The next morning, we set out early, Thorin did not want to be wasting much time. The sky, however, decided to be full and cloudy again. Oh yes, and more rain! How lovely. This all definitely made the journey boring and miserable. I once again, pulled on my hood from my cloak, but that didn't stop a few freezing drops to soak into my hood and slip onto my face.
"Mr. Gandalf," I heard the voice of a dwarf. I look up from my hood to see it was Dori.
"Can't you do something about this deluge?" He asked.
"It is raining, Master Dwarf. And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." Gandalf replied, clearly he, too, was not in the mood.
"Are there any?" Bilbo asked.
"Any what?" Gandalf said.
"Other wizards."
"There are five of us, the greatest in our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blues. Well I quite forgotten their name." Gandalf answered.
"And the fifth?"
"The fifth one would be Radagast, the Brown." Gandalf added.
Ah yes, I remember Radagast. He was indeed an odd fellow. But he is very kindhearted, extremely caring for animals. I've only spoken to him once, I believe. It was a long while ago, my pet rabbit fell sick and Radagast cured him, good as new.
"Is he a great wizard or is he more like you?" Bilbo asked.
I couldn't help but snicker at what Bilbo just said, Gandalf clearly was offended.
"He is a very great wizard, in his own way." Gandalf continued to explain to Bilbo more of Radagast.
Soon enough, it stopped raining and Thorin lead us to a small clearing where there was an abandoned farmhouse.
"We will camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them. Gloin, get a fire going." Thorin ordered.
I dismounted Marco, grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I slightly cringed with disgust, my bag still being somewhat wet and clinging to my body.
"Here, I'll take Marco." Kili said.
"Thank you, Kili." I replied smiling at him.
Then everyone turned their attention to Gandalf, who was storming away from Thorin.
"Gandalf, is there something wrong? Where are you going?" Bilbo asked him.
"To seek the company of the only one who's got any sense around here." He growled.
"And who is that?"
"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." The wizard grumbled on that last part.
"Is he coming back?"
We all shrugged at the hobbit. I don't blame Gandalf for leaving, to be honest. I know that dwarves can be very stubborn. I had overheard Gandalf talking about going to the Hidden Valley, which was Rivendell. My home. But as usual, Thorin refused.
I will not go near that place, he said with a disgusted look on his face. Even I felt what Gandalf felt. Such a stubborn dwarf Thorin is.
At that moment, Thorin shouted for Bombur to get a start on food. Kili and Fili took all the ponies, stayed with them and looked after them while the rest of us sat around the fire waiting for the food to be done.
"He's been gone a long time now." Bilbo stated, still on the lookout for Gandalf's return.
"He's a wizard, he does as he chooses." Bofur assured him. "Here, take these to the lads." He gave Bilbo two bowls of soup to take to Fili and Kili who were still watching the ponies.
"Stop it, you've had plenty!" Bofur slapped Bombur's hand away from getting anymore soup. I tried to hold back my laughter.
I swiftly stood up from my spot near a rock.
"Do you mind if I come along with you?" I questioned.
"Sure! It's fine with me." He said. We both walked, farther from camp. We soon enough saw both brothers staring at the horses. I walked to Fili's side while Bilbo went to Kili's. Something seemed wrong. They both had a worried looks on their faces.
"Is everything alright?" Bilbo asked.
"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili started.
"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili said.
"We had sixteen."
"And now there's thirteen."
I looked around to see that Marco wasn't there! What in Durin's name happened to my horse!?
"Daisy, Bungo, and Marco are missing."
I sigh. Where could've my horse possible have wandered off to?
"That's not good. Well that's not good at all, shouldn't we tell Thorin?" Bilbo inquired.
"Uh, no. Let's not worry him." Fili replied, seeming to not want to bother his uncle. He probably did not want to see him get angry for losing 3 horses. I don't blame him at all.
"As our official burglar, we thought you might want to take a look in it." I agreed, suppose that would be a great idea. The three of them kept on discussing the situation.
I wandered off a bit, in search of my horse. I'd never thought of my horse to be the type to roam around whenever he pleased and then not come back. That was quite strange to me.
"Marco!" I called out.
"Marcooo!"
"Polo!" Exclaimed Kili, with a stupid grin on his face. I playfully rolled my eyes at him. Idiot.
"Looks like something big uprooted these trees." I announced as I ran my fingers on the fallen trees.
"That was our thinking."
"Hey, there's a light! Over here!" Fili saw in the distance. We all crouched down to hide ourselves.
"What is it?" Bilbo asked.
"Trolls." Said Kili.
"He's got Myrtle and Minty!" Bilbo said in shock.
"I think they're going to eat them!" I added. Well this is just amazing. Not only do they have Marco, they are also going to eat him.
"We have to do something." Bilbo confirmed.
"Yes, you should! Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, they'll never see you!"
"Are you mad? We can't let him go there by himself! It's dangerous! We must tell Thorin!" I harshly whispered.
"It's perfectly safe!" Kili looked at me.
"We'll be right behind you." He turned to Bilbo, taking the two bowls of soup from him.
"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl." Fili told him. I have a bad feeling about this, letting Bilbo sneak around with those trolls. He'd be dead for sure if they saw him.
I sighed and sat down on the nearest rock.
"I swear if Bilbo isn't back within the next ten minutes, I'm slapping the both of you." I joked but I seriously meant it. I already had an attachment to the hobbit and I vowed to keep him safe. If anything happens to him, it would be my fault and I'd never forgive myself.
"Everything is going to be fine. Just relax, El." Fili reassured me.
