A/N This chapter was difficult to write for some reason. Hope you all enjoy!
Dís lead her son on a walk through the halls of Erebor. She really had no destination in mind just trying to return to a sense of normalcy. Normalcy, now that was a word she was not sure what that was anymore. Her youngest son had amnesia, and she had no idea where her eldest son was. Víli, was trying to find her eldest son, along with her brothers and father. Even though her grandparents, mother, & cousins were still in Erebor, she felt lonely and empty. There was only so much those still in Erebor could do for her, and she did not even consider Kíli there, though there in body. Was it so hard to wish for Fíli to be with her on this walk and have both of her boys laughing down the halls? Dís felt tears running down her cheeks, Fíli, her golden boy, in all her worries about Kíli, she had almost all but forgotten him, what kind of mother was she?
A tug at her skirt drew her attention to Kíli, who was pointing to a door. Not just any door, but the door to the room where this whole thing began. Had she subconsciously brought her son there?
"No, Kíli, we don't go into that room." She said before he could get a word out.
"Why?" Kíli answered.
"Because Uncle Thórin and your father said so," Dís said.
Kíli paused for a brief moment, as trying to put faces to those names. They sounded so familiar, especially Uncle Thórin. However, like everyone else, their faces were hidden from him. If he could only just remember, remember everything, like why did he want to go into that room? He trusted 'Mama', whoever she was to him, and she did look familiar, if only he could remember why.
"Why?" he asked again.
Dís sighed, she thought Kíli was out of the 'why' stage. "Because it's off limits and that's final." She said raising her voice at the end, and pulling Kíli towards the throne room.
Kíli looked back at that door, he would have to sneak away later. He had to see what was in that room, he was very curious about it. Then why did have a bad feeling about it in general?
"Isengard? Thranduil, are you sure?" asked Thráin after a long pause.
Isengard, was supposed to be a tower protecting the Gap of Rohan, but lately there has been rumors among the free people of Middle Earth that Sauron wanted Isengard for himself, though no one rumor told why.
Thranduil turned back to his guards, the same ones who had brought him the initial news. The guards nodded at their king, no words were needed to anyone who had eyes. Actions needed to be taken, or else risk losing the lives of five young dwarflings, one of whom was an heir to a throne. He turned his head slightly catching the ice blue eyes of his son through the snow, and nodded at him. Legolas nodded in agreement in the unspoken command. He gestured towards Tauriel and the guards and heading towards the woods. Legolas, Tauriel, and the rest of the Mirkwood guards that traveled with them were much faster than a group of dwarves on foot.
"Think they can catch them?" a distressed voice came from behind Thranduil.
Turing around, Thranduil looked at the speaker. It was Víli, a distressed father, a father who had not seen his twenty-year-old dwarfling in a month. He was followed by the other distressed father, the husband of Ase, the exile. Thranduil wished he could tell Víli and Bombur, was it, the truth. That wargs can out run any of them, the best hope he could offer is Legolas and Tauriel following them closely enough to catch up with them when they stop. But, Thranduil did not have the heart to tell the two fathers that, even Víli, whom he has known since his and Dís' courtship nearly 25 years ago.
"I th…" he began.
"Ase! Stop her!" Thráin yelled, interrupting Thranduil.
Ase was half way to the entrance of the forest, when one of Thranduil's guards caught up with her and pulled her back to the group. She fought against the strong grip of the elf.
"Let me go! Those orcs have my children!" She screamed.
"And you nearly killed my nephew 20 years ago! A helpless hours old baby, and knowing you, you nearly did it again. So no, you're not going," said a very stern Thórin, who was feeling like himself for the first time in a month.
Thranduil smiled at Thórin, good that at least someone told her off, just twenty years later. He was one of the ones along with Thórin and Dáin who found Ase holding hours old Fíli over one of the rivers that ran under the Mountain about to drown him. If it were not for Dwalin who had come up from behind her, she would have succeeded. Just the thought of that was enough to make him cringe.
"But the orcs, they have my babies!" Ase tried again.
"And they have my grandson who is better than you in every way!" Thráin responded; he never did like her or her family when she was growing up.
"What about me? They're my children too!" Bombur cut in.
"Bombur!" Ase cried.
Bombur did not realize he was joined by his brother and cousin. They were shocked about that revelation about Ase. To them, she was just a refugee from Erebor for some reason. Never once did she tell them that she had tried to murder a dwarfling when he was just hours old. This was far from over with her.
