Back to adventure, I love writing little action pieces. There's a whole of swinging in this, though. I like the slow brewing romance - i plan to make something of it in the next chapter whilst making the company get a little further in their travels. please don't forget to leave a review. Love, hate, constructive criticism - all are welcome.

Of Mountains and Woodlands Chapter 6

The next day came and went and before he knew it, the time of departure had come. Dawn was not yet upon them but Thorin was more awake than ever and for that, he blamed his anxiety. He got up from his seated position on his bed roll, rolled it and tied it up. As he found his belongings and started stringing them to himself, the company began to stir. Balin woke first. Refusing Thorin's hand, he had pulled himself up by the stone railing that blocked them all from rolling off into oblivion. Thorin had watched him do it in mild admiration, his hand always at the ready. Balin was getting on in age but he had a whole lot of fight left in him – he was the strongest willed being Thorin had ever come across and he felt a little twang of fondness for him, Balin had never left him – not once. It felt like he never would, even when everyone else was prepared to fall, he took a leap with Thorin, when he lead them in to hell and back that day way back when Azog was still a threat.

"Right, laddie," Balin put his hands on his hips looking down at his own bed roll, "The big step, then. Just us,"

"Just us,"

Together, they went about rousing the dwarves from their deep slumbers and dreams of gold, each one equally as unhappy to be pulled from such happy places. The Halfling stirred by himself and when he caught Thorin looking at him, he went about packing up his things. He stood up and swung his pack over his shoulders and grabbed his hiking stick looking as ready as can be. He was also not so happy about leaving the comfort of Rivendell and at that Thorin was not surprised. He turned from the sight of Bilbo with a smirk to look on over the horizon and watched as the sun began to creep over the hills, bringing light to the City of Elves, the water from the fountains rippling in shimmers of gold. It was time to leave and he turned to the company to find Maya front and centre. He greeted her with a small smile, though he was happier to see her than he let on and he didn't doubt for a second that she knew that. He addressed the company as whole when he spoke his first words,

"We leave now, as fast as possible. Not a word to anyone, no pauses, nothing. But if you're going to stay, then you decide now," he aimed the last sentence at Bilbo, throwing him a chilled look and Thorin saw Bilbo's shoulder's drop.

"If anyone was thinking of staying, it was me," Maya was glaring at him with eyes as cold as his when he threw dirty looks at Bilbo. It was disconcerting coming into contact with angry turquoise eyes and Thorin looked away in small state of intimidation. That was new. He led the company out the city as quietly as he could and began their climb to the top of the valley where they were to find the foot of the Misty Mountains. He began to sing the song of said mountains in his head as he trudged on, frequently looking behind him to make sure all were coping. He often made comparisons between the walk from where they were to the top of the mountain and the walk from the bottom of it to where they were at that moment and it often dampened his spirits and he was a grumpy dwarf king. Snapping at whoever complained, at Bilbo when he tripped, at his nephews when they began snapping at each other. Maya, however, marched on, surpassing them all quite easily, making her steady way up when they began to grow tired and out of breath. Thorin watched irritably as she climbed passed him without hesitating for minute. She had just gone through one of the most terrible ordeals and here she was cruising up what seemed to be a slight hill for her and Mount Doom for them. She waited for them with a mildly condescending grin on a rock and when Thorin finally reached her he had to put effort into not doubling over heaving. She had rested her cheek on her hand and Thorin couldn't help but reach out and brush her face lightly with affection,

"I would have offered my help…" she whispered to him, her head bouncing slightly on her palm.

"Why didn't you?"

"Is that funny?"

