Content Warning: Implications of sexual abuse ahead.

X

The next morning, Nadi woke to a golden ray of sunlight slanting across her face. Disoriented, she pushed herself up and rubbed anxiously at her eyes as her head cleared. Across from her sat Fili, with Kili snoring softly at his shoulder. When their eyes met, Fili raised his brow and Nadi nodded. There were shadows cast along his face, but if it was haggardness or a trick of the light, Nadi could not tell.

They woke Kili and silently began to collect the bags of gold that they had stolen from the horde. Nadi held up three fingers and then rounded her arms by her side, signaling that they each carry three full bags. There were bound to be unexpected expenses during their trip and Nadi would have liked to take much more, but she had to consider the size of her boat and how much it could carry. They would be adding a fourth person to their trip, after all, even though the brothers didn't yet know it.

And she had no idea how she would be breaching that news.

It was still early enough that the rest of the Company hadn't woken up. She could hear someone's whistling snores as they crept along the outer passageways, all the while watching the ground floor for movement. It was still hard for her to believe that only a few days ago a giant, fire-breathing dragon had laid there, right below them. But Smaug was dead. To hear Kili tell it, the dragon's body lay bloating beneath the waters of Laketown. The thought of occupying Smaug's watery burial ground was enough to make her shiver.

Finally, after an hour of slinking through darkened halls and twisting staircases, they crawled their way through the stone fortifications and found themselves outside. Only a few feet below them, Bilbo must have lay slumbering in the cave by the ashes of last night's embers. The thought of leaving him behind still nagged at her conscience, and so she turned her head to the sky and breathed in the smell of last night's rain. The heat from the early-rising sun was causing the frost upon the mountain to sparkle and crackle as it was turned into rolling mist. Having realized that there would be no ceremony or fanfare for their somber departure, the three Dwarves began their quiet descent along the Mountain. When they reached the base, Nadi uncovered the boat that she had bought in Laketown and allowed the two brothers to hoist it along their shoulders. She had tried to help bear the weight but had found that she was too short to grasp it firmly. And so instead, she trudged along behind them and bit her lip. At some point, each of the Dwarves must have looked back upon the Mountain and reflected, in their own way, upon the bitter circumstances surrounding their retreat. But no one spoke on it. They allowed the crunching of the snow beneath their boots to speak for them, as well as the heavy breaths that they drew and the distant calls of the migrating hawks.

Hours passed. It was not yet time for them to reveal themselves to the citizens of Lake-town or face the scrutiny of the Elven army, and so Nadi had them circumvent the city of Dale. It added hours to their trip and by the time they reached the open waterfront they were drenched in sweat and panting heavily. Nadi stopped and placed her hands on her knees as Fili and Kili distributed their many bags through the boat.

"Wait-" she huffed and pointed at an empty spot on the boat. "Leave room for one more."

"One more?" Kili repeated. He looked at Fili, looked behind him, and looked back at Nadi. "Have we taken someone else with us that I cannot see?"

"Told you not to drink so much brandy," Fili said.

"Shut up-"

"Oi, oi, oi. Quiet now," she ordered. "We will be bringing someone with us. We're picking them up along the Eastern forest."

"Ah! That's quite lovely, then," Fili said as he hoisted a bag into the boat with more force than was necessary. "Any other surprises you'd like to tell us before we set off?"

"Tis not a big deal," she grumbled.

"Nay, it is," Fili said. "I'm beginning to wonder if you take pleasure in leading me around blindly-"

"Oi!" Kili quickly interjected as Nadi's cheeks darkened. "Come on, now. Let's not fight. We're so close to being free! If Nadi says that we must add another to our party, then I'm inclined to believe her."

"Mm, yes," Fili said with a toss of his shoulders then added beneath his breath, "what's a dog without its leash?"

"Oh, get in the boat you blond-haired troll."

Nadi ushered them in and they pushed off from the shore. She was the only one among them who knew how to maneuver the little craft, and so they sat back as she worked the long paddle. Large slabs of ice thumped against the edges of the boat and they hunched over, their teeth chattering against the cold. It was to be a long and silent journey, Nadi realized, and the tension that had fallen upon them only served to sour her mood. She kept her gaze riveted above their shoulders, watching the distant line of trees approach at an infuriatingly slow pace. It was possible that it had all been a mistake. Maybe the boat would capsize and they'd tumble into the unforgiving black water. Which, at that point, sounded a bit too tempting.

