Far Over The Misty Mountains ...

Kili felt his cheeks inflaming when Calla pulled his body into hers, her tiny hands gripping the leather of his coat, keeping his chest pressed up against hers. All common sense fled him in that instance, only allowing him to raise his finger to his mouth in a hushing motion and stare into the soulful pools of brown that were her eyes. After what seemed like forever, to Kili at least, he managed to tear his attention away from her face, his eyes scanning their surroundings keenly, making sure their path was now safe and troll free.

"All clear" hissed Fili as he stepped out of the tree's shadow he had been hiding in, but still keeping his body low to the ground in case the troll returned to the pathway.

Kili heard his brother's words, but they washed completely over him, for he had made the mistake of looking back at the small girl who was pinned to the tree trunk beneath him. A coy smile appeared on her rose bud lips and she relinquished one hand from his coat, using it to shyly push an escaped curl behind her ear, and looked up at him through her impossibly thick lashes, "Thank you" she breathed, the words only loud enough to reach the young prince's ear.

"My … uh … My pleasure." he whispered in return, the proximity of their faces causing him to stumble on his words.

"Oh no! They've got Myrtle and Minty!" cried Bilbo, breaking up Calla and Kili's moment. The dark haired dwarf took Calla's hand and lead her to tree his brother and Bilbo were hiding against, their eyes peering through a small break in the line of bushes.

Through the gap they could see the three ugly, hulking trolls, arguing between themselves around a huge fire, in which sat a massive black pan, almost like a witch's cauldron. Behind them, making frantic neighs and battling to break free, were the four missing ponies, their eyes wide with fear as struggled against their holding pen. Calla felt anger boil up inside her chest as well as a small pang of sadness for Bilbo, she knew he had become quite attached to Myrtle, and that seeing her held captive must have hurt her cousin greatly.

"I think they're going to eat them! We've got to do something!" Bilbo said, his eyes searching the faces of Calla and the dwarf princes.

"Yes, you should!" Kili answered quickly, his voice feigning innocence, as he quickly leapt to his feet, pushing Bilbo past him and further into the clearing "You are so small, and trolls are so big and stupid, you'll slip right past them!" he said quickly, completely ignoring Bilbo's repeated answer of "No!",

"It's perfectly safe, we'll be right behind you." he continued, being eagerly cut off by his older brother, "Yes, if you get in trouble hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a screech owl." ushered Fili as the hobbit nervously crept closer to the trolls repeating the elder dwarf's instruction to himself. He turned back to face the brothers, a worried expression plastered across his face, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes! We'll be right behind you, now go!" said Fili, waving his hand at Bilbo, who took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, before pushing through the undergrowth and out of sight.

"Come on!" Fili said to Kili as they started to make their way back to camp, leaving Bilbo behind. Calla stood her ground, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows furrowed in anger at the brothers' behaviour. "Calla? Come on!" Kili called to her when he realised she had not moved from beside the tree.

"No." she replied shortly, her voice betraying her anger with them. "I am not leaving Bilbo to go out there alone."

"But its dangerous, come back to the camp." Fili tried to reason, his blue eyes pleading with her.

"All the more reason for me to be here. You have your precious kin by your side, away from the danger. Mine is out there! Alone!" she gestured with an arm to the clearing, "And you expect me to sneak away like a snivelling coward? It should be there pair of you in there with him, you lost the bloody ponies! Why does my poor, scared cousin have to fight your battles for you?" She climbed through the gap in the bushes, leaving the siblings staring after her guiltily.

"Ow!" squeaked Calla as a few stray branches caught the hem of her velvet cloak, tugging it away from her body, as more tangled in her hair, pulling the ribbon from her already destroyed plait. She pushed her way through the branches, ignoring the small nicks and cuts she received on the bare flesh that was exposed at the neckline of her dress, her face and hands, determined to get to her cousin, as the clearing had gone suspiciously quiet, a pool of worry beginning to form in the pit of her stomach.

A loud sneeze suddenly ripped through the clearing, making Calla jump out of her skin. She hid behind a fallen trunk and watched as the sneezing troll gaped at the object that had appeared in his handkerchief. She fought back the urge to giggle when she saw that the object was, in fact, her cousin, who was covered in sticky troll snot. The troll shrieked and dropped Bilbo to the ground in surprise, who got up as quickly as he could, looking around for a way out.

Calla waved at him, "Bilbo, over here!" she hissed, trying to get him out of the troll's sight and to safety, but she was swept up, by an enormous, clammy hand.

"Awe another one!" mocked the troll who held Calla, holding her close to his face. She struggled against his fist, wriggling around trying to get away. "What are ya then?" Asked another troll, as he pointed the blade of a knife into Bilbo's throat. "Well, go on."

