A/N: Helloo! Thank you to those who favourited/followed/reviewed this fic! Here's your Christmas present :D
Here's a longer chappie for y'all! Merry Christmas~~~
Reminders: No betas, so tell me if there's a mistake anywhere. OOC characters, but tell me if anything is too unbearable or unbelievable. May update 2 weeks, or once per month. Sorry, life's been hectic :/
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in The Hobbit Universe belong to me.
Chapter 10
They soon reached the Misty Mountains. A torrent of rain poured from the sky; lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The Company was soaked once again, (the smell of wet dwarves still unpleasant to Bilbo's nose) and they were struggling to see past the storm. Bilbo could hardly make out the shape of the dwarf in front of him. The trail ahead was dangerous; to their left, a cliff with an uneven and narrow path; to their right, a steep and sheer drop into darkness. The stone path was slippery and crumbling.
"Hold on!" Thorin shouted. Bombur almost slipped; Dwalin hauled him up swiftly before he fell into the chasm.
"We must find shelter!" Thorin said smartly. No shit, Bilbo screamed internally.
"Watch out!"
Dwalin's sudden shout caused the dwarves to look up in alarm: a massive boulder hurled through the air towards them. Eyes wide, they watched as it struck the mountainside above them. The mountain shook; rocks crumbled down, huge boulders tumbling around them.
The Company pressed themselves against the mountains, the tiny edge they were perched precariously on vibrating vigorously as the boulders narrowly missed them.
"This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!" Balin proclaimed. From a nearby mountain emerged a stone giant. Ripping a massive boulder from the top of the mountain, the giant hurled it into the air towards the Company. Another Stone Giant reared up from behind them, and was struck by the boulder.
The rocks beneath their feet vibrated violently.
"Brace yourself!"
The ground started to give way, the entire cliff shuddering and shaking as rocks tumbled down around them. The ground splits, separating the company into two. They clung desperately onto the cliff behind them as they were flung around. The stone giants began fighting, their actions slow and lumbering but powerful. Each punch sent an impact through the cliff, causing their teeth to rattle and hands scrambling for a stronger hold.
Stone Giant Number 3 appeared, throwing a boulder at the head of Stone Giant Number 1. It fell, lost its footing and fell down the chasm.
With abject horror, half the Company watched helplessly as the dwarves near Number 1 was almost crushed.
Thorin bellowed. "No, no! Kili!"
Rushing to the spot, Thorin breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the others perched safely on the edge, none injured.
"Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit? There!" Dori said, eyes wide with panic. On the edge of the cliff dangled Bilbo with just his fingertips. Internally, Bilbo was cussing everything for his godforsaken bad luck - he was accidentally knocked over (thank-you-very-much, dwarves). Ori dived onto the ground and tried futilely to grab onto Bilbo's arm, but Bilbo slipped. He scrambled for another handhold, fingers clawing and slipping. I so do not want to die here, he screamed internally. A heartbeat later, he found a strong handhold and sighed in relief.
Thorin swung down to help him up, but Bilbo pulled himself up, and with the rest of the dwarves, was hefted back up to safety.
"I thought we'd lost our burglar," Dwalin rumbled.
"Not - so - easy - to lose me," Bilbo panted. Thorin merely sniffed derisively and led them on a search to find shelter.
They entered one soon enough - a very convenient, totally empty cave.
Dwalin gave the area a cursory glance. "Looks safe enough."
"Search to the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied."
After an inspection, Dwalin deemed the cave safe and the Company entered. Bilbo sniffed the air; something felt off, but he could not pinpoint what it was.
"Maybe we shouldn't stay here, it could be a trap," Bilbo cautioned uneasily.
"A trap by? There's nothing here," Dwalin said.
"There's traces of goblin scent," Bilbo insisted.
"Do hobbits have an enhanced sense of smell?" Fili asked, half amusedly and half seriously.
"Yes, we're like rabbits," Bilbo deadpanned.
"Soft, and cuddly," Kili quipped. Bilbo glared at him as the dwarves snickered.
