AN: Here's the sequel to Goblin Town! Again, this story turned out a lot longer than I thought it would but it just kept flowing out. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of The Hobbit or the movie.
Fili and Kili run down the wooded hill, trying to catch up with the company. As they approach them, they hear Gandalf counting them off, making sure they are all there.
"Five, six, seven eight…Bifur, Bofur…that's ten," Gandalf says out loud. He turns and sees Fili and Kili approaching them. "Fili, Kili…that's twelve…and Bombur…that makes thirteen. Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!"
All of the dwarves begin looking around them and walking around the trees. Fili and Kili look towards the ground, turning to the left and right but don't see Bilbo anywhere.
"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost!" Dwalin grumbles as his search comes up empty-handed.
"I thought he was with Dori," Gloin says, pointing over at the white-haired dwarf. Dori's eyes widen.
"Don't blame me!" he shouts defensively, glowering at Gloin.
"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asks, turning to look over at Dori.
"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us," Nori speaks up, stepping towards Gandalf. Gandalf turns his attention to Nori, taking a step towards him.
"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf asks hastily. He is worried that Bilbo is trapped somewhere in the Goblin tunnels. Thorin steps forward, the company moving to give him an open passage to Gandalf.
"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it!" Thorin says angrily. He furrows his eyebrows and there is a slight growl in his voice. The rest of the company watch him, but don't say anything. Fili and Kili glance over at each other before turning their attention back to Thorin. "He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."
The dwarves all begin looking at each other, thinking about what Thorin has said. He has a point; they all knew Bilbo was reluctant to come on this journey to begin with. Gandalf gives Thorin a look, but before he can say anything, a voice is heard from behind them.
"No, he isn't," Bilbo says as he steps out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. All of the dwarves look over at him, eyes wide in shock and relief written on their faces.
"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf shouts happily, laughing as he does so. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"
Bilbo walks over to the middle of the company and he pats Balin on the shoulder, giving him a small smile. A wide grin spreads across Kili's face, his eyes wide with happiness.
"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" he says, his grin growing bigger. Fili gives Bilbo a wide smile himself.
"How on earth did you get past the goblins?!" he asks, watching Bilbo as he waits for an answer. Dwalin nods his head and takes a step forward.
"How indeed," he says curiously. They had all thought he was dead. There is a silence as all the dwarves watch Bilbo, waiting for his explanation. Eventually, Bilbo gives a nervous laugh before putting his hands on his hips. Gandalf watches curiously, noticing Bilbo slide something into his waistcoat pocket and his eyes narrow.
"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf says, wondering what Bilbo found but knows it isn't the time or place to be bringing it up. Bilbo will tell him when he is ready. Thorin's eyes narrow and he glances over at Gandalf.
"It matters!" he says to him before turning his gaze on to their hobbit. "I want to know: why did you come back?"
Bilbo watches Thorin for a moment, his gaze moving to the other dwarves of the company before resting it back on Thorin and answering the question.
"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books; and my armchair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, 'cause you don't have one; a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can," Bilbo says, moving his eyes over the other dwarves near the end of his speech. There is a long silence as all of the dwarves think about this. Fili and Kili share a look and Gandalf smiles slightly at the change in Bilbo. Before anyone can say anything else there is loud howling heard from atop the mountain they are on. The dwarves all whip their heads around, looking to the top of the mountain, seeing several Wargs without riders bolt forward and run down the mountain towards them.
"Out of the frying pan…" Thorin says as his eyes widen at their misfortune.
"…And into the fire!" Gandalf finishes, the fear setting in him. "Run! Run!"
