My dreams had been lazy yet real, like the kind when you fall in and out of sleep, yet you can still vaguely remember what you had been seeing once your eyes closed. I had dreamed of talking. People talking around me, yet I was very uncomfortable, and my head ached. At one point I think I opened my eyes to see strays of dark and light, but my arms wouldn't move, so I decided to catch some more sleep.

The second time I opened my eyes, it was to a great pinch at my thigh. 'Hmm, yes,' a high, spindly kind of voice had hissed. 'Lady Dwarf will be a tasty treat'.

It was then that I had remembered the attack in the dark, the spiders, the words to Kili, the scuttling over my body. My heart hammered as I realized that I could not move, and that the bloody spider could talk. Stupidly, I had wriggled pathetically and bit out a croaky, 'Touch me again and I'll throw you down a drain, Incy Wincy'.

Well, this is what I had tried to say, anyway. Due to the fact that I was exhausted, cocooned in what I later found to be a spiders web and drugged up pretty badly from the spiders venom...well, you'll understand if my words came out a little muffled.

I was jabbed in the leg once again, and the misty world around me became a whole lot mistier.

There was no warning the next time my eyes flew open. My heart jumped with shock as cold air was thrown onto my face and the white, stringy, sticky substance was pulled away from me, and the faces of Kili and Bilbo were hovering above mine.

'There are spiders,' I had slurred. 'Are they gone? The little shits'. Now, I want you to imagine the drunken slur of someone, when they are a mess. You know, the kind when you can't believe someone could sound so stupid and drunk - well, that's what I had sounded like.

'They may come back,' rushed Bilbo, hands working at peeling away the web. Bombur's face popped up along the rest, and my eyes rolled lazily to find that his ginger hair was sticky with some white, stringy stuff.

'Can't move my legs,' I had explained (slurred).

Kili crouched low and took my shoulders, pulling me up. He was uneasy on his feet, and that fact had made me nervous. 'Bilbo led away the spiders that attacked us,' he had explained, looking very intently at me. 'This is their lair, and that is one of them'. He nodded over to a black lump a few feet away, underneath a canopy of web. My stomach heaved at the size of the thing - the thick legs, the open, blank eyes. And let me tell you, they all looked at us.

'Oh my-' I was leaning forward and hurling without much warning, I'm sad to say.

It was Kili who pulled back my hair, and Fili who said, 'It's expected, Kili. Ori and Bombur have already bent over and been sick once already'. Despite the burning in my throat as I threw away the sickness, the words made me feel better. I wasn't the only one that had reacted badly to the sickness of the spiders venom then.

Finally, I stood upright and pushed my hair away from my face. 'I feel better,' I assured Kili, who looked quite helpless. The others had, apparently, paid no mind to my little display of sickness, and had instead started talking about where the hell Thorin was, now that we had found Bilbo. 'Honestly,' I assured Kili. 'Just don't normally get spiders that big where I'm from'.

I suddenly felt very unattractive, and my hands delved into my bag (which had been enclosed into the web with me, thank God) past the troll gold and straight for the trusty pack of gum. 'I was saving you for situations like this,' I had muttered, popping a piece into my mouth. Three pieces left. How depressing.

I stumbled over to the rest of the group with Kili and Fili, both on either side of me. 'Did the Elves take Thorin?' I had asked, chewing around my gum. Words cannot describe how nice it had felt to have something solid and tasty to chew on.

Gloin looked up, and he was covered in web. 'Aye, Lassie. That is the best guess-'

There was the sound of hissing and scuttling, and from the twisting trees and blankets of spiders webs, there came the spiders themselves. Let me tell you, I had all but scrambled for Snowthorn, while the other Dwarves let out yells and pulled out their knives and swords. Bilbo headed the whole battle, waving around his own sword and jabbing the spiders here and there, causing them to flop down one by one.

And there were a lot of spiders in that clearing.

'Whoever said spiders are more scared of us than we are of them-' I swiped and tripped '-Bullshit'.

I found myself back to back with Ori, who was flinging stones at the spiders, only pissing them off a whole lot more. I probably managed to only swipe Snowthorn at three spiders before Bilbo's voice came from the midst of the panic and the shouting,

'I am going to disappear. I'll draw away as many of the spiders as I can, you lot should try to find your way back to the elf-fires - to the left there-' He was cut off my a spider leaping at him. Both Ori and I had let out rather girlish squeals at this, and pressed closer to one another.

