Hey guys! Welcome back to a new chapter! And we continue with Hope and Alaric. They left Rivendell with Gandalf to catch up with the Dwarves in the Misty Mountains.

Good reading.

Chapter 9: The Misty Mountains

Many days had passed since Hope, Alaric and Gandalf had emerged from the valley, leaving Rivendell far behind them, and their ascent continued. It was a hard path and a dangerous path, a crooked way and a lonely and a long. It was getting bitter cold up here, and the wind came shrill among the rocks. Boulders, too, at times came galloping down the mountain-sides, let loose by mid-day-sun upon the snow, and passed among them (which was lucky) or over their heads (which was alarming). Hope used her magic to prevent them from falling on them. The nights were comfortless and chill. The two visitors thanked Gandalf for the efficiency of their Elvish cloaks which kept them warm during those nights. They found the Valley breathtaking and accepted Gandalf's decision to rest there for a while. Their last rest before reaching the Mountains.

"Here we are," said Gandalf, stopping.

The three travelers stopped and looked ahead. They could see a huge mountain range stretching out in front of them.

"The Misty Mountains. The great mountain range that divides Middle-earth," declared the Wizard.

"And we have to cross that to reach the Lonely Mountain?" Hope asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Absolutely," agreed Gandalf. "It is the best place for hundreds of miles to cross the mountains. But be careful. These mountains are dangerous for the inexperienced. You can get lost very easily. There are many passages that lead nowhere or lead to bad encounters. Like filthy and evil creatures. Goblins."

"Goblins?" Hope and Alaric exclaimed at the same time, their eyes wide with amazement.

"Disgusting creatures not as strong or as intelligent as the Orcs but equally dangerous," explained Gandalf. "Goblins are used to living underground. In this branching network of caves and tunnels that stretches from the High Pass in the northern part of the mountain range, lies their lair: Goblin-town, as they call it. They are very aggressive and they don't like intruders very much. Even less the Dwarves."

"Does Balin know?" asked Alaric.

"I couldn't tell you. Only a few outsiders know of the existence of Goblin-town. Most of those who enter their homes do not come out alive," replied Gandalf grimly.

Hope looked at the huge mountain range that stretched out in front of her.

"These mountains are huge!" she cried. "How are we going to find the others?"

"They need me to guide them," answered Gandalf. "But it is more than likely that they come across a cave that leads to an entrance to Goblin-town."

"Let's hope we catch up with them before they do," said Alaric worriedly.

Shortly after, they had begun to climb the Misty Mountains.

The course was difficult. The path had become dangerous both tortuous and long. The passage had become narrower and narrower, becoming only wide enough for the trio to cross in single file. They were currently on a very dangerous section. Gandalf led the way with Hope behind him, and Alaric trailing behind them.

As they walked dangerously, Alaric hesitated to ask:

"Are we likely to run into any goblin patrols?"

"No, we won't," assured Gandalf while walking. "Daylight wouldn't turn them to stone, like the Trolls, but they might feel dizzy and their legs would make them tumble. Mountain sickness."

Hope chuckled.

Suddenly Gandalf was a few steps away from falling to his doom.

"Gandalf!" shouted the Tribrid.

By reflex, she grabbed the Wizard's shoulder to steady him, then Alaric grabbed the other shoulder to keep him from falling. It looked like a huge chunk of rock had been torn from the Mountain. There was now a fifty-meter gap in the path that led straight down to the bottom of the gorge.

"Landslide?" Alaric asked, looking at the huge breach.

"No, it was not," objected Gandalf. "Look there."

Down the gorge, Hope and Alaric looked stunned by what they saw. A colossal headless stone figure lay crumpled at the bottom. Even the Statue of Liberty in their world looked weak compared to that huge block of stone.

"What's that?" Hope asked in amazement.

"Stone Giants," answered Gandalf calmly. "They like to test their strength during storms. And those who have the misfortune to cross the Mountain find themselves caught in the middle of their stone battles."

"Stone Giants?" wondered Alaric, frightened.

"Fortunately there are no thunderstorms at the moment," added Hope as shocked as him.

"I'm sure our friends must have found shelter in a cave," Gandalf explained confidently. "We have no choice but to enter one of them. With a bit of luck, we might find them."

