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Anyways, to the chapter! Forgive any mistakes!
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Chapter Forty Six # Your Betrayal #
Faint laughter was the first thing Kíli heard when he awoke. It took him a minute to distinguish the gruff, unfamiliar voice but when he did recognise it panic surged through his veins.
Beorn's house was burning and Fíli and Bilbo and Bofur and Nori were screaming and-
Praying fiercely that his family had survived the inferno as he forced himself to focus on his own current predicament, Kíli opened his eyes and blinked sluggishly. It appeared that he was in a dimly lit cave of sorts; with three of the four strange dwarves that had attacked them sitting with their backs to him in front of a small fire.
Kíli swiftly closed his eyes again - the flickering flames reminded him of a hungrier blaze and he had no intention of alerting his kidnappers to the fact that he was awake - perhaps he could overhear something useful if they thought he was sleeping...
Fearfully, Kíli tried to keep his breathing slow and regular as if he was still asleep despite the new wave of fear that accompanied him noticing the coarse ropes binding his hands and his feet together. Automatically he struggled against the bindings but he stilled himself quickly, firmly reminding himself that he was trying not to alert these strangers to the fact that he was awake.
Instead Kíli listened as one of the attackers sighed heavily. "Listen, Einar, I don't feel comfortable with this."
"Don't feel comfortable with it?" Another voice, presumably Einar, snorted. "You took the job, didn't you, Dagr?"
"We were told that it was a mission to protect our families, I didn't realise that we would be murdering innocent people!" Dagr protested and Kíli felt a faint glimmer of hope at the sound of a sympathetic voice.
"Besides," another, younger voice added, "For the others it will be over by now. Must we really...torture him?"
A sickening feeling swooped in to take up residence in Kíli's stomach and he was very glad that he was feigning sleep.
"You know we must, Sindri." Einar said firmly. "Though it does not sit well with me either."
"Then let's let him go! We could tell him to run and tell the master that he's at the bottom of the Anduin!" Dagr urged quietly, and a flickering hope of an ally rose in Kíli's mind, though he forced himself to quench it quickly – he could not rely on these dwarves to escape – he would have to be clever and get himself out of this awful mess.
"He wants proof - he asked for the lad's head." Einar sighed. "If we fail you know what he will do."
"There must be some way we can fool him-"
Einar laughed coldly. "Fool Dwalin, son of Fundin? You would be mad to even try, especially when the king is on his side."
Kíli could not help the whimper that escaped from his lips, though he quickly morphed his face into an expression of discomfort as opposed to horror in an attempt to disguise his shock and pain as a nightmare.
Dwalin ordered this? He thought in agony. My Dwalin? No, he could not have, he would never have - no, no, no!
The king is on his side...
Thorin? Thorin wanted his nephews dead, he wanted Kíli tortured? No, that could not be true! Kíli refused to believe it!
Even as he silently protested how ridiculous the overheard murmurs were, a seed of doubt began to plant itself in his mind.
What if Dwalin had ordered them to be killed? What if Thorin did want him dead?
Dagr's suspicious voice tore him away from his painful musings. "Are you sure Thorin's aware of Dwalin's actions? He did seem rather fond of his nephews – remember after the battle when he wouldn't even come out of his tent until he was sure they were alright?"
"Well, perhaps, but it matters little whether Thorin agrees or not," Einar growled. "We are fulfilling our mission and that is final!"
A new voice spoke up as footsteps came closer. "Evening."
"Balder! I thought you were bringing us proof of death - were there survivors?" Einar demanded, and Kíli's heart began to race with hope.
Survivors, there are survivors!
"No, there were four corpses, three dwarven corpses and a smaller one – the halfling, obviously." Balder's almost casual affirmation stopped Kíli's heart from beating. "But the bear-man had returned and wrapped their bodies in shrouds – they were guarded by wolves - I got close enough to get a couple of souvenirs but then I was chased off."
