120514 Oin’s Tale I weaved back and forth…barely able to keep on me feet. There was miasma in this benighted wood. Tis unwholesome to be able to see the air. Dully I watched Bombur’s silly grin spread across his face as he sank first to his knees and then over onto his face. “Oh aye…I need to do something about that. I am the healer” I tried to focus on what I could do as I saw Fili weakly tug Bombur over…then collapse atop the heavy dwarf, “Oh…the wake flower…the air is drugging us…” I rummaged into me pack and, just as I found the weed, I heard my king scream.\ “Fiiiiiiiliiiii.” Thorin was looking past me and struggling to raise his sword. All of them that were still standing were struggling to raise a weapon but another, young Ori, hit the ground with his sling still clutched in his hand. Groggy with the air, I tried to turn around but was hit by a great blow. The darkness claiming me was near a relief. ******************************************************************************** Grunting noises and sounds of a struggle tried to bring me back to consciousness. My stomach was roiling dangerously as I tried to force me eyes open. Me fumbling hand reached for the wad of wake flower I had dropped when something...I dinna know what...had knocked me over. Ah! Me questing fingers found the weed and desperately I pulled it under me nose; breathing deeply. Almost immediately I felt more alert and tried to rub me eye open. Something was across me face…sticky and wet. I clawed it away from me eyes until they opened. The grayish white stuff that had been covering me eyes and mouth was disgusting, where in Mahal am I? Once again, I stuck the wake flower under me nose and it worked its magic. A squealing sound coupled with the grunting noise I had heard before brought me to me feet, grabbing me staff for support. Looking around, what I saw sickened me. The Halfling was repeatedly stabbing his little sword into a monstrous black spider! Even after the spider ceased to move, he continued….muttering all the while. Something was…not right with Bilbo. Something that made me feel uneasy. “Laddie, that boyo is dead…Give over…” I could not bring meself to meet the cold hard stare the hobbit turned on him. Instead I looked down at me hand as I tried to scrape the sticky white material from it when it hit me. Spider web! Frantic I looked around. There were several large shapes covered with the white mess…and one shape had a thick hank of red hair showing. “Gloin! Me Brudder!” I shouted and stumbled toward the web covered body. Bilbo rushed past me to another body and began tearing the web from that face even as I bared me brudder’s face. Feeling relieved when I heard a soft snore emitting from it. I rummaged into me pack…that by some miracle was still with me…and pulled out more wake flower to stick under me brudder’s nose. It was then I heard voices…at least five of them peaking in elfish gibberish. They were coming our way. I jumped to me feet and looked around for Bilbo but the hobbit had disappeared. The body he had been working on was Thorin’s…his sword Orcrist lay by his side. I looked down at me brudder in agony. I had a split second to make a decision. I could stand there and try to take on the elfish horde coming or hide and maybe attack them with the element of surprise if they looked to do harm to me comrades. The voices were closer and more than five. I made me decision…yet again I paused and then ran to Thorin to take his sword with him. I could not bring meself to leave it for the elves. I scrambled down a bank and squeezed under a jutting rock formation…it was the best the area afforded. The sudden silence from above told me when the elves had seen the dwarves. There was a spattering of chatter that I wished was in Khadzul because I canna understand a blasted word of their heathen language. It did nothing to ease me when one of the voices came close to the edge of the embankment…obviously looking for others. It also caused me to fret when I recognized the name ‘Thranduil’…twas the name me king hates above all others…well, besides Azog’s being how the creature tis still alive. Then the chatter became excited…oh aye! I knew why when I heard the name ‘Durin’. They had recognized Thorin. Twas time ta make me move. I started ta move stealthily up the embankment when me heart leapt into me throat as a hand gripped me shoulder and a voice whispered, “No! There are too many...if we follow them we will know where they take them.” The damn burglar! However, he did make sense. We watched the elves make stretchers for the company…there were a lot more than I had figured. There were two elves to each stretcher and four for Bombur’s…leaving two extra; one to guard the front of the convoy and one to bring up the rear. I never thought to feel gratitude to the pointy ears but I did now. There are many races…including some of me own… that would nae go to such trouble ain danger. It would hae been a simple chore to cut the throats of all except Thorin’s. After all our king was the only one that might be of interest to the head pointy ear. As we watched the elves make ready to leave, Bilbo and I watched each other too. The hobbit was nervous but there was no sign of the stone spider killer I had caught the glimpse of before…yet there was still something off about him. He was nae longer the pompous but good hearted laddie he had been before. I canna trust him. It took us several hours following the group leading and twas an exhausting trek with no food or water. As I