Chapter 11

Groaning softly, Bryn adjusted her position on the ground. The ill-light in the cavern immediately told her that she was not in Rivendell, nor the last place she could remember going to sleep in.

Upon remembering everything that had happened to her in what she assumed was the last 7 hours, she tried to see where her sword was. To her relief, it had fallen with her and it was still glowing among some large capped mushrooms. She too was hidden by the shrooms, and she was about to get up when she noticed the goblin that had dragged her down here not five feet away from her.

It groaned, and it twitched every so often, telling her that it wasn't dead.

Staying where she was, Brynna tried to form a plan. Her lip was bloody, her knees and feet were cut and blistered, and she had a couple bruises but other than that she was fine. If she could get to her sword...

Hissing noises brought her out of her thoughts, and she stilled herself, hardly daring to breathe.

Eyes. She could see two glowing eyes staring at her from the darkness. Terror filled the small hobbit, and she didn't blink as she watched the lanky creature skulk toward her. It came closer until it was finally upon her and the goblin.

"Yes... yes!" The creature seemed to gag and made a 'gollum' sound. It crawled around on the goblin, assessing the creature before dragging it away.

Bryn still didn't move, keeping herself from flinching or gasping when the goblin woke up and the pale creature beat it's head into the stone floor with a loose rock. Some blood from the goblin splattered across the cave, a drop of it landing on her cheek.

"Nasty! Nasty goblinses... Precious..." The creature muttered, saying the last word possesively as he dragged the goblin away.

Once she was sure that the pale monster was gone, Bryn scrambled out of her hiding place, grabbing her sword. 'Lovely situation you've found yourself in now...' She thought bitterly, deciding that for the time being she would blame Thorin for the miserable situation she was in.

Before she walked into another danger, she paused and took in her surroundings fully. It was dark, damp, and miserable. Deciding that it would be wise to continue moving, Brynna started to make for the tunnel. It was then that the glow form her sword caught on a piece of metal on the floor, the light reflecting off of it catching her eye.

Wiping the blood from her face and smoothing her curls back out of her face, Bryn knelt down, picking up the object. It was simple gold ring, alluring and beautiful in it's simplicity. Something stirred in Bryn's heart, a feeling unknown to her. Without thinking, she shoved the ring into her vest pocket.

"Might as well keep it. If I make it out of here it will be nice to have something to show for it." Her quiet whisper in the dark reminded her of how alone she was.

Sighing, Bryn followed down the only tunnel available for her to follow. That tunnel happened to be the one that the creature had taken.

Her sword's blue glow was a small comfort in the darkness, but also told her that the goblin was alive. And as the sword's glow grew brighter, she knew she was nearing the goblin and the creature.

Her journey ended when she reached an underground lake. It smelled like rotten flesh and fish. Peeking her head over a large groups of rocks, she could see the silhouette of the creature and the goblin. They were on a small island in the middle of the lake.

The goblin woke from it's state of unconsciousness, and Brynna watched in shock as the creature hit at it and smash it over and over again into the rocks.

Gasping in shock and terror, Bryn turned away, crouching down behind the rocks. Her blood turned cold when her swords glow flickered, and went out.

A drop of water fell, splashing on her shoulder. When she looked up she was startled almost to the point of screaming at the sight of the pale creature creeping up behind her.

"Bless us and splash us my preciousss. Orcses and goblinses we have tasted... but it is neither, my presiousss. Quite a choise feast it make us, gollum." And when he said gollum, he made a horrible swallowing sound, and that is how the creature was given a name.

"What are you... Stay back!" She yalled the last part when he took a few steps closer to her, holding out her sword in front of her in defense.

"What is it preciousss?" Gollum scampered closer to her, a wary gaze on her little blade. He had just eaten, so he must have just been interested in her; judging from the curious look his bulging eyes held.

"I am Miss Baggins, of the Shire. I am lost... And I need to find the way out." Brynna was tired and cold, so she she didn't even bother to introduce herself as her brother.

"It's lost, it is?" Gollum scuttled closer, but was stopped short by her blade at his throat.

Brynna was very scared, she was very close to killing this creature. "Don't come any closer."

