This is my first fanfic for The Hobbit! and i absolutely love Kili so there will be a lot more of him :) There will definitely be more chapters to come so please feel free to review. I would love to hear your comments and advice.
The darkness of Mirkwood was ever encroaching upon the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, the spider's webs sticking to their hoods as they walked along a barely distinguishable path. By some stroke of fortune they had found their way back to the path after trying to follow the lights and music of the midnight Elves. They had proven Beorn wrong by finding their way again, surely Mirkwood wouldn't be that bad after all?
The Company carried on in the same manner as they had for days; Thorin heading the troupe with Orcrist ready for any attack from Elves, his distrust of them heavily spread across his face. Bombur and Bilbo brought up the rear of the group, their conversation mainly consisting of the distinct lack of food. The remaining eleven dwarfs sang a mixture of old songs, with lyrics telling a fantastical story about how one day Erebor would be reclaimed for the rightful line of Durin. Intermittently, the singing faded away whenever there was a rustle in the trees or a light flickering in the gloom to the sides of the path. One encounter with the spiders was more than enough.
Gradually the light faded, although it was extremely hard to tell in the depths of the trees. They happened upon a small clearing in the foliage and decided to take advantage of this space. Oin and Gloin set to work lighting a fire, only a small one mind you; they didn't want any unwanted attention thank you very much. The Company settled into its usual fireside routine. Bombur pulling together what scraps and supplies they had left into some sort of meal, barely enough to give any sustenance. Ori took to documenting the day in his journal, though there had been nothing of note to distinguish this day from any other. There was a quiet chatter and a slight humming drifted over from the direction of Bofur, who sat leaning against the trunk of a mighty Beech tree which was laden with moss and vines.
As the night wore on the thirteen dwarfs and Bilbo drifted off into a fitful sleep, each of them waking up every now and then imagining noises in the night and creatures looming over them in the dark. Kili seemed to be having the worst nightmares; he would cry out every now and then, waking himself up in the process. He always looked around him to check whether anyone had heard him. He didn't want to look weak in front of the other dwarfs, especially Fili.
It must have been about halfway through the night, in the early hours of the morning when suddenly every single one of them awoke with a start as there was a significant spark of activity, the lights making the insides of their eyelids bright red before they snapped their eyes open. There were fires that had lit up around the perimeter of the clearing, torches sparking into life among the trees, music playing from every angle, fiddles, pipes, flutes. What seemed like fireflies were flying around the sky, level with the canopy of the trees, making it seem like the stars had crashed towards the earth and only just stopped short, hovering above the dwarfs and Bilbo as they stared up with incomprehension. The sounds of many feet could be heard and felt dancing all around and the number of dancers far outnumbered those of the Company.
The Wood-elves had returned. And the dwarfs and the Hobbit found themselves right in the middle of their merrymaking, only this time when the Company stood up and huddled together in a group in the middle of the clearing, weapons at the ready, the lights did not snap into darkness, the music didn't finish abruptly, the last note hanging in the air. Instead the elves surrounded them, some with bows and arrows, some just armed with a vicious look upon their faces at the interruption they had caused. But the fourteen of them did not see their capturers for their sight was fixed upon a regal looking figure sat upon a deer of gargantuan size with antlers that made the dwarfs and the halfling appear even smaller than they were. The Elvenking started speaking in a voice so gentle and quiet and yet it somehow boomed around the clearing with a malice ever apparent in the tone, his voice laced with a hatred that was equally mirrored in Thorin's mind.
"You have finally stumbled upon us I see" Thranduil raised an eyebrow at the group surrounded by his subjects, "more out of luck than judgement though I would guess." The Elvenking dismounted the deer with a grace the likes of which Bilbo had never attainted on his poor pony, Myrtle. Thranduil approached them.
"You have entered my realm and stirred my people into a fright. We have scarcely had visitors wandering our way since the days before Sauron invaded our home, least of all dwarfs." He said this last comment with a flourish of disdain upon his face, though Bilbo felt that this was not a look saved only for dwarfs.
"And what do we have here? Not a dwarf upon my word. A seemingly unlikely addition to this group." Now his gaze was fixed upon Bilbo and as the hobbit looked at the elf he could see thousands of years hidden behind his eyes, though his face betrayed no more than thirty of them.
"I am a hobbit, of the Shire. Bilbo Baggins is my name." The hobbit replied courteously.
"And what brings you this way? I hardly see my kingdom as a suitable destination unless an ulterior motive is at hand." Thranduil now had a suspicious look painted on his features as he gazed upon the Company.
