Queen Under the Mountain - Thorin Oakenshield

~Eight~

~Elves and Dwarves~

Spiders. Giant, nasty spiders. Multiple eyes, multiple legs, pincers and all. 

The Company was surrounded, cornered by vile creatures that were pretty much the size of themselves. 

Dahlia spat some thick webbing out of her mouth, tripping with her feet connected by another thick string of web. They were all covered in it, having been wrapped up and almost serving as the spiders' dinner! 

"They're everywhere!"

"There's too many of them!"

But they were not alone, as it turned out. 

The Elf dropped to the ground right before them, arrow notched on his bow, ready to fire. "Do not think I won't kill you Dwarf," he spat. "It would be my pleasure."

More Elves, these ones appearing to be guards, stepped out of the trees, their own arrows ready on their bows as well.  

"Ah!" A cry echoed through the forest. Oh no- 

"KILI!" yelled Fili in response to his brother's cries. 

Poor Ki had been cornered by one of the spiders.  He was soon joined, though.

Another Elf gracefully descended down from the branches.

"Throw me a dagger! Quick!" cried Kili.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, Dwarf, you are mistaken!" She launched a dagger forward, striking a spider between the eyes, finishing it off. 

They seemed to have taken down all the spiders - for now.  The thought of how many more may be crawling within the deep, dark depths of this nasty forest made Dahlia shudder. 

"Search them," the blond leader Elf ordered. 

"Oi!" Dahlia said as a guard started patting her down, smacking his hands away.  "Hands off me!"

"A she-dwarf," commented the leader.  "I thought you were just a beardless male dwarf."

"At least I can grow a beard," she responded, making the others chuckle. 

The Elf swiped Thorin's sword from him and gave it a swing.  "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me."

"Not just a thief but a liar as well." He shouted something in Elvish to the guards, who began shoving the Dwarves onward. 

"Where's Bilbo?"

The Hobbit, once again it seemed, had simply vanished. 

~ ~ ~ ~

As if Mirkwood Forest wasn't bad enough - they were brought into the Kingdom of Mirkwood, governed by King Thranduil, the very king who had abandoned the Dwarves of Erebor the day Smaug had destroyed their home and sent them fleeing, homeless. Thorin had never forgiven them for it - or any Elf for that matter. 

While the others were taken down to the dungeons, Thorin was brought before the king. 

"Aren't you going to search me?" Dahlia overhead Kili ask the red-haired Elf as they were being locked up. "I could have anything down my trousers."

Dahlia rolled her eyes.  Oh, Kili...

The Elf raised her eyebrows in response.  "Or nothing." She shut that down, slamming the cell door in his face.