Hidden Beneath

Chapter 7

Valisilwen looked about the cave, she had followed the company's scent to this very place, but they were not here. She moved closer to the ground, investigating it further, here she picked up another scent.

"What is it?" Gandalf asked.

"Goblins," she replied standing up and quickly stepping back from within the cave. "This is their booby trap. The cave offers shelter to creatures trying to pass through the mountains and the Goblins release a mechanism that drops them inside the mountain. I've seen one like it before."

"We must find a way inside."

"Not this way," she replied looking back inside the cave. "Lest you wish to find them as prisoners yourself."

"Can you find another way?" he asked, looking back along the pathway. She nodded before lifting her face up, sniffing the air for a moment. She began walking further along the pathway heading back down the other side of the mountain, Gandalf quick to follow her.

"Here." Valisilwen motioned to a small crack in the mountain not far from the bottom. It would only just be big enough to allow Gandalf to fit, just.

"How sure are you?" he asked of her, stooping low to look at the crack.

"I can hear them."

Gandalf looked at her with a curious look. "I take it Lord Elrond spoke with you about your uncanny abilities?"

Valisilwen raised her eyebrows. So he knew too, was there anyone that didn't know? "Indeed he did. I take it he spoke at length with you too?"

"Oh, an age ago, not long after you came to be in his care."

"It was known that long ago?" she asked incredulously, crouching by the crack in the wall.

"By Lord Elrond? Yes, he knew instantly what you were."

She looked up at him with a frown. "Who else knows?"

"Other than myself and Lord Elrond? Lady Galadriel, but you should know well enough you cannot keep secrets from the Lady of the Light."

Indeed, she did know this. She sighed and stood. "Well, it can't be helped, I suppose. I knew this day would come eventually, although it's not turned out how I thought it would at all."

Gandalf gave her a small smile and a pat on the shoulder, before looking back into the sliver in the rock wall. "So, how to proceed..."

"Perhaps I should look to the main entrance, so I can offer cover?" Gandalf frowned for a moment, but nodded, giving her the order to proceed before gathering his robes into his hands and moving carefully through the hole in the wall.

Valisilwen continued to make her way down the side of the mountain. She tracked a band of goblins and found the main entrance of the Goblin's lair.

"I hope Gandalf was alright without me," she muttered, looking up into the trees. She saw a tree that she particularly liked and slunk away to begin climbing it.

She hadn't long been settled onto a particularly strong and stable bough with her bow in hand, when she heard shouts and screams. She quickly knocked an arrow, seeing goblins moving about the entrance. She took aim, firing arrows, felling two goblins just as Gandalf appeared in the entrance.

He ushered the dwarves through and ran after them, further down the hill, while Valisilwen continued to fire arrows at the goblins, although they dared not run out into the sunlight of day. When she was certain the company was out of range of the goblins, she began making her way down the tree.

She was not yet halfway down when she spotted something far off in the distance. Warg scouts. A growl slipped from her, before she continued down the tree.

She hurried to rejoin the company, hearing their conversation as she approached.

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

Bilbo took a deep breath and sighed before answering. "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." Bilbo looked around the group of dwarves before continuing. "A home. It was taken from you. But i will help you take it back, if I can."

Valisilwen stopped beside Gandalf, looking over the group of silent dwarves who all looked thoughtfully at Bilbo, smiling at the little hobbit.

"I have ill news," she said to Gandalf with a serious look, slinging her bow to her back.

"What is it?" Thorin demanded, looking to her. She raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to look apologetic for a moment.

She looked back to Gandalf. "Warg Riders, coming this way."

"How long?"

There was a howl from the mountain top. "Not long..."

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin growled as the dwarves began to turn and run.

"And into the fire! Run! Run!" Gandalf shouted following. Valisilwen ran to a tree and scrambled up, pulling her bow from her back and immediately beginning to fire arrows.

oOOo

Bilbo ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, but it would seem it was not fast enough. The furthermost Warg caught up to him and leapt, but Bilbo ducked behind a large rock, with the Warg's jaws snapping shut on air above his head. The Warg landed in front of him, growling, before it charged.

Bilbo pulled his sword from its sheathe quickly and held it in front of him. To his surprise, the Warg impaled itself upon his blade and fell dead before him.

He turned to see that the rest of the Wargs were catching up to the fleeing dwarves, but they were quickly dealt with. The dwarves quickly reached the end of the rocky outcrop. There were few trees scattered across the ledge, they were trapped as there was no-where to go but down a large mountain side.

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb!" Gandalf looked around for Bilbo, spotting him where he was. "Bilbo, climb!"

"Where is Valisilwen?" Kili shouted, looking around as he began to climb. Bilbo too remembered the Ranger had been left behind as they ran from the Orc pack and wondered whether she had found safety.

"She can take care of herself," Bifur said as he threw an axe at a Warg that was approaching him, killing it.

Bilbo tried to pull his sword from the Warg's head, but it was stuck firmly. He kept trying, not wanting to leave behind his beautiful sword.

