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Mending the Broken Pieces	By : LadyLaran Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Het - Male/Female Views: 13613 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "the Hobbit" nor do I make money from this story. Tolkien and Jackson are the ones who own the characters and world.

Chapter List
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Author’s Note – I admit, I’m a bit worried about the Mirkwood arc because I decided to focus on a few important factors as Hawthorn is still growing past the mentality she was molded into after her accident. I also think this will bring the company together in more ways than one; hopefully, all of you will agree too!

I’m not going into heavy detail on the traveling part of the journey since there are more important parts I want to get to. It didn’t screw with the pacing, and I think it reads well. Hopefully, all of you will enjoy it.

Disclaimer – I do not own “the Hobbit” nor do I make any money from this story.

Chapter 30 - Mirkwood

The optimism that filled the group early on at the start of their journey through Mirkwood flagged as time went by. The darkness continued to thicken and weigh on them, and Hawthorn was growing more skittish as the days passed. She could sense the screaming of the earth and plants around them, and the dwarrow often had to hold her when she dissolved into tears when she couldn’t handle any more of the pain from nature.

It was frustrating to Thorin since there was little he could do to help her, and he mentally cursed the wretched elf king for allowing his kingdom to reach such a point. Did the damned tree-shagger have no pride in his lands?

Food and water eventually ran low as they wandered through the terrible forest, and he worried over the smaller members of the company. Ori, Fili, Kili, and Hawthorn were too small to lose weight, and he mentioned his worries to Oin during one night as they set up camp. The healer had noticed the weight loss, and he offered what herbs he had to try to keep their health stable.

Things became worse when they crossed the enchanted river and the rope they’d been using to pull the boat back and forth snapped. The odd momentum had caught the occupant of the boat off balance, throwing the dwarf into the shallows to where the company had been waiting. Ori had been in a magical sleep for days, worrying his brothers and the company for some time before waking.

Despite her being so off balance emotionally because of their surroundings, Hawthorn had been the one to free them from spiders and had proven her bravery as she cut the huge vermin down, then released all of them from the webbing they had been trapped in. His pride at her actions and bravery was smothered by the appearance of the damned elves; his struggles had ceased when he heard her voice in his ear, whispering too softly for the wretched tree-shaggers to hear.

“I’m with you,” she murmured. “I’m wearing the ring we found in the goblins’ caves so they won’t know I’m with the company. I’ll do what I can to get you out of here once things quiet down enough for me to do so. Do your best to keep them off balance around you; they’ll expect all of you to argue and fight so you’ll need to keep the peace. You have to try to keep the company together if at all possible to make this easier for me.”

Thorin, knowing how much she hated wearing that piece of jewelry, was once again struck by her bravery and gave an order in khuzdul, reminding them that their missing burglar would help once the time was right and not to fight so they could try to keep from being separated once the king had spoken to them. Once they heard what she had suggested, the company ceased their resistance, growling as their weapons were taken by the elves.

“This is no dwarven blade,” the blond in charge of the group of elves commented, staring at Orcrist. “Where did you steal this?”

“It was found amongst a troll hoard and given to me by Lord Elrond,” he answered, voice low.

“Likely story,” the elf sneered, gesturing for the group to move out.

The company kept quiet, saving their strength for the moment since they knew their burglar would find a way to free them from the elves’ custody. They just had to make it as easier for her as possible.

Hawthorn followed, staying silent as the group went through the heavy gates that kept Thranduil’s palace secure from the darkness outside. She was still sensing the screams of nature, even underground, and hoped that she could do what was needed to get her company out of this situation and back on track towards Erebor. The painful cries were ripping at her, and she was both physically and emotionally exhausted.

The hobbit ground her teeth at the confrontation between the dwarrow and the elf king, seething silently as Thranduil tried to bargain his aid for the gems Thror had denied him. Although she knew help from his kingdom would be beneficial to their quest, Hawthorn did not want to see the elf get those gems until he paid for his callousness in denying aid to the wounded and homeless dwarrow. She was furious with him for his actions that fateful day, and she had a few ideas on how to handle him at a later date. Her fury only grew with each snide comment he uttered towards her dwarrow.

When the company was moved to the lower levels, she made a decision to follow them to the cells instead of tracking their gear. The place was too large to try to meander the halls in search of them, and she had no desire to waste time since Durin’s Day was swiftly approaching.

Because they hadn’t fought their captors despite the cruel jeers thrown at them, the jailors placed the dwarrow in cells close together, which she was grateful for since she knew she would have to meander through the palace to find a way to rescue her company.

Once the elves left the area, she stood in front of Thorin’s cell and tugged the ring off of her finger with a shudder. The dwarf lord leaned against the bars, reaching out to gently caress her cheek. He frowned in concern when he felt the coldness coming from her skin.

“Are you all right?”

“I hate this ring,” she answered, very aware of the worried gazes of the company in the cells around her betrothed. “I feel sick inside having to wear it, and it makes the things I’m feeling from the earth a lot worse.”

“I wish you didn’t have to wear it, but I am grateful you have it. Its ability to turn you invisible will be useful for the time we are stuck here as well as keep you safe,” he reassured her.

“I’m glad you didn’t bargain with him,” she whispered. “There are things he needs to do before those gems are given to him.”

“I don’t want to give them to him at all, but they will be key to bargaining his assistance for rebuilding Erebor,” Thorin told her.

“It needs to be on our terms, not his,” Hawthorn agreed. “I don’t dare try to track your weapons down right now; they were taken in an opposite direction, and I didn’t want to lose sight of all of you. Who knows how long it would have taken me to find you if I hadn’t; this place is too big.”

