Ch 20 A Thief

The next day came all too quickly and Kili was very reluctant to leave his two beautiful One's sides. The rest of the previous day had been spent trying to distract Ildri from staying upset about what had happened. It had worked to some extent but actively knowing she couldn't use her magic, it felt like a piece of her was missing. They could only hope Gandalf would be able to help her regain control before something happened that was irreversible.

Balin arrived in the morning, an hour after the sun had rose, and was shock when his knock was answered almost promptly. Moving past the guards, he looked around the room and only saw Kili adjusting the crown on his head. "Are the ladies still asleep?"

Kili's mouth set into a grim line. "No, they are on the balcony. Sleep was a hard task last night and Ildri is feeling cooped up in here already."

"Then we will find Gandalf first and ask him to start earlier today." Balin placed a comforting hand on Kili's shoulder.

He didn't say anything, only squeezed the hand and walked to the door; forcing himself not to look or run back to the bedroom. His usual guards were standing waiting for him, Kili was beginning to wonder if they ever slept. He looked back at the closed doors and then to the guards again with Balin who was looking at him expectantly. "Do you think they will fine by themselves?"

"Gandalf will be here soon, don't worry about them."

Kili stalled. He knew Tauriel would defend Ildri to the death if anyone tried anything and no one in Erebor really knew where they slept except for a handful of dwarves, and the wizard. He cracked the door open, "Bar the door." And shut it again, not moving until he heard the scrape of wood and metal. Returning his attention to his ever-present guards, Kili realized something. "I was never told your names."

Neither looked surprised, as though it was a normal occurrence. The dwarf on the left with brown hair and a grey streaked beard offered up his name first.

"Thirad."

"Gamrin." The other guard added his name right after in a gruff voice. He was the younger of the two, stockier with black hair and less grand of a beard.

"Would you two like the day off," Balin cleared his throat in warning, "Or at least the morning. I can only remember one other day I haven't seen the two of you."

They looked to each other before Thirad spoke. "It is our duty to protect our King."

"Is it just by order you are doing this?"

Frowns appeared on both of their faces and they glanced at him and to Balin. "We were ordered by Lord Dain to report to your head of security, Dwalin, from there we were given no other orders. We have been following Dwalin's instruction since we came here."

"What are your thoughts about my situations with my two Ones?" Kili heard Balin make a choking sound but made no move and kept his attention on the two dwarves in front of him.

Neither looked comfortable to answer under their King's unwavering stare. After a few moments, Gamrin answered in a short sentence. "It's, unusual."

"Yes, it is." Kili nodded and waited for them to continue.

"It's against all tradition and everything we know." Thiran added.

"True." Kili waited again. The two were looking very uncomfortable now. "I'm not going to call for your death if you give an answer I don't like."

"They seem like nice ladies, and personally we have nothing against them…" Thiran said trailing off.

"But not everyone is us."

Thiran nodded at Gamrin's statement. "You are a decent king, forgive me, but not meant for what the position needs. We have been near you almost since we arrived here and have witnessed you taking up the mantle meant for your brother, a loss neither of us have gone through. But in that time, things have happened, and a lot of trouble seems to be centered around your two ladies."

Garmin nodded, "Not that it is their fault, but not being a dwarf has raised concern."

Balin stepped in, "What kinds of concern?" He knew most of what went on in the Lonely Mountain, thanks to Dwalin, Gandalf and Nori, but the more who verified a story the better.

Whether it was because he was older or because Gamrin didn't seem to talk much, Thiran answered again. "If our King is taken by madness. We see nothing of the sort, but there is only so much others will take our word for right now. We still swear to Lord Dain…"

Balin and Kili could tell both were a bit unwilling to go too far into the subject and seemed to be unsure of their standing with Dain and the other Iron Hill dwarves. "If there was a threat to Kili or his Ones, would you defend them?" Balin asked.

"Of course, he is our King."

"Even though I'm not a good King."

The two guards blanched slightly. "That wasn't what we meant," Thiran started.

"We? I said nothing." Garmin said flatly, "But yes we good. Just because you aren't suited for the title, doesn't mean you aren't admired for taking up your heritage as a Durin."

Kili nodded in response at first. "Take the day off, rest and sleep, do whatever you what or need to do. Report to Dwalin after dinner."

