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Thank you ALL for your kind reviews and letting me know what you thought about me bringing Flinn the Elder back. I'm so glad you liked it.
Also, many of you found the line from the movie that I had stuck in the last chapter and earned your snippet reward. "It's only a dream...they are far, far away" was the one I was looking for. However, apparently I had put more in there than I thought, and I am impressed that some readers found more than one movie quote! Good for you. Keep looking, there will be more.
However, I will only accept lines from the Hobbit Movies from here on out. For it seems I have a terrible habit of unknowingly quoting from LOTR too, ha ha.
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Chapter 112
~X~
Dis stood on her tiptoes and did her best to look into the ventilation shaft that Bifur had led them to.
"Are you sure this one here leads to the dungeon cells?" she asked, not sure how the toymaker had known about these. They had bound and gagged their hostage and stuck him in a small closet, far away from any of the main halls so he would not be discovered. Then Bifur had led them down some unfamiliar tunnels until they came to an oddly shaped room that sported many ventilation shafts and a steady breeze blowing through.
"Very sure," he nodded firmly. "Bofur was working down here one day and pointed them out to me personally when I came to bring him lunch. That's how I knew about them."
"But the shafts are so small," Sier pointed out, knowing that none of them could ever hope to fit down such a narrow tunnel. "They're of no help to us at all."
"No good for a full grown dwarrow…but what about a dwarfling?" Gimli suggested, turning to look at Bergie and Sier expectantly.
"What?" Dena gasped, shocked by her son's suggestion. "You would ask them to send their young ones down that dusty little hole? Besides, what if that dwarf was lying, and that's not where Thorin and Gloin are at all?"
"Oh, after Dis threatened to cut off his beard, as well as his jambags, I think he would have told her anything…and it would have all been the truth," Bifur chuckled.
"Right now we have little choice but to believe that Thorin and the others are right where that troll-dung said they are. And, it would make sense to put their prisoners in the dungeons," Dis said with a heavy sigh. "Still, that leaves us with very few options on how to get through the air shafts to find out what Thorin wants us to do." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "But, Dena is right, we can't send the children…we need to dream up another plan."
"Tor and Tal would be happy to do it, I know they would," Bergie stated, stepping forward with a look of pride in her eyes. "They both take after their father that way, and I know they would be eager to help."
"I don't think that Dwalin is the only parent they get their bravery from," Sier smiled, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you sure about this?"
"No, she is not!" Dena stated firmly. She was already having a hard enough time knowing her grown son was helping in this dangerous mission, she couldn't imagine one of the children participating. "Dis is right…it's too risky."
"Dena…this might be our only hope to save them. It's just a small air shaft, there is nothing in there but dust and dirt, and trust me, my children have never been afraid of getting dirty," Bergie chuckled, though they could hear the nervousness in her tone. "Besides, if they ever found out I didn't let them be a part of saving everyone, they would berate me forever, calling me an over-protective mother. Now, let's go get them before I wise up and change my mind."
"You are doing a good and brave thing, Bergie," Dis said, giving her a nod of approval. "And we won't let anything happen to your babies, I swear."
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So it was, that after a quick trip back to the hidden tunnels where they had left Marigold and the children, Gimli, Bergie and Bifur returned with Torin and Talin, the twins only too happy to offer their assistance.
"We get to go in there?" Talin asked, looking into the little hole as Bifur held her up so she could see. When he put her back on the floor, she turned to her mother looking very excited. "We can do it, Ama…I know we can!"
"I'm certain you can as well, but you must be very careful," Bergie warned, doing her best to keep her motherly nerves at bay. "I want you two to stick together and mark your way with this chalk so that you don't get lost." She handed her daughter a little white stone before kissing them both on the cheek. "Now, go find your Uncle Balin, and let him know we are all safe."
"We will," Tor promised, turning around and waiting his turn for Bifur to lift him up so he could crawl into the tunnel behind his overly anxious sister. Talin had always been the go-getter of the two, while Torin was more thoughtful and cautious, though no less brave.
