To Love a Half-Blood (A Kili Fanfic)

Chapter 5: Trapped

My voice is cut off as my head plunges beneath the icy water. The barrel tumbles through the water, spinning end over end. Kili wraps his arms tightly around me so I don't fly from them barrel. The barrel finally surfaces after a few agonizing moments. I cough, and press myself closer to Kili, bracing as we tumble over another group of rocks. This time, thankfully, we stay above the water. The water tosses us roughly downstream, around sharp corners, over rocks and small waterfalls. I crane my neck to see the palace shrinking into the distance, barely recognizable from the rest of Mirkwood Forest.

Will I ever see Legolas again? He was my only friend for decades and now I'm rushing away from him in a tiny barrel. If I had only stayed I'm sure that he would have figured out a way to save me, no matter how long it took. He always did. How could he help me if he didn't know where I'd gone? I never even got to say goodbye...

 Kili gently wipes away the tear that is running down my face. "Will you miss Thranduil and your mother?" He whispers, trying to understand my sadness.

"No, that is not it. Thranduil is a cruel man, I would never miss him." I spit in distaste, "You know why I was in the dungeons? Why he had me locked away to die of thirst? Because I was a chance child, that is it. He has had me locked up for my entire life, never allowing me any contact with others, and when he finds out that my brother has been visiting me, he has me sent to the dungeon, presumably to die." Kili's eyes are wide with horror.

"Surely your mother wouldn't allow-" He murmurs, but I cut him off with a whisper,

"She's dead. She died when I was three. 'A heart attack' Tharanduil said, but I think something darker was-" I'm distracted by a sound on the bank of the shore. I turn to see a hideous monster climb over the rocky bank.

I gasp in repulsion as Kili curses under his breath, "Dammit, the orcs have caught up with us." More and more of the hideous monsters appear as we wash further down the river. I look ahead of us to see some of them lying in wait. One swings a rough sword at us as we go by, but Kili knocks the weapon into the water with a piece of driftwood.  A black-feathered arrow buzzes past my ear and I squeak. "Keep your head down." Kili commands, ducking down as far as the limited space will allow. I hear miserable screams from up ahead and peak over the barrel rim to see what is going on.  There's a gate across the river, and its closing. I send a silent prayer to the gods that we reach it in time but it is no use. Thirteen barrels crash against the metal grate, trapped to be slaughtered by the orcs. But then, I hear a familiar voice.

 "First unit take the left bank. Second, come with me!" Legolas shouts, hacking his way through the army of orcs. He lets loose an arrow, shooting one in the eye and then spins to gut another as it lifts its club to strike. Legolas nimbly runs, cutting down the vile creatures where they stand. Soon he and his company are close to the bridge. Our barrel collides with the river bank and an orc runs towards us. Out of instinct, I reach for the knife, still hidden in my vest and slit its throat as it aims a spear to throw. Kili blinks, evidently surprised and, to be honest, I'm surprised too.

Play it cool Larien... Okay! seriously? 'Play it cool' is the opposite of- I need to stop talking to myself.

Putting my blade between my teeth I reach for its mate in my boot but I can't get to it.

"Mr. Kili, in my left boot, there's a knife, grab it will ya?" I say, gesturing at my foot. He reaches down into my boot and hands me my blade.

"Lever, somebody pull the lever!" Legolas shouts over the commotion. Kili looks at me and leaps from the barrel onto the bank. He dodges orcs, trying to reach it. I lose sight of him as another of the filthy creatures swings a mace at my head. I duck down into the barrel and reach up to jab the monster in the ribs. It howls in pain and I stab it again, this time it falls to the ground, twitching. I hear a cry of pain and turn to see Kili lying on the ground clutching his leg. Without thinking about how incredibly stupid it is, I jump from the barrel and dive between an orc's legs, slashing its ankle as I pass. It yowls and falls over.

So many of them, how can I get to him in time?

Time blurs as I fight my way to Kili's side. I jump in front of him just in time to parry a blow from a huge white orc. It raises its weapon again to strike me but I duck out of the way. Its grotesque lips curl into a snarl as it comes at me once more. My heel touches Kili's side as I back away. Realizing I have nowhere to go, I whisper a silent prayer as I hold up my knife.

Please let me be strong enough.

I brace myself as the sword comes hurting towards me. A white-feathered arrow buzzes past my ear and buries itself in the orcs throat. It hisses in pain before sinking to the ground, dead. I turn to see Kili grab the lever, opening the gate. He collapses to the ground, breathing heavily. The water flings the others through the gate to saftey and I watch as our barrel nears it. I grab his arm, and pull him to his feet. He sways and clings to my shoulder for balance. My back bows under his weight but I take the few steps to the edge of the bridge and jump into the barrel, landing on top of Kili's unmoving body.