DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to J. R. R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson's and whoever else but not me. I only own my OC. Please, feel free to leave any comments and questions. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known. Thank you!

***** Shishiwastaken*****

CHAPTER 30

Dwalin is a big dwarf. His body is a solid mass mostly made up of pure muscle. Even for all his strength, he grunts and shudders whenever we strike the stone passage harder than he anticipated. The company around us offer cries of their own but they are drowned out by Dwalin. He presses me to himself, closer than I have ever wanted to be to another person in a long time. His large hand nearly crushes my head to his chest while his other arm wraps around my back to flatten my torso to his. It blocks out the sounds of our fall and leaves only the thud of his heart in his chest and his body against the unforgiving stone. I fought against him as we fell initially but he, and my will to live, are stronger than my aversion to being near him. So I lay there, stiff as a board, light as a feather, and awaiting the end of our descent.

The passage sweeps and slides in a nauseating pattern; tossing us to and fro along the smooth stones. I can only imagine how many bodies have made this same trip in order for the path to become so smooth. My hands clench into fists so I don't reach out and grasp at the rocks to slow us. I wouldn't be able to stop and would only damage my fingers if I tried. A sudden burst of light flashes behind my eyelids and a moment later we are dumped out of the tunnel like trash... or a sloppy tv dinner. Landing on top of the first dwarves to exit, I start to climb out of Dwalin's embrace but am snatched back into the position. He barely has enough time to roll me beneath his weight as the others come shooting out behind us. In an instant, it's like I'm suffocating beneath them all and I begin to panic. His arms strain to keep me from getting crushed, which I am thankful for but it's too close. I can feel his breath on my face. His sweat drips into the creases of my neck and I gag. I'm transported back to HIM and start to hyperventilate. I thrust my hands against his chest to try and push him off but it doesn't work. It never works. In a dizzying frenzy, I try to untangle myself from the swirling mass but they are all too heavy. It's too much.

"G...Get off! You- I-... I can't breathe!"

"You can!" Dwalin retorts. Not cruelly but matter of fact. If I can scream, I can breathe. Hes trying to ground me but it's not working. Logically I know that suffocation is not loud. I'm not in a logical state of mind right now "You're alright!"

"G-g-get o-off me!"

"Calm down!" his arms buckle, dropping him to his forearms and pinning my arms to my front. The edges of my vision crackle and pop with static, threatening to give out. I push against him again but he's like a brick wall and it only serves to make me feel even more weak and trapped. Thrashing as much as I can, I continue to try and slither away. My tears threaten to fall and I gasp out when Dwalin grunts in exertion "Calm do-"

"Please. I don't want to..." I beg to be set free. I plead and beg and cry. Deep down I know this isn't right. Dwalin isn't HIM and this isn't the same but I can't stop myself "P-p-please... Don't make me do it again... Please."

"Lass... I cannae- Come back. Do not... do not go to that place." He offers the spoken lifeline, not really able to offer much else. He's right of course. I know he's not trying to do anything to me. I know my mind has left the building. It's like watching myself through a window. I know. I know. But it's just too much. Too much. TOO MU- "Breath, Farseer, breath. We are alright, we just-"

"N-No. No, we...Please-" My vision swims and I shake my head violently, trying to desperately regain control. Lawrence is dead. He is not coming. It's the other hell-spawn we need to worry about right now. Swallowing the bile wetting my throat, I gasp out again "I- The- They are c-c-coming!"

"Who? Who is coming?"

Cackling hisses answer before I can pull myself together. Tilting my head backward, I can see a cloud of goblins rushing toward us. They shriek and tear at our group; pulling the dwarves up and forward with only the strength of their numbers. They are no match for a dwarf one-on-one but as a unit, they overwhelm our group. All the kicking, headbutting, and screaming does not stop the goblins' mad dash to move us. I breathe deeply when freed from the pile-up but lose Dwalin in the fray as the group is subdued.

"Come." the low whisper is close enough to grab only my attention and I turn my head ever slightly. Bombur grabs my arm as gently as he can and pulls me between himself and his brother "Stay close now."

"I-"

"And silent." Bofur returns, cutting me off firmly. He pushes a goblin that ventures too close only to have it replaced by another "Now isn't the time for your voice to be heard."

"..."

I don't even nod, Im so frazzled. The hair all over my body stands up on ends and my legs are jelly. I want to scream and fight but I know. I know it'd make things so much worse. The dwarves do not have to tell me to be quiet. They don't. I know these fleshy disease-riddled creatures would at best only be kind enough to eat me alive quickly. My skin crawls at the lesions that ooze on the deformed arms that jab at us with crooked fingers and claw-like nails. I keep my head down and try to control my fear, not daring to look at the horde of sneering faces. I can't run, not here, so I have to hide amongst the group silently. Weapons are stripped from us; I all but shove my only dagger at the goblin just to keep it from venturing any deeper into our midsts.

"Move it!"

There is no way to disobey the command with all the pushing and shoving. No room to gain momentum for a rogue elbow or well-timed kick. It's like being stuck in an overcrowded elevator or train. All you can do is wait. As we pass through tunnels and over makeshift bridges, the number of goblins increases to the thousands. Each one snarls down at us; fangs dripping with tainted saliva and the promise of pain. My head is shoved down again and my hood is roughly pulled over to hide my features just as we reach the massive throne room. I can hear the goblin king wheezing as our weapons are thrown at his feet before he sputters into an interrogation.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves?" he takes another wheezing gasp while flinging his scepter over our heads carelessly "Assassins!?"

"Dwarves, your malevolence."

"Dwarves?"

"We found them on the Front Porch."

"... Dwarves?"

"Y-yes? Just Dwarves, your maliciousness."

"Hn. JUST... dwarves, you say?" The pressure from the dwarves around me tightens, letting me know that I'm being stared at without even looking up "Well?"

"Sire?"

"Don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack!" the slithering hiss clouds over me like mist on a grave "... And every crevice."

The goblins rush forward again, dragging their clammy hands over us. They dump and shred our gear, spoiling the supplies we still had a hold of. A tiny goblin snakes his way through the dwarves' legs before striking out and grabbing at my ankle. My mouth opens to let out a cry but Oin quickly reaches out and covers it; stomps the goblins teeth in before another snatches his trumpet and returns the favor. My calm never made it into the cave and I am rapidly moving into a full panic. I tremble so violently with ill-contained fright that I miss the goblin king's words until his scepter is once more waving over us.

"Bring out the bone breaker!" he barks out, his staff coming to rest in front of my down-turned face "Start with the youngest."

"Wait!"

"Oh no no no, Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under The Mountain." that's... that's not right? That's not what he's meant to say. I snap my head up to find what has caused the deviation and am met with the goblin king's ghoulish grin mere inches from my own face "No, I don't think I will."

***** Shishiwastaken*****

Why helllllllllo. Been a minute! Who wants to hear some excuses?! Not me, that's who. I was gone. Now I'm back. My bad? If my readers still exist (its been YEARS) sorry... If you're new, welcome!