Chapter Three
The trip down the river wasn't bad. Oh no, in Bilbo's humble opinion, it was much, much worse. There was absolutely nothing smooth about, there were too many bumps and twists. Poor Bilbo lost count of he'd thrown up or passed out. He'd wished he had asked Legolas to stay and shut him in a barrel as well, though he was certain the dwarves would have said otherwise.
By the time they made it to the docks at Laketown, the hobbit was completely soaked to the bone and shivering violently.
He had not taken off the ring in all this time. Not even after the men from the town had come, pulled out the barrels, and left, with many mutters of "Damn elves," and "Barrels get heavier every time."
Finally after he was certain that the men were gone, and not going to be returning, he took the metal band off. He lay on the solid ground, breathing heavily and letting the late afternoon sunshine wash over him and warm him. When he'd gathered enough strength to move again, he made his way slowly over to the barrels where his lay waiting.
He'd tried to keep track of which tubs contained his dwarves, but now his mind was fuzzy. The only thing he could remember was that he had to find Kili. The poor dwarf had to be in worse condition than he was, and he was still very jittery.
It took three tries before he finally found one of the dwarves. Low and behold, it was Thorin who popped out. And judging by the scowl on his face, the dwarf-king was not very happy to see him.
Bilbo was in no mood to deal with his attitude. "The next sentence out of your mouth had better be full of glittering praise or a heartfelt and humble thank you; otherwise you can just keep it to yourself. Now pull yourself out of there and help me find the others."
He glared at the dwarf, daring him to argue.
Thorin seemed to realize that he was on the losing end of this battle and sighed heavily. "As you wish, Master Baggins," he said, crawling out of his barrel and flopping on the ground.
Kili was suffocating. Okay, he wasn't actually suffocating, he was certain that there was more than enough air in the wooden tub he was in. It just wasn't going into his lungs. The walls were just too close. And his head was swimming. He kept being jostled, and the barrel kept spinning, making him sick to his stomach. He would have been screaming if, he'd had enough oxygen. As it was, his face stayed buried in Bilbo's coat, tears streaming down his face.
He wasn't sure how long he was in the wooden death trap, and didn't even recall when it stopped moving.
All he remembered was a sudden burst of light and there was Bilbo's worried face standing in the sun. Like a squirrel after a nut, Kili shot out of the barrel and into the hobbit's arms.
Bilbo sighed in relief. "Oh, Kili. It's alright. You're safe now."
"It was awful, Bilbo!" he wailed into the older males chest. "I tried to be brave, I really did!"
Bilbo cradled the young dwarf. He could feel the curious stares of the rest of the company. Well, there were at least ten curious stares. He knew there was one death glare behind him. One death glare and one concerned.
"It's alright, Kili," he soothed. "You did very well. I'm so proud of you." He rocked the dwarf back and forth, aware of the shadow creeping up on him. "And look, now you're not in that boring dungeon anymore."
Kili continued to cry for a while longer. His entire body was convulsing with great shuddering breaths. The relief at finally being in the open was finally overwhelming him.
"Shh, Kili," he heard the hobbit's voice, felt his warmth as he clung to him.
Bilbo felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up in the eyes of Thorin. The dwarf king gave him a small smile and gestured to the rest of the group. He knelt down beside the two and moved his hand from Bilbo's shoulder to his nephew's.
"Kili, that's quite enough, you need to let Bilbo go now." Oh to hear his uncle Thorin's voice again. He recognized the hands that pulled him gently form the hobbit instantly clung to their owner.
Thorin immediately enveloped him in a strong embrace. "I'm here, Lad," he whispered into Kili's damp locks. "Everything's alright, just as Master Baggins said."
The dwarf-king looked up at the hobbit sitting on the grass beside them guiltily chewing on his lip. It was then that he noticed just how soaking wet his burglar was. He frowned.
"How on earth did you get so wet, Halfling?" he asked. Bilbo shrugged.
"Someone had to make sure you lot were packed properly." he said simply.
Thorin blinked. He was stopped from responding by the sniffling boy in his arms.
