Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own anything.
Warning: The rating's about to go up in this chapter. Nothing "untoward" happens, but there is partial female nudity, and dwarves ogling said nudity. Also, description of torture, so be careful of that if it's a trigger.
As the Company was led to the heart of the Woodland Realm, Fili looked over his shoulder to find his brother and Gwyn following close behind. With a quirk of his eyebrow, he silently inquired how they were doing. Kili gave a shrug, and Gwyn smiled. Reassured, he asked a question that had been niggling at the back of his mind for some time.
"Gwyn, what was the cause of that oh so entertaining behavior when you were freeing yourself of the spiders' webs? Was it some strange dance?"
"Not really, no. I just REALLY don't like spiders," Gwyn answered.
"Well, I don't think anyone actually likes spiders, but you didn't see any of us behaving like that," Kili said, from his position behind Gwyn.
"Yeah, when I say I don't like spiders, I mean I'm completely terrified of them. When I was two years old my older sister was watching me for the night, and she told me an horrific story about spiders, thus instilling an intense fear of them within me. To this day I can't even look at a picture of a spider without chills going down my spine."
The rest of their conversation was cut short when their elven guards harshly shoved them to keep moving. Gwyn leveled an arch look at the elf that was guarding her when she stumbled. The elf merely smirked in response, before shoving her again to make Gwyn quicken her pace. From behind her, Gwyn could hear Kili grumbling under his breath at the elves' treatment of his girl, and that made Gwyn smile.
Before long, the Company was led into the palace of the Elvenking of the Greenwood. They were separated and thrown into dungeon cells that were tiny, even for dwarves. Gwyn could tell that her cell was situated between Fili's and Kili's cells. To her left she could hear Kili conversing with the red-haired she-elf Tauriel.
"Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers," he said.
"Or nothing," Tauriel responded, before closing the door on him. Gwyn's eyes narrowed at the flirtations, and she began to formulate a plan.
From up and down the corridor of cells she could hear the dwarves shouting abuse at their captors, and trying to break free of the bars. Gwyn took a few moments to survey her accommodations, when she heard Balin call out about the futility of their struggles.
"Leave it! There's no way out! This is no orc dungeon, these are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here, but by the King's consent!"
Gwyn smirked, eyes lighting upon a bench that doubled as a cot set against the far wall of her cell, an idea coming to her mind. She began shifting it towards the door of her cell. Fili and Kili could hear her movements, and the quiet scraping of the bench against the flagstone floor.
"What are you doing, mizimel?" Fili asked.
"Conducting an experiment," she said quietly, just barely loud enough for the brothers to hear. With a quiet grunt of effort, Gwyn propped the bench against the hinges of her cell door, like a crowbar. Doing a quick analysis of her set up, Gwyn put all of her weight behind the bench. The dwarves heard the creak and groan of straining iron, before a terrific clang echoed through the dungeons. Gwyn's door had come free of its hinges, swinging open on the lock, and she snuck out of the cell. Several of the dwarves began shouting in confusion at the commotion, and Gwyn quickly told them all to be quiet. Gwyn quickly made her way to each of the cells, giving the dwarves cheeky smiles. Coming upon Balin's cell, she gave him a wink.
"Lass, how did you manage that? Not even Dori could bend these bars!" the old dwarf said.
"It was all a matter of proper leverage. Now if you'll excuse me, that wasn't exactly subtle, so the elves will be coming soon," Gwyn said, before making her way towards Kili's cell. When he saw her appear in front of his cell, Kili began fretting.
"What are you doing? You need to try and get out of here!" he whispered vehemently.
"This wasn't an escape attempt, far too loud for that. No, this was to prove a point to the elves here that we're a resourceful bunch." Having said that, Gwyn hunkered down in front of Kili's cell, waiting for the elves to appear.
She didn't have to wait long, as Tauriel and Legolas came running down the stairs. When they saw Gwyn free of her cell, they both stared incredulously. Gwyn smirked at them.
"How are you not in a cell? What sorcery is this?" Legolas demanded.
"No sorcery, just resourcefulness, Highness," Gwyn replied quietly. Behind her, she could feel Kili's nervousness.
Tauriel drew one of her knives and held the blade against Gwyn's throat. Gwyn raised an eyebrow and gently removed the blade from her neck, expression never belying the fear that was making her heart pound in her chest. Kili was pacing his cell behind her.
Tauriel's eyes hardened and she grit her teeth at how nonchalant this little girl was. Tauriel could tell that Gwyn was neither impressed nor afraid of the much taller elves. Replacing her blade at Gwyn's throat, Tauriel began her own questioning.
