Sorry peeps, only a short chapter today. It was either a short one today or a possibly longer one tomorrow, but since I promised no more long waits I thought I'd better just post this and see what happens. On the bright side (or dark side?) more things are starting to happen! It all gets more exciting from here :D
After so many reviews for chapter 24, I have to admit I was a little disappointed about how few there were for last chapter. Oh well, everyone who did review gets imaginary smarties :) and those people are: jaymzNshed, InezSophia, tygrislily, GregsMadHatter and .3954.
Enjoy the (short but eventful) chapter!
The following morning they departed bright and early with Bard and a few of his men, plus Legolas, Golradir, Gildor and Tauriel. It appeared that Thranduil wasn't happy with his son going as the only elf and so had appointed the Elven brothers to accompany him, and Tauriel had not been given permission but pointed out that she wasn't under Thranduil's command any more because she wasn't in the guard. This was not strictly true, since he was still her King, but she chose to ignore that.
Once again, Fili and Kili rode behind Gildor and Golradir, though they planned to dismount when they reached the foot of the mountain beneath the Main Gate so as not to irritate Thorin with this antic. On the way, Kili tried to make conversation with Bard in order to find out how deep the distrust of dwarves ran within the lake men, but despite his best efforts it was hard to get even a word out of the grim faced archer. The most he found out was that Bain had spoken to his father and Bard did not blame Fili and Kili personally for the destruction the dragon brought, but he still laid weighty blame on Thorin Oakenshield.
As they neared the Main Gate, neither Fili nor Kili could hide their excitement. Even from a distance they admired the craftwork of the stone carved around the entrance - despite there being a large, fortified wall built right in front of it - and they could almost feel the gold inside calling to them. On top of this, they were about to see the company for the first time in three weeks, and not in mortal peril. They had managed to distract themselves with other things over that time, but now it hit both of them how much they missed each and every dwarf they had travelled with, not to mention the hobbit.
They dismounted as soon as they could clearly make out the figures on top of the wall and approached on foot. Twelve figures stood high above them, the foremost one unmistakably Thorin himself. There was great movement among the figures behind him as Fili and Kili drew nearer with the small group of elves and men, however Thorin stayed as still as if he were carved from the stone of the mountain.
"Hail, Thorin," called Bard loudly, and the King Under the Mountain stirred.
"And who are you, who accompany my nephews armed as if for war?" demanded Thorin back.
"They're friends," Fili answered loudly, stepping forward, "they do not wish for conflict any more than we do,"
"Then why have so many accompanied you when you are quite capable of returning alone?" replied Thorin, and Fili thought he saw something different in his uncle's face; something strange about his eyes.
"We wish to make a request," said Bard, "for a share of the gold, of which there is no lack in the mountain behind you,"
"And who are you to make such requests?" answered Thorin coldly.
"I am he who slew the dragon," called back Bard, "and I am the descendant of Girion, lord of Dale, from whom the dragon stole much gold. Part of that hoard rightfully belongs to Dale. I also speak for the people of Lake Town, whose homes have been destroyed by the dragon and now live with almost nothing on the shores of the Lake. They aided you in your distress, and now in return they ask that you do not cast a blind eye to their suffering,"
"The price of the aid we received will be paid in due time," replied Thorin, and Fili let out a breath of relief, "but not a single coin will pass this entrance while you stand before the gate armed for war. Go away, and return when the army and the elves - who have no claim to the gold at all - are gone. Then we will parley. Fili, Kili, why do you stay beside our foes? Come and step into your rightful heritage,"
As if on cue, Bofur and Nori appeared at the top of the wall with a rope ladder, and promptly let it down so that the bottom rung brushed the ground beneath.
"Come on laddies!" called Bofur, "we've all missed ya, don't make us wait any longer!"
A look passed between Fili and Kili, but they did not move. They were both thinking the same thing. To join the company now would be a betrayal of the elves, to whom they owed so much and had so grown to like. No matter how much they had missed the company, they just couldn't do it.
