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Chapter Nine - Dinner Guest!

The healer was pacing back and forth in front of the fire. It had been a good long while and the dwarves had yet to return with the burglar. Maura sat on the stump, running her fingers threw her thick curly hair. Why was she just sitting there, doing nothing? Bilbo was in trouble, those stubborn dwarves were no match for three trolls. The woman got up from the stump and with determination she marched into the dark forest, hoping she wasn't too late. 

Maura, shoved branches out of her way, ducked under trees that had fallen over and that were now only being held by other trees. Soon the healer saw a light from a flickering fire. The woman crept over and hid behind a very large stone. Peering around it, she saw three very giant trolls tying up the dwarves and Bilbo in sacks. The trolls had already tied half the dwarves to a split that was now over the hot fire. The healer had to think of something fast before these dwarves were done for. During her time in Rivendell, Maura had learned many Elven songs; were actually spells one could use against their enemy to put them into a deep sleep but they also often sang them to get their young ones to sleep peacefully at night. The woman then had an idea. Bilbo was trying to reason with the nasty creatures and it wasn't going very well, and the dwarves protesting against him wasn't helping his cause.

The healer found a rock, covered in bushes to disguise herself better and only one Elven melody came to her, that she knew would be powerful enough to effect these hideous monsters. Maura took a deep breath and started to sing:

Hearing this the trolls stopped what they were doing and looked around, wondering where this beautiful strange voice was coming from. Most of the dwarves couldn't figure out who this mysterious voice belonged to. Bilbo recognized it immediately as the lullaby his aunt sang to him when he was just a wee-halfling. One thing the imprisoned dwarves noticed was the trolls beginning to yawn as the singing continued, even some of the dwarves were starting to yawn. Bombur was already out cold, snoring away as he squashed poor Kili. Suddenly the ground shook as one of the trolls, that were turning the log that held the split over the fire fell over onto it's back sleeping the other two trolls followed in seconds, crashing to the ground. Maura continued to sing for awhile longer, too keep the enchantment going and soon all the dwarves were sound asleep; except for one. 

The singing stopped. Once Maura saw that all three trolls were out, she jumped out of the bushes. The healer looked around and when she saw that the melody had even worked on the dwarves, she realized the song might have been a little too powerful then she originally thought. 

"That was you?" Thorin said with clear surprised. But his eyes soon filled rage that she had disobeyed his command. "What are you thinking!? I thought I told you we would handle this!." Thorin barked.

"Well done! You've handled it alright. You handled it so well, you got yourselves captured." Maura snapped back at the ignorant leader. Thorin glanced around, at his sleeping comrades and then back at the half-breed." What did you do to them?" He questioned. 

"Relax, it was just a simple Elven lullaby I know." Maura declared and her answer was met with yet another shocked face. 

"Simple?" Thorin repeated. " You put all of them to sleep!" He growled at her.

"Not everyone. It appears not even great powerful Elvish magic can't affect the great Thorin Oakenshield." She sneered back at him and he narrowed his ice cold eyes at her. The dwarves slowly began to open the eyes once again. The trolls were still out for the time being but the dwarf resisting to say a simple "thank you" was quickly trying her patience. 

"What do you want me to say?" The dwarf grumbled back at her.

"I simple 'thank you!' would suffice." 

The dwarf king grumbled under his breath, Maura didn't quite hear what he mumbled but it was clearly the only gratitude she was going to get. The dwarves and hobbit all sighed, blinking in confusion. Besides Thorin, the others were thrilled to see the woman had come to their rescue. Whatever she had done to put the trolls into a deep sleep, would give her enough time to get the dwarves untied. Maura decided she couldn't waste anymore time arguing with the stubborn leader about this. The healer went to untie the sack that held Kili; unaware the trolls had awoken from the Elven enchantment. 

"Maura! Look out!" Fili shouted. The half-breed let out a gasp and turned around to see a troll had come right up behind her.

"What do we have here." The troll said, that wore an apron; clearly the cook out of the three. The woman tried to dodge it's grip but the creature yanked her up by the arm and she was now starring into its eyes. 

"Put me down! Now!" Maura demanded in a stern voice. The troll ignored her order and sniffed her trying to figure out what she was.

"It's a woman." The cook finally spoke, after inhaling her scent for the longest time.

"She'd be a tasty one." Another troll declared as it came up behind the cook with a potato sack. The troll shoved her into the sack and tied her like the rest and dropped her into the pile and she landed beside Thorin of all people. 

"And was this part of your plan?" Thorin asked, as he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"If you hadn't argued with me and kept going. None of us would be in this predicament!" Maura hissed at him. 

"I told you, that I will not go near that wretched Elven valley." Thorin snarled beside her. Bilbo was trying to distract the trolls long enough till dawn came after hearing one of the trolls grumbling that dawn wasn't far away and they did not want to be turned into stone. 

"Thorin the elves of Rivendell have never betrayed you. They were not the ones that stood on the hill side and did nothing. Or were they?" Maura challenged, hearing the odd comments from the trolls and Bilbo protesting with each other. 

"All Elves are the same. You can't trust elves....ever." Thorin pressed. " I will not go begging for their help. We did that once. And what did the elves do? They turned their backs on us and left my people to starve in the wild." Thorin spat. Just then one of the trolls stomped forward and with no time to react the troll picked Maura up by the bottom of her sack. The healer let out a startled scream as the creature dangled her over his open mouth. Until whatever Bilbo said, cause the troll to rethink what he was about to do an drop the woman back into the pile of dwarves. Maura could feel her own heart breathing along with her gasp that escaped her lips. The hobbit had carried on with his idea that all of the dwarves had 'parasites' and at first the trolls were quite disgusted but the one troll soon saw right through his plan. 

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to?" The troll roared, shoving the hobbit, causing Bilbo to stumble backwards. " This little ferret is taking us for fools." 

"Fools?" The cook repeated.

"Ferret?" Bilbo questioned clearly insulted by this. 

"The dawn will take you all!" Gandalf's voice echoed as he appeared over the rock above them.

"Who's that?"

"No idea." 

"Can we ear him too?" 

Will one swift move of the wizard's staff. He slammed the bottom into the rock, causing it to break apart and with the dawn on his side; the light poured into the valley right at the trolls and they yelled and screamed as the slowly turned into pure stone statues. Once the dwarves saw who it was that had come to rescue them, they all broke out in cheer at the wizards return; that he had not left them for good. 

"Oh, get your foot out of my back." Dwalin bellowed, not wanting to be on this split for another second.  

This is my first Hobbit Story. I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. I would love to know what you think of it. I own nothing but my character Maura and the text that's not from the movies or books. Happy Reading and I hope to hear what you all think of it.

                                                              ~Mireya Oakenshield~