Wow, so… yeah… I'm alive. I just looked at my stories to see when the last time I updated or published anything was, and it was almost two months ago. I think that's the longest I've ever gone for anything. Anyway, I've actually been working on this since the beginning of December, and I finally finished it yesterday. I typed it up today, and now… well, this is it. Not the best thing I've ever written, but I'm happy with it.
I do not own The Hobbit.
I hope you all enjoy!
All Together Now
It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Kili reflected as he limped between Fili and Thorin. He knew that, Fili knew it, and even Thorin, stubborn though he was, knew that. That didn't stop the fact that it had happened. And, Kili thought with a wince as he stumbled over a root, it didn't stop the fact that it happened painfully. Kili almost thought that he was about to have an unannounced meeting with the dirt ground, but he ended up sighing thankfully instead as Fili and Thorin both grabbed his arms, helping him to stay upright.
"Stop." Fili said once his younger brother was properly balanced again. "We need to rest." He gave Kili a look. "Kili needs to rest."
"Absolutely not."
"I can keep going!"
The two voices rang out at the same time, both in protest, but Fili chose to level his glare at Kili. He knew that, if Kili made his discomfort vocal, Thorin would let them rest for more than the few minutes previously taken. To the blond's dismay, however, Kili stood his ground. "No, Fili. It's my fault that we're even out here. We keep going."
Fili cast a pleading look to his uncle, silently begging him to concede on Kili's behalf. But Thorin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Fili, but we need to keep going. The warns and orcs could be here at any moment." He paused, thinking. "Though we may go faster if I carry Kili." He gave the other dark-haired dwarf a look. "No 'buts', Kili. When you feel better you can walk, but at the moment we'd only be making your injury worse and going slower as a result."
Kili frowned, but a twinge from his sprained ankle made him nod his head in consent. With Fili's help, he brace himself against the tree they were standing next to with his good leg and slung his arms around his uncle's neck. One hefty lift from Fili got Kili properly situated on Thorin's back. Said dwarf breathed out slowly, slightly shifting Kili's weight to the right. Then he gave a nod to Fili, and they were off.
It had all begun when Kili had made it known that he wished to go on a hunting trip, just the three of them. It would be fantastic bonding time, he had insisted, and the extra meat that they would gain would be an added bonus. Fili had taken close to no persuading, and while Thorin had resisted at first, he, too, gave in eventually when Kili promised that he would spend an extra hour in the forge each day for a week.
The trip had been going well, really it had, and Kili had even shot a buck, which was an unexpected surprise. They had had two days left of the trip when everything went wrong.
Two orcs and their wargs had come out of nowhere, seemingly a scouting team for a larger pack. And, while the three dwarrows had dispatched them as quickly as possible, one of the orcs had managed to sound an alarm, no doubt alerting the rest of the pack to their whereabouts. Thorin and his nephews had run then, Kili limping on a sprained ankle that he had gotten in the fight. Their goal was to reach Ered Luin and backup before the pack caught up. With the guards help, along with other dwarven warriors, they would be able to dispatch the pack easily.
Thorin shifted Kili's weight again, attempting to dislodge the thoughts from his mind and focus on the situation at hand. Kili glanced down from his position on Thorin's back. "Uncle?" He asked, a tint of worry in his voice. "Are you alright? You were not injured, were you?"
"No, Kili." Thorin replied after a momentary pause, debating on what he should tell his nephews. "I was simply pondering things that should not be pondered."
Kili snorted in half-hearted amusement. "Could you try to be a little more vague, Uncle?"
The only blond of their small company gave a grin at that as well, simultaneously yanking a stray tree branch from the path of his uncle and brother. Thorin, on the other hand, did not appear to be as amused as the younger dwarrows. "I am not like Gandalf." He replied, a frown marring his face. "I am no deceiver."
"And yet," Fili cut in, "You have been convinced by Mister Balin to agree to his help?"
"Gandalf may be a deceiver, but at least his intentions seem to be truthful." Thorin amended. "But I will give him no other compliments. Not today."
The three stayed quiet for the next few hours, unwilling to speak for fear of the orcs and wargs overhearing as they undoubtably gained ground. It was not until they reached a familiar riverbank that Fili spoke.
"Uncle, should I carry Kili now? We only have about an hour's walk to Ered Luin, and you should have a break."
But Thorin shook his head. "No. I need your legs ready to run in case there's trouble. You'll be weakened enough after we cross the river." He gestured in front of them, where the waters of the Blue River* roared past, dipping and surging around rocks and debris from a recent storm.
Fili gaped at Thorin, his blue eyes wide as they met the identical ones of his uncle. "Here? But Uncle, there is a bridge not one mile from here! It's too dangerous!"
"Aye, but that bridge will be where the orcs expect us to go, unless they are following our tracks. And if they are, then this is the quickest way to Ered Luin." Unwilling to back down, Thorin resolutely lowered Kili and his packs to the wet ground next to the river. "We cross here." He finished firmly.