Corpses? They…they're dead? Kíli's mind could not contemplate the idea that his father and brother no longer breathed. His lungs would not fill with air and his heart's beat was fast but arduous – as if it was being forced to beat ever faster against its will. No, no, no! Bilbo, Fíli! Oh, let him be wrong! Let him be a liar, he can't be telling the truth, no, no, no!
Though his eyes were still closed, Kíli felt tears well beneath them and he squeezed his eyes closed tighter, shivering slightly. The moment he relaxed a fraction, a single tear managed to escape from under his closed lid and slide down his face.
"He's crying – he's awake!" Balder hissed suddenly and Kíli's eyes flew open in terror.
Instantly the young dwarf shuffled back as quickly as he could away from his attackers now towering over him. A huge dwarf with red hair surged towards him and Kíli flinched as the stranger sunk his fingers deep into his shoulders and shook him as though he were a naughty child.
"How much did you hear? How much did you hear us say?"
From the voice, Kíli guessed that the red bearded dwarf was Einar and he kept his mouth shut stubbornly, though his eyes were wide with fear and pain. He was grimly pleased to see blood seeping through a bandage on the violent dwarf's arm from where Luno had sunk his teeth into Einar, but that made him think of the brave little wolf with a pang of worry. Was Luno alright? Was he safe?
Where any of them safe?
Fíli, Kíli, Bofur, Nori, no, no, no, no….
"What did you say?" Balder demanded, and Kíli knew him immediately – he had been the one to throw his fist into Kíli's nose. Now that he thought about it, Kíli's nose was throbbing with a dull ache, though he suspected the pain would be far worse if his nose was broken.
"Quite a bit," Sindri, the smaller of the two brown haired dwarves admitted sheepishly, and Kíli instantly recognised him from his hunched posture as the dwarf who had been bleeding – the one who had lured him out of the house.
Einar narrowed his eyes. "I'd wager heard all of it! He heard the name of our employer!"
"What?" Balder hissed, his eyes widening. "Oh, you fools! Now what are we going to do?"
"Nothing other than what we originally planned." Einar scowled immediately. "It does not matter that he is a deceitful creature – he'll be dead soon, anyway."
Kíli did not dare reply, but he poured every ounce of defiance he could muster into his hateful stare.
Balder snorted as he looked at Kíli. "Look at the little thing – it's like trapping an angry rabbit!"
For a moment Kíli blinked in surprise, before a fresh wave of fury surged through his body and he snarled viciously. A rabbit? A rabbit? "Go kiss an orc, you bastard!"
"Oh!" Einar laughed out loud as the two brown haired dwarves exchanged almost amused looks. "Would you look at that Balder – he speaks after all!"
"My apologies, your highness," Balder smirked, bowing deeply at Kíli, his long black beard dangling in front of Kíli's face. "I did not mean to offend so mighty a-"
Kíli spat in the dwarf's beard and Balder straightened up as quickly as a man struck by lightning.
"Urgh!" his face contorted into a look of pure disgust as he carefully wiped his beard. "I thought you said he had manners, Einar!"
Einar shrugged, looking quite amused. "He's more spirited than I thought he would be."
Balder grunted and crouched down, grabbing Kíli's jaw violently and dragging his face up. "The next time you spit on me, your highness, I will cut out your tongue!"
With that, the dwarf smashed Kíli's head back onto the floor and the young prince pursed his lips together to prevent a groan of pain from escaping his lips.
"There's no need to be so violent, Balder," Dagr folded his arms and leant against the side of the cave, a small smile on his lips, though his eyes were clouded with indecision. "He's not that dangerous."
If you gave me my bow I would be! Kíli thought fiercely, though he managed from stopping himself from saying it aloud.
"That does not mean anything," Balder spat. "Einar, let's begin - now!"
"Einar-" Sindri began, glancing worriedly at Kíli, but the red haired dwarf silenced Sindri with a single look.
"Very well. Dagr, Sindri, go and check the perimeter – ensure that we are not being watched. And get rid of the fire while you're at it."
Kíli immediately tensed as the two friendlier dwarves nodded and went around the corner, presumably leaving the cave. Dagr stomped the fire out quickly and immediately the warmth of the fire receded. Within a matter of moments, the cave had become cold – very cold – but Kíli was a dwarf and he did not suffer greatly from the lack of temperature alone.