"I'm a burgl-hobbit!" he shouted up at the great beasts, trying to keep one eye on his cousin as she tried pummelling her captor's hand with her own tiny fists.

"A burgl-hobbit? What's that?"

"Can we cook it?"

"We can try ..." yelled the one who sneezed, making a grab for the half-ling who ducked away through his beefy fingers.

"They'd barely make a mouthful. All skin an' bones the pair of 'em."

"Are there any more of ya around these parts?" asked the one holding Calla, his fowl breath blowing her loose curls around her face. She felt the sudden urge to gag at the smell, but pushed it back, answering the troll in a strong voice, that no where near matched how she was feeling. "No! Its just us!"

"I think its lies." another said as the two continued to try and catch Bilbo.

"I think I will eat this one raw, just to get a taste of 'em." said the one who held Calla, his eyes narrowing in glee as he turned her upside down, holding her by her ankles.

Calla gave a loud scream as she was turned upside down, using her hands to pull the skirt of her dress up the best she could to hide her now exposed legs and underwear, her face turning a shade of scarlet, she did not want to die with her knickers on show, she still had her dignity.

"CALLA!" shouted Kili as he burst through the trees brandishing his sword, anger coursing through his veins at the sound of her frightened scream. He rammed the blade into the foot of the closest troll, earning a loud, pained screech from the beast as it toppled over.

"Drop her!" he threatened the one holding Calla. His eyes carefully averted from her bare legs, and staring up into the troll's black eyes.

"You what?" asked the troll in a mocking tone.

"I said" Kili started, swishing his blade up to face the troll "Drop her!" his voice held a strength even he didn't know he possessed.

The troll made a face and threw Calla at him. The young girl screaming as she hurtled through the air, crashing straight into his chest. He placed one hand on her head, keeping her low, using the other to pull her skirts back down properly. "Thank you!" she whispered to him, tears of humiliation pricking at the corners of her eyes. He grinned widely at her, and clasped her cheeks between his hands, placing a quick kiss on her lips before moving her off to the side, and joining the company of dwarves, who had just leapt through the trees above their heads, in battle.

Calla pushed herself back through the dead leaves and mud, until she was leaning against a large rock. She breathed in and out slowly trying to process what had just happened to her, she had nearly been eaten, thrown through the air like a ball, had used Kili as a landing pillow, and Kili had kissed her. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed scarlet as she ran back over the last part in her head, Kili – the dwarf prince – had kissed her. Her brain refused to believe it, she knew that every time she caught him looking at her, her tummy swarmed with butterflies, and every time he hold her a story she just wanted to close her eyes and listen to the silky tone of his voice, but she had no idea he was going to kiss her. 'It was just a really quick peck, and he had just saved me from a troll … who was about to eat me … it was probably just a gut reaction ... he was just glad I was safe ... yeah, that must be it.' She reasoned with herself, as she wiped her now sweaty palms on the blue fabric of her dress.

Before she could realise what was happening she had been snatched up by one of the trolls, again. 'great! That is the last time I get distracted when there's serious danger about' she scolded herself, as the trolls stretched her over the fire, one each holding an arm and a leg, ready to tear her clean in two.

She smiled slightly through her discomfort and struggling when she saw Bilbo's face, proud that he had set the ponies loose. The happy smile quickly disappeared as he took in his cousin's current predicament. A strangled yell came from his throat, as he pointed to the distressed woman. The dwarves quickly caught on and looked in their direction.

"Calla!" cried Kili once again lunging towards the two trolls who held her captive, but he was held back by his brother and uncle, who eyed the creatures warily.

"Lay down your arms!" one of them commanded, pulling slightly on Calla's limbs, bringing a pained gasp from her lips. "Or we'll rip hers off."

Kili squirmed against his brother's grip, desperate to try and rescue her, but a stern glance from Thorin stilled him, as he held his breath in anticipation.

Calla winced at the fury in the great king's eyes, and she suddenly became afraid that he was going to ignore the demand. A wave of relief washed over her as the head dwarf sighed, and slammed his weapon into the ground, earning an angry look from his youngest nephew, who also dropped his sword to the ground in a loud clatter.

One by one the dwarves dropped their weapons, Ori, last but not least, dropping his slingshot down on the ground in a huff. Calla inwardly smiled at the troupe's youngest dwarf, he really did have spirit.

The trolls dropped Calla to the ground, her body landing with a sickening thump, as her elbow bent beneath her. She cried out in pain but ignored it as she shuffled her way over to her cousin on her hands and knees, where Bilbo enveloped her in a protective hug.

The trolls looked at each other with large, sickening grins, when one commanded the other "Tom, grab those sacks!"