'Forgive me, Gandalf for asking but if you wanted this whole thing to be kept secret, why do you want to go to Imladris?' I asked.

'I don't want it to be kept secret from Lord Elrond' Gandalf replied regretfully 'Nor the Lady Galadriel'

I smiled to myself, knowing the deep friendship between the two.

'It is Saruman I would prefer to keep this from' Gandalf confessed.

I frowned 'Why?'

'Because he would put a stop to it. He is content to keep out of the affairs of others if it means staying in his tower'

I stayed quiet. Truly I had always wondered why Saruman never travelled. I knew he kept in touch with the Kingdom of Rohan being so close to them. Gandalf and I rarely headed into Rohan because of this. The Rohirrim were content with the counsel of Saruman.

'What you confess to one will eventually spread to the others' I said after awhile 'It is a council between the four of you after all'

'I hope soon it will be the five of us' Gandalf said, his voice hopeful this time.

I couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across my face at that. I knew that if Gandalf could have his way, I would already be part of it. The others had said I wasn't ready yet, although Elrond had promised that he wouldn't keep me from it if he agreed with Gandalf. I wasn't in a rush, truthfully I didn't feel ready myself yet.

I thought back to earlier, feeling regretful I couldn't find a way to keep the peace between Gandalf and Thorin.

'Why do you think the farm is abandoned?' I asked.

Gandalf, was walking a few steps ahead of me looked over his shoulder 'Why do you think the farm is abandoned?'

I frowned slightly 'Perhaps it is nothing more than the crops failing?'

Gandalf stopped and turned to look me 'And I suppose that is why you've been feeling uncomfortable and uneasy all day?'

I furrowed my brow deeper 'What? How did you-'

'You can sense something is amiss with this area. Something is wrong' Gandalf explained, leaning on his staff 'I have felt it too, we need to find out what'

I was taken aback; I had thought the discomfort was my own. I looked at Gandalf who was watching me process what he had just said patiently. When I didn't say anything else, he turned back around and carried on walking which prompted me to follow him again.

'You need to trust your instincts, Narylfiel' Gandalf called over his shoulder 'They are sharp, and they will serve you well'

I didn't reply and Gandalf didn't push me any further. So the uneasiness I had felt was something, wrong? It wasn't a feeling I could recall feeling before. I had been in uneasy situations but never had I felt uneasiness in apparent calm.

I was lost in thought as we walked around for so long that the sun had dropped low and it was becoming night. How far had we walked from the camp? My head wasn't clearing, if anything it was getting worse. Did that mean we were walking further into potential danger? Gandalf was whispering to himself, as he often did.

I took another step and suddenly felt a cold feeling go through me. I gasped quietly and shuddered. I looked across at my hand holding my staff with a frown as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.

'Gandalf' I called.

He turned to look at me as I felt another shudder go through me. His own brows furrowed.

'What is it?' He asked.

'I feel cold suddenly' I turned to look behind us at the failing light 'Perhaps it is because the sun is going down'

I looked back to him and he eyed me 'I think not, come. We are getting closer to our answers'

I nodded and again I followed him as we walked along but this time Gandalf was utterly silent. Every so often a shiver went through me and I tried to reach for my fire to heat myself up a little to no avail. It seemed I was meant to be feeling this cold.

Just as the sun had truly set and the moon had started to rise, Gandalf stopped. I had been so deep in thought I walked into him and had to stumble backwards.

'Gandalf, what-'

'We must get back to the dwarves and Bilbo, right now' Gandalf urged.

He stepped around me and set off at a walk that was almost a jog, certainly much quicker than I'd seen him move for a long time. I looked to where he'd been facing when he'd stopped walking and if I thought I felt cold before, an icy chill ran through me at the sight before me.

It was only a fleeting glance, I looked away before I could truly take it in. But the cluster of human bones with a skull sat atop the pile was enough for me to sense that it wasn't just some unfortunate traveller. Not the way they were all piled up in the same way someone would discard chicken bones after stripping the meat off.

I took off after Gandalf and quickly caught up with him. We moved along in silence and I worried, hard. We had walked for hours, even at a run it would take us awhile to get back to the camp. Gandalf wasn't running but he was certainly moving quickly.

'Should I run ahead?' I asked.

'No. Absolutely not' Gandalf replied.

'What do you suppose did that?' I pressed.

'Trolls, Narylfiel. Trolls'

I almost stopped 'Trolls? But Gandalf, trolls never come this far down the mountains! Not so close to Imladris, what-'

'You have never seen the remains of a troll feast before Narylfiel and I don't blame you for your denial' Gandalf retorted 'Even if it isn't trolls, there is something nearby that will devour humans'

'Then surely I should run ahead' I pushed.

