"I suspe' tha' someone in yer relationship is bein' unfai'ful."

Fili was bent over in the bed, his head cradled in his hands. He gave a disgruntled sigh and swiped his palms across his brow. The small sliver of light coming from the part in his curtains was enough to give him a terrible headache. It was the morning after his wedding and Nadi was nowhere to be seen. It was probably for the better. Fili knew that, if she had chosen to stay in his presence the previous night, they would have done only one of two things: argued incessantly or spent the night in uncomfortable silence. And neither of these exactly lived up to his expectations of a fun wedding night.

Khurza had been quick to Nadi's place in Fili's chambers. Their private affairs had left him feeling bruised and battered, but he'd rather that than spend his wedding night alone. Now, Khurza's snarky comment - I suspect that someone in your relationship is being unfaithful - bounced around in his head. It was true that he had been unfaithful to Nadi, but so what? He was a king now, and subject only to his own rules. And the first and foremost rule was thus: what Nadi did not know could not hurt her. If she were to ever find out about his tryst - or even care enough to challenge it - he'd remind her that it was her fault for ignoring his needs.

But, as he sat there rubbing the raw spots on his wrists where Khurza's binds had sunk into his skin, he realized that this sort of thinking was strange and not of his character. Years ago, he would have happily cuffed the sort of scoundrels who prided themselves on being unfaithful to their wives. And now here he was: performing the same sort of treachery and attempting to defend it with superficial reason.

"Just leave it be," he finally said. She paused shrugging her shirt on her shoulder long enough to give him a warning glance. He averted his eyes, a cowardly and submissive gesture that she was good at invoking from him.

"Lee wha' be?"

"Our business," he mumbled. "It has nothing to do with my marriage to Nadi."

Her expression switched to pity as she clasped the last three buttons of her shirt. "Weren't talmbou' our business."

"Then who are you-"

"Nadi. And tha' bla'-hair boy."

He furrowed his brow. For the most part, he had come to understand her vernacular. But this response confused him. "Nadi and…who?"

"Tha' bla'-hair boy! Yer brotha!"

That black-haired boy! Your brother!

"What of them?" Fili asked. A sense of dread had gathered in the pit of his stomach at the sound of Nadi's name and the reference to Kili. Khurza rolled her eyes towards the ceiling, as if hoping to find a remedy for his stupidity there amongst the cobwebs, and the left side of her face twisted in frustration.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath. "'d wollop you if you were wor' the effort."

"Well, I appreciate your restraint." Fili quickly cleared his throat at the unintentional double entendre. "But what do you mean about Kili and Nadi? Do you know something that I don't?"

"E'rybody knows. They're playin' you for a fool, consor'in behind ya back in that lil treasury room."

This statement was enough to fill him with rage, and yet he tried to suppress it. He flung himself out of bed and stumbled towards the window. The curtains ripped along their hinges as he pulled them open and raised his face towards the burning sunlight. He didn't want to hear Khurza give voice to his deepest and darkest fears. Yet, by some tortuous desire, he needed to hear more.

"What are you talking about?" He asked in a low growl. The rib bones on her vest piece clattered as she pulled them over her chest.

"You know," she cooed. "You know dee down in yer heart. You saw them whisperin' together tha' night of yer wedding, 'fter he doused you in shite." Khurza chuckled. "Where was she las' night? Thrashin' an' moanin' beneath'is weigh', pullin'is 'air an'...cryin' out for him-"

"Stop-" Fili commanded but she ignored him.

"She'll neva be yours…nah so long tha' he's aroun'."

"And so what are you saying?"

"Teach'im a lesson. Teach'imta kee' 'is paws off what's yours."

Teach him a lesson. Teach him to keep his paws off what's yours.

Fili was breathing heavily, and yet he felt as if the air was not making it to his lungs. Khurza was right: Fili had seen Nadi and Kili whispering together on the night of his wedding. He had suspected foul play then but hadn't given it much consideration. Nadi may not have wanted to marry Fili, but she still had morals. There was no way that she would have acted upon unfaithfulness if it meant defying marital customs.

Or would she?

