Happy Halloween! Or well… Happy day after Halloween! :D

I really wanted to have this out last week while we were still in spooky season, but as I mentioned, work has definitely picked up now, and I know for a fact I didn't get to answer all of your fricking amazing reviews as I've been struggling just to make time to write, but all the same! You guys have been waiting for this for so long, with so much patience, so here we go!

Buckle up, y'all!

The Loudest Silence

Chapter Thirty-Two

Something was wrong.

I stared at the cave, blinking against the rain.

This… this wasn't right. Where were they?

Something was wrong.

The Stone Giants were supposed to wake up before this! I mean, not that I wanted to cling on to a colossal leg of rock in the middle of a storm, considering how terrified I was of heights, but –

What did this mean? What the hell could I have possibly done to change this? It's just the Stone Giants, for fuck's sake! We literally walked on the mountain path exactly as we were supposed to – the narrow, scary, crumbling old mountain path, like a mile above certain death, with my palms sweating the WHOLE time – and nothing happened, aside from Bilbo nearly slipping off (which was scary enough to watch). No massive boulders were thrown across the sky, no earthquake inducing battles took place.

Being up this high, seeing the canyon below, I'd already had to stifle a panic attack like three times since we started. And now this?

I sifted through my memories of the last couple days, trying to figure out what went sideways.

"Tomorrow night… I'm going back to Rivendell. Once the others are asleep. And I think you might should come with me, if you want to, of course."

After the argument with Thorin, Bilbo had invited me to go back with him to the Hidden Valley.

When I couldn't really react, too surprised as I processed what he was suggesting, the Hobbit simply sighed, "I appreciate what you've tried to do – trying to help me feel more welcome, but… Thorin was right – I don't belong here."

I realized about then that we would run into the Stone Giants and the Goblins the next day. If Bilbo was planning this for tomorrow, even if Thorin's harsh words towards the burglar were a little earlier than canon, then maybe things would still align the way they were meant to.

Naturally, I had to turn him down, though I couldn't explain why very well with the Iglishmêk barrier (something I'd definitely have to talk to Balin about fixing, if I survived the next 48 hours). I gave a shake of my head, trying to keep my expression open enough for him to see I appreciated his offer, but that I simply couldn't go.

Bilbo inspected my face, looking for any sign that I wanted to go back to the safety of Imladris, though he ultimately accepted my decision with a sigh. "I'm sure you have your reasons," he'd said quietly. "I knew it wasn't likely you'd turn back now – you seem far braver than I – but all the same. If you change your mind before then, I'd still welcome the company."

I had offered a regretful but consoling half-smile, flattered that he thought me brave of all things, giving him a pat on the arm in support. He'd nodded in understanding, if a bit solemn about it, and then went to bed for the night.

And the next morning, I set about mentally preparing for the giants.

Who were just – not here!

My travelling cloak was finally being put to a real test with this rain, though honestly that was the least of my problems. The ledge was big enough that while I paused, the others were able to sidle past and go on in. I may have gotten a few curious looks, though I wasn't really paying attention to them all that much as they scooted by. Eventually, all except Bofur and Bilbo had entered the cave, and I vaguely registered Fili and Kili waiting by the opening, too.

"What's wrong? Ye're pale as a sheet," Bofur questioned, watching me stand there like a dodo. The wind picked up a bit, forcing him to speak up. "We should get inside, lass."

My brain was simply not working, blue-screened in its efforts. Despite the hood I was wearing, the rain still seemed determined to soak the front of my short hair and plaster it to my forehead. I could only manage to shake my head a bit, glancing back the way we'd come from from to look for any sign of the giants. I tried to reassure myself that a hiccup like this wasn't important, that the absence of the massive rock beings wasn't exactly a harbinger of doom, but I was still left wondering what had changed. What did this mean?

"You need to come in! It looks as though the storm is getting worse!" Kili called from the entryway.

He was right, I registered somewhere in the back of my mind as the raindrops grew heavier and smacked me in the face with more frequency. Bofur put a hand on the back of my pack to nudge with gentle urgency. We took a few steps forward before it really hit me that we were about to walk into a room whose floor was a giant trapdoor above a slide from Hell, and my skin felt clammy.

Did I mention I was afraid of heights?

God, I was falling back into it again. That fear of the story being altered, on top of normal fear. All I could think of was what was meant to happen versus what could potentially happen. All my brave words to Thorin the other night, about having faith in them and knowing things could change, and yet I was still so afraid. Goddammit.

My head felt oddly light, and my breathing was shallow.

Fuck, I had to get it together or I was going to start worrying people.

I forced my feet to continue onwards, with Fili and Kili scooting out of the way for us to join them inside. Putting on a brave face in that moment was probably the least convincing thing I've ever done, but maybe the sopping wet hair plastered to my forehead would hide some of it.

Entering the cave was bizarre, as I was the only one who knew what that sandy floor was hiding beneath our boots. It smelled musty and dank like any other hole in the mountain would, with the only light being the lantern that Dwalin was holding up as they did a perimeter check, and the occasional shock of lightning that illuminated the doorway. Aside from the shuffling of the Company moving around and getting comfortable, it was quiet.

I jumped when there was a clattering of sticks and dried out wood on the floor, Gloín kneeling by it and giving a small rub of his hands together as he said, "Alright then, let's get a fire started."

"No, no fires. Not in this place," Thorin was quick to tell him, as he made his way across the room towards Balin. With a little more volume, he addressed the rest of the group, "It would be unwise to continue in the storm. Get some sleep – we start at first light."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us," Balin spoke up disapprovingly. "That was the plan."

"Plans change," was Thorin's low response, before he glanced our way. "Bofur, take the first watch."

Beside me, the hatted Dwarf looked up, dutifully accepting the role without complaint despite the fact that he'd gotten even more soaked from waiting on my slow ass. The others around me dispersed to find a sleeping spot with some hesitancy, glancing back at me worriedly a few times. Naturally this behavior from them garnered Thorin's attention, who focused in on me to see why they were acting so strangely.

Judging by how clammy my skin felt, I could only hazard a guess as to exactly how pale I was, but it had been enough for Bofur to comment on it so there was no doubt that Thorin noticed as well. I have no clue what kind of expression I was making. Most, if not all, of my mental faculties were busy just trying to keep myself from hyperventilating. I couldn't put up a poker face right then.

In my efforts to act natural, I pretended to busy myself with settling in for the night, even if I knew there was no way I'd be able to fall asleep on top of this death trap. I turned away from Thorin to take off my backpack and my wet travelling cloak, though I could feel his inquisitive stare burning holes into my back. Picking a random spot close to the wall, I set my things down and kneeled to start taking out my bedroll, lamenting the fact that I would lose most of my shit in a few hours. Maybe I could put some things in my pockets…?

I felt rather than saw Thorin approach, the shadows from the lantern light making me turn to look over my shoulder at him warily. Now so wasn't the time.

Instead of meeting my eyes though, he settled himself nearby, maybe a few feet from my spot, and leaned against the rocky wall. For all that had been going on, he was acting almost too casual and it was impossible to parse out his motives. It was an odd blessing though, because it gave me something to focus on besides my mounting fear.

Naturally, I'd paused in what I was doing to stare at him in confusion.

'You look unwell,' he signed, knowing the echo of the cave wouldn't have allowed for much of a private verbal conversation. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said he looked concerned.

I narrowed my eyes at him, though I'm sure it came across very weak. Shakily, I just said back, 'Rude.'

Thorin frowned. 'If you are sick – '

My eyes rolled on their own as I shook my head and finished setting out my bedding, the panic laying just under my skin making me snappier than I meant to be. Why did he care? Wasn't he still mad at me? I sat atop the blanket but didn't lay down yet, glancing back to him.

There wasn't as much frustration in his expression as I'd anticipated, though he still seemed to be a little miffed that I'd brushed off his concerns. I supposed it was still his job as the leader to look after the wellbeing of his party. It wouldn't do if I had caught a bug and got everyone else sick in the process or something.

It took some effort on my part to reel myself back in, before finally signing a little more calmly, 'Sorry. I am not sick. Thank you for asking.'

There was a long pause as he seemed to consider his next words, watching the others around us as they shuffled around and occasionally whispered amongst themselves. 'You are behaving oddly,' Thorin continued.

I stared at him, weighing my options.

