Sorry this chapter took so long. Happy New Year, by the way.
I don't own the Hobbit or Merlin, only my OC Maddie. I hope you like it and please leave a review. How do you think the story will coninue?
The company had just finished their descent of the mountain, when Thorin declared that they would make camp for the night.
There wasn't much wild in the Misty Mountains, so Maddie didn't go for a hunt with Kili and Fili. Instead, she helped Bombur with the cooking. They still had some dried meat and vegetables, so they made a delicious stew.
Grateful to relieve her painful feet, Maddie sank down on a tree trunk next to Balin and Fili and Kili.
A week had passed since their departure from Rivendell and they had just passed the first mountain of the Misty Mountains. Gandalf still hadn't caught up with them, but Maddie hoped he soon would.
'Maddie?' Kili asked.
'Hmmm.'
'Back in Bree, you said you've met a Dragon before.'
Maddie looked up. The whole company stared at her. Even Thorin seemed to be interested. After swallowing the food that was in her mouth, Maddie answered: 'That's true.'
The company was still staring expectantly at her, so she lay down her bowl of food and answered the question that lay on the tip of their tongs.
'I've met the Great Dragon Kilgarrah a few times, and once the white Dragon Aithusa. They are the only two Dragons left. The others are death.'
'Do you know much about Dragons?' Fili then asked.
'A bit,' Maddie answered truthfully. The Dragons carried many secrets, and she had only unraveled a few of them.
'Dragons are magical creatures. They are immune to the magic of Warlocks and Sorcerers and have long lives. They are very wise and once they were the allies of the Trolls. Their Eggs can live up to a thousand years without dying. And a Dragons heart is at its right side, not its left.'
'How do you know so much?' Ori asked with big eyes.
'I've had a few adventures that involved Dragons. And my friend Merlin told me a few things about them. He's a Dragonlord.'
The company exchanged confused glanced. Maddie realized they didn't know what a Dragonlord was.
'The Dragonlords are men who can talk to the Dragons, tame them,' Maddie explained.
Thorin snorted. 'Pity we don't have one of them now.'
Maddie ignored his comment and continued her story.
'Thirty years ago, king Uther believed that the art of the Dragonlords was too close to magic. So he had them all rounded up and slaughtered, till only one was left. His name was Balinor.
Uther asked Balinor to use its power to bring the last Dragon to Camelot. He said he wanted to make peace with it. But he didn't. He lied to Balinor and betrayed him.
My mentor Gaius helped Balinor escape, and Uther pursued him like an animal.
Finally, Balinor found the Ealdor, a place beyond Uthers realm. He had a life there. And a woman, my friend Merlins mother. But still Uther pursued him. He send knights to kill Balinor.
Balinor was forced to leave the Ealdor and the woman he loved. He fled into Cenreds kingdom. There he lived in a cave on the foot of Feorre Mountain for more than 20 years. And there he remained, until one day, Camelot was under attack by Kilgarrah, and Gaius told Merlin and Arthur to search for the last Dragonlord and Merlins father.'
'What happened next?'
'They found the Dragonlord and persuaded him to return with them to Camelot. On the way back, Merlin told Balinor that he was his son. Unfortunately, on the border they were ambushed by Cenreds men and Balinor died.
The power of a Dragonlord passes down from father to son, so eventually Merlin could command Kilgarrah to never attack Camelot again.'
'And what about the other Dragon, the white one?' Balin asked.
'Aithusa's story takes place two years after the death of Merlins father,' Maddie explained. 'There was a legend that in the Ancient Tomb of Askhanar lay a Dragons Egg. A former pupil of Gaius, Julius Borden, believed the legend to be true and spent 20 years of his life finding the three parts of the Triskelion, the key that would open the Tomb.
The last piece was in Camelot, and after Borden had stolen it, Arthur rode out to find Borden and to destroy the Dragons Egg. Merlin went with him, but not to destroy the Egg.
Kilgarrah had asked him to save the last of his kind, and eventually, the Egg could be saved.
After he had returned to Camelot, Merlin brought the Egg to Kilgarrah and hatched it by giving it a name.
It was a beautiful white Dragon. Very fitting to its name. For Aithusa means ''light of the sun''. It was pity that she is now used for terrible things.'
