The Past That Blinds (1 of 3)

I blink a little dazed feeling throbbing in my temple and a sticky feeling, most likely blood from the gash where I was hit with I don't know what. Sound returns to my ears and realise the dwarves are struggling against the goblins, I quickly get to my feet, some of the other dwarves are still a little winded from the fall but get up regardless and fight. Unable to draw our weapons I punch a goblin that gets to close but the sheer number of them outmatch us at least one hundred to one. Goblins jump onto our backs and a few of the dwarves are grabbed pushed into the goblin swarm, but we don't stop fighting. We kick and punch and headbutt, some goblins end up being pushed over the edge but even through our struggles they manage to start dragging us over bridges through the caves, but we still don't stop fighting. I look around my vision a little unstable due to the blow to the head no doubt, unable to focus on one place. I look for the Hobbit getting a little panicky because I can't see my little friend. The Goblin's are pushing us, rather hurriedly through the main antechamber beyond which is a large cavern.
The amount of goblins probably numbers somewhere up to the five thousand mark, It's almost like a city of goblins, a few huts here and there and bridges extending in every direction, through other caves, but up ahead there seems to be a large platform up against a large protruding rock, that's where I assume they're taking us, it's right in the centre of the cavern. Some sort of out of tune music starts playing, clinking and what sounds like an out of tune violin or beaten and broken harmonica wining as we're lead towards a large goblin sitting on a chair of wood and decorated with bones, the Goblin King, atop hos head a crown of sharpened bones, in his hand a staff with a skull. His skin is covered in oozing boils and looks like he is decomposing alive, and the smell in here is stifling. He's singing and dancing around, thumping his stick on the platform. Other goblins making sure he stays standing, no doubt if he were to fall he wouldn't be able to get back up again, on his own anyway. “Down, down, down in goblin town” he sings and the other goblins repeat as we're shoved in front of him. He skewers one of the goblins on the spikes on top of his staff before waving it around like a flag and throwing it off which ends up hurtling down into the depths of the cavern. He starts spinning slowly causing us all to have to duck, twice, Thorin is looking at the goblin distastefully, worse than disgusted look he used to give me. And as he finishes the song he passes gas, I can't help but react by covering my mouth and nose.
He goes and sits back down on his throne “Catchy, isn't it? It's one of my own compositions”
“That's not a song, it's an abomination” Balin says causing goblins to squeak in protest pushing us a little.
“Abominations. Mutations. Deviations., that's all you're going to find down here”
“That abhorrent noise is as repulsive as the one who created it, no surprise there, you're a pathetic excuse of a goblin” I spit as we're disarmed and our weapons thrown onto the floor.
“Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?” he asks getting down off his throne. “Spies? Thieves? Assassins?”
“You're not even worth the coin to hire spies or assassins, and no one would want to steal the worthless scrap you've got here” I say letting my temper get the better of me.
I see his face contort annoyed and he's about to react when another goblin tells him we're dwarves.
“Found 'em on the front porch” one of the goblins say to him
“Dwarves? Don't just stand their search them, every crack, every crevice. But bring that one to me” he says pointing at me. I get grabbed and the rest get searched, a couple of them trying to grab me to pull me back from the ones that pull me out of the group as they're being searched.
I fight against the goblins that are holding me as the Goblin King moves towards me. “You're very bold. Do I not frighten you? Little girl”
“You're about as frightening as a stone frozen troll” I say simply.
He isn't pleased by the insult that's for sure, he raises his arm to hit me and seeing as I don't even flinch he stops and smiles. “No, I am not going to kill you just yet, I have got something in mind for you” he laughs, pushing me back into the group.
“It is my belief, your great protuberance, that they are in league with Elves!”
The Goblin King looks at the bottom of a candle holder
“'Made in Rivendell', ah. Second Age. Couldn't give it away.” I didn't expect the Goblin King to be interested in antiquities.
“Just a couple of keepsakes...” Nori explains to his comrades who are frowning upon him
“What are you doing in these parts?
Thorin is about to step forward but Oin places a hand on his shoulder stepping forward. “Don't worry, lads – I'll handle this”
“No tricks! I want the truth! Warts and all!”
“You're going to have to speak up. Your boys have flattened my trumpet.” Oin says holding his hearing aid up.
The Goblin King stands up and steps forward, furious “I'll flatten more than your trumpet!”
“If it's more information you're wanting, I'm the one you should speak to” Bofur takes over, the Goblin King pauses for a moment and lets him speak, the irritation clear on his face.
“We were on the road...well, it's not so much a road as a path...actually, it's not even that, come to think of it, it's more like a track. Anyway, the point is we were on this road, like a path, like a track, and then we weren't. Which is a problem, because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday.”
“Visiting distant relations.” Nori adds to embellish the story with some more details.
“Some inbreds on me mother's side.” Bofur continues
“Shut up!” The grouchy old goblin shouts.
“You asked for the truth, warts and all” I state as all the other dwarves stay quiet.
“If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk” he says loudly so all the goblins can hear him, they screech in response.
“They were talking, but you told them to shut up”
“Bring up the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the youngest.” The Goblin King says annoyed, pointing at Ori.
“Wait!” Thorin steps forward, revealing himself.
“Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain.” The Great Goblin bows exaggeratedly to Thorin and the goblins chuckle. “Oh, but I’m forgetting, you don’t have a mountain. And you’re not a king. Which makes you nobody, really.” After him threatening Ori and now what he's said to Thorin I feel like a tightly stretched spring ready to snap.
“I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg.”
Thorin looks up in surprise and disbelief. “Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago.”
“So you think his defiling days are done, do you?” The Goblin King laughs, then turns to a tiny goblin sitting in a basket and holding a slate.
“Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize.”
The tiny goblin writes down the message on his slate; cackling, he then pulls a lever, causing his basket to start sliding down the rope and into the darkness.
The goblins keep going through our packs looking for anything of value while goblins are carrying heavy looking torture equipment towards the platform as the Goblin King sings.
“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.”
One of the goblins, is examining the weapons the dwarves brought with them. He picks up Thorin’s sword, and slides it a few inches out of its sheath. Recognizing the sword, he gasps in horror and throws it away from himself, and onto the floor. It lands in view of all the goblins. Recognizing it, the goblins howl in fear and rage as they retreat from it. Orchrist. “I know that sword, it is the goblin cleaver” The Goblin King states loudly, pointing at the sword after retreating away from the glowing blade trampling a few smaller goblins as he cowers by his throne “the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks.” The Goblins begin whipping us and leaping on us so we fight back. “Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!”
A goblin jumps at Thorin who with the motion of the jump and him being able to react quickly throws it away from him, to be taken down by three, two push him to the floor holding him down, and one of them pulls out his knife and prepares to behead Thorin. “Cut off his head!”
I quickly grab a goblin who is in my way and bring my knee up and hit the goblin in the face and throwing it over the side, kicking another one out of my way and tackling a goblin off Thorin just before it has a chance to attack him.

