Okay everyone! Here's another chapter! Please Review!
~THIRD PERSON POV
The night had wore on and Bombur had made an acceptable meal for the company. Bofur poured the bowls of food for the two Durin heirs currently occupied with the task of watching the ponies.
Bilbo was watching out into the night, looking for Gandalf. The hobbit took a quick glance over at the sleeping girl curled up by the fire and smiled. At least Emma fell asleep without much trouble. He was equally happy that her face wqas graced with a small smile. For once she was having a good dream and not a nightmare.
Bilbo let out a sigh and turned to walk back to the fire. "He's been a long time..."
"Who?" Bofur asked as he poured another bowl of stew.
"Gandalf." Bilbo replied.
Bofur rolled his eyes at how worrisome the little hobbit was being. "Did you not hear what Miss Emma said? She assured us he would be back by the morning light. Besides, he's a wizard. He does as he chooses."
Bofur took the opportunity to use Bilbo and handed him the two bowls he filled. "Here, do us a favor. Take this to the lads." Bofur then turned to Bombur who was sneaking another sip of the stew and slapped his hand. "Stop it. You've had plenty."
Bilbo took the bowls and walked off without complaint. Before he left the circle he took one last glance at the sleeping Emma. Her chocolate hair was sprawled about her head in soft tendrils. Her pale skin glowed lightly in the firelight. She really was a lovely creature...now if only she believed it herself.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts he head off to find Fili and Kili.
It wasn't hard to find them. They were both just standing there staring at some of the ponies like they had seen a ghost. They didn't even budge when Bilbo came up to them.
"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked.
Kili was the first to answer. He was obvious devastated by what ever had happened. "We're supposed to be looking after the ponies."
"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili seemed far more composed than his younger brother as he turned to speak to Bilbo.
They all then looked at the ponies. "We had 16." Kili continued.
"Now there's 14..." Fili added.
The three of them (More like Kili and Fili. Bilbo just stood there.) quickly bustled about the area to check which ponies were missing. Kili was the one to figure it out first.
"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili announced as they walked about.
"Well, that's not good." Bilbo let out a nervous laugh. That was when they came upon a overturned tree. "And that is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"
The idea made the nephews of the might king uneasy. They knew what damage an angry Thorin could do.
"Uh, no. Let's not worry him." Fili was not going to chance that scenario. "As out offical burglar, we thought you might like to look into it." That seemed to be a better idea than the alternative; Getting Thorin.
"Well, uh..." Bilbo was unsure of that idea. Retrieving Thorin sounded like a much better plan, but not wanting to look like a big chicken, he at least threw out some pointers. "Look, something big uprooted these trees."
"That was out thinking." Kili said with agreement.
"It's something very big...and possibly quite dangerous." Bilbo continued with unease. The thought made him want to head back to camp.
Fili looked around, but when he heard a snap of a tree he glanced out into the forest. Being one of the younger dwarves, his eyesight was top notch...but it didn't take keen eyes to see it. Through the trees he could see a faint light. Something had to be out there.
"Hey," Fili ducked down behind a fallen tree, "There's a light. Over here." Fili motioned for his brother to have a look as well.
The three of them carefully ducked behind the tree. "Stay down." Kili warned.
In the distance they could see a light. With the light came voices and laughing.
"What is it?" Bilbo asked. He had no idea what it really was.
Fili and Kili knew immediately what it was. Had they ran into them before? Bilbo had no clue.
"Trolls." Was all Kili said and it was the only word Bilbo needed to start worrying.
In a spit second the brothers were bolting in the direction of the very thing Bilbo wanted to run away from, but in the moment he did the only thing he could think of and that was to stay with the people who had weapons. He started to run after them, but stopped short, turned around and grabbed their bowls. Why he had grabbed them still confused him to this day, but he wasn't really thinking at the time. Perhaps he thought they would take care of the problem quickly and then they could eat.
