The stench is what finally allows them to find the troll hoard.

It lies underneath a slope of forest floor dotted with large weathered boulders, moss hanging from the ceiling and the damp smell of decay permeating the air near it. Dead leaves crinkle on the floor as Gandalf and Thorin lead a small group of dwarves deep into the troll hoard.

"What's that stench?" Nori asks as they move from the light of the cave entrance.

"It's a troll hoard," Gandalf says, as if that explains it all. Which it does. "Be careful what you touch," he warns. Coughs and gagging sounds echo from the dwarves as they descend further.

The floor of the cave is littered with all sorts of flotsam and debris. The skeleton of a chandelier and an old rotting pumpkin sit side by side. Bofur's eyes alight on a small treasure chest sitting against a wall which leads him to the small pile of gold at its base. He nudges it with his foot. "Seems such a shame to leave it lying around," he says, "Anyone could take it."

"Agreed," Gloin says, a calculating look in his eye. "Nori! Get a shovel!" he commands.

Ahead, Gandalf paws through old wicker baskets with his staff. Under light of a torch, Thorin notice a rack of cobweb covered knifes. With precision and a practiced eye for weapons, he draws a small knife from the weapons cache and narrows his eyes, not recognizing the make. Putting it back, the wide, slender hilt of a long broadsword catches his eye and he pulls it from the rondel holding it. Gandalf approaches as he pulls a curved sword from the rondel as well.

"These swords were not made by any troll," he says in wonder, passing the longer sword to Gandalf for examination.

"Nor were they made by any smith among men," Gandalf says, laying his staff against his shoulder and looking critically at the cobweb adorned hilt. Slowly he slides the blade from the sheath as Thorin examines the curved sword, blowing stray dust away as he does.

"These were forged in Gondolin," Gandalf says in wonder, looking up at Thorin, who abruptly stops weighing the heft of the sword. "By the high elves of the first age." Thorin pulls his hand from the hilt he was about to grasp. "You could not ask for a finer blade," Gandalf says sharply to him.

Thorin stops in the act of putting the sword back and considers it for a moment. Then under Dwalin's watchful eye he unsheathes it in one deft movement, the blade glittering in the torchlight, fine scrawl in Elvish with vine flourishes moving on the sword.

Gandalf re-sheathes his blade with a satisfied murmur, spider webs hanging off it. They head back towards the entrance to the cave. Gloin, Bofur and Nori are busy burying a chest of golden cups, coins and jewels. Gloin pats the top of the chest fondly and looks up at Dwalin's scowling face. "We're making a long-term deposit," he says pragmatically. Dwalin rolls his eyes in disdain.

"Let's get out of this foul place," Thorin says and Dwalin follows him, close on his heels, eager to be rid of the stench of troll. "Come on let's go. Bofur, Gloin, Nori!"

Gandalf takes one last considering look around the cave, moving his torch across the high shadows of the cave ceiling. As he turns to leave the end of his staff clanks on an object buried beneath the leaf litter. Curious, he clears the leaves with his staff to reveal a small bladed sword shaped with curves instead of straight as his new sword is. The hilt wrapping is covered with a motif of leaves on fine leather.

Probing further, he unmasks a paired set of sickle-like blades as well, adorned with a pattern of stars on the fine silver blades. The hilts are small, wrapped in a bronzed color of leather and ending in straps for the user wrists. A shiver of memory runs through him as he thinks back to the last person he saw use weapons such as these and after a moment of consideration, he picks up both the sets of weapons before heading back out into the sunshine and clear air.

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As Gandalf and Thorin disappear into the cave, Fili and Kili very gently lay the woman down on a bed of moss away from the cave's entrance where the stink of rot isn't quite as overwhelming. They'd carried her from the troll camp between the two of them, her head rolling limply between them. She didn't stir again on the journey here but as they lay her down, her breathing pattern changes and she slowly rises to awareness.

Bilbo and Fili stay by her side as she comes to, a hand immediately going to her head, her eyes drawn tight around the corners in pain. Without a word, Fili gently offers her a water skin and she takes it with a nod of thanks, her expression wary. "We're not going to hurt you," Fili says quietly, trying to make his eyes and his words as sincere as possible. She doesn't relax an inch so it is entirely possible that he needs to work on that skill.

