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Kyrie
"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkling of sage!"
The voice that caught my ear was certainly not Bofur, or any of the others. I slowed my run to a trot and ducked underneath some brush, trying to calm my heaving chest. I peeked out of the brush slowly, only to gasp and duck back under as a massive Troll sauntered past me, a clump of herbs clutched in his filthy hands
The company was divided between those that had been stuffed into sacks that and those that had been tied to a roasting spit! Bofur was on the roasting spit, wriggling violently.
"KYRIE!" Bofur called hoarsely, his eyes wild as he rotated closer to the fire.
"That does sound quiet nice." One of the Trolls said to the other, sniffing the herbs. To the left were the bagged Dwarves and a bagged Bilbo Baggins. I felt anger burst into my sore chest when Ori cried out as the fire almost caught onto his hair.
"Liberai, preserve me." I prayed, trying to figure out what was the best plan of attack. All I knew about Trolls was that some turned to stone in the light, and these Trolls looked like the type.
"Thorin...Thorin!" I whispered as softly as I could, successfully attracting the attention of the bagged company. They looked at me with wide eyes, their mouths open.
"Woman, where is the Wizard?" Thorin whispered, keeping a watchful eye on the Trolls.
"He's...somewhere." I shrugged, rolling my eyes. "I need one of you to make a distraction."
"Distraction? For what?" Kili asked, flinching as a Troll came a little too close to stomping down on him.
"For me to sneak close." I whispered, catching Baggins' eye. The handsome Hobbit was shaking and covered…in slime?
"C-close?! Sneak close!?" Bilbo trembled, blinking wildly.
"Just come up with something." I scoffed, rolling out from under the brush. I kept my feet as stiff as possible, so that my bells sounded like the wind breezing through the leaves. I crept around the Troll's campsite, looking for the tallest and sturdiest tree.
"Wait!" I heard Baggins' shout, catching the Troll's attention. I jumped up on the tree's lowest branch and slowly started shimming my way up the trunk.
"You're making a terrible mistake!" Baggins cried, floundering in his sack. I flipped myself up onto one of the higher branches and held my breath as I bobbed in the air, hoping the branch wouldn't break.
I was above the Troll's heads now, the perfect place for an aerial attack. The sun would be rising in about ten minutes, which would hopefully work to my advantage, that's if I can fend the remaining Trolls off for that long.
I stalled for as long as I could, just in time to hear Baggins start ranting about parasites. With a deep breath, I threw myself off of my perch. I held in my scream as I plummeted towards one of the Troll's bald heads, and prayed to the Gods and Goddess that he wouldn't move. I withdrew one of my curved daggers as I landed on the Troll's head. Before the Troll could swat me off his bald dome, I drove my blade handle deep into the Troll's skull. The big creature flailed and twitched for a second before it fell to its knees and then onto its face.
"TOM!" One of the other Troll's cried, his eyes widened in fear. I managed to rip my dagger from the Troll's skull and faced the remaining two Trolls, who were not too happy. I glanced to the horizon only to find that I still had a few more minutes until dawn.
"Damn." I cursed my timing.
"B-Bill! That thing killed Tom!" The Troll screeched, clutching at its misshapen head.
"A little human," Bill the Troll growled, reaching for a large club that was on the ground by the fire. "I'll split 'er 'ead in two."
"Not before I put a hole in yours." I bluffed, drawing my second dagger.
"Be careful, Bill!" The Troll's squeaky voice was starting to get on my nerves.
"Shaddup, Bert!" Bill the Troll shouted, slamming his club on the ground too close to me for my sakes. I dove to the side and rolled from his hit, which made a massive crater in the ground. I got to my feet and dashed around the compound, evading the enraged Bill as Bert sat on his smelly ass and cried about Tom's death.
Honestly, I didn't feel too bad about it.
"Gotcha!" Bill shouted, his massive hand reaching out to wrap around my ankle. With a wild scream, I drove my dagger into his hand blindly. I hissed as my own dagger penetrated the Troll's hand and the tip ended up sinking into my skin. Bill shoved away in pain which allowed me to curse my rotten luck. Who the hell stabs an enemy and then ends up stabbing themselves as well!?