'What?' I had yelped, breathless and scared. 'Do you have an invisiblity cloak? Dude-'

'No time to explain!' Bilbo yelled. 'Go! All of you!'

Balin was the one to shout out, 'Don't question him, do as he says, lads!' Ahem. With that, he gave a great roar, swept his beard aside and dove into the spilling pile of spiders, hacking and jabbing his way through the black, moving mess. My stomach churned, but I decided to ignore Bilbo's odd words and just go along with it. Try something new for once, you know?

I found Kili before he found me, but both our attentions were diverted once Bilbo did a silly little trip, brought his hands together and disappeared into thin air. For a moment, we were all quite stumped,

'...Did that actually just happen?'

Quite suddenly, there were shouts further away, and they sounded just like Bilbo. He was yelling madly and loudly, insults thrown at the still hissing and jumping spiders, of whom faltered and bared their fangs at the Hobbit's voice.

My mind had still been whirring with the thoughts of Bilbo vanishing, but I couldn't pass up a chance to escape the horrid spiders. But then, just as I was turning with Snowthorn in my hand, one of the spiders wrapped two hard, hairy and blegh legs around my own leg. I yelled, kicking madly as the horrible thing opened the hole in its face and out popped the fangs, frothing and-

A thick sword was brought down upon its thick body and the spider gave a breathy little hiss, a spasm and then fell limp from my leg. I practically kissed Dwalin, but decided that maybe it would have been a little inappropriate. Dwalin had shouted something about catching up with the others, and that is what we did. They were turning out of the clearing as the spiders who had not run after Bilbo followed us, jumping from trees and snapping at our ankles.

Bofur yelled, 'Wherever Thorin is - I envy the blasted Dwarf!'

Bifur yelled, 'Gelmag!' in Dwarven, waving his sword madly above his head and running to the head of the group, his feet pounding against the uneven ground.

'I don't think that the spiders want to make peace, Bifur!' huffed Bombur. I would have replied, but the thin air in the forest had made me breathless enough, the running only added to that point.

The spiders spun webs down to us, attempting to divert our way. They jumped, their legs spread for attack, to which we simply threw stones and twigs in their general direction. Despite the danger of the situation, something in me was quite glad that I had uttered the words, 'Kili. I fancy you, quite a lot actually', when I had. Millie grew balls, and those balls gave Millie a clear conscience before being devoured by spiders the size of dogs.

Bilbo appeared suddenly in our pathway then, a messy haired and dirty mess. His sword was by his side, and his other hand was placing something quickly into the contents of his pocket. The company had stopped quickly, breathing hard, ready for attack. I found myself tripping tiredly backwards, intend upon finding my place beside Kili and Fili.

Bilbo did not stop, but urged us to keep running - quite rudely, actually. 'Well don't stop. I'll sting, you run-'

The rest was a blur of Bilbo darting around as we Dwarves jogged on, throwing rocks and fighting along side the Hobbit. I speak for all of us when I say that we were freaked out by a) Bilbo disappearing into thin air like it was an everyday occurrence and b) Bilbo turning into a littler version of The Rock in a matter of hours and, finally, c) we were being chased by big spiders who were subsequently being massacred by a Hobbit.

It had been a very odd day, all in all.

'They retreating!' half yelled Dori, who stumbled to a stop alongside Ori, Dwalin and Balin. With that, the rest of us stopped too, but only to glare at the hissing spiders, who each (quite funnily, really) swore at us before creeping back into the bushes and the trees, intend upon finding their webby little home.

'That,' I had announced, chest heaving. 'Was screwed up'.

'I don't really know what that means, but I agree entirely,' huffed Kili, and it was only then, I think, that we both remembered my past words and shared a side glance, still sweaty, still dirty and still breathing hard.

Dori and Nori let out mad, relieved laughs.

'It appears Master Baggins was right,' said Balin, wandering forward and away from our staring company. 'We've found ourselves stumbling upon another elf-fire. Perhaps this would be a fitting place to rest, and to discuss your magical disappearing act, my dear Hobbit?'

Bilbo shrunk back a little with all our gazes quite suddenly on him, but he agreed and as we settled down in heaps on the floor. I turned to Kili and Fili, 'Thorin will be fine,' I had told them, only then realizing that it was their Uncle who was missing. 'The Elves are probably feeding him, and that's more than we're getting'.