He didn't know anymore. All he knew was that the thought of Kili and Nadi together, twisted beneath the sheets in the treasury room, was enough to make him want to scream. He raised his fists and slammed them upon the thick glass of the window, hard enough to make it splinter. Blood began to spill along the edges of his hands as he raised them, quivering, to his face. If what he suspected was true, and Kili had swayed Nadi by some deviant, lustful trickery, then he'd find a way to make them both pay. All he needed was the slightest bit of proof. Moved by habit, he curled his bloodied fingers around the Arkenstone on his chest and squeezed it tight.

"What would you do," he asked her darkly. "If you were in my position?"

The question was only a distraction, meant to keep his mind off the images of him slitting Kili's neck. Khurza moved to the window beside him and peered down onto the sunlit avenue. The hounds that she had brought over from Ironhaven were still cramped together in a tiny barred cage upon the dock. As he watched, one of the hounds charged, sunk its teeth into one of its brethren, and began to shake its head savagely.

"'aven't fed 'em in a few days," she said, somewhat dreamily. "They sure loo' 'ungry."

She tapped his shoulder, then turned away and made for the door. It was only when it closed behind her did he strike the window, again and again until it burst into many crystalline fragments that rained upon the avenue below. The people on the dock looked up in surprise and he quickly moved away from the window. The sense of helplessness that had descended upon him was becoming unbearable. He felt as if his heart was on the verge of dashing itself to pieces against his ribs. Thoughts began to crowd his mind like many voices raised in unison. He didn't know anymore if he was in the wrong, or if the world had simply wronged him. All he knew was that he was suffering from terrible mental turmoil. Thoughts of past misdeeds - his, and those of his own family - assailed him with terrible force as he stumbled into his closet and closed the door.

The darkness within was a blessing. He could barely remember having slept during the past few nights. But from what he remembered, sleep was supposed to feel like this: dark, quiet, all-encompassing. He let his head fall back against the moldy wood and took several deep breaths until the voices in his head subsided. There was a strong scent of sap within the space and he focused on this as he closed his eyes, creating heavier darkness than the one surrounding him. Faintly, he could hear the strum and bustle of the world beneath him: the lapping of the icy waters, the chatter of the citizens, children's laughter. It was enough to remind him of Dale and this, in turn, calmed him.

"It'll be alright," he told himself in a monotonous voice. "It'll all be figured out. There is no need to be upset."

He was ashamed to think that his paranoia had driven him to entertain thoughts of hurting Nadi, or his brother. They were all that he had left, after all. No matter how deeply interwoven their romantic past had been, they were still his allies. They'd never do anything to hurt him. Khurza was a wicked woman and fond of breaking him down. She had merely enjoyed planting the seeds of distrust in his mind if only to see him wriggle beneath the mental blow. He fingered the Arkenstone as he continued to take deep breaths.

Perhaps I have become too much like Thorin, he thought to himself, perhaps this is all an illusion conjured up by blood greed, and sleeplessness. I must do better to maintain myself, and apologize to-

There was a sudden rapid succession of knocks at his door. Then, after a moment of silence, he heard it flung open. He would have gone out to face the intruders had not the voices that he heard stilled his hand.

"Fili?" He heard Nadi call out. "Fili, are you here?"

"He has a rather selective hearing," came Kili's voice. "Here, let me try…FILI!"

"Shouting his name won't make a damned difference if he has selective hearing," Nadi said. "Anyway, if he does have selective hearing then he has probably selected not to hear you!"

"Can't imagine why. My voice is like that of a sweet minstrel crying out in the night-"

"Nay, it is like that of a rabid bear being stung by a horde of bees-"

"Well, a rabid bear being stung by a horde of bees has never sounded nicer!"

"You're right! Your voice is so nice that you must save it for special occasions in which I am, preferably, not present."

"Have you ever heard of being tarred and feathered, Nadi?"

"Threaten me one more time and I will really make you cry out in the night."

"Ooooh, you pro-mise?"

Fili wasn't sure why he didn't leave the closet, then. Their childish banter was enough to make him sick with jealousy and irritation, and yet he could not help but listen in. He was hoping that the two of them would drop a hint as to the true nature of their relationship. Proof of unfaithfulness was something that he both feared and desired greatly. He heard the door slam shut and they moved deeper into the room.

