Dwarrowdam Warrior

Thank Mahal for Eagles

Fili and Kili helped Nell up off the ground comforting her as they did so. Now that they knew what had been plaguing her they hoped to be able to help her move passed it. But both of them knew the fears would not be easily overcome. “I'm alright. I'll be alright,” she told them. And while they were correct in their thinking she honestly felt that she would be alright now that she wasn't carrying her burden alone. They knew what was causing her nightmares even if they didn't believe Azog was still alive; she knew Thorin didn't believe.

Gandalf began counting all of the company and when he realized that Bilbo was missing he grew very upset. “Where is our hobbit?”

“Curse that halfling! Now he's lost?” Dwalin exclaimed making Nell narrow her eyes.

“I thought he was with Dori,” one of the dwarves said. Nell frowned wondering just where her little friend was.

“Don't blame me,” Dori shouted.

“Well, where did you last see him?” Gandalf asked.

“I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us,” Nori said. That helped ease the worry that had been filling the pit of Nell’s stomach. If he had slipped away he was hopefully safe. But then where was he?

“And what happened exactly? Tell me!” the wizard demanded. Thorin moved closer to Gandalf his eyes squinted in an accusing way.

“I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it,” Thorin said. Nell felt anger swell up inside her. She pushed away from Fili and Kili and stormed over to him. Her eyes narrowed and she poked him in the chest. “If you hadn't been so cruel to him, he would have no reason to want to leave. You've treated him with nothing but disdain ever since he joined us and without cause. He has done nothing to you, Thorin. So maybe if he does come back try treating him with a little more kindness,” she snarled.

Thorin scoffed. He wasn't willing to listen to her. “He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door.” He looked up at Gandalf.  “We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone,” he told them. Nell wanted to say something more; tell him that she too thought of home and being safe back in Ered Luin with her husbands, but she didn't get the chance because from what seemed like out of nowhere Bilbo showed up.

“No he isn't.” The little hobbit grinned walking further into the midst of the others. Gandalf grinned and looked at Thorin as if to tell him Nell had been right. “Bilbo Baggins. I have never been so glad
to see anyone in my life,” he said. Nell just rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug which he returned one armed. “Bilbo we'd given you up,” Kili said moving closer to his wife and the hobbit. “How on earth did you get passed the goblins?” Fili asked.

“How, indeed.” Thorin looked at Bilbo curiously. Nell let out a little snarl and was about to tear into him again when Fili caught her arm and shook his head. He understood her anger toward Thorin. She was protective and she looked at Bilbo like a little brother. He knew that meant she would do anything to keep him safe even if it meant yelling at someone else she loved because they were being as stubborn as a mule about things. But now wasn't the time to yell at Thorin.

“Well what does it matter? He's back,” Gandalf didn't see the point in worrying about it. Or maybe he had noticed what Nell did; Bilbo slipping something into his pocket.

“It matters. I want to know. Why did you come back?” Thorin's tone wasn't as harsh as it had been earlier and it made Nell think he was possibly starting to see her point. She smiled in triumph.

“Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. Nell is the only one to have had faith in me from the beginning.” He smiled over at her in gratitude. “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 finished his speech.

Nell cocked a brow at Thorin as if to say I told you, you should be kinder. However her smile fell in the very next second as howls filled the air. The company was now having to run for their lives once again. A task that she was quickly growing tired of. When she decided to come along and keep her family safe she never thought she would be running so much. And yet here she was running to the edge of a cliff where she now had to climb a tree. Something she had never done before.

As she stood in a tree looking back the way they had come she felt her blood run cold and fear begin eating at her nerves. There astride a white warg was the very orc that had plagued her sleep for the past few weeks. Her ears rung and the world fell away as her eyes zeroed in on him. She didn't notice anything else around her, not even the words her husbands spoke. She was lost in her own world wondering if she could put an end to this now. She had a bow strapped to her back that she didn't use often. If she could get a shot off maybe she could kill Azog. She pulled the bow in front of her and notched an arrow, but before she could fire, the tree began to shake.

Looking down she realized the tree was going to fall. With great effort she leapt to the next tree crashing into it. And then she jumped again until they were all in the very last tree, right on the edge of the cliff. And while jumping she had lost the bow. She clenched her teeth in anger knowing she had lost her chance. “Here take this.” Fili handed her a lit pinecone he had gotten from Gandalf. She threw it as hard as she could hitting one of the wargs in the side. The fire was now covering a good portion of the ground and the wargs had backed off. But victory was not theirs. The tree the company was in began to fall over the ledge, but stopped sticking straight out.

Nell clung tightly to a branch and pulled herself up to where she was resting in a less precarious place. “Can things possibly get any worse?” She mumbled. Of course, she should have known better than to ask such things because right after the words left her mouth Thorin was running down the tree and toward Azog. He knocked the dwarf down, but the king wasn't going to be so easily defeated. He got back up only to be grabbed by the white warg. “No, Thorin! You'll pay for this,” she yelled at Azog trying to get her footing. When she was finally able to stand she looked toward Thorin and noticed Bilbo standing in front of him protectively.

With a battle cry Nell, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, and some of the others went charging against the wargs and orcs. They were outnumbered, but that didn't matter. They all wanted to protect Thorin. Nell felt her lack of sleep catching up to her and just as she thought this was the end claws grabbed her and picked her up. She screamed as she went flying through the air and landed on the back of an eagle. She looked around and realized there was a whole group of them. The company was going to make it out of this. With a sigh she closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

Nell didn't wake until they eagles began dropping them off on a rock. She had been so out of it that she hadn't even realized Fili and Kili riding with her. She looked around and noticed Thorin still wasn't awake. A few tears leaked down her face and Kili grabbed her shoulder. They all watched as Gandalf bent over the fallen dwarf and spoke softly. A gasp left Thorin as his eyes flew open. “The halfling?” He asked as Kili and Dwalin went to help him up.

“Bilbo is here. He is quite safe.”

Thorin shoved the others off and rounded on Bilbo. “You!” he stepped closer. “What were you doing?
You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that
you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the Wild? That you had no place amongst us?” He was almost nose to nose with Bilbo now. And Nell couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bilbo had saved Thorin and yet he was still being cruel. “I have never been so wrong in all my life.” He pulled Bilbo into a hug. Oh, Nell thought. That hadn't been what she was expecting at all, but she was glad for it. “I'm sorry I doubted you.” Thorin let Bilbo go. “No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior.
Not even a burglar.” Bilbo looked up at Gandalf.

Nell chuckled and walked over pulling the hobbit into a hug. “You may not be any of those things, but you are my friend, my sassy little hobbit and I'm so glad you are with us.” She kissed the top of his head. “I'm glad I'm with you too,” he replied as they parted. She ruffled his curls and went back to her husbands. They both hugged her and asked if she was okay. “All I can say is thank Mahal for eagles. I don't think we would have made it without them,” she admitted. Fili chuckled and nodded his head. “I believe you may be right,” he agreed.

A small bird went flying over head and as they watched it they noticed the lonely mountain in the distance. “There's our home,” she whispered.