Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been so long! I got caught up in work and everything but here's the new chapter! :)

Thanks for the Favorites/Followers: Mrs. Marie Woods-Winchester, Saddles18, Evakarina, LOVEmiSSinvisiBLE an boompje77.

TurtleJustice: Thanks again for your nice comments! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D

So that's it here you go guys! Longest chapter so far! :P

Cheers!

Chapter 8

We ran through the woods for a few minutes, avoiding the roots emerging from the ground, which, if we hadn't paid attention, would have made us stumble and fall on the spongy and muddy ground. At the same time, we tried to push the lower branches that were whipping and lacerating our face, clinging to our hair and clothe like small clawed hands that prevented us from moving forward. After a while, we saw the members of our company just a little further ahead. They were crouched behind the bushes, careful not to be seen, so we decided to move a little more slowly, giving up our speed for more discretion. We caught up with the dwarves in seconds and we hid behind a shrub with large, thick leaves, right next to Ori. The latter seemed nervous; his hands clenched so hard on his little slingshot that his fingers were white from the pressure. But of course, the young dwarf had all the reasons in the world to be scared and I had no trouble understanding how he felt. Like us, he had certainly never experienced a real battle and was surely waiting what was to come with apprehension. And what a first time will it be… A fight against no less than three trolls! Having never seen a troll in my life, I strongly hoped that they in no way reflected the immense, violent and monstrous creatures described in the tales to scare children. When my curiosity was too much to bear, I risked a glance over the bushes. My heart skipped a beat! After my eyes set themselves on one of the monsters, I damned my stupid curiosity... Trolls were huge! Huge and completely hideous, I might add! They were all around a fire; talking, wearing only loincloths, except for one of them who was also wearing an apron. Even from this distance, I could smell their foul scent, mixed with the acrid stink of their broth simmering in the pot over the fire. Suddenly, one of them, who seemed to be holding something in his hand, shook it vigorously and sent flying whatever he was holding several yards away. The thing then began to move and stand on its little legs trembling. I held an exclamation of surprise.

"They have Bilbo!, I threw in a whisper to my companions."

My remark was greeted by a series of disgruntled grunts. Apparently I wasn't the only one that the idea of fighting three filthy and disgusting trolls didn't seem really appealing. The monsters became even noisier and we began to hear some kind of fuss from the camp. Raising my head again, I noticed that one of them had caught Bilbo in a quick movement and was now holding him firmly in his grip. The poor hobbit in a fit of desperation tried to escape, fluttering and gesticulating in all directions, but in vain. I covered my mouth with my hands, fear already clinging to my insides.

"We need to do something, I ordered between clenched teeth, trying not to show any of the fear I was experiencing."

Thorin gave me a withering look that I hold nonetheless.

"They will kill him..., I added seriously, my eyes as cold as his."

Thorin sighed and looked down in surrender. He then raised his head quickly, his eyes flaming and his eyebrows joined with determination. The sovereign turned to the youngest nephews, lurking just a few steps from him, and nodded his head. Kili replied with the same fashion and quickly got out of the thickets, making his way towards the trolls, all by his own. Thorin then turned to us and raised his hand above his head, silently asking us to wait for his signal. All dwarves replied with a nod. On my part, I just held my breath, not feeling as sure of myself now.

The wait seemed endless! It was as if time itself was having fun by torturing us. And when the time came. When the hand of our leader lowered, everything seemed to go in slow motion. All together, the dwarves rose and emerged from the woods to the surprise of the trolls. I swallowed and let go the breath that I was holding since the beginning. Then I rushed after the company, Ella and Ori close behind, their nervousness as palpable as mine.

