Chapter Text
“Where on this good earth did those foul creatures come from?” he asked, watching said creatures scurry away, though he was still in shock at the appearance of the huge arachnids.
Rose, the red-breasted robin, and one he could always count on to know the comings and goings in the woods, flew up to him, chirping quickly.
“The old fortress?” he asked her skeptically. She nodded as she fluttered next to him, and he made a fast decision. “Show me,” he said, and she flew off, waiting nearby as he called to his team.
The rabbits came quickly, as they didn’t live far, and he hitched them up to his sled. It wasn’t much, but they were the fastest creatures around, and at that speed, the hollow sled made from branches practically flew through the forest.
“Let’s go fellows,” he called, “follow Rose!” The robin flew off, staying near to the ground so that the rabbits could follow, and they ran through the forest, bringing their wizard friend along.
The woods became darker as they went, and he worried that they may encounter more of the spiders, but they were lucky they did not. All too soon, they came upon the fortress- the crumbling pile of stone that it was- and the animals stopped suddenly at the edge of the trees, unwilling to go further.
Radagast the wizard took a steadying breath, knowing both that he didn’t want to inspect it closer, and that he must. The spiders and their awful webs were slowly turning the woods into a dark and malicious place, and he- as an Istari- was sworn to protect the light of Middle Earth. This place especially, as it was a land he called home.
Stepping out onto the thin bridge, he slowly made his way to what was once Dol Guldur- or what was left- for it was now ruins. Looking around carefully, and brandishing his staff, he moved ever closer with trepidation. He had no idea what he might find here.
The fortress itself could barely be called that any longer, there were only jutting peaks from what used to be grand towers- no roofs to protect from the elements, no doors to bar outsiders. It was no wonder that all thought this place abandoned- and it was the ideal place to hide without being noticed.
Walking into what was once a hall, he noted that the paths were oddly clear. While there were thorn covered vines growing over most of the walls, nothing was covering the ground, nor the doorways. It was obvious to him now- this place was not abandoned as they had believed.
Stopping suddenly, and peering back, he looked at a statue… One of the kings of old? he thought. He had sworn he had heard a noise. He moved backward, still peering intently at the statue, when his back hit another wall, and his head tilted up.
He just barely lifted his staff in time to fend off the attack, and whirling around, he swallowed hard. He didn’t have time to think, just moved to protect himself, using his magic to be able to strike the phantasm. He surprised himself as he disarmed his foe, hearing the clatter of steel on stone, even as his enemy disappeared.
Looking over, he pulled out some cloth from one of his robes, wrapping the abandoned blade. He would need it as proof, for others would not believe his tale so easily.
That was when he heard the chanting.
He looked all around himself, not being able to tell from where the voice was coming. Having some sort of idea of the most likely place, he moved closer slowly, trying to decipher what was being said. It was probably a spell of some kind.
Passing through a darkened hallway, the voice became clearer, though not any louder. He could see people across the great room in cages, weakened and practically dead from starvation or torture, and he became angry at the complete disregard for life.
The voice completed its words, ending with triumph, and Radagast’s eyes went wide as he recognized them, though he knew of no spell that would contain them. All the people he could see began collapsing, death striking instantly, and he shuddered.
What evil magic would use the life force of another? he questioned himself in revulsion. What spell could possibly need so many lives?!
There was a shadow, across the hall, a shadow in the shape of a man, and he looked at it in horror. “The necromancer…” he breathed uncertainly, having heard the stories from the woodsmen weeks ago on his trip to the town. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing, as the shadow pulsed around the form.
Then as suddenly as it had begun, the shadow pulsed again and dissipated. Radagast opened his clenched eyes slowly, looking around in fear. There was nothing… no bodies, no necromancer. As if he had dreamt it all.
He backed up, shaken. Passing back through the hallway- back into the meager light, he saw a large mass of shadow, and heard a scream. He moved to avoid the darkness and tripped, falling over and landing painfully on his back. Looking over at what had impeded him, he saw a body, and at first he reeled back. Being as close as he was, he could see that it was a woman, though certainly a very small woman. She was practically dwarven size, though she had the bearings of a human.
And, she was breathing, no, groaning. She looked as though she was in much pain.
