Kili breathed in deep and tried to quiet the tremors in his body. He had never felt this cold before in his life. He was usually the young upstart ready to tear off his clothing at the mere sight of the sun, and he loved the winter, snows and ice more than his brethren did. Baths in cold water he considered refreshing; though admittedly, there was much difference between a cold bath in the Blue Mountains, and jumping into the ice infested waters of the lake, and remaining in the same dank, wet clothes. The wool blanket now on his shoulders gave little reprieve; at least it kept the wind from whipping his skin and making him even more frigid. How he wished for the warm rays of the sun now, even the weak ones that warmed the skin little on a winter morn.
He rocked a little, listening to the constant splashes of the oar hitting the water behind him. A too-close roar grabbed his attention and he looked back for a moment. He lifted his good leg over the bench in the boat and sat sideways, so he could continue to look back easily. He could no longer see the mouth of the river into the lake; the gentle bends had hidden the carnage he knew was happening in the town on the lake not so far away. He still could not believe they had escaped it. Right now, reality seemed like a perverse dream with a nightmarish bent.
Kili also could not believe who he had ended up with. He had checked back several times before, just to make sure she had not changed into anyone or anything else. But yes, it was still Tauriel, the she elf warrior, there behind him, rowing the little craft they used for escape. He looked up into her fair face, and she looked down to him. Her expression was usually stony and stern, those perfect elven features graced with the bottomless sage green eyes, just like when they were captured in the forest, until she looked down at him; then is when her eyes softened a little.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"As good as I can be." Kili replied, with a little uncontrolled shudder.
Was it the cold, or just the situation sending chills down his spine? In the last few days, his descent into the sickness caused by the ork poisoned wound made the feeling of illness and pain pervasive and almost expected. He was thankful for the sudden turnaround in his health; he was definitely feeling worlds better, but not quite back to normal. He was still astonished at who it was that healed him.
"We should be there soon." She urged. Only a gentle smile graced her lips, and she continued rowing. He nodded and looked to the far bank…
If anyone would have told him he would be where he was now, alone with the red haired elf that had suddenly invaded his dreams and taken a firm grip on his heart he would have called them a liar. It happened so fast this day; he woke up from his torture, pain relieved by a light, an angel, he thought, only to find out it was her all along…how could this whole situation be possible?
But Kili was rather pleased with this part of his particular reality, and would not question Tauriel her reasons, for fear that they would not be ones he wanted to hear. If only this could have happened in the backdrop of something less awful than the devastation of Laketown. He looked down and brooded. He was deeply worried about his brother…where was he? Had they gotten Bard? Had the dragon gotten them?These questions ran about his mind, and did not let him truly enjoy this moment.
Fili and Kili had been by each other's side most of their lives; as his brother was a mere few years older. They did not know life without each other in it. They spent much time alone while their mother, Dis, worked and did the things necessary as a sole parent caring for two active, fast growing young dwarf boys. Kili was always the little one, the joker, the talker and the one more willing to take chances. The favor his uncle showed Fili engendered some mild, childish jealousy when they were younger. The fact that Kili eventually grew taller, bested his uncle with the bow, his mother's weapon, while Fili remained fighting with knives helped quell those feelings, but when they left home on their adventurous trips, and faced danger together, he realized his brother was his rock, and Kili let go of his childhood misgivings. Knowing Fili was facing this dire danger alone, without him, was making Kili fretful.
Maybe Kili should have been more concerned about where he and Tauriel were going, but he was not. He felt it easy to trust her wholeheartedly, without question. Whether or not that was a good idea still was yet to be seen, but Tauriel did not save him, three times now, just for mal intent, Kili was fairly certain of that. But that begged the larger question... why did she save him, again and again? Tauriel seemed intent on taking him somewhere, and he really had no better options. Nor did he mind her company.
He looked back again, because the color had changed in the sky. A strange, low roaring noise began, and was increasing in volume…unfortunately, Kili recognized it. Dragon breath.
