Thank you all so much for the lovely response last chapter, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I am so sorry about the length of this wait – due to unforeseen circumstances I was without a laptop, phone or even iPod for several days, which was very annoying, but I'm back now!
So I was re-reading the last chapter and realised that I accidentally deleted a whole paragraph explaining where the hell Gandalf is, so I'll try and recover that here, sorry :S
Thank you to my guest reviewers – I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks also for telling me the whole of the Irish Blessing :)
Sorry for any mistakes.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Forty Two # Into the Woods #
Fíli groaned softly as a firm hand shook him awake. He was having such a lovely dream…
"Fee? Come on, wake up…"
"I'm awake…" the young dwarf moaned, reaching up to bat his brother's hand away.
"Well get up, then." Kíli replied easily.
Fíli opened his eyes, only to close them again. "It's still dark, Kíli."
"This is a busy town as soon as the sun rises," Kíli reasoned. "If we do not intend to be seen, it makes sense of leave before sunrise."
"Without breakfast?"
"Of course not, we have a hobbit in our company. If you don't get up soon, however, you may be going without breakfast. I've already eaten."
With a final moan of protest, Fíli swung his legs out of bed and pulled his heavier travelling clothes on over the top of his undergarment, following Kíli out of Bard's small guest bedroom and into the dining room.
"Good morning," Sigrid greeted cheerfully as she set plate of sausages down on the table, seemingly unaffected by the early hour. "Have some breakfast…"
"Thank you," Fíli smiled gratefully, sitting down next to Bilbo, who was already tucking into his own breakfast.
"You're welcome," Bard's eldest daughter smiled, passing Fíli a plate. "Help yourself to whatever you fancy. It's not that much-"
"It's perfect, thank you." Bilbo nodded sincerely as Fíli began to dish up his own breakfast.
Bard strode into the room with Nori and Bofur, who both already looked ready to leave already.
"…worried that the Master is corrupt, but don't worry, it's nothing we can't handle." Bard was saying to the unusually sombre dwarves as he walked. "He doesn't even know you're here."
"Really?" Kíli asked with a frown from the seat next to Fíli.
"Aye, when you sent word of your plan it was delivered straight to me. We thought it wisest to keep the Master out of the loop – he's been even more corrupt than usual of late." Bard explained with a frown. "Or at least that's what we guess he's been – no one's seen him in days."
Fíli nodded, unsurprised. Ever since the battle, Bard had seemed to be the one in control of the people of Lake-town – at least, he was the one that the people went to and the one they spoke of with respect. It was not that surprising if you took a moment to consider it – the Master had not gone to war with them, and the Master had not slain Azog the Defiler. Alongside Bard's triumphs in battle, the Bowman had also had the people's favour before the battle due to the help he so freely gave to his neighbours when they needed it. Furthermore, he had also been declared a friend to the Princes Under the Mountain, which clearly aided his social status.
In the spring, Fíli knew, Bard would begin to rebuild Dale with a group of people from Lake-town. Agreements had been made with Thorin over the politics of the situation and Fíli had studied all of the details until he was certain that he understood the treaties and, more importantly, the alliance that would hopefully bloom between the two reclaimed kingdoms. As Thorin's heir, he had been studying politics and treaties for a long time now, but so far nothing between Erebor and what would be known as New Dale was giving him a headache.
Bard would be a good king – Fíli was sure of it.
"Well, if that's the case we should be heading off as soon as possible. I do hope this won't get you in any sort of trouble, Bard?" Bilbo worried, standing up, and Bard smiled wryly.
"I highly doubt it will, Master Baggins, but thank you."
Bilbo smiled and nodded. "That's a relief… Come on then, Fíli, eat up quickly. Don't give yourself indigestion, though."
Fíli grinned and nodded at the hobbit's clear instructions, speeding up his eating slightly –though he carefully kept up the refined manners he had been taught by his mother for use in the presence of men. Few people could speak to Fíli the same way that Bilbo did without offending him, but somehow the hobbit could warn him seriously about something as trivial as indigestion without causing the young dwarf to feel patronised or ridiculed.
"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Tilda pouted. "You just got here."
"Unfortunately, yes," Kíli replied. "But we may be back for a visit someday, if you don't mind…"
Tilda grinned and nodded enthusiastically, and Fíli smiled as his brother winked at the little girl playfully. Bard's youngest daughter had been incredibly animated at dinner the night before, and when she had gone to bed Bain had admitted that Tilda had no stopped talking about the dwarves since she had first listened to them in the market place. Apparently she saw them as heroes who had saved them from the threat of the dragon and brought them a promise of new, better life.
