The Hobbit: Odd Love in Strange Times

Chapter 12 of my Hobbit story, enjoy.

Reviews

Marina Ka-Fai: Get in line, Bard and the others have first dibs after all.
canonman89: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)
Boris Yeltsin: Well, read on and see :)
sofasoap: No problem, yeah, well, just have to read on and see what happens.
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks and yeah, it's good :)

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: The Hobbit belongs to JRR Tolkien, Peter Jackson and all associated companies.

Chapter 12

Bard was apprehensive, they had been following the trail they had found, yet something didn't feel right to him. He had no doubt they were following the right trail, they could see, amongst the orcs footprints, the marks left by his children's shoes. They also found torn clothing such as parts of Sigrid and Bain's coats, which had snagged on low branches.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The others seemed to be noticing this too, looking around warily. The trail was so vivid now; even the dwarves wouldn't have struggled to track it.

Kili then voiced their thoughts. "I don't like this, the orcs haven't done a good job covering their tracks, yet we've not seen anything yet, nor has anything happened."

"Kili's right." Fili remarked warily. "Normally, if orcs leave a trail like this…it's deliberate."

That confirmed Bard's fears; they were meant to follow this trail, not because it was a trick, but because the orcs were ready for them.

"So, we'll run into guards then?" He queried.

"Guards…" Fili confirmed before adding. "Or traps."

Tauriel gave a small smile at that however. "Well, it's lucky then, you have Elves with you."

They turned to look at her and she explained.

"Our eyes and ears are sharper; keep following the trail." She said at last.

Legolas nodded and added. "Tauriel and I will scout around; make sure we aren't taken by surprise."

The others nodded gratefully and the two Elves headed amongst the trees as they continued onwards.

They progressed more carefully now, weapons drawn. They were now constantly alert for any danger. Bard could feel himself growing more and more desperate however; he knew they were getting closer, his children were close, he could feel it. Yet they couldn't move any quicker due to the risk; yet this meant they were left to suffer for longer.

'Those orcs will pay for everything they've done to them, I swear it.' He thought angrily; before composing himself. 'Wait, stay calm, focus on rescuing them, that's all that should matter just now.'

He glanced carefully at the dwarves, to see if they had noticed anything, but they gave no sign. He was pretty sure however that Fili shared his desperation, he could see the look in the blonde dwarf's eyes after all. It was then they stopped however, the trail had led them to this area, to the mouth of a cave; the tracks led inside the cave.

"The trail leads here but…" Bard said softly.

Kili turned to his brother. "What do you think?"

Fili shook his head in response. "It was too easy."

"Agreed." Kili muttered darkly.

It was then the Elves suddenly returned.

Tauriel then cried out. "Wargs!"

Just as they expected, a trap had been waiting for them, and it was now sprung.

Mere moments later the Wargs emerged from the bushes and a few even above the mouth of the cave. They surrounded the group of five, growling menacingly. They had their weapons all prepared and aimed at the creatures; only Fili lacked a ranged weapon but he was still armed and dangerous. They waited cautiously as the Wargs growled, menacing them, waiting for the Wargs to make the first move.

Sure enough they did; with some of them charging forwards, howling. Immediately the four archers fired, their arrows flew true, straight into the slavering maws of four Wargs. These ones fell, but others took their place, the charge did not break. That did not daunt the group however as they drew their close range weapons and the fight began. Working hard to avoid the teeth and claws of their assailants, the group hacked and slashed at the beasts, gradually thinning their ranks.

Finally, the three larger Wargs standing above the cave entrance leapt down to join the fray. These ones were more vicious and managed to impart injuries to the group. Luckily minor although it took combined efforts to kill them, finally finishing the last one when Tauriel leapt on its back and fired an arrow through its head. There was silence as the group caught their breath.

"That takes care of them." Bard remarked breathlessly. "We'll have to be more careful; there might be more traps."

The others agreed and, knowing they were in the right place, entered the caves seeking Bard's children.

Meanwhile back in Erebor, the work was progressing rapidly now, with the Elves help. The walls had been greatly strengthened and Erebor, while nowhere near its former glory, was recovering its defensive capabilities. Thorin considered this as he observed the defences, accompanied by Gandalf and Thranduil.

"The walls are as strong as they can be now." He remarked.

Thranduil nodded. "Yes; well, they will hold out, they must. After all a walls defence is truly only as good as those defending it."

Thorin smiled tightly at that. "Then it's a good job we have, while not the best trained, the most spirited people here."

Thranduil suppressed a smirk at that; knowing all too well that Thorin was referring to the Lake-Town people. Just then, from up on the wall; Balin cried out.

"Thorin, an army is approaching, it's Dain!"

Thorin smiled when he heard that. "At last; he made it in time."

With that they prepared to welcome Dain and his army; the now functional gates were opened and Dain rode in, his men right behind him.

"Hello there Thorin." Dain greeted his cousin boisterously. "I heard you were in trouble…as usual."

Thorin sighed. "You heard correctly, these are desperate times Dain."

Dain raised an eyebrow, observing Thranduil. "Well, they must be, if you are working with Elves, of all people."

Thorin quickly explained the situation to Dain about what had happened, Gandalf then added.

"This is part of something bigger I'm sure. We must put a stop them; we'll need your warriors ready for battle."

Dain grinned. "Not a problem, the boys and I are always ready for battle."

With that Dain and his men joined them and they furthered their battle preparations.

Elsewhere in Erebor; Bilbo had joined a few others for a meal. As he ate he found himself sitting next to one of the young women from Lake-Town. He had seen her during the time in Lake-Town and when they had been evacuating the people from Dale into Erebor.

He recalled her name as being Elisa; but that was about it. She noticed his glance and smiled awkwardly. There was a pause until finally, wanting to break the silence, Elisa ended up simply saying the first thing that came into her head.

"I've never met a Hobbit before." She silently cursed herself for it.

Bilbo however smiled kindly. "Oh?"

Elisa nodded slowly; her words just running on. "Yes; I've heard of Dwarves and Elves, never seen them until now thought. But I've never heard of Hobbits."

"I see, well, I'm not surprised." Bilbo replied casually. "We like to keep to ourselves."

He couldn't help but notice she seemed agitated; worried, she also seemed to keep tugging at her sleeves, as if making sure they covered her arms. Once, when he glanced at her, worried by this strange behaviour, he saw one of her hands reach around to gently touch her back, before rapidly pulling away again.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

She started and flushed. "I…sorry, I'll be fine. I just…I'm worried about Bain."

He saw the look in her eyes when she said his name and understood. He nodded, smiling slightly.

"It'll be fine, don't worry, they'll be found and brought back safely. I'm sure of it."

Elisa smiled gratefully at him and they continued to eat; waiting for further news.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.

Well, the group have arrived at the cave now, they're close to finding them :)

Also, note Elisa's strange behaviour; let's just say the thing with her back and her actions with her sleeves aren't due to her anxiety for Bain, she's hiding something, feel free to make guesses if you want, just for fun :)