Returning Home: A Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 13 - A Test of Courage

~~Celia~~

"Okay. So what's the plan?" Elena asked, keeping her voice low. "There's no way we can take on three trolls by ourselves, and even if we did manage to take them down, Bilbo would still kill us for putting ourselves in danger like that." 

Celia snorted. "I wasn't suggesting that we fight them in the open. That would be suicide. No, we have to fight with more than just brawn - we have to use our brains," she emphasized, tapping her skull with a finger. 

"We know that the trolls turn to stone in sunlight, right?" she asked, waiting for her sister to nod. Once she did, she continued. "So we just go and find ourselves a good hiding spot in the trees, and make sure that they survive until dawn. If it looks like one of the dwarves is going to be eaten, we distract them."

"Okay. Sounds reasonable enough," Elena said skeptically. "But how exactly, are we going to distract them, oh smart one? If you shoot them, they'll know that someone's out there for sure, and come get us both."

 Celia shook her head in exasperation. "No, you're not getting it. We're not going to use our weapons unless we have to. But you can mimic voices. Remember how in the book, Gandalf copied their voices to get them arguing amongst themselves? You could do that, if it comes down to it."

 Elena chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe. But in the movies, Bilbo distracted them long enough for them to escape, too. Who's to say that he won't do that now?" 

Celia sighed. "I don't know. Maybe he will. But maybe he won't. Events so far seem to have been following a crazy mix of book and movie. And I think it's safe to say that things have changed because of us being here, too. Didn't we come along, just to try and change things? And either way, wouldn't it be good for them to have some backup, just in case? And once we see that they're safe, we can hightail it back here, and hide out in a tree until they come back," she argued.

Elena sighed. "Fine. But you'll have to find something else to throw at them, if it comes down to it. Only use your arrows if you absolutely have to, otherwise they'll know you're out there." 

Celia nodded. "I think Ori has an extra slingshot in his bag, I could probably use that if I had to," she said thoughtfully.

"All right. So the plan is, find a good spot in the trees, and keep an eye on things. If it looks like something's going to happen, I'll mimic their voices, and try to start a fight. You can hit them with a rock here and there, but don't go overboard," Elena warned. 

Celia nodded, glancing over Ori's sleeping area - hoping to find the slingshot without having to go through his items - and triumphantly pulled out a slingshot from underneath his blankets. Gathering a few rocks, she tucked them into a bag at her waist, and hurried back to her sister. 

"All right. Let's go," she said. 

Elena nodded, face drawn and serious. Making sure that their weapons were secure, they set out into the woods towards the flickering light in the distance, Celia scooping up several large rocks along the way. Crouching low to the ground, they soon came upon three trolls gathered around a large pot in a clearing, and several of the dwarves tied to a large log over a roasting fire, and the rest of the Company tied up in bags over to the side of the clearing. 

"Look, over there. There's a good spot for you to hide," Elena whispered, pointing to a large tree. "And I can hide in the next one over. Soon as they start to turn to stone, we get out of here, got it?" 

Celia nodded somberly, climbing the aforementioned tree swiftly and quietly. After ensuring she was hidden by branches from clear view, she turned to find her sister in an adjacent tree, also hidden by branches. Crouching close to the tree, she held her breath and tried to hear what they were saying.