Angels on the Moon (A Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 27

KILI POV

The orcs came from nowhere. We watched as the guards and orcs fought. We were stuck there though, it was our doom if the gate wasn’t lifted. Ali was pale, white as snow, she was looking at a particular orc, and he at her. His lips curled into a fierce grin. The orcs attacked us in the water. One grabbed Ali by her hair, dragging her out of her barrel. She reached up and shoved her finger in its eye. It yelped and screeched, then she pulled it down to the water, she held it under till it quit struggling, drowning it.  I looked up and saw the lever to open the gate. I had to open it, we needed to get out of here, now!

I clambered out of my barrel and onto the stone above. Ali was screaming at me, furiously telling me to…

“GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THAT BARREL OR SO HELP ME GODS I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! GET. BACK. IN. YOUR. DAMN. BARREL. NOW!!”  I ignored her, when I stood I was nearly stabbed by an orc. Dwalin threw me a sword and I fought him off. I started up the stairs; Ali’s shrieking still echoing in my ears. I was right in the middle of the battle now, elves and orcs surrounded me. I was almost within reaching distance of the lever. Then I looked to Ali, her eyes were orange, I knew something was wrong. I ran towards the lever, then I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I was shocked for a second, then fell forward. My brother this time yelled for me.

“KILI!” I fell backwards, not able to bare the pain of standing. I heard the sound of scratching on wood. An orc ran at me but was shot down. I looked, red hair, Tauriel. Tauriel was now in front of me, fighting off the orcs. I heard a deafening snarl then saw Ali’s other side tear the head clean off of an orc. The elf and my angel slammed their backs together, and then started fighting off the orcs; anything that moved was torn to shreds or shot with a bow. There was a moment of stillness, I got up and pulled the lever, then again collapsed in pain. Ali bent down beside me; her hand lightly traced my face.

“Go, I’ll follow.” She whispered. I rolled off the side and fell into a barrel, breaking the arrow in my leg. I yelled, the pain growing steadily worse. We again were falling down a waterfall. The water on this side of the gate was violent, much colder, and faster. I saw a head pop up from the water, Alissyanna was sputtering, choking on water. She wrapped her arm around my neck, kissed me tenderly, and then was pulled back under by the current. I saw Fili was able to grab her hand and pull her back to the surface by the collar of her shirt.

The orcs swarmed, attacking us in the water. Some of us had acquired weapons from the people who died at the battle. They were able to fight off some of the orcs. There was a fallen tree, thin, but strong enough to hold a few orcs. Dwalin, Thorin, and someone else had gotten axes. Three good swings and the trunk broke in half, sending the enemies into the river. I felt my barrel tip a little bit, Ali again was holding tightly to my barrel. She stroked my face a little; I nodded, reassuring her that I was ok.  We both ducked, dodging and elven arrow, them to? Who wasn’t trying to kill us?!

“Lean this way!” She shouted. We leaned to the left; she dunked her head under the water and came up with a rock. She threw it, snapping an arrow that was being shot at us. We were tossed around, fighting the orcs and elves simultaneously and still trying to get away, this was going to be a long ride.

***

THORIN POV

Kili was injured, great. I saw the tall blonde elf prince about to get stabbed. I threw my sword, taking out the orc; he glared at me, not realizing what I’d done.  We paddled farther down the river. About an hour later we had lost the current and our enemies. I was using a very big stick to push myself towards the bank.

“Get to the bank!” I hollered, everyone started to paddle towards the shore. Ali and Bilbo flopped down next to each other, drenched to the bone and shivering. Kili and Fili crawled out of their barrels, the rest following. Ali rolled, resting her head on the hobbits shoulder; she laughed then started choking on water.

My youngest nephew dropped to the rocky shore. His angel crawled towards him. She looked at his leg, wrinkling her nose a little. Fili knelt down next to him, examining the wound.

“I’m fine, really.” He pulled the broken off arrow out of his thigh, then groaned. There was no head on the end.

“This is gonna hurt.” She said. With two fingers she reached inside the wound. Just by the look on his face I could tell that was hurting. Ali retracted her fingers, the arrowhead between them.

“We need to wrap this.” Fili muttered more to himself. We didn’t have time for this! I groaned my annoyance and told them that we had two minutes. Alissyanna took a shred of cloth from her shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound. My eldest nephew and the angel stood Kili up. We all turned to look at each other, to make sure we were ready. Ori was starring wide eyed at something behind us. Dwalin turned, grabbed a large branch and stood protectively in front of the young dwarf. A long arrow pierced the wood. We all turned just in time to see our attacker shoot a stone from my nephew’s hand.

“Do it again and you’re dead.”

“You wouldn’t shoot a woman would you?” Bofur said nodding to Ali. The man took aim at her. “Well that answers my question.” He muttered to himself. We were all out of ideas, I mean; we even used the woman trick, no luck. Balin looked at the man, and then stepped forward a bit.

“Excuse me, you’re from Laketown, if I’m not mistaken.” The tall man changed his aim from Ali to my wise companion.  “That barge over there… it wouldn’t be available for hire by any chance, would it?” The man dropped his bow, and then strode away towards the barge a little ways off. Ali was standing next to her lover, a curious stare on the bargeman. We quickly started towards the bargeman and the barrels that he had set on the dock.

“What makes you think I would help you?” The man snapped, loading a barrel onto the boat.

“Those boots have seen better days. As has that coat.” The man kept his face emotionless. “Ah, no doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many beards?” Balin asked.

“A boy and two girls.” The man replied, shooting a glance at Ali, who was chewing her lip starring down the stone below us.

“And your wife I imagine she’s just a beauty?”

“Aye, she was.” We all cringed a little bit; Balin went white as a sheet. The man turned to look back over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh, c’mon.” Dwalin growled behind me. “Enough of the niceties.” The bargeman turned to glare at him and I.

“What’s your hurry?” He asked, smirking a little.

“What’s it to you?” Dwalin spat back.

“I would like to know who you are. What you’re doing in these lands.”

“We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains.” Balin replied with a smile. Ali shifted her weight to her other foot, her lip was almost raw. “Journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills.”

“Simple merchants you say?” The man loaded a barrel.

“We need food, supplies, weapons.” I butted in. “Can you help us?”

“I know where these barrels come from.” He said, scratching at a hole in the barrels, caused by the elven arrows no doubt, with his index finger.

“What of it?”

“I don’t know what business you had with the elves, but I don’t think it ended well.” He replied through a smirk. “No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland realm. He would see you in Irons before risking the wrath of king Thranduil.” He threw the heavy rope towards Balin. When he turned his back, I looked at Balin who glared back.

“Men are such idiots.” I heard Ali murmur next to me. I opened my mouth to speak but she pushed past me and towards the bargeman. She stepped onto the barge and started speaking. We couldn’t hear them, but he seemed to relax around her, this could go two ways, good, or straight to hell.