It was the next morning. Bella was folding her spare clothing that the elves had been so generous to clean for her and she put them in her satchel. She looked around the room. The half-breed was going to indeed miss this beautiful home. She was forever in Lord Elrond's debt. If it wasn't for him, Lady Galadriel, and the two brothers for helping her recover she probably would still be lying in that bed right now. The woman glanced at the room one last time and slung her satchel over her back and closed the door behind her. Bella walked down the hall and not long, heard the quiet bickering amongst the dwarves. They were all ready to get out of this cursed land. Thorin was whispering something to Balin and Dwalin when he looked up to see their female companion had joined them. " Let's move." Thorin hissed.
The dwarves began to follow their leader down the hall. Peering from behind walls and pillars to make sure no elves where in sight to stop them. Fili and Kili were right beside the half-breed. Glad that she would be continuing on with them to the end, and they stayed by her side even after they started the climb up the step path just encase she needed assistance. Although Bella was glad to be walking on both legs again, she wasn't at her full strength yet, and found it difficult to keep up, but the brothers remained by her side to keep her company.
The first week was rough, especially for Bella. When Thorin had declared they had traveled far enough for the day the woman nearly found herself ready to collapse to the ground from how much pain she was still in. Balin, numerous times; along with Oin tried to reason with the leader that they should only travel for half the day, until their wounded companion was back to her full strength, but the dwarf was convinced they would not reach the mountain in time going her speed the entire way. Bella figured Thorin was testing her to see just how much he could put her through before she would give up and go back to Rivendell. But at the end of every exhausting day's travel, the prince was left flabbergasted that she had managed to keep up with them, especially when he could tell how much pain she was still in. Bella could fool the others and his two nephews with that fake smile she always had on, but Thorin knew it all too well, he was guilty of doing the same thing when he did not want anyone feeling pity for him. She had a strong will; he would give her that much.
Another week had passed and they were now deep within the mountains. The company set up came once again, as Bombur, Bella and Bofur prepared dinner. Bombur was telling the woman funny stories about when he and his brother were younger the things they would find to put in their soups to add flavor. Bella by the end was laughing at some of things they had tried and then all three of them were laughing. Thorin glanced up, along with Balin and Dwalin who had been discussing important matters, and looked to see the three of them giggling through the fire. The elder dwarf thought it was just wonderful to see the woman getting along so well with the others. Dwalin muttered something about ' that he liked her well enough' and Thorin. Thorin was still trying to figure out who this woman was. It surprised him that none of the others seemed too concern about who she really was? They all trusted her. The dwarf prince had ruled out that she was not a spy for the enemy that was sent to destroy him but that did not easy his other suspicions of her. She had to have a pretty good reason why she continued to keep it to herself who she was. He then turned to his nephews. They were siting on the far side of the fire beside each other chatting and snickering a way about something. He knew they had spent quite a bit of time with the young woman and he was curious to know whether or not she had told them anything about herself to them.
The dwarves were up earlier then usual the next morning. They packed up their satchels and made short work of erasing any signs that they had been their and continued on the long road a head of them. If Balin's calculations were correct they would reach the entrance of the Misty Mountains by nightfall. The day had started out with good intentions but by late afternoon the clouds were coming in and darkened the sky and a thunderous storm was upon them as they came to entrance of the Misty Mountains. The rain came down on the company hard drenching them and their supplies in a matter of seconds. The weather wasn't showing any sign of lightening up anytime soon and they could barely see two inches in front of their faces as the wind howled around them.
"Steady! Hold on!" Thorin shouted loud enough for all too hear. Bella had heard stories about travelers that had passed through the Misty Mountains talking about the stone giants but most believed them to be a myth because all who came through this passage never lived to tell if they had witness these beings. The woman was traveling behind Thorin when her boot slipped on some loose rocks and she let out a startled shriek as she nearly went over the edge when the dwarf prince grabbed her by the arm and pulled back towards the mountain and steadied her.
