I'm still alive, my dear readers! :D
Oh my gosh, how can I even BEGIN to apologize for the long wait? I just completely lost inspiration for this story and my other fanfictions, I stopped writing, then I went through some personal hardships...I actually lost my job back in November and then didn't find another job until February, so that was a rough go. And then recently, I've actually been working on my personal novel that's been in the works for years. However, inspiration for that one has kinda slowed down recently and I finally decided, "I need to get back to my fanfictions!" Especially since my husband and I watched "Battle of the Five Armies" the other day ;)
Hopefully the inspiration will continue for longer and I don't go months upon months between updates! But know I'm still here and I've not given up these stories at all! I think about these all the time, it's just a matter of having motivation and ideas and time to write xD
For those of you still sticking with you, God bless you all! :)
And now, to make up for lost time, here is a new chapter! Forgive me if it seems quick-paced xD
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"Wake up! Wake up!"
Thorin's voice crying out in warning suddenly roused everyone from their rest. In the back, Aelin heard him and jolted awake right away. It wasn't even five seconds after she jumped up to see what was going on that the floor suddenly opened up underneath their feet and she saw everyone in the company disappear into the ground. Then the ground proceeded to split underneath her own feet and she tumbled in headfirst after the others. They all slid down what appeared to be a huge, winding, stone tunnel, turning and tumbling and yelling out the whole way down until at last they fell out into a large, bowl-shaped wood trap, landing on top of each other. When Aelin landed, she bounded right off of Bombur's stomach and landed on the stony ground right on her recently healed shoulder, which made it throb painfully.
"Oh, for Durin's sake…!" she groaned through clenched teeth, clutching her shoulder.
"Look out!" she heard Dori cry out behind her just before he dove down and pulled her back underneath her arms.
When she looked ahead of them, she saw a wave of ugly little goblins coming right towards them, screeching and squealing as they then threw themselves at the Dwarves and began grabbing at them. They tugged at their clothes, pulled them all apart and forcefully yanked them up off of the ground.
"Get away!" Dori shouted.
"Get back!" Dwalin yelled angrily.
"Let go of me, animals!" Aelin hissed at two goblins who had her arms, but they only pulled her even harder. She tugged one hand away and managed to throw a punch at one goblin, but then she was jumped by two more. She could hardly see any of the others through the sea of ugliness that surrounded them and pushed them along a wooden bridge, but she could certainly hear them.
"You'll pay for this!" cried Gloin.
"Get your hands off!" Dwalin bellowed, trying to fight back.
Unfortunately, all of their fighting proved useless. They were completely outnumbered and the goblins all herded them along like a group of cattle. Aelin felt a little violated having so many gross, slimy hands pushing and prodding her along. Then she caught sight of Nori just ahead of her and felt a tiny bit better knowing that she could, at least, see someone.
The company was led down a series of bridges until they came into a giant, lit up cavern and they then realized that they had inadvertently stumbled into Goblin Town. They all glanced around in disgust at the hundreds of other goblins surrounding them, watching them, on high platforms and balconies built all along the walls. They yelled and shrieked as the Dwarves were brought in like excited spectators at a sporting tournament of some kind.
The Dwarves were then rendered weaponless by their goblin captors, which they were not happy about at all. Once all their weapons were taken, the company was taken to the end of the bridge to the Goblin King sitting on his large throne, a very overweight, giant-sized and incredibly ugly goblin with a bulbous goiter who wore a spiked crown, a leather loincloth and carried a long staff topped with the skull of a mountain goat. Once they were all before him, their weapons were thrown to the ground at his feet.
As they were all grouped together, Aelin managed to push forward until she was next to Nori. He noticed her beside him, but then put a protective arm in front of her.
"No, stay behind me," he told her, gently guiding her behind him.
"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?" he asked suspiciously as he looked over his new prisoners, who were giving him angry looks. "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?!"
The head goblin stepped before him and answered, "Dwarves, your Malevolence."
"Dwarves?!"
"We found them on the front porch!"
"Well, don't just stand there! Search them!" the Goblin King ordered his little minions. "Every crack, every crevice!"
Aelin took a step back as the goblins came forward and began grabbing them all again. "Oh no, you don't!" she stated, putting her fists up defensively. When one goblin tried to grab at her vest, she threw one fist right into its jaw. It got angry and swiped an angry clawed hand at her, pushing her to the ground.
