"You can try to desroy my name,
but I will wear your hate
like war paint."
Illdera.
"Uncle Radagast!" I cried and ran to him.
Radagast the Brown hugged me as the dwarfs relaxed. They had looked ready for a fight as Radagast burst out of the woods.
Gandalf walked nearer and looked closely at Radagast.
"What on earth are you doing here?" He asked.
Radagast let go of me, then turned to Gandalf. "I was looking for you Gandalf." He answered.
"Something's wrong. Something is terribly wrong." He said.
Gandalf took him by his arm and led him away. As my two uncles talked, I moved to where Kili and his brother were sitting.
When Fili saw me coming, his eyes hardened and he stood up and turned to Kili.
"I'm going to go help Thorin." He said and turned away without looking at me. When he was gone I looked at Kili.
"Well?" I asked him with my hands on my hips.
"Well what?" He asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
Before I could retort, the cry of a warg filled the air. I must have looked quite frightened, because he came to my side and said.
"Don't worry, milady. I'll keep you safe." He smiled.
"Thank you, great sir." I answered with extravagance. "But I can take care of myself." I said and gave him a little nudge with my shoulder.
Another cry filled the air, louder this time. Bilbo looked fearfully at the others.
"Was that a wolf?" He asked. "Are, are there wolves out there?"
"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf. That, was the cry of a warg." Bofur said.
There was a growl behind us. We turned and saw a warg with dripping fangs.
The thing pounced, but I was ready for it. In a split second I drew my bow and shot it between the eyes.
Another came behind me. Just as I turned, the thing fell, with a arrow sticking out of its head.
It was not my arrow that had pierced it's thick skull though. It was Kili's.
I turned around and gave him a grateful look. He returned it with a smile.
Gandalf and Radagast came back and looked at Thorin.
"Warg scouts!" Thorin told them with disgust. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."
"Orc pack?" Bilbo asked.
"I think that's what he said, Bilbo." I said quietly.
"This is no time for jokes Illdera." Gandalf said angrily.
"Sorry." I muttered.
Gandalf turned to Thorin.
"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" He asked angrily.
"No one." Thorin said.
"Who did you tell!?" Gandalf said with a towering rage.
"No one, I swear!" Thorin snapped with a pained look.
Gandalf muttered angrily to himself. Thorin looked at me and then back at Gandalf.
"What in Durin's name is going on?" He asked.
A terrible realization came over me.
"We're being hunted." I answered.
"We have to get out of here." Dwalin said.
"We can't," I said "We have no ponies. They've bolted."
"I'll draw them off." Radagast said suddenly.
Gandalf gave him a disapproving look. "These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you." He said.
My other uncle smiled. "These are Rhosgobel Rabbits." he said. "I'd like to see them try."
Howls filled the air as Radagast led the wargs away from us. We swiftly ran along, trying not to be seen. Kili and I ran side by side, our bows ready.
We hid behind one of the boulders on the vast plain. Radagast was laughing as the Orcs chased him.
Using my strange power of sensing my enemies, I realized that something had managed to sneak up behind us. I closed my eyes for a second and sighed, before quickly opening them and glancing over my shoulder. It was a Warg standing atop a boulder, making it impossible for us to move from our current position without being seen by it.
The others heard the thing growl and knew what it meant. Thorin looked at Kili, who was holding his bow ready. Thorin motioned to him to shoot the warg.
Kili nodded, but looked scared. I placed my hand on his shoulder, then drew my own bow. He looked at me gratefully.
We ran out from our hiding place and as one, he shot the warg and I the rider. The warg gave only one yelp before dying.
But one yelp was enough. The other Orcs had heard us and knew where we were.
"There is only one place to go, Gandalf." I told my uncle.
"Move! Run!" He shouted.
We ran over a vast plain, the Orc riders not far behind. I knew Gandalf had taken my advice and we were heading towards a certain cave.
We ran as fast as we could, but we were on foot. We were soon surrounded. Gandalf had disappeared. And I knew where to, but I could not leave the dwarfs.
"Kili, shoot them!" Thorin shouted.
"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted back.
The Orcs were almost upon us when Gandalf appeared behind a rock near us.
"This way you fools!" He called.
"Come on, move!" I told them.
Thorin waited for everyone to jump in and when I wanted to go in, he jumped in front of and slid inside. Great! Another dwarf not accepting me.
I slid inside just as a horn sounded across the plains. I knew that sound quite good. I closed my eyes and smiled. Yes, I was right.
A Orc tumbled into our hiding spot. He was dead, with a blue arrow sticking out of him.
Thorin pulled the arrow out. I smiled at his expression.
"Elves." He said, looking both baffled and disgusted.
Dwalin was at the place where the path led off.
"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow in or no?" He said.
"Follow in of course." Bofur said. The dwarfs all walked behind Dwalin, further into the pathway.
"I think that would be wise." Gandalf said.
The pass led further into the earth. It was quite narrow and to me, very familiar. I had been here before.
We walked only a little ways before the pass opened wider and then stopped.
We walked down some stone steps that ended on a ledge. Before us lay a valley and near a waterfall there stood one of the places I knew as a child. Gandalf had brought me here many times.
And I was also here a few times with my mother.
The dwarfs all stared at the sight before us. Gandalf came up behind them.
"The valley of Imladris." He said. "In the common tongue it is known as another name."
"Rivendell." Bilbo said with wonder.
I walked to Gandalf's side and smiled as he placed his arm around my shoulders.
"Here lies the last homely house East of the sea." I told the staring dwarfs.
"This was your plan all along." Thorin accused Gandalf. "To seek refuge with our enemy."
"You have no enemy here, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf said.
"The only ill will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself." I told him.
"Do not, speak to me! You freak." He hissed at me. I walked away as he then turned back to Gandalf.
"You think the Elves would give this quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."
"Of course they will, but we have questions that need to be answered." Gandalf said.
And with that we walked down towards Rivendell.