"You never answered the Prince's question. What sorcery did you use to free yourself, witch?" the Captain barked.
Gwyn rolled her eyes before responding. "As I said before, it was no sorcery, I just used my intellect, which you have vastly underestimated, Tauriel. Look for yourself, and you will figure out how I freed myself." The elves did look into Gwyn's cell and saw that the cot had been moved.
"You are too small to have freed yourself without aid. Who helped you?" Legolas sneered.
"It was just a matter of leverage. Using the proper leverage, anything is possible." Gwyn answered.
Not satisfied with her answers, the two elves eyed her warily, conversing in Sindarin. From their gestures, Gwyn knew they were trying to figure out what to do with her. Taking advantage of their distraction, Gwyn pushed the knife from her throat, hand reaching backwards to grasp Kili's through the bars of his cell door.
The elves turned back to the girl, still obviously unsure of how to contain her. Gwyn took a deep breath before making her suggestion known.
"From my observations, your dungeon is quite small compared to the size of your realm. By holding myself and my companions prisoner, you have filled it beyond capacity, and now one of your cells is unusable for the foreseeable future. I noticed that there were a few cells that held more than one dwarf. I am willing to not try to escape, if you allow me to share a cell with the dwarf behind me."
Legolas quirked a brow at Gwyn's boldness, he was somewhat impressed by her nerves. "If we were to allow that, how do we know that you will uphold your end of the bargain?" he asked.
"I swear that I will not attempt to escape again, should you place me in the cell behind me," Gwyn answered solemnly. Knowing that he really didn't have much wiggle room, the elf prince called for the keeper of the keys. When Legolas turned his back, Gwyn smirked at Tauriel, who was obviously furious that her prince had been outmaneuvered by a girl who traveled with dwarves.
When the elf guard appeared with the keys, Gwyn docilely passed into her new cell, glad that her strategy had paid off. The two elves turned to leave, but Legolas lingered a moment.
"How did you know who we are? I have never seen your kind before," he asked.
Gwyn smiled mysteriously before responding, "I have my ways, Highness." When the blond elf turned to walk away, Gwyn reached out, snagging his sleeve. The prince raised his eyebrow at that. "Before you go, if you wish for a happy future with a certain flame-haired Captain of the Guard, you should learn to disregard your father, and follow your heart. She returns your affections, but she fears retribution from your father," Gwyn said. Legolas was unnerved by the girl's predictions and swiftly walked away. Gwyn knew though that Tauriel had also heard her words of warning, and she also knew that Legolas would probably ignore her.
Once the elves were gone, Gwyn allowed herself to slump in relief. Kili quickly turned her to face him, eyes worried, before pulling her into a tight embrace and a hard, desperate kiss. The other dwarves had heard Gwyn's exchange with the elves, and they were marveling at her audacity. From his cell, Thorin was quietly proud of the girl his nephews had chosen.
"What in the name of Mahal were you thinking? They could have killed you! The red-haired one looked like she wanted to kill you!" he whisper-shouted.
"I had to figure out some way to show the elves that we should not be underestimated. That was the best plan I could come up with. Besides, I don't like the way Tauriel was looking at you," Gwyn pouted.
"Ah, so you were jealous, weren't you pundurîth?" Kili teased, reassured that Gwyn was truly safe.
"Maybe a bit, Mister I-Could-Have-Anything-In-My-Trousers. Seriously?" Gwyn lifted an eyebrow at the dwarf, who merely started laughing at her. Hurt washed over Gwyn and she lowered her gaze. Noticing look in her eyes, Kili quickly sobered and sat them both down on his, now their, cot.
"Oh, pundurîth, you have no reason to worry. I wear your braid and your gift proudly. I am yours, all of me, never doubt that. And I'm sure Fili echoes the sentiment." Fili, for his part, had been listening closely, and he quickly agreed with his brother.
"Kili speaks the truth, mizimel. We are yours, as surely as you are ours."
Mollified, Gwyn granted Kili with a small smile, before settling against him. The stress of confronting and bargaining with a prince and captain of the guards, coupled with the lack of sleep everyone in the Company had been suffering since they entered Mirkwood and the residual tension from the spider attacks was resulting in complete exhaustion. Gwyn was dimly aware of Kili laying them both down on the cot, settling himself on the outside and cuddling her close. Just before she fell asleep, Gwyn thought to ask about the pet names he and his brother had bestowed upon her.
"Kili?"
"Yes, pundurîth?"
"What do 'mizimel' and 'pundurîth' mean?"