"Aelin!" she heard Thorin cry above her.
When she lifted her head, she saw Oin's ear trumpet on the floor in front of her face, but a second later it was stomped flat by a goblin's foot. Just as she saw that happen, someone took a hold of her arm and started pulling her to her feet. She looked up and found herself looking at Thorin, who was looking her over with concern.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
She nodded in response.
Then the head goblin picked up a big knapsack that had been taken from the company and spilled its contents on the floor. Inside, there had been many items and trinkets made of gold and silver.
"Where did those come from?" Aelin wondered.
"It's my belief, your Great Protruberance, that they are in league with Elves!" exclaimed the little goblin leader, handing the King a golden candlestick.
He examined its craftsmanship before saying, "Made…in…Rivendell." Then he simply scoffed disdainfully and declared, casting the candlestick into the chasm below, "Ah, Second Age…couldn't give it away."
As the Dwarves all became aware that all the gold and silver items were from Rivendell, they then had a pretty good idea as to who took them.
"Nori…," Aelin groaned under her breath, shaking her head as she tilted forward to get a look at him.
Sure enough, he had a guilty look on his face as he received other angry looks from the rest of the company. "Just a couple of keepsakes," he told them in defense.
"Oh and what is this I see here?" they heard the Goblin King ask out loud. They turned their heads back and saw him inspecting their pile of weapons. He was leaning over, taking a close look, and his hand was floating above the pile, trying to find a way to reach what he wanted. Then he reached down and picked up a knife, which looked really tiny in his humungous hand. It sparkled and glinted white in the light of the torches.
It was one of Aelin's knives.
"Well, isn't this a pretty thing?" he said, bringing it closer to his face.
Aelin got furious at seeing the disgusting monster fondling her possession. "Get your hands off my knife!" she shouted at him, taking a step forward but then being stopped by the goblin captain.
"Aelin, no!" Thorin warned her quietly, but it was already too late.
"Oh…this is your knife, is it?" the Goblin King asked her, eyeing her maliciously. Her only response was a cold, angry glare. Then he grinned amusedly and tossed the knife to the head goblin, saying, "Hold on to this for me. I want to add it to my personal collection."
"Why, you…!" Aelin snarled angrily, starting towards the great goblin, but Thorin's arm shot out in front of her and held her in place.
"Hold your ground, Aelin. It is not worth the fight," he told her, giving her a warning glance.
She growled to herself in frustration, knowing that Thorin made a good point. She would only get herself into more trouble if she tried to fight for her weapons, either that or get herself killed. So she stepped back and watched as the ugly little goblin that held one of her knives fondled with it briefly and then slid it onto its belt.
The Goblin King turned back to the company and inquired, "What are you doing in these parts?"
Thorin was about ready to step forward and answer, but then Oin came up behind him and stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, lads. I'll handle this," he told them rather confidently.
"Well, this should be interesting," Aelin mumbled to Thorin.
The Goblin King climed back onto his throne and replied, "No tricks! I want the truth, warts and all."
"You're going to have to speak up!" Oin cried. Then he showed the goblin his now completely flat ear trumpet that he always used. "Your boys flattened my trumpet!"
"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" the Goblin King threatened, jumping up from his throne at them.
Just then, Bofur put himself between the Goblin King and the others, who were shielding themselves, and exclaimed, "If it's more information you want, then I'm the one you should speak to!" When the great goblin turned and stared at him, waiting for an explanation, Bofur had to quickly come up with something to say. Then he began by saying, "We were on the road…well, actually, it's not so much a road as a path. Actually, it's not even that come to think of it…it's more like a track!"
"Oh, nadnûn…!" ("Oh, boy…!") Aelin muttered, running a hand over her face and shaking her head.
Bofur went on, "Anyway, we were on this road, like a path, like a track…and then we weren't! Which is a problem because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday."
"Visiting distant relations," Dori added in.
"Some inbreds on me mother's side," said Bofur, nodding affirmatively.
But the Goblin King had already had enough and shouted, "Shut up!"
His voice was so loud that it caused the goblins to all recoil in fear. The Dwarves merely flinched, startled, but they were not as scared of his outburst. Aelin instinctively and without thinking had grabbed Thorin's hand when the Goblin King had shouted. They both realized this at once, looked down to their joined hands and then glanced at each other in surprise. Feeling embarrassed, Aelin was about ready to pull her hand away, but then Thorin grasped her hand tighter and gave her both a look and a nod that told her it was all going to be all right. But he did not let go.
