I'm back, lovelies! :D

I really appreciate everyone's comments for the last chapter :) I know I made a few people happy ;) lol I was pretty happy myself to finally get to that point of the story! You guys are all the best!

That's really all I have to say! Other than that...kick back and enjoy a new chapter :)

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"Leave it! There's no way out! This is no Orc dungeon. These are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here...but by the King's consent." Balin cried out.

For minutes now, the Dwarves of Thorin's company had been punching, slamming, kicking and throwing themselves into the metal doors of their cells, trying to break them down and escape. Their attempts had proved futile; no matter what they did, the doors just would not budge. Finally, Balin had to shout something to everyone to get them to stop before someone really hurt themselves trying to escape.

Fili grunted loudly in frustration, kicking his cell door one final time. "We're never getting out of here!" he cried.

"Yes, we will!" Kili called back. "We have to so we can save Aelin!"

"We'll figure something out," said Bofur from his cell.

"I hope she's all right, said Bifur in Khuzdul.

"We all do," replied Oin.

"Some of us more than others…," muttered Nori.

"The poor lass must be, more than likely, scared to death…!" said Balin woefully.

They heard Thorin let out a frustrated sigh. "Do not remind me…!" he said in a low voice. "I cannot bear to think what condition she must be in."

"Do not be so afeared," said Dori. "While Aelin's predicament is, in fact, terrible, worrying will not help the matter. That and Aelin is a fighter; she will get through this until we escape and rescue her."

"What makes you think we'll escape?" asked Dwalin roughly. He slammed his fist into his cell door. "We can't break down these doors and we know Thranduil isn't going to willingly release us anytime soon, if at all. Those two options were our only hope in getting out of here and neither of them are going to work."

"Not our only hope," spoke Thorin. "We still have our burglar."

"Aye, that's right!" Bofur exclaimed. "Bilbo is still out there! He can get us out!"

Then Gloin commented by asking, "But how do we know he is actually still alive and that the spiders didn't get him?"

"We don't," answered Balin. "We simply need to have faith that he will come through."

"Let us hope so…," said Nori, "...because we're already on limited time until Durin's Day...and Aelin's time is less than ours. I don't know how long Aelin will last in that dungeon before she loses herself."

Time seemed to have no meaning in the deep, dark dungeon that Aelin was trapped in. Even though, in reality, only a couple of hours had passed, it felt to her that more hours, even days had gone by; it seemed an eternity.

There was no difference between when her eyes were opened and when they were closed. It was all pitch black either way. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face. She would try carefully walking around and would find herself painfully coming into contact with the hard, stone wall. Her head had already taken a couple of hits. It felt to her as though the darkness was closing in on her and would soon consume her whole.

She was seated on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, and weeping. "Please…," she prayed aloud, "...let someone find me and get me out of here. Let the company be safe...and Nori...and Thorin...let him be all right. I hope Thranduil didn't do anything to him...and please...if we are to escape this horrid place...give me the strength and courage to tell him I love him when the time is right, now that I know the truth of his feelings for me. I need him...please, let him find me...I need to be freed from this nightmare!" Her voice grew louder as her melancholy and desperation escalated. "Please, I can't take this anymore! I need to get out of here! Let Thorin or someone find me, I beg you! I'm frightened and terrified and I want to get out of here! If the gods above have any mercy, then please, let someone find me soon or I fear I will lose my mind!"

It was then she heard footsteps outside. They sounded different from those of the Elven guards that stood outside her cell. They had left a long time ago and now someone else was approaching.

Aelin threw herself to the door and pounded as hard as she could. "Is someone out there?" she yelled. "Help! Please, somebody get me out! Help me, please! Can anyone hear me? Please, help!"

"Aelin? Is that you?"

A familiar voice spoke outside the door and Aelin perked right up.

It was the Halfling!

"Bilbo!" she exclaimed, heaving a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Mahal you're alive!"

"Where are the others?" asked Bilbo.

"You mean you haven't found them?"

"No, I haven't. After the spider attack and we all were separated, I snuck in behind the rest of the Elven soldiers and came down upon the Elvenking's chambers. While I was getting away, I heard him mention a female Dwarf in the darkest cell. I quietly followed another Elf down here, but then had to wait for the guards to leave. I haven't found the others yet."

"I don't know where they are. All I know is they were taken to the normal dungeons, but we were separated basically upon arrival."

"Why are you in a separate dungeon from the rest of the Dwarves?"