Kili turned around in his seat and rummaged through his bags. The boat rocked sickeningly as he withdrew what looked like a net strung with crystalline jewels and held it up to them.

"Look'it what I found in the treasure horde," he said proudly. He gave the net a flutter and it unfurled before them. "Quite nice, isn't it?"

Both Fili and Nadi leaned forward and squinted at the netting. Except, it wasn't a net. It was-

"I think it's some sort of armor adornment," Kili said, holding it up to his body. "Meant to be worn into battle, you know, above the breastplate. Can't wait to try it on-"

Nadi gasped as both she and Fili realized what it was at the same time. Fili snorted and Nadi fell back, dropping the paddle on her lap. Kili looked between them in exasperation as they began to laugh and point their fingers at him.

"What?" He demanded, his hair swinging back and forth as he looked between them. "What's so funny!?"

"You-" Nadi wheezed. She fell helpless into a fit of cackles and grabbed onto Fili for support. Kili jumped and put both hands on either side of the boat as it wobbled precariously. "You silly Dwarve!" Tears streamed down her face as she and Fili howled with laughter.

"Mahal," Fili said. "Wait - wait! I cannot breathe. Nadi, look at him!"

"Kili, hold it up to your chest again!"

Kili dropped the netting and crossed his arms obstinately. He wasn't used to being the butt of any joke, not if he could control it.

"He said it's 'armor adornment,' " Nadi said breathlessly as she clung tight to Fili's shoulder.

"Oh, it's armor adornment, alright," Fili said back.

"Breastplate, indeed!"

"Aye, alright," Kili said. "Let's see who's laughing when I knock your sorry heads together like conker nuts."

"Kili, I'm sorry," Fili said, wiping a line of tears away from his eyes. Another chuckle escaped him and he gave a smiling sigh. "That, what you're holding. It's not body armor-"

"-it's a corset!" Nadi exclaimed. "A very, very naughty corset for a naughty time!"

"Huh?" Kili uncrossed his arms and quickly picked up the netting. He held it up to his body and gave it a flutter so that it rolled down in front of his chest. Unfolded, it revealed the shimmery shape of two breast cups strung together with crystal beading. Another line of jewels led down to the leather waist belt, from which extended two jeweled thigh cuffs. "By my beard…"

"Oh, go on! Put it on, Kili!" Nadi cried. "I'm sure that you will look prettier than any bright-eyed damsel ever could. Go on, go on!"

Kili grinned broadly and took off his fur coat, followed by his leather vest and cotton shirt. The two Dwarves laughed heartily as they watched him attempt to wrangle the feminine body piece over his broad shoulders. Then, failing in his attempt, he simply sat there grinning and shivering in the cold with the bodice tangled hopelessly in his hair. The tip of his nose had turned that particular shade of red that Nadi had always found attractive.

"Aie, alright!" Fili leered at him. "Why, pretty lady, you look so cold! Maybe a little kiss will warm you up! Come here!"

Fili puckered his lips. Seeing this, Kili ducked away with the fear of death within his eyes. Nadi covered her mouth as she began to hiccough from the laughter. She watched the two brothers tussle with each other and thought that maybe - just maybe - all would be well.

Then the boat gave a thump and the three of them looked up in surprise. The forests of Nadi's youth loomed tall and imposing beyond the sandy shore where they had docked. Fili gave an impressive whistle as he leaned back in the boat and surveyed their surroundings.

"Never thought I'd see this place again," he said as Kili struggled to untangle the jeweled body piece from his hair.

"Can't imagine who we'd be meeting here."

"You two wait here," Nadi said. There was a tremor in her voice but none spoke on it. She clambered out of the boat and straightened her coat with a huff. She was avoiding their eyes purposefully and hoping that they wouldn't see through to her anxiety. The meeting with her surprise guest could turn out quite awful if she wasn't careful. "I'll go and get him."

"Him?" Kili repeated.

"Here I was hoping it'd be another pretty lady," Fili said with a sigh

"Well, there is only one corset between the three of us-"

"And you know what that means.

"We'll have to take turns-"

"-as if all the gold in my sack would fit."

Fili gave an uncharacteristically salacious grin and Nadi rolled her eyes as the two brothers bumped fists. She flung herself around and they cowered beneath her gaze.

"Wait…here…" she hissed. "Or else!"

"Or else she'll get the belt again," Kili whispered.

"Or put the corset on."

"Mahal save us all!"

Nadi gave a disgruntled sigh and turned away from the brothers. Though their tomfoolery nettled her, there were much bigger matters at hand. And when all was revealed, their jovial mood would dissipate. From then on, all she could do was try to control the matter until all was settled, and her new world was built.

