25

After a few more minutes of journeying through the storm, the Company entered a cave big enough for the fifteen of them. The dwarves sighed in relief, wringing out their wet clothes as they huddled by the opening and out of the downpour's reach. The cave was dark, still and silent, but Thorin and Talia exchanged a glance of unease, knowing that things never were as they seemed from their prior travels.

"It looks safe enough." Dwalin said. The dwarves nodded eagerly in agreement, hoping to convince their leader of the same.

"Search to the back. Caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied."

After a brief investigation, Dwalin returned to the others, unharmed with a lantern in hand. "There's nothing here."

"Come on." Talia nodded the Company further inside. She took to briefly brushing their arms and shoulders as she counted the members, ushering them in. "We make camp here tonight."

Gloin dropped a bundle of wood on the floor, grinning and rubbing his hands together. "Right, then! Let's get a fire started."

"No." Thorin shot down the idea before it was even considered. "No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light."

At his words, the Company settled in, snuggling into their bedrolls and adjusting their packs into makeshift pillows. They murmured quietly as some semblance of food was passed around before the night's rest.

Talia and Balin, however, were not so comfortable with these plans. They exchanged a look before pulling Thorin aside, slightly out of earshot from the Company.

"Do you forget our wizard?" Talia began, gripping her husband's forearm as his eyes met hers. "He bought us time and ensured that we left Rivendell, unnoticed and unseen. You cannot expect us to journey without him."

"I cannot give the wizard more time than the night allows."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."

But Thorin would not relent. "Plans change."

Talia sighed, moving past him and Balin to set up her own bedroll. It was disheartening to argue with him, for it felt like it was all they had time to do on the journey. As much as she was happy to be reunited with Thorin after over a century, she wished it had been under better terms. Moreover, she wished her disappearance hadn't changed him so drastically, hadn't hardened him beyond the damage caused by Smaug. Yet, she knew doting on the past was of no use, and right now, she did not feel like wasting the energy to do so.

Thorin saw this, looking to Balin briefly. Though he didn't know of her true tiredness, her friend understood her current frustration. "All I can say is I agree, laddie. Our odds are much more favorable with a wizard in our company."

The King could not argue this, so he chose not to entertain it any longer. "Fili, take the first watch." His nephew nodded, positioning himself at the edge of the cave's entrance.

Hours passed, and well into the night, all of the dwarves were finally silent. Fili had switched his watch with Bofur, but aside from the slightly alcoholic dwarf, every other member had let their exhaustion overcome them and fallen asleep. But then, from the corner of the cave, Bilbo opened his eyes. As far as he saw, no one was awake, and so he quietly rolled up his blankets and began to pack his things.

Meanwhile, due to his lightness of foot, Thorin faced Talia, blind to the hobbit's actions. She was awake too, though she wasn't looking at him like he was looking at her. Her head rested on her pack lackadaisically as she stared at the grey dirt in front of her, tracing a pattern mindlessly in the dust. Thorin was focused on her eyes. Something about her was off, for her mood was worn beyond exhaustion. He felt that she was sad, dejected, almost, though he couldn't tell why.

"What's wrong?"

She met his eyes at his whisper; she hadn't noticed he was awake. But looking at him only confirmed her feelings as she took in the wrinkles carved into his face, the grey etched into his raven-black hair. She didn't feel much like talking.

"Nothing." She said, returning her gaze to the ground.

"Talia."

That made her look up. He was wearing the expression that she only saw when he wanted the truth, when he needed the truth.

"You are changed, Thorin." She whispered, biting her lip and closing her eyes.

Upon her reaction, his heart ached for her. He could tell she was willing her tears to leave her.

"You were when the dragon came, as were we all. But this journey has been different." She begged the gods for her voice not to crack, opening her eyes to his. "Ever since Bag End, I have noticed that my absence took your humor and your smile. It kills me to see you like this, Thorin. Especially when I know that I am the cause of it."

