Everyone starts running forward as fast as they can towards the trees. It's a dead end but they continue running regardless. Ellie is running just a couple meters behind Fili. She can feel the wargs gaining on them. Their howlings and their growlings make her blood freeze. Fear threatens to take over her body, her feet slowly paralize failing her, her lungs are desperate for more oxygen and her eyes are teary blurring her vision but she's determined to win those pieces of filth!
"Ellie!" Fili shouts reaching out for her to take his hand. Once Fili has a good hold of her and he lifts her up a tree and follows behind her.
"Keep climbing as far as you can go Ellie!" He encourages her. She does as she is told and reaches almost the top of the tree just underneath Gandalf. Fili is standing next to her with one arm wrapped securely around her waist and the other holding the tree to keep them in place. Ellie hugs him terrified and he tightens his grip on her to comfort her.
She hears the horrific sound of the voice of the great white orc speaking in black speech challenging Thorin. He commants his wargs to kill everyone but him.
Thorin he wanted for himself...
The company witnesess in horror as wargs try to climb up the trees. Their weight is breaking the roots of the trees causing them to fall like a domino one on another until all of the dwarves and their companions are hanging from the last tree on the edge of the cliff. Gandalf grabs a pine cone and sets it on fire.
"Fili!"He shouts and passes him the pine cone. Fili quickly helps Bilbo light another pine cone on fire and then they both throw them on the wargs. Soon everyone is throwing pine cones at the wargs making them pull back. Suddenly the tree roots start to break until the tree is hanging from the cliff. Ellie lets out a scream as the tree moves and she looses her balance but Fili is quick and pulls her back to safety. He's holding her tighter now. Somehow Ellie finds herself enjoing the feeling of his arm around her waist. "Shhhh.... It's ok, I got you." He says holding her in his warm and safe embrace as he strokes her hair.
The burning pine cones start a fire in the woods but even the sound of the raging fire can not cover the bloodcurdling voice of Azog who's speaking to Thorin. Azog is standing behind the wall of fire furious. *"Faavhas diun shal drutimer juukav lat ayh goaumn avo Thorin ukon ro Thrain!" Thorin clenches his fists as he stands on his feet and walks on the tree trunk, towards the great white orc.
"Thorin! He's trying to trick you he's going to kill you!" To everyone's surprise Ellie was the one warning him. But Thorin continues being Thorin and answers to Ellie...
"Mind your own business woman!"
"Stop! You'll get killed you idiot I'm trying to help you!" She shouts again but he ignores her and immerges through the fire. He didn't feel the heat of it at all. No fire can match the fire of rage that grows inside him with each step he takes. He feels it burning his insides as he speeds up. He lifts the Orchrist in the air screaming his anger out. The sword ready to strike upon the enemy with mighty vengance when Thorin finds himself in between the jaws of a vile warg. It's teeth are piercing his flesh. Everything seems to slow down for Thorin even the sound of the sword falling free from his hand on the ground seems to be slower and heavier. He didn't feel the pain of sharp teeth sinking to the very bone but the pain of failure in his heart.
"THORIN!" Kili screams out his uncles' name in agony and dashes towards the orcs. Ellie stays motionless. Fili turns her face to face him and strokes her hair noticing how beautiful her dirty blonde hair is. He looks down at her lips for a brief moment and then straight into her eyes. He looks like he's struggling to say something to her but instead he strokes her cheek and lifts her up in the air for Gandalf -who is already trying to save Dori and Ori- to keep her safe.
"Take care of her until I get back!" Fili shouts and runs through the fire with Kili. Bilbo follows them dead set for any threat that is to come his way.
Once through the fire Bilbo is heading straight for Thorin and the warg. Before he knows it he finds himself infront of the warg. The warg is impaled on his sword. Still shocked with himself he unstucks the Sting from the wargs head and heads for Thorin to help him but before he can reach him he was lifted in the air.
"The Eagles are here!" Nori yelled and everyone started cheering.
"Eagles??! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" Bilbo asked in shock already flying with an eagle.
They heard Azogs' angry roar as they flew away to safety.
The dark is gone now and Ellie is sleeping safely on Gandalfs' eagle. The wind is blowing through her long hair and Fili -who is flying next to her- can not but admire the beauty that unfolds before his eyes. Her skin is glowing under the first rays of sun and her pink lips -the ones he's dying to taste since the goblin tunnels- match her rosy cheeks. He can watch her sleeping face for the rest of his life.
"Is she blushing in her sleep?" He thinks to himself unable to hold back a small smile. He was kind of jeallous that Gandalf got to have her resting on him. Soon the eagles landed on the ground and he sliped out of the trance state that her beauty had caged him in. The image of his beloved wounded uncle brought back the feeling of agony in his heart. Gandalf and Ellie -who just woke up- are standing over Thorin. Gandalf gently touches Thorins' face and mumbles somethong in an unknown to Ellie language and Thorin opens his eyes. His health is back and he's on his feet now. He's heading towards Bilbo. His steps are aggressive.
"You nearly got yourself killed!"He spats at Bilbo. The hobbit takes a small step back but keeps his head up.
"Did I not say that you'd be a burden?"
"Did I not doubted you since the beggining?" He's close to Bilbo. Suddenly he closes his arms around Bilbo in a warm hug and embraces him tight.
"I have never been more wrong in my life brother." He says smiling. Everyone cheers, even Ellie but their attention is quickly drawn by the sight of a solitary pick.
"The Lonely Mountain..." Thorin says and admiration shines in his eyes. Ellie can see the same admiration in Fili's eyes as he looks at the lonely pick. If only he knew that she looks at him the same way.
