Kili had no idea what was going on. If he could just get his eyes to open…
Kili mustered up all of the energy he could and willed his eyes to open. A brief, blurry look allowed him to see that he was hovering above the forest floor. Wooden limbs and dead vegetation were scattered throughout the snow. But, why was he hovering? He was aware that his body was being jostled, making him rather uncomfortable and somewhat pained. Surely, if he were on a pony he would not be hanging upside down. He would be seated properly in a saddle, his feet in the stirrups, and reins in his hands.
Kili closed his eyes as a painful wave came over his head. When the pain passed, he found that he did not have the energy to open his eyes again.
He would figure things out later. Right now, he was tired.
Fili blinked his eyes and took in his surroundings. He was lying in a bed in a bedroom, neither of which were his. There was a warm fire burning in the wall across from the bed. The flames were soothing and as Fili breathed in the scent of burning wood, he remembered where he was. And more importantly, why he was there.
He thought about his Uncle. Fili had finally relented and given into his Uncle and friend's requests. He knew they were both right- Fili would not and could not be of any good help in his current state of health. He knew that he was not to blame for Kili being taken. He knew that no one- not Thorin, not Kili- blamed him. But, it still did not weigh heavily on his conscience that he could have done more to help.
Fili blinked away the few tears that had formed in his eyes and took a deep breath. He ran a shaky hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. The sleep he had gotten at Lyse's insistence really had made him feel so much better. There was still a very distant throb, but considering he had hit the wall, the floor, and then been kicked, he decided he was feeling pretty good.
Fili removed the heavy blanket that he had used and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a few moments, just clearing his head and taking deep breaths. As if on cue, he heard a soft knock at the door.
"Yes?" he called out.
The door opened slowly and a little blond head peeked around the corner.
"Hello, Master Fili."
"Hello, Zain." Fili returned to the little dwafling.
"Mama wants to know if you're done sthleeping."
Zain's two front teeth were missing and it had a cute effect on the young dwarf's speech. Fili's smile widened. "Yes, I believe I am done sleeping for the day."
Zain's eyes lit up but then his smile dropped. Fili noticed and immediately wanted to know what was wrong. He called Zain over and after a small moment of hesitation, Zain did as requested.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Fili asked when the little dwarf was standing in front of him.
Zain lifted his eyes from the floor and looked hard at Fili. "Mama sthaid Cain and me aren't sthu'posed to bovver you. Mama sthaid you are hurt and scared and that you probly don't want to play with us."
Fili sighed. He was scared and he was hurt. He knew Lyse was only trying to watch out for his well-being, but he also knew that he would have to face the current situation headstrong and pray for the best. He had to believe that it would all be over and done in due time. He had to believe that he would be ok. He had to believe that Kili would be ok.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Fili asked.
Zain's eyes lit up at the mention of a secret. He nodded his head eagerly and mimed locking his mouth with an invisible key.
"I am scared and I am hurt, but I don't think it is too much to stop me from playing a game of war with my two favorite dwarflings." Fili smiled as Zain's toothy grin widened.
"Ok! But, I'm hongry. Let's eat firstht."
Fili reached out a hand and ruffled Zain's blond head. He pushed himself off the bed and steadied himself. His legs were a little more wobbly than usual, but they were a definite improvement from what they had been a few hours ago. He reached down his hand and one of Zain's grabbed onto it. He allowed the little boy to guide him through the house.
He listened as Zain rambled on about the new wooden toy soldiers Bofur had made him and his brother for their past birthday. He smiled as the story brought back memories of him and Kili playing with the new toys that Bofur would make for them when they were children. He was sure that he still had a few of the more special toys stored safely in the back of his closet. When this was all over, he would look for them and maybe even share them with Lyse and Gil's boys.
Fili and Zain turned the corner and entered into the kitchen.
"Mama! Masther Fili and me are hongry!" Zain announced as they entered.
"Silly boy, you are always hungry!" Lyse grabbed Zain and lifted him off the ground. She placed a kiss on his cheek- to which he greatly protested claiming that kisses were gross. Lyse laughed and placed Zain back on the floor. "Go get your brother and grand-da."
