A.N. A little later than I wanted, but much better than five weeks. Lol.
TikiKiki: You definitely do not come off as rude. I love the enthusiasm! It helps to keep me going!
Angie: Thranduil's something else, isn't he? I'm glad you picked up on some of that though. We'll get a little more into some of it in the coming chapters. Thank you as always for your review! :D
SilverGhostKitsune: Thank you!
A huge thank you to all of my readers out there! You keep me going. Please enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Per usual, I own nothing except my original characters.
Thorin sat back against the wall of his cell, seething. Of all the underhanded, dastardly tricks he could pull, Thranduil did this. It had been suspicious enough when the red-headed elf had come to get him, claiming Thranduil wanted to speak with him. To walk up that pathway and hear Danica's voice had been a thrill of joy, instantly killed by the voice of a man. He knew she had been staying in Laketown, but had never imagined her staying with a man. Particularly one who sounded to be in the prime of his life. He had nearly broken free of his guard's grip when Thranduil had mentioned what a "handsome couple" they made. As he had suspected, the elf had wanted nothing more than to bring him up to taunt him. The whole thing made his blood boil.
To her credit, the female captain looked uncomfortable with the whole situation. She wouldn't look him in the eye on the way back to his cell, and kept her lips pursed in a thin line. When she put him back in, she surprised him by talking.
"I am sorry," she said no more, and left with him staring after her.
Bitterness had returned as he began to wonder, and fear, who the man was that had been with Danica. There was no curse in any language foul enough to convey his sentiments toward the elf king. When Balin asked him what had happened, all he could respond with was,
"Danica is here, but I couldn't see her," his tone warned Balin and everyone else to keep their remaining questions to themselves.
His eyes narrowed at the sound of footsteps, a sound he hadn't heard in over a week.
"You only have a few minutes," he heard the female captain say.
A few more footsteps, and then Danica's face appeared on the other side of the bars. Any bitterness he'd felt instantly melted away when she smiled.
"Danica," he went to the bars, fitting as much of his hand through as he could to touch her cheek. "Dani,"
Her smile widened. "You've never called me that before,"
"I've had my reasons," their words were soft, but the rest of the company rose up in calling her name.
"Hello everyone," she called out. "I have missed you all terribly,"
They all greeted her in return, but her attention had turned back to Thorin. His other hand lifted to link with her fingers. He instantly noticed something was missing. "Your wedding ring is gone,"
Her eyes turned sad. "Yeah. I lost it when I fell into the river. It's a long story, but it's ok. I've held on to it for too long. Besides, I still have this one," she brought up her other hand to show him the emerald ring.
Warmth seeped through him at the sight. "Have you kept it with you all this time?"
She only nodded. He wished desperately that he could kiss her, but the cell door made it nearly impossible. Instead, he thought back to what Bilbo had told him. "Are you well? I heard you were injured and fell ill,"
"Well enough. The fever is gone and the wound is healing as it should,"
"Part of the long story I surmise?"
"Indeed. I'll tell you when we have more time,"
He nodded, his thoughts treacherously returning to the strange man. "And your savior? What kind of man is he?"
She saw right through him. "Don't worry. He's a good man; a friend. He works as a bargeman. I stayed in his home with his three children,"
"I see," his gaze lowered, bringing the gown she wore into full view. Now that he was looking more carefully, he could see her hair dressed up as well, ready for the feast. She was beautiful, but cold in the metallic green and silver she wore. Her normally bright skin had been leeched of all color, making her look like some divine figure carved of ice and stone.
She glanced down as well and sighed. "A 'gift' from King Thranduil for the feast tonight,"
It was ridiculous that he should be so pleased to see the displeasure plain on her face, but he was nonetheless. "Has he tried negotiating?"
"A vague attempt was made. More on my end than his," she looked him square in the eye. "He will not let you go unless he has full assurance that he will get the gems,"
"Of course he won't," Thorin sneered. "He will hold those gems against my kin until the end of time,"
"They are precious to him and cloud his judgment,"
He caught her tone, and what it implied. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled back slightly. "Indeed they do. An affliction you think I should understand, is that it?"
"That's not what I-"
"It's something at least a few of us have seen," Balin said, words and tone placating. "And whether we think he has the right or not, those gems are our only way out,"
Thorin looked at Danica, and found her eyes saying the same thing he was thinking. Bilbo had a way out, and it was a better chance than going through the elves.
"My lady," the female guard called. "It's time,"
Amidst protests from the rest of the company, Thorin felt his chest constrict painfully. "Will I see you soon?" he asked.