"It's riotous," Thorin said sarcastically but the clouds over the mountain top had caught his attention; enormous, dark and threatening. The cloud hung in the air, just waiting for them to cross,

"Do you think it would hold off?" he gestured towards the Mountain and its cloud. Maya stood and followed his gaze, crossed her arms and licked her lips,

"No. I don't,"

So now they knew that it was definitely going to be hell getting over the mountain as well getting up it, but there was something else that made them hesitate. Dwalin made an appearance next to them. Just a bit taller than Thorin, he towered over Maya like the cloud before them and just as threateningly thunderous,

"Bloody mountain," he growled; his deep, droll voice prodding the atmosphere with a knife, "Killed me legs and Bombur won't stop bloody complaining. I've just about had enough for one day,"

"Hmmm, we're not done yet. We've got to get in the middle of that and wait," Maya was tapping her lip, pondering, weighing the risks as Thorin stroked his beard doing the same.

"It's going to rain, isn't it," Dwalin looked at Maya bluntly, "Bloody sore legs up bloody big mountain and now we get rain where we don't want it. Oh, aye, that makes perfect sense. So why are we waiting? Why don't we just go in and get it done with? Get as far as possible and find cover for the night," Dwalin could have grumbled on but Thorin turned to silence him as swift as a sparrow,

"Hold on to your grumbling, Dwalin, the rain is the least of our worries," he started to move on and he kept the last word to himself, "Bigger and darker things lie within the depths of those retched mountains,"

And so on they went, single file over the top. By the time the rain hit, they were half way across and Thorin had begun to get an inkling of a hope that may make it to a safe cave before the storm hit. The hope served as jinks and they were in the rain wondering the mountains for far longer than anyone cared to be. They stumbled on, the rain being whipped on to their faces and the wind screaming through the cliffs. The hobbit had almost lost his balance, multiple times, each time slowing them further and each time Thorin felt a lurch of fear as his heart went straight to his mouth. His dislike of the hobbit was evident at all times but that didn't mean that he would find any comfort in his sudden death. Thorin would rather have him as an annoying, alive burden as opposed to a dead one. Bilbo had just been rescued from his latest stumble when a huge boulder fell from above them, crashing like thunder on the rock face below them…and then it happened again and again. Thorin shouted over the roar of the mountain for them to stop and just as he had done so, the mountain opposite them rumbled, cracked, groaned and stiffly heaved itself up. His jaw dropped – he knew the tales were true but to be seeing it in person was most bizarre.

"The legends are true!" Bofur was leaning out from the path, over the cliff, "Giants! Stone giants,"

"BOFUR!" Thorin yelled at him as another giant started to grow from the mountain they were on. Bofur yelped in dismay but was hauled back by Dwalin who somehow found the mind to slap him over the head. But all slaps aside, the group was about to be separated and Thorin found himself trying to get back to the middle to pull Fili and Maya across. He reached as Kili reached but failed too, as Fili's foot was over the crack and as the giant heaved itself up, he was forced to remove his foot from its possition and secure himself on the wrong ledge. Thorin looked on in horror as the group of Bilbo, Bofur, Maya, Fili, Dori and Ori were lifted up and away from them.

Maya held Fili fast as she tried to counter the rain in her eyes, the whiplash on her face and the unsteady, jerky movements of the giant they were being carried on. She watched as Thorin tried to get to them and Kili, as he tried to reach for Fili and yet both failed. It was then that she grabbed Fili as reassurance that he didn't go anywhere and turning around to watch for any incoming clashes as they circled when their giant tried to turn around. They all lurched forward and clung harder to the rock face when it took a massive head-butt from its foe leaving rocks and rubble to crumble down upon them. The giant began to fall awkwardly: it was falling to its knees but the force of the attack caused it to sway backwards, it then tried to keep itself on its feet and so walked as well, at an angle, Maya and the others had no idea what to hold on to. She clung to Fili, holding his coat collar with one hand and the rock with the other. They flew passed Thorin and his group and for a moment, the two groups looked each other in the eye, but that was only a moment, for they were then raised into the air again and then all at once, the great stone giant fell forwards towards the cliff face and the chance of just a scratch was blown. Being crushed seemed far more viable as they approached the cliff face and as the terror sunk in, everyone screamed. Maya held Fili tighter than ever, pushing him as far as possible in to the knee of the giant. They collided with rock and dust exploding in their faces and sparks of friction were so bright that she was led to believe they were dead. But it was not to be and as she rolled over from her miraculous survival position, catching the end of their giant as it fell into the deep, dark, depths of the cliff below them. Its limbs were flailing in hopeless attempts to delay the end, but they were fickle; and all that could be heard of its death was its crashing, cracking, thunderous roar as it broke into a thousand rocks, becoming nothing other than the face of the mountain once more. She glanced at Fili, who was pulling himself up and she sighed in relief. Fili was attacked by Thorin's embrace and for the first time Maya saw what his nephew's really meant to him. She was helped up by Ori to whom she gave an acute smile in gratitude. She then sort out Bilbo, when she found him, breathing hard and leaning against the rock face, she called to him,

