Hi hi hi,

Here is the next chapter, it's an action packed one too, so here's hoping I got it all right! I love hearing from you all, although I do apologize for the grammar mistakes in the last Chapter, I did rush to get it out! I will go back and fix them soon!

Cheers for the f/f: gardeniax, The-Blind-Otaku, shanithia93, hiddenintentions, kiwick

Cheers for the reviews: Hel Opacare, inperfection, Marina Oakenshield, pandawolf, Shanithia93 and my favs TraumerdeAmore & Dhalmi93

I only own little Todd! Warnings for some torture ahead!

Chapter 14 – Agony

'Thorin!" Todd shouted. Her eyes wide with fright at what she was hearing below them, her ears picking up on a low thrum of guttural noises.

Something wasn't right, something was very very wrong. Not only was Bilbo's sword glowing bright blue, meaning Orcs or Goblins were near by, but the ground beneath them was starting to shake and groan.

Todd searched for Thorin in the sleeping mass of the company, only to see him sitting up in a bolt at her warning. His eyes were as wide as hers as he looked to the floor.

"Wake up!" He shouted. "EVERYONE!"

Yet it was way too late. As their King shouted, the floor beneath them opened up, swinging out from below them. Todd felt her stomach lurch and her limbs flail around her as she dropped down into a dark tunnel. She landed with a mighty crash but carried on rolling and screaming as the others all tumbled in around her. It was like a giant sick slide, the rocks jamming and scraping against her bare skin. She was going to be black and blue by the time she ever landed.

As she collided with the rocks walls, falling and tumbling down towards an ominous dark orange glow she tried to reach out for anyone around her. Every now and again she would get a foot in her face or knee someone as they dropped down and down.

Then finally she landed, her body catching on the ridge of the rock wall before sliding from it down, slamming into a basket like platform. Its wooden boards digging into her back as she watched the company falling towards her. Rolling as quickly as she could she managed to miss being squashed by them all. Having only Ori and Oin fall over her legs.

Everyone was scrambling to stand as Bilbo, the last to fall, landed on top. The Company were all trying to figure out what on Middle Earth had just happened to them. Todd rushed to stand, helping Ori to his feet, then picking Oin's ear trumpet from the floor and handing it to him. Yet she slowed, brows furrowing when a strange foul noise and smell reached her.

"What's tha…" She muttered as screeches and shrill screams filled her ears making her turn and pale immediately, she span back round to the confused Company and waved her hand to catch their attention. "GOBLINS!"

"Look out, LOOK OUT!" Dori shouted from within the bundle of dwarves.

They appeared from down a wooden walkway, rope and bolts holding it up to the rocky wall, hitting the company like a flood on a rock. Grotesque reaching arms, hands and fingers, consumed Todd. Their nails were longer than anything she had ever seen, sharp and catching on her skin and clothes. They flooded over them all reaching and grabbing at each member until they were all held captive and restrained by the horrid gurgling creatures. It was all she good do just to keep her eyes open and not to flinch at the shear force and number of them all.

Foul, mutated, disfigured retched creatures they were, with beady black eyes roaming over every single inch of them. Their teeth were jagged and sticking out, spittle hanging from their open heaving mouths. As they ran they limped and stumbled, yet their disfigurements did not slow them down at all.

Todd fought them off for as long as possible, trying to reach the others. She could see Bilbo freaking out as they piled on and around him, she fought as hard as she could to get to him, but he seemed disappear on her. In anger she punched a few in the jaw, others she tried to kick away, but the sheer number outweighed her force and she was soon being half dragged by her arms and by her hair along the walkway into line with the others. It was like a farmer herding his flock. The goblins all merged the company together, and shoved them forwards.

Todd was shoved into Kili and Bifur, the two dwarves pulling her between them and punching at any arms that came too close to touching them and pulling at their hair and body.

