Erebor's Guardian

Chapter: 17

After a few hours, the female elf came to check on all of us; everyone was asleep except me and Kili, she walked past our cell and stopped in front of Kili's cell. I could slightly see them but I heard every word they spoke.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?"

"It is a talisman. A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the rune on this stone, they will be cursed forever."

Kili brought it up to Tauriel and she stepped back slightly. She started to walk away but stopped when Kili spoke again, in a laughing matter.

"Or not, depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token."

Kili smiled as the female elf smiled. She turned back to Kili's cell as he spoke.

"A runestone. My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

"What promise?"

"That I will come back to her."

The elf looked down.

"She worries. She thinks I'm reckless."

"Are you?"

"Nah."

Kili smiled as he tossed the stone and missed causing it to roll out of the cell, but the elf stopped it with her foot. She picked it and looked at it. Kili stood up to the bars of his cell, suddenly the sound of elves laughing in the distance could be heard.

"Sounds like quite a party you're having up there."

"It is Mereth-en-Gilith, the Feast of Starlight."

I smiled as they started to talk more upon which I heard her name, I heard Thorin move in his sleep. I smirked as I opened one wing and laid it over him for warmth.

"Paepahn, I'm sorry. I got you into even more pain."

"Shhh! Rest Thorin."

He closed his eyes as I looked down at the cell to see Tauriel sit down on the stairs listening to Kili talk of what he had seen past the woodlands. I adjusted myself to the cell wall. I closed my eyes as we waited to see what our master burglar could do.

After a few hours, the others had woken up.

"I'll wager the sun's on the rise. It must be near dawn."

"We're never gonna reach the mountain, are we?"

Suddenly the sound of keys caught my attention as Bilbo suddenly appeared with the jail keys.

"Not stuck in here, you're not."

All of us jumped in surprise.

"Bilbo!"

As the dwarves exclaimed in surprise, Bilbo tried to shush them.

"Shhh! There are guards nearby!"

Bilbo unlocked our cell and proceeded to let the others out, they started to chuckle gleefully. As the dwarves started to walk up the stairs, Bilbo stopped them.

"Not that way, down here. Follow me."

Bilbo proceeded to lead us through the area. Eventually, we found ourselves in the wine cellar. The elves were sound asleep as bottles of wine were empty on the table. Bilbo lead us further in.

"This way."

"I don't believe it; we're in the cellars!"

The dwarves started to become confused as to why Bilbo brought us down here.

"You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!"

"I know what I'm doing!"

"Shhh!"

Bilbo snuck us into a large room in which there were several barrels stacked sideways down the middle of the room. All the barrels had opened ends.

"Everyone climb into the barrels, quickly!"

"Are you mad?! They will find us!"

"No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you MUST trust me!"

The dwarves started to speak on whether to decide or not to listen. Bilbo gave Thorin and me a pleading look. Thorin turned to the others.

"Do as he says!"

Each of the dwarves climbed into a barrel. I opened my wings and waited for Bilbo's plan.

"What do we do now?"

All of us stuck our heads out of the barrels and watched as Bilbo grabbed a lever in the ground.

"Hold your breath."

Bilbo pulled on the lever and an opening in the floor tilted downwards. The barrels rolled out into the river. The dwarves yelled as they fell. I flew through the opening and saw the door close with Bilbo on the other side. After a moment the floor tipped open and Bilbo fell into the river. Bilbo came up from the water as he grabbed onto the side of a barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins."

I flew behind the barrels and pushed them toward the river. Elves started to rush along the passages. I saw the male and Tauriel rush after us. I looked ahead of the river and saw a waterfall come to pass.

"Hold on!"

The barrels plunged through the rapids, they started to float swiftly down the raging river. As I flew I overheard the male elf call out for the gates to be closed with a horn being sounded off shortly afterwards. Down the river, I saw the gate and flew and saw the iron gate closing.

"No."

As the others were stopped by the gate, I flew down toward the gate and tried to pry it open. Suddenly one of the elves fell into the river as Orcs attacked.

I landed on the gate and started to fight the Orcs barehanded. I flew past them and yelled out.

"Kili! The lever!"

Kili looked up to a lever on the gate to the door. Kili managed to get out of the barrel and run up the stairs to the lever.

"Kili!"

I tossed a sword from one of the fallen elves to Kili, He was able to fight his way to the stairs. I saw an Orc about to throw a spear at him. I threw a short sword into the Orcs head. Kili ran over to the lever, suddenly I heard Kili stop short and looked to see an arrow in his leg. I opened my wing to clash against the Orcs and tried to keep the others away. Fili saw Kili fall to the ground in pain. Thorin could hear Kili's moans.

"Kili."

An orc leapt over to kill Kili, suddenly an arrow flew into its head. Kili and I looked over to see Tauriel running through the bushes. She shot another orc as the leader of the pack started to yell out.

"Kill her! Kill the She-Elf!"

Several of the orcs rushed to Tauriel. The male elf and other elves attacked the orcs. I grabbed onto an elven sword and flew in front of her while slashing at the orcs. I turned to her and killed one from behind her as my wings guarded her on my side. She, in turn, caught an arrow in the air and shot it back at an Orc.

"Does this mean your on own side."

"Of course not, After this your going back to the cells."

I looked to see the Kili had managed to grab the lever and pull it. The others started to fall through the gate. Kili fell on his back in pain. Fili called for him. Kili managed to slide himself off the ledge and into the empty barrel. As he landed in it the shaft of the arrow broke off. Taurial turned her head as the sound of him groaning in pain. An orc managed to attack and knock her on the floor. I grabbed the orc by the back and stabbed it throwing it to the side. Tauriel looked up at me as I offered her a hand. She took it and I smirked.

"A shame you will have to take us back... he was beginning to like you."

I offered her bow and smiled as I let go of her hand and flew upward to the others.