It worked!

Is Beren still awake?

She is! She's blinking a little, but she grins at Luthien. "Ready to go?"

"Ready if you are."

"I am."

Up and out, then, climbing out the window and up a few branches to the roof, then shimmying up the rope to where Beren had cut a hole in the grates, and up further - the rope extends hundreds of feet down the cliff, tied to a promontory at the top. It's a long climb, though one they're able to do, and Beren seems to think they'll have a good number of hours before an alarm's raised - still, they shouldn't tarry in hiking away from Menegroth, especially since there's another dangerous point where she crossed the river they'll want to be able to focus on.

No reason for her to want to dawdle. She's been cooped up long enough.

Getting to see the outside world will be fun, and they can take the shortest path from here to Doriath's border.

Once they cross, it'll be the furthest away she's ever been.

Sounds like a cause for celebration.

Could be.

It's up to Luthien. Still... There's going to be a lot of tough times ahead. Some joy's always good to mix in.

Let's see if they get away cleanly first.

Alright.

It's not a one day hike to the edge, but they're able to get past the river before sunrise - they need to climb down a cliff (Beren lowers a rope for Luthien to use) then cross a rope Beren had left tied spanning the gorge, then climb back up a steep slope (which also has a rope, which dramatically helps with how the soil keeps sliding out from under their feet). Beren starts chatting a bit about her rescue on the path - apparently several guards, Thorndess among them, had quietly sided with Luthien and had told Beren where she was, though Beren figured out breaking in by herself.

She also gave the guards a wealth of information about entries she could've used; Menegroth isn't nearly as secure as it looks, and Doriath's only real defense is currently Melian's Girdle. She approves of the guards, though - they're young and inexperienced, all of them except the highest echelons born after Luthien and many born since the sun rose, and they're creating a culture of security entirely from first principles without even ongoing tests against it, but they know that, and they're painfully aware of how tenuous relying on a single Maia for defense is. Almost all of Beren's delay had been giving them a crash course in how to shore up Menegroth's defenses and hedge against both infiltration and outright invasion.

...Huh.

She's glad Beren took the time to help. As angry as she is with her father, she does want her people to stay safe.

Maybe after she throws a Silmaril in Thingol's face she can get a position training the guards.

If she actually thows a Silmaril in his face, Luthien is pretty sure that she can then do whatever she wants.

A good argument for doing it, then.

Indeed.

They'll need to plan their approach, but... Not right away. It's a long journey by foot even if they set out immediately, and Beren doesn't want to rush off into this.

She is, at this point, the expert.

Fair, but - Luthien knows far more of magic and the Ainur, and she likely even knows more of politics and the various kingdoms. They'll need to work together.

That should be manageable. So which direction first, if not straight for Angband?

Finding more information or even allies... She thinks there's an elf lord who owes her father a life debt, Finrod Felagund. She has the token he gave her father still.

He probably won't try to kill Luthien on sight, either.

Beren wouldn't let anyone try.

Of course not.