Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit.

Hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am writing. Now we're getting to the interesting stuff, like Bard and Lake Town. I can safely say that there will be a bit of time spent in Lake Town for reasons concerning Marie and a certain dwarf, I'll let your imagine fill in the blanks :3. Tell me should their relationship reach the turning point at Lake Town or the Mountain?

Enjoy :P

"Have to move fast, have to move fast, have to move fast, have to move fast." Marie repeated to herself through a clenched jaw. The two elves have finally passed out after another hour from the wine and were sound asleep on the table, one of whom snoring loudly. Marie had to get the keys quickly before they woke or another elf came down to do it for them.

The problem was the hook that the keys hung from was too high up for Marie to reach, so she had to improvise and find something to give her a boost. The only thing she could find was a rather heavy box which hit the floor rather too loudly. Marie panicked and clutched the box, but the drunken elves only stirred their heads and slept on. She wouldn't have been so edging had she not taken off her ring again, leaving her vulnerable.

Marie wasted no time and retrieved the keys, unhooking them with one hand while wrapping around the keys to prevent the unwanted jangling.

She cast one last wary look at the two elves before hurrying back up to the dungeons.

"Have to move faster, have to move faster, have to move faster."

"I'll wager the sun is on the rise!" There was no mistaking Bofur's voice, only it was jolly. "Must be nearly dawn!"

"We're never going to reach the mountain are we?" Came a sad voice from the first cell Marie came across. She stood before it and held up the keys triumphantly to Ori and Dori.

"Not from in here you're not." She said a little louder than usual. All the dwarves heard her and ran to their doors.

"Marie?"

"Well I never, Miss Baggins!"

"How in blazes ..?"

Marie tried to silence them, knowing such a ruckus would attract and elves nearby. She set to work unlocking the doors and letting loose her companions. She earned pats on the back and even an attempted hug from Kili and Bifur, but she had no time for that.

When she made it Thorin's cell, there was a brief pause as she looked at the dwarf, her eyes alive and speaking for her.

'I did it.'

She jammed the right key into the locked and turned it. As she opened the door she leaned away to hush the others again down below, but pulled back when Thorin's hand caught her arm.

"Once again you surprise us Marie."

"You sound as though you expected me to fail."

"Rest assure I never did." He released her arm and headed down the stairs. Marie shook her head and followed along after him.

"Wait not that way." She hissed as the dwarves attempted to squeeze through a narrow passage that went nowhere helpful, Marie had made sure of it. "This way. Down here."

The line of escapees turned and followed her down the mile long stairs, slowing when she indicated for them to. She could slip past the sleeping elves easily but she was lighter and bare foot, the dwarves were, in a nice way of putting it, significantly stockier and wearing enforced boots that always made a noise.

Marie halted the line, made sure one last time the cost was clear, then waved them down. It didn't take long for them figure out just where they were and clearly they had another idea in mind.

Bofur came up close behind her and said in a horse whisper. "Lass what are we doing in the cellars? You're supposed to be leading us out not further in."

"I know what I'm doing." She hissed back and led them to the barrels. They stared at them oddly as she shepherded them to the open ended sides.

"What now?" Fili asked Dwalin, who shrugged.

"Climb in." Marie told them, but they looked like they were having none of it. "Are you mad?" Dwalin pushed past Gloin and Oin and stomped over to Marie. She waved her hands about to stop him, should it wake the elves, but he wasn't paying attention. "They'll spot us, sure as day." He seethed. Under normal situations, Marie would be cringing under his stare but she was still standing on the steps, giving her the height advantage over him for a change.

"Trust me they won't. You just .."

"Do you plan on sealing us in? They'll know and leave us in there to rot."

"That's not the plan ..."

"Better yet they'll burn us."

"Will you let me finish?!" Marie shouted, well as loud a one could when whispering. "Just get into the barrels and I will do the rest." Dwalin opened his mouth to say otherwise, but Marie did not let a single sound leave him, "Unless you've come up with another brilliant solution in the meantime, by all means share it now ... nothing? Right, into the barrels."

All the dwarves stared at her gobsmacked. Where had that come from?

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Thankfully she didn't. The dwarves got the hint that she was absolutely serious about her plan and helped eachother into the barrels. Marie counted them off quickly then gripped the lever tightly.

