kiiblade

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

"Your only wish is to see my kingdom prevail..." Thranduil repeated this slowly, as if he could not quite grasp the fact that this was the only payment the she-elf would seek. The gems meant more to him than any treasure; had Saeril wished to, she could have demanded a hefty sum for her trouble.

"It is apparent that you were loyal to her...and for that, I will be loyal to you." Thranduil never broke eye contact; he meant what he said. "I have no intention of allowing my kingdom to succumb as the others have. Should the day come when my son needs to take over, he will be ready. As for you...if you recover the gems for me, you will be handsomely rewarded and given a place here within our lands, should you desire it."

A guard showed up then, and Thranduil frowned at the news. The cells were built to hold the strongest of prisoners; escaping could not have been possible without a set of keys. "Do what you must," he gave Saeril the permission to leave, hope returning to him, even if just a little. Having the gems back meant more than any sum of gold.

Thanks to the Ring, Bilbo managed to sneak past the guards undetected. Finding Thorin and the others wasn't difficult; they were creating enough ruckus to be heard from The Shire itself. Once he'd unlocked the doors to every cell, Bilbo lead them down to the wine cellar. A few elves were sound asleep around a table, several empty bottles of wine in front of them.

“This way.” Bilbo waved them along, and Kili was soon to protest.
“I don’t believe it; we’re in the cellars!”
At that, the company started objecting in hushed whispers.
Bofur nearly tripped on the stairway. “You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!”
"I know what I am doing!" Bilbo silenced them, and Kili looked around with hope that he and Fili's godmother had returned. "What about Saeril?"

"She is not being held prisoner," Bilbo reassured the youngest, for he had been present in the throne room just briefly. "With some luck, she will follow right after us...now, get into the barrels. All of you."

"With some luck?" Kili repeated, aghast. "What if she can't?"

A few of the elves started to stir, and Thorin gave Kili a push to get moving. "There is no time! Do as he says!"

Each dwarf got into a barrel, and Bilbo walked along the row, making a quick headcount to ensure no dwarf had been left behind.
"Hold your breath," he took hold of a nearby lever.
"For what reason?" Kili barely finished the sentence when the floor suddenly opened at a slant. The tilt was enough for the barrels to begin rolling downwards, only to fall at an alarming distance into the raging waters below. Several dwarves shouted and cried out in surprise, and this was enough to wake the guards.

Bilbo remained optimistic until he realized that the floor once again closed itself, leaving him trapped.

"Where is the keeper of the keys?" As soon as she was alerted, Tauriel arrived on the scene. Swiftly, she made her way down the stairs, just in time to see Bilbo slip backwards, then out of the room. The company had escaped.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"OOF!" Ghent hit the ground hard. The dagger made its mark, but the mark wasn't deep enough, and he knew it. The weight of the shadowmire made moving impossible. Given his circumstances, Ghent could only brace himself and try to prepare for the pain he was sure to come.
Thankfully, such preparations were no longer necessary. One slice of a katana later, the monster was dead.
This should have been a relief, but it wasn't. Being pinned underneath a corpse was far from ideal, and when Ghent saw that Drust was the one responsible for delivering the fatal blow to the shadowmire, he drew in a sharp, panicked breath. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms back at the Book Barn.
Heartbeat pounding in his ears, Ghent made a frantic attempt to shove the bloodied shadowmire off in order to free himself. No luck. Blackie must have been snacking.
"H-hey man," Ghent mustered a nervous laugh. Drust was about ten times scarier from this angle, though his eyes seemed less consumed with the Curse than before. Now to his feet, Ghent swallowed hard and nodded his thanks for the assist. At least the madman's anger had been redirected for the time. "Long time no see."
Ghent was glad to see Elayra on her feet too, though she seemed fatigued. How long should she keep this up?
Knees weak from the fright of the situation, Ghent hung back as the two recovered their weaponry. After an awkward pause, he followed by example and decided to retrieve the dagger lent to him.
With reluctance, Ghent braced his foot on the corpse's head and pulled on the hilt of the blade. The weapon came out easier than he anticipated, and he was thrown off balance. One stumble later, he steadied himself by correcting his footwork. Today just wasn't his day.
Flustered, Ghent offered the weapon back to Elayra. "Aside from the fact that I was just attacked by a demonic panther on steroids...yeah, just peachy." Remarkably, he'd made it out unscathed. Drust proved to be a guardian after all.
The same couldn't be said for both of them; Elayra had faced the stronger of the two. Ghent's eyes landed towards the tear in her dress, and he frowned in concern. "Did that thing get you?" The street lamp offered some light, but not enough for him to tell if the shadowmire had been successful in drawing blood.

