Goblin Kingdom
The sun was just peeking over the horizon as we began to ascend the path.
"Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on" Thorin stood to the side and let Balin go ahead.
The Dwarves began following Balin and had to move around Bilbo, who was standing in the way looking back at Rivendell.
"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up" Thorin turned away and Bilbo fell in behind.
We passed over ranges, mountains and plains; stopping only when necessary, as we made our way towards the Misty Mountains. When we reached the mountains, the only path I could see was a thin strip that ran along the edge of a steep drop. To make us all feel even better, the weather decided to turn ugly and a huge storm blew in from nowhere. I was walking behind Balin and I felt quite miserable.
"We must find shelter!" Thorin yelled over the wind.
"Watch out!" I heard Dwalin yell from the back of the group.
We looked up and saw a boulder hurtling through the air. It crashed into the mountain above us and sent rocks falling all about us.
"This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!" Balin pointed in the distance and my stomach flipped as a huge figure came out of the gloom.
"Well bless me, the legends are true. Giants; Stone Giants!" I looked behind me to see Bofur step out from the group.
"Take cover, you fool!" Thorin yelled back.
Another Giant appeared and was sent stumbling backwards as a rock connected with it's head. The ground started shaking violently and a crack appeared between Fili and Kili.
"What's happening?" Kili sounded scared.
"Kili! Grab my hand!" Fili held his hand out but the rock split apart with half our group on one side, and the other half on the other side.
It turned out we were on the legs of yet another Giant, and we held on for our lives as we were flung around as the Giant moved. Thorin spotted an opportunity to get to safety when the leg our group was on smashed into another part of the path. We stood there and watched as the other group continued to be flung around. Suddenly the Giant began falling and its leg was getting closer to the cliff edge. We watched in horror as the leg smashed into the rock not far from where we were standing.
"No! No! Fili!" Thorin hurried to where the Giant had been.
"Bofur! Ori! Bilbo!" I yelled out following Thorin.
We turned the corner and to our immense relief our companions were alright.
Bofur sat up, dislodging the rocks that were on him and looked around "where's Bilbo?" where's the hobbit?"
"There!" Ori pointed to a pair of hands on the edge of the cliff.
Ori tried to reach Bilbo but he slipped a bit further down the cliff. Thorin swung down over the edge and pushed Bilbo up into the arms of Bofur, only to lose his grip and start falling himself.
Dwalin pulled Thorin back up with quite a bit of effort and sat back panting "I thought we'd lost our burglar" he said wearily.
Thorin stood up "he's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us" Thorin stomped off past the rest of the Dwarves "Dwalin!"
The pair of them headed into a cave on the mountainside. The rest of us picked each other up and followed.
"It looks safe enough" Dwalin said looking around the cave.
"Search to the back; caves in the mountains are seldom unoccupied" Thorin started walking around.
Dwalin searched the cave "there's nothing here" he reported.
Gloin dropped a pile of wood on the floor and rubbed his hands "right then! Let's get a fire started".
Thorin shook his head "no, no fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light".
Balin looked troubled "we were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan".
"Plans change" Thorin replied "Bofur, take the first watch".
I woke up to the sound of movement right above me. Bilbo had his pack on and was trying not to wake the others as he made to leave.
"Where do you think you're goin?" Bofur whispered.
"Back to Rivendell" Bilbo replied.
"No, no, you can't turn back now; you're part of the company. You're one of us" Bofur was trying to get Bilbo to stay.
"I'm not though, am I? Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins, I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door".
I felt sorry for Bilbo; he was really missing his home.
"You're homesick; I understand" Bofur was trying to make Bilbo feel better.
"No, you don't, you don't understand! None of you do…you're Dwarves. You're used to…to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere".
My mouth fell open, that was just rude; how could Bilbo say that.
"I'm sorry, I didn't…"
"No, you're right. We don't belong anywhere. I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do" Bofur patted Bilbo on the shoulder and stepped back. "What's that?" Bofur asked with his eyes on Bilbo's sword.
Bilbo partially drew the sword and my heart skipped a beat; it was glowing bright blue, there were enemies nearby.
"Wake up. wake up!" Thorin must have seen it too.
Before we could react, the floor of the cave collapsed downwards and we all fell down a huge chute. We landed with a thump on a wooden structure and then had the air knocked out of our lungs as Bombur landed on top of us all. It was only seconds before we were set upon by Goblins. We were hauled away kicking and yelling, and lead through a vast network of tunnels and wooden bridges. We were brought before the largest Goblin I'd ever seen; he must be the King. All our weapons were thrown at his feet.
"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" he got down off his throne, squashing a group of Goblins at his feet.
"Dwarves, your Malevolence" one of the Goblins replied.
"Dwarves?" the King seemed surprised.