"Todd?" She heard Bofur shout from behind her somewhere. Turning her head she spotted him waving his hat around in his hand. She looked confused to him as Ori grabbed it and passed it forward, then Nori, then to Kili, then onto her head. Kili started trying to shove her hair into the hat, a part of her shocked at how the Durin's heir was touching her hair, then when a Goblin nabbed her in the ribcage she shook herself.

"You need to hide your hair, if they find out you are a girl…" He started, sensing her turmoil.

Her face paled even further. There was no telling what they would do if they found out that she was female, they would probably torture her even more, use her for things she didn't even want to think of. Pushing the rest of her hair into Bofurs hat, and making sure her braid was hidden too, she took to turning and looking for him to thank him. Slimy and boil covered arms wrapped around her and shoved her forwards again. Hissing she punched at it and it gurgled a horrid laugh before carrying on shoving them along.

They were driven and heaved forwards over rickety wooden bridges and platforms over deep deep drops into the darkness below. The whole time dwarfs could be heard cursing, shouting and fighting against their captors. The further and further in they went a foul kind of clashing music filled their ears. Bifur, who was in front of Todd, shoved his hands over his ears as they heard the distinct blare of a rusty wind instrument, drums being bashed along, not in time or remotely similar to the song.

Chocking and coughing could be heard somewhere ahead and Todd felt her eyes widen as she noticed a platform larger than the rest, with a massive misshaped throne set about it. A hulking horrid shadow looming on the large chair singing along to the noise they must have called music.

There was a voice dripping with malice and all manner of evil intents on the air now. The words were broken and shrill. His voice gargling over foul themes and as the company was forced onto the platform before the throne, the hulking shadow became clearer and Todd had to physically stop herself from letting her mouth fall agape in horror and repulsion.

This creature was huge, its body fat and lumpy in all the wrong places, its skin hung of it like a saggy second skin, and it sported a massive growth swinging under its chin, covering its neck completely. It took all Todd had not to be sick at the sight of the foul thing. It sang of murder and torture as his subjects shoved them and beat them until they were all huddled together as a group before him. Todd ended up stuffed between Kili and Bifur, her hands pulling her hat down as far as possible to hide herself. She tried to step back but stepped on someone's feet, turning she felt a small amount of relief to see Bofur there with Bombur, both fine and worrying over each other.

She turned in time to see the large Goblin, who she thought must be the King if the crown made from bone was anything to go by, stab his skull topped staff into the stomach of one of his subjects. The thing made an awful screech as the King flung him over the side of the platform and down into the abyss below.

"Catchy isn't it, its one of my own compositions!" The King snarled once his singing was over, his body stepping on a bundle of smaller goblins so it could sit back upon its ugly throne.

"That's not a song!" Todd heard Balin shout from the back of the huddle. "Its an abomination!"

The Goblins gave outrages cries and shoved and slashed at them once more, making them all scramble to push them away and shield themselves. Yet the Goblin King just snorted and chuckled deeply, making Todd shiver.

"Abominations, mutations, deviations that's all your going to find down here!" It sneered; waving his hands out towards the vast cavernous town that surrounded them. Each walkway and platform around them held hundreds upon hundred of the ugly fell creatures. "Search them!"

The goblins surged forwards again, two or three grabbing at each Dwarf, prying their packs and weapons from them, and dropping it all on a pile in front of their King. Todd noticed almost every sword and axe had been found and dumped before them, even her twin daggers were there, the red tassels calling out for her. The goblins let their hands roam over her, poking and grabbing handfuls of her at every opportunity. She was going to get found out, it was only a matter of time. One goblin started to grope ever so closely to her chest, so she jerked her knee into its belly, making it fall backwards with a yelp. Once the search was over, the Goblin King launched himself from his throne to glare down at them, his eyes roaming over every one of them, before settling on Todd, a shimmer to them, yet he looked away once again.

"Who would be so bold, as to come armed into my kingdom?" He asked, putrid hot breath pouring over them. "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

No one made a sound, no one spoke. The Goblin King was met with silence. They just refused to speak, not wanting to say anything that would get anyone of them hurt or killed. If the Goblin King figured out who Thorin was, and even found out the purpose of their quest, all would be lost and they would be killed as soon as one could blink. So they stayed silent. Todd made sure to focus her eyes ahead, not watching the retched King and his foul gaze. Her eyes were set on his throne, straight ahead and not wavering.

