The Prophecy

Troll Trouble

It was pouring as they travelled on the next day. The ponies trotted through mud and were soaked through the fur. The dwarves were quietly enduring the rain and downpour. Bilbo on the other hand was disgusted by his soaked hair and clothes. He missed the comforts of his hobbit hole, the warmth of his hearth and the cosiness of his armchair with a nice cup of hot tea. Zarina wasn't faring too well herself. She loved the rain, especially when it stormed and there were lightning, but she was soaked all the way to her skin and was shivering. She didn't pack anything warmer than what she already was wearing.

"Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Oin complained from behind her.

Gandalf didn't seem much bothered as he replied, "It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Bilbo wanted to know.

The wizard was confused, "What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are five of us." Gandalf answered the question, "The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two blue wizards." he stared out in front of him in thought, "You know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who's the fifth?" Zarina asked interested. She knew wizards existed, but she never knew there were as many as five of them.

"Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great wizard or is he more like you?" Bilbo asked again. Zarina covered her laugh with a snort and pretended to cough.

Gandalf glanced at him in slight offense, but answered nonetheless, "I think he is a very great wizard in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others."

"Wouldn't that be a life to live." Zarina imagined fondly. Then she discovered that Bilbo, Gandalf and Bofur were looking at her in confusion, demanding an explanation, "Animals are excellent company to keep. They never interrupt you, they never judge you by what you say, and they always listen intently. I talked a great deal more to animals than to humans."

"Ain't that a bit lonely?" Bofur questioned.

"For some it may be but if you've been alone for a great deal of your life like me, you'll find yourself seeking the company of animals far more than someone who can talk back." She answered.

"Radagast keeps a watchful eye to the vast forest lands to the east, and a good thing too, for always evil will look to find a foothold in this world." Gandalf added, sensing that Zarina would not want to talk about her past.

The rain only seemed to be getting worse. Zarina thought about distracting herself from the downpour but had yet to figure out how. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a wooden bucket dangling from Bilbo's pony. She let her horse slow down a bit and, unbeknownst to the hobbit, took it from his hooved companion. It took only a few short moments, thanks to the pouring rain, for the bucket to overflow with water. Zarina allowed her horse to fell behind a bit until she was riding in front of Fili and Kili. Without any warning she flung the bucket over her shoulder, splashing both brothers with water.

"Zarina!" both exclaimed in shock, both dripping wet with their hair sticking to their faces.

"What was that for?" Kili demanded.

"I had to make the best of this weather." She chuckled and held the bucket back in the air, which was already half full again.

"Now you started something I don't think you're able to finish!" Fili replied with a witty smirk and started filling up a bucket of his own.