Chapter 6 - Nori
Chapter summary: As far as prisons went, Nori had seen worse.
In his life, Nori had seen his fair share of prison cells. As far as prisons went, the elven dungeon was one of the better ones. The cells were a nice size, airy, the food wasn't terrible and got brought at regular intervals and nobody tortured him. So far, he was quite satisfied with his accommodations, especially since the alternative was starving to death in the forest.
Still, comfortable or not, as soon as the guards left him alone after he had eaten his first meal in days, he used the opportunity to examine the cell from top to bottom, looking for any crack or weakness that could be exploited and used for an escape. He was a little disappointed to find nothing that he could use, but he knew better than to let his spirits sink. There was sure to be a weak spot somewhere – no prison was perfect and every lock could be opened with the right means.
Even though there was no way to see outside, Nori could make a guess at the time he had spent in the cell by counting the passing of the guards. By his rough estimate they had been caught six days ago. In all that time nobody had tried to force him to talk about their quest. Elves were much too soft of heart to ever think about using torture and their feeble attempts at interrogation were laughable at best. Silent treatment had never worked on Nori, and even though the solitary confinement had been a smart move on their side, he wasn't terribly concerned. Compared to his four-month stay in the rotten dungeons of Gundabad, this was a pleasant holiday.
Nori knew that most of the other dwarfs wouldn't talk about their quest, being much too stubborn to betray anything, but he was a bit worried about Ori. His younger brother had always been a gentle soul and he might think about telling the elves, if he thought that it would help his friends. It was the thought of Ori that made Nori almost break out of the cell. He had been toying with the idea for days now – ever since he had discovered how uncomplicated the elvish locks were. Unlocking the door would be a simple matter, especially since he still had his lock-picking kit tucked deep in his undershirt.
Ultimately though, he decided to stay in his cell. If he broke out, he would have no idea which way to go and would probably get caught before he could make any sense of the endless corridors of the elven dungeon. And, even if he did find any of his companions, he had no plan of escape, so it was no use blowing his cover for a stunt that was guaranteed to put him back in a cell. Essentially, he was left a sitting duck and he didn't like it in the slightest, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
As if summoned by a prayer, a familiar voice suddenly sounded at the door.
"Nori? Is that you?"
Nori raised his head from his contemplation, staring at the door in disbelief.
"Mr Baggins?"
"Nori!" the voice exclaimed and suddenly the hobbit appeared out of thin air, looking around cautiously before he stepped closer to the bars. "I'm so glad I found you. They have you locked all over the place. It took me several days to find the others and I still don't know where Dwalin, Glóin and Thorin are, but I can tell you that both of your brothers are fine."
"Thank Mahal." Nori quickly crossed the cell to be able to speak more privately. "Have you spoken to them?"
Bilbo nodded.
"Yes, I have spoken to them both. Ori seems a bit lonely, but at least he still has his sewing kit. The last time I saw him, he was embroidering a handkerchief. I could take him a message from you, if you wish. He is not far from here."
"Yes, that would be nice of you," Nori told him. He then paused, remembering what he'd just heard. "Wait, did you just say that they have Thorin here as well?"
"Well, I don't know for certain, but some of the guards have been talking about another dwarf, held deep in the dungeons. They caught him the day before they got you. I haven't been able to visit him yet, because I was too busy searching for the rest of you, but I should be able to see him in a day or two."
"Good." Nori's mood improved at the news. "I assume you are using your magic ring to walk around unnoticed?"
"Yes. It's very effective," Bilbo said. "I spent several hours standing behind the king's chair in the throne room the other day and nobody noticed a thing. I have even managed to get out through the gate twice, but there is no way for all of us to escape that way. The main gate is locked by magic and the other entrances are all heavily guarded. I will continue looking for another way out, but so far I have found no way that would allow all of us to leave the palace without raising an alarm. It looks pretty bleak, if you ask me."
Nori reached a hand through the bars to lightly clasp his shoulder.
"Our biggest advantage is that you are free and the elves don't know about your presence. I am sure one of us will be able to think of something. I have been able to escape from places far worse than this, believe me. Every fortress has a weakness - one just has to find it."
A sudden idea came to him.
"Would you be able to draw me a floor plan of the palace? How the rooms are spaced, where are our other companions, what is the location of the exits?"
The hobbit looked thoughtful.
"Hm, I suppose I could do that. There is bound to be some parchment lying around somewhere and the drawing won't be that different from making a map. I'm still not sure where all the rooms are, but give me a few more days and I should be able to put it together."
