Of Mountains and Woodlands

by Amplesound

Maya is a Nymph, Thorin is a dwarf and Bilbo is Bilbo. Their stories entertwine as Bilbo's adventure plays out and Thorin begins to recognise his little hearts murmerings...D'aaaahwww! :} Maya's story goes excitingly on but to what end? Expreimental intro. Excuse any mistakes. Yay or Nay? DO tell. Maya (And the Wild Wood) is mine. The rest...not so much. ThorinXOC

9. Chapter 9

Of Mountains and Woodlands Chapter 9

"Where is Bilbo?"

"I don't know,"

"I know you don't know!"

"Then stop asking questions no one can answer,"

"Rhetorical questions are not meant to be answered,"

"Oh, forgive me my stupidity. Stop asking questions no one's going to answer,"

"Your smart mouth helps no one,"

"Neither does your temper," Maya looked at him feeling equally as frustrated as Thorin sounded, he gave her a dirty look then and turned from her. They had been subjected to all sorts of inquisitions; some of them lasting entire days with no food or drink though at the end they were allowed to sit around their table in shackled hands and eat with the elves while Thranduil looked condescendingly down upon them from his little thrown of elven power, if not, then food and drink was brought to them in their cells. The elven eating place was lit up with thousands of candles though it was a dull, bluish light - which explained the glow they had seen the night they were captured…again. Thorin was growing more and more restless and agitated as each day passed, unwilling to sleep, unwilling to battle his temper alone which in turn stopped Maya from getting any sleep or peace of mind too. She was growing irritable as well and she and Thorin were not compatible with their anger. Maya would often shut down completely, battling the dark annoyances in silence, whereas Thorin would rage to no foreseeable end; demanding Maya's attention with fierce dominance. She was exhausted from dealing with a dwarf who could not calm himself and being denied the silence she so desperately needed to keep her head on her shoulders. Eventually, she boiled over and she stood up, her eyes digging deep into Thorin's and the phrase "if looks could kill" comes to mind. He held his tongue while she relished in the moments of silence where she glared at him,

"If you don't calm yourself and shut up…I swear to all that's holy, Thorin Oakenshield, I will make you do so. Now sit down,"

"Maya, I -"

"SIT DOWN!"

He raised his hands, yielding to her threat. He wasn't quite as fearful as she would have liked him to be but the sudden outburst rendered him speechless and it was enough. He sat down looking at her thoughtfully. He nodded,

"Alright, I'm sorry,"

Finally! The dwarf understands! She almost laughed with relief but she couldn't find the humour to do so. She nodded at him,

"So am I," she gazed out from the bars of their cell, willing Bilbo to appear. She felt her lips moving to the waves of her brain, muttering the same thoughts: "Come on, Bilbo."

Alas, nothing came of it and she sat down next to Thorin. He glanced at her,

"What do you think?"

"I think Bilbo is over thinking his plan,"

Just then a group of well-armed elves descended from stone stairs that led back up into the forest. One of the elves drew a set of keys from his cloak and unlocked the gate,

"Thorin Oakenshield, Lord Thranduil requests your presence,"

Thorin looked darkly at the elegant group,

"Oh does he?" he cocked his head, "For what I wonder? Oh, wait…my quest. I almost forgot. You may tell Lord Thranduil, that which we have already told him, is all he will be getting,"

"Lord Thranduil premeditated such an answer, he says he as an offer for you that includes the release of you and your kin,"

Thorin stared at the elf, his expression blank, the elf's passive expression equally as inflexible. Maya gave Thorin a nudge,

"Go – it won't hurt to hear an offer,"

"No," he stood, grasping her hand in his, "No, it won't. But seeing him might,"

He let go of her hand and stalked passed the elf who had spoken; giving him such look that Maya was impressed that the elf did not retaliate in any manner regarding violence. He just shut the gate and left without a word to her. She snorted to herself, Thorin and his obsessive dislike of the elves was entertaining. The amusement was as quick to go as it was to come and she found herself twiddling her thumbs and raking her feet across the ground in boredom. She checked and double checked the walls and floors and gates for any flaws that they might take advantage of in order to escape, but there were none. It was lonely sitting in the dark by herself and her exhaustion and trauma of past events as well as frustration with the current situation caused all her tears she'd long since played down to well up again and caused the well to run over. She was tired, she wanted to get out, she wanted home…so many things that hurt and only so much her heart could take.