The stench became even more violent when we neared the disgusting creatures. The dwarves were effectively attacking and assaulting the three monsters. I noticed, in the heat of the action, that Bilbo had managed to extricate himself from his captor and was now standing in a safer place. I sighed, somewhat relieved to see that he was fine after all. But this quiet moment lasted only a few seconds before being interrupted by a giant foot that missed me by only a few inches. I had just enough time to throw myself on the side as the foot sank heavily to the ground. Stunned, I stayed still for a few moments, staring at the huge foot that could have very well taken my life. I shook my head and got up. Now was not time to wallow in self-pity! If I wanted to succeed in gaining the confidence of the members of the company, I had to fight! Looking up, I noticed that Ella was already being active in the battle, fighting alongside Fili and Dwalin, Thorin not far behind, keeping a protective eye on my friend. I smiled. She was in good hands; I felt that our leader would ensure that nothing wrong happened to her. Reassured, I threw my eyes before me, noticing a troll nearby. I took a breath and, feeling my hammer in my hands for a moment, threw myself in the scuffle.

Fighting one of these monsters turned out to be a simpler task than I thought. Well, more "simple" might be a bit exaggerated... Let's just say than rather being completely impossible, it was still kind of doable. The trolls were slow and stupid which left us many strategic advantages. However, we always had to be wary of their big arms, even if they were slow; we still hadn't a lot of time to react before their big sweaty hands reduced the distance between us and them. Ori had learned it the hard way... twice! As for me, I congratulated myself for my speed. Although if most of the time I would only escape by the skin of my teeth, I would still managed to evade from the grasp of one of these creatures and then let my hammer fell heavily on their knee or foot, I made them stagger a few steps backward which ended usually by a noisy fall on their back. Then I let the other dwarves took care of them. It was a quite effective technique and offered me a useful role in the battle while minimizing the risks for me.
This went well for a few minutes, but then a cry made us all stop. I turned my head and saw that two trolls were now holding someone in their hands. I cried a little when I discovered that it was Bilbo; prisoner of their grasp once again. Each one of them was holding an arm and a leg, making it look like one of those medieval torture machines. Slowly we gathered together, weapons in hands, looking menacingly.

"Lay down your arms, ordered one of the trolls."

Several dwarves let out a grunt, but no one moved a muscle. Capitulation was not part of the dwarf's vocabulary, I assumed.

"…or we'll rip his off!, threatened the troll."

As if to add weight to his threat, he and his sidekick pulled on the members of the little hobbit, the latter letting go a little fearful complaint. The poor guy looked completely terrified. His eyes were wide and shining with such fright that I felt chills go down my spine. Thorin looked down and, in a frustrated motion, threw his sword to the ground. The other dwarves looked at him, stunned. We stood still for a few moments before, one after the other; we cast our weapons to the ground, without forgetting to put some rage in the gesture, of course. It was extremely frustrating! After all our efforts, we were almost there... But in the end, we were all going to be eaten by these disgusting creatures.

As soon as we were all helpless, the trolls threw us a sinister smile. While one of them was in charge of the fire, the other two began to throw us all in sort of bag, having made us undress of our coats, boots and pants beforehand, leaving us in only our undershirt and underpants. The bag was made of a rough cloth and stopped just below the chin. Then, with a thick rope, they shut the opening properly. Once their work complete, it was almost impossible for us to move inside those stupid bags that smelled, like everything that belonged to the trolls, extremely bad!

Meanwhile, the one who looked after the fire began to put together a strange assembly of woods above the flames. He began by placing two rudimentary pillars on either side of the fire and then he went for a long sturdy branch with a strange curve at one end and placed it on two supports; that way it was standing about a meter above the fire. This is when it struck me as I realized with disgust what they were up to. Cook us. They wanted to cook us alive! I felt nausea in my mouth just thinking about it. This significantly exceeded the level of barbarism that I was accustomed to.

Once hi finished his installation, he approached us and pick almost half of us. With the help of his fellows, they brought them out of their bag and placed them on the beam, one by one. My heart stopped when I noticed that one of them was Bofur. I struggled in my pocket to try to loosen the knot at the opening, but all I achieved to do was to scratch the skin of my neck. Then I calmed down, resigning myself reluctantly to attend the horrible spectacle that the trolls were about to give. To see people that I had learned to appreciate... to love died after the entire journey we had made together was heartbreaking. I swore under my breath against Manwe, the instigator of all this. It was his fault that my heart was broken today; it was his fault that I had never felt so angry in my whole life. Why us? Why? Was it really the end? Were we really going to die like this? I couldn't believe it, but at the same time I could feel tears in my eyes, blurring my vision. I tried to hold them back; to hide any weakness, but despite my best efforts I felt a few of them slid slowly down my face and crashed on the bag incapacitating me.