Aelin replied, her voice filled with evident contempt, "It turns out that my estranged father, Norin, was a conman who stole from Thranduil years ago and got away with some valuable artifacts...that Elf recognized me as Norin's daughter and is now punishing me in my father's place."

"How horrible!"

"Bilbo, you have got to get me out of here! I have an immense fear of total darkness and everything is pitch black in here! I'm terrified! Please, get me out!"

"I will, but I don't have a key. I think one of the guards left with it. I promise, I will find the keys to your cell and the other dungeons and I will get you all out of here. Everything will be all right, Aelin. Just wait a little while longer. I will be back for you."

"Please hurry!"

After that, Aelin heard Bilbo's footsteps fade away and her heart sank, knowing that she was once again alone. All she could do now was hope that Bilbo would be able to live up to his promise and set her free before it was too late.

Back in the other dungeons, a majority of the Dwarves had fallen asleep and it was quiet save for the light rumbling of a couple waterfalls that fell into the dungeon. The only one who was awake was Nori. Earlier, Nori had secretly overheard Kili talking to the redheaded female Elf that had taken them prisoner. He couldn't really hear anything specific they said as they were speaking in low voices, but he felt uneasy about the young lad speaking so casually to the Elf, especially considering she was one of the ones who had captured them. She left shortly after that and then Nori heard nothing from Kili.

Nori felt he couldn't sleep; his mind was still running rampant thinking about Aelin and hoping she was all right, wherever she was.

It was then he heard movement followed by a loud sigh in the cell next to his; Thorin's cell.

"Can't sleep either, Thorin?" he asked out loud.

There was a brief pause and then Thorin answered, "It would appear so."

"I'm sure I can guess the reason why," said Nori.

Thorin chuckled lightly. "I would imagine it is the same reason for you."

Nori moved closer to the bars of his cell and spoke out, "Thorin...all this time...all this time, you've been in love with Aelin?"

Thorin sighed again. "Aye...I have been for some time now."

"When did this all start?" Nori asked.

"I cannot say for certain…," Thorin began. "I knew that, back in Rivendell, we agreed to begin anew and be friends...but then I found myself being drawn to her in different ways and thinking of traits I admired about her. She is beautiful and kind and, above all else...she is strong. She has endured so much, and yet she is fiercely brave, ready to face any danger head on, no matter the consequences; she still finds the will to continue on.

"One night in Rivendell, I happened to pass by her room as she was having a nightmare and I heard her scream. When I went in, she was terribly frightened...and all I wished was to take her fear away. The day previous, we had spent time with my sister-sons. They were being playful, as always, and Aelin was smiling and laughing at them. I watched her and realized...that I never wanted her smile to fade...that all I ever wanted for her was to stay happy the way she was at that moment because that was what I believed she deserved. It was then I knew for myself that I felt something...and that what I felt for her was true. I had not fully realized that I was in love with her until just moments ago. The words came out before I could stop them, but I knew once they were spoken that they were true.

"She continues to amaze me...she has suffered loss, betrayal and heartache and yet she keeps her head held high and acts as though no one in the world can touch her. She remains true to herself. Stubborn in her ways, she is, but she speaks her mind in any situation, regardless of what may happen if she does. She is afraid that we will abandon her like others before, yet she has shown unwavering loyalty to all of us in spite of that. She cares deeply for us, even though she was afraid to form any sort of attachments. It is as if everything she does contradicts her fears; she has learned to rise above her fears and her demons. Despite all she has suffered and continues to endure, I have seen that her heart remains pure and I continuously admire her courage and strength. All this and more are what make me love her. All I desire for her is for her to find the happiness she inherently deserves. To have a place to belong; a home and a family that she has never had. I want her to truly feel loved...and if I can give her that; if she will allow me...then I will do so with great gladness of heart."

The dungeons were quiet; the only sound that could be heard was the faint rumble of the nearby waterfalls elsewhere in the dungeons. Thorin's words had been so overpowering to Nori that it rendered him speechless for moments.

Finally, Nori spoke, astonished, "By Durin above...you really do love her."

Thorin paused a moment and then replied, "Aye...I do."

"Dear laddie…," then said Balin, who apparently had awoken in the next cell over, a faint tremor in his voice, "I have lived upon this earth for many, many years and seen numerous Dwarves fall in love...and yet, never in all my lifetime...have I heard more genuine, heartfelt words of love than what you have just spoken."

"That was beautiful, Uncle! I have never heard such eloquent words from you," Fili added, who had actually been awake in his cell but had been silently listening the entire time.