I was still quite upset with him. He'd told Balin and Dwalin about some of my future knowledge, and even if I understood why he'd done it, the whole thing still frazzled me to think about, absolutely not helping my anxiety right now. On top of that, he'd snapped at me and Bilbo both. I knew he was stressed, but goddamn, his words had stung. I should have stayed in Rivendell, huh? I wanted to shove my "nigh useless warnings" right up his –

Just the memory was boiling my blood again.

However, Thorin was the only one I could talk to about this. It was a tangled mess of my own making, frankly, with me wanting the support of others who knew my secret, but not being able to bear the thought of them blaming me if things went downhill. I couldn't have it both ways, though. I'd isolated myself without meaning to and almost isolated Thorin as well. He needed the input and support of those he trusted, so I couldn't even entirely fault him for going to Balin and Dwalin when he felt like he had no other choice. In his eyes, I'd given him bullshit answers because I had gotten impatient during a spat.

Even still. Without the giants as proof of my words…

'Something has changed again,' I eventually motioned, taking the risk. With my back to the majority of the cave, the others couldn't see my hands.

Thorin's focus seemed to sharpen at my statement, as he gave a questioning look that asked the obvious.

This was where I hesitated, dropping my own stare down at my hands with a sour feeling twisting my insides. 'You will not believe me.' It took a few seconds for me to work up the courage to look back to him for a response.

He appeared troubled as he watched me sign, or maybe regretful, if I had to hazard a guess. There was definitely some sort of remorse floating behind those blue eyes and that crinkled brow, and it gave me hope that he didn't actually believe I should have stayed in Rivendell. He inhaled as he opened his mouth, like he wanted to speak, then he closed it again as he glanced to the side and remembered the lack of privacy here, letting the breath go instead in a sigh. Whatever it was he wanted to say, he didn't seem inclined to continue the thought in Iglishmêk.

That sliver of hope allowed me to go on, regaining his attention to say to him, 'I know I have asked a lot of you. But I did not lie. Not even out of anger.'

It was hard to decipher what was going through Thorin's mind at that moment, as he took in my words carefully. His expression still showed that remorse, but there was something else glittering behind it. Perhaps he wanted to fix this just as much as I did?

'I am acting odd because I am afraid,' I signed when he did not respond, throwing my cards on the table. 'The giants were meant to appear, and they did not. Now I am worried something is wrong.'

To his credit, Thorin didn't immediately scoff at the mention of giants and cut off the conversation right then and there. He'd had some time to cool off since that argument, and he'd also talked to Balin and Dwalin since then, so maybe the added support helped him work through some of that.

All the same, he still looked conflicted. It seemed like the pragmatic side of him wanted to immediately dismiss my crazy ramblings, while the other half still seemed to value our growing bond enough to want to trust me.

The others had mostly settled by that point, with the patter of the rain at the entryway and the occasional thunder the only other noise besides the usual shuffles of the Company.

'You said it might change. So perhaps it has,' Thorin signed, though his expression was guarded as he did so. It still didn't look like he believed me, honestly, and was just rolling with it so we could move on. He seemed even more dismissive of my worries, adding a simple, 'Sleep. We shall talk tomorrow.'

He didn't wait for my response, deeming the conversation over, I guess. To my confusion and surprise, he settled where he was, laying on his side with his back to the wall, not even two feet away from the edge of my blanket. Given, the cave wasn't exactly the most spacious, but I wouldn't have thought he would want to be anywhere near me since everything that had happened.

As baffled as I was, I couldn't even pretend to understand what was going on in that guy's brain right now. Besides all that, I had to prepare myself.

It wasn't super difficult to act like I was just reorganizing and getting ready for bed, when in actuality I was digging through my bag for things I could smuggle beyond the Goblins. Like my period products. They could pry my few remaining tampons from my cold dead hands. I shoved those in my pockets, along with the reusable cloth pads I'd gotten in Bree. The baggie of Tylenol was pocketed too, as I was certain we'd need that soon enough, and I put some of my mint and dental floss in there just for good measure since that wouldn't take up much room.

When Bilbo told me of his plan to leave, I'd made sure to have all my clothing on my person in layers for the following day, so I wouldn't lose them with my backpack – especially the new half-corset bra thing Nadri had given me. Even if my sweatpants were nearly falling apart, we might be able to use the cloth for something if need be, and once the weather cooled off more, I'd be glad to keep my t-shirt and hoodie.

Sentimentality was the hardest part, I think, knowing I would lose most of my remaining items from Earth, and I'd never even considered myself particularly materialistic. You wouldn't think a water bottle, a notebook, and backpack could make you emotional, but there you have it. My copy of The Last Unicorn was still in Ori's possession, too, as he hadn't finished reading it yet, so that would be a coin toss as to whether it made it through this or not. I would just be glad to survive this night, honestly.

It didn't take but a few seconds to ensure I had the necessities on me, so I was soon laying down on my blanket and half-heartedly wrapping it around me like I was about to sleep. My head was towards Thorin, and he was close enough that I could have reached out my arm and poked his hair if I wanted. While I couldn't see his eyes from this angle, I knew he wouldn't get much sleep either.

Thus began the torturous waiting game.

There was no way for me to tell how long it would take for Bilbo to decide to head out. The passage of time was so vague in the movie. It could have been two hours before he tried to leg it or it could have been thirty minutes, I had no clue. My only option was to keep my ears open and try not to have a panic attack in the meantime. With Bofur on watch just around the corner, in an alcove by the entrance, I didn't have to worry too much about him seeing my eyes open, though I did have to close them once or twice when I heard Thorin readjusting in his spot.

I'm not sure how long it was before the pitter patter of rain outside had almost relaxed me enough to consider maybe taking a quick nap. If I had to guess, it was probably an hour? Of course, that was when I was startled back to alertness by the shuffling coming from the direction of our Hobbit. If I wasn't wound so tight, I likely wouldn't have even considered it of note, the noise just seeming like he was rolling over and trying to get comfortable or something. As the sounds stopped though, and I peeked in that direction, I saw the unmistakable form with his pack on, creeping through the cave, stealthily making his escape.

Bilbo's footsteps were silent, but he didn't have the power of invisibility (yet), so when he crossed the space in Bofur's line of sight, he was obviously stopped.

"Where do ye think you're goin'?" I heard the Dwarf ask in concern.

If I wasn't so close to Thorin, I wouldn't have heard the pattern of his breathing change for half a second. He was surely awake now, if he'd really gone to sleep at all.

"Back to Rivendell," was Bilbo's response, as expected.

There was the sound of Bofur hopping to his feet, and entering my line of sight as he did so, but his focus was all on the Hobbit as he quietly pleaded, "No, no, ye can't turn back now, eh? You're part of the Company – you're one of us!"

"I'm not though, am I? I know you heard it yesterday, I'm sure everyone did. Thorin said I should never have come and he was right," he said. "I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. Should never have run out my door."

"You're homesick, I understand," Bofur said sympathetically, trying to get Bilbo to change his mind.

Of course, Bilbo's response was a harsh one, the stress getting to him as he attempted to keep his volume down, whisper-yelling, "No, you don't! You don't understand, none of you do. You're Dwarves. You're used to – to this life! To living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

I couldn't help but flinch, despite not being able to see Bofur's face, knowing what it looked like at that moment. It was worse to hear my dear friends arguing in person, even if I already knew what their words would be before they themselves did.

There was a second where Bilbo composed himself, and murmured his apology, "Look, I – I'm sorry. I didn't – " He cut off, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"No, you're right," came Bofur's soft, heartbreaking words. "We don't belong anywhere."

It took everything in me not to jump up and go hug him in the long silence that followed. Then again, I could feel my palms sweating and my breathing going all funny again as the seconds ticked by. This trap door would be opening so soon – God, it was such a long fall.

"You certain you don't want to let the rain settle a bit more first, at least?" the Dwarf asked softly. Huh? The alteration barely registered in my anxiety-addled state.

Bilbo shook his head just a bit, answering just as quietly, "I'll manage. Next watch is Ori, and I just… I don't think he'll understand."

The rain and snoring were the only sounds for a moment, and I tried to focus on them to calm back down. It wasn't working.

"I wish you all the luck in the world," Bofur eventually said as he stepped over to pat Bilbo on the shoulder. "I really do."

I heard shifting next to me, from Thorin, and I belated realized just how bad my breathing had gotten. When I dared to slowly glance up at him, I found he had angled himself just enough to cast me a concerned look and in doing so, discovered that I was still awake. And verging on hyperventilation. Again.

He sat up quickly.

Fuck.

