The next day we start early as usual. I bring my pony near Gandalf's horse, he slows his horse so that we can walk side by side.
"Everything alright little one?" he asks.
I look at him," Azog is alive isn't he?"
Gandalf looks around making sure that no one can hear us and then nods.
"Why are you keeping this from Thorin Gandalf? Do you even realize how dangerous it can be?" I whisper angrily.
"He will get to know soon enough"
"No!! you need to tell him Gandalf or I will"
He looks at me and says he needs to see it to believe it, we all have tried telling him but does not believe us." That's typical Thorin Mr Know It All attitude.
I go to Balin next, he looks at me and smiles, "Look who is here to talk to me. I thought you had started disliking me lass. You barely even talk to me anymore."
I smile sheepishly, "I'm so sorry Balin, I have had a lot on my mind lately. You know I love you don't you" I say squeezing his shoulder. He laughs
"I know, I was just pulling your leg. What's bothering my favorite person today."
"Why doesn't Thorin know about Azog?"
He looks quickly at Thorin making sure he can't hear us.
"We tried telling him but the notion of him dying has been too firmly fixed as no one has seen him since then."
"He needs to know Balin especially with the quest, please." I look pleadingly at Balin. He looks at me and smiles tapping my head, " He is right isn't he, you do love him." I nod. "Why not confess lass, why torture yourself and him like this,"
"I will but once we've reached our goal. Promise me you won't let anything happen to him" he smiled and nodded.
"Hey Maur, we are bored and I'm sure Balin has other things on his mind then to chatter endlessly" Kili called out.
"Hey Balin be prepared to be wet" I wink at him and take my pony to the princes.
"Everyone the lass wants us to be prepared to be wet" he shouts turning and winking at me.
By afternoon it had started pissing rain and everyone was wet and grumpy. We camped for the night under some trees but none of us was comfortable, everyone and everything was soaking wet and we couldn't even build a fire.
The next day we came to an early halt as everyone was tired, none of us could sleep last night due to the moisture.
I was sitting and tying my hair when I heard Thorin and Gandalf arguing. Gandalf wanted us to move from there and go to Rivendel but Thorin would not hear of it. He hated the elves and rightly so though Elrond and his folk were very different from the forest elves. Gandalf huffed and left muttering that he had had enough of dwarves for day. Bilbo seemed lost like a child at the market by his leaving.
" Come on Bombor we are hungry" Thorin barked angrily. The whole camp was busy preparing for supper. Fili and Kili were on pony duty and I was alone. I went aside and sat under a tree trying to meditate and see if the wind or the night creatures would bring me some news. The dwarves had never seen me do anything like this before. I sat with my eyes closed and my legs folded with my palms on my knees facing upward. When I clear my mind my body goes really rigid and turn my face upwards to the sky. I hear message of the wind, the night insects and birds, it seems like I can hear their communication of what's going on or what's expected. After about twenty minutes or so I felt someone shaking me hard, I immediately opened my eyes as the trance was broken and Dwalin's face was right infront of mine it was so twisted with worry that I ended up laughing loudly.
"What's wrong? You ok?" We thought you were having a seizure or something, you were so rigid seemed your bones would break"
I was laughing so hard that there were tears rolling down my eyes, " I'm fine my sweet dwarf, I was just meditating." I say and the end up laughing again. Dwalin looked so angry at this,"At least warn us before doing that. I thought we would have to call Oin."
"I'm sorry I thought you were all busy so I decided to talk to the night."
Thorin was standing behind him eyes blazing but my laughter softened his expression, I had laughed this freely after a very long time and I guess he didn't want to ruin it for me. Before they both turned to leave i call out," Hey Dwalin, keep your weapons ready we fight tonight. and that is all I can tell you for now." Thorin stiffens, turns his face slightly towards me and says, " Stay where I can see you" I sigh and sit back. These are the first words he has actually spoken to me after a month, I didn't agree but I didn't deny the request as well,I just stayed quiet. Bofur starts giving out food bowls. He asks me to take the Fili and Kili their food. As I move from my place to take the bowls, "Not her Baggins will take them." Thorin says.
"I'm tired of sitting and doing nothing Thorin, I'm just taking their food for them it's not like the whole world is out to kill me. I'll take Bilbo with me and your nephew's are already there." I can see that he doesn't agree with me but doesn't want to push this subtle truce out. He nods. Bilbo follows me.
Fili and Kili are standing there scratching their heads and arguing.
"What's wrong?" I say as I reach them
"Shhhh, trolls, they've taken Maggie and Minty". Whispers Kili.
"We must do something quick!" Bilbo exclaims
"Yes we shall. As our official burglar we think you should go and check it out." Kili suggests with a naughty beam in his eyes.
