Chapter Text
The following day was like any other. Raven woke up around noon after a horrible night filled with the same nightmare, dressed in her gown and practiced the songs for the Feast of Starlight. But she couldn't stop thinking about the dwarfs and the hobbit that were, no doubt, still in their cells. So from that day forward, she would sneak into the kitchen, grab a basket of pastries and go back to the dungeons. After a few days, the dwarves warmed up to her. Even Thorin, who didn't trust her food and water at first, came to appreciate her kindness. The hobbit, named Bilbo Baggins, shared her love for riddles and told her all about the Shire. Kíli and her would talk about the stars and Moon and all of their phenomenon's, such as the Fire moon.
One day, as she was on her way to the dungeon, she was humming the song of the Misty Mountain once more, which caught Thorins attention. “What's that song? How do you know of it?”, he asked. Raven, barely realizing she was humming, looked at him puzzled, then smiled, “Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize I was humming. Its a song from a book I really like. 'The Tragedy or Dwarfs and Dragons', if you wanted to know. I do believe it speaks of your people, King Thorin”. He nodded. “Do you like to sing?”, he inquired. She nodded, blushing lightly, “I do. My uncle makes me perform on special occasions. I don't mind but would much prefer to sing new songs and tell new tales.” Thorin understood the feeling of being trapped and the longing to prove oneself well. “Speaking of which. The Feast of Starlight is tomorrow. It's a big deal for us. All light is sacred to the Eldar, but Wood Elves love best the light of the stars. So the whole Kingdom will be attending. It would be a shame if... A few dwarves slipped out at that time.” Raven said, looking expectantly at Thorin. His eyes widened, “You would do that for us?”. Raven nodded, “You clearly have no bad intentions. And my uncle is a very patient man. He could keep you here for years without reason and you seem to be in a hurry to get back to your journey.” The dwarven king nodded and replied, “We need to get to our destination before a certain day. Otherwise the journey was a waste of time”. Raven knew not to pry when she was withheld information, so she just nodded in return.
The next day, Raven made sure to get up at first light and put on her dress. She braided her hair and made sure she looked as pleasing to the eye as possible. Her uncle would expect that of her. Azuka hadn't returned from her assigned post so she escorted herself to the great hall which was filled with elves, good food and lots of wine. Everybody was in a merry mood and waited for her to get on stage. Raven took a deep breath, put on a smile and went on stage, when the whole room went quiet; all eyes were on her.
She started singing 'Evenstar', then 'Beyond the forest', then 'Dream Awaken', then 'Caras Galadhon '. All songs she performs every year. And every year her uncle and everyone attending seems enchanted by her voice. After her performance she took a bow and left the stage, back to her room. She had no interest in feasting and drinking. She had a plan to enact.
After changing into her expedition gear, she went to the dungeons once more, keys to the cells in hand. She was a bit nervous but knew she had nothing to fear. “Alright”, she began, standing in front of Thorin's cell, “I have a plan but you need to do exactly as I say or we will get caught. Understand?” The dwarfs all mumbled agreements and Thorin nodded at her, understanding the risk she is taking. She led them into the wine cellar where over a dozen empty barrels were stacked. With the guards at the festival and no one to guard the cellar, this was much easier than Raven expected. Kíli, upon realizing where they were, protested, “I don't believe it, were in the cellars! You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!” Raven shot him a stern glance, “I know what I'm doing. It's not like we can just stroll out the front gate”. She let them right to the barrels and whispered, “Everyone, climb into the barrels”. “Are you mad?!”, Dwalin asked in disbelief, “They'll find us!” Raven shook her head “No no no they wont I promise you, please, you must trust me!” The dwarves mumbled amongst each other. Raven started to panic a bit and looked to Thorin for support. He understood and quickly ordered them, “Do as she says.” The dwarves waste no time and climb into the barrels one by one. After she made sure all the dwarves were in a barrel she walked to a big lever, when they all popped their heads out and Bofur asked “What do we do now?” Raven looked at him with a smirk and replied, “Hold your breath”, then flipped the lever. As she does, the Floor moves and throws the barrels into the lake below with a big splash, out of the castle, where they float towards the closest town. Knowing the noise must've caught someone's attention she rushed back to her room and caught her breath. Then, there's a knock on her door. Her heart stopped and she was sure she's been spotted. She took a deep breath, then answered, “Yes?”. It was Legolas with a big smile on his face. “Sorry I missed your performance, I'm sure it was lovely as usual.” Raven was relived that it was just Legolas checking in and not a guard escorting her to be punished by the King. She gave him a smile, when he noticed her attire, “Oh, are you going somewhere?” Raven looked down on herself and replied, “O-oh, no I was going to wander around the castle. I just didn't feel like wearing a dress today. The one from the performance was so uncomfortable. I thought I'd... mix it up a bit”. Legolas nodded in agreement. “Well”, he started, “since you're dressed appropriately, wanna go on a little walk in the forest? It's not a mission or anything, but I believe you earned it.” Raven was ecstatic and agreed immediately after being cooped up in here for so long. She wasn't worried about running into the dwarves since the river flows opposite from the path they usually take to go through the forest.
She grabs her bow and arrows and follows Legolas to the main gate. Just as they took the first step out, a guard yelled out to them “My Liege! The dwarves! They're gone!” Raven's face turned ghost white, knowing how skilled and fast Legolas was. He would catch up to them in no time. “What? How did they get out of their cells? Where are they?”, he asked the guard. “I'm not sure, it seems they got a hold of the keys somehow and escaped in the wine barrels. Someone heard the lever being pilled and the barrels are now missing.” Legolas heard enough and ran towards the river, Raven following him. She tried coming up with a reason for them not to recapture the dwarves but couldn't think of a good enough reason that wouldn't hint at her involvement.