"Maya?"

A voice sounded from nowhere and had seemingly called her name. She sniffed and looked up, a wee bit confused.

"Maya, it's me Bilbo,"

And before her eyes, his nose inches away from the cell bars, Bilbo appeared. Tucking something away in his pocket as he gazed at her with eyes bright with concern,

"Are you alright?"

She wiped her own eyes and took a breath,

"Tell me you have a plan and then I'll be over-joyed"

Bilbo grinned at her,

"Oh, I've got a plane. Thorin's not going to like it, but I've got a plan,"

"I'm sure no one will worry about what Thorin thinks once you've told them you've got a plan,"

"I've told them,"

"And?"

"I guess you're right,"

She smiled, it felt good to smile.

OoOoOoOoOo

Bilbo crept back up the stairs, the keys (having been nimbly snatched from the belt of one of the cell guards) tinkling away in his pocket. Down the next set of stairs into the next cell, he unlocked the gate to Bifur and Ori and up they went and down they went into the next cell to release Oin and Gloin and so it went. Once everyone was out, he told them to follow him to the river bank where he explained his plan once more to all of them so as to insure nobody was on the wrong page of the right chapter. That all being said and done, he excused himself to get back to Maya, who he had left behind for he could not very well let Thorin get returned to an empty cell,

"Thorin's still not back?"

Maya looked around her empty cell and then back at Bilbo and shrugged. It was a fairly silly question with an obvious answer and Bilbo knew it but somehow (much like the rest of the best of Middle-Earth) he managed to fall victim to the prowling joker of dim-wit. He ignored her shrug none the less,

"How long do you think he'll be?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes they interrogate us – him for the whole day,"

"Let's hope they don't…our escape transport won't be around for much longer, we have to be gone before they remember," Bilbo glanced around, starting to fiddle, his nerves starting to shake him.

"Bilbo, Thorin and I can wait another day. The others are out, tell them to go and wait. We'll meet them at Lake Town. And another thing, how do you know they won't remember anyway and wonder why the barrels are gone when no one sent them off?"

"You can't wait," Bilbo shook his head, "They'll come down, discover the company missing, realise that you're now a possible escapee and then I'll never get you out. And to answer your question; I'm hoping for a 'he thought he did it' and vice versa…sort of thing in hopes that they won't come to argue and rather accept that someone else other than the nominee did it,"

"Ah," she screwed up her face, crinkling her nose, bits of dried blood falling from beneath her re-scarred eye, "That's true…ah well, I hope your 'he thought, he thought' idea works,"

Bilbo merely nodded in agreement but he was more interested in their escape plan.

"So what do we do?"

Maya's was about to answer but noises started echoing down the stone staircase, all of them of even tone, except one. Maya removed her glance from the stairs back to Bilbo but he was gone. Bewildered once more, he watched her seep back into the darkness and sit down. Thorin was growling to himself when he was forced back into the cage. When he caught site of Maya sitting with her knees at her chest and her arms around them, he broke into his rant,

"He wants us yield to his Lordship and stop our quest. He said he would give us Erebor on the basis that he would lay claim to half the land and all that's in it,"

"The gold,"

"The gold! The Elven filth wants my land, he won't get a speck of it, if I can help it,"
"Thorin?"

"Elven filth!"

"Thorin, we have a way out,"

He stopped grumbling abruptly, turning on his heels, rather elegantly Bilbo noticed, to look at her.

"The Hobbit?"

Bilbo seized the opportunity and reappeared,

"Yes, the Hobbit has a plan!" he unlocked the gate and grinned with a smug smile at Thorin's open-mouthed gaze.

"Bilbo?" he managed to say, "I thought you lost! Again! But here you are,"

He reached for Bilbo and hugged him tightly. Bilbo was taken by surprise and it took a moment for him to realise what was happening and to return the embrace, a little taken a-back.

"Here I am," his voice let loose a little too much surprise, allowing it to squeak just a little. He tried to move on from the moment as quickly as he could and peeked up the stairs, "Let's go!"

