An: Thank you for the lovely reviews c: I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and I didn't totally screw it up! This is the last chapter (a small change in plans occurred) and I really hope you enjoy this one.

This has been a really fun fic to write and the fact that so many of you read this is just overwhelming for me. I, personally, liked this story a lot, and it's a relief that you guys have liked it too. It's just.. woah. :D I still have a lot to learn about writing, but with every fic I get better.

Which brings me to my next topic; I'm planning on writing a sequel to this fic. It would with 99.99% surety be set during the quest (this fic was pre-quest, so..) and the rest will be revealed if I do write it ;) it will include a few characters from this fic and maybe a few new? Who knows. Anyhow, leave a review and tell me if you'd like me to write it (okay, tbh I'll probably write it anyways but if I know that someone would actually read it, it would really make me write faster) :D

Now, enjoy the last chapter! C:

It had been two weeks since Kili came back, and everything was almost back to normal. During these weeks Kili had had to explain his story to more people than he even knew - of course everyone in Ered Luin had heard about Kili's death, and when he came back everyone had been curious. Dís had been all over Kili, making sure he wasn't hungry or cold or anything of the kind. Thorin had bought Kili a new bow and a few arrows, since his old one had been taken by the elves. Or well, 'broken by goblins'.

One day they were sitting at the river, just enjoying the sunshine. Fili didn't have work that day because it was too hot, and so the brothers had decided to cool off there. Having your feet in the cool water of the calm river felt better than anything on such a warm day.

Kili had noticed Fili eyeing him and his arms for a few times already, but neither had said anything. Kili could feel the uneasiness in the air around them, and the growing worry in Fili, but he wouldn't open his mouth before Fili did. He wanted to see how much time it would take for Fili to ask about all of his almost completely faded scars.

In the end, it didn't take long.

Kili explained it really briefly. He didn't feel like going into detail, mainly because he didn't want to remember it. He just wanted to forget that there had been an elf called Gwaen, and everything he had done to Kili. Gwaen was the only one he wanted to forget, really. Aíthon, Úron and Legolas - those three elves were the reason he got home alive, and he would be eternally grateful to them. He didn't want to meet them again, at least not in Mirkwood, but he was more grateful than words could describe. He didn't want to forget them.

"You told me about that Gwaen earlier", Fili said in a worried tone, "but you didn't tell me he did something to you. Is there something else I should know?"

"Maybe", Kili replied with a shrug. He figured that if he wanted to get over the whole thing, he should tell it and ask for Fili to never mention it again. He knew that now when Fili knew about the blood on the shirt and Gwaen's violent nature, he wouldn't stop asking before he knew it all. "But it's going to take a while for me to tell everything."

"Do I want to know after all?" Fili asked, grimacing.

"You tell me", Kili replied with a grin. "But I know you won't stop bugging me until you know."

"You're right", Fili agreed and nodded, sighing deeply. "I just kind of wished your time in there would have gone painlessly. I mean, you were already away from us and all alone, and working hard. Did the king order him to.. you know."

Kili nodded, falling onto his back again. "I know. I think that king Thranduil never ordered Gwaen to do so. He just seemed to like doing it, and king Thranduil just didn't seem to care.. so it was only Gwaen's fault. And remember that most of the times there was someone to save me from serious injuries. Prince Legolas usually. The elves aren't soulless."

"How can you be so forgiving?" Fili asked, clear surprise in his voice. "After all that?"

"I don't know", Kili sighed, closing his eyes in the bright sunshine. "I've had time to think this through. It's only Gwaen I should be angry at, and Thranduil. Nobody else deserves my anger. Least of all Legolas and Aíthon. But still, I just don't find the energy to hold a grudge against them. It would do no good, so I'm just trying to forget it."

Fili chuckled, shaking his head a little. "And they say you're stupid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kili asked with a laughter, eyeing his brother.

"Nothing much. Just that for once you do a smart decision. You're not as dumb as everyone thinks you are", the older one replied with a twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes. He lifted his feet from the water and shifted so he faced his lying brother.

Kili smacked Fili's wet feet and grinned, sighing deeply. "Thanks a lot, Fili. Now, you want to hear about Gwaen or not?"

A shrug. "Why not?"

xx

The arrow flew as Kili released it, missing its mark. Kili had carved a circle into one of the trees and tried to hit the center of it, but he just couldn't hit the mark. It made him really disappointed, but he couldn't blame himself - that long time with no practice would make anyone's skills a little rusty. Still, it disappointed him. Kili knew he was better than that.

A clap echoed out from behind him as he went to retrieve his arrows. Kili spun around, ready to fight, noticing Fili standing a couple of meters away from him. He hadn't heard his brother approaching, but was that a surprise? When you concentrate hard, you tend to shut out the world around you for a while.

He relaxed a little and turned back to his arrows. He didn't want Fili to see how bad he was.

"You got it close this time", Fili said with a grin and took a few steps forward, studying the tree. There were little holes all around the tree where Kili had shot his arrows, but none inside the small circle.

"Quit it, Fili", Kili replied in annoyance, yanking the arrow out of the tree. "I don't need your remarks on my skills now. You try to shoot an arrow after months of not shooting a single one."

"If it makes you any happier, I wouldn't do half as good as you do now, even after months of training", Fili told his little brother and really meant it. Bows had never been Fili's thing, and he had always sucked with them. Fili had always known how to use a sword, and with little training he had learned a lot about them. But bows? No, he would never be able to be half as good as his brother was.

Kili turned around and grinned at his brother. "Yeah. We all know it."

"Just try again. You know how to do it, you just need time to remember it."

"Maybe tomorrow. I'm hungry."