All of the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf quickly begin running down the mountain as fast as they can possibly go. The Wargs quickly run after them as the sun begins to set. Kili winces as the running jars his shoulder and ribs. He trips on a root and stumbles forward. Fili notices from behind him and grabs his brothers' jacket, pulling him up straight and leading him down the mountain. Kili winces and a small groan escapes his lips causing Fili to wince at causing his little brother pain. They keep running, Fili only letting go of Kili's jacket when he's sure Kili is centered. The Warg at the very front catches up to the group and leaps at Bilbo and Bilbo ducks down behind a rock. The Warg's jaws snap in the air just above his head, narrowly missing him. The Warg lands in front of Bilbo and, growling, charges at him.
Bilbo pulls out his sword and holds it directly in front of him, pointing it at the Warg. As the Warg charges at him, it runs into Bilbo's sword, impaling his self in the head with it, falling to the ground, dead. Bilbo stares at the dead Warg in surprise, not expecting this outcome. More Wargs catch up to the dwarves and the dwarves make quick work of killing them. The group reaches a large ledge of land that has a few trees growing on it. At the end of the ledge of land is a cliff, making them trapped between it and the Wargs.
"Up into the trees, all of you!" Gandalf shouts to the dwarves. The dwarves lunge up to the limbs of the trees, pulling themselves up into them. "Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!"
Bifur looks and sees a Warg approaching him and he throws his axe at it, killing the Warg. Bofur jumps off a rock and latches onto a tree branch, pushing his foot off Dwalin's head like it's a stepping stone. The other dwarves begin climbing up the trees to allow access to the bottom limbs for the other dwarves. Bilbo tries to pull his sword out of the dead Warg's head he has just killed but it's stuck. Bilbo continues to try to pull it free, but is unsuccessful. Fili jumps and grabs a limb, quickly pulling himself up into the tree and beginning to climb up it. Kili jumps up after him, grasping the tree limb. A sharp pain explodes in his shoulder and before he can stop himself he let's go and falls to the ground, barely landing on his feet, sending a jolt to his ribs.
"They're coming!" Thorin shouts as he looks back and sees the Wargs and Orcs gaining ground on them. Gandalf climbs into the furthest tree, the one closest to the cliff edge, and moves to the top of it. Dwalin boosts up Balin and then climbs up after him. Thorin moves to jump into the tree nearby but his eyes catch something at the bottom of the tree to his right. "Kili! Climb!"
Kili hears his uncle shout at him, but he's focusing on the pain in his shoulder and ribs so misses what Thorin says. Fili hears his uncle's yell and looks down, seeing his brother holding his arm and grimacing in pain.
"Kili!" Fili shouts as he's already moving back down the tree. Thorin looks on in horror as the Wargs get closer to his youngest nephew. He quickly rushes over to Kili.
"Kili," Thorin says, getting his nephews' attention. Kili looks over at his uncle, forcing the pain down, not wanting his uncle to think he's weak.
"Kili," Fili calls out and Thorin looks up to see Fili just above them.
"Kili, step into my hands," Thorin says, squatting down and cupping his hands.
"I can do it," Kili argues, moving to jump and grab the limb again. Thorin scowls.
"We don't have time for this. Step into my hands," Thorin orders, fixing his stubborn nephew with a stare. Kili looks at him, sobering up and nodding his head. Kili steps into Thorin's hands and Thorin lifts his nephew up. Fili reaches down and grabs Kili's good arm and pulls him up as Thorin gives Kili's foot a push. When Kili gets high enough, he steps onto the limb. Thorin rushes to a tree nearby and jumps up, grabbing the limb and pulling himself up into the tree, climbing up it. Fili helps his brother climb further up into the tree, away from the oncoming Wargs.
Bilbo finally is able to pull his sword out of the Warg, but when he looks up he sees several more Wargs running towards him. He runs to a nearby tree and clambers up into it just in time to miss being a Warg's snack. The Wargs begin to circle the trees, jumping up and snapping their teeth at the company in them.
Gandalf reaches his staff out and picks up a moth sitting in the tree with it and brings it over to his face. Gandalf whispers to it before blowing it away gently. The moth flutters away and the Wargs cease their growling. They turn towards the White Warg, Azog astride its back, approaching the trees slowly. Thorin looks over at Azog, eyes wide in shock.
