Chapter Text
This was not something you expected to happen when you woke up in Middle-earth a few months ago. Sure, you knew everything that was going to happen from watching the movies, but you never thought that elves would be such perverts. Embarrassed and blushing angrily, you stripped off the fur coat and outer clothes gifted to you from Thorin Oakenshield's Company. You avoided the Mirkwood guards' unapologetic eyes as they raked up and down your body without hesitation. The dwarves started shouting in anger at this, about how this was intolerable and unfair to the only female in an overwhelmingly large group of males.
"Can you not see that she is a woman!?" Bofur asked the guards angrily from where he and the rest of the Company were held back from pummeling the guards. You briefly lifted your head to look at him, then Thorin, both pairs of eyes burning with anger. "Show some respect, ya bastards!"
"Orders are directly from His Majesty, King Thranduil," a male guard answered with a smirk as he and the others looked up and down your body. "Strip and search for weapons, regardless of gender."
You kept your eyes glued to your boots as you tried to cover up your slightly-exposed chest with your arms. You had on the same low-cut camisole and leggings you were wearing when you fell into Middle-earth. You had decided to wear them as part of the three layers you had on to keep the cold away. You were only just now realizing that it wasn't the best idea.
The guards roughly grabbed the dwarves and forced them to walk at a fast pace towards what you assumed was the King's prison. You were roughly shoved into Thorin as he passed on his way to see the King, making the two of you stumble. He steadied you by grabbing your waist, causing a blush to creep up your neck.
"Was that really necessary?" you demanded with ice in your voice and fire in your eyes as Thorin released you. The guards smirked before marching the two of you off in opposite directions. You met Thorin's gaze briefly before he disappeared from your view.
The farther you walked, the colder it became, making you rub your slightly shivering arms for warmth. Once thoroughly picked clean of weapons and locked in the cells, the Company rattled and threw themselves into the bars of the doors while you simply looked around your small cell. Balin told them it was no use, and eventually, everyone gave up. It grew quiet before a deep voice rang out from your right.
"Lass, are you alright?" It was Dwalin, that hard-headed sweetheart. The Company was always making sure you were taken care of, no matter what. It warmed your heart, especially when everyone else joined in. "It's mighty cold down here and I ken you aren't wearin' much."
"I-I'll be f-fine," you stuttered, goosebumps racing your skin in the cool atmosphere. Dwalin cursed at your stuttering and you sighed as the others' voices called out to any nearby guards, but were silenced when two appeared escorting Thorin. They stopped in front of your cell and you looked up, startled, as the door opened and Thorin was shoved inside, missing his layers of clothes and variety of weapons. He stumbled and caught himself before he could ram into you, but only barely.
"Please, could I have something to cover up with?" you asked the guards as politely as you could muster, though your anger from earlier still fiery. The guard snorted majestically and slammed the cage shut, making your blood boil. The nerve of that fucking elf! You heard rustling and looked over in time to see Thorin wrap his arms around your arms, the warmth and proximity his body provided making you blush, your anger momentarily forgotten.
"Thank you, Thorin," you said quietly before bending over slightly to plant a lingering kiss on his bearded cheek. He nodded, a bit flustered, and walked towards the door, you still wrapped up in his embrace.
"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asked from his cell.
"He did," the dwarven King replied with distaste, his mood fouling quickly. "I told him he could go ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu. Him and all his kin!"
"Well, that's that then," Balin said with quiet finality. "A deal...was our only hope."
"Not our only hope," Thorin said quietly, leaning forward to look out and above the prison. You suddenly remembered that Bilbo was still out there, hidden from sight by the One Ring. You weren't sure how long the dwarves were stuck in the prison for, but you hoped it was long enough to have some personal time with Thorin.
Hours filled with quiet conversation passed. You sat next to the King, the closest you'd been to him in a long time, and smiled at everything he said. Truly, you were in love with him, and you hoped to any and all gods that he felt the same towards you. His actions spoke loudly of his fondness for you, yet you were hesitant due to the certainty of his future, should you choose to keep quiet about the events after Lake-town.
"I wager the sun is on the rise," Bofur commented loud enough for everyone to hear, defeat in his voice. It drew you out of the conversation you were in with Thorin, as everyone had been mostly quiet. "Must be nearly dawn."
