Author's Note: I own nothing.

5 Trolled

The next few days were a bit dull, though Kili seemed to have decided it was his job to make sure Bella was comfortable and safe. He'd been trying to teach her how to use his bow but the draw on it was quite large, it wasn't really a beginner bow after all. He'd been using it for years, despite some protests from others. Thorin hadn't been impressed when he'd picked a bow as his weapon. Not until he proved he could use it well. They were about two days ride from the Misty Mountains and Thorin and Gandalf were having a disagreement.

"We should make for the Hidden Valley." Gandalf insisted. Thorin shook his head as Kili helped Bella off her pony. Fili raised an eyebrow at his brother who avoided his eyes as they began to set up camp.

"I will not say this again Wizard. I will go nowhere near that valley." Thorin insisted. The argument continued for a few minutes before Gandalf rolled his eyes, mounting back onto his horse.

"Gandalf? Where are you going?" Bella called after him.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who has any sense." He grumbled.

"Who's that?" Bella asked.

"Myself, Miss Baggins!" He called out as he rode away. The task of setting up the camp was a silent one that night. Fili and Kili were set to watching the ponies but Fili had other things on his mind. He tossed a small rock at Kili to get his attention. As expected Kili caught it and raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you spending an awful lot of time with the burglar. What's going on Ki? Is it her?" He asked wiggling an eyebrow at Kili. He didn't expect an eye roll in return though chucking the rock back at him came as no surprise.

"She's not my One Fi. I know that." He paused glancing over at the horses. "Wait why would you think…"

"I know your One's not a Dwarrow Ki." Fili stated and as the color drained from his brothers face he cuffed him over the back of the head. "You could never hide something like that from your big brother! The fact that you tried makes me laugh though." The worsening fear in Kili's eyes made Fili shake his head. "I swear to Mahal no one else knows, not even Amad." Fili swore. Kili sighed.

"How do you know?" Kili asked pouting at his brother.

"I've heard you humming songs I've never heard. Only way you could know them." Fili said with a shrug. Kili frowned at him. "But you know it's not our burglar?" He asked and Kili nodded a sly smile crossing his face.

"Well I know she's not my One." Kili said stretching the y on the word my. Fili's eyebrows shot up.

"But she's someone's One? Someone here?" Fili asked raising an eyebrow. Kili nodded.

"She wants to figure out who it is, I mean obviously. But she doesn't want the others to know unless its on her terms." Kili said and Fili nodded.

"Fair enough, there's a few it can't be. Can't be me. Mine sings in Khuzdul." Fili said and Kili nodded.

"Had been wondering about that. I think I've shortened the list. Has to be either Bofur, Bombur or Dwalin." Kili said ticking them off on his fingers.

"Or Thorin." Fili said and Kili raised an eyebrow. Fili shrugged. "Heard Amad talking to him before we slipped off. She was… well she said that this was folly. She wanted him to set out to find his One, not fight a Mahal damned dragon." Fili shook his head pulling a knife and flipping a few times as he often did when he was worried. "You still should have told me Nadad." Fili chastised. Kili nodded then glanced over at where they'd left the ponies. He frowned.

"Fi, how many ponies did we have?"

"Sixteen why?" Fili said sitting up and glancing over at the ponies.

"Because we only have fourteen." Kili said scrambling to his feet.

Thorin's anger was starting to ebb away as the firelight danced. He should sleep he knew, but something was bothering him. He'd spent the past day or two trying to convince himself that it was nothing but he'd grown used to his One's voice echoing in his mind most nights, simple songs full of joy and laughter, songs about crops growing and good beer. But she'd been silent since the night he'd entered the Shire. Part of him knew he needed to focus, he had other things to worry about rather than pining for the voice of someone he was likely never to meet. He sighed and shook his head pulling his sleeping roll from the top of his pack. He didn't get a chance to roll it out though as Fili and Kili came barreling into the camp shouting fit to wake the dead.

"Trolls!" Fili gasped.

"Mountain trolls!" Kili nodded. "Three of the buggers, took some of the horses. We sent the burglar to free them while we got you lot." Thorin shot to his feet.

"Fool, you sent her in alone against three trolls!" Dwalin bellowed as their fellows dove for weapons. Thorin agreed as he snatched up his sword and shouted out in Khuzdul.

"We'll deal with my nephews stone brained idiocy later! Show the way!" Kili nodded leading the charge through the trees. When they reached the small campfire the trolls had made they found one of them holding Bella by the hair. Kili moved first, slashing his sword into the leg of one of the trolls.

"Let her go!" He shouted and the troll obliged, throwing Bella right at Kili who cast his sword aside so he wouldn't catch her with it. The others took their chance, rushing the trolls. It went well for a minute or two until the trolls managed to snatch Bella back up and threatened to rip her arms off if they didn't drop their weapons. In moments many of them were stuffed in sacks, only their heads sticking out and a few were lashed to a spit over the fire. Thorin, Kili, Bombur, Oin and Gloin were tossed into a pile, along with Bella who landed on top of Thorin. He frowned. How in Mahal's name did her hair smell like honeysuckle after near two weeks on the road and being manhandled by a troll?

Speaking of, their unfriendly hosts were arguing. There seemed to be some disagreement about how best to cook Dwarfs. One of them commented something about the sun rising soon and not wishing to be turned to stone and Bella flipped her hair out of her face and for just a moment Thorin saw a look of pure mischief in her eyes. He wasn't sure what it meant as she wiggled and rolled off the pile managing to sit up and then hop to her feet.

"You're wrong about those seasonings you know." She said catching the attention of the three trolls. It wasn't until she claimed Bombur had parasites, causing the troll who'd been about to eat him whole to drop him in disgust that Thorin realized what she was doing. He kicked out at Kili who was one of the loudest in denying the claimed parasites. Comprehension lit his nephews eyes and his argument switched paths rapidly, instead claiming he had the largest parasites. If they'd been captive by any other being it would have been easily seen through, but trolls were stupid by nature. One though, seemingly the bright one of the group advanced on Bella.

"You think I don't know what you're up to. This little ferret is taking us for fools!" He said snorting at Bella who practically bristled.

"Ferret!?" She demanded indignantly.

"Fools?" One of the other trolls asked.

"The dawn will take you all!" A voice boomed from behind them as Gandalf appeared on a stone rise above the captured dwarves. He brought the end of his staff down on the rock which split in two, the light of dawn spilling from beyond the cracked stone. All three trolls screamed as they cracked and flaked turning to stone. The dwarves cheered and Bella visibly sagged with relief.