Bilbo shivered as he looked up at the knarled and twisted trees that stretch out overheard. This forest felt sick and dangerous, he was loath to go in. He started a bit when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"You alright there Bilbo?" asked Dori as he straightened the hobbits cloths, making sure not to jostle the sling that Bilbo still wore, as he looked at him up and down.
"I'm fine Dori, the forest has me on edge I guess" Bilbo replied putting up with Dori's ministrations. It was nice to be fussed over a bit. "It isn't right, it feels sinister."
"Well I'd be sinister to if I had a bunch of tree-shagging elves living in me to" joked Bofur as he came to stand next to the hobbit. "Don't worry Bilbo, as long as we stay on the path like Gandalf and Beorn told us then we will be just fine-"
"But just in case, you should wear this again" finished Dori, bringing Bilbo's elvish sword out of his pack and helping Bilbo tie it around his waist.
It still felt strange to the hobbit to not be wearing a waist coat, instead he was wearing a thick green tunic that fell midway down his thighs. A brown coat had been added over top of that that came down to his elbows, and covered the tunic. A dwarvish style belt sat around his hips that kept the cloths tight around his body instead of billowing out like a tent. Thicker pants had also been made for him that were similar to the ones that he had started the quest with, lastly a pair of dark green fingerless gloves and matching scarf completed the outfit. Though Bilbo was far from complaining, the new warmer cloths were a welcome as the season was rapidly changing bringing colder nights. When he first saw himself in the mirror he had been shocked, if it wasn't for his beardless face and feet he could easily be mistaken for a dwarf. When he had mention this to the Company, they had all beamed at the hobbit.
It didn't seem that they were joking when they said adopting him basically made him a dwarf and though they respected the fact he was a hobbit first, honorary dwarf second they were still having fun treating him as a miniature dwarf. On their final days at Beorn's Gloin stepped forward and gifted the hobbit with his own miniature dwarf and had promised to show the hobbit how to wield it when he was fully recovered. It was strange, at the beginning of this journey he would have laughed at anyone that told him that he would one day have a sword and feel comfortable. But here he was with a sword strapped on hip and an ax on the other. Not to mention the dagger that was strapped to his forearm underneath his tunic that Nori had given him after one of their many discussions of the criminal actives Nori was determined to bring Bilbo into, most of them were for fun while others were serious. He had changed, and he found that he didn't mind, he liked the person this quest was shaping.
"Ready to go Uncle Bilbo?" asked Ori, stepping up to stand next to Bilbo along with Bifur. Bilbo took one last look of the green fields that they had ridden across and nodded, smiling as both Ori and Bifur hooked their arms through his and followed Thorin's lead into Mirkwood.
Bilbo officially hated Mirkwood within the first full day that they had been inside it and it only grew worse as the sun went down. The first night when they had tried to light a fire they had been swarmed with giant white moths, and ever since then they had stopped trying to light a fire. Which lead to the discovery that Bilbo was almost completely blind in the dark. So each night Bilbo would be paired with one of the dwarrows and kept close, Bilbo clung to the dwarf he was assigned to, afraid that if he let go he would become lost. The dwarrows were also afraid of losing their hobbit, so it became common to find in the morning Bilbo wrapped up in a pair of arms and held tight against a dwarf. The Company practically cooed when they woke up to find Thorin, Dwalin, and Bifur, curled up around the hobbit, three of the fiercest dwarrows in the Company.
After three weeks in the forest, Bilbo began to grow weary, although the others would try to assure him that they would get out of the forest soon, but even Bilbo could hear the nervousness in their voices, knew that they were unsure as he was.
While Bilbo couldn't see in the dark the dwarrows could, their night vision was excellent. So they could see the eyes that peered down around them every night, the sinister eyes that would move, but never dare approach. Not much sleep was found for the group, the noises of creatures unknown caused them all to only dose jerking awake with each new sound.
