Sorry for such a long wait, but as of now: I AM A COLLEGE GRAD!
Now to look for a human job...
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Kyrie
The creature stalked the floor, glaring hatefully at Bilbo. Thank goddess Liberai for her protection and Bilbo's quick wit. I would have never thought of the 'what's in my pocket' trick.
"Three guesses, Precious. It must give us three!" The creature bargained, pursing it's thin lips in anger. Then, the creature held up two fingers.
How was this creature figuring out Bilbo's riddles, but couldn't count?
I shouldn't be talking. What kind of person can make a windmill out of metal scraps, but can't read a damn road sign.
"Three guesses." Bilbo said, sounding very astute. "Very well, then, guess away."
Bilbo was surprising me with his bravery. Sure, him pushing me behind him got old after the second time, but it was the thought that counts. My ankle was burning like a fire, and it made me feel better with Bilbo guarding me.
"Handses!" The creature guessed, wriggling his grubby fingers. Bilbo jerked his hands out of his pockets in the nick of time.
"Wrong." Bilbo grinned cheekily. "Guess again."
The creature crouched on the stone floor, muttering to himself. What the hell was he anyway? He was too small to be an Elf or a Human. Too human-ish looking to be a Goblin. Was he some sort of twisted hybrid?
"Fish-bones, Goblin's teeth, wet shells, bat's wings…knife!" The creature shouted, growling at himself right after to shut up.
"Wrong again. Last guess." Bilbo said, fiddling with his sword.
Now is not a good time to be a good guy, Bilbo. He just made five guesses!
"String!" The creature squealed, before drawing back. "Or nothing!"
Bilbo hummed playfully. "Two guesses at once; wrong both times."
The creature fell onto the floor in a fit of sobs. I instantly felt horrible. I hated when anyone cried. Even if the creature planned on eating us for dinner. I frowned at Bilbo, who shrugged his shoulders.
"I won the game. You promised to show us the way out." Bilbo said, holding firm.
"Did we say so, Precious? Did we say so?" The creature cried. He suddenly spun around, glaring flaming daggers and Bilbo.
"What has it got in its pocketses?" The creature growled. Bilbo pointed his sword at him once again.
"That's no concern of yours. You lost." Bilbo said sternly, staring down the creature.
"Lost? Lost? Lost?" The creature laughed wildly, slowly approaching us like a hunting fox. He reached for something inside his loin cloth, but he suddenly looked shocked. He groped himself, like he was attempting to find something.
"Where is it? Where is it? No! Where is it? No!" The creature howled in pain, rushing around the cave. He knocked bones and rocks out of his way in his rabid search. He then started to look in the shallows of the lake, his high pitched voice ringing out in sadness.
"Lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!"
Bilbo tensed. He quickly fished something out of his pocket and hid it behind his back. In his hand was a small gold band. It didn't look special, just a plain old ring. But…it gave off something vile. There was a darkness attached to that ring.
But that was just silly. That fall must have knocked around my brains more than I thought.
"What have you lost?" Bilbo asked cautiously, if not guiltily.
"Mustn't ask us! Not its business! No! Gollum, Gollum." The creature sobbed quietly, squatting in the shallow water of the lake. He wiped his face, staring into the dark water.
"What…what has it got in its nasty…little…pocketses!?" The creature screamed, quickly standing up. "He stole it. He stole it! HE STOLE IT!"
"Bilbo!" I screamed, ducking as the creature threw a heavy stone our way. Bilbo deflected it with his sword and he spun on his heels.
"Run!" Bilbo shouted, wrapping his hand around my wrist. We ran, my ankle protesting the entire way. I kept alongside Bilbo, even though we both crashed into walls and rocks as we ran through the darkness. Bilbo let go of my wrist and grabbed onto my hand. I squeezed his hand, my heart-beat pounding in my head.
"Give it to us!" The creature screamed from somewhere behind us. It was hard to tell because of the echoes around us. Bilbo jerked us to the left, squeezing us in a small crevice in the wall.
"Shh…hush…" Bilbo muttered to me, his chest pressed against mine as we huddled in the crack in the stone wall. The creature rushed past the entrance of the crevice.
"Let's go." Bilbo said, pulling us out of the crevice. We found another crack in the wall, which look like it led somewhere else. I squeezed through first, my shoulders and hips getting pinched as a forced myself through. Bilbo wriggled through after, but the squeeze was a little tighter on him.