"Don't worry... everything will be alright."

I turned toward the voice. Balin had a kind look, trying to reassure me in this moment of crisis. I sniffed and nodded, hoping foolishly that the good dwarf was right. The trolls, meanwhile, continued their work, two slowly turning the spit while the other was arguing with his fellows about seasoning, the formers visibly greatly exasperated.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone, he ended with a growl and looked around."

This caught my attention. Turned to stone... how could it be possible? Then I heard a commotion to my right, rustling sounds and murmurs of apology preceded a small shape that rose above us. To my surprise, I saw Bilbo hopping towards the three creatures.

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake, he spoke directly to the trolls, almost shouting to make sure they heard him well.

- You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!, exclaimed Dwalin when the roll of the spit made him passed in front of us.

- Half-wits?, it was Bofur's turn to pass in front of us. What does that make us?"

This remark would have made me smile if it were not for the seriousness of the situation. But I saw what the hobbit was up to. Although shy, you could see the first rays of sunlight shining on the horizon. The dawn was coming. If we could have a few more minutes...

"Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning, stuttered Bilbo.

- What about the seasoning?, asked one of the trolls.

- Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up., continued the hobbit, ignoring the outraged shouting of the dwarves.

- What do you know about cooking dwarf?, asked one of the trolls, suspiciously.

- Shut up !, ordered the troll with an apron. And let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk."

Bilbo gave him a small fake smile and began.

"Uh, th-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um—

- Yes? Come on, interrupted the troll.

- It's, uh—

- Tell us the secret.

- Ye-yes, I'm telling you, the secret is… I held my breath... to skin them first!,I rolled my eyes. Skinned? Bilbo, really?"

This bad idea was greeted by a wave of grunts and threats from the entire company. I must admit that the subtlety of my little friend was not at its best. I hoped he would managed to push his lie a little further...

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all, exclaimed one of the trolls.

- `e's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy, continued the last troll, the most stupid one, while grabbing Bombur by his feet and suspending him upside down above his mouth.

- No!, cried Bilbo. not that one, he-he's infected!

- You what?, wondered the troll and began to examine the dwarf apprehensively.

- Yeah, He's got worms in his… tubes, tried the hobbit."

The reaction was immediate. The troll, disgusted, threw the dwarf away from him, letting Bombur landed heavily on Kili and Oin. Seizing his chance, Bilbo added.

"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?!"

This offended exclamation from Oin was the starting signal of many others. All dwarves decided to put some in it, suggesting that they "don't have parasites" and treated the poor hobbit of infested himself! Their reaction earned an eye rolling from me. I knew, after having rubbed shoulders for weeks, the dwarves were not the smartest breed of Middle-earth, but still! Finally, one of them understood the hobbit's scheme; Thorin. By hitting Kili in the back, he managed to do what I had failed to do discreetly; silenced the dwarves. Immediately, they understood the warning and they began to rant about who's got the biggest parasites and all, jumping in Bilbo's lie head front, which was by the least subtle. I hoped that it was still enough to fool the stupid trolls. But my joy was short-lived, while the one with the apron, surely the brightest of the three, leaned towards Bilbo with a menacing look.

"What would you have us do, then, he asked, frowning. Let 'em all go?

- Well... Bilbo pretended to consider the offer.

- You think I don't know what you're up to?, accused the troll, poking the hobbit in the chest with the tip of his wooden spoon. This little ferret is taking us for fools!

- Ferret?, Bilbo said indignatly.

- Fools?, imitated the dumbest of the trio."

I held my breath. We were so close! Did the gods have something against us to make our task so difficult? It was hopeless! I continued to feel sorry over myself, when suddenly a voice came from the east, strong and resonant.

"The dawn will take you all!"

I could not suppress a smile to grace my face. Before us, overlooking the scene on top of a large rock, stood Gandalf! He outstretched his arms theatrically and in a threatening manner.

"Who's that?, asked one of the trolls.