Thorin was the first one into the river, carefully holding his weapons and packs above his head. Kili followed him, pain clear on his face as the water pushed and pulled at his injured leg. His weapons, like Thorin's, were above his head, but at Thorin's order he left his pack with Fili. The blond followed directly after, holding both his and Kili's packs plus his weapons above the water. His blue eyes, calm despite the danger, were fixed on Kili's back.
They were halfway through when Thorin's warning shout drew both of his nephews' gazes to the bank they had just left. There, twenty orcs and ten wargs were standing with snarls marring already ugly faces. "Hurry!" Thorin called. "They haven't any archers - once you're on the bank, you're safe! And Fili… I'll need you to run."
Fili nodded, knowing that they needed help, but at the same time he wanted to protest. It was his younger brother and uncle that he would be leaving as fresh meat for the orcs and warns, and he wanted to defend them. Still, though, he knew that he couldn't. No matter how much he wished it wasn't true, twenty dwarrows, fresh and unwounded, would prove much better protection than he would.
He pushed against the current, only risking one more look back. The orcs and wargs had just entered the water, and he watched with morbid amusement as a particularly small orc lost its purchase on the riverbed and was swept downstream.
Facing the front again, he watched as Thorin hauled himself out of the river. Within moments, he'd placed his packs and weapons on the ground and turned to help Kili. A startled cry escaped the youngest's lips as he slipped, and Fili had a brief, terrifying vision of his brother following the other orc downriver. Instead, he surged forward, balancing Kili and helping Thorin, who had a grasp on Kili's collar, haul the dwarf out of the water. There, the brown-haired dwarf collapsed on the muddy ground and watched as Fili followed him out.
"Drop your packs and go." Thorin ordered. "Only take your weapons. Anything else will only slow you down." He paused, watching as Fili obeyed him. "Good luck." He said, reaching forward and, gripping the back of his nephew's neck, he brought their foreheads together in a silent farewell.
"Stay safe." Fili whispered. "Please. And keep Kili safe."
"I will try." Thorin promised.
Fili turned away, only stopping to press a hand to the top of Kili's head before he ran. He didn't look back, not wanting to see his family being overwhelmed. The only thing he could hope for was that Thorin would be able to hold off the creatures long enough for Fili to get help.
One mile, he reminded himself. One mile there, and then one mile back. Two miles total. You can do this, Fili.
Thorin watched his eldest nephew run away, and silently promised himself that he would see him run back. Nothing could take him from his nephews, not even forcibly. He would make sure of that.
Thoughts flashed through his mind of what to do, and he mentally picked one. "Up, Kili. I need you to get up." The dwarf glanced toward the river, and panic briefly flashed through his eyes when he saw the first orc climbing from the river.
Quickly abandoning the idea of saving the packs, he grabbed Kili, scooping the young dwarf into his arms. Sounds reached his ears, and Thorin recognized them as words, no doubt Kili protesting. Ignoring them, he turned and ran from the riverbank, heading for the treelike. The elder dwarf shoved Kili toward a tall tree, depositing his nephew on a thick branch.
"Climb." Thorin hissed. Kili cast a startled look at him, but reached up with both arms. Hooking them around the next branch, he lifted himself higher up into the tree.
Thorin watched him disappear into the leaves, and then turned to face the oncoming orcs and wargs, his back to the tree.
He stood squarely, his shoulders in alignment with his feet. Thorin held his sword in both hands front of himself, a determined expression on his face. A short volley of arrows flew past him, and the brown-haired dwarf allowed a confident smirk to grace his face. He should have known Kili wouldn't just stand by. As he watched, two of the nineteen orcs and one of the wargs fell to the ground, blue-fletched arrows stuck in their heads.
It was with a roar that the orcs and wargs on land charged Thorin and the tree. The dwarven leader sent back an answering roar, but stood his ground. He watched as another orc and two more wargs fell to arrows, and then they were upon him.
Grey and brown flashed around Thorin in a whirl of steel and braids. Red soon joined the mix in the form of blood, but Thorin had already felled three orcs before he let out a hiss of pain. One quick glance in the direction of the pain showed that an orc's blade had gotten lucky, cutting through cloth and his upper left arm. More arrows flew, and Thorin watched another warg fall.
He did his best to count the enemy, seeing ten more orcs and four wargs. Then he frowned. He had counted nineteen orcs and ten wargs in the beginning. Between the two of them, Thorin and Kili had felled six orcs and four wargs. Three orcs and two wargs were missing.
Then, suddenly, it all made sense.
"FILI!"
Said dwarf was, at that moment, running through the forest. Trees whipped by, and he involuntarily let out a yelp as a branch narrowly missed his head. A growl followed the yelp, and he almost tripped over a tree root in his shock. That sound hadn't come from him. No matter how much Kili insisted he growled when he got angry, he knew that he didn't.
He silently counted to three in his head before abruptly stopping in his tracks. He turned around, already drawing his swords, and then gaped in shock as an orc impaled himself on one of the blades. He barely had time to detach his sword before a warg was upon him. Fili toppled to the ground, but still managed to hold the warg's jaws off before stabbing it in the throat.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he began to push the warg up only for it to drop back down in his shock. Leering at him from above were two more orcs.
