Bilbo invisibly made his way through the wine cellar. He saw elves moving around wine barrels and speaking. Once drinks from a large flagon; Bilbo saw the ring of dungeon keys in the hand of one of the elves. "...we're running out of drink." One elf grumbled to another elf. "These empty barrels should have been sent back to Esgarrouth hours ago. The bargeman will be waiting for them." The other elf shook his head and laughed to himself. "Say what you like about our ill-tempered king, but he has excellent taste in wine. Come, Elros, try it." He is speaking to an elf with a bunch of keys. "I have the dwarves in my charge." Elros replied shaking his set of keys.
The other elf took the keys and hung them on a hook in the wall. "They're locked up; where can they go?" He laughed. Bilbo stood by the wall and felt something push past him, nearly knocking him over. He looked up and he saw the blonde haired elf that had caught them in the forest. He noticed that she wiped her eyes before she spoke to the other elves. "Where's the rest of the drink? We're running out upstairs.." Maethel waited for their reply. Elros and the other elf exchanged glances. "Lady Maethel.." Elros started and Maethel gave him a sharp look as she waited for him to continue. "We're going to bring some more up in a minute, lady.." The other elf replied and Maethel hummed in response.
"Are the barrels empty?"
She looked over at the barrels and Elros nodded, "We're going to fill them up tomorrow and send them to Lake Town.." Maethel hummed gently to herself. "Weren't you meant to do that today?" The other elf looked down and they both said nothing. "Make sure it's done tomorrow before my father finds out. We all know his wrath." She nodded at both of them before she walked away, grabbing the keys quickly as she got out of view. Bilbo watched as she took the keys and noticed that she had a bow across her back. His heart sank. Then an idea came to his head, he had to follow her. She walked so fast that Bilbo nearly gave up. Bilbo then realised that she was heading towards the cells.
"I'll wager the sun's on the rise. It must be nearly dawn." Bilbo heard Bofur whisper to the other dwarves. "We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori sighed and Maethel suddenly appeared, holding up the ring of keys. Thorin raced to the front of his cell and he gripped the bars. "Maethel..?" Maethel hummed in response and she held her finger to her lips. "Not stuck in here, you're not!" She whispered and she smiled at the dwarves. Bilbo hastily tucked his Ring into his pocket and stepped out from behind the elleth. "Bilbo!" As the dwarves exclaimed in surprise, Bilbo shushed them. Maethel shuddered as she turned around and saw the hobbit who barely reached the top of her legs. She then smiled recovering her composure from her sudden fright. "Shhh! There are guards nearby!" She hissed.
Maethel unlocked Thorin's cell and let him out. He then proceeded to let all the dwarves out of their various cells, and they chuckled gleefully at their good fortune. Some of the dwarves started walking in a certain direction. "The stairs. You first. Ori!" Dwalin whispered as he held his hand out in front of him. "Not that way, down here. Follow me. They don't know that I've let you out. They'll kill me of they found out." Maethel then proceeded to lead the dwarves through the Woodland Realm, and they whispered indistinctly. Maethel walked close to Thorin who whispered a quiet "Thank you" as they snook through the halls of the Woodland Realm, and eventually found themselves in the wine cellar from before. The elves there were sound asleep around a table, with several empty bottles of wine in front of them. Maethel beckoned for the dwarves to go further in. "This way."
"I don't believe it; we're in the cellars!" Kili spoke loudly and Fili had to nudge him to keep his voice down. The dwarves were now getting mad at her. "You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Maethel then almost shouted, "I was born in this very castle, I grew up within these walls. I know what I'm doing!"
"Shhh!" Bofur shushed the other dwarves and they continued to follow the Mirkwood princess further into the cellar. "This way." She continued to whisper. They snook into a large room in which several barrels were stacked sideways down the middle of the room. All the barrels had one end open. Meanwhile, elven guards open the cells to find them empty. "Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!" Maethel instructed and looked for Thorin to help her. "Are you mad?! They'll find us!" Dwalin raised his voice. "No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you MUST trust me!" Maethel responded as she put her head in her hands. She knew it wouldn't work. The dwarves milled around, as they tried to decide. They hear a commotion in the distance. "If you want to escape alive.. you MUST listen to me. Now get in those barrels." Maethel ordered as she looked top towards the top of the cellar. "Do as she says!" Thorin ordered.
Each of the dwarves climbed into a barrel. Maethel walked along, counting to make sure all the dwarves and hobbit had been accounted for. "What do we do now?" Bofur asked looking around. All the dwarves stuck their heads out of their barrels and watched Maethel as she walked toward a lever in the ground. "Hold your breath."
"Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur asked and he panicked as the barrels started to move. "Join me?" Thorin whispered as he held his hand out. Maethel looked at it gingerly and unsure before she took his hand. "Just this once.." She replied as she walked towards a nearby barrel. The barrels rolled out the opening and fell several feet into a river that ran beneath the Woodland Realm. The dwarves yelled as they fell, and the barrels made loud thumping noises. The elves sleeping around the table stir and began to wake up.
Tauriel strode up to the empty cells and addressed the other elven guards. "Where is the keeper of the keys?" She shouted as she looked at each of the guards who looked down. She got her answer and she and her elves ran toward the cellar. "Tolo hi!" (Come now!) Just as Tauriel and the guards get to the cellar, the floor tipped and closed.
"Well done, Lady Maethel." Thorin smiled and the dwarves also smiled at her. They didn't like elves but she had helped them to escape and for that they were very grateful. Maethel, half drowned, waved her hand in thanks and managed to splutter out a word. "Go." Thorin laughed at the look on her face, "Come on, let's go."
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his exception
FanfictionThorin Oakenshield hated elves. But she was something different. She was his only exception.