Fíli sincerely hoped that they could pull through on that hope. Despite the hopes of his younger friends, Fíli knew that their struggles were far from over with the death of the dragon and the defeat of the armies of the orcs and goblins.
There would be political battles next – and struggles with economy and society and industry that they would have to overcome in order to see Erebor prosper again - and it was unlikely that Dale would begin to thrive until Erebor flourished.
A part of Fíli felt a little guilty at leaving the mountain at such a time, but there was little he could do. His kingdom and his duties may be central to his life but Kíli was Kíli.
It was still dark when they left the house. They bid farewell to the two girls there and Bain led them to the Western Gate of the town, where Bard was waiting with their ponies already on a ferry. The vessel was not much bigger than the one they had come in on, and Bilbo eyed the barge apprehensively.
"Are you sure that it will float, with all the ponies and all of us?"
Bard gave Bilbo an amused smirk. "I am sure, Master Baggins."
"Can't you swim?" Bain teased lightly, and Bilbo shivered.
"No, he can't." Kíli piped up, clamping a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "He's quite terrified of swimming."
"I would not say terrified…" Bilbo protested, and Fíli chuckled, clambering onto the ferry with his brother at his heels.
They bid Bain farewell at the gate and Bard began to steer them away as the sun began to peek over the edge of the water and the townsfolk began to stir. Fíli found the barge ride far more enjoyable on the return journey than he had on their first trip across the lake. This time Bard was a trusted friend as opposed to a suspicious stranger and Fíli was not exhausted from an adrenalin filled escape from the woodland realm this time.
"So, you are being escorted through the Woodland Realm this time?" Bard confirmed, and Bilbo nodded.
"That's right. Gandalf will be meeting us at the same spot where we first met you, along with an elven escort. Thranduil and Thorin both want to keep the peace between the Lonely Mountain and the Woodland Realm and an escort will keep us out of danger, which pleases Thorin, and trouble, which appeases Thranduil." Bilbo smiled slightly. "At least that's the idea. It will take a lot to keep those two out of trouble."
Fíli bristled in mock anger at Bilbo's gesture towards him and his brother. "Did you hear that, Kíli? Your guardian thinks we cannot stay out of trouble."
Kíli grinned. "Ah, well I do like a challenge."
"And what challenge would that be?" Bilbo raised a wary eyebrow.
"To live up to our reputation, of course." Kíli's wide eyes made Fíli laugh. His brother looked so innocent that it was blindingly obvious his thoughts were not.
The friendly banter continued for the rest of the journey and Fíli spared continued to look over his shoulder at the glorious image of the golden sun rising over Lake-town. This sun was fully up by the time they reached Mirkwood, but Gandalf was not waiting for them.
"…so I said to the Barman-"
"Wait!" Bard held his hand up suddenly and Bofur paused in his humorous tale.
"What?" Fíli murmured quietly, taking in the Bowman's sudden tension, but Bard simply raised a finger to his lips and reached for his bow.
Instantly Fíli's hand whipped to the vambraces on his arms and he drew one of his throwing knives silently, his mind as sharp as its cold blade.
For a long moment they waited in silence.
Finally Bard lowered his bow. "It's nothing. I'm sorry for spooking you; I thought I saw something in the trees. I've been a little on edge since the battle – my apologies."
"It's alright," Bilbo said, though his voice was far quieter and shakier than usual. "Let's just get a move on, shall we?"
There was no jovial conversation as the group worked swiftly to get the ponies off of the barge – which became quite a hassle when Bilbo's pony Nettles refused to walk over the bridge they made between the barge and the shore. After such a small, insignificant scare, tensions were high and the mood was solemn, and Fíli found himself mourning the carefree attitude that Kíli, at least, had possessed before the battle of Five Armies.
They had all been changed by the battle but Fíli was a little worried about the effects the battle had had on his little brother. It was not like Kíli to be clutching his sword with a tight jaw the way that he was, and the fact that darkness in Kíli's eyes had nothing to do with his eye colour as they scoured the woods hurt Fíli more than a little.
"Kíli," he called automatically, "There's nothing there. Don't worry."
A small smile passed across Kíli's face and he nodded slightly, his hand easing off the hilt of his sword. Fíli smiled wryly back, glad that he could make his brother feel even a little better.
