Hello, dearies!
I want to apologize about the last few chapters being so short.
Anyway, I hope you like this part...
Please review!

~ Rachel

Thorin heard footsteps coming down the stairs and mentally tried to prepare himself, but what he saw, he could never have prepared for. He watched as Eraveth descended the stairs with a tray of food. His mouth went completely dry when he looked at her. She wore a leaf green tunic that set off her hair and brown leggings like that of the elves. He was used to her in the skirts that she always wore, but this was something else. His heart began to pound in his chest when she caught his eye and gave him a soft smile.

The company was silent as Eraveth descended the stairs and the first to speak was Tosur. "I hope they have treated you well, dear sister. I might say you look a sight better than the last time we saw you."

"That dwarf is your brother?" Tauriel asked, bringing every eye to her. She began to pass out the food and motioned for Eraveth to do the same.

"Aye," Eraveth sighed in exasperation, "he is my brother. It pains me that he is not completely right in the head, but that might be my fault. I may have beaten him up too many times in our childhood." She slowly shook her head and handed Bofur a bowl of broth and bread.

"I take offense at that!" Tosur called and childishly stuck his tongue out at his sister. "My little sister does me no justice. My mental capacity has nothing to do with her." This got a few chuckles from some of the dwarves.

Eraveth worked her way slowly over to Thorin. She passed him his share and whispered, "Thranduil had guessed your intentions to enter the mountain. He is scared of the dragon and does not want him to be awakened. Tonight is a feast. I overheard some of the elves talking about it. I will try to find a way to get everyone out of here." Eraveth paused and looked over her shoulder. Tauriel was talking to Kili about the marvelous things he had seen on some of his journeys. She felt Thorin grasp her wrist and she looked back to him.

Thorin was not sure what he had wanted to say to her and faltered slightly. "Be careful," he finally said as he released her. "Thranduil is not someone to be messed with and I would feel better knowing that you were not in harm's way."

Eraveth blushed deeply and said, "You don't have to worry about me, Thorin. I can take care of myself." She turned away and walked over to Tosur. She wished him goodnight and waved to the others in the company. Her heart thumped wildly and her stomach seemed to have butterflies in it. She risked one final glance at Thorin and found him watching her intently. She quickly turned away and followed Tauriel in silence. As they walked, she made note of the path from the dungeon to her room.

Tauriel left Eraveth alone and didn't bother to lock her door. Eraveth moved toward the bed but stopped when she heard the door open softly. She turned, expecting to find Tauriel, but instead, found Bilbo.

"Bilbo Baggins!" she gasped as she rushed forward to embrace the hobbit. "I have been so worried about you!"

Bilbo smiled and said, "I'm fine, but we must get to the others. I found a way out of here, but we must go quickly. Do you know how to get to the dungeons?"

"Yes," Eraveth said as she peeked out the door to make sure no one was there, "I can take you there, but we need the keys to free the company."

Bilbo reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring. He chuckled softly, "The guard had a little too much wine to drink. We need to move before he wakes up."

Eraveth grinned broadly and said, "Well, then, let's go free some dwarves!" The pair took off down the hall made their way to the dungeons. They did not see any elves and were soon descending into the dungeons. The company was just then falling asleep and Eraveth crept softly to Thorin's cell. She reached through the bars and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Thorin turned to find Eraveth smiling gently at him and asked, "What is going on?"

"Bilbo has found a way out," she said as she motioned to the hobbit who was unlocking the cell doors. "We must leave quickly and quietly while the feast is still going on."

Bilbo reached Thorin's cell just then and Eraveth stood back so he could unlock it. Thorin looked to the hobbit and said, "Perhaps you are a better burglar than we thought. We will follow your lead, Master Baggins."

Bilbo nodded and began to lead the company of noisy dwarves to the cellar. He instructed them to get into the empty barrels that were stacked in a pile. He sighed when several of the dwarves started to protest and said, "Just do as I say. I know what I'm doing!"

With reluctance each of the fifteen companions climbed into the barrels. Eraveth shared a larger barrel with Tosur in order to leave one for the hobbit. Voices were heard and Bilbo instructed them to hold their breath. Eraveth was about to ask why when Bilbo pulled a lever and the barrels began to roll into the river that ran below Thranduil's palace.

When they hit the cold water, all the air was knocked from Eraveth's lungs. She pushed up against Tosur and saw Bilbo fall into the water. He grabbed onto a barrel and Eraveth let out a sigh of relief. They began to float down the rushing river and she heard Thorin praise Bilbo for getting them out. They went over a short waterfall and it seemed all was clear until an elvish horn broke the silence. Eraveth looked down the river to find a gate with guards. The guards pulled a lever and the gate began to close.

"We're not going to make it!" Eraveth yelled. The gate closed just as Thorin reached it. The barrels began to pile up and elves moved to capture them once again. Suddenly, an arrow pierced one of the elven guards and orcs began to flood the area.

Eraveth felt fear creep its way into her heart as she watched the tall beings above her fight off the orcs. Movement caught her eye and drew her attention to Kili who was climbing out of his barrel. He began to fight his way to the lever to release the dwarves. Eraveth moved without thought and climbed from her barrel to help him. An orc caught her eye and she gasped when she saw him raise a bow in Kili's direction. She rushed forward and pushed Kili out of the way.

Kili cried out in surprise when he was tackled to the ground and he heard his brother and uncle call his name. He turned to find Eraveth on top of him. Her eyes were wide and he saw fear in their depths. She rolled off him and cried out in pain. A large, crude arrow was protruding from her abdomen. He rushed forward to help her, but she pushed him away.

"Get the lever!" Eraveth commanded through gritted teeth. She watched Kili pull the lever and heard the cheers from the dwarves below. "You have to go!" she yelled at Kili.

Kili shook his head and said, "You're hurt. I'm not leaving you."

"You don't have a choice," Eraveth said softly and with all the strength she could muster, she kicked Kili and sent him tumbling into the river. She lay on the bridge and watched elves and orcs fight in what appeared to be slow motion. She felt both pain and numbness. With a scream of pain, she rolled to her side and watched as the company disappeared around a bend in the river, followed by elves and orcs. Her eyes closed as she felt someone lift her up and carry her back toward Thranduil's palace.