Chapter 14: Silent Hope & Chaos
Pairings: Kíli x Original Female Character; Fíli x Original Female Character
CW: graphic depictions of violence; major character death; self-insert style original characters; The Trifecta (smut, fluff, and angst); time travel; MGiME
Author's Note: And here we are! The end of the beginning~ Check out @megjameswrites for more T-V content!
Sneaking into Goblin Town was... concerningly easy. To be fair, I'm pretty sure the goblins are, mostly, gathered where Gandalf and I are headed. So I supposed I shouldn’t have been too surprised.
Fighting was clearly happening as Gandalf and I made our way, still undetected, across a bridge... I caught sight of Thorin being tossed to the ground. My heart pounded in my ears as my eyes darted around for Kíli and I was suddenly feeling warmer than usual.
I think I heard Gandalf hum in approval, but I never got a chance to ask before we made it to the fight. My eyes found Kíli, struggling to fight off multiple goblins, and then everything was covered in a bright white light.
As the light faded Gandalf stepped forward, sword in hand, and he spoke as my eyes adjusted to the scene before us.
"Take up arms," he said encouragingly. "Fight. Fight!"
Then the dwarves, with a renewed sense of spirit, let out battle cries as they pushed goblins off of them and grabbed for weapons. Goblins rushed at Gandalf and I stood back, unsure of myself. Until I looked down to see my hands glowing.
I really didn't want to lay hands on these goblins, but...
One rushed up to me and I held out my hand as it glowed brighter. The goblin hissed at me and cowered away from the light. Taking the chance, I – unfortunately – slapped my hand on the top of its head. A sickly sizzling sound began and it convulsed beneath my hand. My nose wrinkled at the smell of burning flesh – and brain, from the looks of it – and I quickly removed my hand.
It didn't take long for both my hands to feel absolutely disgusting and for us to be speeding towards the exit. Everything felt like a blur as we raced across rickety bridges. Any time a goblin got too close, I grabbed its wrist, hand, face, whatever was easiest and turned up the heat as I swung a dagger – thank you Elrond – to its stomach.
We reached a dead end and, just as I was about to grab another goblin, Kíli cut a rope and my stomach dropped. Not from nerves, from sudden swinging movement. Instinctually, I leaned on him for support as the old rotted wood below my feet started swaying. When the swaying deathtrap reached the "safe" side, he pushed me off the rotted wood and onto the more stable location.
A yelp left me as I jumped, but Dwalin caught me and rolled me further down the path. A goblin lunged at me so I repeated my previous actions – grab the face, turn up the heat, stab.
I don't know when the giant boulder started clearing our path forward, but I didn't care at the moment. I just kept running. Until we all came to an immediate halt as the Goblin King burst through the bridge we were attempting to cross.
"You thought you could escape me," he told us mockingly, swinging at Gandalf. "What are you going to do now, Wizard?"
Gandalf wasted no time reaching out with his staff to poke the Goblin King in the eye then slicing his sword across his belly.
"That'll do it..." The Goblin King noted after falling to his knees.
Glamdring sliced through the Goblin King's throat and the weight of the falling king shook the bridge. Goblins lost their footing, falling to the sides of the bridge as we all did our best to maintain balance. My eyes flashed to Meg, but she just nodded at me encouragingly.
Knowing we'd be going for a ride, I clung to a post on the bridge just as it began to fall, sliding down the rock walls below us. We all screamed in some way until the three tiers of the bridge fell to the bottom, crushing some on the two lower portions. Grunts and groans echoed off the rock around us.
"Well, that could have been worse," Bofur stated.
Then the Goblin King fell on top of the broken rotted wood on top of most of us.
"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin shouted.
"Never, ever say those words again, Bofur," I groaned from next to Dwalin.
"Gandalf!" Kíli shouted suddenly as we all began crawling out from under the debris.
"There's too many; we can't fight them!" Dwalin insisted as he pulled Nori from the rubble.
"Only one thing will save us," Gandalf announced. "Daylight."
Meg helped me to my feet quickly and I darted off to follow everyone.
"Quickly!" Gandalf shouted as we neared the mouth of a cave entrance.
Each one of use pushed – each other and ourselves – as we scrambled out of the exit. Down the mountain side and through the trees we all ran, not stopping for far too long for my legs' liking. We slowed as Gandalf counted and my eyes widened.
