Courage ✔

Chapter 8

One of Kíli's arrows drilled into the windpipe of an orc that fell on the ground immediately. They moved away from the burning house. Flames puffed out of the burst windows, and the screams of orcs that were captured in the oven they'd lit themselves caused a satisfied look in Fíli's eyes.

It was chaos. There were orcs and bears everywhere, fighting each other. Now and then one of the dwarves was involved, but no one got injured seriously. 

Fíli walked to the others. "We should leave," he suggested. "Let them kill each other."

Dwalin looked longingly at the orcs that were still alive but turned his face away in the end. "We have other things to do."

"The bear-man will save himself," Balin thought.

"Where is Alyssae?" Thorin asked.

Fíli turned around and looked at Thorin in disbelief. He'd lost her in the chaos but assumed she would take care of herself since she was just as strong as they were.

Thorin gave his nephew a penetrating look. "Have you left her?"

Fíli felt like he withered under his glance. Suddenly his belly hurt like a stomach ulcer just appeared. His cheeks blushed with shame. He had gone back for a moment but slipped out of the house when he couldn't find her. "She can take of herself."

"She is wasted!" Thorin snapped. "I bet she can't even find the door!"

Ashamed, he bowed his head. He never liked it when his uncle was angry, but above all his own confusing feelings made him lose his mind. He didn't understand how he could have left her in such a situation. From the moment she climbed out of that tree to rescue his uncle, he couldn't keep his eyes off her and that feeling had grown while their friendship grew stronger. 

Thorin spun around and hurried towards the house. Fíli followed him quickly, hoping he could fix his mistake.

"I got your back," the voice of his brother sounded behind him, but Fíli hated himself too much to thank him. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

Thorin waited for him in the hall. In his hand, he held a long sword. "She's unarmed."

Fíli's throat was squeezed by fear. He flinched when Thorin tossed away the sword.

"She was not in the dining room," he told Thorin. He looked devastated at him and entered another room.

Fíli went to the dining room anyway, hoping to reach the adjacent space. However, he could barely concentrate. Alyssae had never gotten out of the room. She was a defenseless prey: drunk and unarmed. His breathing sped up and he started to feel dizzy. 

Kíli laid his hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her."

Nevertheless, the fear was also reflected in his eyes and Fíli almost drowned in guilt.

It was scorching hot when he opened the door. Everywhere were broken dishes, surrounded by the corpses of orcs. The smell of burning flesh stung his nose and in a flash, he saw Alyssae's body, torn open and her beautiful, dark hair perished to ashes. He swallowed and shook his head to shake off the image.

A door slammed open and orcs swarmed inside, noticing their presence. Although Fíli would have loved to confront the orcs and jump upon them, blind of hate, he had to find Alyssae first.

"She's not here." Kíli tugged at his arm and shot some arrows at the orcs that came too close.

Fíli wanted to turn around but suddenly it felt as if someone put an invisible chain around his ankle. He tried to pull loose his foot, wondering with what devilment he was confronted, but his foot remained in the hold of this invisible evil and he raised his sword to cut himself free.