Fili had lain a solid hand on my shoulders and smiled, his braids waving. 'Thank you, Millie'. Kili just stared at me. I had simply shrugged awkwardly.

We settled down happily and quickly, though we didn't light a fire. In all honesty, I think that none of us were quite so bothered about the cold, having been so tired. And then, Bilbo began his story. I guess you could say that it's an important story, because it mentions something quite important. I wouldn't have known its importance - none of us did, not at that time.

But that's another story entirely.

He told of us of a ring. Showed it to us too, actually. A gold, solid ring. Smooth and round, laying flat against his palm. He said that back when we were with the Goblins (and when he had disappeared) he had stumbled upon a creature called Gollum. At this, I had sat up straight so fast that Kili, who sat to the left and in front of me had actually a jumped a little. I knew that name. Heck, I was almost certain that Gollum was who I had sometimes referred to as Dobby.

As Bilbo continued to speak, still holding the ring, I had another one of my epiphany's.

A ring.

Holy-

A gold ring that was on every poster, back in the early 2000's. God, I may not have been a fan, or even watched any the films but I wasn't an idiot, you know? I knew certain names, but more than anything I knew that there was something pretty important about a ring in the Lord of the Ring films.

And why else would they bring a ring into this film, if I was in the film? The Hobbit. It must be a...a prequel?

It had been the ring.

But was it bad or good? Heck, I had no idea. I mean, it had helped us a lot so far. Without it, Bilbo would not have been able to chase off the spiders, and we'd probably be wrapped up in webs once again had he not found the ring in Gollum's cave - had he not had a very unneeded game of riddles with this Gollum dude.

I half listened to the rest of the Bilbo's tale, as he spoke of naming his sword (Sting) and as he went on, it seemed that the other Dwarves began to appreciate Bilbo a hell of a lot more than they once did. By the time we reached questions such as, 'Where is the path?', 'Where do we go next?' and 'Where is Thorin?', they were all directed at the very flustered and very awkward looking Hobbit.

All I knew was that I needed sleep. I needed to forget anything that I had remembered, and I needed to block that sodding ring from my mind.

Once I leaned back and tucked my legs into a curl, Kili had looked over his shoulder and inquired quietly, 'Are you going to sleep now? You may miss a lot of Bilbo's tale'. And he said it as if that fact would be the worst thing in the world. Sigh, Kili and Fili had, from then on, been practically besotted with the Hobbit.

I peered at him through the increasing darkness, pulling my cloak tighter around myself. 'I need sleep,' I had whispered. 'Being kidnapped by giant spiders does that to you, I guess,' I joked weakly.

Kili. I fancy you, quite a lot actually.

Golly.

The last thing I had said before closing my eyes was, 'He'll be fine, Kili'.

And he had replied with, 'I know. Sleep, Millie'.

The next morning, when we all awoke, I felt even worse.

We were hungry, thirsty, dirty, sore and aching. The forest seemed to only grow damper in the air, and I was almost certain that soon we would all die from dehydration. My throat had felt like sandpaper, and the thought of running water had been near crying with want.

Kili, without my request, had lain beside me in the night. It was his back that I woke up to and Bombur's moans of horror at the thought of another day with no food. 'It's a horrible day to be alive,' he had grumbled, kicking the ground with his large feet.

'Amen,' I had mumbled.

'We need to find Thorin,' declared Kili in frustration. Our silent stares and suddenly stern looks were agreement enough. Where we found Thorin, we would most likely find the Elves. 'It's been too long. Anything could have happened to him'.

'Kili-' started Fili.

The youngest shook his head in agitation, too worried for the well-being of his Uncle. As the two comforted one another, I had shrunk back into depths of the group, knowing that this was a discussion that I should not be a part of.

We walked slowly and tiredly, though part of me hated seeing my Dwarven and Hobbit men like this. Normally I would have been the one drooping along, complaining of hunger, thirst of tiredness. But, there they were, right beside me and looking as shit as I felt. It had only dampened by confidence and hope even more. But on top of that, it had made me feel...odd, I guess. Like I shouldn't be seeing them like this.

That was when the Wood Elves found us.

It was also when Bilbo vanished from the corner of my eye, but if anyone else saw they said nothing.

