The pathway was very narrow and steep at some points. Dwalin had to walk carefully and slowly to avoid slamming Thorin into the rocks at either side of the path.
Fili walked right behind Kili, who was tripping over every rock now. Kili was ghostly pale and had not spoken in a long time. Fili knew something was very wrong with his little brother and he expected him to pass out somewhere along the way. But, even though he was still angry, Fili would be there to catch him if he fell.
The Company advanced quite quickly, although Bombur had already been stuck twice and Gandalf hit his head several times on overhanging rocks.
Kili would normally have roared with laughter about these things, Fili thought. But now they could not even make the corners of his mouth twitch or put a sparkle in his eyes.
More light showed through with every step they took. The end of the pathway was definitely getting closer.
After a few more minutes it opened up into a mountain pass. Balin nearly walked into Bilbo, who had stopped and looked ahead in utter amazement.
At the foot of the mountain they had passed through, lay a large valley and a little ahead they could see the roofs and courtyards of Rivendell. In the valley below a river ran and everywhere waterfalls made their way down. The sun bathed the entire sight in a golden light.
Fili felt his spirits rise a little. They had made it, help was near now. He cast a look at Thorin, who hung still unconscious over Dwalin's shoulder, his chest rising and falling with the rhythm of his breathing. If Fili hadn't known better he could pretend his uncle was just sleeping peacefully.
"Well" Gandalf said, moving on, "let's not keep Lord Elrond waiting".
"Waiting?" Bofur snorted, "he does not even know we are here".
"Oh, you are quite wrong" Gandalf smiled, "Lord Elrond has already known for some time that we are on his grounds. He knows everything that happens in his land".
And indeed, when the Company crossed one of the narrow bridges that formed the entrance to Rivendell, they found Elrond waiting for them in the stone courtyard on the other side.
"Gandalf!" he greeted the wizard, "it has been a long time".
"Lord Elrond" Gandalf answered with a nod of his head, "it has indeed been a long time since I was here".
"What brings you, thirteen dwarves and a Hobbit to Rivendell?" Elrond asked, cutting the welcome greetings short.
"We have come to seek aid" the wizard said gravely, "one of our company was injured in a battle with an Orc-pack just beyond your borders".
Elrond gazed past Gandalf at Dwalin, who was still carrying Thorin. It was evident to him who the injured one was.
Dwalin looked apprehensively at the Elf as he approached him. Elrond seemed to have caught it, for he said "I just want to help him". Dwalin considered that for a moment, before slowly lowering Thorin onto the ground.
Elrond immediately knelt down beside the Dwarf prince, carefully pulling aside his coat to have a better look at his wounds.
"Is he going to be alright?" Bofur asked.
"It is too early to tell for certain, but with the right care I think he might be" Elrond answered. He swiftly stood up and spoke in Elvish to two other Elves closeby. They came over, picked up Thorin and carried him away.
"We are taking him to our House of Healing" Elrond said, addressing the Company in general, "we will be treating him there".
A sigh of relief went through all the Dwarves. Their leader was in good hands, even though it were Elf-hands. There was hope again for his recovery and for their quest.
But that relieve was only short-lived. Suddenly they were all alarmed by a cry from Fili.
"Kili!" he had yelped. His brother swayed alarmingly on his feet, his breathing had become heavy and his eyes unfocussed. Fili stared anxiously at his younger sibling, frozen with fear.
With a thud and a metallic clank of his sword hitting the stones of the courtyard, Kili sank to his knees. He let his chin rest on his chest and took a shuddering breath. Upon exhaling the most heartbreaking moan escaped him.
"You idiot!" Fili told his brother, falling to his knees beside him, "you are absolutely not alright!" The panic was evident in Fili's voice and visible in his eyes.
The entire Company stirred in shock. They had not expected this to happen...
Kili did not seem to hear any of the commotion around him. He was close to losing consciousness altogether. He just sat on his knees, chin resting on his chest, eyes half-closed and breathing heavily. The poison of the arrow was rapidly spreading through his body and he was no longer able to fight it.
Fili shifted so he was in front of his brother, facing him. He grabbed Kili's upper arms and shook him gently.
"Kili? Look at me. Tell me what happened?! Please, come on…"
Fili felt everybody stare at him and his brother. "Help him" he pleaded, looking at the others desperately, choking on the words. But shock had made it impossible for anyone else to move. They did not know what to do.
"Kili? "Kili, can you hear me?" Fili tried, focussing his attention on his brother again. Kili didn't give any sign of recognition.
"I need you to tell me what happened to you" Fili pleaded. He placed a hand on the back of his brother's neck. Kili felt a comfortable warmth radiating from that hand, which pulled him back to reality a little. He groaned softly and lifted his head slightly to look at Fili. His eyes reflected utter pain and fear.
"What happened to you?" Fili asked softly. Kili raised a trembling hand to his left shoulder and Fili understood his meaning instantly.
"Help me get this pack off him" Fili said to no one in particular.
Bilbo stepped forward and knelt down beside Kili too. Together they started removing the pack from Kili's back.
When Fili worked the strap on Kili's left shoulder, his brother screamed out. He doubled over in pain and buried his face in Fili's shoulder.
Fili was scared. He could not stand that his actions had made his brother scream out. He placed a hand on the back of Kili's head, who pressed his face deeper into Fili's shoulder. "I am sorry" Fili said, voice breaking.
Very carefully Fili and Bilbo were able to fully remove the pack. Kili winced another couple of times, causing Fili to shiver every time he did so.
As soon as Kili's pack lay beside him, his injuries immediately became clear. On his left shoulder a large blood stain was visible, together with the remains of the broken off arrow.
"Oh, by Durin..." Fili muttered, looking horror-struck at the wound. He pushed Kili's chin up with his index-finger, making his brother look at him.
"Why, Kili, why did you do this?! Why didn't you say anything?!" Fili was close to tears now. He just could not comprehend why his brother had not told him anything about being shot. Kili stared back at Fili with a pained expression on his face.
"S-Sorry…" he managed to choke out. His eyes then rolled back and he lost consciousness, slumping against his brother's chest.
Fili wrapped his arms around his motionless brother. The feeling of Kili's, although laboured, breathing under his arms calmed him down a fraction. At least his brother was still breathing.
Elrond appeared beside the two young Dwarves.
"Come with me" he said, placing a hand on Fili's shoulder, "we will take care of him too".
Fili gave a little nod. "I am sorry for this, little brother" he said softly to Kili. He pushed his brother slightly off him and placed a shoulder under his stomach, lifting him up with apparent ease. Even though Kili was unconscious, he still let out a groan of pain. Fili felt his heart break by that sound.
Slowly he turned towards Elrond. "Please lead the way".
Elrond turned on the spot and set off in the direction of the House of Healing. Fili followed him closely.
Now that he was away from his comrades, Fili felt himself starting to break down. "Please Kili, don't go. Don't leave me" he whispered to his brother as he walked. The tears stung in his eyes and for the first time Fili allowed them to fall…
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