A/N: super long. Sorry, not sorry.

It hadn't been your idea to come along on this quest. And it certainly hadn't been Thorin's idea, or any of the other dwarves for that matter. Even Bilbo didn't seem to know why you were part of the company as they went to reclaim Erebor.

But Gandalf knew. He had insisted on your presence in fact though none of you knew why. You had just shrugged and gone along with the wizard's demands. An adventure was an adventure as far as you were concerned. It wouldn't be the first time you'd been part of a group that resented your presence and you doubted it would be the last. 

As a woman in a patriarchal society you were used to your skills being underestimated. Truth be told, you did find it a bit irritating that Thorin hadn't even asked what you were capable of before announcing that he didn't want you to come. Only Gandalf's insistence that you were an integral part of the mission curbed his arguments. 

Everything started to change with the goblins. When you fell into their kingdom the others did their best to keep you in the middle, to protect you from the poking and prodding of the goblins. You were a female and it was the dwarven way, regardless how many times you told them you didn't need their protection.

After the king ordered you all stripped of weapons he demanded to know why you were in his kingdom. When no one answered he called for the torture devices to be brought forth. His gaze rolled over your group until it settled on you. "Start with the female," he hissed and the goblins cheered. You clenched your teeth together but stood firm. You could at least have the satisfaction of not giving them what they wanted. 

"Wait!" Thorin called and pushed his way to the front of your group. Great, now the mighty Oakenshield was going to get killed because of you. Your eyes darted between the two kings as they spoke, wanting to say something, but not daring to.

It wasn't until one of the goblins tossed a blade aside in fear that you felt any sort of hope. Chaos erupted as the Goblin King recognized the sword and cowered from it. Surely you could use the chaos as a diversion of some sort. Before you could think further than that a flash of white light blinded you and knocked your feet out from under you. 

The next thing you knew, Gandalf was yelling for you all to fight so you did. You scrambled for your sword and quickly began to slash your way through pale goblin flesh. You fought and you ran. If you'd had time to think about it, the rickety constructions you ran on probably would have scared you more than goblins you fought. 

Soon enough, the goblin king intercepted you only to be dispatched readily by the wizard. And then you were falling. Again. Gandalf pulled you from the wreckage before the grand goblin fell so you were spared that part at least. When you looked up to see where he came from your eyes widened in horror. "Run!" you yelled and began to pull the rest of the Company to their feet. Goblins swarmed in your direction from the upper reaches of the caves. 

Eventually you escaped from the caves into fresh air and daylight. And miraculously enough you all survived, although you thought you'd misplaced your hobbit for a moment. After Bilbo gave his speech of wanting to help the dwarves reclaim their home, Thorin turned his eyes on you. 

"And you, Y/N, why do you stay?" he demanded. 

You glanced at Gandalf but doubted the dwarven king was going to take 'he told me to' as an answer. Instead you looked around at The Company, certain several of them still did not wish you amongst their number. You opened your mouth to answer but froze instead as a sound reached your ears. Wargs.

You closed your eyes and groaned. "Run!" you yelled once again. The others looked at you for a moment then heard the sound as well. Soon you were at a cliff and there was nowhere left to go but up the trees. "Is this a good time to remind you how much I hate heights?" you asked Gandalf as you scrambled up behind him. A chuckle was your only answer.

The wargs surrounded you and soon the trees were toppling like dominoes, until only one remained. Your attention was caught by a pale orc on a white warg. Azog the Defiler. Thorin was going to be pissed. You tore your gaze from the ugly orc as fire flew past your head. Gandalf was setting pinecones on fire and tossing them to the dwarves who were in turn throwing them at the enemies surrounding you.

You glanced up at the wizard. "We're in a tree, Gandalf. Trees burn."

He simply hummed in agreement and tilted his head side to side. Your perch started to tilt and you grabbed onto the trunk as you yelled the wizard's name. The tree fell, hanging on by its roots as you all dangled over the ravine. Two of the dwarves slipped, holding onto Gandalf's staff. You began to move toward them in an effort to help but the look on Gandalf's face stopped you. 

You glanced over your shoulder and your heart dropped into your stomach. Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, was striding across the field to meet Azog. He was hopelessly outnumbered in addition to him already being fatigued from the Company's previous escapades.

"You all are going to be the death of me, I swear," you muttered under your breath as you moved the other way down the trunk. You needed to hurry, to get to Thorin, but you had to be careful not to knock anyone else from their perch. Your feet hit solid ground just as Thorin took a blow from Azog's mace, knocking him to the dirt. 