"Enough," Thorin said, "We are taking shelter here. Mister Hobbit, if you wish to camp outside the cave tonight, you are free to do so."
The dwarves looked out at the still pouring weather and muttered their dissent at such a horrid thought. Reluctantly, Bilbo set his bag down - he hated getting soaked.
Gloin dropped a bundle of wood on the floor and rubs his hands. "Alright then! Let's get a fire started."
"No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light," Thorin ordered. Gloin visibly drooped, but nodded his head. Orders were orders, no matter how much he yearned to feel the heat of a fire.
Balin shook his head. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."
Thorin barely glanced at his advisor. "Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch."
The Company were asleep. Bilbo, pretending to be asleep, was on high alert. Something was definitely off about this cave, but the dwarves would not listen to him anyway. He stealthily opened his eyes and looked around. Maybe he should investigate the cave. Maybe Dwalin missed something; for all his fighting prowess, the huge dwarf did not have the sharpest eyes. He surveyed the room; no one was watching. Quietly, he slipped out of his blanket and threaded carefully around, eyes trying to spot anything weird on the ground. Unfortunately, the dwarves were sprawled all over the ground and obstructed his view. Giving up, he decided to join Bofur on his watch instead.
"What are you doing?" Bofur whispered when Bilbo sat down next to him.
"Can't sleep," he whispered back.
Bofur was silent for a moment. "Homesick?"
Bilbo snorted. "Not really; Gandalf dragged me to longer adventures before." Which home was he referring to? The Shire? That was only his temporary home. Rivendell? He left years ago; even though he occasionally felt a dull ache of longing to go back there, it was not his true home. To his old village? Destroyed.
Bofur looked interested. "You've known Gandalf since young. How did both of you meet?"
"He came to the Shire occasionally, to set off fireworks and visit the hobbits. Gandalf has a thing for spiriting away young hobbits for adventures; my mother was no different. He brought her along, and after I was born, brought me along as well. Although it had been years since I left the Shire," Bilbo recited the old cover they had came up with when Belladonna Took was still alive. Ahh, Belladonna. Bilbo missed her; she was the mother he never had. When she had first come to Rivendell, Bilbo was fascinated with her kind - They were so peaceful, so secluded, yet still hardy and lively; it reminded him of his own family. Belladonna and Bungo were kind enough to take him in, loving him as though he was truly their son. Their deaths were another wound in his heart that would never fully heal.
Bilbo shook himself out of his musings "The elder hobbits scorn on adventuring; I would probably be more isolated and deemed "crazy" if I go back," he admitted. Bofur gaped. "That, that's not fair!" He sputtered.
Bilbo shrugged. "It's the way it is." Not that he really cared - okay, that was a lie. He did care, just a little. The Shire had been his home for years, after all. Leaving it would be painful.
"No matter what happene, you're part of the Company. You're one of us now, we'll always welcome you even if you're not accepted back in the Shire," Bofur said warmly. Thorin, who was awake, stared thoughtfully at the wall as He eavesdropped on the conversation.
Bilbo snorted. Yeah, right - as if you would still welcome me after knowing the truth. A pang of sadness struck him at the thought of the dwarves hunting him down. He pushed that away - not now, he told himself.
Bilbo smiled sadly at Bofur. "I'll take your word for it."
Bofur was about to say something, but Bilbo halted him. His eyes narrowed, nostrils dilated. He smelt something - Goblins(i).
Bilbo partly unsheathed his sword - It was glowing. "Wake up!" He shouted, quickly stepping backwards. A weird whirring, machinery sound filled the cave as cracks formed in the sand on the ground.
Thorin leapt up immediately (was he even asleep, Bilbo wondered at the back of his mind). "Wake up! Wake up!" He shouted, as dwarves around him scrambled to stand, still drowsy from sleep.
Before anyone can react, the floor started crumbling. The Company exchanged horrified looks, none daring to move. Bilbo took a tiny step forward, hand outstretched to pull Bofur away from a crack, but he was too late.
The floor of the cave collapsed downwards. Then they were falling.
