FOREWARNING: If you have already read chapter 6 please go back and read it again. Because i forgot a very import detail that had to be put back in chapter 6. Chapter six is the one labeled Pony Racing. So now that I got that out of the way read on.

Chapter 8

The company had been riding for two-quarters of the day, not even stopping for lunch. Brynna was glad now that she wasn't used to the normal life of a hobbit, eating seven meals a day and snacks in between it all.

Thorin led the company up to where and old cottage used to be. Brynna could see it from where she was in the middle of the group, it was destroy, half if the building on its side and two of the walls all but gone. A felled tree was nearby to the structure, uprooted it seemed days ago. 'Probably from a storm or something,' Brynna thought to herself.

''We camp here for the night.'' Thorin called out, ''Kili Fili! Look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them.''
Gandalf was inspecting the cottage warily, muttering something to himself as he did so.

''Oin Gloin, get a fire going.'' The two dwarves gave Fili and Kili their ponies, and began gathering wood for the fire.

''I think it would be wiser to move on.'' Gandalf said, coming out from under the shadow of the ruined structure. ''We could make for the Hidden Valley.''

Thorin had walked over to Gandalf speaking in hushed tones. Brynna tried to act involved in helping Balin untangle his ponies bridle, but was straining her ears to hear their conversation over the noise the other dwarves were making.

''Gandalf is probably right,'' Balin whispered, ''This place is unwelcoming.'' Brynna could feel it too. The area seemed to be warning the company away.

Gandalf stormed out of the cottage, away from the dwarf king. ''Is everything alright?'' She asked Gandalf hesitantly, not wanting to experience the wizards wrath once more. He stormed past her not looking back. ''Gandalf where are you going?''

''To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense.'' He retorted.

She looked to Balin before asking, ''And who's that?''

"Myself Mr. Baggins. I've had enough of dwarves for one day." The wizard walked around the bend behind some trees and out of the hobbit's sight.

"Come on Bombur we're hungry." Thorin said, not even seeming to care that the wizard had left.

''Is he coming back?'' She asked Balin, not liking the way he just sighed and tried to get another glimpse of Gandalf. Brynna was now very distressed because now she was all alone with absolutely no one who knew that she was in fact a woman.

It was later in the evening and Gandalf had still not returned to the company. The sun had gone down in the sky, leaving the dwarves and Brynna with only the moon the light the areas the fire could not.

She had eaten barely any of the stew Bombur had made, mainly watching for the wizard to return to the company... well... more precisely her.

"He's been gone a long time." Brynna said, walking over next to Bofur.

Bofur ladled some more soup into one of the wooden bowls, ''He's a wizard, he does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor,'' He handed Brynna two bowls filled with stew, ''Bring this to the lads.

Bryn sighed, taking the bowls slowly. Walking out from under the cover of the cottage roof she slowly walked over to where Fili and Kili were supposed to be watching the ponies. She found them a little ways into the forest, both standing like statues with their backs to her. Brynna walked in between them, placing the bowls in front of them so they could take them.

When they didn't respond Brynna could tell something was wrong. "What's the matter?" She asked cautiously, not really seeing whatever they were both staring at.

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies."

"Except we've encountered a slight problem." Fili glanced at her nervously, Kili not even looking at her.

"We had sixteen." Kili whispered.

"Now there's fourteen." Fili finished, as soon as the words left his mouth Brynna left their side to count the ponies again.

"Which ones are gone?" She asked again.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili reaffirmed.

"Well that's not good, no not good at all... Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" She didn't want to bring Kili and Fili back to their uncle's attention, but the leader of the company should be alerted to the lack of ponies.

"Ugh no! Let's not worry him." Kili hissed to her, inspecting some freshly fallen trees. "As our official burglar, we thought you might want to look into it."

Bryn let out a quiet groan, did they always speak for each other? She looked to Fili but he was watching her expectantly as well. "Uhm... Well, it looks like something big uprooted these trees..."

"That's what I was thinking." Fili was now inspecting what looked like footprints on the forest floor, except they were too large for anything that could be friendly.

"Something very big... And possibly quite dangerous... Fili we really should tell Thorin."

The dwarf prince ignored her and stooped down low when they heard crashing in the forest. "Look!" He hissed, "There's a light." He paused and then he and Kili ran off to investigate.

"Surely you two aren't...! Get back here!" She groaned and reluctantly followed the two dwarves. Kili told her to get down when she finally caught up to them. They paused a little ways away from the edge of the clearing, where they could see the firelight clear in the darkness. "What is it?" She asked.

Fili didn't answer, probably purposefully letting his younger less-experienced brother answer. "Trolls." Kili spat, following when his brother started heading for the very edge of the clearing.

Brynna went after them, still carrying the soup bowls with her. Knowing the brother's they would forget it there. Kili slammed himself into the cover of a tree when a large ugly creäture came around the corner.