Bofur and Bilbo looked our direction, with the latter seeming more than a little panicked at potentially being caught sneaking away. However, when they noticed Thorin's attention wasn't on them, they followed his stare to me. I was still laying down and I shook my head, cursing up a storm internally. Get it together, get it together, fuck shitfuckassfuck – My thoughts were not eloquent nor coherent.

"Jenna? What – ?"

The words had barely left Thorin's mouth when the earth beneath us quaked with a rumble of what I first believed to be thunder, making everyone jump. It wasn't just beneath us though, sending me into a full panic as I realized it was all around us. The vibrations in the ground trembled enough to make my teeth clack together and I sat up immediately, looking around at the floor.

It hadn't changed. There was no sand seeping through the crack, there was no clang of releasing latches beneath us.

The earth shook again with a deafening rumble, pebbles and dust falling from the ceiling onto our heads and I blinked against the debri. Around us, the others were waking with exclamations and questions, all in varying states of panic. I whipped around to look at Thorin, and my confusion was blatant as I shook my head at him.

'Different,' I somehow managed to sign.

Thorin met my eyes for half a second, taking note of my word before he was on his feet.

"What's going on?!" Dwalin asked, now plenty alert and standing up as well, looking to Thorin.

"It sounds like an Earthquake," Thorin responded, then seemed to freeze. Something was clicking in his brain.

At the same time, something was clicking in mine as well.

From across the cave, Bofur called with a gesture towards the entrance, "It sounds like it's comin' from out here!"

Without waiting for instruction, Bofur and most of our crew gathered near the mouth of the cave to see, bumping into each other as they filtered out to try and see what was going on in the canyon. I didn't move from my spot, watching Thorin as he glanced at me once more with a strange look on his face, before he crossed the cavern and shuffled through the crowd of his Company. From just outside the door, I could hear Bofur's shouting.

"The legends are true! Giants! Stone Giants!"

Holy shit. They were – they were here now?

The cave around me shook again as I wobbled to my feet.

I stared at the backs of a few Company members who were in the doorway where they watched the stone beings in awe, no doubt seeing boulders hurled across the sky. As much as I wanted to go see the Giants for myself, I was half afraid to do so, not only because of flying debri, but because – well. Didn't we need to stay in here? Wasn't that sort of crucial to the future of uhh, everything?

Kili's face appeared as he squeezed back through the group to find me, voice equal parts baffled and amazed as he exclaimed, "You have to come look, I've never seen anything like it! They're huge!"

I gave a nervous shake of my head. Fili joined us as well, slipping through the crowded entryway after his brother with a slightly more bewildered expression than Kili.

"Go! Get back!" Thorin's voice was adamant, and as the group retreated back towards us, into the safety of the cave, I watched the last few Dwarves tumble inside on top of each other as the earth lurched.

I was knocked off my feet by the shockwave in the darkness, Kili reaching out his hand to balance me futilely as he also flopped over. The sound at the entrance of our cave was so thunderous, it was like a train had just plowed into the doorway. It was nothing but scraping boulders and deafening stone grinding upon itself for several long seconds, dust and loose pebbles raining down on our heads from the cave ceiling.

When the sound slowly pulled away from the cave, there was another brutal shake of the ground shortly after, as the Stone Giant that crashed into our hideaway fell in the canyon outside. The dark cavern was filled with coughing and hacking as the dust settled, a few of the Company groaning as they struggled to right themselves.

There was a panic that filled me again as I looked to the front of the cavern, trying to make sure the others had made it back in.

"Is anyone hurt?" asked Thorin as he shifted to kneel, and I felt as much relief as my body would let me at the moment when there were the appropriate amount of responses.

Getting to my hands and knees, I prepared to stand up.

"What's that?" Bofur's question echoed slightly.

I looked over, seeing a tiny blue light at Bilbo's hip.

Oh god.

Bilbo grabbed the handle of his tiny Elven sword, pulling it out of the scabbard slightly enough to illuminate the cave. That familiar blue glow sent my heart rate spiking.

"On your guard!" Thorin ordered as he snapped to his feet and into action, knowing exactly what that glow meant, but it was too late by that point.

A hissing sound reached my ears, in between the clamoring of the others as they tried to get to their feet. My eyes widened as I quickly looked down to see a seam forming in the sand under my hands, and I realized what was about to happen.

As the floor groaned, my eyes shot over to Thorin.

He had to know by then. He had to know why I had been panicking all night, why I was near hyperventilation even when all had been quiet. He had seen the Stone Giants.

I met his blue, piercing stare, and so many different emotions showed.

Yeah, he definitely knew.

Then the ground slanted and opened, sand sliding off along with me as I lost any sense of balance. There was nothing but air under me, my stomach flying up into my throat as I plummeted. I would have screamed at the top of my lungs if I could. I was almost envious of the ones around me who could actually do so, namely Kili. Boy had some pipes.

The first drop was blessedly not high enough to shatter my bones, and I skidded against a sloped wall of rock only to continue sliding downwards, tumbling and rolling, trying to keep my arms over my head as I fell. Hitting another wall that nearly knocked the breath out of me, I couldn't tell which way was up or down, my vision a blurred mess of stone and torches and rocks. I think I slammed into Nori at one point, if I recognized his cursing hollers correctly.

I don't know when I closed my eyes, but upon landing on something that didn't move – didn't continue sliding or tumbling – I opened them again in a daze, dizzy and sore. Beneath me were my friends, groaning in discomfort at the fall and – OOF.

I bit back tears as someone's boot connected with my hip when they fell into the pile on top of us. I guess I was just glad it wasn't my nose, and with that thought, I tried to tumble off to the side and get out of the mass of Dwarves before someone else came careening down onto me. I'd be shocked if I made it out of this without looking as purple as a plum.

It was impossible to make my body cooperate at first, with the world still wobbling, and it took me a second to realize it was due to the wooden platform under us shaking around with each new Dwarf that fell into the pile. I touched floorboards as the others around me were also getting their bearings, and I finally had a chance to look up at the rickety cage that surrounded us. The torches spread at random intervals throughout the vast cavern were enough to see by, but it was still dim and foreboding.

Of course, that was about we heard the shrieks and warbles accompanied by hundreds of footsteps upon planks nearby. I'd barely gotten my feet under me to stand up.

Someone yanked my hood up over my head quickly and without warning, damn near covering my eyes. I briefly recognized the knuckle dusters and the tattooed hands, but I didn't get a chance to ask what that was about as we were swarmed.

It was more than mildly horrifying, I'm not even going to lie. The screeches only escalated as they invaded our platform and started wrestling my friends away, pulling them from the safety of our group. It took three or four Goblins to even get Dwalin to move, the lack of space in the chaos making it difficult for him to fight back as he cursed them the whole time. Next to him, I saw Fili and Bifur get yanked away, along with Kili, and then I was swarmed before I could even register it, too.

The greasy, mottled greenish-grey creatures, were – to put it bluntly – a hygienic nightmare. Some were more blemished than others, but most of them had at least some kind of visible cyst or or infection, and even those that didn't were still dirty beyond reason, covered in scratches and mildew from god knows what. Their eyes were bugged out and crusty, with feral grins stretched over creepy sharp teeth at the excitement of catching prey.

And oh, they smelled. So. Fucking. Bad.

Their grimy hands grabbed at me, jagged claw-like nails digging into my arms through my sleeves as they started pulling me with the others. I was startled by how strong they were as I was dragged along, not consciously fighting back but also not really able to get balanced before being shoved again by the moving crowd. A whiff of their breath nearly made me vomit then and there, as the two that snagged me were just the right height for their every exhale to slap me in the face. I ducked further into my hood as if that would help.

We were herded out of the caged area, briefly onto solid ground, then onto a rickety walkway with planks tied together so haphazardly that I was genuinely shocked it didn't fall apart as we walked. Looking down between the clusters of feet was a bad idea as I realized how high up we were in this underground world.

They led us through tunnels big enough to fit a house in, fluctuating between even larger ones at times. The rocky walls were lined with other walkways twisting nonsensically through the area, and any visible platforms across from us were crowded with more Goblins, cheering like this was the most action they'd seen in a year. It probably was.

It was hard to properly see over the writhing chaos of our walkway ahead, to try and pinpoint anyone beyond Balin directly in front of me, though I thought I recognized Bofur's hat ahead of him. I didn't see Bilbo in the crowd as we went, and I assumed – hoped – that he'd slipped away like he was meant to.

