I don't own the Hobbit or Merlin. Sorry this chapter took so long, but here it is.

A week past since Balin had told Maddie the story about Azog the Defiler.

At the moment they were travelling trough a forest. It had been raining all morning and most of the compagny was feeling a bit grumpy because they were all soaked to the bone.

'Hey. Mister Gandalf?' Dori asked. 'Can't you do something about this deluge?'

Gandalf sighed and answered: 'It's raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world you should find yourself another Wizard. Or ask dear miss Maddie.'

Maddie didn't bother the rain, but when a few heads turned in her direction pleadingly, she said: 'Alright, I'll try. But weather spells aren't my main forte.'

She mumbled a few words and the rain stopped. All around her she could hear relieved sighs.

Then she asked: 'Gandalf, who are the other Wizards actually?'

'There are five of us. The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards... I've quite forgotten their names.'

Maddie nodded. 'And who's the fifth?'

'That would be my cousin Radagast the Brown,' Gandalf answered.

'Is he a great Wizard, or is he more like you?'

'He's a very great Wizard in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the compagny of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forestlands to the east, and a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foothold in this world.'

Maddie thought of Gandalfs words. If there were indeed only five Wizards in Middle-earth, then Gandalf was invaluable to the compagny. On the journey, they would undoubtedly face many enemies and someone wise who possessed magic, like Gandalf, would be very handy.

'Maddie?' Kili then asked. 'Is there much magic folk in your world?'

Maddie lifted her shoulders. 'Once there were many, about the half of the entire population. But then Uther, who was king back then, banned magic and destroyed everyone and everything that possesed it or had anything to do with it. Many Warlocks and Sorcerers, both good and evil, died. But not only them, but also other creatures, like Dragons and Hippogriffs, died under Uthers hand. The survivors were forced into hiding.'

'But why? Why did Uther do that?' Kili and most of the other Dwarves looked horrified at what Maddie had told them. No wonder, it was a horrifying story. Maddie herself had felt the same as the Dwarves when she had heard of Uthers deeds for the first time. She often wondered whether her parents had been two of the executed Warlocks.

Then she answered Fili's question. 'Uthers ban and hatred of magic began when his wife died while giving birth to Arthur. Because Uthers wife, Igraine, couldn't have a baby, Uther had asked the help of a sorceress called Nimueh. She warned Uther, that to create a life, a life had to be taken, but Uther proceeded nonetheless. The life that had to be taken was Igraine's. Uther blamed the death of his wife on all magic and from that point on, magic was banned.'

That afternoon, Thorin decided to camp next to a ruin of an old house.

While the Dwarves loaded off their horses, Gandalf and Maddie went inside the ruin.

The wood had already rotted which had caused the roof to collapse. The walls were covered with must.

'A farmer and his family used to live here,' Gandalf said.

Maddie felt uncomfortable at the place. Something was wrong. Something terrible had happened to this family and that something might still be out there.

She spoke of her unease to Gandalf.

Gandalf nodded. 'I feel it too.'

He then turned to Thorin, who was walking towards him and Maddie.

'I think it would be wiser to move on,' Gandalf said. 'We could make for the Hidden Valley.'

Thorin sighed. 'I've told you already: I will not go near that place.'

'Why not? The Elves could help us. We could get food, rest and advice. And we have a map that we cannot read. Lord Elrond could help us,' Gandalf replied.

That wasn't the best thing Gandalf could have said, Maddie thought. She didn't know much about the current relation between Dwarves and Elves, but she knew enough to know that the Dwarves didn't like the Elves.

'Help?' Thorin asked angrily. 'A Dragon attacked Erebor. What help came from the Elves? Orcs plunder Moria and desecrate our sacred halls. The Elves looked on and did nothing. And you ask me to seek out the very people who betrayed my grandfather and my father.'

'You are neither of them,' Gandalf contradicted him. 'I did not give you that map and key for you to hold onto the past.'

'I didn't know they were yours to keep,' Thorin replied.

Gandalf let out a frustated sigh and walked out of the ruin, followed by Maddie.

'Gandalf, where are you going?' she asked.

'to seek the compagny of the only one around here who's got any sense beside you: myself. I've had quit enough of Dwarves for one day.'

Maddie couldn't blame him. She had seen the stubborness of Dwarves for herself.

Gandalf turned towards her and said: 'You must keep an eye on the Dwarves.'

Maddie nodded. 'I will.'

Later in the evening, Maddie and Kili set out for a hunt, because Maddie had spotted the trail of a young deer. Fili couldn't come, for Thorin had asked him to look after the ponies.

They hadn't caught the deer, for Kili had a cold and had accidentally scared the deer off by sneezing.

Maddie had forgotten the uncomfortable feeling and was joking that Kili had scared the deer off deliberately.

When they returned to the camp, the other Dwarves were gone. Their bedrolls and rucksacks lied scattered around the camp and their fire was dying. The were also big footsteps in the sand.

Maddie and Kili went looking for the others. A few trees were torn out of the ground with roots and all. That didn't look like a good sign. Maddie's feeling of unease returned.

Then Kili saw a fire in the distance and a big creature walking towards it. It was about ten feet high and looked hideous.

'What is it?' Maddie asked.

'Troll,' Kili answered.

