Chapter 9: Lies and Visions

Fili and Gailien play a mind-numbing game of guess the hand. Nobody in the camp is falling asleep easily, except for Bofur and Oin who are sleeping heavily off to the side. Gailien holds the stone in her hands behind her back, putting it in her left one then brings her closed fists in front of her.

Fili reaches out, tapping her left hand. Gailien huffs, tossing him the stone. "How are you literally guessing right every time?" she questions in disbelief. Fili shrugs, holding a smirk back as he switches the stone around behind his back.

"I'm a good guesser," he answers. Gailien mumbles something incoherent, leaning back onto Kili's shins who sits behind her on the rock, practising his braiding once more.

Fili puts his closed hands in front of her and Gailien thinks hard for a moment. She stares at him, waiting to see any twitch or sign but he is as still as the stone around them. Resigning, she taps his right hand and he grins, opening his left.

"Rhaich!" she hisses. Fili tosses the stone back to her and she pulls her arms around her back once more. But she watches Fili, trying to keep her face as still as possible. Then she sees it, the quick flicker of his eyes above her head. Her own snaps, looking up at Kili who looks like a deer seeing its predator. "You've been telling him!" she cries. Kili's lips slowly pull into a guilty smile. "Nin gwerianneg."

Gailien faces back to Fili, tossing the small stone back on the ground as Kili picks her hair back up. "You made me mess it up," he complains mournfully, trying to pick up the correct pieces.

"You made me lose every single round of the game," she shoots back, crossing her arms. "And you-" she points to Fili "-the future king cheating." She clicks her tongue with faux disapproval. She shoots her leg out, pushing his knee to the side so he tips over slightly. Fili laughs, righting himself, pushing back at her. Gailien tries to hold her ground, tongue between her lips as she has a silly leg battle with him.

Kili frowns, trying to concentrate on a more intricate design in her hair and uses his knees to keep her shoulders still. Gailien grins at the extra stability, using it to her advantage and holds his calves. "Fili," Kili cries in annoyance. "I'm trying to-"

He is cut off by Gailien being pulled off the ground away from him by Thorin. His hands hang in the air as he exchanges a confused glance with his brother. Gailien frowns as Thorin pulls her out of the chamber and into the hallway.

"Thorin, what is it?" she questions. He looks horrible, dark circles under his eyes, and he glares at everything.

"What do you think you are doing?" he demands, breathing heavily.

Gailien's mouth hangs open like a fish and her head begins to shake slightly. "I-I'm sorry, it was just a stupid game to pass the time."

"Not that." His eyes close as he drops his head for a moment. Instead of answering he lifts his hand and drags his fingers through her semi-loose hair and undoes the unfinished design Kili had been doing.

"He was just practising," she says, her eyes flickering between his with concern. "I don't understand why you're so upset."

"Braiding is reserved for close kin and lovers," Thorin spits. "I haven't even had a chance to yet."

"Thorin," she says softly, trying to show that she isn't angry or upset – and hope to bring him back down to himself. "There is nothing to be jealous over."

"Don't think me a fool," he growls. "I saw the way he used to look at you."

"Used to," she intones firmly. "So what if he had a boyish crush months ago. Do you know what he calls me? What both of them call me?" Thorin doesn't look her in the eyes or answer. "They call me Karr'a, Thorin."

Thorin's stance changes slightly and he slowly brings his eyes back up to meet hers. They both breathe quietly, gauging the other's expression. Without acknowledging her words, he brushes past her, away from the camp. Gailien watches him, debating whether to go after him.

"Do you really think I would do that to you?" she calls out to him. Thorin stops, turning back around until he is so close to her face that she leans back into the wall, her arms digging into the rock.

"I am questioning the loyalty of everybody in this company," he growls, so deeply that it doesn't even resemble his own voice. It sounds like…like Smaug's.

"Even your own nephews'?" she asks in a whisper. "Even mine?"

"Everybody's."

"I would die for you Thorin," she gasps out. "Every single person here is here for you. To fight for their home. They are ready to go to war for you and yet you stand here questioning their loyalties!" Reaching up, she undoes the bead around the small braid. "Give me back this when you are the man who first gave it to me." She thrusts it into his hand. Thorin glowers at it, closing his fist around it before pulling his arm back. Gailien closes her eyes as the bead flies through the air, the metal clinking against the rock.

Thorin storms back off but Gailien doesn't move away from the wall until she cannot hear his pounding footsteps anymore. Gailien sinks further into the rock, wishing it would just open up and swallow her whole. Reaching up, she hastily undoes the rest of the braid that the bead kept in place.

Swallowing everything, she slowly walks back towards their camp. Fili now stands, leaning against the stone next to Kili who is nervously twiddling his fingers in his lap. Gailien saunters over to them, leaning on the rock as well.

"It's late," she says softly. "We'd be better off getting some sleep."

Fili nods, pushing off the rock. "Is Thorin mad with me?" Kili asks blankly.

"No, of course not," Gailien says, giving him a big smile. "He isn't upset at anybody." Kili gives her an exasperated expression, not believing a single word from her mouth.

"I'm not a child," he snarls. "Don't lie to me."

Her jaw clenches as she looks over his shoulder in contemplation. "Fine," she snaps. "No, he's not happy at all. With you or me. I have enough to deal with at the moment, so I apologise if I don't want to add more by telling you."

Kili slides down off the stone with his head low. "I'm going outside," he growls, brushing his shoulder against hers as she passes. Gailien looks to Fili exasperatedly. She does not even know why Kili is so upset. Everybody just seems to be on heightened emotions right now.

