An Unexpected Journey

Chapter 20

•Tanna•

I woke up with a start, hearing the creaking of something or someone. I immediately feared the worst. A hand covered my eyes and my mouth and I started to squirm, reaching for the dagger that was strapped to my side. "Would you quit struggling?" I heard a familiar voice hiss in my ear. "You'll wake everyone up."

"What are you doing?!" I demanded in a hushed voice, as Kili's hand removed itself from my face. He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. I fought the urge to my roll my eyes and pulled my cloak from my body, standing up next to him.

"Kil-" I started to say, but he cut me off, pressing his hand up against my mouth to quiet me again. We crept amongst the sleeping company, but a small cough made us stop in our tracks. I turned slowly and saw Gandalf looking at us curiously, his eyebrow raised.

"Where are you off to before breakfast?" he asked, a playful smile on his lips. I let a quiet laugh escape my mouth and followed Gandalf to a large wooden table. "I think it is time that you formally met our host." he said to Kili and me.

We exchanged a quick look before agreeing, not that we had much of a choice. I heard a floorboard creak and swiveled, gazing at the waist of someone. My eyes traveled up and I met Beorn's eyes. He was tall, even taller than Gandalf, and covered with long, dark hair, making him seem like he may have still been a bear. He was dirty too; covered in cuts and bruises from his face to his feet.

"This is Beorn. Beorn, Master Kili and Miss Heledir." Gandalf introduced. He smiled warily at Kili, but welcomingly at me. I saw the dwarf prince frown out of the corner of my eye, and I couldn't help but smirk. Kili nudged me and I broke into a large smile.

"You are not a dwarf." Beorn stated as I took a seat at his table. I nodded, watching a large bumble bee buzz around his home. "You are an elf; wise, graceful creatures." I felt my cheeks heat up at his compliment to my race.

"A third quarters elf, one quarter dwarf. My father was half dwarvish." I explained, a lump forming in my throat. I hated talking about him; it was hard. There was always an inevitable pain in my chest when I spoke about him.

"I am sorry if I upset you." Beorn apologized with soft eyes, placing some food on the table. I shook my head, blinking back any potential tears. "You must have inherited his height, you are almost the size of him." Beorn pointed to Kili, who instantly straightened up and fixed his posture so that he was slightly taller than me.

I chuckled and nodded my head. "Thank you for letting us stay here. The orcs would've torn us to shreds." I mused, looking up at the skin-changer, whose expression had changed too. The rest of the company was waking up at this point, and had made their way to the table and sat down.

I saw Bilbo make his way to the table as he pulled on a jacket, rounding out the company. Beorn poured milk from a large jug into Fili's cup and began to speak again. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog? How?" Thorin asked softly. His arms crossed as if he did not care, but the overwhelming curiosity was shown on his rough features.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the North. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved." He paused for a moment and that's when I noticed the manacles on his wrists; a reminder of what had happened to him and his people. A small shudder traveled down my spine and I inched closer to Kili.

"Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" Bilbo piped up.

"Once there were many."

"And now?" he inquired again.

"Now, there is only one." A thick silence enveloped the room and I swallowed the lump that had, once again, formed in my throat.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked, switching the conversation away from him and back to us.

"Before Durin's day falls, yes." Gandalf answered him.

"You are running out of time." the skin-changer mused as he sat down. I bit my lip gently, a wave of worry flowing over me.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Gandalf said. I almost spit out my milk, the sudden news taking me completely by surprise. Mirkwood? We couldn't possibly.

My mind was swimming as I tried to wrap my head around the words that were just spoken by the wizard. "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need." Beorn said, his voice loud in the eerily silent room.

"We will taken the Elven Road. That path is still safe." Gandalf interjected. A pang of white hot pain shot through my chest, and I fought the urge to try and talk Gandalf out of taking that path. I knew it all too well, but I had no desire to see any of the Elves of Mirkwood.

"Safe?" Beorn scoffed. I tried to keep my mouth shut, but it was hard not to, and before I could stop them, the words Beorn was intending to say were flying out of my mouth.

"The Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous." I blurted, my mind darting through memories of my time spent with them. Everyone's eyes were focused on me; confused expressions on all of them.

"She is right. But it matters not." Beorn continued after nodding his head in agreement with me.

"What do you mean?" Thorin turned, his eyes fixating on the large man that was now sat down.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Thorin's mouth dropped open slightly, his shock clear. Beorn stood up from where he sat and faced Thorin straight on.

"I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He scooped up a small mouse that was scampering around the table and held it in his large hands as he approached Thorin, his expression unreadable. I saw Kili place his hand on his sword, just in case and I did the same.

"But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

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Sorry I have been MIA for a long time, I've just been so so busy! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Let me know what you think.