"Well, 'mizimel' means 'jewel of all jewels', and 'pundurîth' means 'kitten' although the literal translation is 'cat that is young'." Gwyn gave a sleepy hum, and her breathing soon evened out. Kili smiled into her hair and allowed her slow, even breaths to lull him to sleep.
The dwarves were awakened the next morning by elven guards bringing them food and water. Gwyn could hear her companions griping at the fare, simple bread and cheese, but she was grateful for it. The Company's rations from Beorn had run out long ago, when they were lost in the forest, so even simple foods were welcome. However, Gwyn did not allow herself to eat all of her meal, hiding some of it in a secluded corner of the cell. When Kili looked confused at her actions she merely smiled. Later, the guards returned to take the prisoners' plates and cups.
Some time later, Gwyn wasn't sure how long, she heard a small "Psst!" at the cell door. Kili looked wary that there was no one at the door, but Gwyn smiled brightly.
"Bilbo! How are you faring? Better than us, I hope!" she whispered.
"Indeed. Although I dare not take much food from the kitchens, lest these elves discover me."
"Don't worry, my stealthy little friend. Here," and Gwyn handed him the stash of food she had hidden. "I know you must be hungry. If I can, I will try to hide at least some of each of the meals these elves bring us, and you can have that."
Although she could not see his face, Bilbo was smiling at his friend's generosity. "I thank you, but are you sure? I would not like to think of you starving yourself, just so that I can eat."
"Of course I'm sure. You need food to be able to figure out a way to get us out of here. Have you found our supplies yet?"
"Yes, they're being kept in the guard room. I'm thinking that I shall start trying to re-equip everyone, but it shall have to be slowly, so the elves don't notice anything's amiss."
"I understand. I only ask that you try and get me Lord Elrond's satchel, with the healing supplies he gave me, sooner rather than later. Kili and I can hide that easily enough, and I have a feeling that we'll be needing it soon."
"I will try my best," and it was here that Bilbo finally notice Kili watching everything carefully. "How did you two get the elves to let you share a cell?"
"We didn't originally, but through some creative thinking I was able to convince them. Look at the cell directly to the right, and you might be able to figure it out," Gwyn said with a wink. "You should go, before the elves come and find you out. Stay safe!"
"I will try. If I can, I will be back later with the satchel."
"Thank you," Gwyn said, although she figured Bilbo was probably gone and did not hear her.
"Perhaps Gandalf was right, and that Bilbo Baggins is a good choice for a burglar," Kili said quietly. "If he is able to come and go unseen, then he must be skilled indeed."
"There is more to him than meets the eye, that's for sure" Gwyn answered. Before they could continue their conversation, Tauriel and Legolas appeared.
"The king says you are to come with us, girl," the red-haired elf snapped, obviously still angry at Gwyn for having outsmarted them the night before. When Kili started to protest, Gwyn smiled at him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she said. Before the elves took her from the cell, she gave Kili a deep kiss, remnants of her earlier jealousy leading her to establish her claim on the dark haired dwarf. Gwyn could see Tauriel seething as she was led away. As she passed the other dwarves' cells she could hear them shouting abuse at the elves once again. She rolled her eyes at their protectiveness, but she was gladdened by it as well. It gave her strength, which she was sure to need when she faced the Elvenking of Mirkwood.
Gwyn was led through the winding halls of the palace, she quickly lost track of how many turns they took, when they finally stopped on a platform of sorts in the very heart of the palace. Before her, lounging on his throne, sat Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood. Her two escorts bowed their heads in deference to their king, but Gwyn merely stared at him impassively. He had long silvery blond hair and cold, calculating grey eyes, which studied Gwyn intensely. Internally, Gwyn was a shaking ball of nerves at the intimidating figure before her, but she did her best to not let it show. When she saw a brief flash of anger in the king's eyes, she knew she was succeeding.
"So, you are the girl who outwitted my son, and tricked him into letting you share a cell with a dwarf," Thranduil's eyes flashed towards Legolas, irritation clear in the piercing gaze. "It should be noted though, that one of the dwarves need only have asked, and we would have let them share a cell with their whore, you did not have to humiliate my son."
Gwyn allowed her impassive, unimpressed mask to slip, belying her offense at being referred to as a whore. From the various shouts of outrage echoing up from the dungeons, she could tell that her companions had heard the insult. Slowly, a plan began to form in her mind, bringing a cold smirk to her face. If Thranduil was taken aback at the girl's sudden change in attitude, he gave no indication of it.
