We looked up, alarm in our eyes. "Out of the frying pan..." Thorin grumbled.
"... and into the fire." Gandalf finished. "Run! RUN!" Kili seized my hand, dragging me along. I could barely keep up, stumbling over my feet. I was to weak.
"Kili." I gasped in between my small breaths. "Leave me. I'm just slowing you down."
"No. I will not lose you, Amralime." I looked at him, my eyes widening. I must have misheard him. I shook my head, forcing myself to run. We ran down the mountain, and my momentum carried me for most of the time. I heard the footsteps of the Wargs. They were gaining. Fear started to consume me. I wasn't ready to die. It couldn't happen.
As we ran, night descended. That made it harder to run, for I started tripping over the littlest things. But I kept going. Kili's hand never loosened, and he was the only one keeping me going. There were large rocks, and Kili guided me around them. I started seeing double of the dwarf. The sound of a Warg snapping his jaws sounded. A Warg spun around, facing Bilbo. He drew his sword, holding it straight out. The creature impaled itself.
Thorin cut down a Warg. We continued running, reaching a cliff. Dwalin looked at the cliff, and then turned around. Kili whipped around, pulling me behind him. "Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Bifur threw an axe, killing the approaching Warg. Bofur jumped off a rock and grabbed a tree branch, using Dwalin's head as some sort of stepping stone to get to the tree.
"They're coming!" Thorin shouted to the Company.
Bilbo tried to get his sword from the Warg's head. It wasn't working as successfully as he wanted. He kept pulling, finally getting it out. Gandalf climbed into the highest, furthermost tree. Other dwarves began climbing into the trees, Dwalin hoisting his brother into a tree. Kili dragged me toward a tree, hoisted himself onto a branch, swinging himself backward and then climbing on. He grabbed his brother's hand, pulling him up. I wanted to jump, but my legs were to weak, shaking even harder. My ribs hurt like fire, every breath needed agony.
"Iridian!" Kili called. "Jump!" I looked back to see the Wargs getting closer. I looked up to see his eyes. They were blazing in the loyalty Fili talked about what seemed like forever ago. I saw Bombur jump and wrap his legs around a tree branch, which groaned at the weight.
"Kili I can't!"
"Then jump as high as you can. We'll catch you." He said. "Trust me. I will not lose you to these Orcs." I nodded. I tensed my legs and jumped. The two caught me by the forearms. Their hands walked up my arms as I used my legs to walk up. Kili grabbed my bicep, where the goblin had slashed me. I screamed, blood seeping out of the newly opened wound. Kili almost dropped my arm hearing me scream. His eyes widened in something close to horror. Fili strained under holding my one arm.
My head swam, and when I looked up, I saw two of Kili, and Fili. He grabbed my jacket, heaving me onto the branch the two were on. Kili looked at his hand in the moonlight, and it was a deep red on his palm. I swayed in the tree, almost falling out again. On accident, Kili grabbed the same arm, and once again I shrieked. His other hand grabbed my lapel instead, and he looked at the blood again.
Bilbo had finally gotten his sword out, and he panted from the effort. He looked around, seeing none of us on the ground. When he turned around, Wargs, some with and some without Wargs, were sprinting toward them. His eyes widened in fear, and he scrambled away, clambering into a tree just in time. Wargs rushed below him. Another second and he would've died. Dozens of the fowl creatures circled the trees, vultures waiting for their prey.
Just like that, the Wargs ceased their growling. It scared me, the silence making my ears ring. Azog the Defiler approached, astride the White Warg. He was ugly. Deep scars covered his chest in a "v" motion, down his arms. They were a pink and etched deep into his skin. His metal hand controlled the Warg, and he carried his weapon, the mace from the Battle of Moria, in his other hand. My eyes traveled to his face, finally filling in the final detail that had been missing from my visions.
His eyes were a startling blue, the whites of his eyes red. His nose was flat and large, his mouth creased in a sneer. His ears were pointed, and his head was bald. The canines of his teeth were sharp, yellow. The rest of teeth were pointed as well, like he'd rip out your throat if he had the chance. The most startling part were the scars on his face. They were etched as deep as the others, across his temples, over his mouth in sets of three, just like the other scars.
I could barely stay in the tree, I swayed so much. Kili clasped my waist, keeping me from falling for the most part. I could barely breathe, the pain was to much. My head swam. I looked back and saw Thorin gaze at Azog, shock in his eyes. "Azog?!" He said. The White Warg growled softly, and Azog stroked it, talking in that harsh I didn't understand.
