An: I'm sorry this took so long for me to publish. I just got sucked into the world of Sons of Anarchy, and completely forgot about this. :( sorry!
This chapter was really hard to write, mainly because I didn't know how to jump over longer periods of time but not make it seem rushed. But anyways, I hope I succeeded! This is also a little longer chapter C: I hope you like it!
Time seemed to have frozen like the scenery outside. Every day was like the previous, and it made it harder for Kili to try and remember how long he had been there. If he really concentrated, he could estimate the time, but he could never be sure.
Kili had been denied from scratching the walls - one of the guards had seen the lines from Kili's game he had played in the beginning, scratching a line into the wall if he guessed the hair color of the coming elf correctly - but Kili, loving to break some rules, did it anyways. He estimated the time he had spent there, which was around two months, and then continued to make a new line every evening he was alone in his cell. That way he could keep up with the days better.
Slowly the ice outside started to melt and there were more lines than Kili would have imagined. Every night he drew another one, days turning into weeks and weeks into months, and soon he had been there for four months. When it reached five, most of the snow was gone, it was actually warm outside and Kili felt empty.
Nothing major had happened in a long while. Kili's injuries were all healed, even though the broken wrist he had suffered in the hands of Gwaen a little less than a month ago was still sore and not completely okay. He knew that Fili was probably home already, or if not yet, he would soon be. He felt alone, more alone and isolated than ever.
He had tried to escape three times, failing every time. The first time, nothing much had happened, thanks to Aíthon. He had caught Kili but instead of letting him escape, he had returned Kili to his cell because there had been elves who saw Aíthon with Kili. During the second time Legolas pretty much saved him from Gwaen and from violence - but during the third time there had been nobody to help him. Gwaen had caught him in the passageway that led out, and in the darkness of that corridor Gwaen had decided to give Kili a lesson he wouldn't forget.
It hadn't been too bad, in the end. Kili had lost his consciousness soon, and when he woke up, he had been alone in his cell again.
Alone was the perfect word to describe the way he felt. He was utterly alone, and he slowly started to believe that there was no way he could ever return home.
xx
Kili was back to his first job outside, cutting large pieces of wood into smaller ones. After working in the lower halls in the ash and dirt for the whole, long winter, Kili was happy to be back outside, even if this work required more strength. He was just about to swing his axe down, when Legolas' voice echoed out behind him. "Would you mind stopping for a while?" he asked, his voice polite and somehow really nice. Kili looked at the prince in question, but nodded, hitting the axe into the ground, instead of the wood.
"Sure. Why?"
"I have something to discuss with you", Legolas answered shortly, eyeing Kili. "Come with me."
Kili nodded again and followed the elf away from the guards and Amarth. It was a bright day, even if a bit chilly, but it was definitely spring and every day was warmer than the previous. Kili had heard Amarth talk about how in a few weeks it would probably be warm enough to use lighter clothes.
"What is it? Why can't we talk where the others are?" Kili asked, staring at Legolas as soon as they stopped. "What have I done wrong this time?"
A grin spread on the prince's lips. "As you know, dwarf, I'm in charge of you. It is my task to make sure you will not escape, and when I'm gone, it is Gwaen who takes over that task. But now my father has brought up an idea, and even if it is a good one, it brings up a problem."
"Would you mind being a little clearer?" Kili rolled his eyes. "I can't understand any of that. What idea, what problem, and what has that to do with me?"
"If you could just listen", Legolas sighed. "Me, along with a couple of other elves, including Gwaen, will have to leave the palace for a week or two. It is nothing more than a travel around our borders to see if everything is like it should. We have heard rumors that goblins are moving close, and my father wants us to make sure they will not come to our lands. This is where the problem arises. If both of us, Gwaen and I, are there, who is going to look you will not escape? My father doesn't trust anybody else to look after you after your two attempts."
Kili snorted, about to correct Legolas how he had actually tried three times, but then remembered how Aíthon hadn't told anyone about his first attempt. So, instead he said, "I am not a child, you know. I need nobody to look after me."
"After behaving the way you did, we cannot trust you" Legolas said, slight amusement audible in his tone. "How old even are you? 50?"
"Excuse you, I am no dwarfling", Kili said with a huff. "I am 73."
Legolas didn't look very impressed, and Kili supposed it was because elves were practically immortal. To them 73 was pretty much nothing. He didn't know a lot about elves and their aging, but he believed that 73 years olf elf was still a child. That would have made sense - Aíthon didn't seem old, and a couple months back he had told Kili that his age was 576 years. Anything rarely made Kili stop and think about how amazing some things were, but that did.
"We don't care about your age", Legolas said, thinking that why lie, shrugging a little. "We judge you by your actions, and they haven't been really great lately. And it is not up to me to decide, anyways."
"It is up to your father. I know", Kili replied in an uninterested voice. He had grown to not totally hate the prince, but he didn't like him. It was more like Kili did put up with Legolas and could behave around him, but that didn't come automatically. Could he just skip the blabbering and go to the point? Kili wondered in annoyance. He had a good pile of wood to cut before he got any food and he was starving.
