Disclaimer: I don't own the Hobbit or anything associated with Middle Earth.
Chapter 20: A Weapon and a Plan
Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.
–Carrie Fisher
Gemma was led past the other dwarves in the cells, who began shouting at the guards, telling them to leave her alone and calling them vulgar names; it was all quite touching. As she passed by Kili's cell at the far end, she saw the red headed elf that the young dwarf had been eyeing earlier sitting on a step and conversing with him quietly. She stood quickly when the guards arrived and spoke to them in their garbled, overly intricate elvish language. The look she cast back over her shoulder at the dwarf and the look on Kili's face did not go unnoticed by Gemma as she passed. She wiggled her eyebrows at Kili and sent him a thumbs-up, which only made him blush harder. Gemma really hoped she was able to stick around, if only to tease Kili relentlessly. Okay, that was definitely not the only reason, but it was up there on the growing list.
Then Gemma was led up some stairs and along some twisting halls and paths, which were too confusing to memorize. Escape was going to be difficult, and if she wanted to get out of here and rendezvous with the dwarves, she had only a small window of opportunity. She would have to do this on her own, but not quite yet. First, a plan.
Finally she was brought to a chamber more splendid than those she had seen before, though to be fair, she had only seen the halls and the dungeons of the Woodland Realm. Grand wooden steps led up to an open area, where a huge throne stood, surrounded by only large pillars to protect from slipping off the edge. Several wooden carvings adorned the room, as well as several elven guards. Gemma spotted the blond elf from before, standing to the side of the throne. An honourable position, so perhaps he was more than a soldier.
And of course, sitting in his magnificent throne was King Thranduil himself. His steely eyes watched as she was brought in front of him with an air of cool superiority. The king shared the blond elf's colouring, so that might mean the blond elf was his son? Or brother? Gemma couldn't wrap her head around the whole immortality thing, it made discerning an elf's age extremely difficult.
The king stood and walked up to her, standing much closer than normally acceptable. Gemma knew this tactic; she had just used it on Thorin when they were arguing. He was trying to intimidate her using height, but she was no dwarf. The king stood only a few inches taller than she. Gemma raised her head, looked him square in the eye, and smirked. It was funny that Thranduil shared such similar icy blue eyes to Thorin, yet the effect was completely different when she looked into his. Thranduil's held a cool aloofness in place of Thorin's passionate gaze. They simply stared at each other for a long time.
Finally Gemma got tired of the goddamn dick measuring contest, so she spoke up. "Alright, I'm here." She made a swooping mock bow. "What do you want?" Gemma wasn't going to try to be diplomatic with this guy. Frankly, that thought had gone out the window as soon as he started the whole intimidation thing. She felt bad for yelling at Thorin now; she didn't like this guy already, and he hadn't even spoken yet. He just gave off this vibe. She was going to have to really try to hold back these feelings, or else she'd end up being the biggest hypocrite ever.
"What do I want?" Yup, Gemma didn't like him. His voice sounded like a condescending adult talking to a child, and she hated when people repeated questions rhetorically. "I want to know who you are. Why a woman of the race of Men is travelling with a company of dwarves, and who you are to Thorin Oakenshield. I had ordered you to be put in the same cell as he after I heard about how you yelled at him earlier, and from the reports of my guards who watched you in the cell, it would seem that the dwarf king has taken you as a lover."
"You had a guy watching us? Like, the whole time? That's so creepy! And seriously, that was our first kiss, it's not like we've talked about this or anything. We actually sort of hated each other before now, though I guess we didn't really… why am I telling you this anyway?" Fuck, she did not like this guy.
The king regarded her in silence again, and Gemma impatiently blew a strand of hair off her face and crossed her arms. Thranduil suddenly asked, "Where are you from?"
Well, that was the million dollar question, wasn't it? "A small town of Men to the north. You've probably never heard of it," she lied smoothly, but not smoothly enough, as Thranduil narrowed his eyes at her.
"I assure you, Lady…"
"LaRoche. Gemma LaRoche."
"Well, Lady LaRoche, I am over six thousand years old. I assure you, I have. What is the name of this town of Men?"
"Well… it's really more of a… um… a village actually. Very, very small…"
"I don't believe you Ms. LaRoche. See I'm not sure if you are even from this land." Well shit. Maybe it was just the dwarves rubbing off on her, but she was starting to become annoyed with elves in general, and their goddamn perceptiveness. Yeah, she was a big ol' hypocrite. Thranduil leaned forward and grasped the chain around her neck, pulling out the moonstone to inspect it. "This is a jewel of the elves, but it contains even stronger magic than a normal moonstone. A spell that I have not encountered before. Perhaps you are a sorceress. And there is also this," Thranduil motioned to the blonde elf (Gemma was fairly certain he was a prince), who brought forward her bag, and pulled out her gun, which he handed to the King.