A few steps ahead of them stood the entrance to a small cavern. They had just discovered the first potential shelter for Bilbo and the Dwarves. Gandalf flashed a small light on his staff so they could see through the darkness of the cave. At first glance, it seemed deserted. But Hope ends up spotting a few pieces of woolen fabric on the floor.

"These covers belong to Bombur, Kili and Fili. I recognize them," she said, remembering having seen them before.

"So they had to take shelter here after the fight of the Stone Giants," declared Alaric while looking around him. "And now, where are they?"

Gandalf tapped the ground with his staff, then revealed several outlines of trapdoors on the ground.

"This cave must be an entrance to Goblin-town," declared the Wizard. "These trapdoors under our feet lead to their lair. They had to be captured and brought to the Great Goblin for questioning. We must act quickly if we want to save them."

Hope and Alaric looked horrified at the thought of Bilbo and the Company of Dwarves being held prisoner by horrible evil creatures.

"We'll save them," Hope said with a neutral air.

In the depths of Goblin-town, the Company was held prisoner. Their captors had given the Dwarves no rest along the way. They had been shoved and whipped relentlessly along the way. The mistreatment only ended when they were brought before the ruler of Goblin-town.

The Great Goblin was much taller than his minions and easily overpowered them. Its jaw resembled that of a large frog. His body immensely obese, he wore a bone crown and held a scepter with a large ram's skull.

The Goblins brought a whole bunch of instruments of torture while their very ugly ruler sang a song just as ugly as 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."

As the Great Goblin sang, one of the Goblins spotted Orcrist. Intrigued, he picked up the sword and began to draw it. He pulled it out a few centimeters from the sheath before the Goblin recognized it. He screamed and threw the sword to the ground, where it was revealed to all.

Distraught, the Great Goblin stopped singing and recoiled on his throne, crushing a few minions bent to the ground.

"I know that sword!" he exclaimed, startled. "It is the Goblin Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks. Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!"

The Goblins began attacking the Dwarves, viciously. Some jumped on the captives, and others threw them to the ground. A group of Goblins pinned Thorin to the ground, one of them having a knife on him as the Great Goblin ordered:

"Cut off his head!"

One of the goblins raised a penknife to cut off Thorin's head. The latter looked up at the blade, feeling that there was no way out.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of light next to the Great Goblin's throne, a shockwave knocking everyone down and sending the torture equipment flying into pieces in the chasm below. As the shock wave dissipated, the whole room darkened. However, slowly the light began to return and the dark silhouettes of three figures appeared next to the Great Goblin's throne. The light gradually returned, the figures revealed themselves to be Gandalf, Hope and Alaric.

The Wizard brandished his sword and staff. Alaric held his crossbow ready to fire, while Hope had her arms up in the air, her gaze menacing.

She noticed that a few Goblins had gotten to their feet and were walking towards them, drawing knives.

Immediately, Hope waved her arms towards them, casting an spell:

"Ictus!"

Immediately, the Goblins were pushed back below. Gandalf turned to the Dwarves who were still on the ground, shocked at their rescuers.

"Take up arms." the Wizard ordered the Dwarves to play their parts. "Fight! FIGHT!"

Thorin and his followers rose to their feet as Gandalf quickly began slaying Goblins with his sword and staff. The Dwarves retrieved their weapons and used them to defeat the Goblins surrounding them. Hope used her spells to repel the ugly creatures, while Alaric fired arrows from his crossbow at the enemies in the caves.

The Great Goblin noticed Gandalf's sword and said in horror:

"He wields the FoeHammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!"

The Dwarves killed the Goblins with their swords. Bombur used his oversized abdomen to fend off a goblin, while Kili sliced another in multiple places.

The Great Goblin charged at Thorin with ferocity. Hope fended off a Goblin with a spell, as she saw the Dwarven leader in trouble.

She telekinetically fluttered a sword and threw it into the air at the Dwarf.

"THORIN!" she cried, throwing the sword at him.

Immediately, Thorin grabbed the sword in the air and used it to slam into the arm of the colossal Goblin who lost his balance and disappeared into the depths of the throne.

The Dwarves, Gandalf and the two visitors together like a scythe, cut down all the Goblins in their path. In no time, the wooden platform was cleared of all goblins.

Gandalf paused for a moment before shouting to his companions:

"Follow me! Quick! Run!"

The Company then began its escape. Gandalf, Hope, Alaric and the Dwarves rushed across the bridge that connected the platform to the tunnel leading to the back door. Spinning around, Hope used her magic to shatter the platform of the Great Goblin's throne, sending several Goblins flying.