What foul trickery was this? The woman wasn’t here a few moments ago.
The shadow moved once more, and he heard a command to find the human. He wasn’t certain if it had meant him, or perhaps her. In a split second decision, he reached over and hauled her up, grateful she wasn’t a dwarf- for they were small, but very dense- and ran.
As he reached the bridge, he could hear the shriek of anger, and he pushed himself further, the woman passing out in his arms. He could see his rabbit friends hopping nervously, ready to bolt, even as he heard the flapping of wings and screeching of the creatures following him.
“I’m coming, we must save her!” he called, knowing they might have gotten started before he was on the sled if it was only him. He would catch up, or be fine on his own, but not when carrying another.
He didn’t have time to be gentle, throwing her on the sled, and grabbing the handle just in time as the rabbits jumped away. He kept looking back, seeing several flying creatures following them. It took longer than he would have liked to swat them away, but eventually they retreated from whence they came.
He thought furiously as the sled continued to speed further and further from Dol Guldur. He had both a cursed blade and now what he could call a cursed woman. And he didn’t know what to do with either of them.
This was much bigger than himself, bigger than the Greenwood, and his small piece of it. He needed to enlist help, to turn what he knew over to another that could do something about it. Calling out for Rose, he asked her to discover where he would find Gandalf. He could not just send a message… this had to be in person.
* * * * *
Ryder slowly became aware of several things, though none of them made much sense to her. She could feel the dappled sunlight, and the warmth of it. She could hear sounds of animals, the quiet thumping of feet running. And she could smell nature… honest to goodness outdoors around her.
None of these made sense because she had been walking home from work through the dark and odor infested city just moments ago.
Opening her eyes, Ryder blinked slowly, and closed them again. The scenery was moving much too quickly, and she was unable to focus on any one thing, so she didn’t try. She could tell that she was covered in some sort of fabric, though it felt too thin to be a blanket. Thinking of perhaps rising to speak to whoever was around, she stopped suddenly as she heard a voice yell.
"Rosvoja! Tulipalo! Murha!”
What language was that?! she thought in shock. Is he yelling at me? She was jostled as what she was laying on came to a sudden stop.
“Radagast,” another voice said, sounding relieved and her eyes opened even wider.“Ruskea Radagast.”
Why can’t I understand? she thought. And who would ever use that name, let alone name their kid after that character?
“Mitä ihmettä sinä täällä teet?” the second voice asked quietly.
Now suddenly, Ryder felt she understood. Something had happened on the way home, and she had passed out in the park. She had most likely been mugged, seeing as she couldn’t feel her bag with her. And now, she was in the middle of a LARPing thing going on. Having had several branches whipping her as they were moving, she was quite certain she wasn’t dreaming.
And these people were either from another country, or so completely nerdy that they were using made up languages from some fantasy universe. She was betting money on the second. At least now she felt she wasn’t being sold as a sex slave or used in a satanic ritual.
“Etsin sinua, Gandalf,” the first voice said, and she felt relief at recognizing the name.“Jotain on hirveän väärä ja tarvitsen apuasi.”
“Kyllἂ?”
She puzzled through what she was hearing. It sounded almost like… well something familiar in any case. She decided she had better let her presence be known, and the sooner the better. She didn’t want them thinking she was trying to ruin their fun, or worse trying to steal something.
They’ll probably be most upset that I’m wearing modern clothing, she snickered to herself. Poor nerds, sorry to ruin your fun. Any other day, and I might have just joined in.
She didn’t mean to groan, but as she started moving, she realized how stiff she was. Sitting up took some effort, and the fabric around her fell to her lap as she raised her upper body. Then she froze, blinking cross eyed at the sword aimed at her face.
“Ah, kyllἂ,” Radagast said, as he gestured down to her. “Nainen.”
She glanced up at him since he sounded reasonable, and he looked as if he stepped from the story itself. She tried to smile at the men around her, but they were all looking at her in confusion or suspicion, so she thought she had better explain.
“Look,” she said, raising her hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry I interrupted you, but I honestly have no idea how I got here, and I’ll just hurry on my way so that you’ll forget this little interruption.”