"Tauriel…look!" He said, with some questioning urgency. Tauriel whipped her head around in time to see Smaug's fiery breath claim the treetops behind them along the edge the lake, his large head swinging side to side, a stream of fire spewing from his jaws. Tauriel gave a little gasp and increased the force of her paddling directed to the shoreline. Kili took up his paddle and started to row again. They neared the shore.
"Take cover!" Tauriel shouted.
Kili felt the heat above him as Tauriel grabbed him, dragging him out of the boat near the shore. He fell into the shore's shallow waters as the flames surrounded them.
To be honest, Bard did take great pleasure in knocking the piss out of those who once held him captive, but he did not linger as much as he desired in doing it; he helped to grapple the dwarf named Bofur quickly away from them, and left the so-called soldiers groaning in pain on the dock.
Bard was actually impressed with how the dwarves fought, especially Fili, one of the brothers Sigrid spoke of. When the two of them engaged the group holding Bofur, Fili expertly fought off one soldier just as he threw a weapon to Bofur, who grabbed the club quickly and began using it without a moment lost. They rushed right at their foes with abandon. Some would call it bravery, others would call it brash, but it was obvious these dwarves did not have much fear of anyone or anything.
Fearlessness is an important attribute of those who wished to fight dragons, Bard supposed. Bard was begrudgingly content these brave dwarves were on his side, but he knew his own valor and skill would be soon tested.
Bard ran ahead of the dwarves towards the tower. He looked around briefly; no son in sight. He leaned back and looked up at the Windlance, up on the roof, set as a black, angular shadow against the burning town, ready and waiting for him. He ran to the front door, but stopped short, finding it blocked by debris; another building blasted apart like tinder that had been thrown against the front door, blocking his way in.
"Of course…" Bard said, under his breath. But this was too important a mission to let anything deter him. He started to scale the side of the building.
Bofur and Fili arrived at the Windlance tower just in time to see Bard struggling up, arriving at the second story terrace. Bard covered his eyes and kicked hard, breaking the window, disappearing from their view. By this point, everyone in the town was frantic and running all directions, screaming, trying to get away on anything that floated. Fili and Bofur were barely noticed, but they noticed that too many people were trying to get on to the same boats, and the boats were capsizing, chaos was all around. Fili and Bofur continued to search all around, hoping to see Oin or Bain. All they could do was wait, however impatiently.
Legolas stayed above the fray by climbing the buildings and taking to the roofs, but the path to the tower that bore the Windlance was only accessible via roof by circuitous route, and he constantly was dodging dragon blast. Legolas cursed to himself.
"Now why did I turn back? It was a fine idea, was it not?" he thought aloud, before launching himself off one roof to another with the aid of the black arrow. He landed on the next roof and scampered to the leeward side as Smaug blasted the other side…that one was close…
Bard climbed the stairs rapidly within the building, praying against all hope that Smaug would continue to spare this particular rooftop. A few last breathless steps taken, and he arrived at the top. Bard quickly threw a dark curtain on the windlance, one he tore off from the broken window below. He figured it would only be a matter of time before the fire drake recognized the contraption made specifically to kill dragons. Breathing heavily, he leaned over the edge of the terrace, looking south, hoping he would catch a glance of his son with the black arrow. No son, and the only dwarves the saw were the ones he came with. Fili and Bofur stood at the front of the building as Bard looked down.
"Where is my son and the arrow?"
"He said he would meet us here!" Fili shouted back.
"Why did you cover the windlance?" Bofur asked, pointing.
"Because if the dragon sees it he will blow it up to smithereens and we will have no chance at all to kill him!" Bard answered. "Bloody dwarves…" he murmured to himself. He spoted a light haired elf leaping along the roofs towards him.
"By the gods, first dwarves, now elves in Laketown! It is the end of the world." He muttered to himself. He looked down and finally spotted Bain.
