Chapter Text
You flattened against a tree, holding your breath as the soldiers from Rivendell sped past you on horses. Waiting till the ground stopped shaking, you peered out from behind the tree, there was no sight of your pursuers. Your elf feet moved over twisting roots and decaying foliage of the forest without a sound. Your heart was still racing, how did they find out you were gone? You had been extra careful.
You were nearing the edge of the forest, the dense trees thinned out as you broke out into the vast clearing. You ducked behind a boulder biting your lip, had they seen you? You waited a good long while before you decided that it was safe to keep on moving. The plan was to put as much ground between you and Rivendell as you possibly could.
You barely noticed the clear sky and the swift breeze that danced through the weeds as you used all your senses to pick up on any movement around you.
Climbing a mild hill you crouched, trying to scope out your surroundings. You could make out the hidden pass just over a trail of short trees. When you saw the small company of soldiers you ducked. They seemed to be chasing after something, you caught a glimpse of what just before you hopped of the hill.
Orcs.
You sprinted in the opposite direction, using this chance to escape. But what were orcs doing so close to elf territory anyway? You dismissed the question from your thoughts, focusing on not getting caught. Spotting an opening of a cave hidden among boulders, you smiled and thanked your lucky stars and your keen elf eyes. The orcs were almost all dead so you needed to find a hiding spot before the soldiers resumed their hunt for you.
You skilfully vaulted over some rocks and dove into the cave. The entrance dipped down in a steep slope, you skidded down on your agile feet, kicking up a cloud of dust. You looked around when the dust settled and saw 13 dwarves, a hobbit and a tall figure, you knew to be Gandalf. They all had their weapons raised and hostile expressions on their faces. Your face remained stoic as you whipped around and crouched behind yet another boulder when you heard the thundering of hooves, the singing of flying arrows and pained squeals.
The armed dwarves did not scare or concern you. You’d rather they killed you here than be dragged back to Rivendell. You reached for your dagger when an orc rolled in from the entrance. You relaxed when it didn’t move and a jab from the dwarves confirmed its death.
Your mind went into overdrive. Will they find the cave? What was your next move going to be? Your eyes were fixed on the entrance, waiting.
Your pulse seemed to slow down when the sound of hooves faded. You let out a loud sigh and dropped to you knees in relief.
“I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or not?”, you vaguely heard. The dwarves had senses that you were of no threat and had moved away from you, at least most of them.
The skin on the back of your neck tingled as you felt someone walk closer, “Who are you?”. The voice was deep and demanding, it also carried a note of aggression. You ignored his question, less people knew about you better your chances were of getting away safely. Getting up to your feet, you avoid the dwarf’s eyes and try to push past him, he soon had a painful grip on your upper arm and he flung you back to where you were stand before. You gasped in pain and in shock, you looked at him infuriated. This dwarf had long dark hair and a beard to match, thin lips set in a tight line and sky blue eyes burned with annoyance. “What are you?”.
His question didn’t surprise you. You were quite short for an elf, you were just a head taller than the dwarf in front of you. But you still possessed the beauty, wit and grace of the elves. You were about to reply when he took an abrupt step towards you and pushed your long (y/h/c) locks from your face in an impatient manner. You cringed in pain. “An elf. I thought as much”, he spat, disgusted, retrieving his hand, he glared at you like you were a worthless worm under his boot. “You were hiding from your kin, were you not?”.
You grew weary of this dwarf’s impertinence and attitude, “That is not of your concern, dwarf. You’d be wise to leave well enough alone”, you snapped back with equal bitterness. Glaring at him, you waited for him to leave but he didn’t, he just glared right back. You looked up when you heard Gandalf clear his throat, “Thorin, we best be on our way. This young lady is of no threat, come now”. Thorin was still staring at you and in the blink of an eye he had snatched the small leather satchel you were holding close to your chest. He emptied the contents of it on to the floor of the cave. You ducked your head and sighed as the light glittered off the handful of gems and jewels that lay at your feet.
“A common thief. I’m willing to bet my life that you stole these from Rivendell”. You leaped over the jewels and stood an inch away from his face, “You don’t know me. You don’t get to make assumptions about my character or morality. Now, I’ll ask again, please just leave”. You whipped around and started stuffing the satchel again, but you were still embarrassed that he was right. How had you stooped this low? A few days ago you were dressed in lavish silks and sat in the extravagant chambers with high elves. Never mind, you would rather hang than go back to Rivendell.
Before you could get back up to your feet, you were pushed forward till you landed face first on the hard floor. Your hands were pulled back behind you and secured with what felt like rope. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!”, you exclaimed in anger, “Thorin, stop this foolishness”, you heard Gandalf ordered. You were pulled to your feet and pushed towards the path leading out, “If we have no choice but go to the elves for help, we might as well bring them a gift. To insure we get what we want.”.
“Thoin, we need not barter with them. They are not our enemy”, Gandalf reasoned as he walked behind Thorin. “I’m not worth anything to them, trust me. I’ve never been to Rivendell. Just let me go!”, you lied. Thorin gave you a rough shove to get you walking again, “Has anyone told you that you are horrible at lying. Your bracers have Rivendell runes and so does your sword”, he unclasped the sword from your hip and yanked the dagger from its scabbard . You wanted to kick yourself for that stupid mistake. You had to do something. You couldn’t go back, your punishment would be severe..probably even lethal.
Pretty soon, you, Thorin and Gandalf had caught up to the rest of the company. You got a few confused looks from some of them, but most of them just ignored you, like it was normal for Thorin to take random hostages at will. You were annoyed beyond belief, just who did this dwarf think he was? You should have killed them when you had the chance. But mostly you were angry that you had let a dwarf take you prisoner so easily. You were a good warrior and he was a small person. How in Eru’s name did this come about?
The wheels in your head turned grudgingly as you saw light at the end of the tunnel. It felt like you had been walking for hours and you had realized that you cannot make your escape till you got outside. During the walk, Thorin had said no more to you but kept an eye on you in case you bolted. A blond dwarf moved closer to you at Thorin’s command. The younger dwarf threw you curious glances and appeared less cruel. It was high noon when you exited the cave, the company kept moving in the direction of Rivendell. You looked around you, there was enough space between you and the company to make a quick getaway, the only problem was Thorin and the blonde dwarf; the were flanking you. But if you played your cards right, you could be miles away from them in no time.
You let out a painful groan and stopped bending over, “I need a break, my calf is cramping”. The company in front of you stopped but started again when Thorin said something in Khuzdul. He rolled his eyes and stopped, “two minutes”. You looked up and saw that the rest of the dwarves and Gandalf were far enough. Quickly, you jumped over your bound hands bringing them in front of you and punched Thorin in the face and kneed his stomach. He fell back and you spun around to see the blond dwarf lunging at you. You couldn’t do much with your hands bound and he was too close for you to doge in time, he tackled you to the ground. You rolled him over using your legs till you were on top of him. Before Thorin could get up again you bolted towards the trees. A smug smile crept to your lips as you dove into the forest.
You spotted a huge oak with raised roots. You could probably hide in there for a while. Before you reached it you tripped and tumbled to the wet ground, you uttered a string of Sindarin curses and looked behind you because you were sure there was nothing there a few seconds ago. You groaned when you saw the blond dwarf from before with a raised battle axe. “You are not going anywhere dornessiti (princess)”, he said a little out of breath.
You wanted to cry. “Please don’t make me go back there”, you said with pleading eyes, "Please. They'll kill me". He lowered his axe by an inch and shifted on his feet; he was hesitating. His deep blue eyes betrayed him, he was sorry for you. He looked around and offered you his hand.
“I will see what I can do”.