Legolas nodded, letting out a heavy breath. "Despite that my father does not want to give the task of watching over you to other guards, I have talked with many of them. They were all hesitant to take the responsibility of watching over you, so I decided that you will come with us. It causes nobody harm."
As the elf finished talking, Kili felt suspicious. Legolas had never been a threat to him -quite the opposite, actually- but this didn't feel very honest. He really doubted that all of the guards were 'hesitant' to be his guard for a week or two, he hadn't caused that much trouble, had he? Maybe this was some kind of twisted plot that came from Gwaen. It was the most reasonable explanation.
"I won't come", Kili said in a tight voice. They couldn't just push him around, right? "I refuse to come. I don't trust you and that your intentions are as pure as you make them seem. Tell your father that", he continued, turning around and starting to walk towards Amarth and the guard, towards his working place.
It took Legolas two long steps to reach the dwarf. "Stop right now, if you want to eat today. I am not done yet."
With a deep, annoyed sigh Kili spun around to face the elf again. He gritted his teeth as Legolas eyed the dwarf, visibly annoyed as well, but a lot calmer than Kili. "I told you my opinion on the matter. I am not coming", Kili repeated. "Gwaen must have something to do with this. I think you must understand how I'd rather not die yet. I've been close a few times already, thanks to him."
"I understand that, but Gwaen has nothing to do with this. He knows nothing of my plans to take you with us. He won't lay a finger on you while we are on move - not if you don't give him a reason to."
"I have never given him a reason!" Kili almost yelled, taking a step back, knowing that what he just said wasn't entirely true, but so what? "You saw my broken wrist, right? I did nothing to encourage him to break it. He just did it, because he could." He was ashamed to admit it, but he was scared of the chief of the guard. So many times he had been attacked by Gwaen for no reason at all -or for little reason whatsoever. He knew Durins never turned away from a fight but in a situation like that.. no. He was scared of Gwaen and wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
"Unfortunate", Legolas said calmly. "But you are coming. I will not force the burden of looking after you on an elf who does not want it. End of discussion, you may continue working. Oh, and we will leave tomorrow at sunrise."
xx
Back in his cell, Kili groaned. He was starving and the hunger was starting to turn into nausea. It's dinnertime soon, Kili kept telling himself. Then I'll get food. Ugh.
Indeed, not long after that, an elf approached Kili's cell and opened the door, stepping inside. Kili looked at the comer, and recognized the elf as one of the guards who Aíthon worked with, but couldn't remember his name.
"Thanks", Kili muttered as the elf handed Kili his plate. Without a word the guard left, and Kili dug into his food. It was the same stuff as yesterday, tasteless leaves and some kind of vegetables, but even though Kili disliked it, it was food and filled his empty stomach nicely. He knew he had lost a little weight during the months he had spent there, because his trousers had become a little baggy on him. It didn't matter to him, but in his mind he went through these scenarios where he returned home and his mother would have a heart attack because he had become so skinny, and Fili would joke about how much of an elf he looked like.
Kili had barely finished eating when a voice echoed from behind the bars and Kili jumped up from his bed in surprise. A soft laughter followed, and Kili glanced at the comer, who turned out to be Aíthon. "Did I scare you?"
"Nah", Kili replied, his heart bounding in his chest. "Not at all."
"Liar", Aíthon giggled and shook his head a little. "Anyways, I heard that you are leaving soon, and thought to come wish you a good luck out there."
Kili raised his other eyebrow at the elf. "It's not like I won't come back, right?"
"What? No", Aíthon quickly said. "Just that it's always not so easy to travel with a group of guards. It's safe but it can be really frustrating, believe me, I know. And with Gwaen there.. you'll need some luck, for sure. Although I think Legolas will keep you from bigger harms. I won't be able to see you tomorrow, so I came now."
Nodding, Kili shifted on his feet. He knew there was nothing he could do to get to stay. "Yeah. Thanks."
Silence fell on them. Kili didn't have much to say, really, and neither did Aíthon. But it seemed like Aíthon was in no hurry to anywhere, so after a few awkward seconds, Kili opened his mouth. "If you are not in hurry.."
Aíthon grinned and shook his head. "I am not, to be honest. Would you like some company?" His tone was as pleasant as always, friendly and safe, somehow. Kili wasn't sure why Aíthon was always so nice to him, but he didn't even care to know, as long as Aíthon just stayed as he was.
"Sure", Kili answered, eyeing Aíthon. He still thought that Aíthon's almost invisible eyebrows looked funny, and he couldn't help glancing at them every once in a while.
"Could you tell me what your home is like? And your family?" Aíthon asked, genuinely interested. They had never spoken about their personal lives, but they had known each other for months now, so why not.
Aíthon had wanted to ask for a longer while already, but had never remembered to do so. He knew where the dwarf was from, but that was all he knew besides his age and name, and he really wanted to know more. It was a good way to waste some time, as well.
