Chapter Five, Meeting her Mate
Ninfea looked at the guards to the entrance of the palace they weren't shocked at her sudden arrival in fact they were used to her popping out of nowhere. "Hello Sidrin." Ninfea smiled at the black haired elf.
"Hello Lady Ninfea." He smirked at the scowl on her face she knew he hated her calling that but he used it to his advantage as he was the only one who got away with it. He hugged the elfling to himself tightly before looking at her intensively as if he was looking for injuries.
"Sidrin why must you check he over for injuries every time I come over?" Ninfea sighed shaking her head. She liked him he was a prankster like her brothers and he was also married to Arwen but Ninfea didn't care she only wanted them to be happy. "You know I care about you Ninth even if my wife is being stubborn she loves you too I see it in her eyes and we both don't want anything to happen to you. Now what are you doing here? You look really angry about something."
"I'm just here to have a little word with my brothers, Legolas and King Thranduil now if you'll excuse me." Ninfea said as she pushed past the elves manning the door and walked inside the palace heading to the throne room where she knew Legolas would be telling his father about the dwarves. 'Killing two birds with one stone.' She thought with a grin spreading across her face. She stopped suddenly when she saw her dear friend Bilbo Baggins what made her freeze was the hazy outline around him that meant he was invisible but also the Dark Magic coming off of the ring on his pointer finger.
"Bilbo!" Ninfea hissed so quietly so only Bilbo would hear her. "Bilbo it's me Ninfea come to alcove over there and take off the ring." Ninfea turned and walked over to the alcove once she was sure Bilbo was in she set up Notice me not charms and silencing charms so no one would over hear them. "You can take the ring off now Bilbo." She smiled when she saw her dear friend pop into view hugging her around the waist. She had met Bilbo a few years ago when she went traveling with Solis and Lunam afterwards they kept up a correspondence with each other over the years.
"Ninth? What are you doing here?" Bilbo asked once he'd pulled back smiling at his dear friend. I'm here to have words with Legolas, my brothers and King Thranduil on how not to lock up innocents even if they're dwarves especially if one is my mate." Ninfea answered.
"You had a vision?" Bilbo asked, Ninfea nodded and explained to him what she had found out in her lessons and about her vision how the archer was her mate. Bilbo then told her that her mates name is Kili and he is Thorin's youngest nephew.
"I'm actually re-thinking on talking to Legolas and Thranduil as I don't want them to suspect me when we help them escape. Though there is a way for us to escape. Down in the Cellar there is a barrel drop with fourteen large barrels on top of it, I can share one with you and the others can have their own barrel. All you need to do is get them to the cellar. I'll get my brothers to help by standing guard at the entrance to the dungeons and get a copy of the keys from one of the other guards so it will take them longer to figure it out." Ninfea explained her plan.
"I think your brothers are rubbing off on you Ninth." Bilbo laughed. "I'll meet you inside the dungeon doors." Bilbo said hugging her one last time before slipping his ring on again and leaving the alcove. Shaking her head Ninfea took down the spells before heading of to find her wayward brothers.
**
"So let me get this straight?" Elladan asked. "You were mentioned in the runes written by an elf and a dwarf about how you would reunite the races. And you had a vision about us capturing the dwarves and taking them to the dungeons that the archer in the group is your mate?"
"And you want us to stand watch at the entrance to the dungeons while you escape with them?" Elrohir continued. Ninfea nodded her head looking at her brothers nervously hoping that she wasn't going to have her brothers turn on her as well. "Oh Ninth there is no reason to be upset of course we'll help you and we still love you we don't care if your mate is a dwarf we just want you to be happy." Both of her brothers said at the same time pulling her into a hug.
"Your lucky it is actually our turn to be on guard duty otherwise it would arouse suspicion." Elrohir told her holding out the keys for her to copy before they exited her brothers room making their way to the dungeons though Ninfea had put her invisibility cloak over herself. "Ninth promise is you'll be careful and make sure you send your Patronus to us every couple of days if we don't hear from you after a week we will becoming after you." Elladan said seriously hugging his baby sister to him. When he finally let her go Elrohir pulled her into a hug before finally letting her go so she could slip through the door to meet with Bilbo who was waiting for her on the other side.
"Are you ready Bilbo?" Ninfea asked. Bilbo nodded his head and led her to where the dwarves were being held. As they walked further into the dungeon they could hear a dwarf, that Bilbo told her was called Ori saying they were never gonna reach the mountain. "Not stuck in here your not." Bilbo told them which was answered by numerous shouts of his name. "Shh or you'll attract the attention of the guards and Ninfea's brothers won't be able to keep them away if you do that." Bilbo snapped at them.