"Splendid." Nori gave him a smile, feeling more hopeful than he had in weeks. "When you have the map, bring it to me, and I can help you come up with something. You'd better find Thorin first though, before we do anything else - we cannot put together a plan without his knowledge." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out an old, tattered piece of cloth. "Please take this to Ori and tell him to stay calm. Hopefully we should be able to get out of here in a few days' time."
The hobbit took the cloth and tucked it safely away.
"I should leave now. The evening guard will be passing through here soon. I'll go find the rest and come to you when I have some news."
He took two steps back and disappeared. The air barely moved when he started sneaking away and Nori couldn't help but admire the skill. The hobbit moved without making any sound and if Nori hadn't specifically known that someone was standing in front of him, he never would have guessed. Grudgingly, he had to admit that Gandalf's choice of their fourteenth Companion had been apt. Mr Baggins may not have been a burglar when they had started, but he was one now. Nori no longer felt worried about putting their fate in the Bilbo's hands.
°O°O°O°
It was two days before Bilbo appeared again. When he did, he looked harried and tired, darting nervous glances down the corridor. Nori was at the door in a flash.
"I found Thorin," the hobbit said. "They are holding him in the lowest dungeon, but the security isn't very tight. He hasn't told them who he is, so they are leaving him mostly alone. He told me to tell you all that no mention of our quest should be made under any circumstances. He doesn't have any idea how to get out of here, but was very glad to hear that you are all safe."
Nori smiled.
"That is good news. Have you found out anything else?"
Bilbo nodded.
"The elven king will be having a grand feast next week to celebrate the harvest. All of the court is invited, which means that the security down here should be almost non-existent. It would be the ideal time to escape, if we only had a way. I haven't been able to find any other entrance, but I have the map for you." He reached into his jacket and drew out a square of folded parchment. "It's crude at best, and some of the rooms have the wrong proportions, but other than that it should be fairly accurate. It's difficult to guess the size of the palace because there are so many rooms. I hope you will be able to make something of it."
Nori took the map, his eyes lighting up. Now this was something he could work with. He looked up at Bilbo.
"The guards won't pass through here for at least another two hours. Why don't you rest for a bit while I read the map? I will let you know if I have any questions."
The hobbit gave him a grateful look and sat down on the ground, his back to the cell door. Even in the warm light from the torches, he looked pale and exhausted. Nori knew all too well how it was to spend days sneaking around in enemy territory, unable to sleep for fear of being discovered. He didn't envy Bilbo his position in the slightest. He himself may be in the cell, but at least he was fed and comfortable. The hobbit's freedom was bought out by constant danger and paranoia. Hardly a good trade.
Nori raised the map closer to the torchlight. The drawing was surprisingly good. There were several floors, with the rooms all neatly labelled. Bilbo had depicted both the dungeon cells and the living quarters of the Elvenking, giving the map a good sense of scope. All the cells of their friends were marked as well and Nori could slowly feel the image of the place taking shape in his mind.
He had only had brief glimpses of the corridors when the elves led them to their cells, but with the map in his hand it was easy to visualize the layout of the palace. Ori may be the one with the talent for drawing, but Nori had always been good at spatial imagination. It had helped him more than once during his spying missions, when he'd been lost in a maze of corridors in the middle of enemy territory. This situation was no different and he could already feel the wheels in his brain turning, calculating distances and the routes of the guards.
Looking down at the hobbit, he saw that Bilbo had fallen asleep. He sat slumped on the floor, his head resting back against the door. His left hand kept twitching around the ring, the other lay on the hilt of his little sword. Judging from his breathing, his sleep wasn't very deep and the slightest noise would probably bring him back to full alertness.
Nori carefully put away the map and stepped closer to the door, keeping watch over the sleeping halfling. It was the least he could do for his friend. For indeed a friend he was. Nori had never shared Dwalin's open distrust of the hobbit, but he wasn't as quick to trust him as Ori or Balin, who had accepted Bilbo into their hearts without reservations. Unlike them Nori had remained cautious, keeping his distance, observing, judging.
Over the course of the journey Bilbo had proved himself to be a loyal companion and a good friend. Despite his discomfort with weapons and his distaste for violence he had never abandoned them in a time of need.
Bilbo's stunt with the spiders was still fresh in Nori's mind. Nori had no idea if it had been bravery, foolishness or desperation that had driven the hobbit to face down several dozen huge spiders, but it had been an impressive sight, nonetheless.