'No Naryl, you are competent but I fear there's more than one and if there's two trolls to deal with I would not want you to challenge them by yourself'

I shut my mouth, deciding to save my breath. He had given his answer and Gandalf didn't change his mind once it was set.

We ran almost through the night to get back to the camp, I could see the sun beginning to touch the horizon as we got back to the farm. To my dismay, the dwarves or Bilbo were no where to be seen.

'They're not here' I groaned

'Their things are though, and most of the ponies and our horses are too' Gandalf indicated 'There's no signs of a struggle'

'I don't have a good feeling at all' I replied.

Gandalf looked around, looking down as he moved around. He was trying to track them I realised, and I also looked to the ground, trying to spot any signs of movement in the dirt. What I wouldn't give for Elladan or Elrohir to be here.

Finally, I spotted disturbed dirt and called to Gandalf. He rushed over and inspected it along with me.

'It still doesn't indicate a struggle but they all charged together I think' I told Gandalf whilst squinting at the ground.

I could make out Bombur's heavier footfall, and Thorin's boots were slightly better made with a tread in the sole. Otherwise I couldn't distinguish anything else. Bilbo wore his feet bare but I couldn't pick out his footstep. My stomach twisted in concern for the hobbit.

As we followed the tracks, the noises of shouting became louder until we could look past the trees and to my horror, Gandalf was right. Three trolls, all gathered around a fire with various dwarves of the company strapped onto a spit. I looked around wildly and saw the rest, including Bilbo, tied into sacks on the floor.

'Gandalf' I whispered

'Dawn approaches' Gandalf replied 'If one of them can play for time, we can wait for a moment without getting into a troll fight'

'But, they're cooking them' I retorted.

'Are they dying?'

'Well no-'

'Then we wait a moment' Gandalf replied, his voice evening out 'Trust me' He soothed.

I looked back at the scene, my hand tight on my staff before I looked back at him and nodded. As if on que one of the trolls spoke up.

'Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone' He grumbled.

'Wait' I heard Bilbo speak up 'You are making a terrible mistake'

'You can't reason with them' Dori called out from where he was tied onto the spit 'They're half-wits!'

'Half-wits? What does that make us?' I heard Bofur retort.

Bilbo managed to heave himself to standing in the sack he was tied in and he grimaced slightly. I worried for a moment that maybe he was injured, that was until he spoke again.

'Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning'

One of the trolls approached him and pointed a sort of club at him, which made my stomach lurch 'What about the seasoning?'

Bilbo frowned 'Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up'

It caused an uproar among the dwarves and from next to me, I heard Gandalf give a chuckle. My mouth dropped open.

'Well, it seems our burglar, knows how to stall for time' Gandalf chuckled 'Come, I think I see a place we can get the sun into that hollow quicker'

As we sneaked around the outside of the troll camp, I kept an eye and an ear on what was going on.

'What do you know about cooking dwarf?' The first troll asked suspiciously.

'Shut up, and let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk!' A third said, excitedly.

Bilbo, who was obviously unused to having this much attention on him, baulked slightly, his face clearly showing his displeasure 'Uh, th-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um—'

'Yes? Come on' The third said

'It's, uh—'

'Tell us the secret'

'Ye-yes, I'm telling you, the secret is … to skin them first!'

My eyes widened and I looked up at Gandalf who stared out at Bilbo and then back at me with an expression of both shock and amusement. The dwarves were all yelling but I could pick out Gloin and Dwalin shouting above the rest.

'Tom, get me filleting knife' The troll shouted.

'If I get you, you little—'

'I won't forget that!'

I looked over my shoulder to see the first one frowning 'What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all'

Gandalf passed in front of an empty area and when I followed I looked back again and Bilbo had noticed us, I made eye contact with him as I re-hid.

'`e's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy'

The second troll reached into the pile of dwarves in the sacks and pulled Bombur out, dangling him upside down above his mouth. Poor Bombur cried out in fear as the rest of the dwarves shouted.

'Gandalf' I whispered, feeling my own heartrate pick up.

Gandalf went to open his mouth but the old wizard stilled when another voice spoke up first.

'Not-not that one, he-he's infected!' Bilbo blurted.

I blinked and looked around at Gandalf with a frown and he had a mildly interested look on his face. It was enough to make the troll pause before he dropped Bombur into his mouth.

'You what?' Another troll asked

'Yeah, He's got worms in his … tubes' Bilbo replied, wincing slightly.

The troll dropped Bombur back on top of the other dwarves piled up on the ground under the tree and I heaved a quiet sigh of relief and Gandalf began to get moving again, I could see from his face he was amused with how Bilbo had handled the situation.

