Sally and the Line of Durin

Chapter 3

The next morning came very early for Sally. Despite her comfortable pile of straw, she slept fitfully. All through the night images came to her of everyone she had ever known, all towering over her. She woke to Bilbo nudging her nervously.

She yawned, "Good morning Bilbo. How is my favourite nephew?"

Bilbo twitched his nose and replied, "I am your only nephew." He picked a few pieces of straw from your hair, saying "Breakfast is prepared. Beorn is here."

Sally sprang from her bedroll, curious to see the shapeshifter in his natural form. When she got to the kitchen she stood in awe. Before her was the tallest person she had ever seen. His hair was swept back from his face and continued down his back, almost a crest. His eyes were piercing, their chestnut colour flashing in the gloom.

His voice was a rumble, she could practically feel it in the floor. "Good morning, young lady." Beorn gestured to an enormous chair, "Please sit and have some breakfast." He filled a large mug with milk and continued his conversation with Thorin.

"I don't like dwarves, now a days they are greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He paused, "But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

Beorn helped Sally onto one of the ponies. "Take care of yourself, ancient one."

"Ancient one?" She locked eyes with Beorn; his chestnut to her deep blue.

He took a step back, made a slight bow and said, "I remember the Broadbeams. Dwarfs yes, but honourable." He bowed again and gave the pony a quick slap on its rear.

****

Sally trudged and trudged, it seemed as though they had been walking in circles for days. The very air around her was stagnant and reeked of rot. Not a beam of light could be seen anywhere. Bofur sat down on a stump in front of her resulting in her tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Mahal!" she muttered. Louder she said, "Really? Are we ever going to get out of here?" Sally looked around, "Where is Bilbo?" She heard a sound from above and looked up in time to see Bilbo climbing out of sight. "Bilbo! BILBO!" She shouted.

Nori shhhed her. "But...Bilbo..." she said as she pointed up. No one paid attention to her. The group continued on their way, but Sally was determined to stay and wait for Bilbo.

Sally waited and waited for Bilbo to come back down the tree. As she stood, eyes straining to spot him, she heard a sound above her and off to her left. Through the trees she thought she could make out...a giant spider?

"Mahal!" In a flash her bow was in her hand, an arrow set and notched. She let loose the arrow; it flew through the air and made contact with the spider, straight into its fleshy forehead. It crashed to the ground.

Sally ran, searching for her friends. Ahead of her the leaves on the forest floor were disturbed. She looked up to see all of the dwarfs handing from branches, wrapped in silk. All around them spiders were working furiously wrapping them tighter. Suddenly a dead spider fell from the heights, landing right beside her.

"Bilbo!" She called to her nephew, who was pulling silk from himself. Suddenly he disappeared and immediately after she heard a loud sound far into the forest. The spiders went scurrying to find the source of the noise.

Bilbo appeared in the trees above and stabbed the only remaining spider. He wielded Sting and cut down the dwarfs. As they hit the ground she ran to help them out of their silk cocoons.

"Ugh! Oh this is so gross!"

"Ahh, lass! Thank Mahal!" Bofur hugged Sally, leaving trails of silk hanging from her shoulders.

"Ohhh, eww." She started pulling strands of silk from herself, as Thorin strode over to her.

"Are you all right?" He reached out to take a curl, but thought better of it and dropped his hand to his side.

Sally smiled up shyly at him, "Yes. Are you?"

"I will live to fight another day."

The spiders returned, enraged at being tricked. Thorin wielded Orcrist, ready to do battle, when from the tree tops, elves slid along branches, cutting the spiders down in their path. The elves surrounded the group.

As they were led away, Bofur whispered to Thorin, "Where's Bilbo?" Sally looked around in fear, Thorin caught her eye and tried to silently reassure her. The elves of Mirkwood led the party to their home deep in the forest. The dwarfs were led through the canopy of the forest, the sound of music could be heard in the distance.

A tall elf stepped in front of Thorin and Sally, while the rest of the group were led to the dungeons. "This way." The elegant elf, with the straightest, blondest hair Sally had ever seen ushered them into a throne room.

"Ah, Legolas." The king of the elves sat on a throne elevated over the scene. "What have you brought me?"

"Just dwarfs," Legolas spat.

"And what is it that you seek?" Thranduil made his way down from his throne. "Might it be that which would give you the right to rule? The Arkenstone?"

Thorin did not reply to the king.

"And you, ancient one?" he asked. Thorin looked sharply at Sally. "What is your quest?"

"I am merely a Hobbit of the Shire, accompanying my dwarf friends on our way to the Iron Hills."

"A hobbit?" Thranduil circled Sally. She felt as though he was looking into her soul. "Naa tanya mani lle nowa?" (Is that what you think?)

Sally replied, "Ta naa mani amin naa." (It is what I am.)

Thorin looked again to Sally, unable to contain his surprise. Sally looked back at him, equally shocked by what she had said.

"You do not know who you are?" Thranduil was intrigued to see the last of the Broadbeams. He knew who Sally was as soon as she had entered the throne room. "Lle nosta en' Azaghâl, heru en' i' naugrim en' belegost. Lle Lotesse be ner maite san' amin utinu legolas ar' ro naa er en' lye arato." (You are born of Azaghâl, Lord of the Dwarves of Belegost. You may be more skilled than my son, Legolas and he is one of our champions.)

Thranduil smirked and turned his attention back to the dwarf.

'What in the name of Mahal was that? How can I speak Elvish?' Sally was lost in her thoughts, unable to understand how she could possibly know this language. She wracked her brain, 'What am I better at? How does this elf (in her mind she spat) know this about me?'

She shook her head to clear her thoughts as Thorin started pacing the room.

"I will let you go, if you but return what is mine," Thranduil said ominously.

"A favour for a favour?" Thorin smirked.

"You have my word, from one king to another."

Thorin looked thoughtful for a moment. "I would not trust Thranduil, the great king, to honour his word should the end of days be upon us! YOU," he turned, pointed at the elf king and tapped his chest with his fist, "lack all honour. I have seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once – starving! Homeless! Seeking your help, but you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! ihm rheid ahm rhad al sul!"

The elvish king bent double and said to Thorin, "Do not tell me of dragon fire. I know its wrath and ruin!" Sally gasped when half of the Elf king's face disappeared, leaving a cavernous burned face in its place. "I have faced the great serpents of the north!" As quickly as it had appeared the burn mark left his face. "I warned your Grandfather of what his greed would summon – but he would not listen." Thranduil turned and climbed the staircase to his throne. "You are just like him."

He waved a hand for the guards to take them away. Sally struggled against the elves as Thranduil mocked, "Stay here if you will and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I'm patient! I can wait!"