"Nuzdigid? Nudzi gast? Ganzilig-i urnarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob." The last part was easy enough to understand: "Thorin, son of Thrain." Thorin's face darkened, stricken with pain and grief, realization hitting him.
"It cannot be." The Pale Orc turned to the Wargs and their riders.
"Kod, Toragid biriz. Worori-da!" The Wargs leapt forward, trying to climb the trees. They jumped as high as they could, their paws scrambling at the wood, creating deep claw marks. Branches broke off in their jaws. The trees started to shake violently from the Wargs attacks. The dwarves struggled to hold. on.
"Iridian. Grab the trunk." Kili ordered. I did as he said, and clung for dear life. Kili's back was pressed to me slightly, making sure he knew where I was.
"Sho gad adol!" Azog roared. The Wargs continued assaulting the trees, and I started to lose my grip. The furthest tree from the cliff got uprooted from the Wargs' strength. It began to lean wildly. My eyes widened as I realized we were next. More Wargs attacked it, and it tipped over, landing on our tree. The others jumped from their tree to ours.
It didn't stop there. The momentum of the tree tipped ours as well. My grip was to weak, and I started slipping as the tree continued to tip. The jolting sensation sent my senses spinning, and I no longer knew up from down. Everything ached, and I could no longer hold on. I started to fall, unable to catch myself. "Kili." I said barely above a whisper, before falling.
A hand grabbed my wrist, but it only yanked my arm, pain rocketing through the now reopened wound again. I howled in pain, and his hand slipped off of me. "Iridian!" Fili called. "Kili!" He said next. My back hit one of the tree trunks, and pain exploded in my back. I screamed again, unable to contain the tears that flooded my eyes. A Warg came toward me. It's hot breath was so close, and I whimpered. I was going to die.
"Iridian!" I heard Dwalin's voice from far away. I moved half an inch, attempting to get up, but the pain made my vision swirl. A yelp sounded, and a body dropped. Arms wrapped around my body, picking me up and pulling me onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck on instinct, my head dropping onto his shoulder. The dwarf climbed up the last tree, and I looked down at a huge drop. I held his neck, more his chest, tighter, closing my eyes, hoping to relieve the pain. It did nothing
Thankfully, this tree did not fall. Azog laughed, a sound of glass shards. I opened my eyes again, wanting to see what happened. Kili's head looked from side to side, trying to find a solution. I looked up, to see Gandalf grabbing a pinecone. He put his staff to it, blowing on it. It started to smolder. It lit up orange, catching on fire. The wizard threw it at the ground, and it started a small fire in the underbrush.
The Wargs howled and growled, unable to pass the fire. He lit two more, using one for the other. "Fili!" He called, tossing one down. The blond dwarf caught it, and he bounced it in his hands a few times. More pinecones dropped. Kili caught one, and handed it to me. I weakly grabbed, and another one was dropped.
"Just toss it at the ground. That's it." He said. Everyone started to throw pinecones. My hand started to singe slightly. Before it could burn to badly, I threw mine with what little strength I had. Kili chucked his, letting out a small grunt. He grabbed the branch above, keeping us stable. Soon the entire clearing was lit with fire. The Wargs started to retreat, unable to get through. Azog roared in rage. Kili laughed in victory, before shouting in fear. The roots of the tree began to give way. It tipped precariously over the edge, but didn't tip over. It stuck out straight, like a bridge.
Far below was the bottom, and vertigo ran through me. I buried my face in Kili's jacket. We all attempted to hang on, but Ori lost his grip and he began to fall, grabbing Dori's leg. "Aahhh! Oh! Oh no!" I heard Ori cry.
"Mister Gandalf!" Dori called. Dori lost his grip, but Gandalf saved them with his staff. "Hold on, Ori!" Azog growled, dissatisfied at the fact we weren't dead. Thorin only looked at him with hatred blazing in his blue eyes. Thorin pulled himself up, walking down the tree trunk toward his enemy.
We all looked on in shock. How could he do this? He wore his oaken shield as he ran into the flames. Azog grinned, ready to fight once again. The Orc roared, launching off the rock with his Warg. Its paw hit Thorin, knocking him to the ground, his head slamming into the hard earth. He lay there, panting and dazed. "Help!" Ori called. Dori's grip started to slip, as well as Kili's.
The Warg turned around, and Azog got ready for another attack. Thorin staggered to his feet as Azog ran at him again, swinging his mace. While Thorin blocked it, the force of the strike was to much, and he cried out, reeling back. He fell again. "Noo!" Cried Balin, looking on with stricken eyes. The Pale Orc raised his mace, ready for the final strike, when Bilbo stood up.
