"You need to know something," said Fili, taking her face in his large warm hands. "You will always have me. Even if the Valar take you away tomorrow, I will always be your brother. I want you. I'm going to fight Thorin for you, but even if I lose, y...
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In which their is a jail break.
Thorin twisted his wrists, testing the strength of the rope for what seemed the hundredth time. At this point it was almost a subconscious effort. This elvish rope was strange and most definitely imbued with their magic. The moment he had been tied in place he had felt the strength fade from his arms. How else could a simple cord be so strong, and how else could his wrists remain unmarred after so much struggle. Not only this, but the ropes length seemed to vary, adjusting to his needs, like how there had been enough slack to allow room between he and Fili last night so Sara could sleep between them, but today Fili was tied so closely behind him that his nephew was in constant danger of treading on his heels. The knots were impossible to pick or untie and according to Bofur to chew through. Even Nori who had escaped the goblin's shackles had no luck with this rope that was no bigger around than a small blueberry.
It rankled to be prisoners to these elves. He disliked being subject to another's will or being marched like a gang of thieves through the forest. Thorin heard Sara and Bilbo laugh and looked up to see them conversing with the elf prince and captain of the guard. Try as she might to fit in Middle-Earth, Sara still stuck out like a rough nail in a finished wall. She drew the evermore curious attention of the two elves, especially the blond prince. He watched her smile as she listened to elf talk and frowned. She ought to be by his side, walking and talking with he and Fili. Despite all the attention they gave to her and Bilbo, neither of the elves seem to truly believe their captives stories. Thorin supposed that was natural. The company's lies the day before had been rather weak ones, and would have been hard for even him to swallow if he had been on the receiving end, but it was better than the truth. He would keep the truth from the elves at all costs, both about his quest and Sara origins. Nothing good seemed to come from other knowing about Sara.
"At least she can laugh," said Fili, behind him. Thorin felt a pang of jealousy twitch through him as Sara and the blond elf continue to converse conviviality. He strained his ears to hear their conversation. "I'm glad they take care of her and didn't tie her and Bilbo with us," said Fili, breaking through his concentration as they trudged along.
"They only kept us apart to ensure our cooperation," said Thorin in dwarvish. The elf named Ruven who held the Rope gave it a half-hearted jerk, but Thorin ignored him. At first the elves had tried to keep them from talking in their native tongue, but they soon realized that short of gagging the company or cutting their tongues out it would be impossible to keep the company silent. It seemed the elves threats had been mostly empty ones, and so the dwarvish conversations had persisted.
"I have no real reason not to cooperate," replied Fili, slipping into dwarvish as well. "They treat her kindly and we knew we were going to be taken captive."
"Are you telling me you have no desire to be free of this rope? No sense of pride?"
"Not at all," said Fili. "I detest being tied up, but I want to make peace with the elves like Sara suggests even more, so unless there is a real need I will remain here. It's not as though I couldn't get loose if I wanted."
