Hey guys, chapters out a little later than I intended, sorry about that. But, I hope you are enjoying this new story so far and will continue to do so.
Review Responses;
MrsTChrist – I'm glad you're liking Seraphina so far. And yes, Nina is her daughter and yes we will be seeing her later on xx
Kana-Chan01 – I'm glad you find this story interesting so far, hope you continue to like it xx
Chapter 4
The next few days pass pretty much the same way; wake up, ride, stop for lunch, ride then stop for the night. Every few nights, Kili and I go hunting for dinner and I am able to see him at work and can see he is incredibly gifted with a bow.
I am thankful that since the other night, no one has mentioned anything about Nina's birth father, although I do get many questions about Nina, which I am all too happy to answer.
At the end of the first week, Thorin calls for us to stop in a rocky clearing on a cliff edge. It seems to have only one way in or out, so at least we won't easily be snuck upon. I remember stopping here on my way to Bree, so I know it's safe here.
Dismounting from Sidhiel, I take off her saddle, bridle and feed her a couple of sugar cubes before taking my pack to where I'm bedding down for the night. Once Kili is settled, we both go off to hunt, coming back with a few hares and pheasants, which Bombur is pleased about and begins cooking them since we already cleaned them.
Sitting on my bedroll, I take out my whetstone and begin to sharpen my blades, the repetative movements a comfort for me, while listening to the talks of the others, smiling to myself at the peace I feel with them. Thorin soon has us bed down for the night, with Fili and Kili keeping watch.
Unable to sleep, I just lay on my bedroll, staring up at the stars as I listen to thesnoring of the dwarves as they sleep.
Hearing movement, I look up and see Bilbo standing and stretching his body before he walks over to where the ponies are and takes out an apple to feed to his pony, Myrtle. I smile as I watch this, knowing that he would have soon grown a bond with his pony.
Just then, I bolt up as a loud screech suddenly pierces the air. Fili and Kili also look up as Bilbo jumps before turning to the three of us.
"What was that?"
"Orcs." Kili simply replies.
"Orcs?" Bilbo asks as he rushes over to us.
I see Thorin startle awake nearby, instantly awake and on alert.
"Throat-cutters." Fili speaks up. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."
Kili follows on. "They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood."
Bilbo looks away in fright, causing me to stand behind him, laying comforting hands on his shoulders. Hearing chuckles coming from the brothers, I glare at them both, literally having to hold back a growl, forving my eyes to stay blue. Having been a victim of a night raid myself, I don't take joke like that lightly. Noticing this, both boys look down and shut up. I'm about to say something, but don't have the chance as Thorin stands.
"You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
Kili looks down in shame. "We didn't mean anything by it."
"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."
Thorin walks off to the edge of the cliff and looks out over the valley. I just watch him for a while before turning to Balin as he approaches Fili and Kili.
"Don't mind him, laddies. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."
I sit down next to Bilbo as Balin begins telling the story.
"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King."
As soon as Balin mentions the pale orc, I sit up straighter, my blood instantly turning cold. I had hoped to never hear that name for as long as I lived. Having been captured by him half a century ago, to try and twist my mind to control the dragon side of me. I glance over at Thorin, sympathy in my eyes. Having had someone you care about be killed by that filth. . .I know the feeling.
"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armour rent. . .wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield."
I look surprised at this, my eyes wide. Facing against Azog with nothing but an oaken branch for a shield? Well, I guess I now know where the name Oakenshield came from.
"Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."
Looking back to Thorin, I then notice that the other dwarves, who had all awoken at some point during the story, are now standing and facing Thorin, who turns towards us all. With my sight, I can see Thorin's eyes are full of emotion and unshed tears. He inclines his head ever so slightly as he walks over to us..
"But the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asks the elderly dwarf.
Thorin is the one to answer as he reaches us. "He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."
I pause at this as I look to Gandalf, who is sharing a glance with Balin before turning to me. I can see in his eyes he knows where my mind had gone. I'm not sure how long ago this battle at Moria was, but it must have happened not long before my capture, as when I met him, Azog didn't have his left arm, a blade melded into his skin and muscle. Seeing Balin looking between us, concern and curiosity in his eyes, I turn away, not wanting anything to be brought up.
"Fili, Kili, get some rest. I'll take over watch. The rest of you, back to sleep." Thorin's voice brings me from my thoughts.
Laying down on my bedroll, I look once more towards Balin and see him give me a concerned look before turning away to lay down himself.