"Hurry back," Bergie called, already starting to wring her hands together in worry.
"They'll be just fine, Bergie," Dis assured her, putting her arm around the hobbit. "You raised two fine children. You and Dwalin should be very proud."
"Oh…we are," she nodded with a smile. "And never more so than right now."
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Even though they knew night had fallen, the five prisoners in the dungeons could find no rest. They had been given a small jug of water to drink, and a few dry loaves of bread, but sleep was the last thing on their minds. After covering every inch of the cell, they gave up looking for a way out, and began to discuss how they might overpower the guards, should they ever return.
"That Hagen fellow will be down soon, I'm sure," Balin huffed. "He wants the Arkenstone, and Thorin and I are the only ones who know where the blasted thing is hidden."
"And there is no way we can ever let him get his hands on it, either," Gloin huffed.
"Agreed," Thorin nodded. "And we need to resolve ourselves to that fact here and now, no matter what forms of torture or persuasion they choose to inflict upon us." It was a difficult order to give, yet as he watched each of his friends and kin nod in agreement, he knew he could trust them to hold true to the end. Thorin valued each of their lives far more than that of the Arkenstone, but it was what that rock stood for that made it so dangerous. With it, Hagen could claim the kingship and force Erebor, as well as all the other dwarf kingdoms, under his tyrannical rule. It was no longer simply their lives at stake…it was everyone's.
"How long do you think you can keep up your pretense of being the king?" Ori asked, sitting down beside Balin. "That was quick thinking having me sign the papers that way."
"Aye, for if I had done so, and he had checked it against any of the other papers there, he would have known for sure I was a fake," Balin nodded. "That, or killed me where I stood for trying to sabotage his plans."
"Yet, in the end, I will not have you claiming to be me if it means your life," Thorin insisted. "I understand what you're doing, and I'm grateful, but I will only allow you to be my shield so far. Do you understand, Balin?"
"This is my way of protecting my king," the grey bearded dwarf stated proudly. "You're already stronger, and a better fighter than me…so this might be the only way I can help."
"And you are my cousin and kin…I will not see you sacrifice yourself for me," Thorin warned. "But let's not worry about this until necessary. For now, you may keep the crown, and I will continue pretending to be Dwalin." He gave a small chuckle. "He would get quite a kick out of the idea, I think. I only hope we all get a chance to tell him of this."
"Speaking of Dwalin…I really hope that Bergie and the twins are all right," Balin sighed. He had sworn to protect his brother's family, and yet here he was, locked in a cell with no idea where they were or what had become of them. "I would give anything to hear those adorable little voices right now."
Then, as if in answer to the advisors wish, there came an eerie little whisper, echoing softly around the room.
"Uncle Balin?"
The white haired dwarf sprang to his feet, his head whipping around as he searched frantically for the source of the voice.
"Did…did you all just hear that, or have I gone insane?" Balin stammered.
"No, we heard it too," Thorin assured him, standing up and looking around as well. "Who said that?" He called out sternly.
"I did," came the voice again, yet this time they were able to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. "Up here!"
It was then that they saw the little finger poking through a very small iron grate in the wall, near the ceiling. As they moved closer they could just make out the dirty, but smiling faces of Torin and Talin.
"Tor! Tal!" Balin gasped racing over and reaching up to touch the one lone finger. "What in the name of Arda are you doing in there?"
"We came to find you!" Talin explained. "Auntie Dis sent us to help you, and to find out where the Arkenstone is hidden."
"Who else is with you?" Thorin asked, now standing next to Balin as he stared up at the grate. "Are Marigold and Rose safe?"
"Yes, they're in the hidden tunnels," Tor assured him, causing Thorin to release a sigh of relief. "There's also Ama, Sier, Freya, Dena, Gimli, and Bifur with us."
"My Dena and Gimli are all right?" Now it was Gloin's turn to be relieved. "Praise Mahal."
"Why does Dis want to know the location of the Arkenstone?" Thorin pressed, wondering what his sister was up to.
