The Red Maiden, Part Ten
The Red Maiden
Content Warning: Bullying, War, Trauma/PTSD, Emotional/Physical Abuse, Self-Harm, Violent Content, Depression. Reader discretion is advised
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, as none of the content is my original work. The characters are created by Stephen King and J.R.R Tolkien. The content belongs to MGM and Screen Gems, as the 2013 film remake of Carrie was directed by Kimberly Pierce and produced by Kevin Misher, and additional production is through MGM, Screen Gems, and Misher films as well as distributed by Sony Pictures releasing.
Safe Refuge
Carrie White had little time to process everything that occurred within the past ten minutes in a semi-dazed state. She was starting to realize these monsters were the type of creatures Fili and Kili joked about: Orcs. Orcs with large wolves that could easily swallow the group whole and make a fast-food meal out of them. What was worse was the possibility of her presence being known, the equivalent of a neon sign directed at them. Carrie dared not venture into that idea and did not have time to linger on it as a light shove from one of the dwarves snapped her out of her mini trance.
“This is no time to daydream lass, we must go!” Dwalin said in an urgent tone as Carrie, with little-to-no choice, followed them. She could only watch as Radagast got on the sled as quick as lightning. Carrie got a small glimpse of the large rabbits yanking Radagast’s sled in a separate direction before she began to run with the group as fast as her legs could carry her. They ran for what appeared to be miles on end in an open field with the woods a small dot in the distance. Carrie silently thanked the effort Desjardin made her go through with the mile track, as now her life depended on it. The howling resounded as Carrie ducked behind a rock, as her heart was racing and her telekinetic senses heightened.
The group remained silent, not moving a single muscle. Carrie began to hope beyond all hope that Radagast had succeeded in his mission to draw the orcs off. Her telekinetic senses proved her wrong as her eyes begin to widen hearing that soft growl. Above them all, the creature, straddled by a dark grey orc, was on top of the rock everyone was hiding behind. Seeing this, Thorin glanced at Kili, giving a nod as if permitting him to take action. Unaware that it had been spotted, the creature leaped on the unsuspecting group.
Carrie, not about to let this happen on her watch, lifted her hand and made a twisting motion to snap the creature’s neck with her telekinesis. As quick as the creature was, it dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. The orc began to squirm under the body finally rising to its feet. The orc growled once more staring directly at Carrie with dark, murderous eyes that expressed more rage and hate than could be defined. It stunned and terrified her.
“Avhe nuak-d vajaz!” the orc cried out as it charged toward Carrie, leaving her little time to react to its words. She used her telekinesis to break its legs and collapse to the ground. The moment the orc started to screech, one of the dwarves disposed of the creature before Carrie could so much as wield her small sword. She stood there speechless. She didn’t know what the orc had called her, but she could gauge it wasn’t anything pleasant. It took an immense amount of inner strength to get herself back to the reality of the situation as Gandalf called for everyone to follow him.
Thorin roughly snatched Carrie’s hand. She did not have time to react or protest, still shell-shocked by what was going on. It took her a while to register that Thorin was trying to protect her. None of it was making sense as not even minutes ago he appeared determined to not look at or speak to her. As quickly as it happened, Thorin let go and let her slide down a hidden passageway that was tucked away and out of sight from the orc pack. She almost face-planted among the dirt but caught herself. She dusted herself off and moved out of the way for the straggling members of the company to hide.
At that moment Carrie decided to demand answers from Thorin Oakenshield once she was certain they were safe. Right now was not the time as the sound of horns was heard, with multiple screeches of pain from the orcs. One particular orc was unfortunate enough to roll down the passageway with an arrow protruding from its chest. After making certain it was dead Thorin examined the arrow, gave a small harsh mutter of “elves” as he tossed the arrow aside in a frustrated manner. Thorin looked toward Gandalf’s direction as if he too was demanding answers while the dwarves and company made the decision to follow a nearby path.