'What do you mean?'
'Aithusa had the bad luck of crossing Morgana's path when she was very little. Morgana enchanted her to use her for her own goods.'
Maddie was soaked to the bone.
Two weeks had passed since the company had talked about Kilgarrah and Aithusa, and now they were now walking on a narrow path through the Misty Mountains in the middle of a storm.
Maddie tried to place her feet carefully, but it didn't prevent her from slipping off a smooth rock. She would have fallen for sure, if Dwalin and Bofur hadn't grabbed her. 'Careful, it's slippy,' Bofur warned her.
In the front of the group, Thorin tried to make himself audible in all the thunder and noise. 'We have to find shelter! This storm is too dangerous!'
'Look out!'
Out of nowhere, a giant rock flew through the air and crashed on the mountainside above them. The company had to press themselves against the wall to avoid the falling pieces of stone.
'This is no thunderstorm. It's a thunder-battle! look,' Balin shouted as he pointed at a giant stone creature that grabbed a piece of the mountain next to them and threw it to another stone creature that stood nearby.
'What are they?' Maddie asked.
'Giants! Stone-Giants!' Bofur explained.
Then, the ground beneath their feet began to shake and to crack. The company realized they had the bad luck of standing on the knees of another Stone-Giant who was about to meddle in the fight of the other two.
As the Giant stood up from its sitting position, its legs broke apart, separating one half of the company from the other.
The Dwarves on the left leg of the Stone-Giant were lucky, for the side of the leg collided with the mountainside for a moment, which gave the Dwarves the opportunity to run off the knee onto the mountain path.
The ones on the right leg (which concluded Maddie) were less fortunate. They were swung around as the Stone-Giant lashed out to one of the other Giants.
The first Giant grabbed a rock and threw it to the one that held Maddie and half of the Dwarves. The rock hit the head of the Giant, which caused it to separate from the body.
The body fell down and the knee that contained a part of the company was about to crash on the mountainside. Maddie noticed it on time and quickly muttered a spell that would prevent her and the Dwarves from being squashed.
The leg collided with the mountainside just above the path. The Giant then fell down into the darkness.
Somewhere in the distance. Maddie could hear how Thorin shouted: 'No! Fili!' Then, she heard him sigh and say: 'It's alright, they're alive!'
'Where is Maddie?' one of the Dwarves then asked. 'Where is our Warlock?'
After the giant had fallen down, Maddie had accidentally rolled off the mountain path. She had managed to grab a projection on the mountainside and was now hanging above the ravine.
Soon, the Dwarves noticed her, and a few reached out their hand. But they were out of Maddie's reach.
Then, Thorin jumped of the path onto a projection next to Maddie, but a bit higher. He grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her up onto the path. Then he climbed back himself.
Maddie gave him a thankful nod. After all, he had just saved her life.
'I almost thought we'd lost our burglar,' Dwalin commented.
'She's been lost ever since she teleported from Camelot,' Thorin said. 'She should never have come. She has no place amongst us.'
Maddie's thankful feeling disappeared. She knew right from the start that Thorin didn't like her, but he had never said anything like this. She had made a promise that she would help Thorin in his quest until the end. Why didn't he believe her?
Thorin didn't notice Maddie's hurt and pointed at a cave nearby. 'Maybe we can find shelter there,' he said before walking towards it.
The rest of the company quickly followed him, not having the need for more rain or Stone-Giants.
After searching the cave to the back and eating a cold dinner (Thorin didn't want to risk a fire), most of the company lay down their bedrolls and went to sleep.
Maddie, however, couldn't sleep. Thorins words still echoed inside her head. She should never have come. She has no place amongst us.
Maddie wondered what she had done wrong to make Thorin think like that. All she had wanted was to do was help. She tossed and turned but couldn't bring herself to sleep.
She then stood up and walked towards Bofur, who had the first watch. 'Can't sleep?' he asked.
Maddie nodded. All this thoughts about Thorin were keeping her away from her sleep.
Bofur gave her a understanding smile and patted on the rock next to him. 'If you want you can sit next to me and keep me company. I would like to have someone to talk to during my watch.'
Maddie smiled back and sat down next to him.
'Do you want to tell me what's keeping you from you're sleep?' Bofur asked.
