[IC] Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

[kiiblade]

"But your leg is hurt!" Kili couldn't imagine leaving without her; from the sound of it, there were plenty of wargs, and he did not wish to leave Saeril on her own. They'd barely escaped the last group, and he feared for her safety even though she did have the gift of flight. If there were orc riders, they could shoot her down. "I'm not leaving without you. You have to come!"

"KILI! NOW!" Thorin barked the order. The rest of the company was fleeing down the hill, but his nephew hadn't budged. This was no time for heroics; they would be mauled to death if action was not soon taken. Time was running out, and so Thorin grabbed Kili by the arm to force him along. "You would do well to follow," he advised Saeril to come, though he would not try to stop her if she wished to stay. Saeril was capable of handling herself, unlike her godson.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril listened to her godson's pleas, and she looked at the approaching Wargs before Thorin forced his nephew away. Looking back at the said-approaching pack, the she-elf first thought that she would end this by herself, but she couldn't be stubborn to let this be the last of her and Azog coming paths. He was for Thorin to slay, his vendetta. However, it didn't stop her from forcing herself to run at the approaching warg, and took flight right towards him. Stabbing the beast, the she-elf knocked it off the cliff nearby, before noticing herself being surrounded by the ferocious beasts. At least she would be able to slow them down for the company to flee.

Running at her, Saeril made a 360 degree spin-attack with her daggers, before taking flight once again. Her leg throbbing in pain, but she ignored it. The Durin were at risk. "Climb into the trees!", she heard the wizard tell the company as they reached a dead end on the road.

[kiiblade]

"No! She has to come with us!" Kili had struggled against Thorin's vice-like grip, but he'd no choice. Thorin was stronger, and he wasn't caving.
"Why won't she come?!" If nothing else, Kili wished to stay and fight. Leaving felt cowardly, and he feared for his godmother's life. "Thorin! We must stop her!"
Despite Kili's protests, Thorin did not release his hold, nor was he willing to relent. "Kili, enough! She has made her choice," the king gave him a push towards the nearest tree, and he checked to see that the others were in tow. "Now climb!"
Dismayed, Kili did climb, and he went as high as he could so that he might catch a glimpse of Saeril. The tree swayed dangerously as Bombur hoisted himself up, but for the most part, it felt secure. Brows furrowed in worry, Kili looked to his older brother as he held onto the tree.

The wargs had caught up with them, and they were now trapped to the tree. The monsters had ceased their growling, then turned as the white warg, with Azog on its back, approached. Thorin looked to Azog, stricken to see his sworn enemy alive and well.

Azog smirked cruelly, he seemed to take delight in seeing Thorin's shock. “Do you smell it? The scent of fear?" The Pale Orc stroked his warg with his hand, and then his steely gaze matched Thorin's as he spoke in black speech. “I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain."
Thorin was hit with grief and hatred all at once. The Goblin King had spoken the truth. “It cannot be.”
“That one is mine." Azog faced his mini army as he sent them to attack. “Kill the others!"
At his command, the Wargs ran forward and tried to climb the trees. They jumped as high as they could, clawing
at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws. The trees shook violently at the assault, and the company struggled to hold on.
"Drink their blood!" Azog's attention was drawn to Saeril, and recognition showed in his eyes. During the days of her corruption, she had sent him to cause destruction upon Moria.

"Do you have further orders?" This was a taunt, for Azog knew of her crimes, and he made sure that she was reminded of them.

[AngelBites15]

As they continued to climb the tree, Fili was helping his brother climb, but the youngest almost lost his grip as the tree began to shake. The wargs were trying to knock the tree down! That wasn't going to help them at this rate, and getting down wasn't an option! A warg managed to at least climb a little up the tree, but didn't get far.

Hovering near the said-tree, the she-elf screeched at the Pale Orc's taunt before she shouted Black Speech to the creatures. After this action, the winged elf aggressively collided and toppled one of the climbing wargs, right off the cliff below. Knowing that it wasn't over yet, the female made a u-turn, before charging back and hit one of them head-on.