"Say nothing...I do have a reputation to uphold," Thorin commented jokingly, eliciting chuckles from the others. Then he called Nori's name, signalling that what he was about to say was going to be directed at him, and asked him, "Tell me truly...is there any hope for me that Aelin may possibly return my affections?"

"Oh, come on, why did he have to ask me that?" Nori thought to himself. "I really want to tell him 'yes', but it's not my place to say!" Nori had to contemplate fast what to say without fully divulging Aelin's feelings for Thorin. He knew she should be the one to tell Thorin the truth and rightfully so.

He breathed a sigh and then replied, "I cannot say too much without completely revealing everything she feels, but I can say...there is more hope for you than you might think, Thorin."

"Do you really mean that?" Thorin asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't joke about this," Nori responded.

"Why did she never say anything to me?"

"Believe me, she wanted to...but she felt she was unworthy of you."

Thorin was honestly surprised to hear Nori say that. He moved himself as close to the bars of his cell as he could. "What?" he asked. "How could she think that?"

"You are a King and she is a commoner, not to mention a former thief...I think you can figure that out."

Thorin groaned quietly to himself. "I suppose, somehow, that does not surprise me…," he commented.

Nori continued, "She's told me multiple times that she is beneath you and she's never believed that someone like you could ever love someone like her. I'm sure that right now, she's thinking you're mad for loving her."

"Aelin really believed that I cared about any of that?"

"Aye. I tried telling her to not think of that when she knew nothing of how you really felt, but she never wanted to listen to me."

"Well...she is a stubborn one."

"Which is exactly why you two are perfect for each other," commented Fili.

"Watch yourself, boy," Thorin said back as a light threat, even though he knew he was right.

Then Nori said out loud to Thorin, "What you need to understand, Thorin, is that, once we're out of here, it's not going to be easy for Aelin to tell you her feelings, even though she now knows how you feel about her."

"What do you mean?"

"As much as she may speak her mind, when it comes to deep, personal feelings, she does not fully open herself so easily."

"But she and I already have come to trust each other. Why would she close herself up again, even when she knows my true feelings?"

"You don't get it, do you?" said Nori, getting a little edgy. Then he sighed. "I may regret this, but I'm going to tell you something that Aelin may or may not bring herself to tell you on her own. She needs you, Thorin...and that frightens her."

Confused, Thorin said, "I do not understand why that would frighten her."

"She's been abandoned by her parents and many others whom she believed were her friends; people she thought would look out for her," Nori explained. "She has spent most of her entire life on her own and has learned to rely on nobody but herself to get by. Now, she's starting to realize just how much she cares for you and the others and that she genuinely needs someone...but having been abandoned by so many others that she once cared about...she's afraid that…."

"The same shall happen again with me…," Thorin finished for him, now understanding what Nori was saying.

"Exactly," Nori confirmed.

"I would never abandon her, Nori; you know I wouldn't" Thorin said back. "I have no intention of hurting her."

"You can tell that to her...but she's heard all that before, so I doubt she'll fully believe you at the start. She is not quick to trust and take people at their word when they make her those kinds of promises because everyone who ever has, has broken them. She didn't even fully believe me when I once told her that my brothers and I would always take care of her. She said she was grateful...but I could see doubt and sadness in her eyes and I knew she didn't quite trust my word in that instance. To put it simply...Aelin is afraid to rely on someone else...or truly be a part of a family."

"I cannot blame her for that, given what she has been through. Aelin is a wonderful woman...and it's unfair that she's had to endure as much as she has. It saddens me that her view of the whole world is ruined from the way she's been treated before."

"I still think you should at least try to tell her that you won't abandon her; tell her how you feel," Nori suggested to him. "If she has even just a little reassurance from you, that might help her. She may act headstrong and confident in her own skin, but she acts that way to hide how she truly is; deep inside she is a broken soul in need of constant love and comfort. I think you can give her that. She needs someone she can lean on; someone who can give her the security she needs."

Thorin closed his eyes and hung his head. Deep down, he wanted to be that kind of Dwarf for Aelin; someone she could depend on and make her feel safe and wanted. He knew it wouldn't be easy for him to convince Aelin that he could be that for her.

"I want more than anything to be that for her," said Thorin, "but we're locked in here and she is trapped elsewhere...and there's nothing I can do. I couldn't protect her from Thranduil...I failed her."

