Hello everyone! Hope, Alaric and the Company will once again take on the Orcs, but this time, things will get tough for Hope.

Good reading.

Chapter 10: Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire

Unbeknownst to our heroes, further up the slope, Azog and his pack had just crossed the mountain pass and were now at the top of the slope on which the Company rested. Atop his white Warg, Azog had ordered the Wargs to attack the Dwarves. And as the sun began to sink over the horizon, the horseless Wargs began to descend the slope, howling loudly.

Further down the slope, Hope, Alaric, Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves could hear the animal howls that were not unfamiliar to them.

"Wargs!" exclaimed Alaric, distraught.

"They found us!" added Hope waving her hands ready to use her magic.

Thorin summed up the situation:

"Out of the frying pan…"

"…and into the fire." finished Gandalf before exhorting the Company. "Run! RUN!"

And they all began to run further down the slope, away from the howls of the Wargs who were near them. Dusk had also quickly turned into night. The Wargs' pursuit of the Dwarves led them to an outcrop of land on which some pine trees grew. The only way out was a huge fall down the mountain. The Company stopped their escape upon seeing their predicament. They were trapped like rats.

A Warg charged straight at Bilbo. This last ducked behind a boulder and the Warg's jaws snapped in the air above his head. The creature lands in front of him. Growling, it charged at him. Bilbo took out his sword and held it before him; the charging Warg impaled its head on the sword and dropped dead. Bilbo eyed the dead giant wolf in surprise.

A few more Wargs caught up with the fleeing dwarves. Hope waved her hands, wanting to use her magic.

"Incendia!"

But to her surprise, no Wargs were in flames. The creatures continued to rush towards her screaming.

"What?" Hope exclaimed in shock and bewilderment looking down at her hands. "What's happening?" (Then she repeated the gestures.) "Incendia!"

But again, nothing happened. Nothing slowed the Wargs that were charging towards them.

"No you've got to be kidding me?!" cried Hope in a panic. "Why I have no magic? What's happening to me?"

While wondering about the fact that she couldn't cast any spells, a Warg rushed dangerously towards her. Alaric barely had time to brandish his crossbow.

"HOPE, GET DOWN!"

The Tribrid complied as the Warg leapt into the air and Alaric fired an arrow that hit the beast in the forehead. The Warg fell to the ground, dead. Distraught, Hope ran to her Headmaster.

"I have no magic!" she told him with dread. "I can't cast spells or turn into a werewolf! There's something blocking my powers! I can't attack these Wargs! I cannot do anything!"

Alaric looked distraught in turn. The Wargs far outnumbered them, and they were on top of a huge cliff. They had no escape.

"The Orcs must have an artifact that prevents you from accessing your powers," declared Alaric.

"What are we gonna do?" Hope asked in alarm, as more Wargs came towards them.

"Stay alive," answered Alaric brandishing his crossbow towards the giant wolves.

Some were defending themselves against the Wargs with their weapons, while the others with Gandalf had noticed the huge fall in the mountain.

"Up into the trees all of you!" urged Gandalf. "Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb! Hope! Alaric! Climb!"

The Wizard set the example. He climbed the furthest tree. The Dwarves followed suit, helping each other climb the pines. Alaric helped some Dwarves up a tree, then he climbed the pine in front of him in turn, and grabbed Hope's hand to help him up the tree.

Bilbo forced himself to pull his sword from the dead Warg's head, but it was firmly embedded there.

"They're coming!" Thorin alerted as he helped his followers up the pines.

Bilbo finally managed to pull his sword out of the Warg. He looked up to see several other Wargs running towards him.

"Bilbo, Climb!" cried Hope perched on a tree branch, holding out her hand to the Hobbit.

He quickly climbed a pine tree, getting help from Hope and Alaric, as the Wargs piled up beneath him. Dozens of Wargs surrounded the pines in which the Company members were perched. The beasts began to leap on the trees, trying to catch their prey, but the Company narrowly avoided them. The Wargs leapt into the trees, snapping branches, but none managed to hit a Dwarf. Frustrated that she couldn't cast spells to scare them away, Hope kicked them in the faces of the Wargs, while clinging to her branch. But the creatures were only annoyed by her blows.

