Gollum jumped into a tunnel, a tunnel with an exit to the side of the mountain. Daylight was visible through the exit.
"Wait, my Precious! Wait! Gollum, Gollum." Bilba slowly approached, invisible with the Ring on. She had her sword drawn. Hearing a noise, Gollum quickly hid behind a rock. As Bilba watched, Gandalf and the dwarves ran by, escaping through the exit. Bilba, seeing a barely conscious Ember, who was held by Kili, was frantic. The dwarves and Gandalf ran down the side of the steep, tree covered mountain. Gollum again entered the tunnel, looking for Bilba and the Ring. Bilba, still invisible, put her sword to Gollum's neck, then pulled back to swing the sword and cut off Gollum's head. Before she could swing, however, Gollum turned around, looking down the passageway behind him. He could not see Bilba, but Bilba could see him. Again, Bilba placed the tip of her sword at Gollum's throat, but she hesitated upon seeing the look of extreme sadness and distress that was upon Gollum's face. For a second, Gollum looked almost human. Bilba lowered her sword, pitying Gollum and remembering what Ember told her about swords and courage. Bilba then looked determined and took a deep breath, stepping back a few feet. Hearing Bilba's feet, Gollum frowned and he began to growl. Bilba ran forward and leapt over Gollum, stepping on Gollum's head and knocking him over in the process. Still invisible, Bilba ran out the exit. Gollum jumped up and scrabbled around him, trying to grab Bilba, roaring all the while.
"Baggins! Thief! Curse it and crush it, we hates it forever!"
Still invisible, Bilba ran down the mountain after the rest of the Company. Far in front of her, Gandalf paused to count how many dwarves were with him. The dwarves paused to collect their breath.
"Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fili, Kili...that's twelve...and Bombur that makes thirteen. Ember, oh thank the Valar you're safe. Where's Bilba? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!"
"Curse the halfling! Now she's lost?!" Dwalin yelled.
"I thought she was with Dori!" Gloin accused.
"Don't blame me!" Dori retorted.
"Well, where did you last see her?" Gandalf asked.
"I think I saw 'er slip away, when they first collared us." Nori said.
"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf roared.
Bilba, still invisible, had caught up to the rest of the group. She hid behind a tree as Thorin spoke.
"I'll tell you what happened. Mistress Baggins saw her chance and she took it! She's thought of nothing but her soft bed and her warm hearth since first she stepped out of her door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. She is long gone." Thorin said, but inside he wished she would come back, just so he could see her beautiful smile one more time.
Bilba, who was still invisible, heard everything Thorin said. She leant on the tree as she pondered what she had just heard. The dwarves looked at each other. Ember looked mortified that she had lost her friend.
"No, she isn't." Bilba stepped out from behind the tree, no longer invisible. The dwarves looked up in shock and relief. Gandalf laughed as he watched Ember hug her best friend, hard, all despite her pain.
"Bilba Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Bilba strided forward into the group; she patted Balin affectionately on the shoulder.
"Bilba, we'd given you up!" Kili said as he helped Oin bind Ember's arm and shoulder. He tied two big pieces of string on the back of her top together. She moved her hair out of the way and Kili saw two black wings that were on the top of her back right at her shoulder blades. He ran his fingers over one of them. He was in shock at the deep wounds inflicted by the whipping she had received.
"My wings. When I was in the Ithil they give you a pair. It's just a tattoo." She explained even before he asked the question.
"I like them." He said as he helped her stand.
"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!" Fili asked.
"How, indeed." Dwalin muttered with a smile on his face.
There was an awkward silence as Bilba tried to think what to say. In the end, she gave a nervous laugh and puts her hands on her hips. Gandalf was the only one to notice Bilba sliding the Ring into her waistcoat pocket. Gandalf looked a bit perturbed.
"Well, what does it matter? She's back!"
"It matters! I want to know: why did you come back?" Thorin asked her before slightly smiling.
"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And 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. And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." After Bilba spoke, there was silence as the dwarves thought about what Bilba said. Gandalf smiled slightly, happy that Bilba had changed so much, for the better.
Azog and his Warg Riders got to the top of the mountain.
"Run them down! Tear them to pieces!"
He swung his mace forward, and several of his Wargs, without riders, leapt forward and raced down the mountain after the Company, howling. Hearing the howling, the Company members realized they were in danger.
"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin said, but Gandalf finished his sentence.
