The White Rider (Thorin Oakenshield)

Chapter Seven: Beorn and Mirkwood

Adelaide stared blankly at the blood splattered sword, before collapsing to her knees, and falling unconscious. Azog lifted his sword, grinning maliciously, about to deliver the final blow. Before he could, a giant eagle scooped Adelaide gently into his talons, and carried her gently after the rest of her company. He let out a ferocious roar of outrage.

Bilbo saw her first, her shining hair catching the light. "Adelaide!" He yelled. The other dwarves (except Thorin, as he's unconscious) and Gandalf looked to her. She was pale, and limp.

"Oh, no," Gandalf whispered, his eyes saddening.

"Adelaide!" Kili called, gripping the feathers of the eagle he was riding. He sees the way Thorin looks at her, and the way Adelaide looks at him. She can't die. She just can't.

The eagles carried them to the carrock, and the eagle carrying Adelaide gently laid her next to Thorin, their hands barely touching.

Gandalf hurried over to Thorin, and held his hand over his face, mumbling incoherent words. Thorin woke.

"The halfling?" He croaked, sitting up, not yet noticing Adelaide's unconscious form lying next to him.

Gandalf smiled sadly. "He's here. Bilbo's alright."

Thorin climbed to his feet, and walked over to Bilbo. "What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed! Did I not say you were a burden?!"

Bilbo looked sadly to his feet. Thorin grinned suddenly. "I have never been more wrong in my life!" He embraced Bilbo in a hug, and the flustered hobbit patted his back awkwardly.

Thorin pulled away. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Bilbo shrugged. "Its okay. I would have doubted me, too. I'm no burglar."

"Uncle!" Fili called, impatient.

Thorin turned, and his heart sank. "Adelaide!" He ran to her side, and took her hand. Blood was oozing from a deep wound on her side. "Gandalf! Can you do anything?" Thorin begged, looking up at the wise wizard.

Gandalf looked down upon his unconscious friend, and shook his head sadly. "The most we can do here is clean her wound and bind it."

Oin came forward and untied her corset, lifting her shirt up a bit, to get a clear look at the wound. He cleaned it as best he could with his water skin. "I need something to wrap it with," he said, looking around.

Kili tore a strip of cloth from his cloak, and handed it to Oin. He quickly wrapped Adelaide's wound, and lowered her shirt, re-tying her corset. "We need to be gentle with her. We don't want it to start bleeding too much," he warned, climbing to his feet.

Thorin slowly slid his arms underneath Adelaide and lifted her to his chest. "Let's move," he said. He looked to the horizon, where he could see the Lonely Mountain standing proud against the darkening blue sky.

Adelaide started trembling a few hours later, worrying Thorin. Bilbo came running back from scouting, out of breath, a frightened expression on his face. Gandalf worriedly began to question the hobbit. "Were you seen? You were seen!" He accused.

"What? No-" Bilbo was cut off by the dwarves asking him twenty different questions at once. "Would you let me speak?!" He yelled, silencing the dwarves.

He took a satisfied breath. "I wasn't seen! But there's something else out there! Something very, very big."

The dwarves started to whisper among themselves, and Thorin looked down at Adelaide. Her wound wasn't horribly deep, but it needed stitches, and proper wrappings. She started muttering things in her fevered sleep, sweat dampening her golden hair slightly. They need to get her taken care of as soon as possible.