A Troll? Maddie thought. She had never met a Troll before, but Merlin had, and he had told her that they were stinky, disgusting and greedy creatures. Apparently, one had been greedy enough to try to marry Uther, Arthurs father, who still had been alive back then.

Kili and Maddie sneaked closer.

It appeared to be three Trolls. All were big and ugly. A few of the missing Dwarves were tied to a spit that was being turned above the fire by one of the Trolls. The other Dwarves were putted in sacks and lay on a pile.

'Don't bother cooking them,' on of the Trolls said. 'Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly.'

Most of the Dwarves shouted rude comments at the Troll for this, who didn't pay any attention on them and just sneezed very loudly and wiped his nose with a dirty, Troll-sized handkerchief.

'Why not eat them raw?' another Troll continued and grabbed one of the Dwarves in the sacks. It turned out to be Fili.

Before Maddie could stop him, Kili jumped out of his hiding spot and attacked the Troll that dared to eat his brother. The Troll screamed because of the wound in his foot where Kili had stabbed him, and dropped Fili.

Kili tried to get away, but the other Trolls caught him and putted him in a sack.

The good thing was that the Troll didn't eat Fili.

The bad thing was that Kili now too was captured.

Maddie had no idea how to deal with these Trolls, so she decided to stay in her hing spot, hoping to come up with an idea.

She didn't have to wait long, for one of the Trolls asked: 'When are we going to eat them? Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone.

Bingo, Maddie thought. These Trolls could not move in daylight. Maybe she could use a sunlight-spell. The only problem was that she had never used such a spell before and she didn't know whether she was strong enough or not. But if she wanted to save her friends, she would have to.

She stepped out of her hiding spot, held her hands up and said: 'Ghrian Sgothan Coltas.'

Her eyes began to glow in a golden colour and a few beams of sunlight streamed out of her hands and the Trolls turned to stone.

The Dwarves cheered, glad that they wouldn't get eaten and Maddie was surprised that she had been able to summon such power. She'd never known her magic was this strong. She was a bit tired by the spell, but apart from that, she was fine.

Maddie then heard some noise from behind her. It was Gandalf who was just stepping out of the bushes. Apparently he had arrived just on time to see the Trolls being turned to stone.

'My dear Maddie, you truly have some skills in magic,' he said while shaking his head.

Together they freed the Dwarves and returned to their camp.

'Where did you go to, if I may ask?' Thorin asked Gandalf.

'To look ahead,' Gandalf replied.

'What brought you back?'

'Looking behind,' Gandalf answered again with a accusing look on his face.

'Well,' Gandalf continued, 'still, they're all in one piece thanks to Maddie.'

Thorin didn't replie on that. He still didn't like Maddie. He was sure she was going to leave them as soon as she had found a way back to Camelot.

Gandalfs head turned in the direction of the stoned Trolls and frowned.

'They must have come down from the Ettenmoors,' he remarked.

Since when do Mountain Trolls venture this far south?' Thorin asked.

'Not for an age. Not since a darker power rules these lands.'

Thorin frowned and Gandalf continued: 'Apparently, these Trolls can't move in daylight.'

Thorin looked around. 'There must be a cave nearby. Maybe we should find it and see what's there to be found.'

Gandalf agreed, so everyone gathered their stuff and searched for the cave. it had no use to sleep first, for the dawn had already arrived.

The cave was quickly found and Maddie, Gandalf and the Dwarves went inside.

Almost immediately, everyone started to cough, for there was a terrible stench.

'It's a troll-hoard,' Gandalf said. And right he was, for the cave was filled with gold and other richness the Trolls had collected.

While Nori, Gloin and Bofur wereburying a chest full of gold to make a long-term deposit, Thorins attention was drawn by a few swords that were lying in a corner. He grabbed two of them

One had a Dragon tooth as a handle and an anusual shape of the blade. The blade itself wasn't very long, Thorin could handle the sword easily.

The other sword was long and straight, its handle long enough for two hands.

Thorin passed the long sword to Gandalf. 'These swords were not made by any Troll,' he remarked.

'Nor were they made by any smith among Men,' Gandalf continued while taking a closer look on the sword. His eyes grew big as he unshielded it. 'These were forged in Gondolin, by the high Elves of the First Age.'

Thorin pulled a grimace as soon as he heard the word ''Elves'' and wanted to put the sword back, but Gandalf stopped him by saying: 'You could not wish for a finer blade.'

Thorin took another close look at the sword and then decided to keep it.

Gandalf too kept the sword Thorin had given him and buckled it on his belt.

'Let's get out of this foul place,' Thorin said, and Maddie and the other Dwarves followed him outside.

Gandalf hesitated and glanced at the spot where Thorin had found the Elvish swords.

One other blade lied on that spot. It too was an Elvish blade forged in Gondolin. it was a long and elegant sword and just like Gandalfs, it was suited for two hands.

Gandalf grabbed the sword and went outside to Maddie.

'Maddie, this it about your size,' he said before handing the sword over. 'The blade is of Elvish make, wich means it will glow blue when Orcs or Goblins are nearby.'

'Gandalf, I've never used a sword in battle before,' Maddie said while looking at the sword in her hands.

'And I hope you never have to,' Gandalf replied. 'But if you do, remember this: True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.'

Maddie thought about Gandalfs wise words for a second. But then Thorin began to shout.

'Something's coming!'