"Bain! Where is the arrow?" He shouted. Bain, breathless, pointed towards up to the left, towards the elf. Bard hurriedly crossed the tower and looked over the edge. The elf was now only a rooftop away. His mouth dropped open and he rubbed his eyes.
"Ho now? Aren't you the prince of Mirkwood?" Bard said, blinking in disbelief. "What in creation are you doing here?" he shouted.
"I have asked myself that same question a hundred times this night already… But more importantly, I take it you need of this." Legolas said, holding up the arrow. "Or else we will all be but ashes soon…"
"Send it to me!" Bard said "We are running out of time!"
"Are you sure you can catch it?" he shouted,
"Even if I have to catch it with my own body I will do so today!" Bard said.
"That, I would not recommend." Legolas replied.
Everyone ducked as the dragon flew overhead again, the rush of wind nearly knocking Bard off of the tower, nearly blowing Legolas off the rooftop. Legolas stood up.
"Arrow coming your way!" he shouted. Legolas threw the arrow, landing it in the terrace, the long piece of metal clattering on the boards. Bard picked it up, practically in tears. He looked over the edge at the dwarves and his son, who were looking up at him.
"I need the dragon to fly above me, with its left wing over the tower!" Bard shouted to them all. "We have but one shot!"
"Why does he need to fly with his left wing over the tower?" Legolas questioned, running over a burning roof and leaping off just before it caved in, heading for the roof of the Windlance tower.
"There is a bare spot under the left wing where a scale has fallen off…"Bard replied.
"Isn't that just a fairy story?" Legolas said, coming to rest on a nearby terrace, crouching down.
"No it is not…a little bird told me…Oh never mind, I can't explain now…you just have to trust me!" Bard said, crouching as well as Smaug zoomed overhead. Legolas looked up at him and grunted, lips pursed. Once Smaug passed by, Bard and Legolas got up and looked over the edges of their respective perches, to talk to the rest of their party, who had scampered out of hiding.
"Alright then. We will just have to lure the dragon this way, so he flies north to south on this side of the tower…" Fili shouted to the two up above.
"How do we do that, Heeere dragon, dragon dragon...?" Bofur said to Fili, throwing his arms up. Bard looks down at him with daggers in his eyes…
"Now there's a good idea…" Legolas says, bitterly.
"I understand the feeling…" Bard murmurs to Legolas, in a low groan. "As much as I agree with you, Master Elf, we may be able to use that distain to our advantage." Bard said to Legolas, who knit his brows and looked down.
"Hey, all you dwarves…"Bard shouted out.
"Yes?" they replied in concert.
"The fire spewing beast is not very fond of you dwarves right now, that is for certain… he will certainly try to kill you if he sees you." Bard said.
"I think that goes without saying…" Fili shouted back…
"So why is he saying it?" Bofur said, looking at Bard suspiciously.
"Run down that pier…maybe he will see you and go after you." Bard suggested. "It will take him in the right direction."
Bofur does not take it as the jab it is, and he nodded excitedly and started to run down the pier. Fili, on the other hand, glared at Legolas and Bard, but also turned and started to run behind Bofur, pushing Oin along.
"Come on Oin, we have to play catch me with a dragon …"Fili said.
"What?" Oin said, blubbering incredulously. Bard looked on as they left..
"I have to admit. As dwarves go that light haired one is not so bad." Bard said, loud enough for Legolas to hear. Legolas looked at Bard incredulously. "My daughter thinks him kind…"Bard then reconsiders.
"Really?" Legolas said, in a loud whisper. Bard pursed his lips.
