BilboPOV

I had read stories of elves and their sensitive senses. Seeing beyond the stars, the sixth sense of danger. But the only one I was worried about was their hearing. I didn't want to have all hope lost to this quest merely because of my beating heart. It thumped against my chest at every shadow, every noise.

I held the keys in a white knuckle grip so that they wouldn't smack together. I walked heel to toe and tried not to run to keep my feet from slapping the ground.

I made my way slowly up the steps to Caldeon. I fitted the key into to hole, it didn't seem to want to corporate. I gently maneuvered the key in the lock before it finally clicked open. The door slowly opened with an unwanted creek. Caldeon stood at the back wall looking slightly scared. I haven't seen her since she had her final dinner with Thranduil (which was only two days ago) and I was happy to not be seeing skin and bone.

The fear in her eyes discouraged me, I was only then did I realize I still had on my ring. I slipped it off and walked to her without another word. My hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her toward the door.

"Bilbo where are we going?"

"Out."

ThorinPOV

The sun streamed through the dungeons, mocking our sour mood. My thoughts drifted to my daughter. I after my nightmare later that evening I haven't slept. Sometimes I find myself drifting and receiving haunting images of Caldeon, dying, crying of starvation. Myself chained to a dark wall oblivion, watching and screaming for her. When I come flying back to my senses I find myself thinking that my dreams were just a inch from being true.

A sudden jingle and some gasps in disbelief awoke me from my terrifying trance. Gazing out of my cell I saw the back of a small person, some more ignorant would see and child, but I saw a hobbit with so much luck that it was funny. Small childish bubbles of laughter stirred in my chest at our good fortune.

When Bilbo came to unlock my cell I hurried to my questions. "How have you gone all these weeks without being seen? How are we escaping? Where is Caldeon?"

"I will answer everything in good time, Caldeon is standing guard," he responded with haste before moving to the last cell that held Dwalin.

We followed Bilbo down huge flight of stairs. The warmth of hope spread through my body when I saw the familiar wheat colored hair of my sweet Caldeon. I quickly advanced toward her. I embraced her and she gently wrapped her arms around me. I took this quick chance to assess her figure. She was too thin, that was all I could make out.

When we let go of each other she looked to Bilbo. "They're still passed out," she said. Bilbo nodded and continued around the corner.

The corridor opened up to a large wooden room bathed in a honey colored glow. Bilbo pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed over to a table where two elves slept slumped over on a table.

We tiptoed over to Bilbo where he stood anxiously. There was a precarious pile of empty open wooden casks we all eyed them with suspicion. "Ok. Now into the barrels," He said confirming my fears.

"What?! Your insane! Do you honestly believe that they wouldn't catch us?!" said multiple voices of the company.

"Quiet!" I commanded quietly. When the company quieted I thought for a moment. We really didn't have any other choice for escape at the moment. "Do as he says."

We all crawled into the barrels, and waited ,"What now," asked Bofur. Bilbo quickly hushed him and walked to a lever.

"Hold your breath."

I felt my stomach in my throat as I plummeted into water.

CaldeonPov

Water found it's way down my throat and into my nose. When I came back to the surface I had trouble breathing. Gloin was right next to me and slammed on my back, I could see the water fly from my mouth. Looking around I could see that I wasn't the only one. When we were with Beorn, Fili, Kili, and Ori swam with me and were very strong swimmers, I don't know how good the others are at swimming.

The river was calm as we drifted downstream. We came to the light and my heart fekt like a lead weight as I heard the clear sound of an elvish horn rang clear in the morning air.

We turned a bend in the stream and came to a white stone gate which was slowly closing it's iron barred gates. One by one we collided with the gate and with each other.

Elves were gaining on us. Thorin was rattling the iron bars with all his might, it frightened me. I placed a hand on his arm. He looked back at me with wild eyes, they were the eyes of some desperate, caged animal. "You are not going back there," he said to me with such surety.

Screams made us look back. There were not just elves, but orcs. Some were tackling some dwarves. Thorin grabbed me to keep me from. "Don't look. Help me." I nodded and the pair of us fiddled with the hinges and locks, but it was all in vain.

I heard a pained scream that came directly above us. Thorin covered my ears. "KILI!" I heard Fili yell through the thick muscle of Thorin's hand. His grip lessened and I heard him whisper "Kili, no."

Kili and Fili alike have been my best friends even before I became their cousins. My heart felt cold at Fili's tortured screams. I didn't know if Kili was alive, dead, or worse.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I jumped when the gates opened. My barrel dropped 20 feet down a waterfall. Water covered my vision again.

This part of the river was stronger than the other, my barrel was tossed against the rocks and I feared that it would break. "Caldeon!" Dwalin yelled, he threw me a ax-like weapon that I used when an orc caught to close.

We came to a violent bend in the river, and I was thrown to the steep bank of the river. An orc jumped down from above and tackled my barrel afoul nd tossed my weapon away. I was forced to the bottom of the barrel. The foul thing scratched his nails on my face. But a powerful knock from a rock tossed the orc off.

I lifted my head out of the barrel at just the right moment. I hit my head on a low branch and my world went blank.

ThorinPOV

We had out run the elves and orcs a while ago and now we were loosing the current. "Make for the bank," I commanded. We dragged ourselves out of our barrels. "Head count."

"Kili." "Fili." "Balin." "Dwalin." "Gloin." "What? Oh. Oin." "Bofur." "Bombur." Bifir." "Ori." "Dori." "Nori." "Bilbo."

"Where is Caldeon?" I asked.

I looked in panic up and down the river. "Caldeon! Where are you!"

"Thorin, over there," Fili pointed out a barrel that was floating idly.

I leapt into the freezing water with Dwalin and Fili right behind me. We swam to the barrel. Caldeon was at the bottom of the barrel with her eyes closed.

Fili and I lifted her onto Dwlin's back we made our way down to the bank again and placed her gingerly onto the rocks. "Oin!"

The healer checked her over. "She is concussed. She will be fine but she needs to rest." Relief came over me at the news, concussions hurt like hell, but she will ok sooner or later. "Thorin, Kili was shot in the leg.'

"Bind it, quickly." The healer then left.

I lifted Caldeon into my arms and we were off.

My summer has been busy and a new school doesn't help either. I get that this is not the best chapter, but it is more of a filler. I can't that the chapters will come at a constant rate but this story will not die

Please review. Any constructive criticism, on plot, or grammar is welcome.