The company ran down the hill, the wargs closing in quickly. Their hopes faded and fear over took many of the company when they saw nothing but a cliff ahead of them. They were trapped. Night had fallen making the thought of death all the more ominous. A warg, well ahead of the others launched at Bilbo who ducked out of the way with speed. The warg landed in front of Bilbo and turned to face him. Teeth bared and growling fiercely. A frightened Bilbo pulled out his sword holding it shakily in front of him as the warg charged. The warg charged head on into Bilbo's sword, slumping to the ground dead. Bilbo looked at the dead warg in shock, but the oncoming of other wargs drew him out of it.
Seeing no other escape, Gandalf points up to the trees with his staff.
"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!"
The dwarves begin working together climbing up into the safety of the trees. Ruive waited on the ground shooting a warg that was coming to close to Dori and Ori for her liking. She drew another arrow grimacing in pain, the lashes on her back still fresh and painful. She looked to see Bilbo struggling to pull his sword out of a warg, unaware of another warg closing in on him. She sent her arrow into the warg's head.
"Ruive come on, hurry!!"
She heard the desperate voice of Kili above her. She looked to see Bilbo successfully pull his sword from the warg and clamber up a tree, she took a few steps away from the tree before running and vaulting off a rock and swinging onto a low branch. With her bow still in hand she climbed up next to Fili and Kili and watched as the wargs surrounded the trees. The orcs astride their wargs' approached, but Ruive and Thorin took no notice of them, their attention was focused on the leader of the pack. A pale orc astride a white warg, Azog the Defiler was alive.
As the wargs circle the trees, Gandalf looks to see a small moth perched on a leaf. Using his staff, he picked up the moth and brought it close to his face whispering to it quietly before blowing it away watching as it flutter off.
"Azog?!" Thorin whispered, his voice hoarse with shock and pain.
Ruive's vision went red and her fists clenched turning her knuckles white. She wanted to jump from the tree and drive he sword through his throat. She must have been leaning forward, because a large firm hand was placed on her shoulder.
Kili saw the look of pure rage on her face and watched as her hand instinctively went to her sword. Fearing she may do something stupid in her injured condition, he placed his hand on her shoulder pulling her back slightly. He internally sighed when he saw her face calm and blood flow return to her knuckles.
Ruive held back her rage as best she could, she couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgement when the lives of others were at risk.
Azog leaned down to his growling warg, stoking it at he watched the company.
"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" [Do you smell it? The scent of fear?] Azog's eyes closed in on Thorin, not yet having noticed Ruive. "Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob." [I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain.]
Thorin's face was stricken with grief and pain. His father had indeed been taken prisoner by Azog.
"It cannot be."
Azog grinned sickeningly scanning the rest of the dwarves, his grin only widened when he saw Ruive glaring at him with fierce rage.
(In black speech) "Ruive, the mighty warrior, fallen. I remember your screams, your sister's too."
Ruive's eye stung with tears as she remembered Tauriel dying at Azog's hands.
Azog raised his mace and pointed to Thorin and Ruive.
"Those two are mine. Worori-da!" [Kill the others!]
The wargs leaped at the trees, clawing and scratching the bark trying to reach the company. Ruive drew and arrow and shot at the wargs, but it had little affect and she was running low on arrows. The more the wargs jumped at the trees, the more they shook and the tree's roots became unstuck. The company held on the best they could as the trees continued to shake violently.
"Sho gad adol!" [Drink their blood!]
The trees began to tip over and crash into each other. The dwarves and Ruive had no other choice but to jump from tree to tree, until the entire company were all huddled into the tree that sat at the edge of the cliff.
Gandalf looked around in desperation for something to help them. He spotted a pinecone and yanked it from the branch and used his staff to light it on fire before he threw it at the wargs below. The unsuspecting wargs retreat startled and afraid of the fire. Azog's face changes from pleasure to anger in a matter of seconds. Gandalf continued to light pinecones and threw on to Fili.
"Fili!"