"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori asked his eldest brother just loud enough to hear, turning away from the cell door with sadness.
"Not stuck in here, you're not," a familiar voice sounded from outside your cell. You heard a slight jingling of keys and your eyes darted up to see none other than Bilbo Baggins. Your heart leaped for joy as the sight of that curly-haired hobbit, even if you knew he would come to the Company's rescue.
"Bilbo!" Balin exclaimed as you jumped up from the stone bench and grabbed onto the bars of the cell door, Thorin right behind you.
"Shh! There are guards nearby!" Bilbo scolded as the other dwarves started to cheer. The hobbit quickly unlocked the cells, releasing everyone. You stepped out and wrapped your arms around yourself once again. Just as goosebumps raced over your skin, a warm hand suddenly came to rest on your lower back. You looked over to see Thorin at your side with his eyes averted from you. You smiled and looked around to see the rest of the Company doing the same.
"What happened to your clothes, (Y/N)?" the Hobbit asked, a bit of red staining his cheeks as he finally got a good look at you.
"The guards took them, those assholes," you explained, your anger from earlier igniting again. "I'll wring their necks for robbing me of my decency." A smile tugged at Thorin's lips as Bilbo swallowed, both knowing that you'd fulfill your promise if given the chance.
Dori started up the stairs with everyone following but quickly stopped when Bilbo said to follow him farther down into the prison. You walked quickly with Thorin behind you and Dwalin in front, both making sure prying eyes wouldn't see much. You were appreciative, but they couldn't do much except glare at onlookers due to the fact that you were taller than both. Bilbo slowed his advance and the Company copied as you came upon the Wardens of the prison, drunk and snoring ever so gracefully.
"This way," Bilbo whispered as he walked past and motioned for you to follow.
"I don't believe it—we're in their cellars!" Kíli quietly exclaimed excitedly, eyes wide and a goofy smile on his lips.
"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Bofur said sourly as your group filed into a space occupied only by empty wine barrels.
"I know what I'm doing-" Bilbo started to answer before Bofur loudly shushed him. You looked back at the sleeping elves, anxiety creeping into your mind even though you knew they wouldn't wake until after you escaped.
"Everyone climb into the barrels, quickly," the hobbit explained with vigor, but Dwalin turned and asked Bilbo if he was mad. There was a brief uproar of defiance before Thorin said to follow the command. Each dwarf climbed into one of the thirteen barrels, leaving you standing there with your arms crossed over your chest.
"What about me?" you asked quietly, worried eyes turning to Bilbo's as he contemplated. This was something you hadn't thought of.
"Get in with someone," he said after a moment. At his words, almost every dwarf started whisper-yelling that you should ride with him, making Bilbo roll his eyes.
"She rides with me," Thorin said with finality as he looked at you, standing there shivering slightly and blushing like mad. You nodded and briefly uncrossed your arms to climb into the barrel facing him. The barrel was short, the edge only coming up to Thorin's broad chest and your mid-back. You quickly discovered that there wasn't enough space in the barrel to make yourself decent, so you pulled your camisole up as far as you could manage.
Once situated, Bofur asked Bilbo what was next. The hobbit answered that you needed to hold your breath and your heart sped up as he pulled a lever. The floor tilted and dumped all thirteen barrels into a river below, everyone exclaiming in surprise. You braced for impact as your and Thorin's barrel hit the water, but you still managed to hit your head on his.
"Ow!" you exclaimed in surprise after you surfaced. You pushed your wet hair off your face and rubbed your forehead. "You've got a hard head."
"Are you alright?" Thorin asked with humor, his eyes finding yours after lingering on your chest for a moment. Your camisole was wet, making you become hyper-aware that it was now skin-tight and defined your breasts more. Honestly, you're a complete idiot for keeping it.
"Yeah, sorry about that," you said sheepishly, as a blush sparked on your face again. It was only then, while standing up, you realized that Thorin's head only reached your chest. You tried to move away and only managed to put a measly two inches between you and the King. Thorin cleared his throat awkwardly and you realized that you weren't making the situation any better by wiggling around. A few whoops and wolf whistles drew your attention to Bofur and Thorin's nephews, who were waggling their eyebrows at you. You splashed at them and chuckled humorlessly in embarrassment, blush coating yours and Thorin's cheeks.