Sighing, I lay back to look up at the stars again before closing my eyes, hoping that I will be able to get some peace in my dreams tonight.
As the company sleeps, the rest of the night becomes peaceful once again. Thorin, still keeping watch, is sitting on a boulder with his sword across his lap, deep in thought as memories of the past go through his mind. Memories of Erebor, being homeless in the wild and then to Moria. He sometimes resents his grandfather's decision to try to reclaim the dwarven kingdom, their people lost so much that day. He lost his grandfather, his father and his younger brother, Frerin, all in one day. Balin and Dwalin also lost their father Fundin. If his grandfather hadn't made that decision, maybe things would be different.
The rest of his watch goes by without incident and the sun soon begins it's accent. Standing, he stretches out his back before walking over to the diminishing fire, putting a few bits of kindling on to get it going again for breakfast.
Hearing movement nearby, he looks over to see Seraphina shifting in her sleep. He sits back on his heels as he watches the woman sleep. He doesn't know much about her, other than she has a mother and a child waiting for her at home, the rest however is a mystery to him.
Even more so is what he thought he saw when they sparred almost a week before. He swore her eyes flashed gold for a split second, but he dismissed it almost as quick as it happened.
As he watches, he notices her face contorting to one of grief and pain and know she's in the throes of a nightmare, her lips moving but being further away, he isn't able to hear what she says. Not wanting her to be in any more distress, he walks over to wake her up, hearing the name Terran come from her lips. Kneeling down, he gently takes her shoulder and shakes her.
"Seraphina."
The woman shakes her head, her arm coming up to swat him away.
"No. . .let me go. . ."
"Seraphina, wake up." he tries again.
What happens next is so quick he is unable to get away in time before the woman suddenly jumps up and pins him to the ground before pulling a dagger from her boot which is placed against his throat. The air knocked out of him, he is about to shout her before he stops. Looking up into her eyes, they're no longer blue, but gold, the pupils having become slits, almost dragon like as she growls down at him.
"Seraphina!" Gandalf's voice suddenly booms.
As if his call has broken some type of spell over her, Seraphina's eyes suddenly turn back to the icy blue he is accustomed to, the eyes turning to shock and confusion as they look down on him.
The booming voice wakes the others and they are all immediately on their feet when they see what is happening.
"Thorin!" he hears Dwalin call, the sound of an axe being drawn ringing.
He holds his hand up to where the sound came from, knowing she doesn't mean any harm at this moment, but he still keeps his eyes on the woman above him, knowing one wrong move could have his blood being spilled. He watches as she looks around the camp before turning back to him.
"The orcs. . .where are they?" she asks, sounding breathless.
Thorin's hand carefully comes up to the one that's holding the dagger against him, gently pushing it back.
"There are no orcs, Seraphina. You're safe here."
He watches as she takes in what he's said for a few moments before he lets go as she pulls herself back and off him, breathing heavily.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she then turns and runs off into the woods.
Everyone just stands still, not sure what to do, or even what happened.
"What happened, laddie?" Balin asks Thorin as he stands.
"She-She was having a nightmare. I was trying to wake her up."
"You're not the only one who has cause to hate orcs, Thorin." Gandalf says, making everyone turn to him.
"What do you mean?"
"That is not for me to tell, however, the events of last nights story played heavily on her mind. Heavier than even I realised."
Kili suddenly looks ashamed, remembering the glare she gave him and his brother. "Sh-She was in an orc night raid. . .wasn't she?"
Gandalf nods. "I will elaborate no more than that. That is her story to tell, and hers alone."
Thorin considers his words for a moment, looking to the trees in which she ran off in. He turns to the others.
"Bombur, get some breakfast going. I'll go get her."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Dwalin says gruffly.
"I am in no danger, Dwalin. She was in the throes of a nightmare. It was just bad timing on my part."
Dwalin just grunts as Thorin pats his shoulder as he walks past and moves into the trees. He knew she had had some experience with orcs, the glare she gave his nephews the night before said it all, but he didn't think it was as bad to have such a reaction.
He also can't get those golden eyes out of his head. Not only were they gold, but. . .they were dragon-like. How in the name of Mahal could that be possible? He has heard, of course, the fairytales of dragons that were able to become humans, Dragonians, the ones that seemed to appear in Middle Earth from nowhere, thousands of years ago. But, they were just that, fairytales, mythical creatures that don't exist. . .right?
Hearing sniffling, he follows the sound to find Seraphina sitting on a log by the river, her head in her hands and shoulders shaking as she sobs. The sound, and seeing her so vulnerable, sends a jolt straight to his heart.
