The company and Gandalf raced down the mountain, all looking as if they would pass out the moment the stopped. Bilbo was following right behind them, but still with the ring on, making him unseen. Once they came to a clearing, Gandalf stopped, and counted the dwarves that ran past him.
"Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fili, Kili...that's twelve...and Bombur - that makes thirteen. Where's Bilbo and Liesel?" He asked looking around.
"I got her right here." Balin sighed, then sat the little girl on the ground. She struggled, but she managed to stand up, with of course Balin helping her.
Gandalf nodded. "Then where is Bilbo?" No response came as the dwarves looked from side to side. "Where is our hobbit?!" Gandalf yelled.
"Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin hissed in frustration.
"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin pointed to him.
"Don't blame me!" Dori glared.
Gandalf instantly walked towards him. "Well, where did you last see him?"
All eyes soon turned to Nori. "I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us."
"What happened exactly? Tell me!"
Bilbo, still invisible, had finally caught up to the rest of the group. He almost slipped ring off his finger, until he heard Thorin`s barking voice; he hid behind a tree.
"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! 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."
A sudden sense of braver clicked inside of Liesel, and she took it. "No," she growled lowly. The dwarves` turned to look at the young girl, who was holding herself tall, and standing directly in front of the dwarf king.
"What did you just say, girl?" Thorin hissed, towering over her.
She swallowed, her courage quickly leaving. "We must have left him behind,"
"Then it is not our fault for it, he knew of the risks that this journey would bring." He said.
A small gasp came from the girl, and her eyes darkened. "You are the most spineless dwarf I have ever met!"
It was an understatement that all of the company was in slight shock at the girls' sudden courage to stand up to Thorin. The dwarf king scowled at the little girl and moved closer, almost daring her to say it again.
"If it weren`t for the goblin`s slip up, then you halflings would be on your merry way home. Tell me child, which is more cowardly?" He taunted.
Bilbo heard ever word the company said; from Liesel defending his honor, to Thorin mocking him and the child. He leaned on the tree as he pondered everything he just heard. The dwarves looked at each other, and Liesel faltered greatly.
"No, he isn't."
The company immediately look to the tree where the voice came, and Bilbo Baggins came out from behind it. Chuckles of surprise echoed through the hills.
"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Gandalf grinned.
The hobbit approached his companions, patting Balin on the shoulder affectionately, and resting his hand on the top of Liesel`s head for a split moment.
"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili laughed in shock.
"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!" Fili asked in pure wonder.
"How indeed." Dwalin sighed.
Bilbo mind rushed of what to say, giving a nervous laugh and putting his hands on his hips. Gandalf noticed Bilbo sliding the Ring into his waistcoat pocket. He plastered on a smile. "Well, what does it matter? He's back!"
"It matters," Thorin ignored Gandalf, and looked to Bilbo. "I want to know: why did you come back?"
Bilbo looked at the ground, then back at the company. "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, because you don't have one. A home, it was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."
There was a slight silence, all of the dwarves taking in what the elder hobbit just told them. Bilbo looked at Gandalf and Liesel; they were both smiling, extremely proud of him.
An ear piercing howl echoed through all of the company`s ears.
"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin whispered.
"...and into the fire!" Gandalf finished. "Run," He looked down to Liesel, who was staring at him in fear. "RUN!" He shouted to her. They all started running down the mountain as fast as their legs could go. The Wargs followed them rapidly, the sun starting to set.
One of the Wargs caught up to the group and leaps at Bilbo and Liesel! They both duck behind a rock, as the Warg landed in front of them. Bilbo pulled the fearful child behind him, trying to make himself taller as the monster growled at them.
Without warning, it charged towards them! Liesel screamed as Bilbo pulled out his sword and held it in front of him; the charging warg impaled itself in the head on the sword, and fell down dead! Bilbo and Liesel stared at the dead creature in disbelief. The rest of the dwarves were in chaos as wargs did manage to catch up, but were instantly killed.
The Company reached a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it; they are trapped, a cliff was directly behind the trees.
"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Liesel, Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf spat rapidly, pointing at the two hobbits.
Bifur throws an axe, killing a Warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumps off a rock and grabs a tree branch, using Dwalin's head as a stepping stone to the tree. Other dwarves begin climbing into the trees as well. While running, Bilbo tried to pull his sword out of the warg`s head, but it was stuck! He continued to pull with all his might, and Liesel came up behind him to help.