"You mean you weren't in a barrel Bilbo?" sniffed Kili, pulling away from his uncle's matted furs.
The hobbit blushed, and started fidgeting. "Uh," he stuttered. "Well...um...no?"
Thorin's glare returned ten-fold. Yet again this halfling had risked himself for the sake of someone else.
"And you gave no thought to your own safety?" he asked coolly.
Bilbo chuckled nervously, "Um, well..." he said, "We should go and check the others-"
"The others are just fine, Bilbo. Damp perhaps, but they will survive." Thorin gave the hobbit a hard stare. "I am more concerned with you. Your clothing is soaked through and you are shivering."
"Oh Bilbo," said Kili, pulling himself away from his uncle. "You're jacket. You can have it back now, if you want." The child's face was beet red as if he were embarrassed by his emotional display. The hobbit smiled kindly at him and went to retrieve his coat from the barrel.
"Thank you Kili," he said, picking it up and dusting it off. The coat was a little damp but no worse than it had been before he'd given it to Kili.
The cloth bag, though, was nowhere to be found. Bilbo tried not to let himself panic. It had probably fallen out during the trip down river. He could come later and get it when they were safe in the city. He didn't know why, but he was very reluctant to tell his dwarves about the book, like his ring, it was his secret to keep and his alone.
More than that, he had the distinct impression that Thorin was going to be extremely displeased when he found out about his plan to bind Smaug. And that the idea had come from the son of the elf who'd betrayed his family.
But it was the right thing to do, Bilbo consoled himself. He put on his damp jacket, his shivering intensifying. No matter, the consequences, it was the right thing- the only thing –to do.
Kili watched his friend struggle to put his coat on. He looked so cold, that the young dwarf felt bad about taking it. Especially since he now knew that the hobbit has forgone his own barrel to ensure that theirs had been secure.
He could feel his uncle's irritation behind him. If it had been any other dwarf, Kili would have been angry that they were irritated with their savior. As it was, Kili knew that his uncle's irritation was just a mask for the concern he felt.
He leaned back briefly into Thorin's warmth before moving to stand up. Off in the distance he could hear the others conversing, among them, Fili's laughter rang clear. He brightened at hearing his brother. He was still shaky and feeling a bit nauseous but now that he was out of that stupid, suffocating death barrel, and knowing that his family was safe, he felt that he was going to be okay.
The tension between the two adults in front of him though… well he wasn't about to stick around for the argument he could feel brewing.
"Um…" he said, brushing himself off. "I…uh think I'll go check on the others now, shall I?" Without any hesitation, the young dwarf ran off to join the others, leaving a very grumpy, concerned uncle with a nervous, shivering hobbit.
It was dark by the time the company had made their introductions and secured a place to stay. The Master of Laketown seemed very keen on getting on his uncle's good side. Never mind the fact that most of the others were cold and shivering in the autumn air. Especially the poor hobbit.
It was the one called Bard who finally put an end to the Master's tedious speeches, informing the man that night would be upon them soon and that their guests would surly enjoy having some time to freshen up and relax after such a taxing journey. The group agreed enthusiastically.
Reluctantly, the greasy-haired man let them go. But not before requesting the presence of Thorin at his mansion for supper that night, to which the dwarf-king agreed to.
Now, as Kili sat out on the balcony of room he'd been given at the local inn, he felt that he could truly breathe. Perhaps for the first time in months….well at least since they'd left Beorn's house…
He sat on the cold stone, legs drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around them. His chin rested on top of his knees. He was clean, he was warm, he was fed and his family was safe. What's more, they were only a week's journey from their destination. The night was shaping up to be very nearly perfect.
The young dwarf sighed heavily and closed his eyes. This adventure was turning out to be very different than what he'd imagined it would be. If his mother could only see him right now, what would she say? Would she be proud of him and Fili? He knew that she hadn't exactly been thrilled that her boys were accompanying their uncle on such a dangerous quest. Mahal! She was afraid of what might happen to Thorin on such an adventure, let alone her precious children.