'In-in fact they all have, they're in-infested with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't' Bilbo said, having gained a bit of confidence from this turn of events.

The dwarves were all shouting about how they didn't have parasites and how Bilbo was a traitor and all the hobbit could do was stand there with an annoyed look on his face until Thorin kicked out with his foot.

The dwarves all went silent for a second until 'I've got parasites as big as my arm' Oin said, his voice was unsure though,

'Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!' Kili shouted.

As all the dwarves chimed in about how they were absolutely riddled with parasites and how nothing should want to eat them. Gandalf and I exchanged another glance and I shrugged, now also curious as to where this would go.

The troll however, who'd been sceptical the whole time approached Bilbo, with an annoyed look on his face.

'What would you have us do then? Let em all go?' The troll asked, his voice angrily.

I realised this could escalate quickly and I looked around at Gandalf who began to climb on top of the hill. I wondered what he was doing until I realised he was probably going to crack the rock and so I waited to see if I would need to engage to pull anyone out.

'You think I don't know what you're up to?' The troll snapped, thrusting a finger at Bilbo 'This little ferret is taking us for fools!'

'Ferret?' Bilbo asked with a frown

'Fools?' One of the other trolls asked.

'The dawn will take you all!' Gandalf declared, his voice loud enough to silence everyone.

'Who's that?'

'No idea'

'Can we eat `im too?'

Gandalf struck the rock with the end of his staff and with a brief flash of light, the rock cracked in half and the clearing was flooded with dawning sunlight.

The trolls immediately began howling in pain as they stiffened up and turned to stone rapidly, not five seconds later they were completely solid. I stepped out of my hiding place and directed my hand at the fire, quickly absorbing it until only the remains were left and the dwarves on the spit could relax slightly.

I went straight to Bilbo and untied the sack from around his neck so he could shrug himself out of it. He stared up at me with wide blue eyes for a moment until we both went to go and free the others.

Eventually everyone was back on their feet and gathering their things up or gathering the ponies. No one had gotten any rest for the night so we were all fairly tired. I hoped it wouldn't make tempers flare again later on in the day.

'Where did you both go to, if I may ask?' I heard Thorin ask Gandalf, his tone much more polite than it had been last night.

'To look ahead' I heard Gandalf reply.

'What brought you back?'

'Looking behind' Gandalf replied, giving me a brief nod as I approached 'Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece' He spoke, looking around the clearing at the, thankfully, unharmed dwarves.

'No thanks to your burglar' Thorin commented.

My eyes narrowed slightly at the untrue statement. I realised that it was possible it was Bilbo that had gotten them into the situation but he had certainly had a hand in getting them out of it again. It seemed Gandalf agreed.

'He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that' He countered, his voice calm.

Thorin had the good grace to at least look partially repentant. I was eager to change the subject though and I indicated to the trolls.

'What do you suppose they were doing here?' I asked 'And where did they even come from?'

'They must have come down from the Ettenmoors' Gandalf replied.

Thorin looked thoughtful 'Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?' almost repeating what I had said earlier.

'Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands' Gandalf said, his tone turning to darker to match his thoughts.

To Thorin this was South, to me this was close to Imladris, either way the movements of the trolls was highly unusual. I frowned though.

'These are Mountain trolls are they not?' I asked.

'Yes' Thorin replied, clearly wondering where I was going with my question.

'There's no mountains close to here that they could've gotten to and fro from during one night' I said pointedly.

'They could not have moved in daylight' Gandalf agreed.

'There must be a cave nearby' Thorin concluded.

'Perhaps we should search for it and make sure there aren't any more. It's unusual enough for trolls to live in groups of more than two, I feel that seeing as this was a trio, we should make sure there are no more that can trap other travellers' I said, feeling a pang of sorrow for the farmer and his family who had already fallen victim.

'For once, I think I agree with you' Thorin replied.

I pulled a face and looked up at Gandalf who looked at me thoughtfully before giving a nod.

'Very good' Thorin finished 'A search we will have then'

…

It didn't take long before we found a cave entrance, nestled into a crevice of a nearby valley. We all stood and looked at it for a moment before Gandalf strode out and I followed him with Thorin following me and then the rest of the Company followed him.

The smell was immediate. Foul and rancid, I pulled a face and pulled the front of my robe up to cover my mouth and nose but it did nothing to stop the smell.

'Oh, what's that stench?' Nori explaimed as the rest of the dwarves coughed and spluttered at the smell.

'It's a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch' Gandalf replied.

