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Mending the Broken Pieces	By : LadyLaran Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Het - Male/Female Views: 13613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "the Hobbit" nor do I make money from this story. Tolkien and Jackson are the ones who own the characters and world.

Chapter List
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Author’s Note – I am so very amazed by the response the scene where Hawthorn sang and Thorin’s response. You guys are awesome! So now we get a chance to see how her influence can change a very infamous scene.

Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit” nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter Ten – The Third in a Series of Problematic Events

All eyes of the company turned towards the two young dwarrow in stunned disbelief, and Thorin rose to approach the pair. He really wasn’t happy to hear his nephews’ report and hoped he’d misheard because it would mean a considerable amount of danger for the company if he hadn’t.

“Did you say you two saw trolls?”

“Some of the ponies went missing so we tracked them,” Fili said, displeased with the knowledge he was bringing bad news to his uncle. “There’s three trolls camping not far from here; they don’t know we’re close by yet so we have the advantage.”

Hawthorn’s eyes widened as everyone quickly grabbed weapons, realizing what they meant to do and knowing it wasn’t the best idea. Trolls were notoriously difficult to fight, and she knew cleverness would have to provide a more potent weapon than steel.

“You can’t mean to fight them?”

“We need the ponies,” Dwalin responded as he picked up his axes. “And it’s better to do it now while we have the advantage of surprise.”

“What if there’s another way to eliminate the problem,” she asked, struggling to her feet with Gloin’s help.

“What do you mean,” Balin asked, focusing his attention on her.

“Three trolls at night are incredibly dangerous, especially considering we only have a group of fourteen and one of us isn’t exactly at full mobility,” the hobbit quickly answered, hoping they’d be willing to try her idea. “There might be a way to cleverly dispose of them without putting our group at risk. Serious injuries this early in the quest would be a very bad thing.”

Thorin and the others stopped arming themselves, their gazes turning to the lass. She was leaning against her staff, keeping most of her weight off of her injured leg.

“Do you have an idea,” the king-in-exile asked. He was willing to hear her out because he knew just how deadly the situation they were facing could become, and he was not willing to allow harm to come to his company if there was another way to handle things.

“I do actually,” Hawthorn replied, grateful he was willing to listen to her. “I saw some belladonna not far from where the latrine was dug; if we can use it and find other poisonous herbs, we can brew up a poison in Master Bombur’s biggest pot.”

“I have a few I can contribute to the concoction,” Nori answered. “I’m sure Oin might have some too. The problem is how to get them to drink it. While not known for being smart, trolls can be mighty suspicious.”

“By doing what hobbits do best,” she said with a wry smile. “I’ll be neighborly and drop by with a nice tea as a welcoming gift. I should be able to talk them into drinking it since it’s a present and would be rude not to.”

“You honestly think that’ll work,” Bofur asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “They’re not exactly the type of beings who will care about being rude.”

“I hope so but better to try it first rather than endanger ourselves in a battle against creatures that are notoriously difficult to bring down,” the lass told him. “Dawn is too far away, and Mithrandir has yet to return.”

“How will you get it to them,” Fili questioned. “That pot will be too heavy for you to carry with that leg.”

“One of you will come with me, pretending to be my husband,” she said, blushing a bit. “He’ll have to be unarmed though to make it believable and willing to follow along with whatever it is I have to say to convince them to drink it as well as buy us time for it to work.”

All of them stared at her for a long moment before Thorin nodded, breaking the silence.

“I will accompany you,” he said. “Nori, Oin, find the poisons and get that brewed. Once this is done, Dwalin will have my weapons and all of you will be hiding silently in case things go wrong. I hope Miss Baggins’s plan will be effective, but we should be prepared in case something goes wrong.”

The group quickly went into motion as Bombur filled his pot with water and got it ready to boil while the others went looking for more poisonous plants. They’d gotten a swift lesson on what to look for from Oin and Nori before scrambling off.

Hawthorn took a seat on a tree stump, rubbing her face for a moment. She looked up when she realized Thorin was standing in front of her.

“Are you certain you wish to do this?”

“I am,” she replied softly. “Truth be told, I’m the only one who can pull this off believably since I’ve seen this particular event happen a quite a few times as a fauntling. I’m sorry you have to come with me.”

Thorin quickly realized she was concerned about him being in danger alongside her, and his voice was gentle when he answered her.

“I would not let you go into danger alone, Miss Baggins,” he told her. “Thank you for coming up with the plan; I appreciate you trying to keep the Company from harm.”

“Getting your people home is important, and we can’t do that if we’re slowed down or stopped because of serious injuries,” the lass said to him. “I just hope this will work, and we won’t have to fight.”

“Miss Baggins, if fighting does become necessary, I want you to hide when the Company attacks,” Thorin instructed. “I know you are proficient with the staff, but your speed and mobility have been hindered due to your injury.”

“I will,” she promised, knowing he was right in doing this. “I’m sorry I won’t be of much use.”

