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Chapter 26
After stopping by the rooms for something, Eruanna immediately made her way to the throne room, knowing that Legolas would take the dwarves there first. She sent a quiet plea up to the Valar.
Thranduil looked mildly surprised to see Eruanna crawl into his lap and began to play with her small wooden toy of herself. Glorfindel and the twins stood nearby, blinking in surprise.
Then with a shrug, they stood by the side and began to talk as Thranduil lazily stroked Eruanna's hair. His legs were crossed as he sat on his throne, one arm on the armrests of the wooden chair.
In a few minutes, however, the mild peace was interrupted as the main door opened and a group came in. Legolas led them, face unreadable as he bowed before the throne and stepped back with Elladan, Elrohir, and Glorfindel.
Thorin's face as he saw Eruanna was unreadable. An expression of worry came over Eruanna's face. He looked so ragged and worn. He had obviously been through much.
Thranduil stood, placing Eruanna on his chair and walking behind the dwarf, surveying him neutrally. Eruanna scrambled from her chair and smiled brightly, tottering to Thorin and smiling up at him. He stared down at her in reply.
"Some would believe that a great quest is at hand. One to reclaim a kingdom, and slay a dragon." Thranduil paused and turned.
"I myself suspected a more prosaic motive. Attempted burglary, or something of that ilk." He continued. Thorin stared down at Eruanna who scowled at the Elvenking. Thranduil turned again and looked into Thorin's face.
"You have found a way in. You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule." Thranduil backed away, Thorin's face following after. "The kings jewel. The Arkenstone."
Thorin looked back down at Eruanna. "It is precious to you beyond measure." Thranduil smirked. "I understand that." He continued in mock-sympathy. "There are gems, too, in the mountain, that I desire. White gems, of pure starlight." He inclined his head. "I offer you my help."
Thorin smiled slightly. "I am listening." He said affably. Eruanna gave him a suspicious look. His eyes darkened.
"I will let you go- if you but return what is mine." Thranduil offered.
Thorin suddenly smiled down at Eruanna, but she did not like the smile. "A favor for a favor." He turned away and paced, as though in thought.
"You have my word. From one King to another." Thranduil added. Eruanna flinched. This was not going well as she had hoped. But then, it was always a fool's hope.
I would not trust Thranduil-" the name was spat- "the great King, to honor his word, should the end of all days be upon us! You-" he turned and pointed. "Lack all honor!"
"I have seen how you treat your friends. We came to you once, starving, homeless-" Thranduil suddenly looked stricken as Eruanna flinched and paled visibly. "Seeking your help. But you turned your back. You, turned away from the suffering of my people. The inferno that destroyed us!" He roared. Thranduil suddenly leaned forwards.
"Do not talk to me of dragon fire." He hissed. "I know its wrath, and ruin." He snarled. His face suddenly began to melt away, the elven magic covering old scars disappearing. Eruanna was not so surprised, having sensed the wounds through his feä.
"I have faced the great serpents of the north." He stood and backed away, face returning to normal. "I warned your grandfather, of what his greed would summon. But he would not listen." He walked back up the stairs to his throne. "You are just like him." He lifted a hand and Thorin was grabbed by two guards.
"Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I am patient. I can wait." He sat down again as Thorin was dragged away. But he did not leave empty handed. In his pocket was a wooden toy of a familiar little elfling.
Eruanna stared after him from her seat on the floor of the dais, thumb stuck in her mouth and eyes contemplative. She blinked and thought. "Come, princess." Thranduil said absently. She crawled up the stairs and was picked up by the King and set in his lap. His lip curled.
"Hmm. Just like a dwarf, to deny help." He scoffed to the elfling, who listened, eyes wide. She tilted her head.
'What if I asked?' She asked coyly, giving him a look. He raised an eyebrow.
"And what would that do?" He asked dryly. Eruanna smiled in reply, eyes glittering.
'I get something I want in exchange for his debt. He gets help he needs whenever he asks for it.' She answered smartly. His eyebrows nearly went past his hairline.
"Thorin will not accept, tithen pen. He will know that you have my authority." Thranduil brushed it off. Eruanna rolled her eyes.
'Or damage your pride?' She asked shrewdly. 'For the sake of that, say I am your princess. I have my own authority.' She said with an exasperatedly amused smile. He rubbed his temple.
"And what would they do? Go marching out?" He asked scathingly.
'I'll help them escape. Frame myself.' She answered with a sigh. 'I don't care about my own reputation. Scold me.' She offered. She gave him a sharp look. 'And even if you say no I will do it nonetheless. I have not suffered torture for their sakes only to have them captured by the very elves who healed me.' She informed him bitingly.
