Prince Princey McBroodypants and Maiden Mysterious find out they are being hunted.
Tw: AHAHHAHA PAINNN, goblins, mention of violence and blood, someone is shot with an arrow, description of pain and being shot, vague mentions of traumatic memories, a Kili fluff moment???? I think???
———
———
Rest had finally settled amonst the company. Raewyn had found her spot on a rock, sitting down on top of it. At the moment, she could not care less for the company. Sure, they had grown on her, but lots of them had still been distant. She might have cared for about four, maybe five dwarves, but that had been it. Bilbo would be fine for the night, she knew that much.
Yet, an uninvited worry still gnawed at the back of her head. She knew these mountains were crawled with goblins; it had been wildly known. She met them on multiple occasions even, but she did not know where safety would be and where there should be need for panic. Goblins were not smart enough for traps, she kept ensuring herself, but she knew what Goblintown looked like. She knew they had their fair share of knowledge about architecture and infrastructure. A million thoughts ran through her head, but she was rudely interrupted when she heard something behind her.
She quickly turned around, thinking it had been something dangerous, but when she came face to face with a spooked Bilbo, she sighed.
"You should be sleeping." You spoke, looking back towards the empty sky outside. "And you should be on first guard, not full guard." Bilbo returned. "You know what Thorin is like. He just said first watch to make himself feel good." Raewyn scoffed, a silent yawn escaping her mouth afterwards.
"Why are you awake?" The ranger wondered, still not looking at Bilbo. He was quiet for a while, and Raewyn started contemplating whether he had even been awake or not. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.
"I'm going back." She heard Bilbo speak, who was now walking towards the archway. Instantaneously, the woman stood up, blocking the entrance. "What?"
"I'm going back to Rivendell." He elaborated.
"Yes, I heard that." She pointed out. "Why?"
"Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have never ran out of my door." Bilbo ranted, to which Raewyn sighed.
"You're leaving because of Thorin?" Raewyn asked offended. "Thorin says a lot of things, but you're not supposed to listen to him."
"We are, though." The hobbit objected. "He's the leader of this company. It kind of comes with the role." He explained.
The woman frowned at his words, yet tried to keep on her kind face. "You want to go home, and I understand that, but-" "How can you?" Bilbo interjected. "You never had the comforts of a home. You tell me it's people, but it's a place. You can't understand that, Raewyn."
The woman remained quiet at the smaller creature's words. Her eyes cast to the floor, taking a side step to let Bilbo pass. The hobbit, however, stood still, realization of his words sinking in. "I'm sorry." He offered. "You can come with me. Maybe I can find you a home."
"I won't." Raewyn admitted. "I've known that for a long time now."
The ranger looked at the hobbit, waving her hand to usher him to continue walking. "You can ask Elrond to find elves who will keep you safe on the road home. You can trust his counsel." She advised.
"Raewyn, I'm sorry." Bilbo tried again, but the woman ignored him. Her eyes had been focused on the knife he had been carrying since the troll hoard. Instead of its usual grey, blunt look, it now appeared bright blue, shining as if it held its own light. Bilbo followed her gaze, his eyes widening at the sight.
Raewyn immediately knew what was happening.
Before she could stop herself, she ran to the bag she threw down between Fili and Kili, using it to kick them awake. A strange, mechanical creaking was suddenly heard throughout the cave, alerting Thorin, who shot up.
"Wake up. Wake up!" He exclaimed. The dwarves all muttured groggily, not content with the rude awakening. However, before any of them could question it, the ground disappeared under them. Raewyn tried to push Bilbo away, but her attempt was fruitless. The company of fifteen went sailing down a chute.
Multiple shouts and protests were heard, the wall bumping into the company's arms continuously. Raewyn's back made contact with the hard rocks on the sides, scraping her already exsistent bruises and wounds. She hissed at the feeling, clenching her fists together in order to remain silent. Again, she tried to reach Bilbo, but was interrupted halfway as one of the dwarves bumped into her again.
After a while, the company finally collided with the floor, the dwarves piling up in one big heap. Raewyn pushed Nori off of her, who had been the last to end up on the pile. The woman quickly stood up, her hand reaching for the bead intwined in her hair, making sure it had still been in place.
