𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐈𝐂 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 // 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘪 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯

~ eleven ~

I ducked my head below the rest of the mountain above me to enter the passage. The path was narrow with a sandy surface. Moisture filled the air, giving the atmosphere a damp smell. Our exhausted bodies filed behind one another, dragging our feet through the sand below our heavy boots. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Thorin looked back at our fatigued selves and sighed.

"Drop your things, we will camp here tonight," He exhaled.

We all dropped. My knees buckled. Pain released when I collapsed to the ground. I ran my fingers through the soft sand. I watched the mesmerizing grains slowly trickled from my fingers, making me even more sleepy. Kili had already propped his head upon a boulder. He had removed his cloak and used it as a pillow. I crawled over next to him and rested my head where his shoulder met his chest. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose, releasing any tension through my aching muscles. I felt Kili's heavy arm clutch me tightly. A feeling of warmth and safety flooded over me. The weight of the world seemed to disappear with him. I quickly fell into the deepest, most restful sleep I had received in a while.

________

A very faint dream entered my head. I stood in complete darkness with my sword in my hand. A voice of a woman surrounded me in whispers, calling my name. I clutched the handle of my blade. An echoed voice entered my mind.

"Adina! Do you know what you carry with you in your hand? Do you know of the power you are withholding?" The voice said.

"Wh-who are you?" I stuttered.

"That is of no importance," she answered. "What matters is that you must learn to use that sword wisely. You will either rise above the blade or fall with it, like Elrond said, only the truest of heroes may wield this steel. Corruption runs deeper than any wound."

"How do I overcome this sword?"

"Remain true to your fellow soldiers. Serve them well and you shall succeed."

I nodded my head but I was still fighting with confusion. I had no idea how to respond to the encounter of the mysterious voice.

"Thank you, ma'am." I straightened myself up and stood a little taller. I tried to find my confidence but fear still remained. I had faith in my abilities as a warrior but what if I could not fulfill my purpose on this journey? What if I let them down? I inhaled deeply and slid my sword back into my scabbard that dangled from my belt. "You have my word of loyalty."

"I always believed that to be true," the voice said softly. Suddenly, out of the abyss around me, a pale figure appeared. She had silver hair that stretched down to her lower back. She wore a white gown that shimmered, even without light. A beam of silvery light surrounded her figure. She was radiant and exhibited unexplainable beauty. My eyes widened but I found myself having to look indirectly due to her blinding appearance.

"Now you must tell me who you are," I begged.

"I am Galadriel, the Lady of Light," she paused. "I knew your parents long ago. I knew that the daughter Gandalf spoke of was you the moment I saw you. You have their bravery and persistence. They traveled very far to seek their desired adventures, just as you are doing now."

"Why have you come to me?"

"If I could have prevented your parents' death, I would've done as much as possible. I am here to warn you. I am trying to avenge what I didn't do long ago," Her pale blue eyes wandered to the floor but she quickly raised them again. "I am trying to save you."

"It seems that everyone knew my parents except me," I muttered. "They would thank you greatly for the gesture you are giving me."

I tried to hold back the pain burning inside of me.

"They did love you, Adina," she said while turning away. She looked back, "They loved you very much."

She disappeared as quickly as she came. My surroundings became dark again. Several moments passed until I heard another voice. This voice was much further away and it wasn't Galadriel, it was Kili.

"Adina! Adina! Wake up right now!" Kili yelled. My eyes shot open as Kili scrambled to help me to my feet. I looked down to find myself straddling over a large crack once again. "We need to move n-".

The floor disappeared below us. The next thing I knew, I was sliding down a wooden ramp that traveled deeper and deeper into the Earth. On the way down, I passed many complex, wooden structures. Hideous, stumpy creatures infested the area around us. Not long after we plummeted into the Earth, we stopped sliding down the ramp and hit solid ground. I tried to find my balance and pushed myself up to view the chaos around me.

"Goblins," Kili muttered. "We have been kidnapped by Goblins."

The goblins bombarded the company immediately. Our limbs were grabbed in various places before the terrifying beasts dragged us from where we landed. I struggled to get my feet under me to avoid my skin being torn apart on the rough, rocky surface. It was no use, they were moving too fast and there were too many around me. I tried to take a step but I was not successful. Instead, I was dragged over a sharp and pointed rock. The shard ripped through my pants and dug into the flesh of my front, left thigh. I felt blood begin to seep through my clothes. I yelled in agonizing pain through my gritted teeth. I let them drag me at that point, hoping that their destination wasn't much further away.

Finally, the dragging stopped. They let me drop to the ground and began to strip our weapons from us; threatening to execute anyone who disobeyed. I had never seen the dwarves more annoyed. They showed no emotion of fear, they were just plainly bothered. It was quite amusing, to be frank. I looked down at my leg after my sword was taken. The wound left dark red blood dripping down to my ankle. I grabbed Kili's clenched fist, which was dangling above me. He looked down and gasped, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. I pointed at his cloak. He quickly ripped it off his broad shoulders and handed it down to me.

I began to rip off strips of fabric. I tied a strip above and below the wound to prevent further bleeding. I then wrapped the remainder around the wound to protect it. Kili helped me to my feet. My leg throbbed with pain but I was able to stand. I understood that I was losing a lot of blood, but nothing could be done. Hopefully, an escape plan was already turning in Thorin's head. I looked around to see if everyone had survived the drag. Everyone was here except one.

Bilbo.

Bilbo was not there. My heart fell and a pit formed in my stomach. We had lost our burglar once again. I tried to hold onto any hope I had that he may be alive. Wishing to regain him by some miracle.

My thoughts were interrupted when the ground below my feet began to shake. Booming footsteps approached. A low, bellowing voice came from a horrifying creature. The monster came from behind us. He was close to 20 feet tall and was a sickening sight. Blubber hung off every side of him and he looked as if every disease had infested his body at one point. I didn't know if my nausea came from his appearance or my blood loss. Strands of white hair fell from his crown.

"Who dares to bring weapons into my kingdom?!" The goblin king bellowed.

"Dwarves, my malevolence, dwarves."