"Run! "cried Gandalf, urging everyone to follow him.

The Wizard, the two Visitors, and the Dwarves raced through the hanging passages of Goblin-town, with hundreds of Goblins chasing them.

"Quickly!" urged Gandalf to his companions.

Alaric was running near Dwalin when he saw a whole pack of Goblins charging at them. Dwalin and a few Dwarves cut a wooden railing and held it like a massive spear. Alaric helped them lift it.

"Charge!" Dwalin yelled before going on the offensive.

He, Alaric and the other Dwarves charged at the oncoming goblins and swept them away with the long railing. Dropping the long stick, Dwalin took out his axes and attacked the goblins. The rest of the Company did the same. Alaric kicked a Goblin, knocking it over the edge, and fired an arrow that killed another Goblin.

Gloin kicked a falling Goblin and landed on another suspended path, smashing the path and dropping all the Goblins on it into the darkness below. Hope ran alongside Gandalf, using her magic to repel the Goblins who came to attack them. The rest of the Company also fought against the cavernous creatures that surrounded them with their various weapons and fighting styles. Several Goblins growled as they swung on ropes towards the Dwarves.

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin ordered his followers.

"I'll take care of that!" Hope said using her magic."Ingnalusa!"

Instantly, flames shot out on ropes that held a raised platform in place, the flames slicing through them; the platform fell outward, entangling the goblins who swung on the ropes.

As Kili fought, several Goblins began shooting arrows at him. He deflected a few arrows with his sword; he then grabbed a nearby ladder and dropped it onto the oncoming Goblins. Kili and a few of the other Dwarves ran forward, pushing the ladder and the goblins it had trapped ahead of them. As they approached a missing area of the path, the goblins fell into darkness; the ladder, however, acts as a bridge for the Dwarves to cross the rest of the way. As soon as they crossed it, Dwalin and Alaric broke the ladder, preventing the goblins who were chasing them from climbing it.

"Quickly!" Gandalf shouted to the others to follow him.

Our heroes continued to run through the labyrinthine paths; they came to a section of the path suspended by ropes from above. They cut ropes and the path veered away from the rest of the passage, approaching a different path.

"Jump!" cried Hope.

Several Dwarves managed to jump onto the other path; however, before the others could do so, the suspended path swung back like a pendulum to its starting point, and several Goblins jumped on it. As the path returned again, the rest of the Dwarves, Gandalf, Hope, and Alaric also managed to jump to the new path; they cut the ropes, causing the swinging path and Goblins to fall on it.

The visitors, Gandalf and Company continued to run through the tunnels, killing any Goblins in their path. Gandalf hit a rock above them with his staff, causing it to fall and start rolling past the Company, crushing any Goblins in their path.

Soon they approached a bridge between two cave walls. As they tried to cross it, the Great Goblin suddenly burst under the bridge and hoisted himself onto the bridge, in front of the Company. As the Company halted its course, hundreds of Goblins approached them from all sides.

Hope and Alaric looked at the Goblin sovereign with grimaces of disgust.

"You thought you could escape me?" he sneered the giant monster.

He swung his mace twice, tripping Gandalf. Hope and Alaric held him by his back to keep him from falling.

"So gross!" Alaric whispered to the Great Goblin in disgust.

"It's Jabba the Hutt from Middle-earth," Hope added with the same disgusted expression.

"What are you going to do now, wizard?" sneered the Great Goblin.

Gandalf leaps forward and hits the Great Goblin in the eye with his staff. The Great Goblin dropped his mace and clutched his face in pain. The Wizard attacked again and cut the huge Goblin's belly with his sword. The monstrous ruler fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

"That'll do it…"

But the old man stabbed the Great Goblin in the neck, causing him to slump inert on the deck. But the impact of the huge creature's weight shook the deck.

"Uh-oh, it'll give way…" exclaimed Alaric in a panic.

Suddenly, the section of the bridge our heroes were standing on stood out from the rest of the bridge.

"Everybody hold on tight!" cried Hope, clinging to a stake on the bridge.

And the bridge section slid down the side of the cavern. The bridge slid with dangerous speed down the cavern wall, demolishing everything in its path; the Dwarves hung on, screaming in terror. While clinging to the railing, Hope made a spell to slow the fall of the bridge.