The White Warg clamped his jaws around Thorin, and a howl escaped his lips. "Thorin! NO!" Dwalin cried. In the process of getting up, a branch broke and he clung to it for life.
"Dwalin!" I called. The Warg continued to chomp on Thorin, its bites getting harder every time. Thorin summoned the strength to hit the Warg on the nose. The creature threw him, and the king slammed onto the rock. Azog growled something to another Orc, who got off his ride and walked over.
Bilbo drew his sword. Thorin lay panting, weak and unable to move. He scrabbled for his sword, but it was just out of reach. He kept reaching, but it was in vain. The Orc placed his sword parallel to his neck. He gasped in fear. It swung once, twice. When it was about to deliver the final blow, Bilbo knocked it out of the way. Thorin gasped in relief.
My grip started to weaken, unable to hang on for much longer. "Hold on, Iridian." Kili groaned, the strain of holding both of us taking its toll. I looked back to see a couple Wargs and their riders, approaching Bilbo, snarling. "Can you summon enough energy to fight once more? I don't want you leave you here, in case you fall." I nodded, adrenaline starting to flow through my veins at the prospect of fighting.
He pulled us up onto the trunk of the tree. I set my feet on the ground, wobbling for a moment. I pulled out my dual blades, holding them at the ready. Fili and Dwalin managed to get up as well. We charged into the fray, knocking several Wargs sideways, fighting the monsters. Kili and I fought alongside each other, keeping each other safe, though he spent more time keeping me from dying than vice versa.
My technique was horrid, filled with many failed weak and missed, failed strikes. Amidst the chaos, Bilbo called out, jumping forward, wounding a Warg. The White Warg knocked into Bolbo, sending the little Hobbit flying.
I looked back to the other Wargs, but in my peripheral vision, I saw Azog atop his White Warg approaching the fallen Bilbo. He was at the mercy, or lack of, of Azog the Defiler.
The smoke started to get into my lungs, and I started coughing. I tried to breathe, but my ribs prevented it. I could feel my strength leaving, my legs shaking. My eyes started going in and out of focus from lack of oxygen. "Iridian. Hold on. Keep going. I can't lose you." I heard Kili say.
With my swimming vision, it looked like a hundred Wargs had surrounded us. When my eyes focused, it was only a few dozen of them. I heard a cry from behind. Dori had lost his grip on Gandalf's staff. Him and Ori fell toward the ground.
A large creature swooped over my head and I ducked. My legs were so weak, I barely managed to stand back up. Dori and Ori rose back up atop a huge eagle, yelling in fear. More eagles dove down, aiding us. I laughed weakly, smoke getting in my lungs. I sheathed my blades, for they were to heavy to hold anymore.
Eagles grabbed Wargs and Orcs, throwing them over the cliff as they howled. Others knocked down remaining trees, crushing the Wargs beneath them. Yet another eagle fanned the flames, burning the Wargs. The smoke blew over me and I coughed, gasping for clean air, but there was none. I heard the Pale Orc growl in frustration.
I collapsed onto the ground, my legs giving way, no longer capable of standing. I coughed more, wheezing and hacking, the polluted air burning my lungs, and every breath was torture, but I still needed it. My vision went out of focus, and then returning, causing dizziness. My ears rang.
Thorin was picked up gently by an eagle, Orcrist against his body. As he was lifted, his shield slipped off his arm, landing on the ground. Azog's roar pierced the ringing in my ears, and the Orc jumped back as an eagle flew by him. The eagle went straight for Bilbo. I crawled over, and grabbed the shield, putting it on. It meant a lot to him, and I wasn't going to let him lose it.
It snatched him off the ground, tossing him, landing on the back of another eagle. Kili's arms grabbed my waist, putting me on his back again. I weakly clasped my hands together. Two eagles swooped down, one grabbing a shouting Dwalin, the other grabbing Fili, Kili, and I. It's talons grabbed us gingerly, as though they knew I was injured. I assumed the other dwarves had been grabbed as well.
The claws let go, and a sensation of falling filled my body. Kili took the time to pull me around to this chest, an arm around my shoulders, an arm under my knee. My wounded arm, still oozing a little blood, was cradled against the dwarf.
We landed on the back of another eagle, jolting pain through my back, traveling to my ribs, slithering down my arm. A strangled cry sounded from my mouth. I heard Azog roar in frustration.
My eyes could no longer focus for more than a few seconds, ending up seeing two of Fili, who was in front of us. "Kili." He said. "How is she?"
