A Tale of Time

Chapter 10: The Blame Game

Chapter 10: The Blame Game

Gailien stands near Fili and Kili as the trolls begin plucking the dwarves one by one from their group. The cross-eyed one still holds Bilbo as leverage and the fatter one kicks all of their weapons out of reach, leaving them with nothing to protect themselves except their wits. But how do you reason with half-wits like trolls?

You don't.

Gailien doesn't realise it but as Ori who is standing in front of her is grabbed next, his hands and feet being tied up in a strong twine, her own hand grasps Fili's jacket. Fili does notice but makes no move to pull away. It seems silly, just standing and waiting to be taken by the trolls, watching the other company members being sacked up. But there is nothing they can do just yet that would not result in the death of the burglar that Gailien has grown fond of in this short time. Kili is taken next, putting up a verbal fight, even spitting at one of them. Gailien can feel Fili shift next to her as his brother is tied up. Soon, even Fili is taken, leaving Gailien with the second half of the company.

Unlike the others who are tied up and put in burlap sacks, the second half are stripped of their over clothes, leaving the dwarves in their undergarments and Gailien in her blouse and pants. Her jacket is the only other thing taken from her as she does not wear as many layers. Their hands are tied together but their feet are left untouched. They are set up in two sort-of circles, their backs facing the middle. Another rope is wrapped around them but stays loose.

Until a large skewer is placed in the middle of them and the rope tightens holding them to it. Gailien is on the bottom group, tied to the skewer that they put over the fire. Dwalin's legs digging into her shoulders as he is tied up above her. The skewer spins around, her view constantly changing from the night sky, to the other dwarves, to the fire, then finally to the trolls and sky again.

Her sides are squished up against her from both the rope and the other dwarves unfortunate enough to end up in the same place as her. The heat of the fire is low until they start adding logs, the flames licking the air higher until her front begins to ache at the heat every time she faces it.

Along with the others, she wriggles around, trying to find any sort of escape now that Bilbo has also been put with the dwarves on the ground. At least Thorin and his nephews have a greater chance of survival than she does at this moment. Although if she is to die here, she would rather not have Dwalin constantly digging her heels into her as she is cooked – just another uncomfortable inconvenience that she would rather avoid if possible.

She grumbles to herself as she spins, glaring at Thorin. She had warned him, and he had not listened. And look where it got them. But her glare softens as she finds Thorin watching her and the rest of his company with nothing but anger and concern mixing on his face.

"Hey!" The cross-eyed one points his finger at Gailien as she turns in front of the trolls. "This one doesn't look like a dwarf or a burglar-hobbit." His finger moves forward, poking Gailien in the chest. Gailien kicks her feet against her hold.

"Sevig thû úan," she spits. The troll jumps back in shock.

"What did she say?" he asks the other who shrugs. He turns to his other companion. "She said some words, but I couldn't understand them." He leans forward, his neck stretching forward as Gailien makes a full circle, coming back up to face them. "Say it again," the troll demands.

"Pedin i phith in aníron, a nin ú-cheniathog," she says this time with just as much hate as before. The troll moves back again, shoving another accusing finger at her but at least this one does not poke her chest.

"She did it again!" he cries out.

"Leave her alone!" Kili sits up from his spot on the ground, only his head visible through the brown food sack he's been shoved in. The trolls peer down at the dwarf but Kili doesn't back down.