Disclaimer: I have no creative rights over the characters and places you can identify in this story and have no way profited from this work.


08/08/2016

Brad W: Good to hear from you again.

Mainalpha: I couldn't include Ant Man for at least reasons. First, writing a credible explanation for Tauriel's appearance. Second, given the lack of patience Scott has with Luis – how could he possibly put up with a Radagast monologue about communicating with ants?

Dan man: From the scripts available, PJ obviously had a few changes of mind about which troll was which himself.


Chapter 7 – Out of Hiding

It was now early morning as the Company caught its breath from the events of the last few hours. Those on the spit had been freed by Wanda's telekinesis. She loosened the ropes in such a manner that allowed the dwarves to use them to climb to the ground. The Avenger could've simply levitated them straight to the ground. But the Scarlet Witch sensed the dwarves already had enough excitement over the last few hours.

Gandalf helped Bilbo free those Dwarves who'd been tied in sacks. The Hobbit wasn't the only captive to give Wanda a relieved hug. Balin made a beeline for her as soon as he'd been untied.

"Bless you, lass," he thanked her. "For a moment, I feared this quest would end inside the belly of those trolls."

"At least you didn't have to go inside their minds," Wanda wryly accepted it.

Balin gave this a good-natured laugh as they loosened themselves. He hoped Wanda's aid against the trolls would see Thorin become less hostile towards her. Others joined the pair. One had a question about a power used by the Scarlet Witch after the trolls were defeated.

"Um, can you fly, Wanda?" Fili cautiously asked.

"I'm still working on it," she admitted. "Unfortunately, I can't transport you all to the Lonely Mountain."

"I wouldn't want you to, Wanda," Kili said mischievously. "Getting there's half the adventure."

"Blast the adventure," Gloin solemnly disagreed. "Flying there would be quicker and cheaper."

"You're half-right, Gloin," Wanda told him deadpan. "It would be quicker. But you're assuming I'd do it for free."

The Dwarves greeted the remark with good-natured laughs. Telepathy or not, the Scarlet Witch seemed to know how to best tease someone in the company. Another member of the Company good at teasing now spoke.

"Where did you and Gandalf go last night?" Bofur was curious to know.

Those gathered around Wanda noted her troubled expression.

"Fili's right," she acknowledged an earlier observation of his. "There's orcs everywhere. We found more than hundred hiding in some ruins."

As expected, her audience was shocked to hear this. It appeared that orcs would be a constant threat to the Company throughout its journey. That being said, one thing shocked them more than the number Wanda and Gandalf had encountered.

"You killed them all?" Kili checked almost as a whisper.

Wanda confirmed only with a nod. The Dwarves believed Gandalf was a powerful wizard. But they doubted even he could've defeated that many orcs on his own. Wanda must've have destroyed a huge number of them for the pair to have emerged victorious and unscathed. The Dwarves had been told about the Battle of Sokovia. Given they'd never battled the likes Ultron, the danger posed by such an enemy was largely lost upon them. All were well aware of the danger posed by orcs though. It was only now they started realising what a phenomenon the Scarlet Witch must be in a fight. Their speculation was abruptly interrupted.

"Dwalin, Nori," Thorin called out to them. "These trolls must've had a lair nearby." The Dwarf King further increased the search party. "Gloin, Bofur you too."

The five of them and Gandalf briskly left the scene. Thorin's orders resolved what had been a question of Wanda's. She ran a gentle hand over one of the now petrified trolls. It seemed they shared a similar vulnerability to vampires. However, their end was as if they'd crossed paths with Medusa.

"I was wondering how they avoided the sun," she commented to Balin.

"These are Mountain Trolls," Balin began educating her. "They normally have a cave or hole to hide in along with their plunder."

Given the trio's greedy and gluttonous nature, it didn't surprise Wanda they looted their victims. But she was more interested by what else the elderly Dwarf had said.

"I take there are other sorts of trolls?" Wanda picked up the inference.

"Aye," Balin uneasily confirmed from experience. "Some a lot larger and more dangerous."

Wanda simply noted this. She excused herself after spotting Bilbo standing alone a few yards away. The Hobbit's hands were behind his back as he gazed into the woods. While concerned, Wanda respected Bilbo's privacy as she walked up to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Bilbo knew it was pointless saying "nothing" to a mind reader.

