26

The dwarves jumped to their feet, heeding Gandalf's instruction and fending off the goblins. Bofur and Bombur took to wrenching the Company's weapons out of the goblins' grip and tossing them above their heads as Fili and Kili defended them from harm. Now, with Orcrist back in his hand, Thorin killed goblin after goblin with ease, while Talia used her close-combat daggers and had some fun of her own. In an attempt to reach the Company, Gandalf unsheathed Glamdring and sliced through the oncoming goblins, fighting as if he were ages younger.

Being as useless as usual, the Great Goblin gasped upon seeing the wizard's blade, falling back and cowering on his throne. "He wields the Foe-Hammer! The Beater, bright as daylight!"

At this point, the dwarves had gotten ahold of all of their weapons. Axes, swords, and hammers were returned to their rightful owners, and they knew that now they were prepared to fight. Together, Thorin and Talia led the charge into battle, shouting war cries as the Company followed behind them.

The fight to escape Goblin Town was a messy one. Kili sliced through goblins, spraying black blood everywhere as fell to his feet, dead. But in his haste, Kili tripped over the bodies himself and fell to the floor. Seeing the opportunity, the Great Goblin rose to his feet, charging forward and bringing his mace down on the prince. But before he could, Thorin intervened, deflecting the Great Goblin's blow.

In the meantime, Talia was decapitating her own foes alongside the sons of Fundin, keeping a close eye on the older of the two. Though Balin was a seasoned fighter, just as she was, he was the eldest of the group. Despite his best efforts, his movements were not as quick as they used to be, and she would be damned if she lost the closest thing she had to a brother to a goblin. She screamed as she threw her dagger at one directly behind Balin, killing the threat before it could even pose itself. The dwarf whirled around and pulled her dagger out from the goblin's skull, tossing it back to her and nodding his thanks.

Talia smirked as she whipped to her left to gut another goblin, protecting Dwalin from it's attack. "It seems like all I've been doing is saving your asses, boys!"

"Mind yourself, lassie!"

"Or what? You'll—"

"No, mind yourself!" Balin pulled her back by the hood of her jacket just as the Great Goblin came thundering past, falling back from Thorin's prior counterattack.

With a frightened howl, the Great Goblin fell backwards and off the wooden platform, screaming like a coward as he sailed into the abyss below. But before he could plummet to his death, Talia watched as some of the lower levels caught his enormous body, stopping his fall. He now lay directly in between them and their exit, for the dwarves could see a small light glinting from the caverns below the Great Goblin's body.

"Thorin!" Talia cried, pointing down to their route of escape. "Take them and go!"

His head whipped around as he fought off another goblin, grunting as he split it open at it's stomach. "What about you?"

"I'll meet you there!" Talia returned her gaze down to the Great Goblin, who was slowly coming back to his senses after his disorienting fall. "I've got to kill this son of a bitch first."

The Great Goblin looked up, seeing the platform that held his throne from the depths below. But then, his eye caught on one figure standing at the edge of the wood, grinning at him menacingly. Still, he refused to let one puny dwarf intimidate him, and so he stood tall, chuckling and narrowing his eyes at her.

"Talia Rue! How valiantly you have fought. But I am out of your reach! What will you do now, runt?"

The insult had caused all battle around them to cease. Both sides listened to the voice from below as it taunted the dwarven lass, waiting expectantly. The goblins had stopped their squealing and cackled at their leader's words. However, the dwarves stayed silent, looking to Talia for a response.

"Oh, my dear friend." Gandalf mocked, now standing next to Talia and shaking his head at the fat king. The wizard almost pitied him, for even he feared the wrath of his companion at times. If the Great Goblin knew Talia Rue like he did, he was sure the king would have chosen to hold his tongue.

"That was the wrong thing to say to the Queen Under the Mountain."

Talia roared as she leapt from the platform, two hands gripping the hilt of her sword as she held it above her head. The goblin king screamed at the warrior diving down to meet him, his eyes widening in fear as he tried to scramble away. But gravity worked faster than he did, and Talia landed directly on top of the Great Goblin, her blade buried in his heart.

"That'll do it."

Gandalf chuckled at the sight, turning back and using the diversion to lead the dwarves out of harm's way. Herds of goblins chased after them, but each time, the dwarves got creative and used the very structures of Goblin Town to defend themselves. As they ran, Dwalin hoisted up a long wooden pole and knocked the goblins ahead into the depths below, bellowing as he swung it to and fro. There was nothing that dwarf loved more than a good kill. Kili took to grabbing a ladder and used it as a shield, defending he and his older brother from an onslaught of arrows. When they reached a gap in their path, Kili threw the ladder down and raced across it to the other side. The other dwarves followed after him, using more coordination on the makeshift bridge than they knew they had.