Soon enough, the tunnel narrowed one more time before expanding into a final, enormous cavern. As much as did not want to be here, the sheer size of the place sent my mind reeling as we entered, almost making me feel dizzy when I looked around. The jagged ceiling of the cave was so far above us, and there were so, so many Goblins on every level of this place, with hundreds of torches interspersed around, giving the impression of a small city. The noise echoing around us was like that of a football stadium, but made entirely of inhuman squawking and screeching.

In the middle of this grandiose area was a tall pointed rock with a platform attached to its front, very clearly the centerpiece and main attraction, as it were. The path we were on was held up by wooden stilts, leading right up to said platform. Distantly, I could make out the huge, bulging figure sitting upon a makeshift throne in front of the rock.

If you asked me what instrument sounded off when we walked in, I couldn't have told you. There was a wailing like a cross between a horn and a janky pipe organ, joined by the clashes of scrap metal to a beat. I spotted the DIY Goblin orchestra perched about two stories up on the wall, their makeshift instruments still too far away for me to see much besides the large gong that was bashed suddenly.

As we were pushed along the walkway, the bulky figure in the center of the room said something too lowly for me to hear in the chaos. I had a pretty good feeling I knew what he'd said though.

Then the dreaded song began, and he started to sing from his seat, voice carrying loudly across the cave.

"Clap, snap, the Black Crack,

Grip, grab, pinch, and nab,

Batter and beat, make them stammer and squeak~"

The disturbing vision of the Goblin King grew closer as he stood from his throne, using the small pile of Goblins at his feet like a stepping stool and undoubtedly breaking at least a few of their bones in the process. Their distorted yelps seemed like a good indicator. Regardless, their leader carried on, really getting into the swing of things as he wobbled in a dance to the tune.

"Pound, pound, faaaaar uuundergrooouuund~!

Down, down, down in Goblin Town!"

The Goblin lackies along the walls echoed, "Down, down, down in Goblin Town!"

The scary chaperones on either side of me finally let me walk on my own as we reached the raised center platform, the Company clustering together as closely as possible for safety. I was pulled in by the Dwarves almost instantly, winding up crammed behind Oín and between Bofur and Balin. Behind me, Bifur was covering his ears against the clanging instruments. Searching the crowd around us, I also realized with some relief that Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully that meant he was down with Gollum like he was meant to be, and not like, flattened against a rock somewhere.

Pushing that thought aside with a shudder, I peeked from around Oín's hair to watch the front of the platform. I didn't realize my hood had slipped some until I felt it pulled back into place again, more discreetly, this time by Balin. By the time I glanced his way in confusion, he was already looking back towards the Goblin King, so I did the same, more conscious of my hood. I was still puzzled by that, but if Balin thought it was a good idea, then maybe I needed to heed it.

It was about then that I got my first good look and realized just how gigantic this Goblin overlord actually was. Each of his arms was easily the size of myself and then some, and he was twice as tall as me too, with a goiter as big as Bombur extending down from his flat face. And hell, if I'd thought the smell was bad before, it was nothing compared to the stench of this main cavern. Think gym locker room combined with a dumpster behind an Arby's, then add seventeen rotten eggs and you might be close. I had a hunch that a lot of it was wafting off of this theatrical leader.

The Goblin King continued his performance, swinging his humongous arms back and forth with the beat. He held a staff topped with a horned skull that he swung without caution as well, and once close enough, I could feel the violent vibrations in the boards underfoot with each movement he made.

"With a switch, and a smack, and a whip, and a crack,

Everybody talks when they're on my rack,

Pound, pound, far underground!

Down, down, down to Goblin Town~!"

More echoing chorus from around us, "Down, down, down in Goblin Town~!"

"Hammer and torch, get out your knockers and gongs,

You won't last long on the end of my prooong!"

We watched in horror as the Goblin King skewered one of his own minions with his horned staff, the squelching sound and the yelp of pain making me more than a little sick. Sure, it was a Goblin, but it was still disturbing to watch how casual the action was to the large brute as he swung the body around before tossing it off the side of the platform. Somewhere down below, I heard a crunching smack and felt even more ill.

"Clash, crash, crush and smash,

Bang, break, shiver and shake,

You can yammer and yelp, but there ain't no help,

Pound, pound, far underground,

Down, down, down in Goblin Toooowwwwn~!"

The extravagant ending note lasted for several seconds, grating on our eardrums as the Goblin King tiptoed in a twirl. When he finally stopped and motioned for the music to cut off with a fist in the air that he drew downward, the cave went quiet as he turned back to his throne, returning to his seat. The floorboards shook as he plopped down.

"Catchy, isn't it? It's one of my own compositions," the Goblin King addressed our group in a fake display of geniality.

Next to me, Balin popped off, "That's not a song – It's an abomination!" There were multiple noises of agreeance from our cluster, the Dwarves scared and angry all at once. I couldn't even blame them. They had no preparation for this, not really, anyway.

"Abominations, mutations, deviations… That's all you're gonna find down here!" the large Goblin spouted mockingly as the weapons that had been seized by his minions upon our fall were heaped into a pile. Somehow my knife was still mostly concealed by my baggy hoodie, otherwise they'd probably have taken it by then, too. The Goblin King then stepped forward and promptly demanded, "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?!"

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence," answered one of the Goblins near the front of the group, voice like a cross between sandpaper and a squeaky tire.

"Dwarves?!" their King clarified, as if he was surprised by this when there were 13 short, hairy men standing before him (and one mystery guest partially hidden by her friends).

The sandpaper-squeaky Goblin added cheekily, "Found 'em on the front porch!"

"Well, don't just stand there! Search them!" the Goblin King commanded, and nearly at the same time, the flock of Goblins around us swarmed again with their creepy hands. "Every crack, every crevice!"

When Bifur was pulled away from behind me to be searched, another set of bony hands started searching my person, yanking my gifted dagger from its holder and tossing it to the pile of accumulating weaponry. I didn't even have enough time to be mad before the hands roved further up and I instinctively crossed my arms over my chest defensively. My foot snapped out on its own and the Goblin hissed as my boot connected with his shin, though when he made to grab me, I was pulled away by more familiar hands and shielded by Dwarves again in the chaos. This time Balin was on my right, and on my left was the one who pulled me in again.

Thorin let go of my arm, though when I went to cast him a glance, there was the clanging and jingling of someone's pack being dumped out on the ground that drew everyone's attention.

"It is our belief, Your Great Protuberance, that they are in league with the Elves!" the same Goblin from earlier declared, and I could only see the grimy arm that raised from the front of the crowd, holding a shiny candelabra.

The Goblin King plucked the candle holder from his underling and investigated the base of it, reading out with a scoff, "'Made in Rivendell'. Second Age – couldn't give it away!" To make his point, he tossed the item over his shoulder and it flew off the platform.

Almost every eye in our Company moved to Nori, at the far right of the crowd, as things went quiet again. There was a sheepish note in his voice when he tried to excuse his possession of the candelabra with, "Just a couple of keepsakes."

The Goblin King continued on to stare our group down once more, asking, "So what are you doing in these parts?"

As if he was really interested. Right.

Thorin had sidled in front of me, ready to step forward and speak to the massive creature, when Oín beat him to it, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. The medic moved to the front instead.

"Don't worry, lads. I'll handle this," Oín said calmly.

The Goblin King slammed his staff on the ground once, saying, "No tricks! I want the truth! Warts and all."

Of course, Oín said in response, "Ye're going to have to speak up. Yer boys flattened my trumpet." He held the sad, flat piece of metal that used to be his ear trumpet up for explanation.

"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" the Goblin King yelled in irritation, stomping forward and slapping aside several smaller Goblins that were standing next to his throne as he did so. He raised his fist, as if he were going to crush the old Dwarf and I couldn't help a reactionary flinch.

Ever the brave soul, Bofur spoke up and moved to the forefront as the group pulled Oín back into the ranks to safety. "If it's more information ye're wantin', then I'm the one ye should speak to!"

The large Goblin paused with his meaty fist raised, giving a suspicious look, but relenting for the moment. With a slight 'mm-hmph', he lowered the imposing right hook and waited.

It was about then that Bofur realized he was very much on the spot, searching for words that wouldn't immediately piss this dude off. "We were on the road – well it's not so much a road as a path," he started. I could tell he was trying to think on the fly and buy some time with his meandering story. "Actually it's not even that, come to think of it. More like a track… Anyway, 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."