Bard cleared his throat loudly. "Well, I'd best be-"
"Argh!" Nori's sudden yell drew Fíli's attention to the corner of the woods and his eyes widened in horror.
An orc had its filthy arms wrapped around Nori's neck and was trying to drag him into the woods, though it appeared to be limping badly. In moments Nori had wrenched himself free of its grasp and Fíli's knife sailed into the pitiful creature's chest at the same time as arrows from Kíli and Bard embedded in its head and heart.
"Nothing there?" Kíli looked up at Fíli, breathing heavily and Fíli swallowed.
"I might have been mistaken – Nori, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the thief grumbled, shrugging his shoulders to adjust his coat with an extremely disgruntled look. "Took me by surprise, that's all."
"Do you think there's more of them?" Bofur asked, his voice a little higher than usual.
"No," Bard said heavily, striding over to the orc and stabbing its left leg with his bow. "Look, it's missing half of its leg. With an injury like that, I doubt it was cooperating with other orcs."
Fíli nodded slowly, satisfied with that answer, but Kíli frowned. "Why?"
"Orcs don't tend to look after their wounded if the injury is too serious." Fíli explained. "Not if they think the wounded will slow them down. A missing leg, well, that'd be a death sentence – for an ordinary, low ranking foot soldier that is."
"What do they do then?" the youngest dwarf's frown deepened.
Nori scoffed. "Rip 'em to shreds and eat them."
Kíli paled and looked to Fíli, who glared at the spiky haired thief. "I would not have put it so bluntly, but yes. If they didn't just kill them."
"What if he's not just an ordinary foot soldier?" Bilbo asked, looking a little green and just as shaken as Kíli.
"I doubt it," Fíli put in before anyone else could. "Look at the fake foot – it's nothing more than a branch strapped to his leg with straps of clothing. We know from Azog – curse his name – that when orcs do replace limbs they use metal, nor wood. This one doesn't look like he's been eating much recently – he probably dragged himself here after the battle to try and avoid getting eaten himself…"
"How did he cross the lake?" Kíli worried, and Fíli noted that there was still an arrow nocked in his brother's bow.
"He probably crawled around," Bard looked at the creature in disgust. "It's been over a month since the battle, he's had the time to. Perhaps I should wait until Gandalf arrives…"
"There's no need," Bilbo murmured. "But thank you. I expect he'll be here shortly."
Bard nodded slowly and grasped the hobbit's hand. "Until next we meet, Master Baggins."
Soon, the lake-man had bid farewell to each member of the company and was reluctantly sailing back across the golden lake.
Fíli strode over to his brother, clamping a hand on Kíli's shoulder wordlessly. Kíli offered him a weak smile in return.
"Well, that was lovely." Bilbo scoffed. "I do hope Gandalf arrives soon."
"I am here, Bilbo," the wizard's familiar voice came out of the woods behind them and Fíli jumped, turning around to see Gandalf walking out of the woods behind them leading a large chestnut horse. "I highly doubt that by 'lovely' you truly mean 'lovely', Master Baggins so what, may I ask, happened here?"
"Gandalf," Bilbo sighed in relief. "It was-"
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Nori interrupted nonchalantly, "A rogue orc."
"A rouge orc?" Gandalf raised an eyebrow before frowning at the dead creature.
"We think he crawled here after the battle," Kíli nodded solemnly.
"Hmm, that is not a pleasant thought. Were any of you harmed?" Gandalf frowned.
"No," Nori's voice was blunt and firm.
"Good," Gandalf nodded. "It was alone?"
"We think so," Bofur glanced at the woods. "But we haven't exactly checked…"
As if in direct response to Bofur's confession, a figure emerged from the woods flanked by two others, but they were certainly not orcs.
"What sort of greeting is this?" Tauriel asked with raised eyebrows, and Fíli noticed that his hand was not the only one tightly gripping a blade.
"Oh, sorry," Kíli's face instantly broke into a smile.
"Is that an orc?" Elladan or Elrohir asked in surprise as their twin walked over to frown at the creature's corpse. Fíli had never been able to tell Elrond's sons apart.
"A straggler from the battle, it appears." The other twin looked to Bilbo who nodded.
"We think so, but we cannot be sure."
Tauriel glared at the orc with utter disgust. "I will alert the guard. We will ensure that no more orc filth cross our borders. In the meantime, shall we begin? The track we will be taking is suitable for your ponies if you wish to ride."
