Coincidence? →️The Hobbit fanfic

XII

"I will meet you at the slopes of Erebor." Gandalf had told the company before he had left them. He had also told them not to enter the mountain without him but Erlanda had a feeling that Thorin would not listen.

They were walking through the forest and being careful to stay on the path. Erlanda decided that she did not like the forest although she had the odd feeling that she knew it. Maybe she had been to similar forests once. 

It was a cold and rainy hike through the forest and the Company didn't talk as much as they usually did. 

"The path turns this way." Thorin's voice broke the silence as they walked around a corner and between big trees. The forest was now even darker than in the beginning and the only light they had was an occasional beam of sunlight that had the luck to make its way through the branches above them.

They rounded many more corners and passed even more trees as Bofur spoke, "Air. I need air." Oin agreed, "In my head, everything is swimming." Erlanda frowned, she didn't feel any strong effects. Although she had a bad feeling in her stomach she did not feel light-headed.

"What's happening?" Gloin asked Thorin. "Keep moving." the King replied but he also did not look healthy. "Nori...why have we stopped?" he asked and stepped to the dwarf in question who was walking at the very front, followed by his younger brother.

"The path," Nori said, "it's disappeared." Erlanda looked in front of her and pushed the leaves on the ground away. "What's going on?" Dwalin asked. There was no path beneath them. "We've lost the path," Oin told the rest of the Company.

"Find it," Thorin commanded and the company. "All of you, find it. Find the path!" they went looking for it, trying to track their steps back but were not successful. Nothing seemed familiar to the dwarves.

They became drowsy and it was slowly affecting Erlana too. She began to see strange figures but every time she tried to see their faces, they disappeared. As she saw one again, she followed it, not knowing that she was walking away from the dwarves. 

The figure was now standing right in front of her with it's back pointing towards her. "Hello?" she asked and the figure turned around. Erlanda let out a yelp and stumbled back. The figure had no face. She turned around again and ran to where she hoped she had come from. From the sides of the forest, she could hear voices. They seemed so familiar but she couldn't make out a word they said. 

Suddenly something stuck to her foot and made her trip. She fell forward and as she looked up, the figure stood in front of her again but this time there were even more of them. They all had different heights and hair and were wearing different clothing but none of them had a face. 

Something grabbed her from behind and lifted her into the air.

She was relieved at first until she turned around and was faced with eight giant eyes. Erlanda tried to let out a scream but she was quickly spun around at a rate that made her dizzy, and soon lose consciousness.

As she woke up again, it was as if she was looking through a white veil. It was difficult to breathe and to move and her head was pounding as if she was hanging upside down. She turned her head as good as she could and saw that she was still in the forest as she was surrounded by trees. As she looked upwards, she saw the forest floor. Looking downwards, she could see the treetops and all around her there were giant spiders.

She could hear them making clicking noises and talking to each other in strange voices. Then suddenly she could hear the swish of a sword and felt herself falling. She landed on the floor with a thumb, she could hear the dwarves around her talk to each other. 

Erlanda made her way out off the white cocoon she had been spun into and tried to get most of the cobwebs off her and out of her hair. "Where's Bilbo?" she heard one dwarf, probably Fili, say.

"I'm up here!" the Hobbit yelled which made the Company look upwards just in time to see a giant spider tackling Bilbo off of the branch he had been standing on. He fell down screaming and they quickly made their way towards the Hobbit to see if he was alright.

Before they could make it to their friend they were ambushed by the giant spiders again. Erlanda pulled her sword and started to slash and stab at them. She kicked at their feet and stabbed their stomaches as good as she could. As they had killed the spiders around them, they began to run again only to be stopped by more spiders coming down in front and above of them.

They made themselves ready to fight as suddenly a blond figure slid down right in front of them with a raised bow pointed at Thorin. "Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf. It would be my pleasure." the blond spoke. Looking at his ear, it was clear to Erlanda that he must be an elf. Erlanda looked around and saw that they were surrounded by elves with bows and spears pointed at them.

"Search them." the blond elf said. Erlanda was searched by a female elf who took her sword and her dagger. "Hey, give that back! That's private!" Gloin complained as Blondie took away the amulet with pictures of his wife and son in it that he was wearing. Blondie opened it and asked, "Who is this? Your brother?"

"That is my wife!" Gloin replied angrily.

"And what is this horrid creature? A Goblin-mutant?"

"That's my wee lad, Gimli." The dwarf said and Blondie just lifted an eyebrow while another elf was still pulling knives from Fili.

Erlanda watched as Thorin's sword was handed to the blond elf who she thought must be their commander. "This is an ancient Elvish blade," he spoke. "Forged by my kin." he weighed it in his hands and looked at the blade. "Where did you get this?" he asked Thorin.

"It was given to me." the dwarf told him and the elf immediately held it to Thorin's throat, "Not just a thief, but a liar as well."

"How do you know?" Erlanda asked, "Is there a Biography written on it?" 

The elf almost dropped the blade. "Annueth." he said, "Where have you been?"  he went to step closer to her but Dwalin stepped in front of her. The elf looked at her strangely as if wondering what she was doing and then he yelled out, "Take them!" and they were led deeper into the forest.

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