The bridge slows and lands at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the Dwarves in beams and wood. Hope and Alaric jumped off the broken bridge. Gandalf rose from the pile of wreckage and inspected the rest of the Dwarves, who were still stuck in the wreckage.

Hope brushed the dust and wood off her clothes and into her hair, while Alaric took advantage of this respite to catch his breath.

"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur said wryly of their escape.

Just then, the Great Goblin's corpse lands on those still on the broken bridge, crushing them further.

"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin growled, struggling to free himself.

Hope fought not to laugh, as she came to help the Dwarves out of the wreckage and those trapped under the huge Goblin's corpse. Alaric came to help Bombur out of the rockslide.

Then Kili looked up to see thousands of Goblins coming for them and alerted the others.

"Gandalf!"

All had looked up at the countless number of cavernous creatures that were gathering towards them, like a swarm of bees.

"There are too many of them to defeat them," declared Alaric anxiously.

"We can't fight them." added Dwalin.

"Even me with my wolf form, I couldn't fend off such a large number of Goblins," Hope said looking at the others with dread.

"Only one thing will save us: daylight!" declared Gandalf by inciting the others to follow him.

"Is there an exit here?" Hope asked the Wizard.

"Yes, there is, Hope," assured her Gandalf. "Come on! Here, on your feet!"

He began to run along the passage in which they landed, and the rest of the Company followed him, the two visitors bringing up the rear.

It didn't take them long to find the exit. Although the sun was setting, it was still daylight, and the Company felt a sense of relief as they emerged from the caves and headed into the fading daylight. However, they kept running until they had put several miles between them and the cave entrance.

When the Dwarves stopped running in the center of a small grove of trees, Hope walked past Gandalf who was busy counting the incoming Dwarves.

"Five, six, seven, eight," he enumerated, counting the members of the Company. "Bifur, Bofur. That's ten. Fili and Kili, that's twelve. And Bombur, Hope, Alaric and me. That makes sixteen."

Hope looked stunned upon hearing the Wizard. Sixteen? They weren't supposed to be seventeen?

"Hey, we're missing someone!" she exclaimed, shocked and worried. (Then she realized the person she hadn't seen since she had found the Dwarves.) "Bilbo! We miss Bilbo! Where is he? Bilbo!"

Alaric raised his head, worried in his turn, having also noticed that he hadn't seen the Hobbit in the Goblin cave either.

"Bilbo?"

"Where's Bilbo?" asked Gandalf with the same concern. "Where is our Hobbit?"

The Dwarves looked at each other, noticing only the Halfling's absence.

"Where is our Hobbit?" repeated Gandalf, raising his voice a little.

All came to the same conclusion: Bilbo was no longer among them and no one knew where he was. When was he gone? Hope cursed herself for not noticing Bilbo's absence earlier in the cave.

"Curse the Halfling!" Dwalin grumbled. "Now he's lost?!"

"I thought he was with Dori!" said Gloin.

"Don't blame me!" defended Dori.

"Well, where did you last see him?" asked Gandalf of the Dwarf.

He looked at Dori expecting an answer that he hoped was good. However, it was Nori who answered in place of his eldest:

"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us."

So he was falling with them when the ground opened up under their feet. But how he managed to slip away, as Nori said, was the mystery. There had been so many Goblins that it seemed impossible to escape. Hope couldn't see how Bilbo could have escaped the caves of the Misty Mountains undetected, even with his small size.

"What happened exactly?" immediately asked the Wizard. "Tell me!"

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin intervened, to Hope's surprise. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it!"

Hope looked at Thorin blankly. Was she the only one who feared that the Hobbit was still in the Mountain, at the mercy of the goblins? Had the Dwarf even thought that Bilbo might have been hurt, or worse? Why think of his escape when he was perhaps lost or dead?

"He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door." continued the Dwarf. "We will not be seeing our Hobbit again."

"How do you know that he fled?" exclaimed Hope angrily. "How can you think of giving him up? He could be injured, lost or worse, dead! He has always been faithful to the Company! He's the one who outsmarted you with the Trolls! I'm going to go back there and look for him! Who's coming after me?"

Alaric rushed to the Tribrid in hopes of comforting her and preventing her from doing something stupid.

"Hope, don't be reckless! There are thousands of Goblins in these caves! You can never defeat them all, even with your magic!"