"...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" They all started running down the mountain as fast as they could. The Wargs followed them rapidly; it became nighttime quickly. Soon the foremost Warg caught up to the group and leapt at Bilba; Bilba ducked behind a rock and the Warg's jaws snapped in the air over her head. The Warg landed in front of her. Growling, it charged at her.
Bilba pulled out her sword and held it in front of her shaking body; the charging Warg impaled itself in the head on the sword and fell down dead. Bilba looked on in surprise. A few more Wargs caught up to the fleeing dwarves, but they were quickly dispatched. The Company reached a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it; they were trapped there, as there was no way off the outcropping besides a great fall down the mountain, or they could have turned around only to be killed by Azog.
"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilba, climb!" Bifur threw an axe, killing a Warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumped off a rock and grabbed a tree branch, using Dwalin's head as a stepping stone to the tree. Other dwarves began climbing into the trees as well. Bilba tried to pull her sword out of the dead Warg's head, but it was stuck firmly. She continued to pull.
"They're coming!" Thorin yelled. Gandalf climbed to the top of the furthest tree; Dwalin boosted Balin up. Thorin, Bombur, and the rest climbed up trees too. Ember jumped into the tree before giving Kili a hand. The main body of Wargs and Warg Riders approached. Bilba finally managed to pull her sword out of the Warg; she looked up to see several more Wargs running at her. She quickly clambered up a tree as the Wargs rushed below her. Dozens of Wargs circled the trees in which the Company members were perched.
Gandalf reached out with his staff and picked up a moth sitting in the same tree as him. Bringing the moth close to his face, he whispered to it; he then blew it gently, causing it to flutter away. The Wargs ceased their growling and turned as the White Warg, with Azog on its back, approached slowly. Thorin looked at Azog in shock.
"Azog?!" As his White Warg growled, Azog stroked it and talked ominously.
"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" [Translation- Do you smell it? The scent of fear?]
"Ganzilig i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train ob." [Translation- I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain.]
Thorin looked stricken with pain and grief, realizing that Azog had captured his father.
"It cannot be." Thorin said, his voice breaking.
Azog spoke to his Wargs and Riders.
"Kod, Toragid biriz." [Translation- That one is mine.]
"Worori da!" [Translation- Kill the others!]
At his command, the Wargs leapt forward and tried to climb the trees. They jumped as high as they could, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shook violently at the assault, and the dwarves struggled to hold on.
"Sho gad adol!" [Translation- Drink their blood!]
With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilba, Ember, Kili, and several other dwarves were in, got uprooted from the ground and began leaning wildly. As more Wargs grabbed onto it, the tree tipped over and landed on the next tree; the dwarves and Bilba jumped from the falling tree to the next. However, this tree as well tipped over; like dominoes, all the trees began falling over. All the dwarves, Bilba, Ember, and Gandalf managed to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree didn't fall over to everyone's dismay. Azog laughed.
Looking around in desperation, Gandalf spied a pinecone. He grabbed it and used his staff to set the pinecone on fire; he then threw it down amid the Wargs, who retreated in fear of the fire. Azog was startled and angry at the unexpected resistance. Gandalf lit two more pinecones and threw one down to Fili.
"Fili," Gandalf called before seeing Ember.
"Ember, there is no better time than now." Gandalf's voice came to her telepathically.
"But what if I hurt them. What if I hurt Kili?" She asked silently.
"We will die if you don't." She looked up at him and nodded. She slipped her gloves off her hands and shoved them in her pockets.
"Ember what are you doing?" Kili asked her quickly.
"What I have to. Please don't think of me differently after this." She quickly kissed his cheek before she let the branch fall out from under her.
"EMBER!" Kili cried.
She slowly walked forward. Azog laughed evilly before speaking.
"Is this all you have? A simple whore?" He turned to one of his riders.
"Kill her." Ember felt a smirk tug at her lips. There were small simple fires caused by Gandalf's pinecones, but it wasn't enough. She put her hands out to her sides and the fires began to crawl up into the air, higher and higher, one of the flames on each side of her coiled around her wrists and up her slender arms. Soon the flames were as tall as she was. They began to coil and almost dance around her in the night. Her hands flew out in front of her and fire shot out of her palms burning the wargs that came to her. They howled in pain and ran away. But Ember stood her ground, the dwarves heard a laugh, that was almost evil escape her lips. The power that flowed through her body surged. Her eyes were bright red and her hair was no longer just black. Red was starting to fill her hair, glowing brightly in the light. She shot fire toward the fallen trees creating an inferno. She felt herself getting weaker and weaker as she stood her ground. She didn't move other than to breath. Her hands stayed in front of her as the flames grew strong, but she grew weaker.