They had all been weakened by the poison, weaponless and barely able to walk, much less help him in the battle, yet Bilbo had stood there, unflinchingly facing down a wall of enemies to give his friends time to escape. They had tried to rally around him and help him, but he had waved them away, urging them to run. They could only watch helplessly as he threw himself into the fray, heedless of the danger, slaying spider after spider.
Nori had only seen one other like that, long ago. Balin and Dwalin hadn't been the only ones who had answered Thorin's call before the gates of Moria - Nori had been there as well. He'd been still a young lad, barely old enough to hold a weapon, but he had insisted on joining his father and brother on the battlefield. Back then he had helped Thorin drive the orcs back into the mountain and he had happily followed Thorin's lead ever since. He knew that he wasn't the only one who had drawn that parallel in his head – Dwalin in particular had looked at the hobbit with a great amount of respect when the battle with the spiders was over.
Looking back at that moment, he couldn't help but wonder how the distribution of power in the Company would change once they managed to escape from the prison. It was clear that many of the companions had begun to look to Bilbo for guidance in Gandalf's absence - the hobbit's cleverness and pragmatic nature serving as a nice counterbalance to Thorin's more impulsive decision making. Nori wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if some of them started to prefer the hobbit's prudent approach over Thorin's rashness.
Nori himself would certainly appreciate having a sound plan before they went charging into the dragon's lair. While he didn't know the king well enough to guess his thoughts, he was pretty sure that Thorin had no plans concerning the dragon. From the snippets of conversation he had overheard, he knew that Balin wasn't particularly pleased about that, either. Nori had no idea what the others thought, but he knew that many of them had counted on the wizard killing the dragon. To their great displeasure Gandalf had taken off at the edge of the forest, riding merrily into the sunset, and left them to their own devices.
Without the wizard their chances of slaying the dragon were almost nonexistent, making their quest more of a suicide mission than a triumphant homecoming. After all, what could thirteen dwarfs do that an army hadn't been able to? And yet Thorin seemed strangely unperturbed. Did he have that much confidence in the hobbit's abilities, or was he just very good at denial? Nori didn't know, but he wasn't very impressed with Thorin's attitude.
The hobbit himself seemed to be completely oblivious to the potential power-shift he had put in motion with his actions. Bilbo's only thought when he had acted had been to protect his friends. He claimed that he didn't desire power and Nori believed him, but all his protests might be useless when the group decided that he should be the one to lead them, as had already happened once and might very well happen again.
Despite his reluctance Bilbo had proven himself a fairly capable leader – far better than any of them had expected. The cautious strategist who was now sleeping in a warrior pose at Nori's feet was a far cry from the "funny little fellow bobbing on the mat", as Glóin had aptly described the hobbit when they had first met him.
However, while his companions had been pleased with Bilbo's transformation into an honorary dwarf, Nori hadn't been as quick to share their enthusiasm. Yes, Bilbo had fit in nicely with their group, but at what price? Nori found himself missing some of the innocent naiveté of the creature who had been unable to leave his home without a pocket handkerchief. While the new absence of bumbliness was certainly useful for their quest, Nori couldn't help but feel that their adventure was taking its toll on the hobbit.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a sound of approaching footsteps.
"Bilbo!" he hissed urgently, kicking the door with his foot.
The hobbit woke up instantly, eyes wide and searching. He quickly scrambled to his feet, putting on the ring.
"I'll come back after the dinner and you can tell me if you have any ideas about the map." The disembodied voice was still unsettling, even when Nori knew that Bilbo was there.
Nori nodded and went to sit back on the bed, tucking the map under his shirt. There had to be a way out of here.
°O°O°O°
When the hobbit appeared next, his shoulders were slumped and his face grey with fatigue.
"Ori and Dori send their regards," Bilbo said as a means of greeting. He leaned heavily against the wall next to the door to Nori's cell and his head tipped forward, his eyes trying to fall shut against his will. Nori watched him struggle against fatigue for a moment before he took pity on him.
"Are you all right, Mr Baggins?"
It took Bilbo a few seconds to focus on the question.
"No, I don't think I am," he finally answered with heart-breaking honesty. "We've been here for two weeks already and I have barely had a wink of sleep. I feel like I'm going to fall over any minute now. I can barely see straight, much less think of a cunning escape plan in his state."
He gave Nori a look of bone-deep weariness. It was a testament to his poor condition that he was willing to confide such a thing to Nori of all people. It took Nori less than a heartbeat to decide.