"We will still escort you to the main hall." Thiran stated.

Balin stepped next to Kili, the young dwarf not liking his advisor walking behind him and didn't say a word. He could only guess what Kili was thinking right now, sometimes it was better to let him loose. They walked the many stairs and hallways down to the dining hall, stopping at the front gate and nodding in approval at the reconstruction. Kili gave orders to have the buildings in Dale looked over when the chance arose, noting the swirling snow outside. Bard and his people had chosen to stay in Dale and start cleaning up despite his and the company's insistence that they stay in the mountain. The bowman adamantly refused and Kili could only guess that he was afraid of the gold and the dragon sickness that was rumored to cling to it. He could only assume the townsfolk were alive since fire light was seen often and no one had come to Erebor for help. After winter, they would help Bard rebuild Dale to its former glory, it was the least they could do for them.

Upon entering the hall, Kili motioned the Thiran and Gamrin away to go eat themselves. He and Balin looked around the hall and were happy to see the gray wizard seated with the rest of the company smoking his pipe. They made their way over to the same table and Kili stopped by Gandalf's side while Balin continued down, greeting Gloin with a slap on the shoulder.

"How was your night, Your Highness."

Kili gave a wry smile, "Almost sleepless. We were hoping you could get an early start today?"

Sharp eyes looked curiously at him and Gandalf nodded. "Of course." With a cough, he gathered his staff and pipe, tipped his hat in farewell to the others and made his way through the many dwarves eating.

Kili took the now empty seat, ignoring the fact he was supposed to be in the King's chair for any meal, and acknowledge Bofur who sat to his right. He didn't engage in any of the conversations going on between the dwarves he had traveled with and was content to just listen as he ate what food was near him. His peace was short lived however, when Dain bowled his way through the hall, pushing dwarves over and to the side until he reached Kili. The young King did nothing as the hall fell silent and all eyes turned to the two cousins, although the company each reached for any weapon they had near them.

"Can I help you, Lord Dain."

"You are harbouring a thief in your company." Fury was seen easily on Dain face.

Kili looked up at the War Lord with a raised brow. "Was something taken from you?"

His hands fisted and eyes narrowed. "Yes!" Spittle flew from his mouth and the dwarves around them looked on wearily.

"Well I have no thieves under my command…" Kili was cut off by Dain yelling.

"That dwarf!" A tattooed hand pointed at Nori who stopped with his mug halfway to his mouth. "He is a commoner and a thief!"

"I fail to see what one has to do with the other," Kili said calmly as he stood to look Dain in the eyes. "I do however, do not appreciate the insult to a dwarf who had a hand in returning our home to us. Now, if you would just tell me what was stolen, we will have word spread and search for it."

Dain's teeth bared in a growl and his eyes flickered wildly. "It was a personal item."

Kili waited with his arms crossed.

"I will look for it myself, and when I find out who took it, I will take their head."

His eyes narrowed and Kili stepped closer to Dain. "If you do, I will have yours. We are not animals and if something has been taken and a thief caught, we will have a trial for him first and foremost as our laws dictate. Feel free to search Erebor for whatever has been lost, but I warn you, if you go into any rooms without permission of someone you will be held liable. I will not have chaos here because you can't hold onto something. Am I clear?"

Teeth gritting and body tense for a fight, Dain nodded once. "Crystal, your Majesty." The title was said with a sneer and he whipped around, leaving the dining hall with two of his own guards.

"Nori," Kili waited until the dwarf looked at him. "It might be best for you to become scarce, you know what to do." The former thief swallowed the rest of his ale, grabbed a chuck of bread before giving Kili and almost mocking bow before disappearing.

Balin came up to Kili's side and looked to the door where Dain had left. "This isn't the end of it."

"I know."

"We will need to put a watch on him," Balin whispered to him.

Kili looked at the dwarves around them who had returned to their previous conversations. "Already have."

Balin was confused for a moment until it registered what Kili's instruction to Nori had been. "Are you sure he won't be found."

"I can only hope." He patted Balin on the back, "Come on and eat before we continue with whatever torture you have in store for me."

If anyone is holding out hope for my other story, THE ROAD GOES ON, I'm trying. This one has my attention more right now. Well, let me know what you thought! Please Review!