The Three Women Of Durin

Stone & Ice

Gripping onto the reigns so tight that she could feel her heartbeat in her arms, Rosie followed her friends into battle. Her sword was bouncing in the air as she was jostled from side to side on the goat. She could almost feel the adrenaline being released into her body as she collided with a mass of fighting bodies.

Rosie's goat seemed to take control as they entered the sea, weaving in and out of ruthless clashing weapons. For the first few moments, Rosie found that she could not move, she was frozen, like an ice sculpture, on top of her goat as people fought for their lives around her, some even dying.

Ahead of her, she could spot Thorin, pulling his sword down at every opportunity to slash at any orcs close by, all other dwarves were doing the same thing it seemed. Rosie however simply lowered her sword to her side and kept to near her gut, her heart was beating at a remarkable rate and it was taking all her energy to focus on the goat's ears and stay stable, never mind trying to attack the enemy.

So Rosie kept to herself as did Cece, Frankie was able to jab here and seemed to be more at ease atop her goat than the others, oh how times had changed from when she first climbed her pony. Cece had cramped up and could feel a rising panic within her which she was suppressing with all her energy. This was nor the time or place to have a panic attack. She was focusing on her breath, in out, in out, shutting her eyes tight and blocking the image she had just seen of a man getting stabbed in the chest.

Cece only opened her eyes when the unbearable noises quietened down, and when she opened her eyes she was pleasantly surprised to find that they had made it out of the battle and were now riding along the quite large ridge made up of stone and ice. The wind blew harshly in her face, thrashing like a whip against her ears. The frost in the air was stronger now, with no trees to block the bitter gale, it pinched at their cheeks until they turned pink with pain.

"Just along this ridge and into that building there!" Rosie heard Thorin's voice before it was carried away with the wind to God knows where. Rosie peeked out from her undershirt which she had pulled up as a sort of snood to where Thorin was pointing his sword. The building was old, the stone cracked with an assortment of weeds growing through it and there was a layer of snow and ice almost burying it. A lot of the building was open, with roofs that were either never build or had broken off, this seemed far too familiar to the three girls. As all three of them gazed at this building in wonder, almost in synch they all looked over at Fili. This was his deathbed.

Rosie's goat again took charge following the others as the rode into the building, the ice and snow not affecting the strong pace of the goat's hooves. Rosie took this moment to look out, not at where a battle was commencing, but to the other side of the ridge, where she could see a field of mountains. Spikes of stone breaking through blankets of ice which was turned almost golden in the sun's glare. It was unsettlingly quiet compared to the other side. Rosie gripped onto the view, the powerful scenery alighting something within her and just when her courage reached its peak the mountains disappeared, concealed from view by cracking stone. The goats in front of her slowed and eventually stopped, their riders gracefully swinging off and pulling out their swords.

"Keep together!" Rosie heard Thorin say. Once everyone was off a clicking noise filled the air and the goats turned around and charged right back into battle, their riders soon forgotten. Rosie watched them go for a moment before she turned around, meeting the eyes of almost the entire company.

"So," Kili asked, eager as always, "What happens next?" Rosie sighed, slightly annoyed at her previous self for making this part of the plan. But it was either this or telling the company in front of Thranduil, Bard and Dain.

"Okay," Frankie said, her voice neither calm nor concerned, "There's a reason why we haven't told you this...you will understand why," This did nothing but make the company even more interested, all but Fili, who wasn't even looking in the girl's direction. No, he was staring up at a large building, one that had been described to him many moons ago. His face unreadable.