DISCLAIMER: Let's get this out of the way. I do not own or have any hope of ever owning the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to Tolkien and as far as I'm concerned he can keep them. For now. I do however, own my OC, Kidhuzel! So don't steal her. Please, feel free to leave any comments and/or questions that you may have. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known but be polite while you do it. Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 9

It is without much difficulty that Kidhuzel finds Gandalf's trail. With her eyes closed and nose stuck in the air, she easily shifts through the smells of the forest and follows his like it is a beacon. Not to mention that his magic rubs curiously against her on when he is near; a feeling she has come to dismiss after spending so much time together.

Even so, the sorcerer has had all afternoon to walk and it takes El hours of searching before she quite literally runs into him. Her forehead smacks into the wizard's outstretched hand as he lifts it to prevent her from knocking him over in her blind flight. Her eyes snap open and she breathes a sigh of relief at having finally located him. Her wings fluttter excitedly, lifting her a few inches off the ground in triumph.

"What are you doing out by your lonesome, young lady?" Gandalf asks, placing a hand on El's head to return her to the ground "You should not be here."

"My bearer and his company have had a run in with a troll." Tugging on the wizard's sleeve, she begins leading him back the way she came "I believe they may fall pry to the creature's hunger when they battle it."

"Curse the stubbornness of dwarves!" Using his staff as a cane, Gandalf leans on it heavily in exasperation "Can they not go a day without finding trouble?"

"Of course not; they are dwarves. Curse yourself for leaving."

Shaking his arm free the odd pair rush back to the original camp site, making it within 2 hours. Finding it still empty after such a long period of time gives a large clue that the company has most likely been captured if not worse. From there Kidhuzel and Gandalf quietly make their way to the troll camp, finding not one but three gruesomely huge beings.

The smell radiating from their pores confirms to El that these beings inhabit the area she had the misfortune of passing earlier that night. The trolls' grey skin is thick but taught around muscle and fat, for even their large guts do not jiggle. While they have an abundance in size, it is ruined with their lack of intellect. Still, they were just smart enough to capture the company.

"Do not do anything foolish." Listening with half an ear, El hones in on the pen which was more than likely used to house the captured ponies. That they are free means the burglar must have at least done that much before they were captured "Thorin would not appreciate it."

"I am not yours to order, wizard."

"Kidhuzel-"

"However I was previously instructed to stay out of sight." Gandalf cuts his eyes at the girl but finds her attention solely on the dwarves. They have been stripped of their outter layers and set either in brown sacks or strung up on the fire pit. If their lives weren't in danger, the sight would be almost comical "So long as my bearer is not threatened, I will hold my place."

"Whether confident or arrogant, I can not tell." the trolls debate on how to cook the dwarves and Bilbo tries his best to play for time. If they can hold out for a bit, the sun will rise and all will be well. With a bit of luck and good timing, it may not be impossible "Many years you had laid within your sheltered home, young miss. What can you do to protect yourself, let alone Thorin?"

"... I do not know." shifting slightly to keep out of the trolls view, Kidhuzel shrugs almost uncaring "I will do what I can."

No more words are exchanged between the two as the earth quivers under the weigh of the heavy trolls. One in particular is extremely excitable as he jumps around, blowing his nose to the tune of the grusome conversation. Kidhuzel follows the speech with great amusement, understanding immediately that Bilbo does not mean a word that he says. 'I highly doubt dwarves would taste very good, even with sage.' Her eyes trace from the hobbit to the flames to Thorin like a second hand on a clock; never staying in the same place long. It isn't until Bilbo suggests that the dwarves should be skinned that El begins to grow anxious.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a bit o' raw dwarf" One of the trolls plucks Thorin up from the pile, dangling him above his mouth. Jerking forward, El only then realizes Gandalf's tight hold on her arms. He says nothing as she struggles and snarls quietly, holding her in his firm grip "Nice and crunchy..."