"Make sure you yell and wave your arms!" Bard shouted after the dwarf dragon bait. Legolas stifled a laugh, but his joviality was quenched by the reappearance of the dragon in the skies…
After another few minutes, once the fire died down above them, Tauriel pulled Kili to shore, surprised that the twisted old tree on the bank that they used as a landmark still existed. Again, soaked to the core, the two of them hurriedly dove into the thick forest. The trip inland would take only a few minutes normally, but with Kili needing to rest often, it took some time. His wound needed tending to badly, but Tauriel did not want to risk stopping just yet. The pain in his leg was getting difficult to bear, Tauriel could see, but Kili did not complain, not once. He valiantly tried to push on, despite the fact his body was growing less able to comply. She held on to him tightly, and took on as much of his weight against her as she could, her arm under his, his arm around her waist. As they walked together, something struck her as peculiar…
Tauriel was not one to have much casual physical contact. As a matter of fact, physical contact had grown to be unnerving for her with most people, except for Legolas, who did not do it often…and now Kili. Except for when she was a child, when Thranduil frequently carried her and Legolas often and play-fought with her and tickled her into fits of laughter, she had grown unused to accepting the touch of others. She now had little physical contact with anyone save that needed to fulfill daily tasks and fight. Elves were known for their deep and spiritual love, but were not known for their displays of affection, not like dwarves were.
Looking back on this day, Tauriel was surprised how easy it was for her to jump into his arms; Kili and her latched on to each other, back there in Bard's house, as the dragon's deafening roar echoed overhead, huddling together. She was not unnerved when he embraced her, held on to her arm, grabbed her around her waist, wrapped his hand around her hand; she was surprisingly comfortable with all of it. She at first just dismissed it as a product of the deadly situation, by need, like now. But walking through the forest, she reflected on the fact that Kili's arm around her felt firm and reassuring, strangely comforting.
Even though she doubts he would remember it, she did: His hand searching out hers in a state of delirium, his very personal question and his fingers finding hers; the whole moment; it touched her deeply. Maybe that is why she was so comfortable with Kili's touch. She knew how he felt…
The lodge was barely visible, overgrown with vines of ivy, camouflaged amongst a glade of trees up a hill. They navigated the partially hidden path to the base; a tall, wide tower of a tree. She cleared off some vines and visions of long ago memories invaded her brain. She walked around it, searching, slashing foliage. Finally, there they were, the multiple slats of wood secured on the side of the tree that served as foot and hand holds to the entrance up high in the canopy, hidden above their heads on a landing.
"I am not sure I can climb that." Kili said, looking up with a worried expression. He was already barely able to take weight on his leg. Tauriel looked up.
"I know. But I have an idea." She said, looking at Kili, who was leaning against a nearby tree. He collapsed back on it and panted. "Wait here for a few minutes." She said. Kili nodded, leaning forward, a smile drifting over his face.
"Well, I was thinking of running back to Laketown for a moment, but I can stay here instead." He joked. Tauriel gave him a little grin, and then turned her attention to the tree. She scaled up the stylized ladder with ease. When on the front landing, she hacked away some overgrown vines. She opened the front door, the elven seal releasing like a vacuum.
The lodge was empty, everything motionless within, neat, just as they had left it the last time they were there. The place was surprisingly still in good shape. The floor was covered with the remnants of old fronds of cedar, to deter pests, while everything else was covered with sheets and blankets. She grabbed a few blankets, and pulled them outside, not wanting the dust to stay in the Lodge. Tauriel paused only a second to light a small oil lamp. The flame of the old lamp sputtered to life. She raised it and the memories of her younger days there flooded her. She shook her head, returning herself to the present and walked to the back of the first room. She scurried up the short stairs leading to a small loft with several beds. She rummaged around and found it…a large roll of elven silk rope, many times stronger than it looked. She put it over her head and carried it out to the landing.
Tauriel quickly found the thick branch with a smoothed out area on its top. She tied one end of the rope to a big bough, and threw the coiled rope over the branch, the end falling to the ground, landing near Kili, who grabbed it.
This was how the elves used to lift things up or down from the high lodge, now a good two stories off the ground. She figured she could use this method of lifting to help Kili climb.