"Bilbo, are you alright?!"

He didn't say anything, just shook his head vigorously. Shock and temporary paralyses had seized his small body and Maya tried to get to him but then something happened that caused Bilbo to slip and disappear from her view. She stopped in stunned disbelief, her eyes wide with fear,

"Bilbo, NO!" she screamed forward, slipping and sliding over the dangerous misty mountain path. She could hear the chaos that suddenly emanated from behind her but she paid it no heed. Bilbo had just fallen into an abyss so it seemed and in trying to get to him, she could not understand how he could have fallen off the cliff, if the cliff was in front of him when he had fallen backwards. She finally reached the spot where he was standing, sliding to a stop in front of a hole in the rock.

"Bilbo?" she asked cautiously, feeling the others arrive behind her, all of them trying to see over her shoulder and all thirteen of them breathing down her neck at once. Bilbo, however, did not respond, and dread was beginning to well in her core,

"BILBO?" she shouted this time to see if it had any better use. It didn't…for a minute before his small voice replied,

"I'm alright. I think I fell into a cave,"

Maya could have laughed in relief. She stepped into the cave, careful not to slip on anything on the way down. It was quite a feat in itself, having Bilbo fall a hundred times and not be hurt. She didn't feel like she, or anybody else, was that blessed. All fifteen members found themselves in the dimly lit cave Bilbo had fallen into and concluded that it was a good place to spend the night. Thorin ordered Dwalin to make sure no one else occupied the cave as sternly as he told Gloin not to light a fire; needless to say Bombur was highly disappointed. Once all was settled and Maya had readied herself to battle the long night ahead, she felt a gentle but firm pressure wrap itself around her arm,

"Ow, what?" she blurted only to find Thorin standing behind her. She tried to mumble an apology but instead, he hauled her into a gigantic hug, his arms enveloping her in a strong, hard embrace that allowed limited movement. She found herself holding him back,

"Are you alright?" she mumbled into his shoulder and he let her go,

"Are you?"

She blinked at him as he held her shoulders, his blue eyes glinting with concern.

"Y-yes," not even a nanosecond passed after that before she was in his arms again. He said nothing for a moment but then he whispered, barely audibly into her ear,

"What would I have done if you weren't here or - or if I lost you?"

He released her, brushing a stray hair from her eyes which she hadn't even noticed. He smiled warmly at her and it was upon her that his gaze lingered for more than a few mere moments. She tried to smile but the embrace was strange to her and so was the feeling that came with the words he had uttered into her ear. She sunk down on to the floor, gave him a brief nod and tried to asleep. A few moments later she was awoken by a shuffling sound and then a short moment of silence that was then accompanied by a rather large presence that radiated warmth from its owner. She lay there with her eyes open, her face distorting into all sorts of thoughtful looks until at last sleep found her.