Thorin glares at Bilbo, not daring to disguise his fury. The hobbit would sell them out to trolls to save himself even though this is his fault. The dwarf is sure to put every ounce of hatred he has ever felt into the glare as the stink of the trolls breath hits him with full force. The stench causes his stomach to roll rebelliously, made all the worse by his inverted position. He is sure to aim for the hobbit if his supper makes a reappearance. The dwarf will be sure that the halfling knows that all their deaths are on him, finding a small sense of accomplishment when the fragile male shudders in fright and trips over his own feet. Landing hard on his rear, Bilbo's fear is so palpable that he can utter no words even as the king is descended into the trolls mouth. Thorin feels the pressure of teeth latching onto his neck just as something crashes through the trees.

"Release him! Lest you suffer the fate of his blood."

"... Blood 'as fate?" the sneezey troll asks letting Thorin's now slobbery head slip out his mouth

"Indeed. His is tainted and impure." The usually rambunctious dwarves are quiet with emotion as Kidhuzel walks into camp slowly. Even Thorin says nothing as his temper rises while she slanders his name with truth. She strangely mimics the hobbit's nonthreatening stance, causing something within Thorin's mind to click. 'She is playing for time.' Regardless, her words strike a sensitive cord within the dwarf "If it runs through you, be it by birth or consumption, you'll never eat again."

"Never bein' hungry sounds pretty great to me!" the second troll, William El believes he is called, rumbles out as he turns the wheel on the spit. A good thing, as Bofur's face has turned a frightening red shade from being so close to flames "Ain't that a good thin'?"

"You will forever be hungry."

"But you said-"

"That you would never eat. And you shan't." Coming deeper into the camp, El is sure to meet each troll's gaze "Your desire for food will be replaced with a need for gold."

"But... you can't eat good, can you Bert?"

"No... tried once. Sat heavy in me gut till I couldn't stand it no more and brought it back up."

"You will crave that which cannot sustain you, and thus die forever unfulfilled."

"I don't want to die unfulfilled!" Throwing Thorin back onto the pile, Sneezing Tom glances at the rest of the dwarves before snatching up Gloin and sniffing him before his brother snatches the dwarf into his own hand "This one aint blood tainted is he?"

"No." Kidhuzel answers smoothly for she has not seen it within his line

"Oh good!"

"Uh not... not that one either!" Bilbo says, leaping up from his place on the ground. Perfect timing since Kidhuzel only came to speak for Thorin. She cares not if the rest are eaten "No blood taint but he...he's infected!"

"You what?"

The gruff troll, William, snaps his head in the direction of the hobbit as Kidhuzel looks around for a way to help her bearer free. Meeting his eyes, she sees the fury in his gaze but he silently directs her to the pile of weapons. Even as she finds the perfect instrument, she has no way of giving it to her bearer without alerting the trolls. Inching closer, El can feel the sun coming and knows it will not be long until the trolls turn to stone.

"He's got worms in his... tubes."

"Ohhh!" Tom quickly snatches the dwarf back from his kin and throws Gloin back into the groaning pile in disgust

"In-in fact, they all have." Gesturing around with his head, Bilbo tries to make up for his momentarily lapse in confidence that nearly cost Thorin his head "They're infested with parasites, it's a terrible business, I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

"Parasites?" Twisting in his binds, Oin shouts to any who would listen "Did he say parasites?"

"Yeah, we don't have parasites! YOU have parasites!" Kili shrieks in anger, trying to leap up but finding it an impossible feat "First that scum of the earth and now you? I-"

Thorin kicks Kili swiftly in the head, cutting off his rant. The boy snaps his head to him in disarray before looking back at Bilbo, ignoring Kidhuzel completely. The plan becomes clear to him and he quickly changes his story

"I... I've hot parasites as big as my arm!" Oin shouts

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!" the prince counters loudly as his fellow dwarves all join in

"We're riddled!"

"Yes I'm-"

"And her?" Bert interrupts the shouting, thundering over to El. Grabbing her around the middle and lifting her into the air, he shakes the girl roughly. She doesn't dare struggle, knowing it will not help her bearer for her to flee the abuse "Are you tainted or infected?"

"... She is not." Fili would elbow his brother into silence if he could reach him but is left to listen to him doom El "I'm sure she tastes... divine."

Kili's statement is met with soft gasps but nothing more. He is furious that she would dare speak of his uncle in such a way even if he feels awful about his actions. 'Why should I feel bad? If one of us must die, why not her?' That he just threw the girl to the beasts eats away at his conscience but he tells himself that she deserves it. A creature as vile as she could only be so lucky as to die to for such a noble cause. The prince's shoulders hunch as he feels the disapproving eyes of his kin on him but refuses to meet any of them. After a frighteningly long moment, Bilbo tries to reject the statement.

