Eventually they could all see something in the distance that stood out against their surroundings. A home, only it was a burnt-out structure of what it once was. Everything was overgrown. The place had been abandoned for a long time now.
"We will camp here for the night," Thorin stated. Immediately, the Wizard climbed the small hill towards the home to inspect it. "Fíli, Kíli, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."
"Right," they answered.
"Óin. Glóin. Get a fire going."
"Aye, right you are," Óin said.
The Dwarf moved to converse with Gandalf. In their absence the company began to set up camp. Poppy's pony nuzzled his face against her own. The Half-breed to grin from the affection and ruffle the mane. However, it wasn't long until the Wizard came storming down the overgrown path with an irritated expression on his face.
"Everything alright?" Bilbo asked. The older man continued on and grumbled something under his breath. "Gandalf, where are you going?"
"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," he snapped.
"Who's that?"
"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of Dwarves for one day."
The group watched in mild shock as the Wizard disappeared into the forest. Just what had made him so angry and upset?
"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry," Thorin cut in.
"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked.
Some of the Dwarves shrugged. The pony nudged Poppy's face realizing her attention no longer on him. She stumbled slightly from not expecting the movement, only to laugh lightly and cradled the animal's muzzle in an affectionate manner. Windy brayed in content.
"Alright, alright," Poppy muttered.
All of the ponies, who were no longer carrying the packs. Instead, they followed the brothers off into the forest to graze. She had to push her own in their direction when the pony refused to leave at first. The pony quickly trotted after the herd so he wasn't left behind. When Poppy finished helping the Dwarves collect wood in order to start a fire, Poppy sat beside her cousin on a log.
"Bah, it's missing something," Glóin stated. He made a strange face from the taste.
"May I?" Bilbo spoke up.
The Dwarf shrugged his shoulders and dipped the spoon into the pot before handing it over to the Hobbit. He made a similar face. It made Poppy smirk.
"So then? What does it need?" Bombur asked.
Looking around, the Hobbit pondered what they could do. "We may be in luck if we can find a plant."
"A plant?"
"Yes... it looks like..."
The Half-breed could feel a presence beside her, glancing over to find Thorin. "Is something wrong?" she wondered.
"You said you were a skilled blacksmith," the prince stated.
"That would be correct."
He held out his weapon. "Then show me."
Carefully taking the object, Poppy looked back up at the prince.
"I'll give it back to you soon."
He gave a curt nod and walked away. The young woman turned back towards the fire. Startled to find the Dwarves and Bilbo staring at her in mild surprise and shock.
"What?"
"Thorin never gives anyone his sword," Bofur stated. "You're lucky to be even holding it."
With that statement, Poppy knew she had to take great care of the object in her possession. A few from the company returned with the desired plant Bilbo described and added it to the pot. By then Poppy laid out her tools and set to work. The blade wasn't as worn as the others had been. Obviously Thorin took great care of it from all his time on the road.
Night had come and dinner was served as the group gathered around. Poppy set the unfinished work down to eat herself.
"He's been a long time," Bilbo spoke up.
"Who?" Bofur asked.
"Gandalf."
"He's a Wizard. He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor." Bombur held out two bowls for Bofur, the Dwarf then passing them to the burglar. "Take this to the lads."
Nodding, Bilbo made his way into the forest in search of Kíli and Fíli.
"Aye, it's not a bad stew, Bombur. I've had worse," Glóin barked.
They shared a round of laughs as they began to talk among themselves. Poppy sat silently to quickly finish her food and set back to work. Only Thorin noticed how tonight she did not converse with the others. She was more dedicated to her work than most humans to tasks at hand.
Suddenly, the edge of the forest was disturbed and the company became on guard. However, when it was only the brothers who stumbled out they became more at ease. Though the Half-breed stood to search the darkness.
"Where's Bilbo?" she asked. The question raised more alarm in the group. "Where's my cousin?"
"Ah, nothing to worry about," Kíli said. "He said he would watch the ponies while we came over here to eat."
"And where are the bowls Bilbo came to you with?" Thorin asked.
The two looked at each other. "Oh, we must've forgotten them in our haste," Fíli answered.
His brows narrowed in warning, "The truth."
Nervous glances were exchanged. The two were very fearful of what to say. Fear gripped Poppy at their lack of a response. "Well, you see, we may have lost one... or two..."
"Or a few..." Fíli added.
"Of the ponies."
"Where are they?" Thorin demanded.
"We found them!" Kíli quickly spoke. "But, it, um, seems that... Well they've been stolen by Trolls."
"And this pertains to my cousin, how?" Poppy asked. Again, another look passed between them, and that caused the Half-breed to stare at them in disbelief. "You didn't. You left him to go after the ponies?"
"He's a burglar," Fíli said. "We thought he'd be good at it–"
The Dwarves flinched at the glare that sent their way. Poppy shoved the weapon she just finished with back into Thorin's hands. "Excuse me..." and she ran into the forest before the company could say anything.