"So that's a troll..." She whispered. Gasping when she saw the two ponies the creäture was carrying. "He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something." She said firmly.

Fili and Kili turned to look at her. In sync they nodded at her.

"Yes, you should." Kili stood up, taking the bowl of soup from her and taking her hiding place. "Trolls are slow and stupid and you're so small they'll never see you!"

"No! No, no, no! You can't...!" Brynna whispered furiously.

"Bilbo. It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you."

At those words Brynna looked Kili up and down. From what she knew of him he was loyal, but he also loved to joke with her... Or use her as the subject of his tom-foolery.

"If you run into trouble," Fili took his bowl of soup from her, defending his brother from her doubts, "Hoot twice like a barn owl, and once like a brown owl."

"Once like a barn owl... twice like a.. what owl?" She couldn't even make owl sounds let alone know which owl sounds were which. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She turned to look back at Fili and Kili but they were gone. So much for being right behind me. Oh, she wasn't that bad... was she? Brynna asked herself. Besides, maybe she could prove her use to Thorin through this.

"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it doesn't look like mutton again tomorrow."

Brynna could hear the deep rocky voices of the trolls. She took a deep breath, and slowly made her way closer to the camp.

"Hold your complaints, these ain't sheep, these here are west nags."

One replied to the others. Shoving Myrtle and Minty into this small little corral. She crouched down low, not wanting to be seen by the large creäture.

"I don't like horse. Never have. Don't have enough fat on 'em."

The troll speaking was sitting next to the fire beside one troll with a dirty apron on. It had a whiny shrill voice and was the smallest of the trio.

"Well it's better than the old farmer. He was all skin and bones... Still picking bits of 'im out of my teeth."

Bryn blanched, but still continued to move closer. The skinny one sneezed into the soup the apron troll was stirring, wiping his face afterward.

"That's lovely that is... A floater!"

"Might improve the flavor."

"Ah There's more where that came from!"

"Don't you dare!"

Quick and quiet she had hidden behind a tree. She couldn't tell which ones were speaking but really she didn't care. The scrawny troll must have had a cold because he continued to sneeze.

The ponies whinnied pitifully, ears going up when they saw her. She sneaked over next to the gate, struggling to untie the knot.

"I hope you're gonna gut these nags, I don't like the stinky bunch!"

The troll cooking whacked the scrawny one with his spoon. They both sat back down and Brynna got back at the knot.

The trolls continued talking, but the hobbitess wasn't paying any attention to their conversation. She was staring at a large blade hanging loosely from the scrawny trolls belt.

She gave one last tug on the rope, then started crawling towards the troll. She hushed the ponies when they started neighing quite loudly, almost letting out a shriek when she picked up a bone with small bits of flesh still on it.

"Thank you very much Bert. Lovely stew Bert. All I'm saying is that a little appreciation would be nice."

Bryn caught the name of the lead troll, but then quickly refocused on her task. She walked up behind the troll, using her hands to size up the amount of strength it would take to get the blade out of his belt.

Before she could think any more on it she placed her hands and tried heaving upward, but the creäture just then decided to get up on its feet and scratch at its rear end.

I can't do this! She was on the edge of giving up and going back over to the trees to tell Thorin, when it struck her how easy it could be. When Thorin came to help her he could easily use his knife ans free the ponies, then no doubt he would berate her and call her foolish for even trying on her own.

She was about to try to grab the sword again when she was suddenly wrapped in a cloth and brought up into the air. She heard the scrawny troll sneeze, and when he did so she was covered in mucus.

Breathless and shocked, she just stared at the trolls, who were gathered around looking at her.

"Blimey! Look! Look what's come out of my nose! It's got arms and legs and everything!"

"What is it?" Asked the troll who had stolen the ponies.

"I dont know, but I don't like the way it wiggles around!"

Brynna gasped as she was thrown to the ground, disgusted at the state of her clothes, hair... everything, was covered in that thing's snot!

Hurriedly she got to her feet, backing away from the advancing trolls.

"What are you then? An oversized squibble?"

"I'm a burglar-ah-Hobbit!" She quickly changed her answer, luckily confusing the trolls with the speed in which she answered them.

"A burglar-a-obbit?"

"Can we cook em?"

"We can try!"

Bryn bolted away from them, blocked by one of the three trolls whenever she tried to get back into the forest. Bert, the biggest of the trolls shoved her back with his cooking
spoon.

"He won't make more than a mouthful, not when he's skinned and boned!" Bert roared.

"There more burgler-hobbits round here? Might be enough for a pie!"

"Grab 'im!"

"He's too quick!"

She was almost out of the clearing when she was scooped up by one of the trolls. She yelled, squirming around trying to get free.