These nights Bilbo often hummed to himself song from the Shire. That is until one night Ori begged him to sing one aloud. Bilbo's voice was light, not deep like the dwarrows, a golden sound. The songs he sang were silly little songs but it lifted the dark of the forest, and to the surprise of the dwarrows the eyes soon began to disappear like they couldn't stand the innocence that rang through Bilbo's voice. Evil couldn't withstand the pure notes that came from the hobbit that spoke of a green peaceful land where evil had no foothold. Bilbo's songs lifted the Company's spirits and sleep came easy that night.
The forest seemed brighter that morning then it had been when they stopped that night, a tiny green plant seemed to have blossomed right next to were Bilbo had rested his head that night, looking out of place amidst the dark forest that surrounded them.
"Hobbits are the creations of Yavanna" reasoned Balin as he stared at the green plant as Bilbo helped make breakfast with Bombur. "Like dwarrows have gifts given to us by our creator, it seems that hobbits do as well. The Shire is proof of that lads, you will find no other place in Middle Earth quite as green or fertile as that land. The skill we have with stone is the same hobbits have with land."
The Company should have known that there would be consequences for the one good night they had had in the weeks hey had been in the cursed forest. They had come to a river, and with the help of Fili they had managed to snag a boat from the other side and were ferrying the Company across. Bombur was just getting out of the boat when from the opposite bank a stag burst through and landed next to the dwarf startling him, before any of them could react Bombur was falling backwards into the river.
After a frantic struggle they managed to drag Bombur back to shore where Oin announced that he was asleep after he examined him. A litter was quickly made and the dwarrows took turns in carrying Bombur. Bilbo was disqualified from helping because of his still healing wrist. Their speed of travel was dramatically slowed, going only a few miles in a day, and it weighted down heavily on the Company as slowly there food and water supplies began to run short.
It was Bilbo who found himself taking care of the Company when they stopped at nights. All of them exhausted from carrying Bombur that they could do little else but pull out their bedrolls and fall straight to sleep. He would make sure each dwarf ate their part of their rations before falling asleep, before doing the same for Bombur. It would be only then that he would take time and eat his own rations. It was then that Bilbo would do his best to do watch, he was limited on his inability to see and had to rely on his hearing. He would let his dwarrows sleep as long as they could before waking the one that had been assigned second watch.
Bombur being in a sleep coma dragged hard on Bifur and Bofur. Both were extremely worried over their family member. Bofur's usually cheerful grin was gone from his face, and Bifur retreated a bit into his head, the only ones that seemed to able to reach him was Bofur and Bilbo. On the evenings they actually managed to stay awake a few hours Bilbo and Bofur found themselves hustled to sit in front of Bifur, while the warrior would calm himself by braiding their hair while mumbling things in khuzdul that Bofur quietly translated. Most were old stories from the Broadbeam clans history, that Bofur explained Bifur used to tell them when they were dwarlings. These nights Bilbo couldn't escape Bifur's grip, not that Bilbo minded. He often found himself situated in Bifur's lap, with his arms caging him in as they grip the boar spear in front of both of them.
Though it was a relief for all when by the end of the week Bombur woke from his slumber. He had first been confused, not remembering anything since Bag End, but as they walked bits and pieces came back to him. And so the Company marched onward, their supplies soon drying up with no end to the forest in sight. On the day their food ran out, it was decided that one of them would climb a tree to see how much further they had to go.
Bilbo volunteered, having climbed many tree back in his younger day. "I can do it" His calm suggestion was met by a loud 'NO' in all directions.
"I don't think that would be the best idea laddie," reasoned Balin
"I'm the lightest and the most agile, I can do this" insisted Bilbo glaring at Balin and Thorin. Balin sighed, not wanting to fight with Bilbo, but also not wanting him to climb a tree. He turned to Oin.
"Is his wrist strong enough to go through with it" he asked, hoping the healers answer was no.
Oin seemed to contemplate the answer while grabbing Bilbo's wrist and turning it and applying pressure, when he only got a slight grimace only a few times, Oin knew that it was healed enough for this. "If he goes slow and takes his time he should be fine."
Oin pretended that he could hear the loud colorful curses that was hurled at him at his diagnoses, and he wasn't the least bit intimidated by the glare that was leaved at him by Bifur and Dwalin. As it were Nori had already pulled Bilbo to the side after Oin's announcement and gave Bilbo a foot into the tree. Bilbo was already halfway up the tree before any of the arguing dwarrows realized what had happened.