The sight stunned them greatly. That a small thing like herself would rush into a dark forest where Trolls were lurking without hesitation.
"She does know there's danger in there, right?" Óin pointed out.
The leader glared at his nephews. "We will talk about this later."
Poppy pushed through the underbrush. The lingering number of ponies indeed drastically decreased since they made camp. She searched for Bilbo without any luck when something caught her attention. There was an orange glow farther away. The Half-breed moved quietly towards the area. It didn't make any sense to call ahead just to be safe. She heard of Trolls in tales, never seen them in real life, but in books they were nasty, slow, dumb creatures. The less attention the better.
"Shut up!" a voice snapped.
Crouching low in the bush and peeking through the branches, Poppy's eyes widened. There were three of them that easily towered over their small forms. And Bilbo found himself right in the middle of them. How on earth was he supposed to escape them?
A rustling noise had the Half-breed gripping for her weapon, only to have it pushed away by Kíli's hand. "Calm down, calm down," he whispered.
"I'm surprised you came back," she said.
"Well, my uncle is not one you go against. And he gives a mean glare, much like yourself."
Suddenly, one lifted Bilbo high into the air. Kíli and Poppy reacted at the same time and lunged out of their hiding place to slice at their feet. The Troll howled in pain. The attack making them hop around on one foot to clutch their wounds
"Drop him!" the Dwarf shouted.
The three looked down only to realize they were not alone anymore. "What?" one asked.
"I said, drop him!"
The Trolls shared a look, before the creature holding Bilbo answered, "Alright," and threw the Hobbit into Kíli. The two went crashing to the ground as their attention turned on the Half-breed.
"Can we eat her too?"
The area behind the young woman became swarmed with Dwarves as they rushed forward in an attack. Poppy ducked as Thorin's blade swung overhead and sliced into a Troll's ankle. He howled in pain once more. The young woman positioned her blade straight up as the foot came down again and it stabbed through the skin. The Half-breed whirled around just missing another Troll that stomped around.
"I was standing right there!" she shouted over the noise.
"You moved, didn't you?" Thorin asked. As he knew she would.
Poppy grumbled in mild annoyance before Fíli jerked her out of the way. She was careening down a path towards the creature who once held Bilbo and cut its fingers as the Troll reached down to scoop them up. Loud whinnies broke through the noise. Poppy immediately noticed that the ponies had been set free. Most likely Bilbo's doing. However, when she searched for her cousin he was nowhere in sight. Until she realized the Trolls were acting odd. Her attention focused on them and her eyes widened.
"Bilbo!" the Half-breed shouted.
All fighting stopped upon realizing the Hobbit was in the grasp between two of the creatures.
"Lay down your arms or we'll rip his off," a Troll laughed.
The Dwarves were conflicted, wanting nothing more than to be rid of these beasts. But with the burglar in their grasp, they had no chance of attacking without injuring him. Slowly, they began to make good on their threat and started to pull.
"No, no, wait!" Poppy shouted. Without hesitation the blade dropped from her grasp.
Clenching his jaw, Thorin released his weapon and the others in the company followed suit. The Trolls grinned at their victory. As one kept their hold on the Hobbit, the other two advanced. Half of the company were shoved into bags, the tops bound at the neck so none of them could get free. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were tied to a long, thick branch to hold their weight over the fire, as the ends were turned by the Trolls like a rotisserie.
"Eh? What's this?" The creature lifted Poppy in front of its face. Her head reeled back from the awful smell that came from its mouth.
"Must be what he is," a Troll motioned towards Bilbo. "This one ain't got a beard."
She was released midair. A yelp escaped her lips before landing atop the pile of Dwarves, who groaned from the harsh drop.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she apologized.
"Could've been worse," Kíli groaned. "Could've been Bombur instead."
"It's hot! It's hot!" Balin exclaimed.
Some of the Dwarves were trying to blow out the flames that grew too close to their faces. But it did little to help.
"Don't bother cooking them," the Troll that paced about the campsite spoke. "Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly."
"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage," one disagreed.
"Is this really necessary?" Balin asked.
The Dwarf's comment went ignored. "That does sound quite nice," a Troll mused.
"Untie me, mister!" Bombur ordered.
"Eat someone your own size," Glóin barked.
Finally the Half-breed managed to roll off of the group. Only to now find herself back first on the ground staring up at the trees.
"Somebody better think up a plan and fast," Poppy spoke under her breath.
"Never mind the seasoning," spoke the third Troll. "We ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away. Let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned into stone."
"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!" Bilbo exclaimed. The Hobbit struggled in the sack to sit himself up before hopping closer to the fire pit.
"You can't reason with them!" Dori shouted. "They're half-wits!"
"Half-wits? What does that make us?" Bofur asked.
