Hope you all had a good Christmas, here's the next instalment of Far from Home – Things will start to speed up a bit soon and we'll have a lovely bit of angst for you all.
Chapter Two
Curiously, Kili pulled the door open, as quietly as possible so as not to wake the sleeping form propped against the wall.
To his surprise and confusion, it was his Uncle, looking as composed as ever – but there was a fire in his eyes – a feverish brightness that usually only returned to his eyes when he spoke of memories or told Kili tales of their ancestors and the homeland that was torn from them.
"Uncle?"
"Is your brother here?" Thorin seemed rushed and almost flustered, despite the calm exterior; something Kili had never seen before in his normally reserved Uncle.
"Sleeping." He answered, trying to hide the worry in his voice. "His shoulder still bothers him."
Evidently he had not managed it, as his Uncle clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about your brother. The pair of you have Durin's blood in your veins. You'll be alright."
Unconvinced, Kili brushed the matter aside for now.
"What's happening, Uncle?"
Thorin sighed, "I have word from Gandalf-"
"The wizard?!" Kili interrupted enthusiastically, his excitement getting the better of him.
"Aye, the wizard. He believes there may be a way to reclaim Erebor for our own. Think of it, Kili – no more of this Blue Mountain 'hospitality'. A home of our own, after a hundred years in exile! The splendour of the lonely mountain restored to its former glory!"
"But what of the dragon, Uncle?"
His Uncle's face darkened, "The dragon has not been seen or heard of in those parts in five decades. It may well be that it has simply lived out its extended and vindictive lifespan."
Kili didn't dare contradict him, having experienced Thorin's wrath upon many occasions in his younger years.
"So what will you do?" He asked instead, hoping the danger had passed.
"I must meet with Gandalf in the village of Bree, just past the land of the Halflings. From there, if we deem there is enough evidence, I must meet with Dain and we will send a team to investigate the mountain. I need to send word to the Iron Hills and to those remaining of our kin to make for the meeting, where we can decide who is most apt to continue this task."
"What of Fili and myself? Should we prepare to travel?" Excitement coursed through him at the thought of leaving the rocky tombs of the Blue Mountains behind them.
But Thorin's laugh was loud and hearty as he stared at his nephew. "By the glory of Aule! The two of you are barely out of childhood! The dwarves I seek will be seasoned warriors – Troll hunters, Orc slayers, not adolescents! Not to mention that neither of you have recovered from your last little escapade yet."
Kili fumed silently before his Uncle, desperately unwilling to remain cooped up in the stone prison while Thorin disappeared to chase dragons – dragons! Killing Orcs and Wargs and Trolls!
Trying to swallow back the bitter disappointment without snapping at his Uncle, he nodded quickly, retreating back into the room. He barely managed to avoid slamming the heavy door, slumping down moodily beside his still sleeping older brother.
Drumming his fingers restlessly on the wall, he was torn between shaking Fili awake to tell him the news, and letting his brother sleep. As the choice warred within him, impulsivity reigned and he tapped Fili awake with irritation.
"Is he out of his mind?" It had definitely been a bad idea to wake up Fili, he decided five minutes later.
"I think so." He muttered gloomily in reply.
"Just because a dragon hasn't been seen for half a century, doesn't mean that it's ceased and desisted! They live for millennia! And what will he have them do if they find the dragon is alive and kicking? What chance do a group of warrior dwarves have against a real life, fire breathing dragon?" Fili was almost breathing steam, more upset than Kili had seen him in ages.
He paused. "What about us?" his brother asked tentatively.
"We have to stay here to be babysat by our wonderful hosts, like dwarflings."
Fili groaned loudly, "I'm not spending another month being glared at by those judgemental Blue sons of-"
"Fili!"
"You know what they're like, Kili! They reject anything that hasn't been tradition for half a millennia or more! They despise us, insult us, force our people to live in slums and survive off rats if we cannot make ends meet. Our people can't stay here any longer, and neither can we!"
"Well why don't we go to the meeting?" He crossed his fingers tightly behind his back.
"What?" Fili just looked bemused.
Well it wasn't an outright no. It was worth a chance.
"We've obviously outstayed our welcome here. Neither of us wants to be here any longer – and Uncle has trained us to fight to the best of his ability – doesn't that stand for something? Maybe we're not seasoned warriors yet, but are we ever going to get the chance to do so if we just stay here and rot?"
"How long have you been rehearsing that speech in your head?" Amusement was written across his brother's face.
"I haven't!" he tried to look innocent, but unfortunately his older brother had always been able to see right through him.
"Right and I'm an elf."
"Well alright, but you don't like being cooped up here anymore than I have. Why can't we go outside? It's not as though we're dwarflings anymore, for Aüle's sake!"
Fili sighed. "Look I can't deny anything you've said. And you are right about this whole situation, but do we really need to volunteer for some suicide mission just in order to get some fresh air?"
Fidgeting anxiously, Kili tried to resist the urge to pace, the overwhelming urge to escape the stone jaws of the Blue Mountains crawling in his blood.
"But, we don't have to even go to the meeting! We could just go out riding – or, or walking!" he amended hastily, remembering what had happened last time they'd left on horseback.
"Anything to get out of this claustrophobic hole!" he finished desperately, his eyes pleading.
Fili sighed heavily. "Fine."
Kili barely managed to suppress the urge to leap with joy, settling for a small yell of delight that was no more mature for a dwarf just out of adolescence than the former option.
"You are incorrigible."
"Yep."
Thanks for reading, please review if you liked, loved or hated it. The next update will be asap!