Maddie looked up to Bofur. In his eyes she saw nothing but true concern. 'If you're homesick, I understand,' he continued.
Maddie looked down to her feet. Bofur only had the best intention with her, so she could tell him what was troubling her. 'It's not just that, Bofur. Of course I miss Camelot and I need to save my friend, but...'
'Save your friend? What do you mean?'
Maddie looked up again. Confusion was written on Bofurs face. She realized she hadn't told anyone except Gandalf of what had happened in the Crystal Cave. Quickly she explained it to Bofur.
'Just before I teleported to Middle-earth, I saw a vision of how a good friend of mine, named Arthur, was killed.'
'Oh, I understand.' Bofur looked at her with sympathy and gestured that she could continue with her original story.
'As I said,' Maddie continued, 'of course I miss Camelot and I want to save my friend, but...'
'But what?'
Maddie hesitated for a moment, but then decided to say it. 'I'm not sure whether I the right person to be your burglar.'
'Don't say that. You're part of the Company. You're one of us,' Bofur immediately said.
Maddie was glad Bofur tried to cheer her up, but she had to face reality. 'I'm not,' she contradicted him. 'I'm just a girl who accidentally teleported. I'm not good with the sword or with magic. Merlin should be here instead of me. He's a Dragonlord and I am just a girl that doesn't even know where she belongs. Thorin is probably right that I should have come.'
Neither Bofur nor Maddie saw that Thorin, who had been listening the whole conversation, had for a moment a regretful look on his face. It was only a moment, but it had been there.
Bofur looked shocked at Maddie's words. He then composed himself and grabbed her shoulder. 'Maddie,' he said with a stern voice, forcing her to look up to him. 'Don't ever think that, no matter what Thorin says. You belong with the Company as well as I do. And hadn't it been for you, we all would have been squashed into jelly by three hideous trolls.'
Maddie chuckled as she remembered the Trolls they had faced earlier. 'I suppose that's true.'
Bofur nodded. Then, his attention was drawn to Maddie's sword. 'What's that?' he asked.
Maddie followed Bofurs eyes down to her sword. It was glowing blue.
She looked back up to Bofur with a horrified expression on her face. 'We're in trouble.'
The ground began to split and the Dwarves and Maddie fell down into the darkness.
They rolled down a sort of tunnel before ending up in a chamber filled with Goblins. The Dwarves tried to reach their weapons, but were soon grabbed by the Goblins and were brought away.
Maddie, who had landed a bit separated from the Dwarves, hadn't been noticed by the Goblins and tried to lay still until the Goblins were gone.
She saw how her friends were brought away down a bridge and wished that Gandalf was there. Why did the Grey Pilgrim always seem to be absent when they needed him most?
After the last sounds had faded away, Maddie stood up and walked after the Goblins.
But then a Goblin who was apparently holding watch, noticed her and ran towards her to slay her.
This was Maddie's first real fight, and as she saw the Goblin running towards her with her sword, she froze and forgot everything she had learned.
The Goblin lashed out to her head and Maddie came back to her senses. She blocked the Goblins sword and attacked. The Goblin was surprised and stumbled back while swinging his sword. He then accidentally cut the robes of the bridge, which caused it to break. And so Maddie and the Goblin fell down into the deep darkness of the mountain.
Thorin was pushed forward by five Goblins.
After the company found the cave and had turned to sleep, Thorin had been lying awake and thinking about the journey further on.
He had heard how Maddie had gone to Bofur to talk. He had heard how she thought about her place in the company and he couldn't help feeling a spark of guilt in his heart for a moment. He had never known she felt this way because he didn't like her.
Behind him, he could hear how Dwalin and the others were shouting rude comments at the Goblins.
The company was being led over several bridges before ending up in a huge cave filled with thousands of Goblins. In the middle of the cave, on a big, wooden throne, sat a big, fat Goblin with a huge double chin and a crown on his head. Thorin figured out that that had to be the Goblin King.
The company was led in front of the Goblin King, and their swords were thrown on a pile.
The King stood up and asked: 'Who would be so bold to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?'
'Dwarves, Your Malevolence. We found them on the Front Porch,' a Goblin answered.
'Well, don't just stand there. Search them,' the King commanded. 'Every crack. Every crevice.'