They ran through the woods only briefly before they had to stop at the sound of a heavy body trampling though the forest surrounding them. With it came the sound of ponies whining in fright. Hiding as best they could they saw the large, quite smelly troll take off with two more of their ponies.
Bilbo looked anger by what could happen to the poor ponies. "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're gonna eat them. We have to do something." This was the first time he had ever been so bold.
Both dwarves turned and looked at him as though they had the same idea.
"Yes, you should." Kili said with agreement. "Mountain trolls are so slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you."
Bilbo was shaking a finger and firmly stating a few no, no, no's, but that did little to deter the plan from their heads.
"It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you." Kili tried to assure Bilbo he would be safe.
"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl." Fili added as he took the bowls of food away from the hobbit. He pushed Bilbo forward to go after the troll and stepped back.
"Twice like a barn owl. No, twice like a brown – Once like a- Like a- Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bilbo turned around and saw that both brothers had disappeared.
He was on his own now.
Fili and Kili were high tailing it back to the camp.
"Are you sure it was wise to send him off on his own?" Kili asked.
"He'll be fine. Let's get the rest before he get's into any trouble." Fili had no time for small talk. The two had ditched their bowls of food and ran as fast as they could.
It took little effort to make it back to camp. Well, it was more like stumbled into the camp. Those who were awake were startled by the two bursting from the brush.
"Kili, Fili, I gave you a task. Why are you not watching the ponies?" Thorin stood and demanded an explanation.
Fili was the one to speak, after he caught his breath of course. "Trolls. There were trolls. They took four of our ponies. Bilbo went after them to try and set them free."
"Aye, what he said." Kili had his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.
"Bilbo went after them? Why did you not follow! He could be killed!" Thorin quickly grabbed for his weapons. "Prepare for battle."
The words had the others quickly suiting up. The noise of metal clanking and rustling brought Emma out of her sleep.
She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes with a small yawn. "What's going on?"
The dwarves stopped what they were doing and looked down at the small female they had forgotten. What would they do with Emma? They certainly couldn't leave her there...not out in the open.
Bifur spoke in Khuzdul with concern lacing his tone. Bofur nodded in agreement and looked at Thorin.
"We can't just leave the lass here." Bofur stated.
Emma blinked and looked at the group more carefully. They were getting ready to fight...and Bilbo was missing. She put the pieces together quite quickly.
"Trolls?" She asked with little worry in her voice.
Thorin glared at her then. "You knew?"
"Not until now." She lied to keep him from getting angry. Of course she knew.
"We shouldn't bring her. She could be injured..." Fili tensed at the thought of her being hurt again. The last time he saw her under attack it nearly broke him. Any woman in danger made him nervous...
"I will be fine, Fili. I'll stay out of sight. I promise." Emma did her best to smile as the rest seemed to agree with the idea. As long as she wasn't seen there was a good chance she would be safe.
Fili narrowed his eyes toward Emma, obviously upset about her going with them, but he could not argue with her in front of the company. Thorin nodded and motioned for them to continue.
Fili and Kili led them through the thick forest towards the light. They all stopped when they were in sight of the camp surrounded by three very large trolls. Emma was kept towards the back of the group, keeping her away from the danger.
"Do we attack?" Gloin asked, excitement in his voice. He was itching for a good battle.
"No, wait...We need to know where the hobbit is first." Thorin spoke quietly as his eyes were assessing the situation.
Quite suddenly one of the trolls stood up yelping.
"Blimey! Bert. Bert! Look what's come out of me hooter. It's got arms and legs and everything." One said in surprise.
"What is it?" Another asked.
"I don't know, but I don't like the way it wriggles around." The troll threw Bilbo down in disgust.
"What are you, then? An oversized squirrel?"
The dwarves were waiting patiently for the right opportunity to strike. Emma sat back eagerly fidgeting with her hands. She could only hear what was going on. Dwalin had made her hide behind a tree a few feet away to keep her safe.
She heard a snap of a twig and almost jumped up with fright, but was just as quickly relieved when she saw it was just Fili.
"Fili, you should be getting ready.." She whispered softly.