"Hope, stop! It's no use!" Alaric told her while clinging to the tree where he was.

Gandalf reached out with his staff and picked up a moth sitting in the same tree as him. Bringing the moth close to his face, he whispered to it, then blew on it gently, causing it to fly away. The Wargs stopped growling and attacking, and turned as the Orcs appeared. One that couldn't fail to attract attention: it was white, just like the Warg it rode. Hope remembered Balin's tale of the Battle of Moria regarding Azog, the Pale Orc who had sworn to kill Thorin and his family. It didn't seem like a good omen.

"A Pale Orc!" exclaimed Alaric stunned.

As she was close to Thorin, Hope could see him stiffen as he felled a branch that blocked his view. She thought she saw him pale slightly, which she interpreted as a very bad sign.

"Azog!" he gasped in disbelief as he saw the Pale Orc on his white Warg.

Hope looked stunned and looked back at the Pale Orc remembering Gandalf and Balin's suspicious looks at the mention of Azog's supposed death. Thus, he was still alive and now sported a metal claw on his arm which had been severed by Thorin.

Delighted at the shock effect he was causing on his prey, Azog sniffed the air, gently stroked his Warg with his metal claw, and spoke Black Speech to Thorin:

"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?" (Do you smell it? The scent of fear?) "Ganziligi unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Thrain." (I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain.)

Thorin looked stunned and horrified as he understood the Pale Orc's every word. At the mention of his father, he paled even more with shock.

"It cannot be." he muttered in horror.

Azog ordered his Wargs and Orcs:

"Kod, Toragid biriz." (That one is mine.) (He pointed to Thorin, and turned his gaze to the other Dwarves.) "Wororida!" (Kill the others!)

At his command, the unmounted Wargs leaped forward and attempted to climb the pines. They jumped as high as they could, scrawling at tree trunks and snapping branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shook violently at the onslaught, and the Dwarves struggled to hold on. Hope and Alaric could only cling to their tree, but felt that the pine where they were perched would soon give way.

"It looks bad," announced Alaric while looking at the Wargs relentlessly on the trees to uproot them.

"Really? You think?" cried Hope in dread and frustration at being helpless.

"Sho gad adol!" (Drink their blood!) Azog added with a happy sneer on his lips.

With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the tree furthest from the edge of the cliff, in which Bilbo, Hope, Alaric and several other Dwarves were, was uprooted from the ground and leaned wildly. As other Wargs grabbed onto it, the tree tipped over and landed on the next tree.

"Jump to the other trees!" cried Alaric, jumping from one pine to another.

He, Hope, the Dwarves and Bilbo jumped from the fallen tree to the other. However, this tree too toppled; like dominoes, all the trees began to fall. All the Dwarves, Hope, Alaric, Bilbo and Gandalf managed to jump on the last tree, at the very edge of the cliff. This tree didn't fall. For the moment.

Azog laughs at their plight. He had the advantage over them.

Looking around in despair, Gandalf saw a pine cone. He grabbed it and used his stick to set it on fire; he then threw it into the midst of the Wargs, who retreated in fear of the fire. Azog looked surprised and furious at the unexpected resistance. The Wizard lit two more pine cones and threw one to the Dwarves below him.

"Fili!"

Fili grabbed the pine cone. Hope, Alaric Bilbo and the Dwarves collected pine cones and Gandalf set them on fire; they then launched the flaming pine cones like missiles at the Wargs. The entire area around the tree was set on fire, forcing the monstrous beasts to retreat from a distance. At least one Warg galloped with its flaming fur. Azog roared in anger and frustration as the Dwarves cheered.

"They're retreating!" Hope declared glad to see the Wargs on the run.

Suddenly, their cheers turned to cries of fear as the roots of the tree they were in began to give way.

"We're too heavy! The tree will give way!" yelled Alaric in a panic.