Bilbo couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as he heard his family call after him, some telling him to be careful while other threatened that if he got hurt he would be sorry. Bilbo made sure to follow Oin advice and climbed slowly and carefully higher and higher until his head broke the canopy and the sun shone on his face for the first time in a long time. He closed his eyes for a moment and simply enjoyed the feel of the breeze ruffling his curls and braids, he smiled and then opened his eyes to look around as the smile fell from his face. In every direction he looked he could see no end. The Lonely Mountain loomed in the distance taunting Bilbo by being so near, but still so far away. Taking a few more moments in the sun, Bilbo reluctantly started to head back down the tree already dreading being the bearer of bad news. As he got closer to the ground he expected for more shouts to greet him.
But when his feet touched ground and he turned to face the Company, he was shocked at the sight of an empty path. He immediately began to panic, they wouldn't just leave him there. Even at the beginning when barely anybody like him they wouldn't just leave him. He takes a few hesitant steps further down the path eyes scanning for any glimpse of evidence of were the dwarrows have gone. But nothing appears and Bilbo flounders on what to do, taking a few deep breaths he tries to calm down when a feeling of being watched prickles the back of his neck. Turning quickly stumbles back in fright at the sight of the giant spider heading straight towards him.
Stumbling backwards he trips on a tree root almost sending him sprawling to the ground. Because of his fumble the spider has enough time to reach him. Bilbo tried to dodge the stinger of the large spider but wasn't quick enough as it glanced his side, slicing through his cloths and cutting his skin releases its venom into his bloodstream. There was a warmth that seemed to spread through his veins, his limbs felt heavy and he was aware that he had fallen to the ground. It was in a daze that he felt himself picked up and turned over and over as something sticky started to cover him trapping his arms and legs close to his body, though he felt his left arm land on the hilt of his sword. It felt like he was in a fog as the spiders limbs danced along his body as he went round and around.
Bilbo blacked out for a moment and the next thing he was aware of was being hung upside down and the sound of the spiders fading away. His mind was clear of the venom that had clouded it before as he realized what kind of situation that he was in. He was hanging upside down presumably from a tree far from the ground, wrapped in spider silk like a fly for hunger spiders, with no clue where his family was. He squashed down his initial wave of panic, he had been in worse situations the goblins and almost becoming warg food came to mind. He took stock of his condition; he had some room to move about in the cocoon, but not much. His left hand was on the hilt of his sword and if he could pull it out of its scabbard he might have enough room to cut his way out. Taking a deep breath Bilbo grasped the handle with his still healing hand and struggled to pull the sword out of the scabbard. There were flares of pain as his wrist protested at the odd angle he was pulling it, but he would rather rebreak his wrist then become spider food. He was sweating and trembling by the time he got the sword all the way out, pausing a few moments to listen for any spiders he began to cut himself out. The silk was no match for the sharp blade and he soon found himself falling out of the cocoon and landing face first on a thick branch, jostling his ribs badly.
His breath came out in a whoosh, making the spiders that were closest to him turn their attention away from several other hanging cocoons, there pinchers clicked as they looked at him. "Shit" Bilbo muttered as the spiders all started making their way toward him. Bilbo wanted to groan as he turned and tried to flee to a better position shucking off his mittens, before also drawling the ax Gloin had given him. Luck was on his side as he soon found the trunk to the massive tree, with his back mostly protected Bilbo made his stand.
Though the width of the branch had been big enough from him to run comfortable on, it was only big enough for one spider at a time to come at him, he a moment he closed his eyes senses heightening as he took a deep breath. Snapping them open he raised the sword and ax, gripping both weapons as tight as he could.
The next few minutes were a haze of pinchers and black blood as numerous spiders fell to Bilbo's blades. They came from all sides, spiders would jump over their brethren to try to get the hobbit, while even more would come from either sides of the trunk, often shrieking "The little fly stings it bites, kill it!." It was inevitable that Bilbo would miss and one good hit from the spider had the hobbit free falling to the ground.
