Star-Crossed

Chapter 39

“We can’t! The ponies, they bolted!” Ori said, Bifur entering the circle behind him.

“I’ll draw them off.” Radagast said.

“These are Gudabad Wargs, they will out run you.” Gandalf scoffed.

“These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I’d like to see them try.”

Gandalf peered around one of several large boulders. The Wargs disappeared around another one, following Radagast and his rabbits. The wizard waited a moment longer, they reappeared, then again disappeared.

“Come on.” Gandalf said, pointing to another stone. The company rushed across the plain to the next stone. They waited a moment, and then ran to the next, all crowding around the rock to stay hidden. Then again they ran. There was a close call where Beuren had to slide into her spot to avoid being seen. “Stay together.” Gandalf said, letting everyone pass and keeping watch.

“Move.” Thorin ordered. Everyone ran. As they huddled behind the last rock, Ori kept running, not paying attention. “Ori no! Come back.” Thorin snapped, grabbing the young dwarf by the collar of his shirt and pulling him backwards. Beuren nodded that they needed to keep moving. Everyone started forward. “Where are you leading us?” Their leader asked. Gandalf looked at Thorin then started forward, not answering him.

One of the Wargs stopped, sniffing the air around him. He turned, abandoning the chase and following his nose. The scent led it and its rider to a rock that makes a small ten foot cliff in the side of one of the taller hills. Beuren winced, sure they were caught. The dwarves, wizard, hobbit, and elf were silent. Thorin looked at Kili, who stood between him and Beuren. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and followed his uncle’s unspoken order. He leapt out of the protection of the rock and fired his bow. It hit the Warg’s leg then firing one quickly at its rider, it yelped then fell off of the rock. It then began howling, barking, snarling and making as much noise as it could, and so did its rider.

The Orc stood and ran at Dwalin, who was first to step up to the fight. Dwalin swung his war hammer, bringing it to the ground with a pained screech. Bifur attacked next. The Warg started to stand up Beuren and Thorin raced forward, attacking the Warg and killing it. They waited for a moment, just to see if they were lucky. Then they heard howls. With a groan Beuren led the company forward, knowing exactly where they were going.

Once the company lost sight of the Orc pack they stopped. Beuren struggled to get her axe from her hip, hands shaking with the crazy amount of adrenalin. Gloin saw the pack, giving a shout that they were coming. They all started sprinting again, hurrying away from the scene. Thorin skidded to a halt, a Warg and rider had leapt out before him, and he was a mere five feet away. That’s when everyone else noticed that they were surrounded.

“There’s more coming!” Kili shouted.

“Kili! Shoot them!” Beuren and Kili stood side by side, facing the opposite direction and began firing.

“We’re surrounded!” Fili hollered.

“Where’s Gandalf?!”

“He’s abandoned us!” Dwalin growled.

“Hold your ground!” Thorin snapped, unsheathing his sword. Beuren let out a groan.

“I’m out!” She yelled. Stealing arrows from Kili, he didn’t have many left either.

“This way you fools!” They all turned, seeing Gandalf disappearing into the ground. Thorin ran forward, finding that there was a hole in the ground that led to a cavern, large enough to be considered a room.

“Quickly, all of you!” Thorin stood before the spot, everyone started filing down into the cavern below. Beuren had Kili by the back of his shirt, guiding him as he shot at the beasts. Kili dove forward at the last second, sliding into the cavern, Fili right after. Beuren however had stolen several more arrows from her nephew and was still firing. “Beuren!”

“Go!” She ran at him, he stepped down, falling into the cave, she dove head first after him. Just as she stood, a horn sounded.

“That is no orc horn.” Fili mutter beside her. She smiled, knowing exactly who and what it was. They heard a great battle happening on the surface, hooves pounding on the prairie. An orc came tumbling down into their hiding place, an arrow in its heart. Everyone took aim, but it was dead. Thorin stepped forward, taking the arrow from its chest.

“Elves.” He hissed, tossing the arrow aside. Beuren bowed her head. It was easy to forget something like that she guessed.

“I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or not?” Dwalin boomed, looking towards the end of the cavern.

“Follow it of course!” Bofur exclaimed stepping forward. Gandalf smiled, sending a wink towards Beuren. She knew better than to say where they were going. They followed he narrow winding path. The jagged rock faces were smooth, though didn’t look it. Beuren ran her hand across them, smiling, already feeling the magic that emanated from this place. She had taken the lead through the narrow path. She had to remind herself to slow down so the dwarves didn’t get lost. Dwalin insisted that he lead on, just in case of any surprise attacks, reluctantly, Beuren let him pass. She hung back to walk with Bilbo.

“Gandalf, where are we?” Beuren grinned and looked at the Hobbit.

“You can feel it?” She whispered, taking his hand in hers.

“Yes,” He said, looking around, Gandalf was smiling a little too. “It feels…” The Hobbit lowered his voice and looked at Beuren. “It feels like magic.” She smiled and skipped ahead, letting Gandalf explain. Kili was only a few people ahead of her. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, grinning like a child, and giggling into his shoulder. Her nephew glanced back a her, also smiling.

“What are you so happy about?” She took his hand and stretched his arm out, running his hand along the stone. It took him a second, but then he started to feel it, the coolness of the stone, the happiness of unseen people, the unheard songs, it filled him up to the point of a smile. He looked back at Beuren, he didn’t quite get it, but there was something in her eyes that made him understand, a certain look that she only gave him when something better than good was about to happen.

When Dwalin came to the end of the winding pathway he stopped dead in his tracks, though he wouldn’t admit it, this place was beautiful, comparable to even Erebor in its prime. He watched as Beuren skipped forward, stopping just shy of the edge of a cliff. Everyone took a deep intake of breath, the air was cool, clean, much unlike the stifling air they had just been in only moments ago.

“The Valley of Imladris. In the Common Tongue, it’s known by another name.” Gandalf spoke, stepping forward around the crowd of dwarves.