Eventually, the Company was cornered on a suspended wooden platform, containing multiple levels that held the dwarves. Thorin glanced around from the uppermost level, exchanging a look with Gandalf as the same idea dawned upon the both of them.

"Cut the ropes!"

And so the Company did, screaming as they were hurtled down into the depths of Goblin Town. However, Talia was still in her own predicament regarding the Great Goblin. She had fallen on top of him with so much force that she couldn't get her blade out, and she knew that the goblins would be onto her soon. Most were currently occupied with the escaping Company, but the stragglers that remained were great enough in number to kill Talia. She struggled to pull her sword from the carcass, seeing the goblins start to crawl on the walls and scamper across the wood.

With remorse, she decided to abandon the sword, twirling her twin daggers in her hands as she thought of a new plan. Looking to around the platform, she sighed, knowing she had only one option. Yes, it was a stupid idea and would be very dangerous to execute, but when did Talia Rue have good ideas? Rather, had her plans ever favored her survival?

Rolling her eyes, she prayed to Mahal for what felt like the millionth time on the quest. "Fuck me."

Talia sliced the ropes that suspended her and the Great Goblin, screaming as she fell past his subjects and into the caverns below. She had sheathed her daggers and now gripped onto the only thing that held her steady: her blade buried in the king's corpse. The Great Goblin crashed through every single structure that he hit as Talia held on, for there was nothing else she could do.

But below her, the Company was still plummeting down, though they were nearing the end of their fall. Finally, the dwarves came to a halt as the wooden structure they rode on became wedged in either side of the rock. They knew that there wouldn't have been as good of an outcome had that rock not been present, and for that they thanked the gods. They were just above the ground, right where they wanted to be. All of the Company sighed in relief as they relaxed, realizing they weren't dead.

Bofur huffed as he lay on his stomach, shaking his head. "Well. That could've been worse."

That's when the Great Goblin's body landed on the Company with a CRASH, causing all of the dwarves to roar at the added weight. Talia peered over the corpse's belly, holding onto her still-stuck sword for support. Much to her surprise, the Company returned her gaze as their organs were being squeezed into their throats. That same shock rested on their features as they looked up at their Queen.

Talia could only cringe down at her fellow dwarves from her position above them. "Sorry."

Gandalf burst into laughter as he observed from the side, holding onto his staff for support. Talia giggled after the wizard, seeing the humor in the situation. Though the Company still struggled to get out from under the grotesque and deceased goblin king, they laughed at their misfortune as well.

Finally, as the others emerged from under the corpse, Talia got her sword free, nearly falling over from the effort. She climbed down to rejoin the others, sheathing her blade and standing next to Thorin. Wiping a stray bit of dust from his cheek, she smiled at her husband, who could only return the favor.

"You married one of a kind, Thorin." Balin said, watching the two of them as he pulled his burly brother from the rubble.

"That you did." Dwalin grunted, allowing himself to be dragged to safety and his dignity to be lost completely.

Thorin's smile only widened at the brothers' comments, his eyes never leaving Talia's. She loved the mischief that glinted in them. "Are you alright, amrâlimê?"

A shiver tingled down her spine upon hearing the language. Though it was not the romantic sort, the way Thorin spoke it always changed her mind. "Yes."

He offered her one more grin before they turned away from each other, attending to the dwarves who were still stuck under the rubble. Talia reached her nephew, kneeling down beside him. "Need a hand, Kili?"

He looked up to his aunt, nodding with a cheeky smirk. But it was wiped away as soon as his gaze shifted past her shoulder, seeing the new threat scurrying down the rock above them. "Gandalf!"

Talia helped him up as she looked at the goblins, her eyes widening at the sight. Dwalin turned to Gandalf as he held Nori upright, his countenance being that of determination. "There's too many; we can't fight them!"

"Only one thing will save us," The wizard began, now that the Company was all standing. "Daylight."

"Come on!" Thorin yelled, rushing into a tunnel within the rock and beckoning the Company to follow. They raced behind him, Talia taking up the rear as the dwarves ran ahead of her. They turned down the winding, damp tunnels, finally seeing daylight. Soon, they reached the exit, Thorin being the first to leap out of the mountain and onto the forest floor below.

