Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 43

Elfreda awoke in the corner of her cell, her knees tightly curled in the foetus position. She had sat there, drifting in and out of sleep whilst fighting the tears of realisation that this journey was going to be harder than she thought. Elfreda did not move when the guard, a hour later, opened the cell door and pushed a plate of thick porridge to her bed; she would not eat it though, Elfreda was not hungry.

The man from the cell next door stirred in his bed. He sat and stretched.
"Good mornin'" he said "get any sleep child?"
Elfreda grumbled in reply. The man just laughed it off. A bowl skidded under the iron bars and halted at his feet.
"Here, don't waste it," Elfreda motioned "I owe you one, thank you,"

Trumpets sounded across Laketown as the company waded their way through the crowds to reach the boat that would take them to Erebor. All had received armour and weapons from the Master as well as enough food and ale to keep them happy for days.

"They can't leave," whispered Elfreda, "but what can I do? I cannot change their fate, now" She clung to the iron bars of Elfreda's cell window as she watched the parade stride towards the boat.

"You know we are one short," stated Bilbo to Thorin who was waving royally to the crowd. "Where's Bofur?"

"If he's not here, we leave him behind," replied Thorin. Bilbo looked at Thorin, he was slowly changing into someone Bilbo did not know. He turned to Balin.
"We'll have to, if we are going to find the door before nightfall,"

"But what about Elfreda, she gave herself up for you? She sits alone in a cell for nothing. What shall we do about her?" Bilbo inquired. Thorin stopped and directly glared at Bilbo, his eyes were dark and no mercy shone in them.
"We leave. Now." he said and left.

"Do you know them, then? Those dwarves?" asked the man in the next cell.

"I did, but I'm not sure I know anyone anymore. I not even sure I know myself,"

The door to Elfreda's opened and a soldier was there. She was being set free.
"Go on, your things are on the table," he said.
"I'll go, what about him," se gestured to her neighbour.
"He'll leave now too," sad the guard, unlocking his door too.

Everyone who was present was boarding the barge to Erebor. Kili attempted to clamber on, his face deathly white and his leg is painfully sore.
"Not you. We must travel at speed, you'll slow us down," ordered Thorin. Kili looked devastated.
"I'm coming with you, I'm going to be there when the door is opened,"
"Stay here and rest. Join us when you're healed," Thorin clambered on the boat as Kili stepped away trying to fight the tears.

The streets where beginning to clear when Elfreda ran down the streets of Laketown to the port. She had said farewell to the man and wished him no more misfortunes or criminal activity. However she saw no boat or any of the company and her heart sank to the depths of her body.

"Elfreda?" asked a voice behind her. She turned to see Bain looking at her.
"Bain, what can I do for you?" she replied.
"If you're looking for the dwarves, they're at home. I think Kili's dying." reported Bain. Elfreda's eyes widen with fear, the arrow outside Thranduils palace was still working its poison through his young blood.
"Thank you Bain, come on," she said. Both ran off again, Bain leading Elfreda through all of his shortcuts to his home. They reached Bard's house within minutes. Elfreda took the steps to his house three at a time, poison would not wait for healers.

A body lay screaming on Bard's dining table, his friends and brother pinned him there. Bard was in the kitchen finding some herbs to heal Kili when Elfreda kicked in the door and ran to the dwarfs side. "What's going on, is he dying?" asked Fili. With all honesty Elfreda replied "I would be lying if I said no," Bard held up two handfuls of herbs but Oin shook his head.