From a distance, she could see smaller creatures nearing; their back crooked and their steps uneven. Their wretched laughs echoes through the cave as their eyes seemed to study the company's every movement. Raewyn had crossed paths with them on multiple occasions, none of them pleasant. Goblins; annoying and cruel beings, with no sense of intelligence nor compassion. There was no reasoning with them, there was barely any chance of coming back alive. Thankfully, Raewyn knew how to fight, unlike many others that had crossed these paths too. She grasped her sword quicker than she had done before, her eyes looking for the hobbit, who was undoubtly still under the pile of dwarves.
"Mahihbir!" The woman warned quickly, nudging one of the nearby dwarves with the hilt of her sword, but it had been futile.
The dangerous creatures had already come within arms reach, forming a circle around the company, barely giving them time to reach for their weapons. Pointy sticks and ragged daggers were shoved their way, nicking a couple dwarves, delivering a blow to Raewyn's arm too, though she barely felt it, the leather of her armor not breaking under the dangerous touch. In response, Raewyn swiftly swung her sword towards the goblin, seperating its head from its body before anyone could even realize it. When the goblins around him heard the head hit the floor, the simultaneously turned to the woman, now aiming all weapons at her.
A loud banging of drums was suddenly heard as some sort of music had come playing. Out of her eye of sight, Kili had made his way towards Raewyn, grabbing the back of her armor around her neck, yanking her back, his other hand already extended to Raewyn's swinging arm, with which she was surely going to try and hit him.
And lo and behold, the dwarf had been right; had it not been for his hand on Raewyn's wrist, he would have ended up exactly like the goblin before him.
He pushed the woman into the crowd of dwarves, putting himself in her place. Yet, as his hand begun reaching for his own blade, the small creatures advanced towards him and the rest of the company, no longer giving them an escape. The dwarves tried to fight back, but to no avail. The goblins forced the group together, poking their daggers and spears towards the company to keep them moving. Raewyn pushed a few dwarves out of the way, looking for that specific person.
"I feel a song coming!" A loud voice suddenly boomed, alerting the dwarves even more.
"Where's Bilbo?" She asked, her heartbeat speeding up at the thought of something happening to him. "Thorin, where is Bilbo?" The woman wondered again, her voice now more panicked, shoving the leader harshly. Yet, all she received from him was an annoyed glare as he pushed a couple goblins away from him.
"Bilbo!" Raewyn shouted, desperately looking around, but the smaller creature had disappeared from her sight. A sudden hand on her arm ripped her out of her anxious state, grounding her back to reality.
"If he managed to hide, we shouldn't alert them." Fili mumbled, holding onto the young woman to make sure she wouldn't run off. She gave the dwarf a mere nod before lashing out at the goblins again.
"Clap, snap, the black crack. Grip, grab, pinch, and nab. Batter and beat, Make 'em stammer and squeak! Pound pound, far underground. Down, down, down in Goblin Town." The voice sang, as multiple goblins repeated the last words.
As the company was lead to the center of, what appeared to be an underground square, their weapons were roughly taken from them. Raewyn had held an iron grip on her sword, not allowing the creatures to take them. She could see the company struggling, but she would not break now. Her sword swung at the goblins, causing them to either jump back or end up in pieces. The dwarves took the distraction to heart and desperately begun reaching for the weapons again.
"With a swish and smack. And a whip and a crack. Everybody talks when they're on my rack. Pound pound, far underground. Down, down, down to Goblin Town."
As Raewyn took a couple steps forward, the goblins stepped back, almost as if they were actually frightened at her. But they weren't. They were simply making room.
"Hammer and tongs, get out your knockers and gongs. You won't last long on the end of my prongs. Clash, crash, crush and smish. Bang, break, shiver and shake."
Before any of them could even process it, a dirty arrow lodged itself into Raewyn's thigh. She grunted at the impact, falling on her knees as the feeling of the familiar impact connected with her brain. At last, she dropped her sword, keeping her hands around the skin to try to lessen the bleeding.
"You can yammer and yelp. But there ain't no help. Pound pound, far underground. Down, down, down in Goblin Town."
"Raewyn!" She heard Kili shout. The dwarf ran towards the ranger, stumbling over the dead goblins, before falling to his knees beside her, looking at the arrow. Without any word or warning, he placed his hands around it, snapping it in half quickly.
"The next one goes into your eye, Asha." She heard a deep, yet loud voice speak; the Goblin King. She glared at the great monstrosity, still maintaining her hard exterior, not daring to show an ounce of pain on her face.
"Catchy, isn't it? It's one of my own compositions." He now spoke to the company, referring to his song.
"It's not a song. It's an abomination!" Balin protested, to which many dwarves audibly agreed.
