Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the long gap between chapters. I caught the flu and was out for the count for a few days. Updates will probably be a little slow due to school and some other things but don't give up one me, I plan on finishing this story!
The grandpa veered right and the dwarves began to panic. They continued to race away and at an alarming speed. Thorin stared at Gandalf, nearly in defeat.
"How do we stop this thing?" He implored the wizard. Kili suggested that they could all jump out. Gandalf looked back at the dwarf forebodingly.
"If you or I tried jumping out at a speed like this we'd die from the impact," he stated, pointing out the stupidity of the idea. Kili folded his arms in contempt a frown on his face. The grandpa continued turning and all the dwarves were now smashed together against the left side of the car. Gandalf switched his attention back to Thorin.
"Grab her legs Thorin!" Gandalf ordered as he steadied the steering wheel. Thorin balked.
"Why in the name of Arda would I do that?" Thorin shot back at the wizard eyebrows twisted in confusion. Gandalf gave an angry shout.
"Thorin Oakenshield, in all of your years knowing me, have I ever led you to do anything foolish?" He huffed, "Do it now, Thorin, before we find our way into another disaster!" Thorin raged but reached over to lift the girl's legs away from their place underneath the wheel. The grandpa slowed abruptly throwing the dwarves forward. Dwalin and Nori had fallen in through the open trunk and Thorin, since he'd been reaching over the seats, had flown into the front and had all but face planted into the dashboard.
As the car slowly rolled to a stop all that could be heard was a chorus of heavy breathing. They held their positions until they were sure the grandpa was going to move no further.
"Out!" Thorin shouted, dislodging his face from the dashboard and scrambling away from the front, "Before it starts moving again!" The dwarves scrambled out through the opening in the trunk, not knowing how to get the side doors open. Gandalf had figured the handle out though, good thing too, how odd would it have been to see a lanky, old wizard scrambling over waves of seat cushions.
Gandalf jogged around the front of the grandpa, which was still humming strongly. He pulled at the handle to the door the woman was behind, it groaned and whined as he jerked it open. The dwarves made their way about and huddled around Gandalf, who was now trying to pull the woman from her seat. She seemed to be tangled in something and Gandalf was struggling to free her of it. Fili made his way beside him.
"Allow me," he pulled his knife from its sheath. He reached for the odd shaped rope. Gandalf gave it to him gladly. Fili brought his knife to it and began sawing away at the strange material.
"This is the oddest rope I have ever come across," he mumbled as he finished cutting it through. The rope whipped away from his grasp and disappeared into the side of the grandpa. The dwarves jumped in surprise.
"This whole deal just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Dori mused.
Fili and Gandalf untangled the girl and hauled her through the door setting her down in the tall, golden grass. The rest of the dwarves huddled around examining the woman who had saved them. Fili reached over and tilted her head to the side. Her long, brown hair was coated in a layer of drying blood; it trailed along the side of her face and neck.
"She's injured," he stated, to no one in particular. Thorin and Gandalf glanced at the injury Fili had discovered. Gandalf sighed.
"It explains the reason for her fainting mid flight," he pondered glancing back at the grandpa idling beside the company. The doors were heavily dented though Gandalf recalled there already being a large amount of damage to the woman's door before their run in with the orcs.
"I believe she had been attacked previously, before meeting up with our company," he surmised. The group looked back at the car, there were two large dents in either of the two doors. The shine that had covered them previously was dulled and scratched. Both of the glass windows were shattered.
"She did a number on that thing," mumbled Oin, "looks like it's about to fall apart," he glanced back down at the girl, "Crazy woman." He finished before hobbling away.
"Well I think she's quite a beauty, and tall too. The bravery's a plus, don't suppose she's an elf do you?" rambled Bofur cluelessly. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes while Thorin tensed visibly.
"You just had to mention it, didn't ya," Balin whapped the back of his head. Bofur raised his hands in defeat. Thorin was mumbling about how he was not about to start saving elves, no matter how many times they tried to save him while Fili and Kili argued that it wasn't so bad if it was just this once was it? Ori, ignoring all the conflicted chatterings, made his way to the girl's head and flipped her hair away from her ear.
"She's human!" He piped proudly above the grumbling. The tension eased a bit and Balin made his way over to take a closer look.
"That she is, lad! You've nothing to worry about, Thorin, she's just a young human lass… and quite lost by the look of it," he motioned to her attire which included a jacket with curious symbols on it, a pair of trousers that were form fitting and quite scandalous, and a pair of calf length boots that were very oddly crafted.
Thorin sighed tiredly. Whoever she was and wherever she'd come from would have to wait. They needed to set up camp and rest if they were to continue on the next day.
"Grab her pack," he motioned to Dwalin, who unhappily made his way back to the grandpa in search of the woman's belongings. "Set up camp, start a fire," He motioned to the rest of the group but before two unfortunate souls could follow, Thorin called them aside, "Fili, Kili. I want you to watch the girl, tell me if she wakes… and don't get distracted this time," he glared. Fili and Kili hung their heads, the memory of the trolls still fresh in their minds, but they willingly took up Thorin's offer of redemption.
"We won't, Thorin," Kili assured. The two brothers stayed behind while the others went around busily fixing up a camp. They sat beside each other at the woman's side watching as she steadily breathed in and out. Eventually a steaming bowl of food was brought to them by a hesitant hobbit.
"Would you care for some dinner?" He asked tentatively, glancing from the two dwarves to the sleeping woman. It was a silly question and the dwarves ignored it, grabbing the bowls and digging in. The hobbit shrugged and sat with them as they ate staring down at the strange girl. He gave one quick glance at the behemoth contraption just a few feet away.
"What on Middle Earth do you suppose that thing is?" He questioned the pair beside him. Kili stared at him with crunched eyebrows.
"If Gandalf doesn't know then how do you suppose we do?" He asked. Bilbo rolled his eyes as Fili looked up from his food gazing at the bizarre scene in front of him.
"It all seems too strange. Peculiar objects and nameless women popping up in the middle of nowhere." He glanced at the girl; she twitched. The three of them stilled, watching as the girl began to wake. In a panic Kili lifted the hobbit from his seat.
"Quick, burglar, go fetch Thorin!" He hissed apprehensively. The hobbit was off in seconds and making his way across the camp. Fili and Kili stared at the girl as she opened her eyes, not knowing what else to do.