"They're coming!" Thorin shouted as the rest of the pack of Warg Riders arrived.

Gandalf climbed to the top of the furthest tree, while Dwalin worked to help others into the trees. Bilbo finally managed to pull his sword from the dead Warg, wiping the blood from it on the dead Warg's fur. He looked up to see several more Wargs running at him.

He ran for the trees, quickly climbing up a tree as a Warg rushed towards him. Dozens of them circled beneath the trees where the company were perched. Bilbo looked down in fear, before looking back up for Gandalf. He saw him reach out with his staff, picking up a moth sitting in the same tree, before bringing the moth to his face, seemingly whispering something to it. Was this really the time to be getting in touch with nature?

That greatly confused Bilbo, as he watched him blow it away again, causing it to flutter away.

The Wargs growling ceased, drawing Bilbo's attention back down to them.

"Azog?" Thorin gasped in disbelief.

"Do you smell it? The scent of fear?" Azog, the defiler, said. "I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain."

Bilbo looked to Thorin to see his face pained and grief stricken. "It cannot be."

Azog yelled at his Warg Riders, and they began trying to climb the trees. They jumped as high as they could, scratching at the tree trunks and breaking branches with their jaws. The trees shook violently, Bilbo holding on for dear life, petrified at the thought of falling into the jaws of those monsters.

With the weight of the Wargs trying to climb it, the tree which contained Bilbo and several other dwarves was beginning to uproot and lean wildly. More Wargs began trying to grab onto it, causing the tree to tip into the next, the dwarves and Bilbo leaping into the other tree. Unfortunately, that tree too, began to tip like dominoes, each tree began to fall as it took the weight of the previous.

All the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf managed to jump into the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff, the last tree held its roots, thankfully. Bilbo heard Azog laugh and looked up, breathless with fear to say the least.

Suddenly, a flaming pinecone flew through the air, landing amongst the Wargs and causing them to scatter. Bilbo looked up to see Gandalf lighting pinecones with his staff.

"Fili!" he called, throwing one to the dwarf below him. Fili caught the pinecone, throwing it at the nearest Warg below, while the others collected more to give to Gandalf to light. The ground was lit up with flames as they threw them at the Wargs, forcing them back.

Azog roared in anger and frustration as the dwarves cheered, suddenly their cheers turned to cries of fear as the roots of the tree they were in began to give way finally. The tree began to tip precariously over the edge of the cliff, but came to rest hanging over the edge.

Ori lost his grip and began to fall, but caught hold of Dori's leg. "Oh no!" Ori cried.

"Mister Gandalf!" Dori shouted as he began to lose his grip from the extra weight. Gandalf quickly held his staff out to the dwarf who grabbed it. "Hold on, Ori!"

Bilbo still held on for dear life. He hoped this wouldn't be the end. He had only just found himself some courage. He would have liked to have continued for a little while longer, if he was honest. Well, actually, he would have liked to have gone all the way and returned home. That would have been nice.

He was brought from his thoughts when he saw Thorin run across the ground between the tree and Azog, sword and shield raised as he tried to attack the Pale Orc.

Azog spread his arms wide with a grin on his face, welcoming the challenge, before crouching then roaring as his Warg leapt at Thorin. He tried to swing his sword to fend off the Warg, but the Warg hit him in the chest with its forepaw, knocking Thorin to the ground, causing the other dwarves and Bilbo to gasp in horror.

Thorin scrambled back to his feet, panting. Azog and his White Warg turned around, charging at Thorin once again. Azog swung his mace this time and smashed Thorin in the face before he could react and block the attack. Thorin was thrown back and landed on the ground heavily.

"No!" Balin cried out in devastation.

Azog roared in excitement. The White Warg clamped it's jaws around Thorin, causing him to cry out in pain. Bilbo stood from his position carefully, while Dwalin tried to hurry from the tree, but the branches he held broke, causing him to hang precariously over the cliff's edge. "Thorin! No!"

As the White Warg held Thorin in its mouth, he managed to smash it over the head with the pommel of his sword. The White Warg roared in pain, throwing Thorin away. He landed heavily, causing his sword to fall from his hand. He was almost unconscious.

"Bring me the dwarf's head."

One of Azog's Warg Riders jumped off of his Warg and approached the injured Thorin. Bilbo quickly and carefully climbed down from the tree and ran over with his sword drawn as the Orc placed its sword against Thorin's neck, raising it up in preparation of taking Thorin's head.

Bilbo threw himself at the orc and knocked him over, surprising everyone, none more so than Thorin. Bilbo struggled with the orc for a moment, before managing to stab and kill the it. Azog growled angrily as Thorin succumbed to unconsciousness.

Bilbo pulled his sword out from the dead orc's body, before moving to stand between Thorin and Azog, protecting Thorin's unconscious body. He waved his sword wildly before him as Azog and his Wargs glared malevolently at him

"Kill him."

xo

Krayzee