The Last of the Guardians Part 1 - A Hobbit Fan Fiction

Chapter 14

***Hello again! I'm trying to update as often as I can so bear with me! Thanks for all your comments :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter!***

Nema stared into the distance, eyes unseeing. She had retreated into her mind to escape the pain building inside of her. But she should have known better. There was no escaping the pain. It had started as a slight tingling between her shoulder blades and had gradually developed into a painful throb that matching her heartbeat.  

Nema returned to the physical world and sighed as she looked down at the sleeping dwarves. Fili was the furthest away from her, lying just behind the reach of the firelight. Nema climbed back down to the ground and crept over to the dwarf. She laid down her bow and knelt beside him, being careful not to make any noise that might wake him.  

Fili was fast asleep, completely oblivious to Nema, despite her closeness. Nema let her eyes wander over his face. He seemed so peaceful and whilst she watched him, Nema found it hard to believe that he could hold so much hate for her. She reached out, wanting to touch his face, wanton to be closer to him. The urge to touch him came out of nowhere and when she realised what she was doing Nema jerked her hand back. She felt confused with herself, and for the first time, Nema felt completely at odds with her emotions. 

She was about to return to the tree when a flash of light caught her eye. The chain of her necklace, clutched tight in Fili's hand, it's silver links glinting in the light of the dying fire. Nema stared, drawn to the gem she could see between Fili's fingers. She wanted to take it back. It would be so easy...but no. She couldn't do it. It was already to late. The Change had begun.  

A sound drew her from her thoughts and she instinctively reached for her bow. The howl of a warg in the distance came again and Nema ran to stamp out the fire. She looked around the camp, wondering whether to wake the dwarves. No, they deserved their sleep. Nema sprinted out of the camp, towards the sound of the warg.  

When she got close to the lone warg, she slowed and climbed onto a large rock. She watched the warg below as it walked back and forth, occasionally stopping and howling. Nema raised her bow and took aim, drawing in a breath to steady herself. Before she understood what was happening, Nema felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck, and her vision blurred. She let go of the arrow and it sailed away, missing its mark by several feet. Nema spun around and her eyes found an orc, standing behind her on the rock. She held onto her bow with one hand and and with the other she pulled out her sword. The orc's eyes widened and he swung at her with his axe. Nema ducked and drove her sword through his chest. The orc looked down as blood oozed from the wound. He then fell back and off the rock, and there was a sucking sound as the sword left his body.  

Another howl reached Nema and she quickly sheathed her sword and readied her bow, turning to race the slowly rising sun. A large pack of wargs was thundering across the grasslands towards her, and sitting astride them were just as many orcs. Nema cursed as her vision cleared and she saw the leader of the group.  

Running several feet ahead of the other beasts was a white warg with blazing yellow eyes. Azog, the Pale Orc, sat astride him, eyes fixed on Nema.  

Nema aimed and fired a score of arrows, and each found its mark. Several orcs and wargs fell to the ground, never to rise again, but it would not be enough to save her. She let loose her last arrow, then drew her sword again and threw her bow to the ground. As the group approached, Nema dipped her head slightly, obscuring her face. If Azog realised who she was the she was done for. If he already knew...she was already dead. 

The wargs reached the rock and circled it, all eyes fixed upon Nema. She spun on the spot, trying to see if any orcs had begun to climb the rock, but they hadn't.  

Azog guided his white warg to the front and looked up at her. "Guardian!" He called. "Come down. We won't hurt you." 

Nema avoided looking at him and pulled her hood to block his view of her face. She remained silent.  

Azog narrowed his eyes. "Come down now, or we will make you." He snarled. He gestured to two orcs near him and they circled round to either side of the rock and began to climb.  

Nema raised her sword ready to fight, but she could not watch both orcs at the same time. As the first reached her, she struck it on the head and it fell down again. This gave the second orc time to get close to her, and before Nema could react, he grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet. Nema gasped and elbowed him in the face but he held on, stumbling towards the edge. She elbowed him again and this time he dropped her. 

Nema crouched in a defensive stance and raised her sword, but this was all it took for the whole hoard of orcs to start scrambling up the rock. They grabbed at her and she swung her sword them ward them off but there were too many. They dragged her down to where Azog was waiting, and held her before their leader.  

The Pale Orc dismounted and sneered at Nema, then he pulled down her hood. He stepped back, his facial expression a mixture of shock and anger. "Nemaiza." He growled.  

"I am she." Nema looked him in the eye and spat at his feet.  

Azog grabbed her by the neck and held above the ground. "I've been looking for you...you killed my brother." 

"He killed...mine." Nema choked on her words, her hands scratching at Azog's arm. 

"You have thousands of brothers and thousands of sisters. What's it to you if one of them dies?" 

"It wasn't his time. Your brother deserved his death." Nema spat in his face. 

Azog narrowed his eyes. "You still have not been through the Change." He stated. Nema's eyes widened and the Pale Orc saw fear in them. "That makes you weak. And where is you Taegra? You haven't got a hope in the whole of Middle Earth." He leered at Nema and set her on the ground. The other orcs were quick to grab her to stop her escaping. In his mind, Azog was already planning how he would make her death as slow and as painful as possible.  

He turned towards the Misty Mountains and looked in the direction Nema had come. He stared at the small clump of trees at the foot of one mountain and pointed it out to his orcs. "There is where we will find the dwarf-scum. Tie that one up," he gestured to Nema, "we'll come back for her later. I want to watch the life slip out of her." 

Nema tried to shove the orcs away but they clawed at her skin and held her tight. She put up a brave fight, and even resorted to yelling, though there was no way that the dwarves would be able to hear her. The orcs secured Nema and then mounted their wargs. Before they left, one orc silenced Nema by hitting her over the head with the hilt of his sword. Her chin rested on her chest and a trickle of blood dripped from the wound on her head.

***I promise I will update as soon as I can! I know I've been a bit mean and left it like this, but I hope you enjoyed it! Please comment and tell me what you think!***