The underlying question of her escaping with them was clear to her, but she hesitated. "I don't know," her fingers tightened on his. "Just keep your eye on the quest, no matter what happens,"
When she turned to go, he kept a hold of her hand. "Danica," there was so much to say, but he had neither the words nor the time. Instead, he pulled her fingers through the bars and kissed them. "Be careful,"
Her face flushed as she smiled. "I will,"
Leaving him was achingly difficult, but she was grateful for the time she'd had. When Tauriel showed up at her door, she assumed she was being taken to the feast, but the she-elf had other plans.
"Thank you," she said as they walked toward the sounds of feasting.
Tauriel glanced back. "There would not be much chance for you to visit after the feast, and I thought your meeting with the king and your companion from Laketown may have left matters muddled for the dwarf,"
"I hope I don't sound rude, but why would you care about that?" Danica wondered if Kili had already made that much of an impression on her.
"I know how King Thranduil can be," was all Tauriel said, but it was enough. The king liked to play cat and mouse, and didn't have any particular sense of compassion, something Danica knew Tauriel struggled with.
They reached the edge of a dais where a large table was set, and elves were milling around, many already highly intoxicated. Danica looked at it all, stomach twisting itself in knots.
"Do not worry," Tauriel said with a smile. "They are all far friendlier when plied with drink, and there is a restroom not too far off that you can escape to if you need," all Danica could do was nod before Thranduil saw her and called her over.
The Feast of Starlight was an equally beautiful and chaotic affair. All the elves were dressed in light, metallic colors accented with white and silver. Thousands of candles lit the halls, flickering merrily and adding an impressive amount of warmth. After a couple glasses of wine, Danica's cheeks were sufficiently hot and flushed. She had tried to turn down the alcohol, but Thranduil had picked it out himself, and insisted. While she had never been a wine drinker, she had to admit the king's wine was exceptional. The only thing that kept her from willingly drinking more was the hope that she would be able to get away unnoticed and join the others. That was looking to be more and more unlikely, however. As Tauriel had said, the elves were more open and friendly than she would have expected, and were curious about the Rivendell Nightingale.
Many of the male elves grabbed her for a dance, amused that she wasn't familiar with their traditional dances, but pleased that she learned quickly. Even with the smiles and friendly banter, Danica felt out of place. She was quite a bit shorter than every person in the place, and definitely less graceful. It seemed that no matter how drunk the elves got, they still managed to keep a firm hold on their unearthly movements. Worst of all were some of the snickers she heard from the higher born female elves. They found her cute and amusing, but held very little respect for her. Rumors of her relationship with the dwarves didn't help matters. A part of her wondered just what they spoke to each other when they knew she couldn't hear them.
"Lady Danica," Thranduil called, waving her over with his hand then snapping at a couple of the guards. "I nearly forgot something. We found one of your belongings, and have restored it for your use,"
One of the guards came forward and dropped her spear in her hands. "I thought I had lost it," astonished, she ran her fingers along it. Sure enough, any flaws to the blade and shaft had been mended so it shined flawlessly in the light. With genuine joy and gratitude, she smiled. "Thank you, my lord,"
"It is a beautiful weapon. I could not allow it to sit and rust. A gift from Lord Elrond I presume?"
"His sons, actually. They forged it themselves," having the weapon in her possession again gave her immense relief.
"Friend of men, dwarves, and elves alike," Thranduil's words were bemused, but she could see him losing interest as more wine was passed out. It helped to break through some of the alcohol haze and bring her mind back to escaping. With the spear, she felt better about heading out to meet an orc pack, and the ring could get her by unseen, but she needed to make sure they wouldn't go looking for her and find the dwarves gone too soon. It was impossible for her to tell what time it was, so she went up to one of the elves who looked more sober than the rest.
"Do you know what time it is?"
The elf looked down at her, taking a moment to decide whether or not he was going to answer her. "It is nearly dawn," he said. "Wearing out already little bird?"
It was mockery, but she smiled nonetheless. "The fever I had still leaves me tired, but I'm well enough," they gave each other courteous bows before Danica walked away.
Nearly dawn. The dwarves could already be out. She had seen Tauriel come back from her shift and was now talking with Legolas. They were really the only two she worried about stopping her. Thranduil was drunk on wine and his own arrogance, and she was of no great importance to anyone else. Trying to stay out of Legolas and Tauriel's line of sight, she let a guard know she was going to the restroom. Though he looked curiously at the spear, he said nothing. Now her only trouble was finding her way around. She had tried to remember the way when Tauriel brought her from the cells, but looking out now, it was hopeless. Even with the ring giving her the ability to walk around without being seen, she didn't have enough time to figure her way around. Taking a deep breath, she put the ring on and said a prayer.
Thorin had done as Danica had asked and pulled his focus to the quest. No matter how much it pained him, he could see how desperate she was for him to make an alliance with the elves, and truth be told, he knew the alliance would be vital if they were to survive. The idea of giving in to the elf king made him ill. He could just see the self-satisfied smirk, and all he wanted was to wipe it from the pixie's face. Then images of Danica's corpse on Ravenhill filled his mind, and fear began to replace the bitterness. Sighing, he sat and leaned against the wall of the cell. How much easier his life would have been if he had never met her. And how dull.