Fili caught the pinecone and helped Bilbo light one of his own. As Gandalf lit pinecones, the company passed them around so other could light ones of their own and pelt them at the wargs below. Ruive pulled out and arrow and used Kili's pinecone to light the tip on fire. She aimed at the dry grass between Azog and the trees. When the arrow hit the ground, the grass surrounding them set ablaze burning wargs who whimpered and yelped in pain. The company cheer as Azog roar in anger and frustration as a warg runs away with its fur alight.
Just as the tide seemed to turn in the dwarves favour, the roots of the tree began to give way and the tree leaned over the cliff side high above the ground. The company struggles to hold on as the tree swayed around, Ori lost his grip and began to fall only to catch onto Dori's leg.
Ori looked down in fear. "Aahhh! Oh! Oh no!"
"Mister Gandalf!" Dori cried as his grip on the branch began to fail.
As the branch slips through his fingers, Gandalf dropped his staff down and Dori caught the end of it only just.
"Hold on, Ori!"Dori called to his younger brother.
Thorin looks up at a growling Azog with hatred enough to rival Ruive. He pulled himself up and drew his sword striding down the trunk of the tree with purpose in his step and anger in his eyes. Ruive's eyes widened as she watched Thorin stride towards a smug looking Azog. Azog opened his arms wide challenging Thorin as the dwarf charged at him, he crouched down on his warg and launched at Thorin who tried to swing his sword, but was hit in the chest by his warg. Thorin smashed to the ground as Azog leaped over him. Thorin climbed back to his feet but was only knocked down by Azog's oncoming mace.
The company could only watch on in pain as they tried to climb up to help their King. Bilbo managed to clamber up the tree as the warg's jaws clamps around a defenceless Thorin who yelled in pain.
"Thorin! Nooo!" Dwalin cried as he tried and failed to reach him.
Thorin managed to hit the warg with the pommel of his sword causing the warg to roar in pain and throw Thorin onto a flat rock near the edge of the cliff. Thorin tried to pick up his sword again, but faded in and out of consciousness.
"Biriz torag khobdudol." [Bring me the Dwarf's head.]
Azog ordered to one of the orcs who climbed off his warg and walked over to Thorin placing his sword at his neck. Bilbo pulled out his sword and ran at the orc, his blade glowing bright blue. As the orc raises his sword Bilbo launches himself at the orc knocking them both to the ground, leaning back to drive his blade into the orc's chest.
Thorin watched, his vision blurred, as the hobbit stands in front of him waving his sword wildly as Azog closes in on Bilbo. Out of nowhere, a blur of gold hair launched at Azog on his warg. 'Ruive...' Was Thorin's last thought before he succumbed to darkness.
Ruive pulled herself onto the tree trunk and ran towards the orcs with flying speed seeing Bilbo severely outnumbered. She sped up as Azog began to close in on Bilbo, when she got close enough she launched herself at the pale orc and tackled him off his warg. Ruive and Azog tumbled to the ground, Ruive was quick to roll away and jump to her feet and draw her sword spinning it expertly and threatening.
Azog look at her with anger, but when he realized who it was a mocking grin spread over his lips.
"You won't save them, Slayer. Just like you couldn't save her."
Ruive swallowed her pain, both emotional and physical and stood tall refusing to show weakness.
"I will save them, I will avenge her, and I will kill you."
With a battle cry she charged at Azog clashing her sword with his mace. Her blade swung, sliced and stabbed in a flurry of fluent movements, each of them blocked by Azog's mace or spear-like arm. Ruive's attack came in a relentless onslaught, sending Azog stumbling backwards slightly. By now a few of the other dwarves had joined in the fight and were slowly decreasing the number of enemies, but Ruive and Azog were absorbed in their own fight too much to care about what was going on. Ruive's attack was relentless, but her injuries were beginning to catch up and her attacks slowed and weaken.
Azog noticed her weakening state and turned the attack on her swinging his mace with such brute force that Ruive barely kept her balance blocking it. Azog raised his mace above his head and brought it down on Ruive who raise her sword horizontally to block it. Ruive struggled under the weight as Azog pushed his mace down on her, Ruive watched confused as Azog smirked at her. Then it occurred to her, she had left herself wide open. Before she could do anything, Azog drove his speared arm into her stomach barely missing her left hip bone. Ruive gasped in both pain and shock as her body tried to comprehend what just happened.
