Oh my goodness! I am so incredibly sorry with how long it has taken me to get this chapter finally updated. I have had it all ready to go and my mind just went blank with replying. I have no excuse except to say my mental health has just been a roller coaster. I know I have said this for each chapter I have been late on, but that is the only reason I can give. Please do forgive me for the lateness, I will try to not let it happen again.

Chapter 12

After falling for quite some time, and getting bruised by knocking against the rocks, we finally land in a pile in the middle of a cage which looks to be made of rotten wood. I quickly roll out of the way as I see Bombur falling where I once was

"Look out!" Dori suddenly yells.

Looking up, I see a horde of Goblins rushing towards us.

Thorin, who is next to me, quickly reaches out and pulls my hood up to cover my face.

"Do not let them see you."

I nod as the horrid creatures are suddenly upon us, swarming around, all of us yelling, shouting and struggling to get them away from us. Our struggle is proven futile though as we are all quickly pulled up and along a rickety bridge made from wood and rope, moving further through the cave.

….

As we are pushed along, we soon come across more and more Goblins, to the point where there must be thousands. There are other bridges all around the cavern, the area lit up brightly by torches. Other Goblins are watching as we are all pulled along. That is when music is played, or what the Goblins believe is music at least. Looking ahead, I see we a being pulled towards a large square platform, which holds a wooden throne and sitting in that platform is a large Goblin, large in both height and width. The Goblin King is just as pale as his minions and is also covered in boils and warts which look to be festering, however they don't seem to bother him. He also has a large swinging chin, which reaches his chest.

"I feel a song coming on!" I hear him say as we get closer and then, to our horror, he does begin to sing;

"Snip snap, the black crack,

Grip, grab, pinch, and nab.

Batter and beat,

Milk 'em, stammer and squeak!

Pound pound, far underground,

Down, down, down in Goblin Town!"

"Down, down, down in Goblin Town!" the other Goblins join in.

"With a swish and smack

And a whip and a crack

Everybody talks when they're on our rack

Pound pound, far underground

Down, down, down in Goblin Town!"

We are all brought forward and huddle in a group in front of the Great Goblin. The dwarves make sure to put me right in the center, Thorin right in front of me, taking my hand in his as he does.

"Donw, down, down in Goblin Town!"

"Hammer and torch, get out your knockers and gongs

You wont last long on the end of my prongs,"

At this line, he stabs one of the goblins with his stick and swings it around before flinging the goblin over our heads, causing us to duck.

"Clish, clash, crush and smash.

Bang, break, shiver and shake.

You can yell and yelp

But there aint no help

Pound pound, far underground

Down, down, down in Goblin Town."

As he draws out 'Town' he spins around a few times and we have to duck to avoid getting hit by his stick. He moves back to sit on his throne.

"Catchy, isnt' it?" says the Goblin King, "It's one of my own compositions"

"That's not a song, it's an abomination!" Balin cries out, a few of the dwarves agreeing.

"Abominations, mutations, deviations…that all you're gonna find down here", the Goblin King replies.

The goblins begin searching us, our weapons thrown into a pile in front of us. Luckily, they don't get overly touchy with me, just managing to take the weapons they can see and my pack, the dwarves not given them much choice to get too close, which I am thankful for.

The Great Goblin jumps up and leans towards us. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence." one of the goblins answer.

"Dwarves?"

"And a human. We found them on the front porch."

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

The dwarves gather tightly around me as the goblins search them thoroughly, throwing away whatever they find. Oin's hearing trumpet is thrown on the floor and crushed underfoot. One of the goblins empty out a large bag of what appears to be Elvish cutlery and candlesticks.

The Goblin King examines a gold candelabra, which has been passed to him by the goblin, saying we have been in league with elves. . .which in truth, we have, and turns it over.

"'Made in Rivendell?'" he says "Bah – Second Age, couldn't give it away!" he exclaims, and tosses it aside.

Nori has a guilty expression on his face as Dori turns to look at him.

"Just a couple of keepsakes." Nori explains to his older brother.

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

Thorin goes to step forward, but stops ad Oin puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him, stepping forward himself. "Don't worry, lads, I'll handle this"

"No tricks! I want the truth! Warts and all!"

"You're going to have to speak up," Oin says as he holds up his bent trumpet, "Your boys have flattened my trumpet."

"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" the Goblin King roars as he strides towards Oin.

Oin is quickly pulled back as Bofur steps forward,

"If it's more information you're wanting, I'm the one you should speak to!" The Goblin King pauses. "We were on the road. . .well, it's not so much a road as a path. . .actually, it's not even that, come to think of it, it's more like a track. . ."

I rub my head. "Get on with it, Bofur." I mutter, causing Thorin to squeeze my hand tighter.

"Anyway, the point is we were on this road, like a path, like a track, and then we weren't! Which is a problem, because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday."

"Visiting relations!" Dori puts in as he stands next to Bofur.