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Thranduil listened carefully, his emotions remained masked until Saeril referred to his once-wife. A mixture of grief and anger shown within his eerily blue eyes, but he remained in his place and allowed Saeril to speak. "Leave us," he instructed the guards abruptly, and they turned to leave without protest.

After a long pause, Thranduil rose to his impressive height, then moved down the carved stairway to face Saeril. "If what you say is true...then you understand the importance of the treasure." For a moment, he seemed grieved. Far away. The elven king turned from her, his eyes locked to the throne that deserved a queen. The loss of his wife was a wound that would never heal.

"Tell me...what would you have me give you in return?" Thranduil looked to Saeril now, his eyes searching her features to see if she was truthful in her words.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

That had to hurt. Given the distance between them, Ghent couldn't tell how badly injured Elayra was. The sight of her hitting the ground made him cringe and fear for safety her all at once. Concrete wasn't a joke; he'd wiped out on a skateboard enough times.
Despite his taunts, the shadowmire wasn't interested in Ghent, it was interested in finishing off Elayra.
"Don't you dare, Red!" Being the reckless teenager that he was, Ghent ran towards the shadow responsible. Elayra needed help, and he found himself feeling at least partially responsible for this chaos. They needed Drust. If Ghent hadn't mouthed off, Elayra would have had her guardian. With Drust's skill, the shadows would likely be dead.
Ghent couldn't balance his attention between the two monsters, and that proved a mistake. As soon as Elayra gave the warning, he turned sharply, only to be met with the sight of the shadowmire weaving towards him at an alarmingly fast rate. Dodging wasn't possible, fighting was. Acting on impulse alone, Ghent lashed out with the dagger, swinging the weapon across to hit the shadowmire as it lunged for him. If Ghent was to be mauled, he wanted to score a hit for his trouble.

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

I love it!! :D Oooh -- the photo looks spectacular! That would be a brilliant wallpaper. I must use it for my phone!

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Thorin was thrown into a cell, three down from Kili's.
“Did he offer you a deal?” The chances were slim, but Balin remained hopeful.
“He did." Thorin's voice was low, his tone icy. "I told him he could go ‘Ish kakhfê ai’d dur rugnu!’ (I spit upon your grave!) - him and all his kin!”
Balin sighed in frustration. “Well...that’s it, then. Unless Saeril can speak sense into him. A deal was our only hope.”

Thranduil looked to Saeril, his stare penetrating. "Is that so? I have heard of you...it is unusual, this change of events. Have you grown fond of such a despicable race?" The blond elf returned to his throne, then motioned the guards to release her so that she may move freely. "The treasure is all I seek. Should you have information regarding it...you would be well rewarded."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent had a strong suspicion that the red one was the stronger of the two, but he certainly wasn't going to protest. Contrary to him, Elayra had proven herself more than capable in combat. "Red's yours, Blackie's mine. Got it." Ghent did not argue. Taking on the less powerful of the two was fine by him.

With Elayra engaged in combat, that left Ghent and Blackie.
Ghent had angered Drust easily enough. Angering a temperamental shadow creature shouldn't prove much different.
"What's wrong, tiny? You the runt of the litter?" Keeping the shadowmire in sight was no problem; Ghent could hardly look away from the monstrosity. "Look at you! You're so small! You'd make a cute pet." Inwardly, Ghent was freaking out. Outwardly, he smirked and switched the dagger to his dominant hand. "Think you need your nails clipped, though...let me take a look, okay?"

Normally, Ghent would have lunged for an attack, but he needed to get in close enough to ensure that the creature wouldn't return to its shadow. "Here kitty...you're not scared, are you?" The taunting was going well until Ghent caught sight of Elayra being flung across the alleyway. Definitely not good.
Depending on how Elayra landed, she may not have been able to recover in time. If she wasn't, Ghent wanted to give her a chance to regain her footing without being torn to shreds.
"HEY! Red!" Ghent whistled, then motioned the stronger of the shadows his way. Coming up with a distraction was something he could do. "Over here!"