"Azog?!" The White Warg growls and Azog strokes its head, talking ominously to his large group of Wargs and Orcs.
"Nuzdigid? Nusdi gast? (Do you smell it? The scent of fear?) Ganzilig-I unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob." (I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain)
Thorin's eyes widen slightly more, pain and grief evident in his eyes and face. He realizes that Azog had captured his father.
"It cannot be," Thorin whispers, not wanting to believe this new information. Azog leers at Thorin before speaking to his Wargs and Riders.
"Kod, Toragid biriz. (That one is mine) Worori-da!" Azog says with a gleam in his eyes. (Kill the others!)
The Wargs instantly lunge forward and jump up into the trees, trying to climb them to get to the company. They scratch at the tree trunks trying to latch on to them. Their teeth gnash at the limbs and they break apart the branches causing the trees to shake violently. The dwarves cling to the trees, struggling to stay up in them.
"Sho gad adol!" Azog shouts with vehemence. (Drink their blood!) Fili feels his body being flung from the impact of the Wargs assault and he clutches the tree trunk next to him. His mind wanders to his brother and he looks down to see his brother hanging on as tight as he can. The tree jolts brutally and Fili sees Kili slam into the tree trunk. Kili lets out a groan and his hold is broken for a moment. It's enough though and the tree jolts aggressively again causing Kili to lose his balance, almost falling to the perils of the Wargs below. Fili feels his heart leap into his throat, only breathing again when he sees Kili grasp a branch and hold himself steady enough to get his balance once again.
The tree furthest from the edge of the cliff holding Bilbo and a few of the other dwarves begins to sway viciously from the weight of the Wargs trying to climb it. The tree is uprooted and begins to lean causing the inhabitants of the tree to shout in fear. More Wargs begin to grab onto it and the tree tips over and falls into the tree next in line. The dwarves and Bilbo jump from their uprooted tree onto the tree it crashes into, grasping at the branches to keep from falling. Unfortunately, the first tree falling causes a domino effect and the second tree tips over as well, falling into the third in line. The dwarves jump into the third tree, trying to keep away from the Wargs. When Fili and Kili's tree begins tipping over, Fili looks down at his brother. Kili glances up at him and Fili can see the fear in his eyes even though Kili is trying his hardest to hide it.
"Kili! Jump!" Fili shouts, waiting for Kili to follow the other dwarves and Bilbo before jumping after him to their uncle's tree. Kili lands in Thorin's tree and grabs onto a branch to keep from falling, losing his breath when the impact jars his ribs once again and pain shooting into his shoulder. His hands slip from the pain piercing his shoulder but he is stopped by a hand grabbing his coat and pulling him towards the trunk of the tree. Kili looks up and sees Thorin looking over at him, concern in his eyes. Fili has landed next to him when his hand slips and steadies him by grabbing ahold of his arm the same time Thorin pulls him forward.
Thorin's tree begins falling as well and all of the dwarves and Bilbo jump onto Gandalf's tree. Thorin lands and hangs on to the trunk, looking back to see Kili jump over, landing next to him and Fili following after, landing just above Kili. Thorin grabs Kili as he lands and holds him tight, keeping him in the tree.
Azog watches the dwarves scrambling into the last tree, holding on for fear of falling and laughs. Gandalf begins looking around them in desperation, knowing they have to do something or this quest is ending here and now. He notices a pinecone and grabs it, using his staff to set it on fire. He throws it down in the middle of the Wargs who flinch and retreat in fear of the fire blazing near them. Azog startles at the sudden onslaught and glares at the company. Gandalf quickly sets fire to two more pinecones.
