Bring Me With Her

Beyond Words

He nearly tripped over the endless spiral of stairs as he made his way up. How did Talia manage to carry the Ring for as long as she had? Thorin had been searching the tower for almost two days, and he still hadn't gotten used to the feeling of the Ring whenever he had to put it on. He felt heavy, but not weak. Sometimes he felt like he had the power to crush every Orc in Mordor, other times he felt like he was about to suffocate.

It was when he began to see things that made him never want to put it on again. Talia had never told him if the Ring ever made her hallucinate. He'd rather doubt it...Thorin had seen Talia hallucinate once before, he would've been able to tell if it was ever happening to her again. It truly frightened him, what the Ring showed him. It was different every time, always changing between his deepest fears, his burning fantasies, and his darkest wishes.

He nearly got lost in one of them before he finally remembered to pull the Ring off his finger. Thorin hoped that would've been the last time it ever happened again. He could still close his eyes and see it. It felt so real...being surrounded by the finest of gold and most precious of jewels, his Talia sitting on his throne, her beautiful body shimmering, adorned in nothing but his own treasure. He remembered how reluctant he was to realize that it was all in his mind. But even then, as much as he wanted to take the Ring off, he couldn't risk being seen or heard by the Orcs that he came across along the way, not before he found her.

Thorin had searched through every doorway, and still had no luck. He could feel his emotions creeping up on him, the thought of being too late never leaving him. It made him wonder how Talia managed to spend weeks in the Mirkwood dungeons searching for him and the company. How did she hold on to the hope that she would find everyone? The Dwarf king squeezed the bead he gave Talia, which he had held in his hand the whole time. That was where he found his hope. He would eventually find her, so he could return it to her.

Hours passed before Thorin allowed himself to rest. He was getting close to the top of the tower. A part of him nearly wished that he would never make it. He couldn't shake the thought...what if she wasn't there? What then? Thorin couldn't imagine leaving this place without Talia, forever wondering what became of her. He already lived that nightmare for so long...Thorin wasn't sure he'd survive if he had to live it again.

It was the echo of a loud groan that made Thorin jump back up. It sounded like it was coming from a couple of floors above him. The sound wasn't familiar...but Thorin could tell that it was a woman's voice, and that was enough for him. He was making his way up the stairs quickly when the sound of Orcs coming towards him made him stop in his tracks. Thorin could see their shadows from here...there were four of them.

The Dwarf king didn't bother with the Ring this time. These filthy creatures were in his way. Thorin drew Orcrist and let out multiple growls, not hesitating to let those monsters know that they had an enemy coming. By the time he reached them, he noticed that one of the Orcs had already run off. If only the other three had been smart enough to do the same.

Thorin took them out one by one, a sense of power growing inside him. It was over before he knew it, and he even turned around to see a couple more of them cowering in his presence. Thorin merely took a step towards them before they ran off. Perhaps he had the Ring to be thankful for in this case. Whatever it had done, it helped him defeat those Orcs, despite the exhausted state he was in.

The Dwarf king took off once again, the moaning voice growing louder. Thorin picked up his pace when the noise turned into a whimper, and then a cry, and then a scream. Thorin nearly lost feeling in his legs. It was such a gut-wrenching sound, Thorin could feel his own blood begin to curdle. It wasn't...it wasn't human.

Thorin forced his legs to run as fast as they ever had, and he let out a yell of rage and horror at the sight. There were three Orcs surrounding her, laughing at her as they stretched her further on the rack they had tied her to. Thorin killed the Orc closest to him instantly, and didn't hesitate to lunge as the other two charged.