Chapter VIII: There's Something There...

A/N: Here's the December/Christmas update! Thanks go to Blondiezhere! She helps so much. In this chapter certain things start to move forward. At a snail's pace, given the fact that we're dealing with two supremely blockheaded individuals here! Recognized dialogue comes from either the Professor or Jackson. Sindarin and/or Khuzdul will be bolded. Enjoy the chapter! SSD

Finally the Feast of Starlight had arrived. Ashara had kept as low a profile as she could. The hustle and bustle of the preparations had helped her in that. She had not spoken with Thranduil since the night she'd dined with him and Legolas.

Bilbo had also been reporting in on his wanderings whenever he could. Always at different times so as to not arouse suspicion.

Ashara had actually slept the night before. She must have needed the sleep.

When she finished up putting on her armor, Ashara heard a familiar knock at the door. Bilbo.

Ashara called out, "Come in."

Once he'd entered the room and shut the door, Bilbo said, "I have an idea of how to get everyone out. But I'm going to need your help."

"Go on."

Bilbo's plan was simple. But it would require her to do a couple of things she didn't like. And a whole lot of luck was needed.

"Have you gone mad?" She asked once they started onto the cellars.

"Do you have a better plan?"

"No."

"Then this is our best bet."

As she strode into the wine cellar, Ashara flashed her best and most charming smile at the guards. She hoped to any Vala who was listening that this would work.

"So gentlemen, what does it take for a lady to get a drink around here?"

Thorin had been pleased to see that Bilbo had evaded capture. Still, he wondered, "Why is the Hobbit taking us further into the depths of this place?"

They'd found their way into a wine cellar when Kili blurted, "Ashara, what are you doing here?"

"Making sure these guards were well and truly drunk. I'm also leaving with you," the damned she-elf replied with her feet up on the table.

They were at the barrels when Bilbo hissed, "Come on, into the barrels."

Dwalin his back, "They'll find us!"

"No. No. They won't. I promise you, please you must trust me!"

The Company looked at him for further instruction before Thorin said, "Do as he says."

Once he got into his barrel, Thorin noticed that it was conveniently the farthest from the she-elf.

As Bofur clambered into the last free barrel, he asked, "What do we do now?"

The hobbit relied, "Hold your breath." Bilbo then proceeded to pull a lever that dropped the barrels into the water below.

It didn't take long at all for Ashara to soaked to the skin.

She winced at the sounding of a horn. Their escape had been discovered. If they were caught, she would definitely be thrown in the dungeons.

To make matters even worse, orcs attacked. Ashara managed to pick a few off with her bow.

In the fray, Kili got up out of his barrel to pull the lever that opened the sluice gate. And got shot with an arrow for his troubles. Ashara didn't get a good look at the arrow.

When her barrel fell down from the sluice, Ashara held on for dear life. And was fighting the urge to scream.

Rushing water had been the source of her nightmares and the worst of her enemies for nearly her entire life.

"To hell with it," Ashara thought, "No one is going to hear me scream anyway!"

They'd lost the orcs chasing them. But the current had also been lost. To top things off, Kili was wounded.

Thorin took in the state of the Company, counting those he could see. Then he heard Bilbo plead, "Ashara, please come out. It's over now." The hobbit sounded like he was trying to coax a scared child out from under the bed during a thunderstorm.

He turned around as the barrel the elf was in capsized. Moving faster than he had ever done before, Thorin dragged Ashara out of the river, both coughing. Other than the coughing, the she-elf's eyes were haunted and her body rigid.

He'd seen things like this before. Especially in soldiers when they were reminded of things on the battle field that they would rather forget.

Bilbo tried shaking her arm to no avail.

"Ashara. You're on the banks of the river outside of Mirkwood," Thorin said as a way to try and get her back to the present.

It was Bofur who elicited a reaction by saying, "Thorin will kiss you if you don't snap out of it, or maybe I..." he trailed off after a dirty look from Thorin.

Stiffly getting to her feet, Ashara replied, "That will not be necessary." Sitting on the bank, she began to wring her hair dry.

"You don't like the water do you?" Ashara was not surprised that Thorin was asking the question.

"It's rushing water I don't like. It... Brings unwanted memories the fore in my mind." Ashara shuddered at the memory.

"Would talking about it help?" That was Bilbo.

"I've never really told the story, since most I interact with already know about it. My mother drowned fighting an orc pack when my brother and I were very young."

"If you were so young, how do you know what happened?" Balin asked.

"My great grandmother has this... Device that shows the past, present, and future. though you can't choose which one you see. After I came of age and made my choice, I made a visit to Lothlorien. I foolishly agreed to take a glance in it." Ashara's voice grew tighter as she continued, "I watched my naneth die. I felt water as it choked her. I felt her terror as if it were my own. I felt the water again as the current pulled her under..." Ashara shuddered.

After a few moments of silence, she finished up with, "I didn't really notice it at the time, but the mirror showed me my father's reaction. He went berserk. My grandfather and uncle had to tie him to a tree until he regained his senses."

