Title: Thoughts in the night chapter Nine

Author: Dís Thráinsdotter

Disclaimer: I don't own Tolkien´s characters, I merely borrow them.

Rating: M

Summary: Glóin sits thinking about his life one night when he can't sleep. Post Hobbit but before LotR.

Sometimes I have nightmares about our journey through Mirkwood. I don't know what it is that I dislike the most about the forest, the darkness, the sounds or all the eyes watching. It is very dark in the forest, particularly at night when it becomes pitch black. The sounds of creatures moving about don't soothe at all, and the eyes are most unnerving. But if I have to pick one thing that is particularly frightening, then it must be the large spider webs along the path. Never crossing it thanks goodness, but worrying none the less. We wondered what kind of Spiders could weave such large webs and that was one of the things we found out. They are very large and most horrible, their venom makes even a large and strong Elf feel sick, and they attack anything they can get their claws on.

If Bombur hadn't fallen into the water of the Dark River, we wouldn't have left the path. We had been warned by Beorn neither to drink the water nor to bathe in it so we were happy to find a boat on the other bank. To be precise Bilbo Baggins found it, but Fili threw a rope with a hook in the end of it and got it over. We used two ropes in order to get across the river, Bombur and Dwalin being the last to cross and Bombur was leaving the boat when a stag knocked him into the water. We got him out of it as soon as possible but he was fast asleep when he got to the shore and we couldn't wake him. In fact, he didn't wake up until several days had gone and we were out of food and water.

It was because we were hungry we left the path, something both Beorn and Gandalf had told us not to, and ended up in all sorts of problems. Thrice we came to Elven gatherings, only wishing to beg for some food and drink but the Elves thought we were attacking them. At the last gathering all of us were caught by Spiders save Thórin and Bilbo, and Bilbo rescued us from a tree that the Spiders had put us in, wrapped in the bundles they use in order to store food. Now I know what flies and other insects feel like when they are hanging in such bundles. It isn't nice at all.

Getting away from the Spiders was one thing and we were able to do it, thanks to Bilbo who kept the Spiders busy while we left the area, getting out of the forest was another thing. All of us were ill, sick and weary; the effects of the poison as I was told later, we didn't know where the path lay and last but not least, we had no idea where Thórin was. It took quite a while before we found out and it still makes me angry at times that the King knew it all along but didn't tell us. Bilbo, may the hair on his feet never fall out, found him and told the rest of us.

Finally we were able to escape from the dungeons and get out of the Castle unseen, but it was a close shave as the Men put it. The Elves whose job it was to throw out the empty barrels noticed that some of them were heavier than the others and accused the Butler, Galion, of putting full barrels among the empty ones. But they threw out the barrels indicated by the Butler and we got away from them. The second time we were almost caught was when the Raft elves noticed that some of the barrels lay deeper in the water than the others. Fortunately for us they didn't have the time to open them or heaven knows what would have happened. As it was it was an uncomfortable ride, and I was black and blue all over when Bilbo and Thórin carried me out of the barrel. We had made it to Laketown and it was a relief to see the stars again.

TBC