"I assure you, my lord, the girl is no whore. We would be able to tell. She was well armed when we captured her and the others. She also knew how to handle her weapons skillfully. A whore would not have been able to do so," Legolas spoke up from his position slightly behind Gwyn's right side. Gwyn was surprised at Legolas' defense of her, although she did not show it. The fact that his son was coming to the defense of the wench who had outwitted him the night before obviously rankled Thranduil.
"Besides, my lord, surely you are old enough to recognize dwarven courtship braids when you see them. Why would a whore proudly wear courtship braids? It would negatively affect her business." the mocking tone in Gwyn's voice clear as she gestured to the aforementioned braids.
"Ah yes, so you are betrothed to the nephews of Thorin Oakenshield. Tell me, girl, what is your purpose in my kingdom?" Gwyn wasn't sure how he knew which dwarves she was being courted by, but she wasn't going to draw attention to it.
Pitching her voice so that she was sure it would carry throughout the Elvenking's palace, Gwyn retorted, "I'll not tell you anything! You are nothing more than a common bully, trying to intimidate myself and my friends into disclosing our personal business! You think that you can treat people like rubbish, and they will still bow and scrape before you? Others might, but I certainly won't! Furthermore, I have heard how you abandoned your allies when they lost their home! That was indeed a cowardly thing to do! You turned your back on them when a dragon stole their home, and you turned them away when they came to you for food and shelter! No, I'll not tell you anything! You have no right to know!" When Gwyn finished her rant, Thranduil was obviously furious, but Gwyn did not care. Waving a hand, Thranduil called forward several guards.
"Strip her to the waist, we'll show the dwarves what her insolence bought her. Perhaps then they will cooperate," he ordered. Two of the guards began to do as instructed, removing Gwyn's tunic and her shirt, her corset having been taken upon her capture. A few more guards stepped forward, carrying a post which they inserted into a concealed hole in the floor. Gwyn was bent forward, and her arms were wrapped around the post, before being roughly tied. Turning her head slightly, she saw a guard step forward unwinding a long braided whip. She had barely braced herself when she heard the whip sing through the air, to land upon her bare back. She inhaled harshly through her teeth, but did not cry out. She would not give the elves that satisfaction. The whip fell on her back several more times, each time harder than the time before. Gwyn did not see Legolas and Tauriel exchange a strange look, before the elf prince snuck away.
Gwyn lost track of how many lashes she took, but she was dimly proud of herself for never once crying out in pain. She was not, however, as successful at keeping tears from falling from her eyes. She knew that tears were an unconscious reaction to pain, but she still tried her damnedest to will them away. As it was, only a few had fallen, which she knew angered the Elvenking. After an unknown amount of time, Thranduil raised a hand, stopping the elf wielding the whip.
"Enough. It is clear that the girl will not break. Take her back to the dungeons. Make sure all the dwarves see what she brought upon herself." Legolas, having returned from his mysterious errand, and Tauriel escorted Gwyn back to the cell she shared with Kili. The red-haired elf carried Gwyn's shirt and her tunic, impressed that the girl had been able to withstand the whipping without weeping, crying out, or falling unconscious. She had Tauriel's grudging respect for the strength and mastery of self that showed.
When Gwyn and her escorts reached the dungeons, Gwyn was very grateful that the elven guards who stripped her hadn't managed to take her bra, which had miraculously survived her whipping, preserving her modesty in front of the dwarves. Walking along the corridor of cells though, she was intensely self-conscious as all their eyes followed her progress back to her cell. However, Gwyn could tell they were not admiring her figure, but staring at the lash marks forming a grim lattice of cuts all across her back. Still, she did not shrink back, rather she stood tall, and let the dwarves see what the elves did to her for her loyalty to them. All of the dwarves were aware that she had never cried out, but when they saw her walking tall they realized that she had not fainted either, as many had expected. They were all proud to call her friend, and when Thorin saw what the elves had done, he was astounded at Gwyn's strength. Once again, he felt that his nephews had chosen well.
Finally, Gwyn was let back into the cell she shared with Kili, but he was not alone. Fili was in the cell with him. That was where Legolas had gone during Gwyn's whipping. He put the two brothers into one cell, so that when she returned they would be able to care for her. Legolas gently handed Gwyn over to Fili, while Kili took her shirt and tunic from Tauriel. Feeling the brothers' gentle hands on her, she gave them both a weak smile, before finally succumbing to the unconsciousness that had been tugging on her since halfway through her whipping. She sagged in Fili's arms, and the brothers carefully maneuvered her to lie on the cot.
