Daughter of a King

Chapter 36: The Great Escape

(3rd person POV)

"Are you alright?" Thorin asks Arulla after they broke their embrace. Arulla nodded. "I'm fine Thorin. There is no need to worry so much. I'm a big girl. I can take a few bruises and scratches." Thorin winced.

"Not if I could've done something to prevent them."

Arulla sighed, "I promise you Thorin, I'll be fine." Thorin sighed, but didn't look very convinced, Arulla smiled, "Please just trust me when I say that 'I'm alright' "

Thorin cupped her cheeks, small tears barely leaking out of his eyes, "I do trust you, I just don't want to lose you again." Arulla smiled, "That would never happen. Even in death Adad, I will never leave you."

Arulla hugged him once more and Thorin hugged her tightly. After their embrace Arulla moved over to the cot by the wall and sat down, Thorin sat down next to her and she leaned her head on his shoulders, her eyes slowly shutting.

~An hour later~

"I'll wager the sun's on the rise. It must be nearly dawn." Bofur spoke loudly, jerking Arulla awake.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori mumbles, and Arulla bows her head sadly, and Thorin looks down longingly.

"Not stuck in here, you're not!" A voice says, and Thorin is quick to look up and bolt to the door of his cell, leaving Arulla to squawk on the floor.

"Bilbo!" The dwarves shout, one after the other, shouting their praise at their little burglar.

"Shhh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo whispered hoarsely as he quickly unlocked Thorin's cell and Arulla came barreling forwards, clutching to Bilbo's torn waistcoat. "Thank you. You are truly a blessing Bilbo." Bilbo smiled and comfortingly pat Arulla's back and rubbed it slightly. "You're most welcome Arulla, but I still need to free the others."

Arulla quickly let go of Bilbo and mumbled, "Sorry." The hobbit nodded once and hurried down the stairs and up the stairs to free the other dwarves.

"Close the doors" Thorin whispered, "It'll buy us more time." He then moved over to the base of the stairs, "Up the stairs. Quickly."

"You first. Ori!" Dwalin said. But Bilbo hurriedly shook his head and hurried down another set of stairs, "Not that way, down here. Follow me."

Every dwarf quickly followed the other Arulla following close behind her cousins, and Thorin trailing behind the group. Finally they reached the stairs' end.

"This way." Bilbo whispered to Kíli behind him, who had frozen at the last step. "I don't believe it! We're in the cellars!" "You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Bofur accused Bilbo. Bilbo sighed and looked the confused dwarf straight in the eyes, "I know what I'm doing!"

"Shhh!"

"This way. Come on!" Bilbo urged again. And the dwarves filed in-between the line of barrels and the wine racks in front of them. Arulla latched onto Fíli's arm. "Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!" Bilbo whispered.

Dwalin scoffed and marched his way quietly towards the burglar, "Are you mad?! They'll find us!" Bilbo shook his head, "No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you MUST trust me!"

No one seems to listen as the dwarves try an decide on where to go from there. Bilbo turns to Thorin with a pleading look on his face. "Do as he says!" And each dwarf now tried to manage each other making sure everyone would fit. Arulla was going towards Fíli's barrel when she was tugged back, "You will ride with me." Arulla sighed and followed Thorin towards his own barrel as he got in first and then made as much room as he could for Arulla to scoot in.

After Bilbo makes sure everyone has a barrel and is secured as best as possible he walks over to the lever. "What do we do now?" Bofur asked, his head sticking out of the barrel when he asked the question, making all the other dwarves pop their heads out of their own barrels, waiting for an answer.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo replied as he clutched the lever tight and began to push it forward. "Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur asked, but then the trapdoor opened. And all the barrels on the platform rolled out, with all the dwarves in them.

Straight into the ice cold water.