The Goblins obeyed their King and began to search the Dwarves. They were quickly finished with all of them, except Fili, who seemed to have hidden daggers in every possible place.
After the Goblins were done, the Goblin King asked: 'What are you doing in these parts? Speak!'
The company remained quiet.
'Very well,' the King continued. 'If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk. Bring up the mangler and bring up the bonebreaker. Start with youngest,' the King finished as he pointed at Ori.
The Goblins cheered and the Dwarves shouted rude comments at the Goblin King, but all fell to silence as Thorin stepped in front of Ori and shouted: 'Wait!'
Thorin would have done the same for any of the Dwarves. He didn't want to see his friends and brothers in arms to get hurt. And distracting the Goblin King would buy them time.
A wicked grin appeared on the face of the Goblin King. 'Well, well, well. Look who it is,' he said sarcastic. 'Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. King Under the Mountain.' The Goblin King made a exaggerated bow.
He then came back to his standing position and continued: 'Oh, but I'm forgetting you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you... nobody, really.'
Thorin said nothing and tried to control his temper. That filth of a Goblin King would get what he deserved later.
The Goblin King gave Thorin an evil laugh. 'I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just a head. Nothing attached.'
Thorin looked up to the Goblin King. Was this person the person Gandalf and he had been talking about a few months ago in Bree? The person who wanted him dead?
'Perhaps you know of whom I speak,' the Goblin King continued. 'An old enemy of yours. A pale Orc, astride a white Warg.'
Thorin shook his head. The Goblin was lying. It couldn't be true. 'Azog the defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago.'
The goblin King grinned. 'So you think his defiling days are done, do you?' He then turned to a Goblin who stood nearby and said: 'Send word to the pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize.'
Maddie opened her eyes. Carefully she tried to move. Her arm ached, but she didn't think it was broken. More likely bruised.
After the Goblin had cut the robes of the bridges and had caused them both to fall down into the darkness, Maddie had quickly uttered a levitation-spell to break her fall. But, apparently, her fall had been hard enough to knock her out and to bruise her arm.
Maddie looked around. She had probably landed in the deepest part of the mountain. Everywhere around her were rocks and stone. There were also a few gabs in the stone walls around her, but she had no idea which one of them could lead her outside. The Goblin she had been fighting with lay unconscious next to her.
Maddie stood up and grabbed her sword, that lay a few feet away from her.
Suddenly, she heard loud breathing near one of the gabs in the wall. Something was out there. Not knowing whether it was a Dwarf, a Goblin, or something else, Maddie quickly hid herself behind a rock. She moved her head, so she could see what was entering without being seen herself.
It was a creature that Maddie had never seen before. It looked like a small, deformed, grey person who walked on its feet and hands. It hardly wore any clothing and was very skinny.
After the creature had examined the body of the Goblin, it began to drag the Goblin to the gab of whence the creature had come. Apparently, the Goblin could feel that someone was dragging him, for he awakened and tried to kill the creature. The creature, however, avoided the swinging arms of the Goblin and just hit him with a rock. This caused the Goblin to fall into unconsciousness again and the creature continued to drag the Goblin.
The creature hadn't noticed how a golden ring had fallen out of his bare clothes.
As the creature passed Maddie's rock, she could hear it say: 'Nasty Goblinses! Better than old bones, precious. Better than nothing.'
The creature disappeared with the Goblin through the gab. Not knowing what else to do, Maddie followed them.
On her way to the gab, Maddie picked up the ring. And as soon her fingers touched the gold, she gasped. The ring was full of dark powerful magic and full of hate. She wanted to throw the ring away, but hesitated. The ring had already deformed the creature Maddie had seen, and who knew what it could do when it fell into the hands of someone who could wield its power.
Maddie putted the ring in her pocket. Maybe Gandalf knew a way to destroy it. After a deep sigh, Maddie followed the creature to the gab.
After Maddie had walked through the gab, she could see she was standing in a sort of underground cave with a lake. There was no sign of the creature nor the goblin, but in the distance she could hear how somebody's head was hit several times with a rock. The blue glow of her sword slowly faded away. The Goblin was dead.
Then it became quiet.
Suddenly, the creature jumped in front of her from behind a rock. It big blue eyes stared at her in surprise. 'Bless us and splash us, precious,' it said. 'That's a meaty mouthful.'