X

"All I'm saying is this," Kili was sitting upon the sand with his back against the boat. Now, he leaned forward and rested his wrists upon his knee. Fili sat before him, an intrigued expression on his face as he listened to him talk. Though he had been hurt by Fili's recent bouts of snappishness, he maintained a cheery disposition towards his brother. Kili wasn't as naive as people liked to think - he knew that the pressures of waiting to become king had hung heavy on Fili's shoulders. No doubt the journey to reclaim the mountain - and their abrupt departure from the others - had only served to exacerbate Fili's stress. But he loved him, and would always look up to him. He and Nadi were all that Kili had now, and he was content with this.

"Imagine Ori's sling, right?" He continued as Fili listened. "But with a higher power, and the ability to fire several stones, one after the other. Now how would you go about doing that? Well, I'd say you need to craft some sort of chamber capable of withstanding high pressures and store the stones there."

"Firepower," Fili said with a nod. "Like a…contained explosive, of sorts."

"That's what I was thinking. You'd fill the chamber with powder, and then ignite it-"

"-which would project the stones with high force, capable of killing enemies from a distance. It'd be much more useful than a bow and arrow, I'll tell you that."

Fili chuckled and clapped his hand on Kili's shoulder. "Whoever said my brother wasn't a genius probably had their head up their arse."

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you: how's the view in there?"

"You are vile."

"I learned from the best."

The two brothers sat there chuckling softly. It had been an hour since Nadi left, and already the sun was beginning its hurried descent towards the treetops beyond. There was the sound of footfalls on dry leaves and the brothers quickly stood up. Nadi appeared from behind the ring of trees, followed closely by someone that they could not see. Though Kili could not see their face, he could tell that they were Dwarven by the shape of them - and an unusually tall Dwarve at that. He glanced at his brother, who shrugged slightly in return. They both knew Nadi well enough. They could tell by the way that she tucked in her chin that she wasn't comfortable at all.

She stopped a few feet in front of them and cleared her throat. The Dwarve behind her was shrouded in a tattered cloth with the hood pulled down to his nose. His stringy beard was rusty in color and adorned with trinkets that had long since lost their shine. There was a wheeze and whistle in the air as he took in slow, laborious breaths.

"Fili, Kili," Nadi said. "This may come as an unwelcome surprise but I implore you to let me explain myself-"

"Who are you?" Kili barked at the cloaked figure. "Unveil yourself!"

"If it sets your mind at ease, then I shall do just as you please," came the croaking voice. The Dwarve put two withered hands upon his hood and then cast it back with a proud flourish.

"Oh…" Kili quickly put his hands to his mouth and took a deep, steadying breath in. There before him stood the infamous Dwarve Bahn: the head of the Bahndobin trio. Though Fili and Nadi remembered him for his wicked plight against all non-Dwarven races, Kili's memories were a bit different. Dark cloudiness began to gather at the edges of his vision and he suddenly felt quite faint. He leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees, willing himself not to vomit.

"Nadi. No." Fili growled. Bahn smiled at Fili, revealing a set of cracked, yellow teeth.

"Here stands before me Erebor's prince, all flaming eye and disgusted wince," Bahn said. Now that he had straightened up, he towered a few feet over Fili who had always been the tallest amongst them. "Nadi did not tell me you'd be coming with us. But I have no complaint, and shall make no fuss."

"You must have lost your mind during the journey here," Fili said, ignoring Bahn and turning on Nadi. "He is not coming with us."

She set her shoulders back and glared obstinately back at him. "He's the one that suggested that I keep the Arkenstone away from Thorin. I'm bringing him along as an advisor. It's only fair."

"Fair?" Fili repeated, rage creeping into his voice. Kili closed his eyes and whined, but nobody heard it. "Fair was leaving him in the Pit to rot. How did you escape, anyway?" Fili asked, turning once again to address Bahn.

"You seem disappointed by my gracious presence," Bahn said dryly. "I guess we'll skip the greetings and courteous pleasance. The destruction of the dragon sent stones into the Pit. It was a rough climb, if I do admit. My brothers were killed, but I remained alive and snuck my way out of that cursed stone hive. I've lived in the forest for many years since. Does that story please you, my sweet little prince?"

"Why is he rhyming?" Fili asked Nadi. She shrugged and twirled her finger by her head.