Two of the most foul and ugly creatures that Fili would ever see were standing above him, of that the blond was certain. Not even elves were as ugly as these.
"Lookie here, whadda we have?" One of them asked. "A helpless dwarfling?"
"Not a dwarfling." Fili growled, mentally naming him Ugly. "And I'm not helpless!"
With one pull, he had freed his right sword from under the warg. One swing was all it took to send Ugly's body to the ground, his head flying a few feet away. The other orc squawked and scrambled backwards as Fili finally stood up from under the dead warg.
"Not so fast, Ugliest." Fili muttered as he followed the creature. Before the orc could move, Fili had stabbed it in the chest, killing it instantly.
All of a sudden, a pained howl came from behind the young dwarf, and he swung around just in time to see a large, buff looking dwarf stab a brown warg in the head again. The warg was, to Fili's shock and fear, only a couple of yards away from him. Given another second, Fili would have been warg food.
He turned blue eyes to the other dwarf, flushing in embarrassment as he realized that he had broken one of the other dwarf's rules: Never lose sight of your surroundings.
But, rather than angry, Dwalin appeared worried. "What are you doing, Fili? Where are Thorin and Kili?"
"Attacked." Fili replied. "We came across an orc scouting team and killed them, but one sounded an alarm. Brought the whole pack down on us." He paused momentarily, recalling what had happened and taking a deep breath. "Kili sprained his ankle in the fight against the scouting team, so we couldn't go very fast. The pack caught up when we were crossing the Blue River. Thorin told me to run and get help."
"And help you'll have." Dwalin promised grimly. "Let me get Balin, Oin, and Gloin. We were just out for a walk to the training grounds when we heard this commotion."
Turning, the large dwarf set out at a fast run toward his brother and cousins, Fili following close behind.
The only thing he could do, Thorin knew, was pray to the Valar that Fili would be alright. It was already too late to go after the orcs and wargs, and even if it wasn't he couldn't just abandon Kili. No matter how good an archer he was, Kili din't have enough arrows to take down all of the enemy, and he couldn't run with his injured ankle. As a result, Thorin attacked the orcs and wargs with a renewed vigor and rage, slaughtering three more orcs in a matter of minutes.
Suddenly, a snarl rang out from behind him, and Thorin whirled around, preparing for an attack, only to see something even worse than a leaping warg.
"Kili, behind you!" He cried, ducking a blade that went over his head. He attempted to join his nephew in the tree, to defend him from the warg steadily making its way higher up the branches, only to lose his perch when another orc swung at his head.
There was a yell from above, and Thorin dodged a warg's paw, stabbing the warg before looking up. Kili had apparently leapt from his place in the branches to land on top of the warg, attacking him. Together, dwarf and warg fell out of the tree onto the ground, Kili on top of the warg.
Pain brought him back to his own fight and he turned, removing a dagger from his right bicep. Thorin caught another orc's sword with his own hilt and twisted, disarming the creature before beheading it. One sweep of his sword cut off the sword arm of yet another orc before it was stabbed in the chest.
Another yell came from behind, but this one was different. It was fiercer, obviously the battle cry of a fully grown dwarf, and Thorin didn't even blink when one of Dwalin's axes appeared in a warg's skull, splitting it open. The dark-haired dwarf heard his injured nephew's name fall from the lips of his eldest nephew, and he sent a brief thanks to Aule for keeping Fili safe.
The rest of the orcs and wargs were dispatched quickly with the reinforcements, and finally Thorin stopped fighting. Turning, he was surprised to only see Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, Oin, and Gloin.
"Only the four of you?" He grunted, mildly shocked.
Fili's eyes momentarily found the ground before he looked up again, "They were the first ones I came across, Uncle. There was no time to search for more."
Thorin shook his head, recognizing that Fili mistook his shock for disappointment. "I am not angry, Fili, only surprised." He paused, scanning his companions for injuries. "Are any of you injured?"
Dwalin shook his head. "I am unhurt."
Oin, Balin, and Gloin quickly voiced their agreement, and Fili shook his head.
For the first time since the fight, Thorin's eyes sought his youngest nephew. "Kili?" He prompted.
The brown-haired dwarf shook his head from where he sat, leaning against the warg. "Just the ankle."
The King Under the Mountain nodded, surveying the bloody battlefield and the corpses. "We were lucky." He said finally. "Hopefully we will stay lucky."
With that, Thorin lead his companions back through the forest, one of his nephews leaning on the other, with a sense of victory that he could only hope would stay with them - at least until Dis killed him for placing her sons in danger.
* As far as I know, this river doesn't exist in the real world nor in Middle Earth. I named it the Blue River because they're in the Blue Mountains. Real original, I know.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, and please review! Criticism, advice, and encouragement is welcome, but flames will be used to burn all the corpses the dwarrows left behind.