Hellooo again, sorry for the wait. I was stranded in the snow without my laptop. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far.
They clawed at him in the dark. Swooping shadows taunting him, snarling at him, ever clinging at the edge of obscurity, hidden in the corner of his eye like a phantom.
A blur, swift as a bird, as a gust of wind that tugged at him, black tendrils clutching at him, drawing him down into the dark.
He fought.
Thrashing wildly, he struggled against his bonds, almost hyperventilating with desperation as the darkness threatened to swallow him.
Suddenly wide awake, he threw himself bolt upright, panting in the cool night air. The dark was suffocating, the candles long since burned into obscurity, their soft glow extinguished by molten wax.
Feeling trapped, he scrambled out of the bed, skin soaked with chilled sweat, throwing the curtains wide in desperation.
Moonlight streamed into the room and he could breathe again.
Filling his lungs with a deep gasp of breath, he rested his warm forehead against the cool glass, letting the pale light embrace him like a long lost friend.
With a weary sigh, Kili scrubbed a hand roughly across tired eyes, trying to block out the memories that had stimulated a fresh wave of the old nightmares he'd suffered throughout his life.
He had no idea why he was so terrified of the dark. It was humiliating. It was pathetic.
A dwarf scared of the dark? Ridiculous.
For a dwarfling, it was embarrassing enough, but when the night terrors pursued him through adolescence, it was downright pitiful.
He sighed again, folding himself tiredly into the bench below the window, resting his head on his knees – too weary to be bothered by the childlike posture he'd adopted.
A creak by the bed. His head jerked about in an instant, still on red alert from the nightmare. His heart thudded painfully – but it was just Fili, hobbling across the room towards him.
He smiled weakly at his brother's concerned expression, shifting along so Fili could collapse next to him.
Fili groaned as he sank onto the hard bench, his joints protesting, stiff with sleep.
He'd desperately wanted to drift back off, but something had woken him and that same something was keeping him awake. The space beside him was empty, a fact that sent alarm spiralling through him. He spun his head, trying to ascertain where his brother had disappeared to.
The lonely, pallid figure hunched in the window seat sent equal parts of worry and relief through him in waves.
He should have realised that their escapade in the caves had affected Kili more than he let on.
He cursed silently, hauling himself into a sitting position. Every movement ached. He dragged himself, foot by foot towards the window, noting the sudden tensing of his brother's posture as he became aware of his presence.
Concern flooding him, he eased himself down onto the bench, reaching out to touch Kili's shoulder with a careful hand, his heart breaking slightly as his brother shuddered at the contact.
He folded his arms firmly around his little brother, feeling Kili sag against him, head resting against his chest and tightened his grip.
Kili shuddered, starting to tremble in his arms, burrowing further into his brother's hold.
Fili berated himself furiously for blindly assuming his brother would be ok after such a traumatic incident. He was terrified of the dark. A week in the pitch black of the caves must have been utter torment for him.
Is brother's fingers wove into his shirt, clinging to him in desperation and he pulled him closer still, feeling the trembles shake his own body.
And there they stayed, until the dawn rose.
As daylight dawned, they left the inn, travelling on horseback, tired and stiff towards their destination.
A long day of travelling and half the night later, the walls of Bree beckoned ahead and relief shone in the eyes of the travellers.
Aerin led them onwards, to an inn called The Prancing Pony, where in a dazed blur they were introduced to his brother and ushered to a room. They collapsed promptly.
Waking the next morning – or more appropriately, early afternoon, they surfaced from dreamless sleep and descended the stairs, a little more alert, but no less blurry eyed.
Curious, Kili gazed about him, taking in the sight of talk folk and short folk alike – not dwarves, but something else entirely. Thrilled to find someone shorter than himself, Kili almost bounced in glee, nearly backing into someone of towering height and stormy disposition.
A tall gentleman of imposing height, a beard and a gnarled staff – it fit the description his Uncle had given perfectly.
Could it be the wizard? Kili bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet uncertainly, dithering about whether or not to approach him.
Then the wizard's shrewd eyes fell upon him and Fili pushed him forwards to be scrutinised further.
He shrank a little under the intense gaze that seemed to examine him from head to toe, pouring through his thoughts, pondering his dreams, dissecting his ambitions and weighing his morals. It was if he were standing before Aüle himself, being judged for all his deeds.
But then the gaze shifted to his brother and he fidgeted, relieved as the stormy eyes scanned Fili instead, noting that his brother stood a little straighter, his knuckles white in clenched fists under the scrutinising gaze.
Then it seemed they had been judged, for the eyes softened, his mouth quirking into a gentle smile.
"Does Thorin know his nephews have ventured so far from home?"
Kili shrank a little further behind his brother, more than a little intimidated.
Even Fili seemed a little cowed, his shoulders hunched as he stammered out, "No, sir."
The wizard's eyes twinkled, "I daresay your Uncle won't bemoan the matter too much. I hear his meet in the Iron Hills was not as successful as he would have liked. He will be glad for the extra swords – not that he'll say so of course. Stubborn creature."
Kili plucked up his courage to speak. "Is it true then, that you're planning an expedition to Erebor?"
The wizard sighed. "Your Uncle is as vocal as ever then, I see. I do hope the rest of the Blue Mountains have not inadvertedly been privy to Thorin's plans. I fear for the safety of this venture, I really do. But to answer your question, yes, although this is not the place for such conversation."
Producing a pipe from his robes, the wizard tapped it briskly on the table to remove the ash before filling it. To the brothers' astonishment, a flickering flame sprang to life at the tip of his finger, not appearing to scorch him in any way.
Kili stared, open-mouthed as Gandalf lit the pipe, pinching out the flame as quickly as it had come into being.
"Did that not burn you?" he asked incredulously, tilting his head curiously.
Gandalf looked affronted for a brief moment, staring at the young dwarf in disbelief.
"My dear boy, I'm a wizard, not a candle."
Kili bowed his head as quickly as possible without dislocating his neck, his cheeks flushing like ripe tomatoes. "Sorry." He muttered, abashed, missing the small smirk shared between his brother and the wizard.
There was a clatter outside, a loud curse in Khuzdul and a heavy thudding on the door of the inn. Both he and Fili straightened in their seats, knowing that voice almost as well as their own.
Suddenly terrified of his Uncle's wrath, Kili hunched in his seat, trying to become as small as physically possible.
The wizard merely looked amused at the commotion, "I see Thorin has arrived."
The door opened with an earth-shattering crack as his Uncle thrust it open and the expression on his face changed from relieved to murderous in seconds as he scanned the room.
"What in the seventh hell are you two doing here?"
Woo! I'm back to my normal cliffhanger-y self. Please Review!