"I meant with the seasoning," Bilbo continued through clenched teeth.
"What about the seasoning?" a Troll asked.
"Well, have you smelled them?" he made a face to make his point. "You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."
"Traitor!" Thorin yelled.
"What do you know about cooking Dwarf?" the creature asked.
"Shut up," snapped one of his partners. "Let the flurgaburburhobbit talk."
"The secret to cooking Dwarf is... Um..." Bilbo paused.
He needed to come up with an answer quickly. He didn't expect them to be all ears. Nor thought he would be put on the spot in such a way. But the Hobbit wracked his brain to think of a plan quickly, because Trolls were not the most patient bunch.
"Yes, come on," they pressed. "Tell us the secret."
"Yes, I'm telling you. The secret is..." By now it wasn't only the creatures, but the company as well who waited in anticipation. "Skin them first!"
There was a pause, Poppy muttering, "Oh you've gotta be joking."
"What? Skin us?" Kíli exclaimed.
"I'll skin you!" Glóin shouted.
All of the Dwarves were shouting out of anger and protest. "Tom, get me filleting knife," a Troll chuckled.
"I won't forget that! I won't forget it!" Dwalin shouted mid turn on the branch before he disappeared over to the other side.
"What a load of rubbish!" spat the other Troll. Tom stumbled around in an attempt to find the desired item. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scarf them down, I say, boots and all."
"He's right," Tom mused. Still, he walked forward with the knife in his grasp. "Nothing wrong with a bit of raw Dwarf." With his free hand, he lifted Bombur off the ground and high over his head. "Nice and crunchy!"
The Dwarf squeaked. He squirmed around to try and get free without success as the creature's mouth opened wide.
"No, not that one!" Bilbo shouted. "He's infected!"
Tom quickly pulled the 'food' away from his mouth. "Huh?"
"You what?" another asked.
"Yeah, he's got worms in his... tubes," the Hobbit continued.
The Troll shouted in alarm and disgust. Releasing Bombur, who fell towards the ground. Poppy yelped and swiftly pulled her legs closer into her body so they weren't crushed by his weight. The others were not so lucky. All groaned at the rough contact, some trying to catch their breaths.
"In fact, they all have," Bilbo added. "They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business. I wouldn't risk it. I really wouldn't."
"Parasites? Did he say 'parasites'?" Óin questioned.
"We don't have parasites," Kíli yelled from his spot on the ground. "You have parasites!"
Bilbo groaned. With clenched teeth, his eyes rolled at the fact that none of them were reading the situation. How could they not understand he was trying to save their lives? Sunrise was just over the edge of the rocks that lined the other side of the camp ground. If they could hold out just a bit longer the Trolls would either be forced to run or turn to stone.
"Yes! It's terrible, really!" Poppy joined in. It was no surprise that the Half-breed backed up her cousin's insane thoughts. "If you eat any of us the worms will surely fester inside your bellies!" It took her a moment to realize what he was up to. But it was quite clever, really.
"You too!" Fíli exclaimed.
"The both of you are traitors!" Glóin shouted.
They weren't getting anywhere and it was already a struggle to convince the Trolls of their so-called 'condition'. Glancing around to find something to help them, the Half-breed noticed Thorin was the only one actually assessing the situation quietly.
"A little help please," she harshly whispered.
Understanding the Hobbit's plan, he kicked Kíli in the back of the head when he went to protest again. The action gained the attention of those on the ground. Shooting them a look they instantly grew silent before turning back to the creatures. Now their shouts were for a whole other reason.
"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Óin was the first to speak up.
"Mine are the biggest parasites. I've got huge parasites!" Kíli joined in.
It was only then the other Dwarves began to share looks and realize what the burglar was trying to do to change the Trolls' minds. All their talk now consisted of nothing but the worms that plagued their insides.
"What would you have us do then?" a Troll asked the Hobbit. "Let them all go?"
"Well..." Bilbo trailed off. He hadn't thought this far ahead.
The creature shoved him, causing the Hobbit to stumble. "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools."
"Ferret–!"
"The dawn will take you all!" a voice suddenly boomed.
All heads snapped to the top of the rocks. Gandalf's silhouetted figure stood in the center to block out most of the sun's rays that were coming over the horizon.
"Who's that?" a Troll asked.
"No idea," answered the other.
"Can we eat him too?" Tom asked excitedly.
The base of the staff slammed against the rock with so much force it cracked right down the middle. Light immediately streamed through the gap. It blinded them all from the brightness. The creatures began screaming in agony, trying to block their eyes only to feel their bodies begin to turn to stiffen. All were turning into stone. The company watched in surprise as in a matter of seconds each one froze on the spot. The company began to laugh at their luck. Even cheered amongst themselves at the fact that they were not going to be eaten.
"Someone let us down now!" Bofur exclaimed, facing the fire.