"Do you trust me?" he asked the hobbit. To Bilbo's credit the hobbit barely hesitated before he gave his answer.
"Yes."
Nori gave him a nod and used the pretence of looking for his lockpicks to hide his reaction to the statement. In all his life, he could count the number of people who had been willing to trust him on one hand. To receive such trust without any caveats or conditions was a rare thing indeed for Nori. He found that he didn't quite know how to react to Bilbo's gesture of trust.
It only took a minute to pop open the lock in the door.
"Come in," Nori told the hobbit, who was staring at the open door in undisguised bafflement. When Bilbo didn't move, Nori sighed. "It's not a trick, I promise. I just thought you might like to get some sleep."
"Oh," Bilbo said, his frown clearing up. "Will you be able to lock it again behind me? It wouldn't do for the elves to find out about this."
Nori gave him a look.
"I wouldn't have opened it if I didn't know how to lock it again."
Shooting one last look between Nori's face and the door he was holding open, Bilbo peeled himself from the wall and slipped inside the cell. He tensed a bit when Nori locked the door again behind them but other than that he didn't react. Nori pointed towards the cot in the corner.
"Get some sleep. I'll keep watch and wake you up if needed."
Bilbo only hesitated for a second, his fatigue winning over any objections he might have about sharing a cell with a thief. He sat down heavily on the bed and didn't waste any time getting comfortable – he simply slumped down onto his side and curled into a ball facing the door.
"You might want to be invisible for this," Nori reminded him gently.
Without opening his eyes, Bilbo reached into his pocket and drew out a small golden circle, slipping it on his finger in a well-practiced movement. The hobbit disappeared at once and only the faint sound of his breathing gave any hint that there might be another occupant in the cell.
Nori crossed the room and sat down on the floor in the opposite corner, where he had a good view of both the door and the bed. Wiggling a little to get into a comfortable position, Nori leaned his head back against the wall and settled down for his watch.
He had a long night ahead of him.
°O°O°O°
Bilbo woke up shortly after dawn. If he hadn't been paying attention, Nori would have hardly noticed – the only signs of Bilbo's waking up had been a slight hitch of breath and a quiet rustle of fabric. Nori opened his mouth to greet him when he heard the distant sound of footsteps that signalised the arrival of his breakfast.
He scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, trying to ignore the woodenness of his legs that were protesting against the movement after so many hours of sitting in one pose, and tiptoed over to the cot, where he sat down at the edge to pretend that he had only just woken up. The hobbit scuttled over a bit to make room for him, but other than that he didn't make a sound.
Sure enough, less than a minute later came a loud knock on the door.
"Breakfast!" the warden announced.
Nori stood up slowly and shuffled to the door at a snail's pace, because he knew that it annoyed the elves when he kept them waiting. Toying with the guards was the only source of amusement he had in this hellhole, so he baited them as often as he could, just for the entertainment.
The elf was shifting impatiently by the time he arrived to the door.
"Here's your breakfast," he said, stuffing the bread bun and a piece of cheese through the bars. Nori handed him back the empty bowl from last night's dinner and had to suppress a grin when his grip on it slipped up a bit and the small puddle of sauce on the bottom dribbled down onto the sleeve of the elf's tunic. The elf shot him an annoyed look, but didn't comment on it. Pity, though Nori. This one must have been warned about Nori's penchant for disruptive behaviour. How boring.
"Still not willing to talk, dwarf?" the warden asked. Nori gave him a mocking smile.
"No."
The elf huffed.
"Very well, have it your way. You will talk eventually, even if we have to hold you here for a hundred years. Unlike you, we have all the time in the world." With that last parting shot the elf glided away, smirking in an insufferably smug way that made Nori want to punch his stupid face.
Nori waited by the door until he was sure that the elf was gone and then made his way back to the bed where the hobbit sat, blinking sleepiness out of his eyes. He had taken off his ring after the elf had left, and was now studying the cell with interest, his eyes flitting between Nori and the door.
"Are you all right?" Nori asked, sitting down next to the hobbit. Bilbo gave him a small smile.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you. I really needed the sleep. These last few days have been a bit of a blur to me." He paused, shooting a nervous look at the door. "Should we even be talking?" he asked in a whisper.
"I think it's safe now," Nori said. "The elves always bring me breakfast and then nobody passes this way for at least four hours. We should be fine."
"Good."
They sat in silence for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say.
"I didn't make any noise during the night, did I?" the hobbit asked finally.
Nori shook his head.
"No, you're a very quiet sleeper. I barely knew you were here."
