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I do not own the Hobbit, just my OC.
Chapter 45 – Stealth
The dwarves had been sat in their cells for what felt like an age. The halls around them seemed to be in a perpetual state of lantern light, therefore giving no inclination as to whether it was light or dark outside. The dwarrows body clocks so knocked out of sorts by the endless murk of the forest that they had no clue whether it was day or night.
No Elf had made any move to bring them water or food, and Todd was starting to need to relieve herself and that was just not welcome at all. There was no privacy, she could see across the walkway right into Dori, Nori and Ori's cell.
Todd had been sat with her mind racing over all the different things that she wanted to say to Bofur. Things that she had been keeping close to her heart since she had met him. Things that she couldn't wait to tell him, and other things she was terrified to tell him.
She had spent most of her time trying to decide whether it was a good idea to tell Bofur about her experience within the forest. The sickness, the voices, the foul black Rebhane. The more and more she thought about it, the more she realised how much had changed. Her mind raced back to when her Mother had told her tales of what she was to expect when she was older. The darkness making its move, the darkness that blossoms in all Rebhanes. Her Mother told her stories of all the Rebhanes that had shunned the darkness and lived in the light, but with equal fervour she had told her little Todd about the ones that had fallen and what she knew had become of them.
It was a lesson drilled into her from a young age, she needed to know what awaited her. It never really happened though, there were aspects that her Mother was waiting to tell her once she was older. A part of her knew that her Mother thought that she would be with Todd to walk her through it step by step. By the Valar, that was not the case. Not even her Father was there to witness and lend his helping hand.
She had had to deal with it all on her own. She had never heard her Mother talk about the sickness that she had experienced, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that the forest must have pulled the darkness out of the itch in the back of her head to the forefront of her mind with such a speed that her body reacted the only way it knew how. It was fighting an infection, the infection of darkness. That was why her sick was black and thick like tar. That was why she was hot and couldn't breathe. That was why she was seeing things.
She realised there was never another Black Rebhane following the company through the forest. It was her mind playing tricks on her all the way. Showing her those awful dreams. Speaking those horrid words.
Todd was beside herself trying to figure out whether that was all something that Bofur needed to know. A part of her knew that no matter what she told him, it would be ok. He would understand and just be happy that she overcame it.
Her thoughts were broken by the lightest pattering of feet heading in their direction. Todd let out a low whistle to let the company know someone was approaching, which was something they had all agreed for her to do earlier. She could hear the fidgeting and shuffling of the dwarves then. Readying themselves for anything, only to watch a tall red-headed she-elf wander past and take a peek through each cell door, before following the carved wooden bridge over to then walk along the cells opposite Todds.
She hoovered slightly before a cell that she had not yet worked out who was trapped within.
"That stone in your hand" She began in common tongue, her voice as soft and silky as the Elven Kings. "What is it?"
"It is a talisman…" Todd heard Kili reply. Todd realised then that that was the cell which held the brother Fili and Kili. She moved herself to sit in front of the bars, her back to them as they spoke, but her ears trained on every breath each Elf and Dwarve was taking. "A powerful spell lies upon it, if any but a dwarve reads the runes on this stone… they would be forever cursed!" Kili taunted, his voice devoid of any emotion and Todd could tell that he was bluffing.
There were footsteps as if, she was about to walk away from him.
"Or not!" He called. "… depending on whether you believe in that type of thing, it's just a token" He explained, and this time his voice was a lot lighter. Todd knotted her brows together. Why was Kili speaking to this she-elf, she thought to herself.
"It's a rune stone, my Mother gave it to me so I would remember my promise" Kili continued.
"What Promise?" The she-elf asked back and Todd could hear a slight smile in her voice.
"That I would come back to her… she worries, she thinks I'm reckless."
"Are you?" The elf asked.
"Nah" Came his non-committal reply, just as Todd's ears picked up the sounds of stone skittering across the wooden floor. She peered over her shoulder and watched the She-elf pick up the stone and hold it up to the light before handing it back, there conversation going on. Todd tuned out then. Deciding it was wrong to listen to intently. They were technically speaking in hushed enough tones that the other Darrow's would not be able to hear on her side of the walkway.
"I wager the sun is on the rise!" Bofur called out. His voice echoing a little up through the halls. "Must be nearly dawn."
"How can you tell?" Todd whispered to him.
"Hmm I don't know, just a feeling!" He replied back to her and she could hear the grin in his voice.
Once again Todd was sat at the cell door with her hand hanging out and clasped in Bofur's. She had been drifting between singing and humming for the past hours or so and now she was just dropping off.
"We're never going to reach the mountain are we" Ori mellowed. His voice reach each of the companied ears and they huffed and lost a little bit of their hope.
"Not stuck in here you're not!" Todd heard Bilbo's voice appear out of nowhere.
"BILBO!" She gasped out loud, her hand slipping from Bofur's as she stood up and span round to look for him. Sure as day, he was stood opposite her on the walkway, fiddling with keys before setting about unlocking the cells doors.
Thorin was the first out, and from where Todd was, she could see the look they shared. The pure thankfulness in Thorin's eyes and the withering look from Bilbo. That was really what had become of the Company though, each one of them sharing in the absurdity of the calamities they kept finding themselves in. There had been no stretch of their journey that was comfortable, or easy, or quick.
One by one each Dwarve was freed from their cell and when it came around to hers, Todd was bouncing on her feet to get her arms around Bilbo.
Once the door was open, she rushed through and pulled her Hobbit in for a tight embrace. His soft hair tickling her nose as he chuckled lightly and lifted his hands to hold her back. She was hit then with the sudden realisation of how badly she had treated her best friend whilst in her sickened state. Her breath hitched as she pulled away from him, their eyes meeting, his soft and understanding, her watering with regret.
