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In this chapter Thorin and company have to deal with the orcs and arrive at Rivendell.

With a bit of Bagginshield fluff. ^^

Enjoy reading.

After their escape from the trolls, they went to search for the troll cave.

Which should be nearby, since trolls can't withstand daylight.

Thorin was still being his grumpy self, being in front of the company, while Bilbo was at the end of the group. Still being upset about the scolding he just had received.

As they arrived at the cave, Bilbo smelled a nasty scent, which only got worse when they got inside.

While the dwarves and Gandalf inspected the cave, Bilbo kept close to the entrance, dying for some fresh air.

Once they got back outside, Thorin came to him.
The dwarf seemed to have calmed down a bit.

" Here." He said, handing Bilbo a small sword. " Take this. The next time you get in trouble, you at least can try to protect yourself."

Bilbo glanced at the sword, hesitating to take it. " I don't know how to use it."

Thorin sighed. " I'll teach you how to use it. Just take it. It would make me feel more comfortable if you only had it on you."

Bilbo smiled up at him, taking the sword he was still holding out. " I'm sorry for acting so foolish."

" And I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that." Thorin replied, placing his hand on Bilbo's shoulder. " But you have to understand my concern. It's not because we are starting over that I stopped caring for you. I can't help feeling the way I do about you. Besides, if any other of the company had done such thing, he would have had a good scolding as well."

" I know. I know." Bilbo muttered. " I care about you too."

" Something's coming!" One of the others called out.

The company picked up their weapons, ready to defend themselves against possible trouble.

Mere seconds later a sled pulled by rabbits bursted out of the bushes, carrying a man clothed in brown.

Gandalf started laughing, lowering his weapon. " It's Radagast the Brown!"

The others lowered their weapons as well, while Radagast came of his sled.

" What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.

" I was looking for you, Gandalf." Radagast replied. " Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

" Yes…" Gandalf encouraged him.

" The greenwood is sick, Gandalf. Nothing grows anymore. The air is foul decay." Radagast said. " But worse are the webs."

" Webs, what do you mean?" Gandalf asked.

" Spiders, Gandalf, giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant. Or I'm not a wizard." Radagast answered. " I followed their trail, they came from Dol Guldur."

" Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned." Gandalf stated.

" No Gandalf, it is not." Radagast replied before he started to tell a story.

After Radagast finished his story, Gandalf handed him his pipe. " Here, it'll help settling your nerves."

Suddenly they got startled by a growl coming out of the bushes, causing the company to draw their weapons once more.
" Is that a wolf?" Bilbo asked, looking around in worry. " Are there any wolves around here?"

" No, that's not a wolf."

Bilbo just wanted to ask what it was when a warg leaped himself out of the bushes, right on top of him.

Bilbo let out a cry of pain when the beast landed on him, then managed to give it a sting with his new sword.

He didn't stab hard enough to kill the warg, but the beast backed up far enough for Thorin to kill it.

Two other wargs skulked out of the bushes, quickly being killed by others of the company.

" Warg scouts." Thorin stated. " What means an orc pack is not far behind."

" Who else except for your kin have you told about this quest?" Gandalf asked.

" No one."

" Who else have you told?!" Gandalf asked again, raising his voice.

" No one. I swear." Thorin defended himself. " What is going on here?"

" You are being hunted." Gandalf replied.

" Hunted?" Bilbo asked. " No one can hunt him. He's mine."

Thorin raised his brow, but a soft smile appeared on his lips.

" There's no time for that nonsense." Gandalf stated. " We need to get out of here."

" I'll draw them off." Radagast proposed.

" Those are Gundabad wargs, they will outrun you." Gandalf replied.

" These are Rhosgobel rabbits, I'd like to see them try."

Luckily for the company Radagast's distraction worked.

The pack went after the wizard, giving them the chance to make a run for it.

Everything went well, until one of the orcs separated himself from the pack, coming towards them.

As soon the warg was close enough, Thorin signed to Kili he had to take it down.

Kili grabbed his bow and an arrow, swiftly jumped out of their hiding place and killed the beast with it's rider.

The warg let out a shriek, alarming the rest of the pack.

The other orcs stopped chasing after Radagast and started to come towards them.

They ran, and they ran some more, killing orcs and wargs that came to close.

While they were running Thorin noticed Bilbo was limping a bit.

Slightly concerned about the halfling's well being, he promised himself he'd ask about it when they were in safety.

Safety which he hoped they would find soon.

Nevertheless the orcs kept coming and on a certain point they got trapped between the orc pack and a rock.

They tried to keep the orcs on a distance, killing as much of them as possible.

" Where is Gandalf?" One of the dwarves suddenly asked, when he noticed the wizard was no longer among them.

" He has abandoned us." Ori cried out.

Then suddenly Gandalf's head peaked out of a hole. " This way, you fools!"

The dwarves quickly jumped into the hole, while Thorin and Kili kept the orcs on a distance.