Much to her surprise, Thorin did not try to pull her close, or even hold her hand. Instead, he took a moment to consider her words, forcing himself to watch the tears that ran down her face. This time, he wanted to acknowledge her emotion, instead of just comforting her for it.

"I am not who I was when I was young." He began in a low whisper, trying not to wake anyone else while they conversed. "I—we— have endured so much since we ran through the gardens of Erebor without a care in the world. But life hardened me with care, Talia. It taught me what was important and how to acknowledge it, to care for it, despite the hardship and burden it could cause. I would rather laugh less over what matters than more over what does not."

"Thorin..."

"Do you know how much I smile when I'm around you?"

Talia stared at him, her tears flowing to a halt momentarily. "What?"

"Do you know how much happiness I feel with you? You do not take from me, Talia. You bring me joy." He said, moving his hand closer to hers. Their fingers brushed slightly, sending shivers down his spine. "What I lost when you were gone was a piece of myself... the better part. That was why it was hard; because I care so much about you."

Talia let out a silent sob, her chest caving and her head falling lower. But Thorin would not allow it, for he had not said his piece.

"Look at me."

So she did, meeting his blue eyes with her own.

"You could never cause me heartbreak when it is of no fault of your own. You have to know that, Talia. You did nothing wrong. Azog was the one who took you. He was the one who made me a vengeful man." He paused, focusing on her. "But you made me a better one."

Before Talia could respond, they heard the shuffling of hobbit feet on the other side of the cave. They fell silent, feigning sleep upon the movement. He had not heard their whispers while he packed, and so he felt it was finally safe for him to make his getaway. Bilbo moved towards the cave entrance, hopping over the sleeping dwarves with his pack ready to go. But contrary to his belief, he had been seen.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bofur said from his left.

The hobbit jumped at the sight of an awake dwarf, but settled since it was one of the nicer ones. Knowing there was no logical lie for his packed bags, he answered truthfully. "Back to Rivendell."

"No, no, you can't turn back now! You're part of the Company! You're one of us!" Bofur urged, shaking his head at the hobbit's answer.

"I'm not though, am I? Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right."

Thorin and Talia exchanged a glance at his words, listening quietly from the opposite side of the cave. They knew that it was the hobbit who had spoken. Seeing Talia's reaction, Thorin knew his words during the storm had affected her, too. Their opinions on the hobbit had always clashed. Still, they stayed silent in the hopes that he would remain blind to them. Thankfully, Bofur hadn't noticed them, either, and so they eavesdropped undisturbed.

"I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have never ran out my door." The hobbit continued, shaking his head full of curls and moving to leave.

"You're homesick; I understand."

"No, you don't! You don't understand, none of you do— you're dwarves!" Bilbo whisper-shouted in exasperation. "You're used to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

The pause in conversation was enough to tell Thorin and Talia of their reactions. Bofur's slight look of offense made Bilbo wish he could take his words back immediately. His features turned apologetic towards the dwarf as Bofur shook his head, looking at his sleeping companions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"No, you're right. We don't belong anywhere."

Talia had to hold in a sigh at the dejection in Bofur's voice. She turned back to the grey sand, running her fingers through it once more. Thorin looked away from her, an unreadable expression taking over his visage.

"I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Beaming, Bofur placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. Bilbo and Bofur exchanged one final look, one of true and meaningful friendship, before Bilbo turned to exit.

But before he could, Bofur's gaze shifted to Bilbo's belt, pointing at his sword. "What's that?" Bilbo looked down and pulled his sword partway out of its sheath. Much to his horror, it was glowing blue.

That's when Talia's finger hit what lay beneath the sand, gasping as something pricked her finger. Brushing the sand away, she revealed to herself and her husband that what supported them was not the rock of the mountain, but wood. Thorin looked to her in shock as strange mechanical noises groaned from beneath them and the sandy ground began to crack apart.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

That's when the cave floor collapsed from underneath them, sending the entire Company sailing down a manufactured chute. They screamed as they were thrown downwards, sliding every which way across the stone. Disoriented and confused, the dwarves and hobbit could do nothing but voice their current predicament as they fell down the trap that had been set for them.