"She... she has... is..."

"No, the dwarf is correct. Though I must warn you that my skin is tough and you will be unable to chew me." her answer is simple as she has no reason to lie. Thorin hisses her name but she rushes to finish before he can order her to safety "If you eat my body whole, I may just barely fill your gut. If I do, be sure not to eat the tainted one."

"... If you aint sick like the rest o' them," William asks, curiosity getting the better of him "why are you here?"

"Their illnesses are of no concern of mine. Taint or no, I am here." Not feeling the need to tell the trolls that she is only present for one dwarf not the lot, El spreads her arms wide "Now dine on my flesh, I will fill you."

"See that you do."

With that, Bert drops Kidhuzel into his mouth. He does attempt to chew her at first, grinding her smaller appendages between his teeth, but finds her statement to be true. If he had continued, he may have given the girl more than a few bruises but nothing more serious than that. Lucky deciding it isn't worth the trouble, Bert simply swallows her and takes a swig from his grog to make the passage a bit smoother. The journey is tight and suffocating as his muscle work to pass her lower into his body.

'I hope he is satisfied with just me. Please, let no harm come to my bearer.'

A prayer. The first one she has ever uttered. It must be the dwarf part of her that is foolish enough to believe in a higher power that would readily intervene. If there were, they would have many to answer to.

'It is wet but it is warm.'

This... This is what she imagines it would have been like if she were born as dwarves are. It is both disturbing and comfortable; the heat, smell, and feel of stomach acid attempting to devour her skin mix for a strange experience. Even though most would panick, El does not feel as though this is where she will die.

'No, I will not die here. My bearer still has need of me.'

Kidhuzel's thoughts are stilled as the casing around her goes cold and unmoving as stone. How ironic that with the heat of the sun, she grows cold. Though everything dries up, she remains wet and begins to shiver at her circumstances. She has returned to her egg in the bottom of the lake and is wet, cold... and alone. A cry of anguish rips from Kidhuzel's throat at the thought and the need to escape claws at her belly. Her feeble limbs are no match for the stone; even her tail does nothing to crack it and her sadness rises to fear.

'What if my bearer is angry with me for disobeying? What if he has left me and I never escapes? … What if I never see him again?'

In an instant a blue blade shoots into the belly of the beast and passes Kidhuzel's head. Her skin prickles with power and she latches onto it immediately. The blue spears appears again and again, crumbing away the stone until there is a hole big enough for the girl to jump out of. She breathes the fresh air deeply and catches a glimpse of her bearer's grinning face before she passes out from exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~

Thorin moves at the speed of lightening once he is free of the sack. Gandalf had dispatched the trolls after the group had watched in horror as the creature devoured the half dwarf child. Regardless of their feelings for her, none wished to see her suffer such a cruel fate. Even Kili, who had been the one to sacrifice the girl, had been devastated when the troll swallowed her. Suffocation would surely descend upon her within the airless stone cavern and as the silence reigned from within, Thorin feared it was already so.

"Crack it open!" he bellows, raising his weapon the dwarf king raises it to wield against the stomach of the troll "Quickly!"

"Why... Why do you even care?" snapping his head in Kili's direction, Thorin watches his nephew bow his head in discord. He seems remorseful for his former actions but torn on what to do now "She's a dragon spawn. A being of evil. And all those horrible lies she said about you! I don't understand why-"

"You are truly a fool." dropping his weapon lest he use it on the boy, Thorin grips Kili by his collar and pulls him close enough to his face that their noses touch "Kidhuzel did not lie, you know this as well as I."

"But-"

"Though harsh, she was trying to protect him, Kili." Coming up to stand beside his brother and Uncle, Fili tries to help make his brother see reason. He was disgusted with what his sibling did but in a way he understands. That does not make it right, especially if the girl didn't deserve it "Her words were meant to make Thorin seem unappetizing and then she even willingly gave herself in his place."

"... She said she would."

"That doesn't mean you help the process along, lad."

