Author's Note: 2 in 1 day today. If I have time later I might be able to finish chapter 9 and update it :) wish me luck!

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING OF THE HOBBIT SERIES, BOOK OR MOVIE.


Chapter 8: Stoned Trolls

The next morning everyone was in a morbid mood after the reveal of last night, and the mood worsened as a heavy downpour began.

"Are you going to be alright with just that leather coat?" Kili asked Rose with worry evident in his eyes.

"It's warmer than it looks, Kili, I'll be just fine." she replied with a tired smile.

Suddenly, Thorin called out to Rose, "Miss Baggins, would you come here… please?"

Parting from the radiating warmth of Fili and Kili, Rosemary urged her pony forward to Thorin. Once there the exiled prince surprised her by removing his heavier coat, and placing it upon her head as a child would with bed sheets. Her emerald eyes shone with wonder at the slight pout Thorin had, and completely missed the blush dusting his cheeks.

"I noticed your coat had no hood, so you may use mine for coverage." he said regally.

Rosemary allowed for the smallest of smiles to grace her lips, "Thank you… Thorin."

She receives a simple nod, and her smile fades before she slows down her pony to fall back with Fili and Kili. The two frowned at their uncle's back.

"Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori whined as he once again wiped away water from his brow.

Gandalf huffs in annoyance, "It is raining, Master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain stops. If you seek to change the weather of the world, then find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Rosemary asks innocently.

"There are five of us," the grey wizard answered, "the greatest in our order is Saruman the White. Of course there are the two Blue Wizard… but you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"Following them is you, and who might be the fifth?" she asked curiously.

Gandalf smiled happily, "That would be Radagast the Brown."

Grinning mischievously, Rosemary asked, "Is he a great wizard… or is he more like you?"

"Well," he grumbled, "I happen to think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. Radagast is a gentle soul preferring animals to the company of people. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East… and a good thing too. For always evil will try to find a foothold in this world."

Soon the raining stops, and the sun shines upon them. The company comes upon a burnt down house. Gandalf suggests to Thorin that it would be best to proceed, and urges to move toward Rivendell. Their argument results in the wizard, and possibly only protection they had, stomping away on frustration over the dwarven prince's bone headedness.

In no time night falls upon them, and Rosemary worries about her old friend.

"He's a wizard, and wizards do whatever they like," Bofur states, "he'll be just fine."

Rosemary nods amused in his statement, "Here, I'll take those to the boys."

Upon reaching the young prince brothers, trouble arises in the form of two missing ponies. Fili and Kili wanting to prove themselves to their uncle suggested that they, along with Rosemary, bring the ponies back. Rose is sceptical, and then hastily suggests to tell Thorin upon seeing the three giant trolls.

"No, no… we can handle a few stupid trolls." Kili said, his brother quickly agreeing.

"Don't be ridiculous boys, this is dangerous," Rose argues quietly, "We three can't possibly take on three huge trolls!"

"We three?" Fili asks, "No, Rose, it's too dangerous for you… just Kili and I will go."

As the three smaller beings argued about what to do the troll chipping vegetables happened to see the back of Rosemary's coat. Quickly, before Fili or Kili could possibly grab hold of the lass, Rosemary was lifted into the air by her leg.

"Lookie what I found here." the troll said swinging Rosemary.

"Hey! Careful I am not some ragdoll for you to be swinging about willy nilly!" She shouts loudly as she tries to keep her shirt in place.

"It doesn't look to have much meat on its bones…" another said sadly, "could I have it? I am the youngest."

"Shut up, we can chop it in parts." the troll with Rose growled.

"But that's not fair- AHH!" the youngest yelled out in pain.

Suddenly Kili appeared, sword in hand, "Drop her!"

"No Kili, run!" Rose cries out only to be shaken by her capture.

"You what?" asked a troll wearing an apron.

"I. Said. Drop. Her." Kili demands once more gripping tightly onto Fili's sword.

