Chapter 13: Spared
Edyth scowls, waiting in the bushes with the brothers. She shouldn't have asked permission, because right now, Bilbo is sneaking into the Troll camp while she is left to the sidelines. He sneaks past them easily enough and begins to fiddle with the makeshift enclosure four of their ponies are residing in, waiting to be cooked.
"Mutton yesterday, mutton today," one of them sings. "And blimey, if it don't look like mutton again tomorrow." Edyth's nose shrivels up, watching them up close under the firelight.
"Quit your griping. These ain't sheep! These is West nags!"
"Oh! I don't like horse. I never have. Not enough fat on them."
"Well, it's better than a leathery ol' farmer. All skin and bone he was. I'm still picking bits of him out o' me teeth." The knowledge that not only do they eat horses, but people as well does nothing to settle the bubble of nerves broiling in her guts. It becomes an uncomfortable heat swelting up her spine.
"He's doing fine," Fili whispers, patting her knee. Edyth can only give him a quick expression of frustration.
One of the Trolls sneezes loudly in the direction of their broiling dinner. "Well, that's lovely, that is. A floater," the one on the right says.
"Oh! Might improve the flavour," the one who took their ponies says.
"Ah! There's more where that came from." The middle one moves its head, preparing for something that makes Edyth's throat clench in disgusts but the one on the left reaches out and pinches his nose.
"Oh, no you don't!"
The middle Troll howls out in pain, hopping around. "Oww! Oww!"
"Sit down." He pushes the middle Troll back into his seat who proceeds to sneeze again, only this time into a large rag that he stores in quite the disgusting place. Edyth's eyes only flicker to the Trolls ever few moments though as her attention is on her brother who has reached the enclosure. He starts fiddling around with the large rope, but quickly ducks to the side as the middle Troll reaches over.
"Well… I hope you're gonna gut these nags. I don't like the stinky parts."
The middle Troll, who acts as their leader, smacks him over the head with a metal ladle. "I said sit down!" Bilbo goes back to the rope.
"He needs a knife," she whispers aloud. "He's never going to untie that in time."
"He's fine," Kili hushes back. "He'll figure something out."
Edyth flares her nose, keeping her glare on the troll camp rather than the princes. They shouldn't have sent her brother in, in the first place. Trolls. What were they thinking? Edyth's hand brushes over her waist where her own hunting knife is stored, and the confidence of its presence concretes the idea in her mind. "I'm going to help."
"No. Edyth-!"
Edyth doesn't listen to there call, sliding over the rock they've been hiding behind. Keeping crouched, one foot slowly making its way in front of the other. "Edyth!" She glances over her shoulder to Kili who is waving his hand, gesturing for her to come back. Her response is turning her head back straight and carrying on.
"How come he's the cook? Everything tastes the same, everything tastes like chicken."
"Except the chicken."
"What tastes like fish!"
To her dismay, Bilbo's attention is now turned to the Trolls and she follows his gaze towards the backside of one. A large knife, curving and much larger than they could carry is resting in a waistband. "No, Bilbo. Just wait," she mumbles to herself, darting forward.
"Oi! What's that?!"
Edyth freezes, finding the middle Troll pointing in her direction. Edyth quickly ducks behind a tree, the bark itching against her back and legs. Her chest heaves with panicked breaths as she swallows the fear growing as a lump in her throat.
"It's nothing, Tom. And for the last time – sit down!" She hears the moan of Tom the Troll being pushed back down into his seat and they continue to grumble about their cooking. Peeking back around, her short appearance is forgotten so she slinks back out of hiding, tiptoeing forward around the curve of the Troll camp.
To her horror, she cannot even see Bilbo which means he must be on the opposite side to her, closer to the Trolls than the ponies.
"Me guts are grumbling, I've got to snaffle something. Flesh. I need flesh!" Edyth shrinks back into the shadows as the cook rises, heading towards the ponies as Tom reaches behind him for his cloth again. She barely means to take notice of the Troll sneeze but her eyes catch sight of something that turns her eyes into saucers.
Bilbo, somehow, has ended up in Tom's hand, lying on the cloth and now covered in Troll bogeys. Her first reaction is to look back for the brothers who are also watching wide-eyed. They must feel her seething glare as Fili's eyes turn towards her. 'Get. Thorin,' she mouths. Fili nods, nudging his brother and Edyth turns her attention back to Bilbo.
"-It's got arms and legs and everything!"
All three of the Trolls stare at Biblo who is lying there helpless. "What is it?"
"I don't know, but I don't like the way it wriggles around!" He throws Bilbo back to the ground. Edyth's feet jolt to move forward but she halts less in less than a meter. She really has no idea what to do. Her hunting knife is probably no larger than their fingernails.
"What are you then? An oversized squirrel?"
Bilbo stands, covered in snot. "I'm a burglar-uh, Hobbit!"
"A burglar-Hobbit?"
"Can we cook him?"
"We can try!"
Tom reaches forward to grab Bilbo but he ducks out of the way as Bert joins Tom's side. Edyth checks over her shoulder again, hair nearly whipping her eye, but Kili and Fili are nowhere to be seen. Hopefully getting Thorin and the rest of the company.
"He wouldn't make more than a mouthful. Not when he's skinned and boned!" Bert argues. He pushes Bilbo to the ground.
"Perhaps there's more burglar-Hobbits round these parts. Might be enough for a pie!" Bilbo ducks underneath William's hand as well and now Edyth is completely restless. "Grab him!"
