The Mountain Troll Attack!

Thorin gazed out of the window at the moving scenery. The green hills were still beautiful to see after all these years.

Healthy, lush trees were full of fruit.

After years of war and creatures lurking around, it began to thrive again, despite the monsters trying to keep it down.

Of course, he'd have had a much better view of the landscape if he were on horseback and would have happily agreed to travel to the Iron Hills on his mighty steed, except this time, he was not alone.

This was Thora's FIRST trip with her mother and father, so there had to be carriages.

Two in fact, since Dis insisted on coming also.

Every time they stopped, Thora would change her mind on who she was riding with that day and depending on her moods, she would sometimes allocate who rode in what carriage.

Today she's insisted on riding with her 'Papa and Mam', so Fili was left to take care of his mother, which suited everyone perfectly...until Thora insisted she poke her head out of the carriage window to see the other carriage.

Dru had quickly popped her down and gently scolded her, though she allowed her to do it a couple more times 'as long as she looked slowly out to see if any trees were in the way'.

He turned away from the scenery when Dru and Thora began to play one of her 'I spy' games and gazed lovingly at the both of them.

His beloved niece and Grand-niece.

Though Thora had told him off for calling them that.

'You're NOT Uncle! You're my Papa!'

He'd quickly apologised and hidden his smirk behind his hand.

He felt so blessed to have them in his life. His whole family really.

Everyone was growing and he now had Thora, Bror and even Kili had surprised everyone with his own little sprog.

He and Tauriel had popped back up at the mountain only a month ago and shocked everyone with a small babe called 'Ceri'.

And despite a few of the council members blustering, everyone adored Ceri just as they adored Thora and Bror.

Dis and Rana especially.

That is why his own wife was not travelling with them this time. His Queen was guarding the mountain AND looking after Kili as he looked after the babes.

Almost as though Thora could read his thoughts, she sighed heavily and looked up at her mother.

"Mama, why can't Bror come since we're all seeing family?"

"He's too little, sweetheart. Besides, it'll give Tauriel and Kili time to get him and Ceri to be best friends," she smoothed her daughter's curls out of the way as she explained.

"Ooooh...so they're not keeping him?" Thora asked, genuinely curious.

Dru could only snort.

"No, I'd like him back when we get home."

"Me too. He smells sometimes, but I love him."

Thorin tried to hide his laugh with a cough, but Thora seemed to notice it.

He quickly covered his tracks and weighed in.

"And don't worry, Rana will look after Kili and Tauriel."

"I think you mean just Kili. Tauriel and Rana will watch Kili suffer with Bror AND Ceri," Dru playfully poked her daughter in the nose and stuck her tongue out, to which Thora copied her mother and giggled.

"I'm glad they had brought me back a cousin, he's got funny ears but he's very quiet. And he doesn't pull on my hair like Bror used to."

"True, but-"

Whatever her mother was going to say was cut off as their carriage suddenly gave an unexpected lurch.

Without hesitation, Dru grabbed ahold of her daughter and tried to steady herself with her other hand whilst Thorin braced himself in his own seat so he didn't suddenly tumble towards them.

A shout rang out, followed by a series of others and the drives and guards on top of the carriage seem to hurriedly clamber off.

Something was happening.

Something bad.

"Are you alright?" Thorin quickly asked and when the two nodded, he reached for the door and looked at them, "stay here. I'll see what it is."

Dru was surprised by her Uncle's calmness.

But she knew it was because Thora was terrified of what was happening.

She didn't have to look at her daughter to know this since her tiny hands clung desperately to her dress.

"It's alright, I bet there's a really big swan in the road," she tried to laugh it off, but when another angry cry rang out, Dru found she was trying to reassure herself more, "a BIG swan."

They listened to the shouts grow and then, new sounds came.

Heavy grunts.

Creatures that Dru knew in the back of her mind, but could not identify.

She had to see.

"Sit back one second, mummy's just going to take a peek," Dru managed to disentangle her daughter from her skirts as she leant forward and slowly looked out of the carriage window.

When she saw what was happening, her blood ran cold.

It appeared that a group of mean, ghastly trolls had been in the road and disturbed by the approaching carriages.

Two lay down, their bodies mangled and covered in cuts and blood but the third one was a much larger and nastier brute.

The guards, Thorin and even Fili were trying to take it down, but it swung its humongous club at them and the company was barely able to duck in time.

They needed help.

They needed someone quick.

She opened the door but turned back to her daughter before she left.

"Thora, mummy will be right back," she reached for her sword where it rested on the floor and held it against her waist, "I want you to be a big brave girl-"

"Mummy, don't go!" Thora grabbed ahold of her mother's wrist and her little bottom lip wobbled, "Papa said we need to stay here!"