"Bilbo!" I shouted, looking around for him.
"Curse that halfling!" Dwalin spat. "Now he's lost?!"
My face scrunched into anger at Dwalin's outburst, but no one noticed.
"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us," Nori offered.
"Tell me what happened exactly! Tell me!" Gandalf demanded as Thorin stepped forward.
"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it," Thorin insisted.
Meg put a hand on my arm to stop me and shook her head. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Unfortunately, Thorin and Bilbo need this moment.
"He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone," Thorin announced with a confidence that made my blood boil.
Silenced followed Thorin's outburst and my eyes found Kíli. He looked from Fíli to me and I shook my head slowly with a small smile. Kíli nudged Fíli and I looked to Meg, waiting.
"No," Bilbo announced as he stepped forward, "he isn't."
"Bilbo," Kíli gasped.
"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fíli pressed.
"How indeed," Dwalin mumbled from Thorin's side and I rolled my eyes.
"What does it matter? He's back," Gandalf insisted with a concerned look that turned into a smile.
"It matters," Thorin interrupted. "I want to know. Why did you come back?"
"Look I know you doubt me, save for Meg and Rhi," Bilbo nodded to Meg and me so I smiled warmly, "I know you always have. You're right, I often think of Bagend," Bilbo shrugged. "I miss my books. And my arm chair, my garden. See, that's where I belong; that's home. And that's why I came, 'cause... you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back, if I can."
Thorin's look of shame and guilt made a smug smirk appear on my face. Serves him right for beign so rude.
"And we're glad you're still here, Bilbo," I told him warmly. "But, uh..." I hesitated, unsure if I should say anything.
I don't get much of a chance to consider as a wicked snarl sounds from the rocky mountain side above us and an unfortunate visitor's voice echoed down to us in Orcish, followed by warg howls and growling.
"Fuck," I whispered, eyes wide.
"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin mumbles.
"And into the fire," Gandalf finishes for him. "Run. Run!"
I wasted no time, immediately taking off further down the mountain side. When I saw the edge of the cliff, I cursed under my breath and groaned, turning to face the incoming enemy. Some of the dwarves were already slicing wargs. Even Bilbo, it seems, got his first kill. Poor guy.
"Up into the trees, all of you!" Gandalf shouted and, again, I wasted no time.
Been quite a few years since I've climbed a tree, but I managed. And I held on for dear life.
"Bilbo!" I shouted at him as soon as Sting was freed from the warg's eye. "Come on!"
He climbed the tree I was in and I offered a hand to help him up.
Wargs flood the ground below us. Then he arrived. Azog, astride his white warg, entered our view and I shuddered. His warg snarled in response to Thorin's whisper of Azog's name. Azog's words, still spoken in Rocish, made my skin crawl as I listened to him, unable to tear my eyes away.
Suddenly, the other wargs jumped at the trees we're all in and I yelp form nearly being knocked off balance. My foot slipped and I clung to the tree harder. The sound of wargs tearing tree branches off and the sound of roots being pulled from the ground makes my heart hammer in my ears.
As the tree began to fall, I grabbed Bilbo to put him on my back and jumped to the next tree. Others follow until we're all in the last tree at the edge of the cliff. Azog cackles at us and I looked over my shoulder to check on Bilbo. He nodded and held tighter.
Without thinking, I reached for a pinecone and threw it at the head of the nearest warg.
"Fuck off!" I shouted as it bounced off the warg's head.
"Rhi, set them on fire then throw them," Gandalf called down to me.
If it were possible, a light bulb would have appeared on over my head at his words as I picked another pinecone. My hands warmed and the pinecone blazed to life. Then I threw it at the next warg and it lit the ground around the group of wargs on fire. A triumphant cheer left me as I reached for another pinecone to set on fire and pass to someone else for them to throw it.
A warg whimpers and I swear I heard actual words for a moment, but I ignored it as I kept passing out fiery pinecones. More cries of victory erupted from the company as the wargs started running off.
Then I braced as the tree started giving way from 13 dwarves, a hobbit, a wizard, and 2 witches hanging in it. As the tree became horizontal, versus it's natural vertical state, Ori slipped as we all clung to the branches. My eyes widened in fear as I watched Ori hang form Dori.