Bilbo's heart jumped into his throat as he fell out of the tree, the ground rushing to meet him and he knew that once he hit he would be in no shape to continue and the spiders would just recapture him and he would die along with the rest of his family, a meal for the spiders. On a desperate whim he lashed out with the ax, the blade sinking into the trunk of the tree, halting him descent and his wrist gave out with a snap. Bilbo gasped in pain, black slightly clouding his vision as he clung to the trunk. Forcing breath out from between his teeth he looked at his wrist, it was already swelling and it didn't feel right but he didn't think it was broken. He was distracted when a twig hit his face and looking up he realized the spiders were still after him. Gritting his teeth, he clung to the tree with his legs as he sheathed Sting and used both hands to pull out the ax, he was still too high above the ground to drop safely, and instead he decided to try one daring move. Gripping the ax hard he drove the bit into the trunk, not giving himself time to think more on it he let go his death grip from the tree with his legs and forced all his weight on the ax. His plan worked as the sharp blade of the ax began to cut into the wood as Bilbo's weight forced it down, he was zipping down the tree at a good speed. (A/N if you ever seen any old pirate movies or even the Goonies, you have seen this move when a sailor stabs a sail and uses his weight to fall to the deck.)
When his feet touched the ground he took off running, if he could lure the spiders away he could double back and cut the Company free. He quickly began to sing the song that all spiders hate.
"Old fat spider spinning in a tree! Old Tomnoddy, all big body, Lazy Lob and crazy Cob Here am I, naughty little fly;
Old fat spider can't see me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Won't you stop,
Stop your spinning and look for me?
Old Tomnoddy can't spy me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Down you drop!
You'll never catch me up your tree!
are weaving webs to wind me,
I am far more sweet than other meat,
but still they cannot find me!
you are fat and lazy.
You cannot trap me, though you try,
in your cobwebs crazy."
This indeed enraged the spiders and they were all soon following after the hobbit further into Mirkwood. Bilbo only stumbled a few times, still feeling the after effects of the venom in his limbs though the adrenalin running through his veins helped him push through these moments. He occasionally called out more lines of the song to make sure the spiders were still following him. When he deemed that the spiders were far enough away he hide behind a tree. He tried to catch his breath, his heart racing. He looked down at his weapons that were covered in black spider blood. He remembered the spiders words, 'its stings and bites' and he knew what he would call his weapons. His sword he named Sting, and his ax would be Biter.
Snapping out of his thoughts by the sound of breaking underbrush, Bilbo waited until the Spiders had moved past his hiding spot before racing back the way he came. The thick trails of webs helped guide him to were the rest of the Company were still hanging from the branches. Bilbo bit back a groan knowing he would have to climb to get them out. He looked at his injured wrist he careful set down his ax and grabbed it with his hand feeling the bones that were out of place, knowing instantly he was lucky the bones had not re-broke because of the jolt but were only dislocated. Bilbo felt lightheaded at the knowledge he would have to pop the bones back in place before he could even attempt to climb to the higher branches.
Counting to three he pushed the bones in while also rotating his wrist, unable to stop the scream of white hot pain that ran up his arm, whiting out his world for a long moment. A few moments later had him blinking rapidly the tears that had escaped his eyes and took note that he had fallen to his knees. Knowing he didn't have much time before the spiders returned Bilbo took his ax up again and approaching the nearest tree. With the help of the ax he managed to scale his way up the tree in no time. Now he was faced with trouble of getting the dwarrows down without hurting them. Studying the cocoons he went for the one that was moving around the most. In order to cut them out, Bilbo had to climb onto the cocoon itself before drawling the dagger up his sleeve and using his bad wrist to cut through the sticky strands to reveal the dwarf inside. A pair of wide brown eyes meet his, and a cry of "Uncle Bilbo!" as Kili's face was revealed, "I heard you scream, I thought the spiders were eating you!"
"Shh Kili," whispered Bilbo, "I'm alright but the spiders will be back any moment, do you think you're up for some climbing?" whispered Bilbo adjusting his position of the cocoon, his toes trying to find purchase in the silky threads.
