Chapter 12
Azog and Acceptance

I struggled to get up after hearing that my father was missing. Fili and Kili help me stand up.

"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin asked.

"I thought he was with Dori." Gloin said. Fili wrapped an arm around my waist as my legs get wobbly.

"Don't blame me." Dori said.

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked.

"Please. Where is he?" I ask.

"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori said.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf said. I felt tears in my eyes at the words. Fili pulled me against him and I held onto him.

"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone." Thorin said. I let go of Fili and go up to Thorin and slap him. The others gasp and Thorin looked at me in shock.

"You don't give him any credit. Maybe he does, but he stuck with you for this long without backing away and yet all you did was ignore him and not give him any chance. He saved your behinds from the Trolls. He'll prove himself to you one of these days." I said. Thorin stayed silent and I felt Fili pull me tight against him. I burry my face in his chest.

"No he isn't." Bilbo's voice came. I turn and saw Bilbo standing there.

"Father." I said, running to him and hugging him. He hugged me back.

"Your bleeding? How did you get injured?" Bilbo asked.

"A Goblin got me when I was trying to get back to Fili when we were captured." I said. Bilbo turned on Fili.

"We'll talk about this another time. I'm not to happy that my daughter got injured." Bilbo said. Fili gulped.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Gandalf said. Bilbo let me go and I went to stand over next to Fili. Bilbo strides forward into the group, patting Balin on the shoulder.

"Biblo, we'd given you up!" Kili said.

"How on earth did you get past the Goblins!" Fili asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind and pulling me back against his chest. I hissed at the pain in my shoulder.

"How indeed?" Dwalin asked. There was a silence as Bilbo looks at all of us. He gives a nervous laugh and I notice him put something in his pocket. I raised an eyebrow, but don't say anything.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf said.

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

"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. Besides. I might come live with you if your nephew and my daughter marry, because wherever my only child is, I will be." Bilbo said. I blushed and Fili kissed my check.

"Soon my love. We'll have a future together." Fili said. I lean my head against his chest with a smile on my face because I knew he was right. The moment was short lived as Warg Howls came. I groan.

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin said.

"And into the fire! Run! Run!" Gandalf yelled. Fili grabs my hand and we ran down the hill. Bilbo stayed close to my side. The day turns into night. My shoulder screamed in pain as we ran. A warg jumps in front of me and Bilbo. Bilbo pushes me off to the side and I hit the ground. I saw the warg fell with Bilbo's sword sticking out of its head. I saw the other dwarves killing wargs as they came. Fili quickly hurries over and pulls me to my feet.

"You alright?" Fili asked.

"I'll be fine." I said.

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf yelled. Fili grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Fili!" I yell.

"Enjoy the view while it lasts, love." Fili said. I rolled my eyes as Fili climbed the tree without dropping me as the dwarves climbed the trees.

"They're coming." Thorin yelled. I saw Bilbo still on the ground.

"Father!" I yell. Fili set me on the branch and pulled me close.

"Bofur has him." Fili assured me. I saw Bilbo climb a tree not far from ours. The wargs suddenly stopped and went silent. I felt Fili tense against me as I saw a white warg step on a rock with a white orc on top of it. My eyes widen. Thorin's enemy and who wants to kill my family.

"Azog?" Thorin asked with panic and fear in his voice. The white warg growls and Azog speaks in the language of the orcs. It had something to do with Thorin. Fili pulls me tight against his chest. "It cannot be." Azog ponts to Thorin as he speaks. I scream as the wargs leap forward and start jumping on the trees. Fili pulls me more tight against his chest. The trees start to creek. I look up at Fili.

"We need to jump." I said. Fili nodded as the tree started to topple over. We jump to the tree on the edge of the cliff. All the dwarves joined us and Bilbo was next to me. The wargs surround us. Something that was on fire goes flying by and hits the ground. Fire starts on the dry grass.

"Fili!" Gandalf yelled, tossing a burning pine cone down and I grabbed one and he lit mine along with Bilbo's. I threw mine as the others joined us. The wargs started fleeing. I join the cheering and then the cheers turn into screams. I grabbed the branch and held on as we fell. I felt Fili's hand on my back fall and saw him hanging off the branch. Ori's yells came.

"Mister Gandalf!" Dori yelled. I saw Dori slip off the branch and get caught by Gandalf's staff with Ori hanging from his feet.

"Hold on Dori, Ori." I call. Thorin was in front of us and I was next to Bilbo. Thorin suddenly stands up and heads down the tree.