Fili leaned down and took hold of her hand. The move made her gasp lightly as she looked at him with confusion. He produced a dagger from his side and with ease flipped it in the air, catching it by the blade. He then held out the hilt for her.
"Take this...in case something happens. If...if we don't...promise me you will run back to the ponies and get as far away as possible.." He was full of concern and worry. His eyes searching her face for anything he could take.
Emma smiled. She knew everything would turn out alright...for a time anyway. "Everything will be fine, Fili. And thank you." She took the dagger and held onto it tightly.
"Promise me." Fili grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm stare.
Emma could not promise. She would not be a baby and run. "Fili...I ca-"
"Now Kili, move!" Thorin's voice pulled Fili to his feet.
That's when the chaos began.
EMMA POV
Okay so this was getting out of hand. Seeing it in person almost made me piss myself. I only took a peek and the moment I saw blood I had to pull myself away from the battle. I could hear weapons hitting flesh and yelling from the dwarves trying to work toegether.
Then quite suddenly it was quiet, until I heard one of the trolls speak.
"Lay down your arms! Or we'll rip his off!" That was it. They would give up and I would be left to fend for myself until Gandalf appeared.
The next twenty minutes were the most excruciating moments of my life. I had to sit there and listen as all the dwarves, and Bilbo, were stripped down to their knickers, placed into sacks, and some put on a stake to be cooked over the fire. When I poked my head around the tree I was glad that neither Fili nor Kili were one of those dwarves.
"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." One of the trolls said. Oh god I hope they didn't try that...
I listened as they talked about how they wanted to season them, which didn't make sense to me because it would take hours to cook that many dwarves on that fire...or at least that what I thought. No experience with that, I promise!
"Never mind the seasoning. We ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." The angrier of the trolls said.
Oh thank goodness! Finally this would be coming to an end. Bilbo would say something and stall them for as long as he could.
I waited for it. He would be speaking any moment. Anytime now...Wait for it...And...NOW!
Nothing happened. Bilbo said nothing. In fact, when I look around the tree I saw he was still struggling to get loose. What was going on? Why didn't he say something?
"Build a bigger fire! It'll cook 'em faster."
Uh, so now I am completely confused. Why isn't this happening? No one was doing anything. Were they really going to be this idiotic!
Thinking quickly I slowly stood up from my spot. I took a deep breath and looked once around the tree. Then with all the courage I could muster, which was very little, I dashed from one tree to the other.
Now wait...
Phew. There was no commotion, which meant no one say me. Mission accomplished. Now for the next phase of this operation: Get to the others not currently being cooked alive.
I slide down the tree I was against and laid on my stomach. Being as quiet as possible I pulled my body along the forest floor until I found my way to the back of the pile of dwarves. I was able to see the back of Bilbo's head and got a full view of Balin's face from where I was.
"Balin." I whispered loudly. Of course he didn't hear me...Bloody hell.
"Balin!" I whispered louder. Once again he was too preoccupied with trying to get away. You'd think that he'd be able to hear with their huge ears. But noooo.
I swallowed hard. At the moment I was covered by at least underbrush. If I got any closer I risked being more in the open. It would have to happen if I was going to cut someone free. Thank you Fili for giving me something sharp.
Moving a carefully as possible, I pulled my body a few more feet to Balin and Bilbo. Instead of speaking, I reached over Balin and poked Bilbo in the shoulder. They both turned their heads to see me and gasped.
"Miss Emma, you need to get out of here." Bilbo said, genuinely upset that I had not stayed hidden.
"Aye, lass. This is too much for just one, especially one with little to no battle experience. Get back into the woods before yer spotted." Balin added as he wriggled about.
"Both of you quiet down. I have a dagger. Let me at least cut you free." I retrieved that dagger from the back of my pants and brought it up. The ropes the trolls were using were quite large...I looked between the small dagger and the large rope and grimaced. This would take forever.