The trio snuck past all the surrounding guards, taking little back routes which no one else seemed to know about. He led them on towards the rushing sound of rapids. He led them straight to the company and although quiet, the joy in seeing one another once more was not ill-lived. Thorin embraced his nephews in a tight three-man squeeze, his eyes tight shut with relief in seeing them well and unharmed.

"Right," Bilbo cut in, "Thorin, this is the plan,"

He pointed to where a little shed of empty barrels were kept,

"The elves and men of Lake Town have a trading agreement. The elves send them barrels down the river to send wine back up in and in return, Lake Town gets bows and quivers and all sorts of fine material to do with what they will. So, these barrels are empty as you can fathom and are meant to be sent down today. We get in those barrels and float down river straight to Lake Town,"

Thorin nodded his head as if mulling it over in his mind,

"Barrels, Bilbo…you want us to go down in barrels,"

"Yes I do," Bilbo pulled back his shoulders and puffed out his chest to equalise himself to Thorin's intimidating look as he stood in thought and mild incredulity.

"The amount of time you have been gone, I was hoping for something a little more…" Thorin narrowed his eyes and tried to find a suitable word to fit his implied feelings towards the barrel idea. He started rolling his hand in vain hope that the needed word would suddenly unroll itself from his fingers. It didn't, so he opted to look at Bilbo with an unimpressed shrug.

"I apologise," Bilbo replied, offended at such an ungracious response, "But I was looking for a way out, this took me three days to find out and it was the only one that seemed viable. So, you'll just have to live with an un-royal arrival for one day,"

Bilbo stalked off to retrieve a barrel, perfectly aware of Thorin's even more unimpressed eyes glaring after him. He felt quite happy with himself under the circumstances. He had found an escape route by himself, had managed to remain unseen by elves for a full three days and was about to be left behind for the second time. The last fact he wasn't so keen on but it had to be done, the reason being that there weren't enough barrels. Either way, if Thorin didn't like it, then he'd be left with Bilbo and they would find a different way together. Bilbo liked that idea; he didn't want to be alone in the dark forest. He rolled the first barrel to the side of the river,

"Right, who's going first?"

He looked at everyone as everyone looked back. Thorin gazed at Bilbo with a raised eyebrow and then proceed towards the barrel without taking his eyes off him,

"Have it your way, hobbit,"

And with a small smile, he looked up at his nephews,

"Fili,"

Fili gaped at his uncle in disbelief and upon being summoned; he made his way towards the barrel. Thorin scowled at him,

"Don't look so excited," he growled but soon warmed up, laying a hand on Fili's shoulder, "Get in the barrel, son,"

Fili closed his mouth and did what he was bid. Kili was called next and he rolled his barrel down to the river's edge. Thorin held the barrel after Kili crawled in as Bilbo put the lid on top and banged on it to make sure it was properly closed.

It wasn't long before all the dwarves were in their barrels, all equally as unimpressed with idea of a tight fit for a long journey as Thorin but they did what they were told and Bilbo felt relieved at how easy it actually was to get them to do it. They sent the barrels off without too much hassle, simply rolling them down the last metre of bank into the water where they were swiftly picked up by the current and carried away. He grinned at Maya as Thorin went back up the bank to go get the last remaining barrels,

"Not bad, eh?"

Maya smiled at him,

"Not bad at all, Mr Baggins. It certainly took you long enough and I'm even more grateful for your return now than I would have been if you came earlier,"

"Oh?" Bilbo was confused,

"Oh," she glanced up at Thorin, "That dwarf's scowls know no limits. I was going kill him,"

Her eyes went wide with the confession and Bilbo wasn't too sure if she meant it or not.

"Bilbo?" Thorin's voice sounded from just above them as he arrived with the last two barrels, "These are the only barrels left. I assume you have a spare plan in order to accommodate whoever cannot be accommodated in a barrel?"