"What's it got in it's handses?" Looking at the sword, which he apparently didn't like.

"A sword, an elvish blade from Gondolin!"

"Ssss..." Gollum moved away, becoming a little more polite and less threatening. "Praps we sits here and chats with it for a bitsy, my preciousss?"

"I don't have time for games! I have to regroup with the dwarves..."

"Games! Ooh we loves gameses! Does it, does it like to play?" The demeanor and tone of the creature lightened into a joyous atmosphere, and it smiled in what way it could at her.

Brynna didn't want to stick around with this creature any longer, but leaving it here where it could easily follow her and kill her seemed far to risky. She would stay and 'play' with it for a while, just until she knew more about it. "Yes yes, I like to play. Let's have a game of riddles. Hmmm... You first." She hadn't had time to think of a riddle, and decided to let Gollum go first.

So Gollum hissed out his riddle:

What has roots as as nobody sees,

Is taller than trees,

Up, up it goes,

And yet never grows?

"Easy!" Bryn let out a snort, "Mountain, I suppose."

"Does it guess easy? It must have a competition with us, my preciouss. If precious asks, and it does not answer, we eats it whole. If it asks us, and we doesn't answer, we show it the way out, yes?"

"All right! Seems fair enough." Brynna sheathed her sword, finding the creature's attitude to be more or less friendly. She racked her name for riddles, not wanting to let Gollum become impatient.

Thirty white horses on a red hill,

First they champ,

Then they stamp,

Then they stand still.

It was a rather old one, and Gollum had little problem guessing the answer. "Teeth! Teeth, my preciousss. But we, we only has six!" Then, with bulging eyes narrowing to slits, asked his next riddle.

Voicless it cries,

Wingless flutters,

Toothless bites,

Mouthless mutters.

"Half a moment!" Brynna cried, her mind still on her last riddle. Luckily, she had heard a riddle similiar to this one before, and with her wits back she was able to answer. "Wind, wind of course." She was rather pleased that she had come up with this riddle on the spot (and looking at her surroundings was sure that her riddle would be a dreadful poser for Gollum).

An eye in a blue face,

Saw an eye in a blue face,

"That eye is like to the eye"

Said the first eye,

"But in a low place

Not in a high place."

"Ss, ss, ss." Gollum hissed. This riddle must have duped him, and Brynna was just about to call out her victory when he figured it out. "Sun on the daisies it means, it does." She had obviously put him in a foul mood, and his next riddle was far more unpleasant.

It cannot be seen,cannot be felt,

Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,

It lies behind stars and under hills,

And empty holes it fills,

It comes first, and follows after,

Ends life, kills laughter.

Fortunately for Brynna she had heard this kind of riddle before and had no trouble in answering him. The answer was all around her anyways. "Dark!" Gollum seethed that she was able to answer so easily, and she quickly threw out a riddle before he got violent.

A box without hinges, key, or lid,

Yet golden treasureinside is hid.

This was a dreadfully easy chestnut to crack, and Brynna had no doubt that Gollum would guess it with ease. Contrary to her beliefs, Gollum was having quite a lot of trouble over her simple riddle. He sluttered and hissed, clutching at the few wispy strands of hair he had on his head as he tried to find the answer.

After some time Bryn became quite impatient. "Well, what is it?" She asked. "The answer isn't a kettle boiling over, as you seem to think it is with all of the noise you're making.

"Give us a chance; let it give us a chance, my preciousss, ss, ss."

"Well," Brynna asked again after giving him a long chance, " what about your guess?"

Gollum looked at her with a mixture of sorrow and wrath, but then his eyes went blacnk and he smiled, screeching, "Eggses! Eggses it is, my preciouss!" Then he asked:

Alive without breath,

As cold as death,

Never thirsty, ever drinking,

All in mail,never clinking.

Now it was Brynna's turn to be flustered by the chestnut Gollum had given her. She had never gotten very familiar with the water, and so the answer was not close to coming to her. She was also very cold, very hungry, and scared of the nasty creature beside her.

After a while of Brynna thinking Gollum began to hiss in pleasure. "Is it nice, my preciouss? Is it juicy? Is it scruptiously crunchable?" He began to edge out of the darkness.

