I forgot to say, the song in the last chapter is Golden Eyes, by Mercedes Lackey. Happy Holidays to all!
Bilbo kicked the wall beside him in sheer frustration then hissed in pain. Two weeks. They had been here for two weeks and he was still no closer to finding a way out.
He knew where everyone in the Company was though, and made a point of trying to see everyone everyday. Usually he managed it, though there were days he spent just seeking an escape, and had told them not to worry unless he went two days without checking on them.
He took messages between brothers and mates to. Weres were tactile creatures and very family oriented, the separation was hurting the company much more then they would ever let Thranduil know. Bilbo playing messenger helped them, and was most of the reason he hung around the dungeons.
He walked quietly down the stairs, arriving in front of Umbra's cell. His sister was sitting in the corner, head in her arms and hands clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white. A dinner tray sat in front of her, untouched.
"Umbra!" He hissed.
Her head jerked up, nostrils flaring, scenting him on the air. Bilbo took off his ring swiftly.
"Brother." She growled softly. She trembled, and buried her head again. Only his were-hearing caught her next word. "Scared."
"I know." he whispered. They could not allow the elves to discover that they where weres, not when it was one of the best kept secrets of the line of Durin, not when Mirkwood elves where notoriously hostile to weres. But separated from their family and caged, they were all feeling the strain and since Umbra lacked full control, there was the worry that she would shift. "Eat something, it will help."
Umbra sighed, pulling herself up and nibbled at the roll. "At least they're feeding us." She murmured. "Have you found anything?"
"No." Bilbo replied. His heart ached every time he saw the bleak despair in one of the company's eyes. "But I will soon, I promise. And I'll sneak everyone some little cakes, I think I can manage it and the sweet will do you lot good." She smiled faintly. Searching his mind desperately for something to cheer her up he said "Do you think you know any tavern songs someone hasn't come up with yet?"
A gleam shone in her blue eyes. "Now that you mention it Bilbo, I think I do, a particularly dirty one in fact." She took a sip of her water. "Would you ask Ori to burp loudly each time the elves are close for a bit? They seem to find that rather annoying, and Ori can burp the longest." The pack had taken a great amount of pleasure in making things uncomfortable to their captors, Fili and Kili in particular delighted in flirting sweetly enough that all who heard them wanted to gag.
"I will. And Nori sends his love." The siblings shared a warm smile before Bilbo left.
He passed along Umbra's message to Ori, who grinned wickedly, then continued on his rounds. Umbra started singing and he heard Nori join in as he was reassuring Oin that Dwalin's arm had indeed fully healed. The old healer had an excellent memory for injuries it seemed and had been keeping track of everyone's health through Bilbo. At least the elves tended to their prisoners' injuries. Kili gave him the orange from his dinner; the young dwarf hated oranges, then went into great detail explaining the prank he wanted Bilbo to pull on the elven king. Bilbo had been contributing to the elves' discomfort as well, and he saw no reason not to die the king's shampoo pink.
Leaving the kitchens with a loaf of bread, some dried meat, cheese, and an apple, Bilbo crept to the wine cellars to eat. He heard the elves talking as he did and soon found himself incredibly thankful that he still spoke Sindarin.
So the empty barrels go to Lake Town. He thought, a plan coming together in his mind. There's a festival tomorrow-the pack's going to hate me for this but at least they'll be out. He curled up behind a barrel to sleep, his mind full with ideas on how to sneak cakes from the kitchens and dwarves from their cells.
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