It infuriated Carrie that Thorin not only made a conscious decision to ignore the fact that she was standing next to Gandalf, but he also didn’t make any sort of effort to see that she was okay. She could only assume it was because of the troll incident. It was as if his problem with whatever Gandalf appeared to be hiding from him was more important than explaining himself to Carrie. She could barely contain her anger as Gandalf led the two along the pathway, and it began to register to Thorin that they were in the one place where he did not want to go: Rivendell. A haven of the elves, the very race that committed the crime of betrayal against his people, turning their backs to the great peril that was Smaug. Once Thorin began to accuse Gandalf of seeking refuge with the enemy, Carrie gave a scoff of disbelief.
“Do you hear yourself right now? Because right now you sound like the most prideful and judgmental jerk in my book for no other reason than for making snap judgments against those who did nothing wrong to you or your people. It is completely unfair and unjust,” she said as a collective gasp was heard from members of the company. Even Carrie was surprised at what came out of her mouth. She could see Bilbo bite his lip nervously at the look in Thorin’s eyes, not wanting to say a word for or against what Carrie allowed to come forth from her lips.
In spite of the initial embarrassment from Carrie’s rebuke, Thorin glanced at Gandalf as if doing his best to collect himself and once again ignored her. “You think the elves would give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us,” Thorin said as Carrie scowled in disbelief at his actions. However this time she chose to not say a word, giving him the silent treatment as he had done to her. Gandalf sighed and nodded but instructed Thorin to not say a word and leave the talking to him. From that moment on Carrie chose to block out any thought of what had occurred moments earlier.
With every step that she took, awe and curiosity took over Carrie at the majestic, safe refuge. It nearly took her breath away but immediately focused her sight on the tall purple clothed elf that descended the steps of the entrance. He called out for Gandalf by the name of Mithrandir, while Gandalf gave a delighted chuckle calling him Lindir. When asked about this Lord Elrond she’d heard Gandalf mention in conversation with Thorin, Lindir shook his head and stated that he was not here. The moment Lindir gave the news the familiar noise of horns began to resound.
Thorin immediately gave the order to hold their ground as he made Carrie get behind him. Bilbo got caught in the shuffle and was shoved in the center with Carrie. The dwarves kept them both within their makeshift circle, leaving Carrie speechless and baffled as to why Thorin was bouncing back and forth on his view of her. None of this was making sense and made her even angrier at Thorin, but she contained herself this time as she had bigger fish to fry. She had no clue if any of these elves knew about her presence or her powers.
It was enough to make her intimidated and nervous, hoping against all hope that these elves were unaware of Carrie White. What especially intimidated her was the lone elf in copper armor that gave Carrie the impression of a king coming back from battle. The elf smiled in Gandalf’s direction and greeted him in a fashion that made it obvious to Carrie that he was the one called Lord Elrond. As they began speaking in a different language, she could feel the gazes from the other elves start to drift away from the dwarves and in her direction. It left her with an uneasy feeling as she was in the spotlight.
At this moment Elrond began to shift his attention toward them, his eyes landing on Thorin, greeting him as he explained how he knew his father when he ruled under the mountain. Carrie kept her silence as she was more focused on how the elves were staring at her than on Thorin’s response to Elrond. It was as if the elves were keeping a close eye on her like a delicate bomb ready to explode. Was news of her presence in middle earth that well known? Did it have anything to do with what that orc called her? All Carrie could hope for was that if she kept her head down and stayed calm, her powers will not do the talking for her. Once her eyes drifted back to Thorin and Elrond, however, she could see his gaze shift toward her.
If there was any reaction to her presence, it was carefully masked, which made Carrie’s mind race with numerous questions she would ask Gandalf later. The expression remained on Lord Elrond’s face as he nodded to Carrie in greeting and spoke in a different language without taking his eyes off her. Despite the fact Carrie did not understand, she knew enough about courteous manners to guess it was to offer food, while Gloin assumed, in anger, the phrase meant to insult. Carrie could only tell herself to relax but she knew deep down to keep herself on guard.
**If you or someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, has experienced severe depression, or has experienced a PTSD episode call the national suicide prevention lifeline (1-800-273-8255), text CONNECT or HOME to the crisis text line at 741741, or call 911**