I watched as Bofur and Gloin commented on the piles of gold and coin that trolls didn't necessarily care much for on account of they couldn't eat it but they always ended up hoarding. The two dwarves began to dig a hole and pile a chest filled to the brim with gold coins and other small trinkets inside into the dirt. I raised a brow at them and quirked a lip in amusement. Dwalin however, looked less than impressed.

'What?' Gloin asked 'We're making a long-term investment'

Dwalin scoffed at that and left the cave, with Bilbo following close behind, having clearly waited for someone to leave first that he could leave with.

I looked back to Gandalf and Thorin, both of them comparing some of the weapons stood up in what looked like an umbrella stand. The blades looked beautifully crafted and when Thorin pulled the blade from the sheath, I could see it was clearly of elvish make. Gandalf commented as much and Thorin went to put the blade back, a look of annoyance and disgust on his face.

'You could not wish for a finer blade' Gandalf admonished him sternly.

Thorin, albeit reluctantly, tucked it away under his arm. Gandalf turned to me then.

'I would invite you to look for a blade of your own, but you already possess one yourself' He said with a small grin.

'You carry a sword?' Thorin asked, his voice surprised.

I grinned and moved the cloak of my robe aside to reveal the sword attached to the belt that cinched my baggy robe in. Thorin gave a nod of respect.

'Well I wouldn't have suspected that' Thorin said, a small note of teasing in his voice 'Narylfiel the Kind goes armed'

I simply winked and left the cave with the dwarf king following me in my wake, chuckling at me. The gold hoard seemed to have raised the dwarves spirits as they all seemed cheerful and were rearranging their coin pouches. I spotted Bilbo stood to one side, anxiously picking at his fingernails. I went over to him and stood next to him where he looked up at me long enough to give me a nod of greeting and then carry on.

'You did well last night' I said quietly.

'I got them caught' Bilbo replied sullenly 'They had it all in hand and then I got caught. You should've seen the look on Thorin's face, I thought for a second, he would let them pull me to pieces'

I sighed 'Thorin is…stern and he seems unapproachable, but he would never let an innocent suffer on his behalf' I tried to comfort him.

'Stern is one way of putting it' Bilbo replied, his voice still put out.

'Everyone makes mistakes Bilbo; we learn from them and then we move on' I said carefully 'No one would grow if they didn't make mistakes to learn from'

'Yeah well you know, the usual mistakes for me is over-cooking something or stubbing my toe or falling into a river. Not the kind of mistake that could cost thirteen dwarves, one of which happens to be a future king, their lives!' He snapped.

As soon as he'd snapped, he looked up at me guiltily and wrung his hands anxiously.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked to you like that' He said

'There's nothing to forgive Bilbo' I said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

'No, you've been the kindest to me and you've looked after me' He said, his voice humbled 'And you're only trying to cheer me up. You're a good friend, Naryl'

I smiled at him 'As are you. Now, come along, dispose of that frown, it is most unbecoming of you, Master Hobbit'

With that, he managed to crack a smile. Gandalf approached us both after that with a gleam in his eye.

'Bilbo' He called.

'Hmm?'

He presented a small sword to Bilbo. It looked as though it was the size of a child's sword but that made perfect for the hobbit, who was simply staring blankly at the sword being held out to him.

'This is about your size' Gandalf replied.

Bilbo held his hands up with a deep frown set into his face 'I can't take this'

'The blade is of Elvish make which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby' Gandalf explained.

'I've never used a sword in my life' Bilbo retorted, still reluctant.

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

Bilbo, still reluctant, took the sword and stared down at it. It really was a rather pretty thing, the handle was made of a dark rich red wood with mithril twisted throughout it. I gave the hobbit a small smile and began to get up and brush myself off.

'Something's coming!' Thorin called out suddenly.

I stood up and looked to where he was indicating. Indeed, there was a dust cloud that gave away something was approaching and rapidly. The dwarves began to gather their things together quickly, whilst shouting as they did.

'Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves' Gandalf commanded.

Bilbo drew his sword and hurried along ahead of me, at my urging so I could keep an eye on him as we all ran into the trees nearby to hide. He was quickly pulled into a protective circle of dwarves and I raised my staff, waiting for whatever was approaching.

There was a loud noise straight ahead of me and a sled of giant rabbits ran into the clearing and I relaxed immediately, with a pleased expression.

'Thieves! Fire! Murder!' He declared.

'Radagast' I greeted, my voice belying my relief and happiness at seeing the wizard.

'Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?' Gandalf asked as we both approached him, ignoring the dwarves muttering.

'Your fungus is really starting to grow in' I commented, amused to the green mould growing from underneath his hat and down his face.