When she came to some time later, she could feel a pair of hands gently stroking her hair, while a second pair lightly dabbed at her back with a damp cloth. When the hands on her back got too close to a particularly tender cut she hissed in pain, wincing.
"I am sorry, mizimel. I do not mean to cause you pain, but I must clean your back, lest these wounds get infected," Fili said gently.
"Here, pundurîth, focus on me. How were you able to stand such a whipping? I have seen Dwalin cry out at less," Kili said, trying to divert Gwyn's attention from the pain in her back.
"Sheer stubbornness. I didn't want to give that arrogant prick who calls himself a king the satisfaction of knowing he caused me pain," Gwyn gritted out, wincing occasionally as Fili tended to her back.
"I never thought I'd see the day when a girl was more stubborn than Dwalin and Uncle combined," Kili tried to joke.
"Well, I'd have to be pretty damn stubborn to put up with you dwarves!" Gwyn bit out. The brothers chuckled quietly in agreement.
"Oh my word! What in the world happened to your back?" a third voice whispered from the cell door.
"Hello Bilbo. I'm sure you heard what happened. I rather let my tongue get away with me, and the king didn't like it," Gwyn answered. "Did you bring the satchel?"
"Yes, I did. Here," and the satchel suddenly appeared on the floor of the cell, just inside the bars. Kili quickly made his way over to it before passing it to his brother.
"How are you able to clean her back? I know the elves haven't brought you food yet, so where did you get the water?" Bilbo asked.
"Surprisingly, it was the blond elf, Legolas who supplied the basin and the rags. He brought it when he put me in the cell with Kili. He told me to keep it hidden though, until they brought Gwyn back," Fili answered.
"Well, that apple apparently fell very far from the tree indeed!" Bilbo said.
"I'm not sure about that. I think it's more likely that he is impressed that I was able to outsmart him last night, and withstand his father's treatment of me earlier," Gwyn mused. "I think it might have helped that I gave him a bit of advice about Tauriel, the red-haired elf usually by his side."
"Perhaps. I hear the elves coming, I must go!" Fili and Kili scrambled to hide their contraband and only moments later elven guards bearing food and water rounded the corner. The elves eyed the trio with ill-disguised disgust, and after they had turned away Gwyn gestured rudely at their retreating backs. The two dwarves and their girl quietly ate, Gwyn once again setting some food aside for Bilbo, for the next time he came around. Their meager meal finished, Kili fished out the satchel from Lord Elrond, before rummaging through it.
He withdrew a small jar of greenish cream that said "for use treating lashes from a whip" in neat writing. He gently tossed it to his brother, who caught it deftly and began gently smoothing the cream over Gwyn's abused skin. She sighed as the cream took away much of the pain. Once all of the marks on her back had been treated, Fili helped her sit up. Before, when the elves had brought her back from her meeting with Thranduil, they had been too worried about her safety to admire her shirtless form. However, now that she was safe and her back had been tended to, they looked all they wanted. It did not take long for Gwyn to realize what her dwarves were staring at and she cleared her throat to get their attention. She raised her eyebrow though when they didn't even look up at her. Crossing her arms over her chest seemed to make the staring worse.
"Excuse me, boys, where's my shirt? Only it's a bit cold in this draughty dungeon," Gwyn asked. She could have sworn that she heard Kili, ever the flirt, mutter something along the lines of "so we noticed." They still only stared at her bra-clad chest, though. Gwyn vaguely remembered seeing Tauriel pass her shirt and tunic to Kili, so she sidled over to where the dark haired dwarf sat on the floor of the cell. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, so to speak, she straddled the dwarf's lap and physically lifted his chin so that she could look him in the eyes.
"Kili," she purred, "where did you put my shirt? I would hate for the elves to see any more than they already have of what belongs to you and your brother." Apparently, that was the exactly right thing to say at exactly the wrong time, for no sooner had she finished speaking than Kili claimed her mouth in a demanding kiss, while Fili lunged from his position on the cot to press himself against Gwyn's back. She hissed into Kili's mouth when the fabric of Fili's shirt rubbed against the tender skin of her back, but that did not deter the dwarves. Gwyn could feel Fili pressing kisses to the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, the beads on his mustache bumping lightly against her skin. Gwyn was dimly aware of a needy moan, though she didn't know who it came from. When she heard two male voices chuckle darkly though, she realized that the sound must have come from her, which reminded her of their current situation.
She pushed the brothers away, trying to ignore their eyes, blue and brown, both dark with ill-concealed lust. Her breath caught in her throat at the looks, before steeling her resolve.
