The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey Edition (IN EDITING)

8. Salute The Elves. 1

Gandalf hit the edge of his thick wooden staff into the stone; the rock solid troll that had been transformed in the light of the sun. Gandalf hit the troll right in its face and made rumbling sounds from down his throat. The sunlight that was still streaming through the cracked rock and the fire that had been made by the three beasts were no longer needed.  In some way, with the help from half of the company that had been buried into sacks that went up to their necks, they had managed to push the wooden branch that were resting on two others, down onto the ground and cut the thick rope off that were preventing the dwarves surrounding the branch from moving. They reclaimed their weapons and armour that the trolls had placed in a stack to the side of the camp and whilst catching their breath. Kili stroked Aria's wound that had been formed on her right arm, but carefully and gently. Fili stood right behind her, fiddling with her hair and untangling the knots made. She rather enjoyed the attention from the dwarf brothers, even though it was quite silly, and she closed her eyes softly shut to the touch.

Although there was no harm done, the dwarves were still complaining about the hotness above the fire and how they nearly died.

Thorin shook off the dirt from his skin rug and his cloak as he walked up to the wizard who looked pretty pleased with himself already. The dwarf raised his chin slightly, looking down in the ground as he mumbled,

"Where did you go to if I may ask?"

"To look ahead", said the wizard. His voice was slightly raspy in a way and deep. He walked over from the fire towards the dwarf whilst supporting himself on the tall wooden staff. Thorin lift his head up finally from the hardened gaze into the ground and his expression was slightly lightened and relieved. He raised his eyebrows, and wrinkles were formed in his forehead.

"What brought you back?" Thorin raised his head up high, for he could hardly believe it was for their sake. Although the wizard had seemed to have forgotten the fight earlier, Thorin most certainly hadn't.

"Looking behind", said Gandalf and he cocked his head to the side. Thorin gave him a slight smirk and he made a half nod. Gandalf turned his head and looked over the three stiff trolls in their uncomfortable, possessed positions. "Nasty business – still you all in one piece", he said and Thorin snorted,

"No thanks to your burglar", he said and raised his eyebrows towards the wizard who looked back down at him.

"He had the nerves to play with time", Gandalf continued and Thorin raised his head. "None of the rest of you had thought of that."

Thorin made out a half nod again and stared down into the ground whilst Gandalf continuously studied the stone trolls and he frowned. "They must have come down from the Ettan woods."

Thorin looked up at the troll that was standing in the tense position right beside the two of them; his long black hair that moved over his furry coat and stroked over it to make it lie flat down underneath.

"Since when did mountain trolls enter this far south?" asked Thorin, still keeping his gaze on the pale troll. Gandalf hummed.

"Not for an age – not since a darker power ruled these lands", and with that, Gandalf's aged face turned out worried, his forehead frowned. Thorin slowly turned to him with a hard facial expression than a worried. He started to walk around on the spot like the time would go faster if he did. Gandalf raised his head in the air and thought hard about it. Why the trolls had been there at all. Why, and how, but mostly why. "They could not have moved in daylight."

Thorin blinked, "There must be a cave nearby", he said. The thought had suddenly hit him, although it wouldn't have been that hard to figure out at all, but Gandalf raised his eyebrows and willingly followed after the hurried dwarf's footsteps.