A little surprised, Kili nodded, happy that he asked. Aíthon was the only elf he felt like he could talk to about his life, because somehow he trusted Aíthon a lot. He wouldn't mention Thorin, though, for everybody's sake. If the elves knew he was the line of Durin.. Kili knew well that king Thranduil and his uncle were practically enemies, and if Thranduil heard about Kili's family, nothing good would come of it.
So Kili told - he told how he and his brother spent most of their days working to earn money, or when they had no work, they just relaxed. Or trained. He told Aíthon how Fili was great with swords and used them like they were a part of his hand, and how he himself wasn't as good, but that using a bow was his unique skill. He also told how their mother was more of a warrior than a mother, but that she was the best mother anybody could hope for. He described their home and their yard, and a little bit of the village, and for a moment he completely forgot his situation.
xx
The morning came way too quickly.
Kili was woken up by a strict voice telling him to get up. It was not a pleasant way to wake up, but he was used to it by now, and so Kili slowly dragged himself up from the bed and stared at the elf, trying to hold back a yawn. The elf held a pile of clothes in his hands, grey and brown pieces of clothing in a quite small mess.
"Prince Legolas had me take these to you", the elf said and handed them to Kili through the bars. "We are leaving soon, so you need to change your clothes. Those you are wearing aren't suitable for traveling."
"I won't take my clothes off in front of you", Kili hissed with a cold glare he had learnt from the elves, holding the clothes close to his body. "Turn around."
It seemed like the elf wasn't really excited to see Kili half-naked either, because he immediately turned around. Kili grinned to himself as he looked at the clothes - a shirt just his size caught his attention first. It was mostly grey but it had brown sleeves, and it looked like it was made for elflings. Kili just shrugged - it was his size and looked quite warm, so who cared? It wasn't like Thorin would see him wearing it.
In a matter of seconds Kili was out of his loose shirt he had gotten from Aíthon when he had still been recovering from the loss of blood caused by Gwaen's mutilating. Carefully he slipped into the new one, which fit him almost too well. It was a bit too tight from his arms, but it was manageable, and a lot better than the old one.
Kili shuffled through the rest of the clothes, seeing only a jacket and a belt. Since his own trousers and shoes were alright, Legolas hadn't brought new ones. The jacket looked quite funny to Kili - it was long and grey from all around, and when he put it on, it was loose and the end of the jacket almost reached the ground. The belt made it a little better, though, because Kili could tighten it around his waist. He had never liked overly loose clothes.
"Done", Kili told the guard, who spun around and instinctively eyed Kili, but said nothing. Kili rolled his eyes at the guard and walked over to the door, looking up to the elf. "So will you let me out or will you make me dig my way out of here?"
The elf smirked a little as he went to grab his keys. "What a great idea. I should mention that to king Thranduil some day."
Kili couldn't even answer. When the elf started to lead Kili through the familiar corridors, the dwarf looked around himself before ducking his head. He wished that during the week or two they spend in the forest, he could be able to get away. He didn't want to see these halls ever again in his life. For so many months he had sat in his cell, staring at the passageway, waiting for the day he could just run away. Maybe during these weeks he could finally succeed.
He was taken to the kitchen where a mug of water and a plate full of fruits and vegetables stood waiting for him. The guard told Kili to eat quickly, and Kili did so. The apple on the plate reminded Kili of his brother, but he quickly shoved the thought away. He couldn't get weak now.
And so, soon enough they went out, where five elves stood with six horses. Gwaen caught Kili's attention first, and Kili flinched a little as Gwaen's cold stare seemed to drill into Kili. Legolas was quick to break the moment, though, because he hurried to Kili as soon as he noticed him walking towards them.
"I see you are clothed, that is good. Do the clothes I sent fit you well?"
"They're alright", Kili answered, glancing at the horses. No way. He didn't like horses, mainly because they were almost two times taller than he was, big and just no. He didn't like to sit on anything that had a mind of its own - ponies were fine, but even those he rather avoided. He liked to have his feet on the ground at all times, and now he would have to ride a horse? Behind an elf? Oh Mahal...
Legolas nodded, turning around to point at one of the horses. "The white one is mine. Her name is Spring - you may ride with me."
"Can't I just walk or something? I really don't like horses", Kili groaned, eyeing the white horse Legolas had pointed at. It was definitely the biggest of the horses outside - just his luck.
"I'm afraid you can't", Legolas told with a shake of a head. "You won't fall. Spring is one of the best horses we have. Very calm and loyal."
"I'm not scared of falling", Kili snorted, glancing up at Legolas, who stared back with his blue eyes. "I just don't like them."
"Fine", the elf replied and looked at the guards, all sitting on their horses already. "Are you ready? We should leave, sun is rising soon."
Not long after Kili was sitting behind Legolas, trying to get a hold of the horse so he wouldn't have to lean against the elf at all. They rode behind everyone else for some reason, but Kili didn't mind.
As they started to disappear into the woods, riding slowly, Kili glanced behind him. The front doors were slightly open and Kili could see an elf waving at them as a goodbye - it took him a moment to realize who it was, but when he did, he immediately waved back. The silvery hair glimmering in the rising sun's light gave it away.
Kili knew wouldn't miss anything in the palace if he really did manage to escape, nothing except Aíthon.