"Oh, it's about last night," he grumbled. "It was my fault the trolls caught us. Something else Thorin's going to hold against me."

Wanda's telepathy had earlier pieced together what happened to the Company during her and Gandalf's absence.

"What if I told you that's what Fili and Kili were scared of?" she told Bilbo to cut himself some slack. "Thorin told them to watch the ponies. After some went missing, they were frightened he'd be disappointed in them. It was part of the reason they asked you to investigate."

"They got me to do their dirty work?!" Bilbo incredulously concluded.

The remark drew the dwarves' confused attention. Wanda put a finger to her lips as a sign to keep his voice down.

"In fairness to them," she continued, "they didn't believe you'd get caught. It's just they're inexperienced like you. And even if Thorin thinks you got them into trouble, all the others believe you got them out of it."

Bilbo was puzzled at this. "What do you mean?"

"You were the only one smart enough to outwit the trolls," Wanda wryly reminded him.

The Hobbit knew what the Scarlet Witch had said wasn't just guesswork on her part. His spirits raised, Bilbo also remembered what she said about mind games.

"Yes I was," he agreed before pretending to make an awkward observation. "Though I didn't expect we'd have save these dwarves this early."

"That makes two of us," Wanda lightly laughed at his wit.

Bilbo's first near-death encounter also gave him pause for thought.

"It really is a dangerous business stepping out your door," he reflected more seriously.

The Scarlet Witch hadn't forgotten her telepathic nudge to Bilbo before leaving Bag End.

"It is, Bilbo," Wanda similarly replied. "And you can only do it if you've got courage."

Bilbo softly smiled at the indirect compliment. Suddenly, everyone's attention was grabbed by a sprinting Nori.

"What is it, Nori?" Dori asked as his brother sped past him.

"I'm just getting me shovel," Nori said as he dashed towards the Company's camp.

"You've found something?" Kili referred to the search party.

"Have we!" Nori's voice echoed from the woods. "We're rich already!"

Wanda easily picked up Nori's excited thoughts. The search party had found the trolls' lair and the loot it contained. She felt Nori had every right to be happy about the discovery. The floor of the lair was carpeted in gold coins. There was also chests containing jewellery, precious gems, goblets and other finery. It looked like the trolls had also plundered a number of swords and weapons. Bilbo noticed how Wanda's eyes were flickering.

"You see what they've found?" he eagerly guessed.

The troll's wealth included the possessions of their unfortunate victims. However, the Scarlet Witch couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement over the treasure.

"It's got to be worth millions," Wanda confirmed with a smile.

Those nearby the pair heard this. It seemed some descriptions of wealth were universal even if currencies weren't. The dwarves grinned and patted each other on the back at this unexpected windfall. They now began treating being captured by the trolls as a joke.

"After being roasted on a spit," Ori began, "we deserve a treasure worth billions!"

Ori's peers laughed with approval at his joke and increasing confidence. By contrast, Wanda recalled what Ultron did to Klaue.

"Just make sure its not vibranium," she advised the dwarves sotto voce.


The search party returned a short while later. There was too much loot for the dwarves to take all at once. Gloin was also concerned others might find the troll's horde besides the Company. With Nori's shovel, they buried a small chest of gold and valuable items as a 'long term deposit' to provide at least some sort of return from the quest. However, the search party was by no means empty-handed when it rejoined the rest of the Company.

Gandalf and Thorin had each claimed an ancient Elvish sword to arm themselves with. The former had found a smaller Elven blade that he gave to Bilbo to use as a shortsword. The other members of the search party had stuffed their pockets with gold coins. They began distributing them around the Company, including to its sole female member.

"There you go, Wanda," Bofur told her as he handed her a small pile of coins. "Just a small thanks for what you did last night."

"I was joking about not helping for free," she tried declining payment.

Bofur wouldn't hear of it.

"Well, you can always gamble it away like most of us do," he wryly suggested instead. "But here's something you should try and hold on to."