Anyone paying attention could tell that the great Goblin was rapidly losing interest, mumbling under his breath.

"Visiting distant relations!" Dori chimed in, poking his head forward beside Bofur.

The hatted Dwarf riffed off of this and added, "Some inbreds on me mother's side!"

That was clearly all this Goblin had the patience for.

"Shut – UP!" the Goblin King bellowed, the cavern echoing the painfully loud noise back at us as most of our group flinched and gasped, though several Goblin bystanders did too. The area grew silent as Bofur shut his trap awkwardly, deciding maybe this wasn't working as he'd hoped. "If they will not talk," the Goblin leader carried on, gesturing grandly to the surrounding crowds clustered on the walls, "We'll make them squawk!"

Cheers and excited growls errupted around us and the hair on my neck stood on end. Logically I knew, sure, this would be fine, but oh this was still terrifying.

"Bring up The Mangler! Bring up The Bone-Breaker!" ordered the Goblin King in the most grandiose fashion possible. Of course, to everyone's horror, he then pointed to Ori and declared, "Start with the youngest!"

"WAIT!"

The single, authoritative word stopped nearly everything in its tracks, somehow echoing more than the great Goblin's earlier yell. We all watched as Thorin moved out from the relative safety of our Company's cluster, no longer okay to stand idly by as the others tried to keep him hidden. Their attempts were brave, but futile, and he knew that.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," the Goblin King announced in amusement as Thorin stepped to the front of the group to stand before him. "Thorin! Son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain!" He gave a large, mocking bow to the Dwarf, and some of my fear scooted over to make room for anger as he continued. "Except – you don't have a mountain. And you're not a King. Which makes you… nobody, really."

Thorin said nothing as he stared the Goblin down with a glare that I knew, even if I couldn't see it from this angle, was potent.

The giant, ostentatious chode seemed to be garnering amusement from this, a small chuckle escaping him as he said ominously, "I know someone who would pay a pretty penny for your head. Just the head, of course. Nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak? An old enemy of yours."

In that moment, I was so glad that I had chose to tell Thorin of Azog. Even if it led to such tense nonsense between us, at least I could say I'd told the truth. Even if he didn't believe the stuff that followed, at first.

"A pale Orc, astride a white Warg," the Goblin King described, excited to reveal this news and potentially scare Thorin.

Shoulders tensely squared, Thorin was unmoved, and growled out, "Azog the Defiler was defeated in battle long ago. He ran with his tail tucked, like the coward he is."

Well. I guess that meant he believed me now. Fully.

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" the Goblin King asked with a smirk, though a less satisfied one than I could recall he was supposed to have. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed as though some of the fun got sucked out of the mind game once Thorin already knew Azog was alive.

All the same, the Goblin King turned then to one of his minions sitting nearby on a wooden seat that dangled from an odd zipline contraption just above the platform. This Goblin had a bulbous head and tiny, shrunken limbs, and in his scraggly little hands was a quill and paper.

"Send word to the Pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize," the Goblin King stated to this little dude.

With a squeaky cackle that grated like the pulley system he was using, the Goblin started scribbling on his paper as the rope moved him onwards and further into the caves, out of our sight.

"Anyways, onto the fun part! Bring up the best apparatus we've got! This is a special occasion, after all," the King instructed a cluster of Goblins towards the back of the platform. As they scurried away, several more in the crowd joining them in their task, he looked back to our group and said casually, "I have a song that's better enjoyed when you're laying on one of our luxury spike beds. Or so I've heard. The last ones who stumbled in here couldn't stop screaming with joy when they heard it."

There were a few Goblins that chuckled with their leader at that one. Our Company was doing the opposite, growing more tense with every second that passed, and I caught myself glancing around the others to try and see past the Goblin King, to the walkway that I knew Gandalf was supposed to arrive from. It wasn't time yet, but the excitement that was vibrating through these Goblins was setting my nerves on edge as they kept squeezing in closer, getting ready to pull us apart and torture us.

Knowing it wouldn't get that far was a small consolation when Balin glanced over and locked eyes with me. I wanted to cry at how conflicted he looked, like he wanted to be angry with me, but he was also fully aware that I'd told Thorin everything, who just didn't believe me until it was too late. On the other hand, he didn't understand how we could possibly make it out of this alive.

Fair, honestly.

My thoughts were interrupted by loud noises behind us, of clanking metal against metal as it was moved across the wooden planks. When everyone shot a look backwards, we could see several large, imposing torture contraptions being wheeled in by droves of Goblins. One indeed had a bed of spikes, though I doubted it was as luxurious as advertised.

Naturally though, their King cleared his throat, and began anew.

"Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung,

You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung,

You will die down here and never be found,

Down in the deep of Goblin Town!"

The scary mechanisms drew closer, and several of my friends went into panic mode, full fight or flight. Kili punched a nearby Goblin and was promptly restrained and shoved back into the group, and nearly the same thing happened with Dwalin and Gloín, though it took more effort to muscle them back into line.

It was about then, as I expected, that the clatter of a sword hit the wooden platform, discernible even over the din of struggling, and a Goblin at the front of the crowd hissed and snarled.

They'd found Orcrist. And chaos broke out.

"I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" the Goblin King lost his mind at the sight of the sword, backing up into his throne and climbing atop it while pointing in fear, like the weapon would grow little legs and chase after him.

More snarling and spitting of his lackies accompanied the frightened shrieks as they closed ranks and raised crude weapons against us. Oín had to step backwards or have his face taken off by some form of jagged club, and pushed me backwards with him where I rammed into someone else. As elbows and fists were flying, a clawed hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me from any form of safety.

I don't know how I managed to stay standing when a Goblin pulled me out of the crowd as his chosen target, landing me at the edge of the platform. Any terror I'd managed to suppress was burbling forth when I was face to face with two Goblins, one holding a whip and clenching my arm, and the other holding a baton with jagged bits attached. When they caught a better look of my face under the hood, there was a pause as their expressions – warped as they were – went confused for a moment. Their eyes roved downwards and my stomach turned as that confusion melted into something more feral.

"Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" yelled the Goblin King.

Behind me, I could hear my friends being attacked, and could hear their curses of pain as hits landed. As I pulled against my current captor and kicked out at the other one when he approached, I heard a very distinct grunt of pain from someone nearby.

My head snapped around of its own accord at the noise, as I spotted Thorin taking the blows from a whip with small flails on it, nearly dropping to his knees. When a Goblin jumped him from behind, he flung it over his shoulders and the creature smashed through a wooden guard rail with a screech, though he was swarmed by more immediately.

"Cut off his head!" came the terrifying order from the giant Goblin.

Thorin was outnumbered and brought down as multiple Goblins crowded around him, one pulling a knife out. The sight sent my heart into my throat. It'll be okay, it'll be okay, it'll be –

I tried to pry the Goblin's hand off my arm and go to Thorin's aid, pulling against the grip and throwing a pitiful punch to his jaw with my non-dominant hand. Naturally I paid for this, pain rippling through my arm as I threw it up defensively when the baton Goblin started wailing on me, and I spotted the one with the whip taking a few steps back and gearing up to take a crack at me. Another blow against me left my arm shaking in pain but the idea of getting whipped scared me more, and instead of pushing the baton Goblin away, I pulled him in front of me, struggling not to trip during the clumsy maneuver.

It worked, somehow. The Goblin gripping my arm let go with a shriek as the whip struck the wrong target, causing him to spin and snarl something at the one who hit him. I was half on the ground as I scrambled away, and when he turned back to snag me again I was out of his reach.

The baton Goblin gave chase, and I cast a worried look over past the Goblin King and his throne. Gandalf would be here any second.

My pursuer swiped at me, nicking the back of my head. I turned and shoved him back before he could swing again, inadvertently knocking him backwards into the Goblin with the whip who had also given chase. They tripped and fell into a heap, nearly going off the platform entirely. I didn't have time to be proud of myself as more Goblins appeared, and I turned tail.

I spotted Thorin being held down by three of the creatures, somehow still managing to push against the jagged knife that was being shoved down towards his neck.

I shot a panicked glance to the walkway.

Any second now.

Another flailed whip hit the boards next to my feet, and I hopped to the side frantically. In my escape, I moved towards where Thorin was.

The knife was closer. And closer. And – Why was it so close to him? I shot a frightened look to the walkway, then back to Thorin. Was it supposed to be that close?!

Gandalf?!