"I'm good Uncle Bilbo" replied Kili confidently. Bilbo took his word for it.
"Okay, now get a good grip on the web, once a cut this open I don't want you tipping forward and falling to your death understood?"
So it was with great acrobat skills from Kili that he managed to not fall and somehow right himself so that he could climb up the cocoon onto the tree limb that he had been attached too. Freeing the dwarrows was simple with the help of Kili as he and Bilbo managed to free the rest of the Company and all of them were standing in the tree tops looking worse for wear with webs sticking in the beards and clothing and swaying slightly on the venom making many in the Company weak and sick feeling.
"How are we going to get down?" spoke up Dori from his spot next to Ori, the young dwarf looking unsteady.
Bilbo frowned, he hadn't thought that far ahead, but was saved from an answer when Nori spoke up, "Easy brother." From out of one of his hidden pockets he drew a bundle of rope that he quickly secured to the branch, the rope was somehow long enough to stretch all the way down to the ground below them. "Alright, who's first?" he asked in a way to cheerful voice.
Dwalin ended up being the first one down, as the King's guard he scanned the area for the forms of returning spiders and managed to find where the spiders had put their weapons. One by one the others in the Company made their way down the rope until it was only Nori and Bilbo. Nori looked at Bilbo holding out a hand to help him down, eyebrows raised when Bilbo grimaced. Nori's keen eyes picked up on the fact he was hiding his one hand behind him, and it didn't escape Nori's notice that this was the one with the broken wrist.
"Bilbo, let me see it" he said quietly. Bilbo casted his eyes down on the branch and silently raised his arm so that Nori could see the black and blue bruising that had already formed on the swollen flesh. "Is it rebroken?"
"No, the bones were just dislocated, but its fine now, just don't think I will be able to hold my weight." Nori pondered how he was going to get Bilbo down when Dwalin called up.
"Nori, Bilbo get down quick the spiders are coming!"
Nori reacted fast, before Bilbo could argue he had him hoisted over his shoulder, grabbing the rope with an old piece of leather, Nori slid down the rope and was soon at the bottom just as the spiders came bursting into the clearing. The dwarrows stuck together, protecting each other's back as Spiders began to rain down around them from all directions. When the sound of a horn echoed in the clearing.
It happened so quickly one minute the spiders were all around them, and now they were driven back by elves that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Bilbo suddenly felt hands on his shoulders, and he glimpsed Dwalin's knuckle dusters before he found himself shoved under Thorin's cloak. "Hang on tight Bilbo, stay hidden" he heard Thorin murmur as arms lifted the hobbit on his back forcing Bilbo to find a hold on the dwarf's tunic and his feet on his belt. For a second he thought it was unnecessary to hide him from these elves until he heard a hard voice speak.
"Do not think I will not kill you dwarf" He felt Thorin stiffen beneath him and almost could feel the glare that was surely being thrown at the elf. Bilbo could only relay on his hearing to know what was happening. The elves seemed to be grouping the dwarrows together and taking their weapons, the only one that didn't fight was Thorin as he wordlessly handed over Orcrist and the other blades he had hidden on his person. Thorin hated that he could fight back as his hands were tied together, it was only the warm presence of the hobbit on his back that kept him from trying to strangle the tree-shagger that was running his gaze up and down Orcrist speaking in his frilly language.
His silver eyes turned toward Thorin, "This is an ancient Elvish blade, forged by our ancestors. Where did you get it!" he demanded.
Thorin gritted his teeth, "I found it abandoned in a cave. It is mine now, with the blessing of Lord Elrond of Rivendell."
The elfling dared to narrow his eyes at the dwarf and spat out "Liar."
Dwalin growled, "You dare call him a liar tree shagger."
Legalos didn't even bother to look at the warrior dwarf, ignoring him. Instead him spoke to his companions and soon they were all marching towards the Mirkwood Kingdom.
