Beyond the Forest {Hobbit fanfic}

10. Death's Grip

Her eyes welled up with tears, now clouding her vision. She could no longer feel them drip from her lashes but only felt the trail of hot tears stream down her cheeks. The sharp pain had now inched towards her chest, creeping closer and closer to her heart.

The arrow stuck out of her arm, but she did not budge it. Although the pain was filling every bone in her body, her only mission was to get Erwen back home, no matter the cost. Melda truly never saw death before her, but the warm blood dripping from her wound made her see differently.

With every breath, the sharp pain rose and fell. There was no possible way to avoid it. It made it worse when she flicked the reigns. Her veins pulsed, she knew they would eventually still.

Her long sepia hair blew in the breeze as Thalion sped. The horse didn't even flinch of restlessness, or even exhaustion. He kept on going. She thanked him greatly for that.

Erwen had sobbed and sobbed as they rode. She was worrying about Melda, but she couldn't do anything. They had to keep riding.

Melda felt her fingers begin to tingle and shake. She began to loose strength and feeling in her left arm, and soon it spread over to her shoulder. The fear of not making it worried her, but she knew she couldn't panic. Not during a time like this, although panic was an easy option. She was determined and headstrong, nothing could stand in her way.

Her eyebrows furrowed, creating a soft crease in between her thick brows. She pursed her lips, wondering how much longer she could withstand all of this pain. Within a good hour or two she would bleed to death.

But what troubled her was that Edoras was a nearly half a day away. She was in trouble, no doubt.

Fear trickled down her spine, trailing its touch through her bones. It replaced the pain, although she didn't really notice. Her thoughts clouded her mind, making her completely loose herself to them. It was as if she was never really there, only being able to see what she saw. She felt nothing or heard anything. She knew she was in death's grip.

Thalion's great strength pulled them closer and closer to a distant forest. A thick line of dark trees acted like a gate in between them and Edoras.

Melda felt her heart drop to her stomach. She had no idea how to navigate those woods, or where to head of from there to Edoras.

A long and painful sigh escaped her mouth as Thalion approached the woods. The trees towered over them, twisted and dark. With a jerk, Thalion halted near the farthest tree. Its branches curved and its bark was torn and half decomposed. The shadows from the other trees made it look like a dark spirit ready to kill.

Melda slowly kicked her leg over and dropped to the ground. She winced and yelped as she bent her elbow and shoulder, feeling the sharp pain increase more than it had ever before. Once her feet touched the ground, she reached up to help Erwen down.

Erwen dropped with a thud beside her, the worried expression still covering her face. Melda gently smiled at her, but it felt more forced than it should've been. Her grip on the saddle loosened as she slowly took her first step away from the horse, her support.

Melda felt weak. She felt beaten and done, she hated the feeling of giving up. But she couldn't take it anymore.

Slowly, she began walking towards the tree. Her walk staggered but manageable. Erwen went to tie Thalion to the tree, but her eyes never left Melda.

As she walked, Melda fought the urge to faint. She could feel the color drain from her face, it was awful. But imagining Erwen getting hit by the arrow instead of her made her sick. She couldn't bare think of Erwen dying. Not after she made a promise to get her home back to her family.

Melda's eyelids drooped over her large eyes. Her lashes fluttered open and closed, trying to fight against the death that was soon upon her. She felt herself go. Her body dropped to the ground with a thud.

Erwen yelled and ran to her, quickly setting her head on her small lap. Her eyes trailed down to Melda's wound, and she grimaced at the sight. Slowly, she reached at it. Her small hand gripped around what was left of the arrow. With a sigh, she yanked,

Melda's eyes widened. An ear piercing scream filled the air. But she could only hear it in the distance, although it was coming from her. Her vision blurred as her eyes glossed with fresh tears. They spilled for what felt like eternity. Then it all went black.

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A/N: Sorry for not updating for like two months! I'll keep on writing :) please comment what you thought of this. Sorry it was so short and sort of a 'filler' chapter XD
Next chapter should be posted soon as well!