I grabbed hold of the rope and vigorously started tearing at it to get Balin loose first. He could fight, so he was most definitely first. As I continued to dig at the rope with the dagger, I noticed how eerily quiet it had become. All I could hear was the fire crackling. Momentarily, I stopped and knitted my eyebrows toegther. Something was wrong..
"Run!" Bilbo suddenly shouted.
Fuck.
I jumped to my feet and started to run. I only got two long strides in before I felt a large hand close around my midsection. I was lifted into the air and brought up to face the three trolls who had undoubtedly saw me.
"Emma! No! Release her you foul creatures!" I heard Fili shout from below. The others were yelling similar demands, but Fili's had sounded more urgent above the rest.
"Look at this one, William!" The troll with her hand around me spoke.
"I thought I smelled something sweet..." The trolled named William brought his face close and took in what I could only assume was my scent. "She smells of flowers."
"Should we eat her?" The crossed eyed one held me up to his face as well. "Oooh that's nice.."
"No!" The other troll snatched me from the others hand and held me to his chest. "We'll put her in a sack with the lot and save 'em for tomorrow."
Being pressed against the dirty chest of a troll was the most disgusting thing I had ever had to endured. Seriously. Gross.
"Oi, get off!" I pushed against the trolls body and wriggled to get out of his grasp.
"Looks like we got ourselves a spitfire!" One laughed.
"She'll make the seasoning to my stew perfect."
I was thrust down to the ground and a sack thrown next to me. Once I had stable footing I looked up a the trolls and then down to the sack. I crossed my arms and glared at the three hulking creatures.
"When go on then, undress and get in."
"I beg your pardon! I most certainly will not." Was I trying to buy some time? Yes. Though I knew at some point, I would be getting in that sack.
"Get in, girl." The grumpy one took a step forward with a long jagged blade.
I narrowed my eyes and stood my ground. It was completely irrational, I know. Arguing with a troll was probably going to get me killed.
"Don't be a fool, lass! Get into the sack!" Gloin called out.
Even as I stood there, fighting the urge to just give in, the troll with the large blade moved closer and pressed the tip of it's serrated edge against my chest.
"You heard 'em. Don't be a fool." He said with a sneer.
I give up. There was nothing I could do to hold them off until sunrise...sure I could run, but they would probably catch me before I could make it ten feet. With nervous fingers I reached for my bodice and began to untie it.
My hands shook as I pulled the string through the holes and loosened it. I let it fall down to my feet and stepped out of it, kicking it to the side. I hesitated when my hands got to my jeans. This was humiliating. I looked back to the captured company and saw that all of them had closed their eyes. It brought a smile to my face. I sighed and made quick work of my boots and jeans, throwing them along with my bodice. I looked at the long shirt I had on.
"Can I leave my shirt on at least?" I was standing there in only a button up shirt and it made me feel like I was completely naked. I crossed my arms in front of my chest to cover myself more than the shirt was.
"Just get in the sack!" One of the trolls poked at me rather roughly, almost causing me to fall to my feet.
"She doesn't look like much...skin and bones if you ask me."
I stepped into the sack and lifted it to my neck. One of the trolls tighten it and pretty much tossed me onto the pile of dwarves.
"Oompf!" I fell upon Gloin and Kili. My face landed mere inches away from Kili's and when we made eye contact he smirked and winked.
"Fancy meeting you here, lass." Seriously Kili? That's what you say?
I rolled my eyes and ungracefully rolled my body to the ground next to them. I fell next to Fili who was laying on his stomach.
"Oi, watch where you're rolling!" Fili turned his face to see me. I was sure he was pissed at me. The look he gave me said it all.
I tried to hide my face from him. I felt like a disappointment. He told me to run and what do I do? I go straight into the lion's den.
"What do you think Bert? Should we eat 'em like this?" One said as he poked the dwarves spinning on the spit.
"Hey! They need to be cooked through!"
"But we don't have much longer!"
"He's right. Why don't we just eat 'em as is. Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf." The dumber of the three spoke up and crept over to the pile of dwarves that were supposed to be for tomorrow nights dinner.