"Who's Ninfea?" Fili asked confused. Bilbo looked behind him to see Ninfea half hidden in the shadows but she was staring at Kili who was staring back at her with dopey look on his face. "My name is Ninfea." Ninfea introduced as she stepped fully out of the shadows.
"AN ELF!!" Thorin roared in anger glaring at Bilbo. "YOU BROUGHT AN ELF HERE WHEN YOU WERE MEANT TO BE FREEING US!"
"And how do you propose Bilbo did that without inside help, master dwarf?" Ninfea asked quirking an eyebrow at him her arms crossed over her chest. "He'd have to get the keys off a guard which would've been exceedingly difficult to do as they keep them in an inside pocket of their tunics. I copied the keys by brothers had with their permission so when they do discover your missing they'll have trouble figuring out how you escaped." Ninfea told them.
"I was not talking to you elf and how do we know this not some trap and your planning to take us to your king." Thorin spat at her.
"Do not speak to her like that uncle." Kili growled at him shocking the rest of the company but before any of them could say anything Bilbo interrupted them. "I will not have you talking to her like that Thorin she has done nothing to you. She is the adopted daughter of Lord Elrond she is half elf and half witch and is not too blame for what King Thranduil did to you when the dragon attacked as she wasn't even thought of then as she is only twenty-two a child still. She had a vision of us being captured and cane to help us and this is how you repay her. Treating her like scum of the earth when some of her own race treat her like that making her wish she'd died along with her real parents just for being an elven witch you all should be ashamed of yourselves." Bilbo growled shocking the whom company into silence.
"Bilbo it's fine don't worry about it." Ninfea said in a monotone voice as she started unlocking the cells. "No it is not fine Ninth I will not have them treat you like this you've suffered so much that it would make grown men go mad. I know now why Lord Elrond only lets you come here to visit your brothers in surprised he's letting you come with us." Bilbo said surprised though he was still mad at how his friends had treated her.
"He wasn't happy neither were Solis, Lunam but they made me promise I'd send word that I was alright every couple of days otherwise they'd come after me and lock me back in my room where not even my mate could get me. Even Elladan and Elrohir said the same sometimes I hate having four over protective brothers I just wished Arwen didn't hate me so much." Ninfea said wiping the tears from her eyes as she opened her mates door who was a head and shoulders taller than her. Kili and the others looked at Ninfea confused as they saw how small she was compared to them when the other elves towered over them.
"I'm Kili." Kili said taking her hand and kissing the back of it causing Ninfea to giggle. "Stop flirting you too we need to get out of here and yes Kili you are the mate Ninfea was talking about but you'll have to get to know each other later. And to answer all your questions Ninfea is smaller than the other elves but it has nothing to do with her being a half elf its to do with her home life before the Valar took her to Lord Elrond five years ago and that's all I'm saying as quite frankly you don't deserve to know such things." Bilbo snapped.
"Right lets go." Ninfea ordered leading them to the cellar where some of the elves were asleep at the table. "Ninth what did you put in their wine?" Bilbo asked shaking his head.
"Powerful sleeping potion," she said simply leading them to the barrels. "If you want to get out before your discovered I had to put one in as even elves drunk on elven wine don't stay asleep for long and the barrel drop would be sure to wake them up with how loud it is. I just hope Legolas or Thranduil want to see me." Ninfea fretted.
"Why would they want to see you?" A dwarf with a hat on his plaits sticking out from underneath it. "Names Bofur lassie."
"Well I only come here for training and to see my brothers and sister though she never wants to see me. And the guards at the front gate would have told them I had arrived a few hours ago and Thranduil wants me to marry his son though my Ada. It means dad in elvish. Told them I don't want to date anyone else apart from my mate, so they're probably looking for me. Oh I do hope they haven't put everything together."
"Right get into the barrels now as Tauriel and the other guards are coming." Ninfea ordered when they refused to get in. "Bilbo get in and I'll climb in after you. Once everyone is in hold your breath." Ninfea said.
"Why won't you share one with me?" Kili asked frowning. Smiling sweetly at her mate Ninfea explained how Bilbo could not swim and if they were ambushed along the river she'd be able to protect him. She left out the part that she couldn't swim properly either as her brothers had not long been teaching her.
"I have your weapons in my bag." Ninfea said opening her satchel and quickly handed out all the weapons before climbing into the barrel. "Now hold your breath." Ninfea warned as she opened the hatchet with her magic watching as the first lot of barrels tumbled out of the slope and into the water below.