Gandalf glanced at me to not distract him and so I closed my mouth but was unable to keep the grin from my face.

'I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong' Radagast said, his voice pitched in anxiety.

'Yes?' Gandalf asked, still patient.

Radagast opened his mouth to speak before shutting it again, he did this one more time before he frowned deeply.

'Oh, 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!' He said upset before his expression changed again to one of surprise 'Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old-'

Gandalf reached out and pulled something from Radagast's mouth that made me giggle.

'-stick insect' Radagast finished.

Bilbo looked absolutely perplexed and the dwarves clearly didn't know what to do. Gandalf gave me a small look before the three of us moved away to speak more privately. There was a small humm in the air, a power I could sense at the fact three of us were gathered together.

'The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf' Radagast said seriously 'A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows any more, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay. But worst are the webs'

The last time we had visited Radagast, Gandalf and I had noticed that the wood has felt darker, the two of us exchanged a brief glance and Gandalf took his pipe out and began to puff on it.

'Webs? What do you mean?' He asked

'Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur' Radagast told us, glancing between us both.

I frowned 'That is a dark place'

'Dol Guldur? But the old fortress is abandoned' Gandalf spoke up.

'No, Gandalf, it is not' Radagast said, his voice grim.

'How do you know?' I asked

'A dark power dwells there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a Necromancer has come' Radagast told us.

'Show me' I replied, stepping towards the wizard.

He put a hand to my temple and in a flash, the memory filled my own head.

Rhosgobel had been attacked that morning, as had the creatures in the surrounding woodland. Radagast crosses a stone bridge and enters a dark, ruined fortress, his staff held aloft and ready as he senses the darkness of the place.

As he walks through the fortress, which did look to be abandoned, there is a noise that makes the old wizard look around in fear, the scrape of stone against stone.

As Radagast peers at the statue, which looks dark, dangerous and ugly. A spirit appears with the bearing of an ancient King and it moves to attack Radagast unaware. Luckily he senses it before it can strike and fends it off with his staff, striking it in the head. It squeals a piercing shriek and drops it's blade to the floor.

Radagast sees a black shadow take the form of a man to one side, and it whispers a dangerous speech. Radagast flees from the castle, pursued by war bats. He calls to his rabbits which are waiting with the sled.

At there the vision ended and I gasped, having sensed the sheer darkness and evil coming from the black shadow. I stared at the old wizard, who also held a deeply disturbed expression on his face.

'I'm sorry' He said, quickly, looking between us both in apology.

'Here, try a bit of Old Toby. It'll help settle your nerves' Gandalf replied, cleaning the end of his pipe off on his beard and then offering it to Radagast.

I was stuck in my thoughts, too consumed with the darkness of the memory. I had never felt anything like it. I shuddered, trying to shake it off and whilst the memory was gone, the feeling didn't leave. I was confused until a howl broke the atmosphere, a howl I was unused to hearing.

'Was that a wolf? Are there-are there wolves out there?' Bilbo asked, panicked.

'Wolves? No, that is not a wolf' Bofur said darkly.

I looked up at movement from an overlying crag and my eyes widened at what I saw. A huge warg, snarling and growling. Before I could even move to do anything, it leapt into the middle of the company, knocking Ori off his feet. It didn't get far though, for Thorin reached out with his new sword and struck it in the neck, killing it instantly.

There were more though, as another ran into the clearing but fell when it was struck by an arrow that Kili loosed, it tried to get back to it's feet but was killed by Dwalin, who looked around at us wizards.

'Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind' Thorin shouted.

'Orc pack?' Bilbo questioned as Gandalf rounded on Thorin.

'Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?' The wizard boomed.

'No one!' Thorin retorted.

'Who did you tell?' Gandalf asked again, angrily.

'No one! I swear!' Thorin shot back, his eyes wide 'What in Durin's name is going on?' He looked to me then, clearly thoroughly confused at Gandalf's rage and I shook my head at him, also unsure.

'You are being hunted' Gandalf replied, clearly realising that Thorin was telling the truth.

'We have to get out of here' Dwalin spoke up, his weapon still raised.

'We can't, the ponies and horses. They've bolted' Ori called.

I looked at Gandalf in a panic, there was no way we could outrun an orc pack mounted on wargs on foot. We would've been hard-pressed with the ponies. Gandalf looked back at me too, his fear was more contained than mine visibly, but I could sense it. In fact, there was panic in the air from everyone.

'I'll draw them off' Radagast spoke up suddenly.

Everyone. Absolutely everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

'These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you' Gandalf told him.

'These are Rhosgobel Rabbits' Radagast retorted in annoyance before his lip quirked 'I'd like to see them try'