Here's the next chapter! It's quite long - I wasn't sure where to cut it, so it goes right up to the end of the first film. I'm planning on following the book for the rest of the story, and probably wont change too much of it. I also kind of know how things are going to end for Katy and Sarah.
I own nothing but the girls...
Chapter 7
As the company continued walking, the air started to get cooler the further they were from Rivendell. Sarah and Katy were glad of the extra layers that they found in their packs, and they now understood why the dwarves wore such heavy clothing. The grassy plains that they covered soon changed to hard, dry rock, and before long mountains rose up in front of them. The Misty Mountains, the dwarves told them.
The paths on the mountains were narrow and dangerous, and Sarah and Katy soon stopped joking around and flirting with the young dwarves. They needed all their attention focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and not falling down the sheer drop that was on one side.
'I did not sign up for rock climbing!' shouted Sarah, as she pressed herself as close as possible to the rock cliff.
'And here was me thinking you preferred this to staying with the elves,' replied Kili.
'I'm just not great with heights, that's all,' muttered Sarah.
Out of nowhere, a thunderstorm hit, and soon the whole company was drenched, and their progress slowed as thunder, rain and lightening surrounded them. The storm made the path even more dangerous, and parts of it started to crumble.
Bilbo came close to falling a couple of times, and it became clear that they could not continue until the storm passed.
'We must find shelter!' yelled Thorin.
Before anyone could begin to think about being warm and dry, a massive boulder came hurtling from the angry sky, hitting the mountain above them and causing rocks to fall down on them. Everyone pressed themselves against the rock, as another boulder came shooting towards them.
'Why is it raining rocks?!' cried Katy, but not even Fili, who was right next to her, could hear her.
'This is no thunderstorm, it's a thunder battle! Look!' Balin shouted, and he pointed to the sky.
Katy and Sarah couldn't quite believe what they were seeing. It was as if one of the nearby mountains was, well, alive.
'Well bless me, the legends are true. Giants, Stone Giants!' exclaimed Bofur.
'What, the mountain is alive?! How is that even possible?!' screamed Sarah, and she covered her face from the rain.
'You're only starting to ask that now?!' shrieked Katy.
Another Stone Giant rose up from the mountain, and started hurling boulders at the other. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet started to shake and crack.
'Hold on!' cried Thorin, and the dwarves, Bilbo, Katy and Sarah held on to the rock as tightly as possible. Fili had his arm firmly around Katy, pressing her against the rock, and she would have complained that she was struggling to breathe if she didn't know it was keeping her from falling.
Sarah was next to Katy, gripping her hand tightly, as she herself was being held against the rock by Kili. There was an almighty crack, and the ground suddenly split between the two girls, causing the group to divide.
'SARAH!'
'FILI!
'Kili, grab my hand!'
'Katy, hold on!'
A third Stone Giant appeared out of nowhere, and tossed a boulder, causing one of the other Stone Giants to collapse into the rock, smashing to pieces, and obscuring one half of the company from view.
Sarah stared in disbelief to where Katy stood moments ago. She and half a dozen dwarves were nowhere to be seen.
'No, no, this can't be happening, KATY!'
She yelled until she felt like there was no more air in her lungs, and Kili gripped her tightly as he looked for his brother. The dwarves rushed over to where it looked like the others had been crushed, and they were relieved to find that they were all safe. Shaken, a little bruised, but safe.
'We're all right! We're alive!' shouted Balin, and they were all helped to their feet.
'Katy!' Sarah sobbed, as she pulled her friend into a hug, 'You scared the hell out of me there.'
Katy still looked like she was struggling to breathe, but nodded.
'I know, I scared the hell out of me too. But I'm ok, I think,'
She turned to Fili, who was looking shaken himself, but was still holding onto Katy.
'I think you can let go now,' she smiled weakly.
'Never,' he replied, as Kili pulled him into a hug.
Before Katy could say anything else, Bofur realised Bilbo was nowhere to be seen.
'Where's the hobbit?' he shouted.
'There!' Ori cried, and pointed to the edge of cliff where Bilbo was hanging.
Quickly, Ori tried to grab the hobbit's arm, but the hobbit started to slip further down the rock as the dwarves nearest to him scrambled to pull him up. Thorin jumped down onto the rock face, and helped boost him up so he could be dragged to safety. The girls watched in horror as Thorin himself almost fell, only to be caught by Dwalin and heaved back onto the path.