"Fili!" Gandalf shouts, looking down at the young dwarf below him. Fili looks up and Gandalf throws one of the pinecones down to him. Fili catches it, bounces it slightly from the heat and blows on it. Bilbo and the other dwarves begin gathering their own pinecones and Gandalf sets them aflame. They begin throwing the flaming pinecones at the Wargs, hitting them with them and creating a barrier of fire between them and the company. The Wargs start retreating and one of the Wargs runs away, its fur on fire. Azog roars at the company in anger and frustration while the dwarves cheer at gaining some sense of an upper hand.
Abruptly, the company's cheers turn into shouts of fear when the tree they are in begins uprooting and tipping perilously over the edge of the cliff. Gandalf looks down to see the mile long drop to the ground below. The dwarves cling onto the tree trunk and branches as they are getting flung around. Fili clings to the tree branch and looks in front of him at his brother. Kili groans in pain as he tries to hang on to his branch, but the pain in his shoulder and ribs is steadily getting worse. Ori loses his grip and falls, shouting in fear, however, he manages to grab Dori's leg and clings to it tightly.
"Ah! Oh! Oh no!" Ori shouts with fear lacing every inch of his voice.
"Mister Gandalf!" Dori shouts, feeling as though he's going to lose his own grip at any moment, which he does. Dori falls but Gandalf swings his staff down towards them quickly and Dori grabs the end of it, clinging on for dear life. "Hold on, Ori!"
"Kili, hang on," Fili calls to his brother, all but begging, seeing Kili slipping a little. Kili hears his brothers' call and pulls himself up, pushing the pain down. Thorin looks up at Azog in hate and anger from where he's clinging to the tree. He pulls himself up onto the tree trunk into a standing position and draws his sword. Thorin begins walking down the leaning tree trunk towards Azog. The rest of the company looks on in fear as they watch their leader, and King, march into danger. Fili is pulled from his stare at his uncle by a groan of pain. He looks in front of him at his brother, desperately clinging to his tree branch.
"Kili…" Fili says, fear in his eyes. Kili tries to pull himself up, but is halted by the pain in his shoulder.
"Fili…" Kili says, not wanting to admit he is in trouble, but knowing he is. Fili pulls himself further onto the branch he's hanging on to, knowing what his brother refuses to admit.
"Kili, hang on. Pull yourself up," Fili coaches, hoping his brother can do something before he is able to get to him. Fili hears Ori shouting for help and as much as he hopes Ori is fine, he keeps his full attention on his brother. A shout from Balin, however, pulls his attention away for a second. Fili looks up and sees Thorin lying on the ground. Fili hears movement around him and he looks to see Dwalin trying to pull himself up only to have the branch he's hanging on break and swing him dangerously over the edge.
"Thorin! No!" Dwalin shouts in anger at not being able to reach their king.
"Fili!" Kili shouts, feeling his strength wane from putting so much stress on his injured shoulder and ribs. Fili whips his head around to his brother, hearing the desperation in Kili's voice. Seeing his brother close to losing his grip, Fili musters all his strength and pulls himself up onto his branch and moves to the trunk. Crawling to Kili's branch, Fili reaches down just in time to catch Kili's hand as Kili loses his grip and falls.
"I got you. Hang on," Fili reassures his brother. Fili pulls his brother up and onto the branch, Kili sitting down and the two of them catching their breaths. Kili looks over to where he had seen his uncle run to and his eyes grow wide. Fili notices this and looks behind him and sees his uncle lying on the ground again, this time barely moving. A Warg approaches him but Bilbo suddenly appears between Thorin and the Warg, brandishing his sword. Someone runs by Fili and Kili and they look to see Dwalin has climbed up and is running towards where two Wargs are approaching Bilbo and Thorin.
"Stay here," Fili orders Kili before jumping to his feet and running after Dwalin. Kili looks on as his brother and Dwalin run to his uncle's aid. Stifling a groan, Kili pushes himself to his feet and, drawing his own sword, runs after Fili and Dwalin. Fili and Dwalin plow into the Wargs from the side and begin fighting against them. Kili catches up and swings his sword, slicing a Warg's neck, feeling the pain but shoving it back down in order to help his family. It doesn't take long, though, for Dwalin, Fili, and Kili to be surrounded by Wargs. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin have their backs to each other, facing different sides towards the Wargs. Fili notices Kili standing next to him and his body tenses. "I told you stay put."
