A short while later saw us in the foothills at the base of the mountains. We had made it to the other side. We stopped for a breather in a copse of trees. As we regrouped Thorin came towards me looking upset. "Are you alright? I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said, sounding genuinely apologetic.

"Don't worry I'm still all in one piece." I tried to reassure him, confused as to the extent of his concern, but I didn't think he was convinced. I couldn't manage to hide the wince of pain as I carefully rotated my arms, trying to assess the damage.

"Are you sure?" he said suspiciously.

"I'm fine, really. I promise." He still looked doubtful, but he nodded and moved on to check on the others. I was surprised to find how much he cared. This compassion seemed at odds with his normally gruff nature. I put it out of my mind to deal with more pressing matters. Bilbo was still missing and so far I was the only one to have noticed. Luckily I did not need to point it out, as only moments later the others had also noticed the absence of our hobbit.

As many of them tried to piece together what may have happened Thorin interrupted angrily. I was only half listening to his accusations that Bilbo had taken this chance to abandon us. My focus was taken by a faint shimmer in the air behind a nearby tree. As I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, the shimmer drew back a little to reveal Bilbo hiding there. I somehow knew that he was invisible to everyone but me so I said nothing, trusting him to reveal himself at the right moment.

As Thorin's tirade came to an end, Bilbo slipped a ring off his finger and stepped out from behind the tree to the surprised gasps from our company. "I'm still here," he said simply, choosing not to elaborate.

"We thought we'd lost you!" exclaimed Kili, looking delighted to see him again.

"However did you make it past the goblins?" Fili asked, looking impressed.

"How indeed," rumbled Dwalin in a mixture of suspicion and respect. Bilbo simply gave them a sheepish look and stammered a few non answers. I winked for only him to see, telling him I would keep his secret. I saw him carefully slip the ring in his pocket, looking as if he had nothing at all. I was sure I was the only one to know until I saw Gandalf giving him a contemplative look. How much did he guess?

"I'm sure that's not important," he said smoothly, making it look as it he were truly uninterested.

"It is important!" Thorin said hotly. "Why did you come back?" Bilbo hesitated for a second and then explained.

"Look, I know you doubt me, you always have. It's true, I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. Because that's home, it's where I belong. But you don't have one. That's why I came back. Yours was taken from you. But I will help you take it back it I can." Thorin almost smiled, and all was well for a single moment.

We were about to move on when we heard the howls of wargs and the shrieks of an orc pack from higher up the mountain side. "Out of the frying pan..." Thorin began.

"...and into the fire," Gandalf finished grimly. "Run!" We raced down the hills and through the trees as fast as we were able, only to be stopped at the edge of a sheer cliff. "Climb," Gandalf ordered without a seconds hesitation. Everyone scrambled into the nearest tree. I was in agony trying to pull myself up until Kili reached down and swung me up beside him and his brother. Bilbo followed close behind me.

The wargs were soon upon us, leaping ferociously at the lower branches and attempting to pull us down. The trees shook with every hit. I was momentarily annoyed to see Gandalf seemingly playing with bugs. My distraction was short lived however when I heard the tree begin to tear away from the earth. Unable to reach us, the wargs were pushing the entire tree over. We leaped for the next one, and the next one, as a domino effect sent all the trees crashing down. All save the last one on the cliffs very edge.

I heard another sound now, and smelled the acrid scent of smoke. I glanced up in a panic to see Gandalf lighting a pine cone on fire. He swiftly tossed it at the warg pack, setting the forest floor ablaze, and some of the wargs as well. Even faster he tossed more glowing cones down to the others, the dwarves and Bilbo aiming with deadly accuracy and creating a line of fire between us and our enemy. The wargs were sent into a snarling retreat, many with smouldering fur. We had only a second of victorious relief when, with a horrible groan, our tree started to fall toward the steep drop below. By some luck the roots were still holding on and so were we. I had managed to stay on the top side of the falling tree and was now able to straddle the trunk, holding fast with my legs. Others were not so lucky. Ori almost fell, but managed to catch the feet of his brother Dori. Gandalf shot his staff towards them right as their grip slid off the branch. He was now helpless to do anything except try and stop the two dwarves from falling to their death.

It was then that I saw Thorin staring angrily at the satisfied smirk on the face of the orc leader, Azog. He stormed down the trunk and right for him as we looked on. With a roar they clashed, Thorin tumbling to the ground. He sprang up, but was again knocked off his feet. Before he could regain them the giant warg that carried Azog picked him up with crushing jaws. I could not help my cry of desperation as I willed him to fight back. "Thorin!" In a massive effort he swung his sword up and dealt a stinging blow to the warg's snout. It tossed him in the air and he slammed against a rock and lay motionless.

As I started to run to his defense, Bilbo streaked past me and attacked the orc that was about to behead Thorin. His ferocity was startling as he repeatedly stabbed it until it ceased to move. I could see the terror on his face as he stood alone between Azog and Thorin. The pack advanced and I let out a battle cry and charged towards them, along with as many of the dwarves as could make it out of the tree. The battle was heated as we fought for our lives. I was sheer desperation that allowed me to swing my sword with almost broken arms. When all seemed most bleak I heard a sound over the clash of weapons, and the spreading fire. The high scream of some enormous bird of prey pierced the air and then all was chaos.

A large group of giant eagles swooped down and began throwing orcs and wargs alike off the cliff, and crushing others with flaming trees. Still others began to gently pick up the fighting dwarves, removing them from danger. The biggest one gathered up the still form of Thorin, and then it was my turn. Perhaps noticing my now useless arms, I was picked up by the waist and carried in this fashion. The flight through the night sky was thrilling, but I could not enjoy it. Thorin had not moved since the beginning of the battle, and I feared we had already lost him. Kili and Fili called out to him in anguish, looking for any sign he had survived.

Our flight ended shortly at a rocky peak far away from the battle. I could see Thorin already lying on the ground with Gandalf nearby as I was put down. I approached to hear Gandalf mutter something, his hand over Thorin's face. I gritted my teeth, willing him to be alright. Moments later, he opened his eyes. He mumbled queries as to everyone's safety. We were all so relieved as we hurried to his side. Once we had gotten him upright he turned to Bilbo.

"You! What were you thinking? You nearly got yourself killed!" he yelled. Bilbo shrank back looking hurt as he continued, "Did I not say that you would never make it in the wild? That you would never be one of us?" Just as Bilbo's face fell he said the last thing any of us expected. "Never have I been so wrong in all my life!" With a teary smile he grabbed the hobbit in a large bear hug. "I never should have doubted you."

Bilbo, now smiling replied, "it's alright, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero, or a warrior. I'm not even a burglar," he said with a sheepish look at Gandalf. The others chuckled, happy that at last it seemed Bilbo had Thorin's respect and approval. We turned to watch the eagles depart into the dawn. Thorin suddenly got a strange look on his face as he stared out over the land. We followed his gaze to see a single solitary peak rising far in the distance.

"Erebor," he said wonderingly.

"Look," Oin cried as a small bird fluttered past us. "A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain!"

"Actually that is a thrush," Gandalf corrected.

"We will take it as a sign, a good omen." Thorin was solemn. Forgetting our troubles for a moment, Bilbo happily chirped "I do believe the worst is behind us." As we gazed out into the day, each lost in our own thoughts, I felt a hand on my arm. It was Kili. "I'm glad you're safe," he said softly for my ears alone. I smiled at him and turned once again to face the rising sun, now with an entirely new set of thoughts to occupy me.