'I thought we'd lost our burglar,' said Dwalin, visibly relieved.
Thorin turned to Bilbo.
'He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us,' he said, and before Bilbo could say anything in his defence Thorin went ahead with Dwalin to find a cave.
Katy and Sarah went up to the hobbit.
'Are you ok, Bilbo?' asked Katy, 'I wouldn't worry too much about what Thorin said. You've proved with the trolls that you're a valuable part of this team, and if anything Sarah and I are more lost than you.'
Bilbo tried to give the girls a smile.
'Thank you, at least I know you are both on my side,'
'Of course we are!' beamed Sarah, as they followed the dwarves into a cave.
As Dwalin searched the cave for any signs of life, the rest of dwarves, Bilbo, Katy and Sarah tried to make themselves comfortable. Thorin forbid them to light a fire, and told them all to get some sleep, as they would be moving again at first light.
Fili was still sticking close to Katy, and kept looking at her as if to check she was ok. Catching him doing it for the umpteenth time, she gave him a small smile.
'I'm fine, really. Just a bit shaken. You don't have to keep watching me like that,'
The dwarf seemed a bit put out.
'I know. I'm just worried that after what happened you might decide that you made the wrong decision, coming with us,'
Katy moved her hand to cup his face, and looked right into his eyes.
'Not a chance. Sarah and I are sticking with you dwarves whether you like it or not,'
He smiled brightly at her, then suddenly frowned, and moved some hair away from her face.
'You're bleeding. You must have cut yourself on the rocks,'
Fili gently dabbed the cut with the sleeve of his shirt until most of the blood had vanished.
'I guess you don't have any plasters in your packs, do you,' Katy joked, and giggled at Fili's confused face.
'Never mind. It doesn't hurt too much anyway,' she said.
After Fili checked that the cut was no longer bleeding, he and Katy found a spot on the ground close to where Sarah and Kili were lying. Sarah was already fast asleep (that girl could sleep anywhere, she thought) and Kili was lying close to her, his hands in her hair. Katy was about to ask Fili what his brother was doing when she realised that he was braiding a piece of her hair.
Wow. That is just too cute, she thought. Smiling to herself, she tried to make herself comfy between Fili and the cave wall. The dwarf watched her wriggle about a bit, before motioning for her to lie against his chest. After hesitating a moment, Katy leant against him, and he moved his arms around her.
'Is that better?' Fili whispered.
'Yeah, thanks,' she replied, and she could feel her face going slightly red when she felt Fili's hand move through her hair.
Is he going to start braiding my hair?! She thought.
He didn't, though, and Katy was more than a little disappointed, she realised.
As she drifted off to sleep, she thought she heard Bilbo and Bofur talking quietly, but she was far too comfortable to see if she was correct.
Sarah stirred in her sleep, and she opened her eyes, hearing voices nearby. She hadn't realised how close she was to Kili when she fell asleep, and as she moved her head a fraction to look at him, she noticed a small braid in her hair. Sarah ran her fingers through it, smiling to herself, and was about to close her eyes again when she realised that Kili had woken up as well.
He smiled at her shyly.
'I guess that you are responsible for this,' she said, gesturing to her hair.
He nodded.
'I hope it wasn't inappropriate of me,' the dwarf said.
Sarah grinned at him.
'Not in the slightest,' she replied, leaning in to kiss him.
Before she could reach his lips, she heard Thorin shout for everyone to wake up, and suddenly the cave collapsed beneath them.
The dwarves, Katy, Sarah and Bilbo all fell through the cave, and slid down a chute through dark and cold tunnels, until they all came tumbling out into a giant wooden cage.
Instead of meeting Kili's lips, Sarah found herself face to face with Thorin's back. Oh well, I guess it could have been worse, she thought, picking herself up off the ground and checking to see if Katy was alright. Her friend was close by, being helped up by Fili. That dwarf sticks to her like a puppy, she thought.
The whole company was disorientated, but before any of them could figure out where they were, large, ugly creatures descended on them, taking their weapons and dragging them along a path. None of the company went without a fight.
'Hey, get your hands off me!'
'Oi, Stop that!'
'Where are you taking us?!'
The creatures didn't respond, and only snarled at them as the company were taken through tunnels and over bridges to a massive cave, where hundreds more of the creatures crowded round the group.
'What the hell are these creatures?' Katy muttered to no one in particular.
'Goblins!' answers Dori, causing Katy to glance fearfully at Sarah. Didn't that old woman at the fair mention goblins? Guess she was right about that as well as about the wizards, she thought.