Her knees buckled beneath her and she fell forward onto her hands and knees, her left hand pressed against her wound as the blood seeped through her fingers and dripped to the ground. Azog stood above her chuckling at her pained form. Blood stained the back of her shirt from the lashes, still visible through her poorly tied corset, and crimson liquid poured from the new gaping hole in her stomach. Somehow, Ruive had managed to keep hold of her sword in her right hand that held her up. Azog had foolishly left himself unguarded as he continued to laugh at her. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she heaved her sword up and sliced a fairly deep, but not fatal gash across Azog's upper body. Azog roared in pain and anger staring down as black blood oozed from his scarred body.
Ruive smirked up at Azog, smearing blood across her lips. Azog moved to strike her again, but the screeching of an eagle cut him off. The eagles swooped in picking up the members of the company one by one and dropping them onto the back of others. Beating their large wings hard they spread the fire quickly, setting the fur of many wargs alight. Hope returned to Ruive knowing that the company would be safe. She looked back to Azog only to see him grinning at something behind her. Before she could turn, sharp teeth sunk into her right shoulder. A white muzzle clamped tight around her shoulder piercing deep into the skin. A strangled, pained cry clawed from Ruive's throat as the pain surged through her body. Switching her sword to her left hand, she swung slicing the wargs cheek causing it to throw her much like it had Thorin towards the edge of the cliff.
Gandalf and Ruive were the only two of the company not on the safety of an eagle's back. Gandalf looked back to Ruive who rolled onto her stomach and picked up her sword. Azog slowly moved closer to her, but what surprised Gandalf most was Ruive's next move. She stumbled to her feet, swaying slightly and she sheathed her sword. A smirk passed over her blood stained lips as she took slow steps backwards. As Azog sped up towards her, she spun on her heel and ran straight to the edge of the cliff and jumped off. Gandalf took this as his que to jump as well and landed safely on the back of an eagle just as the tree toppled over the edge.
Ruive jumped off the cliff falling through the air she watched as a shadow moved under her before she collided with a soft surface. Ruive groaned at the impact and gripped the eagle's feathers gently to stabilize herself.
"Thank you." She softly whispered as she pressed tightly against her wounds trying to stem the bleeding.
She raised her weary head and looked to see the company safely on the backs of eagles, except Thorin who hung unconscious in the talons of an eagle.
The dwarves watched their leader with worry, none had seen Ruive injured by Azog and had only seen her fight him. Gandalf glanced back occasionally at Ruive, and sighed thinking she was alright and her wounds were merely scratches judging by how she was sitting upright. How wrong he was, Ruive struggled to keep her eyes open that where burdened with weariness. Her shirt, corset, and pants where stained with fresh blood. Her hands were coated with ever dripping crimson. She prayed to Mahal and the Valinor for strength to last just a little longer.
Thorin was placed gently on the Carrock, Gandalf was the first to reach him.
"Thorin! Thorin."
Finding that the dwarf was not responding, Gandalf placed his hand over Thorin's face whispering a spell as the rest of the company landed and huddled as close as they could to their fallen king.
Thorin's eyes softly flutter open, he looks around before spotting Gandalf.
"The halfling?" He whispered.
Gandalf smiled, his eyes flickering to Bilbo. "It's all right. Bilbo is here. He's quiet safe."
Dwalin and Kili move and help Thorin stand only to have him shrug them off. Thorin stormed at Bilbo jabbing his finger at him menacingly.
"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"
Bilbo shifts back slightly frightened at Thorin's outburst.
Thorin's face softened.
"I've never been so wrong in all my life!"
Thorin grabbed Bilbo and embraced him tightly, the other dwarves cheer. Ruive lets a small smile grace her lips despite her pain as she watches from the back of the company. Thorin has finally accepted Bilbo, and Bilbo has finally accepted himself.
"I am sorry I doubted you." Thorin said meaningfully.
"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar."
Chuckles erupted from the company.
Thorin looked around for another face that he wanted to speak to. He looked to Gandalf, his angered look returning.
"Where is she?"
The company parts revealing a bloody and dishevelled looking Ruive. Gasps escape their lips as they take in the amount of blood covering her.
