Previously

All of a sudden, there was a noise from inside the tunnel. She looked up, trying to see what it was, but the tunnel was too dark. She could hear someone, or something coming towards her, and two goblins appeared, their swords drawn. They noticed her, and ran towards her. She gasped in horror, trying to move away, but one of them grabbed her, the other getting her pack, and she was dragged into the depths of the dark tunnel. She struggled for a moment, but in vain. Something hit her over the head, and she lost consciousness.

Chapter 8. Down, Down To Goblin Town

Most of the dwarves had fallen asleep, except Bofur who was on watch. The wind was still howling outside, the rain sweeping across the mountains. Bofur wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, the cave was freezing. A movement in a corner of the cave caught his eye, and he looked up to see Bilbo rolling up his bedding and stuffing it in his pack. He didn't say anything, but continued to watch the hobbit as he packed all his belongings away, which wasn't much, and shouldered his bag. It was only when the Halfling was tiptoeing past that Bofur spoke.

"Where do you think you are going?" The hobbit had obviously forgotten he was on watch for the night.

Bilbo looked at him sadly. "Back to Rivendell."

The dwarf looked at him in shock, getting up from his place on the floor.

"You can't turn back now? You're part of the company!" he insisted. "You're one of us!"

"But I'm not though, am I?" Bilbo sighed.

"Thorin said I should never have come…and he was right," Bilbo admitted, looking around at his sleeping friends. He turned back to Bofur, whose face was a mixture of sorrow and pity. "My true place is at Bag End; I don't know what I was thinking…I should never have run out of my door…"

"You're homesick," Bofur tried to persuade the hobbit. "I understand-"

"No you don't," Bilbo's voice became high with irritation. "No, you don't understand, and how could you? You're dwarves!" Bilbo gestured around the inside of the mountain. "Y-You're used to this kind of life, on the move, never sticking to one place or belonging anywhere!"

Bofur's face dropped; his eyes sad and pained, his shoulders slumped as he sat down again. Bilbo appeared to regret what he said, but it was too late to take it back.

"Alright, I'm sorry. I-I didn't-" he cleared his throat and looked at his feet.

Bofur nodded slowly, the ears of his hat flopping around, "No, you're right…" He turned to his kin that lay on the floor, Bombur's snores stirring them as they slept. "We don't belong anywhere," Bofur's voice was rough with grief and pity. He smiled at the hobbit sadly.

"I wish you all the luck in the world." Bofur laughed fondly and shook the hobbit's shoulder. "I really do."

Bofur's attention was suddenly caught by a faint light coming from the top of Bilbo's scabbard. A chill ran down his spine as he asked,

"Bilbo… what is that?" The hobbit looked down in surprise, quickly pulling out his 'letter-opener'. The blade was glowing blue. Bilbo's eyes widened and he looked up at the dwarf in horror. That confirmed Bofur's suspicions, and he turned to the sleeping company.

"WAKE UP! Everyone get up now!" Thorin jumped to his feet, wielding Orcrist. Unknown to Bilbo and Bofur, the dwarf king had heard the whole conversation. The others started to get up, just as the ground beneath them began to rumble. The cave floor collapsed, taking the dwarves with it, into the depths of the mountain.

Eve woke to the sound of a bolt being pushed into place. She raised a hand to her head; it felt like someone was pounding it with an anvil. Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. She was in a small cell carved out of the rock with a thick wooden door blocking the only exit. A torch flickered faintly, illuminating the dim room, and creating eerie shadows, but it was too high up for her to reach. She shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, trying to get some warmth. Without her cloak, she was freezing. She looked around to see if her bag was there, but it must have been taking away when they captured her. Not that I put up much of a fight, she thought dryly. Resting her head against the wall, her mind wandered to her companions. Where they alright? Were they even alive? Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of them. She rested her chin on her knees, closing her eyes, trying to think of anything but her friends' death.

She jumped as the door to her prison banged open, and three goblins marched in. Eve backed away into a corner, trying to keep away from them, but they grabbed her wrists, dragging her out of the cell, which suddenly seemed a lot nicer than it had moments before. She was hit by a blast of heat and foul air that seemed to fill the huge chasm she was in. They forced her along some very unsafe looking bridges, heading to a platform that seemed to be suspended in the middle of the mountain. She looked around; the whole place was connected by bridges and ladders, some of which were swaying. A rope-pulley system connected several areas, and she did a double take when she saw a strange, deformed goblin speeding along in a bucket like thing. She was in a goblin town, she must be! There were thousands of the creatures, climbing around and sharpening weapons. She shivered, and a thought popped into her head.

What happens at home, if I die here? She didn't have much time to dwell on that though, nor did she want to. As they reached the platform, Eve noticed there was a throne in the middle, upon which sat possibly the foulest, most disgustingly vile creature in the whole of Middle-Earth. It was huge, fat and had such a large goitre it made Eve feel nauseous. Resting on its wispy white hair was a pointy crown. The goblins' holding Eve forced her to her knees, and she looked up at what she assumed was the Goblin King. He sneered down at her, making her cringe away in disgust. This resulted in a chorus of inhumane laughter, chilling Eve to the bone.