"She says if you tell her where it is, they will go get it and make sure the bad dwarves can't find it," Talin told him.
Balin turned to Thorin and the two eyed each other hopefully.
"It would be the safest thing for all, if they can do it," Balin agreed.
"Aye, that way, no matter what they do to us, we would not be tempted, or able, to betray its location." Thorin had not worried that they would have been able to beat the truth from him, yet if they had dared to threaten the lives of his family and friends, he feared he might have caved. It had taken a journey across Middle Earth, escaping dragon fire, and barely surviving the Battle of Five Armies, for Thorin to realize that friends and family are worth far more than gold and silver. But it was a lesson he had learned well, and he had taken that knowledge to heart. Nothing was worth losing the ones he loved, not even the Arkenstone.
"I will need paper and a pencil," Thorin muttered, patting down his pockets, yet knowing he carried neither of these things. Thankfully, he was currently imprisoned with the only one in Erebor who did.
"I can help with that," Ori smiled, fishing a tiny lead pencil and a folded up piece of parchment out of a hidden compartment in his tunic. "I learned from Fili to always keep a spare weapon hidden on you," he laughed, handing them over to his wide eyed king. "Just turns out that the written word is my weapon of choice."
"And we are grateful for that, Ori," Balin laughed, as he and Thorin sat down to scribble out the directions Dis would need to find the location of the hidden stone.
While they were working, Gloin took this time to send messages to his wife and son through Dwalin's children.
"Tell 'em I'm well, and that I love 'em," he instructed. "And not to go getting themselves caught or killed…else I'll be highly put out!" He was doing his best to sound tough, but everyone knew just how much he doted on his wife and son.
"Oh, and it might be important to inform Dis that the leader of this attack is Hagen of the Blacklock clan," Dori added. "And they currently think that Balin is the king, and Thorin is your father, Dwalin."
"Uncle Balin's the king?" Torin asked, eyes wide and a smile on his face. "Wait till Adad hears about this!"
"I'm only pretending to be king, Tor," Balin laughed, as he and Thorin finished their writing and rolled up the paper into a tiny tube. "I have already come to the conclusion that it's a job I do not want."
"And pretending to be your adad is no picnic either," Thorin told them, making both children laugh. Taking the paper from Balin e reached up and slipped it through a tiny hole in the grate. "Now, take this back to Dis, and she will know what to do. But make sure to tell her that only Bifur should handle the stone…not her or Gimli, understand? For the blood of Durin runs in their veins also, and the last thing they want is to risk it triggering the gold sickness in them as well."
"We'll tell them," Talin nodded, having heard this cautionary tale before from her adad. "Is there anything else? Any way we can help you get out of here?"
"Well, we're far too big to fit through there," Ori said with a sigh, figuring there was little the two could do to aid their situation. However, Thorin thought otherwise.
"Yes…yes there is!" he said with a tone of excitement. "Tell Dis to search Nori's room. He has a key…it is oddly shaped and will open the cell doors. If you can get it to us, we can escape!"
"A key?" Talin repeated, nodding firmly. "We'll find it! We promise!"
"And we will bring it back and save you all," Torin agreed.
"That's my brave lad and lassie," Balin said affectionately. "Your father's going to be so proud of you when he gets home."
"We'll be back soon," the twins affirmed. "Please be careful, Uncle Balin. We love you." And then their faces disappeared, as they inched their bodies back through the shaft the way they had come.
"Well, we're in much better shape than we were ten minutes ago," Gloin beamed, happy to have been assured of his family's safety.
"Aye, and for the first time we have hope as well," Thorin agreed. Hearing that Marigold and Sier had escaped with the children was a load off his mind and heart. As long as they were safe, he knew he could concentrate on the matters at hand…that of ridding his mountain of that vile Hagen.
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It didn't take long for Torin and Talin to make their way back to where the others were waiting for them, eagerly pulling the filthy children from the small opening.