The troll flings Rosemary to the youngest prince, and Kili throws down the sword to catch her. As they both tumbled to the ground the dwarrows make their appearance with Thorin charging through the bushes. They slash and bash their weapons against the trolls. As the darrows fight, Rosemary quickly picks up the dropped troll knife and sets out to cut their ponies free. The troll that caught her before saw what she had done, and angrily grabs her by the waist. In a crushing hold.

"Lay down your arms!" he roared, "Or I will crush this little thing!"

Rosemary bites down on her lips to keep from scream at the pain resulting from the crushing hold the troll has upon her. Trying to push, unsuccessfully, against the fingers trapping her.

"Rose!" Kili yells in urgency, going forward only to be stopped by Thorin.

The leading troll growls, and tightens his hold on the hobbit making her scream as a loud, nasty snap is heard. Then she goes limp within the troll's hand. Quickly Thorin throws down his sword, and the others soon throw theirs.

When Rosemary comes to, she meets the concerned sapphire eyes of Fili.

"F-Fili?" she asks trying to move, only for a sharp pain to shoot up her leg.

"Careful, Rose… the damned troll crushed your leg earlier…" he whispered.

Remembering what had happened, Rose grimaces as she remembers Thorin's thunderous expression before she lost consciousness. Surely he thinks her useless now, is what she thinks. Soon her attention is stolen by the trolls talking about how to cook the dwarves. One makes the comment of the sun rising soon, and her eyes light up as she realizes that trolls can't withstand sunlight as it turns them into stone!

Quickly, ignoring the agonizing pain, she hops up shouting, "Wait, wait! You're making a big mistake!"

"What?" one of the trolls asks.

"You can't reason with them, they're halfwits!" Dori shouts as he and few others are being rotated over a fire.

Bofur shouts, "Then what does that make us?"

"I… I mean with the seasoning!" Rose says loudly making the dwarrows shout out in anger.

The apron wearing troll asked, "What about the seasoning!?"

"Have you smelt them?" Rose said in played disgust, "They smell awful."

The troll that trapped her before, scuffs, "What do you know about cooking dwarves?"

"Shut up, let the little thing talk." the apron troll ordered crouching a bit.

"W-well… the secret to cooking dwarves is… um… is," she began glancing around.

"Well what is it?" urged the first troll.

"Yes, yes… the secret is rather complex you see, um… dwarrows eat a lot of meat, so they're already nice and stuffed, usually…" she states quickly, ignoring the betrayed yells from the others, "these dwarrows haven't been fattened up enough! So they wouldn't taste good at all…"

"Bah, they look fine to me! Why they've got a nice fat one right there!" the angry troll stated as he continue to rotate the other dwarves.

As Rosemary glanced to the side she spots Gandalf's pointy hat, and smiles before it quickly fades away upon seeing that Bombur is about to be chewed on by the youngest troll. She hurriedly says the first thing that comes to mind:

"No! That one has worms i-in his… tubes!"

"What!?" the youngest yells in disgust and drops Bombur back on the pile of still sacked dwarves.

"Yes, in fact… they've all got parasites… nasty business, I wouldn't risk it." Rosemary states, groaning a bit as the others start to argue with her.

Thorin catches on quickly after she throws them a subtle glare, and soon the dwarves are yelling that they are infected with parasites. Kili going so far as to shout that he has the biggest parasites.

The angry troll huffs, and walks toward Rosemary, "What would you have us do then? Let em all go?"

Rosemary frowns, and gave him a shrug.

"You think, I don't know what you're up to," he says angrily as he jabs his finger against her chest, "this little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret!" Rosemary exclaimed red faced, and bristling at the term.

Suddenly Gandalf appears upon the boulder that the trolls hid behind, loudly saying "The dawn will take you all!"

And the trolls were stoned.

Upon the sun reaching them, the dwarves shouted in victory and Rosemary had enough strength to give a pained smile before she dropped into a faint.


Author's Note: Well, I hope that it was a fun and interesting read for all. Thank you for reading, until next time! (^.^)