"I know, I know," she tried to hush her daughter and stay calm for her sake, gently pulling her wrist away, "but papa and daddy need help. I need to go."

"Mummy, I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I won't, I'll be very quick and careful."

Dru took one step back onto the little platform of the carriage and beamed at her daughter.

"I want you to stay here sweetheart and-AH!"

Neither Dru or Thora had seen the troll approach the carriage.

But the beast had quickly grabbed Dru around the legs and yanked her away before she could say anything else to her child.

The last thing she heard her daughter say rang in her ears as she was dangled in the air.

"MUMMY!"

Overcome with rage that she had been snatched by her child and that the bastard was looking at her like she would a snack, she managed to wiggle one leg free from its grasp and proceeded to slash out her sword and kick out her leg.

"GET OFF ME, YA' GREAT UGLY BRUTE!" She kicked out again when it pulled her closer to its face, but her well-aimed kick landed square on its nose.

It recoiled and angered that such a small, pesky thing had got it, decided it didn't want to play with her anymore.

Dru was suddenly tossed into the air, the grip leaving her legs as she rolled.

She tried to get her bearings and turned herself about, but she was dizzy as she flew.

Just when she caught a glimpse of the ground and she expected to hit its hard surface, a force caught her and she landed rather hard against something soft and familiar.

Her husband's grunt of pain was small, but he'd managed to catch her and save her from any real harm.

They both ended up rolling a couple of times on the floor, Fili unable to stop the momentum carrying them, but they finally stopped and just held onto the other as they quickly got their bearings back.

"Nice catch!" Dru pushed herself up and looked down at Fili to see if he was alright, "Thanks!"

Fili pushed himself up and did the same to her, though looked around when he saw she was alone.

"Where's Thora?!" He turned away to find her but Dru only shook her head to calm his worries.

"It's fine, I told her to stay in the carriage and-"

"NO!" His cry made her heart leap in her chest and she turned to where he was looking.

The troll had grown tired of the males trying to kill him and lost his club.

So he'd picked up the nearest thing he could use as a weapon and held it high above his head.

The carriage.

Fili and Dru froze in terror as the troll tossed it at the dwarves and they watched it take out one man before it sailed away and tumbled repeatedly on the ground, very much as they had done.

"THORA!" Dru cried out and quickly scrambled to her feet, Fili right by her side as she broke into a run.

Before either could get to the carriage as it stopped in the dirt, the troll stood in their way.

It's big meaty hands swiped out at them and made to run, but its foot got tangled in one of the harnesses that had come loose from the horses.

Seeing that they wouldn't be able to make it past unless they took it took down, Dru looked at Fili.

"Get the other end of that rope and pull!"

She darted to one side whilst Fili went the other and in its confusion, their enemy didn't know where to strike out next.

They both grabbed the thick lever either ends and working together, made sure to keep it around the trolls foot as they pulled.

"KILL THE BASTARD!" Dru screamed out as it fell in a heap, her guards and Uncle immediately swooping around it with their own swords.

But she did not wait to see the killing.

She turned about and looked at the mangled carriage she'd been in only a few moments ago.

"Oh Gods," her voice wobbled as she thought of her child and again, ran as fast as her legs could carry her, "Thora! Thora!"

Fili was right behind her as they got to the carriage, but since the tumbling had made it end up on its side, he quickly had to hoist her up as she clambered on.

She did not wait for him but hurriedly grabbed the closed door and lifted it.

"THORA!" Dru almost dreaded looking inside, but as she glanced down and waited to see her daughter she found...nothing.

It was tattered and the cushions and curtains were all over the place.

But no Thora.

"Thora?!" Fili joined her side and called out to his child, "but-but where is she?!"

"Sweetheart?!" Dru poked her head in and carefully checked every corner, "where are you hiding?!"

For a moment, they were unsure of what to do.

Thora had been in the carriage when Dru left and she had NOT been thrown out when the carriage had sailed through the air, or they would have seen her.

So where could she be?

"There!"

Dru pushed herself back up and looked at her husband and then at where he was pointing.

Not far off from where the carriage had been stopped, was a small gathering of boulders.

And right at the back of the largest boulder, was a familiar tuft of hair.

"Thora!" Dru cried out and both she and Fili frantically scrambled down the carriage and shot off towards her.

Thora poked her head out a little more as if to make sure it was really safe, but when she saw her parents, she stood up on the rock and looked panicked.

"Please don't be cross!" She nibbled her bottom lip and looked ready to cry, but neither listened to her.