The two taller men began talking in their strange language again, and she looked at them in annoyance, wishing they would just break character for a moment.
“Okay then, see you later,” she said, and she started to get up, only to be pushed back down. She glared at the man who had pushed her, seeing that he was also the bearer of the sword that had been in her face.
He growled at her.
“Älἂ siirrἂ!”
“Hey!” she groused. “Hands off!” He was glaring at her, obviously angry, but she wasn’t cowed by an angry face and a fake sword. “I don’t care who you are pretending to be, you touch me again, and I scratch your eyes out.”
She stood up again, dodging his push this time, and made it to her feet. She was surprised that he wasn’t towering over her, there weren’t many grown men that didn’t. “Oh, I get it,” she said with a smile. “You’re a dwarf.” She glanced back at the men that had greeted each other as Radagast and Gandalf- and around, seeing other shorter men in a loose circle around them.
“Oh, you’re doing the quest for Erabor,” she said, turning back to look at the one in front of her more carefully. The long hair, the braids in front, the nicer clothes, the fancy elvish sword…? “So you’re Thorin then.”
If she thought he looked angry before, his face was now thunderous. “Bifur! Bofur!” he ordered, and she just blinked in surprise that she had understood him, and then she was tackled back down to the ground with a yelp.
* * * * *
“Bind her!” Thorin called in disdain, and hearing the whelp yelling at his men in her strange tongue he added, “and gag her as well.”
Radagast didn’t necessarily approve of the way the dwarfs were treating her, but he couldn’t blame them for their caution. He didn’t know what she was exactly, and hadn’t understood her either. Caution was better when out on the road after all.
“What in Durin’s name is going on?” Thorin demanded of him, and Radagast looked at him curiously.
“I would like to know as well,” Gandalf stated, and Radagast nodded in agreement. Naturally, he needed to explain before giving stewardship of his charges to Gandalf.
“The Greenwood is sick Gandalf,” he stated, and he watched as the other wizard sat on a large flat rock and took a pull on his pipe. It seemed a signal to the dwarfs as well, and they moved away, but within hearing distance, making a perimeter around the wizards. “Nothing grows anymore. Well, nothing good anyway. The worst, are the webs.”
“Webs?” Gandalf asked, looking at him for verification.
“Spiders,” he confirmed. “Giant ones. Spawns of Ungoliant or I am not a wizard.” He peered at his friend, knowing he would understand what he wasn’t saying. “They came from… Dol Guldur, Gandalf.”
Gandalf stood again, uneasy. He had long held suspicions, but was not happy to hear that he may have been correct. “The old fortress is abandoned,” he stated, hoping if he said it, it would become true.
“No,” Radagast said mournfully. “Tis not. A dark power dwells in there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow… of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead.”
Radagast started shaking, remembering the feel of evil on his skin. “I saw him Gandalf, from out of the darkness. The necromancer… has come.” He paused, giving himself time, and swallowing to try to cure his dry mouth, even as he trembled.
“Try a bit of the old toby,” Gandalf offered, wiping the tip of his pipe with his beard, and reaching it out to his friend. “It’ll help settle your nerves.” Radagast leaned forward to take what was offered, surprised and glad that it did help settle him a little.
“Now,” Gandalf said, getting back on topic. “The necromancer… are you sure?”
Radagast pulled out the wrapped blade, and handed the package to Gandalf.
He watched, as Gandalf peeled back the fabric, and looked at the morgul blade in revulsion. “That is not,” Radagast said quietly, “from the world of the living.”
* * * * *
Ryder watched this all in derision. These people memorized the movie, she thought. I don’t even need to understand their words, I can practically quote along with them. She had to hand it to them for their attention to detail, however, as she watched the man playing Radagast inhale a large amount of smoke from the pipe and release it out his nose.
Hearing the softly spoken words that followed in the eerie tone, and then a howl in the distance, had Ryder sprouting goosebumps. Bravo, she thought with a smirk. You guys are pros.
“Oliko susi?” A man shorter than all the others asked.“Onko täällä sudet?” Ryder sized him up and decided he must be Bilbo. The hairy bare feet gave him away.
“Susia? Ei, se ei ole susi,"another answered, from behind her, pulling out his pickaxe. Ryder’s eyes narrowed, knowing he was one of two that had tied her up. She’d be sure to remember him.