" Kili go! " Thorin yelled once everyone was inside.

Kili released one last arrow before he jumped after the others.

Thorin slowly started to back away from the orc pack, but just when he wanted to jump in the hole, he saw Bilbo was still outside.

The halfling was holding out his new sword, slashing it in the air.

" Come on you bloody fool." Thorin stated, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling him into the hole with him.

Bilbo landed on top on Thorin, luckily the dwarf didn't seem to mind.

" I hope I'm making you a fine mattress." Thorin said smiling.

" Very fine." Bilbo replied while he got up.

Thorin followed Bilbo's example, then eyed the halfling carefully since he still wanted to find out why he had been limping.

He didn't have to look for long though.

The reason of Bilbo's limp was very clear.

" Bilbo, you are bleeding." Thorin stated.

" It's nothing." Bilbo waved it away.

" That's not nothing." Thorin replied, pointing at Bilbo's trousers, which was drenched in blood.

" That warg bit me." Bilbo confessed, shrugging his shoulders. " It's no big deal. It's just a scratch."

" A scratch doesn't bleed that much, Bilbo." Thorin commented. " You should let Oin look at it."

" As soon we are safe, I will." Bilbo replied.

" Good. I'll carry you." Thorin said.

" I'm perfectly capable of walking myself." Bilbo interjected, backing away from the dwarf.

" No, you are not." Thorin said, scooping him up in his arms. " Don't try arguing me, Bilbo Baggins."

" Put me down!" Bilbo cried out, his cheeks turning red. " This is embarrassing."

The others started snickering, being amused by the situation.

" No, I will most certainly not do that." Thorin replied, fastening his grip on the struggling hobbit. " Now let's see where this tunnel leads us."

Thorin carried Bilbo the entire time, ignoring his struggling.

He wasn't too surprised when he found the tunnel led to Rivendell. He could have known Gandalf would lead them there one way or another.

They got greeted by an elf,named Lindir who came to tell them lord Elrond was out.

It didn't take him long to return though, only a few minutes later the sound of a horn echoed through the air.

A hunting party came in, circling their horses around the company before coming to a stop.

" Gandalf." Lord Elrond greeted.

" Lord Elrond." Gandalf said. " My friend, where have you been?"

" We've been hunting a pack of orcs that came up from the south. We slew a number near the hidden pass." Lord Elrond answered, dismounting his horse and embracing Gandalf. " Strange for orcs to come near to our borders. Something or someone has drawn them near."

" Ah, that might be us." Gandalf stated.

Then Thorin moved forward, towards lord Elrond.

" Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." Lord Elrond said.

" I do not believe we have met." Thorin replied.

" You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain." Lord Elrond said.

" Indeed? He made no mention of you."

When they were done talking, lord Elrond invited them for dinner.

The dwarves reacted very excited to the thought of food.

" Lord Elrond, is there a place where I can heal my burglars injuries?" Thorin asked before Bilbo had the chance to go after the others.

" Yes, of course. Follow me." Lord Elrond replied. " I can send one of my healers to look at his wound, if you'd like."

" That won't be necessary." Thorin said, following the elf. " Oin is an excellent healer. He'll know what to do."

" Take off your pants, master Baggins." Oin ordered while looking around for,healing materials. " Then lay down on the bed."

" I'm very comfortable just standing here, with my trousers on." Bilbo replied, looking for a possible way to escape. " Thank you very much."

" Do as he says, Bilbo." Thorin, who had installed himself on a chair in the corner of the room, said. " Or do I have to take your trousers off and tie you to that bed?"

" No, no, no. That won't be necessary." Bilbo replied quickly, already unbuttoning his trousers. " Although I'm not very comfortable being half naked with the two of you in this room."

" Nothing I haven't seen before." Thorin answered grinning.

Bilbo removed his trousers, then lay down on the bed like he was ordered, being very aware of Thorin gazing upon his body.

" That's a serious bite, master Baggins. " Oin said while inspecting the wound. " How did you manage to run on that leg? I mean before Thorin carried you."

" I barely felt it." Bilbo replied, wincing when Oin started to clean out the wound. " Must have been the adrenaline. But it clearly is working out now."

"Yes, yes I see. Must hurt pretty bad. " Oin said, frowning upon the wound. " I'm afraid... I have to..."

" Have to what?" Bilbo asked, panic already hearable in his voice.

" I'm afraid I have to amputate it." Oin said, looking at the halfling. " I guess that's the easiest way. It also will recover more quickly.I could wait, but if the wound gets infected, well, it would only make it worse."

The halfling's face went pale, his mouth opened slightly before he shut it again. He looked at Thorin helplessly, then muttered : " lovely" before he passed out.

" Do you really have to amputate his leg?" Thorin asked, raising his eyebrow. " It doesn't look that bad to me."

Oin shook his head. " No, only a few stitches. But now we don't have to hear him cry out in pain when I put them in."

