Ygritte was in a deep sleep one moment, and the next, she was falling rapidly. Wind blew through her blonde hair and a startled gasp followed by a scream burst from her lips as her body was thrown all around. She collided with stone walls and then fell into the bodies of her companions as they slid down tunnels into a wooden cage.

　　A chorus of groans filled the air as they laid there in a pile. Before they could fully regain their bearings and climb to their feet, footsteps bounded towards them and a horde of howling goblins swarmed them, roughly pulling them up from the ground. Ygritte fought against them the best she could, but there were so many goblins that she found it hard to resist.

　　She heard someone call out her name at some point, but she couldn't tell who it was over all the noise. Ygritte did, however, manage to get a glance of Bilbo Baggins from the corner of her eye. He was standing still, not a single goblin near him. It was as though they couldn't even see the frightened hobbit standing there.

　　Ygritte meant to tell Bilbo to run, to get as far away as he could, but when she wouldn't move forward like the goblins wanted, one of them clamped their jaw down onto her forearm. Blood seeped from the nasty wound and she hissed at the sight of the gnawed flesh. She turned to glare at the goblin, only for the creature to hiss in her face and nudge her again. This time, she listened, moving forward.

　　Bats flew around their heads, scampering towards the darkest crevices of the caverns as the horde of goblins led them through a vast network of dimly lit tunnels and wooden bridges until the pathway opened up into what appeared to be a throne room for the Great Goblin King. There were lanterns positioned around the room for lighting, and wooden pathways and ledges built along the walls with dozens of goblins poised upon them.

　　The Goblin King was massive, standing several feet taller than the other goblins, his height reminding Ygritte of the trolls that her father had turned to stone not that long ago. His skin was filthy, covered with warts that dangled from his swinging chin, and what little clothing he wore was tattered and hung off his foul-smelling flesh.

　　They were forced to stand still as their weapons were gathered and thrown into a pile in front of them on the ground. Ygritte couldn't help but look over at Aninth as their weapons were being confiscated. She didn't see or hear any of the goblins react to Ryvniss, which meant the dragon was hiding well and the Goblin King didn't know that he existed. Yet, at least.

　　The Great Goblin King jumped off his throne and approached them, trampling several of the smaller goblins in the process. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

　　"Dwarves, Your Malevolence," said one of the smaller goblins. Ygritte recognized him as the one who had bitten her, and she couldn't help but glare at him. "And two women."

　　"Dwarves and two women, you say?"

　　"We found them on the Front Porch," the smaller goblin explained.

　　"Well, don't just stand there. Search them! Every crack. Every crevice," the Great Goblin demanded as he looked over his intruders. "Even the women. Pretty as they may be, looks can be deceiving."

　　The goblins howled in response and began searching the Company much more thoroughly this time, throwing away whatever they found. The daggers Ygritte kept hidden in her boots had been confiscated, as had the stone Kili's mother gave him and Oin's hearing trumpet, which had been crushed underfoot. But still, no Ryvniss. Ygritte wondered where the dragon had gone.

　　"What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" The Goblin King demanded answers, and he grew irritated when they remained silent. "Very well. If they will not talk, we'll make them squawk. Bring out the Mangler. Bring out the Bone Breaker. Start with the youngest." He pointed at Ori with his staff, causing Thorin to push his way forward.

　　"Wait!"

　　The Great Goblin looked down at Thorin. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain." He bowed exaggeratedly. "Oh, but I'm forgetting. You don't have a mountain. And you're not a king, which makes you nobody, really."

　　Ygritte could not see Thorin's face from where she was standing, but she didn't have to guess twice to know that he was glaring at the Great Goblin King. And for good reason, of course.

　　"I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head," the Goblin King went on. "Just a head. Nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours. A pale Orc, astride a white Warg."

　　Thorin's expression morphed into one of surprise and disbelief. "Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

　　"So, you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The Goblin King chuckled, before turning to face a smaller goblin sitting in a basket and holding a slate. "Send word to the Pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize."

　　The smaller goblin excessively wrote down the message on the slate like his King commanded. Then, with a cackle, he pulled on a lever, causing the basket to slide down a system of ropes and pulleys into the darkness and out of sight.

　　Only a few moments passed before dozens of goblins entered the throne room, carrying massive instruments of torture on their shoulders and backs, which they brought before their King, who had begun dancing and singing lustily.

