It turned out that the company did not have to wait for the other Benders to arrive. Bilbo was there, in the Woodland Realm. And he had a plan.
Reyna was sitting in her cell, her chin resting on her knees, when she saw a small figure appear in front of the others' cells.
"Bilbo!" Balin exclaimed. The hobbit hissed for them to be quiet and looked around the hall nervously.
"Shhh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo whispered urgently. He went through the extensive amount of keys and finally found the right ones. He unlocked Thorin and the others then, Kili, Fili and Reyna.
"You never cease to surprise me, Bilbo Baggins." Reyna said proudly. Bilbo smiled briefly up at his friend.
"Yeah, well, it's become something of a habit." he retorted. Reyna chuckled and then it was time to focus on escaping this blasted place.
"Not that way, down here. Follow me." Bilbo said, taking the lead. The little hobbit brought them into the cellar, ignoring the grumblings of confusion by the dwarves. He argued a bit with his sceptical companions and then they followed him into a large, spacious room. In the center, there were empty barrels stacked neatly, waiting to be disposed of in the river.
"Everyone, get into the barrels, quickly!" he whispered urgently.
"Are you mad?! They'll find us!" Dwalin exclaimed. Bilbo shook his head in exasperation.
"No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you must trust me!" Bilbo pleaded. The dwarves all looked to Thorin for the word. Reyna gave him a Just do it! look. He then heard a commotion from down the hall, forcing his hand.
"Do as he says!" Thorin ordered. The dwarves hurriedly piled into the barrels, shoving each other out of the way, trying to get into the barrels first. After everyone was in, Reyna slid into one of her own. Bilbo quickly counted them and then walked over to a lever in the ground.
"What do we do now?" Bofur asked. Bilbo looked at him seriously.
"Hold your breath." he simply said.
"Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur scoffed in return. Reyna realized Bilbo's plan and stared at him, wide-eyed. He couldn't be thinking...? Bilbo pulled the lever and the floor tilted beneath the dwarves. Their barrels rolled and fell several feet into the river. Yep, that was exactly what he was thinking.
******
Legolas hurried into the armory and slung his bow and quiver over his shoulder. The dwarves had escaped. And from a report from a scout, he knew there were orcs tracking them, ready to attack. The elf prince was about to leave the armory, when the Bender's weapons caught his eye. He went over to them and hesitated. He couldn't possibly be considering returning them to Reyna, the escapee, could he? And then he realized something. She was never a prisoner. She could have killed himself and every single elf on the guard, but she hadn't. In a sense, he owed her for that. The Benders had been helping to protect Mirkwood for years. The least Legolas could do was to return her weapons to her. After all, a warrior isn't as effective without her weapons. Making up his mind, he grabbed Reyna's sword, bow, and quiver. He then took off running to join the fight.
******
The dwarves and Reyna were floating in their barrels, waiting for Bilbo. All of a sudden, he dropped through the chute and fell into the water. He surfaced and clung to Nori's barrel, spluttering and gasping for air.
"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin uncharacteristically praised. Bilbo, waved his hand.
"Go." he managed to sputter.
YOU ARE READING
The Oncoming Storm (Book 2 in the Lionheart Trilogy)
Fanfiction★ I suggest reading the first book, Lionheart, before you read this one★ Reyna Stormbringer had hoped that after facing goblins, orcs and even the occasional cave troll, that she and the company would have faced the worst of what their quest had to...
