Chapter 6:12, 20, 17.

I closed my eyes as Thranduil closed his hand around my arm, pulling me away from the now enraged Dwarves, I kept my eyes closed the entire way up to the Throne room, where I was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"I had expected you to be in league with those filthy Dwarves so I'll offer you the same deal I offered Thorin Oakenshield." He said calmly, crossing the room to his throne as I wiped my nose and looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"And what deal was that?" I questioned, he laughed once and it left him with a cruel sort of smile.

"There are gems in that Mountain I too desire." He said, as if it were obvious what he wanted.

"The white gems of Lasgalen?" I guessed, much to his expectations. "I'm also guessing that Thorin already said bitch no way?"

"He did, but I'm hoping that you will have more sense than he did and not deny me my right."

"Then I think you're asking the wrong person. I haven't the first idea what these gems look like and I wouldn't have any way of sneaking them out of the Mountain under the noses of thirteen Dwarves who covet gold and gems like they would their own children." I replied quickly, taking a deep breath at the end of my proclamation.

"If you cannot get me my gems then I suppose I can think of another option for our bargain... I will let the Dwarves go, you with them, if you marry me." The Elf bowed his head, I felt inclined to pat it, but restrained myself.

"Marry you into letting the Dwarves go? When have Wood Elves been known to just let go of their prisoners?" I asked, he looked like he wanted to cry at the answered request.

"Because it is what you would command of me once we were married." He said, like it were clear to me.

"It would be, yes. If I accept, you'll let the Dwarves and I go?" He nodded, I chewed my lip and thought hard. I smiled at the ground, looking up at the waiting King before giving my answer. "In that case, I accept."

I waited to tell the Dwarves of what I'd done, they were suspicious enough of the Elves letting us go without warning or explanation. Thorin was especially narrow eyed and glaring.

"What did you say to that Pointy eared pretender to make him release us?" He demanded, I shuffled my feet before avoiding the question, helping Gloin and Balin to load the boat we'd been gifted.

"Answer him." Dwalin snarled, I sighed and faced them with my arms crossed and a frown on my face.

"I did what I had to to get us out of there, is that not enough?" They both shook their heads. "Oh, I love this thank you I'm getting. If I had done nothing, we'd have been waiting for Bilbo to steal the keys, then we'd been floating down a river in apple barrels, we'd be attacked by Orcs with us being weaponless and then Kili would've been shot in the thigh by a Morgul shaft and he could've died, all because Thorin refused a deal with Thranduil and would've had me do the same." I said irritably, turning to drop a basket of rope into the boat.

"So you admit to making a deal." Thorin snapped.

"Out of everything I just said that's all you picked up!?" I shouted, disturbing the others and causing them all to turn around and watch the ensuing argument as it unfolded. "Yes I made a sacrifice for this quest, yes I agreed to marry an Elf so that we could get out of there it do you even care about why? I did it because I know how to get out of it, because I'm very good at loophole finding."

"So where's the loophole in a marriage Clary?" Fili asked angrily, I rolled my eyes and looked at him with burning passion evident in my eyes, so much so that he blushed and looked away.

"I tell him I'm already married."

"How does that work?" Kili asked, frowning at the suggestion.

"If we tell the Elf it's a courtship it can be broken off, if we tell him it's marriage then there's nothing to be done about it." Balin answered, a wide smile on his face, realisation dawning on the company. "The Lass just swindled a King into letting us go with no intentions of upholding the deal."

"In that case, well done Miss Reynolds." Gloin and Dori agreed, I smiled and then looked at Fili again, a slight frown on my face.

"This only works if I have your consent Fili... I don't want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable." I said softly, he nodded and took a deep breath before looking at the clouds. "Are you okay?"

"You're not marrying Thranduil?" I shook my head. "And you know what you're doing?" I nodded. "But you didn't seek my approval before agreeing." Head shake.

"I know I should've but there really wasn't much time." I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck as we waited in uncomfortable silence. Finally we were given a defeated sigh and a nod from the Golden Prince.

"It would seem I love a loose canon." He said I froze.

"That's the first time you've said you love me." I pointed out, he smiled and nodded

"It is." He acknowledged, bobbing his head and throwing his Uncle a nervous look, playing with the beads on his moustache distractedly. I noticed he did this a lot when put on the spot or questioned about anything like this.

"I love you too." I replied, freezing both of us as Kili and Bofur made vomitting noises, loudly.

"Oh stop it, you're giving me a toothache with all this soppiness."