middle-earth · lord of the rings · dwarves · thorin oakenshield · bilbo baggins · gandalf · rivendell · fantasy · adventure · quest
The dust swirls and settles as Thorin and his kin slip into the cavern's cool darkness, the pursuit of wargs finally broken. Thorin wipes his axe clean, the steel catching a sliver of light. Inside, breath ragged, Dwalin traces a finger along a narrow fissure in the wall. The distant call of Elven horns echoes; arrows whistle and orcs cry out. A slain orc rolls into the cavern's mouth, an elegant arrow buried in its chest. Thorin scowls at the fletching. 'Elvish work,' he spits. Dwalin returns. 'Do we follow the passage?' Fili pushes forward. 'We must.' They squeeze through the tight, winding cleft, stone grinding against mail, until they burst onto a sun-washed ridge. Below, Rivendell glimmers like a dream in the valley. 'Imladris,' Gandalf says softly, a hint of a smile on his lips. Bil…