It seemed that Ashara had more to her than Thorin had previously thought. He'd always believed that elves as emotionless as stone statues. However, the pain in Ashara's eyes as she told the story had been crystal clear.

She interacted with Fili and Kili well. In hindsight, from what little she'd said, Ashara missed her little brother. Her frequent interactions with them were a purely sisterly thing.

"Perhaps the jealousy on this count is entirely irrational and out of line. She had shown no romantic interest in either of them. Then why in Mahal's name was I thinking she was? And why would I even care?"

Bard still wasn't quite sure it had been a good idea agreeing to help the group that included 13 dwarves, a hobbit, and an elf across the lake.

He'd only really spoken with Bilbo and the white haired dwarf whose name he overheard was Balin.

The elf on the other hand, had not said a word. She (Bilbo had said her name was Ashara) looked decidedly green around the gills.

The blue eyed dwarf who appeared to be in charge asked, "Are you alright?"

"As long as I keep my mouth shut!" Ashara hissed through gritted teeth, turning even greener.

"I did not know that was possible for you to do that," the dwarf said with a smirk on his face and a teasing tone.

Judging by everyone's reactions, this was unusual behavior, as they all looked at him like he had lobsters crawling out his ears!

A few moments later, Bard had to make a sharp turn to avoid some stone ruins. Which had the she-elf bolting for the side of the boat and began retching.

As Bilbo held her hair back, the blue eyed dwarf growled, "What are you trying to do, kill us?"

"I was born and bred on these waters Master Dwarf. If I wanted to kill you, I would not do it here!"

It was taking everything Ashara had and then some to keep from vomiting in the barrel. And it got even more difficult when the fish got dumped on them.

She began listing the names of the 8 greatest of the Valar: "Manwë, Varda, Ulmo, Yavanna, Aulë, Mandos, Nienna, and Oromë"

Ashara kept on saying the names in her mind until she was dumped out of the barrel, sent sprawling out onto the docks.

While she clambered to her feet, Kili said, "You look like khakhf Ashara."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Gee, you certainly know how to make a girl feel better."

With Bard's help, the sneaking around was going as well as it could be. Ashara kept her hood up as she would be the one who would attract the most attention with her ears.

"Halt! OI!" A guard yelled.

"Come on move!" Thorin hissed.

"In the name of the Master, stop now!"

"Not in this life or the next!" Ashara thought as she darted around the stalls to avoid the guards.

4 guards managed to corner the Company, but would likely regret it as they were made short work of by the group.

The townsfolk had been watching the altercation with great interest before noticing another group of guards arriving and scattered. The man at the head of the group, asked "What's going on here? Stay where you are, nobody leave."

Ashara tensed, her hand moving towards her sword.

Bard came to the rescue saying, "Braga your wife would look lovely in this!" He was holding up undergarments.

Ashara was having a hard time suppressing her giggles at Bard's implications that the guard's wife was a good time had by one and all.

"How do you know my wife?"

With a completely innocent look on his face, Bard said, "I know her as well as any man in this town!"

Once inside his home and after hugging his daughters, Bard said, "Bain, let them in."

Moments later he heard one of the dwarves growl, "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off!"

Then he heard what was likely profanity in one of the elven tongues. Ashara had been particularly peeved about how she would have to get into Bard's home.

Sigrid called out, "Da why are there dwarves and an elf coming out of our toilet?"

"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda asked.

Ashara was shivering. Every inch of her was soaking wet.

Sigrid handed some clothes to her, Ashara nodded as she took them with thanks.

When the dwarves looked up at her leaving the room, Ashara said, "I can change on my own, thank you very much!"

While she was changing, she heard the dwarves talking about Smaug's attack. Apparently Smaug had a weak spot. Ashara snorted. That would make everyone's lives too much easier. It was likely a tall tale.

Ashara was much happier when she was wearing her usual clothes. She had managed to negotiate with her haru that she would only have to wear dresses for special events. So for the most part, she wore a tunic not unlike what the Dunedain rangers wore. Ashara had forgotten how hard it was to get into a dress on her own.

While she was doing battle with the dress, the dwarves were less than amused with the choice of weapons that Bard had given them. Apparently the good weapons were in the armory and the Master watched it like a hawk.

"The armory is under lock and key and the docks are heavily guarded, you will have to wait until nightfall."

Bard had left the house by the time Ashara returned to the main room. When the dwarves looked at her in the dress she asked "What? I am a female you know!"

When Bard's children's backs were turned Ashara hissed, "If you're going to attempt to steal from the armory, can it please wait until my armor and clothes dry enough? That should happen by nightfall. I'd be more help to you that way than in a dress!"

A/N 2: And we cut off here. The next chapter will either begin with them being caught by the Master's guards or the morning as they leave from Laketown. Hope you all liked the chapter and Merry Christmas! SSD

Translations:

Sindarin:

Naneth- mother

Haru- grandfather

Khuzdul:

Khakhf- shit