Previously

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.

Chapter 9. An Series Of Unexpected Events

Eve grasped her branch as tightly as she could. The effort caused her back to feel like it was on fire as her muscles strained to keep her from falling. It was like being in a nightmare, her feet hanging over the abyss, the smell of pinecones filling the air, along with smoke that clogged up her lungs. The Wargs were watching them hungrily, several rolling on their backs, trying to put out the flames on their fur. The heat from the blaze burned her skin; one of the branches quite close to her had caught fire. Smoke, fire. The memory came upon her like a dark cloud, taking her from reality.

"Thanks Mr Burrows!" I shouted, climbing out of the little Mini Cooper, my archery equipment in a padded case, and the gleaming gold cup clutched in my hand. I waved goodbye, setting off down the track to my uncle's farm. I had been living with him since my parents had died; he had no other family, and had looked after me as if I was his own daughter. I was almost jumping with excitement. My final shot had landed dead centre of the target, beating my arch-enemy by one precious point. The competition had been for the district, and they would put my name forward for the national tournament. My uncle had won the national cup three times in a row, and I was desperate to follow in his footsteps.

I neared the end of the track, smelling something strange. Wood, burning. Maybe my uncle has made a bonfire, I thought. He had been planning on cutting down the big yew tree near our house. As I turned a bend, I could see the farm up ahead. My archery case and trophy dropped to the ground. There were flames licking up the buildings walls, and part of the roof had tumbled down. I broke into a run, screaming my uncle's name as I got closer. I saw someone moving near our truck, and ran towards them. There was a fire-engine and an ambulance here already, and I recognised Mrs Millsby, our housekeeper, turning to face me. She held her arms out and I crashed into them, embracing her.

"Where's Uncle?" I asked, tears rolling down my cheeks. Smoke was pouring out of the house, catching in my lungs and making me cough. The housekeeper led me away, away from the flames, the smoke, and the sight. I struggled, trying to get towards the house, screaming for my uncle, but she was too strong. After a few moments, I stopped fighting her, becoming a dead weight and gazing at the dry earth. She lifted my chin upwards, so I was forced to look at her, and I saw that she was crying too.

"Your uncle is inside; they have sent some men-" she broke off, as two fire-fighters appeared at the door, carrying a stretcher between them. I raced over, Mrs Millsby at my heels, stopping next to my uncle.

"Uncle?" I asked, my voice wavering as I held back tears. His skin was red raw, covered in cuts and burns. His clothes were ragged, and the smell of burnt flesh made me feel sick. "Uncle!" I cried again, my shoulders beginning to shake. The paramedics took him into the ambulance, which quickly drove off, as the firemen continued to try and put out the house. I fell to my knees, my head in my hands, tears running down my face. The smoke was too much, the pain too excessive, and I swayed slightly, before collapsing to the ground as consciousness left me.

Kili hung on as best as he could. Eve was next to him, holding onto the tree as though it was her life-support, but there seemed to be something wrong with her.

"Eve?" He asked, gazing at her intently. She was looking around in panic, breathing too quickly. Kili moved towards her, instinct driving him as he climbed along the branch. All of a sudden, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she let go. Kili tried to grab her, but her fingers slipped through his, and she plummeted towards the ground. He screamed her name, grabbing back onto his branch so he would not fall himself. When he looked down again, Eve had vanished, and Kili felt something break inside him, as though part of his soul had just been wrenched away. He stared at the ground below, shock filling every inch of him. She was gone, gone and never coming back. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he nearly fell from lack of concentration. His mind wandered, Eve saving them from the trolls, Eve getting hurt by the Warg, and when she was being whipped by that Orc. Each memory was like someone stabbing his heart, ridding his world of all joy and hope.

He started as he heard a cry of anger, and saw his uncle running towards Azog.

"No!" he called, struggling to climb onto the branch so he could help Thorin. He slipped, and nearly lost his grip altogether. Thorin ignored his companions. The company let out anguished cries as Thorin charged towards the Pale Orc. It was all looking so promising, but the entire company knew that Pale Orc was going to kill Thorin there and then. As Thorin let out a battle cry, his companions watched in horror as the White Warg knocked Thorin flat. He struggled, but managed to slice at the beast's head. Thorin stood up; swinging at the Orc, but Azog whacked him with his mace, sending him flying. The White Warg grabbed his uncle, shaking him like a doll, before throwing him towards the edge of the cliff. Another figure darted past Kili, and he looked up to see Bilbo wielding his 'letter opener'.

"Bring me the dwarf's head." Azog ordered, pointing at one of the Orcs. It marched over to where Thorin lay motionless, raising his sword to cut off his head. However, Bilbo jumped at it, stabbing it with his sword, before standing in front of Thorin, waving his blade in defence.

"I will use this if I have to!" The brave little hobbit shouted, glaring at his opponents.

A hand appeared next to Kili's face, and he looked up to see Fili, grinning at him.