It was the sudden plunge into darkness that affected Kíli first. As he blinked, his eyes grew slowly accustomed to the gloom, but the first things that he saw were the sickening smiles of his kidnappers as they leered over him and his heart began to race again.
"So this is what the noble house of Durin has been reduced to," Balder sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, that is your problem."
Einar nodded in agreement. "He's right, you know. If you weren't so weak, so pathetic, we would not be here today. You are a disgrace to your family and that is why our employer wants to get rid of you-"
"We may as well use his name, Einar." Balder's casual tone sent shivers down Kíli's spine. "The little prince knows it was Dwalin who gave the orders for his execution."
"You're lying!" Kíli hissed, trying to hide the flinch that had trembled through his body at Dwalin's name.
"Oh, the poor little boy doesn't believe us, Einar!" Balder crooned.
"No, I don't, I have no reason to!" Kíli snarled, struggling against his bonds.
"I expect you want to believe that your family still breathe, too?" Einar asked in an almost bored tone.
It took a moment for Kíli to unfreeze his tongue. "If they are hurt I swear to you-"
"They are dead." Balder said bluntly. "Do you want some proof? Here!"
There was a faint thump and Kíli swallowed as a knife embedded itself in the floor before his eyes. Despite the lack of light, the knife was easily recognisable – Kíli knew the shape of it, the patterns of it, and most importantly the seal engraved onto the pommel. It was one of Fíli's treasured hunting knives, and its handle was singed black.
"I'm sure you heard me when I came in," Balder continued. "There were four corpses in the skeleton of the bear's home, and I doubt your dear brother would have left that knife in such a condition – not willingly."
"You're lying!" Kíli's voice broke slightly as he realised that he had no reason to doubt the dwarf's words. His family had still been inside the burning house when he had lost consciousness and they had been screaming.
"You know I'm not." Balder said firmly. "They died in pain, they died in-"
"Wait!"
Kíli froze at that voice. It could not be, it could not be-
How could it be…?
"I've been informed that my identity is compromised?" A rough, awfully familiar accented voice demanded and Kíli's whole body suddenly felt as though it was carved from ice as a silhouette appeared before him.
It was a silhouette he would have recognised anywhere.
"D-Dwalin?" his voice was no more than a whimper and the dwarf's head turned towards him, the faint light of the moon from outside touching on the tattoos on his bald head, and though his face was cast in shadow Kíli could still make out the Dwalin's familiar nose and hair.
Dwalin? Dwalin was here? Dwalin was not helping him?
"How did that happen?" Dwalin's voice growled and Einar coughed.
"It was an accident, sir. I assure you, it will not happen again."
"It better not!" Dwalin coughed.
"Are you alright, Dwalin?" Balder asked. "You sound a little…off…"
"The snivelling men of Lake-town are plagued with winter illnesses," Dwalin sniffed and shifted slightly, his war-hammer glinting menacingly in the thin slither of moonlight. "I appeared to have…caught something…"
Kíli did not think he knew how to breathe. His Bilbo and his Fíli were dead and Dwalin was here because Dwalin had organised everything. Dwalin – who had talked Kíli to sleep on several occasions, who had protected him throughout the whole journey, who had made an effort to rekindle the bond that Kíli knew they had once shared.
Or so Kíli thought…
Had Dwalin ever cared about regaining Kíli's friendship? Had his actions been empty? Or had he been so angered by Kíli's decision to leave Erebor that the past did not matter at all?
Despite the faint hope choking in Kíli's heart, there was no doubt in his mind that the dwarf before him was his uncle's most beloved friend. Though Kíli could not see Dwalin's face properly due to the angle of the light, not only was Dwalin's silhouette was so very distinctive but his weapons were instantly recognisable as well. What was more, when the dwarf raised his hand to scratch his ear, Kíli saw the white scars of a long dead fire marring the back of the warrior's hands.
"Let's get back to the matter at hand." Dwalin decreed pompously, staring down at Kíli. "What are you staring at?"
