1 | dark pasts [oakenshield]

Eight

The sun was high up in the sky now, and the Dwarves were all out of the sacks and off of the spit. Dwalin had the courtesy to help Kayla out of her sack, aware of her arm. They shot each other a look before nodding, finally on the same page. She joined Gandalf near a frozen Troll, chuckling as he poked at it with his staff.

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" asked Thorin as he joined the two of them.

"To look ahead," responded Gandalf.

"What brought you back?" chirped Kayla.

"Looking behind," Gandalf answered wisely, and Kayla smiled. Gandalf looked at the Troll statues. "Nasty business. Still, you are all in one piece."

Thorin's smile disappeared as he glanced to Kayla. She averted her eyes, nervously shuffling her feet.

"What?" questioned Gandalf.

"Kayla is injured," answered Thorin.

"Come on, I'll be fine," said Kayla, but she winced when she moved her arm to try and prove that she was "fine."

Gandalf sighed. "You used your power, didn't you."

Kayla nodded. "Yeah. My 'gift' decided to backfire on me," she stated.

Gandalf sighed once more and shook his head. Desperately, Kayla changed the subject.

"It's no thanks to Bilbo we're still alive," she said instead.

"He had the nous to play for time," said Gandalf. "None of the rest of you thought of that."

Thorin shook his head and looked to the ground. All three of them examined the statues.

"They must have come down from the Ettenmoors," Gandalf inferred.

"Since when did Mountain Trolls decide to get off their butts and venture this far south?" questioned Kayla.

"Not for an age," answered Gandalf. He made his voice go low at this part. "Not since a darker power ruled these lands."

Thorin and Kayla looked at the Wizard, draining his words. Kayla shuddered in horror. Four-hundred years of peace, there was no darkness... right?

"They could not have moved in daylight," said Gandalf, looking at the trolls once more.

Thorin turned around. "There must be a cave nearby."

He went to the cave, Bofur, Gloin, Nori, Dwalin, and Gandalf following. Kayla stayed behind, knowing that her Elf senses were far too delicate to go trough the torture of a Troll horde. Sitting down on a rock, she painfully tried to get her arm in a comfortable position. Oin walked over.

"Here, let me have a look," he suggested.

Kayla looked up at him. "Huh?"

"Your arm, lass," he said. "It hasn't gone unnoticed that it's been bothering you. Now, give it here."

Reluctantly, Kayla let Oin examine her arm. He ran his fingers along her bone, nodding. When he pressed on her arm, Kayla winced. He let out a breath.

"Dislocated," he said. "Thankfully, it's not broken."

"Thank you, Ilúvatar," she whispered.

"I have to pop it back in place," Oin warned. "It's going to be painful. Are you ready?"

She nodded bravely. Exhaling, Oin popped it back into place. Kayla let out a little cry of pain, and then started coughing. Oin steadied her, patting her back. She sighed in relief.