friend.
Kira stood at her map table, surrounded by her highest ranking officers. The stress of the past few weeks stood out on her face. The wrinkles, lines, and scars seemed deeper. Grey hairs now outnumbered the brown strands. Dark patches beneath her eyes and those of her officers attested to their many sleepless nights of late.
Lina stepped silently in beside her co-commander. Gavin sketched out the enemy lines against the landscape using information brought back by the scouts. What they all could see was not good: the waves that threatened to swamp the dwarven army did not comprise even a quarter of the orc horde. While a portion of Bolg's army harassed the dwarves at his back, the main body had shifted eastward, closer to the Lonely Mountain. That development was new.
"Scouts report strange things coming out of the forests, heading for the orcs. At least one scout is confirmed missing. Possibly taken by these creatures. It's too soon to be sure, but three others are overdue."
Kira pinched the bridge of her crooked nose. Her headache was back. Lina made a mental note to send her healer over to her friend with a hot pack and tea after this meeting was over.
"We have no option to move forward," she announced wearily. The swordswoman looked to her friend. "What would you have us do?"
Her meaning was clear to Lina. The orcs clearly had the advantage of numbers. Even the Battle of Azanulbizar had not seen the dwarves this badly outnumbered. Though Kira held out hope for aid from the Elves, Lina knew that Thorin's outburst with Thranduil effectively destroyed any potential alliance. The men of Esgaroth would not willingly face down an orc horde in defense of another people's king.
There was no way to get around the orcs, especially now that they knew the dwarves' strength. Even if they could escape into Mirkwood, Lina feared Thranduil's reaction to the army. Thorin would truly be in danger then. At present the Elven King merely toyed with the temperamental dwarf, but the perceived threat of attack could push him to more drastic measures.
"If the orcs continue with their attacks as they have, how long can we hold here before the loss is too great?"
The officers looked at one another before turning to Kira.
"A week at worst, two at best," she answered finally.
"Then we assume the worst," Lina announced. "If circumstances have not shifted within a week, Kira, take your mercenaries back to the Fortress. I will continue on with any who will follow, attempting to make a path through Mirkwood."
With a tired nod, Kira dismissed her officers. Lina followed suit, dismissing Nes.
"You will meet your end before the year closes if you continue on this path," Kira growled. "This is madness! Thorin is imprisoned, and the rest of his companions are lost or dead! We have not even reached the Mountain and we are already under attack. We planned for a dragon, not an army of stinking orcs!"
"I do what I must, for my family and for my people," Lina replied. Her blue eyes remained fixed on the craggy landscape of her friend's face. Anger and defiance flared in Kira's eyes. For a long moment they stood in silence, simply observing one another.
"This is madness," Kira repeated, finally taking a step backward. She spun on her heel, moving out of the area. Then, just at the edge of her circle of guards, she paused and looked back over her shoulder.
"I love you dearly, my friend, but I am not Ira. I will not follow you to the ends of the earth on a fool's errand."
With that, she was gone.