Billana wakes Kili as soon as she realises that Fili isn't in their apartment with them. She has a strong suspicion that she knows where he has gone but she has no desire to run after him without telling Kili first. She won't allow her other husband to wake up and find that she's missing too. Kili swears viciously as soon as she tells him her suspicions, going to a hidden safe beside the fireplace to check the contents and then cursing a little bit more once he is sure that something is missing.
"He took them," Kili hisses.
"Took what?" Billana asks, hurrying to follow the dark-haired mage as he storms from the room.
"Those starlight gems that Thranduil wants so badly. We'd hidden them here in case Uncle decided to do something stupid; like chuck them down the nearest mineshaft," he explains, ducking around a corner after checking that the way is clear. "We'll need them to build good will with the elf king once this is all over."
"Do you think that's what Fili's gone to do?"
"Yes, and I'm willing to bet that the idiot hasn't taken anyone with him either." They reach the walls quickly only to see no sign of anyone on watch and a rope hanging over the side. Kili's curses are a little more colourful this time. "I'll kill him when I get my hands on him."
"Do we go after him?" She asks.
"I don't think I'll manage another shift, and there's no way to know how far ahead of us he is," Kili shakes his head.
"I'll go," she tells him. He glares at her. "I'm fine, shape-shifting doesn't drain me as much as it does you. If I change to exactly what I need to be as soon as I'm over the wall it will take less energy. I can track him as a wolf and you know that I can communicate without turning back as well."
"I don't want you going out there alone, Kundith," Kili tells her. "I don't like it."
"As a wolf I can catch him up, he'll be on foot anyway." She watches him, able to see the conflict on his face as his concern for his brother battles with his need to keep her safe.
"Go," he sighs. "But you had better both be back by dawn. I'll keep watch here."
She doesn't need to be told twice, settling for stealing a quick kiss before climbing quickly down the rope. She promises herself as she climbs that once all of this is over she is going to take her husbands and shut them away from the world for a month. Her courtship was unusual enough, she would like her marriage to begin properly with a time of quiet rather than more of the same bad luck which has followed them all from the beginning. Billana reaches the bottom quickly and she undresses rapidly, shivering in the cold as she tucks her clothes between two rocks to keep them safe. Kili will know what to do if they don't make it back. Then she concentrates, taking her wolf form easily but making certain that she leaves her ability to speak normally in place. It means that the change takes a little longer than she would like, but she doesn't want to be rushing such a transformation if she finds that she needs it quickly.
A check reveals that Fili's scent is no more than an hour old, it won't take her long to catch him at all if she runs, and she does exactly that while pondering on the turn events which has led to this. She wonders if she would have come if she had known that it was going to come to this. They cannot avoid a battle, not if the size of the army on its way is anything to go by, and the thought that she will have to try and survive something like that is utterly terrifying. The thought that she might lose Fili and Kili to it is even worse. It makes her want to curl up in a ball and hide and she knows that she can't because Fili is making his way to Dale, presumably to warn the elves and Men of what is coming and attempt to secure their aid, and she cannot allow him to go there alone.
She catches him not long before he reaches the edges of the elves camp, they have not joined the Men in Dale, and he stares at her in consternation when she skids to a halt in front of him.
"What in Vána's name are you doing?" She snarls.
"What are you doing here, Billana?" He snaps back.
"Looking for you," she ducks to one side when he attempts to pass her. "Have you got any idea how worried Kili and I were when we woke up?"
"I wanted to keep you out of it," he tells her as she sits. "Uncle won't be happy when he finds out that I've defied him and I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't place any of the blame onto the two of you."
"You should have known that wasn't going to work," she snorts, getting to her feet and approaching him. He sighs and shakes his head. "I suppose we had better get this over with. What was your plan, anyway?"
"Give the elf king his gems, warn him about the approaching army, hope to persuade him to help us," he shrugs.
"That isn't much of a plan," she observes.
"I didn't have a lot of time to come up with it," he replies. "It might be best if you don't talk until we're in with Thranduil." She huffs at him, but can see the wisdom in the advice, especially when the elves on guard duty stare coolly at Fili. "I need to see your king," he tells them, ignoring the glares. "Take me to him, I have information that he needs to hear." One of them snorts. "I also have these," Fili holds out one of the gems. "I believe he would be most displeased if he were to find out that you kept them from him."
"Your pet stays here," one of the elves says, and Billana snarls at him.
"She's no pet," Fili smirks, "and she goes where she pleases." The other one reaches for her and she snaps at him, causing the elves to both reach for their swords. "You won't like the results if she comes to harm," Fili warns them dangerously. "Take us to your king." There is a brief moment of conversation, then one gestures for them to follow.