“No, you did the right thing,” Balin assured her. “They’ll notice if you try to sneak our weapons and gear out and even though you have the ring, there’s no telling if they can hear you or not.”

“Watch your shadow,” Nori commented from his cell beside Dwalin’s. “If the shadow can be seen, you’ll need to be doubly cautious. These tree-shaggers are notorious for spotting things when they’re not drunk or contemplating something not important enough to waste time thinking about.”

“I’ll make sure to be cautious about that,” the hobbit agreed, grateful for the advice.

“We’ll save what food for you we can,” Bombur said, knowing she probably wouldn’t be able to scavenge much due to her need to stay hidden. “You and the lads have lost too much weight; we’ve got to get you back to a healthy size.”

The company agreed, keeping their voices down since they didn’t want to draw attention to their area and put their hobbit at risk.

“Rest and recover your strength,” she told them. “I’m going to see if I can find a way out of here. I don’t think they’ll separate you if you stay quiet and don’t try to cause fights.”

“We’ll be as good as mithril. Just be careful, Miss Hawthorn,” Ori said, making her smile at him.

“I will be,” the lass told him. “We’re going to be by that hidden door on Durin’s Day, I promise.”

Before they could respond, she frowned and slipped the ring on. A few moments later, a small group of elves came by to dispense food and water for the company. They said nothing to the prisoners, silently handing out the food before leaving the dwarrow to eat the meals given to them.

Once she was sure they were gone, Hawthorn sighed and slipped the ring off. She couldn’t say a word before she was handed food from each member of the company. Because all of them were sharing just a small item, they still had enough to eat and were able to ensure their hobbit had a full meal too.

Hawthorn sat outside Thorin’s door, eating with them and sharing his water with him. She forced herself to eat slowly as Oin cautioned all of them to do, not wanting to become ill since food had been so scarce.

“The best way to break out of a prison is to learn the guards’ patrol schedule,” Nori advised between bites. “Dwalin and I can help you there. What you’ll need to do is find out where the keys are kept as well as find a way out of this palace.”

Balin nodded, going over what he remembered hearing about the elf king’s palace during his time in Erebor. It had been well over a century since he’d last had cause to think about this place, and it was taking time to review what little he did recall.

“I remember overhearing that the front gate is sealed by magic,” the adviser stated after taking a long drink.

“There’s no other way out is there,” Hawthorn asked. “I may have studied with the elves, but magic was not part of my curriculum.”

“Not that I recall hearing,” Balin answered. “He seemed particularly proud of the security of the front gate and boasted about it during one of the meetings he had with King Thror.”

“There was mention of a readily available water source,” Thorin said quietly. “Even if they ran out of food during a siege, water would never be an issue. Erebor has something similar because of how the river system works.”

“One way in or out,” she muttered, shaking her head. “What is it with fortress type kingdoms that only use one way to go in or out? Seems rather foolish if the kingdom is invaded. How do you get people out to safety if the only way is under siege?”

“Something I have thought about many a time since we lost Erebor,” the dwarf lord answered. “Once we have the mountain back, I want to have emergency exits made that will be kept secret to only a trusted few. If the mountain is ever attacked again, these people will lead everyone to these exits. If we’d had these to begin with, more of our people would have escaped.”

“It’s a good idea,” Bofur commented. “I’m not sure any of us know what kind of magic was used to keep them from being seen outside though.”

“Easy enough to research if the library wasn’t damaged,” Ori reminded them. “I think there was also a way to bind secret keepers in regards to the doors so the kingdom wouldn’t be betrayed. I remember hearing something about that so I’ll put that on the top of the list of what needs to be researched after I get into the library.”

“Merciful Mahal, I’ll be dragging you and Miss Hawthorn out every day to make sure you two don’t miss meals,” Dori sighed, making the company chuckle quietly.

“Or hire someone to keep watch over them so they don’t skip meals,” Balin chuckled. “They will forget; I had to go retrieve them from the library several times while we were in Rivendell. Eventually, Erestor helped by keeping track of the time and forcing them to go eat.”

“It’s hard to remember food when the books are so interesting,” Hawthorn replied, blushing a bit at the teasing. “It’s fun when you have a partner to study the books with; Ori and I would discuss what we were reading, and he’d often bring up things I hadn’t thought about.”

“I learned a lot from her too,” the journeyman scribe said with a bright smile. “She’s become my favorite study partner.”

Hawthorn brushed her hair out of her face, leaning back against the bars. Now that her stomach was full, she was feeling her exhaustion.

“I’m going to have to find somewhere to rest,” she said quietly.

“We’ll set a watch,” Dwalin insisted. “You sleep in front of the cell of the one on watch; we’ll wake you if we hear someone coming. It’s not like the elves can sneak up on us here, not with all the stone around us.”

“You’ll have to explain that one later,” the hobbit told him, yawning as she did so.

“I’ll take first watch,” Thorin offered. “Sleep now, Hawthorn. We’ll make sure you stay safe.”

Hawthorn gave him a sleepy smile, curling up in front of Thorin’s cell. She trusted them to ensure she wasn’t discovered and despite the cacophony coming from the tormented earth and plants, she drifted off to a deep sleep.

Author’s End Note – It’s bit of a team effort since she’s such a novice in this situation. I really wanted a chance for them to bond further, and this seemed like a good way to do it. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter; please let me know what you thought of it. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week! ~ Laran
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Mending the Broken Pieces