"We found them on the front porch".
"Well, don't just stand there; search them! Every crack, every crevice".
I definitely did not like the pawing hands of the Goblins, they prodded and poked and then they found Oin's ear-trumpet; which they stomped on.
"What are you doing in these parts? Speak!"
We all stayed silent.
"Well then, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the youngest" he pointed at Ori.
"Wait" Thorin stepped forward.
"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain" the Goblin bowed mockingly. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really".
Thorin glared up at the Goblin.
"I know someone who pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a white Warg".
"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago" Thorin seemed as surprised as the rest of us.
The Goblin laughed "so you think his defiling days are done, do you?" he turned to a little Goblin in a basket "send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize" the little Goblin wrote down the message and disappeared, cackling, into the darkness.
Soon the sound of many feet could be heard; I looked around and gasped at the machines the Goblins were hauling up.
The huge Goblin seemed to think this was the perfect time for a song "bones will shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered; from racks you'll be hung. You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin-town".
One of the Goblins picked up Thorin's sword and examined it. He screeched and threw it down in full view of the rest of the Goblins.
The huge Goblin staggered backwards and back onto his throne "I know that sword! It is the Goblin-cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks".
The Goblins started whipping us with chains.
"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! cut off his head!"
Thorin fought off four Goblins and sent one flying over the edge of the platform before he was held down.
"Thorin! No!" I yelled as I struggled to free myself from the Goblins holding me.
All of a sudden there was a blinding flash of light and a shockwave flew through the air, knocking the Goblins and their torture machines over.
Gandalf stepped out of the gloom with his sword in hand "take up arms. Fight. Fight!" his voice roused the Dwarves and we rushed for our weapons before the Goblins knew what was happening.
"He wields the Foe-hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!" the huge Goblin yelled.
I had both my swords in hand and started hacking at the nearest Goblins.
The huge Goblin went for Nori but Thorin stepped in and deflected his blow, causing him to stumble backwards and off the edge of the platform.
"Follow me. Quick! Run!" Gandalf lead the way along a pathway leading away from the throne room, cutting the Goblins down as he went.
Several Goblins appeared in front of us.
"Post!" Dwalin yelled and he and a few others loosed a guardrail. "Charge!" Dwalin lead the way as the Dwarves swung the post left and right, clearing the Goblins off the path.
The Goblins were still coming and it was close-quarter fighting for some time until Goblins started swinging towards us on ropes.
"Cut the ropes!" Thorin yelled, slicing through the support ropes of a raised platform.
It fell towards the Goblins and tangled them up. Kili dropped a ladder on the Goblins in front of him and with some help forced the Goblins backwards, until the ladder made a bridge over a gap in the path. We rushed across and Dwalin kicked the ladder off the path. We continued running through the maze-like paths until we got to a section that was suspended by ropes; we cut some of the ropes and the section started to swing.
"Jump!" Thorin yelled as the path moved towards another path. Most of the Dwarves made it but then it swung backwards and Goblins managed to jump on, I sliced through a few before the path swung back towards the others. We cut the ropes and sent the Goblins downwards.
We continued running through the tunnels; hacking at any Goblin that crossed our path. Gandalf struck a large overhanging rock and caused it to roll down the path before us, squashing Goblins on its way.
We came upon a bridge between two of the cavern walls and were heading over it when the Goblin king appeared suddenly in front of us.
"You thought you could escape me?" he asked swinging his mace at Gandalf "what are you going to do now, Wizard?"
Gandalf stepped forward and poked the Goblin in the eye with his staff.
"Ow, ow, ow!" the Goblin squealed.
Gandalf then slashed his sword across the Goblin's stomach, causing him to drop to his knees.
"That'll do it" he said before Gandalf sliced through his neck. The Goblin fell forwards, quite dead, and his weight caused the bridge to shake violently and start falling.
The trip down to the floor of the cavern was a hair-raising experience I do not want to have again. I mumbled a prayer of thanks when we stopped moving and were all still alive.
"Well, that could have been worse" Bofur said cheerfully; only to be cut off by the body of the Goblin king landing on top of us all.
My eyes went black for a moment as the pressure on my chest increased slightly.
"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin sounded annoyed.
"Gandalf!" Kili yelled out in a panicked voice.
I struggled to free myself from the wreckage and fell flat on my face. I coughed and looked up to see a huge hoard of Goblins scrambling down the walls.
"There's too many! We can't fight them" Dwalin said, standing up.
"Only one thing will save us: daylight! Come on!" Gandalf grabbed Oin's hand "here, on your feet!"
Once all the Dwarves were free we hurried after Gandalf; and I couldn't shake the feeling of something being terribly wrong. I counted everyone in my head and then I realised; Bilbo wasn't with us!