The creature began to crawl towards Maddie. When it got too close for her taste, she pointed her sword at its throat. 'Not any closer,' she spoke with a stern voice. She tried not to show that she was afraid. 'Who are you?' she then asked.
'Gollum! Gollum!' the creature answered.
Then, Gollum looked confused at Maddie's sword. 'It's got an Elfish blade. But it's not an Elfs.'
Gollums expression turned from confusion into curiosity. 'What is it, precious? What is it?'
'I'm Maddie, a Warlock,' she answered.
Gollum frowned. 'Warlockses? What is a Warlockses, precious?'
'A Warlock is someone who can perform Magic.'
'Oh,' Gollum replied while laughing. 'We like Goblinses, batses and fishses. but we hasn't tried Warlockses before. Is it soft? Is it juicy?'
Maddie's eyes grew big. Did Gollum seriously wanted to eat her? She shook her head and replied: 'No, I'm not tasty. And if you do try to eat me, I'll turn you into a toad.'
Gollum looked frightened by her treat and backend away.
Maddie took another close look at Gollum. He looked as if he knew the way in the mountain. Maybe he could lead her out. So she asked: 'Do you know the way out of here?'
'Why? Is it lost?'
Maddie nodded. 'Yes, and I want to get unlost as soon as possible. So do you know the way?'
Gollum seemed to think about Maddie's question for a moment. Then his faces cleared up. 'Ooh, we knows! We knows safe paths for Warlockses. Safe paths in the dark,' he said while pointing to his right. Then he slapped himself on his face. 'Oh, shut up!'
Maddie frowned. What did Gollum mean? 'I didn't say anything.'
'We wasn't talking to you.'
Maddie sighed. She needed to find her friends and Gollum wasn't really helping. 'Look, I don't know what your game is, but I...'
'Games?!' Gollum asked with a joyful expression on his face. 'Oh, we love games, doesn't we, precious? Does it like games? Does it, does it? Does it like to play?'
Maddie sighed again. 'Maybe,' she answered.
Gollum raised his hands and began to ask a riddle.
'What has roots as nobody sees?
Is taller than tress?
Up, up, up it goes
And yet, never grows
That one was easy, Maddie thought. Without hesitation she answered: 'The mountain.' Gollum nodded.
Then, an idea began to form inside Maddie's head. Back in the Ealdor, she used to play games of riddles with the other children. She had always been good at it. Maybe she could play a game of riddles with Gollum and if she won, he would show her the way out.
She walked towards Gollum and asked: 'Why not play a game of riddles? And if I win, you show me the way out.'
Gollum nodded. 'Yes. And if Maddieses loses, precious, then we eats it whole!'
Maddie swallowed. Finding the way out or being eaten by Gollum? She didn't think it was really fair, but what other choice did she have? So Maddie sat down on a rock with her sword on her knees and asked the first riddle that crossed her mind:
'Thirty white horses on a red hill
First they champ, then they stamp
Then they stand still like death'
It was one of the easiest riddles, so it didn't take long before Gollum replied: 'Teeth! Oh, yes, my precious! But we only have nine.' Gollum opened his mouth so Maddie could see he was telling the truth.
Maddie turned her gaze away from Gollums teeth, who undoubtedly hadn't been brushed for years.
Gollum took place on the rock in front of Maddie and asked his riddle.
'Voiceless, it cries
Wingless flutters
Toothless bites
Mouthless mutters'
Maddie frowned. She didn't remember this one. Gollum was better at this then she thought.
As she tried to come up with the solution, a small breeze of wind blew a lock of hair out of her face. And then she knew the answer. 'The answer is wind.'
Gollum seemed disappointed that Maddie had found the answer, but still congratulated her. 'Very clever, Warlockses. Very clever, indeed.'
Maddie raised her sword again, for Gollum again crawled towards her and into her comfort-zone. Quickly she asked a new riddle.
'A box without hinges, hey or lid
Yet golden treasure inside is hid'
Gollum needed more time on this riddle. And just when Maddie wanted to ask Gollum if was going to give up, Gollum came with the solution.
'Eggses! Eggses!' he shouted. 'Wet, little eggses. Grandmother taught us to suck them, yes!'