"Dwarves, your malevolence!" once sharp looking greasy goblin spoke up. "We found em on the front porch"

"Dwarves?" He shouted. "Well don't just stand there, search them for hidden weapons!"

Once again the goblins swarmed them and Todd felt her being pulled completely away from the group, the four goblins on her trying to shove their hands down her tunic dress, hands reaching around her waist and across her thighs and chest. This was it, they knew. One Goblin groped at her chest then, its eyes sparkling with newfound interest. It gargles to the others and they all started pulling at the hat.

"Todd!" She heard Ori shout.

"No!" Todd grumbled as she tried to push it from her. Yet they were persistent, they pulled and pulled till the hat came from its spot on her head, her hair falling from it. She felt anger fill her veins and she swung her fist so hard round into the closest creatures face that she heard an almighty crack.

"They are in league with Elves!" Came a shout from the front. The sharp looking goblin had found Nori's secret stash of Elvish trinkets. He had stolen them, Todd finding them a few days prior when playing her game, yet decided not to mention a thing. The King picked a candleholder up and surveyed it.

"Made in Rivendell!" The King read, his voice booming over the noise of the searching goblins. "Ugh, you couldn't give it away."

Todd was still being pulled about as the Goblins were pulling away from the group. She was kicking and punching at the four still attached to her when Kili and Bofur pulled her back, shoving them away. Todd immediately pulled the hat back on her head, furiously tucking her hair back in it. It was too late though, a few of the foul creatures were staring to her, licking their lips.

"What are you doing in these parts?" The King asked. Leaning back on his Skull topped staff.

Thorin went to move forwards then, but about four separate arms moved to stop him, Oin shoving him back and stepping forwards to explain. Todd had no idea what he was going to say when he stepped forwards, just in front of her. She was watching the smaller goblins with a wary eye as they hovered before him, eying him with hungry hate filled beady eyes.

"No lies!" The Goblin King shouted. "I want the truth, warts and all"

"Your going to have to speak up, your lads flattened my trumpet…" Oin called out. Todd rolling her eyes at the older dwarf, he really was deaf, but now was not the time to be asking for people to speak up, or accuse goblins of flattening things. The deaf dwarves words angered the king and he fumed bright red with anger as he stepped forward menacingly. Todd lurched forwards to pull Oin back, standing a little in front of him, protectively. Growling deeply, canines peering out from between her lips, as he shouted back about flattening more than Oin's trumpet.

"If its information you want, then I'm the one you should speak to!" Bofur called out, stopping the Goblin King in his tracks. Todd stared on with worry as Bofur now stepped forward, the Kings eyes watching his every move. He grunted for Bofur to continue.

"We were on the road… well its not so much of a road, but a path…" He thought for a moment, everyone waiting with baited breath. "Well its not even that come to think of it, more like a track, but the point is, we were on this road like a path like a track… and then we weren't!" He stated,

Todd's mind was racing. What was he doing? Trying to talk the Goblin King to death, was that his big idea? She really didn't like him putting himself before the King and then saying such silly things, he was going to get himself hurt.

"Which is a problem because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday…"

"Visiting distant relations!" Dori cut in, trying to help, yet Bofur carried on. If they weren't in such a dangerous position, Todd would have laughed so hard. Yet all she could think of now was ways to shut him up so as not to anger the King anymore. She had heard stories of the cruel and twisted things that Goblins did to travelers that wandered too close to their traps. The thought of some of their torturous ways made her shiver once more.

"SHUT UP!" Came the almighty roar from the King. Bofur was stunned into silence as the rest of the Company stepped back with shocked gasps. "If they will not talk we will make then squawk, bring up the mangler, bring up the… bone breaker!"

