Calm The Fire

26

"What?" Someone else exclaimed, which was quickly followed by their names being exclaimed.

"Shh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo exclaimed while moving quickly alongside Náriel to Thorin's cell and unlocking it.

Náriel stood and looked around to make sure no guards were nearby. When she realised there weren't, she turned around only to get suddenly embraced tightly. She let out a struggled sound, "Too tight...Thorin, I can't breathe!" She said while being let go, she coughed and rubbed her neck. "It is good to see you too." She smiled and put a hand on his chest. The two exchanged a look before looking to the other freed dwarves.

"Which way?"

"Not that way, down here follow me!" Bilbo said while looking to Náriel, she merely gestured a hand to him. He was going the right way, there was no reason for her to say otherwise. Though it was clear the further they were going, the more quiet complaints were suddenly bought up.

"Can you have faith?" Náriel said while moving forwards to stand beside Bilbo. The two exchanged a look. "Told you." She said while looking to the sleeping drunken forms of Elros and Lethuin.

"We're in the cellars!" Kíli said in hushed annoyance while walking down the steps.

"You're supposed to be leading us out not further in!" Bofur said while looking to Bilbo.

"I know what I'm doing. We figured this plan out earlier, trust us." Bilbo said while ushering them along. When everyone had walked down the small aisle which was between a bottle rack and a stack of barrels, Bilbo and Náriel exchanged a look. "Climb into the barrels, quickly!" Bilbo said as seriously and firmly as he could.

Dwalin pushed forwards and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you mad? They'll find us!"

"No, no, they won't, I promise you." Bilbo retorted. "Please, please you must trust me!" He said pleadingly. The dwarves just mumbled uncertainly, Bilbo looked to Thorin.

"Do as he says," he commanded while jumping down the stairs. Each dwarf helped the other to get into the barrel.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked while peeking out from his barrel.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo said while walking to the leaver.

"Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur asked again just as the leaver got pulled and the door slipped open and the barrels started to roll downwards in the water below. The door shut quietly and Bilbo looked to the empty space. "Oh."

"Didn't think this fully through." Náriel looked to the side through the shelves of a bottle rack. "They're waking. Bilbo, I must go, I have to"

"But-"

"I believe in you," Náriel put her hands on his shoulders. "I believe that you will find a way out. But I have to go. If I am found here I will never be able to leave." She squeezed his shoulders and smiled, and quickly turned away.

"Couldn't you just..." Bilbo said while Náriel's form disappeared. "Pull the leaver for me?" He finished off, though the prospect of that didn't bode well with him. There had to be another way out. He paced to and fro while trying to ignore the waking elves a little way away from him. He tapped himself on the forehead before jumping up and down on the floorboards.

It was seemingly the only way out. Hearing oncoming voices, he halted and looked wide eyed at the staircase. The more he shuffled back the more he was aware of the floorboards slipping backwards, tilting even. Bilbo stood frozen as he fell backwards with a small startled noise. He splashed into the cold water and briefly saw the floorboards slip back up with a quiet thud.