Hope you guys like this chapter! There's a lot more action! :) XD please comment, vote and follow! :)

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*Cassy's POV*

I followed Kili as he pulled me along the dark corridors, my thoughts continued to whirl in my head as we freed dwarf after dwarf.

My lips were still tingling from Kili and I's kiss and I couldn't help but smile every time my thoughts drifted back to that moment. Kili's lips had been firm and fierce against mine and yet softer than I remembered from the first time we had kissed on the Carrock.

I was still annoyed at Fili and Caspian for interrupting the moment but I knew that, as much as I would've liked, I couldn't just stand and kiss him for ever, we had a job to do.

I struggled to refocus my thoughts as I accidentally bumped into Kili's back when he suddenly stopped walking in front of me. He sent me a short look over his shoulder and I smiled apologetically at him, fighting the blush that threatened to spread its way in to my cheeks. I felt him squeeze my hand before we started walking again.

We made our way through the dungeons as quietly as possible and it took us quite a while until we finally found and freed every member of the company, Thorin being the last to join our group.

I watched, with a smile, as the dwarf-king shortly touched Bilbo's shoulder gratefully as he stepped past him, sending Dwalin, his nephews and the rest of us a short nod. We all followed Bilbo again who was already hurrying us along again.

Bilbo led us out of the dungeons and through the empty hallways of the palace, down and down until we quietly entered another room. It was only when we walked down the stairs next to a few large barrels that I realised that Bilbo had led us to a wine cellar.

"What are you doing?" Bofur asked Bilbo in a hushed whisper a few feet in front of me. "You're supposed to lead us out, not further in!"

"Shh!" Bilbo scolded, waving the hatted dwarf off sounding slightly annoyed. "I know what I'm doing!"

I shared a look with Kili who shot the hobbit a sceptic look.

I smiled and looked around the room spotting two elves nearby passed out on a table, two empty bottles standing between them. I couldn't help my eyebrows rising slightly in amusement at the sight before I came to a halt at the foot of the stairs, following the example of the rest of the group.

"What now?" Dwalin asked.

I looked up, only to see that we had come to stand in front of a pile of large empty barrels, all lined up neatly on top of each other on the wooden floor. I looked to where Bilbo was still standing on the last step of the stairs next to Thorin, sending the dwarfs an agitated look.

"Into the barrels." Bilbo said. My face fell immediately, and my eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Quickly!"

Agitated hushed murmurs and grumbles broke out across the whole group, nobody wanting to stuff themselves into empty barrels. No one moved.

"Are you mad?" Dwalin growled in a whisper, taking a step towards the hobbit. "They'll find us!"

"No, they won't!" Bilbo answered in the same hushed tone over the dwarves' nagging, though nobody seemed to listen to him. I really didn't like the prospect of climbing into a barrel either. "I promise you, they won't. Please! You must trust me!"

Bilbo was now sending Thorin an almost desperate look. Thorin shortly returned the hobbit's gaze, arms crossed over his chest, before he turned his head to the rest of us.

"Do as he says." He ordered lowly and everyone complied, albeit still very sceptically, climbing and helping each other into the empty barrels.

I sighed and swung myself up into one of the barrels that were piled on the top. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I had thought but it still wasn't brilliant. Once everyone was safely inside a barrel, with the exception of Bilbo who for some reason stood a few feet away.

"What do we do now?" I heard Bofur ask from his barrel, sticking his head out of it.

Bilbo walked past all of us, counting silently to himself. Once sure that everyone was here, he walked towards a lever at the end of the pile, only answering Bofur's question when he already had one hand on it.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo said before he abruptly and forcefully pulled the lever, we all gasped in surprise as the floor suddenly tipped beneath us, the loud splattering sound of water reached my ears through the opening crack of the trap door. It was only a second later when the barrels began to roll and I quickly ducked my head. My barrel started to move with the others before it suddenly tumbled down through the crack, shortly falling through the air before it landed in the river below with a loud splash. My head dropped beneath the water for a moment as it hit the surface.

I coughed out some water as the barrel resurfaced and I wiped the drops from my face with one hand. The fifteen barrels piled up in the narrow water path we had landed in as the trap door above us closed with a dull thud.

"Where's Bilbo?" I asked, since Bilbo hadn't followed. I looked over at Thorin who was looking up at the trapdoor as well.

"I do not know. But we wait for him." Thorin rumbled after a moment, one hand reaching out to grab the rim of Balin's barrel that was threatening to flow off with the slow current.

I felt relief wash over me when I heard the sound of the trap door above us opening again and I smiled when I caught sight of Bilbo as he fell backwards into the water with a loud splash. My barrel rocked slightly as I turned to look at the hobbit as he resurfaced with an ungracious splutter.

"Welcome, Master Baggins." Thorin smiled before he let go of Balin's barrel, sinking his arms into the water to steer his own forward on the river. I bent forward to follow Thorin's example as I steered my barrel along the narrow stonewalls that flanked the river. It was only a few moments before the barrels were caught up in the current that was quickly growing in force and speed.