He stared at her with a blank look for a good full minute. Glorfindel was watching, hearing the conversation through his bond with Eruanna. Eruanna stared back unflinchingly at the Elvenking, face also blank, blue fire burning in the depths of her eyes. He broke the contact and sighed.
"As you wish. Do not tell me what you are going to do." He grudgingly conceded defeat. She smiled and hugged his waist tightly.
'Hannon lle Ada!' And with a squeal, she leaped off of his lap and ran for the entrance. Thranduil was left stunned for the first in a long time, staring after the elfling with a funny look on his face.
"Ada? Where did Eruanna go?" Legolas broke in, confused.
"I don't know." He replied dazedly, still staring in the direction he had gone.
"Did I miss something?" Legolas asked dryly, looking to his father.
"She called me- where in Arda did she come up with that?" Thranduil muttered.
Glorfindel chuckled, sweeping off. "That's how she thinks of you, Mellon nîn. I suggest you get used to it. I know where she went." He added to Legolas.
"She came up with what?" Legolas asked Glorfindel confusedly, following after him.
"Ada." He answered, relishing the look on Legolas' face.
"Well, I could get used to that." Legolas finally chuckled.
Glorfindel smirked. "Don't get too used to it." He ribbed teasingly. "I'm her one and only Muindor." He grinned. Legolas rolled his eyes.
"No fear, Lord Glorfindel. She won't let me forget it, you know." He answered dryly. The twins had gone down already to the wine cellars, by orders from their cousin.
Eruanna, in the meantime, had asked a favor from Elladan and Elrohir, and was moving through the halls quietly, ring on her hand. Suddenly, she crashed into something, or someone, rather, and went sprawling on the floor. She looked up to see Bilbo in front of her.
"Oh, Eruanna! Are you okay?" Bilbo asked, fussing over her quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you!" He whispered. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Eruanna clapped a hand over his mouth. Then she raised an eyebrow at him. He shuffled uncomfortably at the silent question. "I escaped and I'm trying to get them out." He admitted honestly. Eruanna smiled at him and nodded, pointing to herself.
"You too?" He asked. She nodded and pointed to a hallway, motioning for him to follow. Grabbing his hand, she boldly led him through the halls. No one paid them any attention.
They made it down to the dungeon levels and Eruanna peered around the corner stealthily. Then she whipped back as Elladan and Elrohir came around the same corner down to the dungeons. She placed a finger to her lips to Bilbo, motioning to her head.
"You have a plan?" He mouthed. She nodded and pointed to him. He shrugged. "I was planning on the wine cellars. Barrels." He mouthed in reply. She nodded, just as the guards and Elladan and Elrohir walked past.
"Are you sure that it is acceptable to take a break, my lords?" One of the guards was asking.
"Of course! Now come, the wine cellars have a new shipment of Dorwinian!" Elrohir said cheerfully. Eruanna winked at an impressed Bilbo, then dragged him off down to the lower levels. The dwarves were rather quiet, and she motioned for him to hide. He obliged, and she appeared in front of Thorin's cell.
"Look, if it isn't the lass!" Bofur suddenly called out from across the hall. Eruanna whirled around and placed a finger to her lips, hissing as all the rest of the dwarves looked out. She scrabbled in her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and wax.
Thorin pulled out the toy to her expectant look, and she smiled and took it gratefully. "What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Rivendell." He said gruffly. She handed him the paper and he read aloud for the sake of the others.
"Yes, but I also have a home here. I'm going to get you out." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"How? And why?" He asked. She took the paper and scribbled again, handing it to him when she was done.
"For seven thousand years I was homeless too. My home is destroyed. You still have a home, and I want to see you reclaim it. I hate orcs too, for what they did to me and my family. Besides, a favor for a favor." He looked back up at her.
"We owe you already." He admitted. "What would you ask of me?" He asked grudgingly. Her eyes glittered as she wrote again.
"Give me the starlight gems that Thranduil asked for. I want them. I get you out of here and give you a token. If you ever need help, send the token here with a letter asking for whatever you need, and it will be given. Once I get the gems, I consider all debts rendered and paid." Thorin's lip curled.
"So you have Thranduil's authority." He snarled. She banged her head against the grate and shook her head, taking a moment to write and again slipping the paper through the bars. He took it.
"No! It's my own authority. I am a princess of this realm. I can order my own army without his consent." He read. Eruanna still had Legolas' coronet on her head, and just then it slipped over her eyes, to the amusement of the dwarves. She shoved it up again with a huff.
Thorin studied her with a hooded look, and Balin leaned forwards. "We need all the help we can get." The elderly dwarf advised.