"Half a moment! I gave you a good long chance just now!"

"It must make haste, haste!" Gollum edged closer to her, his shadow falling on the water and disturbing the fish that laid there.

"Fish! Fish! The answer is fish." She cried, and asked another riddle as quick as she could, seeing as Gollum was becoming ever impatient and agitated.

No-legs lay on one-leg, two-legs sat near on three-legs, and four-legs got some.

It was not really the time for this kind of riddle, but Bryn was in a hurry. Gollum might have had some trouble guessing it, she mused, if she had asked it another time. As it was, talking of fish, "no-legs" was not so very difficult. "Fish on a little table, man at table sitting on a stool, the cat has the bones." Then Gollum asked a truly hard and horrible one. This is what he said:

This thing all things devours:

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats high mountain down.

Poor Brynna thought of all the horrible names of the giants and orcs she had ever heard of, but none of them had done all of these things. She had a feeling that the answer was quite different from what she thought it was, and that she should know what it was. She began to get frightened, and that was very bad for thinking. Gollum approached her, hissing and smacking his lips.

Brynna wanted to shout 'Give me more time! Give me time', but all that came out of her dry throat was, "Time! Time!" She was saved by pure luck, and sighed in relief when Gollum's wails of defeat confirmed that 'Time' was the answer.

"It's tricky it is, my preciousss..." Gollum whispered to himself, not moving away from her. Brynna decided that now was the time for her to take out her sword, and did so, not hesitating to thrust it towards Gollum. "Ss, ss, ss..." He hissed, moving a little ways away, but not far enough that she couldn't see him.

Having Gollum so near to her scattered her wits, and she couldn't think properly. Many riddles came to mind, but they were either to easy or they had already been used.

"It's got to ask uss a question, my preciouss, yes, yess, yesss! Just one more question to guess, yes, yess!" His words made Brynna shiver all the more, sice this was basically his warning to her that he would either kill her after this question or he would show her the way out.

But Bryn couldn't for the life of her think of a riddle with Gollum so near to her. Gollum moved closer to her, still wary of the sword, but getting brazen enough to poke her legs and sides. She scratched her head, pinched the bridge of her nose, and stomped her feet on the ground, shooing Gollum away when he started to get really distracting.

"Ask us!" Gollum said lightly, then his tone darkened and he shouted, "Ask us!"

Brynna herself some more, gripped thelittle sword all the tigheter, and even felt in her waistcoat pocket with her other hand. There she found the ring she had found in the tunnels before and forgotten about.

"What have I got in my pocket?" She had directed this question at herself, but Gollum thought it was a riddle, and got in a terrible foul mood. He began to wail and throw himself on the ground like a child.

"Not fair! not fair!" He hissed. It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in it's nassty little pocketses? Gollum, gollum."

Seeing what she had done, and not having any other question for him she stuck to what she had asked. "What have I got in my pocket?" She said, louder this time.

"S-s-s-s-s," Gollum hissed, "It must give us three guesses, my precious, three guesses!"

"Very well! Guess away!" Brynna was sure that he would fail at this, but he had proved her wrong before, so she kept her sword held out in front of her defensively.

"Handses!" Gollum cried.

"Wrong,"said Bryn, who had luckily just taken her hand out of her pocket. "Guess again."

"S-s-s-s-s." Gollum seethed, going through all of the bones and filth he had stoed away on the floor behind him years ago. "Rats bones, goblins teeth, bats wings..." He mumbled to himself, whimpering in desperation.

"Knife!" he said at last.

"Wrong!" replied Brynna, who had lost hers quite some time ago. "Last guess!"

Gollum hissed and spluttered, rocking himself backwards and forwards. He slapped his feet and his head, throwing rocks at the floor. He was in a far worse state than when she had asked him the egg-question that was for sure.

"Come on! I'm waiting!" She said the last part with a hint of jolly victory to it, feeling her hopes rise. She didn't dare to pity this creature. It had said clearly that it wanted to eat her. And she didn't even dare to let her hopes rise to much, because she wasn't sure if the game would end up how she wanted it to.