But just as it came to be Talia's turn to leave Goblin Town, the brush of bare feet on stone startled her to a halt. Looking to her left and right, she saw that two empty tunnels adjoined either side of their exit route. She paused, listening for any more noise, hearing nothing. But she didn't need another clue to push her towards the path on her left, for something else was drawing her near. Her fingers wrapped around her dagger as she raised it overhead, her green eyes searching the tunnel expectantly.

Talia took a step forward, now standing directly in front of the entrance. But as she peered into the depths of the caverns, she saw nothing. It was the strangest feeling; she could sense another being, another presence alongside her, yet nothing was there. She had heard the scampering of feet, practically felt the breath of something, yet she could not pinpoint it.

Lowering her dagger, Talia rolled her shoulders back, shaking the feeling off. As much as she would have liked to investigate further, the Company was getting farther from her by the second, and there was no reason for her to stay. It had been a long night; it must have been her imagination. Sheathing the blade, she spared one more glance into the tunnel before jumping down from the mountain, running after the Company.

When she reached the dwarves, sunlight had begun to slowly creep over tops of the trees, and Gandalf was just finishing his headcount of the dwarves. "And Talia. That makes fourteen."

The Company slowed to a stop in a clearing, panting for air and looking relieved that everyone had made it out alive. However, the wizard had not forgotten their fifteenth member, unlike the others. He wandered about in a small circle while the others eyes him wearily.

"Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit?"

None of the dwarves answered, beginning to look around themselves. Talia and Nori exchanged a glance, sighing and realizing that their hope for escape may not have escaped himself. "Where is our hobbit?"

"Curse the halfling!" Dwalin huffed, crossing his arms. "Now he's lost!"

"I thought he was with Dori!"

"Don't blame me!" The dwarf in question fired back, meeting the wizard's eyes.

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf sighed with exasperation and worry.

"Nori." Talia prompted, causing the group to look at them.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first cornered us." The thief replied sadly, seeing Gandalf's discontent turn into panic.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!"

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin interjected, stepping forward and commanding the attention of his Company. "Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone."

Talia shot him a harsh look, knowing that the hobbit could very well be lost in the goblin tunnels. However, she couldn't deny the logic behind her husband's words. He had tried to leave before they were captured, so it was likely that he had done so again. Perhaps Talia's hope in the hobbit had been for naught after all. The dwarves looked at one another, longing for the truth of the matter.

That's when the burglar in question stepped out from behind a tree, huffing and placing his hands on his hips. "No, he isn't."

The dwarves looked to the source of the voice with surprise, some of their doubtful expressions fading. Gandalf and Talia lit up in relief, sighing and smiling at their dear hobbit.

"Bilbo Baggins!" The wizard began, stepping closer to him. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

"I knew it." Talia said, her smile wider than ever before. The dwarves began to huddle around him, stunned, as Talia moved towards the hobbit as well. "I just knew it."

"Bilbo! We'd given you up!" Kili exclaimed.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili wondered, eyebrows raised.

"How indeed." Dwalin mused, his eyes narrowing at the hobbit.

But Bilbo only gave a nervous laugh as he slipped his hand into his pocket. Gandalf, being the only one to notice his clenched fist, had many questions for the hobbit as well. However, he knew better than to ask them in front of the dwarves; later, he would give lengthy thought to what the hobbit had in his pocket.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back."

But Thorin would not let it go as easily. "It matters. I want to know. Why did you come back?"

Talia looked from her husband to the hobbit, seeing the unease in his eyes. But she watched as Bilbo's expression shifted from that of uncertainty to that of clarity, a small smile forming on the hobbit's lips as the words came to him. 

"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, my armchair, my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home." Thorin watched him carefully beside his wife, wondering where his speech would take them. "And that's why I came back. Because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you." Bilbo paused, looking right into the King's blue eyes. "And I will help you take it back if I can."

The dwarves stared on in admiration as the hobbit's sentiment hit them. Now, Bilbo Baggins had truly earned a position in their Company, if not within their ranks, at least within their hearts. They looked down at their feet, overcome with emotion. Thorin bowed his head in thanks towards the hobbit, while Talia smiled warmly, her eyes brightened with joy. Gandalf was overly impressed, sharing a grin with the hobbit at his profoundness.

But before another word was said, howls from above echoed through the forest, causing the entire Company to jump to attention. Talia groaned as she looked at Dwalin, who had a grim expression similar to hers.

Thorin glanced at the wizard, his eyes wide. "Out of the frying pan—"

"And into the fire." Gandalf finished the phrase, his eyes fixated on the threat in the distance. "Run. Run!"