"Tie it around your chest." She shouted down to Kili, who nodded and complied.
"What? You are going to try and lift me up? I don't think that will be possible." He said.
"No, Kili. You will climb up the best you can, and I will act as a counter weight" she said, getting close to the edge. His face paled.
"What happens if you let go?"
"I won't let go. I promise." Tauriel said, pulling up the slack as Kili approached the ladder. She wound the rope around her arms, behind her back.
"Alright. I trust you…" Kili said, starting up. "As if I have a choice." He said to himself.
Tauriel pulled the rope as Kili moved up, taking as much of his weight as she could, choking up, readjusting her hold when he held on to rest in between.
The ladder was made for an elf's long legs. A nimble dwarf like Kili would not have too difficult a time climbing it in normal circumstances, but now, the climb was just painful. It was slow going, but they fell into a rhythm.
"You have done this before." Kili said, the strain showing in his grimaces.
"Not with a dwarf at the other end…" Tauriel said, groaning with the effort.
Eventually, with the last pull, Kili crawled onto the landing and collapsed. Tauriel dropped to her knees and crawled over to him.
"You are a lot stronger than you look…" he said, as he turned over.
"You are a lot heavier than you look…" she said, kneeling next to him.
"I don't feel very well…" Kili said, starting to shake, weakly trying to untie the rope around his chest. Tauriel sat up and untied the rope the rest of the way. She put a hand on his head, and looked down at his wounded leg. The bandage had fallen down, and the wound was again open. Streaks of crimson ran from the bandage, saturating the fabric below it…Tauriel gasped.
"You are very cold. …and you are bleeding badly." She said, alarm now growing in her chest. Kili's eyes fluttered, as if he was about to lose consciousness. She grabbed his face.
"Kili! Please, please stay with me! We have to get in out of the cold…" His eyes refocused on hers. He nodded weakly. The dark of night was upon them.
Tauriel managed to stumble in the lodge, dragging Kili with her. She threw him down on a nearby couch, and piled some thin blankets on him. She hurriedly gathered up the cedar branches, clearing a spot in front of a small potbellied stove. She put Kili on the pile of blankets, and piled blankets around him. Kili shivered.
"You…need to get out of those wet clothes…I think." She said, sitting down and looking at him. He pursed his lips and nodded. She scurried away with the small lamp, climbing up to the loft. Tauriel rummaged around an old chest and found a clean towel, a plain shirt and drawstring trousers and that looked like it could fit Kili.
She ran back down with them and took her place in front of Kili as he fought to stay sitting up. He fumbled with the ties in front of his shirt, his hands white and cold, barely able to move. She waited for a moment then untied the ties for him. He looked into her eyes as she did it. She paused for a second.
"I can help you change…" she said, softly. Kili nodded, and looked down.
"You didn't have to do that, Tauriel." He said, his low voice soft, full of pain.
"I cant just watch you watch you struggle, Kili." She said, gently, looking into his eyes. He pursed his lips and nodded.
She helped him take off the dirty, soaking wet shirt in the low light of the single lamp. She rubbed his cold, clammy skin dry with the towel, Kili shivering all the while. As she did that, she did manage to glance at his compact muscular build, and feel the sparse patches of soft, downy dark hair on his arms, chest and stomach, even though she was rubbing him down quickly. She expected to be wiry and hard. It was something different for her; elves are practically hairless.
She helped him put the shirt over his head and secured it. A few seconds later, already Kili's shivering had quieted a bit. She untied the bandage on his leg as he fiddled with the waist tie, in wordless agreement. She let him do that part; he was already blushing, even while he winced in pain. She helped him take off his pants, doing her best not to look up, handing him the towel to dry off privately. She took the wet clothes and hung it out to dry near the front of the lodge.
