Unexpected Love

Confusion and Spiders and Elves, OH MY!

They all turn towards the forest hesitantly, no one really wanting to go first. Adrianna steps forward to stand by Thorin and sighs, "Shall we then?" They then enter the forest together.

          The elven path is hard to find and in some places it is almost completely gone. Dwalin uses his axe handle several times to check which way to go. As the day goes on a darkness seems to set in one the minds of the dwarves, allowing them to become dazed. "Air. I need air." Bofur calls from behind Oin who adds, "My head, it's spinning." Adrianna who seems to be the least effected steps to the front as the company comes to a halt. "Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin asks gruffly. "The path… it's disappeared!" Nori calls back. The company looks crestfallen at the news and Thorin calls for them to make camp for the night, as the miniscule light through the trees is fading fast. While everyone else is laying out bed rolls Kili makes his way over to the female warrior that he can't seem to get his mind off of. "This is bad, isn't it?" He asks standing beside her. "Yes, I fear something terrible is coming," she replies turning to face him. Kili places a hand on Adrianna's shoulder and smiles at the pink that rises to her cheeks. "Do not worry. I will let no harm come to you." He says smiling. A small smirk makes its way to Adrianna's mouth as she cocks an eyebrow at the dwarf prince. "What prey-tell do you think of me Master Kili? I am a skilled fighter and archer." She says teasingly. "And I don't fancy being ripped to shreds, Lady Adrianna." He lets slip. The young girl looks at him confused for a moment before asking, "What do you mean by that?" Kili fumbles for words, not wanting to anger her by his conversation with Beorn. "Um… I-- I just mean…" Kili lets out a sigh realizing that he has trapped himself. "I promised Beorn that I would look out for you and keep you safe," he finally admits squinting his eyes for the anger of the half-dwarf to befall him. Instead he is surprised when he feels her arms wrap around his torso, pulling him into a hug. Kili instinctively wraps his arms around her shoulders. "May I call you Adria as well?" He asks suddenly. "Of course you can Kili." She mumbles into his chest.

          The dwarves begin to hand out a small amount of food from the pack Beorn had given to them being careful not to get too much. Even Bombur took just a small portion, as they sat in a circle on the ground. As the forest darkens more with the passing time Adrianna offers to keep first watch, as she has the keenest eyesight, to which no one turns down. Kili and Fili set there bedrolls up on either side of her telling her to wake one of them for the next watch or if anything happens. With everyone now as comfortable as they can get Bombur makes a comment about missing his family. "Aye, its hard to be away from your One that is true." Gloin says sighing heavily. "Your what?" Bilbo questions curiously. Balin then takes up the tale of the dwarven soul mate. He tells them that once a dwarf has found his One that nothing can tear them apart except death. "It's a powerful feeling when you have found your One, though it is rare nowadays with there being so few female dwarves now." Balin adds at the end of his tale. That night they all fell into a slumber pondering over the story Balin had told them, except Adrianna who sat up staring into the blackness of the forest. Beorn had been the only one she ever let call her Adria so why suddenly did she feel comfortable about letting Kili. Did she have feelings for the dwarf as her skin-changing friend suggested to her only days ago? She glanced down at the sleeping form beside her and felt an involuntary smile creep its way to her face. She lays her hand upon his head gently running her fingers through his tangled hair, until he shifted slightly, before he rolled over placing his arm over her waist and mumbling in his sleep.

          Adrianna sat up the whole night pondering her feelings for Kili, and as the sunshine began to peek through the branches signaling a new day she began waking everyone up. They ate breakfast if you could call the tiny meal that even and then began looking for the path again. With no luck they continued on towards the east, at least the direction they thought was east, when Ori spoke out. He picks a pouch up from the ground and Dori takes it from him saying, "A tobacco pouch. There's dwarves in these woods." Bofur then grabs at the pouch before exclaiming, "Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same a s mine!" Adrianna rolls her eyes suppressing a laugh as Bilbo sighs exasperatedly, "Because it IS yours. You understand? We're going around in circles." The dwarves then begin arguing about the direction they should be heading in, and Bilbo thinks to climb a tree to the top to see just where the sun had gotten to. The two oddities of the company then do just that while leaving the dwarves to there bickering. As they break through the tree tops they take in a deep breath of fresh air, turning to look and see the way forward. "I- I can see a lake! And a river. And the Lonely Mountain. We're almost there," He calls out to the company below. Bilbo continues to call down to them with no response. "Why aren't they answering?" The hobbit asks the girl to his right. Adrianna just looks at him shrugging her shoulders. Then her face goes blank and she stares off into the sky. As she comes back to reality a look of shock and fear roll across her face, "Bilbo! We must hurry they are in grave danger if we do not." With that the two begin climbing back down. Bilbo suddenly trips over an almost invisible string and tumbles down through the trees. He manages to catch himself only to see a massive spider coming at him. He panics and then slips from the branch he clung to falling again through the thick trees, finally stopping when he land on a large spider web.

          Adrianna descends quickly trying to catch up to her companion, sliding and swinging through the branches. Her elf like attributes and years in the woods of Lorien being her advantage she quickly catches up to the trapped hobbit. The spider has already wrapped Bilbo up in its webbing and she follows behind carefully, hoping it will lead her to the rest of her company. Adrianna watches as Bilbo wakes from his poison induced sleep in time to kill the spider attempting to eat him dropping to the forest floor and disappearing from her sight. The spiders begin to move in on the dwarves who are tightly wrapped in web cocoons when a noise in the distance grabs their attention. They begin to move off after it think of nothing but another item to add to the menu. Adrianna takes this moment to swing down from her perch and begin cutting the cocoons trying to free the dwarves before the spiders return. One by one the sacks hit the forest floor and a groan escapes of each occupant at the hard landing before they begin tearing their way out. All too soon the spiders return just as Adrianna drops to the ground by the company. They begin to fight off the spiders, Dwalin and a group pulling the legs off of one. Adrianna unsheathes her twin swords and begins fighting the spiders surrounding her. The dwarves attention is drawn to her as she seemingly dances her way though the legions of eight legged monsters; spinning, sliding, and flipping around them in a flurry. Just as the think the have won more spiders begin climbing down from the canopy above but before they can reach the ground arrows begin to fly, each one hitting its mark killing the beasts quickly.

          Suddenly the company is surrounded by the elves of Mirkwood, a blond elf raises his bow pointing it at Thorin and says, "Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." Then they all hear a cry for help and Fili calls out for his brother. Adrianna's heart clenches with a new fear, never felt before as she instinctively turns and fires an arrow at the spider holding Kili's leg. Another arrow hits just after hers, fired by a red headed elf moving towards Kili. The blonde elf then calls for the company to be searched. After a through search he and the red head converse and as Adrianna moves closer to Kili a look of realization cross her. "Legolas?" She questions. "Luthien? Is that you?" He answers turning the face her. The blonde elf, Legolas, then embraces the young girl with joy and confusion, "Naugrim, Luthien?" He asks in elvish. Adrianna nods pulling away from him. Kili's blood boils with rage at the elf hugging Adrianna but before he can do something stupid his brother places a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. As Adrianna steps back beside Kili Legolas shouts, "Enwenno hain!" (Take them) The elves then start pushing them off through the forest.

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Sorry it took so long I'm working the weekend shift and bills must be paid you know. LOL.