Bofur passed Wanda a comb different to those normally found on Earth. Its shaft was of short width with long teeth. The comb was made of silver engraved with a vine-like pattern. Its most striking feature was a large white pearl inlaid on the middle of the shaft. It was the most beautiful comb Wanda had ever seen. Bofur began explaining why he'd given it to her.

"I don't mean to pry," he prefaced. "But I couldn't help notice you've been struggling with your hair a bit."

More than touched, Scarlet Witch was prevented from responding by an unlikely source.

"Wanda," Thorin called her over for a private word.

Wanda gave Bofur's shoulder an appreciative squeeze before she walked over to the Dwarf King. Bofur was pleased she liked her gift until he saw Bombur giving him a smug look. Bombur didn't have to say a word for his brother to know what he was gloating about.

"I wasn't looking for a kiss," Bofur grumbled at him.

Meanwhile, Thorin and Wanda began their first civil conversation.

"Gandalf told me about the orcs," Thorin said before giving her a respectful nod.

Wanda accepted this was the closest to an apology she'd get from Thorin for his previous behaviour towards her.

"No problem," she modestly replied. "And I didn't sense any on the way back."

Thorin hoped that meant the Company could pass through the rest of the Trollshaws free of incident. His ideal passage still wasn't the same as the Grey Wizard's though.

"Thanks to you, we now have a clear path to the Misty Mountains," Thorin confidently predicted. "And Gandalf can quickly catch up after taking you to the Hidden Valley."

Wanda was about to reply when she sensed something to the east. Her head snapped in the direction.

"What?" Thorin asked.

Wanda didn't turn to reply. "Someone's closing in on us."

Thorin gripped the hilt of his new sword in response. Maybe the Company's path wasn't as clear as he and Wanda had hoped.

"Orcs?" he presumed.

The Scarlet Witch slowly shook her head.

"No," she reported more curious than alarmed. "Someone like…Gandalf."

Thorin wasn't one for taking chances.

"Someone's coming!" he alerted the whole company.

Gandalf had just presented Bilbo with his shortsword.

"Arm yourselves!" the Wizard instructed in support.

Gandalf and the dwarves immediately drew their weapons and rushed in the indicated direction. Wanda noticed Bilbo uncomfortably holding his blade as he made to follow.

"Stay close to me," Wanda told the Hobbit as she ran alongside him.

The intruder burst out of the woods a few moments later. He came to a sudden halt in the midst of the Company.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" he exclaimed as if unhinged.

Wanda had to blink twice at the oddest individual she'd encountered since coming to Middle-earth. The intruder was dishevelled in both dress and appearance. His hair and beard were both long and light brown in colour. There was also specks of dried bird droppings on the right side of his head. His felt hat and unkempt robe were also brown. Though what struck Wanda most was the intruder's form of transport – a sled pulled by six pairs of two-foot long rabbits! There was nothing unusual about the intruder to Gandalf though.

"Radagast!" The Grey Wizard warmly welcomed his fellow Istari. "Radagast the Brown." Gandalf sheathed his sword before asking him; "What on earth are you doing here?"

The rest of the Company lowered their weapons given they weren't facing an enemy. Bilbo and the Dwarves were nonetheless just as puzzled as Wanda at encountering the Brown Wizard for the first time. Radagast didn't just have an eccentric dress-sense.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf," he replied in a fidgety and hyperactive manner. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" Gandalf warily prodded.

Radagast opened his mouth to speak but then shut it. He made to speak a second time but again it ended in the same result. To most of the company, it appeared Radagast had forgotten what he wanted to talk about. Wanda was one of the exceptions. Just when she thought Radagast couldn't get any more bizzare, her telepathy sensed the Brown Wizard had two minds. One of those minds was barely self-aware. The Scarlet Witch quickly solved the mystery.

"There's an insect in his mouth," she told all present.

"Oh!" Radgast exclaimed as if something lost had been found. He pulled a stick insect out of his mouth and cushioned it in the palm of his hand. "I was wondering where Slim went."

Bilbo and the Dwarves weren't the only ones baffled that an innoxious bug had a name.

And they call me weird, Wanda privately reacted.