"Did you find them?" Dis asked, the second Bifur set them back on the floor.
"Yep!" Talin grinned, handing the princess the parchment they had been given. "King Thorin says this is how to find the Arkenstone."
"But he also said that the only one who can touch it is Mister Bifur," Torin said, remembering Thorin's firm warning.
"Probably best," Dis nodded, seeing the wisdom behind her brother's warning.
"How was your uncle? Are the rest in good health?" Bergie asked, worried for her elderly brother-in-law.
"Everyone looked fine, but Uncle Balin is now the king!" Torin laughed.
"What?" Bergie was certain she had misunderstood.
"Uncle Balin is pretending to be the king," Talin explained, rolling her eyes at her foolish brother. "And King Thorin says he is pretending to be our Adad!"
"They must be perpetrating a ruse in order to aid in some escape plan?" Gimli suggested, unable to think of any other reason for them to play at such.
"Oh…and they do have a plan!" Talin spoke up, as if just recalling the part about the key. "King Thorin says that if we look in Mister Nori's room, we will find a key that fits the locks of the dungeons. They want us to find it and bring it back to them!"
"A key?" Dis repeated, looking excited. "Why would Nori have a key to the dungeons?"
"I remember!" Bergie spoke up, her eyes bright with hope. "When Thorin locked Dwalin in the dungeons all those years ago, it was Nori who came along and let him out. That wily dwarf had fashioned a key that fit most of the locks in Erebor, Dwalin had said. If we can find it, we can break them out of the prisons!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sier said, eager to finally be doing something to help Thorin and the others. Not for the first time, she sure wished that Fili was back from his mission, but it was up to those who had stayed behind to see things done.
"Right!" Dis agreed, getting down to business. "We dams will take the children back to the tunnels and access Nori's chambers through there. We will find the key and then get it to Thorin so they can escape." She then turned to Gimli and Bifur, handing them the parchment with the directions on it. "The two of you take this and find the Arkenstone. Once you have, get it as far away from Erebor as possible. Take the hidden door and leave the mountain as quickly as possible."
"Leave? But what about you?" Gimli protested, giving his mother a worried look.
"We'll be fine, but if the Arkenstone is out of the enemy's reach, then they can never win," Dis reasoned. "Go after our soldiers, bring them back and storm the mountain. We will do what we can to aid you from inside. Just go swiftly and don't get caught, or we are all sunk."
Both Bifur and Gimli continued to stall, torn between following the orders of their princess, and their desire to protect their friends. Yet, at last, common sense won out, and they nodded in agreement.
"We will not fail," Gimli assured them, stepping forward and giving his mother a warm hug. "Take care of Adad for me," he begged.
"I will…and you take care of yourself," Dena warned. "Don't go acting like a hero or anything."
"I'll do my best," he chuckled, giving the rest of the group one last nod before he and the toymaker headed off down the deserted corridors that led to the lower chambers.
"Now…let's be on our way," Dis instructed, silently leading the small group in the opposite direction towards the entrance to the secret tunnels. They were still a long way from saving the mountain…but at least they now had a firm plan in mind, and that was half the battle.
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~XXXX~
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Gorbash had just shown Bofur a crude map of the mining operations, which had caused the hatted dwarf to gasp in shock. On the way through the tunnels, Bofur had caught a glimpse of the shafts and pits they had dug, and guessed it was quite unstable. But after looking at the map, he now knew it had gone far beyond that.
"This place is a death trap!" he stated, not even sure how the mountain was still standing. "You can't keep digging like this, or you'll all be buried in rubble!"
"Then fix it…or you will be the first one to die," Gorbash ordered, more worried about productivity than the lives of his slaves.
"Fix it? How?" he asked in a shocked voice.
"You're the engineer…you figure out a way!" he snarled, grabbing Bofur by the front of his coat and pulling him up to his gruesome face. "Because if you don't, we will have to see if your two little lads taste better roasted over a spit, or cooked in a stew!"