Thranduil idly examined the weapon, and Gemma winced. She had not had time to flip on the safety when they had been captured, which meant that Thranduil could accidentally set it off. Finally, she couldn't take it. She didn't like Thranduil, but she didn't want him to accidentally shoot himself or someone else. Plus, that was her gun. "Okay, okay, please, put that down. Very slowly and carefully. Honestly, what's with you people and touching things you don't understand?" Gemma had stepped forward to take the gun without thinking. Immediately every guard, plus the blond prince, had their bows drawn and pointed an arrow at her. Gemma held her hands in the air and slowly said, "Listen. If you want to protect your king, you'll let me make sure that weapon is put away safely. If he handles it like that it could go off in his face and blow out his brains. I don't think anybody here wants that."
"What do you mean, what is it?" The prince questioned and he carefully placed it on the seat of his throne. "Some type of dark witchcraft?"
"No," Gemma sighed. "You were right; I'm not from around here. Where I come from, we have many advanced weapons, and this is one of them. It's called a handgun, and it can shoot tiny projectiles at incredible speeds. Sort of like a bow, but much more powerful." Gemma didn't really want to tell him all this, but she was beginning to formulate a plan in her head, and speaking provided her more time to think.
"Show me."
"Um, I'm sorry, what?"
"Show me how your weapon works. Perhaps, if the results are satisfying, we can come to some sort of arrangement for the freedom of your Company." Thranduil said. He had a gleam in his eye when he spoke; a lust for power that was sparked by the talk of the gun and its abilities. Gemma didn't like it, and there was no way she was giving him her gun, but it was the final piece she needed for her escape.
"You would give me, your prisoner, a powerful weapon to use in your presence?"
"Oh, make no mistake, I am not a fool. I hold captive thirteen members of your Company, including your lover. If you were to attempt anything, it would be… detrimental to them," Thranduil clarified. Cunning bastard.
"Understood. Where should I, uh, demonstrate?" Thranduil pointed to one of the wooden statues that adorned the platform. Gemma slowly picked up the gun, each guard moving to one side and keeping their bows raised. The elven prince stood closer, his bow raise as well.
Gemma took a breath and lined up her shot with the statues head, right between the eyes of the figure. It was a beautiful carving of an elf, head dipped as if in prayer, and Gemma almost felt wrong using it as a target. She breathed in again, and then squeezed the trigger to let off a single shot as she released her breath. In the open area, the sound was amplified as it echoed, and all the elves cringed. The beautiful statue now had a large splintering hole right through its head.
"Remarkable," the king said after a moment. "We will discuss this further tonight, when you shall join me for dinner, my lady. You and I could each benefit from forming an alliance, I assure you, and the Wood Elves are a far more pleasant crowd to associate with than those dwarves you have been roaming with."
"Excuse me?" Gemma said. She still held the gun. Time to make her move, and pray that her outrageous plan worked.
"My lord Thranduil!" an elf came rushing into the chamber. It was the first time Gemma had ever seen an elf do anything with less than complete and total grace. "The dwarves! They are not in their cells!"
Yes, it was most definitely time to make her move.
"It's got to be past sunrise by now. Oh, we'll never get out of here! We'll never reach the mountain!" Ori cried from within his cell. Thorin could not blame the young dwarf for his despair. By his count, Gemma had been gone for nearly two hours, and Thorin's anxiety was enough to cause a hemorrhage.
"Not in there you won't."
"Bilbo," the dwarves cried in joy.
"Shhh…" the hobbit whispered in reply, but his lips tugged into a smile. Once he opened the cells, Bilbo led the dwarves down several winding hallways.
"Thorin. Thorin, where's Gemma? She's not back yet?" Fili whispered, though for a whisper it was pretty loud. Soon the whole company was whispering the same question, looking around for Gemma.
"Be quiet, all of you," Thorin whisper-yelled. "Gemma has not returned yet. We must continue on without her."
"You mean… just leave her here, alone?" Bilbo said in shock.
"Thorin, we all know that you're not too fond of Gemma, but I had thought you both had come to a point where you could respect each other. The lass is part of this Company," Balin declared, with nods of agreement from the rest of the group.
