The Undecided Title Of Sara Miller *Hobbit Fanfiction* (Thorin/OC)

Chapter 43: Arrival

In which there is a search, a race against time, and a strained meeting.

The dizziness came on suddenly and Sara sank to the ground, cradling her head between her knees, taking care to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. The stinging in her arm was intensifying. At first she had simply thought the pain was from the torn skin on the inside of her arm, so she had ignored it, but now the pain was building and spreading.

"How long till he awakens?" asked Thorin, straightening from his place beside Legolas. He turned to face her and upon seeing her quickly came to crouch in front of her. "Sara what's happening, tell me."

"My arm," she hissed, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill forth. "It feels like it's on fire and I can't feel my fingers."

"We need to get you back to the others," he said, reaching out to shake the elfs foot in an attempt to wake him, but the foot was withdrawn sharply from his reach.

"It's not enough just to get her back to your healer," said Legolas sitting up.

"Apparently not very long," grinned Sara, trying to mask her pain.

"She must be taken to the halls of my father. The spider's venom will work much faster in her mortal body than mine or yours," said Legolas, looking at Thorin.

"How long?" asked Thorin.

"I need to see the wound to gage the time we have left," said Legolas reaching for her. Thorin caught his hand glaring at the elf.

"She did not invite you to touch her."

"Thorin," she hissed, wincing as her arm throbbed. "He's got to see it. Ease up." Thorin's jaw worked for a few seconds before his grip slackened and released. Legolas untied the cloth and gently raised her arm probing it.

"That hurts," she said. He frowned as his hands moved down her arm to her hand.

"I imagine it does. Tell me can you feel this?" He pinched her fingertips.

"No. I can see it but there is no sensation." He grunted and moved back to her bicep and then lifted it to peer at her underarm again.

"The venom is spreading quickly and although you did not receive a full dose it will still kill you if you don't reach a proper healer before dawn."

"Dawn," she said, glancing at Thorin's pale face. Night had just about fallen and the light was quickly fading. "But how will we get..."

"We are not too far from the place," said Legolas, looking disgusted as he tossed the remnants of her sleeve aside and pulled a clean bandage from his pocket. Quickly he wrapped her arm. "But we will have to travel with great speed through the night." He pulled a leaf from his pocket and held it out to her. "Eat it. It should slow the venom's spread, though I'm not sure of its effects on a mortal." She took it before Thorin could object. Two chews in she spat it out and agonized as the aftertaste prissisted mercilessly. Grateful, she accepted Thorin's water skin and swallowed greedily, but it only seemed to make the taste intensify, embedding itself into her taste buds and working down her throat.

"I should have warned you, it's a fowl taste," said the elf.

"Foul is an understatement," she coughed, shuddering. "A skunk's butt would taste better than this."

"You have eaten skunk," asked the elf, incredulous. She glared at him. He sighed and shook his head. "I know it's unpleasant but it works. You will likely feel weak for a while, so don't panic. Your body is going to slow down drastically but so is the venom." And indeed she could feel her heart slowing as her limbs grew heavy. Unable to remain upright she toppled sideways but Thorin was there to catch her.