Dawn (A Hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 18 - Surprising no one, getting shot hurts.

I got locked up in the cell with Thorin again. After a while I asked: "What did you yell that made Thranduil so angry?" Thorin looked at me, not a spark of humour in his eyes.
"I told him to die in a Dragon's fire."
I cringed, that was at least an explanation for why father lashed out at him.
"Do you have a lock pick?" I heard Nori ask me.
"Why would I need a lock pick? I don't land in jail very often," I reacted.
"But do you have one?"
"Had," I admitted. "I think I lost it at some point."
Bofur groaned.

After an hour of losing staring contests to the wall, I began singing, a lullaby that mother used to sing for Legolas and me. The lyrics never made much sense to me, but it was a calming tune. When I'd finished, I heard snoring from all cells but my own. I just assumed that Thorin wasn't much of a snorer and closed my own eyes. I woke up some time later with Thorin's coat draped over me.
Weird, I couldn't recall nicking it. Despite it being in Thorin's possession very long, the fur was still soft, I noted as I absentmindedly stroked it.
As silently as I could, I put on the coat and went to the door of the cell to try and see if I could look up into the night sky, but I couldn't. To be honest, I didn't know if it was even night time. It was dark in the dungeons though. The stone floor was hard and cold too and there were no beds.
I hesitated for only a moment before I moved over to a now slightly snoring Thorin and curled up against his side, trying to steal his body warmth.
I was planning to go to the other side of the cell again before Thorin woke up. But when I felt his arm around me, I knew that wasn't going to happen and just accepted my fate. Wasn't that hard really. In fact, it was quite easy.

-~-

I had lost track of time since we were locked up. Legolas came to talk to me every once in a while. Tauriel talked to both Kili and me. Thorin had put a small braid with a silver bead on the side of my face and done the rest of my hair in an elaborate Dwarven fashion. I did his too, in Elven fashion, though it didn't look right on him and I took it out almost immediately. Legolas didn't like it one bit, but I told him to suck it up.

"I'd wager the sun's on the rise. It must be nearly dawn!" I heard Bofur report.
"We're never going to reach the mountain are we?" sighed Ori hopelessy.
"Not stuck in here you're not."
Bilbo had either suddenly appeared out of thin air, or my hearing was getting worse. I don't which one I prefer. Neither, most likely. I jumped back in surprise, bumping into Thorin, who stood behind me. The Dwarves let out whoops of celebration. Bilbo bid them to be quiet, as there were guards nearby.

He unlocked Thorin's and my cell first. Working quickly after that to free us all. The Dwarves went to the stairs. "Not that way! You'll go through the throne room. Follow me, I know a safer way," I beckoned them back and led them down the cellar.

I heard some Dwarves chuckle and saw some smile at me out the corner of my eye but I paid it no mind as we walked down the spiral staircase.
"This way."
"I don't believe it; we're in the cellars!" exclaimed Kili. The Dwarves were getting mad at me.
"You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Fili complained.
"Well excuuuuuse me, princess! Will you all shut it? I spent over two millennia here!" I defended myself.

"This way," Bilbo apparently knew where we were headed.
We snuck into a large room in which several empty barrels were stacked sideways down the middle of the room. I counted them in disbelief. There were at least twenty. Must have been one hell of a party.
I climbed into one of the upper ones and beckoned the dwarves to do the same. "Are you mad? They'll find us!" retorted Dwalin.
"No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you MUST trust us!" Bilbo defended me.
The Dwarves stood about not getting in the fucking barrels like I asked them to. I heard something going on upstairs and knew that we had been found missing. I shot Thorin a warning glare. He saw it. "Do as she says," he ordered quickly.
They got into the barrels as Bilbo counted them to make sure we got everyone. "What now?" asked Bofur. All heads turned to either me or Bilbo.
"You hold your breath," I said. It was fun for me and Bilbo to be only ones who knew what was going on for once. Well, at least I think I got the gist of his plan.