The Lonely Mountain [1]

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire

The company escaped through a hidden passage in the mountain side. But they did not stop running until they were far away from the rock face. They came to a stop in a sparse forest and the company caught their breath while Gandalf counted the members.

"Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fili, Kili...that's twelve...and Bombur - that makes thirteen and of course Amara makes fourteen. Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? WHERE IS OUR HOBBIT?"

"Curse the Halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin exclaimed.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin exclaimed.

"Don't blame me!" Dori said looking quite annoyed.

"But where did you last see him?" Amara asked, worry evident in her tone.

"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori told them.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf asked the group.

"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 exclaimed to the whole group.

"No, he isn't." Bilbo said, stepping out from behind a tree.

"Bilbo! We thought we had lost you." Amara exclaimed as she took a step forward.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Gandalf said with a laugh.

Bilbo walked forward into the group; patting Balin affectionately on the shoulder.

"Bilbo...we'd given you up!" Kili exclaimed with a smile.

"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!" Fili asked.

"How, indeed." Dwalin asked.

There was a brief awkward silence and Amara could tell Bilbo was deciding on what to say. In the end, he gave a brief nervous laugh and put his hands on his hips. Gandalf and Amara are the only ones who noticed him sliding something small and golden into his waistcoat pocket.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" Gandalf broke the silence.

"It matters! I want to know - why did you come back?" Thorin said.

"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, because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." Bilbo told Thorin.

After he had finished all the company was silent as the dwarves thought about what Bilbo had said. Gandalf and Amara smiled, both happy that Bilbo had changed so much, for the better, since they set out from Bag End.

In the brief silence Amara heard, before anyone else, the sound of an approach. She turned on her heels towards the noise. "Something is coming."

Just as Gandalf was about to ask what she meant; howls ripped through the air. They were being hunted, by Azog.

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin started.

"...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" Amara finished for him before urging the dwarves forward.

The entire company started sprinting down the mountainside as fast as they could. Amara looked back to see the wargs following them rapidly as the sun began to sink in the sky. Soon as the darkness encased the land, the foremost warg caught up with the group. Amara watched as it leapt at Bilbo. Bilbo however, ducked behind a rock and the warg's jaws clamped around the empty air. But then growling the warg turned and charged at him.