Balin knows Kili isn't a bad dwarf, though he can be rash. It is his youth that leads to him making such questionable choices. Still, the snowy dwarf can not judge the boy too harshly because he saw the fear in his eyes when he sacrificed the girl and the guilt immediately after. All the arguing would not help them save her now, if it is even possible.

"Let's try to-"

"No! We should just leave her there."

"Kili!" Fili gasps in suprise at his brother. Never before would anyone have called the boy cruel "What has gotten into you?!"

"She is a dragon isn't she?" stepping away from his kin, the youngest dwarf staggers in a small pacing line "Why should we save a dragon?"

"Because she is also a dwarf, a dam at that." Balin folds his arms over each other at the proceedings "We can not just leave her."

"Is she a dragon or a dwarf? She cannot be both!" the frustration of the situation has been building within the dwarrow for days now but peaked when El came to speak with them that evening. She truly seemed to be both dwarf and dragon but she can not be treated as both. Either she loves Thorin or she covets him; is stubborn or dangerous; is one of them or isn't "If she is a dwarf then we should be ashamed of how we have treated her and if she is a dragon then why should we help her?"

"Enough!" Thorin thunders in anger. Now is not the time for such discussions, mostly due to the the king being unsure himself of what should be done concerning Kidhuzel "It is not your place to question who I chose to travel with us! Dam or dragon. Damned dragon. It is for me to decide who she is, not you!"

"She-"

"Look out!"

The embers from the recently extinguished fire roar to life in a blue blaze. Strangely enough, it chills the company as much as it burns them. At the sound of heavy thumping from within the stone corpse, the flames twist and arch into long blades that are both stiff and intangible. They are akin to moving ice shards; odd as flames usually form in a flowing manner rather then steady geometric shapes. Both fluid and steady, the flames are a sight to see.

Looking towards the wizard offers no answers, as he too looks just as surprised as they do, leading to the conclusion that it is the little child doing this. There is no time to further contemplate the complexity of it as the spears suddenly shoot out of the pit and into the stone. It repeats until Kidhuzel falls from the broken corpse, exhaustion clear. Thorin catches her before she hits the ground; a triumphant smile on his face even as she passes out.

"Did you see?" he asks to no one in particular as he cradles El in his arms with a laugh. She is clearly drained from summoning her powers, but Thorin is simply over the moon with the proof that she has the capabilities for greatness. With training, she would be a formidable foe to even the greatest warriors 'Freezing flames. Burning ice. Kidhuzel has created a cold fire. COLD FIRE. If Smaug lives, he will not for long.' Grinning softly at the more lithe child, the dwarf sighs in relief at his good fortune "She is perfect. I could not have asked for a more perfect weapon."

"A dragon then." the youngest heir states quietly

"She is both, Kili. Accept it." Fili respond firmly

Neither party is wrong. El is both dragon and dwarf, yet treating her as both or only one would never do either side justice. This doesn't matter to the dwarf king as he walks over to tree to rest the creature in question against it, ignoring his nephews' words. A scowl mars the boy's face as he watches the sleeping girl anxiously. Even Dwalin, who never took a liking to the girl, had never wished any harm to come to her. It was just an unspoken understanding that despite her draconian heritage, she was indeed a dam and shouldn't be harmed without reason. Kili cracked that rule wide open and now they all question their actions as of late.

"This is most disturbing." Gandalf mutters to himself as the dwarf king exchanges words with his advisor and guard. The unusual spark in his eyes is something the wizard decides to look out for, to be sure it does not turn into anything more serious. Dropping his gaze to the exhausted child, a frown makes its way to his weathered face. Rubbing his hand, the wizard examines the black wounds delivered by El's claws. If he were a lesser being, her poison would have killed him. With so many variables, the chance of chaos rises again "Most very disturbing."

~~~~~~~~~~Shishi~~~~~~~~~~

Hi, hello, whats up? I've got some content for your eyes! How did you like it? NO love lost between the lovely Kili and the cutie pie El. Who wants a thank you?! Bleeding Blue Kunoichi gets a thank you, likarian gets a thank you, YMR gets a big thank you, PurpleFairy11 gets a thank you, wolfimus prime gets a thank you, and the nice nice guest gets a thank you. Thank you all for the reviews! ~Shishi