After what felt like hours, all of the dwarves finally landed in a wooden cage, moaning upon impact. But when they struggled to rise, a hoard of goblins came racing forward to attack them, catching them at their most vulnerable. Though some of the fighters got a few good punches in, there was too many of them to take on. Eventually, they had no choice but to allow the creatures viciously take their weapons and push them forwards, still struggling against the chaos of the scene.

However, the lightness of a hobbit's feet never ceased to amaze Talia. As the dwarves were led away, Bilbo crouched out of sight, the passing goblins not even sparing him a glance. She looked over her shoulder to see Bilbo, who met her eyes briefly. But before she could do anything, the goblins pushed her forward, shoving her into Nori harshly.

"You saw that, too?" Nori whispered as they trudged forward, taking up the rear of the Company and their goblin captors.

Talia nodded, gripping onto his arm and forcing him to look at her. "Keep it to yourself. It may come in handy."

Nori nodded, knowing his Queen was right. If there was one thing the thief could do, it was keep a secret.

The goblins continued to lead the dwarves down a vast network of tunnels and wooden bridges, exposing the Company to the entirety of the underground city. The rickety structures were illuminated with thousands of lanterns, which shone upon the stone and demonstrated the vastness of the hollowed-out mountain. Thousands of goblins snarled from above, looking on at the Company. Now, upon seeing where they were, Talia groaned with recognition. "Goblin Town." She muttered, rolling her eyes as they were led further into the depths of the city.

The Company arrived in the center of the mountain, which was occupied by a big throne and and an even bigger goblin. He wheezed and coughed as he lounged on the wood, exposing a series of grotesque warts running down his gut. Beneath his enormous feet lay at least fifty other normal-sized goblins, who looked flattened out from his weight. Knowing how goblins often treated their own kind, they probably served as a stool. He was far uglier than any other creature Talia had seen, and just the sight of him made her sick to her stomach. Her brief encounter with the Great Goblin after escaping from Dol Guldur had been enough to hold her over for a lifetime.

As the goblins piled the dwarves' weapons together, the goblin king leapt from his throne, leaning on a skull-topped mace for support.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" He boomed, leaning down to stare at them with an eyeball bigger than Talia's head.

"Dwarves, your malevolence."

"Dwarves?"

Talia sighed softly, now standing next to her husband. If they were that identifiable to the goblins, then the Company was surely caught.

"We found them on the front porch."

"Well, don't just stand there!" The Great Goblin roared. "Search them! Every crack, every crevice!"

The goblins rushed forward, pawing the coats and pockets of the dwarves. Whatever they found, they threw on the ground for their leader to inspect. If it was breakable, it was destroyed. The gruesome creatures focused on their weapons, patting them down for any hidden blades. Thorin growled when one particular goblin got a little too handsy with Talia, but she had it covered; she whipped out her ruby-encrusted dagger indiscreetly and stabbed the goblin, sending him reeling back as he clutched his wound.

However, one death of an unimportant subject did not concern the Great Goblin— in fact, he hadn't even noticed it. "What are you doing in these parts?" He asked the Company.

But the dwarves remained silent, knowing better than to spread word of Thorin Oakenshield's quest. He and Talia kept their heads bowed low in the center of the group, knowing they would surely be recognized by the Great Goblin.

"Very well. If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk!" The goblins laughed at the suggestion of their king, already moving to carry out the order they knew he would command. "Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone-Breaker! Start with the youngest."

But before the goblins could grab Ori, Thorin stepped forward. "Wait!"

"Well, well, well! Look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. The King Under the Mountain." The Great Goblin gave a mocking bow, chuckling to himself. Continuing with his charade, he rose, feigning innocence. "Oh, but I'm forgetting! You don't have a mountain, and you're not a King. Which makes you, well... nobody, really."

