Thorin looked at the ground and saw the sand beginning to fall into tiny cracks that began to form along the floor. The clanking of gears began to creak and Thorin yelled at the company to wake up. They started awake and began to fall over each other as the floor broke into sections and dropped beneath them. The company began to tumble and descend a long and rocky tunnel, bouncing off of the stone walls. They landed in a crudely made cage and were soon being attacked by a large number of goblins. The goblins grabbed at them and forced them forward. Halien heard Bilbo's fear as he ducked down, but she knew he was going to be OK. She sent him a thought to be careful and stay out of sight if he could and to try and see if he could figure out a way to get them out of there.

Bilbo heard her thoughts and nodded, sending her back a thought saying that he would be careful and figure something out if he could. Halien nodded when she heard his thought and winced as the sharp goblin blades pricked her skin. She and the others were directed into a large cavernous gap that looked to be the goblins' throne room. Halien's ears ached as the beating of drums and crudely made screeching instruments echoed through the cavern and she looked at the hideous and bulbous Goblin King as he stepped on several goblins to get out of the throne. His huge stature and revolting appearance made Halien's stomach tighten in disgust.

"I feel a song... coming on." the Goblin King said. "Clap, snap, the black crack. Grip, grab, pinch and nab, batter and beat. Milk 'em, stammer, and squeak. Pound, pound far underground." The Goblin King spun around in a circle. "Down, down, down to Goblin-town."

"Down, down, down to Goblin-town." the other goblins echoed.

The Goblin King continued. "With a swish and a smack and a whip and crack, everybody talks when they're on my rack. Pound, pound far underground. Down, down, down to Goblin-town."

"Down, down, down to Goblin-town." the other goblins echoed again as the Goblin King raised his staff.

"Hammer and torch, get out your knockers and gongs," the Goblin King continued much to the dismay of the company. "You won't last long on the end of my prongs. Clish, clash, crush, and smash! Bang, break, shiver, and shake! You can yell it and yelp but there ain't no help! Pound, pound, far underground. Down, down, down in Goblin-town!" Finally, the song was ended and the Goblin King twirled in circles as he finished singing. He looked at the company and went to sit back on his throne.

"Catchy, isn't it?" he asked. "It's one of my compositions."

Balin retorted, "That's not a song, that's an abomination!"

The Goblin King simply laughed. "Abomination? Mutations. Deviations. That's all you're gonna find down here."

The goblins around them laughed and threw their weapons to the floor.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" the Goblin King asked, coming down from his throne again.

"Dwarves, your malevolence. And an elf." one goblin told him.

"Dwarves? An elf?"

"We found them on the front porch!"

"Well don't just stand there, search them! Every crack, every crevice!"

The goblins began to search the company. Halien felt utterly violated being touched by such vile things and punched several of the ones that came at her.

"Keep your grubby little paws off of me!" she warned them.

The Goblin King watched as she kicked and punched the goblins and his eyes widened when he watched her glow a blue hue and was engulfed in blue flames. Halien cried out and threw her fire at the goblins surrounding her. Thorin and the others all looked at her, surprised and somewhat fearful.

"What magik is this?" the Goblin King asked.

Halien looked at him. "That is none of your concern, but I will sheath my magik as long as your minions do not lay another hand on me. They so much as touch me, I will not hesitate to burn your precious kingdom to the ground and smoke you out into the sunlight you so desperately hide from. And do not think I will hesitate to do the same should you harm my companions."

The Goblin King laughed. "I like you, elf. What is your name?"

"I am Halien, and you would do well to heed my warning, your most darkly devious one."

Thorin looked between his wife and the Goblin King. Somehow, Halien knew exactly what to say that would not come across as disrespectful to the goblins and knew that she was trying to buy as much time as she could for them.

"Ah, such respect from one who would never set foot into a place like this willingly." the Goblin King said.

The goblins continued to search the dwarves and as they did, they threw what they found on the ground. They emptied Nori's pack and one of the goblins grabbed a candle holder and handed it to the Goblin King, saying that they were in league with elves.

"Made in Rivendell." the Goblin King read aloud. "Ugh, Second Age. Couldn't give it away." He tossed it over the platform.

Everyone looked at Nori and he shrugged. "Just a couple of keepsakes."

"What are you doing in these parts?" the Goblin King demanded.

Thorin was beginning to step forward, but Oin stopped him. "Don't worry lads, I'll handle this."

"I want the truth, no tricks! Warts and all." the Goblin King said.

Oin looked at the Goblin King. "You're going to have to speak up, your boys smashed my trumpet."

"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" the Goblin King roared and sprang from his throne, knocking some of the goblins over the edge.

Bofur came to the rescue and began to come up with this ridiculous story about how they were supposed to be in Dunland the last Tuesday. The Goblin King grew weary of his blabbering and yelled for him to shut up. The Goblin King called for his torture device to be brought up and for them to start with the youngest, pointing to Ori.

"You lay a grimy hand on these dwarves and I will destroy you, oh great malevolent one," Halien warned.

The Goblin King simply laughed at that and as the goblins began to grab for Ori and the others, Thorin stepped forward, ordering them to wait.

"Well, well, well!" the Goblin King said, surprised to see Thorin. He scoffed at the dwarf king and began to make fun of him for not having his kingdom.

"I suggest that you shut that empty, bottomless pit you call a mouth, lord of the undergrounds," Halien said, glaring at the Goblin King. "You may think you are a king, but the only reason why you are the Goblin King is that you are by far the largest, fattest, most vile, and disgusting of your entire tribe here. You are no king beyond that and you never will be. Thorin led his people to safety after he tried to protect Erebor from the dragon and worked as hard as he could to build them a new home, to work wherever there was work to be had. He has sacrificed everything for his people and would gladly die for them."

"What is your point, little elfling?" the Goblin King asked, getting bored.

"My point is this: while Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain, will sacrifice himself and fall on a sword for his people, you would rather throw your people in front of you to save your own slimy and grotesque skin instead of trying to ensure that your people live on. You will never be as great of a king as Thorin is."

The Goblin King laughed at that. "But he is no king now, is he?"

"He is the king of Erebor and will always be a king, no matter if he has a kingdom or not. He is everything a king should be and even if he never takes back Erebor, I would follow him to my own grave and serve him because he is my king."

Beside her, Thorin looked up at her and smiled softly. While he hoped that her words did not endanger her, he found another reason to love her even more than he already did.

The Goblin King laughed and grinned wickedly as he ordered for the word to be sent to the Pale Orc that he had found his "prize." Everyone's hearts fell when they heard that Azog the Defiler was still alive.

'No, it cannot be….!' Halien heard Thorin say silently. She put a hand on his shoulder. 'Thorin?'

The Goblin King saw a glimmer from her ring as the torchlight flickered off the moonstone. "Ooo, now that's a pretty trinket." He said, pointing to the ring she wore on her left ring finger.

"It was a gift from someone very dear to me." Halien knew that by the way, he was looking at it that he was going to have one of the goblins try to take it from her. "And I can promise you this, Goblin King, if you or your goblins so much as come near me, I will raze this place into the light of day and slaughter every one of you. So, I suggest, your malevolence, that you do not attempt to claim Reva for your own."

The Goblin King shuddered at the sudden coldness that seemed to radiate from the elf maiden and nodded.