"As enjoyable as that was, and believe me it was enjoyable, I don't relish the thought of going any further without being somewhere not a dungeon, where practically anyone under the sun can see or hear us! No, I would much rather have you both all to myself, the first time we go…there. Now, seriously, where's my shirt?"
The brothers were still staring at Gwyn's chest, and unlikely to stop until she put a shirt on. Huffing in irritation, Gwyn starting looking around for where Kili was likely to have tossed her shirt and tunic, before finally spotting it under the cot. When she crawled underneath it to fetch her clothes, Gwyn could feel the eyes of her two dwarves staring at another part of her anatomy. Rolling her eyes, Gwyn extricated herself from under the cot and pulled on her shirt, wincing when it passed over the wounds on her back. Spell broken, the brothers had the grace to look somewhat ashamed of their behavior, but from the glint in their eyes Gwyn knew it was an act. Smiling at them, she gave them each a kiss on the cheek, careful not to stray further.
"Kili, how did my clothes get under the cot?" Gwyn asked.
"When you fainted I dropped them to help Fili get you laying down, one of us must have kicked them under," he replied.
"I see. So it wasn't intentional on your parts, so that you could ogle me?"
"Not really, although that was quite a lovely benefit. The view was even lovelier, mizimel," Fili said. Gwyn had to chuckle at that, before stifling a yawn. When her dwarves began bickering in Khuzdul, gesturing at the cot, Gwyn assumed they were discussing the sleeping arrangements. They both wanted to sleep beside her, protecting her, but they couldn't decide which one would actually get to. Gwyn took the matter out of their hands, entirely.
"Both of you, get over here. I'm tired, and I find myself in need of some company while I sleep," she said.
"That's exactly it, pundurîth. Which of us will provide you with that company?" Kili said.
"As I said, both of you. It will be a tight fit, all three of us on this cot, but we can do it. Now, come on!" Grumbling somewhat to themselves over the bossiness of their girl, the brothers settled themselves in their now traditional places, Kili curled protectively around Gwyn's back, while Fili wrapped himself around her from the front, her head tucked under his chin. The three were pressed close that night, but none of them fell off the cot while they slept.
The days in Thranduil's dungeons began to blur. The elves would bring them food and drink twice a day, and Bilbo would occasionally visit. On each of his visits, at Gwyn's suggestion, the burglar would bring them some of their equipment. He began by bringing Gwyn her corset, which was promptly stashed under the cot. Next, he brought Fili's throwing axes, which joined Gwyn's corset. Slowly, their weapons store was replenished, all of the items hidden under the cot, to be retrieved when Bilbo freed them from the dungeons.
Gwyn continued to provide Bilbo with food, although she could tell that he was growing frustrated at his inability to help his friends escape. One day, after overhearing the elven guards who brought the morning meal discussing a feast, Gwyn thought to remind Bilbo to check the cellars, that there might be a hidden way out.
Sure enough, within a few hours of that conversation Bilbo was scurrying back to the dwarves and girl with the keys to their cells. The prisoners quickly re-armed themselves, and Gwyn hurriedly grabbed the satchel from Lord Elrond, before sneaking out to follow the hobbit. The dwarves were excited to finally be back on their way, but Gwyn knew the excitement wouldn't last. When the Company stopped, the dwarves realized they were in the cellars.
"I don't believe it, we're in the cellars!" Kili hissed.
"You were supposed to be getting us out, not leading us further in!" Bofur snapped.
"Trust me, this is a way out. Now, everyone please get into a barrel." Bilbo said, leading the Company over to a stack of empty barrels. The dwarves renewed their protest, and Gwyn rolled her eyes, heading over to claim one for herself. When the dwarves further balked at being stuffed into the barrels, Bilbo turned pleading eyes to Thorin, who snapped at the dwarves.
"Do as he says!" and there was a mad scramble for the barrels. Gwyn found herself once more between Fili and Kili, and at their looks of apprehension she smiled reassuringly.
"What do we do now?" Bofur asked.
"Hold your breath!" Bilbo said, before he pulled the large lever next to him. Before the dwarves could question the advice, they found themselves rolling down a trap door, and plunging into a cold river. Gwyn heard several of the dwarves shout at the sudden change in temperature, but she could do nothing more than gasp. She pitied Bilbo, who had suddenly dropped into the river behind them, for he didn't have a barrel to keep him relatively dry.
"Well done, Master Baggins," Thorin praised. The Company then began to paddle themselves further into the current, letting that take over. They plunged over a small waterfall, which drew shouts of alarm from several of the dwarves. Gwyn just clenched her teeth so she wouldn't bite her tongue.