Now it was Thorin's turn to speak up, though he was careful to keep a hand securely fastened around Orcrist's hilt. "That is not of your concern."
The Elvenking of Mirkwood let out a mirthless laugh. "Oh but it is my concern, King under the Mountain, ha! Yes, Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, I have heard of you. You see, unlike yourselves I have a kingdom to rule over and any trespassers must be treated as such. Now as you give no other reason for your being here I must presume, for the good of my people, that you have ventured this far East to pose a threat to my Kingdom."
Bilbo could see no fault with what the elf was saying. He had heard the dwarfs talking whilst they were staying at Beorn's cabin and they had said that the King of the Woodland Realm was cold and nonchalant, that he had no allies and made many enemies, he kept his people secluded in the forest and did nothing to interact with the elves of the West. Now Bilbo understood. Why shouldn't he be cautious after having been forced out of his home by Sauron. He had to console his people who were equally as wary that though these visitors were not welcome, they were also not dangerous. They were trying to survive in a dangerous place, but it was their home all the same. Surely Thorin and the dwarfs would understand this.
Though there was the obvious hostility between the dwarfs and the elves, Bilbo felt a compassion for the way Thranduil acted, he was doing the best for his people and their home and after all both Thranduil and Thorin had pretty similar situations, the loss of their home and their search to reclaim it. After all, a fire drake was now calling their kingdom home. Still, he didn't think this would settle the tension between them. The Company had been trespassing but Thorin would not back down.
"Take them away", Thranduil ordered to the Chief of the Guard standing next to him. A group of about fifteen elves now came forward, all armed with the finest bows and arrows that ever could be seen; it made Kili look down at his own loyal weapon with a slight pang of disappointment.
"Be sure to give them a good meal and unchain them once they're there." Where 'there' was none of them could say, but they were all so grateful at the sound of the meal they were to receive that for a slight moment they found themselves warming towards to Elvenking. Then they remembered that was exactly what he was, an elf. All gratification was soon lost.
The Elvenguard came forwards ready to escort the Company to their destination when Bilbo took his chance. He had thought of it a while ago but was waiting for the opportune moment. The light golden ring was dancing in his hand, waiting to be used. Without a moment's hesitation, when no one would notice the difference between a company of fourteen and a company of thirteen because of the tumult of the struggling dwarfs enraged at being captured, Bilbo slipped on the ring and disappeared.
The world carried on uninterrupted around him and set off in an easterly direction, presumably to the Wood-elves palace. The party of elves led the dwarfs on for what seemed like an age with Bilbo treading quietly in tow behind them. The dwarfs had stopped resisting now and the elves simply walked in a ring around them to stop them from any notion of escape. Thorin remained grumbling, along with Dwalin who was cursing the elves in Khuzdul.
They carried on until a watery sun could be seen threading its tendrils through the trees on the outskirts of Mirkwood Forest, signalling that the dawn had approached. Bilbo almost gave an audible sigh of relief at the sight of the sun again. They had finally found their way out of the web infested forest and he could not be gladder.
The trees became slightly less chaotic and seemed to align to form into a sort of passageway which the group followed until finally a rock face appeared at the end. A doorway could be seen on the face of the small cliff and to either side of the doorway there were two pillars which were draped in ivy and moss climbed up from the ground. There were intricate carvings all across the cliff face of leaves and flowers and standing there, a slight pause before they entered, the dwarves and the invisible hobbit could really feel a sense of what Mirkwood had been in its day, when it was Greenwood the Great.
They proceeded to enter and Bilbo had to run to catch up with the elves or else he would have been left standing outside. He walked silently and had to be careful not to accidently bump into anyone else as he was now situated in the middle of a large group of elves, all of them towering above him.
The door shut with a loud bang behind them and once again shut out all daylight. The corridor was lined with torches fastened to the wall, their flames creating a flickering light upon the stone walls, giving light but creating darker shadows in the crevices, shapes flickering in the Company's peripheral vision.
There was quite a confusion now. Each of the elves seemed to steer a dwarf in a different direction and Bilbo had no idea which of them he should follow. The dwarfs were far from happy about this as well. Fili and Kili were calling to each other; they were the most upset about being separated. Ori was calling for his brothers. Bofur and Bombur were putting up quite the fight and despite him being half the height, the elves had quite a problem trying to keep control of Bombur.