Zain scurried out of the kitchen, yelling for the two people he was ordered to find.
Lyse smiled warmly at Fili and wrapped him in an equally warm hug. Fili felt his walls fall at the simple gesture and welcomed the comfort he found in the embrace. Lyse pushed him back and tilted her head up to get a better look at him. Lyse was tall for a dwarven woman, but Fili was still taller.
"Are you feeling better?" she asked in a motherly tone.
Fili nodded his head and swallowed the lump in his throat that had made an unwelcomed reappearance. Lyse smiled and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his arm.
"Let me know if the boys become too much to handle."
Fili laughed lightly and shook his head. "I believe they may be what I need right now. A distraction- a very loud and energetic distraction."
Lyse huffed out a laugh and returned to the pot she had been stirring at the stove. "Loud is not even close to their noise level."
Fili laughed and sat down at the table. The twins reminded him very much of himself and Kili at that age. The two brothers were inseparable and a handful, but they were kind and very smart. Fili knew that the two of them would grow up to be mighty dwarven warriors one day. He hoped he and his brother would be there to share in the experience.
When Kili woke up the second time, he felt more comfortable. He realized that there was still a steady rhythm of what felt like riding a horse, only now he could feel the saddle beneath him. Kili blinked his eyes open but closed them as he felt something scratch against his eyeballs. With a groan, he turned his head to the side and tried to move his hands. His hands, however, would not budge.
He attempted to open his eyes again, and this time he succeeded. He saw the chestnut mane that cushioned his cheek. He moved his gaze downward and saw that there was thick rope wrapped around his hands, which was further wrapped around the saddle horn.
"How nice of you to join me."
Kili straightened himself as quickly as his sore body would allow and turned his head to the left. Nolan sat atop his own pony and smiled at Kili. The smile would have appeared to be friendly, but the evil glint in his eyes destroyed all chances at niceties.
"I suppose we have ridden far enough for now. We should make camp. The horses need to rest and I would like to eat." Nolan continued as if the current situation was completely normal.
Kili's stomach grumbled at the mention of food and his body ached at the thought of rest. He and Nolan rode a few minutes longer, then stopped as they arrived at a small enclave in the side of a mountain.
"This should be well enough for tonight." Nolan announced as he dismounted. He bent his knees and stretched as he rid himself of the stiffness brought on from being in the saddle for too long. He walked over to Kili and withdrew a dagger from his sheath. Kili flinched involuntarily as the knife grew closer to the rope securing his hands to the saddle horn.
Nolan laughed at Kili's discomfort. "Don't you want to come down?"
Kili did not answer. He stared hard into Nolan's dead eyes and fought back the overwhelming urge to spit right in the man's face.
Kili silence was not the answer Nolan had wanted. Nolan smiled and cut the rope, freeing Kili's hands. Kili rubbed the circulation back into his frozen hands and flexed his fingers. He released a startled yell as Nolan roughly pushed him from the saddle.
Kili hit the ground hard on his right side. He felt his ankle twist as it refused to break away from the stirrup. He felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his side. His wound had been healing nicely, but the events of the past couple of days had hindered the healing process. He knew that not only was he not healing, but he could feel his strength lessening. He knew he was in trouble. He knew that he needed to escape.
Apparently he had taken too long on the ground. Nolan kicked a heavy boot at Kili's stomach. Kili groaned loudly at the unexpected force. He felt rough hands grab onto his ankle and yank it from the stirrup. His ankle was gracelessly dropped to the ground. As it connected with the hard ground, a jarring pain shot through his entire leg. He reached down a hand and grabbed his leg, hoping the pain would dissipate soon.
"Get up." Nolan ordered as he reached down and pulled Kili up by his arm. Kili's head swam as he was forcefully pulled onto his feet. He tried to keep the pressure off of his right ankle, but found that it was nearly impossible because Nolan was dragging him, not assisting him in walking.
"Make a fire." Nolan ordered as he released his grip on Kili.