Bilbo huddled under Thorin cloak as the elves marched them to their kingdom. Clinging tightly to Thorin's back in an effort to hang on, felt himself slipping more than once, his left wrist not able to hold tightly, the pain to great. Moments such as this Thorin would lean forward as much as he could without drawing attention and try to help Bilbo from slipping. He was sure that any moment the elves would notice and yank him off, but none did. Laying his check against Thorin back he listened to the king's steady heart beat that soon calmed him down.
He couldn't believe what these elves were doing, did they always take people who went through the forests as prisoners or was it because his family was dwarrows. When he heard the dwarrows complain about the elves of Mirkwood, he thought they were being unfair but now he could see why they were so bitter. The dwarrows were in no shape to fight back, surely the elves could see the bags underneath their eyes, how that they stumbled every now and then. Yet they had tied them up like dogs and stripped them of any means to protect themselves in a forest full of danger. In that moment Bilbo could believe everything the dwarrows had ever said about elves, but it was the memory of Lord Elrond's hospitality that stopped him. Though there meetings were very similar, both Elrond and the Mirkwood elves came to surround the Company after a fight with dark creatures, Elrond had offered his home to the Company, and it might have been a little awkward but the Rivendell elves had treated them with respect. These Mirkwood elves spat the word dwarf like it was a curse and treated them like dirt beneath their feet and had them bound and forcibly dragged along with them.
Thorin's movements suddenly changed becoming smoother, causing Bilbo to look down to see the path they had been walking on change to stone and the sound of a river reached his ears moments before the sound was silenced as they entered the Elf Kingdom.
They were pulled into a room off the walkway were even more elves came. Thorin growled as the elves started to manhandle his men removing everything but the bare essentials. Thorin exchanged a worried look with Dwalin as the elves slowly moved their way towards him. He had hoped that since he had surrendered his weapons quietly that they wouldn't degrade them further by stripping them of everything. Which was why he had hurriedly told Dwalin to help Bilbo under his cloak before the elves caught sight of him. He could protect Bilbo better if the elves didn't know he was with him. The rest of the Company was trying to reason with the elves, but the elves looked down with uncaring eyes. Bilbo felt Thorin tense under him, knowing that it would be soon that he would be discovered, that didn't stop him from clinging tighter to Thorin wishing that he was invisible. Thorin hated that he was unable to protect his little brother; he had already failed him enough in the goblin caverns, Azog, the spiders, and now the elves.
Too soon it was his turn to be stripped of his processions. Thorin tried to twist away from the hands that pulled on his cloak, trying to strip him of his armor like they were doing to his men. He desperately tried to keep Bilbo hidden from the elves. It was no use the more Thorin fought back the more elves came forward until his cloak was ripped from him, causing Bilbo to tumble to the ground. The sight of the hobbit was enough to make the elves freeze for a few precious seconds that allowed Dwalin to lunge forward and hook his tied together hands around the hobbit and pull him close to his chest disappearing in the group of dwarrows as they closed rank as much as the rope that tied them together could.
"Tell the King there is a fourteenth member of the dwarf party, that was hidden under Oakenshields cloak, the other dwarrows guard it fiercely" ordered Legalos, eyes peering into the group of dwarrows to see the creature that had fallen to the ground. The dwarrows visibly bristled at the look and came closer together.
In the middle of their group Bilbo was shaking, clinging tightly to Dwalin. He felt so safe in the warriors arms but looking at the elves that had circled the group, he knew that it would only be moments before he was dragged out of them. He heard a gently growl of khuzdul and felt the callous hands of Bifur rub his arm, trying to calm the small creature while he still could. Bilbo could only turn his head and smile weakly at the dwarf before the elves jerked the rope pulling the dwarrows out of the room, it seemed that they didn't mind him being in Dwalin's arms for the moment. It wasn't like he could escape, they were surrounded by elves, and the corridors they passed all looked the same. That is until they were lead into the throne room and Bilbo first laid eyes on the Elven King Thranduil, perched on his antler throne looking extremely cold. Much to Dwalin's distress, Bilbo's shaking became worse as they were halted at the foot of the raised throne, and all Dwalin could do was hold the hobbit as tight as he could.