"Do you want me to pull?" I whispered, grabbing Bilbo's arm. He grunted, but it quickly turned to a gasp when we spotted the creature running towards us. He must have heard us squeezing through the rocks!
"It's ours! IT'S OURS!" The creature growled, running at us on all fours like an animal. Bilbo took in a big breath of air and pushed as hard as he could. I dug my heels into the floor and pulled Bilbo with all my might. Bilbo popped through the crack, the brass buttons on his waistcoat popping off. Bilbo crashed into the ground, the golden ring he was carrying flying into the air. Bilbo reached up to grab the ring, which slid onto his finger.
"Kyrie!" Bilbo whispered, shoving me against the shadowed rocks. "Hide!"
Horrified, I looked around. Where was Bilbo? I couldn't see anything! He had disappeared! I pressed myself into a crevice in the wall and held my breath. The creature ran around the corner, looking around for us.
"Thief! Baggins!" He growled, rushing down a different pathway. Did I follow it? Where was Bilbo? Something tugged my hand, something I couldn't see.
"B-Bilbo?" I whispered softly, recognizing the feeling of soft and chubby fingers wrapped around my wrist; even if I couldn't see them.
"Foll…ow me." A wispy voice called to me, tugging me after the creature. Was that a good plan? To follow that freaky thing?
"Bilbo…I don't think following it…" I whispered, stumbling over my feet.
"Tru….st….me…, love." Bilbo sounded like he was far away. Suddenly, the creature hid behind a rock. Gandalf raced past him, followed by the entire company. The invisible grip on my wrist tightened before it disappeared altogether.
"Bil…" I whispered, fearful of alerting the creature that I was behind him. Everything was quiet for a moment, almost serene. I evened out my breathing, hoping he wouldn't notice me.
Then, the grip on my wrist was back.
"Run." Bilbo said, dragging me behind him. Bilbo jumped, and I followed suit. We stepped onto the creature's head, knocking him into the dirt. Rushing to the exit, I could hear the creature screaming behind us.
"Baggins! Thief! Curse it and crush it, we hates it forever!"
Bilbo and I hit fresh air and sunlight, and it took everything in my power not to fall to my knees in relief. Bilbo, still invisible, hadn't let go of my hand and was dragging me down the steep side of the mountain after the company. They had stopped by a patch of trees, looking exhausted.
"-WHERE IS OUR HOBBIT?" I heard Gandalf shout as Bilbo and I slowed down to a trot. Oh, that's nice, ask where the Hobbit is, but not me? I might be a little insulted.
"Curse the the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin shouted, looking around frantically.
"Where's Kyrie?" Nori said, turning to face Galndalf, who had turned white.
"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin huffed, looking red in the face from exertion.
"Don't blame me!" Dori growled.
"But where did you last see them?" Gandalf asked, holding his staff with a white-knuckled grasp.
"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori answered the wizard.
"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf demanded. Bilbo and I were closing in on the group, almost to them. We were both tired, and it was showing in our movements. My foot was killing me, my shoulder was starting to throb, and everything was sore.
"I' 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 hissed, looking angrily towards the mountain.
"No, he isn't."
Bilbo seemed to appear from thin air. We stepped through the tree, to the surprise of the company. The Dwarves looked shocked and relieved, Gandalf began to laugh loudly.
"Bilbo Baggins! Kyrie Levistone! I've never been so glad to see a couple in all my life!" Gandalf laughed in relief, leaning heavily on his staff. Balin slapped Bilbo on the shoulder and gently placed his other hand on my cheek.
"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili said, running over to us. "And you too, Kyrie! After we saw you go over the ledge."
"How on earth did you two survive?!" Fili exclaimed.
"How, indeed." Dwalin grumbled.
Bilbo laughed nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets. Birfur scurried over to us, rambling in Khuzdul. He ran his fingers over my face, wiping the blood that had trickled from the cut above my eye away. He was speaking so quickly, I had no clue what he was saying.
"I'm alright." I said, incredibly tired. Now that the adrenaline was working its way out of my system, I was beginning to feel like I was about to pass out. Bifur held out his arms for me to fall into. I felt relaxed in the Dwarf's arms, like I could finally let my guard down.
"Well, what does it matter? They're back!" Gandalf praised, happy to have the company together.
"It matters! I want to know: why did you come back?" Thorin growled, focusing in on Bilbo. I left Bifur's arms and stormed to Bilbo's side.