A menacing growl had her eyes opening wide, and she turned her head to see the huge creature coming straight for them. She screamed, though the gag in her mouth kept most of the noise in, and she tried scooting away.
The dwarf she had called Thorin stopped the beast just in front of her with his sword, and it fell at her feet. Another came from behind them, falling with an arrow to its face, rolling practically on top of her, and another swing of an axe ended it. Ryder was moving away as best she could, her breathing erratic.
It was real! That thing was real! her mind screamed at her. It had rolled over her, and she had felt its fur, and the warmth from its skin. Not to mention the blood that was now soaked into her pants. What kind of crazy LARP is this?! Are they killing real animals?!
She looked back at the bodies at her feet, as she continued scooting backward up a small incline to get away. Those… those aren’t… holy crap... She could feel the urge to throw up, and everything around her started to blur.
* * * * *
“Warg scouts!” Thorin called, pulling his sword free and looking at it. Perhaps I will keep the blade after all, it was better than the one I had before. “Which means an orc pack is not far behind.”
“Orc pack?” Bilbo asked in disbelief.
Gandalf’s eyes narrowed. “Who did you tell of your quest, beyond your kin?” he asked Thorin.
“No one.”
“WHO DID YOU TELL?” he demanded again.
“No one! I swear!”
The gray wizard looked around, greatly concerned. His eyes fell to the small woman, who looked as if she had never seen a warg before. He turned back to Radagast. “And her?” he asked. “Tell me quickly.”
“There was a spell, using the life force of many people,” Radagast explained quietly, so the dwarfs would not hear. “And she appeared afterward, in much pain. They followed me for some time, wanting her back.”
“What in Durin’s name is going on?” Thorin asked again.
“We have to get out of here,” Dwalin added.
“We can’t!” Ori called out as he came from the foliage. “The ponies have bolted!”
Radagast looked around, taking in the woman and the company he was leaving her in. “I’ll draw them off,” he said decisively. “I am sorry to add to your burdens,” he told Gandalf.
The older wizard didn’t like it. “Those are Gundabad wargs,” he said. “They will outrun you.”
Radagast puffed out his chest. “These are Rhosgobel rabbits!” he pointed out with a smirk. “I’d like to see them try.”
Gandalf nodded, and Radagast moved to his sled speaking to his crew. “Come fellows, we need to draw the wargs away, are you up to it?” He smiled at the determined looks from his animal friends. “Well then, let’s be off.”
“Thorin, we must take her with us,” Gandalf spoke up, as the company prepared themselves to run. He nodded at the dwarf king’s incredulous look. “I believe she is being hunted as well as we are.”
“We can’t just leave her to the orcs,” Bilbo added in concern.
Thorin rolled his eyes in derision. “Then you can help her from falling behind,” he told the halfling.
* * * * *
Ryder snapped out of it as she heard the air fill with howling. She took a few deep breaths through her nose, steeling herself as Bilbo helped her to stand. They didn’t untie her, and they didn’t remove the gag, so she simply rolled her shoulders and neck in an attempt to loosen her muscles.
She knew what happened next-- running. Whether these animals were real or not, and whatever these insane people were up to, it seemed that they were taking her along for now. She was unsure of what was happening, but she could still feel the blood that soaked through to her legs. She would have to play along… for now. Until she could get to civilization or find a phone at least.
She turned to see the sled move the other direction, pulled by ten rabbits, and she marveled again at the attention to detail here. Someone had gone and trained rabbits for this… that’s… crazy. The shorter wizard had used his cloak and a cluster of branches to make it look like there was something laying on the sled. That’s where I was… she thought. Why make it look like I was still there?
The tall man dressed in gray stood at the head of their group, with Bilbo and Ryder right behind him. As soon as he started moving, she felt herself being pushed, and she started running. She was able to keep pace fairly well, since she wasn’t encumbered with gear, though she couldn’t run faster than the others due to her arms being tied behind her. I never thought my arms would be so essential to running…
Bilbo held her elbow, trying to help by guiding, and ensuring that she didn’t fall, but eventually she simply shrugged him off, so that he would focus on his own running. His legs were shorter than hers after all.