"HOLD ON!" Hope screamed, clinging to her branch.

The tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but stopped moving away from the edge of the cliff. Gandalf looked down and saw the ground the huge void below him. Hope tried to cling to her tree branch with her eyes fixed on the ground far, far, far below her. Feet drooping, the Tribrid tried to pull itself up. The Dwarves tried to hold on as they were thrown everywhere.

"Mr. Saltzman, hang on!" the Tribrid shouted to her Headmaster, clutching her branch tightly.

"That's all I do!" bellowed Alaric, clinging to the pine.

Ori loses his grip on the tree and falls, but manages to grab hold of Dori's leg.

"DORI! ORI! HOLD ON!" cried Hope in despair at not being able to do anything to help the two struggling Dwarfs.

"Lady Hope! Mr Gandalf!" Dori yelled desperately, no longer holding on to the branch.

Due to the extra weight, Dori lost his grip on the tree and fell, but Gandalf quickly swung his staff down and Dori clung tightly to the end.

"HOLD ON!"Hope shouted at them.

Azog growled; Thorin, clinging to the tree, glared at him with hate and anger. He straightened, his sword drawn with his oak branch shield, and descended the bent trunk as Bilbo and the others watched from the tree. With determination, Thorin crossed the burning ground of Azog and his white Warg.

The Pale Orc spread his arms with a smug smile on his face. Thorin growled in rage as he ran with his sword raised and his oak branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouches, then roars as his Warg leaps at Thorin. The Dwarf-King attempted to swing his sword, but the Warg struck him in the chest with his fore paw, crushing him to the ground. Hope, Alaric and the other Dwarves in the tree looked on in shock.

The Tribrid could only watch the fight helplessly. She wasn't going to stand on that tree watching Thorin get killed by the Orc who had sworn his death.

As Thorin tried to get up, the White Warg rushed at him and Azog hit him in the face with his mace with a roar, knocking him back to the ground again.

"NOOOOO!" Balin yelled in horror, still clinging to the tree.

"THORIN!" added Hope in dismay.

Thorin screamed in pain as the White Warg trapped him in its jaws, and using his remaining strength he struck the Warg with the hilt of his sword, only to be thrown near a rock.

He lay there, weakened, his Orcrist sword now beyond his reach.

"Oh My God!" Alaric exclaimed, still clinging to the tree in horror.

Rejoiced in triumph, Azog turned to one of his henchmen, ordering him:

"Biriz torag khobdudol." (Bring me the Dwarf's head.)

The Orc jumped out of his Warg and approached Thorin. Bilbo, seeing this, drew his own sword, which emitted a blue glow. Hope saw Bilbo brandish his sword, prompting her to do the same. With or without her magic, she wasn't going to sit idly by for Thorin. Alaric had trained her to fight. She would fight the Orcs without her magic.

The Orc approached Thorin and placed his sword against his neck; raising the sword, the horseman prepared to decapitate Thorin. As he swung his sword down, Bilbo lunged at him and knocked him down. As they fought, Bilbo managed to stab the Orc. Hope charged at full speed, letting out a primitive cry and brandishing her Elvish sword, and threw herself on the Orc, decapitating him.

As Azog growled in anger, Thorin lost consciousness. Bilbo and Hope stood before the unconscious Thorin and shielded his body. They waved their swords wildly at Azog and the other Wargs.

"Leave him alone!" Hope hollered at the Pale Orc angrily. "I'll kill you if you hurt him!"

Azog grimaced in hatred and ordered his minions to attack. Hope swung her sword and came to hit a Warg on the head. Then, several Wargs began to surround her. The Tribrid refused to be defeatist. She intended to fight until the end. A Warg charged at her, but Hope cut off its head. But another Warg pushed her to the ground. Hope lost her sword and fell to the ground. She wanted to get up when a Warg put its paw on her back, forcing her to stay on the ground. Azog directed his white Warg towards her, speaking to her in the Black Speech language:

"You're lucky my Master wants you alive, Tribrid."

