Hello again readers! I'm back to work on Shadows of the Past after my dreadfully and inexcusably long hiatus. I'm hoping there are still fans of this story out there after such a long break in updating. I wanted to post this chapter to let you all know I'm actively working on this story again and have plans to finish it. Updates may not be as regular as I'd like, but I will get the new chapters up as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this very long awaited chapter and everything that is to come!
Chapter Sixteen
Nothing to Fear
"This was a bad idea. A terrible, awful, dreadfully bad idea." Bilbo mumbled quietly to himself as he steadily climbed up, up, up to the very top of a massive tree. Not for the first time a branch cracked worryingly under the hobbit's foot, causing Bilbo to tighten his grip until his fingernails dug into the bark. However, the hobbit knew he could not stop. He had to keep climbing. Otherwise, the company would be stuck wandering in circles, trapped in the dark depths of Mirkwood.
After a steadying breath, Bilbo continued once more until finally he breached through the top of the massive tree. The air immediately cleared and the hobbit felt as if a weight was suddenly lifted from his chest. Relishing in the clear air and lighter feeling surrounding him, Bilbo took a deep breath and smiled widely. He looked out to the gorgeous landscape within his view and was struck with amazement at just how much larger the world truly was to that of the Shire. Bilbo's awestruck gaze settled on a tall mountain in the distance. Its peak was hidden by a thick layer of fog, making it impossible for the hobbit to tell just how high the mountain stood.
Laughter filtered through the leaves of the tree, startling Bilbo from his thoughts. Marking the direction of Erebor in his mind Bilbo carefully lowered himself back into the dark of Mirkwood. His progress was slow and every-so-often the hobbit's foot would slip dangerously from the branches, but finally Bilbo felt solid ground and sighed in relief.
Almost immediately the curly-haired hobbit was surround by the youngest members of the company. Fili and Kili stood on either side of Bilbo, Fili's arm thrown over the hobbit's small shoulders, as Ori moved just in front of their burglar journal in hand.
"Wow Bilbo! That was so very brave of you." Ori spoke softly, clear admiration in his gaze.
Bilbo brushed the dirt from his hands and smiled brightly. "Me brave? No…it was nothing really."
Ori's eyes widened. "Nothing! At any moment you could have fallen to your death. We couldn't have done anything if you fell. You would have just been lost."
"I—I suppose you're right." The hobbit replied and his smile slipped from his face as the realization of what he just did fully set in.
Fili slapped Bilbo's shoulder, causing the hobbit to stumble forward slightly. "Never would have happened, Ori. Bilbo here is a talented burglar."
"Fili's right. We never doubted him, not even for a moment." Kili added from Bilbo's other side.
With his brother's words Fili spread his arms wide, and raised his voice to address the company of dwarves. "That being said, all those who bet that Bilbo here would either plummet to his death or turn back before reaching the top can send your coin to Kili."
Bilbo looked back and forth between the two brothers and the rest of the dwarves, now reaching into their pockets. "Hold on just one moment. Are you saying you lot bet whether or not I'd fall to my death?!" The hobbit asked. His voice reached a hysterical pitch by the end of his question.
Kili shook his head immediately making his wavy hair sway back and forth. "Of course not!"
"Not everyone took part in the bet." Fili finished his brother's thought.
"That's right. Ori and Balin didn't." Kili continued emphatically, as if that would make the fact that most of the company had wagered on Bilbo's life better.
The fair-haired dwarf smiled easily. "Indeed, Balin said it was bad luck to wager on your life and Ori here…well."
Kili separated the winnings into four small pouches while continuing his brother's sentence with ease. "He just sort of babbled about how it was wrong and how you were going to fall to your death, and then we'd lose our burglar. You know, that sort of thing." The dark-haired heir tossed one of the small pouches to Fili who caught it easily and gathered up the other two handing one first to Dwalin and the other surprisingly to Thorin.
A smile broke out on Bilbo's face. "You bet that I would do it, Thorin?"
The dwarf king without a kingdom rolled his eyes at the smile and gruffly replied, "Don't get too excited. I always bet on the side of Fili and Kili."
