▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 ━︎━︎ 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 dwarves slept and Ellaria sat there on the ground, her back pressed against the cave wall as she kept an ear out for any oncoming danger. The sound of their snoring was the only sound in the cave, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in her ears. The sound of movement caught her attention, making her turn her head. She watched, keeping very still, as the hobbit gathered his things and began maneuvering around the dwarves.

     "And where are you off to?" Ellaria hummed, keeping her voice soft as to not wake the others.

     Bilbo froze, turning to look at her. "Back to Rivendell," he answered.

     Ellaria rose a brow. "You'd willingly abandon your company? They are counting on you, you know. One might even say you're a part of them now, one of them."

     Bilbo stared at her, realizing that she'd understand where he was coming from. "I'm not, though, am I? Thorin said I never should have come and he was right. I'm not a Took. I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door."

     Ellaria stood, brushing off her clothes as she approached him. "You're homesick. Trust me, I understand."

     "You might." Bilbo then nodded towards the sleeping dwarves. "But they don't. They're dwarves. They're used to this life. To living on the road. Never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere."

     Ellaria let out a soft sigh. "Tell me, Bilbo, why is Thorin doing this?"

     "He means to recover what he has lost." Bilbo glanced around. "I'd be lying to myself if I said I wouldn't do the same."

     Ellaria nodded. "I thought you'd say that. Imagine it was you in their position, imagine you had lost everything that was rightfully yours. Your home, your family, your lands. Thorin wants it back, they all do. They understand feeling homesick, because they have been away from their home for so long. They had no choice but to travel these roads, to move from one place to another, because they had nowhere to go. And the place they belong, is the reason we're doing this in the first place."

     Ellaria placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you wish to go, Bilbo Baggins, then you go and you don't look back."

     Bilbo pressed his lips together. "What do you think I should do?"

     Ellaria dropped her hand. "It is not for me to decide. But, I think that Thorin will never admit out loud that he needs you because he is stubborn. They all need you. So if I were to decide, I would tell you to stay, to see this through. But, I think you should do what you believe is best." She watched as he stood a little straighter. "Best of luck to you, Mr. Baggins." Bilbo nodded and turned to walk out only for Ellaria to stop him. "Wait." He looked at her. "Why is your sword glowing?"

     Bilbo looked down, pulling the sword partially from it's holder and looking at Ellaria with wide eyes. Ellaria snapped her head to the side when she heard a noise. "Get up!" She snapped, spinning to face the dwarves. "All of you!" Instantly the dwarves began to wake up, only after Thorin had shouted at them. Ellaria quickly jumped to the side and watched in horror as all the dwarves were dumped under the ground below along with the hobbit.

     "Shit," she cursed. She clenched her jaw before forcing herself to jump down the opening, sliding down the path and landing on her feet in a small opening where the dwarves had been in not a moment before. She looked up, watching as a group of orcs began to disappear with the dwarves in hand. She spotted Bilbo kneeling on the ground and quickly ran up to him. She stealthily made it to him, kneeling beside the hobbit. "Well, this just got interesting didn't it?"

Bilbo turned to look at her. They both stood once the orcs were completely out of sight. Ellaria pulled out her sword as Bilbo pulled out his blue glowing sword and they exchanged looks before Ellaria gave a firm nod and began making her way across the bridge with Bilbo following after her. When an Orc jumped down in front of him, the creature immediately began running at them. The orc started attacking Bilbo and Ellaria quickly pushed the creature back, dodging hits with her own sword as Bilbo was forced to do the same. When the orc jumped on top of Bilbo's back, Ellaria tried to pull the creature off but he was holding on to tightly, and before she knew it they were plummeting off the side.

For a long moment she was freefalling, all of the light became dark as she was sent into a deeper part of the orcs dungeon. Her head slammed against a rock before her body slammed on the ground. A soft groan fell from her lips. Pain ricocheted through her entire body and she laid there for a moment, waiting for it to reside. Once it did, she sat up. A hand came up to the back of her head, pulling her hand away and spotting blood on her fingertips. Carefully, she stood, glancing around herself in hopes of finding Bilbo put to no avail. Another curse left her lips, allowing her elf eyes to adjust in the dark before walking forwards.

     "Bilbo!" She whisper-shouted. "Bilbo!"

     "Ellaria?" Bilbo whispered back.

     Ellaria followed his voice, coming to a small clearing and finding him. A breath of relief left her lips. "Are you alright?" She quickly walked up to him, inspecting him for any open wounds.

