They had been traveling for hours when Thorin decided to set up camp for the night. Erin and Kahlan and all the other dwarves all sat in a circle. Kahlan and Erin sat beside Bilbo, Ori, Nori and Dori. Bifur and Bofur sat beside Bombur, Dwalin, Balin and Gloin.

Then came Fili, Kili and Thorin. It just so happened when Kili looked across from him, there sat Kahlan smiling and talking to Erin. Seeing her smile just broke his heart. He got up and went out into the forest, he decided it was his time to do some archery.

Fili came up to him,

"Hey Kee! Having fun?"

"Yeah," he said as he shot a target.

"So, I had a little chat with Erin. About Kahlan."

Kili stopped and turned around,

"Yeah? What, does she hate me?"

"Kili it's precisely the opposite. Come sit down with me," they went and sat together on a big log,

"Kahlan, I'm guessing before she and Erin got here, had been in relationships and gotten her heart broken. Erin said Kahlan is really sensitive. She has feelings for you, Kili. She's just gotten her heart broken and trust betrayed and she doesn't wanna get hurt again."

Kili sighed with his face in his hands,

"You're right, Fee. I know you are."

All through the next morning as they were traveling, he kept trying to make the effort to talk to her but with no success. Thorin had decided a few times to take Fili and Kili hunting and then Kahlan decided to help Erin and Bombur and then after they ate, they decided to travel even though it was already night time.

Kili didn't think the time to talk to her about their feelings would be when they were on foot traveling. He had to wait for the right time and he prayed that that time would eventually present itself.

It so happened that while they were traveling on a mountain ledge it started thundering, lightening and raining. Everyone was in single file and watching out for each other. Everything came down so hard, the only way to communicate was to scream at each other.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin called out.

"Look out!"

They all saw this gigantic rock hurling through the air and crashed into the mountain they were on, which sent chunks of rock falling down. Kili pushed Kahlan's body into the mountain to try and shield her.

She looked at him and nodded,

"Don't let me fall."

He nodded back and said,

"I got you, don't worry. Hold onto me."

She lightly smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"This is no thunderstorm- it's a thunder battle!"

All of a sudden, the mountain they were on started moving and then mountain side in front of them started moving.

"Well bless me! The legends are true! Giants…stone giants!" Bofur proclaimed.

The two stone giants continued throwing rocks at each other and punching each other, which in turn flew chunks of rock down where the Company was.

It was a huge challenge to continue traveling that way and pausing whenever the rocks came and fighting continued.

"Take cover you fools!" Thorin commanded them.

Suddenly, Fili felt movement and looked down. He saw that the tiny space between him and Kili was splitting up.

"Kili! Grab my hand!"

However, it wasn't too late. The ground completely spread apart.

"Fili will we be okay?"

Fili looked at Erin and wrapped his arms around her and with the front of his body pushed her body up against the mountain wall so he could be sure she wouldn't get hit or fall.

"Kili, what are we gonna do?"

Kili said,

"Slowly walked and paused. I'll cover you. Come on."

The two giants stood up from their sitting position and began to punch and push each other.

"Go, go, go!" Thorin yelled and the group hurried to a part of the mountain that wasn't part of the giant's body. While the other half of the Company was still in the battle.

One of the giants went to kick the other and it happened to be the part that the other half of the Company was on.

"Noo!" Thorin screamed, he thought his family was gone.

After one of the giant's fell and other group hurried to where the giant had kicked to find out, the Company was fine.

"Where's Bilbo?"

Bilbo was hanging on the edge of the mountain scared to death for his life.

Thorin climbed down and helped Dwalin and Bofur pull Bilbo up but then they have to help Thorin up.

Bilbo's back slammed against the mountain wall and he tried to catch his breath, his heart pounding a million beats.

"I thought we lost our burglar."

Thorin slightly turned and in a rough voice said,

"He's been lost. Ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us."

Kahlan went to say something but Kili turned and put his finger to her lips and shook his his head.

They found a cave in the mountain and decided to camp there for the night.

"Looks safe enough."

"Search the back."

Dwalin obeyed orders but reported that there was nothing there.

So they made camp. Everybody played out their sleeping mats. Kahlan sat on her bedroll with her head in her right hand.

"Tired?"

She looked up and saw Kili. He gave her a little smile.

She nodded and he sat down beside her and said,

"I'm glad you're okay. That was pretty scary."

She nodded,

"Yeah, thank you."

Just then, Erin called for Kahlan's help with passing out sandwiches for their dinner. An hour later, everybody was getting into bed. Kili had just gotten his legs under his thin sheet-like blanket when his eyes flew to Kahlan. She was already passed out.

