Queen Under The Mountain

On the Run

Gandalf had put the fire out before releasing the Dwarves that had been tied above the fire before they got us out of the sacks. I stood staring at the troll statues when Gandalf hit one with his staff making me jump, he chuckled before moving on.

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" I heard Thorin's voice and I walked around a troll to see him approaching Gandalf.
"To look ahead." Gandalf answered.
"What brought you back?" I then asked.
"Looking behind." Gandalf said without looking at me. Thorin smiled and bowed his head. "Nasty business, still they're all in one piece." The wizard looked at the trolls.

"No thanks to your burglar." Said Thorin.
"He had the nous to play for time." Gandalf said. "None of the rest of you thought of that." Thorin looked down. "They must have come down from the Ettenmoors."

"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" I asked joining them.
"Ooh. Not for an age." Gandalf shook his head. "Not since a darker power ruled these lands. They could not have moved in daylight."
"There must be a cave nearby." Thorin looked around. "Gather the company, we'll look for the cave." He passed me.

~~~

It wasn't long before we found it, the place was stinking.
"Oh, what's that stench?" Nori asked.
"It's a troll hoard." Said Gandalf. "Be careful what you touch."
Behind me some of the Dwarves began coughing because of the awful smell.

Bofur came upon a pile of jewels. Gloin opened a chest full of gold. "Nori, get a shovel."

I shook my head and went up to Thorin who had found a barrel of swords, he picked one up and handed his torch to me.
"These swords were not made by any Troll." He said. Gandalf walked over to us and Thorin handed him a second sword, I held the light up to the sword that Gandalf held.

"That isn't the work of men either." I said, looking at the blade.
Gandalf unsheathed his sword. "These were forged in Gondolin, by the High Elves of the First Age."

Thorin looked at the sword in his hand then began to put it down, I grabbed his arm to stop him. "Those are the finest blades, I wouldn't toss it aside so mindlessly."
He stopped and unsheathed the sword to look at the blade. He took his old sword from his belt and handed it to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.
"It's yours now." He said.

I looked at the sword, a fine Dwarvish blade that Thorin wielded since he was young.
"Let's get out of this foul place." Thorin turned to leave.

I looked at Bofur, Gloin, and Nori, who had just finished burying a chest of gold. I looked at Dwalin who had been watching them.
"Apparently it's a 'long-term deposit'." He said.
"When are they ever going to come back to it?" I asked.
"I doubt soon." Said Dwalin.

I walked out of the cave with the others, getting away from the awful stench was a relief. Outside the rest of the company were looking at pots and putting other valuables into their sacks.
Some bushes moved at the tree line and a few birds flew overhead away from the woods.

"Something's coming." Thorin warned.

"Stay together!" Gandalf ordered. "Hurry now!"
Everyone withdrew their swords, Thorin's old sword felt strange in my hands, but I figured that I'd get used to it soon enough. We stood at the tree line with our swords at the ready, when without warning giant rabbits jumped out pulling a sled that held a peculiar looking fellow, who was shouting out random things.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" He stopped the sled in front of Bilbo and Gandalf. The company looked at the man with complete confusion.

"Radagast." Gandalf smiled. "It's Radagast the Brown." Gandalf put his sword back in it's sheath and approached the new Wizard. "What on earth are you doing here?"