Thorin grinned . " Smart."

When Bilbo woke up again, the first thing he saw were two blue eyes looking at him with worry.

" You finally are awake." Thorin sighed.

" How long have I been out then?" Bilbo asked, looking up at the dwarf. " And why can I still feel my leg when it is no longer there?"

" A couple of hours." Thorin replied smiling. " And you are still feeling your leg because it's still there. Oin only said it had to be amputated to tease you."

Bilbo sighed out of relief, then frowned." You must think I'm weak."

Thorin lifted his eyebrow. " Weak?"

" Yes, weak." Bilbo confirmed. " I passed out because of a warg bite. And because of the thought of getting my leg amputated. "

To his surprise Thorin started laughing, a laugh Bilbo hadn't heard since he had left Erebor so many years ago.

" What ' s so funny? " Bilbo asked.

" Bilbo, the last time you got injured, was probably back in Erebor." Thorin replied. " You now got bitten by a warg, then practically ran the whole way here. Your leg must have hurt like hell and still you think I find you weak?"

" So you don't think I'm weak?" Bilbo asked, relieve covering his face.

" No, I don't think you are weak." Thorin answered. " Though, I do think you need a good scolding for not telling me that warg did bite you when it actually happened."

Bilbo shrugged. " There was not much you could do at that point. We needed to run. And honestly I didn't feel much pain on that moment. It was only when we arrived here, when we were safe, my leg started to hurt like hell."

" I could have carried you the whole way here." Thorin said.

" That only would have slowed us down." Bilbo interjected. " You know that as well as I do."

Thorin smiled. " You're right."

" So, what now?" Bilbo asked. " Am I allowed to leave this bed? Or can I go get some dinner with the others?"

" We'll go get some dinner." Thorin replied. " Oin only said you should take it slow the next couple of days."

Bilbo pushed the blankets that covered him aside, got,out of the bed and walked towards the door before Thorin could change his mind.

" Bilbo!" Thorin called.

" What now?" Bilbo asked slightly annoyed, turning towards the dwarf.

" Aren't you forgetting something?" Thorin asked, his gaze dropping from Bilbo's face to just beneath his waist. " Like your trousers, perhaps?"

Bilbo's face flushed red when he realized he was still in his underwear, it got even redder when he thought about the embarrassing situation he would have been in if Thorin had not called him back.

" Yes, I see what you mean." He muttered, not daring to look at the now laughing dwarf. " Now where are my trousers?"

" Well, now all this has been discussed. I would like to go for a walk." Thorin announced after he talked about the map with Gandalf and lord Elrond. " Bilbo, would you like to join me ?"

" Yes, I would like that." Bilbo replied, smiling at the dwarf.

They said goodbye to Gandalf and lord Elrond, then went on their way.

" How is your leg?" Thorin asked when they were out of hearing distance. " Is it troubling you?"

Bilbo shook his head. " It throbs a little, but I can handle it."

" Good." Thorin said. " I'll walk you to your room. You must be tired after such an exhausting day."

" Actually, I wanted to see the gardens. " Bilbo replied , hopefully looking at the dwarf. " I heard they are breathtaking."

" There's plenty of time to see the gardens tomorrow, Bilbo." Thorin said as he led the halfling to the stairs. " There's no need to rush things."

Bilbo was a bit disappointed, but he followed Thorin anyway.

While they were climbing the stairs, they suddenly heard Gandalf and lord Elrond talking.

" The throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright." Gandalf spoke. " What is it you fear?"

" Have you forgotten? The strain of madness runs deep in that family." Lord Elrond replied. " His grandfather lost his mind, his father has come to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

" No he can't." Thorin mumbled, staring into the distance.

" Thorin, are you ok?" Bilbo asked, looking at the dwarf with worried eyes.

" Just leave me alone, Bilbo." Thorin replied, turning away from him. " I don't want to talk right now."

" Talk to me." Bilbo said, grabbing the dwarfs hand, making him turn around. " Please Thorin. Just talk to me."

" It is none of your concern, Bilbo." Thorin stated. " This is something I have to deal with on my own."

" No, you don't have to deal with this on your own." Bilbo replied, putting his hand on the dwarf's cheek. " I am still allowed to care for you. Whether you like it or not. What is it you are so afraid off?"

" To fall for that damned golden sickness." Thorin replied softly. " Who is the weak one now, huh?"

" Why would you be weak? Because you are afraid?" Bilbo asked. " Because there's a small chance you will succumb to that golden sickness?"

" Yes ! What if I do fall?" Thorin replied. " Who's going to stop me? Do you have any idea what I could do to you? "

" I won't let you fall, Thorin." Bilbo said, pulling him into a tight hug. " Besides, the only one you are allowed to fall for, is me."

Thorin chuckled. " I was being serious, Bilbo."

" So was I. You would never hurt me. " Bilbo replied, holding on to him. " But I promise you, I won't let you fall for the golden sickness."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

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