Bilbo continues avoiding their hands; slow and stupid as Kili did say. "He's too quick!"
"Oh, come here! You little…" Bilbo's luck comes to an end as William manages to grab a hold of his legs, holding her brother upside down, his red coat flapping around near his head. "Gotcha! Are there any more of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't?"
"No," Bilbo gulps.
"He's lying!" Tom growls, leaning forward to eye off their potential supper. Edyth barely holds the squeal as someone comes skidding to a stop by her side. Kili's eyes are planted on the scene in front, crouching down next to her with his sword drawn.
"I'm not!"
"Hold his toes over the fire," Tom orders. "Make him squeal!"
Kili dashes forward and out of the bushes, leaving Edyth to scurry forward to the edges of the foliage. The Dwarf prince slashes through a Troll's leg with his sword, the Troll squealing and grabbing at his leg. Kili attacks again on the other side, sending the creature onto its backside, whimpering in pain. Kili stands in front of the two remaining Trolls, sword brandished.
"Dop him!"
Edyth's hand rests on the hilt on the hunting knife, though she knows it will barely be a scratch to them, it is all she has.
"You what?"
"I said," Kili breathes, "dop him." The fierce nature in his eyes, causes Edyth to almost forget the situation. It is something she hasn't seen before in somebody – not in the peaceful nature of the Shire at least. The confidence, the fire, the emotion.
William growls, tossing Bilbo through the air and Kili opens his arms, catching Bilbo and they both tumble to the ground. At the same time, the entire company comes running out of the bushes, their weapons at the ready and within seconds, are slashing at the Trolls.
Once again, Edyth's feet make move to join, wanting to help defeat the issue she helped raise but her lack of fighting weaponry halts her. The Dwarves slash and stab at the three Trolls who fight back with their own hands. Slow and stupid they may be, but there is no denying they are stronger and tough in skin. A few of them fly through the air, either by their own means or being tossed by a Troll. Edyth's eyes scan over the battlefield, trying to identify somewhere where she can assist. But the Dwarves are handling themselves finely.
Her eyes train on Thorin for a moment, watching him jump through the air, slashing through William's wrist so Dwalin can tumble back down to the ground freely. It is the first time she has seen him fight, and she cannot deny that he does so like the skilled warrior he is. There is not a falter in his strides, no lack of confidence in his sword. She watches Dwalin next, not surprised by his brute strength or strategy of direct and front-on attacks. Then she finds Fili who is ducking and rolling, twin blades taking up both of his hands, slashing at Troll's legs.
Kili is doing the same, only with a single sword, his bow and arrows still left at camp. He runs along the ground, then falls down and slides underneath Bert, attacking his legs as Fili has. Edyth keeps watching him, mesmerised by the fight until her own brother comes into view, tiptoeing around the edge of the camp.
"Bilbo!" she calls. Rushing forward, she makes her way to his side, the pair slightly hidden behind a cart.
"The ponies," he frets. "I need to get them out, but I can't find that knife!"
Edyth plucks her own from her waist, holding it up. "I think this might do the trick," she grins, panting as the adrenaline of the other's fighting also pumps through her. "Wait here, I'll do it."
Bilbo doesn't argue; not that she would have listened. Keeping her head low, Edyth scurries around the fighting the leather straps on the hilt of her knife becoming slightly damp under her sweat. But she makes it to the enclosure where the four ponies are tossing their heads, prancing on their hooves. The fighting is right by her side, a loud rumble of Dwarvish grunts, metal, and Troll thumps.
Edyth makes haste to cut away at the rope which only takes a minute. "Come on, come on!" she hisses, ushering the beasts out. They happily trot out, cantering away back to the direction of their herd. Smiling, she huffs out in relief, but that accomplishment ends in less than a second.
Her feet become trapped together, sending her front to the ground. Her jaw is snapped shut, teeth digging into her tongue as her legs are dragged first along the ground then up into the air. The knife drops from her hand, her fingers instead trying to grip something on the ground as the dirt and sticks scratch her arms. Her resistance isn't taken lightly and the fingers around her legs lift her up higher before slamming back down again.
The air is forced from her lungs, leaving Edyth spluttering for air as her mouth fills with blood from where her teeth dug into her tongue. Slightly dazed, she is lifted completely into the air. Her hair hangs down alongside her arms as blood rushes towards her head.
The company have gathered together, for the most part, noticing her capture. Edyth closes her eyes, feeling the tears swell in them but they do not fall.
"Edyth!"
Kili runs forward, but Thorin's hand stops him from going any further than a step. Thorin stares at her, not with a glare, but he sure is not happy either.
"Lay down your arms! Or we'll rip his off!"
"His?!" she exclaims. "I'm a woman you ugly brute!"
Tom holds her higher, so she is quite literally eye to with him. "Hey, it's another burglar-Hobbit," he grins. "And a woman. All the more fat on them." His tongue stretches out, circling his lips, leaving a trail of slobber over the gnarly skin.
A coward's whimper passes her lips, knowing that Thorin does not care for the state of her arms. All hope drips out of her as Thorin doesn't move; she doesn't expect him to. If she dies, they still have Bilbo. If they surrender, they are only dooming themselves.
No one else moves either and Edyth lets her head hang freely, eyes closing again. But they fly open at the sound of something digging into the soil. Thorin's head is slightly bowed, his sword no longer in his hand, but the tip dug into the ground. The rest of the company follow soon after, their weapons being tossed to the ground. Kili is the last, his face scathing as he chucks his sword down, glaring at the Trolls.
She's been spared. But for how much longer?