"Fili, Kili, look after the ponies," announced Thorin, as he climbed off his pony. They had stopped just before a ruin of what appeared to be a house. Its roof caved in and the walls were crumbling away. Household items lying everywhere as if something large had attacked the house. "Make sure you stay with them."

With a sigh, Kelsey watched Kili walk away from her with a reassuring smile and joined his brother. Kelsey had an unnerving feeling that she couldn't shake it off; that something bad was going to happen soon. A sudden shiver ran through her body as she went to sit down on a nearby log.

"A farmer and his family used to live here," said Gandalf as he walked closer to the ruins, running a hand down a wall.

"Oin, Gloin, get a fire going," commanded Thorin, following after Gandalf into the crumbling house. Kelsey could hear them arguing and was surprised when Gandalf came storming past her towards his horse.

"Everything alright? Gandalf, where are you going?" asked Bilbo, standing up from his seat next to Kelsey.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," grumbled Gandalf.

"Who's that?" asked Bilbo, looking at Balin who stood beside him.

"Myself, Mr Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." And he was gone.

Kelsey frowned as she took offense to that comment and started to twirl a dagger that had been given to her by Kili that morning. Cleaned and well looked after, she smiled at the memory.

~ Flashback~

They had stopped for a quick break and Kili helped Kelsey off the pony as she was not used to being on a pony all day. Stumbling over a rock, she fell into his outstretched arms; her face very close to his causing both to blush. She gazed into his eyes and realised that small specks of light brown were mixed in with his chocolate brown irises. Woah, he has amazing eyes. What, why am I thinking this?

A cough interrupted their thoughts and they both quickly recovered from the intimate staring. Kelsey's cheeks were as bright as a tomato when she saw Fili and Bofur's smirk at her and Kili.

Kili sent a glare towards them and turned to Kelsey.

"Here, Kelsey I want you to have this," he said, passing over a familiar dagger, clean from black blood. She quickly noticed that it was the same dagger he had given her to use against the orcs and the one she had flung past Kili into the advancing orc.

"Are you sure?" she asked, taking the handle. Kili nodded and walked away to talk to his uncle.

~end of flashback~

Kelsey smiled and sheathed it back into her boot, and accepted the bowl from Bombur's hand. Its warmth seep through her body and filled her hungry stomach. She sighed with satisfaction.

"He's been a long time," said Bilbo, walking up to Bofur who serving up dinner.

"Who?" said Bofur, confused.

"Gandalf," Bilbo replied, as Bofur handed him two bowls of soup.

"He's a wizard! He does as he chooses. Here do us a favour: take this to the lads."

Kelsey watched Bilbo walk off towards the direction of Kili and Fili. She laughed out loud when Bofur scolded at Bombur for having seconds.

"How are you liking Middle Earth, Miss Rose?" asked Balin as he sat down next to her.

"I am actually enjoying it; very different to my world. Though when I arrived, I was worried that I wouldn't meet Kili again," she replied with a smile. "I think it's was pure luck that I ran into you all."

"Indeed," laughed Balin. His laugh warmed up Kelsey, who was starting to think of him as a loving grandfather. "In fact, Kili was eager to join this quest to not just help reclaim Erebor but to try and meet you again. His Warrior Princess he used to call you; hard to tell him to shut up because he kept going on about you. When he fell in the middle of a council meeting, he vowed to someday meet you again."

Kelsey could feel her mouth opening and closing like a fish after Balin's story. It amazed her of how much Kili thought of her. She could feel a blush rise up into her cheeks.

"Warrior Princess? Hardly," she scoffed, gazing into the fire.

"Well you were the first female he has met that was strong and brave enough to face an orc; so he speaks very highly of you," said Balin with a smile.

Suddenly the sound of rustling leaves alerted the group to a frantic Kili and Fili. Kelsey could just make out the words trolls and Bilbo when she noticed the dwarves gathering their weapons. Kili bounded over and proceeded to place his hands on her shoulder stopping her from going.

"Kels, you need to stay here," said Kili.

"No way! Bilbo is my friend and you and Fili are idiots to leave him alone with trolls," said Kelsey angrily, badly wanting to help.

"Please Kelsey, trolls are different to orcs and I can't stand thinking of you getting hurt," pleaded Kili, staring intently into her eyes. With a sigh, Kelsey mumbled fine and froze when Kili kissed her forehead and ran off with the others. Kelsey sat down with a huff and pure annoyance rolled through her. Damn dwarves!

What seemed like ten minutes, Kelsey looked over and realised that Kili had left his bow behind. She let her stubbornness get over her and quickly grabbed the bow and quiver and bolted towards the forest path which the dwarves had taken. Twigs tore at her braided hair and rocks threatening to trip her, Kelsey, just in time, hid behind a tree when she noticed the dwarves all tied up and three huge trolls. Dwalin, Bofur, Dori, Nori and Ori were tied up on the spit and the rest was tied in sacks nearby. She saw Kili, safe and sound and just simply rolled her eyes. Of course they would get captured.

Spotting a climbable tree, she clambered up the branches to a point where she had a good view of the scene and yet unnoticeable. She placed an arrow on the bow and got ready to fire. Kelsey watch on as the trolls start to roast the dwarves on the spit.