"Sorry, Uncle," called Fili, "but we cannot join you yet. Bard has laid down just claims, and we will see them through before we climb that ladder. As for the elves, they have done nothing but aid us beyond measure and you have no right to send them away before hearing what they have to say,"
"Fili, this is your home, this is where you belong," Thorin answered with a deep frown, "come, do not linger with elves and men. They tell nothing but lies. You are not safe down there,"
"We are perfectly safe down here, thank you," replied Fili, "we are well protected," he glanced sideways to see Legolas nod in assent, "and as for telling lies, we have met nothing that supports that statement in three weeks of their company. You are wrong if you think that is what all elves are like. And finally, I do not belong in a kingdom that does not repay honestly what is fairly due, nor offers any thanks for saving my brother,"
"Your mind has become addled," declared Thorin, "you have spent too long in the wrong company. Kili, tell me you can see the truth here,"
"Aye, I see the truth," Kili scowled, "I see that the only one with an addled brain here, uncle, is you,"
Thorin stared for a moment, and Fili didn't recognise his twisted expression. If he had know his uncle any less well, he would have mistaken it for Thorin's livid expression, but Fili had seen Thorin's livid expression and knew that this was something different altogether. This was wrong. Something wasn't right with his uncle. He turned his head, and saw that Kili had noticed it too. They shared a look of anxiety.
When Thorin spoke again, there was ice in his voice such as the young dwarves had never heard directed at them before, and it chilled them to the core. "Then do you also follow your brother in his treachery?"
Kili glared back at his uncle with as much force as he could muster, answering, "I stand by all that Fili said before, and I also remind you that I owe my life to the elves that you would send away without a second thought. They brought me back from the brink of darkness, and despite our differences they cared for me and Fili better than you would believe. It is due to them that we are here at all. They deserve more than you give them credit for,"
"If you suggest I should reward the elves for amending what they caused in the first place, you are mistaken," shouted Thorin, "we would not have been separated had they not interfered,"
"They came and saved all our necks from the spiders," Fili shouted back in anger, "yours included, Thorin!"
There was a shocked silence. The lake men muttered amongst themselves, not understanding the reason for it, but everyone else knew or could work out that Fili calling Thorin by his name rather than "uncle" had just heightened the tension tenfold. Thorin's eyes narrowed.
"So be it. Stay with your new elf friends, and may you not return. You are no nephews of mine," he growled, before turning and stalking away into the mountain.
The rest of the company now peered over the edge of the wall in sympathy. They looked just as shocked as Fili and Kili felt, but called down with words of comfort. Then, after muttering hastily with the others, Balin swung his feet over the ledge and climbed down the ladder as fast as his ageing limbs could carry him, landing with a plop and approaching the group on the ground.
"I'm sorry about that," Balin said darkly when he drew level with Fili and Kili, "Thorin has not...been himself, lately,"
"What is wrong with him?" Kili asked with a worried frown, "the way he looked at us - I've never seen him look so angry in my life,"
"You forced him to make a choice," answered Balin grimly, "the gold, or you,"
"And he chose the gold?" Fili exclaimed, paling slightly.
"The gold has a hold on Thorin, which none of us can really understand," explained Balin, "I fear that he has succumbed to the same sickness that took his grandfather. But even so, I do not know that you have made the right decision in staying with the elves and lake men,"
"It is the right decision," said Kili confidently, "we will persuade Uncle if it takes a year. And they will not mind - I don't think," he turned around with a questioning look at Legolas, who nodded and stepped forward to join the conversation.
"Father won't mind I'm sure. A few days won't make much difference," he said.
"Or a few months if Thorin doesn't come round," muttered Balin, before glaring up at Legolas suspiciously, "and who are you, elf? I remember you - you were the one who promised Thorin no mercy. How is it that you would not hesitate to kill him back then, and now you stand with his heirs as a supposed 'friend'?"
"I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm, and my father is King Thranduil," replied Legolas, "and you are right that I did have a rather...narrow view of dwarves when we last met, but I assure you that has completely changed since I met these two," he smiled and gestured to Fili and Kili, who grinned back.
"We've come to see elves as quite different creatures as well," remarked Fili, "and I'm sorry, I should be making proper introductions. Legolas, this is Balin,"
"At your service," Balin gave a curt little bow, though he still did not seem quite at ease.