"You didn't sleep?" Bilbo frowned. Nori waved his concern away.
"I can sleep whenever I want. It's the one thing that I'm certainly not lacking around here." His gaze slid from his bread bun to the hobbit who was sitting next to him empty handed. "Here," he broke the bread in half, handing a piece to Bilbo. "You should eat something before you leave."
"But what about you-?" Bilbo began, but Nori cut him off.
"Don't worry about me. The elves give me plenty of food. You on the other hand look like you could definitely use a bite."
Bilbo fidgeted for a moment longer before he took the bread with a muttered "thank you".
"I have to be careful about what I steal. If I took too much, they would get suspicious." He bit into the cheese with enthusiasm, savouring the taste. His eyes fell on the piece of bread and he smiled suddenly, looking back up at Nori. "You know, Ori tries to feed me, too, every time I pass by his door. He always has a piece of bread or an apple saved for me and refuses to let me leave until I eat it."
Nori smiled fondly.
"That sounds just like him. He's always been generous like that." He gave the hobbit a look. "You know, he likes you a lot. I think it's because you're one of the few people who take him seriously."
"He's one of the few people who aren't trying to change me into something I'm not," Bilbo said quietly. "Everyone else would like to turn me into a thief, or a warrior or a hero, but not Ori. He seems content to simply be my friend and doesn't demand that I change into something better, someone more dwarvish." He looked down on his hands, which were toying with a piece of bread crust. "I haven't told him this, but I really appreciate it."
Nori nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything to that. Privately he was glad that Ori had a friend like this. His younger brother had always had trouble being taken seriously by the other dwarves, his shy nature and bookishness setting him apart from his peers. Nori and Dori had done all they could to help him, but he had still never managed to quite fit in with the other dwarves. Bilbo's acceptance of him was a welcome change.
"Do you think we have any chance of killing the dragon?" Bilbo suddenly asked, breaking the silence. A quick glance at his face revealed that he already suspected the answer, but wanted to hear it from someone else.
"No." Nori saw no point in false assurances. The hobbit smiled grimly.
"That's what I thought."
"Why are you still here, then?" Nori asked. At Bilbo's questioning look, he elaborated. "You could have packed your bags at any time. This is not your quest after all - you could just tell Thorin to stuff it and go home." Bilbo started sputtering, but Nori went on. "I don't think anyone would blame you, after all we've been through these past few months. If you wanted, you could just steal a bit of gold from Thranduil's treasury, catch a boat in Lake-town and travel south to Rohan. It would be an easy matter to get back to the Shire from there. You could be home in less than four months."
The hobbit looked a little offended at the suggestion at first, but in the end he closed his mouth and shook his head stubbornly.
"I'm not leaving."
"It would be the smart thing to do, if you ask me." Nori gave him a sideways glance.
"But it wouldn't be right," Bilbo replied, his voice ringing with conviction.
"No," Nori said quietly. "It wouldn't."
A few heartbeats passed before Bilbo spoke again.
"To be honest, the idea did cross my mind a few times before," he confessed. He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees in a self-conscious gesture. "Mostly at the beginning. I was seriously tempted to just stay in Rivendell and let you go on without me."
Nori tipped his head to the side to get a better view of his face, which was now mostly hidden behind a curtain of curls.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because you're my friends," Bilbo said simply. "I'm not leaving you behind if I can help it."
"Are we really?" Nori asked. "Your friends, I mean."
"Yes, of course you're my friends," Bilbo replied without missing a beat. Then he bit his lip, throwing Nori a hesitant look. "At least, most of you are. I can't imagine that I will ever be friends with Thorin or Dwalin."
Nori snorted.
"Dwalin doesn't like anyone."
That drew a small chuckle from Bilbo.
"Yes, it certainly seems that way. Thorin seems to be the only one whose company he's willing to tolerate."
"And Balin," Nori reminded him.
"Ah, yes, Balin," Bilbo said, his lips quirking up into a fond smile. "Poor old chap - he has to put up with them both."
They exchanged a look before they both burst out laughing, taking care to keep it quiet to avoid alerting the elves. It hadn't been all that funny, but after so many weeks of living constantly on edge the laughter was a welcome break from the ever-present gloom and danger. Gradually their mirth winded down and they sat together leaning against the wall behind the cot, the companionable silence occasionally broken up with a few stray chuckles.
After a few minutes Bilbo scooted forward, standing up reluctantly.
"I should go," he said. "It's not safe for me to stay in one place for too long."