Radagast held his knotted staff as he, Gandalf and Wanda convened a few yards away from the rest of the Company. The Brown Wizard wanted to discuss what he'd come to see Gandalf about in private. He had no objections to Wanda being part of the conversation. Radagast was nonetheless curious about the reason why. It wasn't as though Gandalf had mentioned the young woman to him before. And the business of the Wise was always done out of earshot of others.

"Is the young lady a special friend of yours, Gandalf?" Radagast politely asked to understand.

"Wanda's more than a friend, Radagast," Gandalf answered while smoking his pipe. "She's also the Scarlet Witch. I've seen her magic myself. You can trust her as if she were one of our order."

Radagast's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It was high praise indeed for any mortal to be considered an equal of the Istari. He spoke to Wanda for the first time.

"So you're Wanda the Scarlet then?" Radagast tried guessing what to call her.

Wanda smiled at the Brown Wizard's seemingly innocent confusion.

"It's just Wanda," she replied.

The Grey Wizard intervened given the Company's journey was already delayed.

"So why did you need to see me, my friend," Gandalf hinted to his fellow wizard

Radagast's demeanour seemed to completely transform. His tone of voice was nothing but serious.

"It's about Mirkwood," Radagast began. "A dark and powerful magic spreads throughout the forest. Whatever green is left will soon be claimed by it. Even the very air is foul with decay. But worse are the webs."

"Webs?" Gandalf repeated, unsure of the significance. "You know better than most spiders have long infested it."

"Not the ones I encountered," Radagast revealed. "Giant spiders. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard."

Wanda had followed Radagast's report up until now. She read about Mirkwood at Bag End and saw it was home to 'great spiders' on Thror's Map. But what had spawned the spiders was completely lost on her.

"Ungoliant?" Wanda wanted to know.

"A dark and primordial spirit, Wanda," Gandalf said with foreboding overtones. "She took the form of a monstrous spider. Ungoliant may no longer be with us. But her brood has plagued Middle-earth for centuries, up to this very day."

"I followed this particular brood's trail," Radagast tied in his narrative. "They came from Dol Guldur."

Wanda vaguely remembered the name from one of Bilbo's maps. She more noted Gandalf's shock at hearing it.

"Dol Guldur?" Gandalf said in disbelief. "But the old fortress is abandoned."

The Brown Wizard subtly shook his head.

"No, Gandalf, it is not," Radagast softly advised. "A dark power dwells there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror."

Such was Radagast's emotion; Wanda clearly saw flashbacks of his search.

Radagast had crossed a narrow stone bridge into a dark, ruined fortress. Dol Guldur was much vaster than Barad Mindon was. The Brown Wizard cautiously entered a small courtyard with his staff at the ready.

"One that can summon the spirits of the dead."

A malevolent spectre of a long-haired king suddenly attacked the Brown Wizard from behind. Radagast parried his attacker's ghostly blade just in time. The Brown Wizard's eccentric nature belied his strength as a combatant. He quickly bested his foe after a few strikes of his staff. The spectre fled from the scene with an unsettling screech, its blade turning corporeal as it dropped to the ground. However, it wasn't the spectre's attack that had frightened Radagast.

"I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a Necromancer has come."

Radagast tentatively looked in the direction of an archway. There stood a black shadow that quickly took the form of a featureless man. The Necromancer whispered an evil sounding speech that seemed to bend the light and darkness around him. Radagast was suddenly pulled towards the Necromancer like falling into an abyss.

Wanda released a frightened gasp as the flashbacks terminated. She'd seen more than her share of crimes and suffering. But she had never felt such evil personified in the form of the Nercomancer. Even Ultron had the excuse of following his original programming. Radagast was shaking from remembering as well. The Grey Wizard had noted both their reactions.

"Try a little Old Toby," Gandalf told his fellow wizard. "It'll help settle your nerves."

After cleaning the stem of his pipe with his beard, Gandalf offered it to Radagast. The Brown Wizard took a deep breath of the smoke.

"And out," Gandalf finished his 'treatment'.

Radagast exhaled the smoke with eyes crossed and a blissful look on his face. Gandalf let him enjoy the moment as he spoke to the less flighty witness of the Necromancer.

"You saw?" he confirmed of Wanda.

The Scarlet Witch didn't need pipeweed to gather her thoughts.