As he uttered the words his goblin followers all cheered, some rushing off to fetch the awful machines. Todd's heart sunk, this was it. They had survived the Stone Giants just to die within the Goblin Kings tunnels of despair.

"Start with the woman!" He shouted, his fat stubby finger finding her and pointing right at her. Todd's heart stopped beating this time and she looked on frozen with fear. "Don't think you escaped my gaze girl!"

"Get off!" She sneered as a few Goblins yanked her forwards by her arms, kicking at her legs so she fell before them. "Filthy monsters!"

Her words had angered one so much that he struck her across her jaw, as two others held her arms behind her back. She spat out a bit of blood that had sprung from the impact causing her to bite her tongue. Her eyes landed on it as it smirked at her, pulling a bundle out from behind its back. She looked to it confused, until it unraveled and fell to the floor. It was a whip. Todd's eyes widened as she took in the long woven leather whip with think metal beads stuck into it. There was blood soaked into the leather, evidence of past torture to poor souls.

"Such a pretty little thing, such a shame!" The King fooled, he reached out and took Todd's face in his grubby moldy fingers. A few of the company shouting out to him to let her go, but he did not listen; his eyes were set on Todd. She tried to wriggle free of his grip, of the grip of the others, but she was well and truly stuck. In an attempt to get the King away from her she spat at him, hitting him right in the eyes.

"UGH!" He screamed out. "You little bitch!"

The goblins were chanting now, screeching and hissing at her, the two holding her arms flung her round and knelt her so she was facing the company. Her eyes found theirs in varying states of shock and horror. She was about to try and wriggle free when the feel of large fingers on her back, stopping her short and making her freeze. Her eyes went wide and she saw Bofur curse and try to break free.

"Look to your filthy woman!" The King hissed. He then grabbed her tunic and ripped it open at the back, the garment falling apart down to her hips in tatters, leaving her there in just her thin and almost see through undershirt. The company gasped and some tried to lurch forward at the utterly foul act, some cursing and punching out only to be shoved back and slashed at by rotting nails. "Watch her bleed!"

Red-hot pain slashed across her back, it was like a thousand knives were slicing across her in a quick instant. Yet once the impact was over she was left with a throbbing stinging that left her gagging and screaming out. Her cries filled the ears of every creature in sight. Voices called out for her torture to stop, but she could not ascertain who it was, pain was filling her head with nothing but muddled thoughts and all of them focused on the hurt.

"Will you tell me now wench, what is your purpose here?" He sneered into her ear, she felt his rank skin touching her almost bare and burning back. Her eyes that had been clenched shut, opened slightly, enough to look ahead. Spotting Thorin, her King, she looked to him, his eyes on her. She slowly nodded, and his eyes widened as he nodded back. She wouldn't say a word, no matter how much pain he put her through, she would never betray her King. She wanted him to know that, so she put on her best smile, one that forgave him for his foul words, one that promised her silence and utter trust. She let her eyes fall from Thorin's shocked frozen form to Bofur as he was trying to shove past Gloin and Dori. His gaze set on hers and desperate.

The Goblins hand moved down to her waist, yet when she didn't answer, the Goblin King shouted a call and his lackey slashed his whip into her again. Todd's scream filling the air as her back exploded with pain. Her body had tensed at the impact, yet as the sharpness subsided she all but collapsed, the only things holding her up were the Goblins attached at each arm. Panting heavily she choked back a few sobs.

"Now?" The King mocked, almost knowing full well that she would not speak.

"Bite me!" She chuckled coldly.

In one foul swoop, the Goblin King yanked her up by her hair, the two Goblins at her arms being shoved away with a swish of the Kings boney staff. The air rushed around her, her scalp erupting in agony. She tried to wriggle free but her back seized as her whip wounds sent fiery hot spasms of pain through her. The utter insult. Not only had she been almost exposed to the filthy creatures, and her Company, he had tortured her and now was touching her hair. The one thing sacred to the Dwarves and Dwarrodams of Middle Earth was their hair. Hair was a sign of wealth, power, love and family, everything they held dear, and this creature was polluting and perverting it. His greasy moldy fingers tainting it. She couldn't hold it in any more, screaming for him to let go she started sobbing for him to stop.

