The Warrior and The King

4. Rivendell

The next day passed in much the same way. Kaylea started out following behind the Dwarves and then disappeared. Just as they were beginning to think about stopping for the night Kaylea reappeared, cantering down the road towards them.

She pulled up her horse next to Gandalf's, who was again leading the company. Thorin trotted his pony up from the back where he had been riding. As he approached the front Kaylea reined her horse around and galloped off the way she had come.

"What is it?" Thorin asked Gandalf, looking at Kaylea's retreating back.

"There is another large party of wargs and orcs coming from the south," Gandalf said, looking over at Thorin. "If we ride through the night by morning we can reach the path to Rivendell. And hopefully buy enough time for help to find us."

Thorin nodded his assent. "So, Kaylea has gone for help from the Elves?" Gandalf nodded, then turned his horse back to the path. Just as the sun was setting the party crossed a river at a shallow ford, the far bank steep and muddy. They kept going through the night, stopping only occasionally to rest the ponies. The mountains were very close now and the country became wide and broken. The path, marked with occasional stones wove past deep ravines and green swamps. The night passed quietly, though they did hear wargs howling to the south. Just as the sky was lightening with the impending dawn the company came out into an expanse of grass and rocks, a wide valley between the hills.

"The path is on the far side of this valley," Gandalf said. "Let us try to cross quickly!"

The Dwarves spurred their tired ponies into a trot, but they had barely crossed half the distance when a number of wargs emerged from the trees to the south. They saw the ponies and came at them, trying to encircle the party. Gandalf encouraged the Dwarves on and their panicked ponies ran like the wind across the valley, However Thorin, who was riding at the back, was not so lucky. He was cut off from the others, his pony encircled by three wargs. The pony reared and threw him off then ran for her life. The wargs let her go, they were concentrated on Thorin, making him hold his ground until a mounted orc rode up. Thorin drew his sword and prepared to do battle. Meanwhile, the rest of the company had reached the path and had started down. Dwalin was the first to look back and see Thorin was not with them, he turned to call to the others to come back up the path. Just then a clear horn rang out across the valley and all the attackers paused.

"That will be the Elves from Rivendell!" Gandalf called out to Dwalin. "Your tired ponies are no use against wargs!" He let his horse go and began herding the reluctant Dwarves down the path. Several warg riders had spotted them now and were heading towards the path at speed. Dwalin hesitated, as did Fili and Kili, their first thought to help defend their king.

Thorin had just dispatched a warg and pivoted to take out the next when that warg's rider slumped forward, an arrow through his chest. The warg collapsed in front of him, dead in its tracks.

Thorin turned at the sound of hoofbeats to see Kaylea Wolf on her black warhorse galloping towards him, bow in her hand. He sheathed his sword and put a hand up to catch hers as she rode by, she easily swung him up behind her and then loosed her bow on the wargs and orcs around them. Thorin did the same and soon they were joined by the company of Elves from Rivendell, their clear horns echoing across the valley. The other members of Thorin's company paused long enough to see him out of danger, then turned to follow Gandalf down the steep path. The skirmish in the valley was quickly won, all the orcs and wargs dispatched except for a few that fled north with a number of Elves in pursuit. It still puzzled Thorin why these Gundabad orcs were pursuing him, though the hatred between their races was bitter and deep it had been many years since he had personally fought any of them.

Kaylea had just slung her bow over her saddle when a trio of Elves rode up. The foremost of them, a regal looking dark-haired Elf, laughed as he approached.