Stopping at the next outcropping of rocks, they peered out at the chase happening before them. She could see that the sled was able to keep ahead just fine. It was the chasers that had her stomach in knots.
From where she was standing, they looked like they could have been costumed men on small horses, but she knew all too well what those things actually looked like. And there were so many of them… she shuddered, thinking of their bristly fur and large fangs.
They moved again, and she focused only on running without falling.
The next time they stopped, she looked around at the landscape. She could easily admit that she was nowhere near the city… or any city. It looked like some foreign country, not middle America. Grassland and huge rock formations as far as she could see.
Gandalf gestured them forward, and she ran again. They were closer to the pack of beasts, even she could see that. She wished fervently that Radagast was better at leading them away, but if they were reenacting the story… they are going to find us soon… and Gandalf will find the path to Rivendell…
Ryder knew it was crazy, she knew logically that there would be no path, because there was no such thing as Rivendell. However, one thought came that kept her calm. No matter what, stick with Gandalf.
She didn’t know why; After all, all of them would survive if they were truly reenacting the story. But the mood around her was tense, and her dread was feeding off the others’ emotions. Bilbo was practically shaking next to her, and all she could think of was to stay with Gandalf.
When the wizard stopped, so did she. When the wizard’s long legs had him surpassing the dwarfs, she pushed herself faster.
Seeing the creatures so close, had the group bolting for a large rock. Ryder felt herself pulled along, and she lost sight of Gandalf. Her anger was palpable, though her gag kept her from voicing it.
The dwarfs were huddled out of sight as a beast and rider stopped atop the rock they hid behind. Ryder squeaked, for if she saw them, they could see her. She was grabbed roughly, and pulled further into the dwarfs in front of her. She felt a hand over her mouth, and a quiet “shh” in her ear. She simply looked up and glared, as the dwarf was keeping her in his lap. He had a hold on her leg, but so high he was practically grabbing her rear, and she didn’t like it one bit.
He gave her a smirk in reply to her glare, and she determined she would get revenge, though she knew now was not the best time. But soon…
On her left, a dark-haired dwarf suddenly lunged from the rock with a bow, and fired an arrow at the beast, hitting its chest. He fired another rapidly at the rider, to prevent it from signaling the others. Others of the group stepped in to help, and they silenced both as quickly as possible.
Ryder continued to glare, for the dwarf holding her had yet to let her go, so she twisted herself, trying to get free.
The howling started anew, and Gandalf yelled,
“Siirtää! Suorita!!” spurring the dwarfs into action. The man holding her helped her gain her feet again, before shoving her forward to run. She stared for a moment, determined to remember him now. The earlier sin of others tying her up was forgiven in the wake of this new insult.
This time, they ran without stopping to hide.
She didn’t turn to look back, she kept her eyes on Gandalf, for that was what was keeping her sane. She hadn’t seen much of the fight with the beast and rider that the dwarfs dispatched of, but something was telling her that no actor was that good, and the smell was too real… so she simply ignored it all to deal with later.
Every now and then they changed direction slightly, and she was pushed along, and once she nudged her shoulder into Bilbo to get him going again. Eventually, they stopped, panting heavily. There were creatures surrounding them, and though the circle was wide, it was narrowing. The dwarfs began shouting to each other, and Ryder could hear a few of their names.
One started firing arrows, and the others prepared their melee weapons. Ryder, having had her eyes on Gandalf, started nudging Bilbo in the direction he had gone. He looked at her in confusion, so she gestured with a move of her head. He looked around, and seeing nothing, looked at her again.
She walked a few steps, then turned back to gesture him forward again. He followed her hesitantly, toward a rock just slightly taller than they were. There was what looked like a white wash down the front, and Ryder smiled.
She continued to lead him closer, he was still very hesitant about following her, when Gandalf popped his head up from behind a smaller rock. “Näin tyhmät!” he shouted, even as he eyed the two that were directly in front of him.
Bilbo looked over to Ryder in shock, and she smiled, gesturing again with her head. Bilbo slid down the ramp the rock made into a cavern, as the dwarfs started running towards them.
