Chapter 10: The Company Burglar

Bella watched as they disappeared between the trees and out of sight before turning to towards the light and letting out a laugh that sounded slightly mad even to her own ears. "I am the company burglar!"

She trampled forward through the undergrowth. What was she thinking? Bella was glad the circumstance had not really hit her yet, for if it had she would surely be running in the opposite direction.

"The company burglar indeed!"

Bella's mind only caught up with her feet when she reached the edge of the clearing from which the light was emanating. She snuck a glance around the tree she hid behind at the three immense forms surrounding the fire and almost bolted. Bella had to grip at the bark to remain upright. She had no doubt now that it had been the trolls that had destroyed the farmers house. They had most likely eaten the inhabitants. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. This unfortunately did not have the effect she had hoped: the foul stench the creatures possessed was at this distance rather strong.

The frightened sounds of the ponies reached her ears and her legs shook as she forced herself to take a second look.

The poor animals were enclosed at the back of the clearing, their escape prevented by rock on one side and thick rope on the others. The trolls themselves seemed preoccupied with their large cooking pot and had their backs to their catch. Bella saw this as her chance, unwilling to wait both in case her own nerves failed her and for fear the trolls would soon turn their attention to the ponies.

She picked her steps carefully, doing her utmost best to remain unnoticed.

"That tastes disgusting!"

"Well its not finished yet, is it?!"

Bella gave the ropes a tug.

"If you think it's so bad then why don't you cook for a change!"

A few more fruitless pulls and a perhaps unnecessary kick to a wooden post. Okay, so maybe the ropes were stronger than they looked. She would need to cut them.

"Oi! Keep yer filthy paws off!"

Bella frantically searched for her knife. 'Idiot! Bella, what good is a pocket knife when it's not in your pocket!'

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally found it, and quickly began sawing away. Almost there...

Bella rushed to shoo the ponies out, "Go! Go!"

"Hey!" The trolls couldn't possibly miss their dinner running off, but where much too slow to grab the animals.

"You didn't tie them up right!"

"ME! It was-"

"What's that!?"

Bella was frozen where she stood, fear coursing through her veins. She had not given much thought about what would happen after she had freed the ponies. She supposed her plan would have been 'run', but she had not been quick enough to avoid the troll's sight and now under their gaze she found her legs would not obey her.

"Is it alive?" A giant finger poked at her stomach.

"Of course it's live, it's what lost us our sheep, I'll bet!"

"Those were horses, you-!"

"-Shut up!" Bellowed the seemingly most intelligent (if such a word could be used) of the trolls.

"You!" It turned to Bella. "What are you?"

"Yes! It's not a man, not a dwarf, not an elf. What is it?"

Bella choked in trying to get back her voice. "I-"

"Speak!"

"I'm a hobbit! A halfling! One of the small folk!"

"A 'obbit? Never heard of a 'obbit before!"

"Maybe it's lying!"

"Shake it! Then it'll talk!"

Bella was finding it hard to breath. She could only stare in terror as one of the monsters made to grab her. 'Move Bella! Why won't you move!'

"Hey! Don't you dare touch him!"

She whipped her head around to locate the owner of the voice. She could not have been happier at that moment to see Kili and for a second she was not at all annoyed at him for putting himself in danger for her sake. Then she realised it was just Kili. Alone.

"You fool! Get out of here!"

He didn't listen, of course. The young dwarf stood his ground as the troll's turned their attention towards him.

"There's another one!"

"It's a dwarf, that is!"

"No its not! It ain't got no beard!" Kili readjusted his grip on his sword.

"You were meant to get the others, not follow after me by yourself!"

The trolls seemed to rejoice at the word 'others'.

"There's more of 'em!"

"I wonder what they taste like-!"

It was with a roar that the rest of the company arrived, springing from the bushes with their weapons drawn. They did not hesitate in their attack and soon the clearing became a battle ground with Bella doing her utmost not to get trampled.

She weaved in between dwarves and giant feet, everything appeared to be moving too quickly for her to make proper sense of. Several times she almost got stabbed getting in the way of the fight, and was knocked to the floor on her knees before Thorin noticed and yanked her up.

"Keep out of the way hobbit, if you can't do anything of use! Hide! Hide or you'll get squashed!" He pushed her towards the trees.

So she hid, bent low to the ground in a thorn-bush, and watched the scene with fright. Bella cursed at not having her bow and arrows – they were far back at the camp. The only other thing that may have helped her protect herself might have been her pocket knife, but she had dropped it and it was now lost in the leaf-litter.

Oin and Gloin appeared to be doing quite well and Fili and Kili were holding their own. Dori and Nori might have been better off if they did not both keep their eyes so much on Ori. Thorin, Balin and Dwalin were fighting furiously, and Bombur, Bifur and Bofur were doing the trolls quite some damage. The trolls did not fall easily though, and many large fists found contact with short forms with bruising force. She saw every hit they lay and every hit they took, each time praying that none of the company would be badly hurt.

Every time one of the dwarves fell they were quick to get back up, which was why when Dwalin of all people was thrown down hard against a tree and stayed down, Bella feared the worst. When he did not move for some time she made her decision, all but forgetting Thorin's words to stay put, and ran towards the dwarf.

As fate would take it however, he seemed to shake himself back into life before she could get to him and threw himself back into the fight with a loud battle cry. Bella was left standing at the edge of the clearing, suddenly lost.

"Mr Baggins!" She only just dodged the bolder that was lobbed in her direction. It smashed through the tree branch behind where she had been standing with terrible force.

"Bilbo!" Bofur's shout of warning barely reached her ears: one of the trolls was charging in her direction, a heavy log raised in its fist and with the intent to knock her into the ground such that she would not rise again. In that moment she saw the looks of horror on the dwarves' faces, she saw the fear in Kili and Fili's expressions as she froze for a second time that day. Thorin was closest to her and made to push her from harms way: Bella even glimpsed a flash of worry in his eyes before she squeezed her own shut to wait for the inevitable.

Rough hands found grip on the back of her waistcoat, throwing her off balance and away from the swing of the troll which passed so close she could feel it. Her and Thorin met the ground even as the filthy creature abandoned its wooden weapon and swiped again with an open palm. Bella almost screamed when the dwarf's hold on her was ripped away.

All other movement in the clearing had ceased.

Bella met Thorin's gaze and gulped. If looks could kill the one he gave her then would have fell her and everyone else within a ten meter radius. She had disobeyed his orders to stay hidden and had ended up with this situation. If the trolls didn't kill her, he would.

"Alright, drop your weapons! Drop your weapons or the dwarf gets it!"

Oh, she would pay for this humiliation...It was very un-kingly, being dangled upside-down several meters in the air by a troll.

Next chapter may take a while, coursework and exams are now upon me :(

Please review though, it makes me happy :)