"Mister Gandalf!" Dori cried out just before he lost his grip on the branch. Gandalf reached down with his staff just in time for Dori to grab it.
Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I turned my head to see Meg charging towards Azog.
"Meg!" I cried out for her, fear dripping from my words. I had to look away as my grip started faltering.
I didn't see Thorin hit the ground, but I heard it as clearly as I heard Meg's battle cry. Dori whimpered, slipping from Gandalf's staff and I looked around us in a panic.
Where's our fucking taxis?!
Bilbo climbed off my back and I panicked more, unable to stop him as he drew Sting. I didn't panic for much longer as Bilbo rand for the orc about to cut off Thorin's head. Just like in the movie, but from a different angle, Bilbo tackled the orc and began fighting for his and Thorin's lives. After Bilbo plunges Sting into the orc's chest and stepped in front of Thorin's unconscious body, I looked to the sky.
Please, please... before something goes wrong... I beg to the Manwë, unsure if he can even hear me.
My eyes go back to Thorin and Bilbo as I heard battle cries from the dwarves. My heart pounded as I tried to find purchase with my feet, still dangling from the tree.
Kíli fighting caught my attention and I tried even harder to get my ass out of the tree.
The screeching of giant eagles rang in my ears as my grip failed and I began falling. Landing on the back of an eagle forced the air from my lungs, but I scrambled to sit up and guide the eagle back toward someone, anyone.
Azog screamed in anger as an eagle picked up Thorin and I reached out for Fíli as my eagle swooped down by him. Fíli grasped my forearm and I pulled him on to the eagle as best as I could. I searched for Meg and, seeing her on the back of another eagle, I sighed and leaned forward in exhaustion.
As day began to return, the eagles soared through the sky and I was feeling queasy.
"Thorin!" Fíli cries out as he spots his unconscious uncle and I closed my eyes.
One by one, the eagles landed so we could all dismount.
"Thorin!" Gandalf shouted, trying to pull the dwarf back to consciousness. "Rhi! Rhi, come here!"
With my face contorted in worry, I rushed to Gandalf's side and kneeled next to Thorin.
"Tell me what to do," I insisted in a rush.
Gandalf guided my hand over Thorin's face, just so it would hover, and instructed me.
"Focus on warmth, light, and healing. Think about wanting him to wake up."
I nodded to Gandalf's words and did as he told me. Thorin's soft gasp shocked me and I pulled my hand away quickly.
"The halfling," Thorin mutters and I stood to wander to Meg's side.
"It's alright. Bilbo is here. He's quite safe," Gandalf reassures Thorin.
Dwalin and Kíli rushed forward to help Thorin stand as Meg and I stood behind them. But Thorin shook them off and I smiled, remembering what comes next.
"You," Thorin said to Bilbo accusingly. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild?" He asked as he approached Bilbo. "That you had no place amongst us. I have never been so wrong in all my life," he breathed and pulled Bilbo into a tight hug.
The dwarves cheered around us and I smiled, eyes falling to Kíli, who was watching his uncle... then turned toward me to give me a half-smile. My smile faltered. That smile is nowhere near what I'd expected. Thought I suppose I shouldn't have been overly surprised... I did break his heart with no explanation. Yet.
The group went quiet as Thorin looked off in the distance.
"Is that... what I think it is?" Bilbo inquired.
We all made our way to the edge of the cliff the eagles had left us on and my heart soared.
"Home," I whispered, voice full of wonder as I looked at Erebor for the very first time in person.
"Erebor," Gandalf confirms. "The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth."
"Our home," Thorin agreed with a smile.
I couldn't help the tears that stung my eyes.
"A raven! The birds are returning to Erebor!' Oin exclaimed.
"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf corected him cheerily.
"But we'll take it as a sign," Thorin stated. "A good omen."
"You're right," Bilbo nodded to THorin. "I do believe the worst is behind us."
I swallowed thickly at Bilbo's comment and looked to Meg who hushed me.
"Not now," she whispered.
"We still don't have a plan," I remind her in hushed tones as everyone begins to descend.
"I know. I'm working on it," she reassured me with a smile – one I know to be fake – and ushered me toward the steps.
Somebody needs a plan to save these damn Durins. And fast.
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