Thorin finally answered. "As you wish." He agreed. She nodded, pleased, and wrote one last note.
"Expect to see a familiar face in an hour, and be prepared to follow. Here is the token. Do not loose it." She slipped him something through the bars and then disappeared as he looked up again. He looked down and opened his palm. In it was a wooden block, carved in the figure of an elfling with a bow and quiver on her back.
"Do we trust her?" Dwalin asked roughly.
"We have no other choice. We already owe her." Thorin retorted sourly.
"She will not go back on her words, of that I am sure. The gems are a small price to pay, if you think about it." Balin said quietly. They were effectually silenced at that.
"What token did she give you?" Kili asked.
For the first time, Thorin smiled, a genuine smile, as he held it up for all to see. Bofur grinned.
"Well Ori, when you write about this escapade, you can mention that it was a toy that saved you." He chuckled. So the dwarves' hearts were lightened a little.
LOTRLOTRLOTR
Bilbo was filled in and ready a few minutes later, Eruanna was waiting and preparing things properly, Elladan and Elrohir were successfully getting the guards inebriated, Thranduil was brooding on his throne, and Glorfindel and Legolas were left in the dark concerning where in Arda Eruanna had gotten to.
An hour passed and Eruanna just barely managed to get things in place as Bilbo started down to the dungeons, the keys clutched firmly in his hands. Eruanna was waiting in the wine cellar, safely hidden away where no one would see her, not even the twins.
Soon enough, there was the sound of snoring from the guards, and the sound of tromping feet from the dwarves. The twins were fast asleep as well, not being used to the Dorwinian wine.
"Shhh!" Bilbo hissed to the dwarves, who quieted as much as possible. They tiptoed past the snoring elves and into the area where the barrels that transported the wine were stored. Eruanna had removed all of the lids and left them all open to the air.
"Where are you leading us? We're supposed to be going out, not heading farther in!" Bofur whispered loudly.
"I know what I'm doing." Bilbo retorted heatedly.
"Shhh!" Bofur hissed.
"Everyone, into the barrels, quickly." Bilbo whispered.
"Are you mad? They'll find us." Dwalin snarled.
"No no, they won't, I promise you, please, please, you must trust me and Eruanna!" Bilbo begged. The dwarves shifted at the mention of the elfling's name.
"Do as he says." Thorin answered the pleading look Bilbo gave him. Just then, Eruanna poked her head out of a random barrel and motioned wildly, ducking back in. The dwarves began to hurriedly head towards the barrels, finding another surprise: each of the barrels held the weapons of a dwarf. They found their respective weapons and stuffed themselves into the barrels. Eruanna grabbed Fili and he got in with her, so that there was one empty barrel left.
"What do we do now?" Bofur asked, making them all pop their heads out.
"Hold your breath." Bilbo retorted, climbing into his own barrel.
"Hold our breath?" But it was too late. A light blue glow surrounded a handle next to the barrels and pulled it down. With muffled cries of shock, the dwarves, a hobbit, and an elfling crashed into the waters below. The elves stirred, but the only noise was a creak of wood that fell silent.
Eruanna motioned wildly and gripped the edge of the barrel. Fili yelled, "rapids!" And followed her example. Everyone let out shouts as they tumbled over the small falls and resurfaced gasping. Fili grasped Eruanna tightly with one arm, but she pried him off and forced him to grip the barrel. He gave her a worried look which she shook her head to.
Meanwhile, the twins had been shaken awake by a frantic Legolas. "You let them escape!" He hissed in faked anger, as was part of the plan. They all ran for the gates.
"Sound the alarm!" Glorfindel shouted, praying inwardly that his little sister was alright.
Eruanna and the others heard the sound of the elf horn and whipped their heads to the front of them, seeing the sluice gates slam shut as the elves guarding them pulled the lever and blocked their escape. Thorin looked to Eruanna angrily, but she held up a finger, wide-eyed.
Then she leaped out of the barrel and swam to the bridge, scrambling up with water-logged clothes. She threw herself at one of the elves, knocking him down just as an arrow whizzed past the now-empty spot and an orc appearing with a roar. The elves snapped to the new threat, attention diverted from the dwarves, and began to fire upon the waves of orcs that were pouring over the walls.
Eruanna opened her mouth in a shriek and reached up a hand. A tree branch suddenly lowered and grasped the elfling, swinging her up into the safety of its lofty branches. She pointed at the orcs, and the tree began its work, branches a whirl.
The dwarves shouted in shock as the orcs landed all around them in the water, tossed by the tree. An orc on the hillside next to the bridge shouted in black speech, making Eruanna cringe. She grabbed the branch she was sitting in, just as the other trees all around began their own work, receiving the message from the tree she was perched in.
