They had travelled many miles and many days through the silent Underdark. As a dwarf, Kili was certainly used to being in the depths of the Earth, but this was something different. Darkness reigned in this place. Darkness and silence of a magnitude beyond anything Kili had ever experienced before. The temperature stayed constant; the air was heavy with stone and dust, and barely any signs of life could be detected around them.
Yet Kili understood they were not alone in this place. He scanned every nook and cranny surrounding him, from the rock face to the ceiling, sometimes towering high above them, sometimes only a few feet above their heads. He could only imagine what sorts of creatures eyed them as they moved.
Although he travelled alongside his brother and his human companions, Kili felt alone. The silence and the darkness of this place allowed his mind to drift to places that he would rather not go.
"We can camp here for the night," Catti-brie announced after a day's hike as she led them to a wide open cavern. "With any luck, we will reach the gates of Citadel Felbarr tomorrow."
They found themselves on the banks of a subterranean lake, a bed of soft moss spread out around them and fungi forests, along with giant stalactites that jutted out of the ground like massive tentacles, or oozed down from the ceiling high above them, dotted the area. The water was eerily calm as its dark waters lapped at the stone.
Kili moved close to Fili as his older brother scanned their surroundings cautiously. Despite his capabilities in combat, Kili couldn't explain why he felt so vulnerable here. He didn't want anyone to know his fears, but the experience he had with war and battle had truly shaken his confidence.
Before the quest, Kili, the youngest of Thorin's nephews, was known for his recklessness. He didn't think twice about rushing headlong into a battle. Fighting orcs and goblins was something he was good at and he had distinguished himself as an archer, a fighter that was somewhat of a rarity among dwarves. He and Fili had happily volunteered for this quest. Thorin hadn't wanted them to go, saying they were too young, they weren't ready for it. But they wouldn't be left behind.
Now, Kili wished he had his innocence back. Now, he wished he had never left home. He'd seen horrors that were forever engrained on his heart. And he had been in a battle that had nearly claimed his life.
Kili wanted his confidence back, he wanted to feel brave again. He wanted to believe he could be the young dwarf he once was. And he wanted to deny the realization that all he wanted to do was run home, crawl under his bed, and hide. And that thought unnerved him more than anything. The quest had taken his courage and he desperately needed it back.
"We have some more dried rothe meat and fungi cakes," Catti-brie was saying when Kili tuned back into the world. She had led them to an outcrop of rocks that shielded them from any dangerous eyes and was settling down in the moss, taking off her bow and setting them down beside her.
Kili regarded this woman for a moment as he, Fili, and Sam and Dean all settled down around her in a tight semi circle, their backs against the rock face. He was intrigued by her. Her brilliant red hair reminded him of someone else he had left behind in Erebor. Someone he thought loved him.
Catti-brie was strong and brave. Kili could tell that she was used to a life of harshness. Kili couldn't help but compare her to Tauriel and that stung.
"Here, brother," Fili handed him some dried meat and he regarded it. He had gotten used to the taste of rothe, the small underdark beasts that lived down here, though it certainly couldn't compare to the sweet taste of elk or deer roasted over an open fire, and a swig of ale to wash it all down.
Kili took a bite of the meat and absentmindedly chewed as Fili turned his attention to Catti-brie. "Now that we're closer to the kingdom, would you mind telling us about the situation you are facing?" the blonde dwarf asked.
Catti-brie nodded. "The dwarves haven't wanted to discuss it with outsiders, especially not with the men of Sundabar," she responded as she bit into a fungus cake and tossed a sidelong glance towards Sam and Dean.
"Well we aren't from Sundabar, Sweetheart," Dean protested. "And trust me, you all have bigger things to worry about besides these sorts of squabbles. Like how Chuck, aka God, is a dick and wants to destroy the world."
Catti-brie narrowed her eyes at the loud mouthed human and Fili and Kili exchanged puzzled looks. None of that made any sense to any of them.
"I'm not for worrying about happenings in a realm I know nothing about," Catti-brie calmly informed him. "I can't do anything to change your world and ye are in mine now."
Kili sighed. One look at either of the two brothers told him that they had been through a lot. He knew nothing about their world and what it might be like there, but he gathered it must be nothing like Middle Earth, or where they were now.
"Citadel Felbarr is experiencing turmoil right now," Catti-brie explained, turning her attention back to the dwarves. "King Warcrown is on the brink of war with Gracklstugh, a Duergar city far in the southwest."