Thinking quick, Gandalf retrieved a pinecone, and conjured blazing fire upon it. "Fili!", he passed one down to the eldest prince below, as well as the others, and throwing the blazing object at the creatures, creating a trailing wall of fire to get them away from the tree.

[kiiblade]

Kili caught one of the pinecones, quickly shifted it to his other hand, then whipped it at the nearest warg. The rest of the company helped, and soon the clearing was engulfed in a wall of flame. This earned cheers from them all, and Azog roared in fury at their show of resistance. This was not to last, however. The cheers turned into cries of fear as the roots of the tree started to give way; the tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but stopped, only inches away from the cliff.

Again, Kili almost lost his grip. Holding on at such an angle was becoming impossible, and he was frightened certain that one of them was sure to fall. As if to answer his fears, Dori fell, but he managed to hold on for dear life when Gandalf extended him his staff.

Thorin would take no more of this. Saeril could not handle them all on her own, nor should she have to. Slowly, he pushed himself up, hatred burning in his eyes. Azog would pay for the grief and torment he had brought to them all.
Through the flames, Thorin ran towards him, Ocrist drawn.
The attack never made its mark; Azog was one step ahead. With the assist of his warg, he was faster, and both attacked Thorin first. Thorin managed to swing his sword, but he was thrown to the ground, then hit with Azog's mace as the others looked on in shock.

"Thorin!" Kili attempted to climb forward in order to reach him, but any movement risked the tree falling over completely.

[AngelBites15]

As Dori fell backwards out of the tree, Ori lunged to try and grab him, but fell out himself, crying out. "Mr Gandalf!!", hearing their pleas, the wizard quickly stuck out his staff the dwarf could grab on to, and kept a hold of it, with Ori hanging tightly onto Dori's foot. They were safe, for now.

Saeril couldn't believe that Thorin would do such a thing. An opportunity that could result in death. He shouldn't, and couldn't, die now. She looked at her godsons and then back to the wounded Thorin. She made an exasperated sigh before hovering herself above the fire, blowing at the flames towards Azog with huge gusts of wind, and landed on the ground a few yards away from the Orc, the reflecting blazes of the fire radiating from her figure. "Face me, creature of malice!", she hissed in anger.

[kiiblade]

Bilbo was witness to the attack, and he managed to stand up on the tree. While completely unlike him, he felt a fire within his heart, one of courage. Thorin needed help, and he may have been the only one there light enough to leave the tree without disturbing it.

At the same moment, The White Warg clamped its jaws around Thorin. Kili's eyes widened in horror as Thorin yelled out in pain; the sound was foreign to him, for he'd always believed his uncle immortal. For a young dwarf like Kili, nothing had ever seemed strong enough to harm Thorin, and yet here he was, at risk of being slaughtered before their eyes.
Dwalin tried to leave his place in order to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he held onto broke, swinging him over the edge and preventing him from reaching his king.

Thorin managed to hit the warg's head with the pommel of his sword, a hit enough to make the beast roar and throw him several feet away. Thorin landed heavily, his sword far from reach, his vision going dark. As it was, he was moments from losing consciousness, and Azog knew that.
The Pale Orc smirked cruelly, his eyes locked to Saeril. "Bring me the Dwarf’s head," he commanded the orc nearest to him. "This one is mine." With that, he gave a roar and charged towards her, his mace in hand.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril stated as Azog charged, remarkably not being phased by the approaching creature he was perched upon. Closing her eyes, the she-elf bent down to one knee as if in prayer. Sheathing out the two curved daggers, she listened to the pacing footsteps of the warg, measuring its movements, its proximity, and its weight. Her elf-ear didn't fail her, before at the split second of it biting at her, she propelled her slim body over the beast, using the blades to cut its face, nearly at its eye. "Sons of Durin!", she shouted. "Retrieve your king!", telling the Dwarves to help their leader, who was nearly dying behind her. The she-elf gave another hiss at the Orc before hovering above the Dwarven King, shielding her now-friend from harm; the fire trailed its orange glow upon her figure, making her eyes seemingly glow in hatred at the Pale Orc. "Your blood will shed by my hand", she shot at him while having a dagger pointed at him.