"If they will not talk," said the Goblin King, pointing at the Dwarves, "we'll make them squawk!" Then he looked up and around to all the goblins looking down on them, who had all started cheering and yelling. "Bring up the mangler! Bring up the bone-breaker!" he ordered them. Then he turned his attention back to the Dwarves and pointed at Ori. "Start with the youngest!"
Aelin was just about to cry out when Thorin suddenly shouted, "Wait!" He then stepped forward, his hand slowly slipping away from hers, and approached the Goblin King.
"Well, well, well…look who it is," said the great goblin. "Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain." He then gave a mockery of a respectful bow to the Dwarf King, who glared at him, unamused.
But then the oversized goblin straightened up and stated, "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain…and you're not a King…which makes you nobody really." He gave Thorin a fake sympathetic pouting look, but then a devious grin etched up on his face. "I know someone…who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head, nothing attached!"
"What is he talking about?" Aelin whispered to Dori next to her.
"I haven't any idea," he replied.
The Goblin King continued evilly, "Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours…a pale Orc astride a white Warg."
A small gasp escaped Aelin's mouth in disbelief. "No…he's lying, that can't be true," she thought. "Thorin said he killed him; he's dead!"
Thorin had had similar thoughts in his own mind as he then gave the Goblin King a dark stare of death and declared, "Azog the Defiler…was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!"
"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" the Goblin King asked. Then he chuckled mischievously and turned to a smaller, cackling, wretched excuse of a goblin sitting on a pulley chair and commanded him, "Send word to the pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize."
The little thing cackled again, pulled a lever on his pulley and whisked himself away.
While the Goblin King began giving more orders to bring up his torture machines, Thorin turned to the company. "Do not listen to him," he told them. "He is lying about the pale Orc."
"How can you be so sure, Thorin?" asked Aelin.
"You heard the story before," answered Thorin. "I wounded him severely in battle and he died from his injuries."
"We mustn't worry about that now," Dwalin interjected in a quiet, urgent voice. "What we need to worry about is getting out of here before these goblins sling us up on their torture devices and slowly kill us all!"
"What way out is there? We're surrounded by goblins," said Dori.
"And they have our weapons," added Kili. "We are all defenseless; we can't fight our way out."
As they tried to figure out their escape, the goblins began bringing up the Goblin King's horrifying torture machines. And, to make matters worse, he began to sing with glee at the thought of torture:
Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung,
You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung!
You will die down here and never be found,
Down in the deep of Goblin Town!
As the song died, one of the goblins inspecting the Dwarves' weapons suddenly screamed in terror and threw one of the swords to the ground like it was burning hot. It was Thorin's sword, Orcrist.
"I know that sword!" shouted the Goblin King. "It is the Goblin-Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!"
It was then the goblins nearest Thorin withdrew whips and began to thrust them upon his back and sides, forcing him to his knees.
"Thorin!" shouted Aelin, trying to get past the goblins in front of her.
The Goblin King began crying out orders to his minions: "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" He pointed towards Thorin, who was now on the ground on his back with multiple goblins pinning him down. "Cut off his head!"
"Oh, no, you won't!" Aelin muttered to herself, now determined even more to break free of the pesky goblins' grip on her. Those monsters were not going to kill Thorin, not if she had anything to say about it! With a forceful throw of her elbow, she hit the goblin directly in front of her square in the jaw and, once the creature fell over, she sprinted fast towards the goblins that held Thorin down, hearing Nori, Balin and Fili calling after her as she did so. There was one that was now kneeling on Thorin's chest, raising a curved, tooth-like blade above its head, ready to make the kill.
With a yell, Aelin lunged at the goblin, tackling it hard to the floor and off of Thorin. They tumbled over and Aelin moved to get to her feet and fight the creature. However, the goblin was quicker and, just as she turned to face him, it swiped its sharp, clawed hand at her face, leaving four deep gashes across her forehead and left cheek. The force of the blow caused her body to turn and double over as she cried out in pain, leaving her back open. The goblin then gave a sharp kick to her back, which, in turn, made her fall forward onto all fours. The stinging from the cuts on her face were causing her to be disoriented and her vision was slightly fuzzy. Tiny droplets of blood dripped onto the floor below her face.
