Where She Went

Real Chase Is Not A Game

Shortly after everyone was untied, Thorin directed everyone towards where he believed the Trolls' cave was located. Sure enough, they found it. Within ten feet of the entrance, Talia began to gag. The place smelled like vomit and crap.

The young woman refused to go in, along with quite a few of the Dwarves; Gandalf, Thorin, Dwalin, Bofur, Gloin, and Nori went into the cave to investigate. Since Bofur was in the cave and she really didn't want to talk to Fili and Kili after what they pulled, Talia sat herself against a nearby tree, contemplating what she'd just done.

She had messed with Trolls that were five times her size, pissed off the Dwarves, and nearly got herself killed. What a nice start to her day! Talia couldn't tell if the company liked her more for stalling, or hated her more for getting them captured...along with the things she said to the Trolls. She figured she'd find out soon enough.

"Excuse me, lassie, I don't mean to disturb you." Talia looked up. It was Oin. The young woman had to admit she was a bit surprised. Most of the older Dwarves never gave her the time of day. They never approached her or attempted to say anything to her. It really didn't bother her much though. They were more advanced in age, what could they possibly talk about with a seventeen-year-old girl? Nevertheless, Talia smiled at Oin and asked him if there was anything she could help with.

"Oh no lassie, thank you. It's just that I saw those Trolls were very rough with you, and was wondering if you might need medical attention." Oin said. Talia blinked and remembered that the Dwarf was the company medic.

"Oh! Nah, I'm good, but thanks for asking. I'm pretty sure I might end up with a bruise or two, but it's nothing to worry about." she said with a smile.

Oin gave her a curious look. "You're not one to complain much, are you?" he asked.

The young woman shook her head. "Not really. When I was little, I was constantly running in the woods. I would always get into some kind of mischief, and it even got to the point where my mom was surprised that I even came home alive. There was never a moment when I didn't have at least three scrapes on my legs or arms." she told him, chuckling at the memories. Oin laughed, which had attracted the attention of Bombur.

"What are you two laughing about?" he asked.

"The lass was just explaining to me how she was basically a reckless wanderer as a child." Oin told him. Bombur looked at Talia with narrowed eyes and a slight smile.

"Really? That doesn't sound like you, little lady." Talia tried and failed to hide her smile at the Dwarf's comment.

"Oh, but it was. You know, I applaud you for being able to cook, Bombur, because I can't. And I'll tell you why: when I was five, my mom was making dinner, and being the spaz I was, I was running around the kitchen despite her protests. Well, I eventually tripped as my mom was taking the dish out of the oven. I caught myself with my hands, but my hands unfortunately landed on the scalding hot oven door." Talia and the two Dwarves couldn't keep in their laughter at this point, and the girl explained the rest in between deep breaths.

"I ended up with third degree burns on the palms of my hands! I didn't feel a ton of pain, but after getting a whiff of the smell of burned skin and green bean casserole, my cooking days were done! I will have absolutely nothing to do with the oven! Every time that door opens, I can just smell that memory all over again!"

Bombur was wiping away tears at that point. Oin on the other hand, tried to get a better look at the young woman's hands. Luckily for her, there didn't appear to be as much scarring as there could have been, but the skin was definitely discolored. The medic looked at her.

"I must say, this really doesn't sound much like you, lassie." he said.

"Well, it was a long time ago. I was a little girl." the young woman explained.