- No idea, the one with the apron replied.

- Can we eat `im too?, finished the stupid one."

Then, with a large movement of his arms, the old mage lifted his scepter over his head and brought it down with all his strength on the rock under his feet. With a thud, the rock cracked and then split in its center to let the sweet rays of dawn slipped through, bathing the camp with a warm light. The trolls started screaming as soon as the light hit them. Through their cries of pain and horrible complaints, I witnessed the change of the three trolls into stone. They tried rising to block the deadly rays of the sun by raising their arms in front of them, but to no avail. After a final step and one last breath, the three monsters were only three huge stone statues now, motionless and harmless.

I let go of a breath I did not know I was holding. It was finally finished and I joined the relief joyfully; shouting and cheering at our savior, Gandalf. He smiled at us and went down the cliff to get us out one by one of our fabric prisons. Being out of this damned pocket was a relief! I stretched and rolled my shoulder to relax my aching muscles. The dwarves that were attached to the pin were brought down were now retrieving their clothes. I could see Nori and Bofur helping Bifur putting his pants on. I smiled.

"I told you that everything would be alright."

I turned and threw a grateful smile to Balin. The old dwarf smiled and gave me a wink continuing on his way to join Thorin and Gandalf who were discussing further away. For my part, I decided to join Ella who was helping a blushing Ori removing dirt and leaves stuck in his hair.

"I assure you... miss Ella, it is not necessary... timidly tried the young dwarf.

- Stop moving, Ori! Otherwise I'll never finish, cut out Ella."

Ori sighed and resigned himself, letting my friend do her job quietly. Hearing me approach Ella looked up and smiled, pulling out the last leaf from the dwarf's hair.

"There!, she said, ruffling his hair. You can go now!"

Ori muttered a quick thank you and walked away to his awaiting brothers. I smiled at my friend and hugged her.

"I'm glad to see that you're unarmed, I said sincerely.

- Me too... I really thought I was going to die at some occasions.

- I doubt it, you have a guardian angel, you know..., I pointed towards Thorin with my chin."

She blushed and hit me on the arm, laughing. I laughed as well, when I saw Bofur sitting alone on a rock his pipe in his hand. I apologized to my friend and went to him. I could feel my friend's amused gaze on me, but ignored it. I approached the dwarf and the latter looked up at me, a smile widening across his face. He stood up as I came near him.

"Hey... was all I had found intelligent to say.

- Aye indeed, he replied mockingly.

- I... umm... you okay?

- Of course, why wouldn't I be?

- Well... I replied matter-of-factly. Because you almost had been eaten by trolls who first wanted to cook you alive...

- Ah! That, exclaimed the dwarf. I've seen worse don't worry, lass, a smile stretched across his face."

I shook my head at his antics. Men really! Then I smiled and gave him nudge on the shoulder.

"Well, I didn't like it!, I confessed. I was scared, you know!

- Ah... you were worried about me?, he asked seriously.

- Of course I was, stupid!, I exclaimed a little too quickly. You... you're my friend after all...

- Yes... friend...

For the first time since we retrieve our freedom, I looked into Bofur' s eyes, but really in the eyes! Even with his mocking smile, I could see that emotions far more serious lurking in those green orbs of his. But as hard as I tried, I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Bofur! Allie! Hurry up!, we're moving!, commanded Dwalin from the end of the camp."

I came out of my trance and looked at the great warrior. He was motioning us forward with his arms. Behind him, far away into the woods, I could see the company walking away. Bofur and I took our things and quickly caught up to Dwalin, not wanting to left the impatient dwarf waiting for too long.

"Where are we going?, I asked Dwalin, once we reached his level.

- The wizard believes that the trolls have a cave not far from here; we'll try to find it. Troll caves are always filled with treasures, explained the dwarf."

Visit a troll cave? And here was thinking that their camp stank! I pinched my nose.

"You'll see, their caves are even more disgusting than you saw, commented Bofur. They stink so much that it could make a goblin throw up.

- Lovely... I replied, pursing my lips in disgust."

Sometimes I really wonder if he was doing this on purpose or if he was truly unaware of his questionable encouraging comments.