staggered and almost fell, Bilbo took me pack and swung it over his own shoulder. I dinna argue. Then suddenly the Mirkwood opened up to a fair land…and a fairer, bodaciously large castle. As the group passed over the bridge into the castle, the last pointy ear paused and looked back at the way they had come…his eyes searched…then he shrugged. He said something to a guard and went inside. To me horror, the great portals began to close. I jumped forward and …tripped. I struggled to me feet and then sank back down. There was no way I could make it to the door before it was closed. “Well, Laddie...have ye any more brilliant idees?” I asked Bilbo bitterly but there was no answer. I looked around. There was no Bilbo. When it was certain the blasted Halfling was nae around. I decided ta take a nap and scout for an entrance when darkness fell. It dinna improve me mood any ta realize the hobbit still had me pack…leaving me without a pillow. Me nap was fitful causing me to use language Bofur’s Hinny calls potty mouth. I dinna ken what she meant boot I dinna want to admit that so I dinna use it around her if I could help it. When dusk was darkening the shadows I got up ta look around had ta jump right back into them. The portals at the castle was slowly opening…at least one half was. I was stunned to see a ginger heid poke out and hiss… “Master Oin? Are you there?” I was a cross that bridge like a flash and grabbed the little manling and all but hugged him, I was so happy ta see him. “How in the name of Mahal did ye get inside? Why dinna ye take me?” “I’m a burglar and small. I slipped in behind the others” Bilbo gave a nervous laugh but his eyes shifted away from meeting mine. My joy slipped away. I dinna know why but the lad was lying. Had I not watched that last elf laddie stop and speak to the guard? The Halfling sensed my mood shift and spoke defensively. “You fell and I could not wait. I barely squeezed in before the portals closed as it was.” Then I saw a pointy eared body lying in the shadow and went to it. Oh aye. He twas alive but drugged. I looked sternly at the hobbit. “Ye used me sleep weed? How would ye know the difference tween it and the wake flower?” “We have apothecaries in the shire too, you know.” The little snot said. “He showed me when I was having trouble sleeping.” I imagine me face showed me disfavor at his tone for the Boneheid laddie had sense enough to start hurrying off with a suggestion we get our company and king out. As we sidled down corridors, Bilbo explained to me he had found the prisoners and the keeper of the keys. The keeper would be alone for there was a starry celebration of their worshiping going on but we must be verra careful for approaching the keeper of would not be as easy to approach as the guard laddie had been. I almost dinna catch the sidewise glance he threw me but I was getting verra tired of half-truths and full lies. I dinna bother ta discuss it tho for we were peeking through the hall where the keeper of the keys sat alone and lonely. We discussed our plan in whispers. I slipped thru the door and sidled against the wall…silently edging me way to the rack where two rings of keys hung. Half way there I dropped me staff. The keeper of the keys was on his feet in a flash with a bow and arrow… that we had not seen he had… pointing at me. He used it to motion me back to the wall and said sommat in his heathen tongue. Before I had time to take me last breath a flash of brown was thru the door and on the pointy ears back…a handful of sleep weed pressed against his nose. Just as the elf lad released the bow, he began to sink to the floor and so did the arrow. I could breathe again. Bilbo ran for the keys and, gesturing up a corridor, he tossed me one ring. “You go that way…these keys are all the same. All fit.” He ran down the opposite corridor. I ran down mine and the first thing I saw was Dwalin’s big angry face glaring thru his cell door. I took the hint and released him first. We worked rapidly after that releasing the others. I heart almost stopped when Dwalin hissed. “They separated us from Thorin...have ye seen him? Where is he?” Me heart resumed beating when a furious but resonate voice said. “I’m here!” Oh aye, me king was furious but when he saw I carried Orcrist a rare smile lit his face. We rushed back into the keeper of the keys chamber where a busy hobbit was artistically arranging an empty wine bottle in the keeper’s arms. My heart pounded with fury. I strode over and yanked the bottle from him giving the hobbit such a look his eyes widened in fear. He rushed to follow Thorin into the next room as I…not so artistically…let some sleep weed fall around the sleeper; just enough to let those who find him know what happened to him. I reached the room which was filled with huge empty wine barrels and Bilbo was trying to explain to the company that freedom could only be obtained by getting in the barrels. His eyes still filled with fear met mine and silently mine promised him we would be having a good talk when time allows. Time might come you have to take a person life or his purse but ye dinna touch his good name. That is for him to keep or lose on his own…that is honor. The company was skeptical about hiding in barrels but a cry rang out. “Where is the keeper of the keys?” and right on the heels of that cry, Thorin ordered “Into the barrels.” The white faced Halfling reached up and pulled a lever… Oh Mahal! The world opened up under us.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 13:35:20 +0000