Stumble

The first thing Thorin felt as he crashed into the river was the pure unadulterated shock of the freezing water and the terrible jolt as the barrel creaked, spinning with the current. It took a lot to unnerve the king so quickly, and he wasn't sure he was all right with the feeling that came over him as he heard the shouts of the rest of the Company, along with a few torn from his own throat. Bilbo had better be right about this.

The water led out of the underwater passageway and into Mirkwood, Thorin struggling to get his bearings. The barrel was rocking back and forth, causing him to hang onto the sides of it with his hands, grasping until his knuckles turned white. From behind him, or maybe around him, he wasn't sure anymore, he could hear laughing. He whirled around, twisted to look who the voice belonged to, expecting Fili, but as he turned, the barrel, and the expected path of water, fell out from under him.

He had heard of "going over the waterfall" as a figure a speech to describe a time when the ground was taken out from below your feet. Somehow, Thorin didn't think any sort of surprise could hold up to the experience of going into whitewater backwards. The force of it all drove the barrel underwater, Thorin feeling every pore of his body fill with the cold liquid, not counting the horrific leap his heart had done. He didn't let go of the rim, however, and when he burst out onto the surface, he heard the laughing again.

"That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life!" Fili was jeering as the current continued to pour them into a smoother section of river. They were outside now, the balmy night air refreshing on Thorin's soaking face and clothes. The sky was clear, and the stars were shining brighter than ever. Though the night gave them limited visibility, there was something comforting about it, soothing. In the night, Thorin felt like he was able to be someone else, to blend into the shadows like other people and watch the world play out. It seemed to be graying though. Dawn was coming soon. The silence and serenity of their freedom in the darkness was broken by the loud cackles of his nephew. "You heard him scream right? Oh, I wish I could have seen your face in greater detail, Uncle! The bit I saw was priceless!"

"Don't yell!" He called back, seeing the vague outline of Fili in his own barrel drifting off to his left. "There may be guards about. We have the darkness on our side, but we must stay as quiet as possible!" The chatter of the Company drizzled into hushed whispers. The water was calmer now, but both the prospect of another drop-off and the entire escape was putting Thorin on edge. "We have everyone? Bilbo?"

"Here!" He was always forgetting how small Bilbo's voice was. If Thorin was the lion, Bilbo was the mouse. He craned his neck trying to find the little hobbit in the chaos. He could barely glimpse the shadow of a small figure hanging onto the side of a barrel.

"What did you do, fall out on the rapid?" Thorin inquired jokingly. Bilbo harrumphed, causing the rest of the dwarves to break out in sporadic chuckles.

"You know, I am not half as robust as you dwarves, and you should all be glad I am not joining the boulders at the bottom of this river!" Even Thorin broke a smile, an expression that slid off his face when he turned back forward.

There was a bridge over the river, one that had clearly been made to regulate the trade out of Mirkwood. Thorin could see a lever, which he assumed controlled the grate that was closed over their only exit. He almost thought he could see the shadow of a figure ducking out of sight, but in such conditions, it could have been anything. They were coming up fast, the first few dwarves bracing themselves at the water drove them to hit it, the rest piling up behind. Thorin could do nothing else but the same as he swore under his breath.

Fili was pounding on the grate, as the king was the last one to ram into the collection of barrels. Bofur took advantage of the time to lift a shivering Bilbo into the barrel once more, while the others seemed to be determined to physically force their way out, the noise level slowly rising.

"Did I not tell you to be quiet?" Thorin growled as he began to lift himself out of the barrel, adjusting only slightly as it wobbled in the water.

"Thorin, what are you doing?" Dwalin urgently whispered back, his muscular form sticking out among the Company.

"There's a lever on the bridge directly above you," replied Thorin. "All I need to do is pull it and the grate will rise. We'll be out. Just…cover me." He knew it was useless, as they had no weapons, but something about the phrase calmed him. Ignoring their protests, he clambered onto the platform.

"How about this time you don't scream and get yourself into a needlessly complicated escape route?" Thorin froze at the voice, the one that had triggered their rushed departure from Mirkwood in the fortress. The shape of a rather strange dwarf was leaning on the railing directly next to the lever, and Thorin knew that his nephew was not going to be allowing him to pull it.

"I believe that if you were seeking conversation, there were better ways to go about it then to just step out of the shadows." He chose his words carefully this time, wary of the dwarf's irritability and short temper. Kili snorted, crossing his arms.

"Thranduil claims that I have some dwarvish flaws left over from the other life, and the want to make a dramatic answer is one of them." In any other circumstances, Thorin would have probably found this at least mildly amusing. Under these circumstances, however, it made everything seem uncomfortable and wrong.

"I don't think that's you dwarvish blood that is making you a show-off. You were one since the day you learned how to walk." Kili seemed to ignore this comment, along with the growing shouts and protest of the dwarves below. Thorin waved his hand, hoping the rest would see that he was unharmed.

