"I told you not to move!" Nolan yelled and punched Kili hard in the face again.
To Kili's surprise, he had actually fallen asleep and in that peaceful bliss, he had forgotten about Nolan ever coming back. But, he was awake almost instantly when the madman did return, and Kili was frantic.
Nolan had come back into the camp and threw something down by the fire. He had called for Kili, and when Kili did not answer, Nolan looked to the place where he had originally left Kili. He yelled and kicked something that connected with the rock face and created enough noise that it woke Kili. Kili had barely opened his eyes when he felt the first punch. And then the second, third, fourth…
Kili tried to raise his hands to protect himself, but his movements were futile. Nolan shoved his hands to the side and continued to relentlessly beat Kili. He hit his face, his chest, his stomach, and any other part of his body that he could reach.
When Kili began to bleed from his mouth and when his eyes were closing heavily, Nolan abruptly stopped and stood up. He was vaguely aware of Nolan going over to the fire and cleaning what looked like a rabbit. Kili made no attempt to move. He could barely make himself breathe. He could almost feel the tension growing dimmer in the night air around them, but then Nolan noticed that something was missing.
"Where is that pony?" Nolan asked rather calmly as he stood over Kili. Kili did not answer, but that was enough of an answer for Nolan.
Without warning, Kili was grabbed by his hair and dragged across the ground. Kili could feel the rocks and limbs and goodness knew what else ripping his clothes and tearing through his skin. He could feel the air getting warmer and when he opened his eyes, he was met with the bright flames of the campfire.
Kili began to panic.
He watched as Nolan picked up what looked like a pair of tongs. Nolan picked up one of the burning coals from the fire with the tongs then turned toward Kili. He smiled and gave Kili a wink, then the hot coal was released and landed hard on Kili's stomach.
Kili screamed louder than he ever had.
He was vaguely aware that Nolan removed the coal, but his screaming did not stop. He screamed in pain, in agony. He screamed that he would die. He screamed that Nolan would die. He screamed for his uncle and his brother. He screamed and screamed.
His screaming was stopped when he felt the vice-like grip around his neck.
"You've reached the limit." Nolan said into his face. "You pull one more stunt like this and you will be dead." He shoved Kili's head against the ground. "Do you understand me?"
Kili blinked his eyes twice because that was just about all he could do. Nolan accepted that as an answer and released his grip.
Kili made no sound as he laid there beside the fire. He made no attempt to move. He had to force himself to even breathe. He didn't cry. He just laid there on the frozen ground and thought about everything.
Releasing Jaxx had been almost pointless, now that he thought about it. By the time Jaxx got home and the others came for him, he would be dead.
Thorin and Gil followed Jaxx through the forest. The scream they had heard had been deafening in the quiet, but they could tell that it was still a ways off. Thorin noticed that the trees were beginning to thin out the farther they rode into the thicket. He debated whether this was an advantage or not.
"Do you smell that?" Gil suddenly asked.
Thorin stopped the thoughts running through his head and smelled the air around him.
"Something is burning," Thorin answered.
Gil and Thorin slowed their pace. The smell of the fire was evidence that they were getting close. But, since they did not know just how close, they had to take precautions.
They rode another mile or so, when they saw a faint glow coming from a distance. As they approached, the glow grew brighter and the smell of burning wood increased. They dismounted their ponies when they could hear someone speaking. They tethered their ponies to a branch and withdrew their weapons as they approached the camp. They crept to the edge of the camp, careful to make no noise and stay hidden behind the thick trees and rocks. Together, they raised their heads and looked into the camp.
The source of the talking was Nolan. Thorin bit back every curse and held in any impulsive movement that came over him upon seeing the beast. He would kill him, but it would not be in this moment. They had to plan this out.
He searched the camp for Kili. He could not find him anywhere. He caught a glimpse of a heap laying on the opposite side of the fire. He studied the unmoving mass then realized that it was in fact a somebody. And not just any somebody- it was Kili.
Gil had noticed, too. He met Thorin's gaze with an apologetic look and briefly nodded his head in the opposite direction. Before Thorin could protest, his friend had moved stealthily to the other side of the camp. Thorin searched the wooded area for some kind of sign that his friend was still there. Then he watched as an arrow came buzzing through the camp and sank hard into Nolan's left shoulder.
Thorin seized this opportunity and charged into the camp. Before he reached Nolan, another arrow had imbedded itself into his right thigh. It knocked him back down to the ground from where he had been standing, preparing to defend himself. Thorin charged the man hard and knocked him to the ground. He wanted to make this man suffer as his nephew had suffered, but then again, he wanted this man to die instantly so everything would be over and done.
Thorin refrained from hitting the man, though it took all of his willpower not to. He placed a death grip on his injured thigh and then hit his injured shoulder hard. Nolan hissed through clenched teeth but made no other sound.
There was only one thing Thorin wanted before he indefinitely killed the man.
"Why Kili?" he ground out. The man bucked beneath him as Thorin tightened his grip on the man's injured shoulder.
"To be king," Nolan gasped, "one must refrain from weakness."
Thorin knew what he was saying, but it did not make any sense to him. His nephews were his weakness, but why had this man only chosen Kili?
"Answer my question fully," Thorin spat in the man's face and once again tightened his grip.