"T-thank you." Bella stammered, feeling her heart begin to race from that feeling of nearly falling to her death.
"We must find shelter!" The dwarf yelled.
"Look out!" Dwalin roared. The company looked up to see a large stone come flying through the air, towards them smashing above them into tiny pieces. They all braced themselves right up against the mountain to avoid being struck down by the chunks of rock falling around them.
"This is no thunderstorm!" Balin informed as he saw something beginning to move in the distance. It's a thunder-battle! Look!" He said pointing at the part of the mountain that had begun to take form of a rather giant. Bella could not believe her eyes, the stories she had heard were true.
"Well, bless me. The legends are true! Giants! Stone-giants!" Bofur cried as he took a step towards the edge to get a better view of this massive creature as it tossed another stone through the air, this time it smashed into another giant that had come up from behind the company.
" Take cover, you fool!" Thorin yelled. Kili quickly grabbed Bofur and pulled him back away from the edge. Just then the very path they all stood on began to tremble. The pathway soon separated, and divided the company in two. All was screaming in chaos as they struggled to get a grip on the giant's knee they were riding on. Bella held onto Thorin, who himself fought to keep both him and the woman from being knocked off when suddenly another stone giant slammed into the company knocking them into the mountain side, causing them all to let out harsh grunts.
"Go, go, go!" the dwarves shouted. Thorin quickly got off the giants knee as quickly as he could with the others right behind him. Balin making it off just in time before it began to move again. Bella and the others watched in horror as the rest of the company were swung out and away from them. The giants head was ripped from it's body moments later, sending it's knees straight into the cliff side. The woman and the other dwarves could do nothing but watch in shock as the other being crushed between the stone.
"No! No!" Thorin cried out as they watched the body tumble down into the canyon far below. Thorin began to run over, shouting for his eldest nephew who had just so happen to be one of the ones that had been on that giant that was now lying in pieces somewhere down below. The dwarf prince came to a sudden halt to see everyone; including Fili completely unharmed.
"It's all right! They're alive!" Gloin shouted in relief to the others.
"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur said worriedly. "Where's the hobbit?"
"There!" Ori shouted, pointing to the fingers you could just barely see hanging onto the edge for dear life.
"Bilbo!" Bella screamed as she launched herself over to the hobbit and managed to grab onto his hand but she could feel it quickly slipping from her grip. "Bilbo hang on." The woman cried as she felt her hand loosening on the hobbits. Ori and Bofur had joined beside her, holding so she would go over the edge. Thorin was the only one who hadn't moved since he saw the hobbit clinging to edge. All the dwarf could think about was how inconvenient this pathetic hobbit has been since he joined this quest, and now here he was, dangling over the edge. The dwarf prince could feel his problems going away, if the hobbit should fall, but then he saw the woman that was clinging to his hands, trying to save him and then she lost her hold on him. "No, Bilbo!" Bilbo fell a bit further down the mountain but managed to grab hold of something but he was too far down to reach anyone of their hands that were desperately reaching for his. Thorin all of a sudden swung himself down. Bella was mildly shock by this sudden action from the dwarf. Thorin gave the hobbit just enough of a boost for Bofur and Ori to grab him and pull him to safety. The dwarf prince went to climb back up but he lost his grip on the wet rock and nearly fell when Bella managed to catch his hand and he looked up at her in surprise. The woman was trying with all her might to pull Thorin up but she was not nearly as strong to pull his weight but Dwalin was by her side in seconds and grabbed Thorin's other arm, relieving some of the weight from Bella and they pulled their leader back to safety.
"I thought we lost our burglar." Dwalin said shakily. Bella leaned up against the mountain, still trying to catch her breath when she heard the anger coming from Thorin's voice.
"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us." Thorin snapped angrily. Bella held her tongue at Thorin's coldness towards the hobbit and she looked at Bilbo only too see the said look on his face. "Dwalin!" Thorin called as he turned away from them and both he and Dwalin went to go search the cave, to see if it would be safe to rest in for the night.