They regard each other in silence, he burning with desire to ask her who she is and what she is doing her and she with cautious curiosity.

Kili breaks the moment by unsheathing a knife from his brother's boot. He holds it hilt first towards the woman and she flinches at first, afraid he's threatening her, then looks at it with consideration. She turns her gaze to Fili, and he is surprised when she asks permissions. "May I?"

He nods slowly and she takes the blade with a nod of thanks. "Best to be prepared in the wild," Kili says with a shrug at Bilbo's questioning look. "You know how to use that, lass?"

She nods, adjusting her grip, feeling the weight of it in her hand. She holds it in a backwards grip, blade pointing up her forearm, hilt against her wrist. Fili notes the grip with interest. Most men don't hold the blade that way. Strange for a farm girl to know how to hold a blade that way.

"Bilbo!" Gandalf calls from the mouth of the cave. The hobbit heads towards the wizard reluctantly, wanting to stay with the woman.

Kili gently kneels at her side and pulls a small black of dried cheese from his pack. He holds it out to her under the watchful eyes of his brother. "You must be hungry," he says. He feels as if he is approaching a trapped or wounded animal. Her eyes are skittish and wary, always scanning around them, always second guessing the nature of their company. Whatever she has gone through it has made her untrusting and quiet.

Slowly, she reaches out her hand and meets him halfway, her small fingers brushing his. "Thank you." Her voice is quiet, no more than a whisper, husky with disuse.

"You're very welcome," Kili says, staying at her level, keeping his distance so not as to cause her discomfort. "Thank you for saving Bilbo's life in the clearing. I believe you saved my brother's as well." He nods over his shoulder at Fili and is surprised to notice a flush has crept up his brother's collar. He smiles shrewdly at Fili, who shifts under his scrutiny.

The girl is blushing as well, head down, not sure how to accept this praise. "I could not have saved him if your company had not saved me," she says, the most words he has heard from her yet. "I owe your people a great debt."

Kili makes to respond but at that moment there comes a thrashing sound from the surrounding woods and he is up, a hand already on his bow. Fili moves to stand in front of her and he notices how her hand tightens on the small knife in her hand. "What is it?" she asks him, struggling to her feet.

He puts a steadying hand under her arms. "I don't know," he says. "Something is coming."

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When Gandalf exits the cave, he calls Bilbo over. The hobbit regretfully leaves the woman's side to see what the wizard requires.

"Here, this is about your size," Gandalf says, measuring the hobbit against the small blade with his eyes as he holds out the weapon. Bilbo looks at him with a furrowed brow.

"Oh-," Bilbo says quietly and takes the sword hesitantly looking from it to the wizard. Gandalf watches him for a moment as the hobbit considers. "I can't take this," Bilbo says, looking up at him.

"The blade is of Elvish make," Gandalf says. "That means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby," he explains with a faint nod completely ignoring Bilbo's refusal.

Bilbo looks back at the company to make sure no one is listening. "I have never used a sword in my life," he confides to Gandalf in a lowered voice, plaintively trying to get the wizard to reconsider.

"And I hope you never have to," Gandalf says quietly in his low voice. Bilbo looks up at him. "But if you do remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

The wizard looks into Bilbo's bewildered eyes for a moment more. Bilbo looks at the blade. There is crack of twigs as the dwarves shift around anxiously. "Something's coming!" Thorin's deep voice warns. Gandalf looks up sharply and leaves Bilbo to go see what the commotion is telling to dwarves to arm themselves.

"Gandalf-," Bilbo tries to say, but Gandalf is telling the dwarves to stay together. He turns back to the blade in his hands, slowly pulling it from the sheathe and considering the short blade as the dwarves run past him to pull together a defensive formation.

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Tree branches crack and tear and break in the forest as something speeds their way very rapidly. Bilbo stays close to the young woman with his new, small sword. Fili is supporting her and the small knife in her hand catches his attention. Her eyes are just as watchful as the dwarf brothers are and she clearly knows how to use the weapon in her hand.

