An: Wooo, a long chapter! I hope you enjoy it like I enjoyed writing it c:

I just noticed that this fic has more follows than any other fic of mine - so a huge thank you to everyone! It's quite unbelievable how many this has gotten, you know, 62 is a huge number for me!

His shoulder protested against every movement, every step he took, but he couldn't stop. He wasn't sure if he really was alone because he doubted that nobody had seen him leave, but on the other hand it was really dark and all of the elves had been busy fighting the goblins. For some reason he felt bad for leaving the elves alone with the goblins, as it wasn't in his blood to flee from a fight, but he also kept reminding himself where his priorities lay. He owed the elves pretty much nothing and even if he did, he would only make the situation worse by trying to help them in his condition. His main goal was to run far enough and hide so the elves wouldn't find him later.

The only noises around him were the distance voices of fighting, his feet drumming against the ground as he ran, and his own, fast breathing. It was really quiet when you thought about it, and it was kind of scary. Kili had been used to constant noises since the elves didn't need a lot of sleep and back in his cell there had been people walking past it all the time.

Kili ran as long as he could, and he didn't stop until his knees felt like they would give up under him and he felt nauseous for running so much. As he seized, it was fully silent, only his own breathing echoing into his ears. Kili leaned against his knees, trying to steady his breathing and rapidly beating heart. He was exhausted and tired, but he knew that he couldn't rest until he found a spot from where no elf would find him while he slept. He knew that the plan would stay the same even if the escaping itself had been different - and even though he didn't know where to go, he knew he needed to go somewhere.

Straightening his back, Kili looked around himself. There weren't many places to hide in - the trees were one place, but he knew that they weren't the best places for resting, and with his hurt shoulder the climbing would be hard and painful. The ground was one choice, but there weren't many bushes and even the few of them had practically no leaves in them, just dry, brown sticks as the winter had just barely left. Those would be uncomfortable and they would reveal Kili's location immediately.

I'm not giving up, Kili thought to himself. I've gotten this far already. I will find a good place before getting some rest.

And so he started to move forward, his feet barely holding his weight anymore.

xx

The first beams of the rising sun illuminated their travel nicely. Úron was walking beside his brother, slightly annoyed at him. One of the goblins had managed to hit his palm with the hammer it had been carrying, probably breaking a few fingers as a result. It didn't hurt now when it was bandaged well and tight enough, but Roden wouldn't stop asking about it and worrying over it, and it was slowly driving Úron crazy.

"You really should be more careful", Roden said and glanced at his little brother. "Mother will kill me for letting that happen."

"She will not, and please, stop mentioning it", Úron pleaded and shot a glare towards Roden. "I am tired of it. I am fine, it does not hurt, you are not responsible for it. Now please stop, okay? You should concentrate on something more important, like finding Kili."

"It's what we're doing. The Rocky Pond isn't far, that's where we were ordered to go look for him, right?"

"Yeah", Úron replied, nodding. Legolas had told everyone to take some food with them and go search from different locations, places where Kili might be. Úron and Roden had been ordered to Rocky Pond - it was just what the name said, a little pond surrounded by a lot of big rocks and small caves. It was not the safest place in Mirkwood, but it had shelter. Alvor and Erisdír had been sent to patrol the woods, just look for Kili if he happened to be sleeping in a tree, a bush or somewhere around in general. The prince of Mirkwood had gone with Gwaen -mostly to protect Kili if Gwaen did find him- to the riverside that actually wasn't too far.

Úron knew that Kili needed to be found or the king would probably murder each and all of them, including his own son. Still, somehow it didn't feel right. Now that he knew something of Kili, he considered the dwarf as a friend in trouble. Something in him had just made Úron feel sorry for him in a way - so he really hoped he wouldn't find Kili from the Rocky Pond. He didn't want the guilt on his shoulders for taking him back to the imprisonment now when he had his freedom again.

Silence fell on them as they continued their travel. It didn't take them long to arrive there - not more than ten minutes. Roden eyed their surroundings briefly and then told his brother to check the caves as he went to look from the forest around them. "I don't think the dwarf is stupid enough to sleep in these caves, since they are quite obvious hiding places, but look in them anyways. We will meet here in half an hour", said Roden before heading off.

Maybe Roden is right, Úron thought as he started to approach one of the three caves he knew of. Kili would be stupid for hiding in here. And I don't think he is stupid at all.. so maybe I will not find him. Hopefully nobody does.

With a grin Úron got to the first one and peeked in. It was really small and narrow, but a dwarf could have fit in. It was empty, just as Úron had hoped for, as was the second. When he came to the third cave, his heart was pounding a little faster. This was the deepest one, but not the widest. It was actually really narrow and low - he would have to crouch a little if we went in, and in order to check the whole cave he would have to do that. It wouldn't be a problem otherwise, but he hated caves. Narrow spaces made him feel anxious, like the walls of that space would fall on him, like he couldn't breathe.

He let his bag full of food fall onto the ground. Taking a deep breath, he walked in.