Nori nodded and stood up as well, realising with surprise that he was sorry to see the hobbit go so soon. Bilbo had been a pleasant company in the time he had spent in Nori's cell. Nori wasn't looking forward to another week of staring at the wall, with only his mind and the elvish guards for entertainment. Maybe he could convince the hobbit to come by again. He didn't mind sharing his cot if it meant that he would be able to hold a conversation with someone for longer than two minutes.
Bilbo paused by the door.
"You know, this is the part of our adventure that I dislike the most so far. I thought the forest was horrible, but at least there I had you all to keep me company. This is equal parts stressful and boring and the time here just seems to stretch on endlessly. It feels like we've been here for a small eternity already. I can't wait to get out of here."
"Me neither," Nori said. He gave the hobbit a reassuring smile. "I have every confidence that you'll be able to get us out."
Bilbo gave him a week smile in return.
"I'll do my best, but I can't promise you anything."
Nori unlocked the door for him and Bilbo slipped through, pulling his ring out of his pocket.
"I'll come again in a day or two. Thorin insisted that I visit him often, so I should probably go and tell him what I've found out so far."
"Good luck," Nori wished him. With one last nod the hobbit put on his magic ring and disappeared.
Nori went back to his cot and sat down, already feeling bored out of his mind. Bilbo had been right about the passage of time in this place – it really did feel endless. His gaze fell on the opposite wall and he grinned, a sudden idea coming to life in his mind. The elves would surely love to have their cells decorated with some nice swearwords and few tasteful nudes.
Picking up his discarded spoon, Nori went to work.
°O°O°O°
For the next few days Bilbo acted as a messenger between the dwarves, carrying messages back and forth. So far he had been unable to discover a safe passage outside and he was starting to look more and more harried with each passing day. Nori privately thought that it may be Thorin's fault – the dwarven king was most likely becoming impatient and taking out his frustration on the poor hobbit. Dwalin probably didn't help the issue much, either – the large dwarf had always hated sitting idle. For the sake of poor Bilbo's nerves, Nori couldn't wait for their stay in the elvish prison to be over.
Finally, on the day before the elven king's feast Bilbo appeared at his door, looking excited and terrified at the same time.
"I think I found a way out and it's completely mad, but I don't have anything better and the feast is tomorrow. There isn't much time left."
"Tell me what you discovered."
And so Bilbo told him all about the cellar trapdoor and barrels, the portcullis in the river and the trade with Lake-town. Nori could hardly contain his excitement.
"That could work. It could really work, if we time it right. I could open the cell doors, but it would take me a while and we might get discovered. It would be easier to steal the keys and open the cells that way. Would you be able to do that?"
Bilbo thought for a moment.
"I think so. The High Warden has all the keys, but he is very fond of wine. If he got drunk enough, he would barely notice that his keys are missing. There's bound to be plenty of wine tomorrow."
"That sounds promising," Nori said. "I have memorised the floor plan you gave me, so I can assist you in releasing the dwarves to make the escape faster. I have to warn you though - the others won't be pleased about being stuffed in barrels."
Bilbo huffed.
"Then I won't tell them. By Valar, you dwarves are insufferable. I find you a way out of prison and you complain that it's not comfortable enough. Confound you all and your damn pride."
Nori laughed.
"Don't look at me, lad, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Believe me, I have used worse things than barrels to get out of tight places before. I'm more than glad to be getting out of here. The others will just have to swallow their pride. It will do them good, I daresay."
Bilbo gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you for your support, Nori. Honestly, I don't know if I could have pulled this off without you. Some of your advice was indispensable."
Nori smiled, bowing slightly.
"I am at your service, Master Baggins. And I will be even happier when we finally get out of here. I am sure you will have plenty of interesting information to share."
"You have no idea."
To be continued...
A/N: I liked the idea of Nori, as someone who is a bit of an a-hole, but still a pretty decent guy overall. I hope I managed to get the idea across well enough.
The next chapter should be out on Monday or Tuesday, depending on how fast I can put it together (there are still a few scenes missing). My original plan had been to post at least nine chapters before the second movie came out, but a new trailer convinced me that I don't have to hurry so much. The entire fic will be posted before the end of the year, because my exams start at the 2nd of January and I really need to begin studying for them soon.
As always, thank you so much to everyone who continues to follow this fic and leaves me feedback! I love hearing what you thought about my story.
Fanart for this chapter can be found here: nazgullow dot deviantart dot com / art / Discovering-Mr-Baggins-Nori-425748857