The troll grabbed Bombur by the bottom of his sack and held him above his head with his mouth open. "Nice and crunchy." It said while attempting to eat the fat dwarf head first.
Holy hell! If someone didn't do something quick he would be a goner. I looked to Bilbo, still thinking he would say something, but he only looked back at me with fright. Seriously I had no idea why this wasn't going according to plan.
"Wait!" I shouted. "You don't want to eat him!" I tried remembering every detail of this situation.
"And why not?" The one who had Bombur asked.
"Because he's infected!" I turned my head to Bilbo, who stared at me in disbelief, but figured out what I was going for.
Bilbo sat up and carefully jumped to his feet within the sack. "He's got worms in his tubes!"
I let out a heavy sigh. Finally!
The troll dropped Bombur onto the pile, squashing Kili and Oin.
"In fact, they all have. They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it. I really wouldn't."
"Parasites? Did he say 'parasites'?" Oin asked. Without his ear piece, he was practically deaf.
Kili was squirming around, and from what I could see, he was insulted. "We don't have parasites. You have parasites!"
"Real mature Kili..." I muttered under my breath. Fili, however, understood what was going on. He only shook his head and stayed quiet for the moment.
"What re you talking about, laddie?"
There was an upset from the dwarves, who were insulted by the insinuation that they were infested with something. I heard a thud and the group quieted down. Well let's hope it clicked. Dwarves, apparently, weren't know for their brains.
"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" I heard Oin call out.
Ha! It was working!
"Mine are the biggest parasites. I've got huge parasites!" Kili added quickly.
Then every dwarf was going on about the parasites they 'had'. I looked to Fili who was spewing out his own lies.
"We're riddled!"
"I'm riddled!" Ori practically pleaded.
"Yes, we are, badly." Dori confirmed with urgency.
William, I believe his name was, stepped toward Bilbo. "What would you have us do, then? Let 'em all go?"
Before Bilbo could really answer, the troll was poking him in the chest. "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools."
"Farret?" Bilbo was offended.
"Sit down and stay quiet farret. Or i'll cook you along with the rest."The warning the troll sent to Bilbo made him sit down quickly.
The company slumped in defeat. The plan did not work. Wait? It didn't work? Wasn't this when Gandalf showed up and saves them all?
It was quiet again, with exception to some of the dwarves on the spit yelling out a few 'hot!'. I waited for him, but once again what I expected to happen did not.
"Damn." I laid my head on the ground and looked into the fire.
"Emma..." It was Fili's voice.
"What is it, Fili?" I didn't look at him. I had given up. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to.
"I just wanted to say...that I am awfully sorry for the way we had been acting the passed few days..." Why the hell was he apologizing at a time like this?
"Fili, don't worry about it. It's fine."
"No it's not. We were stupid to behave like that." Fili sounded sincere about it.
I let out a sigh and tried to smile. I met his eyes. The same eyes that turned into a storm once they matched my own.
"Fili, we will be fine. We will make it out of this."
He frowned slightly. "I don't see how we will...they have the upper hand."
He was right about that. They did have the upper hand, but from where I was I could see a small amount of light coming over the rocks. If Gandalf wasn't going to show up, we would at least need to waste time for a bit longer, but there was no telling how I could do something like that.
I sighed and laid my head back down to gaze at the fire. I stared intensely in an attempt to think, but was suddenly drawn into its dancing flames.
Within the fire...I saw a face. One that seemed familiar, but at the same time, was not. Dark and foreboding...but warm and inviting. Who..
'Beautiful.'
There it was again. That same voice! I struggled to sit up and move closer to the fire. Who was this? Why was I hearing this?
'You are as you once were. Intelligent and strong. Beautiful and innocent. Come to me once more.'
"Who are you!?" I had not realized, but I had moved so close to the fire that even the trolls were staring at me strangely. I had also not realized the dwarves had been shouting for me to get back. It was like this new voice had completely consumed me.