Ryder however, was looking at the rock. Logistically speaking, if she slid down on her rear, she would scrape up her hands which were still tied behind her, but sliding down on her front or side didn’t sound pleasant either.
She had started to try to sit first, hoping she could make her way down on her hip, when she was manhandled into someone’s arms as they slid down the slope. It only took a second or two, but her heart was racing at the shock, and she just stayed where she was.
That was when the other dwarfs slid down to join them. She tried to protest, finding herself moshed in a pile of sweaty- and quite smelly- males. She also tried to move away, but she was still gagged and tied up, making it impossible.
She was roughly hauled to her feet, and pushed aside as the dwarfs helped each other to stand. They all stopped a moment at the sound of a horn, and they listened intently above them. She ignored them as Thorin started to argue with Gandalf, her weariness from the morning’s sudden exercise hitting her full force.
Seeing a smaller, flat rock, she moved over to sit down. Sighing in relief, she held her legs out, rotating her ankles, flexing and pointing her toes to stretch her muscles. She barely glanced over as something fell down into the cavern with them, causing a ruckus among the dwarfs.
“Seisomme, me lähdet.”
She looked up at the words, confusion on her face at the dwarf standing in front of her.
“I have no idea what you just said,” she mumbled into her gag, her eyes narrowing at her muffled sounds, remembering that she couldn’t speak. Her mood didn’t improve when she saw he was the same dwarf that had had his hands on her earlier. “Go. Away,” she grunted, slowly shaking her head knowing that her meaning would get through, even if the words didn’t.
The other dwarfs started off through the cavern, and Ryder wasn’t ready to go yet. It wasn’t like she couldn’t follow in a minute or two, there was only one path.
The dwarf obviously didn’t agree, as he reached over, hauled her to her feet, then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She immediately started kicking and screaming, ready to kick this guy’s ass seven ways to Sunday.
He reared back and spanked her. Spanked. Her. Her humiliation rose as the other dwarfs laughed and commented, and he answered with a laugh. He was going to pay, she vowed. As soon as he put her down.
* * * * *
“She looks mutinous,” Dori commented.
“How can you tell?” joked Nori. “She’s had the same look the entire time.”
“She’ll go after Fili, first chance she gets,” Kili laughed.
“I am not certain of that,” Balin added. “She seemed to stare like that at Bifur and Bofur as well after they bound her.”
“A wager, perhaps?” Gloin asked, eyes sparkling.
Bilbo glanced over at the angry woman. “Gandalf?” he asked quietly. “How did she know?”
“Know?” the wizard asked.
“Yes,” the hobbit replied. “She knew where you had gone, and had led me over to the entrance. That was how we were so close.”
“Ah,” he answered, a mystery solved. “I had assumed you were merely following me.”
“In truth, I had not seen you leave,” Bilbo replied. “None of us had, it was as if you had vanished.”
“Hmm,” Gandalf mused. “Perhaps there is more to this young one than we first thought.”
“It’s true, she does not seem happy to be with us,” Bilbo observed.
“It is we who are not happy,” Thorin interjected. “Saddled with this… runt.” Several dwarfs laughed at the term, and Bilbo frowned.
“A runt?” he asked. “Why do you say that when she is the same height as you, Thorin?”
“Because she’s human,” Fili answered, readjusting his grip on her, and ignoring the kicks she was trying to attack him with. “A very small human.”
“Oh?” Bilbo said, surprised. “I had thought she was a dwarf.”
“She is no dwarf,” Kili said, rolling his eyes. “Are you certain she is not a halfling?”
“She seems… uh, too… aggressive?” Bilbo said. “And I do not know of any hobbits that would willingly wear shoes,” he said as he glanced at her feet. “How are you certain she is not a dwarf?” he asked, curious.
Several answered him immediately.
“Her legs are too long.”
“She isn’t stocky enough.”
“Her face is hairless.”
“Her bosom is dwarf-like.”
Bilbo was suddenly sorry he asked, and turned to Gandalf as the wizard chuckled. “What is funny?” he asked.
“Just as you could easily spot a hobbit maid, so too, can the dwarfs discover a dwarrow dam,” he said with a smile. “I believe they are correct in their assumptions, that she is human.” He lowered his voice as he asked himself. “But from where?”