"Key!" Fili shouted as the Troll growled and started to stalk towards me.
"Kvinn Endrinkuli!" Bifur screamed in his native language. I couldn't feel anything except the throbbing in my leg. I felt like I was going to die right in that moment. I could feel the Troll stomping closer, his club raised high in the air. I held my head up high, not wanting my last moments to be completely cowardly.
When the massive club swung down, I'm pretty sure I cried for my Papi. The realization that I was going to die and I wouldn't come back to my Papi like I promised. Just as my faith ran out, a voice brought back all my hope.
"THE DAWN WILL TAKE YOU ALL!"
Bilbo
The most frightening moment of my life was watching Kyrie leap down atop that Troll's head. I saw the handle of her dagger sink into the Troll's head and then BANG!
The monster was dead.
Watching Kyrie evade the Troll was more like a dance than anything else. A very clumsy dance. Key was diving, rolling, ducking, and leaping away from Bill the Troll's sticky paws. She was going to have some scrapes and bruises simply from her evasion tactics. When Bill the Troll wrapped his hand around her ankle, I thought he was going to rip her apart. My heart jumped into my throat, and Key drove her dagger into the Troll's hand.
Straight through the Troll's hand and into her leg.
I heard Thorin groan in dismay as the blonde cried out, dropping her dagger and clutching her bleeding leg. The wound wasn't large, but it was deep and bleeding badly. The rest of the company and I started to shout at her to move, but she didn't respond to any of our calls.
I saw a single tear roll down her cheek as Key raised her chin in defiance. The Troll was getting far too close for comfort, but she wasn't moving. She couldn't move.
"PAPI!" Key called, which was the most heartbreaking thing I'd ever heard. Poor thing just killed a Troll; and all she wants is her father to come and save her. The Troll stopped his club mid-swing to stare up at an outcropping of rocks in curiosity.
"THE DAWN WILL TAKE YOU ALL!" Gandalf cried, appearing atop an outcropping of rocks. The two remaining Trolls stopped to stare at Gandalf, who broke away a piece of the rocks he was standing on with a slam of his staff.
The glorious rays of sun beamed down on us like they had been sent by angels. The Trolls started to screech and writhe, slowly turning to stone. Gandalf hurried down the rock outcropping and cut Thorin and Bombur from their sacks before he handed off his knife and hurried to Kyrie's side.
"G-Gandalf, I'm so sorry." I heard her whisper as I was freed from my sack by Bombur. What was I supposed to do? Comfort her? I yearned to do so, but would she accept me? Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, I slowly stepped over to the Wizard and the crying Fae, trying not to startle them.
"Now, now, my dear. All is well, you did the company proud. Come, come, dear: look! Bilbo's here, darling. He'll stay right here with you. I need to go help the Dwarves down from the roasting spit." Gandalf said, somehow sensing my presence.
"N-no..." Kyrie wailed softly, holding onto the sleeve of the Wizard's robe. Gandalf smiled, waving me closer and scotching over to give me room to sit beside the distraught woman.
"You want Master Baggins to leave?" Gandalf questioned, cocking his head. Key thought for a moment, rubbing at her pink nose.
"N-no." Key whimpered, turning to face me with watery eyes. My eyes widened as she let go of Gandalf's sleeve and reached out for me. I felt myself cringe as her fingers sunk into my slimy coat. She was holding onto my Troll-snot covered coat, poor thing. With a little muffled bleat, the Fae curled closer to me, burying her face into my sticky coat. Gandalf smiled softly at me, patting my head before heading off to help the Dwarves.
"S-shush, Key. It…It's ah-all over now." I stuttered, not sure how to relax the woman. I tried to think back to when I was a small Hobbitling and my mother would comfort me. I held her tightly and rested my chin atop her head.
"There once was a frog named Hipgo and he lived in a pond called Bigwo. He meowed like a cat, and wore a small hat, but never was friends with me." I whispered one of the small rhymes that my mother would whisper to me when I was scared. Kyrie sniffled, dabbing the edges of her dirty cloak to her eyes.
