I don't care if this guy is a king! He acts like a selfish little brat! I knew being angry with the stubborn, annoying, self important, narcissistic, jerk would be useless, but dammit if he didn't push my buttons. Almost as soon as Gandalf explained that he wished me to join their gang of misfits, Thorin pitched a fit. He had continued to glare at me even as we set out the next morning. So immersed in my stewing anger I was, I hadn't heard Gandalf ask me to participate in the bet at first. "Meridian." Gandalfs throaty voice finally made it through my mental fog.
"Hm?" My green eyes slid lazily to the ancient wizard in question.
"Now would be the time to place your bet." He chuckled at my blank stare. "Wìll Bilbo come?"
"Yes. Hes going to come running, tripping over his own feet in an attempt to catch up to us, contract trailing behind."
"No sooner had I said this, my elven hearing picked up the cries of a hurrying hobbit. "Wait for me!" I remembered that only one other species here could hear far better than dwarves or hobbits and that would be... Nope. Not doing this right now.
I continued to ignore hearing him as he managed to bumble his way up to our line of ponies. I watched detachedly as things continued to move on in the way it was meant. With the exception of the dwarves grumbling as they tossed the winnings about to the victors of the bet. As a coin purse was sent my way, I snatched it from the air as Bilbo colored in realization that I believed in him. I noticed his eyes hadn't left me, so, to embarrass him further, I winked. My faint smirk disappeared as the dwarves looked back at their spluttering burglar. I encouraged my horse to trot on ahead as I kept my eyes forward.
Soon, the forests and farmland gave way to miles and miles of vast land that seemed deserted. Honestly I remembered the book skimming over this part. As we passed by abandoned castles, I found myself wishing for my old sketchbook, and a pencil, or pen, or even charcoal. But for lack of those things, I merely studied them and committed their harsh, sinister lines and shapes to memory. It was only when it started raining in a horrid deluge of misery that my face seemed permanently marred in a deep scowl. I shivered as some dwarves complained loudly. I noticed that a certain wizard had gone missing from our group at some point and wasn't in the least bit surprised that nobody else noticed until it was far too late. So there i sat, angry, wet, cold, and tired. And the only one I really felt like talking to had disappeared before I could ask about my suspicions on being at least part elf.
And now there wasn't near as much food as there could have been. Fili and Kili nearly died and as a sacrifice for their hides being saved, food and supplies got washed down stream because one of the horses got spooked. While I was thankful that they weren't hurt, I wished the food could have been saved as well. It had been a while and now those two were watching the ponies. After I ate the proffered stew I closed my eyes. It felt like only moments before I opened my eyes to find the camp empty. Damn. It looks like they got caught by the trolls after all. I dragged myself over to where I assumed the heathen giants had my fellow companions. As I neared the glow of a fire, I saw thirteen dwarves and a hobbit tied up in sacks and repressed a groan.
The damned trolls continued to argue over how best to cook the dwarves. All about sage. I quickly thought about a way to confuse them.
"We should just roast them with sage I says!" One of the foul beasts uttered.
"No! No! Use rosemary! Rosemary!" I shouted in a thunderous voice quickly moving to the other side of the camp. The trolls looked about in confusion and one even went to look for me in my previous location.
I climbed the tree nearest me and I immediately called in a squeaky voice, "I think mint wòuld do very well with such meat!'
"Somebody trying to steal our food?" The leader troll growled. I quickly moved again. Under a bush this time.
"We think wild thyme would taste good." I growled in a raspy voice. And immediately relocated. The trolls were starting to look pissed. Then again the dwarves didn't look pleased themselves.
"Pity they aren't worth eating, what with all those worms in their tubes!" I called condescendingly.
This of course caused all the dwarves to howl out their indignation.
"Oh, yes! The lot of us is chalk full of worms!" Bilbo joined in. "A terrible shame really."
It didn't take long for the others to catch on, and it became a contest to who had the most and who had the biggest parasites of the lot of them. I sighed in relief as things started to pan out as it was meant.
"The dawn will take you all!" I heard Gandalfs booming shout as he split a giant boulder and flooded the clearing with the light of dawn. I sighed as i watched the trolls turn to stone.
"You're all a pain in the neck." I grumbled as i helped dwarves out of bags.
"And that was why you were giving them suggestions on how to eat us?" Thorin demanded.
"You fool! She saved your lives! At least she had the sense to not get caught and stall till day break!" Gandalf chastised the sour ruler.
"She was at camp asleep when we went in to save the foolish burglar you found us!" Thorin scoffed.
"And I still came to save your sorry ass." I hissed in agitation.
"Now now. Let us not quarrel." Gandalf chuckled. Doing as he asked, I became withdrawn into myself. I ignored them as they found the hoard and pillaged it thoroughly. I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the stench. A small bow and quiver of arrows landed at my feet and I glanced up blankly to Bilbo who smiled sheepishly. I smiled half heartedly and pulled the quiver and attached it to my belt at my left hip, slinging the bow around my right shoulder. In a glance, I determined that these were elven items.
As we continued, I remembered where we were headed next ad determined I would ignore these noisy dwarves until we reached there.
Next stop: Rivendell; Elrond's home.