"Fili, I know what you're thinking." She said. "But he's atoned for his sins. All he wants to do is keep the stone away from Thorin and thus save our world from the king's greed."

"Atoned," Fili said in disbelief. It was uncanny, how similar to Thorin he could sound. "Ask Ailee - the innocent girl whom he kidnapped and tortured - if he has truly atoned."

"I was a different Dwarve back then," Bahn said smoothly, his amber eyes never leaving Fili's face. "Do you not believe in the forgiveness of kin? Perhaps if you did, you would not be here. You haven't forgiven your uncle, I fear?"

Nadi quickly launched herself in front of Fili before he could strike. Kil had barely heard any of this. He was still bent upon his knees over the water's edge. His reflection wriggled and distorted as minnows dashed frantically around his shadow. A memory was beginning to crowd itself along the edges of his mind. It was one that he had tried his hardest to forget, but the sight of Bahn's golden eyes - eyes uncannily similar to Nadi's - had brought it all rushing back with a sickening force.

Nadi and Fili were fussing at each other in rapid-fire volleys of angry Khuzdul. She held her hands in front of his face as if trying to calm him down, a gesture of hers that Fili had always found condescending. He pushed her hands away and shook his head repeatedly. But their words were unintelligible to Kili. He looked up from the water and caught Bahn staring at him from across the way. Somehow, he was able to hear his voice above the sound of Nadi and Fili arguing.

"Kili, boy, it's been a while," Bahn licked the top row of his teeth. "How I've missed that handsome smile."

"Alright!" Nadi shouted. She stormed away from Fili and began to push the boat back into the water. "You can stay here for all I care! Bahn is coming back with me to Lake-town and if you refuse to join us then fine - fine! Stay here and live the rest of your life in this damned forest or go crawling back to your gold-sick uncle! It makes no difference to me! Bahn, come here and help me get this boat in the water."

"Ain't she just a darling girl," Bahn teased as he shoved his way past Fili towards the treasure-filled boat. "Pretty as a blackened pearl."

"So you're going to take our boat," Fili called as Nadi hopped in and Bahn began to push the boat farther into the water. "You know that's our only way back. You're forcing my hand!"

"Aye. And I'm getting quite good at it," Nadi called back. "Best get in now before you have to wade too deep in the water."

"Insufferable woman," Fili muttered beneath his breath. Then, remembering that Kili was still with them, he turned and gave his brother an annoyed look. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Kili sucked his bottom lip in and shook his head. But he hadn't been shaking his head at his brother, he was trying to hold back the memory. The thought of it made his eyes sting but he refused to cry. He would not give Bahn the satisfaction of seeing him do so again. Fili gave a frustrated roar and grabbed Kili's sleeve. He hauled him impatiently into the water and pushed him into the boat. Kili was quick to scoot as far away from Bahn as possible as Fili clambered in after him. The red-bearded Dwarve was staring across the boat at Kili as if he was a birthday present being unwrapped slowly, or a bug beneath the blade of a sadistic child. Kili forced himself to meet his eyes and couldn't help but scowl in disgust.

Your form is shite, but your hands are strong. Come with me. I'll show you how to work your limbs properly.

The bile rose in Kili's throat and he quickly covered his mouth again. Nadi must have asked him a question because he could see her mouth moving and her brows raising. But he hadn't heard anything but Bahn's past words in his head. Are you sick? He could see Nadi's mouth spell out the words but there was a ringing in his ear that was so loud that it drowned out everything else. She dropped the paddle and reached out to touch him but he flinched away from her hand.

"I'm fine." He muttered darkly and then spat in the water. Nadi picked up the paddle and resumed rowing while Bahn looked between the three of them with delight. There was a long rope cord beneath his legs. Kili picked it up and began to fiddle with it in a desperate attempt to busy his mind.

"Well, well, isn't this nice? I've lost my brothers, but y'all shall suffice. " Bahn was saying. The boat was woefully cramped. His legs brushed against Kili's and Kili quickly pulled away. "Nadi, you've told me a little bit. But the Arkenstone. Where exactly is it?"

"The time is not right for you to concern yourself with that," she said as she narrowed her eyes, trying to navigate the water beyond the brothers' shoulders.

"Relax, my dear. Take it easy. I'm only curious. I want to see."

"Mm," Nadi said distractedly. "And how do I know you won't take it from my hand and throw me overboard?"

Why are you crying? I told you I'd be kind.