"Please… not this!" She cried out, tears streaming down her face, hands scratching at him. "Let go!"

"WAIT!" Thorin shouted finally. She was half pleased and half horrified. If the Goblin King found out who he was, there was no hope left. She carried on scratching and pleading, the King taking a step forward, knowing exactly who Thorin was as soon as he had spoken up.

"Well well well!" The Goblin King sang darkly as he let go of Todd and kicked her back across the platform towards the company. "Look who it is!"

Thorin stepped forwards then, pulling the heavily winded and completely out of it Todd to her feet and pulling at her tattered tunic to cover her. He made sure to be as gentle as possible, for her back was oozing hot sticky blood and her eyes were starting to roll from the pain. He placed her into the waiting arms of Bofur and nodded to him. There was no way that Bofur was going to let anything touch her now, he glared daggers at the mutant King.

Bofur pulled Todd close to him, pulling one of her arms around his shoulder so that she was held up, his other arm snaking around her waist, making sure not to touch the oozing wounds. She was shaking with pain, her free hand desperately combing through her hair, eyes wide and staring blankly ahead as the Goblin King glared down at their leader. She was in complete shock.

"Shhhhh" Bofur whispered to her. "I've got you lass, aint not one hurting you any more"

"M…my hair, he to…touched my… my hair" She sobbed, eyes overflowing then with tears once again. Bofur felt hot rage build within him. How dare that foul ugly creature do such a thing and not think twice. She was in shock, and he had no idea how to help her. His next words he blurted with out really thinking them through. Not realizing the depth of what he was insinuating.

"I will fix your hair, just calm down now!" He tried, Ori appeared then on her other side and took her hand. Looking worriedly between Bofur and their leader.

"Thorin, Son of Thrain, Son of Thror… King under the mountain!" The Goblin King boomed over them, gesturing widely around him, arms flailing dramatically. "OH but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain… you are not a King, which makes you… nobody really!"

Thorin took another step forwards, the disrespectful words cutting him slightly. He had never been so insulted in all his life, even the cutting words of the men in those villages and town he had worked in for a pittance had been kinder than this wretched creatures. The foul King knew his words had taken effect, for he sneered down at Thorin, his beady eyes filled with contempt and condescension. Then he stepped back, his deformed rotting head lifting slightly as if he had just thought of something. Todd watched between her moments of nausea and shakes.

"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head!" His words were threatening now, the whole Company tensing and getting ready to jump to protect their King. "Just a head… nothing attached."

"Perhaps you know of whom I speak?" He questioned, moving back slowly towards his throne. "An old enemy of yours, a pale Orc astride a white Warg!"

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed…" Thorin bit out, his eyes glaring daggers at the Goblin King. "He was slain in battle long ago!"

Todd lifted her head to watch more closely, the pain in her back biting at her. Yet she wanted to understand why the mention of that particular name sent the itching in her head off. Shaking her head she turned to Bofur, his eyes pulling from Thorin back to her.

"Who is that?" She whispered.

"Evil itself, set on wiping out the line of Durin, but he was killed?" He said, the last statement more like a question as he looked back forward. Todd nodded and felt her grip start to loosen on him, the feeling in her legs and arms flooding back, she felt a little stronger so she stood taller, grabbing Bofur's sleeve just in case.

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The King chuckled darkly before turning to a tiny lump of a creature, swinging from wires that lead into the darkness. "Send word to the Pale Orc, tell him I have found his prize!"

"Come come come, settle down dwarf!" the Goblin King said as he slammed his huge backside back down into his throne. "The entertainment is on its way!"

Todd span her head round to the platform they had been shoved along to get to the King, there in the distance was a number of contraptions being pulled and pushed along towards them. Some with spikes, others that looked like they would pull you apart. There was even one that looked like it could cut you in half with one foul swing. The Goblins pulling them along were singing, or well trying to, their shrieks and words were swallowing each other up until it was a chorus of mindless shouting.