"Good, now come back." Gandalf voice rang in her mind. She stepped backwards toward the tree. The dwarves cheered and she heard Kili's voice the most. Then their cheers turned into cries of fear as the roots of the tree they were in started to give way; the tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but came to a rest sticking straight out away from the edge of the cliff. Ember tried to run to Gandalf but she slipped and lost her balance falling to the ground hundreds of feet below her, a small scream escaped her lips. But Kili grabbed her arm just before she could get out of reach. He pulled her up and she held onto the branch as she slipped her gloves back on.
"And that is why they call you Ember?" He asked her.
"Exactly." Was all she said. She was gasping for breath and even though the air was hot from the inferno that lay before them, she was shivering and freezing cold.
"Why would I ever think of you differently that was amazing. You were amazing." He breathed as he watched her eyes go back to their normal brown color and the red faded from her hair. But her cheeks grew bright red. And he smiled as he tightened his grip on the branch. He moved closer to her and she began to warm up at his warmth.
Gandalf looked down and saw the ground far, far, below. The dwarves tried to hold on as they got flung around. Ori lost his grip on the tree and fell, but managed to grab on to Dori's leg.
"Aahhh! Oh! Oh no!"
"Mister Gandalf!" Because of the extra weight, Dori lost his grip on the tree as well and fell, but Gandalf quickly swung his staff down and Dori grabbed on to the end of it.
"Hold on, Ori!" Dori called.
Azog growled; Thorin, clinging to the tree, looked at him in hate and anger. Thorin pulled himself up, his sword drawn, and walked down the leaning trunk as Bilba and the others, hanging from the tree, looked on. Thorin ran through the burning ground at Azog and his White Warg. Azog spread his arms wide with a smug grin on his face. Thorin growled as he ran with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouched, then roared as his Warg leapt at Thorin. Thorin tried to swing his sword, but the Warg hit him in the chest with its forepaw, smashing Thorin to the ground. The other dwarves in the tree looked on in shock. Dori struggled to hold on to Gandalf's staff.
"Help!" Ori squeaked.
As Thorin got back on his feet, panting, Azog and his White Warg wheeled around; they charged at Thorin again. Azog swung his mace and smashed Thorin in the face before Thorin can react. Thorin was brutally flung to the ground by the impact.
"Nooo!" Balin yelled and Ember gasped.
Azog roared in excitement. Bilba managed to stand up on the tree. The White Warg clamped its jaws around Thorin and Thorin yelled in pain. Dwalin tried to get off and tree to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he was holding on to broke, swinging him precariously over the edge and preventing him from reaching Thorin.
"Thorin! Nooo!" Dwalin yelled.
As the White Warg held Thorin in its mouth, Thorin managed to hit its head with the pommel of his sword. Roaring, the White Warg threw Thorin several feet away onto a flat rock nearby. Thorin landed heavily, his sword falling out of his hand. He was almost unconscious.
"Biriz torag khobdudol." [Translation- Bring me the Dwarf's head.]
One of Azog's Warg Riders jumped off his Warg and approached Thorin. Bilba, seeing this, pull out her own sword, which glowed blue. The orc approached Thorin and placed its sword against his neck; raising the sword, the rider prepared to decapitate Thorin. As he swung his sword down, Bilba threw herself at the orc and knocked him over. As they fought, Bilba managed to stab and killed the orc. As Azog growled in anger, Thorin went unconscious, but his last view was off the beautiful, kind female hobbit protecting him.
Pulling her sword out of the dead orc's body, Bilba stood in front of the unconscious Thorin and protected his body. She waved her sword wildly at Azog and the other Wargs. Azog smiled in hatred and spoke in the Black Speech to his Orcs.
[Translation- Kill her.]
A couple of Wargs and Riders approached Bilba, snarling. Suddenly, Fili, Kili, Ember, and Dwalin, who had managed to get off the tree, plowed into the Wargs from the side and started fighting them. In the confusion, Bilba yelled and leapt forward, wounding a Warg. The White Warg hit Bilba with his head and sends her flying, however. As the fighting around them continued, Azog and his White Warg approach Bilba to kill her. Fili, Kili, Ember, and Dwalin had been surrounded by Wargs, and Bilba was at Azog's mercy. Suddenly, the moth returned to Gandalf. Dori slipped from the end of Gandalf's staff, and Dori and Ori fell toward the ground far below. An eagle swept out of nowhere and caught them on its back; they yelled in fear as they were carried swiftly away. Several more Eagles appeared and joined the fray. Some grab Wargs and Orcs and tossed them over the cliff. Others knocked down trees, which crushed the Wargs below them. Another Eagle fanned the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burned the Wargs. Azog snarled in frustration. One Eagle gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away. As Thorin was lifted off the ground, his oaken branch shield slipped off his arm and landed on the ground. Azog roared and jumped back as an Eagle flew by him; the Eagle headed straight for an alarmed Bibo and snatched her off the ground. It then threw Bilba, and she screamed as she fell toward the ground, only to land on the back of another Eagle. Ember, weak from fighting and using so much of her power almost fainted in Kili's arms. But she shook and Kili caught her.