Maddie had no idea how you could suck an egg, and she also didn't want to ask.
Suddenly, a bat flew through one of the gabs and draw Maddie's attention. When she turned back to look at Gollum, he was gone.
But despite the fact Maddie couldn't see Gollum, his voice clearly echoed through the cave. 'We have one riddle for you:
All things it devours
Birds, beast, trees, flowers
Gnaws iron, bites steel
Grinds hard stones to meal'
This was a riddle that Maddie had never heard before, and she had no idea what it could be. What devoured all things?
After a few minutes, Gollum came out of his hiding spot. 'Time's up.'
Maddie closed her eyes and sighed. How could she not have seen the answer? Of course, the answer was time. So she answered Gollum: 'The answer is time.'
Gollum seemed even more frustrated. 'Last question,' he said while grabbing a rock. 'Last chance...'
Maddie nodded and stood up. Her last riddle had to be a good one, or else she would have the same fate as the Goblin she had tried to kill. She paced around a little bit, but Gollum wasn't very patient. 'Ask us!' he shouted.
Maddie nodded. 'Yes, yes. Alright.'
Suddenly, Maddie remembered the ring she had in her pocket. 'What have I got in my pocket?' she asked.
Gollum pulled a pout. 'That's no fair! It's against the rules!' he shouted angrily while throwing his rock away. 'Now ask us another one!'
Maddie smiled and shook her head. 'No. You said ask me a question. Well, that is my question. What have I got in my pocket?'
Gollum groaned. 'Three guesses, precious. It must give us three!' he demanded while holding up two fingers.
Maddie agreed. She was sure that Gollum didn't suspect she had the ring, so there was little chance she would lose. 'Very well, guess away.'
'Handses!'
Maddie held up her hands to show that she didn't have them in her pocket. 'Wrong. Guess again.'
'A magic wand!'
Maddie shook her head. 'I don't use a wand.'
'A toad! Or a unicorn!'
Maddie's mouth fell open. How on earth could a unicorn fit inside her pocket. And why should she carry a toad? A magic wand was understandable, but a unicorn and a toad?
Then Maddie noticed Gollum was still waiting for a reply. 'Two guesses at once. Wrong both times,' she answered him.
Defeated, Gollum sank down to the ground.
'I won the game. You promised to show me the way out,' Maddie said.
Gollum slowly stood up. 'Did we say so, precious? Did we say so?'
Then he turned around to face Maddie. 'What has it got in its pocketses?'
Maddie raised her sword again. 'That's no concern of yours. You lost.'
Gollum laughed. 'Lost? Lost?'
He then reached inside his clothing to grab something, but didn't seem able to find it. He checked the other side of his clothing but with no success. Maddie somehow felt that it was the ring that Gollum searched, so she quickly retrieved it out of her pocket and held it behind her back. She tried to ignore the feeling of the dark magic.
In the mean time, Gollum was still searching. He searched in a pile of bones and near the waterside, but didn't find what he was looking for. Eventually, he cried out: 'Curse us and splash us! My precious is lost!'
For a few moments, Gollum looked at his reflection in the water. 'What has it got in its nasty, little pocketses?' Maddie's grip on the ring tightened .
Gollum turned back towards Maddie. 'She stole it. She stole it!' With a scream, Gollum ran towards Maddie.
Maddie turned around and ran away as fast as her feet could carry her.
'Bones will be shattered
Necks will be wrung
You'll be beaten and battered
From racks you'll be hung
You'll die down her
And never be found
Down in the deep of Goblin-town'
If the Goblin King didn't stop his singing, Thorin thought annoyed, indeed someone would die down in Goblin-Town and never be found. Someone very fat and with a huge double chin.
The Goblin King did stop his singing, for a Goblin had unsheathed Thorin's sword and had found it to be of Elfish make. With a scream, the Goblin threw the sword away, right in front of the Goblin Kings.
The King quickly crawled back on his throne, as far away as possible from the sword. He pointed at it and spoke with a horrified expression: 'I know that sword! It is the Goblin-cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced 1000 necks!'
Then he looked at the company. 'Slash them! Beat them! Kill them all! Cut of his head!'