"What have we got here?" he asked, squinting at her. "A human! And a girl at that!" he smiled down at her, which was even more disturbing than his sneer.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my kingdom?" Eve remained silent, not wishing to tell him anything, as that would include her friends, and she would never betray them. The 'King' nodded to one of the goblins behind her, and she cried out as a whip lashed against her back. The goblin repeated the action three more times, and Eve managed to stay silent. Only just. More goblins had appeared by now, creating a ring around her, their 'King' and the goblin with the whip.

"I will ask again," said the Goblin King. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Again she ignored the question, bracing herself for more lashes. The goblin behind her swung the whip five more times, and she didn't make a sound, even though her back felt like it was on fire. She sensed something wet running down her back, realising it must be her own blood. A wave of nausea passed over her, but she managed to hold it in. With a gulp, she looked back up at her interrogator. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at her.

"This is your last chance-" he began, but was interrupted by several screeches that were steadily getting louder.

The Goblin King looked up, as did Eve, to see the dwarves being shoved and dragged towards them. As the dwarves noticed her, their mouths dropped open in shock and amazement. She briefly glanced at each of them, before her eyes finally rested on the dark-haired dwarf she had grown to like so much. Kili's face lit up when he spotted her, and then changed into an expression of horror as he saw the injuries on her back. She grimaced, giving him a look that clearly said,

'Why is it always me?'

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the Goblin King, who was sitting on his throne watching them.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?!" He demanded, as if he expected them to answer. He eyed them, enraged by their silence.

"Spies? Thieves? Assassins?!" The dwarves remained silent, constantly glancing at the girl they had thought dead. The Goblin King noticed this, looking between the dwarves and Eve.

"So, you know each other do you?" he cackled, an evil glint appearing in his eyes. "Let's do this the fun way." He added, nodding at the goblin holding the whip. Before any of the dwarves could react, it lashed at Eve, who bit her lip against the pain, tears forming in her eyes. The dwarves cried out in rage, pulling at the goblins who were restraining them. Eve was shaking her head, begging them not to give any information. Most of the dwarves stopped struggling, and watch the girl in dismay. Kili however, continued to fight against his captors, desperate to help her.

The Goblin King looked between Kili and Eve, who was shaking her head at the young dwarf, her face clouded with fear. The creature laughed, before pointing at the goblins holding Kili, and gesturing to have him brought forward. Thorin's eyes went wide as his nephew was dragged in front of the 'King'. The goblins pushed him into a kneeling position opposite Eve, so he was forced to look at her. His fear was mirrored in her eyes, and he realized he didn't know whether they would make it out alive. The goblin whipped Eve again, and Kili cried out in fury. Again and again the whip fell, finally earning a scream from the girl. The dwarves were shouting in anger, forced to watch and not be able to help. The goblin raised the whip once more, and Kili was worried she wouldn't be able to take another hit. However, Thorin stepped in between the goblin and its prey, having managed to wrestle himself from the grasp of his captor.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"And look who it is! Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror. King under the mountain! Oh, but I'm forgetting you don't have a mountain...You're not a king. Which makes you… nobody really," The Goblin King did a mocking bow, before sneering at the dwarf.

"I know someone who would pay pretty price for your head. Just a head. Nothing attached… perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy... A Pale Orc astride a White Warg?" The Goblin King questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Azog was slain in battle years ago," Thorin blurted out, as though he was trying to reassure himself. The Goblin King smiled cruelly, before turning to the deformed goblin on the pulley.

"Send word to the Pale Orc, tell him I have found his prize," His eyes wandered over to Eve, who was still kneeling and breathing deeply. "And maybe a present, courtesy of me!"

One of the goblins picked up Thorin's sword, but threw it aside, as if it burned him. The other goblins caught sight of the sword, and all drew back quickly, full of fear.

"The goblin cleaver! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" The 'King' cowered into his throne.

"Kill them! Kill them all! But leave the girl! Bring her to me!" The Goblins grabbed Eve, who struggled against them, but she was in too much pain to resist. She watched on in horror as Thorin was pulled down, a goblin ready to cut off his head. As Kili and Fili cried out, the arena was flooded with white light, knocking everyone to the floor.

"Gandalf!"

"Take up arms, we fight!"

Kili grabbed his bow, quiver and sword, and went to help Eve. He picked her up in his arms, running to catch up with the other dwarves. Gandalf lead them forward through the caves, after they had retrieved their weapons from the floor, killing a multitude of goblins as they did so. The King was knocked back off the edge of the platform they had been standing on, and as soon as they were all armed, they started running.

Just as they were going past a small cave, Eve cried out, making Kili stop and look at her, worry appearing on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly, looking her up and down.

