Ranger of the South ➵ THE HOBBIT

➵ 08 | G O B L I N T O W N

I WOKE UP by Thorin yelling. I sprang up and unsheathed my dagger, ready to strike, when the ground under my feet disappeared. I landed on top of Thorin. I looked short at him before pulling him with me back up.

"Where are we?" He asked.

I looked around and cursed when I recognized the place. "Goblintown."

He glanced at me. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah and it wasn't that nice of a visit."

Before he could ask more, we were interrupted by hundreds of goblins. I had already killed twenty of them before they could take my weapons away. I sure as hell was not going back to their hideous king. Unfortunately for me, even I couldn't take down fifty goblins on my own and without weapons.  I let me take away and just hoped that he wouldn't recognize me.

He was still just as ugly as the last time I saw him, maybe even more. The goblin king sat on his throne.

"What do we have here? Thieves? Murderers?"

"Dwarves, your grace, and three humans."

His eyes observed us and I tried to act as casual as possible.

"You!" The goblin king shouted when he saw me. I grinned. "Me."

"The last time I saw you, you burned down half of my kingdom! You killed my wife!"

The dwarves and my brothers gasped. I looked 'shocked'.

"Oh dear? Was that your wife? Sure even you deserved better?"

Oh dear was he mad.

He stood up and shouted: "Grab her and whip her!" He grinned. "Now you don't have a big mouth, do ya?" Goblins hold me on my place and the dwarves and my brothers were trying to get to me.

"Wait!" Someone yelled. I closed my eyes.

Not this time. Please shut up Thorin.

I looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him not to say anything.

"What do we have here?" The goblin king said, "The King Under The Mountain? Oh I forget you don't have a mountain! What makes you no king!"

"He's a better king than you'll ever be!" I hissed.

He slapped me across the face. "Shut up."

I spit some blood out and held my head high, I was not going to show them weakness.

"You can beat me as much as you like," I told him, "but you will never break me."

The goblin king ignored me and looked back at Thorin.

"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head, Thorin Oakenshield. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A pale orc astride a white Warg."

Thorin looked at him in disbelief.

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle a long time ago."

"So you think his defiling days are over, do you?" The goblin king laughed, then turned to a tiny goblin sitting in a basket and holding a slate.

"Send word to the pale orc. Tell him I have found his price."

Before I could stop him, a goblin had picked up Thorin's sword. He examined the sword and threw the sword down in horror. The goblin king looked at the sword and gasped.

"I know that sword! It's the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks. Slash them! Beat them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!" The goblin king demanded, pointing at Thorin.

"No!" I yelled trying to get to Thorin.

They can't take him.

I pulled me out of the grip of the goblins and ran over to Thorin, who was already on his knees. I pushed him to the side right when the sword came down. It sliced through my back and I fell on my knees. I breathed in and stood back up, facing the goblin, who looked surprised that I was alive. I punched him in the face when there was a massive explosion of bright light. Everyone is knocked over including the goblin king. When the light faded away, I could make out a grey figure with a staff and a sword.

"Gandalf?"

"Take up arms! Fight! Fight!" Gandalf shouts.

Strong arms pulled me up. "Are you alright?" A voice asked. I nodded and stumbled over to my weapons. I stripped them tight on my body and unsheathed my sword. Trying not to think of my back, I beheaded a goblin.

"Follow me!" Gandalf said. The Company and I ran after him. I ran in the back of the group when Daylor and Faelar ran beside me.

"Are you alright Keira?" Daylor asked, concerned.

I just nodded. I saw them exchanging a worried glance but they didn't ask further. I sliced goblins open on the way and noticed I ran slower. I pressed further as fast as I could. I wasn't going to slow everyone down. I refused that. We stopped abruptly on a bridge when the goblin king sprang in front of us.

"You think you could escape me?" He shouted.

Gandalf sliced his stomach and the goblin king looked down.

"That'll do it."

The bridge fell down under his dead weight. Daylor and Faelar grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. If we should die here, we'll die at least together. Daylor and Faelar broke my fall. I groaned and they pulled me up.

"You aren't alright," Faelar stated. I shook my head. Daylor looked at me back and paled.

"It's not good, is it?" I said.

He shook his head, I knew he wouldn't lie about it.

Our conversation was interrupted by hundreds of goblins who were running down towards us.

"Only daylight can save us now," Gandalf said and started running. I tried my best to keep up but when I could feel the sun on my skin, I crashed down.

"Keira?" Thorin asked. When I didn't react, he pushed me on my side so he could see my back.

"In the name of Durin, why did you do it?" He whispered at me.

I raised my eyebrow. "Did what?"

"Gave your life to save me."

A small smile played on my lips as I looked at him. "They need you," I said. "I need you. I can't let you die and do nothing."

As he looked down at me, his features softened. "I can't allow you to die for me." I grinned. "Well, you can't give me orders so I just to what I think is right. And saving you was the right thing to do, even if it costed my life."

He paled. "You won't die, I won't allow it." I smiled slightly. "I don't think I have much of a choice Thorin."

I could feel my life floating from me. "I'll meet my dad again. Don't worry, I'll watch over you, I get to see you become a great king, trust me on that." He held my hand, tears were forming in his eyes. "Please, I can't lose you too."

I looked at him and all my feelings of the passed months floated over me.

"I love you Thorin Oakenshield and it's okay if you don't love me back. I just want what's best for you." I looked past him at Daylor and Faelar who had also tears in their eyes. "I love you guys, I'll say hi to dad for you, please keep them safe and tell Arathorn I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

They fell on their knees beside me and embraced me. I looked over their should in Thorin's eyes.

That was the last thing I saw when everything became black.