"W-what was that?" She asked, her voice hoarse from crying. "Was that something y-you made wrote?"
"Ah...hum." I felt very embarrassed suddenly. Maybe whispering childish rhymes to her was not the best way to try and make her feel better.
Damn my ability to make catchy jingles!
"D-did you come up with that yourself?" She asked again, her tear swollen eyes looking up at me.
"My mother did." I found myself mumbling nervously, shrugging my shoulders.
"It's sweet." Key said with a pathetic attempt at a giggle. A small smile spread across her lips and that was good enough for me.
"Thank you, Key. Let me go see if Oin can take a look at that wound of yours." I said as softly as I could, giving Key a sympathetic smile. Key grimaced, biting her lip in annoyance.
"I can't believe I stabbed myself!" Key said, a little laugh echoing behind her frustration. She ran her hand over her bleeding leg and quivered a little, but did not cry.
"Everyone makes mistakes." I said, letting go and patting her cheek once before standing. I hurried over to Gandalf to see if any of the Dwarves or himself were able to patch up Key's leg.
Kyrie
"They could not have moved in daylight." Gandalf muttered to himself as he wound a strip of bandages around my calf. The wound was deep and close to the ankle, but Gandalf told me that it didn't touch bone.
"Who? The Trolls?" Kili asked, looking up at the creatures that were now only statues.
"Yes. There must be a cave nearby." Gandalf mused. "Just as Thorin said before. But why...why would Trolls come this far?"
"You could un-stone them and ask, couldn't you?" I joked, earning a grin from the Wizard.
"What happened to you out there, Kyrie? You were doing so well and then you just...fell apart." Fili changed the subject, helping Gandalf knot off the bandages.
"I haven't a thought. I just...I was suddenly so afraid. I've been wounded before, but for some reason, I was just so…petrified. I just froze." I said honestly, feeling ashamed of my behavior. Gandalf had told Thorin I could handle my own, yet I'm only able to take out one Troll before I'm reduced to crying for my Papi.
"Do not let that fear control you again."
I shuddered as I turned my head to look at Thorin, who stood tall beside us. Gandalf smiled at the King, who returned the gesture with a small smirk. Once again, his icy eyes were on me, but they were not angry or disappointed as I expected.
"Danger is quite real, but fear is an option. Remember that." Thorin said, nodding his head before turning. I watched with wide eyes as the royal Dwarf returned to Balin's side, conversing quietly with him.
"That is as close as you will get to a thank you, I'm afraid." Gandalf hummed, dusting off his hat and placing it back atop his head.
"We will rest and then seek out the Troll's hovel tomorrow." Thorin called, loud enough for the rest of the company to hear. With that, the company headed back to camp slowly, watching the stone Trolls.
"Do you think the Trolls will turn back to life at night?" Ori asked fearfully, watching the stone Trolls.
"No, lad. Those Trolls are stone forever more." Bofur said softly, patting the red headed Dwarf on the shoulder. Ori smiled, pulling out his book and started scribbling furiously.
"How did you all come across those Trolls?" I asked, guessing that the two Dwarven Princes had something to do with the whole scene based on how they hung their heads.
"Fili and Kili caught them stealing ponies." Gloin said, shooting the brothers a glance. "Instead of coming to the company, they sought help of Master Baggins."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time! Get the burglar to get the ponies back!" Kili defended himself and Fili, who knocked his darker haired brother on the back of his head. I winced at the loud knock that came from Kili's head; damn Dwarves have hard heads.
"For him too…burglarize the ponies that the Trolls had already burglarized?" I asked, earning a nod from Gloin. "Makes sense, I suppose."
"It was going rather well for Master Baggins, I must admit." Fili snickered, glancing towards his brother. The princes shared mirrored smirks, and Bilbo's cheeks turned a light pink.
"Until one of the Trolls snotted all over him." Kili giggled, earning a rather scandalous look from Bilbo.
"I was wondering why you were sticky." I laughed at the horrified Hobbit, who pulled my handkerchief out of his pocket and started to scrub at his face.
"Don't worry, Bilbo! There's a river by camp to bathe!" Gandalf said with a laugh, stepping over an upturned root.