Suddenly, there is a massive explosion of white light and air. My ears pop and feel like they're stuffed with cotton wool and a shock-wave rips through the area, flinging goblins in the air and knocking everyone to the floor, including the Goblin King. When the force of the explosion has passed, most of the lights in the area have been snuffed out and others simply dimmed but the light slowly returns to the area as we all start to slowly look up, recovering from the blast. I feel a sharp pain in my left shoulder as I get up, pulling the dagger out with my right hand, it's nothing serious. I look to where the blast came from and see Gandalf, I'm a little surprised, but relieved that he's here.
“Take up arms. Fight. Fight!”
We quickly get up, I get grabbed by my bad shoulder and pulled to my feet, causing me to hiss in pain, I turn about to react when I realise it's Thorin, I don't waste time by thanking him because a goblin is rushing up behind him, I simply push him out of the way and use my cloak to grab the blade and wrap it around the creatures neck since it didn't stop running, I pull my cloak and kick the goblin breaking it's neck and sending it flying. I turn around just in time for my things to get thrown to me.

“He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!” The Goblin King gets up off the floor, surprisingly without help, and rushes towards Thorin who deflects the blow, causing him to stumble backward and fall off the edge of the platform, falling to the depths below.
“Follow me. Quick. Run!” Gandalf says urgently taking us down one of the smaller cave passages.
Cutting down the goblins around us we all follow Gandalf along a pathway leading away from the main cavern chased by hundreds if not thousands of goblins.