"He was like a shadow," she described from the flashbacks. "An evil shadow."

Radagast momentary euphoria had passed by the time Wanda said this.

"So you can read thoughts like Lady Galadriel," he deduced before telling Gandalf his opinion of the Scarlet Witch. "Oh, I like her Gandalf."

It was the second time Wanda had heard about Galadriel. She was still too shaken to ask about her or to take in Radagast's compliment.

"I don't understand how that sword fell to the ground," Wanda put to him.

"What sword?" Gandalf asked in support.

Radagast reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out the said item. The sword had been heavily wrapped in cloth. He passed it to Gandalf who untied one of its leather bindings. The Grey Wizard found the sword's design both familiar and disturbing. Wanda was simply disturbed as the spectre's screech momentarily echoed in her mind again.

"That is not from the world of the living," Radagast uneasily insisted to Gandalf.

The trio's discussion was abruptly curtailed by a chilling howl in the distance. The rest of the Company heard it too. Bilbo was scared one of his worse fears about adventuring was about to be realised.

"Was that a wolf?" he tentatively asked aloud. "Are there wolves out there?"

The Hobbit wasn't the only one unnerved by the howl. Recognising the sound, many of the dwarves were more currently more frightened than he was.

"Wolves?" Bofur responded on their behalf. "No, that is not a wolf."

Hidden behind a nearby crag lay a Warg that stood six foot at the shoulder. The warg instantly launched itself without warning. It landed among the Company in a single bound savagely baring its fangs. Thorin moved equally rapid, striking and killing the beast with his new sword. A similar sized warg attacked from the opposite side, directly targeting the Dwarf King. Fortunately, Thorin wasn't the only warrior from the House of Durin with quick reflexes. Kili shot and injured the warg with an arrow. The warg fell awkwardly and tried getting back up. Wanda, Gandalf and Radagast arrived on the scene to see Dwalin dispatch the warg with a blow to the head.

"Warg-Scouts!" Thorin recognised this was no random attack. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Bilbo repeated as things went from bad to worse.

The Grey Wizard had similar feelings. He still had a tiny hope that the events of the last twelve hours were coincidence.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf hurriedly asked Thorin.

"No one," Thorin dismissed his concern.

"Who did you tell?!" Gandalf demanded he take the matter more seriously.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin emphatically insisted.

He's telling the truth, Gandalf, Wanda telepathically verified for him.

Ignorant of this, Thorin now put to Gandalf, "What in Durin's name is going on?"

Gandalf no longer believed in coincidences.

"You are being hunted," he tersely summarised.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin urged from experience.

Wargs could outpace even the swiftest ponies. Even so, Dwalin's suggestion was quickly rendered useless.

"We can't!" Ori loudly reported from behind. "We have no ponies; they bolted."

Radagast offered his services just before Wanda offered hers.

"I'll draw them off," the Brown Wizard stated.

His fellow Istari thought this foolhardy at best.

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you," Gandalf pointed out.

Radagast jerked his thumb behind at his transport.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits," he proudly reminded Gandalf. Radagast then gave a determined, snaggle-tooth grin. "I'd like to see them try."

Gandalf thought a moment before giving a curt nod of consent. Radagast promptly got on his sled at which the rabbits started sprinting. Assuming the decoy worked, there would only be a short window of time for the Company to slip out of the woods unnoticed.

"Gather what you can, quickly!" Thorin rallied them.

The Company scrabbled to equip themselves with what gear and supplies they could. The two exceptions were Gandalf and Wanda. The latter shared the former's concern about Radagast's safety.

"Let me handle them, Gandalf," the Scarlet Witch reminded him of her power.

"No, Wanda, not here," he firmly rejected the idea.

The Grey Wizard didn't doubt the Sokovian's power. His response was more driven by the potential threat facing the Company. Gandalf now had little doubt the Orc pack and the garrison at Barad Mindon answered to the same master. It was imperative not even a single enemy escape and report what the Scarlet Witch was capable of. If they did, their master could dispatch a whole army to hunt down the Company. Wanda could well be capable of destroying legions of Orcs on her own. Whether the rest of the Company could after she'd returned home was another matter entirely. Gandalf quickly formulated a plan that he hoped would cover all bases.