He almost hit his head to the ceiling of the cavern as he entered it, but quickly he lowered his head enough to avoid doing so. Due to the rising sun it wasn't too dark at first, but the deeper he went the darker it got. The cave turned to the left, and suddenly it was pitch black, but his eyes adjusted quickly and he continued walking.

Every step he took made it harder for him to breathe. He felt trapped even though he knew that there was nothing blocking his way out - his heart started beating a little faster as he continued to walk in the complete darkness, but he just kept reminding himself that it's okay. I'm not in danger - it's just a cave-

His foot hit something solid but soft and he flinched back, gazing down at the something he had hit. That something groaned and moved, and Úron realized what it was. Kili.

A wave of disappointment hit the elf as he eyed the dwarf who now sat up and blinked furiously, maybe in order to actually see something in the darkness.

"It's me", Úron muttered, kneeling next to Kili, noticing how awkward his arm looked. Wrong, somehow. "What happened to you?" Calm down, Úron. The cave won't hurt you. Just breathe through it.

Kili, whose eyes just now started to adjust to the blackness surrounding him, instinctively looked down to his arm even though he knew well what it looked like. He was still groggy - the elf had woken him up, and his head wasn't yet working. As he tried to find the words to tell Úron what had happened to him, he realized that he had been found.

He had been found and he would be taken back to the camp - he wouldn't go!

In near panic Kili jumped, backing a little until his back met the end of the cavern. He saw the confusion in Úron's eyes, but he couldn't concentrate on it. "I won't go back!" he gasped, desperately trying to come up with a way to get away. He knew that where Úron went, Roden followed, so the older brother couldn't be far - Legolas had warned him that if he was found during his escape, he would be brought back! Kili couldn't get his mind off that.

"What? Kili, I-", Úron started but then realized that he didn't know what to say or do. He knew he should take Kili back, but...

It didn't feel right.

Still, it was what he was told to do, and he couldn't disobey his prince's commands.

"I don't want to hurt you, Úron, but I will if you try to take me back to the others. Just let me escape, nobody has to know!" Kili cried, desperate, when an idea crossed his mind. He could tell the truth, if nothing else helped - he wasn't sure if Úron would believe, but it could be worth a shot.

"And I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't come with me willingly. I'm sorry, Kili, but I didn't have a say in this", Úron replied, mentally hitting himself. He was torn between a command and his own will - and he knew that he was picking the wrong choice, but he couldn't risk his own life over the dwarf's. If someone ever knew that he found Kili but let him go..

"Legolas told you to look for me, I know. We planned it all", Kili sighed, relaxing a little. He wasn't that weak. He was a Durin and he would fight his way out of this, reason his way out or escape again, but he wouldn't plead like a coward. "You must remember how I asked to speak with prince Legolas a few days ago. He then told me that the reason I am here is because your king Thranduil has found out something about my family, and wants to execute me, and Legolas thinks that he cannot do that to me. He first brought me here to give me some more time, but later decided to let me escape. It was our plan."

The look on Úron's face was a mix of disbelief and confusion. He had forgotten about his fear for a moment. "Your plan was to let goblins attack us and during the fight you would run?"

"Not exactly", Kili replied with a laugh. "The goblins.. Our plan was a bit more complicated than that, at first. During the night it was Legolas' turn to stay up, he would lead me away from the camp. We would then fake my escape - I would hit him on the cheek so hard that some bruising would come, and I would start to run away as fast as possible. A little while later he would return to the camp, wake you up and tell you that I had attacked him and escaped. You would come after me, but I would be hiding and far away, you wouldn't find me and I would return home."

Úron raised his head a little and furrowed his brows. "And the goblins came before you got the time to do that, so you just ran." It was more of a question than a statement, for some reason.

"Yeah."

Úron found it hard to believe that the prince would do something like that - but on the other hand, he wasn't surprised by the news either. He had always thought that Legolas was more merficul than his father when it came to actually innocent beings. Legolas didn't have the same kind of hatred towards dwarves like his father, so the idea of him doing something like that wasn't odd.

Still, really?

For a moment they were both quiet, until Úron finally made his mind and sighed with a nod, relieved but scared. "I won't take you back, Kili, but you have to promise me that you will make it home in one piece, okay? Because otherwise this will be for nothing", Úron said and eyed the dwarf, who looked excited now. "Roden is somewhere in the woods outside, so you will have to be careful when you go. If he finds you, there is nothing I can do."

Kili nodded, looking up at the elf. "I promise, but I have one question. Is everyone okay? Not that I care what has happened to Gwaen, but the rest of you."

"Everyone is fine. I broke a few fingers and Alvor hit his head pretty hard but he is fine by now. The rest don't have a scratch on them - although I think that Gwaen is a little bruised", Úron told with an amused grin and started to walk out of the cave. He looked forward to getting some fresh air - he still felt like he couldn't breathe, as if there was a weight on his chest that couldn't be removed until he got to an open space.

When they got to the end of the cavern, Úron knelt down and opened his bag, taking out a piece of bread. As he got on to his feet again, he handed it to Kili with a smile on his face. "Good luck", he said, and as Kili grinned back and took off, he hoped that he had done the right decision.

xx

"I saw you", Gwaen said suddenly, breaking the silence. Legolas glanced at his companion, raising his other eyebrow even though he had a pretty good guess what the chief of guard was talking about.

