Chapter Fourteen

Thankfully the rain stopped a few days later, about half-way through the day. The reaction of the entire company was instantaneous. So much so that Oakenshield called for an early stop at the next clearing. A much welcome decree that caused cheers down the entire line.

If that clearing just happened to have a burnt out farm house, well, it just meant that at one time, it was someone lived there. Fires, though uncommon, could happen to anyone. Especially in the winter if a fire wasn't banked correctly. Iris just hoped that everyone had gotten to safety and then moved on to safer lands.

While she was procuring firewood, having to truly hunt for something dry enough to use, she missed the argument that happened between Oakenshield and Gandalf, but it was hard to miss him storming off in a huff. She had a feeling she really didn't want to know either. There were times that she wished she could do the same thing, if it wasn't for the fact that she'd probably get lost fairly quickly. Tramping around in the well known forests of the Shire was completely different then the unknown wilds that they were in. Yes, her mothers maps showed as far as Rivendell, and she'd purchased several over her years, but they didn't show much more than distances between places. Places she's always dreamed about going to and now that she was outside of the Shire, she realized just how much of a distance it truly was.

It wasn't until much later, once dinner had finished simmering and Bombur was about to start serving, that she started to get a bit worried. "He's been gone an awfully long time, you don't think anything has happened, do you?" Looking to Balin, who'd taken a seat next to her.

The grandfatherly dwarf gave her a grin around his pipe, "he knows what he's doing lassie. Been traveling these roads a lot longer than any of us."

She gave him a shrug and hunched down a bit, feeling a bit foolish in her worry, "When do you think he'll be back?" The sky had darkened, and although nights were short this time of year, anything could happen.

"He's a wizard Mistress, they come and go when they please. I expect he'll be back when we least expect it."

Since that seemed to be the extend of anyone else's worry, she just had to accept it. Except there was a nibbling of fear that stayed right on the edge of her mind. Not that she got to wallow in it for long.

"Mistress Iris, will you take this to the boys?" Her head whipped up to see Bofur in front of her with two bowls of stew. She almost felt like saying no, she'd gathered the wood and helped cook the meal. This was her first chance to really sit since they'd gotten to this spot.

Still, this was her father asking her to do something and her sense of propriety wouldn't allow her to say no. Rising to her feet before taking the offered bowls, "Are they still watching the ponies?"

A growled, "They better be," drifted across the fire pit. She glanced over, but he wasn't even looking at them, instead focused on sharpening his axe.

"Alright. It would be my pleasure. I'll be back shortly." She gave everyone a small smile and headed towards where the boys should be. She didn't bother to grab any of her weapons because she shouldn't even need her dagger that was still strapped to waist. She could hear Bombur being chastised in the background for trying to take more food. She'd have to share some of her apples with him later.

It didn't her long to get to where Fili and Kili were supposed to be, only to see them looking pensively over their ponies.

She looked at the two of them, "What's wrong?" placing a bowl in each of their hands and crossing her arms across her chest.

They looked between the two of them and then back at her, "We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies." Kili sounded concerned.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem." A problem and what she'd dubbed twin speak because she had cousins who did it frequently. She knew this wasn't going to be good.

"We had sixteen."

"Now there's fourteen."

She glared at the two of them, knowing they'd see it, even in the darkness, "You two were supposed to be watching the ponies. What in the name of the Maker were you doing out here?" Gesturing towards the trees that were clearly only recently knocked over. "How could you miss the racket that must have caused?"

The boys at least had the good nature to look slightly embarrassed, but they didn't answer. Instead, Kili changed the subject, "Daisy and Bungo are missing."

"That's not good at all. We need to tell the rest of the company now." She started to turn back towards their camp.

Fili reached out and grabbed her shoulder, effectively stopping her, "Uhh, no. Let's not worry them. As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."

"Oh, I don't think so. What ever took them are clearly very big and possibly quite dangerous. My weapons are back at the camp." She knew they thought she was stupid, but this was ridiculous. "The most I am willing to say yes to, is one of you going back and telling them what is wrong right now and the other and myself will stay right here and make sure nothing else happens."

Fili slumped his shoulders and put his bowl down, "I'll go." She had to hand it to him, they could own up to their mischief when confronted about it.

Of course, what was about the time the troll decided to casually stride through the wood and grab two more ponies, all three of them ducking for cover, Kili flinching as he spilled stew over his hand.

Whispered, behind her, so she wasn't quite sure which one spoke, "Mahal's hairy balls! Trolls."

"By the Maker, it's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something." She wished she had more than a dagger on her, "Fili. Go. Now. We need backup." She watched him run off, much quieter than she'd ever heard them move before, almost as quiet as a hobbit, "Kili, we have to follow and see what's going on."

Iris and Kili moved as silently as they could to catch up with the troll, moving quickly towards a fire burning in the foreground.

As the two of the crouched down, looking over the trolls camp, she looked at Kili, and immediately wondered if she'd made a huge mistake when he started talking, "You should go in there, Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small. They'll never see you."

"Oh I don't think so," she reached up and grabbed his ear, pulling him down to her, wondering if being an idiot was hereditary. "I don't have anything to protect myself with if they do see me." Squeezing a bit tighter as he tried to pull away.

"Ow... ow... ow... ow... ow..." at least he was quiet in his whinging, "Sorry Mistress. It would be perfectly safe though, I'll be right here behind you if anything goes wrong and the others should be here shortly."

She released his ear and he immediately scrambled back a bit, out of her reach. Iris knew something had to be done before their mounts got eaten, but she was hoping there would be others with her. "Alright, I'll see what I can do to release our mounts, but if something happens to me, you do not jump in there on your own. You wait until at least your uncle shows up." She ignored the look he gave her, and slipped into the surrounding bush, disappearing as a only a hobbit could (something she was very grateful her mother passed on).

As she made her way around the outskirts of the, she kept a close eye on the three trolls surrounding the large cauldron on the fire. She couldn't see Kili, but that was a good thing in her mind, it meant that the trolls wouldn't see him either. As she got closer to the pen where the ponies were being kept, she tried not to wince as the three trolls discussed how to eat their mounts. It was all she could do, to not gag when William sneezed into the pot and Bert seemed to be pleased that it was in there. At least there was a bit of a scuffle when the first tried to put more snot into the pot.

As she reached the pen, she first attempted to untie the ropes, quickly hiding as William turned towards the pen and then moves towards her poor Myrtle, "I hope you're gonna gut these nags. I don't like the stinky parts." Well, at least the one who was doing the cooking seemed to take exception to being questioned, she knew she always did. Of course, she never attacked anyone with her ladle.

"I'm starving! Are we 'aving horse tonight or what?" the third troll broke in.

"Shut your cakehole. You'll eat what I give yah'."

Iris pulled her knife out and started to saw at the ropes, and even though she kept it sharp, the thick ropes were as thick as her hands were wide and unbelievably slimy. She was starting to think that it was troll slime and that she'd never get it cut apart. At least not with a small blade. She was almost tempted to try for the one she saw on William's belt, but she just couldn't make herself get any closer to the three than she already was.

She wasn't given long to make her decision though, as all thirteen of her idiots crashed into the small glen. She slunk back into the shadows as Bofur yelled "Where is she?"

Next chapter: Stupidity is catching?