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Now, off to see if the 'plan' works!

Thanks

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Chapter 120

~X~

Ori stood at the bars of their prison, watching the doorway down the hall, fearing that any moment it might open again and Hagen would storm in full of rage. While the young scribe did not know where the Arkenstone had truly been hidden, he knew that Thorin had not given up its actual location…thus the potential for retribution was great.

"How long do you think it will take for them to figure out you lied?" he asked, turning around and looking back at his king.

"Hours I hope," Thorin answered. "It's a labyrinth of tunnels down there, leading to nowhere…but who knows how quickly Hagen will lose his patience and give up?" He gave a shrug of indifference. "I told him he would never find it without me…he should have listened."

"Hopefully Dis and the others will be back with that blasted key before we must deal with that," Balin stated, his eyes once more drifting to the little grate above their heads, anxiously waiting for his niece and nephew to return.

"While I know they will do their best, we cannot sit around and wait for them to save us," Thorin huffed, standing up and walking to the door and shaking it, as if perhaps in the past ten minutes it had magically unlocked itself. When it didn't give an inch, Thorin turned back to Balin. "Do you believe that Bard understood your message about attacking tonight?"

"I certainly hope so," Balin nodded. "He appeared to comprehend everything I tried to convey. If I were any more plain, Hagen's soldiers would have been tipped off and they would have killed me for sure."

"Then we need to get out of here before then!" Thorin snarled, beating his fists against the unyielding bars. "I cannot sit within a prison of stone while the men of Dale fight our battles for us!" He leaned his head against the cold metal, shutting his eyes in frustration. "It's not in my blood, Balin."

His cousin approached him from behind, laying his hand on his shoulders.

"No, it is not, laddie," Balin said with a sigh.

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Just down the hall and around the corner, Gimli peeked out, surveying the scene before him. There were five guards, at least that they could see, and possibly more inside…but he couldn't know for sure. Turning back, he looked at little Rose.

"Are you ready, lass?" he asked, signaling for her to come forward.

Rose looked up at her mother, giving her a wide grin in hopes of easing her mind. She then tiptoed closer to Gimli, ready to receive her final instructions.

"Now, remember, your name is Talin, and your father is pretending to be your Uncle Dwalin, who you need to pretend is your father," Gimli told her, the whole thing quite dizzying even for the older dwarrow.

"I'll remember," Rose nodded.

"And we'll be right here, Rose," Dis reassured her. "If anything goes wrong, we will be at your side in a moment, we swear."

"I'm not afraid," Rose told her firmly, balling her little hands into fists, her face getting that determined look that reminded Marigold of Thorin. She truly was her father's daughter.

"Then, head on out…and don't forget, the more fuss you put up, the more flustered they'll become," Gimli assured her, knowing just how uncomfortable a dwarrow got when faced with a child's tantrums…especially if it was a lass. "Give us a good show, Rose."

The little princess grinned and nodded, smoothing down her dress as she bravely stepped out into the hallway, walking purposefully towards the guards. When they caught sight of her, they all stood, eyeing her suspiciously and looking around for any who might be with her.

"And just who might you be, little missy?" one of the guards asked, confused by the sight of a child out all alone.

"I am Talin…daughter of Dwalin, and I demand to see my adad!" Rose informed the dwarf, stopping in front of them and crossing her arms over her chest. "You have him imprisoned in there, and I want to see him!"

"What?" the tallest one questioned, a bit shocked by this little dam's demands. "Who told you we had prisoners in here?"

"Who did you say your adad was?" another asked suspiciously.

"Dwalin, son of Fundin," Rose stated. "Now let me see him, or I promise you'll regret it!"

"And what would a little mite like you do if we refuse?" a burly one laughed.

"This…" Rose answered, dropping her hands to her side and tipping her head back as she began to scream bloody murder.

The guards all took a step back, both in shock at her actions as well as her ear piercing screech. They each began to fumble around, looking at one another in panic as the dwarfling continued her wails.

"Hush! Hush!" they begged, holding up their hands, beseeching her to be quiet. "Stop this at once!"

"NO!" Rose yelled. "I want to see my adad!" And throwing herself onto the floor she began to kick and scream even louder, repeating her demands over and over between high pitched wails.

"What'a we do?" one guard asked the other, putting his hands over his ears in an attempt to block her out.

"I don't know!" another answered. "But we've got to shut her up!"

"Then toss her in the cell with her adad!" the third suggested. "It'll keep her quiet, and we can tell Hagen that we got him another bargaining chip."

"Hagen wouldn't dare use a child in such a way…would he?" the tall dwarf asked, sounding quite shocked at the idea.

"No telling what that crazy fool would do," the burly one responded with a snort of disgust. "I never signed up for half of what he has done…but there's no backing out now, is there?"