"I need your help getting the others to safety," he told the Avenger. "Starting with some mind games…"


A Gundabad Orc named 'Yazneg' led the pack of Warg Riders and Scouts. They had been shadowing Oakenshield's company ever since the Lone-lands. The Company's trail had gone somewhat cold in the Trollshaws. Last night, he sent a third of the pack to scout the southern surrounds. He led the remainder on the route he believed Oakenshield was most likely to have taken. Yazneg was using his scouts to flush out their prey into the open where they could be killed. Failing that, his orders were to drive them to Barad Mindon where Luzbodh's Orcs would be waiting.

Yazneg's pack was caught off guard as Radagast and his rabbits suddenly burst out of nowhere, sprinting away from the forest.

"Come and get me!" Radagast taunted the pack. "Ha ha!"

Yazneg ordered an immediate pursuit. The Company reputedly had a wizard in its ranks. Eliminating him would also remove a major obstacle to the plans of Yazneg's master. The pack's wargs released a blood-chilling howl before it belted away from forest's edge. Yazneg's riders frantically tried to catch Radagast on the plain. The Brown Wizard's faith in his rabbits was proven though. Under Radagast's direction, the rabbits nimbly dodged and evaded the landscape at high speed. This compared to Yanzeg's pack as Orcs and Wargs crashed into boulders and each other.

With the pack having taken the bait, the Company commenced its escape. They ran out of the woods out into the open. Gandalf took the lead as the Company used the boulders dotting the landscape to screen their movement. Wanda's telepathy was also valuable, she acting as scout without needing to use her eyes.

"Wait!" she warned the Company risked being spotted by Yazneg's pack.

The Company came to a sudden halt. A short distant away, Radagast drove his sled beneath an overhanging projection of rock. The Brown Wizard ducked with a quickness that belied his appearance. The Orc closest behind was painfully knocked off his warg. Wanda gave a nod to indicate the coast was clear.

"Quick!" Gandalf got them moving again. "Stay together!"

As the Company resumed running, its leader quietly asked Gandalf a question.

"Where are you leading us?" Thorin demanded to know.

Gandalf gave an awkward look as he opted not to answer. Thorin quietly bristled for two reasons. First, this was no time to argue. Second, Gandalf using the situation to keep his planned destination a secret. The urgency of the situation reasserted itself when a Warg Rider momentarily halted pursuing Radagast. Both Orc and Warg scented the air coming from the south. The smell they picked up required further investigation.

"One's coming to look for us," Wanda picked up the Orc's intentions.

The Company promptly took cover. The pressed themselves against the southern face of a large rock outcrop. The Warg Rider rode on top of the outcrop moments later. Both rider and mount sniffed more deeply as the scent got stronger. Wanda instinctively placed a protective arm across Bilbo's chest after picking up his thoughts. The poor Hobbit was more frightened now than when he'd been with the trolls. The savagery and cunning of Orcs and Wargs meant he couldn't outwit them over how to eat their prey. He held on to the consolation that the Scarlet Witch's mind games were far more powerful than this. It was a consolation shared by Thorin who sought to resume the Company's flight.

At a nod from Thorin, Wanda directed her telepathy at the Warg Rider. Many in the Company watched wide-eyed as Wanda conjured what resembled a thin column of red smoke. The 'smoke' rose to the top of the outcropping before entering the ears of both the Orc and Warg. The Scarlet Witch's mental control saw the pair immediately rejoin the rest of the pack as if they'd found nothing. That display of magic earned her an impressed smirk from a number of the Dwarves.

"Move," Thorin told his followers to use the opportunity.

The Company ran from the outcrop out into the open. To the north-east, the Warg Riders were still hotly pursuing Radagast. The distance between them and the Company continued to widen. Some in the Company began believing this escape might be easier than first thought. An ugly sounding horn from the south instantly shattered such hopes.

Yazneg's detachment had finished their sweep and was heading back to join the main group. The detachment was on top a low ridge when they spotted the Company less than a mile away. One rider in the detachment blew his horn to successfully attract the attention of the whole pack.

"The Dwarf-scum are over there!" Yanzeg now realised the Brown Wizard had been a decoy. "After them!"