Kili turned and beckoned to the three other elves, and they inquisitively came forward.
"Balin, this is the Lady Tauriel, who is the reason I am alive," Kili introduced the she-elf, who struggled to hide a blush.
"It's just Tauriel," she said quickly as Balin declared himself at her service.
"And this is Gol-" began Fili.
"Golradir and Gildor, at your service," grinned the brothers in a very good impression of dwarves, giving curt little bows like Balin's.
Balin frowned, before Fili and Kili burst out laughing and eventually the old dwarf couldn't hold back a smile.
"Very good, very good," he said, "glad to see your time spent with elves hasn't been entirely wasted,"
"Oh, we were very productive," smirked Kili, "Fili almost drowned Legolas once,"
"Hey, I was the one who stopped your thick skulled brother from drowning himself," retorted the elf.
"No, I had it all under control," argued Fili, earning bemused looks all round.
"I shall have to hear about this sometime," Balin said, an amused smile playing on his lips, "and I'm sure the rest of the company would enjoy it too, so perhaps it can wait until we are all back together again and we can exchange stories late into the night. But for now I am just satisfied to know that you are safe, and you are certain you are doing the right thing. You will need all of your conviction to stand up to Thorin a second time, if that is what you plan to do,"
"That is the plan," nodded Fili, "we will make him see sense, even if it takes the rest of our lives,"
"And get the gold shared out fairly," added in Kili, "I don't know how long Thranduil will be patient for,"
"That is very true," sighed Legolas, "I think it would be better for everyone if my father just went home with the rest of the army, but I do not think Thorin's demands for a retreat will do anything but increase our enmity,"
"Then I hope Fili and Kili are well protected," Balin said with a hint of threat in his voice that made him sound very like his brother, "they will not be blamed for their uncle's words and actions,"
"They have my complete protection," promised Legolas.
"And mine," added Tauriel. Golradir and Gildor nodded behind her. Balin's eyes shifted over their weapons, their bows and arrows and swords, then he nodded.
"It would not usually be in my nature, but - somehow I trust you," he replied. His gaze shifted over Fili and Kili. "Is that an Elven bow I see?"
"Aye, it is," smiled Kili, swinging it from his back and handing it to Balin to be examined.
The older dwarf ran his fingers along the smooth wood, turning the bow over in his hands and humming softly. "Elvish make alright - but in a dwarvish style? This is just like your old bow, Kili. Where in Middle Earth did you get it?"
"It's all thanks to Tauriel," Kili replied, turning to smile brilliantly at the she-elf, "she found my old bow in the forest, but it was beyond repair, so she gave it to the weapons makers to duplicate, and now I have this,"
Balin raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. "It seems we do owe more to the elves than I first imagined," he remarked, "and I never liked the idea of giving Thranduil any of the treasure, but now I see that things are changing between our races, and I think it may be for the better,"
"I sincerely hope so," replied Legolas seriously, "and once this is all over, I hope all our differences can be forgotten along with the rest of our past quarrels and betrayals,"
Balin met Legolas's eyes with a hard glare, trying to discern how sincere the elf's words really were. He knew that Legolas was referring to one particular betrayal, many years ago when Balin had been a much younger dwarf - young, but not young enough to ever forget it. But the elf's eyes held such sincerity and remembered such sorrow that something stirred in Balin that he thought was off limits to all Elven kind: forgiveness. And he knew that Legolas saw it too.
"I must return now," said Balin, breaking eye contact, "the others will want to know what's happening, and Thorin won't be best pleased that I'm talking to you now,"
"Then tell everyone that we send our best wishes," nodded Fili, "and we will see each other tomorrow, I hope,"
"Until then," replied Balin, and he turned and climbed back up the rope ladder, to where the rest of the company impatiently awaited.
With no little sorrow, and many wistful glances behind them, Fili and Kili allowed Golradir and Gildor to haul them up onto the horses behind them. Even if they changed their minds now, there was no going back. Thorin would never allow it. They were so close to home, and yet they couldn't go inside - and it was by their own choice. Right now they could be chatting and joking with all the members of the company whom they had so missed, but they had forfeited that chance the moment they defied their uncle.
No, not their uncle. Not any more.