[kiiblade]

Bilbo had jumped down from the tree, Sting drawn and ready. The sword glowed a brilliant blue, and the hobbit ran forward as an orc approached Thorin. The foul creature had plans to slice Thorin's neck in order to decapitate him, but he never got the chance. Right as he swung his sword down, Bilbo threw himself at the orc and knocked him over. In the scuffle, Bilbo managed to stab Thorin's attacker as the others came to their aid.

Kili wasted no time. The youngest stabbed one orc, then moved to kill the next while narrowly dodging a blade to the shoulder. For the first time in a long while, they were outnumbering their foes, and everyone was more than willing to defend their king.

Azog growled in anger to see the acts of heroism from all present. "Have you come in an attempt to erase your crimes?" The Pale Orc looked up to Saeril in hatred, his soulless eyes reflecting the flames around them. In black speech, he cursed her name as he swung his mace upwards to hit her. "You, and the Son's of Durin will die on this day!"

[AngelBites15]

Saeril braced herself for the incoming weapon strike of Azog's mace, then she heard a screech as a great eagle swooped down from the sky, and knocked Azog off course. More eagles dove out of the sky, some attacking the wargs and orcs whilst others picked up the dwarves, including Thorin, and the wizard out of the tree to safety. One picked up Bilbo, and dropped him off the edge of the cliff until he landed on the back of another eagle. At that moment, the she-elf sheathed her weapons, ran to Kili, and ran off the cliff directly, shortly after, spreading her wings and taking flight with him on her back.

"Thorin!", she heard Fili shout, sounding obviously terrified for his unconscious uncle. Barely awake he was, Saeril managed to look at the unconcious Prince, letting out a relieved sigh that he and the rest of the company were safe. She did let out a quiet hiss of pain from her wounded leg but tried to keep it quiet to not let Kili immediately worry about her wellbeing.

[kiiblade]

Kili held on, his heart pounding in his chest. The giant eagles, his godmother...they were all flying. This should have been a sight to marvel at, but he was too concerned for Thorin to truly appreciate what was happening.
Kili overheard Fili's shout to their uncle, and could not help but fear the worst. Fili was seldom scared, and Thorin may have been worse off than he realized.

As they reached the cliff, Kili was quick to remove himself from his godmother's back. Despite Saeril's efforts to hide her pain, Kili sensed it. "Are you alright?? You should sit down." The youngest was looking to where the bandaging would have been, and then the eagle carrying Thorin set him down.

[AngelBites15]

"Thorin!", Gandalf ran to the fallen dwarf Prince, once he removed himself from the eagle's back. Fili was already starting to run to his fallen uncle, but he couldn't get any further as the wizard kneeled beside Thorin. Gandalf muttered something elvish under his breath, while hovering and passing his hand over the dwarf's face.

Saeril was too stubborn; funny it may sound, but her youngest godson was the same way. She risked her life by facing the most vile of all of creatures To keep the remaining Durin family, as well as the company, safe from his pack. The injury wasn't going to stop her from moving either; she made a promise, she will keep it. For Dis, and the rest of the scattered royal family. For that, she didn't listen to him, but kept a brave face saying that she was fine, and not back down from a fight. It didn't hurt as much like before, but the she-elf knew that it will be of Kili's constant concern.

[kiiblade]

Saeril was stubborn, but so was Kili. Despite her telling him not to, Kili still blamed himself for her injury. "Oin had said to keep weight off of it," he reminded in a small voice. Had this been Fili, Kili would have argued more, but Saeril was a mother figure, and arguing with one's mother was much different than arguing with a sibling.

As Gandalf aided Thorin, Kili watched, his heart sinking. Surely Thorin was not dead...he could not comprehend losing him like this, he could not fathom what that would do to their family, let alone their people. Without Thorin, Fili would become king, and they would be without their only uncle. "Gandalf?"

