Gandalf had been right that hobbits could move virtually undetected. Bonnie crept through the trees towards the fire, and she doubted if a rabbit would hear her coming from a foot away. She shoved down the fright that was welling up inside, and tried to gain a steely resolve to prove to the others that she was a capable burglar. That resolve went out the window when she saw who was sitting around the fire.
They were three very large persons, roasting mutton on a spit. She could see immediately that they were trolls, for even though she had never seen one, they were unmistakable. They had large heads and gnarled feet and stank like the back end of an Oliphant. They had beady little eyes and noses and were only wearing stained loincloths. They were grumbling to each other and were not using nice table language at all.
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, I'm so sick of blinkin' mutton," one was saying.
Bonnie bit her lip. She had few choices. She couldn't hoot like an owl, so either she could go back to the dwarves empty-handed, or she could stay and pickpocket the trolls first. A real burglar would stay to pickpocket them, and perhaps slip a knife in their backs. Bonnie knew that if she came back with a bit of troll treasure, they would hail her a true burglar and perhaps stop taking the piss out of her for it.
One of the trolls had a bag slung around his waist, so Bonnie crept up behind him and was about to reach her hand inside. Just then, she caught sight of Fili and Kili creeping towards the fire to see where she had got to. They weren't as quiet as the hobbit, and one of the trolls held up a hand. "Did you 'ear something?" he said quietly.
"There!" another bellowed, pointing to the dwarves. Fili and Kili both drew their swords as the trolls advanced, and Bonnie scurried back to hide in the trees. Judging by the trolls' yelps, the siblings had gotten in a few good swings. Unfortunately one of the trolls had some sacks, and they scooped up the dwarves and tied them together for good measure.
"So there's dwarves in these woods?" one said. "Dwarves is my favorite, they fry up very nice."
"There's probably more where they came from," another said, so they hid in the shadows to ambush the others. Sure enough, Oin and Gloin came next and were scooped up in sacks as well. As each dwarf came up to the fire, a sack was drawn over their heads before they knew what had happened, until twelve of them were all in a wriggling pile.
Thorin was the last, and he was not taken entirely by surprise. Since the others had not returned, he had drawn his sword and approached the fire warily. "What's all this trouble?" he shouted from some ways off.
"It's trolls!" Bonnie shouted in a quavering voice. "They're waiting in the dark with sacks!"
"Oh, are they?" he bellowed, and jumped forward before the trolls could sweep him up. They came out of the shadows in a rage, and Thorin kicked up ashes into one of the troll's eyes. He sliced another right across the knee with his sword before the third troll came up behind and pulled a sack right over his head and down to his toes.
Soon the trolls had five or six of the poor dwarves tied together on a spit, slowly turning them over the fire. The dwarves were puffing and sweating and shouting all kinds of profanities at the trolls, who just laughed and picked their teeth. They began arguing about the best way to season the dwarves, and whether they should save some of them for later. It was an awful lot of dwarves for one night, they said. And they had to decide soon, because the sun was about to rise. "And I don't fancy bein' turned to stone," one said. Meanwhile Bonnie was standing just outside the trees, wringing her hands nervously. Her ears perked up, and she realized that trolls couldn't stay out in the sun. Mercifully, there was already some blue in the eastern sky. But she still couldn't risk them killing all the dwarves first, and then stowing them away until the next night. In the end, she spotted Fili's sword lying just behind a troll.
As the trolls argued, she slipped behind them and grabbed the sword. She snuck around to the pile of angry bags and cut one open as best as she could. It had Balin inside, and she quickly shushed him. He clamoured out and together they snuck away into the shadows. "I'll cut the rest of them out," Bonnie said. "Then maybe we can decide what to do."
She quietly cut the bags open one by one, until the last one, which turned out to be Thorin. He looked around, confused as to where his company had gone. "I got them all out, they're waiting just behind those trees," Bonnie whispered.
Thorin looked at her in surprise. "Well done, Miss Baggins."
Bonnie smiled widely at him, and she turned back to the camp site. She spotted a flash of grey go by, and a very tall pointed hat. Gandalf had returned! She could have cried with relief. Just then, the trolls seemed to have realized half of their meal was missing. "Where the bloody hell did they go?" one howled.
"That one! She did it!" another one said, pointing a grubby finger at Bonnie, who had not hidden in time.
They made to grab her, but she ducked between their legs and scurried to the opposite side of the fire. The dwarves on the spit cheered once they saw her, for they had thought she had been eaten already. "What is it?" the trolls were saying. "It ain't no squirrel. Blimey it's fast! Somebody squash it!"
"I don't like the way it wriggles around," one of them said squeamishly as Bonnie darted out of its reach.
She ducked and weaved around their legs yet again, as they tried to stomp on her. She had to keep them distracted, but she didn't know how long she could keep dodging them. Eventually one knocked her over with a sweep of his large hand, and picked her up. "Got you, you nasty rat!" he said, pulling her close to his face and scrutinizing her. His breath was foul and Bonnie winced, waiting for him to pop her into his mouth.
"Dawn take you all!" a booming voice said. They all turned and saw Gandalf standing on a boulder in the morning light. He brought his wizard staff down and the rock was hewn in two, sunlight streaming through. The trolls howled in rage and pain as their skin began to sizzle. The troll that was holding Bonnie dropped her, and she quickly ran out from under him. With a loud cracking, crunching sound, the trolls were turned to stone.
There was silence for a moment, and the dwarves all cheered. Thorin and the others emerged from their hiding spot. They had been readying for an attack, but were surprised to see Bonnie and Gandalf standing among three stone trolls.
"What happened?" Thorin asked in wonder.
"Bonnabell distracted the trolls until sunrise," Gandalf said cheerfully, "when trolls are turned into rock. She was too quick for them, and quite brave." He patted a shell-shocked Bonnie on the back and went to untie the dwarves from the spit.
"I seem to have underestimated you," Thorin said to Bonnie, sheathing his sword. "And I owe you my thanks. We all do." This time he genuinely smiled, and Bonnie felt her face flushing.
"They must have come down from the mountains," Gandalf was saying, and he seemed deeply troubled. "They could not have moved in daylight."
"Then they must have a hiding spot during the day," Balin said. "Perhaps there's a cave nearby, with troll treasure?"
So they all trooped around the camp until Ori found a dank, smelly hole under an overhang. The troll's cave was small, but littered with spoils from the poor souls they had captured. There were lots of discarded clothes and weapons, but also heaps of gold coins and several chests of trinkets. Gloin, Nori, and Bofur decided to bury one of the chests in case any of them came back to it, and then they set out again.
Thorin had found himself and Gandalf some new, elvish swords to use. Gandalf had even given a small knife to Bonnie. "This is of elvish make," he said as she examined the blade. "Which means it will glow blue when there are orcs about."
Bonnie sighed. "I can't take this, Gandalf. I wouldn't even know how to use it."
"And I hope you never have to," he said. "But you won't find another blade like this in a hundred miles." He pressed it on her, and she had no choice but to buckle it around her belt.