"Are there any more of you hiding where you shouldn't?" The one holding her asked, jabbing her with his filleting knife.

"Nope." She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Fili or Kili. Surely they hadn't really left her behind.

"He's lying!"

"No I'm not!" She tried to look convincing, but seeing as she was being held upside down and she was covered in mucus, she was not very convincing.

"Hold his toes over the fire!"

"Wha-?"

"Make 'im squeal!"

Just at that moment Kili appeared out of the forest, hacking at the smaller troll's leg. It began to howl in pain, screaming when he hacked at him again.

Brynna waited for half a second before cursing the dwarf. He had come all alone, no doubt trying to save her before his uncle discovered their foolish attempt to earn his gratitude.

"Drop him!" Kili yelled, holding his sword out in front of him. The other trolls stared at him for a moment, not understanding what he had said.

"What?"

"I said, drop him." Bryn could hear rustling in the bushes and saw the gleam of a blade in the trees. She smiled when she finally realized the plan but it turned into a grimace when the troll holding her thrust her at Kili.

He dropped his sword his mouth forming an 'o' shape when she hit him. The both hit the ground, the force of which she was thrown knocking the breath out of her and out of Kili because he had caught her.

A battle cry went up and Thorin and the rest of the company burst through the trees, slashing and hacking at the trolls legs and stomachs.

"Get Bilbo out of here!" Thorin yelled at Kili, before rushing into the fray.

Brynna didn't get a very good look at the fighting done, because as soon as she was in the forest safe and out of the way, Kili burst out of trees and back into the fight.

The squealing of the trolls and the yells of the dwarves didn't really encourage her to just sit there, but Thorin would probably already blaming her for what had happened, and her getting them all in trouble in front of Thorin did not sound like a good idea.

"I can't just sit here!" She yelled loud enough that only she and the ponies could here. The Ponies! Bryn made her way over to them, spotting the troll's sword now abandoned by the corral. She hefted it, using it to cut the ropes and then discarding it.

She tugged on the gate, stumbling back into the dirt when it opened. The ponies ran out, kicking up dust and whinnying as they went.

Coughing, Brynna wiped the dust from her eyes, screaming when her world was once again flipped upside down. The fighting quieted down, and she was pretty much displayed in front of the dwarves like a caught mouse. Two of the trolls were each holding on of her leg and one of her arms, pulling on her limbs as if to warn her not to struggle.

"Bilbo!" Kili tried rushing froward, but Thorin held him back. Another larger tug on her arms and legs made tears come to her eyes. It hurt even worse when they did it once more, just to prove their point.

"Lay down your arms! Or we'll rip his off!"

Thorin had locked eyes with her, frustration and exasperation in the sigh he let out. He looked away from her, thrusting his sword into the ground at his feet.

Kili looked at her, looking completely miserable until rage filled his brown eye and he threw his sword at the ground, doing the same thing with his bow and arrows.

All of the dwarves disarmed, and she wasn't let go until they did so. When all of dwarves were in almost nothing but their undergarments, Brynna was dropped to the ground and shoved into a sack along with the other dwarves.

"I'm so sorry I left you Bilbo." Kili whispered to her, looking very hot and uncomfortable in the sack he had been placed in.

"It wasn't your fault, I went to free the ponies. I got caught." She replied, not even feeling like letting Kili berate himself for their capture.

"Not then. Before, I We'd both be behind you but we weren't. I'm sorry."

"If it makes you feel better I'll punch you if we ever get out of this." She whispered back to him, flinching when the scrawny troll came over next to her.

"Why bother cookin' 'em. We should just sit on 'em, and squash 'em into jelly."

To Brynna that did not sound like a good idea, and was almost glad when she heard that wouldn't be happening, but then she realized that instead of being sat on she would be cooked to a crisp. An ache in her heart, she looked over at the rest of her comrades, who were all tied to a long tree trunk, and were being rotisserie cooked over the fire.

Brynna was next to Bombur and farthest away from the fire on her left was Balin, and on Bombur's other side was Kili, Thorin, Gloin, Fili, and Oin. All of them were thrown into an uncomfortable and sweaty pile a little ways away from the fire. The trolls continued bickering, and so did the dwarves. Even Thorin was doing his own share of kicking in an attempt to get his own hair out of his mouth. In fact, it sounded like he was choking at one point.

Bryn had been focusing on trying to loosen her sack, but what Bert said next made her freeze.

"We better hurry it up, dawn ain't far away, and I don't fancy being turned to stone."

Trolls turned to stone in the sunlight. Why had hadn't she thought of that? Dawn wasn't far off and the trees wouldn't keep the sun out of the clearing. If she stalled for time...

"Wait!" She yelled, "You are making a terrible mistake!" She gave them a very serious look, putting emphasis on terrible.

