Bilbo POV

Looking for a way out is harder then I thought it was going to be. I have no idea where I am going and I don't want to get lost. I hear grunting and look to see the creature again. I hide behind a rock.

I look back over and he's gone. Where did he go? I'm am starting to panic when I hear that heavy breathing again and he jumps down in front of me.

"Bless us and splash us, precious. That's a meaty mouthful." He says and start to come towards me. I put my sword up to his chest.

He coughs, "Aah."

"Back. Stay back. I'm warning you don't come any closer." I warm him and he backs up. I'm pondering whether or not I should call for Aerlinniel.

"It's got an Elvish blade. But it's not an Elfs. Not an Elfs, no. What is it, precious? What is it?"

"My name is Bilbo Baggins."

"Bagginses? What is a Bagginses, precious?"

"I'm a Hobbit from the Shire."

"Oh. We like Goblinses, batses, and fishes. But we hasn't tried Hobbitses before. Is it soft? Is it juicy?"

"Now, now keep your distance! I'll use this if I have to." I don't really want to use it, but I will if I really need to.

"Aah!"

"I don't want any trouble. Do you understand? Just show me the way to get out of here and I'll be on my way."

"Why? It's it lost?"

Maybe he can get me out of here, so I tell him the truth, "Yes. Yes, and I want to get unlost as soon as possible."

"Ooh, we knows! We knows safe paths for Hobbitses. Safe paths in the dark. Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything." I tell him, confused.

"We wasn't talking to you. Oh, yes, we was, precious. We was."

It seems like he's talking to himself?

"Look, I don't know what your game is but I--" I start to say.

"Games? Oh, we love games, doesn't we, precious? Does it like games? Does it, does it? Does it like to play?" He says sounding excited.

"Maybe."

"What has roots as nobody sees? Is taller than trees? Up, up, up it goes and yet, never grows?" He asks. It's a riddle.

"The mountain." I answer.

"Yes, yes." He laughs. "Oh, let's have another one, eh? Yes! Do it again. Do it again. Ask us. No! No more riddles. Finish him off. Finish him now!" He coughs and I get an idea.

"No! No. No. No. I want to play. I do. I want to play. I can see you are very good at this. So, why don't we have a game of riddles? Yes? Just-just-just you and me. "

"Yes. Yes, just us."

"Yes. Yes. And if I win you show me the way out. Yes?"

"Yes. Yes. And if it loses? What then? Well, if it loses, precious, then we eats it. If Baggins loses, we eats it whole."

"Fair enough." I say and put my sword away.

"Well, Baggins first."

"Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still." I watch as he thinks, trying to figure out the answer.

"Teeth? Teeth! Oh, yes, my precious! But we-- we only have nine." He tells me and shows his teeth. "Our turn. Voiceless, it cries. Wingless, flutters. Toothless, bites. Mouthless, mutters."

I'm not sure if I know this one, "Just a minute. Uh..."

"Oh. Oh! We knows! We knows! Shut up!" He says and I roll my eyes.

I look at the water and watch as the wind blows across it. I smile. "Wind. It's wind. Of course it is."

He growls and says, "Very cleaver Hobbitses. Very cleaver." He gets close to me.

I pull out my sword. "Ah-ah-ah. A box without hinges, key, or lid. Yet golden treasure inside is hid."

"Box. Oh, um...um. Box. The lid and a key." He mutters to himself.

"Well?" I ask.

"It's nasty. Box. Key."

"Do you give up?"

"Give us a chance, precious! Give us a chance!" He keeps grunting and making really odd faces. Then he gasps, "Eggses! Eggses! Wet, crunchy little eggses. Yes. Grandmother taught us to suck them, yes!" I hear a noise and turn around. When I look back, he's gone. "We have one for you. All things it devours. Birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal. Answer us."

I still don't know where he is. "Give me a moment, please. I gave you a good, long while. Birds, beasts.... Beasts? Trees, flowers. I don't know this one."

"Is it tasty? Is it scrumptious? Is it crunchable?" He says and squeezes my shoulders from behind and I turn around to face him.

"Let me think. Let me think."

"It's stuck. Bagginses is stuck. Time's up."

"Time. Time. The answer is time. Actually it wasn't that hard."

"Last question. Last chance."

"Okay."

"Ask us. Ask us!"

"Yes, yes. All right." I'm trying to think but my mind is blank. I put my hand in my pocket and feel something. "What have I got in my pocket?" I ask myself.

"That's no fair. It's not fair! It's against the rules! Now ask us another one."

I wasn't even asking that to him, but this could work. "No. No, no, no. You said ask me a question. Well, that is my question. What have I got in my pocket?"

"Three guesses, precious. It must give us three!" He says while holding up two fingers.

"Three guesses. Very well, guess away."

"Handses!"

"Wrong. Guess again."

"Fishbones, Goblins' teeth, wet shells, bats' wings" He says to himself then yells, "Knife! Oh, shut up!"