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Kili didn't understand why they were jailed. They hadn't stolen anything, why should they be punished for wandering through a forest? Did the elves own such a horrible part of Middle Earth? Disheartened, he kept by the door of his cell, keeping an ear out for his uncle. Thorin had not been taken to the cells. "How long will they keep us here?" Kili looked to Saeril, hopeful that she may have an answer.

Unfortunately, Saeril was lead away by a guard on either side.
"Wait! Where are you taking her?!" Kili demanded to know, only to be ignored. The guards lead his godmother away, and Kili found himself alone with only the sounds of Dwalin and the others arguing among themselves. Fili must have been jailed further down the row.

King Thranduil had risen from his impressively carved throne, his gray blue eyes settled upon Thorin.
“Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon. I myself suspect a more prosaic motive: attempted burglary, or something of that ilk..."

Though seething with hatred, Thorin remained in his place, even as the elven king invaded his personal space.

“You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule: the King’s Jewel, the Arkenstone. It is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that..." Thranduil took notice of Saeril now, and then he looked back to Thorin in hopes for a response to his proposition. "There are gems in the mountain that I too desire. White gems of pure starlight. I offer you my help...I will let you go, if you but return what is mine.”

Thorin turned slowly, then walked away. "A favor for a favor."

“You have my word." Thranduil promised. "One king to another.”

Thorin stopped. Still facing away from Thranduil, he spoke, his voice raising with every word.
“I would not trust Thranduil, the great king, to honor his word should the end of all days be upon us!” At this point, Thorin was shouting. “You lack all honor! I’ve seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once, starving, homeless, seeking your help, but you turned your back. You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us! Imrid amrad ursul! (Die a death of flames!)"

Thranduil's eyes widened, and he moved forward, bending down slightly so that his face was level with Thorin's.
“Do not talk to me of dragon fire. I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the north!” As he spoke, his face contorted, revealing horrible scars and burns on one half of his face. One eye was milky in color, indicating that he may have been blind from it. After this, he pulled away, his face returning to the illusion of normality.
“I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen. You are just like him.”

Thranduil motioned for the guards, and they grabbed Thorin roughly by each shoulder. “Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I am patient. I can wait.”

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Awh, thank you! I'm trying. x'D Definitely a challenge to write action scenes!

The shadowmire showed up in the nick of time! :P

Sweet!! Can't wait to see it... I really want to make some chibi charms of Elayra and Ghent! We'll see how that turns out. I'll post some pics when I'm done...hopefully I can get some time to this week! :D

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"Oh, so now you give me a weapon?" Ghent retrieved the dagger, surprised by the weight of it. The blade was well crafted and impeccably sharp; he could only pray that it would be enough to bring the shadowmire down.
"Could've really used this ten minutes ago when our guardian went ballistic!" Despite his complaints, Ghent was thankful to have something to defend himself with. A punch against this creature likely wouldn't have gone far, but now he had a chance.

Unfortunately, Ghent's plans to attack were cut short. A second shadowmire appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
"There's another one!" Ghent had a talent for stating the obvious. Panicked, he moved himself to join Elayra, and not a moment too soon. The two shadowy monsters collided with a sound so horrible Ghent nearly abandoned his weapon in order to cover his ears.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Ghent grimaced towards Elayra, deeming her guilty of insanity. She /had/ to be mental, who in their right mind would take a dire situation so lightly?

The shadows were currently entangled, giving the teenagers a chance to run. Unlike before, Ghent didn't bother to suggest this. For Elayra, escaping wasn't an option, and Ghent doubted he could tote her off without risking a few broken ribs for his efforts. Elayra may have been a princess, but she wasn't a damsel in distress. Ghent was another story. 'Distress' was written all over his face.

"Okay, talk to me! How do we kill these things?!" Ghent held the dagger with both hands, keeping the weapon in front of him as if the very sight would be enough to ward off the twin shadows. Apparently, hand to hand combat wasn't the only thing he needed to brush up on.