"Arm yourselves!" Gandalf calls as Bilbo shakes his gaze from the new sword he is holding.

"Stay together!" Thorin bellows as the creature or person disturbing the forest draws nearer.

With an explosion of leaves and broken branches, a great host of rabbits burst into the clearing, followed by one of the most peculiar men Bilbo has ever seen, riding a sleigh that he only then notices is being pulled by the rabbits. "Thieves! Fire! Murder!" the strange fellow bellows but the whole company is so bepuzzled by his appearance that they continue to stand at the ready, unsure what to do.

Gandalf breaks the silence. "Radagast!" he says in greeting. "Radagast the Brown!" He walks up to the strange little wizard, whose staff is a gnarled concoction of tree branches and whose beard could be a squirrel's nest. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I was looking for your Gandalf," the little wizard speaks quickly. "Something's wrong, something's very wrong!"

"Yes?" Gandalf asks skeptically.

Radagast goes to speak, stops, finger still in the air in thought, goes to speak again and then stops himself again. "Just give me a minute, um…," Bilbo can almost feel his eyes crossing at the sight of this peculiar and quirky man. "Oh! I had a thought and now I've lost it, it was right on the tip of my tongue!"

Radagast's eyes cross briefly as he thinks hard. "Oh! It's not a thought at all!" he says. "It's a silly old, stick insect!" he proclaims, as Gandalf gently pulls said stick insect from his tongue. Radagast takes it into his hand and studies it closely. Bilbo looks around to see similar expressions of befuddlement on his companions. Oin can't even hear enough of the conversation to be confused and Thorin looks put-upon by this strange man.

The dwarves slowly lower their weapons when they realize that Gandalf knows this wizard. There are still big expressions of confusion of many of their faces. As Gandalf moves off to the side to converse with Radagast, Thorin stows his weapons and the company follows suit. Bilbo moves to the side slightly to attempt to overhear the wizards' conversation. Fili is watching them, his blade still out but then the woman shifts under his arm in pain and his attention goes back to her.

Her face is extremely pallid, unearthly white, making her long lashes and dark eyebrows stand out against her face. "You should rest," Fili tells her gently. She shakes her head slightly.

"I gain no strength if I let others carry me," she says quietly. She straightens up and takes a few halting steps to get her feet steady underneath herself. "I will need my legs soon."

Something about the way she says that last phrase has Fili unsettled. She does not say it as if she will need her strength to recover and move on with her life. She says it as though she knows she will have to walk or run very soon and that she knows it with a certainty that cannot be possible. He keeps an eye on her as she slowly begins to pace back and forth, building up her strength.

Kili comes to stand next to him. "You look ill at ease, Fee," he says, bumping his shoulder against his older brother's. "You also, appear to be enchanted."

Fili looks up sharply at Kili. "What do you mean by that?" he demands.

"Oh, nothing," Kili says innocently. "But you don't blush for anyone, brother." He dodges as Fili attempts to cuff him on the ear. Kili laughs and backs away, "Just know that I was the first to notice it," he grins. Fili swallows drily, shaking his head as his brother starts talking to Dwalin. His gaze moves up to the woman who has stopped to breath heavily for a moment, her hand on a tree branch for balance.

As if sensing his gaze, she looks up, right at him and he has to admit that he might be bewitched.

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"The Green Wood is sick Gandalf," Radagast confides to the grey wizard as the taller man slowly puffs on his pipe consideringly. "A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows anymore. At least nothing good. The air is foul with decay."

Gandalf wanders slightly downhill and is facing away from the company and Radagast when the smaller wizard says, "But worst are the webs."

"Webs?" Gandalf says in quiet surprise. "What do you mean webs?"

"Spiders, Gandalf," Radagast says. "Giant ones. Some sort of spawn of Ungoliant or I'm not a wizard. I followed their trail. They came from…. Dol Guldur."

The small pause has it's intended effect. "Dol Guldur?" Gandalf questions. "But the old fortress is abandoned."

Radagast shakes his head slightly. "No, Gandalf. It's not."