"Maybe so, but it is a flaw nonetheless, much like my possibly fatal curiosity." Thorin had no response ready, but his nephew seemed to have what was needed to continue speaking. "I am not here to exchange pleasantries, Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror. To put it simply, I would rather know a little of myself before you all get yourself incinerated. This time, I have no need for a bow or dagger; as if you do not comply I will call the rest of the guard from their celebration. I am sure they would be happy to place you back in your cells. If you are intelligent enough to give me what I want, I will let you go on your fool's quest, well, give you a head-start at least." Thorin began to lean to at least whisper something to the Company, which had stopped talking altogether, listening intently. Kili raised a hand.

"Just you and me Thorin." The king was hesitant, but as he saw the first light begin to crest over the treetops, he knew there was no time to lose.

"I am your uncle."

"Of this I am aware." Thorin should have known that Thranduil had told him such information, but thought it was best to begin at the beginning. "Any other family?"

"Your father is dead." He couldn't see Kili's face very well in the gray light, but could sense a slight deflation. "But your mother, my sister, is still on this earth, living in the Blue Mountains." Now the prince seemed distressed, his breathing audible. "And you have a brother. Fili. He is with us, in the Company." He could hear Fili's muffled shouts from below. "I can fetch him if you would-"

"Don't!" Kili shook his head. "I will only speak to you. Which one is he?" Thorin was almost shaking now, as the conversation began to roll over him like the waves of the river itself.

"He is fair-haired, with bright eyes and a beard similar to mine." Kili paused.

"The one with the braided mustache?" The king was taken aback by such an odd question, but didn't allow himself to stutter.

"Yes?"

"An unfortunate choice. What is it with you dwarves and your hair? The braids, the beads, it all seems a little…" He wasn't looking at Thorin anymore, rather back at the stretch of river they had already traveled. Thorin could see him clearer now, and his dark eyes were wide, reluctance obvious. "I am afraid our time is up, Master Dwarf. Back into the barrel you go." He moved only a step forwards, when Kili pulled the lever, letting the dwarves and hobbit below spill out into the next section, one that was roaring with rapids. Before Thorin could say anything, even a goodbye, his nephew was sprinting back towards shouts of elves and unearthly screeches and yelling. The dwarf's mind barely registered "orc" as he dropped back into his barrel and was sucked back into the conflicting currents of the river.

It wasn't so bad the second time. He was choking on the water and his mind was fuzzy, but Thorin did not topple over, and he could see the others up ahead. It was all a blur: water, hair, trees, light, and a never-ending smear of colors. He almost felt dizzy, both by the conversation that had just ended, the arrival of the elves, orcs, and the adventure again, With so much going on, he should have felt fulfilled, and was instead left hollow.

The rapids flattened out again, and though the other dwarves were shouting at him, questions, some about Kili, others about the path the river would take them, Thorin turned back, just in time to see the siege of orcs take over the gate where they had just been trapped. Around them the elves were sliding, almost dancing as they fought. Kili was easily recognizable by his clothing and stature, and he was able to notice both the pale-eyed son of Thranduil, and the red-haired guard captain. He was also able to notice that the elves would not be able to hold the orcs much longer, some of them, including his nephew, running ahead to stop the next surge. Kili was swinging through the trees, a bow now in hand as he took down orc after orc.

"Thorin!" The scream was urgent, making him collide with reality as he turned back to his group. Ori's scream had an obvious source, as a team of orcs slunk out of the forest at a bend up ahead. They were armed to the teeth, swords, axes, scythes, all crude and cruel looking. Thorin longed to have his sword back in his hands, any weapon for that matter. One half of his mind told him he had fought orcs with close to nothing before, the other telling him to duck, as one raised their arms and sent an axe flying directly at him.

It landed short, splashing in the water, just close enough so Thorin could fish it out of the water gripping its gnarled handle within his hands. He could fight with this. The axe returned to its owner, though instead of landing in the orc's hands, it buried itself in its chest.

More weapons were falling into the water as they rounded the bend, the elves catching up now. Thorin knew they could at least fight on one-side for this. While the dwarves and elves hated each other, they hated orcs far more. The adrenaline of the fight was picking up now, the elves taking down the monsters with arrows, the dwarves doing all they could from the river as it led them onward as a brisk pace. There was light now, enough to see your targets apart from allies, a blessing Thorin was grateful for.

He had his hands on a sword when he heard the exclamation: Fili shouting his brother's name. Thorin's head whipped to see the younger dwarf with one arm outstretched, the barrel almost tipping over. His eyes almost automatically traveled to see a grotesque orc standing, the string of his twisted bow drawn taught, the arrow loaded in and aimed at the dwarf that slipped through the trees. Kili paused for a moment at hearing his brother cry out, distracted. It was if Thorin's heart was slowing to a halt as he heard the string release and saw the flash of black across the gold and green robes. Fili shouted something intelligible as Kili stumbled, his hands releasing his own weapons and clutching his side, the area from which dark blood splattered on the rocks. He toppled from the trees, landing hard on his shoulder and crashing into the chaos of white waves.

AN: So sorry I missed an update day. Life claimed me back and I was super-busy. Hopefully I will get up another chapter tomorrow to make up for it (hopefully). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the latest update of this little story. I have finally outlined the majority of it, and I am so excited to write it all! If you want to get notified for when I do end up posting the new chapters, follow the story. Also, as always, I love hearing what you guys think, so please leave a review! Until next time…