Nolan's eyes widened then a devilish smile came over his face. "I desire to be king. I needed help and I sought it out. One of your old friends was willing to give me some tips on what would ultimately destroy you."
Thorin's veins burned with anger. Who would dare to destroy him? Only one name came to mind… but it could not be him. How could he possibly know about his nephews? He was dead. There was no way he could have told him.
Nolan's smile widened. "Long live the ki—"
Nolan never finished his sentence. Thorin unsheathed his sword, and in one swift movement, removed the madman's head from his body.
Thorin stood over the now headless body. It was over. The nightmare was finally over.
"Thorin! Quick!"
Thorin's thoughts quickly turned at the urgency in Gil's words. The nightmare was not over. They still had to get Kili.
Thorin spun on his heels and ran to the opposite side of the camp where Gil knelt beside what he assumed was his nephew.
Thorin dropped to his knees as he landed beside what was indeed his nephew- or what was left of him. Kili laid in an abused, broken mess. This did not look like his nephew at all. This looked like a poor creature barely holding onto the threads of life.
Thorin could barely hold in his emotions, but as usual, he stilled them and faced his nephew with a concerned look. He scanned Kili's body for any unharmed area. He could see none, other than a small part of his forehead. Thorin timidly reached out and laid his hand gently onto Kili's forehead. Kili's eyes did not open, but a weak scream escaped from his throat. Thorin could feel Kili shivering violently beneath his hand.
"Kili," he called softly to his nephew. "Kili, it's all right. It's Uncle Thorin. You're all right."
Kili continued to whimper but still his eyes would not open.
"Kili, please," Thorin begged. He could feel the tears filling his eyes. If Kili did not respond soon, he knew he would not be able to contain his emotions.
He was just about to give up all hope when Kili cracked his eyes open. Thorin gently continued to call to Kili and reassure him. He asked him not to move his head because he feared what damage could have been done. Kili seemed to hear this and did not move anything except his eyes and his mouth. Thorin drew himself into Kili's line of sight and Kili's eyes focused on him. Thorin saw the recognition come into Kili's eyes and could not stop the smile that came over his face.
"Uuunnnc…" Kili groaned.
"Shh, shh, Kili. Don't try to talk," Thorin said to his nephew.
Thorin looked up as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Gil stood behind him and offered his waterskin. Thorin nodded his head in thanks and turned back to Kili.
"I'm going to ask you a question. Blink once for yes, blink twice for no. Can you do that for me?" Thorin waited until Kili had blinked his eyes once then continued. "Do you want some water?"
Kili's eyes lit up the slightest at the mention of water. Thorin looked over his nephew's battered body. His clothes were torn and bloody, and Thorin could see just how much weight Kili had lost in the past week and it startled him. Thorin knew helping Kili sit up would not be an option. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a clean cloth. He dampened the cloth with some of the water from Gil's waterskin and placed the wet cloth to Kili's cracked lips. Kili visibly sighed with relief as the cold water hit his lips.
"I hate to, but I believe it would be best if we stayed here for the night." Thorin said over his shoulder to Gil. He kept one hand on Kili's forehead and held the damp cloth to Kili's lips with the other. "I can clean him up some tonight, but it will be hard in the darkness. In the morning, I will do what I can and then we can figure out how to leave."
Gil nodded his head. "I will build the fire up and see to the ponies." Gil turned his gaze to the decapitated body across the camp. "I'll be back in a moment."
Thorin nodded his head and returned his attention to his nephew. The darkness was vast and only broken by the glow of the dying fire. Thorin was thankful that Gil was disposing of the body. That was the last thing Kili needed to see right now; telling him Nolan was dead would suffice.
"Kili, I need to wipe some of this blood off. Will it be ok if I start at your head?"
Kili blinked his eyes once and Thorin dampened another cloth. He looked at Kili's forehead and winced. There was barely a clean spot. He could not tell where the dried blood had begun and where it had ended. With delicate fingers, he reached out and began to gently rub the dried blood. Kili winced and groaned as he worked. Thorin apologized but he continued his work.
As the blood and dirt began to disappear, Thorin grew concerned at the amount of bruising Kili had acquired. If his head alone was this bad, he thought he would be sick if he had to see the rest of his nephew's body. But, it was inevitable. In the morning, he would have to fix Kili as best as he could. He was no medical expert, nowhere near, but he did have common knowledge and had fought in battles. Thorin was capable of offering some medical assistance, and he would give Kili his best.
"You stink. You need a shower," he joked as he tried to lighten the situation.
It worked. Some sort of strangled laugh came from Kili. Thorin watched the corners of his nephew's mouth turn up the slightest bits at the corners. That was all the encouragement he needed. Kili was going to be ok.
Some of you are probably going to be upset because the "final showdown" or whatever really wasn't all that exciting and climactic, but I had no idea what I was going to do with that entire scene until I just started typing. I just sort of let my fingers hit some letters on the keyboard and that's what happened, and after I read it, I liked it. It also led to different ideas about what's to come. So stick with me, I've still got some surprises up my sleeve ;)
Anyway, thanks for everything! Please, keep reviewing and reading. Your words encourage me. I am so thankful for your patience, as well. You guys are awesome :)