"You are right," Thorin said, "she is part of the Company, and she cares for us all deeply, as we do for her. But it is because of this that we must leave. Gemma made me promise to leave without her if we had the chance. I will not break that promise, much as I want to. We must trust that she will find her own way out and meet up with us." The group relented, but they were not happy about it. Not that Thorin was happy either. He didn't want to leave her, after they had finally realized their feelings for each other.
Thorin wondered if that would be the last time he actually saw Gemma. She had two options from here; try to escape on her own, a near impossible feat in the prisons of Mirkwood, or use the moonstone to leave Middle Earth. Thorin had to hope that she would at least attempt the first option, but if that didn't work she would be forced to take the second, and be gone for good. In the short time that he'd know her, Thorin had grown so used to Gemma's presence that the thought of this tore at his heart. Maybe it was because his feelings were even greater than want. Maybe… did he love her? Could that be possible, in such a short time? Could she be his One? Thorin was not sure, but he prayed he could have the chance to find out.
The dwarves followed Bilbo to the cellars, much to their dismay. When he told them to get in the barrels, Thorin almost wanted to laugh out of disbelief. But the hobbit had got them this far, so Thorin and the dwarves got in the barrels, and hoped for the best.
While the elves were momentarily distracted with news of the dwarves escaping, Gemma pounced. She had to be quick, faster than an elf's reflexes, which was easier said than done. In one quick spin, she ducked around the blond elf's bow to hold her gun to his temple. "Don't even try to move," she told him. The prince froze, and Gemma was able to get a better grip on him, pinching the pressure points in his neck just slightly. She almost laughed at the déjà vu of the situation; she had used the same move on Thorin when they'd first met.
"Legolas!" Thranduil shouted, and the guards trained their weapons on her. But they wouldn't shoot; not when their prince blocked her body. Now she felt déjà vu for a different reason. It reminded her of when those men had used her as a human shield, prior to the kidnapping and torture. Gemma quickly banished the thought.
"You know what my weapon can do, but you do not know everything. Do you really want to risk the life of Legolas here, on the pretty much nonexistent chance that you'll shoot me before I shoot him?" The guards slowly lowered their bows at Thranduil's command. "Good. Now I want you to pick up my bag and slide it over to us." One if the guards did so. "Legolas, pick it up." He did as well, and Gemma carefully took them from him. "Good, now I'll be on my way, and the prince will make it back in one piece if I make it out in one piece. Got it? Let's move."
They circled the guards, and then made their way from the chamber, slowly walking backwards down the steps and through the corridors. Two guards followed closely. "Lead me out of here, towards the dwarves," Gemma instructed, and Legolas began to lead. "I'm really sorry about this, I'm not normally like this, but I've got a Company to catch and I don't want to be late. Also, I would not trust your father with my gun even if you paid me."
"That is... probably wise. Am I correct to assume you will not shoot me with your strange weapon, then?" Legolas asked. He wasn't so bad, actually. That just made Gemma feel worse.
"Only if you really force my hand. But I've got my fingers on two pressure points in your neck which will cause you debilitating pain if you try anything funny, and other tricks up my sleeve, so let's just not try anything, hmm?"
They kept going, moving at a brisk pace. Then Legolas asked, "Why stay with the dwarves?"
Gemma thought about it, and came up with a simple answer. "They need my help, and we have come to be friends."
"But when you first met them, as strangers, why would you choose to help?"
"It's my job, even if I'm not at home anymore. I've come to realize that everything comes full circle. Help a stranger, because one day, a stranger might help you when you need it.
Finally, they reached a door which led outside. "Alright, almost over. No hard feelings, eh?"
Legolas was saved from answering by the horrible sight that greeted them outside. The dwarves we trapped by the river gates in barrels, while an entire garrison of orcs flooded the courtyard, engaging elf and dwarf alike in battle.
"Well, there goes the neighbourhood."
AN:
Well that was fun! Don't worry, this won't be the last time Gemma interacts with Legolas and Thranduil. Far from it.
I love you guys so much! The reviews last chapter made me so happy! Those, along with a very relaxing March break, in which I spent most of my time skiing and binge-watching The Thick of It and Unbreakable Kimmy Shimdt, have put me in a very good mood to write. I got a few more chapters written and prepared, and am now working on the chapter about the dragon attacking Lake-town, which is chapter 28, I think. It's giving me some problems, but I shall persevere!
I hope wherever you guys are, you're having a good week too, and if not, then I hope this chapter has made it a tiny bit better! Drop me a line and tell me what you thought.