"We're going to have to jump." He said to her and she weakly nodded. He grabbed her hand and they both jumped off the cliff onto the back of an eagle. When they were safe on the eagle Ember breathed a sigh of relief before she passed out. Kili held her close and he kissed her forehead. He was so glad she was safe in his arms. He moved her hair and was shocked to see she had the ears of an elf. It all began to make sense, it was why she never showed them.
The rest of the Eagles proceeded to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and fly away. When only Gandalf was left in the tree, the roots gave way and the tree fell off the edge of the cliff. Gandalf leapt clear of it and was caught by an Eagle. As the Eagles flew away with all the Company, Azog and the few Warg Riders left growled in anger and frustration.
The Eagles soared through the sky over a great distance and over many landscapes. Thorin lied unconscious in one Eagle's talons; the others worried about him.
Ember slowly woke up, but Kili didn't let her go, he never wanted to let her go.
"Thorin!" Fili yelled and it filled Kili with a giant sense of worry and guilt for his uncle.
The Eagles approached a massive rock structure shaped like a bear; it was the Carrock. The Eagle carrying Thorin gently deposited him and his sword on a flat area on top of the Carrock. Another Eagle landed on the Carrock and Gandalf slid off its neck, running toward the unconscious Thorin.
"Thorin! Thorin." Thorin was not responding. Bilba ran up beside him.
The eagle that carried Kili and Ember landed softly on the ground. Kili dismounted first and then he offered Ember his hand. She took it and dismounted, but this time she didn't let go. They both rushed to Thorin's side.
Gandalf placed his hand on Thorin's face and whispered a spell. Thorin's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. He spoke weakly.
"The halfling?"
"It's all right. Bilba is here. She's quiet safe. A few scratches and bruises but she's safe." By now, the other dwarves had all landed on the Carrock, and they surrounded the wounded Thorin. Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin up. However, once he was up, he shrugged them off and approached Bilba. Kili moved back toward Ember, she was still shaking.
"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?" Thorin advanced until he was face to face with Bilba, who looked worried and frightened. He was so close to her, she could feel his warmth and hear and feel his breath. She looked into his bright blue eyes, afraid of what he would say next.
"I've never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin grabbed Bilba and embraced her deeply. When they were hugging she felt herself get lifted off the ground and twirled in the air. Thorin pulled her closer to him. A feeling surged through his body straight to his soul. He had never felt it before.
"Thank you," he whispered to her, right in her ear so no one else heard.
"Of course," she whispered in return.
The other dwarves cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back. Gandalf smiled.
"I am sorry I doubted you." Thorin said when they broke apart, but they didn't move to far away from each other.
"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar." As everyone chuckled, the Eagles flew away, screeching. Thorin looked beyond Bilba and saw something; he strided forward, and the others followed his gaze.
"Is that what I think it is?" Bilba asked. In the distance, on the horizon, they saw the outline of a single, solitary mountain.
"Erebor—The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth." Gandalf said.
"Our home." Thorin said as he smiled at Bilba, who blushed extremely and smiled back. A bird chirped and flew by.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." More birdsong was heard.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush."
"But we'll take it as a sign a good omen." Thorin said and smiled at Bilba again.
"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." The Company looked on at the Lonely Mountain as the sun came up behind them. Kili grabbed Ember's arm and practically dragged her to the stairs of the Carrock.
"Kili, please stay away from me. You saw what I could do. I don't want to hurt you." Kili grabbed her wrists and kissed her on the cheek. He was standing on a step above her so they were the same height. She knew she wasn't going to be able to talk him out of it and her face softened.
"You missed."
"What?" Kili asked her confused.
"You missed." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She felt his hands on her hips as she kissed him. When they broke apart he was smiling widely.
To her he was perfect, and to herself she was so flawed.
To him she was perfect, and to himself he was so flawed.
And they liked it just the way it was.