"I Will Never Ever.... Stop Loving You"

Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

MIRKWOOD FOREST

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My eyes were shining as I adapted to the surrounding light. There were bees and giant hornets. When one of them approached my face, I threw it away. Before I left, I stood up and turned around to make sure they were Dwarves. I turned the corner and saw a man feeding the little men and my Uncle.

Beorn. The owner of this beautiful house made everyone eat breakfast, but I still had no appetite.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the defiler hunting you?", Beorn questioned Thorin as he looked up to the large man who had an odd amount of hair on his face.

"You know of Azog", he frowned his eyebrows. "How?", he questioned deeply before I sat into an open seat up at the table.

"My people were the first to live in the Mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved", He paused while I was still looking down at the shackles still stuck on his fat wrists. "Not for work, you understand, but for sport and entertainment. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." I listened closely with sympathy building up inside of me.

"There are others like you?", Bilbo asked, and my eyes slowly fell on Uncle as we exchanged confused glances.

"Once there were many", Beorn whispered deeply as he walked around the high table, carrying a large wooden jug of milk.

"And now?", I questioned as he poured milk into the empty cup that laid in front of me. He stopped pouring before he said, "Now there's only one", he stated towards me, glancing down at my small figure as I reach across the table for my cup of milk, "You need to reach the Mountain before the last days of Autumn"

"Before during day falls, yes", Gandalf stated nodding his head in agreement. "You are running out of time", Beorn stated glancing between the Dwarves at the table as I took another gulp of milk.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood.", Gandalf mentioned as Thorin sent him a look, a look that meant no good whatsoever, I really had a bad feeling about going through them woods. I've read about it in one of my books.

"As darkness lies upon that forest, foul things creep beneath those trees", Beorn began as chills went down my spine. "There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there, except in great need.", Beorn stated as I tried to listen very closely to their conversation, wondering what was going to happen if we did go through the woods.

"We will take the Elven road", Gandalf spoke up breaking the tension, between the men, which lingered in the air. "Their path is still safe", Gandalf smiled reassuringly, which faded when he saw me looking at Thorin with great concern.

"Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin", I knew that these Elves were different. I have read about many different species and where they come from., "There less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."

"What do you mean?", Thorin questioned as I looked over to Thorin. I was very confused as well.

"The Land of Mirkwood isn't safe", he paused taking in a deep breath, "more dangers grow around the border, full of Orcs and creatures form far lands, " he glanced between the Dwarves. "The numbers of danger grow more and more every year with the passing time. It's not as safe as it used to be", While everyone else nodded, I declared that I was listening intently with Beorn.