The King of Starlight and Lullabies (Thranduil x OC fanfic)

Chapter 15- Escape

"Barrels? Your plan is us escaping in barrels?" One of the dwarves exclaimed skeptically as they gathered in the hold Bilbo and herself had met in the evening before.

She suppressed a huff as she explained her reasoning again. "Although there won't be as many people about after last nights festivities, there will still be enough to cause trouble should we be spotted. Your absence will be undoubtedly noticed very soon," she said, glancing at the door nervously, expecting to see guards any minute. "This is the safest way to get out unnoticed. Nobody but myself or Auric would notice a few missing barrels after all that happened yesterday, plus it's the most direct path out of here without any conflict."

One of the gruff, older dwarves snorted at her. "Didn't you say you ran the dock? What about the cargo boats they have? Why can't we take of of those?"

Caledra gritted her teeth, Bilbo looking up at her with an I-told-you look on his face. Dwarves were indeed as insufferable as he had made them out to be. After they had devised a plan they had introduced themselves all in the same blustering manner, save Thorin himself who instead just nodded to her with cold eyes, as though he had no need to introduce himself to her. The truth was, he didn't. She could have named him a king simply by his frigid atmosphere itself. If there was one thing she had learned from being in the company of the elven King, it was that they tended to be distant.

Caledra popped open another lid to a barrel, gesturing for someone to get in once she had rolled it next to the others. "As lovely idea that is, I'm leaving to become a new person, not a pirate." She said flatly, unamusedly eyeing the dwarf that had suggested it .

"So long as we leave this cursed place, I do not care the means," Thorin spoke beside her, causing her to jump up straighter with surprise. He looked up at her. "Do not mistake me, elf. I do not trust nor am I inclined to help you in any way. I do however trust Bilbo, and it is because of that I am allowing you to lead us to the forest edge."

Caledra gave a deep bow, "With much gratitude, I sincerely thank you for that." He gave no other comment, instead examining the other barrels and speaking to his kinsman. Caledra breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Won't they know it was you, who did this?" Bilbo spoke up from beside her, leaning on a nearby box as he watched the dwarves.

"Most definitely," she nodded, a faint smile on her lips. Bilbo looked at her,  seeming troubled by the optimism in her response. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but closed it and rephrased his words each time.

"And that's a good thing?" He finally said, getting into a barrel himself as they began ready for their departure.

"In its own way," she said, winking at him mischievously. She heard the sound of those in armor running down stairs, undoubtedly searching the kingdom for the escapees. "Hold on tight and take a deep breath!" Caledra yelled, swinging the lever that would drop the floor beneath them and into the river. She quickly swung herself around into the last empty barrel falling into the river below as the guards burst into the room, just seconds too late.

It was great that everyone would know it was her who had escaped and let the dwarves free.

It was great to know the King himself would soon find out she had blatantly and intentionally gone against his ruling simply for the thrill of doing something new.

He hadn't broken her.

*

"My Lord," Tauriel, captain of the guard spoke clearly in the throne room, although the tone of urgency in her voice immediately told Thranduil something had gone wrong. He inhaled deeply from his throne, glaring down at her with half lidded eyes. "The prisoners have escaped."

As much as this infuriated Thranduil, he was not so inexperienced or young to not think this was going to happen. It was almost inevitable with dwarves to begin with, never mind on the night of a feast. "Fetch them then. Is that all?" He said blandly, his forefinger and thumb rubbing his temples. "I had assumed you to be intelligent enough to not bother me over such means."

"Typically I would have already left, sir.  However they were assisted in their escape," she continued. "had it not been for that, I would have dispatched orders as soon as I heard about it. A low silvan from the docks has freed them via river. She has actually gone as far as leaving with them. How would you like us to respond?"

Thranduil froze, slowly raising his head to her.

"Bring a handful of your finest archers along with my son. Stop the dwarves however you see fit." The King said, accentuating every word clearly and calmly, although beneath that chillingly calm persona was a furious tempest getting ready to unfold.

"But return her alive to me. That is your main priority."

*

The ride out of the cargo bay and into the river was the most fantastically terrifying thing Caledra had ever experienced. It was thrilling and she enjoyed every twist and turn it brought with near child-like joy. However she quickly learned that the river was very fast moving and barrels were not the sturdiest mode of transportation. Her barrel and practically lain horizontal in the water a few dozen times, water sloshing in as she struggled to gain control over the current. It was amusing how she had worked near this river for so very long yet didn't even know the strength it contained. How powerful it was!

The dwarves seemed much less mystified than she, judging by their sick looking faces and alertness to the land opening up around them.

She could see it, far in the distance. The  end of the river, where it washed into the lake. It was there the dwarves would depart on their own and she would have to figure out where to go next. It was as she was staring at the landscape around her thinking about her future when the first arrow flung from the trees.