CHAPTER 6 | TROLLS

YGRITTE ran through the woods, her surroundings a mixture of green and brown blurs. She breathed steadily, her sword held tightly in her grip as she moved at the fastest pace she could muster. Although she had her breathing steady, her heart was galloping widly against her ribcage. Her concern for the Company's hobbit was running thick through her veins. Several scenarios of what the trolls could be doing with him only made her concern spread.

She could hear a howl of pain as they got closer, and then a loud thud.

When they finally reached the clearing the trolls were in, Ygritte could make out Kili catching Bilbo after he was thrown towards him as they waited for the perfect opportunity to engage. As soon as she spotted Thorin moving forward, she broke through the treeline. The Company all let out battle cries as they began hacking and slashing and hammering the legs of the trolls. The fight was utter chaos, with dwarves stabbing and jumping the trolls whenever they could.

With anger fueling her actions, she swung her blade into the flesh of the of one of the giant trolls. He howled loudly in pain, held his leg, then swung his large fist in her direction. She dashed out of the way before she could be hit, rolling into the dirt before rising once more with an even tighter grip on her blade.

As the dwarves and Aninth had a hand on the trolls for right now, Ygritte took a short moment to search the surroundings for Bilbo. As feeling responsible for the hobbit, she would feel terrible if anything were to happen to him. She let out a breath of relief when she spotted him using a large blade to cut away at the ropes that were keeping the ponies within a makeshift fenced area.

Knowing Bilbo needed a distraction so that he could free the ponies, Ygritte dashed back into battle. She swung her blade feverishly through the gray and disgusting flesh of the trolls, all the while ducking underneath their legs or dodging the swings of their much larger weapons.

As Ygritte was about ready to charge toward one of the trolls again, she felt a hand on her arm that pulled her away. She lost her footing, stumbling forward into the dirt and losing her blade in the process. She whipped around, her fingertips sinking into the dirt. She let out a breath after realising that Kili had saved her from getting hit with the trolls large weapon. If he hadn't, she would have been thrown away with blood pooling from a terrible wound.

She grabbed her sword and rose to her feet, mentally noting to thank the dwarf for saving her life. The blow she would have sustained could have ended her life if she was hit right.

She collided with something, or rather someone, as she circled the troll, waiting to strike. Aninth.

Now standing at Aninth's side, she shifted her grip to hold her sword tighter. The two blondes exchanged a glance before dashing forward. They dodged and swung, and eventually they were all huddled together with their eyes widening in alarm.

Bilbo was now displayed in the air with his arms and legs being held in the hands of two trolls.

"No," Ygritte said, sounding breathless as she stared up at Bilbo, whom wore a terrified expression as he looked down upon them.

"Bilbo!" Cried Kili. He tried moving forward to help, only to be stopped by Thorin's hand.

"No!"

"Lay down your arms, or we'll rip his off."

Ygritte glared at the trolls before reluctantly tossing her blade into the dirt. As soon as her blade was gone, her fists clenched and her nostrils flared.

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Ygritte grunted and pulled away from the tight grips of the trolls, but it was no use. Their strength was far stronger than her own. She was forced into a dirty sack, which was tied shut just at her shoulders. Still, she struggled. She wasn't going to give up just for their satisfaction.

She let out a grunt as she was then thrown onto the ground near all the others, whom were also tied up in dirty sacks. Her head was now resting on Aninth's legs as she glared up at the trolls.

Though not all of them were tied in sacks on the ground. On a spit, Dwalin, Bofur, Dori, Ori and Nori were tied up and roasting over the roaring fire. The trolls even added more logs to fire just so it would burn hotter and cook the dwarves faster.

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." Ygritte's nose crinkled in disgust. The thought of eating something live, a person at that, made her stomach churn.

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage," said one of the trolls, whom gave the dwarves a turn over the roaring fire.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Ooh, that does sound quite nice."

The dwarves on the spit suddenly begin shouting protests.

"Untie us, you monsters!"

"Take on someone your own size!"

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." Ygritte glanced up at the sky that is just over the large rock formation beyond the raging fire, and bit her lip. Given the amount of light she could already see sneaking its way over the rocks, she knew in just a few moments that the sun will rise and turn them to stone. All she needed to do was stall them.

Bilbo seemed to have the same thoughts as her, as he was suddenly shouting. But his shouting worked as he gained their full attention. "Wait! You are making a terrible mistake."

"You can't reason with them, they're half­wits!"

"Half­wits? What does that make us?" Bofur said from where his body was spinning on the spit as the troll gave them another turn.

Bilbo, although still tied up in his sack, managed to stand up on his feet. He jumped twice to get a little closer and he began speaking. "Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning."

"What about the seasoning?"

"Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." Ygritte raised a brow. She knew he was stalling, but she couldn't help but wonder if his statement about smelling terrible included both her and Aninth as well. Unlike the dwarves, they still found time to bathe when they could. She had a feeling Aninth feels just as offended as herself.