"Duergar?" Kili asked, forcing himself to stay engaged with the conversation. His mind constantly tried to return to the trauma and the heartache he had recently lived through.
"Grey dwarves," Catti-brie explained. "They are an underdark subrace of dwarves who have never been too friendly. But in truth their city is quite far from Felbarr's gates, yet troops of them have been plaguing the miners for months now. They are encroaching on Felbarr's resources. The veins of ore that the kingdom trades has been drying up as of late and it's causing some hardships. But expeditions to find new resources have met with tragedy. Dwarves are often attacked and killed, or carried away never to be heard from again. Felbarr has lost five entire expeditions so far."
Kili digested that information. He wondered what this king of dwarves was like. Was this simply a case of a struggle over resources or was there something more sinister going on?
"Has any attempt been made at negotiations with the Duergar?" Fili asked, echoing his younger brother's thoughts.
Catti-brie shook her head. "As I said, Gracklstugh is a distance away. We don't know what's bringing the grey ones into this region, but we fear they might be allying with Menzoberranzan, the city of the drow, and if that be the case, we are in more trouble than just land disputes."
"So you need someone to find out what's bringing the grey dwarves so far from their home?" Fili surmised. "And avoid war if you can?"
Catti-brie nodded. "Me father and I came here with our own troops from Icewind Dale to help strengthen Felbarr's numbers in case war does break out. We are less worried about the grey dwarves than we are worried about their alliance with the drow. King Warcrown thinks that the encroachment into Felbarr territory is an effort to provoke them into war with the grey ones, keeping the king's attention while the drow elves sneak in from behind."
"Elves…" Fili murmured and Kili could only sigh. He didn't know what sort of people the drow were, but he knew what an elf was. A war between subraces of elves and dwarves seemed ironic considering what they had all just been through during the struggle for Middle Earth.
"We'll talk to your kings and see what we can do," Fili offered. "But we can't promise anything. This isn't our world, if we could bring forces from Erebor we would but we don't even know where Erebor is right now, and even if we did, we have just been through a battle of our own. Our forces are spent."
"I think King Warcrown and King Breunor will be grateful for anything ye can offer," Catti-brie replied. "But for now, I think we can concentrate on getting through the Underdark alive. We've been fortunate in not encountering anything but we still have many miles to go."
Fili nodded and as they finished their meals, they arranged nightwatches and the two dwarves agreed to take the first shift.
Kili found himself sitting silently, dwelling, as he and his brother sat facing the lake, alert for any possible dangers.
"I know you're thinking about her," Fili's blunt observation had Kili glancing his way. He shook his head quickly in denial.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted with a shrug, focusing his gaze on the water so his brother couldn't see the look of pain in his eyes. Fili had hit a chord of truth.
"It's for the best," Fili continued after a pause. "We have our duties. And you know the people wouldn't approve of it."
Kili felt defensive, turning to glare at Fili. "What would you know of it?" he shot back angrily. After all, Fili had never been in love before, how could he possibly understand how it felt when Tauriel told him she was returning to Mirkwood and had no interest in seeing him again? How her words stung like any dagger he had ever felt?
"She had to return to her people and you had to return to yours," Fili reminded him. "She's an elf and you are a dwarf and that's that. Besides, Kili, it's not as if you knew her, you had barely met. You are just grateful that she saved your life, that's all."
Kili felt a hot wave of rage as he glared daggers at his brother. He didn't like what Fili was saying. He wanted to deny it all, after all, he knew what he felt.
"Well it's not like it matters now, does it?" Kili snapped before getting to his feet and wandering away from the blonde dwarf, going to sit closer to the water. He refused to be part of this conversation anymore.
To his credit, Fili didn't follow him, understanding that the dark haired dwarf wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He needed to sort it all out, mull it all over. As he stared at the water, trying with all his might to deny Fili's words, Kili tried to take in a breath, trying to calm down as his emotions raged.
After all, Tauriel leaving him wasn't the only thing on his mind right now. It wasn't the only hurt he had endured on this accursed journey.
Kili leaned against a large stalactite rising up from the rock and tried to think. He didn't even notice that the stalactite was sprouting tentacles until the slender, slimy things were wrapped around his waist and suddenly he couldn't breathe. He gave a yelp of surprise as he felt the pressure across his torso, compressing him so tightly he felt a few ribs crack.
All Kili heard as a maw full of jaws clamped down on his shoulder while he struggled to breathe was Fili's cry of alarm.
"Kili!"