A/N: I'm back from vacation! It was relaxing, and I had plenty of time to write up ideas for future chapters and even some new stories. But for now, please enjoy Chapter 10. (Hobbit characters are not mine.)

The next thing she knew, Thorin was yelling.

"Get up. GET UP NOW!"

Linnor or felt the cave floor shift and tilt beneath her, and she was falling into the mountain. She was sliding down some sort of dark, dank tunnel, hitting sharp edges on the way down. She could hear the yells of the dwarves behind her, yells of anger, surprise, and fear.

After what seemed like an eternity, Linnor crashed into a crudely made open cage. A second later, the full weight of 13 dwarves and a hobbit landed on top of her.

"Ugh!" she exhaled sharply, her face pressing painfully into the bottom of the bars, which was covered in grime and some other dark substance. Linnor really didn't want to look too closely.

"Ooh, sorry, lassie, I-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Linnor finally managed to push herself off her stomach and take a look around her. And the first sight to greet her eyes thoroughly terrified her. Large, lumbering, grotesque creatures were racing towards them, all shrieking and wailing, making the most horrible sounds she had ever heard. They screamed and yelled and grabbed them from the hold, jostling them, hitting and biting, dragging them apart and shoving them into an adjoining passage. One particularly nasty looking thing sneered at her as he lifted her up, his tongue sliding out over his crooked teeth, his black eyes glinting evilly.

"OY! "

"PUT HER DOWN, GOBLIN-FILTH!"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF-"

The dwarves roared with anger, shoving and fighting against the...goblins?! Her heart stopped, tears welling in her eyes. Oh god. Not good.

The goblin holding her growled and threw her over his hideous, deformed shoulder and hurried off down the tunnel, and into the depths of Goblin Town.

Twists and turns, past crude cells and deep ravines they rambled, the goblins being none too nice or gentle, and the dwarves returning the courtesy. Slowly, as they got closer to what Linnor assumed was the center of town, more and more Goblins raced past them, and above and below, on paths and tracks and small wooden bridges connecting wall to wall. Linnor could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Oh where was Gandalf when you needed him?!

The goblins led them to a huge cavern, which seemed to be a double for an arena type setting. Thousands of goblins had gathered all above and around the center, screaming and calling and hissing and growling. It sounded horrendous. But it was nothing compared to what awaited them.

Asitting upon a throne of bones and decay sat the biggest, fattest, nastiest goblin Linnor had ever laid eyes on, which frankly, said a lot. He was scarred and bruised, one eye a milky white color, the other a shock blue, and his chin wobbled underneath his knees. Razor sharp teeth peaked out from his wide mouth.

"Well, well, well. Who dares to enter MY kingdom?" The Goblin King rumbled, lumbering off his chair.

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence. Found them on the front porch." a small, squeamish looking goblin chattered. The Goblin King eyed them suspiciously, then noticed Linnor and the goblin still holding her captive over his arm.

"And who do we have here? A female dwarfling?"

The goblin dropped her roughly on the ground. Linnor didn't dare move.

"Not any dwarf I've ever seen."

The next thing she knew, she was being lifted off the ground by her arm, dangling at an odd angle, and face to face with the King.

"Hmm...looks more like an elf than a dwarf!" he laughed. The dwarves surged, and we're held back, all eyes on the two of them.

"Although..." he murmured, bringing her closer. "I can see it there. Not fully, but a part. Almost as if...well. Looks like we caught ourselves a Half-breed!"

Anger surged through her body. How DARE he?! HALF-BREED?!

"YOU LIAR! FILTH!" she screamed, proud of how solid her voice sounded. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the shocked looks on the company's faces, whether from her outburst or the accusation, she wasn't sure.

"I AM NO SPAWN OF...OF...I AM HUMAN! PURE! UNLIKE SCUM AND POISON LIKE YOUR KIND! HOW DARE YOU!" she spat in the King's face, her false bravado giving her an extra surge of fierce defiance.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, dearie." he sneered. "NOW, what is a pretty little piece like you doing with a nasty band of miners such as these? Where are you going? TALK!"

Tears were here forming at the edges of her eyes again, but she didn't say a word. Nobody spoke.

"If you won't talk," the Goblin King chuckled darkly, squeezing her arm so tight it was beginning to burn, "we'll make you squawk! Bring out the Bone-Crusher! And start with this one!"

He shook her hard so her neck snapped back. She heard a roar, dwarves mixed with goblins and the sound of her own heart beat in her ears, blackness edging on her eyes.

This time a tear did slide down her cheek.