Then they heard Ori's sad voice from his cell, "We're never going to get out and rescue Aelin, are we?"

There was a brief, melancholic silence before a familiar voice that they didn't expect spoke out, "Not stuck in here, you're not!"

"Bilbo!" exclaimed Balin.

The rest of the Dwarves were roused up and they all jolted straight to the doors of their cells. Sure enough, they could all see Bilbo standing just outside, holding up the keys to the dungeons. They started to cheer in great gladness, but Bilbo shushed them, telling them there were guards nearby. He began letting all of the Dwarves out of their cells one by one until they were all free.

"Where have you been?" Bofur asked him.

"No need to worry about that now," Bilbo answered. "Right now, we need to get out of here; I found a way out. And we need to free Aelin."

"Did you find her?" Thorin asked anxiously.

The Hobbit nodded. "Yes, I did. I happened upon her cell as I was looking for the rest of you. After her guards left, I spoke to her."

"Was she all right?" asked Nori, his worry evident in his voice.

"At the time, she seemed to be, but she told me of her fear of darkness and she was afraid she would not last much longer in there."

"Then there is no time to waste!" said Oin.

Dori then asked Bilbo, "Did you get the keys to her cell, lad?"

Bilbo held up another separate key from the ring of keys he held in his other hand. "I got it right here."

"Give it to me," said Thorin, holding out his hand. "I will find her."

"And I will go with you," Nori interjected.

As Bilbo handed him the key, Thorin looked around to the others and ordered them, "The rest of you: follow Master Baggins out of here. Nori and I will catch up as soon as we find Aelin."

"You don't even know where to go," Bilbo then said. "We're not splitting up yet. Part of the way to Aelin's cell from here is the same route we're taking to the exit I found. Just follow me and then I will tell you where to go."

Despite how anxious Thorin was to go and find Aelin immediately, he put away his impatience for the time being and replied, "Very well then, Master Baggins. Lead the way."

With that, the Dwarves all quietly followed Bilbo out of the dungeon and down a winding staircase. After a few moments, the stairs ended on a landing that turned into a long hallway. At the end of the hall nearest them was another set of stairs.

Bilbo motioned for Thorin and Nori and then pointed towards the left to the opposite end of the hallway. "That is the direction you two will want to go while I take the others downstairs," he explained. "Go to the end of the hall and turn right. There you will see a door that leads to a descending staircase. Follow the stairs all the way down—it goes rather far, I will warn you—and they will take you to Aelin's cell."

"Won't there be guards down there?" asked Nori.

With a shake of his head, Bilbo answered, "Don't worry about the guards. I found them with the guards that were supposed to be watching your cells down in the cellars, drunk off the King's special wine and asleep. You shouldn't have any problems." Then he went on to explain to them, "Her cell is in a large, empty room and it will be on the left side. Once you get Aelin out, I found there is another exit out of this place through another door on the opposite side of the room. Go through that door and follow the tunnel on the other side. It will lead you to the water system that empties out into the forest river. That's where the rest of us will be; meet up with us there."

Nori grasped Bilbo's shoulder and said, gratefully, "We owe you for this, Bilbo."

"Indeed. You have our sincerest thanks," added Thorin.

Bilbo nodded shortly and then started waving away, saying in a hushed voice, "Now, go! Save Aelin! Catch up with us when you've freed her!" Then he turned back and motioned for the rest of the company to follow him.

"Bring her back to us, Uncle," Fill called out as he walked away after the others.

"I will," Thorin promised.

Once the others were safely away, both Nori and Thorin followed Bilbo's instructions and hastily made their way down the hallway. They turned right and found the door that Bilbo had spoken of. Thorin opened it and saw that it was very dark inside. They could barely see the descending stairs. It was then Nori decided to jump up the wall next to the door and he grabbed two torches down from their perches. Now having a source of light to guide their way down, he handed one to Thorin and they began walking down the stairs, closing the door behind them.

"What an eerie place," Nori commented.

"I agree," said Thorin. "And to think that Thranduil actually holds people prisoner down here...it boils my blood!"

"I think it really boils your blood even more knowing that it's Aelin who is being held prisoner down here," Nori said.

Thorin clenched his teeth together in anger, but that didn't stop a growl from sounding in his throat. "I swear...if anything has happened to Aelin, I will kill Thranduil for what he's done!" he exclaimed furiously.

"Oi, save a few hits for me," replied Nori. "I'd want a crack at him myself."

Thorin snickered, amused, and said back, "With pleasure."