"Ase, unlike you, I have not lied to you about anything. My brother and cousin will attest to that. I loved you since I laid eyes on you in Dale, but now I can't look at you. I'm going after my children and when I find them we're going to have a nice long talk," Bombur stated. "Come on Bofur and Bifur, let's go find my kids."
Bofur and Bifur nodded at Bombur and followed him towards the woods, the same direction Legolas and his companions had gone.
Thranduil watched as the three dwarves went into the woods, the father, his brother, and cousin. The father of the other lost dwarfling who began all of this, Víli for some reason did not follow the others into the woods. Thranduil looked to where Víli had previously joined him, and noticed him not there. He quickly saw him getting awfully close to Ase and his innocent guard. Uh oh. As much as Ase deserves whatever Víli has in mind, his own son was out there in the custody of orcs. This was not the time.
Thranduil swiftly walked to catch up with Víli, he was about to raise his hand to stop him, when another hand reached up and landed on Víli's shoulder stopping him in his tracks. Thráin, followed closely behind by Thórin and Frérin. It seemed that all four of them had reached the same conclusion at the same time. The comical thing about this entire situation was that they all were looking at one another like a wolf stalking its prey in front of one innocent elven guard and one very guilty dwarrowdam. Someone was going to have to break this up and fast. Innocent lives were in clear danger.
"Víli, leave her be for now. She didn't harm him this time, just like she didn't harm him last time," said Thráin finally ending the humorous situation. "Go with them. Find Fíli. We'll be right behind you."
Víli gulped and turned around to face them. "She deserves it though, more now than 20 years ago." He said in a quiet sort of anger.
"I know and she will get what's coming to her, right now Fíli is in even more danger than she could ever be to him," Thráin said to his son-in-law.
Thranduil caught Thórin's eye. This could end either with them restraining Víli or with them following Víli into the woods. Thranduil gestured for Thórin to get into position just in case they have to restrain Víli, just like they had to do when Víli was told what Ase tried to do with Fíli. Thórin held out a hand to stop Víli from attacking Ase, but before he could touch Víli, he turned and followed Bombur, Bofur, and Bifur.
Thranduil let out a breath he did not know he was holding. That's where Víli belongs, not with Ase. All of the sudden a warg screamed in the woods? Did Legolas or Tauriel find them or was that another warg, one that does not have the dwarflings? There was no time to voice his concerns as Thráin and Thórin rushed into the woods, him following close behind, none of them realizing Frérin wasn't with them…
Fíli did not know where the orcs were directing their wargs to. All he felt was the jab of the orcs arm around his shoulders. He could not even turn his head to see how the others were faring. All he wanted right now was his family, and the safety of the Mountain. He was scared, hungry, and tired. It has been a long day, and come to think of it, he did not remember the last time he ate. His stomach rumbled gaining some sort of verbal response from the orc behind him. Fíli did not want to think about what was said, whatever it was, it did not sound too good. His stomach rumbled again, this time gaining a jab in the back from the orc.
"Ow!" he yelled.
Apparently, he was not allowed to speak at all, because the orc slapped him across the face.
"What was that for?" he responded, trying but failing to move his hand to his face.
"Fíli!" Eydis or was that Oydis yelled at him, as he heard four other slaps.
None of them were allowed to talk, or else they all get hurt? This was not good. The wargs stopped in a clearing of some sort. Fíli could see a tower in the distance, was that Isengard? He had never seen it, but his tutors always mentioned it to him. Why were they heading there?
Thrór was in the throne room talking to some of his advisors. He had gone ahead after Dís had gotten Kíli dressed. He had relayed a message to Dís via Dáin and a messenger to bring Kíli to the throne room. Thrór had an idea that a familiar room other than his own would make Kíli remember, since Kíli always seemed to be in here when he was not with his tutors, brother, or uncle. He only hoped he was right. Thrór sighed as one of his advisors went on and on and on about something, was it something about the mines? He had no idea. He was rescued from this when the door opened finally admitted Dís and Kíli.
He held out his hands expecting Kíli to run into them like he had always done. Thrór frowned when he noticed that Kíli was looking down at the floor totally ignoring everyone. This was not his great-grandson at all. Come to think of it, Dís did not look so happy herself. He quickly dismissed his advisors.
"Granddaughter, what ails you?" he asked as she approached the throne, Kíli in tow.
Dís looked down at her son, whose hand she was still gripping, and sighed. "It's everything, Grandfather. Thanks to my brother, I don't currently have my oldest son, nor my husband, or father. My brothers aren't even here."