She spent some time looking for bandages in the cupboards, as Kili pulled on the pants, moving the blanket over his waist and hips. Tauriel noted that his legs were covered with the same soft, black, sparse curly hair. She turned her attention to his wound, which was wide and black and dirty, angry. As Kili winced and grit his teeth, Tauriel cleaned the wound as best she could, with an old tincture she found in a cupboard.
"Thank goodness, it has stopped bleeding." She said, covering the wound with fresh bandages, binding it loosely. She patted it. "I will need to put a dressing on it, but I can't find the herbs I need in the dark. It will have to wait till tomorrow." She said. He smiled at her in appreciation, laying back and wrapping the blankets around him.
"Well, thank you for keeping my dignity intact." He said. "I have not been naked around an elf maid before…" he said softly.
"I have not been around naked dwarfs ever." She said, then smiled. "But…I have to say, you turn did turn a rather interesting shade of scarlet." Tauriel said. She laughed out loud when Kili shook his head and the color graced his cheeks again. He was smiling though. She stood up and He looked at her expectantly.
"You have to get out of those wet clothes too." He said.
"That, I can manage on my own." She said, "Thank you…" she said, walking past him, exiting to the relative privacy of the loft. She looked back at him with a smirk before climbing to the loft. She was happy to hear his sense of humor returning.
"Well, that's just not fair…"Kili said, under his breath to himself, looking her way.
The lodge was shadowed and dark, lit by the one, small lamp sitting on the table nearby. Kili shivered, still feeling quite cold, looking at the pot-bellied stove before him. He looked about but there was no wood for burning that he could see. What he really wanted was to sit before a roaring fire.
Trying to distract himself, he surveyed the rest of his surroundings; it was well built, this lodge. The stove before him he was certain was built by dwarves; the casted iron metalwork was intricate and functional. The ceilings were vaulted with the finest wood, the walls covered with a fine white covering, the floors oak and flawlessly smooth. There were shelves everywhere, little objects placed on them. Behind and alongside the stove were neat cupboards, and shelves with all kinds of cooking and serving utensils, all of the finest quality. If he had to guess, Tauriel and her family were of some high stature, no doubt.
Several minutes later, Tauriel walked quietly back down to the room, tiptoeing. Tauriel was now dressed in a light colored, close fitting tunic with shimmering, silky leggings pulled on beneath. She had her long, fire colored hair loosely secured in a braid that fell around her shoulders. He kept still, but his nearly closed eyes followed her as she walked silently around the room. From where he was laying, she could not see he was looking at her. She slowly, quietly pulled sheets and blankets off of the tastefully ornate, sturdy furniture, being careful to not make too much noise. He stayed still and breathed deeply, allowing her to think that he was sleeping.
He still could not believe, he was there, with Tauriel, alone in some treetop lodge in the forest. Kili looked on in wonder, watching the way Tauriel moved, floating, smooth and lyrical, like a dancer, the way that elves naturally moved. It was mesmerizing. She stroked the furniture gently, her face painted with a gentle sad smile. She picked up and gently wiped away the dust from a few little things, with little gasps of remembrance. Under the low light, he examined her delicate features, the almond shape of her eyes, the gentle pointed chin, the softly pouting lips. He felt his heart beat harder, then ache. As the moments passed Kili felt more and more enamored, yet still felt she was worlds away from him, despite her kind ways with him now.
You are being foolish, Kili. This elf would never look upon a dwarf as...anything. Not like how you are looking at her now, thinking about her. I am just torturing myself. Maybe I should just worry about the others in Laketown…But there is nothing I can do for them now, not in this state.
But I can hope to be friends with her, yes? Is not that what we already are?
Tauriel finally came around quite close to him, to where a little broach like object was laying on a shelf, gold and green as she turned it in her hands. He saw it sparkle with his sharp vision, jeweled and enameled, two leaves entwined. She picked it up, wiping it off tenderly.
"Legolas…" she whispered, a sigh arising from her lips.
Kili closed his eyes tight and looked away, his heart now feeling as cold as his body.