"Don't just stand there! Kill Oakenshield and the she-Dwarf now!" yelled the Goblin King's voice.
"No!" Thorin shouted, as well as some of the other Dwarves.
Seeing how unbalanced Aelin was, the goblin she had fought came up behind her, took a handful of hair in its hand and jerked her up onto her knees, placing its knife at her throat and hissing in her ear. She growled at the goblin as she stared angrily into its eyes and challenged it, saying, "Try it, filth! I dare you!"
"Aelin!" Thorin cried out, struggling against the creatures that held him to the ground.
With a menacing screech, the goblin raised its knife into the air, ready to drive it into Aelin's heart. Aelin watched this action and prepared to duck at the last minute so the goblin would stab itself instead, despite the hold it had on her hair.
Although, before anyone could act, there was suddenly a loud crashing noise followed by a flash of light almost as bright as the sun. There was a powerful gust of wind that followed suit, sending every Dwarf and goblin tumbling to the ground. All of the machines and torture devices were sent flying and destroyed upon impact. Within seconds, the light subsided and there was brief darkness before the torchlights lit up the cavern again.
Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Take up arms. Fight. Fight!"
When the Dwarves all came to, they spotted the silhouette of a familiar figure holding a long staff in one hand, a sword in the other, and wearing a tall, pointed hat.
Gandalf had returned!
Seeing their guide and friend was back and hearing his call to arms, all the Dwarves found the conviction to fight their hardest against the goblins and get out of there, letting out cries and shouts, ready for battle! They scrambled to their feet, shoving any goblin they were buried under off of them.
The Goblin King cried out fearfully as he witnessed Gandalf going through and cutting down the other goblins one by one, "He wields the Foe-Hammer! The Beater, bright as daylight!"
Aelin and the goblin who was going to kill her and ended up close to the edge of the platform. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that it was still discombobulated from the blast. Taking her chance, Aelin shoved her foot into its chest, kicking it right off the platform and down into the abyss below. Then her head jerked up and she caught sight of Thorin still pinned down just ahead of her. He was beginning to throw the remaining goblins off of him. She got to her feet and ran towards him. There was one remaining goblin left that was giving Thorin some trouble, so Aelin came up behind it, flipped it around and landed a good, hard punch right on its face, knocking it out cold. She extended a hand to Thorin and helped him up.
"Thorin, are you all right?" she asked as he stood up.
"I should be asking you that," he replied, motioning with his worried eyes towards the cuts on her face.
She shook her head and said back, "Just scratches. Come on!"
The two of them darted towards the fray where their companions were battling the goblin horde. Bofur and Bombur were distributing everyone's weapons, tossing them to everyone in the nick of time.
Just as they reached them, Nori dove out of the crowd, holding Orcrist up to Thorin as he approached. He called out to Thorin in warning and, just in time, Thorin saw the Goblin King coming towards him. He withdrew his Elvish sword from its sheath and thrust it forward to parry the giant goblin's blow. The strength of the sword sent the Goblin King staggering backwards; so much so that he stepped too far back and fell over the edge of the platform, his bellowing voice echoing as he fell.
Aelin crouched down and got Nori to his feet. As he stood up, he held out Aelin's mithril knives to her. "You might need these," he said.
Gladly, she took them both in her hands and gave them a hearty twirl. "That fat freak is never going to touch these again!" she declared.
"Follow me! Quick!" they then heard Gandalf order everyone.
"Let's get out of here!" said Aelin to Nori, in accordance with the wizard.
"Run!" Gandalf shouted as he began leading them towards an opening to another cavern and the Dwarves began chasing after him.
The Dwarves all began running through a system of raised platforms and ladders in their attempt to escape Goblin Town. This caused the company to split up; about half of them ended up on the upper levels and some of them remained on the lower levels. A great many goblins followed after them and tried to cut them off, but the Dwarves were persistent, cutting down and pushing off any creature that stood in their way. They fought their hardest, determined to defeat the goblins and find their way out of there.
Aelin, who had gotten separated from the group who were on the upper platforms, took out a goblin just as it was about to jump her from behind. The board behind her, however, was loose and aged, so when she stepped back, it broke beneath her and she fell through it. She cried out, startled, as she suddenly dropped. There was a series of ropes underneath the bridge and her foot got tangled up in some of them, halting her descent and leaving her suspended by one leg in mid-air. The sudden stop caused her knives to fall from her hands and clatter to the floor.
