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

Chapter 16

***Hello! I'm really sorry this is so late. I had my French oral exam this week so I had to revise all the time but I'm free again now! You've probably guessed that the dwarves are not dead. I could never do that to them! There is no Nema in this chapter so enjoy the dwarf overload! (Well, it's not really an overload, but you get what I mean)***

The steady rain made the ledge very slippery and worsened the already foul mood of the dwarves.

"Curse this thunder storm!" cried Fili as he slipped on the wet rock and grabbed Kili's cloak to steady himself. His younger brother stopped walking and turned to glare at him. Fili lowered his gaze, frustrated. It wasn't fair of Kili to blame him. It wasn't his fault Nema had abandoned them.

Kili resumed walking again and Fili followed, taking care to watch his footing. The dwarves had been navigating the mountain path for most of the day and the sky was already beginning to darken. Bilbo was walking near the back of the group. His bare feet kept sliding across the rock and each time they did so, he got closer and closer to the edge. At one point, he overbalanced and would have fallen if not for Dwalin. The dwarf reached out and grabbed Bilbo by the collar, pulling him back to safety.

"Careful there, hobbit," he grunted.

"Th-thanks," mumbled Bilbo, taking a moment to brush himself down before hurrying after the dwarves. He was starting to have serious doubts about whether he wanted to continue on to Erebor. This adventure was far too dangerous for his liking.

Thorin looked back at the hobbit briefly and then gestured to the other dwarves to let Bilbo pass. Thorin wanted to keep Bilbo close. It wouldn't do to lose two of his company in one day. The dwarf knew it would not bode well for their quest.

Just as Bilbo had reached his new position in the line, a dark shadow flew towards them and crashed into the mountain above. They pressed up against the mountainside as bits of rock showered down on them.

"This is no thunderstorm, its a thunder battle!" Balin shouted to his dwarven brothers over the din.

Two figures loomed over them, standing taller than all the mountains surrounding them.

"Well bless me, the legends are true!" Bofur exclaimed, jabbing his axe in their direction. "Giants! Stone giants!"

The dwarves took cover again as the two giants pelted each other with bits of mountain. Poor Bilbo was trembling in fear. His heart raced and his eyes widened as he watched the thunder battle. Suddenly the ground shook violently, beginning to split down the middle and move apart. They had been standing on the knees of another stone giant. A stone giant that was planning on doing battle itself.

"Fili!" Cried Kili, reaching out to his brother, "grab my hand!"

But it was too late. The brothers stared at each other in horror as the gap between them grew to big to jump over.

The rock which bore Thorin and most of the other dwarves flew to the left and collided with a mountain. They ran as fast as they could to reach the nearby ledge, making it seconds before the leg of the stone giant moved away again. Thorin clambered to his feet and stared as his dwarven brothers flew past him on the other leg of the giant.

It crashed into the mountainside just around the corner as the giant fell backwards after being struck in the chest by a boulder. The dwarves watched as the leg of the giant moved away from the mountain, but none of their brothers were on it. They had to have been crushed by the giant.

"No!" Thorin yelled hurrying to see what had become of his eldest nephew.

The dwarves lay in a crumpled heap, grunting their irritation but otherwise unharmed. Kili helped his brother up and embraced him, forgetting their previous quarrel. How could he have blamed his brother for Nema's absence? She must have had her reasons for leaving them. It was unfair of him to blame Fili.

"Where's Bilbo?" asked Bofur, looking all around him for any sign of his friend. "Where's the hobbit?"  

Ori pointed at the fingers hooked round the edge.

Bilbo had slipped again and was now hanging by his fingertips from the ledge just below theirs. "Help!" he cried, struggling to hold on. 

Both Bofur and Ori dove forward and tried to grab him but Bilbo's grip was weak and he slid further down the rock. Thorin passed Kili his sword and swung himself down to Bilbo's level. He grabbed the hobbit's leg and pushed him up where he could be reached by Bofur. Bilbo allowed Bofur to pull him to safety where he lay gasping for breath. No, this adventure had become far to dangerous. Thorin slipped and almost fell, but a strong hand caught his arm and he was pulled back onto the ledge.  

They stood there for a moment to count their numbers and when they were satisfied that no one had fallen, Thorin led them along the ledge, searching for somewhere they could rest.  

The cave they found was warm and the ground was covered with soft sand, perfect for sleeping on.  

"Check the back," barked Thorin. "These caves are seldom unoccupied." 

Dwalin lit a torch and held it up so he could see into the dark corners of the cave. He found no other living creature. "There's nought here," he told Thorin.  

"I'll get a fire going," said Bombur. "I'll make us a hearty meal." He dumped his pack down in the middle of the cave.  

"No fires." Thorin said. "We will rest tonight." The dwarves looked at him. They were hungry, wet, and very cold.  

"Can we not warm ourselves by a fire, Thorin?" Asked Kili, his wet hair dripping into his eyes.  

"No. Just get some rest. We leave at first light.' Thorin turned away from them and set himself down in the sand, his back against the rock wall. Balin frowned down at him as the other dwarves lay out their blankets.  

"We should wait here for Gandalf. That was the plan." Balin protested.  

Thorin glanced up at his most trusted advisor, then averted his gaze. "Plans change," he said simply. He adjusted his position so he was lying on his back and stared at the roof of the cave. He didn't feel like talking that night.  

Why had Nema left them? Had Fili really hurt her that much? Perhaps she had just left so she could Change. But that didn't explain why she had not returned. What if she was in trouble?  

Thorin's mind circled the mystery like a hungry warg circling a prey far too big for it to take down. He realised he would not know why Nemaiza had abandoned them until they met again. That was unlikely to happen if they kept moving but time was short and they needed to reach Erebor before the start of the new year.  

Thorin closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest but the memory of the morning haunted his dreams and would not leave his mind alone.  

*** 

Thorin awoke to a pain in his lower back from sleeping in an awkward position. He stretched where he lay and stared up at the branches of the trees above him. The sun cast a dappled light on his face and he smiled under its warmth. At least he had been able to sleep for a little while.  

He sat up suddenly, realising that he should have taken the last watch of the night, but no one had woken him. Thorin looked around at the sleeping dwarves. No one was awake but him. Surely Bombur should be awake and cooking them all breakfast by now? But no, the plump dwarf was still sleeping soundly.  

Thorin stood and scanned the clearing, confused. Then in hit him.  

Nema was gone.

***I'm going to leave this one there because it seems like a good place to cut it. Don't worry! I will be updating again soon! I don't know...something just isn't right with this chapter but I hope you enjoy reading t anyway! Thanks again for all your comments!***