The passage above opened just a moment later and Bilbo fell into the water with a yelp. Nori grabbed onto him and helped him get a hold on his barrel. Thorin praised Bilbo for his actions, then began to quickly paddle downstream while you could only grip his shoulder and the edge of the barrel to stay upright. You could hear the elven guards chasing the Company and could imagine the scene from the movie. The dwarves came upon an opening in the cave and your relief was drowned out by the sight of a waterfall. You forgot about that part.
"Hold on!" Thorin called back to the Company as the two of you braced against the barrel. You shrieked as you fell over and into rapids. You heard a yelp after surfacing and looked back to see Nori struggling to keep Bilbo afloat. Thorin tried to reach out to help but the current pushed the barrel farther away. A door opening caught your eye and you saw Legolas and another elf walk out. The unfamiliar elf blew into a horn, and you and Thorin turned forward to see a guard closing the gate to freedom.
"No!" Thorin yelled as the barrel thumped into the gate, followed by the rest of the Company running into you and the King. A moment later, the sound of an arrow hitting its mark and a guard groaning in pain alerted you to more danger. An animalistic growl was all you needed to know what was attacking: an orc.
Sounds of fighting ensued as they poured over the walls of the elven kingdom. You watched with wide eyes as one jumped onto Bofur and another took Nori by surprise. Bilbo stabbed one as Dwalin elbowed another. You quickly realized that Kíli would jump out of his barrel to open the gate any second. You yelled at him to stop, but it was too late, as he was already on the bank of the river, fighting off orcs as he made his way to the lever. Fíli's shout let you know that he had been shot with that damn black arrow, and your heart twisted painfully when you heard him loudly groan in pain.
"Kíli," Thorin said with disbelief on his face. You shared eye contact but were interrupted when a female elf ran onto the scene, followed by Legolas and other elves who were slaying orcs swiftly and gracefully. The gate suddenly opened and the barrel lurched forward and over another waterfall. You took in a gasping breath as you surfaced, once hand clutching the barrel and the other latched onto Thorin's shoulder for support. You both lurched around as you went through more rapids, Thorin's face coming in contact with your breasts more than once, even if he tried not to.
Arrows whizzed by your head and lodged into the barrel as you passed by the disgusting orcs, the Mirkwood elves not far behind. Thorin pushed you back and threw a spear into an orc that jumped at Balin, effectively pinning it to a fallen tree. He caught the orc's weapon and threw it back to Dwalin, who threw it to Nori and then Kíli. The King stole an ax from a dead orc and yelled to cut a log that multiple orcs were gathering on. You ducked as he drew back and gave the ax a heavy swing into the wood, the tree breaking a moment later when Dwalin finished it off. You watched in amazement as Bombur's barrel was lifted onto a log and rolled down the bank, killing as many as twenty orcs in his path of destruction before killing even more with a weapon in each hand.
You watched in slight amusement as Legolas jumped onto Dwalin and Dori's heads to shoot orcs with his bow. He jumped back onto the bank and rode an orc down a hill before jumping from dwarf to dwarf to the other side, where he tangled with an orc while another snuck up on him. Quickly, you took the ax from Thorin's hands and hurled it at the incoming orc with a shout. It lodged in its chest, killing it and perhaps saving Legolas. You watched as he shot one last orc hanging onto Dwalin's barrel and stopped at the top of the hill. You knew that it was the border of the Woodland Realm, meaning he wouldn't follow.
Eventually, the Company drifted into calmer waters. You took a moment to make sure everyone was still alive and accounted for as everyone made their way towards shore. Once close enough, you and Thorin tipped the barrel and you swam out into the open water before walking up the black stone bank, the rest of the company following. To your left, Kíli groaned in pain and stumbled. You quickly clutched his waist and chest, keeping him standing for a moment.
"Kíli," you said worriedly, concern painting your face. "We need to bind your wound."
"It's nothing, (Y/N), I'll be fine," he reassured you with a strained smile. He pulled away from your arms and you met Fíli's equally concerned gaze. The blonde Durin walked up and spoke softly with his brother for only a moment before Thorin was barking orders to move at the Company. Fíli bartered ten minutes to bind his brother's wound, to which you were thankful for.