Bones will be shattered
Necks will be wrung
You'll be beaten and battered
From racks you'll be hung
You will lie down here
And never be found
Down in the deep of Goblin­-town

　　A random goblin stepped forward and began examining the Company's weapons. He crouched down, picking up a random sword that she recognized as Orcrist, which belonged to Thorin. He slid it a few inches out of its sheath and then gasped in horror and threw the sword away. It landed in view of all the other goblins, and once they recognized it as well, they began to howl in fear while retreating as far away from the weapon as they could.

　　Even the Great Goblin King retreated, running toward his throne while trampling many of the smaller goblins along the way. A finger pointed toward the weapon, he hollered, "I know that sword! It is the Goblin­-cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks! Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all!" He pointed toward Thorin. "Cut off his head!"

　　The goblins sprung into action, whipping the Company with rope and leaping upon them, biting and slashing away with their sharp teeth and nails. Ygritte was forced backwards when one of them curled a whip around her throat and tugged sharply. Her ears rang as she collided with the ground, and her eyesight became blurry when her head bounced off the stone.

　　She was brought back to reality when a surge of pain blossomed from her right leg as the sharp teeth of a goblin sunk deeply into her flesh. Her eyes widened, but her scream was lodged within her throat, for the goblin standing nearby continued to tighten the whip, slowly but surely strangling the life out of her.

　　The squirming and screaming, whipping and punching, clawing and biting continued on for several moments, before there was a sudden explosion of blinding light. Ygritte closed her eyes as she felt a rush of wind, which flung the goblins in the air and destroyed the torturing machines. Everyone was knocked off their feet, including the Goblin King himself.

　　When the blinding light faded and the wind ceased, Ygritte opened her eyes and found that most of the light in the throne room had been snuffed out. But she didn't need light to recognize the familiar silhouette walking towards them in a tall, pointy hat. Her heart leapt and a grin spread across her face. It was her father, staff in one hand and his sword, Glamdring, in the other.

　　"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" Gandalf shouted to the Company, and the light slowly returned, illuminating them in hues of orange.

　　Ygritte did not hesitate, quickly reaching up to remove the whip from around her throat. Her throat was sore and her leg was throbbing from where she had been bitten, but she kept on, kicking away some goblins and getting to her feet. She struggled to find her weapons in the scramble, but once she found them and the stone Kili's mother had given him as well, she began tearing through goblins one-by-one.

　　The rest of the Company had scrambled to their feet by now, and having reclaimed their weapons, leapt into battle, killing any goblins that tried to kill them. Even Gandalf had joined in, swinging his sword and staff around at every goblin that charged at him with their sharp claws and nasty, snarling teeth.

　　At some point, Ygritte heard a whistle. Confused by the sound, she turned around to find the source, but she couldn't figure out who made the sound. She did, however, notice that Aninth was no longer with them, and that made her start panicking. But she immediately calmed down once she saw that the Dragonkin woman had mounted her dragon companion and was fighting upon his back.

　　There was another whistle that echoed in the throne room, and she realized that it had been Aninth making the sound. And when Ryvniss heard the whistle, he changed in size, and kept doing so every time the Dragonkin woman whistled. Ygritte quickly realized that the whistling was a form of communication between them so Ryvniss knew what to do and where to go.

　　Ygritte stood there, staring up at the marvelous creature with a shocked expression. He was beautiful in every way. His scales, illuminated in the orange glow of flickering flames from the lanterns in the room, were mesmerizing, and though his wing scale wasn't as massive as she had always imagined, they were a blessing to the eye nonetheless.

　　Aninth and Ryvniss circled above their heads as the rest of them fought the goblins on the ground, and they ducked down before swiftly leaving the throne room through the same passageway that they had entered before. Ygritte wasn't sure where they were going, but she knew they weren't abandoning them. She knew that Aninth would never do such a thing.

　　Her attention was soon drawn away from the passageway from which her friend and the Pygmy Dragon had vanished when a goblin suddenly leaped into her path. Ygritte reacted quickly, ducking out of the way and lifting her sword. She swung thrice before cutting the goblin's head clean off its shoulders.

　　"He wields the Foe­hammer!" The Great Goblin cried out from the ground, pointing toward the wizard's blade. "The Beater! Bright as daylight!"

　　Ygritte continued to swing her sword through the air, cutting down goblin after goblin until a path had been cleared and she was able to reach her father's side. She wanted to make sure he hadn't been hurt in battle and ask what took him so long to catch up with them. But before she could even take a step, two bodies came barreling toward her and she didn't have any time to prepare.

　　The woman grunted when she hit the ground, sword slipping out of her grip. Someone called out her name, but she couldn't tell who it was as she focused on trying to get the goblins off her. One of them scratched at her face while the other tried to hold her arms down. Just as she managed to grab the dagger from her boot, the goblins went limp, their blood spraying her face.