The hobbit's mouth opened and closed several times stammering non-sense indignantly with his hands firmly set on his hips. "Well…I…but…really? So what happens if Kili and Fili bet differently?"
The dwarven company burst out into booming laughter at the ridiculous notion of Fili and Kili doing anything separate.
"Well surely they've placed a bet on different sides before?!" Bilbo exclaimed throwing his hands into the air.
Thorin lifted his bag from the ground preparing to leave. "On very rare occasions." Thorin's deep voice answered the hobbit's question.
Kili smirked and hoping to keep the lighter mood going added to his uncle's words. "And when that happens Uncle Thorin always sides with me. You know, since I'm always right."
"Ha, always right? I think ya may have been knocked in that hard head of yours a few too many times, Lad." Dwalin's booming voice sounded. The laughter continued for a few more moments, but the mirth was shattered in an instant as Fili shouted suddenly in a terrified voice.
"KILI! NO!" Fili lunged forward gripping his brother desperately with pure terror in his pale eyes. The action brought both dwarf princes to the forest floor. Kili was frozen in shock as Fili's hands glided over his younger brother frantically. "It's going to be okay, Kili! You're going to be fine!"
Kili's heart hammered almost painfully against his chest as it raced, adrenaline pulsing through his body causing his breath to quicken. His mind tried to pull him into dark memories of the last time he had heard Fili's voice so desperate, but the young dwarf shook them away. His older brother needed him. "Fili, what's happening? What's wrong?!"
Fili didn't seem to hear his brother's words at all and just continued his unwarranted panic. "You can't do this to me! Not after everything…you can't leave me…Kili please."
Kili's heart ached with his brother's desperate words and the way his voice cracked with the coming of tears. The young dwarf couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. Everything was fine only a moment ago.
After an initial shock the other dwarves snapped into action with Dwalin and Gloin gripping Fili's upper arms and pulling him off his younger brother. Thorin quickly helped his youngest nephew to his feet and his deep blue eyes swept over Kili with a mixture of concern and confusion. The dwarf king looked his nephew over intently trying in vain to see whatever Fili did.
Despite the others in the company moving closer to the action, his uncle's scrutiny, and the chaos of multiple raised voices mixing together, Kili's sight never wavered from his brother. Fili thrashed wildly in Dwalin and Gloin's arms, frantically trying to dislodge their hold. "Let me go! I have to get to Kili! Ahh! Let go! Can't you see he needs me?!" The fair-haired dwarf cried in desperation.
Without hesitation, Kili yanked his arm free from his uncle's strong hold and crossed the distance to his struggling brother. The youngest Durin placed both his hands on either side of his older brother's face. "Fili, I'm fine. Whatever you're seeing it's not real. Listen to me Brother, I'm real. Snap out it!"
Fili's struggle slowed as Kili began speaking to his brother until his fight finally stilled completely. The fair-haired dwarf blinked and his pale eyes cleared of the terror and panic as recognition crossed his features. Fili took in a shuttering breath and his sight blurred with tears. "Kili?"
A smile of relief stretched across Kili's face. A rare smile that actually reached his eyes. "Yes it's me. Everything's fine, Fili. What just happened?"
Fili began shaking his head and blinking rapidly in distress. "I…I don't know."
Kili's warm brown irises flickered to Dwalin for a moment before returning to his brother just in time to see a tear finally escape Fili's watery eyes. The harden warrior knew exactly what the young dwarf wanted and immediately released his hold on Fili's arm, Gloin following his lead.
Once released Fili pulled Kili into a tight embrace, trembling fists clung to the back of his little brother's coat as if afraid he would disappear at any moment. Kili held on just as firmly, and willed away the tight feeling constricting chest.
Thorin's calloused hand landed on Fili's shoulder and squeezed gently to gain his attention. "Fili, tell us what happened." The dwarf king's voice rumbled softly with concern.
The dwarf brothers broke apart, but Fili didn't let go of Kili completely, keeping a tight grip on his brother's forearm.