"I hope it will be."
Ten minutes later, Bilbo hasn't returned.
"That's it, I'm telling Thorin." I said as I swiftly stood up and ran before any of them could protest. I ran as fast as I could and as soon as I ran into the campsite, I shouted "Trolls! They took our ponies and Bilbo might be in danger!"
Thorin looked at me and said "Let's go." With the others grabbing their weapons and following behind.
I quickly whipped out my sword, Fili and Kili soon joining us as we all jump over the fallen branches, making ourselves visible to three trolls.
One troll had Bilbo trapped in his grip. Holding out my sword, I shouted "Drop him!" Bilbo looked terrified and I could not blame him for that.
"You what?" The troll said.
"I said, drop him." I told him firmly. The troll was angry now, and he threw Bilbo at me, knocking the both of us down. The other dwarves yelled and began to charge and slash at the trolls legs.
I got up and swiftly helped Bilbo up. "Thank you, Eleanor." He mumbled, looking very uncomfortable as he was covered in troll snot.
"You're welcome." I smiled at him. I pushed Bilbo in back of me, protecting him from getting into any more harm. I helped the company, slashing my sword at the legs of the trolls. From my moving around to much, I didn't realize the troll had picked Bilbo back up, looking like their were going to tear him apart.
Everyone stopped what they were doing. We got back together, seeming as if we made any sudden movements, the trolls would rip Bilbo like a piece of paper.
"Bilbo!" I shouted, rushing forward but being stopped by Thorin.
"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off!" The troll insisted.
I looked to Thorin, seeing his annoyed face as he drops his sword for the sake of Bilbo. I didn't mind. I'd do anything to keep him safe.
Half of us were tied up in dirty sacks and thrown to the ground while the other half of the company were roasting over the fire. All of us that were in the sacks tried to squirm out of them but it was no use. They were really tight. I was thrown on top of Fili's legs. I felt bad for being on him and tried moving but I still couldn't.
"Don't bother cooking them! Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." One of the trolls suggested. Um how about no.
"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." Another one said.
"Oh that does sound quite nice!" The other troll replied.
"Nevermind the seasoning, we ain't got all night! Dawn isn't far away, let's get a move on! I don't fancy being turned into stone." Ah yes, how could I forget?
"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!" Bilbo interrupts and when I turn to look at him, I see he has stood up on his legs, hopping a bit close to the trolls.
"Bilbo, what are you doing?" I loudly whisper to him but he didn't hear me.
"You can reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori exclaims.
"Half-wits, what does that make us?" Bofur asks, I don't see how this all is relevant.
"I meant the seasoning." Bilbo stuttered. Obviously he was making this all up on the spot.
"What about the seasoning?" One of the trolls came close to Bilbo interested in what he had to say.
"Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." I'm sure half of these dwarves do not have a pleasant smell. In fact, I think Kili and Fili smell lovely. Not being creeper or anything but I thought I'd point that out.
"What do you know about cooking dwarf?"
"Shut up! And let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk."
Bilbo's face grew nervous and he began to stutter a lot.
"Well, the secret to cooking dwarf is... To skin them first!" Immediately, all the dwarves started shouting amongst themselves. I'd have to agree with them, being skinned does not sound like a great idea for me.
"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on!"
"He's right, nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf. Nice and crunchy! Ooh and a pretty one this is." The troll reaches down and pulls me from the bottom of the sack. I screamed slightly and saw Fili struggling more to get out of his sack.
"No not her! You can't eat her!" Bilbo shouted quickly.
"And why not?"
"Because she...is a fairy! Her hair is enchanted and if you eat a fairy, you'll be cursed your whole life!" Good thinking, Bilbo!
"I don't want to be cursed!" The troll dropped me back onto Fili. I apologized, but I still couldn't move off of him.
"You don't have to apologize, I think I'm starting to like this." He mumbled that last part.
Oh.
I see.
Then the same troll picked up Bombur and was about to eat him. Bilbo, I hope you have another excuse.
"Not that one either, he's infected!"
"You what?" The troll said.
"Yes, he's got worms. In his....tubes."
The troll drops Bombur with disgust on his face. He just had to drop him onto Fili and I. We both groan in pain at the excessive weight on us.
"Are you okay?" Fili asked.
"I'd be more worried about you, but yes I'm fine." I assured him.
"Yes, in fact they all have parasites, it's a terrible business I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." Bilbo shook his head.
"Did he say we have parasites?" Oin shouted to Kili.
"We don't have parasites, you have parasites!" Kili yelled back.
Apparently I'm the only one who's figured out Bilbo is buying us time. I saw from the corner of my eye Thorin kicked Kili and then he went silent, catching on to what Bilbo was doing.
"I've got parasites as big as my arm!" Oin exclaimed.
"Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!" Shouted Kili.
"What would you have us do then? Let them all go?" The troll question. He figured it out. Great.
"You think I don't know what your doing? This little ferret is taking us for fools!"
"Ferret!?" Bilbo said, offended of the troll's remark.
"The dawn will take you all!" On top of a huge boulder, Gandalf appeared. He's back!
"Who's that?" One troll asked.
"No idea." The other said.
"Can we eat him too?" Said the last one.
Gandalf slammed his staff on it, causing the boulder to split in half. The trolls had no idea that was coming. The sunlight shined directly on them, they began to cover themselves with their arms, groaning as they turned into stone.
All the dwarves began to cheer, I let out a relieved sigh, thankful that I wasn't going to be a troll's meal today.
~Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I have to admit this one was fun to write! ^.^~