The dwarves that were being rotisserie cooked tried to tell her to give up, not understanding what she was doing.
Bryn ignored them and struggled to her feet, "I meant, uh, about the seasoning." Bryn knew quite a lot about cooking. If she hadn't she would have been a poor hobbit, but now she could use her knowledge of cooking to the company's advantage.

"What about the seasoning?" Bert asked, leaning down close to her.

Bryn gave them a look, "Well have you smelled them?" Bert smelled them and she continued, "You're gonna need something a lot stronger than sage before you plate this lubber." She stumbled forward a bit when Bombur nudged her with his foot. He was writhing frantically, scared out of his wits.

"How could you do this to us?" Kili yelled, Gloin and Oin clearly agreeing with him.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" Another troll asked suspiciously.

"Shut up! Let the, uh, flurglar-a-hobbit talk." Bert was clearly interested in what she was saying now, and the dwarves were beginning to get more enraged with her. Kili was still yelling things at her, and the dwarves on rotisserie were doing the same.

Bryn gave him a smile, trying to flatter the trolls to try and keep them distracted longer. "The secret to cooking dwarf is... um..." She paused, unsure as to what she could say that could do the least harm but would take the most time.

"Yes? Come on!"

"It's um..."

"What's the secret?"

"It's um, I'm telling you the secret is too..." She looked over at them, already regretting what she had in mind and knowing how they would feel about it They all looked at her fearfully, knowing that whatever she said would decide their fate.

Thorin looked perplexed and angry, probably wondering why she would be trying to make them taste better.

"Toooo... Skin them first!" She was actually quite proud of her answer because skinning dwarf couldn't be easy, but the dwarves were outraged, shouting threats that they would fulfill in the afterlife if they didn't get out of this.

"No!" Thorin yelled, trying to sit up. Probably so that he could strangle her. The other dwarves who had been lying next to her began flopping around, trying to get away from her and the trolls.

"Goff, get me a filleting knife."

"What a load of Rubbish! I've had plenty with their skins on, they had their boots on and all!"

The trolls started bickering, and Brynna could see the sky lightening behind them. And what she would have loved to see more than the sky appeared as well. Gandalf. He was waiting for the sun to come up, and then he would surely save them.

"He's right, nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" Goff, the scrawny troll came around to where the dwarves were piled up, plucking poor Bombur up from off the ground. Bombur writhed around, and Brynna blanched. No not Bombur!

"Nice and crunchy!" Goff opened his mouth wide, ready to eat Bombur right there.

"No not that one!" She cried, her mind making up something quick that even the trolls wouldn't want to eat.

Goff stopped, Bombur still held high in the air above his head. He swung around to look at her, Bombur turning with him. Poor Bombur's face was that of misery. He was no doubt very uncomfortable and couldn't possibly handle that much pressure without some side effects.

"What?"

"He's got worms in his... Tubes." Her answer was disgusting and frightening enough that Goff flung Bombur away from her. Bombur protested weakly, spluttering against what she had said.

Feeling bold and thinking she could push her luck she continued, "In fact they're all quite infested with parasites. Riddled. It's a terrible business I wouldn't mess with it."

"We don't have parasites!? You have parasites you conniving little..." Kili yelled, shouting insults and curses right along with the other dwarves. She glared at them, knowing that it wouldn't be very convincing if they were opposed to her scheme.

She looked at Thorin hopelessly. A look of dawning realization washed over his face and his jaw set in determination. She heard a thud and all of the dwarves paused to look at him.

He gestured to her with his eyes, and they all froze, looking at her with shock.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin shouted.

"My parasites are the biggest parasites!" Kili interjected, bragging about his brother's worms and uncle's head lice.

"We're riddled! Riddled I tell you!" Dori said over and over, Dwalin agreeing with him profusely.

"And what would you have us do? Let 'em all go?"

"Well..." She shrugged.

The troll shoved her with one of his giant fingers, pushing her back to the ground. "You think I don't know what you're up too. The little ferret is taking us for fools!"

Brynna fell over, a pain in her stomach intensifying. She had landed on her face, and she discovered that Fili's elbow had been what caused her stomach that pain.

"The dawn will take you all!" Gandalf boomed, raising his staff and bringing down with a sound like a thunder-clap.

The rock he was standing on split in the middle, and the first rays of the risen sun poured into the clearing.
The trolls howled, trying to cover their eyes against the blinding light.

Brynna watched, trans fixedly as the creatures who had just been about to eat them were now frozen stone statues.

She turned her head at just the right moment to see the priceless smile that crossed Thorin's face. With the sunlight spilling on his face, and that smile crossing his face, she felt as if she was stone herself for a moment. Then he was helped up by Gandalf and he was hidden from view.

That smile was the first of hundreds she would witness.

Please Review! I know I haven't updated in a while, but with school back in session, I will have a set schedule. And my stories will be updated and new ones posted.

Please Review!