The Fifteenth Member (Thorin Oakenshield/OFC)

Chapter 23

It did not take us long to outrun the orcs, we had the tide on our side. After awhile, the dwarves came to a standstill and all they could do was paddle. Some of the dwarves had so much water in their barrels that they had to be flanked on either side by two others.

"Anything behind us?"

"Not that I can see!"

"I think we've outrun the orcs!"

"Not for long, we've lost the current."

"Bombur's half-drowned!"

"Make for the shore!" One by one, the dwarves pulled themselves out of the barrels and into solid land once again. I dragged myself out of the water, careful not to put too much weight on my abdomen. As soon as Thorin noticed my struggles, he came over and helped me onto a rock.

"On your feet."

"Kili's wounded!" Fili protested, "His leg needs binding."

"We've an orc pack on our tail. We keep going.

"To where?"

"To the mountain, we're so close!"

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it!"

"So then we go around."

"The orcs will run us down as sure as daylight, we've no weapons to defend ourselves."

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes." Thorin sounded stressed but I didn't think anything of it. I got myself over to where Kili was situated.

"I'm going to have to take the arrowhead out and it will be painful, do you understand?" Kili nodded and bit his lip. I took as deep breath as I took hold of the part sticking out of the wound.

"On three, ok we'll steady him Mereniver." Fili and Oin each took up a position so Kili would not be able to move and make the injury worse.

"One..." Fili started and I yanked, pulling the remains of the shaft and the arrowhead in one swift go, dropped it, and covered Kili's mouth with my hand just in time to muffle his cry.

"What happened to 'two and three'?!" Kili demanded, furious that I'd tricked him.

"Two, three." I replied. Kili growled at me but I paid him no heed and knelt down again. The wound was black, it was already swelling with infection.

"Kili.... that arrow was poisoned. I can't heal this and I don't think my blood will either."

"So I'm going to die?"

"Unless we finds an elf willing to heal you...." I couldn't continue, I didn't have to. Kili understood. I bound his leg and just as I finished tying the knot off, a shadow loomed over me.

I turned to see the silhouette of an archer. Dwalin grabbed a large branch and raised it like a sword but the man fired and the arrow went straight into it, coming out centimeters from Dwalin's heart. Kili picked up a rock to throw but the archer fired again, knocking the rock clean out of Kili's hand. Kili was taken by surprise and did a double take at his hand before he actually realized that the rock was gone.

"Do it again, and your siren will never return to the water." The man threatened, setting a third arrow in his bow and pointing it at my tail. By now all of the dwarves had raised various 'weapons' but put them down when they heard his threat.

"Excuse me, but you're from Lake Town, if I'm not mistaken." Balin stepped forward, his hands raised when the man fixed his aim on him, "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?" The man out his bow away and approached us.