Okay so I have little to no self-control when it comes to fanfic lol, so I decided to write this chapter regardless of interest.
Then Paladin17 PMed me and mentioned they hoped to see Thorin, Fili, and Kili in Narnia, so here this is. :)
I hope this doesn't bore you guys or anything! Ever since I started this story, I wanted to make sure I was planning where the other Durins were and what they were up to alongside Aili's story so I could flow them into the main story as well without it feeling forced or awkward or something.
Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter!
Side note: I'm not great at writing Thorin, Fili, or Kili, but I'm trying lol. Also, I have to go back to the Battle of the Five Armies for a bit. Sorry, guys!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
Thorin should have known better than to fall for Azog's cowardly schemes, but there Thorin was, watching that filth dragging his nephew into plain sight.
Thorin wanted to throw up, his heart clenching at the thought of what was about to happen and his helplessness to stop it.
The scene was made worse when he heard Aili trapped up there as well, grunting in exertion. Moments later, she was revealed, held back by Orcs as she watched her brother slaughtered before her eyes. She tried her hardest to get free of her captors, screaming in helpless rage, but it was no use as she awaited her own gruesome murder.
It came all too quickly. She was soon laying not five feet from her eldest brother, eyes open in death. Thorin couldn't look away.
That is, til he heard Kili's roar of grief and pure rage. That sent a jolt of panic through Thorin's entire body.
That boy would get himself killed! Thorin raced forward, unheeding of Dwalin's insistence that Thorin stay where he was.
There was no way in all of Middle-Earth Thorin would leave Kili to the mercy of those vile Orcs.
Try as he might, however, Thorin never saw Kili again. Azog came from nowhere, attacking, then retreating to let a few minions take over before striking again.
Thorin knew only fighting and killing until he found himself on the small frozen river beside Ravenhill, facing Azog after slaying the minions the coward had sent.
Their battle was exhausting and Thorin quickly realized, bracing Orcrist against Azog's sword, that there was only one way to finish this.
He let his Elven sword slip out from it's position under Azog's sword and almost didn't feel the pain as the metal sliced clean through his chest. Moving quickly before life left him, Thorin maneuvered himself so he was on top of Azog, leaning on Orcrist to ensure Azog was killed before stumbling painfully off the Orc, wobbling over to the waterfall.
Before he died he needed to know that it was worth it, that the battle was won.
The great eagles that had rescued him and his Company from Azog once were making quick work of the remaining Orcs, and Thorin swore he saw some giant beast he assumed was Beorn rampaging through the ranks as well.
He let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding and let himself fall to the ground, too drained to remain standing.
He may die, but Erebor would remain in Dwarf hands.
His last thoughts were of how poorly he'd been acting under the Dragon Sickness and how vilely he had treated poor Bilbo and those who had joined his Company. Thorin saw now that the Hobbit had been exceptionally brave and wise, removing the Arkenstone and letting Bard and Thranduil barter with it.
And Thorin had punished him for it, had tried to kill Bilbo in a fit of gold sickness-fueled rage.
As if summoned by Thorin's thoughts, Bilbo appeared, running up to him quickly and urging him not to move.
All Thorin could think of was making amends with the Hobbit before he went to the halls of his forebears. The dear compassionate Hobbit accepted Thorin's apologies and assuring the dying dwarf that his deeds were forgiven.
Cold crept into Thorin then and he felt strangely at peace, knowing he'd see his sister's children again soon. He also felt relief now that he had made amends with Bilbo, and thus Thorin began to let go, feeling the life seep out of him as the poor Hobbit sobbed and begged Thorin to hold on.
As Thorin let go, however, it was as if the dark were held off by a faraway light. Curious in spite of himself, Thorin seemed to move forward, feeling no fear of the unknown as the light grew before his eyes.
He was, however, surprised to hear a roar, as if some creature were calling to him. He found his feet moving toward the roar, warmth like a comforting summer breeze seeping into him again as the light completely enveloped him.
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Thorin felt something wet and cold beneath him, stealing what warmth the light left him with as his eyes slowly began to open.
