Chapter 5

Thanks for reading this story.

New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.

"He's been a long time." Bilbo said worriedly. Night had come. Gandalf had not come back since he left in the early hours of the afternoon.

"Who?" Bofur asked.

"Gandalf." Bilbo answered.

"He's a wizard. He does as he chooses." Bofur reasoned.

"As he chooses was to be on this quest until—someone—drove him away." Melda said glaring at Thorin's back.

"Here." Bofur handed him two bowls. "Do us a favor take these to the lads."

Melda watched as Bilbo disappeared out of her sight. The hobbit delivering their meals to Fili and Kili—charged with looking after the ponies. She turned away from Bilbo and from Thorin. She walked further away from the Dwarves and their babbling. Melda sat in a small corner and looked upon the horizon. Her mother was most likely cooking supper at this hour and her father smoking the pipe while looking up at the sky as she was. Both father and daughter staring at the same stars while being miles away from each other.

It was strange. In all of her adventures, thoughts of home had not crossed her mind. Not in the way it did that night. The dwarves were on journey to retake their homes from a dragon. While she as soon as she could—ran away from home. Going as far as possible. And as for Bilbo—he refused to leave home and yet, there he was. Somehow, on that evening, her thoughts wandered. What if—as the dwarves—she had no home to go back to. What would she do then? No land where she belonged to. Condemned to wander the land aimlessly. Waiting for the right moment to reclaim her lands. She could not imagine what life that might have been. On that evening, she missed home. She missed her parents.

She was pulled out of her wandering thoughts as Fili and Kili came back to the camp. Something was wrong. She stood up and joined the group.

"What happened?" Melda asked them. "And where is my hobbit?"

Mountain trolls. How was that even possible? And they left Bilbo to face them, alone—all three of them. Yes, three trolls.

"If anything happens to my hobbit—" She threatened the two princes. As the entire company was in hidings, spying on the trolls.

"He's still alive." Kili said quickly.

The trolls had discovered Bilbo and were now threatening him. "Not for long, it seems." Melda hissed at him. "We need—" Before she could finish her sentence, Kili had sprung into action. "—a plan." She finished weakly.

Kili attacked one of the trolls. "Drop him." He ordered.

"You, what?"

"I said drop him." Which surprisingly the troll did. Right on top of Kili.

Which set the rest of the company into action. Melda—who thought this was reckless—let out a deep sigh before joining in the fight. She stabbed—the first troll she was met with—in the flesh behind the knee. She was trying to bring him to his knees. So was the rest of the dwarves. Dwalin swung his mace in the knee of another. Ori used his slingshot to shoot one of them in the eye. Thorin leapt and sliced the neck of the troll. Melda was swatted away like a fly before her back slammed in a tree nearby. She got up as quickly as she could while ponies raced passed her. It still wasn't quick enough. The trolls were now holding Bilbo.

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off." They threatened. Melda had put down her sword before the rest of the company. She had promised to keep him safe and in that moment, putting down her weapon kept him safe.

The trolls had put them all in bags. Some of them were being turned over the fire pit as one would roast a chicken. Melda had no intention to finish in the stomach of a troll.

"Dawn ain't far away." The cook said. "Let's get move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone."

Trolls turned to stone in the daylight. There was her plan: distract them long enough for the sun to come out. But before she could even think on how to proceed—

"Wait!" Bilbo called before she could even think of what to do. "You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them. They're half-wits." Nori yelled at him.

"Half-wits? What does that make us?" Bofur yelled back at Nori.

"I meant with—uh, with the—with the seasoning." Bilbo continued ignoring both dwarves. He hopped to the trolls.

"What about the seasoning?" They asked him.

"Well, have you smelt them?" Bilbo asked them. "You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up!" The dwarves protested in anger.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" They asked him.

"More than you do. Clearly." Melda said playing along with Bilbo. "He knows the secret."

"Tell us the secret!" Their eyes were now on Bilbo. The latter glanced briefly at Melda before turning to the trolls.

"The secret is—to—skin them first!" Melda did not expect this answer. And neither did the dwarves. They protested and shouted at Bilbo in anger.

"Tom, get me filleting knife."

"What a load of rubbish!" The one turning the spit said. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scoff 'em I say, boots and all."

"He's right! Nothing wrong with a bit o' raw dwarf." The third one agreed. He picked up Gloin in his sack and dangled the dwarf over his mouth. "Nice and crunchy."

"Not this one!" Melda shouted. "He's been infected with a terrible, terrible ailment."

"You what?"

"Worms." Melda continued. "Plenty of them. In his—tubes."

"Ooh!" He let go of Gloin who fell on his companions.

"In—in fact, they all have." Bilbo said. "They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

"Parasites? Did he say parasites?" Oin asked.

"Yeah, we don't have parasites." Kili shouted and Melda's eyes fell shut in frustration. "You have parasites!"

All their shouting and protestations suddenly stopped before Oin said: "I've got parasites as big as my arm!" The dwarves were finally playing along.

"Mine are the biggest parasites. I've got huge parasites." Kili added.

