Hey! Sorry this update's taken so long, I've worked every day this week and haven't had time to read- let alone eat- haha.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this small chapter.. Please feel free to review! Xx


Kili was pacing beside himself with worry and nerves as frayed as the fingernails he'd all but bitten off throughout the night. He hadn't slept a wink, and tiredness only served to toy at his mind further. It was well past night now, Fili should have been back hours ago.
Something must have happened. Something must have gone wrong.

His patience had just about snapped and he was tying the last string of his pack tight when he felt a shape move behind him.
"Kili" Thorin's voice half warned half called and the younger turned with a sigh.
"Something's happened, you know it must have! He should have been back by now and he isn't" he dropped his arms down to his side, meeting his uncle's eyes with worry in his own "why isn't he?"

Thorin sighed and with a tight expression on his face, trying to work out how to calm the nephew he'd watch grow up, knowing how strongly the brothers relied on one another. He decided that lying to the younger probably wasn't the best course of action to take. "It is worrying your brother isn't returned by now." his gaze turned to the valley below, sunlight creeping over the peaks in the hills "perhaps you aught to follow his trail a while, we'll follow later once camp is broken."
Kili nodded hyper-actively fidgeting his fingers around the hem of his shirt "Okay. I think so too" he smiled reluctantly at Thorin, already half rushing to pack the last few things before stopping in his tracks and looking over his shoulder at the camp of dwarves "you don't think something really bad has happened, do you?" he asked, dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

"Fili will be fine." Was the stiff reply Kili received from his uncle "now off with you. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll find Fili and we'll be on our way." The younger dwarf could see the strains of worry in the elder's face but brushed aside any mention of them or ideas to ease their mutual feelings, he knew it wouldn't do to question his uncle- as their leader he had to retain a level of composure at all times, after all.

The sun had barely risen in the sky when Kili set off, following Fili's earlier trail with attention that would shame a hawk. His heart raced as he moved further along the path and still caught no sign of his brother in the distance yet pushed his pony on further, harder, faster into the morning.
It was only by chance that the sun had caught the tiny piece of metal as it had, causing Kili to pull his pony up sharply, dismounting in a flash to fall to his knees beside the tiny silver bead.

Fili's, he knew at once. He'd seen those beads every day for probably as long as he could remember- how could he not recognise it? Scooping the small piece of metal up from the dirt, worry once again surged through him, causing his heart to beat and his lungs to contract. Where are you? He desperately questioned in his mind, searching for a response through the mental link they'd often joked about as dwarflings running through the woodlands playing hide and seek.
He knew there'd be no response, and yet she still ran cold when none came.

Looking up to scan the scene for signs of a struggle, his brows drew closer in confusion. Aside from the hoof prints of what he assumed to be Fili's pony, he saw no other tracks that would suggest an ambush, What could have happened?
Re-mounting his copper, he continued along at a slower pace now, knowing that the smallest break of a stem or parting in the trees could shed some light on the situation. Though a few minutes later however, slow speed or not it would have been pretty damn hard to miss the sudden appearance of a dozen other hoof tracks around those Kili was following. The realisation of what must've happened hit the brunette like a brick.

Fili must have been ambushed. He realised, and that was bad. It meant that anything could've happened to his brother and Kili's eyes searched frantically for any other sign to what had happened next. He cursed himself for allowing Fili out scouting alone while he stayed warm and resting next to the fire. He'd practically allowed this to happen, and the surge of anger that ran through him at Thorin's lack of action didn't go unnoticed either.

Kili wished, not for the first time that day, that he was a better tracker- like some of the other dwarves in the company. Sure he knew the basics, yet his senses were nowhere near finely tuned enough to analyse the forestry as well as he could have. As the tracks angled west, Kili noticed that Fili's own disappeared into nothingness so his ambushers must have taken him from his pony, which would leave him with only the things he had on his person at the time. Knowing his brother, it wouldn't be a lot- Fili liked to travel light, keeping only a handful of weapons close and never carrying any form of food or drink that he might be needing now.