"Uhmm…" Bilbo's eyes darted between Thorin and Maya. Her facial expression had changed to one of dismay. Bilbo hadn't in fact thought of any 'spare plan' to get himself out, "No…I have no plan. I just wanted to get everyone else off first,"

Maya's eyes softened and she smiled at him, her face glowing with affection,

"You brave, brave soul, Bilbo Baggins,"

Bilbo's heart warmed and suddenly he didn't mind being left behind. Just the thought of being held in such high regard for something he didn't think twice about was reward enough and he was to be content with the outcome, whatever it would be. Maya was proud of him and recognised him as being brave though most of the time he felt far from it. It was enough. Thorin, however, was not quite as in much awe,

"You didn't think to find an extra barrel for yourself?" He looked genuinely horrified, "Three days and you only found fourteen barrels!"

He took a menacingly slow step towards Bilbo. He was unsure whether Thorin meant any harm by it, either way, Bilbo felt his brave self, take a step back,

"It's not that I didn't think of it, of cause I thought about it but it's not my fault there weren't enough barrels. Please, can you not just get in the barrel and go without worrying about me for once?"

Bilbo sounded so much like a beggar that he almost thought it apt to get on his knees. But it wasn't Thorin, who replied though his blazing gaze was still fixed on Bilbo,

"He's right, Master Dwarf, it's not about Bilbo at the moment. It's about you. You should go and be safe; you're needed more than Bilbo is in retrospect,"

Thorin glanced at her,

"We cannot leave Bilbo here," he looked back at Bilbo, "I will not leave the hobbit here,"

"I'll stay with him," she replied simply,

"What?" Thorin turned swiftly.

"What?" Bilbo gaped at her and shook his head, "No. No, no, no. I found fourteen barrels, all of which I intended to be used,"

"Thorin get in the barrel,"

"I will not,"

"Fine." She looked blankly at him, "Bilbo get in the barrel,"

"I -will not," Bilbo tried to live up to Thorin's ferocity and stubbornness but he wasn't nearly as impressive and he received a smile in return for his attempt – from both Maya and Thorin. Bilbo's smile perked up; but only for a minute before Maya was upon him, shoving him into a barrel. The next few moments were a blur and then he was in the darkness with the lid over his head and the lapping of the water at the base of the barrel, the seepage wetting his feet. The muffled conversation between Thorin and Maya made it through the cracks, so he could still contribute.

"Look, hobbit in barrel and now we won't leave him behind. Get in the barrel, Prince Thorin,"

"And what of you, I wasn't exactly planning on leaving you either if it has to be said, Maya of the Wild Wood,"

"Neither was I," Bilbo tried to push the lid off of the barrel to free himself but to no avail.

"Ah, Bilbo," came Maya's voice, "I know you weren't. Sit tight,"

Bilbo was confused for a moment before he felt the barrel begin to sway, sway until it altogether began to lean and fall into the water with a mild splash. He bumped his head and began to grumble. This was his plan, he was meant to be left behind and be the hero. Then again, nothing ever turned out as was expected, as it was right from the beginning.

OoOoOoOoO

Thorin was glaring at Maya,

"One barrel,"

"You were worried about Bilbo so I sent him on his merry way. No more worries,"

"I worry for you now,"

"Oh you shouldn't. I'll be fine – tell me, what stories have you heard about nymphs?" Her eyes reclaimed their quizzical and excited gleam.

Thorin looked at her and cocked his head with narrowed eyes. Was there a catch?

"Many,"

"Name one…"

"Well…water. You could use water for anything,"

"Oh, really? I haven't heard that one," she glanced at the river bank, her expression changing to an impressed gaze before returning said gaze to him, "Alas, 'tis not so. But we can walk, hiding is easy enough too. They won't catch me if I run,"

She winked at him,

"Get in the Barrel, Thorin Oakenshield,"

He climbed into his barrel a little awkwardly and glanced up at her,

"You will be with me,"

"You will hear me…sometimes. I'll be right next to you,"

She smiled at him with an impish glint in her eye, something he hadn't encountered before. Suddenly the need arose and he opened his mouth to tell her but she quieted him by putting the lid of the barrel over him, his thoughts and his words, whispering next to the side of the barrel,

"Sit tight,"

He felt the barrel tilt, sink and bounce up again, the fast current carrying him away in a gentle rush. He shook his head to himself, his thoughts playing Maya and her smile over and over. Every now and then he heard a little splash, a misplaced drop of water, sometimes his barrel lid would give a little thunk and he would worry for a while but when nothing came of it, his worry subsided. He lay back and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in what little space he had. He needed to tell her.