Even as you hurried in their direction, Thorin got to his feet only to take another hit from the orc. The warg picked the dwarf king up in his mouth and shook him. It was at that moment that you arrived and shoved your blade through the beast's eye. It opened its mouth dropping Thorin immediately as it howled in pain and rage. You jumped back, taking your sword with you and grinned as Azog looked at you in anger and surprise. "Hello," you told him. 

The warg shook its head, blood running from its eye as Azog barked out orders. One of the other orcs dismounted and moved toward Thorin. You made to intercept but the pale orc and his beast got between you and your target. "Very well," you said with a tilt of your head and moved forward again. 

You slashed and stabbed at the warg, knowing if you could take the beast down you'd be able to face Azog on even footing. Well as even as it gets between an orc and a human. You sliced at the beast's side, dodging a swing from Azog's mace as you did so. He still managed a glancing blow to the side of your head. 

Azog turned to come back at you and you dove to your knees as he did. You pulled the dagger you carried at your back and shoved it into the warg's neck. Buried it to the hilt then held on to dagger and beast as it continued to run. It shook, trying to knock you loose, but you maintained your grip despite hitting the ground and several large rocks. Pulling the dagger from the fur, you drove it in again and again. Blood from the beast covered you but you didn't care. 

Azog howled in rage as you dropped from the warg. It stumbled sideways, Azog jumping from its back just before it fell. You pushed yourself to weary feet even as you noticed others were fighting around you. The screeching of eagles filled the air and  Azog watched in rage as giant eagles appeared to aid in your fight. 

You grinned at him and he growled as he charged at you. An eagle swooping between you made him dive aside at the last minute. One of the birds moved to grab you and you waved it off as you ducked. "Get the others first," you yelled. It swerved away clutching at a couple of wargs to toss them off the cliff instead.

Another eagle swept Thorin up in its talons and relief flooded through you. That was until you realized all of Azog's rage was now focused on you. You braced yourself for impact as he charged and met his mace with your blade, turning as he passed you by. But he was fast, much faster than you'd anticipated and his mace caught you in the back and side as he swung it again. 

You rolled as you prepared to meet him again only suddenly find yourself surrounded by claws and feathers. You held your breath as you were lifted into the air. The eagle released its hold and you fell through the sky until you landed on the back of another bird. You were going to kill Gandalf.

***

You realized you were descending and peeked from where your head had been buried in feathers. Everyone was being dropped off on a nearby cliff. Of course they were. "Drop me a little lower please friend?" you said with a pat against the birds side. It screeched in reply and allowed you to hop off on flatter ground. You made it about three steps before collapsing to lean against a boulder. Everything hurt. Even your hair hurt. And the light pierced your eyes and increased the throbbing in your head. You'd taken a good and thorough beating. You closed your eyes and listened to the others, breathing a sigh of relief when you realized Thorin was all right. You'd grown rather fond of the growly dwarf, not that you'd ever admit it.

You considered yelling out so they'd know you were near, but it seemed like a great deal of effort. They'd come looking for you eventually, right? Or you could find them after a nap. A nice long nap. "Over here," someone yelled. "She's over here."

It was evident from the sounds around you that you were quickly surrounded by dwarves. "Let me through," Gandalf grumbled. "Let me through." He knelt beside you and you felt the familiar tingle of magic knitting bones back together while healing torn flesh. You'd still be bruised and sore but not as beaten as you were now.

"If you turn me into a frog I will end you, Gandalf," you managed to get out and relieved laughter filled the air from your companions. As Gandalf finished the spell, you grasped his wrist before he could move away. You managed to force your eyes open despite the remnants of blood sealing them shut. "Thank you, old friend."

He smiled. "No, thank you, y/n."

You shifted so you were in a more upright position. "Could someone get me a rag and some water so I can get this blood off my face?" you asked no one in particular. 

Soon a cold rag touched your skin and you reached for it, only to have it pulled away. "No. Let me." You'd recognize Thorin's deep voice anywhere. When he finished and you could open your eyes easily, you met his gaze. "I thought you dead when I saw you lying here."

You arched a brow. "I thought you dead when I saw the warg use you as a chew toy."

Rich laughter filled the air and the other dwarves looked over with smiles. 

"He's dead by the way," you added when Thorin didn't say anything.

"Azog?"

"No. The warg. Azog's a tough bastard."

"That he is." Thorin sat beside you and you moved over a bit so he could share your boulder. "I didn't want you on this journey, y/n."

You elbowed him gently. "I would never have known. You were so subtle in your dislike."

That earned you a small smile. "I thought you would be a burden. I have never been so happy to be wrong." He paused and cleared his throat. "You saved my life. I owe you a great debt and it is not one I will take lightly."

You thought about his words for a long moment. "There is something very important you can do for me, Thorin."

"And what would that be, my friend?"

"Find me someplace to bathe. By the gods, I'm filthy."