“You came up with a plan to keep the Company safe while we handle the trolls,” he answered. “Truthfully, Miss Baggins, you have been more than useful so do not think that way anymore.”

“I’ll try,” she said quietly.

Thorin nodded, hoping she would take his words to heart. He turned to watch the Company as they began steeping the poisonous herbs together. Oin added a few others he'd gathered to give the concoction a pleasant aroma without diluting the potency of the brew.

“It's ready,” the healer announced.

The king-in-exile carefully grabbed the pot, offering Hawthorn his arm when he realized she’d passed her staff to Ori for safekeeping. She took it, leaning against him to help keep herself balanced while walking.

The pair made it to the outskirts of the clearing, waiting to ensure the Company was in place. They heard a soft bird sound, and the dwarf looked down at the lass beside him.

“That’s the signal. Ready?”

“Yes,” she answered, drawing a deep breath.

At her nod, the pair of them stepped into the clearing and Hawthorn started chatting in a friendly tone.

“Good evening! We’re sorry to interrupt your dinner, but I had heard we had new neighbors and just had to bring something special by to welcome you.”

Thorin began silently praying as the three mountain trolls stared at them. Finally, the one wearing the apron broke the silence.

“You came to welcome us? Why would you do that?”

“Because it's the neighborly thing to do! My husband and I have been living in the area for a while now so it's wonderful to have someone nearby to chat with. Rin is an incredible husband but can't cook at all, and I've been looking forward to having someone to share recipes with since he’s more interested in eating than speaking of how it was made.”

That caused the face of the apron wearing troll to brighten up, much to Thorin’s surprise. He had no idea that trolls liked to cook so this was a learning experience for him, and he knew this would be a good way for Hawthorn to lull the trio into trusting her.

“Same with these two, no head for cooking at all. I would've thought a small lady like yourself would have friends to chat with?”

“Have you heard of hobbits,” she asked, keeping her tone pleasant and quite friendly.

“Nope, I haven't. What are they?”

"Not many have heard of us simply because we tend to live alone once we come of age and are able to marry. People try to avoid us because we eat pretty much anything, and it frightens them. Why, I met my dear husband while I was hunting to stock my cellar for the winter! Nothing makes roasted dwarf taste better than having someone special to share it with.”

Thorin just gave her a smile, hoping it would help the trolls believe her words. He was fairly impressed with how quick she was in coming up with their cover story.

“Roasted dwarf? I must get that recipe,” the troll informed her.

“I would be delighted to share that as well as my orc and warg pie that goes perfectly with my special tea. Rin is especially fond of that one; he asks for it several times a month. Goodness me, I'm standing here chattering on while this tea gets cold. Rin, would you be a dear and pass the pot to our new friends,” she asked, giving the dwarf a smile.

Thorin stepped forward, handing the pot to the cooking troll while Hawthorn continued to talk.

“This tea is my mama’s recipe. It enhances the flavor of anything you serve with it, and it’s absolutely delightful. It's a favorite of ours so I brewed this to share with our new neighbors; I really hope you enjoy it!”

The three trolls each sniffed the pot, commenting on how good it smelled. They took turns guzzling it down until it was empty, and it didn't take long before the potent brew took effect. The ground shook with the force of impact from the three bodies hitting it, making Hawthorn lean a bit more against Thorin to brace herself.

Dwalin emerged with the others, checking the monsters before signaling they were dead. Hawthorn sagged into the dwarf lord with a sigh of relief, eyes closing for several moments while the Company cheered.

"Fili, Kili, get the ponies back with the others. We’ll rest tonight and then find their cave in the morning,” Thorin ordered.

The two dwarves nodded, cutting through the rope holding the gate of the pen closed and soothing the distraught animals so they could follow their uncle’s orders.

Hawthorn took her staff from Ori, giving him a grateful smile. Her hip and leg were throbbing, and she was ready to sleep. Today had been way too long, especially with having to focus all of her attention on keeping the trolls from reacting poorly towards her and Thorin.

She looked up when Gloin stopped in front of her, recognizing the expression of pride on his bearded face. It made her heart twist a bit, realizing it had been a very long time since anyone had felt that towards her.

“Let's get you back to camp, lass. You did very well today,” the red haired dwarf told her, making her give him a small smile in response.

“Thank you, uncle. I was scared it wouldn't work and the Company would have to fight,” she replied, leaning against her new family member when he offered his arm.

“You kept us safe, Miss Hawthorn, and we are grateful to you for that,” Balin told her, giving her a proud smile as the rest of the dwarrow chimed in with praise and gratitude for her success.

The Company made their way back to camp and soon had fallen asleep with Balin and Oin taking first watch.

Author’s End Note - Well, it seems Hawthorn has the gift of quick thinking and gab. I had to really rework this scene a few times because I wanted that gift, which is so prominent in canon Bilbo, to shine. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you next chapter! ~ Laran
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Mending the Broken Pieces