Dwalin, Nori, Bifur and a few other dwarves cut off a guard post and use it as a battering ram to clear the way ahead of oncoming goblins sweeping them off the path and falling into the abyss. We separate and take a higher path cutting down any goblin that comes near us but joining up with the others fairly quickly.
“Thorin!” I call spotting goblins up on a higher path about to swing towards us and a large group of them up above us getting ready to shoot.
“Cut the ropes” he calls back. We cut the supporting ropes and the section of path above us starts to fall, colliding with the swinging goblins who get wrapped up before being pulled down by the weight of the wood. We continue along the path, following Gandalf, the goblins are blocking our path and Gandalf takes out the first few but others drop down behind him from the path above Thorin takes care of those and as he keeps following some drop behind him which I dispatch. We have to fight off a fair few before quickly regrouping with the others. I jump down after Dwalin who's standing waiting for the others who are running towards a gap in the path with ladders, they drop the ladder, Dwaling putting his foot on it to stop them from bouncing under the footsteps of the dwarves. After they're all across Dwalin knocks the ladders off the gap as a goblin is crossing and both ladders and goblin go plummeting into the depths. We keep running, following Gandalf, not really sure where we're going but trusting that Gandalf knows what he's doing. We get to a path that hasn't been finished being built yet, I nearly ran straight off, thankfully Bofur grabbed me to stop me. Kill cuts a rope and the section of the path we're on starts to swing to the other side, turning around as it swings. “Jump!” Thorin shouts and a few of them jump to the other part of the path. Now we're swinging back and facing the goblins, some jump on but one mistimes his jump and just fails to get onto the swinging platform. We fight the goblins a little to push them back as we swing. We turn around and jump onto the stable part of the path Fili cuts the rope causing the goblins to start falling, Thorin grabs him to prevent him from falling into the depth with them.

We keep running, still being pursued by countless goblins, killing any in our way. Gandalf sees an opportunity and takes it, breaking away a large bolder from the cave “Push!” Thorin shouts as we all start pushing the rock down the path, crushing any goblins stupid enough to keep running towards it, falling off the edge, clearing our path for the moment. We fight for all we're worth, skewering, beheading, killing the goblins in our way however we can. We come to a bridge, after what seems like endless running through goblin infested caves it looks like we may nearly be out.
As we're halfway across the goblin King bursts out from under the bridge causing us all to stop suddenly, panting a little from the running and fighting. He growls and smiles after preventing our escape.
“You thought you could escape me?” he swings his staff at Gandalf who dodges the two blows, causing the wizard to stumble back and almost fall but to be prevented from falling by us who make sure he stays standing. “What are you going to do now, wizard?”

Gandalf lunges forward and strikes the Goblin King in the eye with his staff. The Great Goblin drops his club and clutches his face in pain sounding sort of like a child who has stubbed their little toe.
Gandalf steps forward and slices the belly of the defenceless goblin who falls to his knees, clutching his belly. “That’ll do it.” he says nodding, seemingly hoping the wizard won't kill him. Gandalf only pauses for a moment but again swings his sword and slices the Great Goblin’s throat. He clutches his throat as he falls face first onto the bridge, choking a little before falling silent, dead.

His weight causes the bridge to loose stability and start straining and shaking as it starts to fall apart, the section we're stood on breaks away from the rest of the bridge and starts sliding down the side of the cavern, demolishing everything on the way down. We hold on to whatever we can, including each other, while trying to keep balanced some screaming a little at the rapid descent all of us no doubt hoping we survive as the bridge is breaking apart under us causing some dwarves to end up on the lower two parts of the bridge. The bridge hits an oncoming wall after a short moment of airtime and continues sliding, this time between two walls slowing it down and shaking us about a fair bit before dropping at the base of the cavern, flattening and dropping debris all over us.
“I think I got splinters in my backside” I say with a little chuckle to try and lighten the mood, thankful to be alive. I can't help but look at Bofur who laughs a little before the part of wood I'm holding onto breaks and I fall out of the rubble and onto Thorin with a painful groan from the both of us. Gandalf gets up from the pile of wreckage and inspects the rest of us, most of who are a little stuck in the lumber heap.
“Well, that could have been worse” Bofur says a little chirpy.
And so, the heavy lump of flesh and boils that was the Goblin King lands on top of the once-was bridge, crushing the lot of them a little.
“You've got to be joking!” Dwalin says in disbelief. I get up, helping Thorin up before helping Bofur.
“Gandalf!” Kill shouts drawing all our attention. I look up hearing the goblins screeching.. with the fear of our lives from the fall we had all forgotten about the goblin hoard above us.
“There's too many, we can't fight them” Dwalin says as he is helping Nori up.
“There's only one thing that will save us: Daylight” Gandalf states “Come on! Here, on your feet” He says as he helps Oin out of the rubble. We all help whoever is a little stuck before starting to run the only way we can; through a thin passage way, up ahead daylight is shining through. Gandalf stops a little and makes sure we're all following. Once outside we're blinded a little from being in the dark so long, it's late afternoon and it looks like the sun is setting, we keep running down a mountainside covered with grass and trees, having to jump and skip through the long grass a little and also avoiding trees.

