There were few people that Thorin Oakenshield trusted. He trusted his kin, but that was it. After losing the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves of Erebor were looked down upon by many races of Middle Earth and elves had a special place of distrust in Thor...
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"Gandalf, it's good to see you," Oreliell said, smiling at the grey wizard.
"Oreliell," Gandalf greeted. He looked at the other woman. "Vedis. It has been a long time, my friends."
"Indeed it has." Oreliell looked at the stone trolls. "Quiet the bit of trouble your companions got into."
"Yes," Gandalf muttered.
"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" Thorin asked as he approached the trio.
"To look ahead," Gandalf replied.
"What brought you back?"
"Looking behind. Nasty business. Still, they're all in one piece."
"No thanks to your burglar," Thorin said.
"He had the nous to play for time," Oreliell pointed out with a small smirk. "None of the rest of you thought of that."
Thorin shot her a small glare, which she waved off with a chuckle.
"They must have come down from the Ettenmoors," Gandalf mused, looking at the trolls.
"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" Thorin said.
"Oh, not for an age. Not since a darker power ruled these lands." The group exchanged glances, familiar with the dark power Gandalf mentioned. "They could not have moved in daylight."
"There must be a cave nearby."
A sharp whistle caught their attention. Oreliell shook her head with a chuckle.
"Seems as though Vedis already found something," she said.
"I forgot that she liked to sneak off," Thorin muttered.
"Imagine how I feel."
The company gathered the rest of their belongings before heading to the troll cave. Most of the company chose to remain outside while Thorin took four others with him inside. Oreliell stood beside her sister, perched above the cave to act as lookouts. They thought it best to keep a distance away from the dwarves for now. They were familiar with the tense relationship between dwarves and elves, having experienced it first hand on a few occasions. If the company felt comfortable, they could initiate conversation first.
Not to mention the cave smelled absolutely atrocious.
Oreliell watched the dwarves below them. While she did not yet know all their names, she could take guesses on who was related or close to who. Every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of them looking her way. Some had scowls on their faces while a few appeared curious.
A small twig snapped behind her, causing Oreliell to look over her shoulder. An older dwarf with white hair had made the climb up to where she and her sister were. He had a kind face and smiled at them as he approached.
