Strings Attached

When she thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, the spiders came. Before she knew, her kinsmen were disappearing in white cocoons. She avoided the capture, of course, and Bilbo helped her to free everybody – for a short while. Then more spiders came.
Dís swung her axes, everybody was fighting hard…
Then an arrow flew, and it was not one of Kíli's.
The elves…
They didn’t let them help Kíli! Instead of that, one of them had all the fun.
She was… way too pretty.
While the dwarves stank after days on the road, her clothes smelled fresh.
It meant trouble.

Mirkwood was dark and evil looking. Gandalf told them to stay on the road… before he decided to go somewhere else, do something more exciting than to guide the company through a dangerous, elven infested wood, Dís thought darkly.
Her other part wondered how come she got ideas like that – Gandalf was not responsible for them, he was helping them on his own accord and without a reward.
And he helped them some more.
“I got this,” she pulled the thingy out of her pocket. “So we won’t get lost.”
“Wha’s that?” Dwalin wondered.
“The wizard called it… a compass.”

“There are some things you shouldn’t say to our host,” Gandalf told the dwarves, as Beorn was chopping wood outside.
“He loves animals... you shouldn’t mention hunting or…” the list went on… “or leather, fur…”
“As he wouldn’t see what we are wearing,” whispered Kíli to Fíli.
“He might decide not to see what he sees, Kíli,” Gandalf was in his lecturing mode. He took another look at the dwarves.
“You know,” he hesitated, “you better not talk at all.”
Dís sighed.
Beorn was still chopping wood.
Just a couple of steps outside... to stretch her legs.
“Hi,” she said.

Is Thorin alright?
Dís was almost insane with worry. He didn’t move at all... and the eagle was carrying him so carelessly…
She will be in much better mood soon, after it will be sure Thorn is fine.
And they will see the Mountain.
Their home.
She wouldn’t be in such a good mood, though, if she knew…
The dragon was woken from his slumber. From a nightmare. Nightmare… of loosing his precious possesion.
Smaug angrily puffed.
Noone will take the Arkenstone away from him! He will not part with anything that is his!
He won’t be without it. Ever.

After the blast of light (turned out to be Gandalf’s doing) they ran. They ran way too fast and way too much, over fragile bridges, through way too many goblins.
They ran all the way out of the tunnels.
After just a short while to catch their breath – and let the hobbit to catch up to them – there was howling. They ran again.
Onto the trees and to a surprise.
Azog.
Dís gritted her teeth as she listened to his speech… and the implications.
So it was easy to follow Thorin... through the bonfires... to the great unknown.
To death.

The last days were not good.
Rivendell was nice, but their food was bland.
The trek to the mountains was long and tiring.
The mountain giants were absolutely the worst. Dís thought she might have lost Fíli… And atop of all that… the comfortable cave they've chosen for rest looked too good to be true.
It was.
Now they were dragged through tunnels full of gruesome skeletons…
It was so bad it was almost bizarre.
“We will eat you,” scowled one of the goblins at Dís.
She suppressed the urge to offer him ketchup.
Yes, she was way too tired.

Don’t forget* to visit
RIVENDELL
Balanced healthy diet
Music entertainment
(Every second Thursday dancing)
Widely known wine cellar
Beautiful gardens
Amazing architecture
Waterfalls
Fountains!
RIVENDELL
The best place to be
-----------
*Unless you are a dwarf. If you are a dwarf, please kindly DO forget about visiting Rivendell.
Sorry, bad experience.

All that – unnecessary – running made her feel even more angry. But Gandalf didn’t want to hear anything about fourteen dwarves being able to take down some twenty orcs on wargs, no.
So they had to run, and run some more. And then... run yet a bit more.
They were hunched below a huge rock now, keeping quiet. So the damned warg scout wouldn’t know…
Dís coughed.
And things... got more interesting!
Shooting and hacking, running and getting ready to fight…
But then… they had to hide again. In a hole. And keep quiet.
Dís coughed.
An elven horn sounded.
Darn.

While she was waiting by the fire, the others were in danger of being eaten. And she couldn’t do anything about that.
Then they spent way too long in a smelly cave where Thorin got a sword.
Then some crazy man on a crazy sled pulled by crazy rabbits appeared, asking for Gandalf.
Dís was fed up of being left behind, being ignored and being helpless.
So the warg that got that brilliant idea of attacking them came handy.
Dís smashed it over its head. With her axes. Repeatedly.
That felt good.
Oh, there are more?
That felt even better!

Thorin was in a bad mood all day. It was the little things. Rain. Wizard. Who decided to leave the Company. The food took too long. And before everybody could have some, Fíli, who was supposed to be watching the ponies, ran to the camp.
“Trolls!” he shouted.
“Everybody with me – not you, Dís” barked Thorin.
They disappeared in the dark.
Dís pouted. She wanted to fight, eventhough a little voice told her she shouldn’t. The little voice that made her hold her tongue and not argue with Thorin right now.
Alright.
Lets see if she can make Gandalf return.