THE LAST HEIR OF ISILDUR

CHAPTER 6

꧁ Naur ꧂

The silence of the fifteen fellows was interrupted by a threatening howl.

"We're out of the frying pan..."

Thorin said with concern.

"...into the fire. Run! Now!"

Gandalf finished the sentence.

Fili, holding tight his grip on Arya's hand, ran alongside his brother and the other dwarfs, immediately followed by Bilbo, who had to slow down to kill a warg and thus avoid certain death. The fugitives soon arrived at the edge of the forest, which coincided with a deep cliff, and, on the advice of the sorcerer, they began to climb trees, hoping to be safe from the wargs.

Arya settled between Kili and Fili, holding on to a quite thin branch above her head and, as a result, worrying both brothers, terrified that something might happen to her.

The whole company was concentrated on remaining in balance when, suddenly, their feat was interrupted by the arrival of a pale orc, astride a white warg.

"Azog."

The girl murmured with a voice full of resentment. Fili and Kili looked at her in shock: how did she know the Defiler?

"That's impossible..."

Thorin then added.
Azog immediately noticed the young Dwarf King and addressed him in black speech, reminding him of the terror his father had felt when he had faced him, the same terror he now could see clearly in his eyes. The Pale Orc incited his warg without ever taking his eyes off Oakenshield. The beasts began to beat the trees, breaking them one by one, so that the members of the company found themselves jumping from one trunk to another, until they reached the last tree, right on the tip of the precipice. But as strong as that trunk could be, it eventually tilted too, almost breaking. That sudden movement caused Arya to lose her grip, she was about to fall when Fili grabbed her by the arm and held her to himself, letting go a sigh of relief in knowing she was safe, at least for now. The young dwarf didn't want to lose her, he couldn't lose her, he would do everything in his power to protect her. He didn't know why he felt those feelings, but he was certain that he would never be able to separate from her: had he fallen in love with her? The girl, for her part, mentally thanked him for that sudden rescue and tied her arms to his neck, feeling safe, even if for a moment.
Soon after, it was Ori and Dori's time to fall, but fortunately, they managed to cling to Gandalf's stick. The sorcerer, worried by the situation, understood that there was only one thing to do.

"Arya, you must ask for help! You're the only hope we have!"

The young woman, still in Fili's arms, nodded, closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She hadn't done it for a long time, but once learned, it was hard to forget. Arya focused on trying to clearly visualize in her mind the only ones who could help them at that moment: her dragons. The girl was quick to realise that the closest to them was Saphira, so she mentally called her name and, fortunately, was listened to.

Thorin, meanwhile, had risen from the trunk and headed proudly towards Azog. His run wasn't stopped even by the screams of his companions, who begged him to come back. The young Dwarf King attacked the Defiler and his warg, but he got the worst of it. The wolf took him between his jaws and, ignoring his groans of pain, threw him against a rock. Then Bilbo came down from the trunk, ready to step in, immediately followed by Arya.

"Arya wait! Come back!"

Fili screamed in panic.

"Arya what on earth are you doing?! That's a terrible idea!"

Kili continued, seeing the situation. The other dwarfs also tried to stop her, without noticing the absence of the hobbit. The girl turned to her friends and smiled.