You sat on the edge of the bank with Ori, shivering and soaking wet, and dumped out the river water in your boots like he was. Just as the young dwarf was about to say something, probably about your lack of clothes, a shadow fell over the two of you. Looking up slowly, you see a man with an arrow notched in his longbow but not yet trained on anyone. Dwalin suddenly jumped in front of you, brandishing a tree branch in defense. The man swiftly fired the arrow at the branch, then knocked another and let it fly at the rock Kíli was about to throw, making him drop it in surprise.
"Do it again, and you're dead," the man warned in a deep tenor voice, his bow and eyes trained cautiously on the dwarves, and then on you. "What is a human woman doing with a group of dwarven men? And dressed as strangely as that?"
Thorin and Dwalin immediately step in front of you defensively as Ori pulled you to your feet. You gently shrugged out of his light grasp and walked to Thorin, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked at you questioningly, and Dwalin looked ready to pounce on the man at any moment.
"It's alright, everyone," you assured the Company as you met the suspicious brown eyes of the bowman. "This man is Bard. He is a bargeman from Lake-town."
He regarded you in defensive surprise and distrust, and you only offered a timid smile. "How did you come by this information? I do not know you."
The dwarves looked to you with similar expressions as they piped up in confusion. You sighed through your nose, and Thorin remembered when you told them of their portrayal in books in your world. You chose to leave out the movie adaptations for your convenience. Suddenly, a brilliant trick came to your mind and you couldn't pass up the opportunity to play it out.
"True, you don't know me, but I know you," you said slowly. "I am a Soothsayer from a different land. I have seen our encounter in my visions. We are in need of food, supplies, and weapons. I know you can help us, for a price. We mean neither you nor Lake-town any harm."
Bard slowly lowered his bow and replaced the arrow in his quiver. His eyes scanned your body and you blushed, suddenly remembering that you were nearly naked by their standards. You pulled your camisole up as he looked away, obviously uncomfortable as well. After a moment of thinking, he started loading the now-empty barrels onto his barge. It seems that he had not deemed you and the dwarves as a threat, and a conversation struck up as Balin asked the dark-haired man some questions. You winced when he asked about Bard's wife, already knowing the answer. They quickly moved on, but Dwalin snapped impatiently at them, prompting the bargeman to ask what the hurry was. And of course, the tattooed dwarf was quick to become defensive.
"What's it to you?" he growled menacingly. You shot him a look and he deflated a bit, but not much.
"I would like to know who you are," Bard replied as he turned and walked closer to your group. "And what you are doing in these lands."
"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills," Balin replied so smoothly you nearly believed the lie yourself. "The woman is (Y/N), a close friend who is accompanying us to provide clearance with her visions."
You were surprised that Balin could lie so convincingly. You were like two peas in a pod, and you felt pretty proud the two of you actually came up with all that. You felt a bit bad though, knowing that you couldn't tell Bard the truth. He was such a wonderful man, and you hoped that you could somehow warn him against the attack from Smaug.
"Simple merchants and a Soothsayer, you say?" Bard echoes with humorous sarcasm. Maybe Balin wasn't as convincing as you thought. "I know where these barrels came from," he says as he walks over and runs his fingers over the arrow divots in the dark wood.
"What of it?" Thorin asks with a slightly defensive edge in his voice.
"I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."
Bard tossed a coiled length of rope at Balin, who caught it with surprise. The dwarf made eye contact with Thorin, who quietly urged him on. Bard looked between the two before turning away and taking off his quiver.
"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen."
Bard paused.
"Aye. But for that," he said as he set his weapon on a barrel, "you will need a smuggler."
"And for that, we will pay double," Balin said from directly next to the bargeman, making him look up in surprise. He took a moment to weigh the pros and cons before he agreed, and the Company gratefully and somewhat warily piled onto the barge. They weren't sure they could trust the man, considering they only met a handful of minutes ago.
Bard set out for Lake-town a moment later, and the knowledge of the Company and Lake-town's future began to weigh heavily on your mind. Your gaze was drawn to the young Princes, watching as they spoke lowly to each other, before turning your eyes to Thorin, who was also speaking softly with a few others. They had no idea of the heartache awaiting them in Erebor, the betrayal that will be felt by all. If it was in your power, you would save Lake-town from dragon fire, save the King from himself, and save the two Princes from a gruesome and bloody fate. You were pulled from your deep and troubling thoughts as the barge slowly drew closer to the suffering town.