With a glance to his brother and a nod to the elves Fíli mounted his pony, watching as the others followed suit. Now that he was riding, Fíli found that he was around eye level with the walking elves, which was a strange thing in itself.
Fíli was well aware that Bofur and Nori did not like the idea of an elven escort – even Fíli himself had been a little sceptical – but he knew that they were just as appeased as he was at the sight of Tauriel, Elladan and Elrohir. He would not go so far to say that he was friends with any elf, but Fíli did not dislike Elrond's sons and Thranduil's fiery captain – they were rather easy to get along with in comparison to most of their kin. Moreover, he owed them his life and he knew it. Their frequent presence in the dwarven healing tents had familiarised the entire company with the trio of elves and each dwarf was well aware of exactly how much he owed each of the skilled healers, so Fíli was unsurprised when Bofur and Nori's obvious tension eased away and they began a simple conversation – even if it was a little quieter than usual.
Kíli, of course, had never had any problems with the elves, so he was chatting amicably with one of Elrond's sons within minutes, while Bilbo was immersed in a different conversation with the other, Gandalf and Tauriel. By watching for a few minutes, Fíli found that he was able to distinguish between the twins when Kíli addressed Elrohir by name during their conversation. The blonde dwarf then noted that Elrohir's clothes were darker than his brothers, and he hoped that they intended to keep it so for the duration of their time with the company; otherwise Fíli would not be able to tell them apart at all.
Fíli rode in silence for a while, content to immerse himself in the peace of his own mind. There were many things to think about after all: the journey ahead, the dangers they may face, the results at the journey's end.
Soon Fíli's contemplations turned to the woods around him. Mirkwood was different in winter, he mused. The treetop ceiling meant that there was very little snow on the forest floor, though it was still very cold, and while the darkness caused by the trees was just as claustrophobic as it had been in the autumn, Fíli found that the icy breeze somehow made it feel a little less suffocating. Since the cold did not bother him very much, he found that the fresh air brought in by the freezing wind was definitely worth the drop in temperature. As is the way with the weather, when Fíli began thinking about the cold he began to feel its bite all the more on his exposed face and he glanced towards Bilbo. The hobbit was snuggled down in his fur lined dwarven coat, but he continued to chatter rather happily so Fíli did not worry.
"This forest," Bofur asked Gandalf after a while, the hesitant curiosity in his tone drawing Fíli's attention. "Was it always like this?"
By the look of growing discomfort on Bofur's face, Fíli guessed that the dwarf had not imagined that all other conversation would stop to give focus to his own musings, but everyone turned to look at him regardless.
"What do you mean?" Tauriel asked before Gandalf could, a slight edge of defensive hesitance to her voice.
"It's so dark and gloomy – and the spiders." Bofur shuddered slightly before looking up and adding quickly. "I mean no offense, only I thought elves love the light."
Fíli looked to the elves with interest.
Tauriel smiled sadly. "The spiders are a recent infection within our lands and they are a threat we are dealing with, though our progress may be a little slow. The darkness, though… Well, by the time I was born our Greenwood the Great had already darkened into what is now known as Mirkwood."
"The spiders were spawning in Dol Guldur, but the old fortress has been dealt with, for now." Gandalf's words were far more concise than usual and the wizard said no more on the subject.
"It was not always so dark here," Elladan sighed, looking directly at Bofur as he spoke. "It is true that the canopy has always been thick and the forest has always been dense, but in the days of old the light would filter through the leaves – however many there were. There was no feeling of disease in the air and the rivers ran pure and clean. Animals roamed the woods as they pleased and they were plentiful, and there were more types of plant and flower that you could dream of. The men and skin changers that lived beyond the borders of the Woodland Realm enjoyed the sanctuary of a peaceful, harmonious forest. It was never as beautiful as Lothlórien, the golden realm of my mother's kin, nor was it ever as peaceful and light as Rivendell, but it was a good place and a safe home."
"What happened?" Kíli asked quietly, his voice mirroring the sympathetic sorrow on his face.
Elrohir's face darkened as he spoke. "A nameless shadow grew in the south – it began almost two thousand years ago – I believe the name 'Mirkwood' was first used by men in the 1050th year of this age, or thereabouts. We know not what the shadow is, but spiders, bats and even orcs began to spawn in the southern most reaches of the forest and the woods became thicker and darker. The elves of the woods retreated further north and few now dare to live outside of the Elvenking's Halls. There is a reason that Thranduil's people are a wary race."
