Everything was going according to plan. Nora had gone with the dwarves, Bilbo, and Sarabelle to take care of the guards before rejoining the girls. In the end, Runa had refused to share too much detail on the plan itself, merely stating that they’d need disguises.
So it was that Aelith and Avice found themselves in a random bedroom staring into a closet of elven dresses.
“No.”
“Ah but Avice why not?! You’ll look so pretty!” Runa teased, nudging her annoyed friend.
“I don’t wear dresses.”
“Well there’s always a first,” said Runa, before beginning to go through the closet with Nienna.
Aelith, catching a pale green dress that was thrown at her, held it up critically.
“There’s no way this is going to fit me. It’s five inches too long…”
“That’s not a problem,” Runa responded cheerfully, her head still in the closet. “Nora knows a spell.”
“Of course she does…” Aelith sighed before moving to change. Before she could start, Avice grabbed her forearm.
“You’re seriously going along with this?” she asked in disbelief.
“Well yeah,” Aelith shrugged. “It’s actually a pretty good plan…” Avice groaned, closing her eyes. A split second later, she was hit in the face by a wad of silvery material.
“It’ll match your mask!” Nienna called over her shoulder happily. Avice let out a sigh of annoyance, but fingered the material wistfully when she thought no one was watching before beginning to change.
Just then the door opened.
“Ah Nora, finally,” began Runa as she turned to her friend.
She and all the other girls froze. It wasn’t Nora…
Silvia was staring at the girls in shock. Before any of the escapees could react, she quickly came all the way into the room closing the doors behind her and locking it.
“There, now we won’t be interrupted,” she said before smiling at everyone. Aelith frowned at her.
“Wait… you’re not turning us in?”
“Oh goodness me, no!” Silvia laughed. “King Thranduil, though I respect him, didn’t really have a reason to imprison you other than you were traveling with dwarves. Technically you were trespassing, but it wasn’t intentional and it isn’t really your fault that that Thorin fellow has as much tact as an orc.”
“Oh…” was all Aelith could think of.
“So, you’re escaping then?” asked Silvia excitedly. “How?”
“How can we trust you?” Avice cut in before anyone else could respond. Silvia sighed,
“Look, I could be convicted of treason if I was caught helping you, but I’m still risking it. Isn’t that enough proof?”
“No. You could be a spy,” Avice insisted. Silvia actually rolled her eyes at that.
“Really? An entire army of soldiers and Thranduil’s going to use a spy? Not really his style.”
“That’s true,” agreed Runa, scrunching up her nose. “He’s a bit of a diva, isn’t he?” Silvia laughed, but Nienna looked at Runa suspiciously.
“And how would you know?” she asked and, to everyone’s surprise, Runa’s cheeks tinged slightly red.
Fortunately for her, she was saved by the door lighting on fire. Silvia screamed, running to join them across the room to put some distance between her and the flaming door. Oddly enough, nothing else caught fire -- just the door.
The explanation of this was evident when a person stepped through the charred remained of the doorframe.
“What’d I miss?” asked Nora happily, dropping what appeared to be Santa Clause’s sack of Christmas toys onto the floor by her.
“Nora… why did you burn the door down?” asked Aelith patiently.
“BECAUSE I’M BRYONY THE XANDU WIZARD! … And because it was locked.”
“Don’t you know an unlocking spell?” questioned Aelith dryly.
“...”
“Speaking of divas…” muttered Runa. Suddenly, Nora noticed the unexpected member of the party.
“WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?!?!?” She pointed her staff at Silvia who looked at the other girls with a slightly panicked expression.
“Okay first of all,” began Aelith, “point that thing somewhere else. Secondly, she’s helping us. And thirdly please fix the door before someone notices and His Highness sets the entire army on us.”
“Sorry,” said Nora with a sheepish smile as she turned and waved her staff, the door magically fixing itself.
“Where’d you find your staff?” asked Avice. “And what’s that?” she pointed at the mysterious sack.
“I dropped by the guards’ room just outside the dungeons on my way here. I found all of our stuff!”
“Really?” asked Avice excitedly, diving for the sack with Runa and Nienna right behind her. Aelith eyed the sack thoughtfully as the girls found their beloved weapons.
“We can’t just carry them out with us…”
“I could,” offered Silvia. They all turned to look at her.
“How?”
“Well I cart healing supplies in and out of the palace all of the time. I could hide them in my cart and sneak them out the front gates while you guys escape. You could meet me in the townsquare.”
The girls looked at each other.
“Well,” said Runa philosophically. “It’s not like we have a choice. Besides, I think she’s trustworthy. After all,” here she looked at Avice, “she kept our last secret.” Avice’s face hardened slightly for a moment, then softened.
“Fair enough,” she agreed. Then, returning all of their things into the sack, she handed it to Silvia.
“Right then,” said Silvia, clapping her hands gleefully. “Let’s get you all dressed up, shall we?”
* * *
Nienna was annoyed again.
Runa had left them all to take care of some “business” and promised to meet up with them outside in the town square where Silvia should be waiting. Aelith and Avice had gone to attempt to smuggle some horses out and taken Nora with to enchant the guards.
Thus it had fallen to her to complete the most boring and dangerous part of their plan. It was her job to get some rations for the journey.
It was dangerous because the chances of getting caught were the highest. But tonight was a party, and no one would suspect a lost elleth wandering through the palace. So now she was bored.
With a frustrated sigh, she threw several loaves of bread in the satchel she was filling, managing to gets crumbs on her light blue dress. Barely containing the scream of irritation, she brushed her hands off and then tried brushing off the crumbs.
After several minutes of squinting in the dark, she was satisfied and straightened, only to freeze.
Staring at her from across the kitchen was Legolas. Her mind raced. Maybe he didn’t recognize her in the dark? Maybe he was drunk? Maybe-
“Nienna?”
Well poop.
“Evening Legolas…” she decided to play it cool and make a run for it as soon as she could.
“You’re not in the dungeon,” he said in surprise. Nienna found herself rolling her eyes.
“How very perceptive of Your Highness…”
“Did you escape?”
“No, your father was suddenly seized by an incredibly uncharacteristic fit of good feelings and let us go.”
“Really?” Nienna came very close to facepalming.
“No. A friendly mountain troll name Rupert heard of our plight and busted us out.”
“But surely that would have raised quite a ruckus…”
“Legolas,” interrupted Nienna. “Is sarcasm even in your vocabulary?”
“Did you break out?” asked Legolas seriously, beginning to circle the table separating them. Nienna didn’t reply, but began edging the other way to keep that table exactly where it was.
“You know, I feel like I’m missing something,” Legolas said, staring hard at Nienna who fidgeted under his gaze.
Suddenly, Nora burst into the kitchen.
“Nienna! We gotta go! I saw you fiance heading this way and-” She froze seeing the situation. Nienna closed her eyes, willing for some form of divine intervention: lighting, a tidal wave, anything.
“Whoops,” said Nora sheepishly as Nienna began to inch toward the door where the hobbit wizard stood.
“Nienna?” Legolas had frozen, trying to process what was going on. “Your fiance is here?” His head jerked up abruptly and his eyes found hers in a flash, realization crystal clear.
“This has been fun, but we gotta go,” Nora smiled and waved, then grabbed Nienna and sprinted out the door, dragging the elleth with. The door slammed behind them and Nienna flicked her hand at it, muttering something.
“What was that?” asked Nienna.
“Locking spell,” Nora grinned, then jumped as they heard the doorknob rattle.
“Nienna! Nienna, wait! Please!” Legolas called from the other side. Nienna and Nora’s eyes widened and both turned and high tailed it up the hallway and out of sight.