"I don't care!" Hope sternly retorted with determination. "I need to try! Bilbo doesn't deserve to be abandoned! We have to do something!"

Gandalf added in his turn with sadness:

"Master Alaric's right, Hope. We don't know if he is still in those caves. It would be unwise to return to the Goblins, especially with night approaching."

"Do you really want to risk your life and waste time looking for him in those Goblin caves? He is long gone." Thorin said angrily.

The Dwarves gave sorry looks, while Gandalf was still worried. But Hope was still determined to go in search of her Hobbit friend.

But an unexpected voice prevented her from leaving.

"No, he isn't."

Everyone turned their heads to see Bilbo appear from behind a tree. He approached, giving them a long look, with a small smile. He must have overheard the conversation they had just had.

When he appeared, the tension flew from the shoulders of the group. They were relieved and did not hide it: smiles, joyful exclamations, sighs of relief. Hope herself felt a weight lift from her stomach: he was alive! Even Alaric was relieved and happy to see the Halfling again.

"Bilbo Baggins!" said Gandalf with a laugh in his voice. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

"And I as well," added Hope beaming with happiness at the sight of the Hobbit. "I'm so glad to see you're doing well!"

Gandalf smiled as he approached the Halfling. Bilbo stepped forward, patting Balin on the shoulder as he passed.

"Bilbo!" said Kili who seemed happy. "We'd given you up!"

"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!" Fili asked.

"How, indeed." Dwalin added dumbfounded.

"Looks like the Hobbits are smart to pass unnoticed," declared Alaric with amusement remembering what Gandalf had said about the small gestures of the Hobbits.

Bilbo looked around the whole company, as if he didn't know what to say. Hope was also waiting for the answer, surprised that he managed to escape without any help. And even she was amazed that Bilbo had been able to get out of the caves without either her or Alaric or Gandalf noticing, knowing that there were few exits in Goblin-town.

"Ha, ha!" chuckled the Hobbit, enigmatic, putting his hands in his pockets.

The Tribrid frowned. Was it an effect of her imagination or was Bilbon trying to duck out of it so as not to answer? And she saw him slipping something into his pocket. Frowning, Hope stared at him curiously. It was as if he was trying to hide something, which made the Tribrid a little uncomfortable, without her understanding why.

"Well, what does it matter?" said Gandalf. "He's back!"

"Yes, you're right," Hope answered, smiling again. "That's all matter."

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

Bilbo looked at him for a moment before replying:

"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have." he said.

Thorin said nothing, just staring at the Hobbit.

"And you're right, I often think of Bag End." continued Bilbo, shrugging his shoulders. "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. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

Hope had a pang of admiration at the Hobbit's speech. Did such beings really exist? Beings acting just to help, without thinking of any profit? The Tribrid seemed proud of the Hobbit. Unlike her and Alaric, Bilbo had had the opportunity to return home, and ultimately he had chosen to follow Thorin and the Dwarves to the end of their Quest. This decision had strengthened Hope's determination to stay with the Company. If she were to be stuck in Middle-earth, waiting to find a way back to her world, she would help the Dwarves retake Lonely Mountain.

"It's good to see you among us," declared Alaric proudly, patting the Hobbit on the shoulder.

Thorin stared at Bilbo for a moment before lowering his head humbly, in silent thanks. A silence fell on the Dwarves, all seemed touched by the words of the Hobbit and more than ever.

Azog had received news from the Great Goblin about Thorin's capture. The Pale Orc led his pack to the ancient gate of Goblin-town, obsessed with attaching Thorin's head to his belt next to Thror's, as trophies. He had been warned that Thorin and the Dwarves had escaped through the exit behind the Misty Mountains. Hearing this, Azog was not angry as one might expect. Not having to pay the Goblin leader the promised bounty was one of the reasons. Another was that, unlike horses and ponies, Wargs were superb mountain travelers. Azog's pack reached the other side of the mountain in no time. The Pale Orc spotted its prey at the foot of the slopes. He ordered his Orc minions in the Black Speech language:

"Catch the girl! As for the Dwarves… Run them down! Tear them to pieces!"

It's done. I didn't see much point in Hope going after Stone Giants. It would be like an ant attacking three humans.

Hope clearly saw Bilbon hiding something in his pocket, which will fuel her suspicions.

In the next chapter, our heroes will be in trouble.

See you soon.