Whilst in her sickened state she had treated him with such anger and disdain. She could see and hear it as plain as day in her head. All Bilbo had wanted to do was look after her, just like how she had looked after him at every chance she had. Yet all she could repay his kindness with was sneering and snapping at him. It was miracle he was letting her out of her cell at all.
"I am so sorry my dear friend" She whispered, eyes almost threatening to spill over with fresh tears.
"Enough of this, there is nothing to forgive… are you feeling better?" He waved her off with a blush to his cheeks before looking at her sternly.
"Much better, the best I have been… apart from needing the toilet rather desperately!" She whispered the end bit, making Bilbo chortle.
She let Bilbo move on then to letting the rest of the restless Company out of their cells. Before she even had the chance to take a breath she was being pulled into another set of arms, much stronger and leaner arms than Bilbo's.
"Hey, Lassie" Bofur whispered in her ear as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her heart leapt as she let herself relax into his arms. They didn't have time to talk or say anything really before they were being ushered further down after Bilbo. Todd moved to take a step forward after Bofur, with the Company behind her, when she felt her body be yanked backwards.
She yelped in pain as the collar constricted around her throat and the sharp points nip at her skin. She stumbled backwards and twisted to see what had happened. The chain that was attached to the collar around her throat was stuck under her cell door. Bombur, who had seen what had happened, rushed to pull the chain free, being careful not to tighten the collar around her neck.
"Are you ok?" Bofur worried, eyeing the chain in his brothers' hands and the collar around her neck. Not knowing how on earth they were to get it off her without hurting her.
"I'm fine… just need to be careful whilst this thing is stuck on me!" She sighed, taking the chain from Bombur's careful hands and looping it around one hand. Both Brothers looked at each other and then back at Todd who had caught her breath and was ready to do again. They all nodded to each other, before setting off.
Todd stayed close to Bofur though, immediately grabbing his hand in hers as they made their way down.
Bilbo was leading them further and further into the woodland realm and even though she trusted him with her life, she really didn't feel like they were going the right way at all. The light was dimming and instead of the natural light filtering down from above, there were not lanterns that were lit and burning a dull orange.
Todd huffed a few red curls from her face as she concentrated on following after her Hobbit without making too much noise. They seemed to be doing too well, they had not come across a single Elf so far, and Todd had to wonder if their good luck so far would come to an end.
"Quiet!" Bilbo whisper shouted as further behind them Nori tripped into his younger brother and made him yelp a little. "We are almost there!"
"Almost where?" Todd muttered to herself, earning a snort from Bofur and Kili who had managed to weasel his way through the rest of the Company to be at the front.
The walkway they were following wound its way down till it was sandwiched between the rock. Todd ran her hands along it as they went, marvelling in the cool temperature. She had gotten all hot and bothered rushing after the company and now running her hands along the stone made her almost feel calm.
That was when Bilbo paused, and held his hand up motioning for everyone to stop behind him and be quiet. Well that's what Todd made of it. She immediately froze and tugged at Bofur's hand to do the same. The rest of the Company weren't as stealthy as they had been though. They all piled up on each other, whisper shouting. Todd could see Bilbo's patience with them all wearing thin already. He poked his head around a few barrels and then slowly slipped out from around them, ushering for them to follow.
"I don't believe it…" Kili began, the biggest frown on his face as he looked at where Bilbo had led them. "… we're in the cellar!"
"You were supposed to lead us out not further in" Bofur hissed as he moved further into the room, pulling Todd with him. As they past Bilbo she looked to him and he pleadingly looked back. With that she knew he had a plan, he wouldn't have just led them down into the easiest place for them to be found.
They all snuck around the edge of the room, behind a wall of barrels and just as they were peeking over the edge of them at the sleeping elves, Bilbo announced something that Todd was not expecting.
"Everyone… climb into the barrels!" He whisper shouted once more. Everyone's heads spun round to him then.
"WHAT" Todd called out in her lowest voice.
"Are you mad?" Dwalin rushed to Bilbo, the anger evident in his voice. "They will find us!"
"No… no no no they won't, I promise you…" He looked a bit frantic now. "You must do as I say, you must trust me!"
With that everyone turned to each other, whispering about how mad Bilbo had gotten. Todd seemed to be feeling the same, but she wanted to trust him. She turned from Bofur and looked at the barrels, counting them all up in her head as they all muttered.
"Do as he says!" Came Thorin's authoritative voice about the rest.
That got them all moving. Bofur immediately began by taking a hold of Todd's chain as she clambered up into one the barrels in the middle. Once in she span around in the barrel on her side and poked her head out, reaching down to take the chain back from Bofur. She watched as he looked around, noticing everyone else getting in their own barrels.
"Bofur… you can get in this one with me…" She breathed to him. Knowing that it might even be slightly inappropriate for them to be so close to each other. His eyes sparkled up at hers and she blushed. "… if you want, that is!"
He didn't even answer her, opting instead to just climbing up and squeezing himself in beside her in the tight barrel. It was incredibly snug in there, and Todd didn't know if her freezing in embarrassment and nervousness was helping the situation at all. She could feel him against her, the heat and the awareness she had of it was almost overpowering. Once Bofur had settled into the barrel he peeked at her and she was slightly more relieved to see the pink hue to his own cheek. Yet with a wink, she was then sporting the pinkest cheeks in the history of all Arda. Thankfully Bofur turned back away from her to lean out of the barrel.
"What now?"
"Hold your breath!"