They make their way through the camp, not missing the glances and stares that are directed at them as they pass through. Fili keeps his head high and back straight, looking every inch as regal as his uncle even though his clothes are heavily road worn and she can see exhaustion lining his features. Had she been in her own form Billana might have shrunk away from the attention, but she doesn't feel the same lack of confidence as a wolf that she would as a hobbit. Wolves are confident creatures, secure in their place and strength and a wolf that lacks confidence gets nowhere at all in the world, so she trots at Fili's side and spares the odd curled lip for the elves who mutter under their breath at the sight of them. The tent that they are led to is large and ornate, guarded by several more elves, and they can both see the glow of candle light through the door. The guard leads them in and Billana is surprised to notice that the Master of Laketown is there, as are the twins. Her tail twitches when she sees them and Billana bounds forward to greet them. The Master makes a sound of obvious alarm, his guards reaching for their weapons. Thranduil doesn't make any response that she notices, but the twins both bow to her seriously before allowing her to sniff their palms. Then they run their fingers through the thick fur at the scruff of her neck.
"You have taken good care of her, Prince Fili," Elladan comments.
"I could do little else," Fili replies. "Although I wish I could say that it is for her sake alone that I have come."
"Clearly some measure of this conversation eludes me," Thranduil comments. "I expect cryptic mutterings from Elrond's sons, given the identity of their father I suspect that they can hardly help it, but I was unaware that dwarves were capable of any subtlety."
"You will not learn the secrets of our Dilthen Rís from us," Elrohir replies, "for they are not ours to tell, and I have been on the receiving end of chastisement from the princes of Durin's line already this year. Once is quite enough for me."
"Per year?" Fili asks as Billana returns to his side.
"Per millennia," Elrohir snorts. "Do assure your brother that my nose has suffered no permanent disfigurement." Obviously the twins have not informed Thranduil of their part in the Company's escape from Thranduil's dungeons if Elrohir is passing on information Kili is already aware of.
"He'll be heartbroken," Fili huffs, playing along. "But I'll make sure to tell him as soon as my business here is concluded."
"Yes, your business," the Master sniffs. "Thorin Oakenshield sends a mere underling to do his bidding now, does he? Does he intend to deny the contract between us exists? Does he deny that he owes us gold and that he keeps the hand of my betrothed from me?"
"I've read the two copies of that contract we have in the mountain," Fili replies coldly, "and I have one of them with me, signed by you no less. There is no mention of any betrothal in either of them."
"What betrothal?" Elladan asks. "To our knowledge there was only one female in your Company. Billana Baggins."
"She rejected the name of her step-father," Fili tells him, "and took on her mother's name instead, she became Billana Took, daughter of Balin, son of Fundin, not long after we crossed the Misty Mountains." The twins both nod, but Elrohir's face darkens.
"If you have dared to attempt to use her in order to further your standing with the Men-" he snaps and Billana snarls at him, causing the elf to fall silent.
"Balin wouldn't dare, quite aside from the fact that Billana would never have allowed it," Fili lays a hand on her head and she stills, "she was already being courted at the time. It goes against all of our oldest laws to force any dwarf to marry against their heart."
"Ah, but adopted father or not, the girl was hardly a dwarf," the Master points out. "And what is some vagabond dwarf to the Master of Laketown?"
"I think heir to the throne of Erebor might beat that," Elladan replies. "Has she accepted you?"
"This is not the one who claimed he was courting her," one of the guards objects and the Master smirks.
"No," Fili agrees, "I wasn't there when you were sent to take her from us in the night," the atmosphere in the room turns icy, "it was my brother who made the claim. The marriage ceremony was conducted a week ago."
"You have our congratulations," the twins bow again.
"So you see," Fili continues, "Billana is quite safely out of your reach. I came for an entirely different reason, although Lord Thranduil you are, by all means, welcome to read my copy of the contract for yourself so that you can judge which of us might be lying."
"I have no need to," Thranduil holds up a hand. "It was clear to anyone who cared to look that the addendum was a forgery." The Master opens his mouth to object. "Do not insult my intelligence, it was sloppily done. I have lived for thousands of years, do you not think I have seen the lengths your peoples will go to in order to get what they want?"
"We don't have time for this, Fili," Billana says, and all eyes turn on her.
"Interesting," Thranduil observes, "is this, perhaps, how you were able to avoid my generous hospitality." Fili snorts.
"How we managed it isn't important," he replies. "The important thing is that there is a vast army of orcs headed this way."
A.N: I should be in bed, but I had studying to do. As always, when I complete a section I get to write for ten minutes. It's a good reward. There is a lot more that was supposed to happen this chapter, but it was threatening to double in length, so I've cut it.
Keep safe everyone! I want you all alive and well when I reach the end of this crazy thing! And to my lovely guest reviewer: reading this may be keeping you sane, but writing it is equally important in maintaining my sanity. It's nice to know that I'm helping someone (and that it's being read at all, honestly)
