Chapter 6

The next day, the day after the Festival of Starlight

Perci rolled over in the soft, luxurious bed onto her stomach and sighed, burying her head under the equally soft pillow as the first rays of sunshine began to shine over her bed. She didn't move until she heard a knock at the door. She groaned and rolled over, sitting up in one smooth movement. She pulled on her robe and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked to the door. Opening it, she instantly let go of the slight annoyance that had consumed her at being awakened, disappear. For it was Legolas!

"Good morning, love," Legolas said, leaning down and capturing her lips in a sweet kiss that had her toes curling and her hands coming up to run through his hair and to hold his lips to her's.

Perci smiled softly at him. "Morning."

"What do you want to do today?"

Perci thought about it. "I want to explore the palace with my One."

Legolas smiled down at her. "Well, then, I shall happily-"

He was cut off when an elf guard approached the two of them. "Prince Legolas, the king has requested your presence, immediately."

Legolas sighed, leaning his forehead against Perci's, and closing his eyes. Why couldn't his father let him spend some time alone with his One?!

Legolas opened his eyes and turned to nod his agreement and dismissal towards the guard. The guard bowed his head and headed back the way that he had come to inform the king that his son was on his way.

Legolas turned back to his One. Her smile was understanding. "Go. I can explore by myself and you'll just have to join me after you are done with your father."

"Alright, my love. I shall do as you say… Try not to get lost." Legolas said, kissing her on her forehead and then heading towards where his father was with a grin. Perci smiled and watched him walk away.

Now, with Legolas not in her immediate vicinity, she was able to think a little bit clearer on what she needed to do. She needed to find a way to get the dwarves out of the cells in the elven dungeon and also to find Bilbo because she was sure that he was around here somewhere. She might love Legolas, but she didn't trust him and she also had given her word to see the dwarves to Erebor, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Stepping back into her room, Perci began to get dressed, pulling out an outfit from her bottomless bag.

After dressing and putting her belt of daggers and her sword on, Perci closed her eyes and began to search for the familiar prescence of Thorin and the Company.

Finding it, deep within the palace and underground, Perci used her water travel to disappear from her room with her belongings and appearing in the cell that Thorin was in.

She opened her eyes to see that Thorin hadn't noticed her yet. But before she could, she saw Bilbo on the other side of the cell door, unlocking Thorin's door.

Perci smiled faintly as he began to get flustered with the dwarves shouting in excitement. "Shh! There are guards nearby!"

Bilbo opened Thorin's cell and Thorin stepped out, neither the hobbit nor dwarf king realizing that Perci was standing right behind Thorin, having stepped out the cell with him.

Bilbo began to go from cell to cell, unlocking all of the dwarves, the last one being Fili. They gathered at a set of stairs that led up into the palace of the Woodelves. All of the dwarves and one hobbit had yet to notice their only female companion who was watching them all, waiting for one of them to notice her.

"Bilbo, where's Perci?" Kili asked, causing the other dwarves to pause in their excitement of escaping.

Bilbo looked nervous. "I do not know. But I remember over hearing that Thranduil wants her and his son to be married tonight."

Perci gave up on waiting for them to notice her. This was the first time she had heard of anything of the like.

Before the dwarves could get over their shock of Bilbo's words, Perci growled, causing them all to look at her. "What do you mean, Thranduil wants me to get married tonight?! I did not agree to anything of the like!"

Thorin knew that Perci was telling the truth because he knew that she would never lie about something like this, or on any matter. Bilbo shifted uncomfotably at Perci's piercing gaze.

"Yeah, I heard that he and his son had begun to plan it this morning and were going to have the two of you wed by tonight."

Perci didn't let anything show on her face, but she was heartbroken. Was what Bilbo said true? Was Legolas really planning on not telling her about her own wedding that would have most likely taken place that night? Perci shook her head of those thoughts. She couldn't afford to get overemotional about that right now. She had to get them out of here.

She stretched her senses out and could sense a river below.

So when Kili and Dwalin began to go up the stairs, Perci stopped them.

"No, not that way! Down here! Follow me!" Perci said, beginning to race down the stairs, letting her sense for water to guide her way. She could hear the heavy footfalls of the dwarves following her, trusting her to get them out of there.

They came down into a cellar, Perci absently noticed a couple elves passed out at a table with a couple bottles of wine lying empty next to them.

Perci noticed that there were barrels stacked up on top of each other next to something that looked like a lever. She could feel the water flowing right underneath where the barrels were and knew that this was what they needed to do.

"This way." Bilbo said, having followed her and having seemed to have caught on to her plan. This might have been his plan to begin with before Perci had shown up, she didn't know.

Kili looked around and turned to glare at Perci and Bilbo. "I don't believe it. We're in the cellars!"

Bofur agreed, moving past. "You're supposed to be leaving us out, not further in!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Bilbo and Perci whispered back at the dwarf, only to get a shush in their face. If they weren't trying to break out of the palace, Perci would have laughed. It had been a long time since someone had shush'd her. Perci just rolled her eyes though.

When the dwarves were on the other side of the barrels, facing the tops, she began her plan. "You all have to get in the barrels, quickly." Dwalin growled and turned towards her.

"Are you mad? They'll find us." Dwalin said. Perci sighed. She had had about enough of others questioning her descisions.

"No, no. They won't, I promise you. You must trust me." Perci said. As the dwarves began muttering amongst themselves, Perci turned her head and met Thorin's heavy gaze. Thorin hadn't trusted her that much on this journey, and she had healed his wounds back when he had been injured by the White Warg. He decided that she had earned some of his trust.

"Do as she says." Thorin whispered harshly. The mutterings between the dwarves stopped immediately and they began to grumble and help each other into the barrels. Perci was planning on staying back and pulling the lever when Bilbo began to argue with her.

"Perci, get into a barrel. I'll pull the lever."

"No, Bilbo. It was my idea, I'm going to do it and get the rest of you to safety. If you get caught, I don't think I would ever be able to forgive myself."

"Perci, you may be a queen and a champion of the Valar, but I am your friend and I am going to do this. Now get into a barrel now!" Bilbo hissed. Perci groaned, knowing that she had lost the argument because she knew that they didn't have the time to argue.

"Fine!" she hissed back, climbing into the closest empty barrel.

She heard Bofur ask a question. "What do we do now?"

"Hold your breath."

"Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur asked for all of the dwarves. Then there was a groan as they began to tumble down and into the water below.

Perci didn't even bother holding her breath, she just got as relaxed as possible in her barrel and breathed normally, even when she was completely submerged underwater. It was impossible for the daughter of Poseidon to drown, afterall.