A Mercenaries Love (A Hobbit Fan Fiction)

Chapter 27- Escaping death

Ava's Pov

"Raineth!" I can't help but cry out as she comes into view.

"Ava!" She replies happily as she runs down the corridor and clings onto the bars separating us, a smile bright on her face.

"It's has been too long my friend" I say as I reach through the bars and try as best I can to hug her. Raineth has been my friend ever since I grew up. She was initially meant to be my maid but I never treated her as one, instead she was more like my sister and we did everything together. Until I was banished that is, she tried to come with me but Thranduil would not let her leave, I don't know whether that was to spite me or if he actually needed her to stay. I doubt it was the latter as he would not worry about one individual elf.

"I agree, it has. This place has not been the same since you were banished" Raineth says as she fumbles around with the lock on the dungeon door.

"There is no point without a key" I say as I realise what she is trying to do. Raineth smirks and then holds up a set of keys, more specifically Legolas's set of keys.

"Do you really think I would come to help you escape and not have realised that I would need keys" Raineth says as she dangles the keys in front of my face before pushing the door open with a smirk on her face.

"No, but you never know, I was always the thinker out of us" I say teasingly.

"Okay, princess. Believe what you want but we seriously must be going. The guards have been distracted but we must leave while we have the chance" Raineth says as she grabs hold of my arm and pulls me out into the corridor. We run along the path until we reach a corner, these paths were always a pain when I wanted to move around unseen. Anybody can see you just by looking down. Raineth quickly checks to see if it is clear and we continue on. We don't pass any other cells so I must be on a restricted level. I lose track of the paths we take as Raineth guides me hopefully to a way out of here. After what seems like years we arrive at a dead end, I go to ask Raineth what we are doing but she motions for me to be quiet. While I keep watch for any guards Raineth fumbles around on the wall for something. I don't see what it is but I can make a guess, there are hidden paths all throughout Mirkwood and ever since I was young, Raineth and I have discovered almost every one of them.

Raineth seems to find what she is looking for and a crack forms in the wall revealing a secret door that only those who knew it was there would be able to find it. I quickly follow Raineth through the door and she closes it behind us, engulfing us into darkness. I can hear Raineth fumbling around for something and I hope its light.

"Ava, it is alright to talk now" Raineth says as she manages to get some light.

"Good, so is this one of the paths that we discovered?" I ask as I follow Raineth along the narrow path.

"No, I only recently discovered this path. I do not normally come down to where the prisoners are but there have been some rumours going round and I needed to know more" Raineth explains.

"What kind of rumours?" I ask curiously.

"Some about your reappearance in Mirkwood, that is what initially gained my attention but there have been further rumours that someone else has followed your company into the forest" Raineth informs me.

"Someone else? Who?" I ask, shocked.

"That's what I have been trying to find out. I did hear something from one of the guards. They think the person following you is connected to your mother" Raineth says and I stop in shock.