ADVENTURE | ❝I don't want you to leave me, please don't leave me.❞
━ IN WHICH Elirien is pulled into the adventure of a lifetime. She not only learns to trust more, but discovers the truth about who she is and finds the one great love.
| Book 1 in E...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
▌Chapter 4 ─ Legion Of Orcs ▌
━━━━━ ELIRIEN WAS ON her horse, Thessalia next to her. They were behind Thorin and Gandalf but in front of the other dwarves. Elirien kept her eyes on Thorin as the dwarves talked amongst each other.
"Wait! Wait!" Bilbo shouted, causing them all to come to a stop. Elirien took her eyes off of Thorin and placed them onto Bilbo. "I signed it." He said holding the contract in the air for them to see. He then handed it over to Balin. Balin took the contract and proceeded to look at it. Bilbo looked over at Gandalf who seemed to place a smile on his face.
"Everything appears to be in order." Balin said as he started closing the contract. "Welcome, Master Baggins... to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."
The dwarves chuckled, while Thorin looked at him. "Give him a pony." He ordered.
Bilbo turned to look at Thorin. "No, no. No, that won't be necessary. Thank you. I'm sure I can keep up on foot." Bilbo proceeded to tell them.
"He's going to have a tough time." Alice spoke as she moved forward. Elirien smiled, shaking her head.
"He sure is." Elirien replied.
They continued to track on, Elirien and Thessalia moved to the back both the lookout in case something was to come and attack the group. Elirien lifted her hand catching the bag of gold, she then placed it in a sack on her right side.
"No, wait, wait, stop!" Bilbo called out. Alice came to a stop and Elirien sighed, lowering her head slightly. "Stop! We have to turn around." Bilbo informed them.
"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked him.
"I forgot my handkerchief."
Elirien sighed again, all she wanted to do was move on so they would complete this quest and Elirien could be on her way. She hoped that she could go the entire trip without the dwarves finding out she was an elf.
"Move on." Thorin said, pulling the elf out of her thoughts.
They continued on traveling further and further away from the shire, and soon night was falling upon them. They found a resting place and unpacked for the night. Elirien and Thessalia sat with Fili and Kili. Elirien leaned up against the rock wall behind them, her eyes on Thorin. However a cry from an orc took her eyes off him. She looked out feeling as though they were near. Elirien placed her hand on her sword ready for a fight should it come.
"What was that?" Bilbo asked, looking back at them.
"Orcs." Fili answered as the cries continued to echo.
"Orcs?" Bilbo questioned quietly running back over to them. Thorin seemed to jump out of his sleep at the mention of Orcs.
"Throatcutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lone-lands are crawling with them." Fili said, while Elirien looked over at Gandalf who stared at her.
"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Kili added on. Fili looked back at his brother for a brief moment, the two soon started chuckling. Elirien rolled her eyes, not really seeing how that was funny.
"You think that's funny?" Thorin asked the two, causing Bilbo to look back at him. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"
"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili replied, lowering his head.
"No, you didn't." Elirien watched as the dwarf walked away from them. "You know nothing of the world.
Elirien picked herself up from the ground moving around the fire and sitting back down, she was turned towards Thorin as Balin walked over to them.
"Don't mind him, laddie." Balin said. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the lonely mountain, king Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first." Balin began to explain to them, Elirien placed her eyes back on Balin.
"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began... by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know."
Elirien lowered her head, as Thorin's story was being told. "Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat... and death were upon us. That is when I saw him." Balin paused, looking over at Thorin.
"A young Dwarf prince facing down the pale orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as his shield. Azog the Defiler learned that day... that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken." Elirien looked over at Thessalia, who seemed very interested in the story. She then looked over at Balin as he continued on.
"Our forces rallied... and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast... nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then... there is one who I could follow. There is one... I could call king."
Thorin turned around and all the dwarves had woken and were now lined up. Bilbo brought his eyes back to Balin staring at him.
"And the pale orc? What happened to him?" Bilbo asked him.
"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin said, walking back over to his resting spot. Gandalf looked over at Balin, Thessalia and Elirien who had all briefly looked at him knowing very well that was not the truth. Elirien had come in contact with the orc, she nearly lost her life and he wanted that orc dead.