In the end, Bilbo decided on following Thorin. The elves took him along winding passageways with various rooms and adjoining corridors diverting off in various directions. Thranduil had slipped away at some point, though Bilbo had not noticed at the time. Finally, in what felt like the depths of the cliff palace, the group accompanying Thorin guided him into a room. It was not a cell by any means, but quite a hospitable living quarter. The transition was quick and the elves soon left after locking the door behind them. Bilbo had stayed outside the entire time and now approached the door which had a small window in, though it was far above Bilbo's head height.
"Thorin, Thorin can you hear me?" Bilbo whispered as loudly as he could without being heard by anyone other than Thorin. The dwarf did not answer but could be heard making his way nearer to the door and leaning against it to hear more; it was as good as a reply.
"They didn't catch me", Bilbo explained, "I wore the ring and they never noticed, although I'm sure they will at some point. I suppose I'll have to think of something quick as I'm the only one not locked up, but don't worry, I'll find the others." Bilbo tried to sound confident but he was far from it. The only response he received from Thorin was a grunt; either to confirm that he had heard what Bilbo had said, or that he had no other idea himself. Thorin was in a bad mood, he never liked being captured, let alone by elves. He did not mean to take it out on the hobbit but before he knew it he said, "Well what are you waiting for? I don't want to stay in here when I could be on the way to Erebor. I would rather be roasted alive by Smaug than stay in the presence of these elves any longer! Prove your worth amongst my Company." The emphasis clearly implied that by Thorin's standards, Thranduil and his people were far worse than Elrond and Galadriel. Bilbo tried to think about this rather than dwell on the cutting remark. It stung Bilbo, he thought he had gained Thorin's trust.
With that, Bilbo took his leave and set about trying to find his way to the other captive dwarfs whilst still trying to remember the way he had come from Thorin.
Bilbo spent the next few days roaming around the Elvenking's palace seeking out the remaining dwarfs, and simultaneously trying to figure out a way of escape. Of course, he wore the ring the whole time. Try as he might though he soon forgot from where he had originally come in the tangle of corridors and he now had no idea where Thorin's cell was either. He was truly back to square one.
For the meantime he decided to try and find himself a square meal. He was a hobbit after all and his stomach was never too far from his thoughts when away from home. The only way, he found, was to steal it from under the elves' noses. He truly felt himself a burglar now! At least that was in the middle of a feast, no one would notice a stray piece of food going missing here and there off of a side table. 'The nearer you are to danger, the further you are from harm.' That was an old saying his mother, Belladonna Took used to say to him. It must have been a Took saying. A Baggins would never have thought such a thing.
As the days wore on Bilbo found himself wandering almost aimlessly, grabbing food when he could, sleeping in crevices tucked away in corners, undisturbed by passersby. It was from one of these crevices that Bilbo realised he had found a very convenient vantage point indeed! At first he didn't notice it, amid the general hubbub of everyday business among the corridors, but there was always one elf, the same elf, that passed him carrying a fresh plate of food each time and then returning back the same way with an empty one. She was shorter than most elves and something about her face was not quite the same, but her deep reddish brown hair had the same ethereal glow. Her outfit was also vastly different from those that Galadriel had worn in Rivendell (the only other female elf Bilbo had encountered although only from afar). She wore slim brown leather boots that almost reached her knee with lighter brown leggings. She had a deep green tunic fastened round the waist with a belt, to which was attached a magnificent sword. An elegant bow was slung round her shoulder along with a quiver of arrows. A silver circlet framed her face, scattered with small silver leaves and light bronze coloured acorns.
After a day of watching the elf, something clicked in Bilbo's mind. Yes! He counted and the elf passed him thirteen times. These were meals being taken to the dwarfs. All he had to do was to follow and the job was done, he would have found them! The only problem now was what he would do with them after he had found them.
Eventually Bilbo's mind, though stewing over the current predicament, fell into the first proper rest it had had in weeks, despite the constant movement all around him; conversations he didn't understand in the Sindarin tongue, barrels of wine being pushed down corridors creating quite a clamour.
The hobbit thought it had been the noise created by the barrels that had woken him suddenly with a start. It had made him jump so much that he very nearly fell face first into the middle of the corridor, and then he almost certainly would have been found out by the elves; though a hobbit would have been the least of their worries it seemed. It had not been the barrels that had woken poor Bilbo up; it was the noise now being made by the elves all around him. There was a panic, a sort of frenzy that had taken hold. The worry was so great that conversations were even louder than previously and Bilbo caught disjointed snippets of information that found their way to his straining ears. You see, he did not understand elvish at all well, but he hardly needed to when the chief statement being uttered was,
"Azog the Defiler"...