Daughter of The Darkness

Chapter 18

The dwarves had been captured. They were being funneled through the underground hallways of Goblin Town. The hole area looked like it had been strung up for temperory use but the goblins had made it their permant home and their were thousands of them all packed together in sardines. A large gong played out across the cavern, calling everyone to the hall of the Goblin King.

On a throne made of rotting wood and bones sat a huge goblin. It gurgled and coughed and its huge goyter flopped around like a fish out of water. In his hand he held a giant staff with what looked like the skull of a large ram on the top. Under his feet were several unfortunate goblin, who were being crushed under the weight of his fat legs. As the dwarves approached the grotesque goblin, the king began to sing.

"Clap, snap a back crack, grip grap pinch and nab!" it hollered untunefully. The comany were pushed and shoved in front of the king as he continued to sing. Whilst dowing some unusal dance, the goblin king finished. All around them goblins cheered and shouted for their king. He sat back down on his throne, crushing the goblins under his feet as a stool.

All wepons were taken off the dwarves and thrown onto the ground away from them so that they could do nothing to defend themselves. Then all of them were pushed and shoved to the front were the huge goblin looked at them with beady eyes

"Who would be so bold to come armed into my kingdom?" he asked "Spies? Theives? Assassins?" One of the smaller goblins stood forward and to talk to his master and leader.

"Dwarves, sir. We found tem on the front doorstep," he replied. The king ordered the dwarves to be searched. Anything and everything was taken off of the comany and put on the pile which inclued a candle stick from Rivendell. All the dwaves looked over at Nori with a glare. Both Oin and Bofur tried to take the blame for turning up on the goblins doorstep but nothing worked no matter how many ideas they came up with. The Goblin King had had enough.

"If they will not talk, we'll make them squak. Bring up the mangler, bring up the bone breaker!" he ordered "start with the youngest," Ori look horrified. All the goblins started to laugh and jeer as they hauled up the torture machienes.The goblins held the dwarves in place to stop them from escaping. Thorin pushed his way out from the hold of the goblins.

The goblin king then noticed Thorin. "Ah so of Thrain, son of Thor, king under the mountain." the king mocked " but of course you don't have a mountain, which makes you no one really!" Thorin glared at the goblin- he knew that fact would not be true for much longer. The king continued to mock Thorin.

"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. A white orc astride a white warg!" Thorin looked up at him
"No, your wrong!" Thorin objected. But the king would not listen. He sent his messenger away to send for the pale Orc.

Another gong sounded and the whole presestion stopped as a group of goblins with a prisinor with a bag over their head, pushed their way through the crowd and the dwarves and stopped right at the front. They shoved their victim onto their knees. The person grunted. All the comany looked at each other with conusion. The goblin general looked up to his leader.

"We found this flith, skulking around our stores." he said. The goblin king looked at his general with anger in is eyes. He instructed him to take off the bag. The small goblin ripped off the bag, pulling Elfreda's head with it her long braid falling down her back, it was still damp from the rain. She grunted.

"Would it kill you to wash the bag?" she complained. Elfreda looked at the king with anger but she was not afraid of such a ugly figure "Oh and be careful with my knees, they cannot take much more of that!" she mocked standing up but the general pushed her back down. Instead of trying to stand up again, she sat in a more comfortable postion, with her legs crossed and her arms folded. The goblins who had arrested her threw her belongings onto the pile of the dwarves' things.

Elfreda turned to look at the dwarves, knowing what she was doing but thought at the time it was a good idea. She smiled at them with a soft grin and nodded.

All the dwarves were left with their mouths open. What was someone like her doing in an aweful place such as this? The goblin king interupted their thoughts.

"Ahh, what a pleasure to see you again my dear!" croaked the king. He stood up and took a step over to her. With his staff he stroked her chin. Elfreda recoiled away from the staff, pushing it away from her face. "Get off you slime ball!" The goblin king took a step away from her and continued to sing his torture song.

One of the goblins picked up Thorins sword and unsheathed it. The blade glistened and the goblin screeched and threw it to the ground. "I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver!" he cried. With whips and clubs they beated and thrashed the dwarves and put most of their force onto Thorin. He fell to the floor beside Elfreda. She looked at him. "Elfreda?" Thorin questioned. Elfreda nodded.
"Yes Thorin. I'm so sorry but I can explain," She put a finger to her lips. Then she too was whipped down by the goblins but she kicked them off. She stood and thrashed out at the goblins who where trying to stab Thorin. She managed to kill only a few as more and more piled on. Elfreda was knocked to the floor, dodgeing the stabs of the goblins daggers as they tried to cut off her head.

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from behind the throne. All the goblins flew backwards. A tall man in a pointed hat came out of the shadows.
"Gandalf," sighed Elfreda. The grey wizard stood tall against the smoke staff in one hand and sword in the other.
"Pick up your arms!" he ordered "fight!".