They continued down a few more steps until Nori said, "There's just one more thing I want to know."

"What is that?" asked Thorin.

Nori stopped and turned to face Thorin, the light of his torch illuminating the serious look he had on his face. Then he raised his question, "In the future...do you plan on marrying Aelin?"

The Dwarf King was a bit startled by that question."I...to be quite honest, I have not thought that far ahead. I would rather keep that aside until this quest is over...if we both live to see it all through."

"First of all, you both will live to see this quest succeed," Nori put in, "and secondly, even though you're not giving it any serious thought yet...could you see yourself marrying her?"

The corners of Thorin's mouth twitched slightly upward as he answered, "I cannot picture my life without her anymore...so...aye, I can see myself marrying her."

Then Nori grinned himself. "That's all I wanted to hear. Now, let's go save our girl."

Both of them continued on down the stairs, which for a while seemed endless. If it weren't for their torches, they wouldn't have been able to see a thing. It was incredibly dark; they had to be a few yards underground by then.

Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs and an opening to another room appeared. The two of them held up their torches and looked around. It was an empty room with stone walls and there were two doors on either side of the room, just as Bilbo had described to them.

"Bilbo said Aelin's cell was on the left side. That one!" Nori exclaimed, pointing to the door on their left. He and Thorin dashed right over to the door and he called out, "Aelin!" Then he pounded on the door. "Aelin! Are you in there?"

There was a very brief silence, but then they heard Aelin's voice on the other side of the door, "Nori…? Nori!"

"Aelin, thank Durin! Just hang on, we're going to get you out!" Nori flipped around to Thorin standing behind him. "You have the key! Unlock the door, quick!" he demanded, waving for Thorin to take his place in front of the door.

Thorin was way ahead of him and practically threw himself to the door, with the key already in hand. He was quick to put in the lock and turn it. All that was going through was mind was the thought of getting Aelin out of that godforsaken cell as quickly as possible. Seeing how dark it was where they were, he could only imagine how dark it was in her cell and the thought of her living her own personal nightmare was driving him mad. Once he heard the click of the lock, he wrenched the door open as hard as he could, letting Nori step in front of him and into the cell.

Nori held his torch up and could just barely make out the shape of Aelin lying down on her side on the center of the floor, curled up in the fetal position. Her head shot up as she heard the door open and she saw Nori step in.

"Nori!" Aelin cried out, jolting up to her knees.

"Aelin!" Nori exclaimed back as he moved towards her. He dropped his torch as he reached her, fell to his knees and gathered the shaking and now sobbing Dwarf woman into his arms. He held her against him while she buried her face into his shoulder and clung to him for dear life.

"Oh, thank Durin, you came!" she exclaimed. "It was horrible, being in this wretched place! I thought I was surely going to lose my mind!"

"Don't you fear, dear sister," Nori said soothingly. "You're safe now. Your nightmare is over. We're getting out of this awful place."

Aelin opened her eyes and saw Thorin standing a few paces behind Nori. His face was completely full of relief at seeing her. Aelin was overjoyed to see him, yet deep down, something inside her still felt nervous and uneasy about him revealing he loved her and her now having to tell him how she felt in return. Never had anyone told her they loved her in that way before and, considering that all that time she believed Thorin could never love her, she was still in a bit of a shock. Yet none of that mattered in the moment. She was just happy to finally see him and know he was all right.

When Nori released her, Aelin jumped up to her feet and threw herself into Thorin's open arms, once he had set his own torch down. He pressed her close against his chest, grateful to be holding her again and that she was all right. Neither of them said a word for a moment ; they simply stood there in each other's arms, the only sound being made being Aelin's heavy breathing.

Finally, Thorin pulled away just enough to cup Aelin's face delicately in his hands. "Aelin…," he said softly, "I know what you have just been put through for the last few hours has been dreadful...and if this were any other situation, I would give you time to regain your composure...but right now, we don't have the luxury of time. We have to get out of here now or the Elves will soon be upon us. I hate to ask this of you, but I need you to be strong like I know you are and come with us right away."

Aelin pursed her lips together, took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. "Right," she replied. "We need to go. I'll be fine; just get me out of this place!"

Glad to hear her say that, Thorin leaned forward and firmly placed a kiss on her forehead.

"No need to tell us twice," Nori said, picking up his torch and starting towards the door on the other side of the room. "Let's leg it!"

As Nori went out the door, Thorin offered a hand to Aelin, saying, "What say you we get this place behind us as fast as we can?"