"What now Marie?" Bofur stuck his head out of the barrel, as did the others. Had the situation not been so stressful Marie would have found the image beyond amusing. Should they get out of this alive she would let herself have a chuckle at the memory, in the meantime she just said, "Hold on tight ... and hold your breath."

"Why? Hold our ..."

Marie didn't give him time to finish. She clamped down on the lock and pushed the lever. She could almost feel the mechanics below rattling together as the floor beneath the pile tilted opened, letting the barrels and the surprised dwarves within them rolling neatly over the edge and into the cavern bellow. Marie ginned as she head the tell tale splashes as they hit an underground water channel. She had been right.

The floor tilted back to the proper level and made a muffled clunk, then Marie realised something.

She was still trapped inside.

Her eyes darted at the floor, then to the level, then to the elves stirring at the table.

She nervously licked her lips and gripped her hips

'Didn't completely think that one through did you Marie.'

"Where is the keeper of the keys?!" Came a distant and angry voice, to which Marie started panicking again. They had run out of time. She scrambled over the platform and stamped her foot on it.

'Come on, you have to open up somewhere. Come on, Come on!' She was jumping on it desperately now, and the sound of amour clanking together was getting closer. Marie moved herself a few feet and found the right angle to counter weight the platform. With one last stamp it slow tilted open and Marie was sliding towards her escape. As the floor came further up Marie crouched down to steady her fall, her hand braced on the rising wood. It was a very long drop down and an even harder impact with the cold water, the shock of it knocked the wind out of Marie.

She resurfaced and spat out a mouthful of water. Above her the platform closed and locked itself, or so Marie thought, her sight was distorted from the water in her eyes and hair plastered across them. For a moment she paddling around aimlessly but a hand tugged at her coat, pulling her to a barrel. It was Nori, looking just as worse as she did. "Here Marie, grab on."

Marie hooked one arm over the rim of the barrel and dug her fingers into the rope encircling it, Nori's arm firming around her shoulders. The rest of the barrels were clustered together and kept from moving with the current but Thorin and Fili holding onto the walls and blocking the way.

"Well done Miss Baggins." Marie heard Thorin say, and they stared to float down the channel. Marie helped move the barrel along as best she could, aware that the elves would be in pursuit. The water's speed picked up and the barrels bounced off one another and the channel walls, and Marie. But she knew complaining would do nothing and sucked up the painful thud of wood on flesh.

The water was getting faster ... and faster.

"Hold On!"

Automatically Marie clutched the barrel tighter, but was not fully prepared for what unfolded next. The water rushed onward and over a waterfall plunge, dunking the barrels and dwarves under the river's surface. They resurfaced in what was now a roaring river taking them, hopefully, to the east and their freedom.

The barrel rocked back and forth violently as they raced down the river. Marie tried to keep her head above the water but she could feel the current pulling at her legs. She was lucky Nori was holding onto her jacket or she would have been washed away by the swells.

The river curved and Marie saw that they were approaching a stone dam built to narrow the river down to only a small channel, with four guards posted along it. But that changed when the sound of a horn echoed out from behind them and the guards turned.

They had been spotted.

One guard broke formation and pulled a lever. The dwarves and Marie watched as a pair of metal gates closed off the channel, forcing the barrels to pile up under the dam. The elves drew their swords and Marie thought that they were done for. Out of some vague intuition she too pulled out her own sword, like she could at least try and put up some form of defence.

But she noticed something. Something that was very very very troubling.

Sting's blade wasn't its usual sterling silver.

It was blue.

Glowing blue, which meant one thing.

Marie didn't think they were done for. She knew they were done for.

Her voice acted of its own accorded and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Orcs!"

But it was too late. One of the elves dropped and fell head first into the water, a black arrow sticking out of his neck and his murderer standing in his place. The orc screeched and dozens more appeared along the dam, attacking the unsuspecting elves with brutal efficiency. While the elves were kept busy, the rest of the orcs made for the dwarves next.

One jumped across and landed on Nori, but he caught it by the throat to keep him at bay. The orc raised up its axe but Marie stuck Sting into its neck. It fell quickly when she removed the blade. Unfortunately there was more than one orc flinging themselves wildly at them, but the dwarves proved they were just deadly with their bare hands as they were with weapons.

"Get under the bridge!" Thorin barked at them, and Marie felt Nori pushing her away.