Bofur gulped, doing his best not to pass out from the foulness of Gorbash's breath, as he nodded his head in understanding. He was asking the impossible, but hopefully the miner only had to play along until the others came to their rescue. Unfortunately, all hopes of that happening died the moment he saw Fili, Kili, Nori and Dwalin being shoved into the room by a handful of orcs.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gorbash yelled, eyeing the new dwarves suspiciously. "More wanderers from the cave?"
"No, Boss," the biggest orc answered. "We found them in the tunnels, they were armed with these." At this he tossed all the weapons they had found on the dwarves into a pile on the floor. "We don't know how they snuck in."
It was then that Fili caught sight of Bofur standing behind a large table, his eyes full of fear and regret.
"Bofur?" Fili gasped, his hatted friend being the last person he had expected to see there. "If you're here…where's…"
"I'm sorry, Fili…they got your lads as well," Bofur quickly explained, pure misery in his voice. "They took them to some prison cell…they were all right the last time I saw them. I'm so very sorry, I let you down."
"So, you know each other, do ya?" Gorbash growled, not at all liking surprises. "What is this…a trick? Some kind of invasion?" He was really angry now, and grabbing Bofur by the scruff of the neck he threw him over the table, where he landed on the floor with a groan of pain. Gorbash then turned and barked out orders to those standing around. "Take a team and search the woods around the cave, bring me any others you find. Also, triple the guards at the main entrance, and shoot anything that moves, be it man or beast. I'll not have anyone sneaking up on us…do you hear?" His voice had turned into a thunderous roar, causing his lackeys to leap into action to comply. He then leveled his furious gaze back to the newcomers. "And you…who are you?"
To this, Fili and the others stood in defiant silence, not giving a word in reply.
"I would not keep silent if I were you," Gorbash warned, striding over and grabbing hold of Fili by the back of his hair and tipping his head back so he was looking directly into his eyes. "I would be only too happy to slit your throat and make it a permanent condition." He gave Fili a violent shake. "Now talk!"
"Release the two dwarflings, and I might just allow you a quick death," Fili spat, more worried about his sons than his own safety. "Return them at once, or suffer the consequences!"
"What consequences?" Gorbash repeated, sounding almost amused by the dwarf's spirit. "I am the one in charge here, puny dwarf, and all cower at my feet!" He then narrowed his eyes and studied Fili for a moment. "You remind me of someone. Another dwarf who also has a foolish tongue and has felt my wrath a time or two. Are all of your kind stubborn and foolhardy? If so, I look forward to teaching you the same lessons…and it will be interesting to see if you learn quicker than he." The vile creature then raised his meaty fist, preparing to strike, yet before he could deliver the punishing blow, another orc came running in, calling out frantically.
"Boss! Boss! A small army of men and dwarves have been spotted skirting the mountain and heading our way!" he hissed, skidding to a stop. "They'll reach the main gates by midafternoon tomorrow if they continue at this speed!"
Gorbash released a string of foul words, shoving Fili away from him with such force that it almost toppled the orc that was standing behind him. When he spun back around and faced the four dwarves, he looked ready to kill.
"Take them to the prisons cells and lock them up," he ordered. "I will deal with them later! Right now I want you to load up all the ore and iron we have collected and send the wagons out immediately. I will not see this shipment delayed because of some pesky men and dwarves! Send out a garrison to intercept them and slay them all. I don't want any left alive, do you hear me?" Gorbash then stepped over to the table, bringing his fists down in a powerful blow, causing the wood to crack and split in half, sending it splintering to the floor. "Get them all out of my sight…NOW!"
And so Bofur was hauled to his feet and led away with the others, all the while they could hear Gorbash behind them, continuing to shout out orders, and destroying anything within arm's reach.
Yikes...Gorbash needs some anger management classes!
And looks like Dis and the dams now have a plan in place to get Thorin and the others out of the dungeons, and to get the Arkenstone out of Hagen's reach. Hope it works.
