A Tale of Time

Chapter 9: Vision of Fears

Chapter 9: Vision of Fears

Two days ago, they ran out of food, the last droplets of water soon following. Nobody tries to talk anymore - a waste of energy. Gailien knows that they should have been out of the forest by now – they have been following the path. But there has been no sign of the trees beginning to end.

Dehydration is beginning to settle in, a pounding headache near her temple and lips so chapped they are bleeding. She knows that she is feeling the effects of hunger and thirst more than anybody (besides Bilbo) but they are more susceptible to the effects of the forest in turn. She can't help but wonder how long she'll last before her legs give way. Maybe another few days without water. And she isn't the only person to know that fact.

Her head sways with her feet, blinking slowly as the forest seems to tip from side to side in front of her eyes. Her stomach feels sick from all the movement – or perhaps from the hunger.

Thorin had not mentioned anything about that night and Gailien isn't sure if he doesn't remember or if he is furious with her. She hasn't talked to him since.

But as her body tips to the side to balance against the non-existent waves, her mind is tugged away from the present and into a vision. Her feet stop trying to move but already leaning far to over, she falls to the ground, barely missing a large root with her head.

Bofur is the Dwarf walking behind her and slowly comes to a stop. "T...Thorin!" he exclaims, trying to breathe when there seems to be no air. Thorin stops, turning – also slightly swaying. Bofur points down at the girl, closing his eyes to concentrate on his words. "Ga...Gailien...she's..." Bofur can't even finish his statement but it is enough for Thorin and he strides back through the now waiting standing company. He blinks away the dizziness.

Gailien lies against the ground between two roots, one side of her face planted in the dirt, the other covered by the hair that has been falling from her ponytail for the last three days. Thorin kneels next to her, Kili also walks forward and kneeling next to his uncle.

Thorin brushes the hair out of the way, revealing her open, blank eyes staring straight ahead at the root.

"She's just having a vision, right?" Kili asks Thorin.

Thorin eyes her for any other thing that may be causing this but there is nothing to suggest anything but a vision. "She's fine. We just have to wait for her to come back."

Gailien is trapped in her vision. She and the Dwarves are still in the forest of Mirkwood and the ground is still swaying, though much more intensely. The image isn't still either; it flickers, shifting and changing. Gailien is crying out towards the Dwarves as they leave her behind, her foot trapped under a root.

Her fingers claw desperately at the root, trying to pull it away from her ankle but the root, as though it is alive, tightens its hold, climbing up her calf. She screams, reaching out for the Dwarves who pay her voice no heed.

Then her trousers begin to feel wet and her head snaps down. Water slowly trickles over the ground as though a new stream is forming. And it keeps coming. And coming. Until it reaches her waist as the entire forest begins to flood with a never-ending source of water.

Searching her waist for her weapons to hack at the root, there is nothing. Tugging and kicking are futile as the water softens her blows to the plant which is even older than her. The water rises, passing over her chest.

Her eyes dart around, trying to find something -anything ­­– that she can use to free herself. The shouts of the Dwarves are now audible as the water starts rising to their necks and they begin to tilt their heads up.