One of the Goblins threw Thorin on the ground and raised his dagger to stab Thorins face. Thorin looked at the dagger in front of him and closed his eyes. He thought of his sister, Dìs, and that he had failed in his promise to keep Fili and Kili save.
A loud bang was heard and Thorin didn't feel something stinging in his face.
He opened his eyes. All the Goblins, even the Goblin King were flying to the air and landed on a big pile. Out of a cloud of mist, a figure appeared.
It was Gandalf. In one hand, he carried his staff, in the other his sword. 'Take up arms. Fight,' he said to the company.
Thorin and the other quickly grabbed their weapons and engaged the Goblins who had managed to get up. Gandalf helped them and slaughtered the Goblins who were brave enough to stand against a Wizard.
When the Goblin King noticed Gandalfs sword, he let out a frightened shriek. 'He wields the Foehammer! The Beater! Bright as daylight!'
After the last ones of the company had managed to grab their belongings, Gandalf led them to, what Thorin hoped to be, a way out. On the way, they killed the Goblins who tried to stop them.
There was one frightening moment, when he and the other were about to cross a bridge and the Goblin King jumped in front of them out of nowhere.
The King laughed and asked: 'You thought you could escape me?' He swung his club and drove the Dwarves back.
Then, Gandalf stepped forward and sliced his blade through the Goblin Kings neck.
The Goblin King dropped down in front of the company, but his weight caused the bridge to break and sent the company on a bumpy ride down the mountain.
After they had landed, they quickly came up their feet, for all of the Goblins climbed down towards them, angry for the death of their king.
'Only one thing will safe us: daylight! This way!' Gandalf shouted as he led them through a dark tunnel.
Maddie ran through another gab but could still hear Gollums screams as he pursued her.
After Gollum had found out she had the ring, Maddie had taken the run for it. Now she was running through tunnels and gabs, but had no idea where she was heading to.
She quickly hid herself behind a rock as Gollum ran through the gab and screamed: 'Give it to us!'
Maddie waited until Gollum had disappeared before coming up to her feet.
Then she heard a breeze of wind behind her.
She turned around. It came from another gab. Maybe this one could lead her out? She walked towards it and tried to squeeze herself through it.
The problem was that the gab was smaller than Maddie had calculated. Maddie tried to go back, but with no effect. She was stuck.
Then she heard how another problem evolved.
Gollum had apparently found nothing in the tunnel and was coming back. She heard how he came closer and saw how he turned around the corner. Gollum looked around and noticed her. Then he crawled towards her. 'It's ours!' he shouted. 'It's ours!'
Maddie tried again to squeeze herself through the gab, but this time succeeded. She fell on her back and accidentally led go of the ring.
It flew through the air before landing on Maddie's finger. Maddie now felt the dark magic even more so.
Gollum jumped through the gab, looked around and shouted: 'Thief! Warlockses!' Then he turned into another tunnel and disappeared into the darkness.
Maddie blinked. Surely Gollum should have seen her when he had looked around? So why hadn't he? Maybe the dark magic of the ring made the bearer invisible? If that were the case, Maddie would keep it on until she was safely outside.
She felt how a breeze of wind cherished her face. It came from her left. She started to head in that direction.
She was walking through a long, dark tunnel, when she saw a light in the distance. Maddie quickened her pace and after she had reached the end of the tunnel, she could see how a few beams of sunlight shined through a gab. This had to be the way out of the mountain, Maddie thought relieved.
She wanted to take another step towards the gab, but was suddenly blocked by Gollum, who had crawled out of another gab. 'Wait!' he shouted. 'My precious, wait!' Maddie was glad she was still wearing the ring.
Then, footsteps were heard in a tunnel to Maddie's right. Gollum quickly hid himself behind a rock as Gandalf and the Dwarves ran out of the tunnel and through the gab.
Maddie wanted to follow them, but Gollum stood in her way.
She silently draw her sword and raised it to kill Gollum, but then remembered what Gandalf had said when he had given her the sword. True courage is about knowing not when to take a live, but when to spare one.
She realized she pitied Gollum. The ring had deformed him and driven him mad.
With a sigh, she putted her sword back in her sheath. Then, she took a deep breath, pushed Gollum out of the way and made her way towards the gab.
As she ran through the gab, Maddie could hear Gollums screams behind her. 'Maddieses! Thief! Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever!'