"Dwalin?" Kíli repeated weakly, unable to form any other word.
"You're not stupid, lad, don't pretend to be!" the warrior snapped in disgust, rolling his shoulders the way Dwalin always did when he was angry. "You know exactly who I am – saying my name over and over isn't going to change anything."
Despite his best intentions, a broken, gasping sob escaped Kíli's lips. "B-but why? Dwalin-"
"Why? Do you have to ask? You are bad for Thorin – for all of us! Treaties with elves, men – bah! It's a disgrace, just as you are. Did you honestly think we accepted the twisted copy of the child we lost? You're a disgrace to the line of Durin!" Dwalin growled harshly.
Trying to control his breathing, Kíli put as much strength as he could into his whisper. "What about Fíli? Why would you kill Fíli?"
Dwalin sighed heavily. "It's a shame Fíli had to go; he was shaping up into a fine heir before you came along, laddie. I truly loved the lad but alas, sacrifices have to be made to keep us safe – and unaffiliated with lesser races."
The bitterness that dripped from Dwalin's oh-so-familiar accent struck Kíli far more sharply and strongly than the scathing words of the others and he looked up at the shadowy figure with tear filled eyes.
"I never meant to ruin anything!" he begged, guilt and pain and grief drowning him. "I'm sorry! Dwalin, please-"
"Finish him." Dwalin's voice was cold and final as he turned his back on Kíli.
Einar and Balder took a hold of Kíli's hands and his feet and lifted him clean off the floor, dragging him further back into the cave before dropping him carelessly onto the cold, hard ground.
"Dwalin!" he yelled desperately. "Please!"
"Wait!" Dwalin ordered over his shoulder, and Kíli's heart filled with hope. "Make sure he suffers – we lost a prince of true value because of him."
"My pleasure," Balder sneered, and Kíli's heart shattered into a million pieces.
A bucket of icy water was thrown over his head and Kíli gasped in shock as it soaked through his clothing in seconds. A kick landed in his stomach, then another and he cried out in pain. The sound of a knife being pulled from its sheath met his ears and he screamed.
"Dwalin! Please, Dwalin, please!"
Without another look back, Dwalin stalked out of the cave and Kíli threw back his head and let out all of his heartache, grief, and anguish in one long scream.
Outside of the cave, Sindri and Dagr listened with identical smiles.
"Not a bad plan at all, little brother." Dagr grinned proudly and Sindri's chest puffed out a little. "It will take a while, you cannot rush these things, but I do think we will see it done."
The tall, imposing dwarf who had arrived scarcely hours earlier straight from Erebor emerged from the cave and nodded at the brothers. "I should return to the mountain. My presence has probably already been missed."
"Thank you for coming," Dagr nodded sincerely. "But if you could wait just one more day – we may need you yet."
Nodding gruffly the balding warrior set his war-hammer down by the ponies, but Grasper and Keeper remained attached to his back. "I'm going to check the perimeter then. Alvis, Askr!"
The warrior's two quiet, brown haired companions nodded, dismounting from their own ponies and following him into the woods.
"Thank you," Sindri nodded as the trusted warrior stalked away into the darkness, flanked by the two brunettes who somewhat resembled Sindri and Dagr themselves. Lowering his voice so that only his brother would be able to hear, Sindri added, "We are lucky he agreed to cooperate. He could well have refused us – if this goes wrong his allegiance with us will be revealed-"
"It will not go wrong," Dagr said confidently.
"But if it did he would be exposed." Sindri argued. "We are lucky to have him on our side."
"Luck has nothing to do with it. We are clever enough to have him on our side." Dagr leant back against the cave wall and listened to a particularly long scream from the only remaining prince of the Lonely Mountainwith relish.
"You truly think we are clever enough to win Kíli to our side, too?" Sindri asked hesitantly, and Dagr clapped a hand to his shoulder.