"Well, this is brilliant!" she said out loud, unbelieving at her current situation as her world was now literally upside down. She did notice that a group of five goblins were heading her way and she was weaponless. "Oh, come on!" She started twisting around, yelling, "Someone, help! I need help!"
Just when she thought the screeching creatures were going to catch up and kill her where she hung, there was a high-pitched cry and the flash of a sword followed by moving blonde hair. Fili came from behind her and was swinging at the goblins, taking them out before they could reach her. As he beheaded the last one, he turned around to Aelin and took notice of her predicament.
"How's it hanging?" he asked with a smirk.
Aelin rolled her eyes at the young Dwarf's supposedly humorous wit and replied, "Oh, cut the rubbish, Fili, and while you're at it, cut me down, too!"
Fili chuckled, amused. "I rather like seeing you this way," he said.
"I swear, boy…!" Aelin said back through gritted teeth.
He snickered again. "Relax, Aelin, I'll get you down. Pull your upper body up towards the rope and grab it just above your leg. That way, it'll be easier for me to catch you after I cut the rope."
"Aye," she replied.
She did as she was told and pulled herself up so she could grab the part of the rope just above her ankle. Within a second, she saw Fili's sword swing into the rope and she dropped right into Fili's arms.
"Thank you, Fili, even though you took your time," she told him as he set her down and she picked up her knives.
"I have to have some fun with you sometimes," Fili replied as they both took off running.
"Just sod off."
They caught up with the other Dwarves and joined back in the fight. More and more goblins kept coming at them, trying to stop them, but the Dwarves were relentless and wouldn't let them overtake them.
Aelin caught sight of some goblins with bows and arrows running towards them. Kili was at the head of the line. "Kili, look out!" she cried out to him.
He raised his sword in time to block a couple arrows that were fired at him. Then he noticed a ladder up against the wall by him. "Help me with this!" he called to the others as he picked it up. Aelin and the other Dwarves took hold of the sides of the ladder and laid it flat on their shoulders. Then they ran at the goblins and used it to push them towards a crevice in the bridge ahead of them. Then, like clockwork, they dropped the ladder over the crevice to close the gap and, while Dwalin kept his foot on it to hold it steady, the rest of them ran across, meeting up with Gandalf and the rest of the company, who were jumping down from the upper levels.
"Quickly!" cried the wizard
Together, they continued down the bridge network through Goblin Town, slashing and hacking at any goblins that tried to climb up.
It was then they came upon a swinging platform that was tied down. Once everyone was upon it, Kili cut the rope that kept it secure and the platform began to move towards the other side of the cavern.
"Jump!" yelled Dwalin.
About half of the company was able to jump off onto the ledge before the platform's momentum started taking it back to the other side. As it reached the opposite ledge, more goblins hopped on and began to fight them. The remaining Dwarves either sliced them up or shoved them off at the platform swung again. The Dwarves all began running to prepare themselves for the jump.
As she went to jump, Aelin took one of her knives and severed one of the ropes holding the platform up. Within a second, she made the leap to the ledge as the platform dropped from beneath her feet. Thorin was on the other side and caught hold of her as she touched ground, keeping her steady.
Without a word, Aelin gave Thorin a thankful nod and he returned the gesture in kind. Then they continued on after the others. There were still more goblins coming.
On and on, they continued to go, fighting and defending. Wave after wave of goblins kept coming at them. At one point, Gandalf managed to break a large boulder from above them and the Dwarves pushed it ahead of them, squashing and knocking off all the goblins in their path. Finally they rounded a corner to an empty bridge and there was not a creature in sight. Perhaps they had finally evaded the filthy monsters.
They were wrong.
Just as they came to the center of the bridge, the gargantuan Goblin King came shooting through from below it, shattering part of the woodwork, and blocking their path. Gandalf got to the front with his staff and sword raised in defense against the huge goblin.
With a growl, the Goblin King asked, rhetorically, "You thought you could escape me?" He swung not once, but twice at Gandalf, knocking him off balance. "What are you going to do now, wizard?"
Gandalf seized the opportunity and jabbed the tip of his staff right into the monster's eye and following that by swinging his sword through the Goblin King's oversized stomach. With a yelp of pain, the Goblin King fell to his knees.
