5. The Trolls' Cave
Early on in their journey, Bilbo and the dwarves stumble uponand are captured bya group of trolls; they are rescued by Gandalf, who causes the trolls to fight amongst themselves until the sun rises and they are turned into stone. This will almost definitely be in An Unexpected Journey, since Bilbo told the tale to a group of hobbit children at his birthday party in The Fellowship of the Ring. But what happens next should be included as well. The company investigates the area and finds the trolls cave, which is hiding the treasure and supplies the trolls had captured from unlucky passersby. This cave is where Bilbo finds Stinghis sword he later passes on to Frodoand Gandalf and Thorin get their swords as well. We also get a bit of backstory, learning the swords came from Gondolina long-destroyed elf city discussed in-depth only in the Silmarillion. Again, seemingly a minor point but it provides both a connection to The Lord of the Ringsthrough Stingand some of the faux-historical depth in which The Hobbit resides.