To the youngest's relief, Thorin's eyes slowly opened. With a shuddered breath, Thorin looked to Gandalf, his vision blurred.
"The halfling...and the she-elf," he could barely string the words together, but that was the last he could remember. Bilbo and Saeril had come to his aid, and they very well may have lost their lives.

[AngelBites15]

"Don't worry, they're both here, and quite safe", the wizard reassured the dwarven Prince, before turning his attention to the Hobbit and the "Fae".

Saeril kept herself slightly amused at his worrying. She knows that she can't make the injury worse, but she will allow herself to lightly walk. It didn't bother her not to; the injury will heal, in time. "I will find a way to keep it protected. Don't worry, I can bear the pain as I walk", she said as she kneeled down to meet his eye level. "Don't blame yourself. You were in danger; I had to do something to protect your wellbeing. You can blame the stone giant", she joked a little, the same way Kili would do to cheer her up. Giving him a gentle smile, the she-elf stroked his ebony-brown hair, before giving him a reassuring hug, soothing his worrying and self-guilt.

[kiiblade]

Kili smiled lightly as Saeril tried to cheer him as he had tried to cheer her. "I just want you to be careful -- Mum would want you to be careful, too," he reminded her, then returned the hug, troubled by all that had happened. Thorin had regained consciousness, at least. Considering all that had happened, they were lucky. All of them.

With Dwalin and Bofur's help, Thorin regained his footing, but he shrugged them off, eyes settled to Bilbo first.
“You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!"

Bilbo could only stare, his mouth going dry as Thorin approached him. This was perhaps the the most angry he had seen him, and he could barely utter a response in which to defend himself.
"Did I not say that you would be a burden?" Thorin questioned, his voice stern. "That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?” To the surprise of all present, he pulled Bilbo into an embrace. “I have never been so wrong in all my life. I am sorry I doubted you.”
Bilbo, still shocked, returned the hug. “N-no, I would have doubted me too." The hobbit managed a light smile, his relief evident. "I’m not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar.”

The company chuckled at his response, and then Thorin's steely gaze landed towards Saeril as he released Bilbo from the hug. As much as he despised elves, Saeril had proven herself far different than Thranduil.
"And you," he approached her, humbled by his own mistakes. "I have misjudged you, and I have not been fair...for that, I am sorry." Again, he apologized, and the company watched in awe. Thorin seldom apologized; dwarves were stubborn by nature, and he had more reason than most to have a chip on his shoulder.
"You risked yourself to save my life...and you've saved the life of my nephew. I owe you a great debt."

[AngelBites15]

Saeril did feel a little guilt within herself, as soon as her godsons' mother was mentioned. It triggered a nerve of self-guilt within her as she thought of what Dis would say. It was true, and solemn. Truth be told, the she-elf missed her. Only a few years of friendship, and all Saeril remembered was her happiness of having two boys that were only five years apart. However, the memory of being given the title as "godmother" was a negative recap. She abandoned Dis, right after she was asked on the promise to watch her boys, if she ever couldn't.

Bringing herself back to reality, the she-elf felt a small break within her heart as the memory started to recall itself. She looked to the side, towards the ground, blankly solemn, even during the point of Kili hugging her back. She needed to make this right. Feeling the light come back to her facials, Saeril laid a kiss to the side of his head, lightly stroking his hair with her graceful hand.

Looking behind Kili, she noticed that Thorin was watching and approaching them. Well, her, in particular. She let go of her youngest godson, and stood back up to her full height, her wings folded behind her, almost abruptly. The Dwarven king's words were not at all what the she-elf expected; after all, she prepared herself for a scold coming from him, not an apology. At least he now didn't see her as a threat, or a nuisance, to his nephews now. Saeril gave a good-hearted, honored smile, already feeling the goodness, and no ill-will, coming from Thorin. "I am truly grateful, son of Durin. The debt has been paid, as I was bent on a promise. A promise, that I intend to fulfill", the she-elf said with determination to their king, wavering the last sentence to Kili's direction as well as Fili's. At least Saeril was now on the right foot with the company's leader now, and that they were now allies, and not enemies.