The Company slid through a tunnel, yelling, and landed in a huge wooden cage. A horde of goblins were upon them as they tried to struggle to get up, taking away their weapons before they could react and dragging them away. Kicking and yelling, the dwarves tried but failed to get away. Bilbo was at the back; Bofur shoved him away before the goblins reached him. He stumbled and fell onto the floor; for some reason, none of the goblins noticed him. He stared at his hands in wonder: the elders back at the Shire always spoke of hobbits having the ability to remain unseen, but he never thought it was actually true. Bilbo snuck behind some railing, hiding as he watched the goblins push and shove the dwarvws through the tunnels. Slowly, he followed the goblins. Bats flew out of the darkness without warning; startled, he drew out a dagger and slashed at one of the bats. It fell with a squeak.
A nearby goblin turned toward him. Bilbo cursed. The goblin screamed at him, and leapt towards him as it tried to stab Bilbo with its rusty sword. Struggling, Bilbo jostled with the goblin. The goblin pushed him off the platform; Bilbo reached forward to grab onto its arm. The goblin stumbled, and both of them fell over the edge of the platform, plunging into the darkness.
Bilbo groaned and pushed himself up. The first thing he registered was the darkness around him. The second, the putrid, rotting smell. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, and adjusted his eyes to the darkness. The goblin who fell with him was near him, his dagger within arm reach. He could detect a faint rise and fall of its body; it was still alive, barely. Bilbo blinked his cat-like eyes; another being was about. A strange, bent being made its way to the goblin. He grabbed his dagger and stooped low, hiding in the shadows. The thing smelt old, musky, and dangerous.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes! Gollum, gollum." Bilbo heard it croon as the thing circled the goblin. Gollum? He had heard of that somewhere before. It was in an old book he had read, a name in passing. A feeling of dread crept up his spine. The area felt dark, murky, and wrong, like the blade Radagast had. Evil.
He watched closely as the thing (which had a hint of a hobbit smell, which was weird - it cannot be a hobbit, can it?) began dragging the goblin by its feet. The goblin woke up, and began flailing around. Quickly, the thing grabbed a rock, lifted it high above its head, and with astounding brutality, pounded its head repeatedly. Again and again, until the goblin fell limp. Dark liquid pooled around its head, and the faint smell of blood wafted through the air. It was dead.
With keen eyes, Bilbo watched as a golden ring, oddly shiny and glittering, fell from the thing's loincloth and onto the floor. The thing did not notice it and resumed tugging the now dead goblin away.
"Nasty goblinses. Better than old bones, Precious; better than nothing," it muttered. Slowly, Bilho edged towards the ring, crouched low. The thing noticed nothing and was moving away from him. Bilbo turned his attention to the ring; a dark aura emitted from it, faint whispers that barely reached his ears. He debated over taking the ring or leaving it there; His gut sense screamed at him to leave it there, since whatever that thing had probably bode evil, but his curiosity urged him to just take it. Curiosity won.
He bent, hand outstretched. His fingers brushed against the sides of the ring; instantly, his senses flared. Bilbo withdrew his hand immediately, hackles raised and teeth pulled back into a snarl.
The ring was definitely evil. It smelt evil, it felt evil, it probably tasted evil (Bilbo really did not want to try that out). It whispered to him: promises, temptations, desires. It promised of power, it promised of riches, it promised of trouble and corruption that would definitely follow.
Use me, it whispered, I can grant you endless power. I can give you revenge, I can give you protection, I can give you anything you sought for. Use me, it teased, we will make everyone bend to our will. We will achieve greatness together. Use me, it coaxed, use me, use me, use me.
It would be too easy to succumb. A part of him wavered, a part of him wanted to do as the ring said.
It scared him.
He gritted his teeth.
What are you afraid of, dragon? It teased, you have so much potential, we can be unstoppable, like Ancagalon. Wouldn't you like that?
He snarled at it, canines elongated and eyes dilated. Fingers dig into his palms, hands shaking. No, he growled back vehemently.
Why not, why not, it hummed, we can defeat all your enemies, no one will ever hurt you again.