Kili stared in defiance. A knife appeared and in one swift movement, it sliced through Kili's tunic sleeve. A line of red appeared through the ripped fabric. Kili could feel the burning sensation as the open cut met oxygen.
"Make a fire and do not attempt anything else or it will be your hand next." Nolan sneered through clenched teeth.
Kili did not know if he meant that he would simply cut his hand, or if he would completely remove his hand from his body. Something told him that it was the latter option. Begrudgingly, Kili moved his eyes from Nolan's stare and pushed himself off of the rock face he was leaning against. He listened as Nolan's footsteps grew distant. Kili sighed heavily and limped around the area, looking for some rocks or dry wood that would be useful for starting a fire.
And, Mahal, he was sore! He realized that the first time he had woken, he had indeed been on a pony. Only, he had not been placed in the saddle. He had been draped over the saddle, forced to ride on his stomach. He knew that that, combined with the painful kick he had recently received, would indeed give him a colorful bruising and some discomfort for a while. His head hurt and his neck was stiff from leaning forward for goodness knew how many hours. But, Kili also knew that there was a nice set of bruising around it in the form of large handprints. He shuddered as he thought about the happenings of the previous night. Or had it been two nights? Or longer?
How long had he been out?
He did not know and that brought a fresh wave of worry over him. If he had only been out for a few hours, he knew that Thorin and Fili would be on their way to him. He knew that they would be coming soon and taking him away from this horrible nightmare.
But, what if he had been asleep longer that just a few hours? What if it had been a few days and help still had not come? Could they not find him? Were they even looking for him?
Kili tripped over a large log, half-hidden from the large amount of un-melted snow. He hissed through clenched teeth as his sprained ankle protested at the sudden amount of weight it was bearing. Kili looked down and saw that there was a growing bulge in the side of his boot. His clumsiness was making everything worse.
He pushed himself to his feet once more and leaned even more heavily onto his left. He was practically hopping. He pushed aside some snow and another couple of logs. He found a small shelter under a protruding rock. There was a stack of wood, mostly untouched by the snow. He studied the pile and grabbed the driest pieces and returned to their camp.
Nolan returned soon after the fire had been started with two birds. He smiled as he saw Kili trying to test the damage done to his ankle. Nolan dropped the two game birds beside the fire and walked over to Kili.
He flinched as he saw the dark blue bruising on the young dwarf's ankle. "That looks rather painful."
Kili said nothing. He did not even acknowledge Nolan's presence.
Nolan reached up and wrapped his hand around Kili's neck. He hit Kili's head against the hard rock wall once, but did not loosen his vice grip. "Answer me when I talk to you, dog!"
"You are the dog!" Kili hissed with as much vehemence and disgust as his throat would allow. His eyes widened as the grip on his neck tightened, then he took in a deep gasp of air as the grip suddenly disappeared. He did not have time to fully recover before a fist connected with his face, not once, but three times. He was pretty sure his nose was broken.
"You will talk to me with respect," Nolan spat out. "As if I were your king!"
The fire returned to Kili's bones as he heard the man before him refer to himself as a king.
"You will never be king! Thorin is king and always will be!" Kili exclaimed through clenched teeth.
He felt another fist connect with his head, then his stomach. The process continued and each time he was hit, Kili would steadfastly reply with some remark of Thorin being king.
Kili knew he needed to stop. He could not take much more of the beating and he knew that Nolan would not tire.
Kili needed to stop. But he would not. He had too much faith in his uncle, his king.
The pain would end soon and Thorin would still be king. And Kili would be safe.
So, this chapter started out all right, but I couldn't really think of a way to end it. I wrote this when I was half asleep, so hopefully you don't hate it too much haha.
Anyway, please continue to review and follow along! I appreciate it soooo much!
One more thing- my schedule is quite hectic at the moment. I don't get much spare time to do anything. I cannot say when the next update will be here, but hopefully it will be soon. I have the story all planned out now, it's just a matter of getting it typed out and published. So, I appreciate your time and patience and loyalty in this process. Thanks for reading! :)