"I almost got eaten today!" I seethed, coming nose-to-nose with the King under the mountain. "And all you have to ask is why he's back! Why? Why do you attack Bilbo every chance you get?"
Bifur rushed forward, standing by my side. He signed something angrily before respectfully turning his gaze away from Thorin's. With a disgruntled look on his face, he grabbed me around the shoulders. Bilbo, who had turned a little red in the face, stepped forwards.
"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."
There was silence and most of the Dwarves looked pleased. Gandalf smiled, beaming with pride at Bilbo. Bilbo smiled at me, looking elated and exhausted at the same time. Thorin sighed, looking between Bilbo and I with a blank look.
Something on the wind caught my ear. It sounded like pounding paws on dry grass and the heavy breathing of blood thirsty beasts. The smell of sweat, wet fur, and filth flirted across my senses.
"Nocturne's mercy…" I whispered, hearing a howl in the distance.
"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin said, having heard the howling as well.
"...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" Gandalf shouted, leading the company in a mad dash down the rest of the mountain and into the grassy plain. The pack of Wargs started to catch up, and the screaming of Orcs told us that this isn't going to end well. A few of us stumble and manage to lunge out of the way of teeth and weapons.
"Key!" Dori shouted at me when I stumbled. "Move!" I stumbled to my left, barley avoiding a pair of jaws that soared through the air where I once was. Kili grasped my arm and helped me to my feet. We ran to the very edge of the plain, where there was nothing but trees and a seemingly never-ending edge.
"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf shouted over the howling of the wargs. I leapt into the tree, my hands and toes curling around the nearest branch. I scaled the tree quickly, reaching the highest I could go while still being stable.
"Bilbo!" I called, seeing my Hobbit trying to pull his sword out of a Warg's head. Had he done that? Killed that beast? Bilbo yanked his sword, but it stayed fast in the beasts' skull.
"They're coming!" Thorin shouted, holding firm to his place in the tree.
"Bilbo!" I screamed, catching the Hobbit's attention. His blue-green eyes gleamed in pure terror. "Push the blade back and then yank up!"
Bilbo did as I said and freed his blade. Terrified, Bilbo scurries up the nearest tree just in time for the pack to reach us and surround the company. The Wargs backed up to allow a pure white Orc and its rider to pass through.
"Azog." Thorin gagged, looking at the white Orc in surprise and disgust. The intensity of a hundred burning fires shot up into the Dwarf king's eyes.
"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast." The white Orc said as he sniffed the air. "Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob."
"It cannot be." Thorin said, sounding in pain.
"Kod, Toragid biriz." Azog said, nodding his head towards Thorin. "Worori-da."
Whatever that command was, it didn't bode well for us. The Wargs leapt for us, their claws scraping off the bark of the trees. They ripped off branches in their vicious need to get to us, but we were too high up. My tree started to quake, but all I could do was dig my nails in and hold on for dear life.
One of the trees tipped, becoming uprooted from the ground. The company members who had been up in that tree had leapt to the nearest tree. That next tree tipped over, too. We were quickly all forced into one tree.
"Bifur, watch out!" I said, grabbing the older Dwarf's hand to pull him up just in time. A Warg missed his foot by mere inches. Bifur gripped me tightly and held on. He pressed me further into the tree trunk as it shook.
Azog started to laugh as he and his Warg riders circled our last remaining tree. Above us, Gandalf started lighting pinecones on fire for us to throw at the Wargs. The grass around the tree lit up with flames, pushing the Wargs back.
"Kyrie!"
Looking up, I caught a flaming pinecone that Nori passed to me. Winding up, I threw the pinecone as far as I could. I struck one of the Wargs, lighting its fur on fire. It howled in pain, jerking wildly and spreading the fire to the nearby grass. This caused the other Wargs and Orcs to have to back up further.
Azog screamed in anger, but his frustration did not last long.
It might have been our combined weight or from the Wargs' attack, but our tree began to tip precariously. There was nowhere for the tree to land except over the edge of the cliff. The tree tipped, the roots clinging to the ground so that the tree was hanging over the edge. I heard Ori, Dori, and Nori screaming as they clung to their branches. I was too scared to look down.
I felt the wind on my face and could feel gravity trying to push me down. My palms started to sweat, making my hands slippery. My arms started to quake from the stress of holding on.