Fili reached her first.

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close against him, cradling her as he finally took a breath out.

"Thank Mahal," he turned to Dru and loosened his grip enough so Thora could turn about, "she's alright."

"Thora!" Dru threw her arms over both of them, but that only lasted for a few seconds before she grabbed her daughter's head and planted quick little kisses all over her face.

"Oh, you clever," she punctuated each word with a kiss, unable to tear herself away from her little girl, "clever girl. Well done!"

Thora grimaced at the assault on her face but was more concerned with how they were both feeling.

"But, I didn't stay in the carriage like you said!"

"No, you didn't," Dru cupped her daughter's rosy cheeks and beamed at her, "well done for not listening to me!"

"Zinlaz, are you really alright?" Fili managed to ask his daughter, though from first glancing at her, she didn't appear to have a mark on her.

"I'm alright. But my shoes got dirty in the mud," Thora stuck her foot out for her parents to see but Dru didn't even need to look at it.

"Well, we can buy you brand new shoes when we get there!"

Thorin, having successfully killed the troll with his guards, came rushing over once he'd ensured that there had been no fatalities or serious injuries.

"Everyone is alive and appears to have no broken bones," he huffed anxiously as he looked at Dru first, "are you injured?"

"No, no. Fili caught me in time," she pulled back to look at Thorin, but he too looked unharmed.

He turned to Fili.

"You?" When Fili nodded at him, he quickly looked at Thora, "little one, are you-"

"Papa! That was a BIG troll and he swung mummy in the air and then-"

"She's alright," he chuckled happily as Thora continued to gabble on about everything from her perspective but Dru suddenly remembered someone.

"Where's Mam?!" She turned around and looked over for her mother, "MAM?!"

There was a moment of silence as the others all looked over, but Dis was not far.

Over by one of the trolls, Dis suddenly stood straight up and dusted off her dirty, dusty attire.

Apparently, SHE'D been responsible for slaying the first one, though, by the looks of it, her dress had been caught under its body.

Still, at least she had been safe.

Covered in blood, but safe.

"Bloody trolls!" She grunted out angrily as she wiped her sword on her skirt, "Ruined my best shoes!"

"Language granny!" Thora reprimanded her grandmother as Dis made her way over to the group.

Dru looked over at her overturned carriage and knew that it would no longer be of use to them.

"Well, looks like we'll have to squash into one carriage now and the guards can ride on the horses," she sighed at the thought of the cramped journey but was really thankful that everyone was ok. And besides, Dain would see them right when they met up with him.

"I have no complaints," Fili moved closer to her and placed his free arm around her back to tug her against his side, "I think I'd prefer to keep you two close now."

"But Daaaaa'," Thora whined and pouted, "I want to ride with Papa!"

Dru couldn't help but laugh.

"Sweetheart, we're all riding together now. You'll ride with Papa, Granny, your Da' and me."

Finally getting it, Thora cuddled up against her father and nodded.

"Ok, that's alright then."

An hour later...

Thorin felt ten times better travelling like this. He didn't think the cramped journey would be very comfortable and would have offered to climb out and take a horse at the front of the party, but everyone was sleeping peacefully and Thora had not caused any headaches with her strange questions.

Despite the day, everyone was safe.

Dis was still covered in dirt and blood, but didn't seem to mind and nor did anyone else. They were all too impressed that she had taken on a troll by herself and got it down.

Dru and Fili were sitting together, propped up against one another's sides. Her head rested on his shoulder and his ontop of her curls.

A strange, if comfortable pillow.

Thora was curled up contently on her father's lap, one of her mother's fat braids clutched tightly in her hand.

But she wasn't completely asleep.

A little dip in the road caused the carriage to jog ever so slightly, but Thora opened her eyes and look straight at Thorin.

"It's alright," he whispered and smiled calmly at her, "just unsteady road."

"Papa, are we nearly there yet?" She yawned with all the elegance of a horse and Thorin had to restrain his laughter.

"Not yet, little one. Rest."

When she finished yawning, her eyes fluttered shut once, then slowly opened and closed again.

"Night, night. Love you," she muttered before getting comfy against her father again.

Of course, it was still light outside, barely even evening.

But he still wished her a goodnight.

"Goodnight," he paused before he let the words that once so long ago had stuck in his throat out, "love you, little one."

Strangely enough, it seemed that Dru had heard him in her sleep, for she let out a small moan and shifted ever so slightly.

"Love you, Da'."

Thorin let out a heavy sigh.

Despite the day, it was alright.

The landscape was beautiful...but so was the sight of his family. Happy. Safe. Together.