"Ouch! Why does my head feel like it has been run over by a herd of horses? Oh, now I remember! I hit my head when the Trolls dropped me. Wait! (Note to myself: don't scream when your head hurts, it will just make it worst, ouch!) What happened to the others?"

With a head spinning and hurting I open my eyes…

And close them shut again very fast. God, the blaze from the fire really hurt.

"Wait, fire?"

I open my eyes again, slowly this time, and I see that the Trolls have made the fire bigger and, Christ on a lily pad! They have tied; Dwalin, Bofur, Bifur, Dori, Nori, Ori and Fili, to a log. The rest of us: Thorin, Kili, Oin, Bombur, Gloin, Balin, me and Bilbo is tied up in sacks.

"- Hey Ratcha."

Thorin says quietly when he sees that I have woken up.

"- Hey Thorin."

I say.

Surprisingly, my voice sounds weak and cracks a lot just saying hey. I haven't screamed, have I?

- Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly.

Tom says.

That makes me scared. Why can't I control myself anymore?! I have never been this scared, I have managed to control myself to not be this scared.

"No thank you! Let's not eat us at all."

- They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage.

Burt says, checking that the rope is not lose or anything.

- Oh, that dose sound quite nice.

- Is this really necessary?

Dori asks. I can understand his fear. I feel the same.

~ Thorin?

~ Yes?

~ I hate to admit this. But I'm scared. I can't control myself anymore and that's even scarier.

~ I can't do much Ratc. Not when I'm tied up in a sack.

~ No, but you just made a joke about the situation we are in and, by Durin, you really know how to make me laugh.

~ Glad I can help you.

- Untie us, you monster!

- Take on someone your own size!

Screams Oin and Gloin.

The Dwarves are talking both to the Trolls and each other with fear and anger.

~ Kili? Fili?

By the Eldar! My voice sounds weak even in my head. What have I done to my voice?

~ Ratcha! You awake!

~ Yea, but if you keep on screaming I won't. I'm panicking in the same time as my head is spinning and hurting. What's amaze me is that it doesn't hurt as much when I talk in my head, unless someone is screaming so to speak.

~ Sorry for screaming (~ Yea sorry) But we are just happy to hear that you are awake. You have been passed out for a long time.

~ I can imagine. But hey, what did I do to m…

- Wait! You are making a terrible mistake.

"What have I missed?"

- You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!

"What does that make you then Dori?"

- Half-wits? What does that make us?

~ Can you read minds now all of sudden Bofur?

~ Not when I last checked. Why wonder, little one?

~ Little one? Anyway, what you just said, was exactly the same as I was thinking.

I managed to see Bofur smile before he disappears to the other side of the log.

- Uh, I meant with the, uh with the seasoning.

Bert comes up to him. Bilbo have gotten his attention, but for what?

- What about the seasoning?

- Well, have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up.

"Hey!"

- Traitor!

All sorts of insults are flying from almost every one of us. But I feel that Bilbo just wants us to shut up.

~ What are you doing Bilbo?

~ Trying to buy time. If you just shut up!

I wince when he screams in my head, everything starts to spin, and the corners of my eyes starts to darken. I have to force myself really hard not to pass out.

"Wait, buying time?"

- What do you know about cooking Dwarf?

- Shut up, and let the uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk.

"Let the what talk?"

My head have stopped spinning, but it's still hurts because the Trolls speaks so loudly. It's a miracle that my head haven't said goodnight or something yet.

- Uh, th- the secret to cooking Dwarf is um…

"The sun! Ouch! Stupid head. Now I know what Bilbo is trying to buy time for. The sun, of course. They will turn into stone when exposed to sun. They must have said that, and Bilbo must have picked it up. Clever Bilbo."

- Yes? Come on. Tell us the secret.

- Ye… Yes, I'm telling you… the secret is to… skin them first.

And that is the start for all of us, including me but not so loud cause then my head says no. We all start to yell at him and so on and so forth.

- Tom, give me the filleting knife.

Bert says reaching out his hand for Tom to give him the knife.

- If I get you, you little…

- I won't forget that!

That are some of the insults that the Dwarves are screaming to Bilbo. Everyone except…

… Thorin? He's quiet and looks very concern.

- What a loud of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all.

- 'es right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw Dwarf!

Tom says and takes the sack with Bombur.

- Nice and crunchy.

"Bombur! Ouch, stupid head, stop hurting!"

- Not- not that one, he—he's infected!

"What are you doing?"

- You what?!

- Yeah, he's got worms in his … tubes.

I can't help but to laugh, but the laugh turns to a cough. Something is… Ouch! There came Bombur. Ugh, he's so big and heavy.

- In – in fact they all have, they're in—infested with parasites. It's a terrible business, I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't

- Parasites, did he say parasites?

I said it once and will keep on saying it; poor Oin.

- Yes. We don't have parasites! You have parasites!

~ Shut up, Kili!

~ No! He is lyin…

~ Because he is trying to save us idiot! Think a little Kili. They will turn into stone when the sun touches them.

But it is like I'm talking to a wall. He won't listen.

~ Thorin, please tell them to shut up.

~ Why?

~ Not you too. Bilbo is trying to buy time. They can't be out when the sun comes up.

Thorin kicks Kili's sack, and soon they all are screaming that they are 'riddled' with parasites. Kili and Oin saying that they have the biggest ones.

- What would you have us do then, let 'em all go?

William says, walking up to Bilbo.

- Well…

- You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!

"Ferret? Bilbo? Oh, come on!"

- Fools?

- The dawn will take you all!

I have never been so happy to hear anyone's voice before. But hearing Gandalf's voice and see him on the rock above us made me feel really happy.

- Who's that?

- No idea.

- Can we eat him too?

Gandalf lifts his staff and strikes the rock with it, splitting it in half. The sun who have been hiding behind it pours out and onto all of us. When it touches the skin on the Trolls it turns to stone. Soon enough they are all covered in stone. Everyone starts to cheer, and I hear Dwalin say;

- Oh, get your foot out of my back!

After some time, we are all free from the sacks and Fili hugs me after he have seen me shivering.

- I'm fine Fili. It's just… I can't understand that I lost control over myself. It has never happened before, and I was also afraid I would lose you and Kili to those Trolls.

He hugs me a little harder but remains quiet.

When he releases me, I look up at him and smiles.

He returns the smile and walks away to help Bofur with Bifur.

- What was you thinking Ratcha?

Turning around I look into Bilbo's very worried eyes.

- I couldn't just let you hang there when I could help, right?

I say smiling at him.

He just shakes his head and I feel that he is not believing me.

- Bilbo, I'm not someone who is just going to stand and look when someone I care about is in danger. If can I help, I will. Even if it means I would die when I do it.

I stare into Bilbo's eyes to make sure that he believes me.

- I know Ratcha. But I just…

- Come on! We're leaving now!

Screams Thorin, cutting Bilbo off.

I roll my eyes and nods towards Thorin's back.

- Let's follow him and see what got him so excited.

Bilbo snorts and we run after our very excited Dwarf prince.