Saving the Sons of Durin

Thand Thirtui-Canad

A/N

Yea this is a longer one. I'm not sure if you'll love me or hate me for it...

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Ellía and the dwarrow remained frozen as the eerie mist drifted around them. "W-was that truly an orc-", Thinieli began to ask, but was silenced by Ellía motioning her to be quiet. A moment later, more screeches and snarls came from near the old watch tower. "There's more...", Ellía hissed as she crept around Radag to get a better view of the tower. Hearing her words, the others hastily reach for their daggers and small knives.

"What do we do?", Áshild asked desperately. Ellía did not take her eyes off the tower's entrance as faint shadows danced on the tunnel's walls. "We are of the Blue Mountains and the Iron Hills! We fight." Ravna snapped at her. "No. You will not fight them.", Ellía said lowly as she pulled her bow and quiver from Radag's saddle.

"I do not mean this to offend you, Lady Ellía. But, you have no right to tell us what we can and cannot do." Aivura said firmly. The young elleth couldn't be mad at her words, but grew anxious as the orcs drew closer. "There is no time to argue. How did you get here? Did you walk? Ride?." Ellía snapped, notching an arrow. "We-we walked." Thinieli stuttered out, gripping her gold dagger tightly. "Muk...", she hissed as she tried to figure out how to get the dwarrow away from the orcs.

That's when her eyes landed on an anxious Radag. "Nin mellon. Im baur cin na vedui- na nin...", She said to the Maeras stallion. She saw the four dwarven women giving her odd looks as she side-stepped to stand next to Radag, but keeping her eyes trained on the tower entrance. "Cin gar- na ge hain na i orod plual ered.", She said firmly, cutting her eyes towards him, awaiting the inevitable protest.

Radag let out a huff and stomped his front hooves. "Like I told them. No time to argue, meld er." Ellía whispered to him as he pushed his nose against her cheek. "I do not care what you think of me or how you feel about me. Right now, You need to listen to me. You are going to ride Radag back to the Mountain's gates and get help. I will be able to fend them off until you can get out of here." Ellía said in a commanding voice she had rarely used in her life.

"He knows the way." She added and hesitated before placing her notched arrow back into the quiver. Ellía turned to face the dwarrow, who stared at her like she had sprouted horns. "There is no time to waste! You must get help. I will only be able to do so much." The elf hissed as she glance back to make sure no orcs had appeared. "We will not ride that beast!", Áshild said exasperatedly.

Ellía's eyes drifted to Ravna's and pleaded with her silently to help. A particularly close snarl seemed to startle them all before the dark haired woman, who had been holding the elleth's gaze, conceded.  "Do what she says." Ravna ordered and dragged Áshild towards Radag. Aivura doing the same to Thinieli. Ellía quickly removed his saddle and lowered it to the ground, but left his reigns. The four women sat in close quarters on his back, but they managed.

"As soon as you clear that stone archway, I'm going to blow this horn. Someone should hear and know something is wrong. Radag will not stop or stray from his path. All you must do is hold on." Ellía instructed them. Ravna nodded her head with pursed lips. "Tell Lord Dain or whoever is at the gate that there is at least a troop of orcs emerging from Ravenhill." She added, looking each of them in the eyes to make sure her words had been heard. "We will." Aivura told her with a grim look.

Radag let out a small huff and pressed his nose to her chest. "Nor, nin mellon. Nor..." Ellía mumbled to him before taking a step back and re-notching an arrow. "Glenn-hi, Radag!", She said firmly turning her back to them and headed for a crumbling staircase that gave her access to the roof of an old stone building. If she was fighting a pack of orcs alone, she wanted the high ground.