His chest ached painfully as he managed, somehow, to get to his hands and knees.
He then saw snow and leaned back on his heels to get a better view of his surroundings.
Sure enough, it seemed he was in a wood of some kind, in a tiny clearing. Perhaps he was in the woods closer to Erebor?
But how? How had he moved? Why had he moved? Thorin didn't have any answers but felt surprisingly calm about the situation as he continued to look around.
Then a sickening thought occurred to him, making him feel dizzy and nauseous.
Where were his sister's children? Had they been miraculously restored to life as well? Thorin prayed to Aule he'd have the chance to make a fresh start with the young trio as he frantically looked around for them.
Then, just when he started to panic, he saw a mop of curly brown hair, almost completely buried in the snow.
Quickly moving toward it, Thorin breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. It was Kili, laying peacefully in the snow, no wounds visible, his beloved bow on his back and the quiver on his opposite shoulder. At his waist was his sword. Thorin felt more relief at knowing his nephew was armed at least, should anything happen.
As Kili began to stir, Thorin found himself searching around for Fili, finding the blonde hair not far away, no evidence of Azog's sword to be seen on Fili, either.
Fili was stirring as well, and both him and Kili sat bolt upright almost in sync, crying out in alarm. Then, they slowly began to realize where they were, looking around.
The pair's eyes widened as they saw Thorin between them, each racing over and eagerly hugging their Uncle with sobs of joy and relief.
"H-how? How is this possible?" Fili asks breathily, looking around before meeting Thorin's gaze again.
Thorin shook his head. "I...I do not know."
"Where are we?" Kili asks.
"I do not know that, either. I would guess perhaps closer to Erebor, but I cannot be certain."
Kili frowns, looking around curiously. "Well, if that were true, we'd be inside Erebor, wouldn't we?" He noted, "Surely someone would have found- -wait...where's Aili?!" At those words, icy terror seized all three Dwarves.
They searched the entire clearing but could find no trace of her anywhere.
Thorin felt sick. Why would Fili and Kili be allowed to return, but not Aili? How could Mahal separate them now, after reuniting the boys with him?
"Kili, climb a tree. It's time we get our bearings. Maybe you'll see some clue up there to where your sister is, as well." Thorin orders, knowing he had to take charge of the situation before it dissolved into chaos and panic.
Kili, trembling, nods and scurries up, Fili deciding to go with his brother. Thorin didn't stop Fili, and the pair climbed down moments later, eyes wide.
"I...I can't see Erebor anywhere." Kili murmurs.
"He's right. I don't recognize anything. There's no sign of Erebor at all, and I didn't see Aili anywhere."
Thorin frowns. What did it all mean?
A slow feeling settles over Thorin and he looks back at his nephews. The light, the roar...perhaps there was no landmark to recognize because this was a different world altogether. "Fili, Kili...somehow, I doubt we are in Middle-Earth."
"What do you mean?" Kili asks. "How can this not be Middle-Earth?"
"I don't know, Kili, but before I died, I saw a strange light and heard some manner of beast roar as if to call me to it. When I obeyed, I woke up here."
Fili and Kili blink, the same thought occurring to each of them at nearly the exact same time. "We had the same experience." Fili reports, looking to Kili, who nods in confirmation. "I think you are right."
Thorin briefly takes stock of the facts.
They were in an unknown wood in an unknown world, with no food, but their winter clothes and their weapons.
They didn't know where Aili was, and it was afternoon almost evening now, so they had to find shelter.
He turns to the boys. "What exactly did you see up in the tree? We need to find shelter for the night soon."
Fili nods. "Well, not much beyond a rather large forest blanketed with snow. There are mountains to the southwest, two small hills to the north, not terribly far away, and a river with a lake even closer than the hills." Thorin nods in thanks as he thinks of a course of action.
"We'll walk down to the river. Perhaps there are people there we can get answers from." Fili and Kili nod and the three Dwarves head out, making sure to keep heading North.
No one needed to say it, but each of the dwarves felt equally terrible at giving up the search for Aili, but somehow they all knew they wouldn't find her by wandering around and getting lost in the woods.