He thought she looked so peaceful. The only other time he'd ever seen her look so peaceful is when he had met her in Bag End. He just sat there, with his back to the wall, his knees up. He didn't know he was smiling until Fili shoved him in the ribs with his elbow.

"Ow! FILI!"

Fili snickered and whispered,

"Is she your Amralime, nadadith?"

Kili looked at him with his eyes squinted and said,

"Oh shut up Fili."

Hours later after everyone had fallen asleep, there laid Bilbo awake in deep contemplation of what Thorin had said after he was rescued when he almost fell to his death.

He decided it what he must do….and leave the Company. He got up, quietly and quickly and packed his things but on his way out, he barely got through the opening when Bofur asked where he was going.

"Back to Rivendell."

Bofur stood in protest and said,

"What? You can't turn back now. You're part of the Company."

"I'm not though am I? Thorin said I should never have come and he was right. I should have never let the front door."

Bofur responded,

"You're homesick, I understand."

Bilbo pointed a finger at Bofur and said,

"No you don't! You're DWAVRES! You used to this life. Moving all the time, not belonging anywhere."

He realized what he had said but it was too late, the words had left his mouth- he instantly regretted it.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I shouldn't've said that."

Bofur nodded his head and he looked down and then his eyes swept across his dwarven kin on the ground in slumber,

"No, you're right. We don't belong anywhere."

"Bilbo, that isn't true. Their place to belong was taken from them… they belong somewhere, otherwise they wouldn't be traveling to reclaim it," Bilbo and Bofur both paused and turned their heads, it was Kahlan.

She had woken up from the talking and was silently listening. Bofur sent her a small friendly smile and she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"I wish you all the luck in the world… I really do," but right before Bilbo stepped out of the doorway something caught Bofur's eyes. Bilbo's sword had gone blue.

Bilbo looked down and remembered that he was told when goblins or orcs were nearby, it would glow blue.

Thorin had overheard the entire conversation but stayed silent until she noticed a noise on the ground and raised up. The ground was caving in.

He sat up and commanded,

"Wake up, wake up!"

It wasn't two seconds, though, before the ground opened and everyone fell through. They fell through twists and turns until they landed on a giant rock with a fence around it when all of a sudden what could have been fifteen goblins came attacking them.

The dwarves tried to fight back and the orcs began taking them hostage and leading them to their king. All the while, Bilbo hunched down and did his best to remain unseen..which for a time worked and had it not been for a goblin that jumped out and started attacking him, he might have succeeded.

Eventually the goblin jumped on Bilbo's back and as much and hard as he fought to get the goblin off, they both ended up falling off the rock cliff to the depths.

Meanwhile with the dwarves….

Kahlan looked up and saw they had built small streets in the walls. Some were very high, and what could have been a dozen goblins inhabited them. Torches were everywhere as well as the laughter of the goblins.

They jerked the dwarves through their little town all the way to their goblin king.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves your malevolence."

"Dwarves?"

"We found them on the front porch."

"Well, don't just stand there. Search them! Every crook, every crevice."

Right away they begun searching. Oin's ear trumpet was yanked out of his hand and stomped on.

"What are you doing in this parts?" The goblin king asked, but when they didn't say anything he commanded them to bring out the mangler, the bone breaker,

"We'll start with the youngest!"

Ori's eyes grew terrified as he was the youngest of the Company.

"Wait!" Thorin came through the group to the front.

"Well, well, well. Look who is it. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. King under the mountain," bowing to him mockingly,

"Oh, but I'm forgetting you don't have a mountain and you're not a king, which makes you…nobody really."

Throwing Thorin a mock sympathetic expression. Thorin looked at it with hatred and anger.

"I know someone…who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head, nothing attached. Perhaps, you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours."

Thorin's head slowly raised up to look at the goblin.

"The pale orc. Astride a white war."

"Azog the defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

"So, you think his defiling days are done, do you?"

With a laugh, he leaned toward a tiny messenger goblin and ordered that he tell Azog the goblin king had his prize.

"Yes, yes, yes, yeeeessss! Gollum, Gollum," was the first thing Bilbo heard after he woke up.

The creature, Gollum had dragged the body of the goblin away to go eat. Bilbo got up quietly and looked around when suddenly, he saw something circular and golden in the dirt.

He picked it up and held it between his thumb and pointer finger. He just looked at it and staffed it in his pocket when he heard Gollum again. His sword was glowing blue, he slowly crept around the corner to sneak a peak at the creature.

Gollum was quite a ways away from where Bilbo was secretly watching him. Gollum hit the goblin with a fairly big rock and killed it. However, right at that moment Gollum happened to look up and saw Bilbo.….