Heart of a Warrior ➝ The Hobbit ✓

Part Three

PART THREE ~

Alissa let go of Kili's hand and leaned back against the cave wall. Stars were still glimmering brightly in the sky and the pale disk of a moon sent shimmering pools of light dancing and gliding through the damp grass outside.

"So, Alissa," Kili said, lingering slightly on her name, as if savouring the feeling he got when he said it. Alissa's heart missed a beat. "Why don't you tell me your story? What were you doing fighting those orcs?"

Alissa pondered on the question for a while. She considered her answer carefully, wondering where to start. "Well," she began, almost hesitantly, as if she was unsure what to share with the dwarf. "I never used to be trained in the art of swordsmanship. You see, three years ago, my village was attacked by a large troop of orcs. They were wondering through the nearby forest, and they came across our village. We had no warning until it was too late. The fearsome beasts destroyed everything in their path. Buildings were set on fire, people killed on the street. My family didn't make it, but I escaped unscathed because of my brother, Caspian." Her cheeks glinted with tears as she stared into the fire. Her eyes seemed distant, as if reliving the memory.

Kili stayed silent, waiting patiently while Alissa went through the painful memories. It was still as clear in her head as it was the very day; flames licking the rooftops, gliding and dancing, swift as a bluejay; terror-filled cries and chilling screams, and the grotesque gurgling snarls of the orcs as they laid their wrath on anyone who crossed their path.

Tears started pouring down Alissa's face, each one glinting in the firelight as they rolled down her cheeks like tiny diamonds.

"He... Caspian. He pushed me out the way... he sacrificed himself... for me." She started sobbing deeply, her whole body shaking as she gasped for air. At this point, Kili had moved over to her and he took her in his arms, gently caressing her hair. She continued to sob into his shoulder.

Finally, she broke away, sniffing and apologising to Kili, her eyes still glimmering with tears.

"It's okay. Are you ready to continue?" He asked kindly, smiling gently at Alissa.

She nodded and smiled, blushing slightly as he reached up a hand and gently brushed the tears from her face.

"After Caspian had pushed me out of the way, an orc killed him, but it gave me time to run into the forest," she started again, this time clearer and more confident. What happened had happened, and that was that.

"I stayed in the forest for days, wondering about hungry and scared. I was terrified an Orc would jump out from the trees, and I thought each day would be my last. I had never had any training in survival in the wild, and didn't have a clue how to defend or look after myself.

"I eventually came across an old wooden shack quite deep in the forest. It looked abandoned, but I approached it warily, in case something was hiding in the shadows. It seemed quiet, so I went inside. What I found was nothing like I expected. It was very homely, with a cackling fire and a welcoming meal already laid out on the table. I considered the fact that it could be a trap, but the meal looked too welcoming to ignore, and I hadn't eaten in days, so I helped myself to the food on the table.

"Not long after I had satisfied my hunger, the door to the shack slammed open abruptly and a man walked in. He was quite aged, and his bare face and arms were wrinkled and battle-worn, but he had a kind gaze, and I knew at once he would welcome me into his home, even though I had already welcomed myself.

"I explained my story after introductions, and Telholm - the man - let me stay with him for a few days until I had recovered from my shock and weariness. After a week, he made a deal with me. He was getting old and weary, and was struggling to travel to the village of Lembar, a little further off from my village. Luckily, the Orcs had missed it, and Telholm often gathered supplies from there when he needed them. He promised that if I journeyed to Lembar to gather the goods he required, he would teach me battle techniques and survival strategies.

"From that day forward, with revenge set in my mind, I made it my life's task to destroy every Orc in Middle Earth."

Kili looked at Alissa with surprise and what looked like a hint of awe at her braveness.

"Every day I completed the tasks he set me, and in return he taught me everything he knew from his battle experience," Alissa continued, smiling slightly at the memories. But then her grin faded and her eyes clouded with tears again. "It was not long after he had taught me his last secret when orcs found his shack. Telholm was slaughtered mercilessly, but I defeated his murderer." She glanced at Kili, her eyes no longer clouded with sadness, but with anger and hate instead.

"The feeling that engulfed me when I slashed at those beasts was... It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Almost like satisfaction. I felt a sense of accomplishment when they fell, limp and lifeless, to the floor, and I knew something inside me had changed."

The whole while Alissa was explaining her story, Kili listened intently, absorbing her words and running them through his head. He had never met anyone like Alissa before. The fearlessness and braveness of the girl amazed the dwarf to such an extent his heart missed a beat every time she looked at him with her sparkling blue eyes, glittering with intelligence, kindness, but also with a hint of danger and caution.