20.

The sight that greeted the four riders as they hurried past the bend in the river had them bringing their mounts to a halt. Several barrels were scattered on the eastern bank - either with their lids off or completely smashed to pieces - and wet straw dotted the muddy shore. Beyond the swaying reeds, they could hear familiar voices and Celegorm spurred his horse into a run in that direction.

With him rode his brothers and Legolas of Mirkwood, on four of the few horses that Thranduil kept in his stables. The forest was no place for horses and the Woodland Elves had little need for them, save when urgent errands pressed them to travel swifter than their own legs could carry them. Legolas had commandeered four of the grey steeds without a word of explanation to their keepers and rode off with his father's prisoners before the first light of day shone on their escape.

Celegorm thought back on that and smiled to himself, wondering how surprised the whole drunk court would be by the time they woke from their stupor and noticed that their prisoners had given them the slip. No doubt, Thranduil would be livid and just picturing his face made Celegorm grin in satisfaction. But his amusement faded quickly when his horse brought him upon Thorin Oakenshield and his extremely miserable company.

The poor Dwarves were lying on the grass, some groaning and emptying their stomachs, some passed out with limbs askew. They were all wet and limp and pale as sheets where their faces could be made out under matted beards and hair. All in all, they made for a very pitiful sight and it was not hard for Celegorm to imagine the terrible time they had spent inside the barrels, tossed about by the strong current and suffocated inside their wooden prisons.

Dwalin staggered as he tried to pull Thorin to his feet and the proud Dwarf king groaned, pushing back the mop of dark hair from his face with a shaking hand. They both started badly when Celegorm's horse neighed, beating the ground with its hooves in fright, until the rider calmed it.

Arguably the liveliest of the group, Bilbo sprang from Bofur's side and turned to the Elf with a stunned look on his face. Behind Celegorm, his brothers and Legolas urged their horses to stop and Celegorm heard one of the twins wincing in sympathy. They had expected to find the Dwarves in poor state and they had not been wrong to worry.

"Oh, it's you…" Thorin sagged in relief and tottered precariously on very unsteady feet. Dwalin straightened him, although he was hardly better off himself.

"It only us, but… are you all alive?" Celegorm cast the unmoving Dwarves a worried look.

"I think so," Thorin nodded.

"Thank Eru!"

"We're just… very sick!" Thorin winced and struggled with his weakness, trying to steady his rolling stomach.

Celegorm dismounted and smiled broadly when his eyes fell on the stupefied Hobbit.

"Bilbo Baggins! You fine burglar, you've done it! But why are you so surprised? I said we would see each other very soon, did I not? Tell me, have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" Celegorm bared his teeth in the creepiest grin he could muster, hiding his immense amusement behind it.

Bilbo shrank in terror before him and instinctively clutched Dwalin's arm, making the warrior grunt in surprise. Not a sound made it past the brave Hobbit's lips and it seemed that his courage had finally taken a nosedive. That was well, as Celegorm felt his patience with the meddlesome little creature wearing extremely thin.

"Aye, Bilbo has freed us," Thorin groaned. "But I wish he'd found a less horrible way to do so. I never want to see a barrel again in my life."

"I am sorry," Celegorm turned toward the Dwarf and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"What about you? Bilbo did say that you had your own plans of escape and that is why you did not come down the river with us. But how did you secure horses and weapons and came after us so fast?" Thorin asked Celegorm, but he was looking at the silent Mirkwood prince and surely he guessed what his contribution had been.

"What about him?" Dwalin growled, giving Legolas a dark look and preparing to take him down with his bare hands if the Woodland Elf so much as blinked at them the wrong way.

"Don't worry, he's with us," Amrod said. "I mean… he is the one who helped us escape."

"But why is he here?!" Dwalin growled even louder, entirely unconvinced.

"Legolas is on our side," Celegorm walked to the prince and touched his shoulder, nodding and smiling gently.

Legolas untied a long scabbard from his side and stepped toward Thorin. Ignoring Dwalin's aggressive stance and how the Dwarf would rip him to shreds given half a chance, Legolas dropped to one knee, offering Thorin back his sword.

Thorin's eyes widened when he recognized the hilt and scabbard of Orcrist. His hand still shook slightly as he picked up the sword, even more amazed by what the Elf before him was saying.

"You have my apologies for the way my people have treated you, Thorin Oakenshield. I may not speak for my father, but I do so for myself when I say that I regret the harm we have done you and sincerely wish that things had unfolded otherwise. I am not here as your enemy, nor do I mean to recapture you. I have gone against my father's will in this matter, but I could no longer tolerate the injustice done to you and your company. Allow me to return to you your legendary sword along with my word that I will do everything I can to redress my father's mistakes."

"He's lying, Thorin!" Dwalin hissed, casting Legolas the same look he would have bestowed upon a pit full of vipers. "This is a trap!"