"Not good, brother." The voice rumbled through his chest. His thumb drew circles on my hand, distracting me from the pain a little. We flew through the night. I couldn't sleep, in fear of not waking again. Kili continued to rub circles on my hand, or brushing his hand through my hair.
"Hang on, Iridian. Hang on. Just keep breathing." He said softly. Fili and his brother conversed in low tones for a while, and I didn't have the energy to listen. I only heard it vaguely. "Brother... she's gotten thinner."
"Yes, we all have." He responded gently.
"I don't mean like that. I mean... she's almost gotten to thin. To light. When I had picked her up when she fell off Nyx, she was healthily light... now... she seems almost to light."
"I noticed that as well when we were on that thunder battle. I think she's been giving her rations away to Bilbo even when we did have enough..." Fili said, and he seemed not to notice I was listening. He wasn't wrong. There was supposed to be fourteen, that's what the contract said. I didn't want to take more than I needed.
A sudden thought wormed its way into my chest, constricting my breathing even more. "Kili?" I rasped. He leaned his head closer, and I continued to speak. "I'm scared. I'm scared I'm going to die." I confessed. He stroked my cheek with a fondness I did not expect.
"You won't. Just hold on, I know you can. Hold on, for me." He whispered, placing his forehead against mine. At some point, the sun had started to rise. The boys took the time to look for their uncle in the process.
"Thorin!" Fili cried, having found him. It was such a heartbreaking cry. It was filled with fear, and his voice cracked. Said king lay unconscious in the eagle's talons. We flew over a waterfall, mountains, to a large rock. I breathed to the extent where it didn't hurt as bad. We soared closer to the rock.
The eagle holding Thorin gently set him down. He lay unmoving. Gandalf's eagle landed next, and the wizard leapt off, racing to the unconscious King. "Thorin!" He cried. He knelt down, repeating the name. Our eagle had landed, and Kili picked me up, sliding off the great bird. Fili looked on with concern in his startling blue-green eyes.
We walked over toward Thorin, anxiously waiting to see if Gandalf could save him. "Iridian! Dia!" Dwalin said. I looked up to see the bald warrior, his eyes filled with dismay. "Dia. It's alright. You'll be okay. I promise." His hand held my face gently. He brought his head to mine, head butting it gently. "You'll be alright." He whispered. He placed a soft kiss against my forehead.
I weakly smiled, more like grimaced, at my surrogate father. The shield still rested in my hand. "Thank you for keeping her safe." His look went to Kili.
"I had to. I wasn't going to let her go." He looked down, his brown eyes meeting mine. It made my heart beat go pitter patter pitter patter.
We turned back to see Thorin's eyes opening, his expression gratuitous. Gandalf sighed in relief. I felt Kili relax a little at seeing his uncle alive. "The halfling?" He rasped out.
"Fili, take her for a moment. I'm going to help uncle." A different but just as familiar arms replaced Kili's.
"It's alright. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe." Fili walked a little closer, a crowd gathering around our wounded leader. Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin up. Once he could stand, he shrugged them off, approaching the person who saved his life. Kili's arms returned in place of Fili's. Fili seemed reluctant to let me go.
"You're right, Kili." Was all he said before Thorin started to speak. I looked on with half-lidded eyes, but they felt like lead every second they stayed open.
"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 among us?" Kili looked at the other dwarves and back down to me. Fili stood near us.
Thorin advanced on Bilbo, his face holding fright. "I've never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin grabbed the short Hobbit, embracing him in what probably felt like a bear hug. The dwarves cheered loudly, slapping each other on the back. Fili patted my arm gently, a smile on his face.
Gandalf smiled, and Bilo hugged back, shock in his eyes. "I am sorry I doubted you."
"No, I would've doubted me too. I'm not a hero, or a warrior... Not even a burglar." A small wave of laughing broke out at the phrase. I let out a wheeze, but that sent me into a small coughing fit, which hurt like hell. The eagles flew away, screeching. Thorin gazed over Bilbo's shoulder. We all followed his gaze. "Is that, what think it is?" Bilbo said.
In the distance, was a single solitary mountain. I swallowed my pain to see the mountain. It was lonely, but it was so beautiful. I was filled with something close to awe, my hurt forgotten momentarily. "Erebor." Gandalf said. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth."
"Our home." Thorin said.
A bird chirped, fluttering by.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin said. I rolled my eyes, even in my state, I knew that wasn't a raven.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Corrected Gandalf.
"But we'll take it as a sign. A good omen." Thorin smiled.
"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." Bilbo said.
"Not quite." Kili called. The pain came crashing back, and I groaned lightly. Everyone turned, looking at me.
"Iridian. What happened?" Thorin demanded.