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly," complained the thin troll of the three; a thick piece of snot falling out of his nose. Kelsey almost gagged from the sight.

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage," said the troll chef.

"Ooh, that does sound quite nice," said the thin troll, clapping his hands excitedly.

The dwarves shouted out in fear.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Untie us, you monsters"

"Take on someone your own size!"

Come on guys, make better insults, thought Kelsey as she watched them struggle to get out of the binds.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't fair away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned into stone," growled the third troll, which Kelsey assumed was the leader of the trio. Bilbo's sudden shout broke her thoughts.

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" shouted Dori from the spit.

"Half-wits? What does that make us?" said Bofur, causing a small giggle erupt from Kelsey.

She watch Bilbo struggle to clamber to his feet from the huge sack that engulfed him. What are you up to, Bilbo?

"Uh, I mean with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning," he spluttered out.

"What about the seasoning?" asked the chef, which Kelsey had named Bert. The leader was Tom and the snivelling one was William.

"Well have you smelt them? You are going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up," said Bilbo, causing an angry outrage of 'traitor' shouts. Kelsey simply smiled as she realised that Bilbo was stalling the trolls. You clever hobbit.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" asked Tom, angrily. Bert told him to shut up so that Bilbo could talk.

"Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is, um—, "stumbled Bilbo, thinking up a good excuse.

"Yes? Come on, tell us the secret," said Bert, impatiently.

"Yes, I'm telling you, the secret is…" mumbled Bilbo. Kelsey saw him glance over to the dwarves and waited for his response. "To skin them first." Oh dear!

"Get me the filleting knife," said Bert, beckoning his hands. The dwarves again shouted insults to Bilbo. Dwalin's insult was the loudest "I won't forget that!"

"What a load of rubbish! I have eaten plenty with their skin on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all."

"He's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf Nice and crunchy," grinned William, grabbing Bombur from the ground and dangling him upside down over his mouth. Kelsey drew the bow and was about to shoot when Bilbo beat her to it.

"Not that one, he's infected!" he shouted, stopping William in his tracks. "Yeah he's got worms in his…tubes."

William drops Bombur back onto the pile of dwarves in disgust and Kelsey flinched at the loud crash of the large dwarf on top of Oin and Kili. Groans in protest came from underneath him.

"In fact they all have, they're infected with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't," explained Bilbo.

"Parasites, did he say parasites?"

"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!" shouted Kili, insulted. Kelsey just sighed and rolled her eyes at the stupid dwarves. I can't believe they haven't noticed Bilbo's idea. Thankfully, Thorin understood his plan and kicks Kili in the back. With that, the shouts changed.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm."

"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites."

"We're riddled."

"What would you have us do then, let 'em all go?" exclaimed Tom, even more anger than ever.

"Well…" suggested Bilbo. Tom shoved him to the ground and turned to William.

"They are lying; grab the fat one and eat him already," he said, allowing William to grab Bombur again. His mouth dangled open and his tongue stuck out. Kelsey took this opportunity to fire her arrow. Flying through the air and with perfect precision, the arrow ran through the troll's tongue causing him to drop Bombur on the group again. William squealed in pain and tried to pull it out with no luck.

"Who else is with you?" demanded Tom, as Kelsey drew another arrow into Bert's left eye; blinding him. The dwarves looked at each other, in shock; as no other race than elves can shoot with that exact precision.

Tom, with a loud roar, charged over to the tree where Kelsey was hiding and swatted at it. She squealed in fright as she fell hard on the ground, hitting her head in the process. The bow landed somewhere in the bushes and the quiver had slipped from her arm and was lying out of her reach. Luckily she hadn't landed in the fire and quickly rolled away from an angry troll's foot.

Tom reached down to grab her but before he could; a booming shout stopped him in his tracks. With Bert holding his eye, an arrow shaft sticking through his finger and William attempting to pull the arrow from his tongue, everyone looked over to Gandalf stood on a huge rock.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Gandalf strikes the rock with his staff, cracking it in half, allowing the sunlight behind it to pour into the clearing. As soon as the sunlight touched their skin, the three trolls howled in pain and turned to stone. Kelsey sighed with relief as she placed her head on the grass to calm her racing heart. Enough drama for one day. The dwarves cheered for Gandalf and quickly freed themselves from the sack and the spit.

"Nice shooting," a voice said; Kelsey lifted her head to see Thorin standing there, with the dwarves behind him. She grinned and took his outstretched hand to her still shaking feet. She was suddenly engulfed from a hug from Kili who almost took her breath away. Literally.

"Kili, I can't breathe," she said, gasping for breath. The dwarves chuckled and each patted her back after he released her. "I also believe you should thank Bilbo too as he was the one to come up with the brilliant idea of stalling."

Bilbo beamed at her as the dwarves walked away from thanking them both. Kelsey walked over to the dropped bow and quiver and gave them to Kili.

"I believe these are yours," she smiled, before laughing out loud. Kili gave her a questioning look.

"I've got huge parasites!?" she laughed, her cheeks hurting. Kili simply shrugged his shoulders and joined her in laughter.

I hope you enjoyed this long chapter! I'm hoping to write the next chapter during the week. Next up the troll's cave and meeting Radagast.

Please review as this helps with my writing. Until next time!