All of the dwarves were still in their own barrels and fighting off the orcs that charged them as Eruanna hastily communicated with the trees. The branch she was in lowered her to the ground as she scrambled over to the lever. She hadn't anticipated the orcs, and she was now forced to deviate from her original plan.
Her ring did its magic once more and she took a flying leap into the barrel next to Kili. A new, green fletched arrow smashed into the orc trying to kill the elfling just as the gates opened. Four other elves leaped out of the bushes and began to wreak havoc- two dark haired elves, one blonde, and one golden haired elf.
The dwarves went tumbling over the new cliff and the orc leader shouted. Orcs littered the steep shorelines. The dwarves hefted their weapons. Arrows thunked into the sides of their barrels, and Eruanna pulled the ones on hers out. Her ring sent the arrows into the quivers of the elves following them and destroying the orcs as they went.
She gasped as they resurfaced and looked up at the trees, who waved their branches and grabbed the elves that ran, lifting them into their branches and stretching across the river. The elves, after getting over their shock, quickly used the vantage points to the utmost.
A tree branch in front of Throin suddenly shifted, sending the orc running across it sailing into the river and sucked into the water currents below. A crude scimitar was thrown out of its hand and Thorin snatched it out of the air, tossing it behind him to the others.
It went down the line until Fili grabbed it and hewed the legs from underneath yet another orc. They each raised their weapons and hacked at the dead log lying over their heads as they passed, sending the orcs squealing into the turbulent waters.
Eruanna suddenly let out a silent cry and threw out her ringed hand towards Bombur, who just then sailed through the air. Straining, she managed to call the blue glow around the barrel as it tumbled down the shoreline and crushed the orcs who were unlucky enough to get in its way, protecting Bombur inside and righting the barrel to its side whenever it threatened to smash the dwarf's head.
It finally rolled to a stop and she slumped, gasping for breath from the strain. Bombur kicked the bottom out, and leaping up, began to wheel about crazily, axes held in his hands and slicing all the orcs around him to ribbons. The portly dwarf managed to extricate himself and leaped into another empty barrel floating by.
One more fall, and Legolas and Glorfindel caught up with them, being the faster runners. Legolas threw himself gracefully off of the shoreline and landed on two of the dwarf's heads, spinning himself around and shooting the persuing orcs. Glorfindel used two planks from the smashed barrel and surfed across the waters, sword a blur and leaping onto extended tree branches that tossed him from one shore to the other.
Leaping from one head to another, Legolas continued to shoot the orcs. Eruanna, pitying the dwarves and regaining her strength, reached out again and began to manipulate the air and stones. Legolas found himself leaping onto the floating stones in front of him and stepping stones to the other shore.
The stones launched themselves into several orc skulls before Legolas grabbed one and leaped onto it, ferrying himself across the river again. Eruanna, nearly spent with effort, let the stone drop as Legolas slid with it down the grasses neatly onto the next orcs.
Glorfindel swung himself onto a branch that heaved, allowing him to flip and land on the edges of Balin's barrel. Thorin threw an orcish ax in his hand at the orc preparing to kill Legolas from behind just as Glorfindel leaped back onto the shoreline, sprinting forwards. The twins were successfully picking off the orcs trailing in the back, being passed from tree to tree.
Eruanna lost sight of Legolas and instead looked around wildly, tugging on Fili's sleeve. He whirled to her, and she pointed to the shore. He paddled as close as he could and the elfling reached out a hand, promptly being pulled into a tree. Trees all around finished the job, and Eruanna waved weakly to the dwarves, who looked back as Thorin held up his sword in salute as the river carried them off.
Eruanna could feel herself slipping. She had taxed her feä too much, and she scolded herself even as the whole world began to spin and turn black.
LOTRLOTRLOTR
Glorfindel leaped forwards with a cry and managed to catch his sister as she toppled off of the tree branch, falling to his knees to cushion the jolt. Legolas came up next to him, as did the twins.
"Is she alright?" Legolas asked tersely, reaching out for the unconscious child. Glorfindel handed her reluctantly to the prince and nodded.
"Just unconscious. She overtaxed herself to help us." He replied curtly, standing up and unsheathing his sword once more.
"Did you keep one for questioning?" He asked. The twins nodded their heads to the elf on the other shoreline holding a squirming orc under knifepoint. He nodded. "Good. Let's get back. The dwarves are beyond our reach." He said.
Legolas held Eruanna in his arms as they headed back swiftly, gently cradling her to himself. Glorfindel did not miss it, and neither did the twins. It seemed as though the bond between the elven Prince and the little elleth was getting stronger, and Glorfindel couldn't help but worry about it.