"That'll do it," he admitted defeatedly.
One final thrust from Gandalf and his sword sliced right through the giant's neck, killing him instantly.
Unfortunately, the weight of his giant, dead body dropping down on the bridge caused it to shake and crack. Before anyone could react, the supports underneath the platform collapsed and it began to fall down the cavern, sliding along the wall and taking the company with it. They all held onto whatever method of support they could and held on for dear life. They were zooming fast down the dark cavern, it was a wonder the bridge was still intact.
Within minutes, the platform finally crashed to the rocky ground, sending some of the Dwarves falling off of it and being caught underneath the rubble. They all groaned in pain and irritation from the hard landing.
"Well, that could've been worse," Bofur commented, breaking the silence.
Then, to make the timing perfect, the corpse of the Goblin King suddenly smashed down on top of the wood and rubble, eliciting loud yells from the Dwarves as the heaviness of the large goblin weighed down on them on top of everything else.
"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin bellowed angrily.
"You just had to say something, Bofur…!" Aelin groaned, rubbing her shoulder where a big piece of wood had hit her. It was the same one that had been wounded before Rivendell, so that added extra throbbing to the pain.
Then she noticed Dwalin had gotten up and was helping Nori up, who appeared disoriented. "Nori! Are you all right?"
"He got hit in the head pretty hard," Dwalin explained, "but he should come to any moment now."
"Gandalf!" they heard Kili cry in alarm. They each glanced in the direction he was looking and saw a massive wave of goblins climbing down the chasm walls after them. That was not a good sign.
"There's too many! We can't fight them!" Dwalin told the wizard.
"Only one thing will save us: daylight!" Gandalf replied. "Come on!"
Each Dwarf made their way out of the rubble, with dirt, dust and wood falling off them, and began to run. But then Aelin realized that someone was missing.
"Where's Fili?" she asked out loud, looking around her. However, the others were already ahead and couldn't hear her. She called out, "Fili? Fili! Where are you?"
"I'm in here!" she heard his muffled voice answer. It was coming from inside the smashed up bridge underneath the Goblin King's body.
"Oh, no…!" she thought. She practically leapt to the rubble and peered through an opening inside. "Fili! Are you hurt?" she cried to him.
"Fortunately, no, but my leg is caught. I'm stuck!"
"All right, hang on, Fili! I'm going to get you out!"
She started pulling rock, wood and rubble out of the way, creating a path for her towards Fili. She could now see him from the limited lighting and he was, indeed, pretty stuck.
"How is it I have to keep saving your life, lad?" Aelin asked as she crawled through.
"I think it's because you have a sort of heroine complex," she heard Fili reply, followed by a light snicker.
"You know, I could just leave you here," Aelin fake threatened him, continuing to make her way to him.
"You could...but you won't."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You care about me too much to leave me behind."
"Oh, don't get mushy on me."
By this time, Aelin was now right next to Fili, who was lying on his back with his ankle trapped under a broken piece of wood and metal. She managed to get up onto her knees, with the rubble pushing down on her and dust falling on her head and shoulders. "Get ready, I'm going to lift the wood up. Once your leg is free, start crawling towards the light. We have to catch up with the others."
With that being said, Aelin positioned her hands underneath the chunk of wood that held Fili's leg down. As best she could, given the limitations she had from the position she was in, she used what strength she could muster and brought up the wooden piece up a few inches. It was heavier than she thought.
"You're almost there, Aelin," Fili told her through a groan.
She let out a loud grunt, giving it all she had, and pulled up on the wood harder. As she did so, Fili was able to wriggle his leg free and pulled it back. Once she saw he was out, Aelin dropped the giant wood back to the ground, exhaling sharply.
"Let's get out of here," said Fili, beginning to crawl his way out.
"And hurry!" Aelin replied. "There's another giant swarm of goblins coming this way. If we don't get out fast, they'll overtake us."
Fili wriggled like a worm as fast as he could towards the opening Aelin had created for them. Once he got out, he turned around, took Aelin's hand and pulled her right out. As he got her to her feet, he happened to look up and see the horde of screeching goblins coming their way.
"Wow, you weren't joking when you said there was a 'giant swarm' of them," he observed, wide-eyed, as they picked up their pace and began running in the direction the others had gone.
They weaved through the tunnel together until they saw brighter light shining through at the end of it. They had finally reached the exit to the outside!