"Oh yes, let me clean off Troll mucus with nasty, grimy river water." Bilbo muttered under his breath, a furrow in his brow.
"How did you all get bagged and rotisseried?" I asked, hoping to divert the attention away from the Hobbit. Bilbo smiled at me in thanks.
"The Trolls got Bilbo and then we came through to rescue him!" Ori said, thrusting his sling shot into the air proudly. "But...it did not go as well as we expected."
"You win some, you lose some, I suppose." I said, thankful that none of the Dwarves mentioned my crying scene. I just wanted to forget it ever happened and never let my fear get ahold of me again!
By the time we arrived to camp, the early morning sun was shining warmly. Some of the Dwarves started heading towards the river, while some went to bask in the sun and get some rest. Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bombur, Baggins, Ori, Dori, and I all headed down to the river, which was slow flowing and crisp.
"I'm going behind those logs, loves." I said to the group, who all nodded in acknowledgement. I stripped behind the overturned trees quickly and dunked into the water with a mental countdown from three.
The water made me shake for a moment but I quickly grew accustom to it. I dug through my small bag, got my cake of soap, and started scrubbing. The water turned murky around me as all the muck washed away, which was disgusting and fascinating at the same time.
Uproarious laughter from the men's side of the river had me wanting to peak over. Afraid of offending someone by sneaking a peak, I called over the log about what was so funny.
"Nothing, lass! Just hassling poor Master Baggins." Balin called back with a chuckle. I heaved myself out of the water to dry in the sun.
"When aren't you? You're all terrible brutes." I joked, hearing the shouts that came my way. A chill ran threw me as a breeze blew past and I decided that it was a good idea to give my clothes a good scrub. Using the same soap, my clothes were quickly cleaned and laid over the log to dry.
"Kyrie?"
I yipped in fear at the sound of Bilbo's voice. I pressed my back against one of the logs in surprise. Even though I felt comfortable displaying some of my body, that didn't mean I wanted Bilbo seeing me naked.
"I'm behind the log, don't worry. Are you alright? You're awful quiet." Baggins said softly, and I could hear him lean against the other side of the log.
"I'm just fine, Baggins. Thank you." I said as I started nervously pawing at my clothes, willing them to dry quicker.
"Please, it's Bilbo." He said softly, almost cautiously. I but my lip as Gandalf's words about forgiveness tugged at my mind.
"Okay, Bilbo." I said back softly.
"How did you know that I was in trouble…with the Trolls?" Bilbo asked curiously.
"I didn't know about you, but I did know that Bofur was in trouble." I said, sighing once I realized that my breast wrappings and underwear were dry, along with my corset.
Damn my thick pants!
"How did you know then?" Bilbo asked, and I could hear the sounds of him skipping stones along the water's edge.
"He used a Fae Summons." I responded, beginning to wrap my breasts. "If a Fae promises someone that they will come when their name is called, the Fae will come. I promised Bofur that I would come whenever he called, even if I left the company." I explained the strange phenomenon that was still new to me.
"Is Bofur the only one you've promised this to?" Bilbo asked, and for some reason he stopped skipping stones.
"Yes. I never knew about a Fae Summons until Gandalf told me. It was all just a chance of words and fate, it seemed." I said, adjusting my corset.
"Kyrie?"
"Yes, Bilbo?" I asked, jamming on my dried pants.
"I didn't mean any of those things I said to you. I honestly, really don't want to upset you. I've just never met….someone like you before." He said, which made a strange jolt in my stomach.
"Is that good…or bad?" I asked softly, nervously tighten my ankle bells.
"It's more than good." Bilbo said, which made me sigh in relief. I stood, coming around to the other side of the log. Thankfully Bilbo was dressed and I kept my eyesight down from the river where the Dwarves were swimming.
"That's…good." I said lamely, smiling at the Hobbit before turning to head back to camp. I smiled again when I realized that Bilbo was following by my side. We walked back to camp in silence, and we parted ways once we got back. Bilbo headed over to Bofur and Oin and I headed back to my bedroll.
I fell asleep quickly, listening to Bilbo joke around with the two Dwarves.