The sight was too much. I bolted forward to the pile of Goblins atop Thorin. He was the only one that saw me at first, and I caught a glimpse of his eyes widening before I was in the thick of it. The Goblins barely knew what hit them as I put my full body weight into tackling the one with the knife from the side, so as not to push the dagger down into Thorin by accident. It wasn't perfect, as the other Goblins tried to stop me, but I managed to grab the first one's wrist and when I landed on top of him, it jarred the weapon from his grip. It clattered across the wooden boards. I'd never been so glad to be heavy.

I was shaking. If the fight had gotten this far, and we still hadn't been rescued…

That meant Gandalf was late.

But – but why? What the fuck did I do?! Why was everything happening just slightly wrong?!

'A Wizard arrives precisely when he means to', my ass!

The Goblin underneath me was flailing and trying to hit my face with its free hand, and as the ones holding Thorin grew distracted by my interference, the Dwarf took his chance. Even over the commotion around us, the punch Thorin threw was solid enough for me to hear a crunch as one of his captors fell backwards unconscious.

As he tangled with the remaining one holding him, the others that had been on my tail caught up within those few seconds. I had no time to react as the neck of my hoodie was snagged and yanked backwards, choking me as I was pulled off the Goblin and tossed by one of their burlier fighters. I couldn't get my feet under me in time and fell flat on my back, conking my head on the wood.

This, of course, caused my hood to fall off.

Dazed, I stared up at the rocky ceiling hundreds of feet above us. I don't know why it was then that it all clicked in place for me, why it was then I understood how events were happening so off-schedule. Maybe I hit my head just right. Maybe the proper brain cells bounced around in there enough to make sense of this charcuterie board of madness.

Either way.

I realized then, with growing horror, that Gandalf wasn't late.

No.

We were early.

Dread flooded my veins, cold and sharp. I felt like an idiot. An absolute idiot. The Stone Giants weren't late either, I hadn't done anything to affect them! How could I have? No. We'd just arrived at the cave early. I'd told Thorin about Azog, and he sped up the Company in his stress, and now… Now we were early.

There was no way to know by how much though.

"Must be the youngest. Hasn't even a beard yet!" I heard a Goblin say, only to be interrupted by another hollering, "No, look! That's a woman!"

I was broken out of my realizations as the same greasy lunatics we'd been fighting crowded around me. There were other garbled exclamations of a similar nature nearby as I sat up quickly, though not quickly enough to do anything as I was pulled up onto my feet by the enthusiastic cluster, their fingers jabbing into my arms again.

My vision was suddenly blocked by a gargantuan fleshy mass. I barely understood what I was looking at before the other Goblins released me and backed up, a huge hand wrapping around my left arm. Terror sent my heart racing when I was lifted nearly completely off my feet, struggling to maintain a tiptoe so my arm wasn't ripped out of socket as a gigantic face was lowered into my view, inspecting me with eyes bigger than my fists. The scent was once again the worst part by far though, his general odor beyond foul and every breath he took was just a warm, disgusting slap in the face. My aching shoulder was nothing compared to that smell.

"Just what have we here?" the Goblin King asked while investigating my figure more closely, shooting a wary look to the side where I knew Orcrist was still laying. The bulbous goiter at his throat sagged forward and I wanted to wretch when it bumped into my knees. His expression was half glare, half triumph when he looked just past me, and he proclaimed louder, "Why, Oakenshield, you didn't tell me there was a woman amongst you!"

Without my feet fully on the ground, I wasn't able to maneuver enough to look behind me and check on my friends. Their shouts of protest reached me just fine though.

I was surprised to hear Thorin as one of the first to do so, snarling out quite fiercely as he struggled against Goblins, "Leave her be!" Thought for sure he'd be too mad at me. Huh.

"Drop the lass, ye overgrown wart!" Bofur shouted at the same time that Kili yelled, "Let her go!" Several others hollered in anger and it would have warmed my heart if I wasn't scared out of my wits. There was no time to be touched by their worry.

The good news was that my gender was apparently interesting enough to cause the Goblins some distraction, and the bloodthirsty fighting sounded like it had morphed back into something closer to wrestling as they paid more attention to the front of the platform, but the bad news was that I now understood why Dwalin and Balin seemed so keen to keep my hood up. The enemy ranks were overtaken by an unsettling amount of cheers and whoops at the proclamation that there was a woman, their scary bug-eyed faces turning anticipatory in nature.

"Should we put her in the spiky one?!" a Goblin close by spoke up excitedly, some of the others garbling agreements and additional ideas.

I shot a bewildered side-eye their way, earning nothing but toothy, malicious smiles. Bruh.

The Goblin King straightened up a bit from staring me down, blessedly landing me back on my feet as he lowered his arm, but his grip was so tight that my hand was already going numb. Goblins continued hollering suggestions of which mechanism to torture me with and I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself. Instant regret. It smelled so fucking bad. Hyperventilation was nearing. Sweet cheese and crackers, where the hell is Gandalf?!

"No, no. As much as I want to hear her shriek, I've a much better idea!" the Goblin King announced, half turning my way and half watching the reactions of my friends.

Pulling against the giant Goblin's grip was like pulling against a 10 ton boulder, accomplishing nothing besides hurting my shoulder more. This dude could easily have flattened me like a filet o' fish on a McDonald's parking lot, but I stubbornly kept trying to pry his huge hand from me. Instead, his grip tightened and tears came to my eyes when he gave a sharp tug that flung me off balance. He abruptly let go, causing me to land in a cluster of Goblins who were instantly restraining me with harsh grips.

The Goblin King's next words sent alarm bristling through my body, as he continued on to say, "A gift for the Pale Orc, perhaps, to earn his favor! After all, what could be more gracious than not only Thorin Oakenshield's head, but the only woman from his Company as well?"

The hordes of Goblins raved at the idea, squawking and yammering at the genius of their leader.

Color drained from my face. I felt nauseous.

From the gathering of creatures containing me, their fingers digging into my arms and shoulders, I could finally see the Dwarves in the crowd. Several of them were yelling more profanities, and several more had restarted the all-out brawl. I could also see Thorin, at the forefront where he'd been fighting, as he paused long enough to meet my stare with his own horrified look. He could tell I was scared out of my wits – that this wasn't right, that this was definitely not how things were meant to go. I knew I was trembling, but I couldn't stop, and I was tugged backwards just as Goblins subdued him again. A new knife glinted in the crowd of Goblins. Nonono NO!

My boots connected with more shins and kneecaps as I flailed when they began pulling me away from the main platform, to the walkway behind the throne. A few of them hissed before they finally tugged my feet out from underneath me by the ankles to tote me with less fuss.

My skull was filled with static. I couldn't breathe. They were going to behead Thorin, for real this time, and it was all my fault. Never mind that being separated from the Company would be my own torturous death sentence. They wouldn't even make it to Erebor, they'd never even see their home again… Bilbo would come out of that tunnel and have no idea what happened to us. He might even be found and killed afterwards too.

Tears came to my eyes.

Please, Gandalf, you stupid motherf – !

Suddenly, all I could see was white, and I closed my eyes against the burst. The Goblins carrying me shrieked as a wind stronger than anything I'd ever felt buffeted against us all, knocking us to the wooden planks in a heap. I tumbled on top of my captors, kicking more than a few in the face during our fall. The gust was so loud that my ears were left ringing as I laid, stunned and half-blind, tangled in a mass of Goblin limbs.

My vision started clearing just as a tall figure loomed closer on the walkway, through the smoke and dust that had been kicked up. The silhouette of an unmistakable pointy hat appeared, and relief left my bones gelatinous for a moment.

That relief was cut short as I remembered Thorin and snapped up, pushing a Goblin off of me to hop to my feet. I was the only one who understood what just happened, giving me a bit of a lead on gathering my wits.

"Take up your arms," I heard Gandalf call from behind me as I stumbled across the destruction left in the wake of his magic. Goblins and Dwarves were all lumped together in piles, making it hard to locate anybody. My friends were all stunned and confused as to what just occurred, groggily lifting their heads and looking around in just as much bafflement as the Goblins were.

I spotted that wavy dark hair with streaks of silver in a pile of Goblins, my heart leaping into my throat with trepidation, until I saw the hair move. Thorin sat up, pushing Goblins off himself as well. His beautiful head was still perfectly attached, and I dashed over immediately, gripping his hand to help him up, but also just for physical reassurance that he was really okay.