Sure enough, as they stepped out into the evening light, they were easily able to spot the rest of the company just yards down the hill below them. Both Fili and Aelin broke into a careful sprint down the hill to catch up with them. They were just overjoyed to be out of that miserable place known as Goblin Town and they hoped they'd never have to endure that again.
Once they caught up, they heard Gandalf finishing up counting everyone when he spotted them and said, "Ah! There's Fili and Aelin! That makes fourteen."
"Where were you two?" asked Thorin.
"Fili was stuck underneath the rubble," Aelin explained.
"And Aelin got me out before the goblins could get me," Fili added.
Kili approached Fili and asked him, concerned, "Are you all right, brother?"
Fili nodded. "Aye, I'm fine. Thanks to Aelin, yet again."
Thorin then gave Aelin a curious, yet amused look. "You have saved my sister-son's life twice now," he pointed out.
Aelin just shrugged. "Fili has also saved my life twice, so I had to even the score," she said.
He grinned kindly at her. "I am grateful for your dedication to him," he told her, obviously not buying her excuse of simply "evening the score" and knowing there was more to her reasoning than that.
Before Aelin could say anything back, Gandalf then spoke up, "Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit?"
The Dwarves all began scanning the area. How had they not seen that Bilbo had been missing? They all looked around, but could not find any sight of him.
"Where is our Hobbit?!" Gandalf demanded again.
"Curse that Halfling!" cried Dwalin frustratedly.
"Now he's lost? I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin commented.
"Don't blame me!" Dori cried back.
"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked.
Then Nori answered, pointing back up at the top of the hill, "I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us."
Now Gandalf was getting agitated. "What happened exactly? Tell me!"
Thorin stepped forward, having a mad look on his face. "I'll tell you what happened," he stated. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."
Aelin shook her head in disbelief. It still surprised her how harsh Thorin could be in regards to Bilbo. She had been more cruel to Thorin than Bilbo and yet Thorin chose to make amends with her and stay untrusting towards the Hobbit. It made no sense to her. While she admired a lot about him, his stubbornness continued to confuse her.
"No, he isn't."
Everyone jumped at the sound of Bilbo's voice behind them. The Hobbit stepped out from behind the trees closest to Gandalf and Balin. Many of them smiled or sighed with relief at seeing him alive and well.
"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf exclaimed gleefully. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"
"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" said Kili.
"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili then asked him.
"How, indeed…," Dwalin commented.
Bilbo didn't directly answer them. Instead, he just pointed at Dwalin and gave a half-hearted chuckle at him before putting his hands into his pockets.
"Well, what does it matter? He's back," said Gandalf, casting an "I told you so" type glance over at Thorin.
He, however, was still unconvinced. "It matters." he stated. Then he looked to Bilbo and asked, "I want to know...why did you come back?"
Bilbo was briefly silent, contemplating how to answer. Then he spoke, "Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. You're right, I often think of Bag-End. I miss my books...and my armchair and my garden...see, that's where I belong; that's home. That's why I came back, because...you don't have one...a home. It was taken from you...but I will help you take it back if I can."
The atmosphere in that moment was about dead silent, save for the light whistling of the breeze. The Dwarves all began to feel guilty; they had no idea that Bilbo was so determined to help them. They had immediately judged him as not being brave enough to be on the quest and, at the first opportunity, would run for the hills and go home. Yet he came through for them and was going to make good on his promise.
How wrong, they were, to misjudge him that way.
"Very curious...the conviction of this Hobbit," Aelin thought to herself.
Just then, there was a loud howl that echoed in the air. Everyone flinched and got to their ready positions. Hearing that noise was never good.
"Out of the frying pan..," said Thorin.
"And into the fire…," Aelin finished for him.
If their assumptions were correct, the howl they heard meant that the Warg pack that had been after them before had caught up to them. They were in deep trouble.
"Run!" Gandalf shouted in urgency.
The Dwarves, without a second thought, dashed down the hill, hoping they could avoid the oncoming danger.
.
I apologize again if that seemed to go quick :P I didn't want to go into detail with Goblin Town again since I did that in "Home Is" (it's gonna be that way for most the chapters, I think xD)
What did ya'll think? I haven't lost my touch in all the time I've been gone, have I? xD
You know the drill! Leave a review or PM me with your thoughts or questions!
Until next time! :) (Hopefully sooner than later!)