"We're riddled."

"Yes, I'm riddled."

"Yes, we are badly."

Their voices were overlapping as they shouted over each other.

"What would have us do?" One troll asked. "Let 'em all go?"

"Well—" Bilbo tilted his head.

"You think I don't know what you're up to." He kept on. "This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" Bilbo repeated—offended by the insult.

"Fools?"

"The dawn will take you all." Gandalf said in booming voice as he appeared to them.

"Who's that?" One asked.

"No idea." The second shrugged.

"Can we eat him too?" Another questioned.

Without a word, Gandalf broke the rock he was standing on—splitting it in two. The early lights of the sun shone through. The trolls hissed and groaned as the light hit them and they turned to stone.

At last, they were freed. Melda walked around the three frozen trolls. They were lucky that Gandalf appeared when he did. She walked up to Gandalf—who was conversing with Thorin—nursing her left side.

"Since when the mountains trolls venture this far south?" She heard Thorin asked as she joined them.

"I was wondering exactly the same." Melda said.

"Oh, not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf retorted. He looked over at the frozen trolls. "They could not have moved in daylight."

"There must be a cave nearby." And Thorin walked off in search of the cave.

"I'm mad that you left." Melda glared at the Grey Wizard. "Glad you came back." They both chuckled before following the company.

Near their camp site, there was a cave. Rags, broken buckets, carts and flies filled the place. And the smell—

"Oh, what's that stench?!" Bofur exclaimed.

"It's a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch." Gandalf warned them.

Meldamiriel covered her mouth and nose. The cave was filled with coins, some body parts, and weapons that the trolls had taken from their victims. Melda looked around the cave as the dwarves actively started to go through the gold chests that were lying around. Until the swords caught her eyes. She walked up to it as did Thorin. They glanced at each other before they both glanced back at the swords. The one she chose while being covered in cobwebs and dusty. It was a strong blade, made in silver and refined, the pommel of the blade was engraved. This blade was too refined to have been made by trolls.

"These swords were not made by any troll." Thorin said handing one of them to Gandalf.

Gandalf examined his sword. "Nor were they made by any smith among men." He took a closer look. "These were forged in Gondolin, by the High Elves, of the First Age." As Thorin was about to put it back where he found it. Gandalf stopped him. "You could not wish for a finer blade."

As they gathered outside of the trolls cave, Melda put her newfound sword around her waist. An Elvish blade. It would be of great use in this quest.

"Something's coming." Thorin said.

"Stay together! Hurry, now! Arm yourselves!" Gandalf said to the group as they moved forward. To meet whoever or whatever was coming.

Melda put her hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "Stay close to me."

They regrouped with the rest of the company. It was getting closer and they did not know what was coming. Rabbits jumped out of the bushes. They were all harnessed together and to a sled. On it was a man with a peculiar appearance.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" He yelled as he appeared before them. The whole company threatening him with their swords and axes.

"Radagast." Gandalf seemed to have recognized the man. "It's Radagast the Brown!" He put his sword away as he is walking to the man. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Melda looked around at her companions, slightly confused. Nonetheless, she put her sword away.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf," Radagast answered. "Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" Gandalf encouraged him to continue.

He opened his mouth and shut it again. "Just give me a minute. Um—oh! I had a thought and now I've lost it. It was—it was right there, on the tip of my tongue! Oh! It's not a thought at all! It's a silly old—" He stuck his tongue out and Gandalf removed the insect that was crawling on his tongue. "—stick insect."

Radagast and Gandalf isolated themselves as they were having a private conversation. Melda observed them for a few minutes before turning her gaze to the Dwarven King. He stood with Dwalin. They had not really spoken to each other, not since their first meeting. Both parties had not made any efforts in that regard. They co-existed in this company and that was it. They rarely spoke to each other and Meldamiriel loved it this way. The less she spoke to him, the better she would fare. Although, she found herself wanting to know more about this King without a kingdom.

His eyes caught hers and she averted her gaze quickly. She would not be caught observing him. A howl coming from deep within the woods was heard.

"Was that a wolf? Are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked anxious. Melda stood up her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Wolf?" Bofur said. "No ,that is not a wolf."

Melda saw it first, as it came quietly from the shadow. A warg. It growled as it pounced onto them. Meldamiriel pulled out her sword and stabbed the warg into his guts as it jumped over her head. The creature came down in a crash, whimpering before Melda cut his throat. A second one came from behind her, Kili shot an arrow at it before Dwalin finished it.

"Warg Scouts." Thorin said. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Bilbo repeated.

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked the King.

"No one." Thorin answered and Melda believed him.

"Who did you tell?"

"No one. I swear!" Thorin said. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." Gandalf replied.

"We have to get out of here." Dwalin said.

"We can't. We have no ponies." Ori informed them. "They bolted."

"I'll draw them off." Radagast said.

"These are Gundabad Wargs. They will outrun you." Gandalf retorted.

"These are Roshgobel rabbits." Radagast countered. "I'd like to see them try."