Her last words were in tears. Thrór beckoned her to come over to him. She did not think twice as she released Kíli's hand and threw herself onto her grandfather's lap just as she did when she was a dwarfling. Thrór hugged her close, this is what she needed.
"There, there. Everything will be okay," he said pressing a kiss on the top of her head.
Dís mumbled something in response. Neither of them realized the door close…
"Ow!" Fíli cried again earning him and the others another slap. This time the orcs were pulling them off the wargs and to a wooden stake next to a fire in some sort of camp and the orc that had Fíli had grabbed his arm a little too hard.
Fíli allowed the orc to lead him to the stake, he had to be brave for the others, though he did not think he was the oldest, as that he had no idea how old Eydis and Eluf really are, he was still a descendent of Durin, a member of the royal line of Erebor. He did have to act the part. He glanced around to the others. Eluf and Eydis were like him and allowing the orcs to lead them. Tyr and Oydis on the other hand were acting like Kíli normally did. Fighting against anyone they perceived as an enemy.
Fíli gulped. Kíli, the reason why they were all in this mess to begin with. If only he had not chased Kíli into the Forbidden Room that day, Uncle Thórin would not have hurt Kíli, nor yelled at him. Fíli would not have hid for a few hours before making the decision to leave. He would not have been knocked down by the dog and found by Bombur, Bifur, and Bofur. They would not have been chased by these orcs for a week, before being ambushed and captured. Fíli felt tears running down his cheeks. What a huge mess he had led them all into, and there did not seem to be anyone around to rescue them. He should have been a better big brother to Kíli.
Fíli winced as the orcs tied him to the stake.
Kíli slowly sneaked back the way Mamma and himself had come. These halls seemed so familiar to him if only he could remember why. All he knew is that he needed to be in that room. It was pulling at him, telling him to come into it. But, rooms could not talk, could they? He held his breath and pressed into the wall as two of the dwarrowdams and the auburn haired dwarrow that were in the room with Mamma passed by him in the hall. Kíli remained still as a ghost as they suddenly stopped in front of the door he had just come out of. Were they looking for him? His got his answer as they entered the door.
"Yes!" he said to himself and continued to head to that room. What is it about it? He had not even known it had existed until he passed it. And now, he knew he had to get there, even if he did not know where there is.
He turned a corner and there it was, the door to the room. He paused as a flash of a dwarfling went through his head. The dwarfling had golden curls, and the bluest eyes he had ever seen. Who was that dwarfling? He put his hand on the doorknob.
"Let us go!" cried Oydis as the orcs finally got her and Tyr to the stake.
Once again, one of them spoke, and once again they all got hit across the face. Fíli was sure at this point they all were sporting some injury on their faces. He could feel blood running down his cheek and he was pretty sure his right eye was black as he could feel the eye drooping. If and when they were ever found, the adults would not be happy. His great-grandfather would order every orc slaughtered. Even King Thranduil would order the same, he had punished that one guard one time for pushing him down the steps to the dungeons.
"Ack!" he cried as the orcs tied the five of them together. What was the point of that if they were each tied to the stake?
Fíli braced himself for another slap, but that never came as the orcs finally left them alone. Could they finally talk amongst themselves, it was not as if they were going to go anywhere?
Eydis tried for them. "Okay, Fíli, I asked you before we were taken. What is your story?"
At that point, Fíli knew he had to tell them the truth. He owed it to them that much especially for getting them into this mess. He was about to answer when a sudden pressure in his head became too much. He winced.
"What's wrong?" asked Eluf expecting an answer, instead getting a wince.
"It felt like, like…"
This was not right, he had never felt anyone in his head before but this pressure, it was…
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIII!" he screamed, drawing the attention of every orc in the camp.
Kíli finally stepped into the room. It had a large stone statue of a dwarf in the back. Along the walls, all kinds of weapons were lined up, everything from swords, to axes, to knives, even bows and arrows. Kíli walked over to the bows and picked one up. For some reason the weapon felt right in his hands, had he ever held a bow before? Was he even allowed to hold one?
Placing the bow back down, he felt a pressure in his head. He wandered over to the middle of the room. There was something strange going on here, why did this place call to him? He looked around and back at the stone statue. All of the sudden the golden haired dwarfling flashed through his head again. He knew that dwarfling! Kíli smiled to himself, something else he remembered. Just then, a flash of another familiar dwarf flashed into his head, and then another, and another. Places, people, events, all flashed back into his head.
Kíli collapsed to his knees as the pressure became too much. He yelled out the first name that came to mind.
"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIII!"