The Sisters [A Hobbit Fanfiction]

Chapter 9

Aelith, Avice, Thorin and Balin watched from the other side of the clearing as Nora chucked a flaming pinecone at the goblins below. Smiling grimly, Aelith shook her head, 

“Brilliantly mad as always…” Thorin laughed, but his voice held no mirth.

“Yes, that’s helpful,” said Balin, “but it’s a shame they can’t get us some of that fire. An attack from all sides would be more effective.”

Avice watched as the twins flung the flaming pinecones away from themselves landing a safe distance away from the enemies and sputtering out. She and Thorin chuckled genuinely as they saw Nora scolded them.

Aelith, frowned,

“Yes, it would be more effective…” she watched as Runa said something. Suddenly her eyes narrowed. Both Runa and Nora were grinning a pair of matching grins that she recognized all too well.

“What are they doing?” she mused, her eyes trained on the girls as they said something to a a nervous Fili and Kili.

Then she saw Runa slipped her slim bow and an arrow out and fiddling with them.

“Oh no,” groaned Avice. Thorin and Balin looked at the girls questioningly,

“What is it?” Aelith sighed, gesturing Runa, who was preparing to shoot and arrow that now held a long string of rope on it.

“They going to do a Mirkwood,” said Aelith as though that explained everything. Balin looked at them in surprise,

“You’ve been to Mirkwood?” Aelith was once again avidly watching the other tree and Avice took it upon herself to explain.

“No,” she said. Balin and Thorin frowned in confusion.

“Then why…”

“We thought we were in Mirkwood at the time,” said Avice. “It wasn’t till the trees started chasing us that we realized it was Fangorn…”

“So,” asked Thorin, “what’s a Mirkwood?” Before either Avice or Aelith could answer, he saw exactly what a Mirkwood was with his very own eyes.

Across the clearing, Runa shot the arrow into the neighboring tree where it stuck into the truck firmly. She then tied the rope around the trunk of their tree and took a lit, makeshift torch Nora had made.

Holding it between her teeth, she slung her now unstrung bow over the rope and leaped out of the tree.

Thorin and Balin instinctively gasped, but Aelith and Avice merely face palmed. Runa slid across the clearing on the rope to land safely in the other tree.

“That is a Mirkwood,” said Avice unnecessarily as they watched Runa light another makeshift torch before yelling back to Kili who untied the end of the rope, throwing it to her.

Pulling it up before the goblins could grab it, she reattached it to a different arrow, moving onto the next tree in the same fashion as before.

“How is that safe?” asked Balin wonderingly.

“It isn’t,” said Aelith dryly.

Within minutes, the other five trees were armed with fiery torches and the company gleefully pelt the goblins and wargs with explosive pinecones.

With a slight thud, Runa landed just below Aelith, grinning and slightly out of breath. She passed the torch up to Avice, saying,

“Ta da!” Thorin frowned and was about to say something biting, but Avice beat him to it,

“YOU CARELESS LITTLE IDIOT!!!” They all stared at Avice in shock. Runa blinked slightly,

“Pardon?”

“YOU COULD HAVE DIED!!! DIDN’T YOU EVEN STOP TO THINK ABOUT THE RISK?!?!” Runa raised an eyebrow, climbing up to join them.

“Considering our situation, I didn’t think me pulling a Mirkwood would add to the danger…” Avice made an angry noise, but didn’t have a comeback for that. Looking slightly chagrined, Runa patted Avice’s head,

“There, there. It’s nice to know you were worried.” Avice looked at her in disbelief. “But in all fairness that wasn’t half as dangerous as the first time.” Avice rolled her eyes, but smiled.

“What happened the first time?” asked Thorin curiously. Runa looked at him and her smile turned Cheshire.

“Well, we were in Fangorn, home to the Ents. Ents happen to be moving trees and despite not being the fasted or nimblest creatures in Middle earth…”

She trailed off suggestively and Thorin and Balin’s eyes grew huge. Seeing they were about to ask more, Aelith quickly changed the subject, ordering,

“Balin, Thorin and I will collect pinecones. Runa, you and Avice start attacking immediately. We’ll join you when we have a decent amount of ammunition.”

The other four nodded (Runa saluting) and went about their work in a manner so calm as to make one wonder as to how much danger they were actually in.

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[A/N: SO, vote/message me so I know how I'm doing! Ah, if only we could all do a Mirkwood... tallyho for now!]