Meanwhile, Bilbo is standing outside Thorin's cell with the set of keys that he swiped.
The ring is still on his finger.
And he knows he really ought to take off the ring and set them all free…
Maybe in a moment. There is something infinitely more fun he has to do first.
Bilbo's POV:
Bilbo, still cloaked in his invisibility, stood outside Thorin's cell silently, watching him pace back and forth. While the other dwarves had all fallen asleep, Thorin was still wide awake and looking more frazzled than Bilbo had ever seen him look before.
He really ought to start unlocking the cell doors. Any minute now the elven guards would awaken and remember that they had abandoned their posts. They would march in - or rather stumble in due to the copious amounts of wine they'd consumed - and then any chance of escape would be lost.
But Thorin's brow was wrinkled in frustration and he just looked so… cute.
"I know you're there," Thorin whispered, and Bilbo practically fell over in surprise. He went to remove the ring on his finger, excuses already at the tip of his tongue, but then -
"You're always there, dad," Thorin continued, looking up at the ceiling as he spoke. "Watching me. Judging me. I can feel it. I know I've failed you."
Thorin threw his hands up into the air. "What would you like me to do? Accept a deal with the Elf King and toss away everything we believe in? Ignore everything they have done to us?"
Inspiration struck Bilbo suddenly, though he would later wonder if it had been inspiration so much as sleep deprivation.
He cleared his throat and said, in a voice that he felt would have matched Thorin's father, Thráin II, "You are doing everything correctly, Thorin. I am proud of you."
It became so silent that even the sound of a feather hitting the floor would have sounded like an explosion. And then -
"Bilbo?" Thorin stepped forward and gripped the bars of his cell, glancing about wildly. "Are you there?"
Bilbo frowned and tried again. "Who is this Bilbo fellow you speak of, boy? This is your FATHER. Listen to me when I speak."
A small, amused smile swept across Thorin's face. "I'm afraid you don't quite have the dwarvish accent down, Bilbo. It's terrible really."
"Was it believable for even a moment?"
Thorin's smile spread into a wide grin. "Would it make you feel better if I were to say yes?"
Bilbo crossed his arms and sighed loudly, speaking in his own voice now. "It would make me feel better if you actually meant it."
"Where are you?" Thorin asked, still looking around. "You sound as if you are right in front of me, but I do not see you."
He considered, for a moment, slipping the ring from his finger and revealing the secret to Thorin. He would never consider it with anyone else. Not even Gandalf. But for Thorin…
Still, it wouldn't be a good idea, he decided. Not yet anyway.
"Close your eyes," he said instead. "And turn around."
Thorin's eyes shut immediately, and Bilbo felt his face flush at the obedience. "As you wish," Thorin said softly, turning around so that his back faced Bilbo.
Once the ring was tucked safely back into his pocket, Bilbo held up the keys and waved them lightly. "I heard you needed rescuing."
"Those wouldn't happen to be the keys to the cell, would they?" Thorin asked without turning, his voice low.
"You did say you needed a burglar," Bilbo reminded him, jamming the key into the lock and twisting it. "I would hate to disappoint you."
Thorin turned and offered Bilbo another smile. "You never could."
Kíli's POV:
Escape.
Bilbo had handed them the keys to their freedom, and Kíli felt as though he'd shackled him instead.
He knew his feelings were evident on his face, though only Fili seemed to notice.
"Wipe that moping look off your face before Uncle notices," Fili hissed as they followed Bilbo towards what he kept promising was the exit. "You're supposed to look happy that we're on our way to freedom and back to our quest."
"This is my happy face," Kíli insisted. "It just happens to look like my moping face."
Fili rolled his eyes and gripped Kíli's arm, as though trying to ensure that he didn't run off. Not that he would've. Even though he felt a string connecting him to her, and that string was being pulled more and more taut the farther he went, he also had strings connecting him to his kin and the other members of his company.
He would not, could not be so easily swayed. At least, he hoped he couldn't.
They climbed down a few spiraling staircases until they ended up in a dimly lit wine cellar filled with sleeping guards.
"You're supposed to be leading us out, not farther in!" Bofur whispered angrily.
Kíli and Fili exchanged a look. Had the hobbit sold them out? It would've been a strange thing to do - rescuing them and then turning them in again.
"Just trust me," Bilbo was saying from the front of the group. "Climb into the barrels and I promise you it will be alright."
There was a small amount of quiet squabble amongst the group as everyone fought to give their opinions before Thorin said
"Do as he says."
The words rang out clearly, though softly, as to not awaken the guards.
"I swear," Fili muttered as they climbed into the barrels. "If I die in a moment and my last conversation was about you and an elf, I'm going to murder you."