Bilbo hesitated. The ring was so bright, so shiny, so promising; why not keep it, and use it? He can make Smaug suffer, he can make all those who wronged him pay; he would be powerful, no one would be able to stop him. Ryadher would be safe, he would be safe, and what's the harm?
Yes, yes, what's the harm? The ring said. The whispering got louder.
He reached for the ring.
And halted.
Wait, the more logical part of him ordered. Wait a minute. The ring was talking(i) to him. No normal ring can do that (obviously). That means-
That means what? His mind was sluggish.
Ah. It means - the ring may be one of the Rings of Power created by Sauron.
Right?
Yes. Yes, of course.
Yes, he was starting to remember. Evil ring, with powers of temptation and persuasion.
Of course it was evil. What sort of good ring could communicate? It sounded like one of those tainted dragons, those wyrms with great ambition and hunger for power.
He would never be like that.
Bilbo tore his eyes away from the ring, and forced himself to take a step back. The ring fell silent. He inwardly cursed himself: he didn't expect himself fall to the allure of the ring so easily. Did he seriously just ignored his screaming gut sense to get out of there in favour of listening to the ring?
It was dangerous, too dangerous to leave it lying around.
Gandalf. Gandalf would know what to do with it.
He pulled out his handy handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wrapped the ring with it. No way would he want it to touch his skin; who knows what corrupt thoughts it would plant in its head. After wrapping up the ring, he slipped it into a pocket in his coat. Finally, the ring spoke no more.
Bilbo exhaled, sweat dripping down his forehead. What was he doing just now? His mind cleared, as though a curtain had been obstructing his thoughts without him noticing. From the distance, he could hear the thing singing. Ah, the thing. It was Smeagol, a hobbit who gave in to the temptation of dark magic, forever being its servant. He remembered now: he read about it before in an ancient book.
Bilbo crept towards Smeagol, ubsheathing another dagger. Just in case. "Too many boneses, Precious! Nothing of flesh!" It wailed with a pitiful expression, before turning the other direction, face contorted into a scowl. "Shut up! Get its skin off. Start with its head."
Smeagol's expression turned submissive and happy once again as he began smashing the goblin's body with a rock. "The cold hard lands, they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet. The rocks and stones, they're like old bones, all bare of meat. Cold as death, they have no breath, it's good to eat!" He sang. Bilbo attempted to go closer to it. Eyes glued on Smeagol, his foot stepped onto bone.
Crack. Gollum looked up.
Bilbo quickly darted behind a rock, silently cursing his carelessness. He counted to ten. Silence. Gripping his dagger tightly, he peeked out from behind the rock.
But Gollum was already gone.
The air was still; he smelt nothing. A soft hiss; he turned as Gollum crawled out from the shadows. It's mouth stretched painfully wide into a parody of a smile. "Blesses and splashes, Precious! That's a meaty mouthful," it cooed. Snarling, Bilbo held his daggers protectively in front of him. Gollum halted. Fear flickered across its face.
"Back off. I'm warning you, don't come any closer," Bilbo growled. Gollum retreated, expression wary. "What is it, Precious? What is it?"
"I'm from Hobbiton."
Gollum looked excited. "Oh! You is a hobbitses! We like Goblinses, batses, and fishes, but we hasn't tried Hobbitses before. Is it soft? Is it juicy?"
Bilbo narrowed his eyes at it. "Stay back. Don't even think about it, Smeagol of the River-folk."
Gollum froze. "How... how does he know who I is, Precious? How?"
"I know a lot of things." He knew that this thing was stubborn and persistent, and would not leave him alone until he's dead. He knew that he could not risk lighting a fire to chase Gollum off, for that may attract bigger and worse enemies. He also knew that Gollum loved riddles and games, and all he had to do was outwit it.
"Smart hobbitses, init, Precious? What shall we do, Precious, what shall we do?" Gollum circled him.
"How about we play a game?" Bilbo's smile was all teeth.
Gollum perked up. "Games? We loves games, doesn't we, Precious? Does it like games? Does it? Does it? Does it like to play?"
"Yes."