"Hold on!" I heard someone yell from up front as a small waterfall came into view right as we exited the dark stonewalls of the water path beneath the palace. I gripped the edge of the barrel with both hands tightly as we dropped down the waterfall into the strong and wide current below.

My barrel continued to bump against rocks and into the other barrels as the current rushed us along towards the open water gate.

I could already see the gate from afar with my elvish vision when I suddenly heard a loud voice call over the river in what I easily recognised as elvish. It was only a second later that I understood what the elf had shouted, for suddenly, a horn sounded loudly and it was only seconds later that the water gate began to close before us, the guards standing by it readying their weapons as we rushed towards them in the stream.

I saw Thorin bounce against the closed gate in his barrel before the rest of us piled up against it as well. We were trapped again and as we looked up, I saw the elven guards already pointing their arrows at us. The plan had failed.

Suddenly, my gaze was captured by an arrow that came flying seemingly out of nowhere, piercing the chest of an elven guard brutally. I gasped as my eyes widened in shock as suddenly, several orcs came climbing up from the other side of the gate and the riverbanks, attacking the elves that struggled to fight the unexpected assault.

We could only watch as a fight between elves and orcs broke out, though it was clear that the real target was our company. The elves were just an obstacle to overcome before they could get to the rest of us. My gaze flickered over to Kili who was looking at the lever that opened and closed the water gate. I frowned when I realised what he was thinking of doing but before I could say anything Kili was already climbing out of his barrel.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed at him when he was already balancing on the rim of his barrel that was rocking heavily. He looked at me with a determined look.

"Don't worry." He said before he turned and quickly balanced his way over the edges of two other barrels before he jumped on to the stone platform that framed the water gate. He swiftly made his way up the stairs towards the lever, merely dodging the attack of an orc as he arrived on top of the steps. Without hesitating, Kili punched the beast right in the face before he turned and kicked it off the platform with an angry cry.

"Kili!" I called worriedly as I watched him fight an orc on top of the platform, my gaze remained fixed on him as he knocked it down before he moved towards the lever that would open the gate again. How could he be so reckless? I thought angrily but I couldn't help but smile at his bravery.

My alarmed cry alerted the others to his Kili's actions and I heard them begin to call out in shock as they realised what Kili was doing. When Kili reached for the large lever I could feel my hope rising again, only to release a horrified cry as suddenly an arrow hit Kili in the leg. My eyes flew open as I heard his pained outcry before he stumbled and fell onto his back on top the platform.

I looked over to the orc that had shot him only to be reminded of my own bow that was strapped to my back. I immediately grabbed my bow and swiftly notched an arrow before firing it at the orc, hitting him between the eyes.

My eyes flicked back to Kili desperately as the fighting continued around us and to my horror another orc stood above Kili with his axe raised.

"No! Kili!" I heard the other's cries as I swiftly notched another arrow and fired it at the orc causing it to screech loudly and fall to the ground. I felt each of the dwarfs eyes on me as I continued to fire more arrows at any orc that came too close to our company.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced an orc's head that had been making his way towards us. My gaze shot around to see Tauriel running along the bank towards us, shooting arrows at the orcs, Legolas doing the same thing on the other side of the river. My gaze flickered back to Kili when I heard Kili groan painfully above us as he forced himself to his feet. I began to pull myself out of my barrel when Caspian and Fili grabbed me so that I couldn't climb out. Kili suddenly managed to pull the lever, the gate sliding open again before them. The current immediately picked up the first barrels and I shot a helpless look upwards as my barrel threatened to flow off, Kili still on the stone ledge.

"Kili!" Fili and I called urgently as Kili struggled towards the edge. He would have to jump, I realised, as I saw him hesitate at the very edge of the stone ledge.

"Fili!" I called quickly and the blond dwarf shot me a questioning look from where his barrel was still floating next to Kili's vacant one. "Hold on to his barrel so that he can jump!" I ordered him urgently, he nodded and did as I had instructed.

"Jump!" I screamed as loud as I could over the noise of the river.

My barrel began floating away and I only just managed to catch a last glimpse of Kili as he finally leapt off the edge and landed safely in his barrel with a pained cry before their barrels began following after the rest of us.

I held my bow firmly as I continued to shoot the orcs that were pursuing us from the river bank. I was so relieved that I had my bow with me. I ducked in my barrel when an orc arrow skimmed the side of my face but only just missed my cheek. I growled in frustration and fired an arrow at the orc archer. Numerous arrows impelled themselves into the side of my barrel, I breathed a sigh of relief that they had hit the barrel and not me. I knew that they were trying to shoot me so that I couldn't use my bow anymore.

For a moment, I even caught sight of Bombur when his barrel was somehow catapulted out of the river, the large dwarf taking down about a dozen orcs with merely overrunning them in his barrel. At any other time I would've laughed but right now I concentrated on shooting the orcs.

I watched as Tauriel, Legolas and numerous other elven guards fought the orcs which gave us the chance for the current to sweep us further away from the fight. I delighted in the fact that the orcs had stopped chasing us and instead concentrated on fighting the elves. As much as the others didn't want to admit it we owed a debt of gratitude to the elves for their help.

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I hope you liked it! I'll be updating next Wednesday! :)