We stop once far enough away that we can't be shot by arrows if the goblins come near the exit, we slow down so we can stop to catch our breath, Gandalf counting the company “Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that’s ten...Fili, Kili...that’s twelve...and Bombur - that makes thirteen. Where’s Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit?” everyone looks around and Bilbo doesn't answer so the wizard raises his voice no doubt worried for the little man “Where is our hobbit?!” Gandalf asks looking around for the little fellow. “Bil...Bilbo?” I ask looking around frantically still trying to catch my breath, when I don't see him I lean off the tree I was leaning against “Bilbo?”

“Curse the halfling! Now he’s lost?!” Dwalin says sounding fed up
“I thought he was with Dori!” Gloin says acusingly
“Don’t blame me!” Dori says in his own defence
“If he's not here I need to go and find him” I say starting to walk a little
“Well, where did you last see him?” Gandalf asks Dori, I stop and look around to see what he has to say
“I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us.” Nori says remembering
“He's still up there?” I ask worried about the Hobbit
“What happened exactly? Tell me!” Gandalf asks wanting an answer.
“I’ll tell you what happened; Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! 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 says distastefully
I walk over to Thorin and slap him earning a few gasps from a few of the dwarves and awkward looks from others “And what is it that we all think of if not home?! He wasn't forced out of his home and abandoned by his own people, alone for sixty years longing to return to the place he belongs” I say simply, he looks surprised but I don't give him time to respond since I turn and start to walk back up the mountain. I don't even care if I have just broken what little trust he might have gained in me “I am going to find Bilbo, and when I do I'm taking him home, he doesn't deserve this from you, neither of us do” I say finally fed up of his mood towards us. I have to find Bilbo, I need to find him, I promised I'd keep him safe. If he's hurt... Or worse... It's on me... I don't think I would be able to live with another broken promise to keep someone safe.
“I only hope he isn't dead” I say simply, more to myself but out loud.
“No, he isn't” a voice says causing us all to look, it's none other than the Hobbit himself.
I can't help but hug the hobbit in relief. He's a little shocked but hugs back a little, I let him go and breathe a sigh of relief.
“Bilbo Baggins. I have never been so relieved to see anyone in my life” Gandalf says laughing a little as he speaks.
“You had me so worried” I say smiling a little. I look back at Thorin who looks a little embarrassed, and he has a red cheek where I slapped him, good, I hope it hurt, I can only hope he stopped being so harsh, to Bilbo at least, I don't care any more if he's going to be the same, or worse with me.
Bilbo pats Balin on the shoulder smiling.
“Bilbo, we’d given you up!” Kili says surprised.
“Well, we had, Chase didn't, she was ready to storm back in there and take on an army of Goblins to find you” Bofur adds.
“How on earth did you get past the Goblins?” Fili asks astounded
“How, indeed.” Dwalin says sounding deep in thought.
Bilbo doesn't give an answer, he just points to Thorin and Dwalin and chuckles a little.
“Well, what does it matter? He’s back!” Gandalf says happily, also trying to change the subject.
“It matters! I want to know. Why did you come back?” Thorin asks unsure.
If he makes one snide comment I won't hesitate to give him another red cheek to match the first...
“Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you’re right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that’s where I belong. That’s home. And that’s why I came back, cause you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.” Bilbo says smiling looking around at the company, but mostly at Thorin.
After Bilbo speaks, there is silence as we think about what has just been said. I can't help but smile, the shy, unsure hobbit who would rather stay safely in his house and stick to what he knows has changed so much.