Thinking about his mother waiting for them so far away in the Blue Mountains made Kili's chest ache with want. He missed his mother very much, but he also knew that he had to do this. He knew that it was the right thing to do. He couldn't remain a child forever, and this quest was the perfect way to show his family just how adult he really was. He was 77 years old for Mahal's sake. Plenty old enough to go out into the world.
As long as that world didn't contain barrels…or spiders…or trolls…
They could contain hobbits though, Kili decided as a cool night breeze ruffled his hair and clothes. He liked hobbits. He liked that their homes were always nice and warm and that they had really good food and nice soft beds. They were brave and nice and funny and they made sure that stubborn uncles got enough sleep and food and medicine.
Okay, so he really only knew one hobbit. But if the other hobbits were anything like Mr. Bilbo, then they couldn't all be bad, right?
"What have I said about thinking Little Brother?" came his brother's voice from behind him. He and Fili were naturally sharing a room. Even after being in the same cell in Mirkwood, Kili was loathe to be away from his brother for any amount of time. He'd wanted to ask if Thorin could share the room with them but that would have been far too childish and his uncle had already seen him weak once that day.
He smiled tiredly up at Fili, his eyes opening ever so slightly. "Wasn't thinking..." he muttered. The older heir chuckled as he sat next to him, their shoulders bumping one another in the cool night air. Kili instantly curled into him, leaching the warmth from the older dwarf's body.
"Just wondering about Mum, that's all" Fili leaned his head on his younger brother's head. The two of them sat looking out at the stars that twinkled in the inky black night sky.
"Do you think she misses us?" he asked quietly.
Fili was quiet for a moment before smiling softly. "She probably enjoys the peace and quiet." he joked. "You know, now that you're not there giving her a headache." Kili nudged him indignantly.
"Shut up," he said. Fili nudged him right back. This went on for a few minute, each brother shoving the other until they calmed. They sat in silence, each just enjoying the others company.
"So, Bilbo is sick." Fili said. Kili looked at his brother in concern. Bilbo had been shivering rather severely this afternoon. Had he caught a cold or something?
"Oin says it's nothing serious," Fili continued. "But looks like our burglar is out of commission for a while." Kili nodded. Maybe he would go and see him tomorrow after breakfast.
He felt movement beside him as his brother stretched. "I'm completely beat." he said. "I think I'll have an early night. He unfolded himself and stood with an expectant look at his younger brother. When all Kili did was stare at him with wide puppy dog eyes, he sighed. He knew exactly what his brother wanted
"You can sleep in my bed tonight Little Brother," he said. His face turned stern as Kili grinned widely. "But only tonight. You have to learn to sleep on your own. What will you do when we reclaim Erebor? We'll have completely separates rooms then. And personally, I think you're too old to be sleeping in your brother's bed. No matter how amazing and brilliant he is."
Kili rolled his eyes as he too stood up and stretched. "Now you sound just like Thorin," he teased as he walked through the doors, into their large spacious room. "Next you'll start reciting ridiculously long speeches about honor and the pride of the line of Durin." Fili snorted behind him.
"Give me a little credit, Brother." he said, shutting the balcony door behind him. The moon shone through the windows and the simple door to illuminate a large room with two long beds and plush carpets. A small oak desk sat off to one corner opposite a large wooden wooden wardrobe. Unfortunately for the company, everything was man-sized so they all looked like children when trying to climb onto the beds. Even Balin with his snow white hair looked ridiculously tiny in comparison.
Kili made his way over to one of the beds, the one with Fili's old tunic and trousers piled next to it, and climbed onto it. It took him a few attempts but eventually, he managed to shimmy his way onto the wool blankets. He blew out an irritated breath at his brother's chuckling.
"Laugh all you want," he hissed. "You're shorter than I am."
The only thing his brother did was laugh.
The next morning dawned bright and cool as the dwarves of Erebor woke. Kili opened his eyes as the sunlight tickled his face. He scrunched his nose and tried to snuggle back into his brother's chest. He groaned in displeasure Fili started to stir.
"No getting up," the youngster slurred. Kili tugged on his brother's tunic in an attempt to keep him stationary. His brother chuckled and gently moved him from where he lay.