"I think we can rightfully assume that he is not here," Kili said after a moment.

"Perhaps he is hiding in the closet?"

He heard Kili suck his teeth. "We both know that the closet is not big enough to fit his giant head."

"Dare I say you sound intimidated by the size of his head."

"Hey. Woman. Lady. My head may not be the biggest, but I have never had complaints about it. Don't you know that it's what you do with your head that matters, not the size?"

"Shut...up. You are a strange little Dwarve, did you know that?"

"Again with the size! It does not matter!"

Fili listened to them chuckling. The legs of his bed gave a tenuous creak as someone sat down upon the mattress. Quietly, he shifted to his hands and knees as he peeked through the crack at the bottom of the door. He could see Kili's boots cross the room and Nadi's ankles bouncing against the bed frame. Judging by their positions, Nadi was watching Kili as he stopped in front of the desk and opened a drawer.

"To be honest with you, I think I know where he might be," Kili said.

"Really? Do tell."

"Will you get mad at me if I speak the truth?"

"How would I know? I don't even know what you're going to say!"

"He's probably out following Khurza like a dog stalking the scent of roasted pig."

"Khurza? My Personal Executioner?"

"Don't call her that as if she's some kind of friend."

"If she hadn't slit my throat, I would have never gotten a chance to rise from the dead and the people of Lake-Town would have never believed a word about the Arkenstone's wonders."

"Nadi-"

"No, wait, go back a bit. What is this that you were saying about Khurza and Fili?"

"Only that he looks at her like a man dying of starvation. They've...done things, Nadi. Trust me, I know. It's why he's looked so beat up lately….well….more beat up than usual."

"Done things? Like-" she whispered a word that Fili could not hear. "-things? But, how? She's so tall!"

"He must've used a ladder-"

"- or a map and got lost halfway there."

"Ah, the things a man will do for a warm, amazing personality."

Kili gave that cat-hacking chortle that he was so well known for and Nadi laughed uproariously in response. Fili lifted his thumb and bit the nail bed until the pain forced him to yank it away. Listening in to their conversation had proven more difficult than he had expected, and not for the reason that he had assumed. It was then that he should have emerged from the closet, but the thought of meeting their eyes after hearing them slander his manhood was discomforting. The drawer sounded closed with a snap and immediately another one was opened. Fili wondered what Kili was looking for.

"You know, your cheeks have gotten rounder...puffier-like," he heard Kili say. "Deepens your pout. I like that."

"Nothing to it," Nadi said after a soft burp. "Just been eating a bit much lately."

"Eating enough for two, my mother would say."

"...what are you implying?"

"Are you implying that I'm implying something?"

"If you have something to say, I'd suggest you'd do it now..."

"Allow me to extend the same courtesy to you!"

The two fell silent. Fili imagined that they were staring at each other, and this thought almost overwhelmed him with envy. Finally, after too long of a time, he heard the sound of his drawer closing with a 'snap.'

"I knew that scoundrel had a flask of brandy in here!" Kili said. "Probably won't mind if I take it off his hands for a while."

"Kili," Nadi said. "What are we going to do about your brother?"

"Rip that damned crown off his head, pry the Arkenstone from his hands."

"I've considered it, but no. We can't afford any more trouble lest he attempts to emulate Thorin with his murderous wrath."

"So what are you proposing?"

Nadi sighed. Her feet withdrew from Fili's line of sight as she pulled her legs onto the bed. Kili's boots crossed in front of the closet and then disappeared one after another as he joined her on the mattress.

"Truthfully, I was thinking about running away again. I was born and raised in the forests. The only reason that my mother took me away from them was because she wanted me to catch a glimpse of the outside world, learn its ways. After all we've been through, I think I've gotten much more than a glimpse: I've gotten a real eyeful and I don't like it."

"But?"

"...but I can't do that. Run away, I mean. I've just been running and running and running my entire life. And I realized that, unless I dig my heels in somewhere, I will continue to run until the breath leaves my lungs."

"So why dig your heels in here, in Lake-town?"

"Well," Nadi paused. "You're here. I would ask you to run away with me, just one last time, and find that final resting place where we may live together free of chaos and burdens and war. We could make our own rules and paint our faces with river silt and run around in loincloths, always looking for the next big adventure…but I know you. You will never leave Fili's side, no matter how far he descends into madness."