"It is not. Legolas speaks the truth. I vouch for him," Celegorm said.

"Really? Should that simply persuade us?" Dwalin insisted. "Isn't it convenient that on the night we escape, you hop on horseback and chase after us all fine and dandy? You're all in league, I know it!"

"Well, we are in league," Celegorm smiled thinly. "And the escape was coordinated, which is why we are all here now."

"Alright," Thorin replied as he strapped Orcrist back at his side. "But how did you escape exactly?"

"Legolas set us free, as you can see. But before that, while Bilbo was unlocking all of you, I demanded to be taken before Thranduil and would not stop shouting until the guards called Legolas to quiet me. I was escorted to the king and found him fairly deep into his cups, but he deigned to hear me out and I gave him some of the information he sought to extract from us. I told him about the Necromancer and how the wizards purposed to rout him out with the help of my kinsmen. I presume they were successful and that would explain why the whole of Mirkwood is in such an upheaval. It explains why all the foul beasts have retreated north and are troubling your borders, Legolas. But don't glare so sharply, Thorin, I said nothing else and would not even mention your name even if they tried to pry it out of me forcefully."

Thorin said nothing, but his frown indicated that something still did not sit right with him. At that, Celegorm felt the all too familiar surge of impatience driving him to do something stupid and he forced himself to remain calm.

"I have to say, I made quite a spectacle of myself before the whole court and enraged Thranduil quite a bit. He ordered me back into the dungeon and put in shackles no less," Celegorm smiled ruefully and rubbed his wrists. "I suppose he wanted a bit of after-party fun at my expense, but he didn't get around to it. Legolas set me free and my brothers as well. Before that, he had ordered drinks for all the guards on duty and I am sorry to say this, my friend," Celegorm, patted the prince's shoulder. "But for a haughty king like your father to have such poor guards is unacceptable. Drunk though they were, we didn't run past more than a dozen of them and they didn't even notice that we weren't Woodland Elves merely dressed in their garb. So, it was fairly easy to make it to the stables, take the horses, pick up some weapons and here we are," Celegorm shrugged one shoulder.

"Very convenient for you, while we almost drowned in those blasted barrels!" Dwalin thundered.

"Convenient?!" Celegorm hissed, anger washing over him before he could control it. "You cannot possibly imagine the price I have had to pay for my freedom!" he loomed over the warrior. With the corner of his eye, Celegorm saw Legolas lowering his head in shame, still kneeling before a frowning Thorin Oakenshield.

"Peace, Tyelkormo," Thorin touched his arm gently and Celegorm barely avoided snapping that hand clean off. "I see the fading bruises on your face now and I believe you. Calm yourself. And you, Dwalin, stand down," the Dwarf said, his voice gruff as he eyed Dwalin pointedly.

"He… uh… he speaks the truth," Bilbo said hesitantly. "I saw it myself. They beat him up and he was wounded quite badly a few days ago," the Hobbit added, to Celegorm's surprise.

"It does not matter now. The less we dwell on that, the better. We are free thanks to Bilbo's cleverness and the length Legolas has gone to for our sake. But shouldn't we see to the others and try to revive them a little? The faster we do that, the sooner we can put more distance between us and Thranduil. Once he sobers up, I doubt he'll just sit and do nothing. We will be pursued, if we are not already."

Thankfully, none of the infuriating Dwarves had anything to say against that and Celegorm stepped aside, picking Legolas up as he went. The four of them had brought some flasks of water and wine with them, guessing that they would be sorely needed. Gently trying to rouse the Dwarves, they passed the flasks around and even though Gloin gagged at the smell of wine and Bifur pushed the drink away with a cross-eyed look of disgust, they were all warmed up before long and their stomachs began to settle.

Celegorm found his own stomach churning with fresh worry when he tried to help Fili sit up and the young Dwarf shrank from him, muttering a dismissive 'I'm fine, I'm fine!' But he was not fine and the pasty look of his skin said as much. Worse than that, Fili would not even look Celegorm in the eye and busied himself with his brother almost immediately, making the Elf wonder what he had done to upset his friend. If he had more time to look into it, Celegorm would have insisted, but getting away from there as soon as the Dwarves could walk was far more important than some mysterious wrong he might or might not have committed to make Fili angry with him.

And then, of course, there was Legolas. The prince had done exactly what Celegorm had wanted him to, but it was foolishly optimistic for Celegorm to think that he would simply go home to his father if asked to do so. Still, Celegorm believed the least he could do was suggest it and maybe a small miracle would happen.

He walked over to the prince who stood beside the horses and watched the company uneasily after his help had been thoroughly refused. But nobody yelled at him or tried to attack him, which the prince probably took as a good omen. Celegorm guided him aside and at a safe distance, where not even Amrod and Amras could pick up their conversation, although both of them cast Celegorm questioning looks.