Upon hearing their voices the drums and trumpets sounded off again and the Goblin King laughed, his booming guttural noises making Todd's ears hurt. Thorin stepped back then, Balin pulling at his sleeves to get him back within the safety of the company. They were about ot be tortured, Thorin was fuming and terrified all at the same time. He couldn't bare to see his sister sons hurt like the Foxwoman had. He looked to her then, hunched over, clinging onto Bofur as she stared wide eyed at the new pain to come. No, he wouldn't have, there would be no way anyone would suffer any more. He came to stand next to Todd and looked to her, giving her the once over.

"You silly girl!" He muttered as the giant Goblin started to sing along. Todd flicked her eyes up to her King and put on her best smile for him. One of whish he gave back, squeezing her shoulder.

"Heads will be battered, necks will be rung, and you'll be beaten…" The Goblin sung on as his charges all started to pull and poke at the company in their excitement at the ever-nearing torture devices. Bofur was shoving away any hand that came near Todd, and she was pretty much hissing and glaring some of the Goblins away. She wanted nothing more than to shift now, but her back would only get worse and she wasn't certain that it would get her into more trouble. She was happy with the Goblin King thinking she was just a dwarrowdam.

From out of the fray of bustling and hissing, came a high-pitched screech. Todd span her head round in time to see the sharp faced Goblin, the on ewho had realized they were dwarves, slam Thorins sword down onto the platform, scrambling to get away from it. The whole thing was exceedingly confusing, Todd's brow furrowed even more as the Goblin King practically jump out of his throne, fear written across his face.

"I know that sword!" He shouted. "Its is the Goblin Cleaver!"

The rest Goblins all shouted out at the name and began their onslaught with even more vigor. They were scratching and biting, and slashing whips at them. Not one member of the Company was out of their grip. Todd could feel three sets of arms trying to pull her away, but she slammed her fists into anything that looked remotely Goblin like. It was pure madness. From within the fray Todd spotted Thorin being dragged down, the Goblin King ordering for them to cut off his head. She tried to lurch forwards, only to have two more latch onto her, biting at her arms.

"Thorin!" She shouted, catching Dwalin's attention as he punched another right in the jaw, looking to her he followed her pointing hands. "Thorin needs help!"

They fought together then, punching at each other's attackers to try and reach their King, as did others from behind them. Todd was completely overtaken with a rush of energy and strength. She knew it was going to fade soon, the pain was going to catch up to her and she was gong to fall hard. But while she still has fight in her, she would do her damndest to help her King, once again. When an almighty blast of bright white light and freezing cold air erupted from nowhere. Todd was thrown back into something soft; her arms were grappling for purchase. Eyes squeezed shut.

The light had been completely sucked away, darkness had consumed them. Todd would have thought herself dead if it wasn't for all the racket of moaning and cursing dwarves and Goblins. The Goblins had all fallen, some even off the side of the platform, the Goblin King was laid flat on his back under his Throne groaning out. Then she heard it, footsteps, and familiar footsteps at that. She rolled over a little, trying to pull her self up onto her elbows, but she found something heaving beneath her. Looking down she came face to face with Bofur. His eyes opened and met hers, both blushing bright red. She immediately rolled from him cursing at the pain and sat up, looking around for the reason behind the blast.

Upon finding it she sighed deeply. It was their Wizard, come to save them. Her relief started to drain her, her pain taking over and her energy completely leaving her.

"Take up arms!" He called out, the Goblins around then starting to get back up, all mightily confused. "Fight"

"FIGHT!"

AN: Uwahhhhhhhhhhhh, I loved writing every second of that! I hope you enjoyed this, sometimes I freak out that it's too rushed when there is lots of action.

I think this pretty much is the moment in which Thorin decides that he can trust her, and that he doesn't need to keep watch or worry about her getting in the way.

You can follow me on tumblr for little rants and if you fancy asking my questions! My URL's kingofcarvenstoned…

Cheers again and please follow favorite, I love hearing back!