So they reasoned with themselves that by getting answers as to where they were and what was going on, they would get a better idea of where Aili might be.
There was some unknown feeling in their hearts that Aili was somewhere not terribly far away, and that they would eventually find her, so they trudged on, trying not to dwell on their missing family member too much.
However, it's hard to do when the absence haunted their every step.
Eventually, Kili thought he might go mad wondering about what could happen to his sister out here in the woods, so he decides to distract himself and Thorin and Fili by gathering snow into a snowball and lobbing it at Thorin's head.
Kili wasn't sure what made him do it, exactly, but the deed was done. Fili and Kili share a laugh as Thorin stiffens, snow caked on the back of his head, some falling onto his shoulders and down his tunics. Thorin turns, eyes glancing between the two though they both knew he knew which Dwarf threw the snowball.
Out of childish instinct, Kili pointed at Fili, who pretended to be insulted and threw a snowball at Kili as punishment.
From there it was all-out war, every Dwarf for himself as snowballs were hurled every which way.
Thorin, for his part, had been trying to think of a distraction himself and was about to sing or find some topic of conversation out of sheer desperation when the snowball hit the back of his head.
Of course, he quickly realized what Kili was doing and played along, finding himself genuinely enjoying the chance to bond with his nephews, even if the manner in which the bonding happened was rather childish.
Soon enough, Thorin had both nephews cornered against a tree trunk, laughing as he pulled a branch and released it, effectively burying his nephews beneath the clean white snow.
Laughing, the boys quickly escaped and tackled Thorin.
However, none of them realized how far they'd moved around in the course of their snowball fight and as such had no idea of the ravine sloping down toward a river that was dammed up with a large beaver's den on top of the ice.
Tumbling down the bank, it was a miracle no one was hurt as the dwarves came to a slow halt about three-quarters of the way down the slope. Thorin instinctively helped the boys up before looking around.
They were at their destination, it seemed, the river forming a small lake due to a beaver's dam.
"C'mon, then." He says, brushing himself off as the boys did the same. "Let's cross here and press on down the shore once we're across." As long as the beaver that made the dam and den wasn't around, he thought as they walked closer to the dam, they'd be fine. Besides, if it proved a threat, Thorin knew three armed warriors were more than a match for a beaver, no matter how big the large den made it seem the creature was.
However, none of them were prepared for a female voice to come from the den and for a beaver to come out, complaining about 'worrying herself to death' and 'needing some warning before you bring guests home' before stopping short. "Y-you're not Mr. Beaver." She murmurs fearfully, backing up a step.
It took the dwarves a long moment to connect the voice with the large beaver before them, hardly realizing that she was terrified.
It must have looked rather comical, the dwarves and beaver staring at each other as if expecting someone to attack. The silence dragged on before Kili managed to break it.
"He-hello, ma'am. Terribly sorry to intrude. My name is Kili and- -"
"Stay back!" The beaver barks. "I don't know what you heard, but my husband and I have done nothin' wrong and that's a fact! Tell the Witch to look elsewhere!"
Kili blinks, stunned. "Pardon?"
"You heard me!" The beaver, now getting over her fear, presses defiantly, and Kili decides to sit down on the ice so the beaver wouldn't feel so crowded and threatened.
"I believe there's been a misunderstanding." Kili begins softly, speaking as if to a wounded animal, slow and steady. "We're not here to hurt you or your, uh, husband." Thorin decides to pipe up, sitting and directing Fili to do the same.
"We're a bit lost, you see. Could you tell us where we are?" He asks. The beaver's eyes, still holding a bit of fear, but also a little confusion, turned to Thorin.
"What do you mean? You ought to know where the Witch's castle is."
"The Witch's castle?" Thorin repeats, leaning forward a bit.
"Aye! Your mistress won't be getting me and my husband in there, come what may!"
"Please, let's back up a moment." Thorin suggests, thoroughly confused. The beaver looks torn between confusion and distrust as he continues. "We are dwarves of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, but we've...lost our way there. Can you point us in the right direction?" He figured playing the lost travelers card was the right way to handle this. After all, it was the truth.