Hope, not speaking the language, hadn't understood a word Azog had just said. But she had clearly heard the word Tribrid. Which meant Azog knows who she was. Then, the Pale Orc gave an order in his sinister language to an Orc. Then this same Orc arrived towards Hope, on his Warg by taking out a big rope used to bind someone. The Tribrid then understood Azog's plan for her: the Pale Orc had no intention of killing her, he wanted to capture her. Why? What purpose?

The Orc approached her with his rope. Hope jerked back and forth, trying to free herself, but the Warg's paw on her back blocked her chance of escape.

As the Orc was about to tie her up, Alaric came running at top speed, and decapitated the dark creature's head. Then he slashed the forehead of the Warg that held Hope. Azog growled in rage, stunned to see a human with the Dwarves, and ordered his Orcs:

"Kill Em!"

Soon the Wargs were attacked by Fili, Kili and Dwalin, determined to defend their wounded ruler.

Hope got up quickly. She picked up her sword and charged straight at the Pale Orc and his mount in rage. She severed the White Warg's head causing Azog to fall to the ground.

With the White Warg's head at her feet, Hope gazed proudly at her Elvish sword.

"The Slicer," she said, looking at her sword which she had just given it a name.

Azog stood up, growling in rage upon seeing the corpse of his decapitated White Warg. Hope brandished her sword and tried to touch the Pale Orc. But Azog with a punch sent the Tribrid flying in the air, pushing her back a few miles from him. Alaric got in his way and fought the Pale Orc. The Headmaster tried to hit Azog with his sword, but Azog overpowered him by pushing him away with the strength of his fist. Alaric leapt into the air and landed on the ground next to Hope.

"Mr. Saltzman," she said, watching in horror as the Pale Orc walked towards them.

And she noticed something clinging to Azog's belt, some kind of white crystal. The Tribrid understood then why she had no magic. Because of this crystal that was blocking her powers.

Azog arrives at them, and lifts Hope by the neck with his metal claw. He lifted her to her full height, chuckling.

"You're lost, Tribrid! Your magic won't save you! You're mine! And soon, you will serve my Master!"

Hope tried to reach for the crystal, but Azog, having noticed, snickered even more and tossed her in the air like a rag doll. Bilbo charged towards them, brandishing his sword, but with a single kick, the Pale Orc struck the Hobbit, knocking him to the ground.

"Leave him alone!" Hope shouted, trying to free herself from the grip of the metal claw.

Fili, Kili and Dwalin found themselves surrounded by Wargs, and Hope, Alaric and Bilbo were at Azog's mercy.

Suddenly the butterfly returned to Gandalf. Dori slid off the end of the Wizard's staff, causing him and Ori to fall into the huge void. An eagle appeared out of nowhere and grabbed them on its back; they screamed in fear as they were quickly swept away. Several other Eagles appeared screaming and joined the fray. Some grabbed Wargs and Orcs and threw them over the cliff. Others felled trees, which crushed the Wargs below them. Another Eagle fanned the flames with its wings, causing a blaze that scorched the Wargs. Azog released Hope, turned away from Bilbo and groaned in frustration. He narrowly dodged a huge bird. Hope came to help Alaric up and saw the Eagles attacking the Wargs and Orcs.

"What now?" exclaimed Alaric shocked and amazed.

"Eagles?" wondered Hope, her eyes wide with amazement. "They are apparently on our side."

"Rather a good sign," replied her delighted Headmaster. "They are beautiful!"

And he let out a happy laugh.

An Eagle gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away. As Thorin was lifted off the ground, his oak branch shield slipped from his arm and landed on the ground. Azog roared and jumped back as an Eagle flew past him.

The Eagle headed straight for Hope, who was at first happy, suddenly looked alarmed.

"Hey, no! stop, stop, I'm not an Orc!" she exclaimed, terrified.

But the Eagle tore her from the ground and threw her into the void. Hope let out a cry as she fell before landing on the back of another Eagle. Realizing she was riding an Eagle, Hope looked stunned and elated.