　　Someone pulled the bodies off her and she looked up, finding Kili and Fili standing over her, their swords dripping with goblin blood. She nodded toward them, and while Fili leapt back into battle, Kili remained where he was, stretching out his hand for her to take. She accepted the help and got back on her feet.

　　Ygritte managed to reach her father's side not much later, and Gandalf placed a hand upon her shoulder, blue eyes glistening with concern. He wanted to know if she was hurt, and she wanted to know the same. They nodded at one another and offered up a small, reassuring smile, which brought them some relief.

　　Behind them, Nori landed on the ground, and when the Great Goblin ran toward him while swinging his mace, Thorin leapt forward to protect him, deflecting the blow and causing the Great Goblin to stumble backwards and fall off the edge of the platform into the depths below.

　　"Follow me," Gandalf said. "Quick! Run!"

　　Everyone followed the wizard along the narrow pathway leading away from the throne room. Hundreds of goblins chased after them, growling and cackling loudly. They cut down any of them that got too close as they ran through the dimly lit caverns, turning left and right and even ducking slightly beneath wooden bridges and dangling ropes.

　　Ygritte looked around them as she ran alongside her father. She noticed that the goblins were swarming them in every direction now, and knew if they didn't find an exit soon that they would become cornered and have to take on hundreds of goblins all at once.

　　"Post!" Dwalin suddenly shouted.

　　When Ygritte looked ahead of them, she noticed that several waves of goblins were running towards them from across a bridge they needed to cross urgently. But fortunately, Dwalin was already taking care of the problem.

　　He and some of the dwarves hurriedly cut down a nearby guardrail post from the side of the pathway and held it out in front of them as though it were a massive spear. They charged at the goblins and swept them away, before dropping the guardrail and using their axes to cut down the remaining goblins.

　　Ygritte slashed her sword across a goblin's throat and then kicked it away. It fell backwards and landed on another suspended path, which broke and caused all the goblins standing on it to plummet into the darkness below. She stumbled slightly when she put her foot down, and glanced at the bleeding bite wound with a scowl.

　　"You're hurt," Kili said, coming to her side.

　　"I'm alright," Ygritte replied.

　　Kili still looked worried. He glanced down at her injured leg and frowned at the sight of blood. Before she could say anything else to reassure him that was okay, Thorin alerted everyone of the snarling goblins that were swinging towards them on some ropes, insisting they cut them down.

　　There was a series of nods and battle cries as several dwarves rushed to Thorin's side, cutting away at some ropes holding a raised platform in place. The platform fell, entangling the goblins swinging on the ropes and causing them to plummet below with the structure.

　　"Look out!" Kili suddenly shouted, gently shoving Ygritte out of the way as several goblins started shooting arrows at them. He lifted his sword and started deflecting the arrows.

　　Ygritte stepped forward and lifted her sword, helping Kili deflect the arrows being fired at them. She knew that they needed to cross the ridge in front of them, so she shouted at Kili to grab the ladder leaning up against the wall beside them. "The ladder! Quick!"

　　Kili glanced at the ladder beside them and nodded in understanding. He knew that she was capable of defending them, so he lowered his sword and grabbed the ladder with the help of his kin. They moved around Ygritte and dropped the ladder on the goblins, running forward and pushing them over the edge, before dropping the ladder and using it as a makeshift bridge.

　　When they reached the other side, Kili looked over his shoulder to ensure her safety. Ygritte met his stare for a moment, before rushing across the ladder to the other side. Once the woman was safely across, Dwalin broke the ladder, preventing the goblins chasing them from crossing.

　　"Quickly!" Gandalf shouted, urging everyone forward down the pathway.

　　Ygritte turned away from the broken ladder and the goblins growling in their direction and kept running, only stopping again when something sharp pierced her bicep. She stumbled forward on her feet and would have fallen if it hadn't been for Kili and Fili keeping her upright. She looked down and found an arrow protruding from her right bicep.

　　"Ygritte!" Kili shouted, wide-eyed.

　　Several of them stopped to see what happened, and Gandalf's eyes widened when he saw the arrow sticking out of his daughter's arm. He urged the rest of the Company forward down the pathway, before turning to Kili and Fili and shouting, "Stay with her! We must keep going." The brothers nodded, helping Ygritte along the various pathways, even though the woman insisted she didn't need any help.

　　They eventually arrived at a section of the pathway being suspended by ropes. Kili and Fili helped Ygritte onto the bridge as the others cut some of the ropes, which caused the bridge to swing through the air and toward the other side.

