The Elven Witch #Wattys2020

Chapter Six, Ambushed

Chapter Six, Ambushed

"Well done Bilbo, Ninfea." Kili praised smiling at his friend and his One. "Now what do we do?" Kili asked Ninfea but he frowned when he noticed that Ninfea's eyes had gone cloudy and glassy looking. "Ninfea?" He asked in concern making everyone turn to look at her. "What's happening to her?" Bofur asked Bilbo.

"She's having a vision," Bilbo stated noticing the signs. "I'll need help with our barrel as Ninth will be like that for a while and while she's in the vision she won't be able to move so if we go under she'll drown." Bilbo stated fiercely looking at each of his friends in the eyes so they knew he wasn't joking. "I'll help." Kili answered immediately wading his way over to them, shoving his uncle out of the way in the process. "Bilbo was you telling us the truth when you said that Kili is her One?" Ori asked curiously causing all the dwarves to freeze.

Bilbo looked from Kili's hopeful face to the others all ranging from shock to suspicion before he looked back at Ori who he knew that if they were on dry land he'd have his book out and hastily scribbling away. "Yes she is Kili's One. She told me she had just finished discovering the Moon Runes in her lesson Lord Elrond was giving her, though she said this time it was different as the runes were a mix of both dwarfish and elvish. Anyway after she finished the lesson she had a vision of us in the forest and being captured; during the vision she recognised Kili as her One and told Lord Elrond and her brothers Solemn and Lunam who gave her their blessing and she immediately teleported here." Bilbo explained.

"She can teleport?" Gloin asked interested. "Why didn't she just teleport us to the Mountain?" He asked grumpily.

"It isn't like that," Bilbo sighed having to raise his voice slightly as the company began to argue among themselves. "She may be a witch as well as an elf but she can only teleport to places that she knows which is why she only teleports to here and Rivendell, that and she is only a elfling and they are not allowed out usually till they've reached a hundred winters which is when they are considered adults." Bilbo explained.

"Why is the lassie allowed out then?" Bombour confused. "Don't they care about her?"

"Of course they care about her." Bilbo exploded. "They would do anything for her. The only reason she is allowed out on her own is because she hasn't been raised like other elflings, she has had no one to care for her her whole life every single member of her family has been ripped away from her. She has only known death and war, those that did care and love her are dead or have betrayed her by stealing from her and pretending to love her. They died in the Wizarding War she fought in since she was fourteen to seventeen where she killed the Dark Lord. That is why the Vallar brought her here as she was ready to kill herself. To end her pain and suffering as long as she could be with her parents. All she has ever wanted was someone to love her.

Lord Elrond lets her come here alone as she teleports straight to the gates and then back into Rivendell. When she first came here he, Solemn, Lunam and an army of elves brought her here even though she didn't like it, because she has been trained since she was eleven to fight she cannot let others fight for her she would sacrifice herself to save those she loves, she already did that in her world during the Wizarding War." Bilbo explained briefly panting slightly at the end of his speech, his cheeks flushed red with anger.

"You said her parents were killed in front of her," Balin started hesitantly as he saw the glare on Bilbo's face. "What happened to them?"

"No I've said too much already I'm not telling any of you any more I'm not betraying her trust anymore than I already have. We need to move. Now." Bilbo said firmly when no one was moving.

Reluctantly they started paddling their way through the stream until they hit the small Rapids that lead out of the cave they were in to the garden where they can see the gate in the distance, just when they thought they were going to get out they heard an elf horn blowing somewhere behind them. "No. Legolas you fool." Ninfea moaned as the gate was shut just as Thorin reached it. "Ninfea!" Kili said surprised turning around at the sound of her voice. "When did you come back? Where are you going?" He asked confused and hurt that she wasn't coming with them.

"Since before the Rapids." Ninfea answered tersely pointing her arrow at the wall in front of them that stood behind the elven guards. "What did you see Ninth?" Bilbo asked as she continued to stare at the spot behind the wall, but she did not answer him. "Legolas! Yrch tôl!" Ninfea shouted making all the elves freeze before they readied their weapons. "Orcs are coming." Bilbo squeaked having understood what Ninfea had shouted even if the dwarves could not. "WHAT!" Kili shouted as he tried to push himself out of the barrel as he looked at Ninfea fearfully. "Why can't I get out of this damn barrel?" Kili growled.

"Because I cast a charm on you so you all stay put in the barrels and if you look closely there is golden barrier around all of you. Your safe from the orcs. They will not get through the barrier. The barrier will only come down if I take it down or I die. But just incase it does come down I'll still have your weapons at the ready." Ninfea told them without turning to look at them. She heard them shouting something but what she didn't know as the orcs suddenly attacked and she was engaged in a fight with two of them.

"We can't just sit here and allow the lass to fight them." Bifur exclaimed in dwarfish looking at Ninfea as she somersaulted out of the way of a black arrow. "We have to get out of these blasted barrels." Kili shouted as he yet again tried to heave himself out of the barrels. "What are the elves saying, Bilbo?" Nori asked curiously. Bilbo looked around at the elves easily spotting Ninfea's siblings among all the other elves. "They're telling Ninfea to get inside as the orcs are mostly going for her but she's not listening to them." Bilbo sighed as he watched his friend standing back to back with surprisingly her sister both of them slaying the orcs around them; Ninfea more so as she was using her magic to fire her bow for her as she fought with her sword.

"Why is she not listening to them?" Kili exclaimed in panic as he whipped his head around just in time to see Ninfea decapitate a Orc before she rushed over to the bridge above them with the leaver to open the gates, slaying Orcs as she went. Just as she was about to pull the leaver she let lose an ear splitting scream and fell to the floor. "NINFEA!!!" Numerous shouts sounded around the gardens. Kili looked up as he saw Ninfea struggling to stand up and grasp the leaver with a black arrow sticking out of her thigh. "Ninfea!" Kili called worriedly as he saw the pain in her eyes even as she tried to hide it as she pulled on the leaver before falling back down.

It seemed like an agonising long wait for Kili and Bilbo as they waited for Ninfea as she slowly pushed herself to the edge of the bridge as the other Dwarves went falling down into more Rapids. "Ninfea." Kili and Bilbo sighed in relief as for a moment they had both feared the worst. Smiling tightly at them Ninfea pushed herself off of the bridge and into the barrel with Bilbo moaning in pain when the arrow was ripped out of her leg from the force of her jump into the barrel.

Just before her and Bilbo's barrel went over the waterfall she saw the Orcs following them along with a number of elves on their tail killing the Orcs as they went, but what surprised her was the worried look Arwen kept throwing her as she, her brothers and Legolas broke away from the other elves to follow after them.

Translation:

*Elvish: Legolas! Yrch tôl! English: Legolas! Orcs are coming!