"They're coming!" Thorin shouted.
Bilbo looked back to Liesel. "Go, go now!" He lightly pushed her off.
She ignored him. "I`m not leaving you here!"
He groaned, and pushed her again. With a huff, she sprinted to the trees. Gandalf climbed to the top of the furthest tree, and Dwalin helped Balin up. Thorin, Bombur, and the rest climbed up trees too.
Bilbo finally managed to pull his sword out of the Warg; he looked up to see several more Wargs running at him! The hobbit snapped his head around to see only Liesel on the ground, struggling to climb. Quickly, he ran behind her, grabbed her waist, and hoisted her up high.
She let out a small scream, but relaxed when she realized it was Bilbo. Together, the two hobbits helped each other climb the branches until there was nothing else to climb.
Dozens of Wargs circled the trees where the Company was. Gandalf turned to find a moth on a branch near him. He reached out with his staff and picked up the moth up. Bringing the moth close to his face, he whispered to it; he blew on it gently, causing it to flutter away. The Wargs ceased their growling and turned as the White Warg, with Azog on its back, approached slowly. The dwarf king`s face fell.
"Azog?!" He whispered in shock.
As the warg growled, Azog stroked it, and spoke in his own language. "Do you smell it? The scent of fear?I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain."
Thorin shook his head in pain and grief. "It cannot be."
The horrid orc turned to his companions, and pointed at Thorin. "That one is mine. Kill the others!"
At his command, the Wargs leaped forward and clawed up the trees. They jumped as high as they could, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shook violently, and the entire company struggled to hold on.
"Drink their blood!" Azog commanded.
Liesel could only remember two things; Bilbo clutching her hand so tight she soon lost all feeling, and the trees falling down like dominoes as they landed on the final tree at the edge of the cliff.
Looking around in desperation, Gandalf spotted a pinecone. He took it and held it to the top of his staff; the pinecone lit on fire! He threw it down amid the Wargs, who retreated in fear. Azog`s eyes grew, but quickly shrunk in anger. After lighting more pinecones, Gandalf threw two down. "Fili!"
Fili caught the flaming pinecone. The company quickly gathered more pinecones, and Gandalf set them on fire. All sixteen members of the Company threw them at the wargs like missiles; Liesel still believed that she saw one caught on fire. The ground around the tree blazed with light, and Azog roared in anger as the wargs retreated. The company rejoiced in victory.
Their cheers soon turned into cries of fear, as the roots of the tree gave away! It tipped over the edge, but stopped as the tree was flat. Gandalf looked down and saw the ground far, far, below. The dwarves tried to hold on as they were being flung around. Ori lost his grip on the tree and fell, but thankfully managed to grab Dori`s leg!
"Mister Gandalf!" Dori shouted. Because of the extra weight, he lost his grip on the tree and fell! Thankfully, Gandalf swung his staff down in time, and Dori caught it.
"Hold on, Ori!" He yelled down to his companion.
The poor girl could only stare down into the foggy abyss below her, eyes growing bigger than plates. She closed her gaping mouth, and bit her tongue until she could barely taste blood.
Azog growled; Thorin, clinging to the tree, looked at him with nothing but hate in his glare. He pulled himself up, his sword drawn, and walked down the leaning trunk as Bilbo and Liesel from the hanging tree could only look on. Thorin ran through the burning ground at Azog and his White Warg. The devilish orc spreaded his arms wide with an arrogant grin on his face. Thorin yelled as he ran with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouched, then roared as his Warg leaped at Thorin. Thorin tried to swing his sword, but the Warg hit him in the chest with its front paw, smashing Thorin to the ground! The others from the tree could only helplessly look on in shock, unable to do anything.
"Help!" Ori cried again, struggling to hold on.
As Thorin stood back on his feet, panting, Azog and his White Warg wheeled around, charging at him again. Azog swung his mace into Throin`s head, and the dwarf collapsed.
"No!" Balin and many other dwarfs shouted.
Watching in horror, Liesel did not notice when Bilbo pulled himself up to stand on the tree trunk.
The White Warg clamped its jaws around Thorin and he yelled in agony.
