A Thousand Miles[Thorin Oakenshield Love Story]

[Chapter Seventeen]

It's been a rough twelve months since the dwarves left on a quest with a wizard, hobbit and a skin changer to reclaim their homeland. The company has been on the run ever since the enemy had sent Azog the Defiler to kill them. Alyndra had hoped when they escaped from the orc pack weeks ago that they were safe, but the wargs had tracked them faster then she thought and they were chased across the plains, hiding when needed. Only getting a few hours rest here and there when they could.

Dwalin had not been pleased to have the woman back with them, even though he knew none of them would not be here now if it wasn't for her and the others rescuing them from the wargs and orcs. Thorin still hadn't forgiven his best warrior for what he had done, and he never allowed Alyndra to be out of his sight, fearing something else would happen to her.

The dwarves, the wizard and the woman were hiding behind some rocks to take a few minutes rest to catch their breaths. None had, had a proper nights rest and they hadn't had any food or water. The only thing that was keeping them moving was their adrenaline which wasn't going to last very much longer if they didn't find somewhere safe soon. The dwarves had sent the hobbit to scout out the area to see how close the pack was this time. Alyndra felt nervous sending that poor hobbit out by himself, he was so small. " Why don't I just go check out where the orc pack is?" Alyndra volunteered.

" No! Your safer on the ground with us. The hobbit will be fine." Thorin grumbled. She rolled her eyes. As much as she was happy to be back with Thorin, she had grown increasingly annoyed of his over protectiveness of her.

" It would have been a lot better then sending Bilbo by himself." She snapped.

" He's small. He's not easily spotted, the wargs will smell you out." Dwalin muttered rudely.

" Enough!" Gandalf growled at them. They all grew tense when they heard the shuffling of rocks coming down the pathway and they relaxed to see it was just the hobbit.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked.

" Too close..couple of leagues.. no more. But that's not the worst of it." The hobbit replied.

" Have the wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin question.

" Not yet. But they will do. We have another problem."

" Did they see you?" The wizard pressed.

" Hmm?"

" They saw you." Gandalf insisted.

" No, that's not it." The hobbit stated shaking his head.

" What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse." Gandalf assured and cheers were shared from the dwarves. " Excellent burglar material." he added. Alyndra was the only one to noticed how frustrated and infuriated the hobbit was getting that no one was letting him say what he need to.

" Will you listen? Will you just listen?!" Bilbo shouted. The dwarves were silent when they noticed the hobbit was being serious. " I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there." The dwarves murmured their thoughts and looked worried. Alyndra had a feeling she knew exactly what the hobbit had seen.

" What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf dared to ask.

"Ye-yes but bigger, much bigger" Bilbo stated and slightly confused as to how the wizard knew exactly what he saw.

" You knew about this beast?" Bofur snapped. " I say we double back."

" And be run down by a pack of orcs?" Thorin pressed. Alyndra spoke with her thoughts to the wizard.

" If that is my father, the hobbit saw. The dwarves are as good as dead. Take them to my house, they be safe there. I'll try and reason with my father."

" There is a house." Gandalf spoke, silencing the dwarves. " It's not far from here, where we might, uh, take refuge."

" Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin demanded, not liking this idea at all.

"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us." The wizard admitted.

" What choice do we have?" Thorin stated, but their answer was clear when an ear splitting roar came from behind them.

" None."

The dwarves took off running down the mountain. Alyndra ran with them for a bit and waited for her chance to sneak off from the others. She didn't have long to wait she had fallen behind and she launched herself in the air and it didn't take her long to find him. She changed back into her human form, got her clothes on and ran out into the open area.

" Father!" Alyndra yelled and the giant beast turned and looked at her and ran over to her. He hid behind some trees and changed back into his human form, and got his clothes on.

" Alyndra. Your okay." Beorn greeted as he hugged his child and he sniffed the air around her and got a whiff of a smell he was not please to sniff. " Is that dwarves I smell?" He questioned. She looked up nervously. The woman knew how much her father despised dwarves.

"Father. It's not what you think. They need our help." Suddenly they heard the screams of a young boy and Alyndra froze and Beorn was furious.

" Your brought them to our home?" Before the woman could say anything Beorn phased back into his bear form and went charging through the woods towards his home. Alyndra was back in the skies flying towards her home. As she flew over the trees she saw her home and the last few dwarves and the wizard running into the house with her father chasing them.They managed to close the gate and they all breathed heavily from their exhausting run.

" Where's Alyndra?" Fili asked. Thorin's eyes widen. He was sure he saw her running with them . Dwalin was over by one of the tables and pulled out the young boy by his arm that looked frightened at him.

" Look what we have here." Dwaling grumbled.

" Take your hands off my brother. Or you'll have me to deal with." Alyndra snapped, with anger across her face as she stood only inches from the dwarf. Thorin turned around, relief filled his face to see her unharmed. Dwalin released the boy who ran into the woman's arm, frightened of everyone else.

" Alyndra?" The woman turned around at the sound of a familiar voice she hadn't heard in a long time. Her eyes widen as she starred at the face hidden in the shadows that she never thought she would see again.