"You're best to go after him," she says to Fili. "I don't even know what to say anymore." The blonde Dwarf nods, squeezing her shoulder as he follows his already long-gone brother out of the chambers.

She kicks a stone away in anger.

"Ow," Dwalin draws out as the stone hits his thigh. Sighing, Gailien walks over to him, plopping on the ground.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I've been caught out for lying too many times," she replies dryly. Dwalin huffs. "What a mess. An absolute mess."

"You got that right."

"Thank you, your words are so helpfully inspiring," she seethes. "Remind me to thank you once this is all over."

"Don't get snippy with me, lass," he retorts. "I ain't done nothing to ya."

Gailien crosses her arms, drawing her knee under them. "You're right. I'm sorry, truly, this time," she laughs. "I think I'm going to try and meditate for a while. Even if I don't see anything it might just let me think."

Closing her eyes, she takes long deep breathes, trying to detach herself from the world around her as she knows it. The mental wall is still there, creating a strong barricade through the middle of her mind. Destroying it takes a lot longer than it took to build it, and she has to physically push each and every stone down.

But she does it. It almost knocks her out of concentration from the sudden flood of openness in her mind and a vision comes to her. At first, all she can really see is stone and snow, like she is lying on the ground, but she can see her own body – just the middle of it. Her hand moves into her view, clawing along the ground. Just moments after, a trail of blood seeps through her fingers. Like a new stream after a heavy day of rain, slowly trickling down the stone away from her.

Nothing can be heard but the sound of her own ragged breathes struggling for hair. All alone.

Then the image disappears as she is pulled back into the present. Nothing in front of her has changed as the Dwarves are almost all asleep, their extra pieces of armour lying about. Gailien looks out of the corner of her eye to Dwalin but he has not taken any notice of her.

Did she just watch her own death?

Her thoughts are broken as the two young princes return in what looks like the middle of a brotherly banter. Gailien stands back up, slowly walking over to meet them. Fili is glaring at his brother, holding his upper arm. Placing a faux smile, she questions "would I be right to assume you are both ok?"

"Fit as fiddles," Fili drawls, giving Kili a pointed look.

Her death.

Gailien waits for some type of explanation but neither offers anything. "Did you hurt your arm?" she draws out to the blonde.

"I punched him," Kili shrugs, walking past her to sit back on their stone. Gailien's mouth hags partially open as she swings on her heels. "Before you ask, he deserved it," he adds with a set face. "It's what you get for telling people things they swore not to."

Her blood dripping slowly from her hand.

"For the record, I told you not to say that you knew," Fili hisses as he also walks past her.

"It's ok, Fee," Kili says, his lips suddenly pulling into a smirk. "I told her about your little intrusion at Beorn's."

Gailien snorts, sauntering over to them. Fili's face drops as he stares between the two, his cheeks flushing. Fili then punches Kili's shoulder who gasps, grasping his arm. "You were supposed to take that to the grave," he seethes.

Gailien pushes between them on the rock, punching both their shoulders.

"Oi!" Fili cries. "What was that one for?!"

"I thought we were just doing it for fun," she replies bluntly before she can't hold it and she lets out a small laugh. "Now can you stop trying to embarrass each other through me."

"Alright," they both say in small chuckles.

Fili peeks at them from the corner of his eye as they sit in silence for a moment. "Gailien broke one of your arrows Kili," he says.

Gailien's eyes widen and she glares at Fili before turning around to Kili with a more innocent smile. Kili raises a brow, tilting his head as though waiting for an explanation. "I'm…sorry," she tries, coming out more like a question.

"Gailien is the one that put the spider on you at the Carrock," is all Kili says. Gailien's eyes widen even further and her head snaps between the brothers on either side of her.

"What is-"

"She purposely gave you a meal with less meat in it because you stood on her foot," Fili says.

"Oh, that's petty," Kili chides, clicking his tongue at her.

Gailien's cheeks burn bright and the warmth is overwhelming, but it does take her mind off the image of her vision. "You're ganging up on me," she huffs. "This is just mean."

"Fili started it," Kili shrugs.

"I think it's Gailien's fault if we are really putting the blame anywhere," Fili counters.

"My fault?" she scoffs. "I didn't say anything to either of you."

Kili shakes his head, squinting his eyes. "No, you just announced it to the entire company." Her face morphs into confusion then into realisation. Perhaps she and Thorin were not as far away as they thought. "Thanks for that by the way."

Gailien slaps her hand over her mouth as the guilt returns. "I am so sorry," she gushes truthfully.

Kili shrugs, giving her a sheepish smile. "I think they all knew anyways." Gailien drops her hand, pulling them into her lap.

"You're not exactly subtle," Fili snorts, leaning back on his hands. "But speaking about. We also heard…well everything," he admits. "Are you alright?"

"If by alright you mean trying to forget there is an army of men and Elves waiting to attack us at any moment-" and her own death "-then yes, I'm alright. I'm not angry at Thorin, I'm just worried. Come on, I told you boys to get to bed over an hour ago."

They begin to head to their beds, removing any last piece of armour, but keeping it nearby in case of a need to defend before morning. They settle into their bedrolls almost silently and her mind begins to haunt her once more. There was no context to the vision. It could be tomorrow or in three days. Does she die because of a mistake or because she is saving someone?

"Now that we're outing all our secrets, can you tell me if I'm the better-looking brother?"

"Kili," she sighs, turning onto her side. Kili smiles innocently, watching her. "Go to sleep."

Fili snorts, rolling onto his stomach and Kili huffs playfully and the three fall into what will be the last sleep they have like this.