"Abominations. Mutations. Deviations. That's all you're gonna find down here." The king interrupted.
"Would you be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom once more, ranger? And with your little friends? Who are they? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" He taunted, jumping off of his great throne, leaning over his staff as to look down upon the company, a sadistic grin on his face as he watched Raewyn, who bared her teeth in pain, trying to find some way to get rid of the pain.
"Dwarves, your malevolence." One of the goblins remarked, walking towards his king.
"Dwarves?"
"We found them on the Front Porch."
"Well, don't just stand there!" The Great Goblin commanded. "Search them! Every crack, every crevice!" The goblins rushed forwards at the words, searching through the pockets of the company, who begrudgingly let them. As the goblins neared Raewyn, Kili shot up, taking his stance in front of her, Fili quickly following his brother's lead.
"It is in my belief, my great malignance, that they are in league with the elves." Grinnah, one of the goblins, announced, holding up a piece of silverware. The great goblin took it, inspecting it thouroughly.
"Made in Rivendell. Ah, Second Age. Couldn't give it away." He concluded, throwing the silverware off the wooden story.
"Bring the Asha here!" The king bellowed, pointing towards Raewyn, who was busy shooing off a gobling. Four creatures quickly took its place, grabbing her arms harshly, their nails scratching the well-maintained leather. She grunted at the scratches, but she finally gave up on fighting, knowing this could only get worse.
As the cruel beings forced her on her feet, she nearly toppled over, her leg not able to support the weight of her full body and armor. Nonetheless, they ushered her forward, throwing her down only a couple feet from the Great Goblin.
"I knew you were wandering those mountains. I could smell it hours ago." He taunted, looking at the snapped arrow, that was still lodged into her thigh. "I was taking the necessary precuations."
"Clever. Otherwise you would be nothing else than a lost soul leaving the world of the living." Raewyn spat back, her proud speech not once fading.
"As your father was?" The Great Goblin smirked.
"As your son was?" The young woman quipped back, smiling back just as sourly. The goblin growled, raising his staff as he swung it at the ranger, the material harshly colliding with her stomach as she flew back, her back hitting one of the wooden structures on the plaza. The air had freshly been knocked out of her lungs as her body begged for her to remove her armor. Shouts of protests were heard throughout the company as the Goblin King now turned to them.
"What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" He demanded.
"Don't worry, lads." Oin announced, walking in front of the company. "I'll handle this." "No tricks!" The gobling king began. "I want the truth. Warts and all."
"You're going to have to speak up. Your boys flattened my trumpet." "I'll flatten more than your trumpet." The goblin threatened, stepping closer towards the dwarves.
"If you want information, I'm the one you should speak too!" Bofur interjected, shoving Oin to the side. The dwarf took a quick side look at Raewyn, who had not moved since she was shoved away rather rudely.
"We were on the road." The hatted dwarf explained. "Well, it's not so much a road; it's a path. Actually, it's not even that, come to think of it. It's more like a track. The point is; we were on a road, or a track. And then we weren't. Which is a problem, because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday."
"Visiting distant relations!" Dori added.
"Some inbears on my mother's side." Bofur went on.
"Shut up!" The goblin king shouted, staring down at the company as his eye wandered to Raewyn. A grin found its way onto his face, stomping over towards the young woman. "Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the mangler! Bring out the bonebreaker! We start with the Asha!" He announced, causing all the goblins to burst out cheering.
"No!" Kili yelled, but his attempts were futile as his voice was drowned out. He swiftly turned to Thorin, pointing towards the fallen woman. "Do something!" He pleaded, but Thorin remained stone faced. Kili groaned at his uncle's behavior before sending one desperate look to Fili.
"She will die if we do nothing." The blonde hissed. "Good." Thorin mumbled, shocking even Dwalin himself. Kili shoved his uncle out of the way, running up to the Great Goblin.
"If someone must die, it will be me." He spoke, planting his feet on either side of the ranger, shielding her from the vile king. "If you kill her, you will only be pleasuring the company. If you want to make them talk, it's me you should have."
"Kili!" Fili warned, stepping towards his brother, though he was interrupted halfway by Balin. The Great Goblin halted his steps, looking down at the dwarf who was blocking his way to his prey, a knowing smile entering his face.
"But you care for her. You will talk or she will die." He threatened, pointing his pointy staff to Kili, the dagger end of it mere inches from his armor.