Alaric seemed stunned, before being in turn, torn from the ground, thrown into the void to be caught by another Eagle. Then it was Bilbo's turn who got the same treatment.

The rest of the Eagles tore the Dwarves from the tree and flew away. When only Gandalf was left in the pine, the roots gave way and the tree fell off the edge of the cliff. The Wizard jumped on it and was grabbed by an Eagle.

As the giant birds flew away with the entire Company, Azog and the few remaining Wargs growled in anger and frustration. Azog was quite angry. Thorin Oakenshield had eluded him, he had failed to capture the Tribrid and his Warg had been beheaded. He let out a howl of rage, hatred and humiliation that echoed throughout the mountain.

Great Eagles soared in the sky over mountains and valleys throughout the night, carrying the Company.

Perched on her Eagle, Hope gazed in wonder at the landscape, while rejoicing in riding a great Eagle. Never in all her life would she have believed such a thing. Again, she wished her parents or Landon were there to see this.

She turned to another Eagle where the Wizard was.

"Gandalf, what are these Eagles?"

The old man smiled amicably as he stroked his Eagle.

"Radagast is not the only wizard who knows how to speak with animals." (He pointed to his Eagle) "This is Gwaihir. Windlord. King of Eagles. And he's also an old friend."

Hope mimicked Gandalf's gesture as she petted her Eagle.

"Thank you," she told him.

Then an alarmed voice tore her from her happiness.

"Thorin!" Fili shouted to his uncle.

The Dwarf King didn't move. Thorin was still unconscious in the claws of his Eagle. Gwaihir and his brothers dropped off their passengers atop a massive bear-shaped rock structure. A flight of steps carved into the rock leads down to the ground. The rock bore the name of Carrock.

The Eagle carrying Thorin placed him gently with Orcrist on the flat top of the Carrock. Gandalf was in turn placed on the rock. He ran towards the unconscious Dwarf.

Alarmed, Hope spoke to her Eagle.

"Quick, put me down!"

The Eagle lands softly on the top of Carrock. Hope slid down and ran to join the old Wizard who was near Thorin.

"Gandalf. I can heal Thorin with my blood."

She quickly reached for her sword, intending to use the blade to make a slight incision in her wrist.

But Gandalf remained calm as he dressed the Dwarf's wounds with his powers.

"Thorin! Thorin!" he called worriedly, putting his hand on the Dwarf-king's face.

Shortly after, all the Dwarves were deposited on the Carrock. Bilbo and Alaric joined Hope, all worried.

After a slight moment, the Thorin's eyes finally opened. He looked up at Gandalf and asked weakly:

"The Halfling… The girl…"

"It's all right," Gandalf assured him understandingly. "Bilbo and Hope are there. They're quiet safe."

Hope, Alaric and Bilbo sighed in relief when they saw Thorin alive and awake. Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin up. However, once standing, he ignored them and approached Bilbo and Hope with a look of rage.

"Both of you! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" (Addressing Bilbo.) "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?" (Addressing Hope.) "And you, that you were a strange and terrifying creature?"

Hope felt irritated by the Dwarf King's angry tone. They had just risked their lives to save him, and this was how he showed his gratitude? She was about to reprimand the Dwarf when the latter walked over to Bilbo and hugged him in an almost brotherly embrace.

"I've never been so wrong in all my life!" resumed Thorin, hugging the Hobbit against him.

Bilbo looked surprised, and hugged Thorin back.

Then he turned to Hope, and took her in his arms. Initially taken aback, the Tribrid gave a hug. While the other Dwarves hailed Bilbo and Hope as valued members of the Company.

Gandalf and Alaric exchanged approving glances.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you, Hope," Thorin said kindly.

"You don't have to apologize," Hope assured him, smiling. "Your distrust of me was justified."

Then the Dwarf-king turned to Bilbo.

"I am sorry I doubted you."

"No, I would have doubted me too." said the Hobbit humbly. "I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar."

"You are wrong, Bilbo," Alaric told him with a humble look. "You ran to save Thorin. Only a true hero could have done that."