"Some inbreds on my mothers side."

"SHUT UP!" the Goblin suddenly roars, making the goblins jump violently. "If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the youngest."

The Great Goblin points at Ori.

"Ori. . ." I breath out in fear, gripping hold of Thorin's hand.

"WAIT!" Throin suddenly calls out.

I look to him in horror as he squeezes my hand in comfort before he walks forward. I immediately take Dwalin's arm as he steps closer to me for protection.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain." The Great Goblin bows exaggeratedly to Thorin. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours."

"Azog the Defiler. I am well aware he still lives." Thorin says, relatively calmly.

I look to the back of Thorin in surprise at admitting this. The other dwarves are also surprised and shocked to hear this. The Goblin King is equally as surprised, I know he was hoping to get a rise out of Thorin. Having failed in that, he just turns towards a tiny goblin which sits in a little basket, before he then turns back to us.

"You know. . .there is a rumour going around, saying that there is an elf among your group, an elf that Azog also desires."

My whole body freezes at this. Yazneg. He must have informed Azog of my whereabouts.

"What was her name, again? Hm. . .let me think. . .ah yes! Caladwen, I believe."

I feel the dwarves around me freeze on the spot and could almost hear the smirk in the Kings voice. "So, the rumours are true." the Goblin turns his faze towards me, our eyes meeting under my hood. He points right at me. "Bring that one forward."

I feel the goblins gripping hold of my arms and dragging me forward, their clawed fingers digging into my skin. The dwarves try to get to me, try to get them to let me go as I am shoved in front of them and forced onto my knees and a hand grips onto my hair through my hood before pulling my head back. I hiss in pain as I feel my hair almost getting ripped out as I am forced to face the Goblin King.

He chuckles as he walks towards me. "Look what we have here boys. Another royalty in our midst." the Goblins laugh. "Caladwen, Princess of the Woodland Realms. Although, an exiled Princess if I am correct." I close my eyes as he grips my face. "Why do you not look at me? Afraid?"

I open my eyes, which have by now darkened. "No. I am just trying not to be sick at the sight of you."

He laughs before he swings his arm around, hitting my face with enough force it knocks me over. I grunt as I land hard on the ground, causing the dwarves to cry out, Thorin's cry being the loudest. Looking up, I hold my gaze with Thorin, who is struggling to get to me. The goblins roughly pull me back up to my knees.

"I can see why Azog kept you as his pet. Feisty just like he." he then turns back to the tiny goblin. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize and his pet."

The tiny goblin writes down the message on his slate; cackling, before he then pulls a lever, causing his basket to start sliding down a system of ropes and pulleys into the darkness.

The Goblin King turns back to me. "I am sure Azog is going to be mighty pleased to have his pet back. I don't think he would mind us having a little fun with his toy before relinquishing you to him though, first."

I don't say anything, just glaring as he and other goblins are laughing as dozens of goblins carry massive instruments of torture on their shoulders, bringing them to the Great Goblin. Turning my head back, I catch Thorin's gaze as he gives me a look of comfort and reassurance, letting me know we will be getting out of here. I give a small smile before letting out a hiss as one of the goblins holding me hits me in the back of the head, getting my to turn my gaze back to the front. Thorin is right. We will get out of this. . .somehow.

Not long after, the Great Goblin begins to sing once again as his minions around us begin searching through the weapons they took from us. I silently seethe as one of them grabs my bow roughly, it having been a gift from Arathorn many years before.

"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."

I suddenly hear one of the goblins shriek in horror. Looking back, I see he had taken Orcrist out of its sheath a few inches and recognised it for what it is. The other goblins howl in fear and rage as they retreat from it; the Great Goblin runs rapidly to his throne, trampling many goblins on his way. He speaks loudly, pointing at the sword.

"I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks!"

As he speaks, the Goblins begin whipping the dwarves and I with ropes and leaping upon us, biting and slashing.

"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!"

My eyes go wide as I look up to see the goblins hold Thorin down, and one of them pulls out his knife and prepares to behead Thorin. I throw off goblins, standing to rush to him, before I fall on my front as I am tackled by goblins.

"Thorin! No!" I yell out, struggling to try to get to him.

Suddenly, there is a massive explosion of bright light; the sound goes muted as a shock wave rips through the area, flinging goblins in the air and destroying the torturing machines. We are all knocked down, including the Great Goblin.

When the force of the explosion has passed, most of the lights in the area have been snuffed out; in the background, a shadow with a tall pointy hat walks up. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see Gandalf, holding his staff in one hand and his sword, Glamdring, in the other. Light slowly returns to the area as the goblins and the dwarves slowly look up, recovering from the shock.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!"

I quickly stand, throwing off the goblins and punching them out of the way before Kili tosses my blades to me. As goblins run at Gandalf, he kills them with his sword and staff. The Great Goblin, still lying on the ground, sees Gandalf's sword and points at it, crying aloud to his goblins.