"Get Miss Marie under!" He told the others. Marie threw him Sting, "Use this, and don't lose it!" She told him as was helped into the safety of the underpass. The current helped her through the barrels to the gates, pushing her into the bars with great force. She grabbed onto the first barrel she could, which turned out to be Thorin's, and balanced herself against it with her feet and hands.

"Looks like the Defiler has caught up with us once more." Thorin said.

'It's not Azog.' Marie thought, 'It can't be he's ...' She blinked and stopped her train of thought, flinching as water splashed in her eyes from the wrestling dwarves and orcs. It was just a nightmare after all, how would any of it be true?

She looked out of the gates and saw more in the distance more orcs appearing out of the forest. Even if they could open the gates, they would be face with yet another wave of attacks.

Marie's foot slipped off the barrel and she almost went under the water. But Thorin's hand yanked her up so that they were practically eye to eye. His impressive show of strength matched the pulsing pain in her arm.

There was a popping sound in her ear and suddenly Marie could hear everything. Everything.

Every droplet of water that hit the bars, the grunts of the orcs as they fell victim to dwarvish blows, the crunch of stone, and finally sharp trill of an arrow being shot ... and the piercing of flesh.

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Marie could feel it.

"KILI!" Fili's heart wrenching cry for his brother made both Marie and Thorin's heads turn sharply, a shared feeling of horror between them. A painful cry came from above and Marie felt her stomach sink.

Thorin's grip on Marie loosened "Kili."He uttered, sounding as if the shock was choking his voice. Marie too felt it wrapping tightly around her throat and chest.

"Oh no."

Suddenly the gates began to open and Marie was caught in the rush. They headed over another, much larger plunge and she was slipping easily from Thorin's lax hold.

She called out to Thorin but it was too late. He tried reaching out for her but she was lost to the river's unpredictable nature.

Marie saw light and darkness flash before her as she was propelled down into the depths, her lungs starved for air as she tried to find her bearings. A pointless endeavor since she could not determine if she swam to the surface or the riverbed. Once or twice did she manage to find the surface but it was only for a brief second. In that second she spotted the outline of the barrels drowning in the white churns of the river.

She needed to breathe, badly. The agony in her chest was double by the sudden jolt of pain from her left leg, no doubt from a jagged rock in the riverbed. It burned her with pain and she desperately grabbed at anything. Anything to stop her tumbling.

Her linger latched onto harsh granite and Marie immediately pulled herself to it. She broke though the surface with a loud gasp and climbed the rocky edge higher, vomiting out the water she had unintentionally swallowed.

Marie found a moment's peace as she clung to the rock, but it was all to brief.

Something large came crashing down onto her head, beating her face into the rock. A shriek escaped her as fingers laced through her hair and tugged at it, dragging her out of the river and across the rock unceremoniously. Marie screamed and clawed at the grip on her hair but her nails barely scratched the tough skin. Even with all her disorientation she knew that it was an orc pulling her along, its foul stench and horrible black speech gave it away. It pulled her high up off the ground and stuck its face sickeningly close to her's, beetle black eyes narrowing down on her.

It snarled and dropped Marie to the ground harshly, barking out something. Marie's sight readjusted and she saw several dozen orcs running alongside the river shooting at the barrels.

A quick yank and Marie was lifted up again and thrown from one orc to another. Her new capture was much large and easily locked its deformed hand around her neck and left shoulder, squeezing tightly. Marie yelled, kicked, punched, anything to get the orc to let go.

'No, this ... this isn't happening. The others ... no please!' Black spots darted across Marie's eyes as the hand around her throat constricted, completely cutting off her airways and almost breaking her shoulder. Her thoughts became erratic. 'We are so close. What about Kili? Is he hurt? Is he dead? Are they going to die? Balin. Bofur. Ori. Everyone? Everyone? Thorin? Thorin?!'

With the last of the air left in her lungs, Marie choked out two syllables, "Tho ... rin."

The orc jolted.

Marie thought it was about to snap her neck but through her patchy gaze she noticed something long protruding from either side of the orc's head.

An arrow.

The iron grip around Marie's neck was gone and she was falling again, back into the river. The cold of it did not shock her, in fact she found it almost ... soothing. Her mind was slipping as she felt her body rolling around and around in the cold depths.

'We were so close.'

Then the world went black.