From the various shouts in Elvish, the Company realized their absence had been noticed. Gwyn saw a small drain ahead and she knew that the Company would get bottlenecked there. Sure enough, a guard pulled a large lever, and the gate closed, blocking their escape. Gwyn's barrel was trapped between Fili and Kili's, somewhat sheltered by the gate. One of the guards on the bridge over the gate suddenly fell, as the elf's shoulder was pierced by a raggedly fletched arrow. So the orcs are here, lovely, Gwyn thought grimly. She grit her teeth and drew her twin swords, which she had decided to call Bramble and Thorn. A few other members of the Company drew their weapons as well.
Gwyn saw Kili eyeing the lever, and she knew what was about to happen. There were orcish and elvish bodies falling all around, splashing into the river around the barrels. Gwyn was fighting off a particularly ugly orc when she saw Kili leap from his barrel and scramble towards the lever. He had tossed his sword to his brother, leaving him unarmed. Thinking quickly, Gwyn drew one of her boot knives and threw it as hard as she could at the orc about to attack Kili. In the process of doing so, however, Gwyn upset the precarious balance of her bobbing barrel, and tipped forward, missing the grateful glance Kili sent her way. Righting herself, Gwyn spluttered and coughed, shaking her head to clear her eyes. That was when she saw the arrow protruding from Kili's right thigh.
"KILI!" she screamed, before launching herself into attacking the orcs, cutting them down viciously from her barrel. She saw Kili pull himself up and pull the lever, opening the gate. As the barrels began moving again, Gwyn watched as Kili jumped back into his barrel, snapping the arrow off in the process. Gwyn wished she had her hithlain, which could have prevented his injury entirely.
As the Company proceeded down the river, they were pursued by the orcs, who were in turn pursued by the elves. The Company fought hard, working together to kill as many of their enemies as they could. Gwyn found herself fighting laughter, though, when Bombur's barrel was launched through the air, courtesy of an orc spear. The rotund dwarf broke his barrel when he landed, and using orcish weapons, began spinning like a top, cutting down orcs with every pass of the blades. The way cleared, Bombur jumped into an intact barrel, huffing at the effort.
Eventually, the Company had outrun the orcs, and so they began paddling towards the closest shore. Every single member of the looked bedraggled, elaborately braided hairstyles wet and undone. As they straggled to shore, Gwyn pulled herself half out of her barrel, when nausea overcame her. Crouching down, she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground between her hands. Feeling gentle hands holding her hair back, she recognized Fili's boots from the corner of her eye. Before she could thank him though, her stomach rebelled a second time, though there was nothing to bring up but bile. Breathing through her nose, Gwyn gained mastery over her body, and was grateful for Fili's help crawling out of her barrel and avoiding her puddle of sick. Gwyn was aware that Dwalin was laughing at her weakness, having avoided being sick himself, but Gwyn had no patience for him.
"Laugh all you want Master Dwalin, but I was not the one who screamed like a little girl as we passed through the first set of rapids!" she snapped, drawing snickers from a few others.
Scanning the dwarves on the shore, Gwyn quickly located Kili, sitting by himself prodding at his leg. Checking to make sure her satchel was intact, Gwyn hurried over to him, motioning for several others to join her.
"Kili's wounded! His leg needs binding," Fili called to Thorin.
"Hurry up. You have two minutes," their leader barked, as he scanned to find a way around the lake.
"No, if we don't take the time to treat this now, Kili will die! That wasn't just any arrow, it was a Morgul arrow! It will start to poison him if we don't do anything RIGHT NOW!" Gwyn shouted, catching everyone off guard that she would raise her voice at Thorin. He glowered at her, but she stood her ground.
"Fine, see to his leg. Alert us when you are done," Thorin snapped.
Gwyn and Oin knelt next to Kili, examining the wound.
"The arrow head is still in his leg. Before we can bind it we need to get it out, or else it will continue to poison him," Oin said. Motioning to Gloin and Fili, Gwyn told them quietly what needed to be done. Turning back to Kili, she pressed a kiss to his lips in apology for what she needed to do. She then straddled his lower legs, immobilizing them. Kili shot her a panicked look, which she tried to soothe away with a sad smile.
"Kili, I'm going to have to dig the arrowhead out of your leg, and it will hurt. I'm so sorry my love, but it has to be done now or you will be lost to us within a few days," Gwyn said. Turning to Fili and Gloin, she said, "Hold him down. Has anyone got something he can bite down on?" At this, several hands held out tools, of which Gwyn selected a stick about as big around as her thumb that someone held out for her. Giving it to Kili she told him to place it between his teeth, which he did.
