An Experiment Gone Wrong

Chapter 8 - The Escape

Mara didn't exactly know how they escaped. All she knew is that Gandalf came up out of nowhere and turned the tides, otherwise they would have been killed. Finally outside of the mountain, Mara had slumped down against a tree, dropping Chillrend – her sword – on the grass beside of her, gripping her arm trying to cut the pain off from moving further up towards her shoulder. The pain on her back from the whipping the Goblins gave her and a couple others of the Company was nothing compared to her hand. "I honestly think I would prefer Draugrs over this shit..." She muttered to herself watching the rest of the Company come out. 

Gandalf counted the dwarves as they ran past him until he was satisfied with the number. Once he was, he quickly asked where Bilbo was. Growing angry at everyone's silence and looking around to make sure he really isn't there.

Mara looked around herself, quickly casting a detect life spell and seeing one other body heat image a little further away but close enough to where she knew he was out in the daylight safe. She sighed and listened to the dwarves playing the blame game and cursing Bilbo's name.

"I thought I saw him slip away when they caught us."

"Then tell me what happened!" Gandalf exclaimed.

"I'll tell you what happened," Thorin started angrily making Mara's blood boil, "he saw his chance and he took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since he stepped out the door." He spat.

Mara stood up and winced, "Well wouldn't you have!? Why can't you leave him alone!?" She angrily spat still gripping her swollen and discolored hand earning some pitied looks to which she ignored. "Don't talk as if you know him because you don't!"

"Oh and you do?" Thorin asked rounding back onto Mara, getting close to her with spite in his eyes. "You spend so much time with the Halfling, tell us are you in love with him?" He asked trying not to let his pent up frustration and jealousy get the better of him. This was not the time and if he had his way he would never see either of them again. 

"I know enough to know that he is a much kinder and gentler soul than you will ever be Thorin Oakenshield! You would do to learn a little something from him if you're ever so lucky as to meet someone like him again in your lifetime!" Mara bellowed back. Her protectiveness of the Hobbit showing through. Bilbo was the one she considered a true friend here. Nori and Balin the other ones she felt close to. 

Thorin backed off and spoke to the Company as a whole, "we will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone, and as for you," he pointed to Mara, "you are no longer welcomed with our Company."

The dwarves looked at one another, each one more afraid to question their leader than the other.

"No, he isn't." Bilbo said stepping out from behind the tree he was hiding behind and looked at everyone's shocked and happy faces, pausing to give Mara a slight smile to which she returned. Everyone was happy to see him all except Thorin Oakenshield.

"Bilbo Baggins, I have never been more happy to see someone in my life." Gandalf said like a proud dad who had just seen his son home from a long war. 

Bilbo walked towards the middle of the group and listened as Kili and Fili asked him how he got past the Goblins, but when all Bilbo did was point and laugh and put his hands in his pocket Mara and Gandalf looked at him suspiciously. He was hiding something and by God did Mara want to pick pocket him and find out what he was hiding. She wouldn't be doing much pick pocketing in this condition though. 

"Well what does it matter? He's back," Gandalf said trying to break the tension and move the conversation away from the question at hand, but Thorin wasn't so keen on letting it go just yet.