Surprisingly, he accepted my help and quickly stood, though my tug and his own efforts landed us with our joined hands stuck between our chests, his free hand gripping my arm other arm when we bumped into each other, though it wasn't for balance. It was more like I wasn't close enough. Our eyes met during this half a second, mine still partially watery, and it felt like a whole conversation took place. The guilt was eating at me in tandem with the visceral fear I'd just experienced, my body still shaking against his. Thorin was angry – he was so, so angry, but there was also worry in his eyes. Fear. For me. There were a great many things he wanted to say, expression beyond conflicted and straight into pained.

It would have to wait.

"Fight!" Gandalf addressed our party as he reached the main platform, urging the others to their feet with one last great call before all hell broke loose again. "FIGHT!"

Thorin and I darted over to the pile of weapons, quickly joined by our comrades, snagging our equipment as the Goblins started regaining their bearings and roaring back to life with angry warbles. I grabbed up my familiar dagger just as the Goblin King shook the floorboards with his lunge at us, bringing the giant staff down in a rage as I shrunk back. Thorin whipped Orcrist forward in a crazy show of strength as he not only blocked the attack, but knocked this massive brute off kilter, causing the Goblin King to stumble backwards and tumble straight off the platform.

My jaw dropped a bit. Watching that in person, after knowing just how strong that Goblin actually was… Hoo, was it hot in here?

Any gaga thoughts were shoved aside as I spotted Oín's staff on the ground and handed if off to the medic as he joined our now-running cluster of Dwarves. Thorin had already sprinted off to the front as we all followed, chasing after Gandalf, who zipped away down a side pathway off the platform.

As soon as my foot hit the planks on the shoddily-made bridge, I knew this was going to be a lot more difficult than the movie made it seem.

The wood was tacked on crooked in many places and sometimes shook with the force of our Company running across it, nearly causing me to fall on top of my own knife. I sheathed it for the time being, quickly deciding the whole 'running with weapons like a badass' should be left to the pros, and clumsily continued onwards as fast as I could.

More than once, I found myself narrowly brushing past Goblin spears and knives and whips that swiped out from neighboring platforms, or bridges directly above us. The jungle of wood and rope was a nightmare to navigate, leaving me paranoid when one of our group split off to avoid a Goblin attack and took a different path, meeting back up with us several platforms later. Ahead of us, I could see the fighters like Thorin, Dwalin, and Gloín taking charge, slicing through enemies in a wild dance of swords and axes. Someone tossed a ladder across a gap for us to run over, and I didn't even notice until I was right on it. If it weren't for momentum and utter frantic flailing, I just know I would have slipped right through every single hole on that thing.

Reaching the other side, one of our group knocked the ladder off before Goblins could cross, and the chase continued. One moment I was following Fili, the next I was following Ori. Our walkways criss-crossed again and again, the cavern around us echoing with Goblin shrieks as the horde was gaining ground.

We ran across a platform that was held precariously by ropes attached to an upper level, and I realized where we were just as one of our Company cut a rope holding the whole thing steady. The wooden floor groaned and lurched forward with momentum like a giant swing, spinning slightly off-kilter, making me a little ill as my stomach lifted with the motion. A few members of the Company jumped off onto a neighboring walkway when the platform swung near enough, and when it swung backwards, Goblins began to hop on. I almost fell off trying to back up out of the others' way, and was baffled when Dwalin and Thorin were able to knock enemies off left and right while maintaining this insane balancing act.

More of the Company, including Dwalin and Thorin, leapt from the end of the nightmare swing, and it lurched backwards one more time as someone grabbed my arm. I couldn't even move to the spot where I needed to be, much less jump!

"Get ready!" Fili shouted from beside me, pulling me along when he realized I wasn't moving. I wobbled forward as best as I could with his help, freaking out when he started a full run with me in tow, and I realized we were the last ones on the swing aside from Goblins behind us.

Next thing I know, my feet are in the air as I half jumped and was half chucked across the divide. I didn't even consciously remember telling my body to work, moving on pure instinct. When we landed, very precariously and by the skin of our teeth, Fili and I were pulled from the edge by Dwalin and Thorin before we were immediately running again.

My lungs were burning as I followed Fili, with Dwalin behind me, the others in the lead in front of us all. Thorin pulled ahead to a neighboring walkway to help Kili and Balin dispatch another group of Goblins that were going to try cutting us off, and Fili veered off to join him. I caught up with Ori and Nori at the back of the main group as we dashed down a path that wrapped around the rock wall.

I noticed the cavern was starting to widen, and the walkways were growing less stable. It was like this area had less upkeep done or something, the planks beneath our feet cracked and creaking more than ever. There were spots where several boards were missing or roped together more haphazardly, making it harder to run. I tried to ignore it, focusing forward where I could see the pathway would meet solid ground soon. It was fine, it was fine, it was –

It was not fine.

I didn't have time to react.

My foot came down on a weak plank and the splintering of wood rang out. Gravity kicked in as I started to fall, my heart skipping over itself as I realized too late what was happening.

A strong hand shoved my back and I was launched forward, tripping onto sturdier wooden planks as the crashing sounds continued behind me. The echo of wood chunks and rubble clattering onto rocks and platforms below, Goblins screeching as they fell too. There were more noises of destruction as the path on the level below us gave out and I heard rocks come loose from the wall that had been supporting everything. I landed sideways, half on my elbow, half on my hip, foot hanging off into the abyss – into the area that used to be the walkway.

My heart stopped.

Please no.

I whipped around and scrambled to the edge of the broken path, looking down frantically for the one who just saved me. The sight made me choke on air.

Far, far below, where the torchlight barely even reached, was Dwalin.

Still.

Unmoving.

Dwalin.

My ears were ringing.

The height was dizzying to stare down at.

It was a sheer drop to the rocky ledge he'd landed on, the walkway just below us having splintered apart on the impact as well. It was probably the only reason I wasn't seeing something even worse, the fall slowed just enough by the secondary bridge before it broke. Goblins were heaped down on the small ledge too, having landed haphazardly around Dwalin, along with debri and rocks. There was barely enough room for all of them on there, a complete drop-off into darkness just on the other side. Some of the creatures were bleeding, some were also not moving… But the ones that were able had begun to sit up, getting their bearings. Picking up their weapons if they toppled near enough.

My friend still did not move.

Across from me on our level, the pursuing Goblins had stopped on the other side of the new gap, growling and spitting when they realized they couldn't follow this way and turned to go find the other path we'd passed.

Meanwhile, behind me, I heard Nori shouting to the others when he realized something had gone wrong. The reply didn't sound close enough.

I had promised Thorin we would make it across the Misty Mountains. All of us. This…

Ropes and loose boards dangled around the carnage.

The Goblins below spotted Dwalin on their ledge.

This was unacceptable.

Abruptly I was moving again, eyes darting around for a rope that was still attached to our side. I found one that seemed good, pulling it up from where it hung and giving half a second to inspect it for any weak spots before realizing that it wasn't nearly as long as I'd need. It could probably get me down to the level just below us, assuming those boards didn't give out as well.

Good enough.

At the same time that Ori came running up behind me, I started wrapping the rope around my waist. This was stupid, I wasn't Lara Croft, I was just insane, oh my god –

"What are you doing?!" Ori asked in a panic.

I couldn't answer, hands occupied and shaking as I tried to tie a sturdy knot. Shit, why didn't I go to Girl Scouts?!

Ori wound up glancing over the ledge at the same time, crouching to his hands and knees, having his question answered immediately. He gasped in horror at the sight below, then did a double-take at me, realizing what must be going through my head. He began pleading, "No – no, you'll never make it! We've got to get the others, surely!" There was no time for that, but I couldn't say as much, busy tightening the rope, giving a test tug.

Nori had reached us by that point, and the boards creaked in their weakened state when he approached. With even less support for the planks under our feet, it all began to slant downward, causing him to back up rapidly.

'Back,' I signed as quick as possible to Ori. He didn't have time to protest as I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to his feet, pushing him towards his brother, who looked baffled and just as panicked. Blessedly, he prioritized Ori and grabbed him to keep him from trying to follow me again. The boards slanted even more when I returned to the edge, forcing me to crouch and grab the planks so I wouldn't slide off completely.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, there's no way this is going to work!

I stared down at the rock ledge, where the Goblins were standing and pushing rubble off of their allies. Some of them gestured towards the unconscious Dwarf, approaching him.

I gripped the rope.

"Jenna, wait!" I heard someone call from behind me, but I was already gone.