     "I'm fine." He waved her off. He leaned down, picking up his sword. "There was a. . . a creature here. He talked all weird. But I don't think he's an Orc." He glanced around before spotting something on the ground. A golden ring laid there and he leaned down, picking it up. He examined it for a moment before the sound of a scream could be heard and he placed it in his pocket.

      "Ah! Too many bonses, precious! Not enough flesh!" The creature cried. The voice changed slightly as it said, "Shut up! Cut its skin off." Ellaria placed a hand in front of Bilbo, a silent motion for him to stay behind her. Thankfully he listened as they began moving towards the voice. "Start with its head." Then, he began singing. "These cold hard lands they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet, the rocks and stones they're like old bones all bare of meat. Without no breath its good to eat."

Ellaria and Bilbo peeked around the corner, spotting the creature leaning over the orc that had made them fall over the edge, hitting it with a rock. Quickly, the creature turned its head and they both hid behind the rock. Ellaria turned to Bilbo, watching as he sword stopped glowing. Ellaria glanced around the corner again to see the creature was gone. However, she felt him near, she could hear his breathing and she instantly looked up just as the creature jumped down in front of them.

     "Bless us and splash us, Precious!" The creature smiled an evil smile. It's teeth were chipped and rotting, it had giant blue eyes and grey skin. "That's a meaty mouthful." The creature moved forwards and Ellaria pointed her sword at its chest, causing it to frown and stop. The creature gagged it's name, which was Gollum, as Ellaria stood up to her full height.

     "Stay back, unless you want to die a cruel death." Ellaria warned.

     Bilbo pointed his sword at the creature who began to cower at them, eyes focusing on Bilbo as he backed away. "It's got an elvish blade. But it is not an elfs. Not an elfs, no. What is it, precious? What is it?" The creature crawled away and closer to the water before turning to look at them.

     "My name. . . is Bilbo Baggins." Bilbo said, catching his breath. Ellaria didn't speak.

     Gollum's face scrunched. "Baggineses? What is a Baggineses, Precious?"

     "I'm a hobbit from the shire."

     "Oh!" Gollum cried. "We like Goblinses, batses and fishes. But we hasn't tried hobbitses before!" He crept closer to Bilbo. "Is it soft? Is it juicy?"

     "You won't be finding out," Ellaria promised, taking a step forwards with her sword still held out in front of her. "We don't want any trouble. We just need you to show us the way out of here and we'll be on our way."

     "Why? Is it lost?"

     "Yes." Bilbo confirmed. "Yes, and we want to get unlost as soon as possible."

     "Oh!" Gollum smiled. "We knows safe paths for hobbitses and elfs. Safe paths in the dark. Shut up!"

     Bilbo frowned. "I didn't say anything."

     "We wasn't talking to you." Gollum hissed before turning and talking to himself again.

     "Look, I don't know what your game is, but I―︎"

     "Games?!" Gollum exclaimed. "Oh, we love games, doesn't we, Precious? Does it like games? Does it, does it? Does it like to play?" He laughed.

     Bilbo shook his head, unsure. "Maybe."

     Gollum raised his hands excitedly, Bilbo and Ellaria exchanging a look before looking back at him. "What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up, up it goes,  and yet, never grows?"

     Bilbo blinked. "The mountain."

     "Yes, yes." Gollum laughed. "Oh, let's have another one, eh? Yes! Do it again! Do it again! Ask us." Suddenly his face changed as did his voice. "No! No more riddles." He jumped down off the rock and they followed his movement. "Finish them off. Finish them now!" He turned and went for them.

     "Don't." Ellaria warned.

     "We want to play. We do. We want to play." Bilbo quickly said. "I can see. . . you are very good at this. So, why don't we. . . have a game of riddles? Just―︎just you and me." He looked at Ellaria. "And her. A-and her. You, me, and her."

     Gollum smiled. "Yes. Yes!" He looked to Ellaria. "Hers wants to play?" Ellaria forced herself to nod.

     "Yes, yes she does."

     "Just―︎just us."

     "Yes," Bilbo nodded. "Yes. And if we win, you show us the way out."

     "Yes, yes." Gollum agreed. "And if it loses? What then?" The other version of him answered. "Well, if it loses, then we eats it!" Ellaria pressed her lips into a thin line, beginning to get fed up with this thing. Gollum turned back to them. "If Bagginses and hers loses, we eats it whole."

     Bilbo turned his head to look at Ellaria. Ellaria shrugged in nonchalance, knowing that even if they did lose they would not be eaten whole because she would kill the thing. Bilbo looked back to Gollum and nodded. "Fair enough." Bilbo stood, putting his sword back in its holder as Ellaria forced herself to do the same.

