Angels on the Moon (A Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 21

FILI POV

She was going to chop her wings off, ouch! Kili sighed a little and looked at the plate in front of him. Ali hopped lightly down from the counter and looked around the corner. Bifur and Bofur stood groggily, Nori, Dori, Dwalin and Gloin behind them. She led them into the dining area, a skip in her step. She left through a side door and was gone from sight.

“Tell me, Beorn, how’d you two meet?” Thorin asked, trying to make conversation with the clearly unhappy man.

“It was long ago, very long ago.” He said, then stood, taking up a pitcher and starting around the table.

***

BEORN POV (Memory of meeting Ali)

It was dark. They had us all chained. There were three of us left in this cell. I did not know the names of the other two, but they were chained as well. Snarls rang out from down the hall, the door was opened, we all rose to our feet and stepped back to the wall, keeping a distance from the orcs. They drug a girl, by her hair, into the room. She was kicking and thrashing, screaming words I didn’t understand. She was tossed on the floor in front of me. The other two, both very young cowered against the wall. One orc stood before us in the door.

“Do with her what you will.” It said, though its words nearly impossible to understand. Then it slammed the door, leaving us only a single torch for light. The woman was motionless on the floor. I stepped forward but she growled, literally, and slapped my hand away. She crawled backwards into the darkest corner; nothing could be seen of her but the orange glow of her eyes. I stepped forward, my chains restricting my distance, I bent down and held out one hand.

“I will not hurt you.” I coaxed as though she was a feral animal. She hissed something in a foreign language then pushed herself farther away. I gave up trying to get her to come closer after a few minutes. I sat down and drifted off to sleep. When I woke the next morning the other two were gone, I could hear them fighting one another from far away, that was one of the many tortures they had concocted for us. I looked to my left and saw a small body in the corner, it was the girl, and she was bloody and bruised. I moved so I was on my hands and knees. She was within reaching distance. Lightly I shook her foot, waking her. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing ice blue irises.

“Where am I?” She asked groggily, looking up at me.

“Hell.” I muttered back, sitting down and patting the ground next to me.

“No, this isn’t hell. I’ve been to hell, been through hell.” She sat up and moved closer to me. It took a minute, but it processed.

“You? You are a fallen one?” She cringed slightly.

“Yes.”

“What is your name?” She was hesitant, but then she spoke.

“Alissyanna.” I nodded. “And yours?”

“Beorn.” She nodded. We heard footsteps outside the door. Then it was thrown open, Azog, the Pale Orc, stood. He looked directly at her, and then spoke in a language I didn’t understand. She nodded and replied in the same tongue. He looked at me, then back at her. Then he left. She stood and ran to the door. Standing on her toes she looked out the small window, not seeing anything she sprinted back towards me.

“Beorn, I’m afraid that I will not be able to help your friends, but I will be able to help you.” How? Did she not see I was chained to a wall?

“How? These chains are unbreakable, no hope remains for me.” She knelt down beside me.

“As long as I am here, only hope remains for you.” Alissyanna said, patting my hand. More footsteps echoed, she leapt to her feet and hid in the shadows.  The door opened and I stood.