The Princess of Erebor (A Hobbit Story)

Missing

    They stopped at a run-down and broken cottage. Gandalf wandered into it a bit, looking around.

    "A farmer and his family used to live here," he muttered.

    Thorin walked after him. He looked at the Wizard and then the house. Lauranna followed the two into the ruins.

    "I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make for the Hidden Valley," Lauranna muttered.

    "I told Gandalf, I will not go near that place," Thorin replied icily.

    "Why not? The Elves could help us," Gandalf argued.

    "Help? A dragon attacks Erebor. What help came from the Elves?" Thorin asked.

    "Are they the same ones that merely watched you burn, or is it a different race of Elves?" Lauranna snapped back.

    Thorin looked at her for a minute, thinking. With a sigh, he turned back to Gandalf.

    "We will make camp here," he stated.

    Gandalf huffed and stormed out of the house. He started walking away from the Company.

    "Gandalf? Is everything okay? Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked.

    "To seek the company of the only one around here with any sense!" Gandalf snapped.

    "And who's that?" Lauranna's father asked.

    "Myself, Master Baggins! I've had enough Dwarves for one day," he answered, walking out of sight.

    "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Don't let them escape. Oin, Gloin, get a fire going. Bofur, get us some food," Thorin commanded.

    "Aye, right you are," Gloin said as he helped with the fire.

    A few hours later, Gandalf still hadn't come back.

    "He's been gone a very long time," Bilbo observed.

    "Who?" Bofur asked.

    "Gandalf."

    "He's a Wizard. He does as he chooses. Do me a favor, give these to the lads," Bofur answered.

    Bofur handed Bilbo two bowls of soup to give to Fili and Kili. Before Bilbo could take them, however, Lauranna grabbed them and walked off.

    "I will take them," she said over her shoulder.

    She entered the forest, heading to the area where the ponies were grazing. Kili and Fili were staring at them, seemingly worried. Lauranna came up and set the bowls on the log in front of them. She could tell something was wrong and frowned. She quickly counted the ponies and found that there were a few missing. Kili and Fili were watching her now, seeing her assess the risks and dangers. They could tell she was planning on finding the ponies herself.

    "Absolutely not," Fili stated.

    "Don't start with that. I can take care of myself. Go get the others. I will find the ponies. If I'm not back in five minutes, come after me with the others," she told him.

    Before the brothers could object, she took off through the underbrush. Her movements were silent, allowing her to slip into a Troll camp with ease. Across from her, she saw the ponies in an enclosure. She skirted the edges of the camp, reaching the pen. She took out her hidden dagger and started to cut the ropes. She heard movement near her and ducked into the trees. She was just in time as a hand reached out and grasped the air where she had been. She quickly hid behind a tree a few feet away, completely still. She knew any small noise or movement could get her killed. She heard trees being ripped up and tossed aside. She braced herself for a fight as the tree she was behind got pulled out of the ground.

    "Get her!" one of the Trolls commanded.

    Lauranna darted around the camp, trying to avoid the Trolls. She flung her dagger at the pen and cut the rope. The ponies bolted out and headed back to the Dwarf camp. This angered the Trolls even more and made them double their attempts at getting her. A hand finally grabbed her, making her scream in shock, and squeezed. Her screams of pain faded into nothing after a few seconds. Soon, she became light-headed due to lack of oxygen. Everything went black, and she drifted into unconsciousness.