"It's great that your sight is good", Legolas replied with a grin, receiving an angry glare.

"You know what I am talking about", stated the guard. "Last night, just after the battle with the goblins begun. The dwarf ran over to you, and then he ran away."

Legolas had already decided to act like he knew nothing, so he pulled his best confused look and stared at Gwaen. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Would you mind enlightening me?"

"You let the dwarf escape", Gwaen bluntly said and stopped on his tracks, and so Legolas seized as well. "And I am pretty sure that he isn't in this direction, and that you already knew it. I just can't figure out why, why would the prince of Mirkwood help aa pathetic creature as a dwarf? That dwarf, who has annoyed us both countless of times and deserves all that has come to him? It makes no sense.. that is, if you are fully in your senses. And it seems that you are not."

"I never knew you could be that paranoid", Legolas laughed, faking it the best he could, but to be fully honest, Gwaen's arrogance was starting to annoy him.

"You can keep acting, but I know that that is the truth, and I will tell the king about it."

A rush of anger suddenly took over the prince, blinding him for a second. It took Legolas half a second to push the head of the guard against the nearest tree with such a force and speed that it surprised both of them. "Think whatever you want, but you will not mention anything to my father, or I will make sure to get you out of the position of head of the guard and let Manadh take your place. He at least knows who I am - I am your prince, not your subordinate. If you do not believe me and what I tell you, fine, but you will keep your thoughts to yourself."

"When the prince turns his back to his people, I will not keep my mouth shut", Gwaen hissed, glaring the prince who held his arm on his throat but not giving any pressure - yet, anyways. "You let a dwarf, our prisoner, escape. Do you not remember what happened to Aíthon after he helped the boy escape?"

Legolas couldn't help a laughter. "I haven't turned my back to my people. I haven't done anything. But fine", he said, releasing Gwaen, "tell the others. Tell my father. We shall see if they believe your word over mine."

xx

Kili didn't eat the piece of bread until the sun started to set and he felt like he could double over in hunger. He had gotten out of Mirkwood, but he still felt unsafe, and every now and then he would turn to look behind him, just to make sure that nobody was following him. He was always relieved when he saw no one there even though he knew that there would be nobody.

When the darkness fell on him, he grew a little desperate. There was no life to be seen around him, he had no food and nothing to keep himself warm with. His shoulder had, thankfully, gone mostly numb, but whenever he accidentally tried to move his arm a wave of hot pain flashed through it. He was tired and longed for a warm bed to sleep in and a pony to travel on.

"Keep walking, Kili. You'll find some place", he muttered to himself as he dragged his body forward. "There has to be a house here somewhere. Some kind of life."

He walked for a longer while, but finally he saw light in the distance. It was a huge relief - he had started to give up hope already, but there it was, a house. Naturally there was the possibility that whoever lived in the house wasn't fond of guests, but Kili hoped for the best as he started to approach the house.

Finally he got to the door. He knocked once, nobody came to open the door. By the time he had knocked the fourth time, someone finally yanked the door forcefully open and a man looked down at Kili.

The man was fairly big, broad shoulders and muscular-looking limbs. He had a short beard and little hair, all of them almost black in color. His face had a lot of old scars, and it seemed that the man liked fighting - something in his whole appearance just made it obvious.

"Honey, who is it?" echoed a female voice from somewhere behind the man.

"A dwarf. Must be a friend of yours, I have never seen this one before", the man replied.

Kili grinned and shook his head. "Actually, neither of you know me", he said, bowing politely. "My name is Kili, son of Dís. I am from the Blue Mou-"

"Cut the small talk and get to the business", said the man sharply, interrupting Kili. "Why are you here, if neither of us know of you?"

"I came to ask for a place to spend the night in and possibly for some food, if you have any to give", Kili said, feeling a bit unsure about it all. The man didn't feel very hostile, and suddenly Kili regretted opening his mouth to the man in the first place.

A woman appeared next to the man. She was surprisingly small and looked like a teenager from her body, but her face looked older. Her blonde hair was braided beautifully to the side of her head. "Who are you, dwarf?"

"His name was Keli", the man answered for Kili.

"Actually, it was Kili", Kili corrected.

"And what do you want, Kili?" asked the woman. She looked way more pleasant than the man, and Kili immediately felt like it might actually work.

Kili explained his situation but made sure to leave the elves out of it. He told that he had been traveling home from the Iron Hills, but he was attacked by a goblin raid and while he had been lucky enough to survive it with only few injuries, his pony had left with all his food and things on it.

The woman looked apologetic, while the man looked very unimpressed. "Give us a moment, darling", said the woman and closed the door, leaving Kili outside. Sighing, Kili sat down on the ground, stretching his sore legs. He could hear the couple talking inside, and even though he couldn't hear what they were saying, it sounded like the woman was trying to convince the man to help Kili. He couldn't help a little smile spreading on his lips.

Soon the door opened again, and Kili jumped up only to see the man again. "Come in", he said in a grumpy voice, walking in but leaving the door open. Thanking Mahal, Kili walked in behind the man and closed the door.