Having escaped the stares from the company, I slow my pace as I soon come to a river and begin pacing it, cursing myself at how I can be so stupid, so careless. If I thought Thorin hadn't seen my eyes before, I definitely knew he did now. I don't even know what happened, one minute I was going through the horrors I had been through at the hands of Azog and his orcs, the next moment I was being jolted awake by Gandalf's call, staring down at Thorin fricking Oakenshield, and what's worse, a dagger to his throat!
I saw the look of shock, surprise and suspicion in his eyes, so I instantly knew my eyes had turned to my dragon like. I knew then and there that it was over for me now.
I sigh as i plop myself down on a fallen log. I knew Gandalf was wrong to get me to come. Dwarves and dragons definitely don't mix. And who can blame them? After what happened with Smaug, it's understandable. Even if my kind aren't like the dragon's of Morgoth, but what difference does it make? A dragon is a dragon. Which is why our kind have been in hiding for thousands of years.
My thoughts then turn to my nightmare and I immediately begin to cry. It had been forty five years since I had escaped the hell of being held captive by that piece of filth, but the memories and nightmares still feel as though they are fresh. I healed, I thought I had moved on from that. . .apparently not.
I freeze as I hear footsteps behind me, recognising them as Thorin, I wait to hear my fate. Staring at the ground, I see the toes of his boots in my vision.
"May I join you?"
I'm surprised by the softness of his voice. I was expecting him start shouting and screaming at me, demanding me for answers as to what happened. I just nod and he sits to my left. I turn my face away so I can dry my eyes. We sit in silence for a long while.
"What happened, Seraphina? I know something had to have happened to have garnered such a reaction from last night."
I pause for a moment, wondering what to say. "I-I'm not ready to go into a full explanation. But, to cut a long story short, fifty years ago, my older brother and I were captured by orcs while we slept. We were held captive for many years, in which I had lost my brother."
I hear him give a sigh of grief before his hand takes mine, holding it for comfort.
"I am so sorry. I'm also sorry for the thoughtless words of my nephews last night. I assure you, they will be dealt with for it."
I shake my head. "It's alright, Thorin. I appreciate the gesture, but they are young. They don't know any better. But they will. If we are to face the horrors of orcs and dragons during our quest, then I'm sure that will be punishment enough."
He looks to me for a moment before nodding. "Aye. I believe you are right there. This is the first true quest they have been on. They will learn in time."
I nod as we fall silent again. I can practically hear his mind going into overdrive and know instantly what he's thinking about.
"Seraphina. . .I have to ask. . .your eyes. . .they were gold, and looked reptilian. . .how is that possible?"
After a moment, I get up and walk over to the rivers edge, my arms across my chest.
"Seraphina, I need to know. I need to make sure the company aren't in any danger."
I shake my head bfore I turn to him. "They're not, Thorin. You have nothing to worry about with that. I have never, nor will I ever be a danger to you and the others. I have grown to care about all of you, and would give my life for any one of you. As for my eyes. . .I beg of you to allow me to keep my secret. At least for now. I will tell you eventually, but I am not ready. Not right now. Just know, I would never hurt any of you. . .not intentionally anyway. I am really sorry for attacking you like I did. I-I didn't mean-"
Thorin holds up a hand. "There is no need for you to apologise. I am the one to blame. I should not have been so close. As for your request. . .as much as I hate having secrets kept from me, especially if it concerns the safety of all of us, I will allow you to keep it. For now. I do expect answers at a later date."
I nod, giving a small bow. "I thank you, Thorin. I promise, no harm will come to any of you from me, and I will tell you later."
He nods as we both make our way back to the others. I don't say anything to anyone as I go to where my belongings are and pack everything away, silently thanking Bofur as he passes me a bowl of porridge and I eat my breakfast in silence before getting Sidhiel ready to go.
Hopping up onto the saddle, I just sit quietly as I wait for the others to finish before saddling up, getting on their ponies, horse in Gandalf's case, and we're on our way again. This time, I stay at the back of the line, wanting some time alone to gather my thoughts. Thankfully, the others give me the peace I am searching for, Gandalf giving me a look of concern as he goes by.
I know I had promised Thorin I would tell him about why my eyes are like they are, but I am still afraid too and wonder for a second If I should break the promise and not tell. . .I mentally slap myself with that thought. No. I had told Thorin I will tell him, I promise I would. I do never go back on my word.
There we have it, cha[ter 4 done and dusted. Hope you all enjoyed this one. x