Suddenly a goblin far larger and uglier than the rest approached the company, and both girls were visibly repulsed.
'What is that hanging from his chin?!' gagged Sarah.
The goblin gazed over at the creatures in front of him.
'Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?'
A smaller goblin gave a wicked grin.
'Dwarves, Your Malevolence. We found them on the front porch,'
The Goblin King ordered for the prisoners to be searched, and the goblins quickly rummaged through their clothing, tossing away anything that they found. Katy and Sarah crept closer to Kili and Fili, and tried not to make any eye contact with the creatures.
'What are you doing in these parts? Speak!' the Goblin King shouted, but none of the dwarves answered.
This didn't please him in the slightest, and his eyes suddenly fell on Katy and Sarah.
'Well then, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! And start with those two,' he said, gesturing to the girls.
Kili, Fili, and the other dwarves closest to the girls inched nearer to the girls. Both Katy and Sarah were touched by their reaction, but neither of them thought it would make much difference, until Thorin stepped forward.
'Wait,' the dwarf said loudly.
The Goblin King is silent for a second, scrutinising the dwarf.
'Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain,' he exclaimed, and gave an exaggerated bow to the dwarf.
'Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really,' the Goblin King continued. Ouch, that's harsh, thought Katy, but the large goblin wasn't finished.
'I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg.'
The whole company was stunned at those words, and even Katy and Sarah understood who the goblin was referring to, such was the impact of Balin's story.
'Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago,' said Thorin, surprise and disbelief written across his face.
'So you think his defiling days are done, do you?' replied the Goblin King, laughing, and he ordered a small goblin to inform the Pale Orc that he had Thorin in his possession.
Katy turned to Fili.
'What does he mean, is the Pale Orc not dead? Is he going to come after us?' she whispered to him.
The dwarf could only shake his head slightly, not quite believing it to be true.
As the whole company tried to make sense of this information, dozens of goblins carried instruments of torture over to the Goblin King, who suddenly seemed to be enjoying himself.
'Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung! You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin-town!' he sung, as some of the goblins examined the company's weapons that lay on the ground.
'I bet you wish you stayed with the elves now,' muttered Kili to Sarah.
'Nope. We're in this together,' she replied bravely, and she grasped his hand firmly as she tried to give a reassuring smile to Katy, who looked like she would faint if Fili wasn't holding onto her so tightly.
One of the goblins picked up Thorin's sword, and gasped in horror. He threw down the sword so the rest of the goblins could see it, and the Goblin King was no longer so jovial.
'I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks!'
He pointed to the company, and shouted to the other goblins.
'Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!'
A number of goblins held Thorin down, and just as one of them was about to behead the dwarf, there was a massive explosion of bright light, and Gandalf stood amongst the goblins, his staff and sword held high.
'Take up arms! Fight! Fight!' he shouted, and the dwarves immediately sprang into action. Picking up their weapons, they start hacking and tearing at the goblins, and a couple of minutes have passed before Katy and Sarah realise the wizard meant them as well. Grabbing their swords, they glanced at each other fearfully before following the dwarves and Gandalf along a pathway. It is only then that the girls realise that they haven't seen Bilbo, but before they can give it much more thought they are forced to start using their swords to fight their way through a pack of goblins.
As Gandalf led them over suspended passageways, several goblins approached them from the front. Dwalin quickly cut a large plank of wood from the side of the path, and used it as a massive spear to clear the way ahead. But just as one group of goblins are defeated, more come to replace them. A goblin appeared at Katy's right, and before she could even think what she was doing, she forced her sword into its stomach, causing it to fall over and its insides to pour out. I think I'm going to be sick, she thought, as she pulled her sword from the goblin and hurried after the dwarves. She saw that Sarah was going though the same emotions, fighting for her life without a moments thought. Her friend was doing her best to stick close to Kili, who was firing arrows at the goblins.
The paths seemed endless, and the company continued to kill the goblins in their way. At one point the dwarves and the girls had to jump across a gap in a suspended path using ropes, and Gandalf used his staff to cause rocks to fall down and sweep goblins out of the way. Katy and Sarah were just starting to think that a way out of the tunnels must be getting nearer, when the Goblin King suddenly appeared on the bridge in front of them.
'You thought you could escape me?' he cried, as he swung his mace at Gandalf.
'What are you going to do now, wizard?'