"Thorin. No!" I yell as he ran towards Azog. Azog crounches down on the warg. He roars and the warg leaps forward, the forepaw hits Thorin in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Help!" Ori yelled, but everyone was paying attention to the fight.

"Uncle!" Fili and Kili yelled. Thorin gets back on his feet. Azog wheels the warg around and charge at Thorin. Azog swings his mace and hits Thorin in the chest. Thorin hits the ground.

"Nooo!" Balin yelled. Azog roars in excitement. Bilbo stands up and pull me to my feet.

"Father?" I ask.

"Help me save him. You want to prove to him your wourthy. Here's your chance." Bilbo said. I hurry to Fili as the warg clamps his jaw on his shoulder.

"Bell. Don't." Fili said. I grab my sword from him.

"I'm sorry. Love, but I have to." I said. I ran with Bilbo towards Thorin, who was now laying on rock. An orc was just raising his sword. I yell and jump on him with Bilbo. I stabbed it in the head as Bilbo got the chest. I jump stood in front of Thorin with Bilbo at my side.

"You will not harm my family." I said. Azog's eyes land on my braid in my hair that was marking me that I was courting a prince from the line of Durin. Azog speaks in his language and three warg riders stalk towards us. Bilbo and I stood with our swords ready. Yells came and Fili, Kili, and Dwalin came charging and killed the wargs and the riders. Bilbo and I joined the fight. I remembered the moves that Fili and Kili taught me and slashed the orcs and wargs that came at me. I heard Bilbo yell and get thrown near Thorin. "Father." I hurry over to him and knelt next to him.

"I'm fine, Bell." Bilbo said. I turned to see Azog approaching us. Fili saw and struggled to get to me.

"I will watch you suffer by killing your man in front of you, halfling. Then I will kill you on top of it." Azog said in the common tongue. My eyes widen, but a screeching comes. I look up to see huge birds flying our way. They grab wargs and toss them over the cliff. They knocked over a tree. I heard a screech and see a eagle flying and pick up Thorin. Another eagle heads our way and scoops me and Bilbo up. I let out a squeak as we are dropped and Bilbo and I landed on the back of an eagle. I heard Azog roar in anger as all the dwarves were dropped on eagles. I looked for Fili and saw him on one with Kili. Fili's eyes were only on Thorin. The eagles flew as the sun rose.

"Thorin!" Fili yelled. I saw anguish written all over his face. Kili looked worse. I wished I was with him to hold him.

"Please don't let him die." I whisper. We arrive at a massive rock formation. Thorin was dropped off first then Gandalf. Bilbo's and mine landed and we got off. I watch as Fili and Kili get off theirs as Gandalf attended to Thorin. I ran over to Fili.

"He'll be fine." I said, hugging him. He returned my hug and held me close.

"The Halfling? Bell?" Thorin asked. I let go of Fili and stood at his side.

"It's alright. Bilbo and Bell is here. They are both quite safe." Gandalf said. Kili and Dwalin help him stand up, but he brushed them off. He turned on Bilbo.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?" Thorin asked. He was advancing on him. Bilbo looked worried. "I've never been so wrong in my life." Thorin pulls Bilbo into a hug. The dwarves cheer loudly. I smile and Fili pulled me close to his side. "I am sorry I doubted you."

"No. I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior... Not even a burglar." Bilbo said, earning chuckles from everyone. Thorin turns on me.

"And you. You showed loyalty by not sharing our secret in the Goblin tunnels and defending me against Azog. You and Fili both have my blessing to court and I would love to have you in the family when the time comes." Thorin said with a smile on his face. I ran up to him and hugged him.

"Thank you." I said. Thorin nodded and Fili pulled me into his arms and we smiled up at each other.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked. I looked and saw a lone mountain in the distance. Fili leads me to the edge where Thorin and Kili stood. I stood at his side with Bilbo on my other.

"Erebor. The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth." Gandalf said.

"Our home." Thorin said. I felt Fili's hand take mine and I looked at him and smiled. A bird chirps and flies by

"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin said. More birdsongs come and I smile more.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf said.

"But we'll take that as a sign, a good omen." Thorin said.

"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." Bilbo said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I looked at Fili to see he was looking at me with a twinkle in his eyes. I hoped my father was right, but I was willing to go through anything at Fili's side.

AN: That was a long one. I hoped you all liked. We are now onto the second movie. Till next time.