Hiding Myself. A fem!Bilbo Bagginshield fanfic

Chapter 6

Bella walked behind the leader of the Company, glaring at his back. The uncrowned king strode along, heedless of the burglar staring at him. The rest of their group was behind them. Fili and Kili had settled for 'accidentally' bumping into each other and their companions. Balin scolded them in a manner that couldn't be taken as serious. The boys grinned and continued on behind Bella. The hobbit nervously straightened her shirt and hoped for an opportunity to take off her bindings. The cloths (more bandages, really) were starting to tighten even further. Her breaths were shorter and shorter.
That opportunity, however, wouldn't come about for a long time. Bella was pulled aside when a howl cut through the air. Thorin spun around, angry looking. Gandalf gave a shout to the dwarves to begin climbing trees when an Orc riding a Warg appeared. Gandalf threw flaming pinecones at the Orc, the only result being lighting the woods on fire. They scrambled into trees, Bella grabbing onto Kili's ankle at the last moment. She saw eyes widen and gasps when the next Orc, a pale white one with scars all over and a mace for his hand, rode up. He smiled a horrible smile and glared at the dwarves. Bella looked over to see a look of horror etched onto Thorin's face.
"No. "
Suddenly, Bella remembered Fili and Kili joking about orcs at night one evening. Thorin had grown angry, and Balin had told a story about the battles for Moria. He'd told how Thror, the Dwarven king and Thorin's grandfather, was beheaded by Azog and how Thorin had stood up to the Pale Orc with naught but an oaken branch as a shield. All had believed Azog to have died of his wounds long ago.
Then, Azog uttered something unintelligible in a black speech but even Bella got the gist. He pointed at Thorin and growled something ending with one word... "Oakenshield. "
"Gandalf.... What is he saying? " Bell asked in a whisper.
The wizard frowned and answered in a low voice, "He is saying in the Black Speech 'Bring me the head of Oakenshield.' He means to kill his oldest living enemy. "
Bella was about to reply when she noticed Thorin had left. She gasped. The Dwarven king was standing amid the flaming branches holding Orcrist in one hand and an oaken branch as his shield in the other. The Company failed to reach their king but Bella, as small as she was, scrambled down silently and watched as Thorin faced his enemy. Azog grinned again and swung his mace at the dwarf. Thorin ducked the first and second blows, but not so the third. He groaned when it connected with his skull and fell backwards. Azog gestured with the mace to another orc at his side. The orc growled and approached the semi-conscious Thorin with a sword raised. He had it positioned just above the dwarf's neck when he looked up.
"Bilbo! "
"Burglar, get back! "
"Don't you dare, laddie. "
Bella ignored the shouts of the Company and focused instead on the orc that obviously meant to kill Thorin. She yelled, racing at the orc with her small sword raised. She jumped it, jabbing the sword into the orc's body over and over. His body went limp and Bella jumped off to face Azog. He growled, moving his Warg towards her. Bella stood bravely, or what some would have called stupidly, in front of Thorin in defence of him. She couldn't let him die this early and not by this filth.
"I won't let you touch him. Not today, not ever. " she growled back. The Pale Orc muttered something else in Black Speech ending in 'Oakenshield' again before swinging his mace arm at her. She ducked, being much smaller than Thorin and thereby able to avoid the attack easier.
She moved aside, digging her sword into the Warg's skull. It fell and Azog jumped off. He swung again just after she ran around to jump onto his back. Her attempts to hack at his neck were futile, but they did allow for Azog to ignore Thorin and hopefully for help to arrive. The Orc clawed at his back but was unable to reach to Bella.
"That's it, Bilbo! " Kili called. Fili cheered, but for another reason. Bella discovered why when huge eagles appeared and began throwing orcs off of the cliff face. The burglar hopped off her perch and ran back to Thorin. Azog began to swing at her when he suddenly ran away on another Warg. The Eagles grabbed the dwarves and began to fly away. Bella was picked up by one just to be dropped by it!
She closed her eyes tight. This was it, she was sure of it.
"WooHooooo! " Kili shouted. She looked down to find herself perched on another Eagle. Kili and Fili were doubled up on an eagle together.
"I'm the king of the world! " Fili cheered. Bella tried to chuckle at his childishness. It failed in her throat when she saw an Eagle pick up the still Thorin and carry him in it's claws. He was limp, his head hanging down. Bella buried her head in the Eagle's neck and struggled to stop her tears.
She was still barely crying when the Company was dropped onto a cliff face. Bella stayed at one end as the dwarves gathered around their king.
Gandalf rushed towards the group. "Thorin! "
The wizard crouched down beside the dwarf and muttered something under his breath. He waved his hand above Thorin's face until the dwarf stirred. Bella smiled. He was alive!
Thorin was helped up by the Company and stood up shakily. He shook off Kili and stepped forwards with a glare. Bella looked down as he approached.
"Did I not say you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the Wild, and you had no place amongst us? " Thorin almost growled. Bella looked down at her feet. She was about to reply when Thorin continued. His soft tone made her look up instantly. "I have never been so wrong, in all my life. "
Thorin stepped forward and engulfed the hobbit in a hug. She smiled hesitantly as her small body was pulled against his. The Company behind them grinned, and some (Kili), cheered. Bella rolled her eyes at them.
Thorin eventually pulled away and looked up at a bird that flew past. He and the rest of the group stood at the edge of the rock they'd been dropped onto.
"Is that it? The Mountain? " Bella asked.
Thorin nodded, his hand resting on the hobbit's shoulder. "That it is. Our home, Erebor. "