Holding up his hands, he began reciting."What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up, up, up it goes, and yet, never grows?"
"The mountain," Bilbo replied without missing a beat. Smeagol began chuckling; it was not a pretty sound. "Yess, yess, oh, let's have another one. Yes, come on, do it, do it again. Ask us," Smeagol pleaded, eyes wide and hopeful. He then turned to the other side, expression suddenly fierce. "No! No more riddles. Finish him off, finish him now. Gollum! Gollum!"
Bilbo flashed his daggers menacingly, and Gollum halted in his steps.
"No! I want to play. I can see you are very good at this, so why don't we have a game of riddles?" Bilbo tried a smile. "If I win," he said, "you leave me alone forever(i)."
"Yes. Yes -" Smeagol nodded eagerly. Turning around, Gollum snarled. "And if it loses? What then? Well, if it loses, Precious, we will eats it!" It laughed quietly to itself before addressing Bilbo, a wicked grin on his face.
"If hobbitses loses, we eats it whole."
Bilbo shrugged. "Fair enough."
Slowly, he sheathed his daggers and forced his body to relax into a casual stance.
"Well, hobbitses first," Gollum said, resting his hands and chin on the edge of a rock.
Bilbo thought for a moment. "Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still."
"Teeth?" Gollum replied after a few seconds. Bilbo wrinkled his nose in annoyance (not that it was unexpected) and nodded. It laughed gleefully.
"Our turn. Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters."
On and on, they traded riddles. Both solved the other's riddles, and they soon reached the last riddle.
"Last question. Last chance. Ask us a question. Ask us!" Gollum chanted.
Last question? his mind whispered. Question, Gollum said question. A sly smile formed on his face. Oh, yes.
"What am I?" He asked. Gollum looked disgusted and angry."That's not fair. It's not fair! It's against the rules!" In frustration, it threw down the rock it had been clutching.
"Ask us another one," it demanded.
Bilbo smirked. "No way. You said 'Ask me a question.' Well, that is my question. What am I?"
Gollum jumped off his rock and approached Bilbo. He stood his ground.
"Ooh, ooh, Precious, I knows!" He crackles, "I knows, I knows! Easy!"
Bilbo quirked up his eyebrow. "Your answer is?"
"He told us just now, didn't he, Precious, didn't he? You is a hobbitses!" Gollum crowed.
Bilbo snorted. "I said I was from Hobbiton, I didn't say I was a hobbit. So no, wrong answer. I'm not actually a hobbit, too bad."
Gollum's eyes widened in shock. "You is lying! Prove it, prove it!"
Bilbo took a risk, cupped his hands together, and with a slight huff oh his hands, produced a warm glow of fire. "There. Hobbits can't so this. So I'm not a real hobbit."
Gollum reared back. "Liar. You is a liar," it whispered angrily.
Calmly, Bilbo extinguised his flame and unsheathed a dagger. "It was a half-truth, not a lie. Anyway, you lost. Now, leave me alone forever."
"Liar, liar, hobbitses is a liar!" Gollum snarled. It glared hatefully at Bilbo. "What isit, Precious, what isit?"
"None of your business."
Gollum grinned as it slowly approached Bilbo. He recognized that look: Gollum was planning to kill him. Gollum reached for something hidden at its side. It stilled. Whatever it was finding for was not there. Frantically, it began groping all over itself, trying to find it, trying to find the(i) ring(i).
"Where is it? Where is it? No! Where is it? No!"
Bilbo took his chance and took a few steps away from Gollum. He could find his way out of this shithole, no problem. Hopefully, it would take Gollum a few minutes of searching before accusing Bilbo. Or better, if he was lucky, Gollum would not even think about him and just continue its fruitless, miserable search for something that was not there. But first, he had to get away from it, and fast.
A minute after he slipped into a tunnel most likely to be the exit, Gollum's heartbroken wail echoed through the cave."He stole it. The liar stole it!"
Well. Damn his luck.
That's all for now! Hope y'all have a great time :) Merry Christmas!
(A review would be a great present to me, thanks ;))
-littlesparrowkeet