Gandalf responded by striking the goblin in the eye, and then slicing his belly.
'That'll do it,' the Goblin King said, and Gandalf aimed his sword at his neck, killing him.
The weight of the goblin on the bridge caused it to shake, and the piece that the company were standing on broke off and slid down into the cavern. The dwarves, Katy, Sarah and Gandalf all clung on for dear life, until suddenly the piece hit the bottom and came to a stop.
'Well, that could have been worse,' said Bofur, but before any of the company could pick themselves up, the dead Goblin King landed on the wreckage, and squashed them all further.
'You've got to be joking!' shouted Dwalin, as the rest of the dwarves cry out in pain.
Sarah found herself underneath Bombur, and was quickly running out of breadth until he rolled off of her, smiling apologetically.
She turned to Katy.
'I can't believe we actually survived that!' she said, while Katy still looked like she was going to throw up.
Before she could think about doing that, Kili shouted to the rest of the group, pointing upwards.
'Gandalf! More goblins!'
'Only one thing will save us, daylight! Come on! Run!' the wizard exclaimed, and he led them through another tunnel. Soon, daylight could be seen ahead, and in minutes the company burst out of the cave and down the mountain.
As Gandalf starting counting the members of the company, Katy promptly threw up the entire contents of her stomach into a nearby bush. Sarah quickly went over to her and held back her hair.
'You ok, there?' she said, rubbing her friend's back.
Katy nodded, before hurling again.
Fili came over to them both, and Sarah smiled reassuringly at him.
'Just a little post-goblin sickness, I wouldn't worry too much about it. In fact, she'll probably be mortified that you've seen her in this state.'
The dwarf still looked a little concerned, and it was only when Katy herself gave an encouraging smile that he visibly relaxed.
'I'll be fine. Just a little delicate after my first goblin killing,' she said to Fili.
'Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!' Gandalf said loudly, panic in his voice.
All the dwarves looked from one to the other, but no one knew where Bilbo was. Thorin then spoke up.
'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.'
Both Katy and Sarah's hearts sank. He surely wouldn't just leave, would he? They both thought.
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, Bilbo appeared in front of them.
'No, he isn't,' he said purposely.
'Bilbo!' cried the girls, as the company looked at him in shock.
'We'd given up on you!' said Kili
'How on earth did you get past the goblins?' asked Fili.
There was an awkward silence, as if Bilbo was deciding what to say, but in the end he said nothing, and just gave a nervous laugh.
'Well, what does it matter? He's back!' Gandalf said, but Thorin didn't look convinced, and pressed the hobbit on why he came back.
'Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have,' replied Bilbo, 'And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my arm chair. 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,'
The dwarves didn't say anything after Bilbo finished talking, and Sarah had a lump in her throat, suddenly thinking of her own home and how much she missed it. She turned to Katy, knowing that she too would be thinking of home, and was about to say something reassuring to her when her friend threw up again.
'Sorry…' Katy muttered, embarrassed as everyone looked to her.
Her embarrassment was short-lived, as howling soon filled the air, getting louder, and the dwarves looked around frantically.
'Out of the frying pan…' Thorin said.
'…and into the fire! RUN!' finished Gandalf, and the whole company started running down the mountain as fast as they could. Kili and Fili quickly grabbed Sarah and Katy's hands, not wanting to let them fall behind.
As the howling continued to get louder, wargs suddenly came into view, and started charging at the company.
'Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb!' shouted Gandalf, and no one needed to be told twice.
'I AM REALLY NOT GOOD WITH HEIGHTS!' wailed Sarah, as she scrambled up into a tree after Kili. He reached out his hand and pulled her up onto a large branch, and she clung onto it for dear life, trying not to look down.
Katy was on the next branch up with Fili, looking less pale but no less terrified.
Suddenly a large warg comes into view, and sitting astride it was Azog, the Pale Orc.
'Azog?! It cannot be!' exclaimed Thorin, and his face is stricken with pain and grief. This was the creature who killed his father.
For a moment nothing happened, until Azog shouted a command at the other wargs and orcs, and they started attacking the trees that held the dwarves, Gandalf and the girls. The creatures tried to climb the trees, and while they weren't able to gain any height, their efforts caused the trees to sway and lean wildly. As the trees started to become uprooted, the company jumped from one tree to another, until all 17 of them are on one tree, on the very edge of a cliff.
'Don't look down, just don't look down,' Sarah started to tell herself, but the swaying branches and frantic shouts from the dwarves did little to calm her down.