Fili's pale blue gaze connected with the deep blue of Thorin's, and the dwarf king was struck with just how young his nephew truly was. Not for the first time on this quest the thought entered Thorin's mind that it was a mistake to bring Fili and Kili along. They were too young, not experienced enough, not ready for the perils of this endeavor. His own selfish need to keep them close would get them killed.
Fili's voice was unsteady as he began to try to explain what he had seen. "We were just laughing, everything was fine, and then…it wasn't." The young dwarf stopped talking abruptly and took a couple of breaths, as if preparing himself for what he would say next. "Kili suddenly coughed up blood and…and called out for me. He looked awful, pale, bloody, almost like—" Fili's voice trailed off and the young heir clenched his teeth. After another moment Fili's troubled gaze shifted to look at his brother. "You looked like when we found you a year ago."
Kili's heart shuddered with his brother's declaration. The young heir knew just how much Fili hated talking about that night. Briefly, Kili thought of something Fili had confided in him while he was recovering from his ordeal with Carrek and Maluc. "When I walked through those trees and saw you…Kili, you looked dead. I have never felt so empty as I did in that terrible moment. It was my worst nightmare come to life. I can't lose you, Brother."
Kili squeezed Fili's arm firmly, hoping to reassure his clearly distraught older brother. Fili seemed to gain strength from the gesture and continued on in a steadier voice than before. "It seemed so real. Kili was choking on his own blood, but I couldn't find the wound, and then I was being pulled away. All I could see was Kili dying on the ground until he was suddenly standing right in front of me completely fine."
Balin who had moved closer to the family spoke calmly. "Perhaps young Fili should be checked over by Oin?"
Fili shook his head adamantly. The movement causing the beads from his braided mustache to swing back and forth. "I'm fine. There's no need. We should just keep going."
"No need?" Thorin spoke in a deep voice immediately following his oldest nephew's declaration. "I may have been careless enough to push on without thought when you were struck with that arrow, but I will not make that mistake again. Especially, where elves are involved."
Thorin's tone left no room for argument, even though Fili just wanted to move on. He hated being the center of attention. However, as Oin moved toward the fair-haired dwarf to check him over Ori started yelling in a panic, pulling everyone's attention to him.
"Hellooo?! Whhh—where is everyone?!" The youngest member of the dwarven company stammered loudly, turning in a circle. Ori's eyes darted frantically around the woods as he turned, a look of fear settling over his features.
The members of the company all looked at each other in confusion while Dori moved closer to his youngest brother, reaching out in worry. However, just before his hand made contact Ori stumbled forward, causing Dori to momentarily lose his footing.
Ori's panic increased, "I'm alone…oh no, no, no. What happened? Where are you, Dori, Nori! Please…I'm scared—"
After hearing his younger brother's pleas, the normally nonchalant Nori rushed towards Ori and swiftly pulled him into a surprising hug. Holding him tightly, Nori spoke in a tone softer than any of the company had ever heard from the somewhat shifty dwarf.
"Ori, hear me. You are not alone, Brother. You were never alone." Nori whispered softly.
By the time Ori seemed to snap out of whatever made him panic Dori had arrived next to his brothers and gripped both of their shoulders tightly. The rest of the company began asking questions rapidly with raised voices. All of them concerned by what was happening to their younger members.
Suddenly, Balin's steady voice broke through the chaos, halting the multiple voices of the company. "There are legends of places where darkness thrives. Where people see their fears like waking nightmares." The aging dwarf looked to his longtime friend, his king, and continued with eyes that showed uncharacteristic fear for the experienced adviser. "We must leave this place as quickly as we can."
End Chapter
What did you think? If you liked this chapter and/or are excited that this story is back let me know with a review! As always, if you enjoy this story or my writing remember to hit the follow/favorite buttons. Thank you to everyone that read this new chapter and all of you that have been patiently waiting for an update. I would like to thank TheRavenAndBear in particular! Your review really showed me that I still had people interested in this story when I thought it was too late. I apologize for how long it has taken me to get you a new chapter, but I'm hoping it's better late than never.
This chapter had a mind of its own so that's why I had to change the chapter title to Nothing to Fear.
Coming soon: A Web of Danger