"Legolas… listen. I think you should go back now," Celegorm said in reply to the prince's uncertain expression. "I don't mean to sound like an ungrateful bastard and I promise you I will repay all the kindness you have shown me, but you do not want your father to catch us and still find you in our company. It will only enrage him further."

"No! I cannot go back to him!" Legolas shook his head vehemently. "It's not his wrath I fear, but my own if I should face him so soon. I cannot look my father in the eye after what he has done to you. I do not want to go back," the prince whispered, eying Celegorm intently.

The Noldo did not flinch under the scrutiny but gave Legolas a warm smile and stepped closer to him.

"I understand… and I am sorry that it has come to this. It pains me to know that you are so resentful of your father on my account," Celegorm lied without blinking and clasped the shorter Elf's shoulder in what was meant to be an apologetic squeeze.

Legolas merely shook his head, indicating that it was not the first time he had disagreed with his father. Even if the father in question was a miserable bastard, Celegorm couldn't quite fathom how Legolas could betray him so brazenly. He would never think of betraying his own father, even though Celegorm would sometimes yank Fëanor's sleeve out of sheer worry for him. But go against his word…? That was inconceivable and maybe Legolas deserved a little reward for doing the inconceivable against his own father.

"Alright. Stay with us, if you will. But Legolas, you must promise me something first."

The prince nodded in agreement before he knew what Celegorm meant to ask and that struck the Noldo as extremely endearing.

"Look, no matter what the others say to you, promise me that you will not let them know the real reason why you are so angry with your father. I have said nothing to the Hobbit even if he saw us in the dungeon that night. My brothers guess nothing and I would keep it that way," Celegorm leaned closer, whispering the words in the prince's ear. "It's absolutely essential that my kinsmen learn nothing of this and especially not my father. He will be furious enough to learn that I was mistreated without knowing the true extent of it. I am not asking you for the sake of my wounded pride but because I want to prevent worse things from happening. My father will want to kill yours if he finds out and he won't be the only one. So… this whole nasty business must stay between us. You will keep the secret for me, yes?"

Legolas sighed and shifted uncertainly.

"I couldn't possibly tell anyone. Not without dying of mortification first. But that is a crime which cannot go unpunished."

Celegorm barely held back a bark of delighted laughter at that.

"Aaah, you know what? This settles my score with your father. You being here with me, I mean. I consider myself fully vindicated and would leave it at that, if you will," he drew back a fraction and offered Legolas a hopeful smile.

"I… I don't know," Legolas cleared his throat. "But I shall not speak of it again, not even to you," he promised, shifting uncomfortably and wringing his hands. Obviously, he wanted to embrace Celegorm but he was not bold enough to slip an arm around him, not with so many pairs of eyes watching them intently. He truly was endearing and might be worth having around after all, Celegorm told himself.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, my prince," he lowered his head and brushed his forehead against the younger Elf's temple in an affectionate little gesture that probably stopped Legolas' heart for a moment. He cupped the prince's warm (and quickly reddening) cheek and tilted his head as though for a kiss, but of course, Celegorm could not do that.

"We have some work ahead of us, trying to convince the others that you are good and wonderful and trustworthy," he smiled affectionately instead.

"I… uh…," Legolas fidgeted, averting his eyes. "I'll go with you to Esgaroth and order our raftsmen to return home immediately. They won't know it's not the king calling them home. But I won't go with them, I am staying with you."

"Is that wise?" Celegorm inquired sweetly.

"Perhaps not, but if you keep me at your side, it could be useful later. If father musters an army and comes after you, I can be a good bargaining tool. You could use me as a prisoner," Legolas suggested and if there was not a playful glint in his eyes then Celegorm had suddenly gone blind.

"That's… clever thinking. It'll put me further in your debt, but I think I can live with that. However, would your father not be more determined to fight us if he knows we have you?"

"I do not know. Perhaps. Perhaps not… All I am certain of at this point is that I cannot go back. I wish to stay with you and know you better. I want to meet your other kinsmen when they reach Esgaroth. I want to see your father," Legolas said with a faraway little smile.

"Oooh, I can certainly understand that. You'll love my father," Celegorm chuckled softly. "And he will have nothing but the deepest appreciation for you once you've met and he learns how much you have helped us."

"You think so?" the younger Elf whispered eagerly.

"I'm certain of it. Now come on, they are staring holes in our backs over there," Celegorm pointed toward the bedraggled Dwarves. He slung his arm over the prince's shoulders very casually and squeezed Legolas against him. Celegorm was grinning triumphantly - both inside and out - as he guided the other Elf back to the company and met his brothers' gobsmacked looks.

Sure, he had paid for the conquest with blood and the humiliation would take a while to wear off, but he had taken Thranduil's son in payment for his father's sins. At the end of the day, Turkafinwë Fëanorion had come out the victor and he meant to enjoy his spoils as soon as the opportunity presented itself.