"Elladan, stop! Hey! Wait up, I-" Elrohir was abruptly cut off by his brother's hand on his mouth. "Mph!"
"Shut up," Elladan whispered, taking his hand off Elrohir's mouth.
"What is it?" he asked, also whispering.
The older of the two peered around the large tree they were behind slowly and abruptly snapped back behind it.
"… Trolls."
Just the word trolls was enough to send any sensible elf's mind reeling. Ever since they were just elflings, the twins had heard stories about the horrible creatures and their somewhat grotesque habits. Elladan's mind was thinking of all the times his father had told him to stay away from trolls, and what he had told him to do if he ever came across some. However, in his current state of near-panic, he could recall nothing of his father's advice. Elrohir, always the logical one, already knew he wouldn't remember any of his father's counsel, and was trying to devise an escape plan.
"What are we going to do?" Elrohir said (without actually saying it. The trolls were coming ever closer, and he figured Elladan was good enough at reading lips).
"I thought you might know," Elladan mouthed back. The younger brother bit his lip. Why oh why hadn't he actually listened when people lectured him about the dangers of wandering in forests?
Okay, let's just assess the situation, he thought. We are standing behind a tree (which is our only cover), have no place to run where the trolls wouldn't see us, and … well, it seems the foul beasts have decided to set up camp mere yards away from where we stand. Oh, isn't this lovely?
Elrohir couldn't think of any situation he and his brother had gotten into that was more dire or dangerous than this. Oh wait, there was that one time with Legolas when they got into Thranduil's wine cellar … What had they done then? He couldn't remember much of that; drunken little elflings in great peril tend not to retain too much of anything.
The trolls, by this time, had built their fire and found some logs to sit on. They were all complaining about some petty thing or another. Elladan really couldn't tell; he really didn't care at this point, though. Elrohir looked lost in thought.
Oh boy, Elladan said to himself, if he hasn't thought of something by now, he never will. I suppose I'll just have to come up with one of my own brilliant schemes to get us out of this.
Now, if one has any knowledge of Elladan's "brilliant schemes," they'd know that they usually involved all-around disaster or serious injury (or both, on occasion). This situation required stealth and inconspicuousness; with Elladan, neither of these would be present.
A slow smile spread over Elladan's face. It did not go unnoticed by his brother.
"What? Have you thought of something?"
"No, but I think we're going to have sufficient means for escape soon enough."
"How?" Elladan just smiled and said:
"Mithrandir."
At first, Elrohir was confused by this, but then he saw the tell-tale grey hat sticking up from behind some bushes. Oh yes, sufficient means of escape they would have.
"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" asked Thorin.
"To look ahead," Gandalf replied. "I went to spy out our road. I had not gone far, however, when I met a couple of friends of mine from Rivendell."
"Friends from Rivendell, you say?"
"Yes, indeed. And some mischievous friends they are."