The dwarves, offended, begin yelling at Bilbo, calling him a traitor. Some even kick him, trying to make him fall back onto the ground, though they fail as he remains upright.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" One of the trolls asked, eyeing Bilbo curiously.

"Shut up, and let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk."

Flyrgaburburrahobbit? Ygritte thought, her eyebrows raised. What does that even mean?

"Uh, th­ the secret to cooking dwarf is, um­..."

"Yes? Come on."

"It's, uh­..."

"Tell us the secret," the trolls insisted, growing impatient by Bilbo's stalling.

"Ye­ ─ yes, I'm telling you," Bilbo said. "The secret is..." Ygritte waited for him to continue and when he finally revealed the "secret" to cooking dwarves, she sighed.

"...to skin them first!"

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, shaking her head. She knew Bilbo was just trying to stall the trolls, but shouting that only made the situation far more worse. If they weren't able to escape before dawn, they would surely be killed for good now by getting skinned alive. She wondered what drove Bilbo to say such a thing.

"Tom, get me the filleting knife," ordered one of the trolls. He held his out with an amused smirk as the dwarves began shouting at Bilbo.

"If I get you, you little­ ─ "

"I won't forget that!"

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all," said one of the trolls sitting near the giant pot.

Ygritte spotted a flash of gray in the woods. For a moment, her eyebrows furrowed and she focused on the trees and rocks. When she seen it again, she bit her lip to contain her smile. It was her father.

"'e's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy." Ygritte's attention is drawn away from the treeline as Bombur is suddenly lifted up from near her feet and dangled upside down over the wide open mouth of a troll.

She couldn't help the shout that came from her mouth. "No!"

"S-She's right," Bilbo said. "Not­ not that one, he­...he's infected!"

"You what?"

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

The troll let out a cry of disgust and dropped Bombur back onto the pile the Company was made into. He landed on her foot, making her flinch.

"In­ in fact they all have them," Bilbo said rather quickly, no longer stumbling for what to say next. "They're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

And, of course, the dwarves were clueless as to what Bilbo is trying to do, and begin shouting at him.

"Parasites, did he say parasites?"

"We don't have parasites! You have parasites!"

"What are you talking about, laddie?"

Ygritte sighed as the shouts got louder. Soon, Thorin gave his nephew a kick and the shouting stopped, only to start up again as it finally clicked in their minds. All the dwarves begin proclaiming about how they're "riddled" with parasites.

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

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

"We're riddled."

"Yes, I'm riddled."

"Yes we are. Badly!"

The troll, whom Ygritte assumes is the leader of the three, turned his attention away from the dwarves and toward Bilbo. "What would you have us do, then, let 'em all go?"

"Well..."

"You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!" One of the trolls gave Bilbo a shove.

"Ferret?"

"Fools?"

"The dawn will take you all!" Ygritte finally let her smile pull onto her face as she stared up at her father. He stood high amongst them on the rock formation, his staff in hand.

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat 'im too?"

Gandalf stabbed the rock with his staff, which split it in half and allowed the sunlight to pour into the clearing. As soon as the sunlight touched the trolls' skin, they began turning into stone amidst loud screams and howls of pain. Within seconds, there are three stone statues of trolls in the clearing.

The dwarves erupted into cheer.

Once her father made his way down, he was instantly at her side and helping her out of the sack that she was tied up in. It fell to her feet and she stepped out, kicking it away with her boot.

"You said you'd be right back. I didn't realise you would be gone all night," Ygritte said.

"A simple thank you will do, my daughter," Gandalf spoke teasingly.

Ygritte rolled her eyes, yet smiled brightly at her father. "Thank you."

He stepped forward, placing a kiss onto her forehead. "You are welcome."

She broke away from her father, turning on her heel. She glanced down at her tied up companions and got into work freeing them. She held out her hand toward Aninth, who clasped her fingers around her wrist, allowing Ygritte to pull the blonde onto her feet.

"Thanks," Aninth muttered, before joining her to help free the dwarves.

Kili was smirking up at her as she untied the sack that kept him bound. Ygritte rolled her eyes, knowing his flirtatious side was about to come out again. She wondered why he was so fascinated with her. She often caught him looking her way as if she were the most precious thing to ever be born into the world.

"Stop smirking," she said, rising to her feet.

Kili pushed himself out the sack and scrambled onto his feet. "You know, if it would not have been for my saving your life, you would have been harmed."

Ygritre smirked. "Well I suppose a thank you is in order then."

Kili threw her a wink. "Anytime, lass."

Ygritte chuckled in amusement. Deciding to be playful, she winked back at him before moving toward the stack of weapons. This time is was her that purposely brushed their fingers over one anothers. She did so with a smirk.

When she reached the stack of weapons, she began shuffling through the blades. Soon, she found her own sword and dagger, and stuffed her dagger into her boot as well as wrapping her sword sheath back around her tiny waist and adjusting it so her sword relaxed just right on her side.