"Thorin, no!" Dwalin screamed, and tried to crawl off the tree. The branch supporting him broke, and he caught himself. There was nothing they could do.
As he was held in the mouth, Thorin managed to hit the warg`s head with the pommel of his sword. Roaring, the White Warg threw Thorin several feet away onto a flat rock nearby. Thorin landed heavily, his sword falling out of his hand.
Looking over to a rider, Azog spoke. "Bring me the Dwarf's head."
The rider jumped off his warg, and approached Thorin. Bilbo, seeing this, pulled out his own sword, and it glowed blue. He looked down at Liesel`s pale face; he quickly knelt down to her height. "Do not follow me," he whispered strictly. She wanted to yell and scream at him for leaving her all alone.
But she shakily nodded her head.
The orc approached Thorin and placed its sword against his neck. As Throin struggled to pick up his sword to fight, the orc raised his blade again. As his sword swung down, Bilbo threw himself at the orc and knocked him over! Bilbo manages to stab and kill the orc as they fought. Azog growled in fury, and Thorin lost all conscious. Pulling his sword out of the dead orc's body, Bilbo stood in front of the unconscious Thorin and protected his body. He waved his sword wildly at Azog and the other Wargs. The orc grinned in hatred and spoke. "Kill him!"
The orcs closed off around Bilbo, who stared at them in the eye, unafraid. He could only make out Liesel`s ear-piercing shriek as dwarfs from the trees attacked the orcs! In a blur, Bilbo stabbed a warg in the head, and sent the orc him flying! Liesel continued to slash and stab at any creature that came close to her or any of the dwarves.
As the fighting around them continued, the elder hobbit ran into a head that belonged to the whit warg. The warg pushed the hobbit onto the ground, and Bilbo tried his best to crawl away. Orcs begun to surround the dwarves completely, all who were quickly becoming fatigued. Bilbo stared at the warg and orc in front of him; he swore he saw a smile pull onto Azog`s mouth as he approached him.
The girl didn`t remember if she shouted a loud "No!" at Azog, or screamed at the top of her lungs, but Liesel knew she assailed the white warg, and blinded its left eyes. In a panic, the monster roared loudly at her, and scratched her left arm, causing Liesel to fall to the ground in a gasp, clutching her wounded arm.
Snarling, Azog told the creature to be still, and dismounted his steed. The girl`s stroke of courage shattered, as she was on her stomach, and tried her best to crawl on all fours. A foot pressed onto her back forced her to the ground, and she hissed in pain. Azog smirked at the struggling girl below him, and he crouched down, stroking her cheek lightly; she couldn't help but let out a small cry in terror.
With a final push on her back, he lifted his foot off of her, grabbed her shoulder, turned her over, and clutched her neck violently. His eyes lit up, and a large, eerie grin pulled onto his face as he heard her small gasps for air. He raised his blade for a hand to strike her-.
He yelled in pain as a sudden sting came to his hand that held Liesel; there was Bilbo, no longer any fear on his face to save Liesel. The orc let go of the girl to clutch his arm, and she gasped deeply, letting in all air.
Quickly, Bilbo latched his arms around her waist, and pulled her up as she continued to cough violently. Once regaining herself, she looked at the ground, and snatched her up her blade, putting it back in its sheath.
Bilbo stood in front of her, and she subconsciously gripped his hand in fear as Azog stood himself up, and marched towards them menacingly. As the two walked backwards away from him, they were not aware of the ledge until Liesel screamed and began to fall, taking Bilbo with her! He managed to grab onto a hanging branch in time, and still held tightly onto Liesel. The poor girl was beginning to hyperventilate.
"Liesel, Liesel, don`t-don`t look down. Look at me." He rushed, trying his best to calm her.
Nothing worked as her cries became louder, and the hobbit looked back up; there was Azog, the same smirk on his face as he came closer to them. And closer, and closer.
Bilbo looked back down to the tear strained girl. "Liesel," he sighed, and continued. "close your eyes."
Her mouth quivered. "Why?"
Bilbo shook his head, took in a deep breath, and his fingers started to slip from the branch.
His eyes shot open when he heard the cries of Dori and Ori come from below them! The two halflings stared down in horror as their companions fell; but were caught! An eagle had flown just under the dwarfs and caught them!