I felt a large hand grab my midsection and lift me up. It was William the troll. The sudden move had pulled me from the spell and brought me back...sort of. I was still highly dazed.
"Maybe this one is infected..."
I looked up to the troll who was examining me. I couldn't control the words that began to pour from my mouth.
"He'll destroy you..."
"You, what?" William was surprised and confused by what I had said.
"You ran away from his call...you left the darkness...He will destroy you all for your abandonment."
The words caused William to drop me and take a step back. "What did you say?"
I began laughing hysterically. I couldn't help myself. It just came out...like I knew something that I should remember and my brain was making me speak.
"His darkness will swallow you whole. You have no place to hide...no place is safe. Not for you. Not for those created by Melkor..."
The trolls stood still. Looking at me like I had sprouted horns and were about to strike. I felt whatever hold on me begin to lift as the sun started to peer over the rock behind them. In that instance I saw a figure appear on it.
"Let the dawn take you!" The wizard brought down his staff and broke the rock. I watched as the trolls tried to hide their bodies from the bright sun. Slowly they turned to stone and left us all in a state of shock.
Suddenly there was an uproar of laughter and excitement. We had been saved from the night's creatures.
But I was still lost in the dark.
"Aule, Aule! What are you doing over there?" A young girl with curly long chocolate hair and big green eyes was peering over the shoulder of a tall man hunched over a table.
The man was looked as though he was in deep concentration. His brown hair was held back and his knitted eyebrows came closer together at hearing the young girl's voice.
"Emi, I do not have time for your inquiries..." He said calmly.
"But I was just wondering what you were doing. It looks important." The girl tried a different position to see what Aule was up to.
Finally she was able to pull herself up enough to look over the man's hulking shoulder by gripping the side of the table. Within the man's hands was a glowing ball of light. It was blue in color and pulsed lightly in his palm.
"What is it?" The girl questioned curiosly.
"A creation." The words that came out of Aule's mouth made the young girl fall back onto solid ground.
She stood there staring at Aule with hurt in her eyes. Tears ringed her eyes as she stared at his back. The room was silent for a long time before Aule spoke again.
"Do not look at me so. It suits you ill." The extra insult he delivered caused the girl to cry out and run from the room.
She slammed the door and would have run down the hall had she not run into another tall man. When Emi looked up, she saw the dark eyes of a friend. His hands that had gripped her shoulders to keep her from losing balance, moved to her face with the lightest of touches.
His thumbs brushed beneath her eyes to wipe away the tears that had sprung from her face. As she gazed into his pale features, he smiled warmly at her.
"Emi, my dear...such a beautiful face should not be covered in tears and sorrow. What ails you?" The man's smooth voice was music to her ears.
He was much older than herself, almost as old as Aule. He had always been the one to make her feel better when she was down. A savior from her sad existence.
"Aule...he's trying to create again." Emi said sadly and looked away.
"Is he now? I do not see how he could best his last one.." The man said with a small smirk.
Emi blushed, but smiled at the compliment. "You flatter me..."
"But it is true. He is a fool to create more when all that he needs is right in front of him."
"Aye...he is disappointed I am female and not a mighty male." Emi pushed passed the man in frustration and walked down the brightly lit corridor.
The man slowly followed, his footsteps echoing louder than her fast paced ones. With a heavy sigh she stopped and leaned against the white washed walls. The man's heavy booted footsteps continued until he was directly behind her. He dwarfed her. She was so small compared to him...but she felt safer with him than with any other.
Her hair was pulled back gingerly by his powerful fingers. The soft tendrils fell against her bare back. A finer traced against her arm and up to her shoulders, touching the soft fabric of her dress that flowed so freely.
She gasped when a warm breath tickled her neck. " 'Tis a shame he thinks a female is so weak. I find them to be one of the most powerful creatures in Ea. They can harvest and create life. An attribute most males would die for..the ability to bring life so easily..I find it to be...attractive."
She felt the hot breath come from his lips as they lightly grazed the sweet spot between her shoulder and neck. With a shutter she let a hand wonder up to his cheek and his strong arm snaked around her midsection. Emi leaned her head back into the man and smiled.
