Dwarven Denouement

30

They hurriedly brought her inside and gently set her on the dining table. She was moaning and groaning in pain. Oin lifted her tunic off her stomach and removed the bandage. What Fili swaps nearly made him gag. Hop the skin was black and decaying. The veins around it were turning black as well and black puss kept oozing from the would. "The arrow was poisoned. We need to move quickly.", Oin said. "What?", Fili shouted. "Fili no time for questioning! Get me that alcohol!", Oin pointed behind Fili. Fili hurriedly gave it to him. He poured a bit on a spare cloth. He glanced at Kili, Bofur and Fili,"Hold her down." Bofur took her legs, Kili held one arm and Fili the other.

Oin put the cloth firmly to the would. Neana screamed at the top of her lungs,"It burns it burns take it off please!" She was fighting hard to move but they held her down firmly. Bofur looked around and saw Bard,"Do you have any kingsfoil?" Bard furrowed his brow,"Yes we feed that weed to the pigs." Oin widened his eyes,"Weed?! No sir that can cure her! We need to get some!" Bofur nodded and ran out the door.

Neana was still shouting and squirming as Oin put more and more alcohol on it. The eldest daughter of Bard came forward with a bucket of water and a clean cloth. She dipped the cloth in the water, rung it out, and dabbed it gently on Neana's face. This calmed her a bit, but not much. Bard spoke up,"I know where kingsfoil is! I'll be back!" And he left.

They heard the door open and expected either Bard or Bofur, but they were looking at an Orc. It raised its sword to hit Neana, but Fili was quicker. He drew his sword and stabbed it in the chest. 2 more orcs came in and Fili did the exact same. Kili had moved Neana to the floor underneath the table. The eldest daughter held Neana's head in her lap, the youngest held her hand.

There were to many orcs, 3 dwarves and a boy couldn't keep them off for long. Kili was taking aim at an Orc when a different arrow. Kili smiled as he saw the red haired elf stand on the roof shooting arrow after arrow. Not long after, Blondie showed up and joined in. Surprisingly they fought well side by side. They killed orcs left and right. When Fili stabbed the last Orc he wasted no time as he ran inside. Followed by Oin, Kili and the red haired elf. Blondie went out to kill any surviving orcs.

The eldest had somehow set Neana back on the table,"Help! She's having trouble breathing and she's not responding to anything!" Fili rushed over and held Neana's face in his hands,"Neana stay with me no matter what!" She looked into his eyes,"I promise." She closed her eyes and went limp from the pain. The elf recoiled in horror when she saw the wound.

"Lads I got it!", Bofur shouted running in. The red haired elf said something elvish and took the plant. She found a bowl and began preparing the plant. She ordered,"Hold her." Fili looked at her,"What are you going to do with that?" She replied sternly,"I'm going to save her!"

Fili held her head in his hands, Kili held her feet, and Oin and Bofur took her arms. The elf stepped forward and pressed the leaves to Neana's abdomen and began chanting something elvish. Neana cried out in agony and tears began falling from her eyes. Fili could only imagine the amount of pain she must be in.

She calmed down and her eyes drooped closed as the elf finished the chant. When she removed the leaves, most of the black skin was once again a normal color. Fili was relieved until he saw the elves face. "Did it work?", he asked. The elf looked at him with a mournful expression."I'm sorry. I did what I could."

Time seemed to stop for Fili. He furrowed his brow at the elf, then looked down at Neana's face. No. This isn't real. There's no way this could actually be happening. He started crying. Not the silent cry that he did in the cells. No, he was sobbing as loud as he wanted. He wanted everyone know. He held her face gently in her hands and put his forehead to hers. He kissed her cheeks and pressed his lips to her forehead, keeping them there as he cried more. Kili walked to his brother and gently pulled him away from Neana.

Fili hugged his brother tightly and cried out in heartbreak. He continued to sob hard into Kili's shoulder. Bofur had taken of his hat and was holding it to his chest. Oin was looking at the floor, the elf was bowing her head. Kili's body shook with every sob his brother made. Kili didn't try to stop the tears as he did in Mirkwood. This time he welcomed them as he hugged his brother even tighter.

Fili, still crying, moved from Kili and sat on a chair on the left side of the table next to Neana. He gently took her left hand and pressed the knuckles to his lips then rubbed the back with his thumb like he did before. He fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a ring. It wasn't much, it was a simple gold band with blue gems in it, but he knew Neana would love it. He chocked back a sob as he put it on her finger. He did not move from that spot for the rest of the day. No one tried to make him.