"You're brave," added Hope. "I didn't have my magic to save us. I was as vulnerable as you. And seeing you stand up to Azog has given me courage. You have given me courage, Bilbo. Mr. Saltzman is right: you are a hero."

"You didn't have your magic?" Balin wondered.

Hope looked somewhat anxious as she replied:

"I saw Azog holding a crystal that was supposed to cancel my powers. I couldn't cast spells or turn into a werewolf. I was defenseless. Yet... Azog didn't want to kill me. He didn't mean to. I believe he wanted to catch me."

"What do you mean?" wondered Alaric.

"Azog spoke in his weird language, and I heard him say Tribrid."

At his words, all the Dwarves looked stunned, Alaric was horrified and worried, while Hope continued:

"Azog knows who I am. And in my opinion, he also knows that I am not from Middle-earth. He could very well have killed me. But he wanted to capture me. I didn't understand what he told me."

Gandalf looked distraught at these revelations, then remembered Galadriel's warnings. An evil force would be behind the arrival of Hope and Alaric.

"Azog is only a pawn," he replied. "He follows the orders of his new Master. This force that moves in the shadows."

"Do you think it would be this Necromancer that Radagast told us about?" Alaric asked anxiously.

"It is quite possible," replied the Wizard darkly.

"I won't let Azog touch you, Hope," Thorin assured her. "I promise you!"

Hope gave him a look of gratitude, then watched the Eagles fly away in the air, away from the Carrock.

Thorin looked past Bilbo and Hope and saw something; he strode forward, and the others followed his gaze.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked, looking at what Thorin was looking at.

Far away on the eastern horizon loomed the silhouette of a tall, majestic mountain. Seeing Thorin's wondering gaze, Hope and Alaric understood what that splendor was. The Lonely Mountain.

"Erebor," commented Gandalf looking at Bilbo and the two visitors with an approving look. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth."

"Our home," added Thorin amazed.

A bird squawked and flew away towards the Mountain, which enraptured Oin:

"A raven! The birds are returning to the Mountain!"

"No, it's not a raven," objected Alaric.

Thorin seemed mesmerized at the sight of the bird flying towards the Mountain.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush." corrected Gandalf kindly.

"But we'll take it as a sign a good omen." Thorin said firmly, still wondering.

"I agree," nodded Hope. "And I'll help you take back your home."

"So have I," added Alaric proudly.

Bilbo nodded to Thorin's words:

"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us."

"Not so fast, Bilbo," Hope told herself, knowing from experience that the worst was yet to come.

In the great dark fortress of Dol Guldur, the most powerful servant of the Necromancer had knelt before his Master.

The Necromancer floated in front of him as a dark, cloud-like mass. He had learned that the Tribrid he had tried to bring into his world had indeed landed in Middle-earth, but not where he had expected.

He had learned that Azog the Defiler had failed to capture her. He spoke to his wraith servant in his dark ancient language of Mordor.

"Send our spy birds to Lonely Mountain! We must inform the Dragon of everything we know about the Tribrid!"

"It will be done, my Lord," replied his servant, bowing.

The thrush the Company had sighted, flew through the Desolation of Smaug, flying past the ruined gates of Erebor, then finally landed on a rock on the mountainside. He picked up a snail and banged the shell against the side of the Mountain. Inside the mountain, a huge pile of gold, coins, jewels and treasures was piled up on the great throne room, and the sounds of thrush echoed through the massive chambers. Some of the gold was blown away, revealing Smaug's muzzle beneath the pile. As Smaug slowly lifted his head from under the pile, more treasure fell from his face. Then the Dragon opened one eye and began growling wildly.

That's all folks. I hope you loved it.

This chapter marks the end of the first Hobbit story. I didn't want to make Hope a deus ex machina that saves the Dwarves in every dangerous situation. She couldn't use her magic because of the crystal Azog had, which is from Dol Guldur.

Nevertheless, I wanted to respect Hope's altruistic character and it allowed her to use her sword which she called the Slicer and which decapitated the White Warg.

Soon we will get to the second story the Desolation of Smaug.