The rest was short lived as she was woken up by small voice, growing ever louder and then the big finale,

"Get up…GET UP!" Thorin's voice was right by her head and so she was up in a heartbeat only to be falling all the way down, twisting, sliding, scraping – trying to grab hold of anything that would slow the descent. Her sword and bag were sliding down just ahead of her and so she twisted her way onto her stomach and tried to reach for it, but it was difficult. They were sliding around each other, colliding, forming chains so as to ensure no one got lost but it frustrated Maya for she could not reach her weaponry. She saw the end of their slippery slope approaching and so with one last shove, using Bombur as leverage; she sped past them all, grabbed her bag and sword and was unfortunate enough to hit the bottom of the cage first. The pain in her shoulder was exquisite but it didn't distract her from moving away from the weight that was on its way down: Thorin, Kili, Fili and then Bofur followed by Dori, Ori, Balin, Bilbo, Nori, Dwalin, Bifur, Oin, Gloin and last but not least, Bombur. The company groaned as Bombur's massive size squashed them further on to the ground. Maya sighed in relief but her breath caught when she heard a strange sound, footsteps and a lot of them. They were in the heart of the Misty Mountain; there was only one place they could have ended up. She spun around in dread just in time to see the nasty, warty, squint eyed, mouldy figure of a goblin throwing itself upon her. She crumbled on impact, forced back into the depths of the company behind her. She was on the ground with thirteen huge, steel tipped boots stomping around her face. Looking through the gaps, she could see goblins streaming over them. Shaking and shoving them, pulling their hair and prodding sharp, dirty fingers into their ribs, removing their weapons. The company was shoved on in single file down a rickety bridge as Maya lay curled up in a ball to protect herself, she watched through the gaps in her fingers as the company was marched off and away. She stood up and caught the eye of Bifur, who looked amazed to see her alive and left behind. Maya watched them disappear around a corner at a loss of what to do. She had no idea where she was, which way was out or where to go that wasn't in full view of everything. Goblin Town was possibly the worst place she could imagine herself being alone in and here she was.

"Maya, what are we going to do?"

Maya spun around in mild fright but more amazed than anything,

"Bilbo, oh thank the skies!" she hugged him, "I thought I was alone,"

"You could still consider yourself alone, I'm afraid I don't know how much help I could be in this place. I really don't know what's happening,"

"Well, we're in Goblin Town. That's all I know. If it's any consolation, I haven't a clue either,"

Bilbo looked at her agape,

"That doesn't help me at all,"

Maya shook her head and shrugged,

"Come on, we need to –WAH!" one last Goblin flew out from nowhere just as Maya had taken her first step. She had ducked and the goblin went straight over her head, but Bilbo was not so lucky. He got the full blast, though drawing his little letter opener, he tried to fight but the impact was too hard and he was thrown over the edge with the goblin. Maya watched in disbelief, wide-eyed and shocked. She stood up and ran on her tip-toes to the edge where Bilbo had fallen,

"Bilbo?" she asked the pits…nothing, "Oh no, no, no, no!"

Panic was rising in her, her heart pumping iron, her blood speeding around her body and adrenaline causing through her veins like needles. She didn't know what to do, look for Bilbo or look for the dwarves and what would she do if she found them? She let out an exasperated huff and went for the latter. She had to find Thorin and co. She crept down the bridge and took a look around; she drew her sword for the mountain was no place for fire, and kept on. She almost fell through a loose board twice, her leg hanging in the air awkwardly as she tried to pull herself up. It didn't take long for her to find them. They were clustered in front of the most grotesque goblin she had ever seen. The Goblin King was beady eyed, covered from head to toe in warts. He had called for Ori to be tortured first and that led to Thorin giving his identity away,

"Oh," the Goblin King exclaimed, bowing in mock respect, "Thorin Oakenshield, the last King under the Mountain but wait! You have no mountain and you're not a king so that makes you nobody…really."

The Goblin King grinned down at Thorin, a horrible rotting grin but Thorin looked up at him from beneath his eyes brows. Maya had to admire him then, even in times where he really was nobody in particular – he held true to his air of pride and arrogance. He knew exactly who he was. There was a pause as the two looked at each other, it was in that pause that Maya made a false move and her bridge's ropes that were holding it in place began to snap. She snapped her own head around in panic, many things had she had in mind but swinging to the undecided rescue on a rickety, broken-boarded bridge was not one of them. Thankfully no one noticed.