"String, or nothing!" Shrieked Gollum, cheating by working the guesses in at the same time. Bryn had half the mind to call him out on his foul, but decided to let it be. He hand't guessed right anyways.

"Both wrong." She sighed in relief that she had won, but quickly backed away in fright when Gollum began to hiss and wail. The riddle game was a very sacred game, and was of immense antiquity, and that even the foulest of creatures did not dare to cheat. But still, Brynna had no good feelings about this creature, and didn't trust that it could keep a promise at a pinch.

"Gollum stared at her for a while, before sitting down a ways away from her to shiver and whisper to himself. He sat like this for a while, not moving from his spot.

Finally, Brynna could wait no longer. "Well?" she asked. "What about your promise? I want to go. You must show me the way."

"Did we say so, precious. Did we say so? Show the nassty Baggins the way out, yes, yess... But what has it got in it's pocketses? Not string, not nothing. Gollum, gollum."

"Never you mind." Brynna pointed the sword at him. "A promise is a promise."

"It is cross it is, impatient it is, yes my precious. But it must wait. We have things we needs. Can't go into the goblinses tunnels so hasty, can we preciouss. Gollum, gollum."

"Well hurry it up!" Brynna said impatiently. Yes, she was indeed cross and tired and hungry. She wanted to get out of these blasted tunnels. What could this bulging-eyed creature have that was necessary to go into the tunnels?

Gollum slipped from Bryn's side, getting into a little boat she hadn't seen before and paddling away into the gloomy lake.

"He more than likely won't come back for you. Dirty little cheat." She muttered under her breath, moving her weight from one foot to the other in an attempt to stay warm. Still, she waited fro the creature, hoping that maybe he would have honesty in his little wretched body.

Suddenly, she heard a screech. It echoed through the tunnels and resounded in her ears. It sent shivers down her spine when Gollum screeched again. She could hear him wailing and screaming, and she could hear what sounded like rocks being thrown into the water.

"Where isss it? Where iss it?" Brynna could hear him crying to himself. "Losst it is, my precious, lost, lost! Curse us and crush, my precious is lost!"

"What have you lost?" She called out to him, wondering what in Middle Earth he could have that was so valuable that he would curse himself for losing it.

"Musn't ask us!" he replied. "Not it's business! Gollum, gollum. It's lost, gollum, gollum!"

"Well so am I," cried Brynna, utterly tired of this game she had suffered. "And I want to get unlost. I won the game, and you promised to show me the way out. So come along and then continue with your looking." As miserable as Gollum sounded, Bryn couldn't find it in herself to pity him. Besides, anything he wanted that badly couldn't be good. "Come along!" she shouted.

"No, not yet, my preciouss," Gollum answered. "We must search for it, gollum, gollum."

"But you never guessed my last question, and you promised," Brynna, the end of her protest coming out in a sort of whine. She was very tired, and wished she had someone there with her to comfort her.

"Never guessed!" Gollum hissed in indignation. "What has it got in it's pocketses? It must tell us that first."

As far as Brynna knew, there were no particular reasons not to tell Gollum what she had in her pocket. But something deep within kept her mouth shut. She had no desire to share with this creature the answer to her riddle. He was foul, and apparently untrustworthy. And fair was fair. She had won the game, there was no doubt about that. "Answers were to be guessed, not given."

"Tell us what is has in it's nassty little pocketses!" Gollum was slinking closer from out of the darkness. His eyes reflecting what little light was there made it look like two glowing orbs were coming towards her.

"What have you lost?" Brynna took her hand out of her pocket, holding onto her sword with both hands. Gollum was not to be trusted, and his voice sounded fouler and angrier than it had.

Brynna could only guess what had angered Gollum so much, but now she knew that there was no hope of him helping her out. If he was going to do anything to her, he would kill her. She heard his little boat scrape up against the moist dirt, and saw his eyes glowering at her from the gloom.

She took the chance to run. Hoping that perhaps she could lose this creature in the dark, even though it was obvious that he didn't need light to see.

"It stole it! It stole's the preciouss! Thief! Thief!" Gollum raced after her, hissing and screaming as he scuttled after her.