Kili looked up and met Fili's eye. Fili was looking over at him in concern, having finally realized that something was amiss. What's the matter, Fili mouthed as Bahn began to babble at Nadi. Kili averted his eyes and looked down at his hands. The rope beneath his fingers was slowly taking the form of a particular Dwarven noose that, once tightened, was impossible to escape. He hadn't been doing it intentionally….or perhaps he had. Perhaps his mind had come up with the plan long before he had realized it. Fili looked at the noose, glanced at Bahn, and then looked back at Kili with a crooked brow. He mouthed something again and Kili nodded.

Bahn was laughing. He was too busy talking to Nadi that he hadn't eleven noticed the noose forming in Kili's hands. Bahn gave her a friendly shove in the shoulders and she dropped the paddle in surprise.

"So tell me, Nadi. What is the plan? What do you need from this ol' man?"

"Cooperation, patience," she said, retrieving the paddle. "And for you to stop putting your hands on me."

"Ah! Now, that is a strange demand!" Bahn turned his head and gave Kili a wicked look as he said, "I've never had complaints about the feel of my hand."

"BASTARD!" Kili roared. He sprung forward and slipped the noose over Bahn's head. Before Bahn could react, Fili had trapped him in the crook of his arm and thrown his weight backward. There was a scream from Nadi as they tumbled overboard with the end of the noose still caught in Kili's hand. Without hesitation, Kili took a breath in, clasped his hands, and dived off the boat.

His impact with the chilly water sent a shock throughout his entire body. For a moment, he struggled to catch his bearing. Then, with a mighty churn of his legs, he propelled himself forward. Though the water was black, he could see ghostly silhouettes all around him. There was a thump and watery echo as the slabs of ice above him collided along the disturbed surface.

Fili was a few feet below him in the water. He had one powerful arm still wrapped along Bahn's neck. The other cut back and forth through the water as he swam farther and farther down. Bahn opened his mouth and gave a silent, enraged scream that unleashed a vortex of bubbles. He hadn't been prepared for what the brothers had planned, and so he hadn't had time to take a breath in. Good, Kili thought. He and Fili were surprisingly good swimmers for their kind. They had often practiced diving to the bottommost dredges of the lake with weighted stones in their hands. He could hold his breath as long as he needed to do what must be done.

The end of the rope was still in his hand. He pressed his arms against the side of his body and wriggled his body like a fish. He passed by Fili and Bahn and found himself confronted with a landscape of jutting underwater boulders and aboveground debris. The trunk of a long-since fallen tree was wedged beneath a pile of stones beneath him. Its monstrous size and stillness were eerie, and he was reminded of the dragon lying dead beneath Laketown. He swam down to the trunk and gave one of the branches a tug. Simultaneously, he heard a crash from above. He looked up and saw Nadi swimming quickly down from the surface, right behind Fili and Bahn. He caught Fili's eye and pointed up at Nadi. Fili nodded, let go of Bahn, and swam up to intercept Nadi.

For a split second, Bahn's body floated in limbo. Then, Kili yanked on the rope and looped it twice around a branch. The rope gave a bounce and then went taut as Kili tied the final knot. With one end of the rope tied around Bahn's neck and the other secured to the tree branch, Bahn's underwater fate had been sealed.

Quickly, Kili began to swim toward the surface. He glanced into Bahn's ghostly pale face and wild eyes as he passed. The fear of death was written all along Bahns's face and this brought Kili peace. Kili looked up - never again to look back - and saw Nadi thrashing violently against Fili as he pulled her along. They breached, and Kili followed soon after. Upon breaking the surface, he took a rejuvenating breath in and pushed his wet hair away from his face. Fili had hoisted Nadi in the boat. He heard her coughing and choking, but he remained in the water and let the last rays of the sun warm his skin. Then, he climbed back in and set himself down gingerly beside his brother.

"As-I-live-and-breathe," Nadi sputtered in indignation. "What have you done!?"

"Ensured the slow and warranted death of a rogue dog," Kili said as he smoothed the water out of his hair.

"HE'S GOING TO DROWN DOWN THERE!" Nadi screamed. She made as if to plunge into the water but Kili was quick to grab her by her sodden coat. At the time, the two brothers had no way of knowing that Nadi suspected that Bahn could have been her father.

"Aye, that is the point," Kili said as Nadi struggled against him. "Settle down!"

"But why did you do it-"

"Nadi, my sweet girl," Fili said with a heavy sigh. "You must never forget that we are warriors first, and gentlemen second. If my brother tells me that a man must be killed, I will not hesitate. Now hand me the paddle. We have a long night ahead of us."