Well...looks like Fili and the others are now headed for the prison cells...hmmm...isn't that were he sent two little dwarflings earlier? Might it be reunion time? Tune in next time and find out!
Guest Reviews:
Guest: Oh, I can guess that the rest of the family will react much the way Flinn the Elder did when he found out he had grand-kids! Lots of shock and tears. ha ha. Thanks
CubitalFossa: I know you signed in as a guest, but I see that there is a person with your name who has an account...is that you? And awwww, shucks, thanks for saying all those nice things! I am glad you are reading and yes, it is fun to read a whole bunch at one time, isn't it? Sorry you have to now wait for more chapters, but I do post quickly! I honestly thought about trying to bring Thorin's brother, Frerin, back too...but having both miraculously show up like that would have been a bit hard to sell. ha ha. So I picked Flinn the Elder, and am happy I did. Yes, the whole "blond dwarf" thing was a bit of a give away, but I needed to ease you into this. ha ha. Thanks for saying my story moves along like a well oiled machine. I do like to have everything mapped out from start to finish and also a lot of chapters written ahead of time, so I can feel free to go back and change things at my whim before I must post them. And I do that a lot. I will endeavor to keep my muse very happy and close by. Yes, 90 years is a long time to be gone...but thankfully dwarves live a long time too. I kind of hope you do cry at their reunion...I do so love it when I get tears. ha ha. Oh yes, Fili will make mince meat out of them all for what they have done to his family! As for Flinn being in Kili's corner...maaaaybeeeee. And concerning your last line...hey, are you reading over my shoulder as I write? ha ha. Thanks.
JL: Thanks for being a long time reader! And I am glad I shocked you...it wouldn't have been as much fun if everyone had figured it out a long time ago. ha ha. Oh yes, I am all about the happy endings, and I couldn't let this story be over with Dis still being alone. Nope! And I will probably never stop writing...but eventually this story will have to come to an end. ha ha. Thanks.
abc: GOOD...I wanted to shock everyone! and I am glad you remember the hints, but that they didn't spoil the surprise. So now you know WHY I let Flinn and Frerin come along on the journey...for THIS very reason, so Flinn the Elder would think they were Fili and Kili. ha ha. And YES, you were right about the line from the movie! That was it and if you DID have an account it would have earned you a snippet. But it is totally up to you if you want to get an account. Thanks for the review!
Mjean: shocked you, did I? GOOD! ha ha.
Aranel Mereneth: Yep, Fili and Kili's reaction will be coming up soon! Talk about a shocker. ha ha. Glad you liked it. Thanks
Emrfangirl: You found the line - it was the "they are far, far away", but the others you guessed were true too, just not the ones I was thinking of. ha ha. Sorry I couldn't send you a snippet, but without an account I can't PM you. :o( So NOW you see why I said NO on Dis and Bilbo being an item? I mean I had to go and marry him off to someone else just so you would give up on that idea. But as you can see, I had a very good reason for not shipping them. And here it...HE...is. I think Flinn the Elder is pretty happy to be looking after his grandsons too. Thanks for the review and glad you liked my plot twist.
Feu d'Argent: No, no, no...I wanted you surprised, not dead! ha ha. Yep, I always planned for Dis to be happy...and with her Flinn. And that is why I never let Bilbo and her be an item, even if Bilbo kind of wanted to for a while, but he is happy now with his hobbit wife. Yep, as soon as I decided to give Kili a romance, it played in really well with my hope of getting Flinn back - so that is why they went on this quest! I am glad you liked his nick name for Dis. I tried to come up with something unique and dwarfish. Yes, Little Flinn is not so little any more, is he? And he will take care of his brother and explain everything to him. Awwww, I remember those gold buttons...so long ago now it seems. Funny you should ask about Kili's coat. ha ha. Wait for it. As for Flinn the Elder getting one too...maybeeee. Hey, Flinn and Sier DO have a lot in common! Ha ha I like your idea on how everyone gets saved, but I can't tell you. Sorry. You are very welcome for the fun plot twist, and thank YOU for your kind review!