"He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!"

Some of the dwarves reach their pile of weapons and begin tossing the weapons to each other; they use their weapons to defeat the goblins around them. Oin manages to reclaim his hearing trumpet, although it has been quite flattened. Nori, while fighting, lands on the floor; the Great Goblin runs at him and swings his mace.

"Nori!" I yell out.

Thorin jumps forward and deflects the Great Goblin's blow, causing the Great Goblin to stumble backward and fall off the edge of his platform, falling to the depths below. The rest of us continue to fight.

"Follow me. Quick! Run!"

I manage to quickly strap on my bow and quiver and grab my pack before following the others, cutting down the goblins around us as we run along a pathway leading away from the throne room.

We are all running across the suspended passageways of Goblin Town, with thousands of goblins running after us.

"Quickly!"

"Faster!" one of the dwarves cries out.

I stay close to Thorin as we are running along the bridges and paths, both of us fighting together and syncing our attacks perfectly. When one swings low, the other swings high and so on. The goblins cannot even get through our barrier to land an attack on us.

"Cut the ropes!" I hear Thorin suddenly yell.

Looking up, I see some goblins swinging on ropes. I cut a rope with Thorin and a few others, the goblins end up entangling with some raised platforms. I jump down onto the bridge below in time to see Kili grabbing a ladder nearby and dropping it on the oncoming goblins. He, Bombur, Bofur and Bifur run forward, pushing the ladder and trapped goblins along with them. As they approach a missing area of the path by us, the goblins fall down into the chasm, the ladder acts as a bridge for the dwarves to cross to us. As soon as they do, Dwalin kicks it off, preventing the goblins from chasing after it.

"Quickly!" Gandalf yells as we run along.

We continue running through the maze-like paths; we soon get on a section of the path suspended by ropes from above. Kili slice some ropes as soon as we all get on, and the pathway swings away from the rest of the path, approaching a different path.

"Jump!" Thorin yells.

Several of the dwarves manage to jump to the other path; however, before the rest of us can, the suspended path swings back like a pendulum to where it started, and several goblins leap on. As the path swings back again, I make sure the rest of the dwarves and Gandalf manage to jump to the new path as well, before following and cutting the rope so it falls. Dwalin managing to catch me before I fall and I nod my thanks to him before we continue to run.

As we continue on, killing goblins that get in our way, Gandalf strikes a rock above us with his staff, causing the rock to fall down and begin rolling in front of us, squashing all the goblins in their way.

Soon, we approach a bridge between two walls of the cavern. As we try to cross it, the Great Goblin suddenly breaks through from underneath the bridge and pulls himself up onto the bridge, in front of us. Gandalf jumps in front of us as hundreds of goblins approach them from all sides, blocking us in the center.

"You thought you could escape me?" The Goblin King asks.

He swings his mace twice at Gandalf, causing him to stumble back and almost fall, but Gloin and Dori manage to keep him up right.

"What are you going to do now, wizard?"

Gandalf leaps forward and strikes the Great Goblin in the eye with his staff. The Great Goblin drops his mace and clutches his face in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Gandalf then steps forward and slices the Great Goblin in the belly; the Great Goblin falls to his knees, clutching his belly.

"That'll do it."

Gandalf again swings his sword and slices the Great Goblin's neck, causing him to fall down dead.

His weight causes the bridge to start shaking; suddenly, the section of the bridge on which the company is standing breaks away from the rest of the bridge and starts sliding down the side of the cavern. I hold on tight as the bridge slides at a terrific speed down the cavern's wall, demolishing everything in its way; the dwarves clinging on, screaming in terror. The bridge slows down and lands at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the dwarves in the timber and wood. I manage to slide out as Gandalf gets up from the pile of wreckage and inspects the rest of the dwarves, who are still stuck in the wreckage.

"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur says.

Not one second later, the heavy corpse of the Great Goblin lands on the wreckage, squishing the dwarves further. They cry out in pain.

"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin shouts out.

I admit. I did find that quite comical. But, I push my amusement aside as I move forward and start to help free the dwarves.

"Gandalf!" Kili suddenly exclaims.

I look to see what he's looking at and see thousands of goblins heading our way, looking like tiny spiders crawling down the wall.

"There's too many! We can't fight them." Dwalin states.

"Only one thing will save us; daylight! Come on! Here, on your feet!" Gandalf says.

Gandalf and I help the dwarves out and we run away, following Gandalf along through the tunnels. Some time later, I look up and smile in relief as I see daylight. My smile quickly turns into a frown as I notice something jumping into a tunnel off from ours. As we run past, I slow down to look into it. Seeing nothing, I continue on, following the others out into the fresh air.

Well, I'm going to leave it there for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that you will continue to read. Please leave me your reviews and let me know your thoughts, I do love to hear from you. I will try to not be too late with the next chapter xx