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As Gandalf and Radagast finish their conversation, Fili sees Radagast hand a slime parcel to Gandalf. The look that passes between them is dark but his attention is borne away from it by two events that happen in quick succession.

First, the woman catches sight of the object being held by Gandalf and her eyes widen. What was it Bilbo called that look? She goes sightless, her eyes not here. Her breathing comes faster and a terrible kind of pain creases the corners of her eyes. She brings a hand to her ear as if to cover it from some ghostly shriek she hears in the distance. He takes a step towards her, wondering again at what could be happening when the second thing occurs.

A howl rents the air around the company.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asks nervously. There are uneasy noises from the company who stir from the brief rest the wizards' conversation gave them.

"Wolf? No, that was not a wolf," Bofur says, a terrified expression creeping up his face. There is a growl at the top of the rise and the dwarves turn just in time to see a ferocious, snarling Warg ready to pounce.

The beast roars and charges the dwarves. Oin and Gloin dive out of its way, Thorin slashing the Warg across it's grotesque face and Dwalin finishing it off with a sweep of his broad-axe into its thick neck. Fili pushes the woman behind him, his back pressed against her chest, her back against the tree.

A second Warg leaps into the air, straight at Thorin, but Kili sends an arrow into its eye and Thorin finishes the creature with a firm blow. Fili stands at the ready and he can feel the wiry in the woman's forearm as he has unconsciously grabbed onto her wrist.

"Warg-scouts!" Thorin hollers. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind!"

"Orc pack?" Bilbo asks, eyes wide with shock.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf demands, his tone menacing.

"No one," Thorin grinds out.

"WHO DID YOU TELL?" Gandalf bellows again.

"No one, I swear," Thorin answers angrily. "What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin demands, voice deep and angry.

"You are being hunted," Gandalf says. Bilbo's shoulders fall and so does his face as he realizes the severity of the situation he now finds himself in.

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin growls, his voice grave.

"We can't!" comes Ori's panicked voice. "We have no ponies, they bolted!" Bilbo shakes his head in distress.

There is a howl through the trees that makes the hair rise on the back of Fili's neck.

"We need to move, and now!" Dwalin barks.

"Gandalf, can the brown wizard take the girl to safety?" Thorin demands. "She won't stand a chance if Warg scouts are running us down." Gandalf nods his agreement and turns to the girl but stops when he really takes a look at her.

She is standing upright, her eyes focused on Thorin but with the sightless look Bilbo described before they found the troll hoard. Her eyes are wide and flinty, seeing something they cannot and it confirms Gandalf's suspicions.

So quietly they almost can't hear her, the woman surfaces from wherever she had been and says, "No. You will need me to reach the mountain."

The silence that follows is sharp.

"What, did you say?" Thorin asks, enunciating every word clearly, his voice filled with a disbelieving rage. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" he bellows again.

Before anyone can stop him, he has strode over to the woman, grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against a moss-covered tree. She gasps as her ribs shift but Thorin is unrelenting. "How do you know this?" Thorin snarls at her. Bilbo and the rest of the company look at her in disbelief, wanting to spare her further injury but also too curious to know the answer to intervene.

Bilbo almost sighs in relief when Gandalf steps in. "Thorin, unhand her," the wizard says, a hint of power simmering in his voice. The girl gasps a bit as Thorin's hold tightens as he looks questioningly at Gandalf. "I have my theories about her but if these were scouts the pack is not far behind. Now is not the time. She won't run from us, she's smart enough not to strike out on her own injured and with Warg riders in the area. We take her with us and question her later."

Thorin narrows his eyes at the wizard but he is no fool. He drops the girl and she crumples at his feet, wheezing for air, bruises already forming on her neck.

Thorin makes his decision quickly. "Fili, Kili," he barks. "Keep an eye on the girl. We need to move!"

"I'll draw them off," Radagast says.

"These are Gundaband Wargs," Gandalf says in warning, his doubts clear on his face. "They will out run you!"

"These are Rhosgobel rabbits!" Radagast declares with a glint in his eye. There is something sly in the brown wizard's eye that convince Gandalf. "I'd like to see them try."