"Shut your trap!" the first dwarf ordered. "If anyone hears you talking like that, it'll mean your death. Now, grab the little banshee and throw her in the cell before she brings the whole mountain down on us!"

"Search her first," the tall dwarf suggested, noting that the child had calmed down considerably now that they were going to give her what she wanted. "Hagen would run us through if we let her in there with a weapon."

The others agreed and Rose stood there silently as an uncomfortable dwarf patted her down, checking her pockets and her little boots for any sign of a blade. When he was convinced she was unarmed, they opened the metal door and escorted her inside.

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Thorin had been franticly shouting and shaking the bars the moment he heard Rose screaming outside the prison door. He had no idea what was going on and the panic that welled up inside him just about caused him to lose his mind. His little dwarfling was in danger and there he was, trapped and unable to help her. The other dwarves were no less upset, yet not one of them knew what to do.

When the screaming stopped, Thorin hushed everyone, straining to hear what was happening. As the door clanked open, Thorin pressed his face to the bars, doing his best to see down that hallway as the sound of footsteps approached. When he saw his little Rose, looking unharmed and oddly pleased, he released a sigh of relief.

"Seems that this one here belongs to you," one of the guards stated, pointing at Thorin. "She wouldn't shut up until we let her in to see her adad…Dwalin."

Thorin gaped at his daughter, trying to figure out how she had got there and why. There had to be a reason, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine what it might be. His anger blazed as he thought of how much danger she was now in, and wondered just how on earth Marigold had allowed such a thing. He suspected that Dis was behind it all, and he would give her a piece of his mind for sure, the next time he saw her.

"Adad!" Rose cried, rushing towards the bars and grabbing onto his outstretched hands. "Adad, you're safe!"

"What are you doing here Ro…Talin," he stammered, catching himself moments before giving away her true identity. If he was pretending to be Dwalin…then obviously, she would have to be Talin.

"I wanted to be with you, Adad," she explained, so happy to see that he was indeed all right. "I was scared and didn't know what had happened to you."

"Here, lass," the burly dwarf huffed, opening the cell door just enough for her to squeeze through. "Now don't let us hear you making that racket again. You just about split my eardrums the first time."

Once Rose was inside, she was immediately scooped up by Thorin, the feel of her in his arms doing wonders to calm his racing heart.

And with a final shake of their heads, the guards left them alone and headed back to their post. Once the door was shut, Thorin pulled Rose back, looking at her questioningly.

"What are you really doing here?" he demanded. "Whose idea was this…and why?"

"I wanted to come, Adad," Rose told him, her lip sticking out in a little pout. "Everyone else was helping…I wanted to as well."

"How is you being a prisoner in here going to help?" Thorin demanded.

"Because I have Nori's key," she grinned, pulling her braid around from behind her head. "It is here, Adad…in my hair. Auntie Dis said they would never think to look for it there."

"Oh, you little gem!" Balin said with a clap of his hands, feeling the first bit of hope in hours. "Why didn't Torin and Talin just bring it through the air shaft?"

"The key is too big to fit," she explained, as Thorin set her down and knelt behind her to begin undoing her hair. "And Auntie Dis said this was the only other way to get it to you. Talin was going to come, but her hair was too short, so I said I would do it."

"And your Aunt Dis will be hearing from me about this, I guarantee it," Thorin mumbled, freeing the key at last. Once he held it in his hands, he too could see how it would never have been able to fit through the small holes in the grate, justifying his daughter's need to bring it to them this way.

"So…now that we have a way out, what's the plan?" Gloin asked, stepping forward, ready for anything.

"How many guards are out there, Rose?" Thorin questioned, trying to decide the best way to proceed.

"Five," she answered, holding up her hand with her fingers splayed out. "And Ama, Auntie Dis, Sier, Dena and Mister Gimli are waiting around the corner, while Aunt Bergie is back in the tunnels with the other children."

"Your ama is here?" Thorin was shocked. He had at least thought Dis would have enough good sense to keep his pregnant wife out of harm's way! It was then that it registered that she had failed to mention Bifur in the list. "Where is Bifur…did they find the Arkenstone?"

"Mister Gimli said they did, and that Mister Bifur is riding with it towards the Iron Hills to find the soldiers," she explained.

This caused Thorin to release another sigh of relief. With the Arkenstone gone, and no longer a worry, he only had to think about getting out of the cell and stopping Hagen. There were still lives at stake, but if Bifur was able to get the jewel far enough away from Erebor, then that backstabbing Blacklock could never claim kingship over the seven dwarf clans. At least that was something.

"Then come on, we need to get out of here and prepare for Bard's attack this evening," Thorin insisted, taking the key and sticking it in the lock. It still looked odd to him, nothing like the ones the guards were using, but it did the trick nonetheless. With a satisfying clunk, the lock gave way and the door swung open, allowing the five dwarrow and one lass to step out to freedom. Well…partial freedom, they still needed to get by guards outside the door.