"Uncle needed help," Kili says, sending a glare towards his brother at the growl in Fili's voice.
"You're injured. This is reckless," Fili growls towards his brother, giving Kili a glare of his own. Any other retort from Kili is cut off when a yell breaks through the air. Fili and Kili look towards the tree, seeing Dori and Ori fall, disappearing from sight. Soon, though, they reappear on the back of a giant eagle. Kili and Fili look up into the sky to see several more Eagles appear and begin attacking the Orcs and Wargs, tossing them over the cliff. Other Eagles begin knocking down the trees and crushing the Wargs standing below them, while other Eagles fan the flames caused by the flaming pinecones with their wings causing the blaze to increase, burning the Wargs. Azog sees this and snarls in frustration. An Eagle appears and grabs Thorin and his sword gently with its talons and flies away with him, Thorin's oaken branch shield falling from his arm. An Eagle flies by Azog and Azog roars at it and jumps back out of the way. The Eagle flies straight at Bilbo and picks him up off the ground before throwing Bilbo into the air. Bilbo screams as he falls towards the ground only to land on the back of yet another Eagle. Another Eagle grabs Fili and Kili, one in each talon, and flies through the air and drops them on the back of another Eagle. Fili lands first, followed by Kili. Kili groans and tilts to the side. Fili quickly grabs his brother, steadying him for fear of him falling off the Eagle.
"Kili?" Fili asks, eyeing his brother and seeing the pain written clearly on his face. Kili forces the pain back down and glances at his brother.
"'M fine," Kili says as firmly as he can. Fili frowns, knowing how stubborn his brother is and knowing that Kili is, in fact, in pain. He also knows that Kili won't admit to being in pain in fear of looking weak. Choosing to drop the argument for the moment, Fili turns his attention to the Eagle carrying Thorin.
"Thorin!" Fili shouts, seeing his uncle still unconscious. The Eagles soar towards an enormous rock structure that's shaped like a bear. The Eagle carrying Thorin flies to the top of the rock and sets him and his sword gently down on a flat area of the rock. Another Eagle lands on the rock and Gandalf slides off it before running towards Thorin.
"Thorin! Thorin," Gandalf calls out, dropping to his knees and looking over the unconscious dwarf. Thorin doesn't respond. The rest of the Eagles drop off the rest of the company and Bilbo runs over to where Gandalf and Thorin are. Gandalf places his hand on Thorin's face and leans down to whisper a spell.
Kili slides off his Eagle, wincing at the pain shooting through his shoulder and ribs. He closes his eyes to stop the vertigo and feels a hand on his good shoulder. Opening his eyes, Kili sees Fili standing in front of him, studying him, knowing his brother sees through his façade. Fili's eyes turn sympathetic but before he can say anything Kili shrugs him off and slowly moves towards the rest of the company and their uncle. Fili sighs and follows after him, the two youngest dwarves moving to the front of the group.
Thorin's eyes flutter open and he gasps for air. Gandalf lets out a sigh of relief and a small smile appears on Bilbo's face from behind Gandalf. Fili sighs in relief himself and looks over at Kili to see some of the tenseness leave his brother.
"The Halfling?" Thorin asks weakly, his eyes roaming around him.
"It's all right. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe," Gandalf says, waving a hand behind him, beckoning Bilbo to come closer. Bilbo takes a couple steps, but doesn't come any closer, wary of what Thorin is going to do. Thorin attempts to push his self up and Dwalin moves forward to help him. Kili moves forward, helping Thorin as well, much to his brothers' protests. As soon as Thorin gets to his feet, he shrugs Dwalin and Kili off and moves towards Bilbo.