"No let's go tell Thorin" I say. I have an awful feeling in my stomach. I remember the message that was brought to me.
"No no let's not worry him for now. I'm sure Bilbo can handle it, besides if he gets into trouble he can hoot and we'll get him out." Kili whispered to me.
"No we can't send him out alone," I whispered back
By that time Fili had already sent Bilbo ahead and came and stood beside us behind a fallen tree. My heart was in my throat, I cursed at them under my breath.
We couldn't really see what was going on there just heard the conversation the trolls were having.
As soon as I heard the troll drawl "Well what is it?" In a menacing voice I froze.
"No no no no nooooo, Bilbo" I started running towards the trolls Kili right next to me, Fili ran in the opposite direction probably to warn others of what was going on.
xxxx
Fili came rushing towards the camp, he could barely breath and talk at the same time.
"Trolls" he said loudly, "They have Bilbo, Maur and Kili went to get him."
Thorin didn't even wait for his sentence to finish as soon as he heard "Trolls " he got up and ran like lightning, needless to say the others were right behind him.
Me and Kili ran out of the trees
"Drop him" barked Kili swinging his sword. The trolls all turned their attention to him and I saw it as my chance to dip my knife in the foot of the one standing closest to me. My knife cut deep, his howl pierced the air, he swung angrily trying to grab me and Thorin jumped in front of me, one swing of the sword and the troll lost one of his fingers. He turned towards me wrath dripping from his eyes, "Stay close to me."
The dwarves had made the trolls fight, with their swords, axes and my knives we were able to slash and cut them but we couldn't kill them they were massive.
Gandalf where the hell are you, I thought . Everywhere I ran who ever I helped Thorin was there so close that he could have passed as an extra limb.
"Lay down your arms or we'll rip his apart."
We heard the trolls croaking voice. We all turn simultaneously, two of the trolls stood there holding bilbo with all of his limbs stretched.
"Bilbo" Kili tried running towards him but Thorin held his arm and pulled him back. There was a long silence until we waited for Thorin to decide. He looked at Bilbo and sighed then angrily buried the tip of his sword in the ground. We had no other option but to throw all our arms.
The trolls tied us, some to a stake rolling over a fire, some thrown on the ground tied in sacks and me to a tree close to the ones on the ground. The dwarves were wriggling and turning trying to loosen their bonds. The one I had stabbed on the toe stood close to me, he was fuming and wanted to punish me before cooking me. It was William I guess. Bert and Tom were busy thinking of ways to cook us or to turn us into jelly.
William bent his hideous face inches from mine, "What are you little one?" He said placing the tip of knife under my chin.
"Leave her alone" shouted Kili his voice loud and angry
Balin tried to kick the troll from behind moving like a caterpillar.
Thorin seemed like he would turn the troll into shreds with his bare teeth.
"Ooooo special are we" the troll said, his mouth stunk so bad that I wanted to throw up. My body vibrated with anger. He poked the tip of the knife a little farther and I felt something wet trickle down my neck. Put his his finger forward and rubbed it off my neck, it was a trail of blood from where the knife had cut me, the finger moved towards his mouth
"No wait not her " I heard Bilbo shout, "She's infected." He knew that the troll would go into a mad frenzy if he tasted the blood no matter how small the amount. "Is she now" he said turning to Bilbo.
"Yes yes infact they all are, riddled with parasites I wouldn't risk it." He said shaking his head. The trolls all turned to him. "Parasites? What would you have us do, let them go?" He pushed Bilbo.
Right at that moment we all heard a loud
"The dawn will take you all" Gandalf stood on the rock he clashed his staff and the rock split into two with sunlight beaming through the crack. The trolls all turned to hard rock in whichever position they stood. The dwarves cheered.
We were all untied and a discussion was underway to find the troll hole. They all decided to look for it.
Thorin signaled Dwalin to go ahead and we all followed but Thorin looked at me and said, "Not you. We need to talk." I could see the effort that went in to stay calm for him.
They all went ahead when walked over to me. His body vibrating with fury, his jaw ticking, "I had told you to stay where I could see you and you ran to the trolls" he whispered with clenched teeth.
" I'm not as fragile as you think I am Thorin, I can fight, I can take care of myself, what do you expect me to do curl up in a ball and hide." My tone matched the same fury
He grabbed my wrist and jerked me towards him, I bumped into his chest, "I never said you are fragile but you sure as hell are irreplaceable. The sooner you get that into your thick head the better it would be for all of us!!" He hissed.
I opened my mouth to say something but his eyes made me stop. I closed my mouth with an audible click.
He let go of my wrist and stormed off going a few paces and stopping as if willing me to follow him. I did...