~Sometime after Beorns' hall just outside Mirkwoods' borders~
Gandalf still can't shake off suspicion. He knew that Bilbo did find something in the tunnels. Something evil.....
"This little hobbit might hold the destiny of the world in his pocket..." He thinks to himself as a wave of discomfort rushed through him.
Upon entering The Forest of Great Fear Gandalf discovers a symbol of the black speech on ancient ruins and he's off out of the blue leaving everyone puzzled.
"This forest will drive you crazy. Stay on the path and do not enter the Lonely Mountain before I am back!" That's the only think he says and disappears.
"Wait! Gandalf where are you going?!" Bilbo shouts running behind him for a couple of meters.
"He has abadoned us..." Thorin's face is straight as he takes the first step into the forest.
After a good while of walking everyone agrees to rest for a while. Everyone but Ellie. "With all due respect, I don't find this a good idea. Gandalf said we should stay on the path."
"Nobody asked for your opinion woman..." Thorin spat out. Ellie clenched her fists but still she managed to keep calm and continue. "Can't you see that we're going around in circles?! Have you seen they way you look? This forest is driving us crazy!" Thorin gets up furious and grabs Ellie by the colar lifting her small form off her feet. Quickly everyone rushes to her aid. Of course Fili is the one to stand in front of Ellie in a protective way. "Uncle!" He says and shoots him a warning look. Thorin slowly backs off. "Miss Ellie is right." Bilbo said. "I know and you know that this forest is indeed driving us crazy... I know that all of you have been hallucinating just as I have." The little hobbit continued as everyone nodded their heads.
"Then what do you suggest us to do?" Thorin asks him calmer than before. "Well, miss Ellie seems to be the only one uneffected by the forest...." "Suspicious..." Thorin cuts him off. "No my friend, Ellie is our only chance to find our way again. My plan is that Ellie and myself will climb up a tree to find the way while you wait right here and watch our backs." "Wait why do you get to climb the tree with Ellie??" Fili asked slightly annoyed. He would love to hold Ellie again. A wave of wanton rushed through his body to the thought of Elli being close to him again. "Because we're the only ones with a brain in our heads." Ellie giggled at Bilbo's answer and started climbing up a tree. Bilbo following her not far behind.
At the top of the tree there is a soft and refreshing breeze waiting for them. The sunlight warming their pale faces as they both let out a sigh of relief. When Ellie opened her eyes they landed upon that same solitary pick. "The Lonely Mountain! I found it! I found it! This way!" She shouted excitedly jumping up and down on the branch almost falling as she points at the mountain. "Be careful miss!" Ellie blushes and calms down. "Yes, you're right master Baggins I apologize." He gives her a kind smile and pats her shoulder. "You did a good job my lady." Bilbo dives back into the forest to notify the others but when his feet touch the groundthere is no one there... He signales for Ellie to keep quiet and follow him as she did. "Wait here." Bilbo whispers and walks away from her. Before she has the chance to ask him where he's going he vanishes into thin air. She lets out a gasp and blenches. Ellie rubs her eyes just to make sure that her vision doesn't play any games with her.
After a few minutes she hears a sudden thud behind her and she quickly turns to the direction. Slow and steady her feet lead her close to the big white cocoon but before she can touch it another one falls behind her and soon 11 more follow. Dwarves start to emerge from the inside of the cocoons tearing them with their weapons. Covered with spider web the dwarves start fighting the colossal spiders.
Ellie is running for her life unarmed when she trips over the roots of an ancient tree and falls on the ground. She lifts her head up and to her unbelievable luck there is a sword lying on a pile of fallen tree leaves. Adrenaline rushes through her veins and she stands back on her feet.
"No more running Ellie!" her mind screams at her and without a second thought she shoots to get the sword. Just a few meters away before she can touch the hilt of it a spider jumps almost on her but she is quick to fall on her knees and slide under the spider. She has almost no time until the giant arachnid turns around for her so she grabs the sword, not noticing the skeletone next to it and with a strong swing in the air she lands the sword on the spider. The beast lets out a chilling screech as Ellie pulls the sword out of it and hits it repeatedely with all her might. Anger is written all over her face as she stabs the creature taking it's life. Another one emerges through the trees and Ellie dashes towards it. She strikes first but the spider knocks her to the ground. As the spider lands on the ground over her, Ellie impales it with her sword and with a swift move she slashes accross the spiders underside. The creature falls on its back with a loud shrill and Ellie crawls on her back away from the spider. When she finally relaxes her muscules and slips out of her berserk state, she looks around her to find the dwarves and some elves looking at her puzzled. The first to break the silence was a blonde blue eyed elf.
"Take her too" He orders two other elves still giving an examining look to the small form in front of him. The two elves lift Ellie off the ground and lead her to the rest of the company. "Take your hands off me!" She said and yanked her arms away from them. Kili caught her before she fell down again.
"What happened to you back there? You looked possessed..."
"I-I guess I really hate spiders....." She said with an embarrassed smile. She turned around to see Fili speechless.
"Valar's blood woman...." Thorin is still dumbfounded
She tried to break the awkwardness and gave Fili a weak smile before the elves ordered to them walk. Soon everyone came to a halt outside of Thranduil's gates and before long Ellie and the dwarves are in his dungeons.
*This is the translation of the black speech I added earlier in the text...:Your father died in fear just as you are going to die, Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror!
I know I said this was going to be the last part but turns out that I'll publish a fourth part too (which I'll be happy to write! :)... <3