There are several seconds of silence before the beaver seems to relax just a little. "Lonely Mountain? There aren't any mountains, lonely or otherwise, in these parts. There are some mountains to the southwest, I know, but they're a good ways away and it seems you lot are heading north anyway." She explains. "Closest thing to a mountain 'round here is the Hills, but that leads to the Witch's castle, and Aslan knows those who go in stand a slim chance of coming back out."
The small wonder that seemed to come over each of the dwarves at the mention of Aslan (despite not knowing who or what the beaver was talking about) was lost at the third mention of 'the Witch'. "I see." Thorin mumbles, gripping his chin in thought.
It was clear the beaver, for some reason or another, had assumed the worst of the dwarves and Thorin was curious as to why.
"If I may," Fili begins, speaking up for the first time since the beaver came out of the dam. "What made you think we wanted to go to the Witch? You've mentioned her three times now and seem to think we're with her."
The beaver sighs heavily as if the topic made her sad. "See, most dwarves in Narnia were led astray, brided or threatened or what have yah, and promised loyalty to her. I know it was wrong, but I assumed you were from her camp."
The dwarves frowned, but held back a sharp retort.
Thorin managed a calm reply. "Durin's folk do not side with evil, through bribery or other means."
"I'm sorry, dears, but one can't be too careful." The beaver replies, looking a bit sheepish.
"I understand." Thorin replies gracefully and he truly meant it. If what the beaver said was true, she had every right to suspect them.
Kili's stomach then growled loudly and he claps a hand to it, cheeks red in embarrassment.
The beaver chuckles, her maternal instincts kicking in. "Well, it seems you lot have gone too long without food. Tell you what; help me reel in the nets and I'll cook you up some fish and chips for supper. Normally Mr. Beaver uses his hands, but lately he's been feeling lazy, so we use the nets." She explains and the dwarves feel at once at ease, as if they were visiting a relative, following her lead after thanking her and agreeing to her offer readily.
"No need to thank me, loves. And call me Mrs. Beaver." She said as she led them to a spot behind the house-like den and sure enough there were some ice fishing spots set up. The dwarves made quick work of breaking the ice and hauling up the two nets set up to provide the beavers with food for the winter.
It was so normal, the dwarves almost forgot that they were helping a large talking beaver for a moment as they carried the haul (a rather decent one, too) toward the den. "Mind your heads." Thorin warns, ducking in before Fili and Kili.
"Normally, this haul would last us a week or two, but we'll manage a nice meal for you three and more for Mr. Beaver and I. Might even be leftovers. If you don't mind, could you clean the fish out here? I'd rather not stick up the house with them fish guts. Put them in that pail there and we'll call it a day." Mrs. Beaver instructs as she opens the door and heads inside.
"You think this is a good idea?" Fili asks.
"I don't think we have anything to fear from this beaver." Kili points out, grabbing a fish and a knife. "Besides, I myself am rather hungry and if Mrs. Beaver is willing to cook for us, I say we take her up on her offer."
"I agree, Kili." Thorin chimes in. "We need food and Mrs. Beaver is happy to give it to us. We may even be able to get answers here. This beaver seems to have a good grasp on things." The dwarves nod and make quick work of cleaning the fish. "Leave your weapons outside. No need to have them in the house." Thorin instructs, setting Orcrist and his other weapons against the side of the house, making sure they wouldn't fall over.
Fili and Kili disarmed themselves as well before ducking into the den after their uncle.
Inside the den was perhaps the most quaint home the dwarves had been in since Beorn's house or Bilbo's Hobbit-Hole. They felt right at home as they helped Mrs. Beaver, despite her protests, season the fish and set them on a pan to start cooking.
"This smells lovely, Mrs. Beaver." Kili politely compliments, keeping an eye on the fish as they cooked.
"We haven't had a meal like this in a while." Fili adds, chopping potatoes to make what Mrs. Beaver called 'chips' though he didn't quite know what they were. "Nothing quite like home-cooked food."
"Oh. Well then, I'm happy to oblige." She replies, accepting the compliments gracefully as she takes the chopped potatoes and sets them in another pan, carrying them over to a pitcher of water and rinsing them.