"The only difference between you and me, Sindri, is that you lack confidence. Remember the plan – it is going perfectly. We've already established ourselves as sympathetic characters – we will 'rescue' him from Einar and Balder after a few days, and they will admit that they were oh-so-wrong and grovel at his feet, pledging allegiance to Kíli. We will return to the Lonely Mountain and hopefully encounter those orcs another time – saving the whelp's life again may be very effective – and by the time we reach Erebor our warrior friend will already have taken care of Oakenshield. As the only remaining heir Kíli will take his throne and under our expert advice see the 'company' and other nobles jailed - and executed if we can manage it – for high treason. Then we have a puppet ruler until our next instructions arrive."
"It's still a little vague," Sindri pursed his lips, though he smiled slightly as Kíli screamed in pain. "We did kill his brother and father."
"It may take more than a few days," Dagr nodded. "But think on how alone he is. His world is being torn down around him – those he thought were his friends want him dead – who is to say who is right and who is wrong? He knows nothing of politics – but he does know a lot about rejecting stereotypes which we can use to our advantage. Eventually he will respond to our 'kindness' – it is the way of soft creatures like him."
"Very well," Sindri grinned again. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."
"I already am," Dagr beamed. "You were right – it is far easier, and more enjoyable, to hide behind the mask of innocence."
Sindri demonstrated his widest, most innocent eyed look in response. Even Kíli himself could not give a look of such total blamelessness. "Isn't it just?"
The two brothers laughed quietly as Kíli's screams twisted up into the night air, thoroughly exhilarated by their devious plan. They had known exactly when Kíli woke up – a small bowl had been conspicuously placed across the cave and Dagr had voice his 'discomfort' almost immediately after seeing Kíli's reflection open his eyes. By allowing the prince to think that he had overheard them they were feeding him exactly what they wanted him to know and feel – doubt, fear, hope, betrayal – all in the right dosages.
What Dagr and Sindri did not know, however, was that their plan had not completely worked. Their own tasks had been performed smoothly, but Balder had been mistaken.
As according to the plan he had gone back to Beorn's house and snuck into the garden, and he had retrieved Fíli's knife and one of Nori's numerous knives from the rubble. He had also seen the four shrouds on the floor, presumably belonging to the corpses of Fíli, Bilbo, Bofur and Nori and assessed that they were in fact dead before being chased out by wolves. Following the plan, Balder had returned to confirm to everyone that the four unfortunate souls were truly gone.
However, Balder had no idea that the three dwarves and the hobbit had survived the ravenous flames. The hunters relaxed with the knowledge that their prey were all dead, utterly unaware that Fíli, Bilbo, Bofur and Nori were coming closer to them every hour.
Compared to the elaborate deviation and trickery of the plans of the revolutionaries, the trick that they had fallen for was merely child's play. Like a rebellious adolescent sneaking out at night without parental permission, Beorn had taken the bedding and laundry from his home and arranged them to appear as burial shrouds. It would have taken less than a minute for Balder to have discovered the trick had he looked too carefully, but the wolves ensured that he did not stare for long, and it did not cross his mind for a moment that he had been so simply fooled.
Had they had known how wrong Balder had been, Dagr and Sindri would have moved within the second and disappeared within the hour, covering their tracks and burying themselves and their prisoner deep underground somewhere.
However, they did not know that Balder was wrong so they simply leant back to enjoy an evening of listening to a young dwarf's torture.
Though they did not know it, the old hunters had become the hunted, and the new hunters were drawing closer with every desperate heartbeat. A once amiable group of friends had transformed into a cold party of predators fuelled by the fury in their veins and the hatred in their hearts.
They were ready. They were dangerous.
They were coming.
So, I very much hope you enjoyed that chapter :D Or at least kind of – it was a bit angsty. For those of you that don't like angst, it is unlikely that this whole torture business will be written any more explicitly than this, I hope you can stick with us anyway ;)
Thank you for reading, leave a review if you like, I love them so much :D
Oh, as a quick note it will be unlikely that I can get the next chapter up before the end of the week as I have a coursework deadline and a speaking exam this week that I need to work on, so I apologise in advance if there is a slight wait, I will update as soon as I can without jeporadising my future ;)