There was a fearsome cacophony of warg howls as Yazneg led his force in the indicated direction. The Company had momentarily come to stop, startled at being found. The detachment had been out of Wanda's telepathic range for her to give warning. Orcs and Wargs were fast closing in from all sides.

"Run," Gandalf urged the Company out of their stupor. "Run!"

Already tired, the others sprinted after the Wizard as best they could. For every yard they ran the Wargs seemingly covered ten. It wasn't long before the inevitable happened.

"We're surrounded!" Fili exclaimed.

Yazneg's pack slowed the closer it got to its prey. They were deliberately tightening the net so none of the Company could escape. Orcs and Wargs also derived sadistic pleasure from extending the time victims had to contemplate their doom. As far as Thorin was concerned, Durin's Folk met their end only one way no matter what time they had.

"Hold your ground!" he ordered his followers to fight to the last.

Wanda was next to Bilbo as he and the Dwarves drew their weapons. Now she understood why Gandalf had been wary of entering battle. Even with her power, there was no guarantee she could destroy all advancing enemies before they reached the Company. However, Wanda was momentarily distracted from the imminent clash. The Avenger sucked in a quick breath after noticing Bilbo and Thorin's blades were glowing blue. Gandalf refocused her attention after spotting the safe path he'd been looking for.

"Now, Wanda," he coolly told her to carry out their plan.

The Scarlet Witch now carried out the mind games Gandalf had asked her to. Yazneg and his pack suddenly halted in confusion at what happened next. The young woman released a strange red mist over the Company. Even stranger was to follow. Without saying a word, the Dwarves and Hobbit turned in unison before following the Grey Wizard under a large boulder. Yazneg snapped into action as Oakenshield's company made its escape.

"Charge!" he ordered the pack to break formation.

The ground shook underneath Wanda from the thundering paws of two dozen wargs. She remained calm as the last of the Company escaped behind her. The Scarlet Witch focused her psychic energy until the pack was within twenty yards of her. With the area now clear of friendlies, she released the energy in all directions in a single concussive wave. Orcs and Wargs were instantly torn apart and destroyed after being hit. Yazneg didn't even have time to blink before being disintegrated by the powerful energy wave. All that remained of the Company's pursuers was a messy ring of black blood and fur.

Wanda allowed herself a moment of satisfaction that she'd carried out her part in Gandalf's escape plan perfectly. That satisfaction ended after hearing another horn in the distance to the north. Unlike the previous horn, this one produced a sure but melodious note. It came from a fast-moving armoured company on horseback. The Scarlet Witch wondered if the Company now faced a fresh lot of pursuers. No matter, she'd dispose of it like she had the last mounted threat. Wanda was suddenly prevented from behind.

"Hurry, Wanda!" Gandalf urged she follow him. "This way, quickly!"

Trusting the wizard knew what he was doing; Wanda ran towards him. Under the boulder was a man-sized hole for her to climb into. She slid down the hole into a small cavern where the rest of the Company had been anxiously waiting for her. Wanda's telepathic nudge had been so subtle that Bilbo and the Dwarves believed they had followed Gandalf of their own accord. Given the reasons, it was a mental manipulation the Avenger could live with. Her co-conspirator wanted surety about one of those reasons.

"You destroyed them all, Wanda?" Gandalf checked about Yazneg's pack.

Wanda simply nodded before asking, "Why didn't you let me take care of the others?"

"What others?" a concerned Thorin wanted to know.

"They looked like knights on horses," Wanda described them as best she could.

The Dwarves considered the description a moment. It seemed the concept of armoured knights wasn't an unfamiliar one in Middle-earth.

"Elves from the Hidden Valley I daresay," Gloin gruffly surmised.

The faces of a number of dwarves noticeably tensed at this. The prospect of facing heavily armoured Elves was almost as troubling as facing Warg Riders.

"Are they getting any closer?" Kili requested of Wanda.

Wanda tried sensing with her telepathy but came up empty.

"I can't tell," she reported.

A short path exited east from the cavern. Dwalin had been sent to scout it to make sure it was clear. From where he stood, he couldn't tell what the Company risked walking into.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads," Dwalin called back to the Company. "Do we follow it or no?"