Ruive grimaced slightly and swayed a bit.
"If you have intentions to shout at me would you please be kind enough to wait until I have the strength to shout back?" Ruive asked a sarcastic tone in her voice.
Before anyone could say something Ruive's legs crumpled beneath her and she fell to the ground. Luckily Kili caught her shoulders before her head could hit the ground. He pulled her back so she lay across his lap and paled at the sight of her wounds.
"Gandalf! She's wounded badly. Help her!" Kili pleaded desperately.
As if almost brought out of a trance, Gandalf moved into action kneeling by her side as he assessed her wounds. Thorin came and looked over his shoulder.
"What happened to her?" Thorin asked, a slight tinge of worry hidden in his voice.
"She stopped Azog from killing you and Bilbo." Gandalf answered gravely.
He placed his hand over her face much like he had Thorin, running his hand down her body to the wound in her stomach quietly muttering a spell as he did. When he drew his hand back, everyone waited anxiously for Ruive to wake. At first there was no reaction from her, but as her wounds closed over leaving behind pale scars, colour returned to her cheeks.
Ruive felt a spark inside her, as though some one was trying to light a fire. Slowly that spark got warmer and grew bigger until it was a raging fire. Ruive's eyes snapped open and her chest lurched upwards as she gasped heavy in breaths of air. Her eyes flickered around as she saw Gandalf and Thorin with concerned expressions on their faces which soon faded, and Kili who's face was etched with worry.
"Am I dead? Because if I am I do believe Mahal and the Valinor hate me." Ruive sighed sarcastically.
She knew very much she was alive and what had happened, but she felt just by the looks on everyone's faces that someone had just died and the tension needed to be eased. The company smiled and chuckled as she sat up from Kili's lap. With the help of Kili and Gandalf she stood on her feet with new found strength. Slowly everyone stepped back as Thorin stepped closer to her his face vacant of expression. Ruive's face mirrored his as she waited for him to start shouting at her for some unknown reason.
"You are the most foolish; reckless, stubborn, hardheaded..." Thorin's voice was bitter almost.
Ruive was fuming inside after everything she had done, he still treats her terribly.
"Selfless, brave, strongest, and most loyal person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I am sorry for how I have treated you after all you have done for us." Thorin had an almost invisible smile on his lips.
Ruive's face was shocked, and she was speechless. She had expected for Thorin to shout at her and she was fully prepared to shout back, but this she was not prepared for.
"I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, and paid the price of losing the ones I love for it. But I feel like being here, fighting along side all of you, is something that is right. And I will gladly fight along side you til this journey's end." Ruive said looking Thorin in the eye the entire time.
Thorin stepped forward and wrapped Ruive in and embrace much like he had Bilbo.
"It will be my honour to fight along side you."
Ruive was shocked but returned the embrace finally feeling like she was doing something right by others. As Ruive pulled back, she looked into the distance and saw something she had not seen in some time.
Bilbo noticed her gaze and followed it.
"Is that what I think it is?
The rest of the company look to see the Lonely Mountain, their home in the distance.
"Erebor-The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth." Gandalf announces, though many of the dwarves are gazing longingly at the mountain to notice.
"Our home." Whispers Thorin.
A small bird flits past heading in the direction of the mountain chirping happily.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin speaks up alluding to the portents.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf corrects.
"But we'll take it as a sign - a good omen." Thorin says smiling down at Bilbo then to Ruive.
"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." Bilbo sighed.
How she wished she could believe Bilbo, but what lies ahead would be far more dangerous than anything they've faced. A dragon. The company watched as the sun began to rise behind the mountain, Ruive sighed letting her thoughts drift away. She smiled knowing in her heart and head she was doing something right by others, perhaps now is the time she does something right by her heart for herself. And she was certain she knew the answer.
Oh My God!!!! First movie done yay!!!! I must really love you guys cause do you know how late I have stayed up to finish this?????? To be honest, I kinda feel accomplished. Anyway tell me what you think about the last chapter of an Unexpected Journey, Desolation of Smaug will continue on from here so you won't have to worry about finding the next book all of the Hobbit movies will be in the one book. Thank you all so much for reading and I love you all!!! Bye!!