An Unexpected Romance

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

I sat up with a cry and clutched at my chest. Panting like I had been sprinting for hours, I tried to calm myself. It was only a dream, I kept thinking. It was only a dream. 

Once I had stopped shaking, I tied my dark hair into a knot on top of my head.

"Ariel?" Came a voice from across the fire.

Bilbo was sitting upl, looking concerned.

"Bilbo, go back to sleep." I said. It must have been very early in the morning. I looked over and saw Ori and Nori on watch.

"Are you alright?" The hobbit asked.

"I'm fine." I assured him. "Just a bad dream."

Bilbo laid down again and was asleep within moments. My heart was still racing, pounding in my chest. I knew any attempt to sleep would be pointless.

I stood up, grabbed my sword and walked over to Ori and Nori.

"I'll take over." I said.

They glanced at each other apprehensively.

"Thorin's not gonna like it." Nori shook his head.

"He won't have to know." I brushed it off.

They shrugged and walked back to the fire. I took their place standing watch. The light of dawn was just barely peaking over the horizon, casting a few golden rays onto the valley below us. 

As the light crept over the land, the company woke. We wasted no time in packing up and moving on. A few people tried making conversation with me, but quickly realized that all attempts would be in vain.

I was still uneasy from my nightmare.

Closing myself off was the only way I knew how to deal with it.

The next time we stopped, it was at a small shack that looked as if it had been torn apart.

"A farmer and his family lived here.." Said Gandalf.

I busied myself with tying up my pony, when Gandalf said, "We should move on."

"It will be dark soon." Thorin grunted.

"I don't like it here." Gandalf said with increasing urgency.

"Bofur, strike a fire." Thorin called.

I looked up just in time to see Gandalf in a state I was sure the Wizard had never been in before. He was storming off, away from Thorin, back down the path.

"Gandalf, where are you going?" Called Bilbo.

"To seek the company of the only one around here that's got any sense!" He yelled.

"And who is that?" Asked the Hobbit.

"Myself, Master Baggins!" Gandalf was nearing me quickly. He met my gaze and mumbled, "Good luck."

I nodded and grinned.

The poor man must've dealt with so many things, yet Thorin's stubbornness was the thing to get him.

"Fili, Kili, Ariel, keep watch." Thorin instructed.

"Yes, sir." I mumbled.

I strapped knives to my arms and legs, my sword to my waist, and kept my bow slung over my back.

Kili hadn't tried talking to me since this morning, when I deliberately positioned myself away from him. Fili, however, shamelessly tried to engage me in a conversation about hunting orcs.

The three of us looked after the ponies until the sun was set. But... something wasn't right. I counted the ponies.

"Fili," I called.

"Yeah?"

"How many ponies are there?"

"Sixteen."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Fili?"

"Yeah?"

"There are only fourteen ponies."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Lucky for us, just then our Burglar walked up, carrying three steaming bowls of food.

"Bilbo!" I exclaimed.

"It seems we have a bit of a problem." Kili said.

"Yes, yes, what is it?"

"Well," I said. "We started with sixteen ponies."

"And now," Fili jumped in. "We have fourteen."

Bilbo blinked. "Well, that is not- that is not good at all."

"We thought that as our burglar, you might want to take a look into it." Kili said.

He blinked again. "Yes, um, well..." The Hobbit rooted around for a moment or two.

"It was certainly something big- something very big." He said. "Possibly very dangerous."

"Hey!" Kili's harsh whisper sounded from somewhere off in the forest.

When had he slipped away?

We followed his voice and found him crouching behind a clump of bushes. He motioned for us to come, but to do so quietly.

I reached his side first and saw what he was looking at.

"Trolls." I whispered.

"Trolls?" Bilbo sputtered.

"Look! There are the ponies!" Fili pointed to a pen that was blocked by three ugly, monstrous creatures.

They were stirring something in a pot, arguing amongst themselves. Beyond them, in a roped off pen, Myrtle and Mindy were neighing nervously.

"You've got to go get them." I said to Bilbo.

"What?" He squeaked.

"You're so small and quick," Kili agreed. "They'll never see you."

Bilbo looked utterly horrified.

"Go on." I urged. "We'll be right here if you need help."

The boys took the food and gave Bilbo and little shove, then he was off. We watched for a while. Then, we began to get worried.

"I'm going to get help." I said.

I sprinted back to camp.

"Everyone!" I yelled. "Everyone, there are trolls, and they've got the Hobbit."

It was mild chaos. All the men grabbed a weapon and followed me to where we were hiding. Just in time, too, as the trolls were now debating whether or not they could cook Bilbo.

"Can we eat it?" Asked one.

"We can try!" Said another, and lunged for him.

Kili attacked first. He erupted with a battle cry, swinging at the leg of a troll. The rest of us followed suit, hacking and shooting at whatever we could reach.

It was actually seeming like we could win!

I had just opened up a deep gash in one's calf, when the others yelled out.

"Stop!" They bellowed, holding Bilbo between them.

He looked terrified. They had a grip on both his arms and legs. One sharp tug and he would pop apart.

"Stop, or we rip his limbs off."