     "Well, Baggins first."

     Bilbo thought about it for a moment. "Thirty white horses on a red hill.  First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still."

     Gollum thought about it, eyes widening occasionally when he thought he had it before his face fell before he said unsurely. "Teef?" Bilbo said nothing and Gollum smiled widely and began laughing. "Teef! Oh, yes, my Precious! But we―︎we only have nine." He showed them his teeth. "Our turn. Voiceless, it cries. Wingless, flutters. Toothless, bites. Mouthless, mutters."

     "Just a minute." Bilbo started.

     "Wind," Ellaria easily answered. "It's wind."

     "Very clever, elfses. Very clever." Gollum creeped closer to her, a rage on his face.

     Ellaria quickly pulled out her sword, pointing it at him. "A box without hinges, key or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid."

     She lowered her sword as Gollum turned and began mumbling to himself, trying to figure it out. After a moment of nothing, Bilbo asked, "Do you give up?"

     "Give us a chance, Precious! Give us a chance!" The creature groaned to himself as he thought harder and harder before he spun towards her. "Eggses! Eggses! Wet, crunchy, little eggses! Grandmother taught us to suck them, yes!"

     A bat flew by and Bilbo quickly turned, catching Ellaria's attention. "We have one for you." They turned only to find Gollum was no longer there. "All things it devours. Birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel. Grinds hard stones to meal. Answer us."

     "Give me a moment, please!" Bilbo called, both of them searching for the creature. His voice bounced of the walls, making it hard for Ellaria to pinpoint exactly where it was. "I don't know this one. Ellaria, tell me you know this one."

     Ellaria let out a sigh. "I've never been too good at riddles."

     "Is it tasty?" Gollum asked in a singsong voice. "Is it scrumptious? Is it crunchable?" He appeared behind Bilbo, wrapping his hands around his neck and Bilbo quickly moved out of the way.

     "Let me think." Bilbo said, walking away from him.

     "It's stuck." Gollum realized, an evil grin covering his face. "Bagginses is stuck. Times up."

     Bilbo quickly turned to him. "Time. The answer is time." Bilbo cleared his throat. "Actually wasn't that hard." Ellaria looked at him with an amused smile.

     Gollum looked at them. "Last question. Last chance."

     "Okay," Bilbo agreed. Ellaria's eyes narrowed in on the rock Gollum was holding in his hand, slightly hiding it behind his back. She subtly tightened her grip on her sword.

     "Ask us. Ask us!"

     "Yes, yes, alright." Bilbo calmly said. "What have I got in my pocket?"

     Gollum frowned. "That's no fair. It's no fair! It's against the rules!" He threw the rock down on the ground. "Now ask us another one."

     Bilbo shook his head. "No. No, no, no. You said, 'ask me a question'. Well, that is my question. What have I got in my pocket?"

     He jumped down from the rock he was perched on and they both moved out of the way. "Three guesses, Precious. It must give us three."

     "Three guesses." Bilbo agreed. "Very well, guess away."

     "Handses!"

     Bilbo held up his hands. "Wrong. Guess again."

     Gollum began to panic, going through a list of things before yelling out, "Knife!" He then said to himself, "Oh, shut up!"

     "Wrong again. Last guess."

     Gollum smiled. "String." It fell. "Or nothing."

     "Two guesses at once. Wrong both times." Gollum began crying as Bilbo walked up to him with Ellaria following him. "Come on, then. I won the game. You promised to show me the way out."

     "Did we say so, Precious?" Gollum asked. "Did we say so?" Slowly, Gollum turned to face Bilbo. "What has it got in its pocketses?"

     Bilbo pointed his sword at him. "That's no concern of yours. You lost."

     "Lost? Lost? Lost?!" He crept closer to Bilbo only to pause as he began to check his own pocket. Panic suddenly overtook the creature. "Where is it? Where is it?! No!" Gollum began going through the rocks and the dirt and leaves frantically. "Aah! Where is it?! No! No!" He ran to the water, using his hand to splash it around. "Lost! Lost! Curse us and splash us! My precious is lost!"

     Quickly, Bilbo pulled the ring from his pocket and hid it behind his back. "What have you lost?"

     "Mustn't ask us!" Gollum cried. "Not its buisness. No! Gollum, gollum!" The creature paused, staring down at his own reflection. "What has it got. . . in its nasty, little pocketses?" Gollum slowly turned to look at Bilbo. "He stole it. He stole it!" He let out a yell and threw something at him.

      "Go." Ellaria urged. "Go!" Instantly, the two of them went running.