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Marigold and the others waited anxiously, having watched the guards escort Rose inside and then return soon after. They could only hope that things were going as planned inside the dungeons as well. They were not sure how long it would take, or how long they should wait, but as the minutes ticked by, their anxiety grew. Just when Marigold thought she would go mad from worry, there came a small knock on the other side of the door that led to the prison, causing the five guards to jump in surprise.

"Mister Guards," came Rose's little voice. "Can I come out now?"

The startled dwarves all looked at each other, not sure what to do.

"How did she get out?" one asked the other.

"She is rather small…do you think she squeezed between the bars?" another suggested.

"Damn pesky children!" the leader grumbled, reaching out and unlocking the door, yanking it open with a look of pure irritation.

Yet what he saw was no little dwarfling, instead it was the fist of Thorin Oakenshield, smashing into his face before he could even react. With the first one down, knocked unconscious by the blow, Thorin and the others rushed forward, attacking with such speed that none had a chance to draw their weapons.

When Gimli and the dams saw Thorin bust out the door, they too leapt from their hiding place and joined in the fray. Within seconds, the five guards lay unconscious on the floor, battered and bleeding, but still very much alive.

"Quick, get them inside and lock them up," Balin ordered, as he, Dori and Ori began to drag the guards through the door.

Gloin was too busy hugging both Dena and Gimli, the tearful family reunion a sight to see. But nothing matched Thorin's look of joy when Marigold came flying into his arms, kissing him soundly before sobbing into his shoulder.

"Oh, Thorin…I was so frightened for you," she told him, unable to stop her tears. "When we had to run…and leave you behind…" She stopped there, unable to continue.

"Shhhh," he soothed, stroking the back of her hair as he whispered words of comfort to her. "I'm here now. No need to worry." Although, in truth there was still a lot left to worry about, but for now, they were together and that was all that mattered.

"Adad!" Rose called, running through the doorway and wrapping her arms around her father's legs.

Thorin let go of Marigold for just a moment as he picked his daughter up, immediately replacing his free arm around his wife the second he was able. Thorin could not ask for more in the world than what he held right then. These were his true treasures, and he would risk anything to keep them.

Soon Balin, Ori and Dori came back out of the prison, holding several weapons and handing them out until everyone was armed. Thorin had to let go of Marigold in order to take his, and he frowned a bit as the blade felt ill balanced and awkward in his hand. He missed Orcrist. Still, that blade was lost to him for now, more than likely still in his chambers or in Hagen's possession, thus he would have to look elsewhere for a blade. He couldn't be expected to slay his enemy with such a shoddy weapon as this. It was then that he got an idea, and a sly smile spread over his face.

"Well, we got you out," Dis stated, looking at Thorin expectantly, and noting the change in his expression. "Now…what plan are you hatching in that thick head of yours, brother?"

Yah...Dis did her part...now what do you plan to do about yours? ha ha.

And Rose did a wonderful job. In fact, I think Thorin will now think twice about not giving her her way if she wants something. ha ha.

The family is reunited...well, two of them. Thorin's and Gloin's.

Now we have to see what they will do next.

Guest Reviews:

Guest: Nope, it would be unwise, ha ha. Only family and friends live to tell about it? Really? I mean, do we honestly know what happened to Frerin the First? Maybe he didn't die in the battle of Moria...maybe he just ticked Dis off. ha ha. I enjoy Gimli too...and it would make sense that he is getting some training here, since he has a big job ahead of him in LOTR. Oh, loved your closing line. Thanks!

abc: The dams did great. And yes, Fili taught his wife well. Gimli did a good job helping the dams. Saved Dis...that will earn him some points for sure. OH yes, Durins throw the best tantrums...I mean look at Thorin! ha ha. Thanks.

Emrfangirl: My apologies to your kind neighbors, ha ha. And no, the wild goose chase Thorin sent Hagen on leads to no where...and certainly not to the arkenstone. But that would have been a hoot to kick him out the secret door and then he would have to walk all the way around the mountain to get back in. ha ha. Gimli did good, did he not? And I wanted ALL the children (other than Freya) to help out. Makes them feel good about themselves. Thanks

Aranel Mereneth: Dis and Sier make a formidable team! And Rose and Thorin are adorable...especially together.

dojoson41: Yep what? ha ha. Oh, who cares, I will just agree with you and pretend you were saying "Fili is one hot, studly dwarf". ha ha.

Feu d'Argent: Don't worry, my brain has since recovered from the thinking overload. ha ha. Shipping Flinn and Dis now are ya? Well, they ARE married. ha ha. I am glad your little brother is getting all the hugs. Dis is stepping up to be Sier's mom, right! Well, Thorin already thinks the world of Sier...so why not Flinn Sr. too? And as always, thanks for your wonderful reviews!