Fili nodded and together they started to walk towards their home. For a moment they walked in silence, the trees casting so many shadows it seemed to be just one, big shadow with a peak of sunlight getting through it here and there.

"Is there are reason you came here?" Kili finally asked, glancing at his brother, who looked back at Kili. "You don't usually come here when I want to practice alone. Without a reason, anyways."

"Perhaps there is", Fili admitted and grinned. "You got a letter from some elf you told me about.. I saw it and took it before mom or uncle could see it, and hid it under your bed. I just came to tell you about it."

"And you couldn't wait until I got home?" Kili asked with a laughter, feeling a pinch of excitement in his belly, as well as concern. Who would send him a letter? Aíthon, maybe? Legolas wouldn't, he was almost certain of it. Maybe Úron? What if it was Gwaen?

The older brother rested his arm on Kili's shoulders and leaned in teasingly. "I don't know, to be honest, I guess I just wanted to see how you were doing", he said, ruffling Kili's already messy hair.

"Aw, you missed me", Kili answered with a smile and pushed Fili off.

xx

Kili hurried into his room, Dís yelling after him. "Wait a second, Kili! Food is done, come eat!"

"Just a minute, ma", Kili answered from his room, sitting on the edge of his bed. Lifting up the blanket, Kili discovered a whole lot of nothing, so he checked under his pillow as well. After that turned out empty, he lowered himself on the floor and peeked under the bed - and there it was, a nicely folded piece of brownish paper, laying near the wall quite far away.

Reaching to grab it, Kili managed to get a hold of it with his fingertips and pulled it out. He sat back onto his bed, looking down at the letter with a grin on his face, not opening it just yet. The fancily written name on the left corner told him the letter was from Aíthon, just as Kili had hoped.

Carefully he unfolded it, but before he could read it, Dís entered the room. Kili quickly folded the letter, not wanting his mother to see that he had gotten a letter from an elf. That would quickly raise questions Kili couldn't answer without revealing the truth.

"Come on, Kili. You need meat on those bones - you are still too skinny. We are only waiting for you to join us", Dís said and eyed her son. She noticed the letter and shot a questioning glance at Kili.

"I'll come", the young dwarf answered, ignoring the glance. He laid the letter down on the bed and stood up, following his mother out of the room.

They were all eating together, the four of them. Thorin sat next to Fili, and Kili sat beside his mother, Kili and Fili facing each other. Eating as quickly as he could, Kili didn't join the conversation - he wasn't interested in some neighbor's personal life anyways. Fili too seemed bored with the topic, and quickly changed it to his training work with the children. He seemed excited as he spoke about a kid named Moona, a girl with extraordinarily good skills with swords.

After Kili was done, he thanked Dís for the food and left to his room again. The letter was where he had left it, and sitting on the edge of his bed again, he was finally able to read it.

Kili,

I do not know if you are well, I do not even know if you are alive or reached home, but I hope for the best. This letter is sent mostly because I want you to know what has happened since you left, as it might interest you. But before I start, know that no elf poses you a threat. You and your family are safe. Nobody will come after you, so fear not.

Where should I start? Oh, well. First of all, king Thranduil knows the truth about your escape, and he thinks that it was for the best. Everyone besides me, prince Legolas, king Thranduil, Úron and Gwaen believes you were killed by the goblins. That way no harm comes to your way, but neither to ours. That is a good plan, if you ask my opinion.

Secondly, Gwaen lost his place as the captain of the guard shortly after they returned from patrolling. I got a promotion of a kind, which I'm grateful of. Actually, my position is higher than Gwaen's now. Manadh is our new captain, and he is a good leader for us, but I heard that someone else will soon take his place. A female, if I understood right. I've heard that she is a skilled warrior, and I hope that she'll be even better of a leader.

As I said, I hope you are well and at home by the time this letter arrives there. I remember what you told me about the Blue Mountains and your family. I hope that your brother and mother are alive and well, as well as your uncle. Hopefully you got home without any dangers - I wouldn't wish anything bad to happen to even my worst enemy, have they been through what you went through.

Feel free to write me back, but if you do, please do not use your name. I'll know the sender.

So, Kili. Be safe and stay out of any trouble - may our paths cross again one day, but far from Mirkwood and the palace.

-Aíthon-

Smiling, Kili laid the letter onto the bed and leaned back, his back touching the wall. Everything was well, at home and in Mirkwood. Gwaen had gotten his punishment and Aíthon his reward - even though there hadn't been a word about Úron, Kili guessed he was well too. Wouldn't Aíthon have told him if someone Kili knew had died or something of the kind?

Nah, Úron had to be okay.

Jumping up from the bed and rushing to the table in the corner of the room, Kili picked up a pen and a clean paper, and started writing a reply. Slowly the words appeared on the paper.

Kili focused on writing, and for a longer while he wrote. He told Aíthon about his journey home, about Lori and Michel, the thief, Tuli and the fire, and how he had met Fili on the cliff. He explained how he was fine now, after getting a good sleep and lots of food to end his hunger. He asked him about Úron (just to be sure) and his brother, Roden, and how everyone was. He also made a point of telling him how he and Gwaen both had gotten what they deserved - good things happened to good people while bad things happened to bad people.

The pen danced on the thin paper, and finally it was finished.

That small smile never left Kili's lips as he folded the piece of paper and hid it in his front pocket.

There was a sound of thunder, and Kili glanced out of the window in his room. Raindrops fell on the glass, the sky's tears distorting the scenery outside. He would have to send the letter some other day, but for some reason, he didn't mind. He had always enjoyed storms like this. They were loud and dangerous, but so far away at the same time.

So he hid the letter underneath his bed, grabbed his pipe and left the house. Taking shelter from the rain underneath a big stone, Kili lit up his pipe, sat on the dry ground and watched the thunderstorm.