"Wrong again. Last guess."

"String!" He guesses and then spins around. "Or nothing."

"Two guesses at once. Wrong both times." I tell him and he falls to the ground, sobbing. "So, come, then. I won the game. You promised to show me the way out."

"Did we say so, precious? Did we say so? What has it got in its pocketses?" He asks.

"That's no concern of yours. You lost."

"Lost? Lost? Lost?" He starts looking for something. "Where is it? Where is it?! No! Ahh! Where is it?! No! Lost! Curse us and splash us! My precious is lost!" He screams.

"What have you lost?"

"Musn't ask us. Not it's business! No! What has it got in its nasty little pocketses? He stole it. He stole it! Aaah! He stole it!"

I start to run. "Aerlinniel!" I shout. "Aerlinniel!"

"Bilbo? I'm coming!" I hear her yell, I keep running.

I stop at one spot. Where do I go? Where's Aerlinniel?

"Give it to us!" I hear him shout in the distance.

I find a crack and I try to squeeze through. I see him coming towards me.

"It's ours! It's ours!"

Eventually my buttons break off and I fall through. The ring goes flying into the air. I try to catch it and it lands on my finger.

He comes though and looks around, but keeps going. How did he not notice me?

"Thief! Baggins!" He yells and keeps running, I follow him. "Wait! My precious. Wait!"

I hear footsteps and the creature hides.

"Quick, quick! This way." I hear someone familiar say.

It's Gandalf and the Dwarves! I see them run past. I want to say something, but then the creature would know I am here.

I walk up to him and put my sword to his neck. I pull my sword back to get ready to swing. He turns around and I put my sword to his neck again. Can he not see me?

I then remember back to what Gandalf said. To know when to spare a life. I pull my sword away from his neck. I back up and then run and jump over him and run outside.

I want to keep running, but I need to wait for Aerlinniel, I hope she gets out.

Aerlinniel POV

I'm getting bored sitting here and waiting for Bilbo. It's been a while, I hope that he is alright. If he was in trouble he would have called for me. I'm sure he is okay.

My thoughts then trail to the Woodland-Realm. How's my sister doing? How are Faelwen and Legolas doing? Are they alright? I sure hope that they are.

I really miss them. I wonder if I am going to be seeing them again anytime soon. Although my guess is probably not for a while longer.

I wish I could hear my sisters laugh right now. Or go on a horseback ride with Faelwen like old times. Or shoot arrows at tagets with Legolas while listening to him talk about his life.

I am pulled from my thoughts when I hear Bilbo yell, "Aerlinniel! Aerlinniel!"

"Bilbo? I'm coming!" I shout back to him.

I run through the cave, running my hand along the wall searching for Bilbo. I just follow the shouts of someone screaming.

"Bagginses! Thief! Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever." I can tell I am right by him when he screams this. I wonder what Bilbo did to make him so mad.

I keep running and soon I feel sunlight on my skin. I'm finally out of the cave! I stop running and call for Bilbo.

"Bilbo!"

"I'm here, Aerlinniel." I hear Bilbo say. I hear him walk up to me.

I get down on my knees and hug him. "Thank goodness your alright."

He hugs me back and then I stand back up. "I'm just glad you made it out. I saw Gandalf and the Dwarves come out this way. They should not be to far ahead."

"Alright then, let's go!" I tell Bilbo and we both take off running to catch up to them.

Eventually, I hear their heartbeats.

"Curse the halfling and the Elf! Now they're lost?" I hear Dwalin say and Bilbo and I both stop.

"Where did you last see them?" Gandalf asks.

I start to go let them know we are alright when Bilbo grabs my arm. "Wait." He whispers and pulls me behind a tree.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us. But I don't know about the Elf."

"And what happened, exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf demands.

"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. The Elf probably went with him to keep him safe or something. We will not be seeing our Hobbit or the Elf again. They are long gone." Thorin says to Gandalf.

Bilbo pulls me out from behind the tree. "No. We aren't." Bilbo says.

"Bilbo and Aerlinniel. I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life." Gandalf tells us.

"Bilbo. Aerlinniel. We'd given you up." Kili says.

"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?" Asks Fili.

"How, indeed."

"Well, what does it matter? They're back." Gandalf says.

"It matters. I want to know. Why did you come back?" Thorin questions.

I smile at Bilbo and he says, "Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. 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."

"Make that, we will help you take it back." I add. "We will do everything we can to help."

I bend down and whisper to Bilbo, "I am so proud of you."

"Thank you." He whispers back.

I then hear a Warg howl.

"Out of the frying pan." Thorin says.

And Gandalf finishes, "And into the fire. Run. Run!"

~~~~~~

Here's another update for you guys! I'm going to be changing things up a bit in future chapters just to let you know. I have so many ideas! :D I will probably update again tomorrow or the day after! :)

Love you my elves from the realm of llamas,

~Ellethwen <3