"You're right."

"And I suppose I couldn't leave him, either. He's not like Thorin, he's not completely lost to the world. I can still see the glimmer in his eye, you know, that comforting one that always preceded his acts of compassion and kindness. You and I must've fallen to our knees a thousand times in our youth, but he was always there to pick us up and brush the dirt from our trousers."

"Be careful. You're starting to sound like you love him."

"Not in the same way that I love -"

Fili could hear the words die on her lips. He realized that he had been holding his breath. Now, he opened his mouth and let it out in a hollow sigh. His heartbeat filled the vacated space beneath his chest, almost deafening him with his cacophony. Here, finally, their conversation had taken that ill-fated turn that he had been anxiously anticipating. All would soon be revealed, and this frightened him terribly. Part of him was hoping that they'd end it there: go back to their stupid banter and witless jokes. But the other part of him hoped that they'd confirm his suspicions if only to justify his paranoia. He shifted even closer to the door and pressed his ear gingerly upon it.

"Wha…" Nadi said, a bit breathlessly. "W-what are you looking at me like that for?"

"Like what?" There was a gentle tease to Kili's voice that made Fili's stomach twist in angry knots. He knew where this was going, but was willing to hold out for definitive proof. The bed creaked as someone shifted their position on it.

"Like…the way I imagine Thorin would look if the Arkenstone was a w-woman in wet clothing."

"Heh," Kili chuckled. The mattress continued to creak as if he was crawling hand-over-knee across it. "How accurate."

"Kili…"

"You know," Kili continued in an octave deeper than his usual, oblivious to his own brother rising slowly to his feet with a heart full of rage in the closet behind him. "One thing that I will never forget is the look in your eye, many moons ago, when you pushed me onto my back and held me down against the forest floor…"

"Mahal, Kili, wait-" Nadi's words were cut off by a sudden gentle gasp. Fili put his hand on the doorknob.

"They say that diamonds are the hardest stone," Kili continued in a strangely muffled voice. "I've got a couple of them here in my pocket, stole 'em from the treasury. But I promise you, Nadi, they're not the hardest thing in my trousers right now. Just as Fili is not lost to the world, you are definitely not lost to me-"

That was enough.

Fili flung the door open. Nadi and Kili quickly separated, but Kili did not drop the look of challenging pride from his face as he glared back at his brother. Such an unapologetic display of cocksure possessiveness from his brother infuriated Fili.

He crossed the room in three quick steps and grabbed Kili by his collar. The young man gave a startled choke and Nadi screamed as Fili yanked him off the bed and dragged him, twisting and sputtering, across the floor. One shove and the door to the chamber opened before them. Without hesitation, Fili hefted his brother along the wooden boards of the balcony and pressed him back against the railing. Cold blue eyes met brown and they held each other's gaze as Kili's face began to turn an ugly shade of red beneath Fili's hold. The people along the dock gasped and pointed up at the balcony. Nadi rushed to the door but Fili quickly twisted around and slammed it in her face.

"I told you," Fili hissed as he turned and grasped Kili's collar once more. Kili put his hands on his brother's wrists and glanced nervously back at the water below them. "I told you…if you made one more mistake then I would show you no mercy."

"I have made no mistake - unhand me!" Kili's voice cracked in desperation as he looked back up at Fili.

"So you admit that your dishonesty was intentional….consorting with a married woman…I'll teach you to keep your paws off what's mine-"

"Get your hands off of me!" Kili screamed in his face. "Unhand me now!"

Fili paused. A small smile crossed his face as Nadi burst through the door. "As you wish," he said before bracing his hands upon Kili's shoulders and shoving him off of the balcony. The wood railing collapsed beneath Kili's weight and he fell several stories towards the dock. Nadi rushed to catch him but she was too late. Her hands grasped at empty air before clutching the broken pillars as she watched him fall. The last thing that she was was the shock on Kili's pale face before his head hit the edge of the dock and snapped back. For a moment, his broad arms were splayed along the dock's edge. He glanced up at them dazedly, promptly lost his grip on the wooden boards, and fell with a splash into the icy water.