"What are you doing, Thorin!?" Balin shouted, drawing my attention up. Thorin stood on the trunk, holding his shield and sword. His chest was heaving in righteous anger. Thorin stormed towards the white Orc, sword glinting in the sun. Azog, devilish grin on his face, commanded his Warg to leap at Thorin. Thorin swung his sword, but he was slower than the Warg.
"Thorin!" I screamed, clawing myself up. Muscles shaking, I pulled myself up onto the trunk and crawled onto land. The feeling of dirt between my bleeding fingers and toes had never felt so amazing. Drawing my daggers, I lunged at the nearest Warg. My metal pierced Orc flesh and Warg hide, causing both rider and beast to thrash wildly.
"Vexen take your soul!" I screamed, repeatedly stabbing my daggers into the Warg's side. The rider, trying to control his thrashing steed, swung his weapon around wildly. I could feel the wind created from the swinging of his weapon, but it never landed a blow on me.
Thorin screamed, and when I looked in his direction, he was in the mouth of the white Warg. My body froze. Thorin was going to die? The Dwarf who looked so powerful and unstoppable the moment I saw him; he couldn't die in the mouth of a beast. Azog nods at one of his warriors to approach Thorin, his sword drawn to take off Thorin's head. Just as he's about to do the deed, a blur of brown and maroon knocked the Orc onto his back.
Bilbo stood above the Orc, stabbing wildly until he stopped moving. Yanking his sword clean out of the Orc's dead body, Bilbo stood in front of Thorin's prone form. Bilbo looked ferocious, his sword held steadily and strongly in his hand.
"Kill him." Azog ordered, glaring at my Hobbit.
"No!" I screamed, charging to protect Thorin and Bilbo. I was too blinded by worry to see the Orc's mace that was swinging towards me. An Orc struck me across the face with his mace, sending me spinning. I hit the ground after I lost consciousness.
When the darkness took over, the only thing I could think was that this was the last time I would see Bilbo and Thorin. Or anyone for that matter. I never got to tell Bifur how much I cared about him or thank him for being so kind to me. I'll never go back to my Papi or sleep in the comfort of Fangorn.
I would never tell Bilbo how much I cared about him. How I appreciated his friendship and how he had taken his time to teach me how to read, no matter how little I learned during our few lessons. I would never get to tell him that I…I feel for him like I've never felt for anyone before.
Anguished, I had no choice but to let the darkness take me over.
Bilbo
I can't begin to explain my reckless behavior. My mother would be proud, I can say that for certain. When the massive white Warg slapped me to the side like a stick, I landed with a loud thump. The Dwarves charged the remaining Orcs and Wargs with their weapons drawn.
I never imagined this as the way I would die: a warrior at the hands of Azog.
A screeching sound broke the air, and a line of cheers went up along the company. Something was happening, something good for us!
A massive eagle flew by, picking up a Warg and its rider like a small trout. The eagle threw them over the cliff, where they fell to their doom. Eagles were soaring all around us, knocking down trees and plucking up Dwarves. Some of the company were riding on the backs of the eagles. They must be on our side, right?
Before I could further question the situation, an eagle swooped down and snatched me up! It then threw me into the air, causing me to scream, until I landed on the back of another eagle. The entire company were flying on the eagles, led by Gandalf.
Clutching to the feathers of the eagle, I looked back to see the remaining Orcs shouting in frustration. We were safe. Exhausted, I splayed myself out on the eagle's back. Every inch of my body was aching.
"Thorin!"
The cry jostled me out of my exhausted haze. Where was Thorin? Was he with us? Where was Kyrie?
"Kyrie!" I called out, trying to keep my balance on the eagle and look around at the same time. Bifur grunted out, holding a limp Kyrie in his arms. I relaxed, still looking out for Thorin. I quickly found him in the talons of the eagle that was flying beside Gandalf.
We flew until the sun began to set. The eagles flew until a large rock structure came into view. One by one, the eagles deposited the Dwarves onto the rock structure, a carrock, and the company kissed the ground in relief. The eagle carrying Thorin set him gently onto the rocks. Fili and Kili raced to their uncles side, where they hovered over his prone body. Gandalf slid off his eagle and raced to Thorin's side.
"Thorin! Thorin!" Gandalf cried, waiting for a response. He settled his gnarled hands onto Thorin's face and began to mutter. Thorin's eyes flew open and he began gasping for air.
"The halfling?" Thorin wheezed, grasping the sleeve of Gandalf's tunic.