[kiiblade]

Kili could not believe that this was the same uncle who so vehemently hated elves; he hadn't expected this, and it was apparent that no one else had expected this public apology, either. Not only had Thorin apologized, he'd shown her gratitude, and both occurrences were very rare indeed.

Thorin nodded once to show his respect, and in passing he clasped a hand to Kili's shoulder to show that all was well. The mountain was off in view, a silhouette in the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo neared the edge so that he might see, and at the same time, a thrush chirped and flew by.

Thorin had noticed too, and a light smile crossed his face as he looked to their home. “We’ll take that as a sign. A good omen.”

Bilbo returned the smile. Things had turned out far better than he'd anticipated. Thorin now accepted him and Saeril. Their journey was close to over. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

Kili smiled warmly to Saeril in order to see her reaction to Thorin's change of heart. For the first time since they'd left Bilbo's home, no one was at odds. They'd all learned to prove themselves and they had all worked together in order to survive. "I believe Bilbo is right...the worst is behind us," he told her happily, and then Thorin waved for them to follow. They still had a deadline to keep, but they were making good time.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril gently placed a hand on Kili's shoulder when he returned the warm gesture of a smile. Their gaze to the mountain was an accomplishment; a good omen, Thorin called it. Even when the thrush flew by, it was a happy feeling of pride to the company. They were almost there, and the she-elf could already see the future: living at peace with her godsons at the mountain, and perhaps reunite with their mother again. Saeril could only give a proud gesture to Kili. But they had to move on, in order to get there.

Sometime later in the day, the company moved themselves into the wooded areas of the plain. A place where it was said that the darkest of creatures lurked and roamed. Saeril managed to morph her wings into her cloak since her wings needed rest from the confrontation with Azog and his pack. Sooner or later, they would be picking up their trail at any time. She was waiting for Bilbo to return when he scower ahead to make sure they weren't being followed. Saeril kept herself with the brothers, occasionally exchanging a few words with them until the Hobbit returned.

[kiiblade]

Night fell over the world, and the company had been on the road for the majority of the day. It had been decided that Bilbo should scout ahead, and scout he did.

Bilbo peeked over some rocks on a high ledge, his breath in his throat. Azog and his Warg Scouts were along a plateau not far away, and they were obviously hunting down the company. To the hobbit's relief, they continued on their way. Finally, good news for once.
The feeling of relief did not last.
Bilbo heard a snarl from the side, then ducked to conceal himself. To his astonishment, he witnessed a large bear watching Azog from another pile of rocks, snarling softly. Bilbo scrambled away just as the bear roared, the sound echoing across the plains.

Kili kept by Fili and Saeril, joking occasionally and asking questions as per usual. "Bilbo certainly has been a while, hasn't he? Do you think he's alright?" As if to answer his thoughts, Bilbo has made his way down the rocks to where the company had been waiting.

Dwalin moved to question him. “How close is the pack?”
“Too close." Bilbo was out of breath, and white as a ghost. "A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it.”
Dwalin remained unphased. “Have the Wargs picked up our scent?”
Bilbo shook his head, exasperated that he was continually interrupted. “Not yet, but they will; we have another problem.”

Kili checked that his sword was in place. "What kind of problem? Did they see you?"
Bilbo ran a hand through his curly hair. This was all very stressful. "No, that's not it."
If he hadn't been spotted, they weren't in danger. That was Kili's logic, anyway. "Fine job, Bilbo. You've proven yourself the perfect burglar one again!"
Bilbo could take no more of this. “Will you listen- will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you! There is something else out there!”

[AngelBites15]

Saeril looked to the wizard when Bilbo told the group that there was something else lurking around in the wood. "What form did it take? Like a bear?", Gandalf asked the Hobbit, making sure he knows what he thinks. Unlike the others, she didn't express any stiffness to her. Plus, she did notice Kili tense up next to her with a hand clenched to his sword. Between her and Gandalf, they knew what creature the Hobbit was referring to.