Voices briefly distracted him as they echoed softly through the cavern. Once he recognized them, he shook his head. The female captain had talked with Kili every night since they'd arrived. His first instinct had been irritation toward his youngest nephew. Leave it to Kili to use his charm on an elf, and one of their captors no less. Tonight, however, he found envy creeping in. Only a moment or two he'd had with Danica, and these two would speak all night. As the two exchanged stories, he let their voices buzz incoherently in his ears. Instead, he thought of various escape plans, mixed in with memories of Danica singing. At some point, the she-elf left, probably to join whatever feast was going on above.
"I'll wager the sun is on the rise," Bofur said loudly. "Must be nearly dawn,"
"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori's small voice was nearly drowned in the large space, but every dwarf felt the hopelessness as if they'd spoken the words themselves.
"Not stuck in here, you're not," a grinning Bilbo appeared on the other side of the door. When the others began cheering, he hissed at them, "Quiet! There are guards nearby!"
He unlocked Thorin's cell first, then moved on to the others. Once they were all free, Bilbo directed them down the stairs. Thorin looked around, but there was no sign of Danica. As Bilbo walked past, Thorin grabbed his shirt.
"Where is she?"
The hobbit looked around anxiously before answering. "I met with her earlier. She must have been too closely watched to meet us here. We have a plan though, and she should be able to join us before we reach the mountain,"
Thorin gave him a dubious look, remaining silent.
"Please, we don't have much time. She wanted us to move on, even if she couldn't,"
Knowing he was right, Thorin nodded and released his grip, following Bilbo down the stairs. With each step, he sent what hope he could to Danica.
It really was futile. Danica had been roaming the halls, trying to find a way out, and had discovered nothing helpful, not even the cellars. Feeling dizzy from wearing the ring, she found a small alcove and took it off. She had been trying to fight the euphoric feeling that came over her while wandering around invisible. It left her head spinning, and she worried about holding on to the cursed thing for too much longer. After a couple of breaths to steady herself, she chanced a look around the wall to see if anyone was coming.
"Lost your way?"
Gasping, she turned to see both Legolas and Tauriel looking at her with identical, critical gazes. "How did you-"
"You may have found some way to vanish from sight, but I'm afraid that made your footsteps careless," Legolas said, not without amusement.
Damn. "I can explain,"
"Whatever it is, it has something to do with the dwarves, doesn't it?" Tauriel asked.
"Partially. Really, it has to do with everyone, even you," she was running out of time, and after the alcohol and ring mix, her thoughts weren't exactly logical. At that moment, the best idea she could come up with was to be completely honest.
"What are you and the dwarves planning?" Legolas asked, eyes narrowed.
"I think you already know, but that's not the point,"
"Are they escaping now? Is that-"
"Please, please just listen to me," the desperation in her tone had both of them stopping and really looking at her. "There is something so much bigger than their escape, or even what you know of their quest. A battle is coming. One that could decide the fate of the north, and possibly the world. If you do not work with them, and they fail, everyone will fail. Darkness will take over every part of the world, leaving no person, no kingdom safe,"
Both elves spent a moment looking at her like she was crazy. It was Tauriel who softened first.
"King Thranduil spoke about your foreknowledge," she said, at which point Legolas, too, broke the skeptical gaze.
"He did, but even he seemed to doubt some of your…reliability,"
Danica opened her mouth, a snarky remark prepped and ready on her tongue, but swallowed it. "Will you really keep me here by force?"
"You are our guest," Legolas said, but they all knew that wouldn't stop Thranduil from keeping her there if he wished it.
"I am not going to get the dwarves out of their cells," Danica chose her words carefully, "but I do need to get out of here without being caught. Please trust me when I say that it's important," she looked them both in the eye, conveying as much of her sincerity as she possibly could. It was all she could do, knowing they could stop her even if she put the ring on. She took a moment to curse her loud, human footsteps.
The two elves glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing just between their eyes. As Legolas sighed, Tauriel turned back to Danica.
"I can lead you, but we must hurry,"
"I will cover for you with my father," his tone was one of someone who was getting roped into what he knew would be immense amounts of trouble and inconvenience.
Danica beamed at both of them, nearly hugging them before realizing how awkward that would be. "I can't thank you enough,"
"Just don't let this become a wild goose chase," Legolas said, but smiled nonetheless.
"Come, we need to get you out of sight,"
After one final thank you, Danica followed Tauriel toward what she hoped would be a good enough escape to intercept the dwarves.
P.S. Another chapter edited late into the night, so please forgive any typos. Hopefully I will find them and get them fixed. ^_^ Thank you and please review!