Bryn gasped as she ran straight into a wall, missing the corner by a foot. One hand flew to her head and then she started to run again. She dug her hand into her pocket, (a very difficult thing to do while running) fingering the gold ring she had found. Why did Gollum want this so bad? It didn't matter, even if she gave it to him he wouldn't spare her life he was in such a rage.

She skidded past another corner, her brother's brass buttons skidded in every direction, and she had no choice but to leave them. Her brother was so proud of his buttons, but he wasn't running for his life, so he couldn't compalin if he loved her.

Her foot hit a rock in the pathway, and she stumbled and fell. The force of her fall puching the air out of her. The little golden ring slipped on to her finger with her pocket.

Gollum sped out of the gloom from behind her, and she wouldn't have been able to see him if it weren't for his glowing eyes. He was still hissing and seething. "Thief! Thief!" He glared right at where she was, and then his yellow orbs moved on and he scuttled away from her.

Brynna gaped. He had completely ignored her, and hadn't even acknowledged that she was laying right there. She clenched the fist that was within her pocket, and felt the cool metal of the ring against her palm. Hastily she took her hand out of her pocket, and squinted at the ring. The edges of her vision were more blurred than before she had put on the ring, but she could blame that on the fact that she had hit her head on the wall.

Hearing Gollum's screams she decided to follow him. He might just lead her to the exit, if he had the mind to check the exits.

She kept her distance, wincing whenever he would look back through her and then continue on. No matter what reason would say, the funny little ring she had picked up had turned her invisible. It was an exciting thought to know that she had found (or stolen) a magic ring.

It filled her with excitement when she saw the tunnel begin to lighten and Gollum began to truly lead her to the exit. He must have thought her a liar and believed that she actually knew where the 'way out' was.

Gollum glanced at the entrance/exit, ducking his head when a goblin passed by. Brynna watched the goblins, and sighed. How would she get past Gollum and out into the open without one of the guards noticing her?

Brynna jerked her head towards the sounds of shouting and yelling. It was quite a surprise when all of her dwarves filed out into the open, killing the sentries and guards, and then racing out into the open. Without her. Surely they knew by now that she was gone? Perhaps they hadn't had time to notice? No matter what the situation was, there was one thing stopping her from following them.

Gollum had hid from out of their sight behind a boulder. And was still blocking her path.

A moment of decision came upon her, and she hefted her sword as she prepared to take Gollum's life. It was when she saw the look of sorrow in his eyes, and the true sorrow in his eyes that she felt pity creep into her. Her sword came down slowly, resting right next to his exposed neck.

Still, she hesitated. Brynna tilted her head, looking at his sad blue eyes when he looked straight through her. Emptiness. That was what she saw in his eyes. He felt as hollow as she had felt when she had started to leave her dwarves. Probably more so.

Sighing, she let her arm fall back to her side. Gandalf's words came back to her:

"It takes more courage to know when to spare a life, than when to take one."

She felt a surge of happiness remembering the gray wizard's words. She missed Gandalf's riddles, Bofur's smiles, and Thorin's gruff words. She was going to experience every one of those things again, and to do that, she would have to go forward.

Backing up as much as she could, she ran at Gollum, leaping over him as high as she could. As she leaped, her foot hit Gollum's head, alerting him to her pressence.

As she sped out of the exit and down the steep hill she heard his screams of outrage.

"Thief! Thief! Thief! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever!"

His words sent a shiver down her spine,a nd she ran even faster. Finally, she could hear her beloved company, and bagan to slow. She hadn't taken off the ring, and when she heard raised voices she leaned against a tree and decided not to even show herself... yet.

"Where's our burglar?" Bofur asked, voice filled with worry and fear.

Gandalf's voice was a rather unexpected surprise, and she was happy that he had caught up to them. "Where is Bilbo?"

'You were with him weren't you? Nori?" Balin asked sternly.

Nori replied defensively, "I saw him right before we left. But I couldn't have kept him with me! We were being stabbed and shoved all the way to the Goblin King's throne room"

"We should go back for him!" Bofur's protective voice warmed Brynna's heart, and she was glad that someone was determined to save her.