　　"Jump!" Thorin shouted.

　　Only a few of them managed to jump off the swaying bridge, but the moment was fleeting and not many of them could make it as the bridge swung back in the other direction, allowing several goblins to leap on board. Kili and Fili simultaneously released Ygritte's arms so they could fight the goblins, protecting the injured woman like Gandalf had asked of them since.

　　But when one of the goblins managed to slip past the brothers, Ygritte was forced to fight despite her injuries. With a cry of pain, she lifted her injured arm and swung her sword, thankfully taking the goblin down with ease. She cringed when she lowered her arm, and quickly reached up to hold her bicep as it throbbed.

　　The bridge swung back to the other side once more, allowing the rest of them to safely jump off and join the others. Kili and Fili found themselves on either side of Ygritte once more, helping the woman run as the others stayed behind to watch as Aninth and Ryvniss swept down and burned the bridge and the goblins that were on it.

　　They kept running down the maze of tunnels, killing all the goblins that were in their way, and Aninth and Ryvniss did the same as they flew around them. Gandalf struck a rock above them with his staff at one point, causing the rock to fall down and roll out in front of the Company, squashing all the goblins in their path.

　　Soon, they approached a bridge between two walls of the cavern. But before they could cross it, the Goblin King suddenly emerged, breaking through from underneath the bridge and pulling himself up on top. He blocked their path, as did the dozens of goblins that approached from all directions. They were trapped.

　　"You thought you could escape me," The Great Goblin said, his loud voice echoing off the cavern walls. He swung his mace at Gandalf twice, causing the wizard to stumble backwards and almost fall. "What are you going to do now, Wizard?"

　　Gandalf leaped forward and struck the Great Goblin in the eye with his staff, causing him to drop his mace and hold his face while howling in pain. The wizard then sliced open his belly, causing the Great Goblin to fall onto his knees while clutching the bleeding wound.

　　"That'll do it."

　　Gandalf swung his sword again, this time slicing open the Great Goblin's neck, causing him to fall down dead. His weight caused the bridge to tremble, and suddenly, the section on which the Company was standing broke away from the rest of the bridge and began sliding down the side of the cavern below.

　　Everyone screamed in terror as they slid downwards, the bridge they were standing slowly falling apart as it demolished everything in its path. Ygritte had almost lost her balance at one point, but leaned on Kili and Fili for support, and the three of them clung to one another so they wouldn't plummet to their death.

　　The bridge eventually slowed down before landing at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the Company in the timber and wood. Gandalf was the first one to get up from the pile of wreckage and he turned around to inspect the others, ensuring their safety.

　　Ygritte grunted as she climbed out from underneath the wreckage. Sitting up on her knees, she looked down at her throbbing bicep to inspect the wound and found that the arrow was gone. She figured that it must have been knocked out of her bicep whenever they had landed.

　　She heard another whistle and looked up in time to watch as Aninth and Ryniss landed nearby. The dragon shrunk down to his usual smaller size upon hearing the whistle, which allowed for Aninth to gracefully land on her feet on the ground. The Dragonkin woman looked around, and immediately came to Ygritte's side, offering her some help.

　　"Well, that could have been worse," said Bofur.

　　Suddenly, the heavy corpse of the Great Goblin landed on top of the wreckage, squishing the dwarves further. They all cried out in pain, and Ygritte winced at the sound. She was grateful that she hadn't been underneath all the wreckage anymore when the corpse had landed on them.

　　"Haver! You've got to be joking!" Dwalin grunted.

　　"Wish you didn't hate dragons so much now?" Aninth questioned the Company, receiving a series of groans and complaints in response, but they only made her laugh now.

　　Knowing they had a moment to regain their bearings before the goblins came back, Ygritte ripped off a piece of her tunic along the bottom and tied it around her bicep one-handed, using her teeth to tighten the knot so it would stay in place.

　　As the dwarves started pulling themselves out of the rubble, Kili looked up and saw thousands of goblins running at them. He quickly shouted out for the wizard, which alerted the others of what was coming. "Gandalf!"

　　"There's too many," Dwalin cried. "We can't fight them."

　　"We can buy you some time," Aninth said, looking over at Gandalf.

　　"No, only one thing will save us," Gandalf said. "Daylight! Come on! Here! On your feet."

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a/n: I'm sorry it took so long to get a new chapter out, life kind of got in the way and I didn't have the motivation to write. But thankfully work isn't as hectic anymore and I'm able to find the time to be on here again. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!