"I'm sorry we don't have anything for the pain, but when I tell you to, I want you to bite down, hard, on that stick. Understand?" He nodded, and Gwyn withdrew one of the knives from her boots. Making sure that Fili and Gloin had strong grips on his upper body, she began counting.
"On the count of three, bite down. One, two, three!" and when she said three, Gwyn dug her knife into his wound, fishing out the embedded arrowhead. Kili was screaming in pain, and Gwyn's heart broke that she was the one to cause it. A few tears slipped down her cheeks, but finally she was able to get a grip on the arrowhead and draw it from Kili's leg. She nodded at Gloin and Fili that they could let go, as she moved off Kili's legs. He lay back, panting from the pain, although Gwyn couldn't tell if he was sweating or not, wet as they all were from the trip in the barrels. Taking the stick from between his teeth, Gwyn began murmuring praise at Kili as she peppered kisses on his face.
"You did so well, my love. So strong and so brave. The worst part is over. I just have to apply medicine to your leg and bind it and then we're done. You're doing so well." Fishing through her satchel, Gwyn quickly located the jar marked Athelas, which had already been prepared into a paste. Unscrewing the lid of the jar, Gwyn was surprised to note there was an Elvish spell inscribed on the jar, and what surprised her even more was that she knew how to read it. Scooping a bit of the paste into her hand, she gently began smoothing it over Kili's injury, rubbing it in a bit, all the while chanting the Elvish spell. She had no idea what she was saying, but she could feel warmth flowing through her, into Kili's leg. After three recitations of the spell, she stopped, and began searching for clean bandages to wrap around Kili's leg. Finding them in wrapped in oilcloth to keep them dry, she began to wind them tightly enough to staunch the bleeding, but not so tightly as to hinder blood flow to the rest of Kili's leg.
Her task finished, Gwyn went to stand by the river to wash her hands clean of her love's blood, and the remnants of the athelas paste. She also took several deep breaths and splashed the cold water onto her face to calm her nerves. Turning around, she noticed that everyone in the Company was staring at her in undisguised astonishment. Suddenly self-conscious, she asked, "What are you all staring at?"
Oin was the one who replied. "I think I speak for everyone when I say, how in the name of Mahal did you know an Elvish healing spell?"
"To answer your question, it was written on the jar, which was given to me by Lord Elrond, at my request. He must have known we would have need of the spell to enhance the properties of the athelas paste, so he thoughtfully provided it, although I'm completely unsure of how I knew how to read the spell," she answered.
"Well, I'm glad you knew it, and I'm sure Kili is too, considering you just saved his life with it," Fili said. Gwyn was surprised to hear the pride in his voice when he talked of her saving his brother's life. Nervously, Gwyn began fiddling with her hair, pleased to note that her courtship beads and braids were intact, as were Fili's and Kili's, which was surprising considering that no one else's braids had survived the barrel rides. She smiled gently as she made her way back over to Kili.
"How are you doing, my love? Not in too much pain, are you?"
"I've been better, but I've also been worse. I'll be fine," he said, making a poor attempt at reassuring Gwyn, especially considering how pale and shaky he looked. "Do you realize this is the first time you've called me anything other than my name?"
"It's true, I do love you and your brother, although I wish the first time I admitted it was under happier circumstances."
"So do I, pundurîth, so do I." Fili joined them just as Balin and Thorin began waving to get everyone's attention. Heaving Kili up to stand, the three slowly made their way over to the others.
"We've found a way into Lake-Town. Master Bargeman will smuggle us in, for a price, everyone give what you can," Thorin said. Fishing through her satchel, Gwyn was pleased to find her coin purse stashed away. She handed it to Balin, who thanked her. Slowly the Company trickled their way onto the barge, though Gwyn was dismayed to see how badly Bilbo was shivering, already looking a bit feverish.
"Are you alright, Bilbo? You don't look well at all," she said kindly.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just cold is all," he replied, although his claim that he was fine was negated by a large sneeze. Once everyone was on board, the bargeman, Bard, began steering the craft across the lake.
A/N: True story, when I was two years old, my older sister babysat me for my first night away from home. She showed me the film "Arachnophobia," and I've been traumatized ever since. Thranduil's portrayal in the films really reminds me of Lucius Malfoy, so I always had that in mind when I was writing those scenes. I hope his treatment of Gwyn isn't too out of character for an elf, but if it is I'm blaming it on what Beorn says, "They are wood-elves. Less wise and more dangerous than their kin."
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