"Emi..." The man whispered into her skin.
"Mairon..."
I woke with a start. My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears. I felt like I had just ran a bloody marathon. Like I had run a 25K without any water or pause. When my eyes finally adjusted to the world around me, I could see Gandalf standing above me.
As I gazed up at him, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Miss Emma, you had me worried."
"The dwarves...Bilbo..." Was all I could get out.
"All getting their clothes back on. Which reminds me.." He helped me to sit up.
I was still within the sack, but it was brought down to my waist so my legs would be covered. Gandalf grabbed my clothes from the forest floor and set them on my lap.
"You might want to put those on. Do no worry about anyone seeing you. I made sure to set you some place more private..." He stood up from his crouched position over me and walked away to give me some that privacy and much needed space.
I watched him disappear behind a boulder and found myself collapsing back onto the ground. I had no idea what had just happened. All I remember was staring into the fire...then it was all so fuzzy from then on. But the dream...I remembered that at least...part of it anyway.
I allowed myself a few moments to get my thoughts together before I pushed myself off the ground and let the sack fall from my legs. The sudden chill that hit my bare skin had me rushing to put my clothes on. Luckily Gandalf had also grabbed my bag from the camp...because I was done with the jeans I had been wearing these past weeks.
I switched them out for the dark traveling pants the shop keep had given me. It was far more comfortable than the jeans I had been wearing.
Why the hell didn't I put these on sooner?
I finished putting myself together and shoved my jeans in the bag. I could not part with them. Not when they reminded me of where I had came from.
Once settled I followed where Gandalf had disappeared and was able to find my way back to the company, who were still helping each other put their clothes on.
I walked passed a troll and touched the rough stone they had turned into. I felt sorry for the trolls. They were only doing what they knew how to do...and were probably pretty hungry. Not wanting to think further into it, I moved away and stepped into the clearing. Luckily most of the company had the majority of their clothes on.
Passing Fili and Kili I stopped to lay my bag down by their own belongings. As I looked up I saw them both staring at me. And I mean, not like the normal stare...It unnerved me...
"What?" I asked as I slowly stood.
Kili glanced over to Fili. They shared a look before Kili's eyes were back on me. He took a careful step forward and pulled on my arm to bring me over to them. Apparently this was a high school moment that was very secretive.
"Kili let me go. What on earth are you doing?" I pulled my arm out of his grip and glared at him.
"Emma, listen. Some of us...we're a little worried." Kili spoke with a hushed tone. Fili nodded next to him as he leaned in closer.
"What? Why? I'm fine." I didn't understand what they were so worried. I just passed out. What was the big deal?
"The things you said...to the trolls.." Fili added.
I blinked and looked at him confused. "What did I say?"
They both looked at each other before Fili cleared his throat. "We're not sure."
"You were speaking in a different tongue. It was a language we have never heard.." Kili said as he leaned in to speak near my ear.
This took me by surprise. I had no idea what they were talking about.
"What ever you said, lass...it terrified the trolls. Some of the older dwarves..." Kili continued, but his sentence was finished by Fili.
"They're leery of you.. The way you spoke...they fear you may be hiding dark secrets..."
" 'Tis only the thoughts of a few old, superstition dwarves." Kili tried to make it sound like it meant nothing. He obviously didn't want me to worry, but it was a bit late for that.
I found myself looking over to the other dwarves. They seemed to be too engulfed with getting their gear on, but suddenly Gloin had caught my eye. He stared at me hard with a look that made me nervous. Just as quickly as he had looked at me, he went back to helping Oin put on his mail.
Did what Kili and Fili say really happen? Is that what I did? I spoke a different language to the trolls? I was so confused about what was going on. Not only did the events of this journey not happen according to what I remembered. Something was wrong. Something was off.
I turned away from the young brothers and walked away to look for Gandalf. He would understand what was happening. He would help...if he couldn't find out what was going on...then who would?