There was a long moment of silence when Elrohir finished speaking, and Fíli suddenly felt a surge of compassion for the wood elves. He had no idea what the darkness he had loathed in Mirkwood had done to its people, and though it made him feel very uncomfortable, he could draw parallels between himself and elves such as Tauriel – they had only ever heard tales of the greatness and light of their rightful homelands. It was an interesting thought…
"I…I'm sorry," Bofur murmured, coughing awkwardly. "I urgh, didn't mean to…"
Elladan smiled softly and interrupted the dwarf's awkward stammers. "It is alright, Master Bofur – it is not the fault of the dwarves that our people have suffered. But let us speak of a lighter topic – if you focus on the darkness it only seems darker."
Instantly Fíli's mind scrambled for a lighter topic, but he was unsurprised that it was Kíli who got there first.
"Did you know that when Bilbo and I told our friends that we were leaving the Shire the children of Hobbiton attacked the entire company because they thought we were being kidnapped?" Kíli asked the elves, and Fíli could not help but smile at the memory.
"They attacked the dwarves?" Tauriel blinked in shock.
"They did," Fíli spoke up with a grin. "One minute I was wondering what on earth a crying toddler was doing on the floor and the next minute there was a six year old hobbit lass attached firmly to my leg and glaring at me."
"They got a good strong grip on all of us," Bofur nodded, a grin on his face once more. "One brave little lad even grabbed a hold of Thorin."
"That would be Frodo – one of my more spirited cousins." Bilbo smiled proudly and Gandalf chuckled.
Kíli took the elves stunned expressions to launch into his own telling of the story and Fíli smiled as his brother began to weave his words into a complete tale. From then on the conversation took a decidedly lighter tone as an unofficial competition arose between hobbits, dwarves and elves as to who had the most mischievous, entertaining children.
Fíli did not think he had ever heard so many stories about children's pranks from any race. Dwarven secrecy went out of the window when the elves told a story that outdid the little hobbits' attack and Fíli's ears and cheeks burned with embarrassment as Bofur joyfully retold the disastrous story of a seventy-year old Fíli's attempts to babysit his younger cousin, Gimli. Bilbo retorted with an incident involving Kíli, Esmeralda and Saradoc when they attempted to build their own firework – indoors - to cheer up a sick Paladin. Nori retorted with a story that Fíli was certain Ori would not want to be retold only to be countered by Elladan who told a particularly amusing story about how a young elven lass named Arwen managed to turn all of the water in all of Rivendell's fountains deep purple. Bofur was quick to reply with a tale of his own childhood, to which Kíli threw in a tale about Frodo Baggins, Merry Brandybuck and an unsuspecting Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. Nori instantly accused Kíli of treason against his kin, only to be interrupted by Tauriel who told an admittedly hilarious story about what happened when she caught two elven children in the armoury of Mirkwood.
This continued until night fell and they stopped to rest. The elves showed them how to take advantage of the forest around them to shelter from the cold, harsh nights by wedging themselves into the very roots of the trees. Elladan and Elrohir offered to keep watch for the whole night between them, but dwarven pride would not allow that so everyone was given a time to keep watch, much to the disgruntlement of Kíli and Bilbo, who would have undoubtedly been happy to let the elves watch for the entire night. Elrond's sons vanished into the woods with the promise that they were not going far at all, but intended to patrol the woods around the sleeping company, explaining that they personally preferred that to sitting still, not that Fíli could blame them.
Fully expecting to be woken a few hours before morning for his turn at watch, Fíli found that he fell to sleep far faster than he had expected to, and he was instantly sucked into a world of peaceful dreams.
When he woke, however, it was still the middle of the night, and it took Fíli a moment to realise what woke him.
Soft whimpers were breaking the quiet of the night and the young dwarf sat up quietly, looking over the root separating him from his brother. His heart sank at Kíli's distressed face and the frightened noises coming out of his little brother's throat as the nightmares of battle plagued him. He looked up quickly and saw Tauriel standing but he shot her a clear, strong look and she sat back down and nodded, closing her eyes. He knew that she was not asleep.
"Kíli, shh, it's alright," he soothed quietly, rubbing Kíli's shoulder gently. "Wake up, little brother, I'm here…"
With a gasp, Kíli's eyes flew open and he scrambled up into a sitting position, breathing heavily. "F-Fíli?"
"I'm here…" Fíli smiled wryly, squeezing his brother's shoulder.