Sliding off of those planks was probably the single most terrifying moment of my life. Forget the Wargs, forget Jean, this was a nightmare.

For half a second, I was in free fall, holding my breath in terror. Then there was intense pain in my middle as the rope went taught, digging in like a vice, and my body jerked, popping my grip loose from the spot just above the knot. Momentum carried me underneath the walkway I was just on and I spun for half a second awkwardly, but before I could recover, the rope shuddered and I heard a cracking above as the support gave out. I dropped again while staring upward, my stomach lurching with gravity's pull.

My back smacked against the planks of the next level and almost knocked the breath from me, shaking the whole platform, and I kept my eyes closed as broken bits of board rained down after. The rope hit me in the face and when I cracked an eyelid, I saw half of the busted support beam I'd been tied to hurtling down towards me. I tossed my arms over my head just in time for it to come flying down on top of them. It hurt, but not nearly as much as a broken nose would have, and it toppled off to lay beside me. Once I was sure it was safe to do so, I dared open my eyes again, gulping in air as I looked at the walkway high above that I used to be on.

Ori and Nori were forced to back up even further, as way more of the platform broke off than I'd intended. I could see their figures through the slits in the boards. The path was still splintering apart even as they called for me, and the distance between us grew larger. I spotted others behind them, fighting Goblins that were growing in number, coming down from other walkways and ladders and ropes. They would be forced to move soon by the sheer number of enemies. We didn't have much time.

I rolled over onto my stomach, though when I put my hand down to support myself and get up, I almost slipped off the edge of the wooden planks. The broken void where Dwalin had fallen through was right in front of me, and I was struck by just how narrowly I'd managed to land on this level safely. Stupid, idiot, plate of nachos for a brain –

My rope excursion somehow only took a few seconds. A quick look to the ledge below and I spotted –

Dwalin! I had to blink a few times, to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks. He – he was moving again! Slowly, he raised his head. He seemed a bit out of it, but he was coming to; he wasn't dead, and I wanted to melt right then and there from relief. That happiness was short-lived though as I saw three Goblins drawing closer to him with weapons raised, and I took a sharp breath in alarm.

I didn't stop to think as I pushed up to my feet, crouching again and grabbing the broken beam I was still tied to. Holding it like a chunky baseball bat, I aimed for the Goblins underneath me and jumped.

Stupid.

I have no idea what I thought would happen, but the boards under me gave out with the slightest push and crumbled, sending me flailing instead. Any of them that noticed me were just as caught off guard by the boards breaking as I was, their buggy eyes widening as they bumped into each other trying to get out of the way.

It was sheer dumb luck that I was able to aim for the Goblins at all, and even dumber luck that none of their weapons impaled me on impact. It was jarring and it hurt, the landing an absolute clusterfuck of mayhem as my elbow whacked into at least one skull, my knee careened into a spine, the beam crashed on a shoulder and tangled the rope around someone's limbs. There were a few snapping noises under the worst of it that made me want to vomit as I realized it wasn't wooden planks, but broken Goblin bones making that sound.

The screeches of rage were warranted, honestly, as the bodies that cushioned my landing writhed around, shoving me off with the force of their panic. I tumbled onto the rock ledge and rolled away, hitting the cave wall at the same time that the rope around my waist went taught again. I raised my head, trying to get my bearings as I heard Goblins approaching too fast and the rope was yanked again, my hands scraping against the stone as I struggled to get my feet under me. I was tugged again and twisted, falling onto my back, looking up in time to see a shrieking Goblin standing above me with a knife raised.

With a gasp of panic, I lifted my leg and gave a frantic kick, connecting with its arm at the same time that it brought the weapon down. It didn't disarm it, but still gave myself enough time to snag my own dagger from its sheath and retaliate, digging the blade into the Goblin's calf with horrifying ease.

Oh, I was going to be sick after this, holy shit – I yanked the bloody dagger back out, desperate to keep hold of my only weapon. The Goblin stumbled back in pain, bumping into another that had yet to recover from me landing on him. I realized my introductory impact had been more brutal than I'd thought as I spotted the other Goblin's shoulder, definitely dislocated, as the Goblin with the knife toppled over him.

The rope yanked again and I took my knife to it as I was dragged towards the cluster of Goblins. One of them must have gotten hold of it, but I couldn't tell which one as I focused on sawing through the remaining strands of twine.

On the far side of the ledge, opposite of Dwalin's location, I noticed more noise was erupting and shot a look over. I realized with horror that a rickety ladder had been lowered by more Goblins, as they began hopping down onto the already crowded shelf. The Goblins in front of me were recovering, more were approaching, I was beyond panic. I grit my teeth as the rope finally weakened enough and snapped, the little Goblin pulling against it falling over backwards with the release and toppling off the edge with a screech.

As the crowd of new Goblins approached and I sat up, scrambling backwards, the ground shuddered.

At the same time, there was a horrible, terrifying noise.

C-crACK.

Everyone froze in their tracks.

C-cr… ack.

The Goblins exchanged looks with one another, going abruptly from feral to frightened, and then turned tail, sprinting back for the ladder. They pushed each other with frantic warbles, all trying to escape at once.

I heard pebbles breaking off and bits of rock clattering below the outcrop.

The ledge shook and I tucked my knife away as I tried to stand on trembling legs. This whole thing… this whole ledge was about to break off.

I turned to where I remembered Dwalin laying, jolting when I realized he'd snagged his remaining axe and was trying to stand. Darting over to him, I didn't know how to help or what to do, eyes shooting around frantically for some way to escape, but… there was nothing. The Goblin ladder was out, as it was still overrun by the creatures. There was no way we'd be able to fight them off in time. There was nothing. My heart sunk.

"Damned foolish lass. Ye shoulda stayed with the others," Dwalin scolded, though he wasn't looking at me, scanning around instead for a way to save our skins. There was a bit of blood on his bald head, and I assumed that's what knocked him out in the first place. "Hold on."

To wha – ?

The ground lurched downward, making me wobble as tears sprung to my eyes in visceral, unabashed terror. A massive crack formed where the ledge connected to the cave wall, and I was quickly pulled in to Dwalin's side, not thinking twice to wrap my arms around my burly friend like a terrified little squirrel.

Finally the ledge had all it could take, and as it gave out, Dwalin raised his axe, holding it backwards as he swung so the point on the back of the blade dug into the rock wall. I couldn't help but close my eyes when I realized there was nothing beneath my feet anymore, my grip around Dwalin strengthening tenfold out of sheer fright.

There was a huge crash beneath us as boulders and chunks of rock tumbled, several Goblins that were unable to make it up the ladder in time shrieking out as they fell too.

"Open yer eyes," Dwalin said urgently. "Lass, I need ye to open yer eyes."

I swallowed, prying my eyes open to see just a bunch of beard. My palms were sweaty as I focused upwards, not daring to peek at the abyss below us.

"Grab that ledge there, see if ye can't snag that rope just above," he instructed with a strained voice. Strong as a bull he may have been, but he was still holding us both up with an axe using only one arm, a thought that boggled my tiny mind.

I spotted the ledge he was talking about. There was no way. There was no! Way! Never mind the fact that I'd have to relequish my hold on Dwalin, but it was just – so far up!

"I've got ye, just grab it!" Dwalin told me, tone even more pressing.

My mind was just static again. I couldn't get enough air. It didn't even feel like I was the one prying my fingers from Dwalin's coat, the motion mechanical and distant as my arm extended. The small crag was still several inches away. Dwalin amazed me again, heaving me upwards just the tiniest bit and grunting with the effort. My fingers brushed the ledge. Almost…

…craCK!

We were weightless.

The rock wall gave out underneath Dwalin's axe.

My stomach flew into my throat as we fell.

Down, down, even further than Goblin Town.

:)

So this was never meant to be a literal cliffhanger, but the chapter was simply TOO DAMN LARGE, so I've had to split it. That being said, I'm not quite done with the next one, so I'll stick to my vague schedule of about 3 weeks.

With ff's notifications being on the fritz lately, I'd suggest following my writing tumblr (Swaninprogress, same as here) because I always post there when I've updated TLS and rarely post anything else on that account, so you won't have to worry about spam blogging.

But ahhhhh! Please let me know what you all thought! It's been so entertaining to write Goblin Town and messing with the timeline and all that. Getting back to some action has been nice, but I always love to hear what you guys enjoyed the most! Some of your answers surprise me sometimes and I adore it!

Anyways, until next time!