Insanity | A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 3

"I told you coming here was a waste of time." Dori said as they rode away from the Shire, without their burglar.

"That's true enough." Agreed Gloin.

"Ridiculous notion. Use a hobbit? A /halfling/? Whose idea was it anyway?"

"WAIT!" Came a yell. "WAAAIT!"

Everyone turned around to see Bilbo running up the path towards them, contract in his hand.

"I signed it." He said, handing it to Balin.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakensheild."

"Give him a pony." Thorin said.

"Oh, no, no, no. That won't be necessary. Thank you. I'm sure I'll be able to keep up on foot. I've done my fair share if walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frogmorton once. Aah!" He cried as Zephira lifted him up onto a pony.

"Come on, Nori!" Oin called. "Pay up!"

Nori tossed him a small bag if coins.

"One more!" Said Kili.

"Thanks, lad."

"What's that about?" Bilbo asked.

"They took wagers on whether or not you would show up." Gandalf said.

"And you?"

He caught a bag in his hand. "I never doubted you for a second." He smiled.

They rode on for a long time. After a while, Thorin called back to Zephira. "Why were you locked up in Dain's dungeons again? I seem to have forgotten." He hasn't, obviously, he just wanted to make her uncomfortable.

She smirked. "I was a bad girl."

"No, really. Why?"

She saw what he was doing. "I was abducted by goblins. They... They Broke me, and Dain captured me from them."

They were all silent for a long time after that.

That night, then made camp up high on a range. It was quiet, until screeches came from far away.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked.

"Orcs." Kili said softly.

Thorin woke up as they screeched again.

"Orcs?" Bilbo asked.

"Throat-cutters." Fili said. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lone lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep." Kili said. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood."

Bilbo looked just about ready to pass out, when Kili and Fili laughed.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin asked, angry. "A night-rade by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Kili said, looking down.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." He walked away, and stood out by the edge if the cliff they were on.

"Don't mid him, laddie." Said Balin, walking over. "Thorin has more reason then most to hate orcs."

Zephira sat up, intrigued.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarfish kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first. Moria had been taken by legions of orcs, led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He started by beheading the king."