Bring On The Wonder[Thorin Oakenshield]

Chapter Sixteen: A Greater Enemy At Large

The dwarves began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering where the hobbit could be? Bella could feel the blood running from her wounds the goblin's had inflicted on her. "Where is the hobbit?!" Gandalf demanded again.

"Curse, the halfling! Now he's lost?" Gloin grumbled.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Oin accused as all eyes turned to the dwarf in question.

"Well, don't blame me!"

"Where did you last him, then?" Gandalf asked in exasperation.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first captured us." Nori stated, remembering seeing for a brief second that the hobbit had managed to hide himself out of view of the goblin's before they were all carried away. The dwarf explained all this to the wizard.

"Then what happened next, exactly? Tell me!" The wizard demanded, eyeing them all.

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin thundered as he heard enough of this. Bilbo had proven to be nothing more then a coward since he came on this journey. The prince knew he would never survive the entire way to the mountain, though it still flabbergasted him that he managed to make it this far, but he was done. He humored the wizard long enough, the hobbit finally took his chance and abandoned them. " Master Baggins saw his chance and hit took it! He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing the hobbit again. He is long gone." He sneered.

"Your wrong!" Bella snapped as she got up from the rock. A wave of dizziness hit her when she stood up but she managed stay on her feet, but she didn't know for how much longer. "What...do people actually have to bleed for you, just to prove their willing to follow you! To show that they're loyal to you!" Thorin turned and looked at her, seeing the damage the goblins had inflicted on her, more clearly now that they were out of the dark cave. Their wasn't an inch of her that hadn't been touched by a blade, their blades.

The dwarf pointed a finger at the half-breed, while speaking. "I might have been wrong about you, but I am not wrong about the halfling! He is not coming back, he is gone!"

"No. He isn't." Bilbo spoke, appearing from behind a tree. If it wasn't so difficult right now, Bella could have smiled with relief, her friend was indeed unharmed. But then she turned to Thorin who was looking at the hobbit with astonishment that he had escaped the tunnels alive, with only a few scrapes. The energy it took the woman just to glare at the dwarf was exhausting and she took a few staggering steps towards him. Unprepared for what came next. Bella with all her might slapped Thorin across the face. The others gasping at they're companion's sudden action.

" You are too quick to judge people Thorin!" The woman snapped and her legs began to give out on her, when Thorin caught her by her arms. "Let me go!"

"Bella, you need help."Thorin stated calmly, still supporting her, ignoring the fact that his face felt like it was on her fire, but he figured that was the least he deserved. What he allowed to happen to her, he couldn't even forgive himself for it.

"I don't need yours." She retorted weakly, trying to shove him away from her before her entire form went numb and she collapsed right against the prince.

"Oin." Thorin called out. The medic was at their sides and examined the cut's on the half-breed. Some were deeper then others and the partially deaf dwarf, wasn't sure what to do, without his supplies he had nothing to stop the bleeding.

Seeing the woman's eyes beginning to close, Oin shook her to wake her back up. "Lass, stay with us. We need to stop the bleeding coming from the deeper lacerations." The dwarves began tearing some of their clothing to use as binding. It wasn't proper medical supplies but it was the only thing they had, all their supplies was now lost in the tunnels of Goblin town. Thorin laid Bella on her back, so Oin could begin tying the torn clothing around her wounds, but when it came to wrapping the cloth around the wounds in certain areas she did not want them all to see, she began fighting against him.

"No, no, please no!" She cried shoving his hands away from her.

"Bella, please. I have to stop the bleeding or your going to die." Oin explained, but all she did was continue to struggle in his grip. " Will someone please hold her arms so I can bind the rest of her wounds." The dwarf bickered, when he saw them all just standing around. Thorin immediately came over and tore her arms away from Oin so he could finish. Balin had got the others to turn away from them so it would give them some privacy for the woman but also to make sure those horrid creatures hadn't followed them out or anything else. The medic rolled up Bella's tunic just before her chest area to see a jagged incision. It was one of the deepest that had caused a lot of her blood loss and when Thorin saw it, and he recognized immediately what weapon had inflected it. It was his own dagger that he carried with him. The prince continued to hold the woman still, ignoring her pleas of humiliation and the medic finished tying the binding and rolled her clothing back over it. Oin explained this was only temporary, they would need to get proper supplies for her soon if her wounds are to heal. Thorin carefully pulled Bella up to her feet when they heard a sudden howl coming not far behind them.

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

"...and into the fire," the wizard finished. " Run. Run!" The company began their descend down the hill side. Bella, still feeling weak was supported by Thorin who had his sword arm looped around her waist and pulled her along with Dwalin and Gloin right behind them. Numerous howls continued to roar behind them, getting closer. The prince could feel the woman starting to slow down and he hissed at her to keep going. Bella could barely keep up with Thorin's longer strides and her boot got caught on the tip of a rock, bringing them both to ground. The others were not far in front of them and their path led to cliff.

"Up into the trees! Climb. Bilbo climb!" The wizard ordered. Thorin pulled the half-breed up from the ground when a snarl came from behind them about to launch at them when Bifur quickly through a dagger, embedding it into its head. The dwarf prince saw more coming and quickly lifted Bella up to Dwalin, who was already in the branches and pulled the woman up, away from the instant danger that was coming for them.

"Their coming!" Thorin yelled at the few dwarves, that still remained on the ground. Bella held onto the branches as the wargs surrounded the trees they were in when a even more vicious snarl came from the eerie silence that had filled the area. The warg's cleared a path for their master that joined the area. Thorin turned and looked at their newest arrival and the dwarf felt his heart stop, seeing his arch enemy very much alive, the goblin king was right.

"Azog," Thorin uttered in fear.