"I say, may Durin give us much-needed speed," Aelin replied, grasping his hand as she did so.

The three of them went to the door on the opposite side of the room and pulled it open. Just as Bilbo had said, there was a tunnel on the other side. As quickly as they could go, they dashed into the tunnel and followed it. Within moments, they could hear the faint sound of running water.

"That must be the water system!" said Nori. "We're close!"

They kept going until the tunnel turned left and at the end of it, the three of them could see light from the outside.

Aelin released a cry of gladness. "Light!" she exclaimed. "I never thought I would take it for granted, but after today, I never will again!"

"Believe me, the light has missed you as much as we have," said Nori. But then a cheeky grin crossed his face. "Although some of us missed you a little more than others." He tilted his head and looked right at Thorin.

Aelin turned her head to look at Thorin, who intently gazed right back at her, and simply said, "I'm sure."

Before Thorin could say anything, Nori began to move forward towards the end of the tunnel. "Come on, we've got to go!" he exclaimed.

They all rushed down towards the exit until they found themselves outside on a bridge suspended up in the air; around six to seven feet above the water system. Just ahead of them to their left was where the water met with the forest river. They heard shouts to the right of them and, when they turned to look, they saw the rest of the company floating in their direction in the water in a bunch of barrels. Dwalin and Dori were each holding onto an empty barrel beside them and then Fili and Kili were hanging onto one that was in between them in the very back of the line.

"It's Thorin and Nori!" shouted Kili.

"And they've got Aelin!" cried Fili.

Cheers and shouts of joy sounded from the remainder of the company.

They were cut short by Nori calling out in a loud yet still slightly hushed voice, "Don't shout, you half-wits! Do you want to alert the Elves to our escape?"

"I'm quite sure the Elves already know we're out here!" cried Bofur.

"And besides...you've rescued our comrade whom Thranduil unjustly imprisoned," added Balin in a loud voice. "Why not celebrate and rub it in his face?"

The rest of the Dwarves cheered yet again and Aelin couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Sounds fair to me!" she called out.

Dwalin then cried up to Thorin as they floated closer to the bridge, gesturing to the barrel next to him, "Thorin! Jump!"

"Go, Thorin," Aelin told him right away.

"No, you go," Thorin countered. "It'd be—"

Aelin interrupted him, "Thorin, if you're really going to argue with me about this now, I swear I will push you off this bridge myself!"

"And...she's back!" Nori said with a smirk.

Thorin looked as though he wanted to say something back, but then he reconsidered, knowing they were short on time and that, above all else, arguing with Aelin would be pointless. So instead, he gritted his teeth and leapt from the bridge, landing right into his barrel with a loud grunt.

"Nori, here!" called Dori, waving to the empty barrel he had as he floated closer.

Aelin turned to Nori and said with a confident grin, "See you on the other side, brother."

Nori bowed his head to her and replied, "Count on it, sister." Then he took a couple steps and jumped off the bridge, falling into the barrel his brother had for him.

"You're last, Aelin!" cried Fili.

"We've got a barrel here for you!" added Kili as he pointed to the barrel between him and his brother.

Aelin took a ready position, preparing to run and jump off the bridge. "Brace yourselves, lads!" she exclaimed. Then she ran a few steps and took the jump. The wind whipped through her hair as she fell straight towards the opening of the barrel below her. Her feet hit the bottom of the barrel and she felt it dip down a little bit into the water from the impact, but Fili and Kili had a good grip on it to keep it from tipping over.

"We're glad you're back, Aelin," Kili told her happily.

"You and me both," Aelin replied as she positioned herself in her barrel.

Their gladness was short-lived as they then heard Thorin holler out from the front, "Hold on!" Right ahead, they could see the other barrels the company members were in suddenly dropping down and they realized there were upon the waterfall that met up with the river outside.

"Hold tight, lads! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" said Aelin to the brothers on either side of her just before the three of them plunged down into the cold, foaming forest river.

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The company's on their way out! :) Here we go!

I'm debating on just skipping over the river chase scene, cuz I never really had anything planned for that scene either, kind of like with Beorn's house. I don't know, I'm still deciding.

But Thorin has really come to terms with how he feels...but what's Aelin going to do or say when they finally have a moment to be alone and talk? What do you think is gonna be her reaction? Will she be afraid or will she be overjoyed? Guess you'll see soon! xD

You know what to do! :) Leave me a review or a PM with your thoughts!

Until the next chapter! :)