A flaming pinecone dropped to the ground, hitting a warg, and after a moment's confusion, the company saw that it came from Gandalf. The wizard started throwing pinecones to the dwarves, Bilbo, Katy and Sarah, and they are all soon attacking the wargs, who start to retreat. Just as they start to cheer, the tree's roots give way, and it comes precariously close to falling off the cliff. Ori and Nori lose their grip on the branches, and are clinging onto one another.
'Hold on, Ori!
'Mister Gandalf!'
The wizard quickly held out his staff, just in time for Dori to grab both it and Ori as the branch holding them snapped. It was clear to everyone that the tree wasn't going to hold them all for much longer, and Thorin decided that he wasn't going to wait anymore. Pulling himself up from the branch he was clinging to, he started to march down the trunk towards Azog, sword held aloft.
'What the hell is he doing?!' said Katy, and she glances at Fili to see the tears in his eyes as he watched his uncle fight the Pale Orc.
Thorin tried to swing his sword at his enemy, but Azog hit him full force with his mace, smashing his face.
The dwarves cried out in horror, as the white warg picked up Thorin in his jaws. The dwarf managed to hit the warg with his sword, which only resulted in it tossing Thorin onto the ground, and the dwarf looked to be unconscious.
Bilbo, of all people, jumped out of the tree, and rushed over to where an orc was approaching Thorin, ready for the kill. The hobbit threw himself at the orc, and somehow managed to stab it. Looking wildly around him, Bilbo stood in front of Thorin, guarding him from any further attacks.
With a cry, Dwalin, Kili and Fili charged from the tree towards Azog and the orcs, and started fighting them. Both Katy and Sarah could feel the tears roll down their faces as they looked on helplessly with the other dwarves. The tree was still dangerously close to falling over the edge of the cliff, and just as Dori lost his grip on Gandalf's staff, an eagle swooped in from nowhere and caught both him and Ori. Soon, several more eagles fly towards the tree, and pick up the other dwarves.
Katy and Sarah look on in horror as an eagle flies in their direction, and they both scream loudly as they are picked up in its talons and tossed on its back. As it flies off, the girls can still see Kili and Fili fighting the orcs below.
'Where is it taking us?! We can't just leave them there!' yelled Katy.
'I think they've got the others as well,' muttered Sarah, as she tried not to look down at the ground far below. It was her turn to look like she was going to throw up.
After what felt like a lifetime, the eagle circled a massive rock structure, and gently placed Katy and Sarah on the grass. Sarah immediately started throwing up, and Katy looked on in astonishment as more eagles came into view and deposited the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf next to her.
The wizard quickly went over to Thorin, who still looked to be unconscious, and started to mutter some words while touching his face.
The company watch on in silence, until Thorin's eyes start to flutter and he gasped for air.
'Oh thank God,' muttered Katy.
'The Halfling?' said Thorin, weakly.
Gandalf gestured to where Bilbo stood.
'It's all right, Bilbo is here. He's quite safe.'
Thorin makes to stand up, and is helped onto his feet by Dwalin and Kili.
'You! 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?' he aimed at the hobbit.
Bilbo naturally looked quite terrified as Thorin approached him.
"I've never been so wrong in all my life!' finished Thorin and he hugged Bilbo.
Sarah lets out a cheer, and soon Katy and the rest of the dwarves join in.
'You need me to hold your hair back?' Katy asked her friend, smiling.
'I think I'm ok, you know what I'm like with heights,' she grinned back, and she was soon pulled into a hug by Kili.
He held her face and looked right into her eyes.
'Still sticking with us?' he asked.
She nodded.
'Yeah. Though you might have to get used to me throwing up every now and again. Same goes for Katy,'
Sarah turned to her friend, who was being hugged tightly by Fili.
'I'd watch her, she might throw up on you,' she joked.
As the eagles flew away, the company looked out into the distance where a single mountain rose up.
'Erebor – the lonely mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms,' said Gandalf.
'Our home,' Thorin said, pride in his voice, and the girls noticed how Kili and Fili beamed at his words.
A bird flew by, headed for the mountain.
'Look! The birds are returning to the mountain!' shouted Oin.
'It's a good omen,' said Thorin, and some of the other dwarves nodded.
'You're right,' Bilbo said, 'I do believe the worst is behind us,'
'Well thank god for that,' said Sarah loudly, as Kili pulled her in for another hug, laughing along with the rest of the dwarves.