"Come on, Baby Brother." He said calmly sliding off of the bed. "Uncle will probably want us to go out and mingle with the populace. You know, let them see the mighty heirs of Erebor and all that"
Kili made a noncommittal sound and hid under the blankets. "They saw us yesterday! And it's so warm in here."
His brother didn't respond. Kili could hear the sounds of Fili getting ready for the day. He clenched his eyes. He wasn't ready to get up. What was the point of taking a day for rest and relaxation if you weren't going to rest? Cleary, his dear uncle didn't know the meaning of the words.
He felt a gentle hand on him. "If you don't want to go out to the city," Fili said. "Maybe you could visit Mr. Baggins. I'm sure he'd appreciate not being forgotten just because of a little cold."
The hand disappeared and Kili heard his brother walk out of their shared room. The young dwarf huffed in displeasure. Damn Fili for knowing him so well. It was just disgusting it was. He threw off the blankets and immediately winced as the bright light of the sun hit his sleepy eyes.
He laid in bed for a moment or two longer before slithering out of bed and onto the floor where he sat for another few minutes trying to muster up the motivation to move. He wasn't a morning person. Not if he could help it.
He pouted before heaving himself off of the soft carpet. If he was going to be forced into the land of the living, he had to at least make sure he had clothing that fit him on.
The room was quite a bit darker than Kili had anticipated. All of the curtains were drawn over the windows. The only light came from the three candles that were placed on the fireplace mantel and the small wooden table beside the huge oaken bed tucked off in a corner of the room. There wasn't much else in the room other than the essentials. A wardrobe that looked like it matched the bed stood by the door and on a table across the bed was a small washing bowl with a rag laid beside it.
Kili walked quietly into the room, wary of waking the small being nestled into the mountain of blankets on the bed.
Bilbo didn't look like he was in the position to be appreciating anything at the moment. The hobbit was pale and breathing heavily through his mouth. A faint wheezing sound was coming from the tiny creature as he slept fitfully.
The young heir's heart ached at the site. He'd never seen the burglar look so utterly small and helpless. Oh sure, it was clear that the hobbit had never been on an adventure before in his life. But he'd always attempted to make the best of it. No matter the situation, Kili could count on his friend to have an encouraging word or helpful smile. Now, looking at him, the dwarf couldn't help but feel like he had come here to say goodbye.
Kili bit his lip. From the very start of this quest, the young dwarf had felt a connection with the hobbit. It was the oddest thing. He was sure that this connection, whatever it was, was not romantic. He just knew that Bilbo was the same as him. Lost and wondering who he was in this big world.
Weird, his brother had called him. Well, if he was weird, then so was Mr. Bilbo. And Kili was alright with that. He felt like he could be himself in the hobbit's presence. He didn't have to pretend to be the big gruff dwarf that came so easily to the rest of his family.
He took a deep breath to stave off the sudden tears that filled his eyes. Mahal, hadn't he already cried enough?! Bad enough he'd had a veritable meltdown yesterday. He sniffed pathetically. But he didn't want to say goodbye to Bilbo so soon.
He brushed roughly at a stray tear that slid down his face. Why did everyone he cared for leave him? It really wasn't fair.
He walked up the bed, to his dear friend. He was just about to shimmy his way onto the bed itself when he spied something on the bedside table along with the candle. It was a black leather bound book. Curiously he picked it up and examined it.
The outside was very nondescript. Boring almost. The only thing written on the cover was the title: Dancing With Dragons: Being a guide to the spells and lore of the Dragon Lord.
Kili's face scrunched up in confusion. A Dragon Lord? What in Eru's name was that? He looked back at Bilbo and then to the book. Did it belong to Bilbo? Where had he gotten it from? Flipping through it briefly, he was intrigued by the different charts and diagrams that it contains. He stopped at the beginning of the book. The page was titled, Chapter one.
The young dwarf bit his lip again. He glanced at Bilbo once more before sinking down beside the bed and began to read
A Dragon Lord, by his very nature is different. Born of a natural race, he is tasked with the learning and practice of the magick of the Dragon….
Chapter Three/End