"Wait!" Thorin boomed, revealing himself to the goblins. The goblin king turned around to face the dwarf, forgetting Kili, who had yet to let down his guard.
"Well, well, well, look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under The Mountain." The goblin exclaimed, giving him a mocking bow. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really." He spoke in fake sadness, but his tone changed as his brain reminded him of something.
"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached." He now turned to Raewyn, where Kili was still standing. "He was looking for the Asha too."
Three steps were taken towards Thorin's figure, each step more dangerous than the one before. "Perhaps you know of whom I speak. A vengeful enemy of yours. A pale orc aside a white warg."
"Azog the Defiler is dead. He was slain in battle long ago." Thorin denied.
"So you think his defiling days are over, do you?" The king walked towards a goblin in a form of swing, connecting him to every place in Goblin Town. "Send word to the pale orc. Tell him I have found his prizes." The tinier goblin laughed before scribbling something down, leaving the scene.
"As for you, young dwarf." The goblin continued, leaning over his cane to come face to face with Kili. "You will get a front seat to the slaughtering of the last Asha alive!" He cackled, pushing the dwarf away as he reached for Raewyn, picking her up as he mockingly squeezed her in his hand. The ranger wheezed loudly, her arms trying to peel the molding skin off, but to no avail.
"I will enjoy killing you." The goblin admitted, flashing his rotten teeth to the young woman. And for once in her life, Raewyn was out of escapes. She could not reach for her hidden daggers and her leg would be of no help to her. Nothing but fresh, searing fear entered her body, not knowing what to do. She was going to die underground while everyone watched. There would be no lesser death than that.
For a short moment, every sound faded from her hearing as she looked around. Noises she could not cancel out began invading her brain, reminding her of less pleasant times.
"Adad, don't leave me alone."
"Death is a path we must all take, Raewyn. There is no need to be frightened of it."
"Please, help me!"
"They are beyond helping now."
Her eyes landed on Thorin, who had done nothing but stare up at her, his expression unreadable.
"Please, help me." She mouthed to him, tears springing from her eyes, hoping that - for once - he would heed her call. Yet, his expression did not give his intention away. It had almost appeared as if he was doubting. As if he truly had no idea what to do. The squeezing around her sides had increased, and she had nearly sworn she heard something crack. A yell of agony was heard throughout the cave, sending chills into the company's bodies. Raewyn hadn't even realized yet that it had been her own scream. Her own plea for help.
"Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung. You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung. You will die down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin Town!" The king sang, swinging Raewyn in his fist, who was on the verge of passing out.
Then, suddenly, a goblin-made spear lunged towards the Great Goblin, imbedding itself into the arm with which he had been holding Raewyn. Out of his reflexes, he dropped the woman, reaching for the weapon.
Raewyn closed her eyes, ready to say her farewells. But her prayers had been cut short when she collided with something that was definitely not the floor. A grunt was heard from below her as two arms made their way around the ranger's body. "I truly thought I could catch you." She heard Kili mumble, before he gently rolled Raewyn off of him, getting up himself.
"There is this thing called gravity and increasing impact." She mumbled, reaching for her sides, hissing when they grazed a sensitive part.
"You!" The Great Goblin sneered, staring down at Kili, who gave the monstrosity a challenging look. One Raewyn had never seen him hold yet. The goblin kept nearing Kili, until Raewyn unsheathed the dagger hidden underneath her armor, lodging it into the king's foot.
"That's close enough." She spoke, drawing her dagger back before throwing it towards Kili, who caught it mid air.
A loud shreek was heard from behind them, drawing the attention away from Raewyn and Kili. Grinnah had held Thorin's sword, yet he threw it down as soon as he recognized the structure.
"I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" The Great Goblin exclaimed in panic, alerting his minions. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" He then pointed to Thorin and Raewyn. "Cut off their heads!"
The goblins listened to their master's commands, running up to the company once more as the dwarves began fighting back. Multiple goblins threw themself onto Raewyn, who struggled to get up and fight back. One of them managed to bite her hand, making her yell out, delivering a fatal blow to his head before Fili threw the rest off of her.
"Stay down." He said to her, taking his brother's side as the fought off the goblins. And just as the Great Goblin neared the three, a bright, white light filled the cave, sending the goblins to the ground or off the platform, to the abiss down below.
"Take up arms." A familiar voice spoke, bringing a special sense of relief to Raewyn. "Fight. Fight!"
——
Mahihbir! : Watch out! in Khuzdul
Adad: Father, or Dad in Khuzdul
——