"It's alright. Bilbo is here. He's quiet safe." I blushed at Gandalf's words. Kili and Dwalin helped Thorin stand, which the king shook off. Heaven forbid he perceived as weak after almost dying.
"You!" Thorin wheezed, puffing his chest out like an angry rooster. "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?"
The Dwarf advanced towards me, and I was unsure of what to do. I couldn't punch him, no matter how humorous Kyrie would find that to be. Was he going to kick me out of the company? Throw me off the carrock?
"I've never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin grabbed me and clutched me to his chest. The rest of the company began cheering and slapping each other on the back for surviving.
"I am sorry I doubted you." Thorin pulled away, his eyes sorrowful.
"No, I would have doubted me too." I said, trying to comfort him. " I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar."
A few of the Dwarves chuckled and Gandalf rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. A deep groan caused me to turn my head. Bifur sat a few feet away from the group, Kyrie lying in his lap. I shuffled over to her side, just as her eyes started to flutter open.
I smiled as her mismatched eyes slowly opened. Her eyes were covered with a slight haze that quickly dissipated as her gaze caught mine. Her tired expression became distraught, and Kyrie turned to bury her face in Bifur's leg.
"Key?"
"Go away!" Kyrie cried, clutching Bifur's pantleg. "You're not real! You're dead-I saw it! I saw Azog…and you…You're not real…I need to wake up."
I was unsure of what to do. Kyrie thought I had died and she was in some twisted dream. Bifur cooed and grumbled something, rocking slowly. Kyrie gave a little sob. I put my hand on her quaking back and rubbed.
"Key…" I whispered, sitting on my behind and scooting closer. "I'm here. I'm not dead."
Kyrie ignored me, her hands coming up to cover her ears. "Wake up!" She hissed, tears streaming down her face. "Please, wake up!"
"Kyrie…" I called, hovering over her. I pulled her from Bifur's grasp and into my own lap. She wouldn't look at me, her eyes downcast and filled with tears. "Look at me."
"No!" Kyrie gasped, turning her head away from me. I grabbed the back of her head and forced her to look up. "I…I can't."
"Look at me." I begged, pulling her closer. Her eyes opened, her lashes clumped together with tears. "I'm here."
With a rumble, Kyrie let out a choked sob and wrapped her arms around my neck. She nuzzled into me and cried, her nails digging into my back. I held her just as tightly.
"I thought I was never going to see you again." Kyrie sniffled.
I chuckled, clinging to her. "I thought you were going to die. What were you thinking? Running off ahead of me. Very Tookish of you."
She laughed, a deep chiming noise that made my chest flutter.
"I don't know what I'd do without you…I…I enjoy our time together." I murmured, unsure of myself. Kyrie smiled, her cheeks red.
"I like being with you too." She smiled, shifting nervously in my arms. "I…what I believed to be my last thoughts were of you."
I felt like my cheeks were going to split from how wide I was smiling. Kyrie likes me, as I like her. If my father could see me now; with this wild women raised by talking trees. Kyrie, in typical prideful form, quickly dried her tears and stood.
"What is everyone looking at?" Kyrie said, helping me stand. Bifur, who had returned to the company, was looking at something with his mouth gaping.
"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, starring out into the horizon. There in the horizon was a solitary mountain that seemed to burst from the earth.
"Erebor…The The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth." Gandalf sighed, leaning heavily on his staff.
"Our home." Thorin said. A bird swooped past the company, flying high into the sky, heading towards the mountain.
"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin cried, pointing at the quickly disappearing bird
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." Gandalf corrected, smiling at the small bird.
"But we'll take it as a sign - a good omen." Thorin sighed, throwing his arms around his nephews.
"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." I sighed. Kyrie smiled, taking a deep breath. Quick as a whip, her lips were on mine. I froze, unsure of how to move as I was kissed.
It was a chaste kiss. Key's lips were soft in some parts, but cut and raw in others. She smelt like blood and sweat, and her flyaway hairs curled around my face. I had to tip my chin up a little and she had to tilt her head down a bit; but it didn't feel awkward.
Kyrie pulled away, hazel and teal eyes bright with happiness. "Was that…proper?" She teased.
Smirking, I jolted forward and kissed her. I pulled away and smirked at the hazy expression. "Very proper, Kyrie."
Snorting, Kyrie stood by my side and looked back out into the horizon. We would be at that mountain before we knew it, but we'd get there.
Nothing but smooth sailing from here on out.