"He left us!" Brynna could almost see Thorin's face as he spoke, "He has been dreaming of his hearth and his arm chair since he left home." That was uncalled for, and wasn't true. "We will not be seeing our burglar again. He is long gone." A tone of regret and bitterness tinged his voice, and Bryn couldn't just let him accuse her falsely for one more moment.

"No he is not." She pulled off the ring, holding it in her fist and she walked out into plain sight.

"You came back!" Bofur grinned, shoulders relaxing from his position of firm determination.

Brynna smiled back at him, gracing even Thorin with one her smiles. "Yes I came back. Of course I came back." She slipped the ring into her vest pocket, coughing a little when she noiced the suspicious look on Gandalf's face.

The gray wizard huffed before saying, "Well, it doesn't really matter. He's back and that's what matters." Gandalf seemed to be avoiding something, or trying to avoid something.

"No, it does matter. I want to know." Thorin's voice commanded her attention, and her eyes met his in less than a heartbeat. "Why did you come back?" His saphire blue eyes searched hers, as though her brown ones held the answer he sought.

Bryn thought about her answer, wondering what on earth had made her change her mind. She had been so sad and glum not four hours ago. It didn't take long for the words in her heart to come to her mind, and she was able to speak them.

"I know you doubt me, I would doubt me too if I didn't know me. I miss my brother, my books, and night by the hearth. No matter where I go, in the end, that's my home. And I suppose that's why I came back. Becuase you don't have one; a home. It was stolen from you." Bryn paused, biting her lip before finishing her mini speech. "And even though I'm not a warrior or even a real burglar, as long as I am with you, I will so whatever I can to help you get your home back."

Thorin looked at her with what she could guess was a look of astonishment before blinking rapidly and looking down at the grass. Bryn watched him for a moment longer before looking at the rest of the company with a whole-hearted smile.

That look of utter disbelief that he had worn once she had finished speaking stunned her, and she wondered why he would be the first to break eye contact. Any other time they had held eye contact she had been the first to look away. Her eyes went back to Thorin, and as if sensing her eyes on him he look back into her eyes. She offered a small smile, and his jaw loosened a little.

A cough ended the small moment, and they all turned their attention back on Gandalf. "Well now that we're all back together, I do believe we should move on."

"We can't rest for just a moment?" Bofur asked, putting his hand on Bombur's shoulder. Poor Bombur was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and Brynna wondered if there was a way that they could stay here for just an hour more.

"By nightfall these hills will be crawling with orcs an goblins alike. We have but one chance, and that is to get as far away from here as possible before the sun goes down." Thorin gestured towards the already setting sun for emphasis.

Bryn reached for her pack, and realized that she didn't even have it. She must have lost it when she tumbled down into the caverns. It was dissapointing that she wouldn't have an of her clothes or anything else she had brought with her for that matter.

Not without grumbles and sighs, Bombur got up from off the ground. Bofur helped him up, gesturing for Bifur to help him in turn. Giving the mountains behind her a worried look, she went over to help Bofur.

Once Bombur was on his feet and started along his sheer weight carried him along, and Brynna, Bofur and Bifur were able to step away from him and focus on their own aching and weary bones.

"I'm glad ye came back." Bofur whispered in her ear, the amiable dwarf seeming to forget the hurtful words she had aimed towards him and his kin.

"Me as well... Ah, and Bofur..." Brynna glanced at him nervously. Bofur was very accepting, and had been one of the first of the dwarves to take a liking to her, surely she could tell him her secret?

"Yes."

"Could we, uh, talk privately... later? Once we're out of iminent danger?" She fiddled with her fingers, looking anywhere but at him. She wanted more than anything now to tell him about her... feminine nature. It would be better to tell him then rather than later.

"Alright... I don't see why we can't talk about it now, but alright." Bofur shrugged his shoulders, giving her a tired smile.

It comforted her to know that after they were ot of the Misty Mountains' shadow, she would be able to walk relatively freely around Bofur.

A.N.: Okay guys, I couldn't spell check this yet, so no hard feelings, ok? I will repost it later, in a more readable form.

Happy Holidays! Hope you like the chapter!