After being chased by Warg Riders and potentially now Elves, many in the Company thought the choice was obvious.

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur insisted.

The Grey Wizard was chuffed as the Dwarves unwittingly carried out the last part of his escape plan.

"I think that would be wise," Gandalf softly agreed.

The Company began following the path. It quickly became quite narrow, only allowing movement in single file. Bombur found navigating the rocky confines particularly uncomfortable. Wanda looked up and saw the path was actually more a crack between two tall cliffs. However, it was something else about the path that got her attention.

Wanda took in the sunlight streaming down from above. "This place feels like –"

"Magic," Bilbo revealed she wasn't the only who thought as such.

"That's exactly what it is," Gandalf happily confirmed from behind. "A very powerful magic."

The Scarlet Witch sensed the said magic permeating the rocks and in the very air itself. She wouldn't call it telepathy. But the magic made her feel safe and secure, as well as a sense of contentment she hadn't felt in a long time. The source of the magic was soon revealed.

"There's a light ahead!" Dwalin told those following him.

The pathway led out onto a ridge at which the Company halted. An awed smile burst across Wanda's face at what she saw. Before the Company lay a valley gleaming in golden sunlight surrounded by beautiful woods and waterfalls. A rainbow could be clearly seen in the background. The valley was not unoccupied though. Across a narrow stone bridge was a settlement of magnificent wooden structures, the largest being a palatial home. Until now, Wanda never believed in 'magical' places existing outside of fairy tales. Not even in Middle-earth.

"The Valley of Imladris," Gandalf announced the name of the location. "In the Common Tongue, it's known by a another name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo easily knew from his maps.

"This is the Hidden Valley?" Wanda wanted to be sure.

Gandalf smiled at the gleam of excitement and wonder in the Sokovian's eyes.

"Yes, Wanda," he warmly confirmed. "Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea."

It went without saying, the Dwarves weren't as thrilled as the Scarlet Witch to have entered an Elven stronghold. Particularly their leader, now knowing why Gandalf wouldn't reveal where he was leading the Company.

"This was your plan all along," Thorin accused the wizard. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

Rivendell's atmosphere wasn't enough to completely dampen Gandalf's annoyance.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," he rebuked his attitude. "The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

The Dwarf King believed the Eldar had a proven record of ill will to Durin's Folk.

"Do you think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?" Thorin cynically argued. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will," Gandalf acknowledged as if Thorin had the said the obvious. "But we have questions that need to be answered."

Thorin lowered his head in resignation. Wanda sensed his thoughts. Despite wishing otherwise, Thorin knew Gandalf was right. He nonetheless felt such help still represented something of a betrayal on his part of Thror and Thrain. No one was more surprised than Thorin when Wanda placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Gandalf said Elrond can help me get home," Wanda prefaced before pledging the Dwarves her aid. "Well, not before I persuade him to help you get to yours."

Thorin responded with the slightest curl of a smile. Gandalf felt nothing but pride in the Scarlet Witch. In spite of all Wanda had been through in her short life, she never hesitated to put other's needs ahead of her own. That being said, the intricacies of diplomacy between the Free Peoples were best left in experienced hands.

"If we are to be successful," Gandalf counselled and warned, "this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm."

Wanda struggled to keep a straight faced as she interrupted, "So what do you want me to say?"

Bilbo and Gandalf happily chuckled at this for a number of reasons. One of them being the sight of Thorin laughing at a joke of Wanda's for the first time.


Like last chapter, I tweaked canonical events to suit the plot. Though my late pet rabbit would've attacked the wargs instead of running away from them.

In the film, the Greenwood turned into Mirkwood. In Tolkien literature, however, Mirkwood came into being centuries before the events in The Hobbit took place. I've adapted the literature version to align it with the text on Thror's Map.

Wanda is a powerful protagonist, especially so in Middle-earth. Gandalf restraining her reflects my view that she still can't exercise that power in isolation. Particularly given Gandalf's uncertainty about the Necromancer's identity (cough).

Keen readers will have picked up another nod to Disney with the reference to A Bug's Life. And Radagast liking Wanda was acknowledging Sir Ian McKellen's role in another famous Marvel franchise.