But as his puny little subjects cackled alongside him, Talia pushed herself forward, being unable to hear any more lies spoken from the gob of the goblin king. "You're one to talk about being nobody, you worthless swine!"

Although the Great Goblin's chuckles ceased, his grin still widened upon seeing her. "So the one they call Rue has returned. Back for more, my dear?"

Thorin spun to face her, like most of the other Company members did. "You know each other?"

Talia ignored him, focusing her gaze on the goblin king. "Trust me, my return was far from that of choice."

"I should hope so. You had quite an awful night here, if I do recall correctly."

After leaving Radagast's cottage and setting out for the Blue Mountains, she had experienced the wrath of it's sister peaks within the first few days of her solo travels. Similar to the way the dwarves had been captured, she too had fallen into the depths of Goblin Town, and had been kept prisoner yet again. However, it hadn't lasted long, for the Great Goblin had no use for a dwarven lass who didn't know who she was. When they had opened her cage the next morning, preparing to kill her, she had acted quickly and made her getaway. After all, if she could escape from Dol Guldur, she could escape from anywhere, especially considering the weakness that was Goblin Town.

"I'm sure my guards had worse." Talia smirked back, wiping the smile right off the Great Goblin's horrid face. "If only they were alive to tell such a wonderful story."

"You escaped once, but it will not happen again, I can assure you that. We did our research since your last visit, my dear, and we will not be letting you go so easily. Especially now that we have discovered your true name, Talia Rue." He snarled, his narrowed eyes flicking from her to Thorin.

"Now, back to your dwarven associates. I would love to spare your life, Thorin Oakenshield. Really, I would." He snickered at his own sarcasm, making Talia roll her eyes. "But I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, of course... nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours."

Thorin looked up at his words, although they spoke of nothing he didn't already know.

"A Pale Orc, astride a White Warg." The king eyed the dwarf one last time before turning to Talia. "Well, with you in his company, the King Under the Mountain surely knows of Azog the Defiler! Actually, he would double such a bounty with the addition of you, my dear. Ever since you wriggled out of his grasp, he's been dying to get you back."

"Oh, trust me. I'll show him what dying really feels like." Talia lowered her voice, her eyes full of bloodthirsty anger.

But the Great Goblin merely raised an eyebrow at the threat, grinning and turning away. With a fat forefinger, he pulled a handicapped goblin close to him. The deformed creature hung from a network of ropes that suspended it's seat in the air, holding a quill and parchment in it's claws. "Send word to the Pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prizes— plural."

The scribe wrote down the message with a cackle, pulling a lever and sailing off into the dark caverns below.

Once the deed was done, the Company returned their focus to the dozens of goblins carrying massive instruments of torture to the throne, ones that Talia knew well. The Great Goblin pranced around, proceeding to sing a horrendous song with a horrid tune. But his right hand could not share the same glee as he examined the dwarves' weapons, starting with Thorin's sword. Sliding it a few inches from its sheath, he gasped in horror and threw it away upon recognition. It landed within the view of the other goblins, causing them to howl in fear.

"I know that sword! It is the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" The Great Goblin squealed, crushing dozens of goblins as he clambered onto his throne and cowered from the blade. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! KILL THEM ALL!" Pointing to the owner of the blade, the goblin king's finger shook as he seethed with anger. "CUT OFF HIS HEAD!"

The goblins held the Company down, beating them to the ground with clubs and other unspeakable weapons. Thorin struggled against the goblin that had pinned him, watching in horror as it raised a lengthy knife above his head.

But before it could act, a vast explosion of white light sent the goblins and torture machines flying off the Company. The dwarves remained where they were, now freed of the weight of the goblins that had crushed them. They lay on the ground, still stunned, as the light faded to reveal a shadow framed against the dim light. Talia smiled at the figure, armed with his staff, sword, and pointed grey hat.

"Take up arms." Gandalf urged, snapping the dwarves out of their shock. "Fight. Fight!"