While she worked, she asked some questions and discovered that the Dwarves were from somewhere called Middle-Earth, having woken up not five hours ago in the middle of the woods.
She also learned that the oldest dwarf was the boys' uncle and that they'd been hoping to find the younger dwarves' sister, who was missing. She could tell they weren't lying at all, coming to almost trust these strange dwarves as they all prepared the food.
At any rate, they were very well-behaved and seemed fairly cultured, all things considered.
Just as they were perhaps halfway through preparing the meal, Mrs. Beaver heard something outside and the dwarves went out to investigate, as well, grabbing knives just in case. After all, if the Witch was truly evil and had natives of this land under her command, one truly couldn't risk being caught unprepared.
"I've been worried sick!" Mrs. Beaver calls, coming out of the den, "And if I find you've been out with Badger again, I'll-" She stops short when she takes in the sight before her.
What no one was expecting was for Mrs. Beaver's husband (it was clear to the dwarves that's who this beaver was), to be leading four tired-looking children in fur coats toward the dam as if it were an everyday occurrence.
As soon as Mr. Beaver saw the dwarves, he tenses, eyes narrowing and looking ready to fight.
"Here, what's all this?" Mr. Beaver asks. "What are they doing here?" He nods to the dwarves, standing protectively in front of the children, who seemed shocked and a bit frightened at seeing the three Dwarves, even if the dwarves' hands weren't on their knives any longer.
"Oh, please. These Dwarves aren't from Narnia." Mrs. Beaver explains. At that statement, the youngest girl seems to remember something and comes forward, looking for something in her pocket.
"Hang on, Lu!" The older boy calls, catching at the girl's sleeve, but she dodged and walked a little closer, holding something up and showing the dwarves a moment later. The dwarves' eyes go wide when they see what the girl is holding.
It's a large purple runestone that the Dwarves would know anywhere.
"Do...do you know Aili?" The girl asks. Everyone but the girl is rather confused by her question.
"How do you know her?" Kili asks breathily, eyes wide and locked on the runestone in the girl's hand. His breath caught in his throat. How could this girl have his sister's runestone? None of this made sense.
"Where is she?" Thorin asks, trying his best to remain calm as he accepts the stone from the girl.
"Well, she was with a faun I met a little while ago, but…" There's suddenly a heavy, tense atmosphere as the girl struggles to make herself say what happened.
The icy terror the dwarves had felt upon discovering that Aili was missing came flooding back, worse now they knew she was in some obvious danger.
"She's our sister." Kili explains hurriedly. "Where is she?" No one answers and the dwarves fear the worse.
"Here, let's go inside. We'll tell you all about it over dinner." Mr. Beaver murmurs thickly, ushering the dwarves, who he now knew had no part of the Witch's scheme, inside. "She's alive, at least for the time being, but getting her back'll be the trick." Is all the explanation the dwarves can get from the beaver as everyone files into the den, making it rather cramped. His tone diminishes any comfort the words may have brought.
Just before Edmund, who'd hung back a bit, went inside, Mr. Beaver noticed the younger boy was glancing over his shoulder at something with an almost longing gaze. Following the boy's eyes, Mr. Beaver saw the two hills every Narnian who was loyal to Aslan feared. Mr. Beaver frowns.
Perhaps it was just coincidence, or perhaps Edmund somehow had met the Witch.
Mr. Beaver reckoned it would be nearly impossible for the boy to have met the Witch and lived, so the beaver settled for simply keeping an eye on the kid...for now.
"Enjoying the scenery, are we?" He asks, and Edmund doesn't say anything as he walks inside.
The poor impatient dwarves had to wait for answers as the girls took over helping Mrs. Beaver prepare the food and set the table. Soon enough, the food was set out and everyone did their best to squeeze around the table, making it even more cramped than before in the beaver's den.
Once they were settled, Mr. Beaver leans forward, front paw gripping a mug of ale. "Right, now we can get down to it." He takes a gulp of ale and gives a long sigh, reluctant to share bad news. "Aili and Tumnus have been taken by the Witch, I'm afraid."