First the bows and arrows came protruding out of the bushes, and then came the tall, lithe creatures of the Elves. They wore green, material armor, and it was a stark contrast to the miserable surroundings that we had dwelt in. I had started as the arrows found our faces, and Kili had pushed me firmly in front of him, keeping me close and back-to-chest with his warm form. Gloin growled out offenses, to which one of the pretty looking Elves scoffed out a,

'Profanities are no use here, Master Dwarf. Judging my your lack of weaponry, I can only assume that you will not be fighting back,' she had said slyly, arrows still pointed at our faces. We had been circled, and she was the leader who could call off the attack.

Yet, all that I had been thinking was, she's pretty hot.

In the end, we had been bound and blindfolded and placed into a long line. The Dwarves (Gloin) had made a big fuss about the whole thing, swearing and kicking and spitting out phrases such as, 'tree huggers'. At some points I did join in, especially when Kili let go of me and allowed demanding words such as, 'You cannot take our freedom'.

I had been pushed to the far back of the line by each of the Dwarves, and the Elves had merely smiled at the show of protectiveness. 'I have not seen a she-Dwarf in nearly a century,' said one blonde Elf, moving forward to touch my chin. 'And one so hairless'.

These Elves were sassy little shits, weren't they?

The woman Elf came forward, her eyes considering me. 'King Thranduil would not be pleased if we bound and blindfolded a woman, even if she is a Dwarf. Allow her to walk freely, but be on your guard,' she warned, her eyes flicking up to meet the two male Elves who stood either side of me. They peered at Snowthorn, and my hand grasped my sword tightly.

'Lay a hand on her, and you'll have me to answer to,' Gloin had growled, looking uncertainly from side to side from beneath his blindfold. 'I'll 'ave you'.

After that, we were led in a long line onward. The Elves walked by our sides, gliding despite the uneven ground and the trees dotted around in the most annoying places. The walk was not a quiet one, mind you. Dwalin and Kili asked repeatedly, 'Where is Thorin?' While Bombur just moaned for more food. I myself just walked to the back of the line, stuck between two Elves.

'So,' I'd said, after a few minutes of walking in silence. 'You guys live here, huh?'

I was met with utter silence.

'...Alright'.

Dori tripped over a tree root and announced, 'Don't try and talk to them, lass. I'd expect nothing from these Wood Elves. A treacherous lot, they are-'

The woman Elf, who headed the group, said a sharp, 'I would stop talking now, Master Dwarf. Insulting Wood Elves in a realm of Elves is not so wise'. With that, she turned away with a flourish of her perfectly styled hair, tucked neatly behind her elegantly pointed ears.

'What is your name, Lady Elf?' It had been Kili to ask the question.

Lady Elf?

There was a pause, and then the woman Elf tipped her head sideways toward the blindfolded Dwarf and said, 'My name is Tauriel, Kili son of Dis. I am the head of the Elven guard of Mirkwood'.

As the silence reigned, the one thought that entered my mind concerned the whereabouts of the invisible Hobbit.

Soon, we found ourselves walking through tunnels that were cold and airy. The change was nice, seeing as the forest had been stuffy and warm, near damp with the mugginess of the place. As we had walked, torches were lit by the Elves, and the halls around us became more apparent. They were dark, with thick bricks and no windows.

As we continued on, dark waterfalls fell from some of the walls, like the river that Bombur had fallen into. Different hallways scattered into other directions, but we continued to follow the larger one, with the Elves leading the line of us Dwarves. Plus Bilbo, wherever he was.

I had just wanted to sleep, to eat, to cry. But, then, Tauriel had said, 'Here, beyond these doors, is the Elvenking Thranduil's throne room. He will want to talk to you'. With that, three of the Elves had pushed forward, and with their pushing the great, oak doors in front of us opened.

And there sat the Elvenking, atop his mighty throne.

I know it's quite a short chapter, but I cut it down a bit so the some of the next chapter has already been written! I wanted to end it at a good place, and this seemed like a well enough place to stop.

I'm sorry for the long update wait, they won't all be like this. Thank you for being so patient, but I am quite busy with everything at the moment, so I hope you can all respect that.

Also, thank you so much for the reviews and just the general feedback. Despite my crapiness with updating, you've all given me such good words both on here and on my kiliyousosilly tumblr, so thank you so much! I mean, shit, we've almost hit 900 reviews. HOW? I'm in shock, the feedback is just...hgjvbjnm

So, yeah, thank you! Also, if any of you want to know what Millie looks like, message me on my tumblr and I can send you links of beautiful fanart that people have done.

So yeah, expect an exciting chapter soon!