"Goblin... Cracked ribs... Another... Arm... Back... Can't breathe... but shield." I stuttered, unable to form any complete sentences. He took the shield off my arm, before turning into the authoritative aura he always had.
"Kili. Set her down." The hard rock met my back, and I winced, arching it. It only succeeded in making it hurt more. My head was placed in Kili's lap.
"Gandalf. Can you do something?" Dwalin said with, and dare I say it, fear in his voice. He hadn't sounded that worried since I had gotten a bad illness, almost thity years ago. I closed my eyes, the sunlight shining directly in them.
"Move her. She needs to keep her eyes open." Thorin ordered. Kili's back was suddenly to the sun, blocking my eyes.
"Hey. Look at me." I slid them open, looking at Kili's face. I wanted to close my eyes, they were being tugged to close. "Don't close your eyes. Stay awake. Please." He begged. Gandalf approached, inspecting the wound.
"It's pretty deep. It'll need stitches." He produced some sort of poultice, bandages, water, as well as a needle and thread from that magical bag of his. "Kili. Roll up her sleeve." It passed over the cut, and I hissed in pain, trying to escape it.
"Iridian. Please don't move, it'll be worse. Just look at me okay? Oh and Gandalf, check her hand when you're done." I nodded tears slipping from my eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb.
Gandalf poured water over the wound, wiping the dried and fresh blood away. "This will sting." The wizard told me.
"Iridian." Kili said, pulling my attention from my arm. The poultice was pressed to my arm, and I tried to move. I cried out, and it didn't sound human. It was hoarse, low, scratchy. It even sounded strangled.
"Fili. Hold her arm down." A gentle pressure held down my arm. I still tried to get away, small whimpering noises escaping my mouth.
"You fought brilliantly." Kili said as Gandalf washed it away again. My eyes started to drop closed again. It became harder and harder to stay awake. A dark shadow was pulling me somewhere, and it wasn't sleep. "Hey. Don't close your eyes. Stay awake. Don't leave." His hands rested against my cheeks, stroking them softly
"Miss Iridian, I'm afraid this will hurt. I suggest you distract yourself. I'm going to start in ten seconds." I looked into Kili's eyes, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
"Hey. Sing us a song." I thought for a second. The moment I thought of one, the needle pierced my skin. I sucked in a breath. I tried to pull away, but Fili held it down. I let out a small whimper of pain, before starting the song.
"Oh I've got this friend, I don't think you know him. He's not much for words, he's hidden his heart away. Oh, I've got this friend, a loveless romantic. All that he really wants, is someone to want him back. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. If the right one came, if the right one came along... Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. If the right one ca-a-a-ame, along. Oh, I've got this friend, I don't think you know her. She sings a simple song, that sounds a lot like his. Oooh, I've got this friend, holding onto her heart, like it's a little secret; like it's all she's got to give." I sang the chorus once again.
"It'd be such a shame if they never meet. She sounds lovely. He sounds right out of a dream. If only, if only, if on-ly. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. If the right one came along, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I've got this friend. If the right one came, if the right one came along. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I've got this friend. If the right one ca-a-a-a-me, along."
As I sung, I felt the needle weaving in and out of my skin, the pain prickling through my arm. The skin sewed shut. It was a strange feeling. My hair was gently being tugged on. The strands weaved together. Kili was braiding my hair. I didn't know he could do that. It was comforting, I couldn't deny.
By the time I finished singing, it was done. Gandalf wrapped a bandage around the stitches. "Pull her sleeve down." Gandalf instructed. It was tugged down, and I twinged when it pulled over the new stitches.
Gandalf came even closer, gently feeling my ribs. I gasped, flinching. "It's alright." Fili soothed. Words I couldn't understand flowed from the wizard's mouth, soft as a babbling stream.
My eyes fluttered, wanting to close. "I'd imagine your back is only bruised, my dear. Only time will heal it." He then moved to check my hand. "Just a minor burn." He said and put another poultice on it, wrapping it gently.
"Sleep, Dia. You need it." Dwalin said, watching my struggle. "And we need you fully rested." My eyes closed, when Kili said something.
"See you soon, Amralime." Before I could ask, my eyes dropped closed.
Amralime was a word in Khuzdul, a very endearing word. I questioned if I heard it right, but it was unmistakeable. He said it twice. Was there another similar sounding word, but didn't have the same meaning? No. Deep down I knew it was the right word. Amralime meant...
My love.
*Hey guys! So the first part is finally done!! I'm so sorry that this took so long to finish! But now it us and we shall begin the second part! What do you think of the ending! Please vote, comment, and share! Thanks so much!*