The Goblin King stopped grinning at Thorin and threw his hands up as if dismissing them,

"Oh, they are too dull! Bring their weapons to me and kill them,"

One goblin happened to have Thorin's blade in hand and pulled it from its sheath only to drop it in horror and agony as his hands burned from the handling of the blade. The yelps of pain drew the Goblin Kings attention to the sword and with an enormous roar of fear and panic, he shouted,

"The Goblin Cleaver! BEHEAD HIM! KILL HIM!" he stumbled away from the scene, arms in front of his face as if protecting himself from some unseen attack.

The timing was perfect as Maya's last rope broke and she began to drop. She hunkered down, clutching the side of the bridge so tightly it hurt. It was slow to register but everyone eventually caught sight of the incoming bridge, even the goblin who was about to behead Thorin paused in confusion. Maya was thinking she was going to make it full swing and in so doing, she would remove the goblin from atop of Thorin and maybe take a good, clean swipe at the King; alas, the bridge stopped short and caught Maya by surprise. She flew over out over the masses, as planned she knocked the goblin off Thorin but came short of going any further. She rolled and rolled and came to a stop at the feet of the goblin king who looked down at her in utter astonishment as she looked back at him with the same feeling.

"And what are you?" he hissed, bending to her, his eyes wild with anger at the potential saviour. Maya didn't have the mind to say anything; instead she gave him a hard kick in the eye and leapt to her feet as the Goblin king threw himself back in the sudden wave of unanticipated agony, almost squashing Maya under his foot as he took and involuntary step forward. He made to catch her but a brilliant light that radiated from behind him lit up the cave in such a way that all other light was temporarily dimmed and all were blinded for the duration of the bright time. To Maya's relief, for her own half formulated planned had failed so radically, Gandalf stepped from it. He looked at them all with calm resolve,

"Take up arms!" he shouted, "FIGHT!"

Everyone seemed to look at each other before anything happened and then…chaos broke loose like hell on earth. Everything happened so quickly after that, that Maya didn't remember even starting to run. She was between Ori and Thorin, Gandalf leading them on with goblins behind them, goblins above them and goblins below them. A group of goblins cut through the middle and the company separated, one taking a lower route so as to be running below the path the others had taken.

Thorin looked down through the gaps and realised what had happened. Gandalf was still leading them on so Thorin wasn't sure whether Gandalf knew but on the other hand, this had happened before. In fact, it always happened. The company was incapable of ever staying a unit; so opting to try and keep an eye on the group below, Thorin fought on through the hordes of goblins trying to attack them. Gandalf clipped the cave's roof when they came to a lower part of the interior and instigated an enormous shake which then caused a boulder to fall in front of them which they conveniently urged on by pushing it as it rolled its way over anything and everything that stood in its way. The boulder couldn't turn however so when they came to a sharp corner, off it rolled while the company took the turn. They came across another unstable bridge which they took. Unfortunately, the weight of them all caused it to come loose and begin to swing. They had to jump to the other ledge a few at a time while those that remained fended off the attacks. They all made it safely to the other side and met up with other group. Maya landed up next to Thorin and they were about to cross yet another bridge when the fat, ugly build of the Goblin king roared up from beneath them, blocking the rest of their way. Maya had taken one too many a step and as Thorin tried to grab her, so did the Goblin King. He yanked her up, gripping her so tightly she could barely breathe. The repulsive king grinned again and Maya tried to avoid smelling his breath but his grip and the inability to breathe properly along with the only intake of air being the foulest smell on the face of Middle-Earth brought her to the brink of passing out and Thorin was panicking,

"What now, little King, now that I have your little company member?" he laughed. Maya's face was going blue. Thorin was about to charge but Gandalf stepped out in front of him, presumably forced for he didn't look as brave as one might have thought standing before the King.

"Oh, you present the wizard. How brave," he cooed, "What now wizard? How will you defeat me?"