Thranduil's cool eyes swept calmly over the group of dwarrows in his throne room, his eyes pausing on Thorin before they landed in the creature that was being held by the tattooed warrior dwarf. His guards had told him that the creature had been hiding underneath Thorin Oakenshields cloak and once discovered the rest of the dwarrows had pulled him into the circle. Nodding to his son he inclined his head at the creature. Legalos bowed his head and called out to his men. It took only a few moments to subdue the dwarrows and pull the creature out of their grasps. The creature struggled against the guards trying to return to the Company, spare rope was produced and the creatures hands were bound behind him.
Thranduil studied the creature that was forced to his knees in front of the elven king. The first thing he noticed was the large haired feet. The cloths were similar to what the rest of the group was wearing. His hair was a shade of copper and had two braids braided in it that accented pointed ears like those of an elf. The face was hidden by the excess hair, but Thranduil knew what was before him. A Hobbit, a Halfling from the gentle West and Thranduil's curiosity was spiked. Rising from his throne he slowly descended to stand in front of the hobbit, amused as the he tried to hid his face from the King by bowing his head further.
With one long finger, Thranduil lifted the hobbits eyes to meet his. Shock and pity flooded the elf as he caught sight of the brand that covered the left side of the hobbits face, disfiguring him. It was obvious to the King that it was fresh, the scar tissue still pink and had a shiny look to it. He would guess that it was only a month old at the least. He tilted the hobbit head further, examining it closer, the harsh looking symbols were unknown to him but he guessed that they held a special meaning to them to be so carefully carved into its face. The hobbit's breathing speed up as without realizing what he was doing Thranduil's other hand was reaching up to touch the mark, he was just hair breath away from touching when he was interrupted.
"Get your hands off of him" came a deep growl from Oakenshield that distracted Thranduil from the hobbit. The dwarrows all glared at the Elven King and more than one of them looked like they wanted to cut off the hand that touched the hobbit. It was clear to the dwarrows that Bilbo was on the edge of a flash back, if the glassy look in his eyes were to go by. Speaking or touching the brand was off limits to everyone, even Oin just putting a poultice on it was enough to have Bilbo whimpering and struggling against them thinking he was back in the Goblin caverns.
Thranduil glared at Thorin; deliberately he laid a hand on the shaking hobbit's shoulder as he straightened to his full height. "You are in no position to give me orders Thorin son of Thrain. Tell me what you and your men were doing trespassing on my lands?"
Thorin leveled a cool glance at Thranduil looking regal despite the cobwebs in his hair and simple tunic he wore. "We were traveling and were assaulted by the spiders in your woods that you have failed to keep under control. It was amidst our escape from their clutches that we were apprehended by your people."
Thranduil raised one thin eyebrow, skeptical, "Where are you traveling to?"
Thorin clenched his jaw, glaring at the elf wishing that he would drop dead. "That is our business and ours alone."
"I think not Oakenshield, you are in my lands without permission to determine if you are a threat or not I need to know the nature of your business."
Thorin stubbornly kept his mouth shut, he had said all that he was going to. Thranduil inspected the faces of the other dwarrows in the Company, all looking back at him with the same expression as their leader. He wanted to curse, he would never get the information out of these dwarrows, however the hobbit was still trembling underneath his hand and Thranduil knew exactly what his plan of action would be. Turning his back to the dwarrows he made his way back to his throne standing before it.
"Take them away put them in the dungeons" ordered Thranduil, his voice full of authority as he paused for a moment before continuing. "But leave the hobbit."
It surprised the elves how much the dwarves resisted as they were dragged from the throne room, yelling insults at the elves while others cried for the hobbit. Even the hobbit struggled against their king and managed to get lose and cling to a dwarf with a strange hat.
"It's going to all right" assured Bofur to Bilbo, hugging him the best he could as the elves came and dragged them apart. The voices of the dwarves became fainter and fainter until the only sounds Bilbo could hear was the sounds of his own sobs as he was dragged back to his position and forced again to kneel before the King of Mirkwood.
I figured if Bilbo didn't have the ring, he naturally would have been captured by the spiders and elves. Hoped you enjoyed!