Bilbo explained patiently to the Company what the lay of the land would be if they (meaning Gandalf) insisted on travelling through Mirkwood to reach the Lonely Mountain.

Namely, that smaller groups would be required in order to avoid…detection.

They didn't mind that. In fact they accepted it with relative ease – even when they were made to realise that an Orc or two would accompany each party.

The Warg riding on the other hand did not meet with as much agreement and the room once again became a sea of shouts of denial and disgust.

Bilbo was getting very tired of this habit of theirs.

After some further explaining and working on calming down the panicking Company she sent them on their way to meet their 'steeds' along with her husband. Their faces had been a picture. Anyone would have been forgiven for thinking she was sending them to their execution. Except, of course, for Gandalf. The old reprobate's inappropriate sense of humour had returned in full force and he appeared to be finding the whole situation quite amusing. ..

Bilbo sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Why did they have to make everything so difficult?

Clashing and hissing drifted to her from the passage way interrupting her moment of peace and she stood from her chair ready to face whatever was coming. The guards who stood at either side of the entrance tensed, gripping their spears in a way that meant they could let them fly without trouble if necessary.

Her Captain came rushing into the chamber, glancing behind him and then to her more times than she could count in the small distance he covered.

"Majesty," he spluttered, bowing quickly before looking once again behind him and towards the continuing noise.

"Captain, what on earth-?"

"We found something," he gasped.

That he interrupted her started her worrying. He never interrupted her.

"What did you find?"

He looked at her baffled, his mouth opening and closing as if to speak.

"Have it brought in Captain," she finally announced after some moments of spluttering confusion.

"But Majesty, it is not safe," he finally managed to say, his voice gaining the strength it had missed in his earlier shock.

"Send for my husband and have it brought in,"

She had last seen the almost panicking Goblin when he had gone to join the searchers deep in the tunnels and she wanted to know just what they had discovered to send him into such a tizzy.

"Very well majesty," he nodded.

He turned fully from her this time and shouted towards the entrance for the others to enter and for someone to run for Azog.

"If it escapes it will be your heads," he bellowed as the shadows of the other guards entered the chamber, followed closely by the Goblins themselves and –

What was it?

The creature was being supported completely by two Goblins who held the writhing body by the arms, while other guards walked close by, their weapons drawn and ready to use.

Bilbo took an involuntary step back from the group. Or, to be more precise, the struggling, spitting creature.

No.

Much to her surprise it seemed to be making no effort to escape from the less than gentle grips of her Goblins, instead, it was grasping at the only piece of clothing it was wearing – a ragged piece of cloth draped around its sickeningly skinny hips - and a small pouch that hung from that.

"Wants precious," now that her shock had faded she realised that the creature's hisses and splutters were actual words.

"Tricksy precioussss,"

"What is it," she whispered aloud, asking any who could hear her or answer.

"It was tracked through the tunnels to a lake majesty," she glanced away from the creature to her Captain. Had his leathery skin just paled?

"And?" she breathed, not entirely sure she wanted to know if it had affected the hardy Goblin so.

"We were to late to save the fallen,"

She stared at her Captain blankly, trying to puzzle out just what he meant by that. She looked back to the creature who was still calling out for a 'precious' and complaining about 'nasty goblinses'.

It was a strange creature that she had never seen before. It's freakishly large eyes – owlish in their size – occasionally caught the light but she could not make out their colour. What she could make out was nearly every single bone beneath the sickly grey skin stretched over them.

How long had it been since the creature had a decent meal? There couldn't be anything to eat in the tunnels…

Oh no.

Bilbo's stomach turned as she looked back to her Captain, her eyes wide, suddenly realising what he had alluded to – and hoping she was wrong.

"You mean they have been-" she couldn't even bring herself to voice the words.

All of the missing Goblins down the years? The children who had vanished? Had they met the same fate that she suspected those who had fallen from the bridges had?

"Dead majesty," her Captain replied firmly, before gulping and turning his attention back to the…she wished she knew what.

Just how had they been found?

"Preciousssss. Precioussss," the creature was now crooning at the small pouch as he dug around in it.

What exactly was this precious?

"Silence!" the sudden bellowing of her husband's voice made her jump and actually succeeded in stilling the creature for a moment.

Azog stalked to her side, flanked by his men, two of whom he waved to support the Goblins and two more he left at the entrance to the chamber to stand sentry. At the sight of restless bodies just passed the entrance she realised he had come straight from showing the Dwarves to the Wargs and had apparently left the Company in the passage.

She was glad of the extra – and much larger – bodies now present. Despite the creature's skinniness she had no doubt there was a great deal of strength in the wiry frame, but one of her husband's towering Orcs would stop it in its tracks if it managed to escape.

"What is this?"

"The cause of the disappearances, no survivors have been found," she informed him her voice tight.

Her husband snarled.

Whatever hypnotic hold her husband had over the creature shattered as soon as he took a step towards the restrained…thing. The screeching for 'precious' began in earnest and it took up shaking the pouch violently.

It tipped the pouch upside down and gave it a desperate jerk.

A soft tinkling echoed over the hisses and shrieks and its wide eyes fixed, terrified, on the ground.

She followed the gaze to the floor and her eyes quickly found what fascinated it so much.

A gold band was rolling along the floor, catching the torchlight seductively as it fell into dips and grooves in the floor before it spun almost lazily and feel flat onto its side at her feet.

She stared at in in surprise for a moment.

Was this was the creature had been looking for? How curious. Under the circumstances what use would a ring be?

As she leaned to pick it up the room erupted into chaos.

-To Be Continued-

Hi everyone.

Dun dun dun! Bet that came as a bit of a surprise huh ;) And if not, then well done you for guessing! :)

I am so sorry for how long it has taken to get this chapter up, I have had an awful bug that took ages to shift and I really wasn't up for much.

I really hope you enjoyed this.

Please let me know what you think.

Take care :)