Heart of a Warrior ➝ The Hobbit ✓

Part Nine

Quick Note ~

Hey guys!

I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading my fanfic, and for all the votes I've been receiving. I really, really appreciate it! You're all so awesome! :D

Sorry if each Part is quite small. If you don't like it and think I should have larger chapters, or make any changes to my writing, then please notify me!

I really appreciate any feedback you give me, good or bad, so don't be afraid to comment.

Just a reminder that some characters and places belong to J.R.R Tolkien, but you probably figured those out.

That's pretty much it! So, yeah. Thanks for reading! And keep voting! Oh, and if you want me to read one of your stories, I'll be happy to if you just ask! :)

_imagine_fantasy_

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PART NINE ~

Alissa felt her head drooping with weariness; she was barely able to keep it up. She squinted in the darkness, feeling twigs and damp moss crack and snap underfoot. Trees loomed in from either side of her; their twisted, gnarled branches seeming to reach out and grasp at her clothing.

A dull throb still plagued her shoulder, and it felt stiff being caked in dry blood. It still hurt slightly when she moved her arm, and she let out a sudden cry of pain as the Orc behind her grabbed her shoulder with its callous hands. She hadn't realised the group had stopped, and Alissa peered over the other orcs' shoulders to see what was happening.

The leader grunted and hissed in a somewhat distressed tone, his eyes glazed with anger as he examined the scene in front of him; which Alissa failed to see.

The Orc at the front switched his gaze to the human and he ordered for her to be brought to him.

"Get moving!" Snarled the Orc behind Alissa, kicking her legs and making her stagger forward.

Reaching the leader, she let out a surprised gasp and a little spark of hope rekindled in her heart. A dozen, maybe more, orcs littered the path in front of them; limp, motionless, lifeless, blood-soaked. Their corpses were plastered in their own blood, and deep gashes and cuts covered their bodies, giving clear indication that they were slaughtered by a sword. Kili? Fili? Another hero wandering the lands?

The orc's eyes blazed with fury, and he turned to the human, snarling. He hissed and gurgled at Alissa, spraying her with droplets of phlegm.

"He demands answers," translated the Orc behind her, shoving her forward slightly.

"I don't know," Alissa said slowly, her face set in a determined stance, her eyes gazing deeply into the orc's. He snarled and lashed out at the human, bringing his strong arm down on her shoulder. She screamed in pain and stumbled to the floor, clutching her wound.

The leader turned, ignoring the human, and ordered his followers to clear the corpses, in their own tongue.

"Do you think the prisoner did this?"

"What? You mean that dwarf?" Overhearing their hurried conversation made Alissa's heart miss a beat. She slowly crawled forward, wanting to catch more. Dwarf? Did he mean Fili?

"He's not in the cave, so most likely."

"But-" The orc was abruptly cut off by a fierce glare from the leader, and the two orcs scrambled away and started hauling the corpses onto their shoulders.

With their attention distracted, Alissa wondered if it was a perfect opportunity to run? But, she wouldn't be able to do much with her shoulder if she ran into more trouble, and what if one of them noticed her escape? What would they do to her then?

After a quick debate in her head, she decided to chance an escape. Making sure none of the orcs were looking her way, she slowly started to crawl, edging closer to the darkness of the trees. Then, with their attention distracted with their jobs, she leapt up and started sprinting through the trees, hurtling herself over logs and twisting and turning to avoid the outstretched branches.

It took the orcs a while to notice her escape, but before long, Alissa heard the snarls and hisses and angry shouting as the orcs set off to look for her. The human quickened her pace, her feet catching on the twigs and branches beneath her feet.

Heavy, ragged gasps escaped her mouth as her chest heaved to gulp in air. Her head was pounding and the darkness was fuzzy around her, but she kept going, ignoring the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

Just as Alissa ran past a cluster of trees, she missed the figure that stepped out behind her, and gasped in surprise as she felt something wrap around her waist. Someone pulled her into the shadows of the trees, clamping a hand around her mouth, just as an Orc rambled past, its battle axe drawn out in front of it. A moment later, three or four more orcs followed after it, all the while Alissa and the other figure stayed hidden in the trees.

After they were sure no more would pass, the figure let go of Alissa and she stumbled away from them, before turning to face them. Her eyes lit up in surprise and delight as she saw the dim outline of the figure. A dwarf!

"Fili?" She asked as he stepped into the shimmering moonlight. He did look similar to Kili, only he was a little older with scraggly blonde hair that was weaved into messy plaits.

"Yes. Fili Oakenshield."