Kíli groaned and pinched his nose, before looking up at his brother. "Did I wake you?"
"Nah," Fíli shook his head with a carefully practised grin. "I was already awake."
"Are you sure?" Kíli's eyes were dark with concern and suspicion and Fíli sighed.
"Do not worry yourself, Kíli."
Kíli's eyes fell to the floor. "I'm so-"
"If you finish that sentence I will beat you, Kíli." Fíli said firmly, and the corners of Kíli's mouth twitched. Fíli did not bother asking if Kíli wanted to talk – his brother would speak if he wanted to.
Sure enough, Kíli took a deep breath a few moments later, his eyes flickering over the 'sleeping' Tauriel and the slumbering dwarves and wizard. "I…I thought I was too late…To save you...They, they couldn't help you, no one could and you…you died, Fíli, you died, and it was my fault…"
Fíli waited until Kíli had finished his weak confessions before he finally spoke himself. "Kíli, name me one time you have been too late coming to my aid." Kíli's eyes flashed up to his but Fíli just raised his eyebrows. "I am serious, little brother. Name one occasion."
Kíli opened his mouth and paused. Fíli almost grinned in triumph when Kíli's eyes darkened. "The tree…the wargs, when Thorin…"
Fíli blinked, trying to remember what on earth his brother was talking about.
"Kíli, let go, get up there!" Bilbo cried, flinching away from a warg who appeared to be getting closer every time it jumped. Fíli watched his frozen brother with wide eyes as Kíli shook his head, the fear of losing his hobbit again burning in his eyes. "Let go, Kíli, I'll be right there. I promise."
Swallowing, Kíli nodded and relief flooded Fíli's body but his brother did not release Bilbo's hand.
The branch Fíli was standing on began to shake and he begged his brother. "Please, Kíli!"
It was too late.
Fíli screamed as the branch he was standing on was ripped from the tree and he flew through the air, smashing into the ground below another tree as his brother screamed his name in denial.
"Fíli!"
The panicking young dwarf struggled to his feet and grabbed his swords, but there were nine wargs advancing and there was nowhere to go…
Fíli shook his head slightly, dispelling the memory.
"I almost got you killed," Kíli's voice was low and full of guilt.
"You were in shock," Fíli amended. "You'd been through more than-"
"Oh, stop it, Fíli, it was my fault and you know it!" Kíli cut his brother off and Fíli paused.
"That was one occasion, nadadith. You've saved my life far more times than you've risked it. Kíli, everyone is plagued by nightmares after a battle. It is normal – absolutely horrible, but normal. " He promised as Kíli sighed heavily. Fíli leant in to whisper in his brother's ear. "Even Thorin still dreams of battles and injuries going wrong."
After a long moment, Kíli sighed. "I know… It does not mean that I enjoy it, though."
"Me neither, little brother." Fíli sighed.
Kíli paused, looking hesitantly at his brother. "Are you alright? You were awfully quiet today…"
"I am fine," Fíli smiled, nudging his brother playfully. "It can be most interesting – and entertaining – to spend a day simply listening and thinking. Not that you're any good at either."
"You wound me, brother." Kíli grinned, before glancing over at Gandalf and lowering his voice. "Gandalf sleeps with his eyes open, have you noticed?"
Fíli looked over at the wizard and shrugged. "I have never paid much attention before."
"It's unnerving." Kíli shuddered and Fíli smiled.
"Go back to sleep, Kíli."
With a soft sigh, Kíli closed his eyes and settled back down, but Fíli remained in a propped up position, watching over Kíli until his breathing relaxed and he obviously surrendered to the world of dreams.
When he was sure that Kíli was asleep, Fíli settled down himself and sighed, praying that the time for his watch came before his nightmares did.
Aw, poor boys – they're not quite alright yet ;) Despite the fact that we've skipped much of the physical recovery, they have been through a massive battle so they're still not quite the same.
The bit about Mirkwood is all canon – as far as I am aware – and I got all the information from Tolkien Gateway and the LOTR wiki page, but if I got anything wrong please do tell me.
Oh, and that reminds me! If anyone has anything they'd like to see between Mirkwood and the Shire let me know and I will see what I can do about weaving it in – there are so many people following this now and it's so incredible so I'd love to know if there's anything you really want to see. The journey itself and the major events are pretty much set but we shall see :D
I hope you enjoyed that chapter and I hope it was worth the wait, thanks for reading :)