"Yes, it's just- my bag. It's just in there, please. I have something very precious to me." He nodded, setting her down for a moment so he could retrieve her bag. He was back a few seconds later, handing it to her as he picked her up.

The dwarves fought their way through the swarms of goblins, the blood starting to dry on their hands. As they made their way across a bridge, the Goblin King literally appeared out of nowhere.

"You thought you could escape me? What is your plan now, wizard?!"

Gandalf, completely fed up with goblins, slashed his sword across the Goblin's stomach.

"That'll do it…"

The Goblin King fell forward, which actually broke the bridge. The dwarfs were sent tumbling towards the ground, ironically, it was Bofur who was screaming the loudest. Eve clung to a pole, holding on for dear life, and noticed Fili beside her, in the same position. He gave her a reassuring smile, just as they crashed into the ground.

"Well, that could have been worse," Bofur exclaimed, his hat flopping over his face. However, their luck seemed to have run out, as the body of the Goblin King tumbled towards them, flattening them.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING." Bofur shouted.

Eve dragged herself away from the bridge. She had been flung off as it hit the ground, adding to her countless other injuries. She leaned against a wall, trying to breathe normally. A shout caught her attention, and she looked up to see hundreds of goblins crawling down the rocks. Grabbing her bag, she stumbled towards Kili, who picked her up again, running with the others down yet another tunnel. Yet this one was different; at the end was daylight. They ran out into the bright sunshine, the wind blowing on their faces as they raced down the hill. When they reached a woody area, Gandalf stopped, and began counting to see if they were all there. Kili gently put Eve down, and Oin hurried over to inspect her back. Even though they had no medical supplies, he would at least be able to bind it. A shout from Gandalf made him turn around. The wizard was looking at each member of the company, searching for someone who wasn't there.

"Where is Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit?" he cried, turning to Thorin.

"He's deserted us. I heard him myself, he was planning to return to Rivendell. We will certainly not be seeing him again," Thorin boomed, sheathing his sword.

Not a moment later, Bilbo literally appeared out of nowhere.

"Bilbo!" They all called at once, running to greet him.

"How ever did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked, completely amazed.

"Yes. How indeed?" Dwalin narrowed his eyes at Bilbo, who had discreetly deposited the ring he had found into his pocket; an action that did not go unnoticed by Gandalf.

"Well, why does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf exclaimed, happy to see the small Hobbit safe.

"It matters," Thorin snapped back. "I want to know - why did you come back?"

Bilbo sighed. "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. 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." Bilbo answered, smiling.

They were distracted by the sound of howling above them. Wargs.

"Out of the frying pan…" Gandalf began.

"And into the fire. Run!" Thorin yelled.

The dwarfs turned on their heels and ran as fast as they could. The Orcs were almost flying down the hill, due to the speed of the Wargs they rode on. Kili grabbed Eve and raced after the others.

"The trees!" Thorin shouted as they reached the edge of yet another cliff. Stupid Middle-Earth and it's stupid cliffs, Eve muttered. The dwarfs scurried into different trees, all helping one another up. Eve managed to grab onto a branch, and was pulled up by Kili, and he climbed up to help her again. Eve gripped onto the trunk of the tree tightly, she hated heights. Within a few moments, all of the dwarfs and Bilbo were in the trees, and the Wargs jumped up against them, saliva foaming in their mouths as they looked at what they considered 'dinner'.

A large Pale Orc rode into the clearing, and Thorin stiffened.

"It cannot be…"

"Do you smell it? The scent of fear? Your father reeked of it… Thorin, son of Thrain. Thorin is mine. Kill the others!" Azog declared to his pack of Wargs, and they advanced on the trees.

The Wargs started to attack the trees, throwing themselves at it, jumping up, biting the trunks. Kili held onto Eve tightly, as their tree began to tip.

"We have to jump!" he shouted, grabbing her hand. As their tree collapsed, they jumped into the one next to it, which also began to fall. It caused a domino effect, and quite soon, all the company was in one tree on the edge of a cliff. Gandalf grabbed a pine cone from next to him, and lit it with his staff, before throwing it at the Wargs. He grabbed another, lighting it, and chucking it to Fili, who lit one of his own. They all started to chuck the pine cones at the Wargs, several of the creatures caught fire. Kili cheered in victory as the beasts were forced to retreat behind a wall of flames, but it was short lived. Their tree started to tilt backwards, and the company clung onto the branches as the tree slowly tipped over the edge of the cliff.

A/N So, I'm going to leave it on a lovely cliff-hanger, in this case, quite literally!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it's taken a while, but I wanted to get it out. I may not be able to update for some time, because I REALLY need to work on one of my other stories!

I'm also thinking of letting one of the dwarves fall, maybe Ori. I always wondered how the quest would be if a dwarf dies on the way….

Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, I'm sorry if I didn't reply! (I will catch up!)

Please tell me what you think; your opinions are so useful! And keep on bringing the cupcakes! (And creeeeeam!) ;) ~Littlelots ^.^