"Need a hand there brother?" he asked, pulling his younger sibling up onto the branch. Kili glanced down at the ground, whispering goodbye to the girl who had become more than just a friend. Turning to his brother, they ran towards Bilbo, who was being charged by three Wargs, and attacked, protecting the hobbit and their leader. Azog, mouth gaping, watched the scene unfold before him. This couldn't be happening, he had been winning, and now he was going to lose.

A few of the other dwarfs were still stuck in the tree, such as Ori and Dori, were now beginning to lose grip on the staff that Gandalf had extended to them, and suddenly the pair of the dropped. As they fell into the abyss, an eagle appeared below them, catching the brothers safely.

The eagles swooped down, grabbing Wargs here and Orcs there, tossing them over the cliffs edge. One by one the dwarves were picked up by the giant feet of the magnificent birds, and flew through the morning sky at great speed. Thorin was carefully picked up in the claws of an eagle, his sword at his side. Swiftly they flew over peaks and gorges, the views spectacular. None of the dwarves were interested in the views though, they only thought of their leader, wondering if he was alive. Kili felt like he had been torn in two, Eve was gone and his Uncle seemed to be going that way too.

The eagles finally arrived at an eyrie, and gently deposited the dwarves on the rock. Thorin was lowered to the ground, and he lay there as still as a statue. Gandalf ran quickly to the unmoving dwarf and called out his name in concern, but no reply came. Slowly, he closed his eyes and held his hand over Thorin's face, muttering a healing spell under his breath. After a few moments, the dwarf opened his eyes.

"The Hobbit?" He rasped out.

"He is fine, Bilbo is fine" Gandalf reassured with a smile. Fili and Dwalin were beside him in moments, helping him stand up. His uncle moved towards the hobbit, his eyes ablaze.

"You, what were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" He snarled and Bilbo looked taken aback. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild. That you had no place amongst us?" He began, stepping forward, glaring at the Halfling. "… I have never been so wrong, in all my life!" He muttered and took Bilbo in his arms in a warm embrace. Shocked to say the least, Bilbo let his mouth drop open and he looked at the others in surprise. Thorin pulled away a few moments later and placed his hands on the hobbits shoulders. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior… not even a burglar" Bilbo answered and it caused Gandalf and Thorin to chuckle. The eagles began to depart from the rock, leaving the dwarves staring at them in wonder and thanks.

"Is that, what I think it is?" Bilbo exclaimed, and the company turned its attention toward what the Halfling was gazing at. Thorin could not believe it; he had to get closer just to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Walking up the pointed rock, limping slightly, he could not hold back the look of awe displayed on his face. A solitary peak rose in the distance, reaching above the clouds.

"Erebor!" Gandalf confirmed. Thorin smiled, turning to look at his nephews, but noticed Kili was kneeling on the ground, looking back the way they had come.

"Kili?" he called, running over to his nephew. Kili glanced up at him, before turning away, not wishing his uncle to see his pain. Fili appeared next to his brother, putting an arm around him, asking him what the matter was. When his brother remained silent, Fili looked up, searching the company for the one who meant so much to Kili. It was only then that they realised they were a member short.

"Where's Eve?" he choked, looking between the dwarves and his brother. "Where is she?!" Kili's shoulders began to shake slightly, and he mumbled something incomprehensible. Fili looked directly into his brothers eyes, and could see the raw anguish within them.

"She fell." Kili muttered, before standing up, and walking away from the group.

Fili watched his brother in horror, turning to his uncle, his eyes wide. Thorin's face was unreadable, so he scanned the others. Ori was crying quietly, Bofur was sitting on the floor in shock and Bilbo was looking between them and the horizon, his mouth wide open. The others were similarly affected, but they had not been as close with the girl. Silence fell amongst them, each too preoccupied with their own thoughts. Bilbo walked over to Fili, his eyes cast to the ground.

"Is he certain? Maybe it's a misunderstanding…" he broke off, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket to blow his nose. Fili shook his head.

"She was next to him. He'll know better than anyone else. Plus I heard him shouting her name when we were hanging onto the tree." He let out a shaky breath, turning to look towards the mountains they had just escaped.

A black dot was coming towards them, and he stared at it in surprise. As it came closer, he could tell it was the shape of a bird, and a big one at that.

"Bilbo…" He began, catching the hobbits attention. They both watched as it flew closer, it was another eagle. Yet this eagle was different from the ones they had been rescued by, its feathers were jet black, and its beak was as golden as the sun, as were its claws. Several of the other dwarves had seen it too, and were pointing at it, crying out in surprise. As it glided past, looking for a place to land, Fili noticed something on its back, someone he had been made to believe he would never see again. But that someone wasn't alone.

A/N Did you really think I'd kill Ori? Who could? He's way too sweet!

No, instead I am introducing another character, but are they good or evil? You will have to wait to find out! Mwahahahaha!

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Also, should I continue with the book version, or wait till the film comes out? Needing opinions here guys!

Any food is welcome! ;) ~Littlelots ^.^