The young dwarf's mind was split. Did he return to Thorin and tell them of what happened? Or did he follow the group's tracks into inevitable danger in an effort to save his brother? The former would certainly be safer, but he couldn't be sure that if he didn't choose the latter, that Fili would make it long enough for him to get help. That was if he'd made it through at all of- No. He couldn't think of that.

A red smudge in the earth settled any questions in his mind. He knew that shade of red, a deep ruby that nothing could imitate It was blood. Fili's blood, he knew. That meant Fili was hurt, hurt and alone and probably without any way of protecting himself against his group of attackers. Turning the cold metal bead between his fingers, he prayed silently to any gods that might be listening that he wasn't too late.

Pushing his terror and worry aside Kili turned his pony sharply around- following the tracks of Fili's ambushers. Safe or not, he knew this might be the only change he'd have to save his brother.


With a sharp gasp of pain, Fili's eyes opened sharply to a haze of spinning colours and unfamiliar smells. A movement to his left sobered the dwarf and blinking a few times, he turned to assess the situation. A blinding pain to the back of his skull brought back a flurry of memories of the night before. Orcs. Ambush. His head. Pain.

He remembered falling, but nothing of what came after. His surroundings were inconspicuous and the type of countryside you'd never be able to tell apart from another area. Fili felt light-headed, he knew he'd lost a lot of blood, his dry chapped lips and scorching throat told him that if he didn't drink some water soon, he'd be in an even worse state. Tiny gashes littered his hands and forearms, rope burns searing at each wrist from the coarse rope that tied them tightly together to prevent him escaping.

From the direction of the noisy chatter, he assumed that his attackers had made camp behind the wall-like structure of boulders to his left. Charming, he thought, clearly his presence was so sickening to them that they'd all but hidden him from their sight when they had no need of him. No matter, a second thought soon followed the first. It meant that he didn't have to watch their grotesque faces at least.

Exhaustion pulled at Fili's bones and he knew from the sticky wetness that covered his back and shoulders that the amount of blood-loss he'd sustained meant he was in no position to fight his way free. Bruises littered his body too and the dwarf winced as he shifted to the other hip, relieving the pressure off his right from the cold hard ground.

Mind spinning again, he fought the prickling of tears to his eyes at the pain that enclosed around him. Why hadn't they killed him already? Surely they could see he was of no use to them, he'd never give them answers to their questions and he had no possessions on him that were worth any great sum of gold out in these mountain passes.

With a gasp, he blinked as a presence settled on his right and out of the corner of his eye Fili could see his brother crouching down beside him, a tight and concerned expression on his face. He knew that if he turned his head, the image would float away on the breeze so he paused exactly where he led. The hallucination Kili smiled softly, running a comforting arm down Fili's aching own and the blonde's heart felt a surge of warmth flow through it as the ghostly touch spread like sunshine across his body.

Kili. The dwarf longed to see his brother's face in person. To feel his hands clasp around his own and to hear his voice whisper that it would all be okay. Fili had long suppressed his secret desires for more than sibling love from his brother, the want to feel Kili's lips brush against his own and to share his bed for once not as a brother, but as a lover. Yet as he led there weak, confused and hurt, he felt all those wishes flood back like an unstoppable wave. And Fili allowed them to. For he knew in his heart that it wouldn't be okay, he was prepared to die here, cold and hurt. He knew now, that he wouldn't die at his brother's side at battle as they'd always expected. That was okay though, because Kili was here, and Fili knew he'd help him through.

He smiled, relieved as the image of Kili didn't disappear with time. Instead, as he led there growing weaker, Kili's presence only grew stronger and Fili knew that whatever was to come, he'd have his brother- at least in spirit- by his side. The blonde drew strength from that knowledge, so when they would come- and they would- he'd be able to resist their questions and the bite of their blades.

Just once, as he felt the icy grips of darkness claiming him once again to unconsciousness, Fili heard Kili's voice ghost against his ear like the wind: I'm coming brother. Hold on. I'm coming Fili.