"You!" Thorin says gruffly, staring at Bilbo. Bilbo's eyes widen and he waits for the inevitable lecture. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"
Thorin advances forward until he becomes face to face with Bilbo, whose look has changed to one of worry and fear. The rest of the dwarves share a few looks, not knowing where Thorin is going with this and not knowing what to do. Gandalf watches, waiting to see what Thorin is going to say more.
"I've never been so wrong in all my life," Thorin says as he grabs Bilbo and hugs him hard. Bilbo is taken aback by the gesture but eventually hugs Thorin in return. The rest of the dwarves begin to cheer and slap each other on the back. Gandalf smiles and watches the Dwarf king and Halfling. Thorin pulls away and looks at Bilbo, meeting his gaze. "I am sorry I doubted you."
"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior…not even a burglar," Bilbo says, shaking his head, understanding why Thorin acted the way he did. The rest of the company chuckles at this and the Eagles fly away, letting out screeches. Thorin looks over Bilbo's shoulder and, seeing something, walks forward. Bilbo furrows his eyebrows and turns around, he and the rest of the company following Thorin's gaze.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asks as the company moves to join Thorin at the edge of the rock. On the horizon, in the distance, there is an outline of a solitary mountain.
"Erebor…The Lonely Mountain," Gandalf says, gazing at the magnificent sight before them. "The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth."
"Our home," Thorin says with emotion in his voice as he looks upon his long deserted home. A bird cheeps and flies by them.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain," Oin says, noticing the bird, a smile settling on his lips. The dwarves hear more birdsong as they watch the bird fly towards the mountain.
"That, my dear Oin is a thrush," Gandalf corrects the dwarf as he watches the bird fly by.
"But we'll take it as a sign…a good omen," Thorin says, gazing at the mountain once again, a smile in his eyes.
"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us," Bilbo says, a small smile playing on his lips.
Kili looks towards Erebor, the pain in his shoulder intensifying. Not because it is getting worse, but because the adrenaline is wearing off and he can feel it in full effect now. Kili closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing, shallow as it is from the pain in his ribs.
"Fee?" a voice says quietly, only after its already spoken does Kili realize it's his own voice. Fili hears his brother say his name quietly and he looks over at his brother, seeing his eyes closed and pain written all over his face.
"Kee?" Fili says, turning to face his brother and studying his face. Kili forces his eyes open and sees his brother watching him closely. Thorin looks over and sees his nephews facing each other, Kili tense with pain and Fili tense with worry.
"We need to get someplace to set up camp," Thorin says, his eyes never leaving his nephews. Dwalin looks over and sees the youngest of the dwarves and nods his head. He gathers the rest of the company and begins sending them down the path in the rock that leads to the foot of it. Gandalf nods to Bilbo and the two of them follow after the rest of the group. Thorin walks over to his nephews. "Is he all right?"
"I'm fine," Kili says, trying to force the pain back down in front of his uncle. Thorin suppresses an eye roll.
"I wasn't talking to you," Thorin says, giving his youngest nephew a stern look before looking over to Fili.
"I put his shoulder back in place back in the goblin caves. And I think he has a few broken ribs. But he's in a lot of pain," Fili says, earning a glare from his younger brother. Thorin nods his head.
"I'm fine uncle," Kili says, looking to Thorin, trying to convey his strength to his uncle. Thorin sighs.
"I have no doubt you are. But you should still rest. I can't have you going out hurt," Thorin says, giving Kili a firm look. Kili diverts his eyes and nods his head. Thorin nods his head once before turning to Fili. "Get your brother down to the foot of the rock. We'll set up camp there."
Fili nods his head and grabs his brother to lead him down the path. Kili shrugs him off but by the time they descend a few yards down the path, Fili is hanging on to him again. Thorin glances back at the silhouette of Erebor once more before turning and following his nephews down the rock side.
AN: Please review and let me know what ya'll think! I love reading your reviews!