Gandalf contemplated his actions for a moment and then he did what was needed done. He poked the dirty, yellow eye of the king. Then slashed open his obese stomach making him drop Maya and fall to his knees, holding the open gash. Thorin caught her in his arms when she fell from his grasp, holding her barely conscious form to him. The Goblin King looked convinced,

"That'll do it," and with that Gandalf struck at his throat. The Goblin King hung back for an instant before falling backwards, full force onto the bridge's stable hinges and once more, they dropped. Thorin clasped Maya's body even more firmly to his and half way through the descent; she came too and threw her arms around his neck in fright. The bridge hit everything on its way down, falling apart on collisions with the cave wall. It met the ground and flattened like a pancake. Thorin let Maya climb out of his arms to join Gandalf as he gathered himself and did the same. All was seemingly much brighter until Kili's eyes widened and he screamed the wizard's name. Thorin turned to Gandalf,

"Only daylight can save us now,"

"Where do we find daylight?" Thorin took a challenging step towards Gandalf.

"This way - Fly you fools!" He called and he was off. Thorin glanced to make sure everyone was out of the pancake bridge and on their way. He felt his hand being grasped tightly and he turned to find Maya looking at him fretfully. She began to pull and as he responded, they ran together through the small passage way, out into the daylight, the sun warming their faces as they made their hasty departure. They came into a clearing that Gandalf established to be a safe enough spot to gather their wits and lungs; to simply rest a while. Maya had loosened her grip on Thorin's hand but he was disinclined to let go so easily. He held it firmly in his own as he tried to catch his breath.

"Bilbo!" Maya's hand was wrenched out of his hold and he looked up at her. Everyone did as her hands covered her mouth, "We lost him! I lost him! He fell down the pit when he and I were left behind! I couldn't see him so I came for you instead,"

She pointed accusingly at Thorin who raised an eyebrow – so much for holding his hand. Gandalf tried to calm her but Maya was intent on going back. Thorin tried to grab her hand again, to talk sense into her but she was having none of it. She started to quicken pace but then from behind a tree, Bilbo appeared. Maya gazed at him incredulously,

"Bilbo, I thought I lost you," her mouth was still hanging open.

"Nope," he shrugged haughtily, "I'm still here,"

"That's a surprise," Thorin answered coolly, "I would sooner have thought you'd taken off home,"

Maya didn't look at him; she was still in a state of uncanny disbelief at the sight of Bilbo. The whole company was taken aback when he turned on Thorin with a look of tired frustration,

"Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have, I'm not a burglar. And you're right, I miss my books, I miss my hearth, my chair and my garden. You see that's where I belong. That's home, but you," he pointed at Thorin, "You don't have one…because it was taken from you and I will help you take it back if I can,"

He finished stubbornly, all eyes upon him in a new found respect; all but Thorin's whose eyes dropped. Recognition, guilt, acceptance – he didn't know what made him yield to the hobbit's gaze. Maybe he was stronger and more able than Thorin gave him credit for; after all he had made it through goblin town by himself.

"We'll need a place to camp. I don't think here will do," he turned from Bilbo and Maya both. His pride a little wounded from being put in the right place so shamelessly.

They found a little sheltered spot further down the mountain where they set a fire and treated themselves to a more hearty meal. Maya was sitting next to Bilbo. She kept looking at him with a smile. It was fine until it became more frequent,

"Maya, why do you keep looking at me?"

"I'm proud of you, Bilbo,"

For some odd reason, Bilbo felt a rush of pride himself at Maya's words and his chest swelled as did his heart. She left him with his stew and his smile and his swelling heart and sat down next to Thorin, who still looked wounded. She nudged him but he didn't give her much more than a glimpse. He was unresponsive and unwilling to be part of any conversation. Even when Maya tried to take his hand as reassurance, he didn't hold it back. She accepted it and returned to Bilbo's side with an impressed sigh. Bilbo looked at him,

"He's not even going to talk to you," he snorted, "He must be really grumpy,"

Bilbo glanced at Maya only to meet the side of her face. Her own eyes were gazing off in the direction of Thorin. She cocked her head with a fond smile – happy,

"Sometimes everybody's ego needs to be deflated. I really am proud of you, Bilbo,"

And once again his little heart swelled to twice its size.