Skin Changer : A Hobbit FanFiction (Discontinued)

Separation

Thorin sighed again as he leaned against the bars of his cell. Most of the Company had since given up on trying to force their way out, and were quietly conversing among themselves. The elvish guard had returned to speak with Ilma on several occasions, and she maintained that her brother was calling for her, though he doubted it.

It was still difficult to believe that the woman who'd risked her life to safe his was the child of his enemy. At the same time, it was painfully obvious now that he knew. She had the same wide-eyed expressions as her father, and the way she'd carried herself in the throne room was no less noble than Thranduil's bearing. She had become more serious since regaining her memories in the Entwood, but she still smiled broadly whenever he looked at her.

"Thorin."

He looked up, startled, and saw Bilbo, keys in hand, outside his cell. He smiled, and the others all gave shouts of acclaim. The little man shushed them, rightly.

"There are guards nearby," he said as he unlocked Thorin and Ilma's cell, and they all settled their voices to whispers. Still smiling, Thorin looked up at Ilma, standing tall beside him. Her expression was grim, and he followed her gaze up, where her kin held some kind of celebration. The Company rushed past them up the stairs, but Bilbo ushered them the opposite direction, and she focused on him with animal awareness.

"You are using the river," she said calmly, and Bilbo nodded. She smiled. "That is good, they won't think to look for you there."

"Are you not coming, lass?" Bofur asked, his expression mirroring Thorin's concern.

The elf princess shook her head. "My brother is a suspicious man, and he will check for you soon. I can distract him, buy you time."

"You don't have to do that," Fili insisted, and her smile became wistful.

"Oh, but I do. I've been putting him off all night. Don't worry," she added when the rest of the Company began to protest. "I'll catch up with you. It won't take him too long to realize that I'm stalling him." She sighed heavily, looking up the staircase. "Besides, I really do owe him."

The Company grudgingly accepted her decision, rushing down the stairs after Bilbo. Thorin lagged behind, and she turned to him with the smile she reserved for him.

Curtsying, she said, "Farewell, your majesty."

A lump caught in his throat. She meant it as a joke, but he could not stop himself from bowing in return. "Your highness."

Her smile was bitter as he rose, and that was the image he carried as he followed his men to freedom.