Liesel whipped her head around to see several more eagles appear and join the fray! Some grabbed Wargs and Orcs, tossing them over the cliff. Others knocked down trees, crushing the Wargs below them. Because of the destruction, Azog growled in anger, and looked back down at the helpless Bilbo and Liesel. He reached towards them.
"Let go!" Liesel`s hoarse voice screamed at Bilbo.
Without a second thought, Bilbo let go of the branch the second she finished. Both of their screams were heard, but soon silenced as an Eagle caught them from the fall!
Back on the cliff, one eagle gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away. As he was lifted off the ground, his oaken branch shield slipped off his arm. Azog and the orcs roared in fury as the rest of the Eagles proceeded to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and fly away. When only Gandalf was left in the tree, the roots gave way and the tree fell off the edge of the cliff! Gandalf leaped clear of it and was caught by another eagle. As they flew away with all the Company, Azog and the few Warg Riders were left, screaming and roaring in defeat.
"There there, nothing will hurt you. It`s all over, Liesel. They`re gone for now." Bilbo tried his best, once again, to soothe the young girl. Except this time, she clung to him for the rest of the night, and refused to let him go for a second.
"I don`t want to die." She slightly sobbed, still hugging him tightly.
He sighed, and continued to hold her. "You`re not going to die, I`ll make sure of it."
She nodded slightly, and soon fell asleep on him; again. He carefully pulled her off of him, and laid her down onto her back. He looked at the scratch on her left arm; he needed to ask Gandalf if that would scar. He hoped not.
The Eagles soared through the sky over a great distance and over many landscapes. Thorin still lied unconscious in the eagles talons; almost unmoving
"Thorin!" Fili shouted to his uncle, hoping to wake him up.
The Eagles soon approached a massive rock structure; this was the Carrock. The Eagle carrying Thorin gently laid him and his sword on a flat area on top of the rock. Another Eagle landed, and Gandalf slid off its neck, running toward the unconscious Thorin. "Thorin! Thorin." He cried out.
Thorin was not responding. Bilbo hopped off the eagle, while helping Liesel stand, and the two ran to him. Gandalf placed his hand on Thorin's face, and whispered something quietly. Thorin's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. "The halflings?" He asked, weakly.
Gandalf smiled. "It's all right. They are here, and they`re quite safe."
By now, the other dwarves landed on the Carrock, and they surrounded the wounded Thorin. Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin up. However, once he was up, he shrugged them off and approached Bilbo and Liesel.
"You!" He hissed at Bilbo, and the elder hobbit`s face slightly fell. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! And you," He turned his head towards Liesel, and she hopped back as he came closer. "No one had ever asked for you to join our company, and after what you must have done, I cannot say I would disagree. I Did I not say that you would be burdens? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"
Thorin advanced until he was face to face with the halflings, who both equally looked terrified. "I've never been so wrong in all my life!"
Thorin grabbed Bilbo and Liesel, embracing them deeply. The other dwarves cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back. The two hobbits, both exasperated, hugged Thorin.
Thorin pulled away. "I am sorry I doubted you."
Bilbo shook his head, and talked quickly. "No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar."
"Neither am I," Liesel whispered.
As everyone chuckled, the Eagles flew away screeching. Thorin looked beyond Bilbo and saw something. The dwarf kind strode forward, and everyone followed his gaze.
"Is that what I think it is?" Liesel asked. In the distance, on the horizon, was the outline of a single, solitary mountain.
"Erebor—The Lonely Mountain." Gandalf stated to the child. "The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth."
"Our home." Thorin grinned A bird chirped, and flew by.
"A raven!" Oin gasped. "The birds are returning to the mountain."
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf said.
Thorin looked to his companions. "But we'll take it as a sign - a good omen."
Bilbo nodded. "You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us."
The Company smiled, and stood on the rock formation for just a little longer, watching the mountain as the sun came up behind them. Liesel was the one to bring all of them back to reality.
"Gandalf?" She asked to the tall wizard. "How in the world are we going to get down?"
END OF ACT 1.
Alright then, there we have the first out of three movies; and it only took me a little over a year. Anywho, since I have many other stories not just on here, but also on Wattpad, it is not for certain when I will make the next chapter. I just want to simply thank every single person who was patient, and supportive for this story. Well, until next time, lovely people!