AN: Here's the last chapter! This story turned out way longer than I planned it to but I love how it turned out. I hope everyone liked it!
The guards push Fili down the wooden path and Fili keeps trying to slow down, looking behind him for his brother. The guard gives him another push and Fili aims a cold glare in his direction before yanking his body away from the guard and stops, his eyes fixed on a limping figure near the back of the group. When Kili catches up to him, Fili begins walking again, his eyes fixed on his brother who is finding it difficult to hide the grimace of pain on his face and the heavy limp.
"Kili, what happened?" Fili whispers to his brother as his eyes glance at the guards around them.
"Nothing," Kili mumbles as he doesn't take his eyes off the planks under his feet. Fili glances down at Kili's leg trying to get a good look at it, seeing the blood beginning to seep through it slowly again.
"You're bleeding again," Fili whispers, his eyes wide and a hand reaching and grabbing his brother's arm.
"I'm fine," Kili says heatedly, pulling away from Fili and stumbling over his own feet. Fili grabs Kili's arm and pulls him upright and steady once again. Fili glances ahead and sees the company is stopped in front of a large house. The nearby guards pull Fili and Kili to a stop and the brother's look around, seeing Thorin just in front of them. Fili moves slightly so he is in front of Kili as well, although turned so he can still see his brother completely. Fili watches as the Master of Lake-Town clomps outside and looks at the group in front of him.
"What is the meaning of this!?" the Master shouts, looking at his guards. Fili glances over at his brother and sees Kili leaning heavily on his good leg trying to keep any weight of his injured one.
"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire," Braga, one of the guards, says as he stands at attention. Fili glances around them, taking in all of the people surrounding them and the guards. He needs to know everything he can about their surroundings in case they get a chance to get out of here.
"Ah. Enemies of the state, then," the Master says, nodding his head and looking over the Dwarves as his eyes gleam.
"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire," Alfrid says from his hunched over position on the Master's right, his eyes shining in glee. Kili glares at the Master and Alfrid for daring to talk about them as if they were criminals that need to be barred away.
"Hold your tongue," Dwalin growls out, stepping forward and staring down the Master and Alfrid as he gestures towards Thorin. "You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!"
Thorin steps forward and rests a hand on Dwalin's shoulder. The rest of the crowd gasp and begin to murmur to each other. The Master's eyes widen at the recognition of Thror's name. Thorin holds the Master's gaze as he begins to speak.
"We are the Dwarves of Erebor," he says, hearing the crowd around them whispering in surprise and recognition of the title. Some of the people in the back shift to try to get a better look at them. Thorin continues. "We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North."
Thorin moves his attention during this so that he is not only talking to the Master but to the residents of Lake-Town as well. The people begin to nod their heads in agreement. Fili and Kili look around them at the positive response from the crowd before resting their attention back on their uncle.
"I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the Dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!" Thorin continues, getting louder the more he continues, riling up the crowd. The people begin to cheer and clap as the Master watches them as he thinks about everything that is being said.
"Death!" Bard shouts as he pushes his way through the crowd. Everyone turns their attention to the bargeman coming into the circle. Fili and Kili turn their attention to the man as well, furrowing their eyebrows. Thorin turns away from the Master and stares at Bard. "That is what you will bring upon us. Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."
The people instantly begin to whisper anxiously to each other, not knowing what to think now. Fili glances over at his brother to make sure he is still okay, taking in the grimace etched into his face permanently, it seems.
"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" Thorin shouts, looking at the people of Lake-Town, throwing his hands up in excitement. The people begin to shout in excitement once again, applauding at this idea. The Master watches them as he smiles and nods at the reaction from the people and the words of Thorin.
"All of you! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?!" Bard shouts, stepping into the middle of the circle and spinning around and meeting the peoples gazes. The people begin to quiet down as they shake their head, the sad memories returning. "Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!"
"No!" the people shout, some of them raising their hands into the air.
"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!" Bard continues, trying to get the people to see reason. Bard turns and stops as he and Thorin stare each other down, their eyes filled with fire and their faces and bodies tense with anger.
"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame," the Master says as he steps forward. "Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"
The Master stares at Bard and points an accusing finger at him. The crowd instantly begins to talk restlessly to each other. Bard looks away from the Master and Thorin looks at Bard, the shock and anger written plainly on his face.
"It's true, sire. We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark," Alfrid agrees, nodding his head and playing into the Master's plan. Bard looks around the crowd, listening to them yell angry insults at him. He turns around, his face tense, and walks determinedly to Thorin, glaring at him.
"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!"
"I have the only right," Thorin says with as much determination as he takes a step forward, his eyes never leaving Bard. Fili and Kili look on in amazement at seeing their uncle come into his own, pride shining off them. Thorin turns to face the Master. "I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?"
The Master studies Thorin for a moment, the people waiting impatiently. Thorin speaks again.
"What say you?" The Master takes a few moments to think before smiling and pointing one of his fingers at Thorin.
"I say unto you…Welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!" The Master opens his arms in welcome and the crowd around them erupts into loud cheers, throwing their hands up in the air.
KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI
Kili is sitting on the couch in the house the Master allowed them to use until the morning. He looks down at the wound on his leg; per Fili's demand, Oin had looked at it and re-bandaged it. His hand reaches down towards it, his eyes close and he groans in pain. He had stifled every groan and cry of pain while Oin worked on it but he couldn't anymore. It feels like his leg is on fire and his other hand grips the couch beneath him.
Fili walks through the main room where the rest of the company is getting it ready for their dinner and celebration. He hasn't seen his brother in a while and the worry is beginning to make an appearance again. He could tell when Oin was working on Kili's leg earlier that his brother was in an insurmountable amount of pain. Fili walks through the room and over to another door, peering in and seeing his brother sitting on a couch. His eyes are closed and body tense; one hand is hovering over his wounded leg and the other is gripping the couch causing his knuckles to turn white. Fili feels the worry increase another few notches and he quietly walks towards his brother.
Kili hears movement in the room and he looks up to see his brother walking towards him with worry in his eyes. It doesn't surprise him because the pain radiating off him right now would worry a rock. Fili sits down next to him and watches Kili warily, his eyes boring into him. Kili forces his concentration on his breathing as he looks down at the floor, refusing to look at his brother again.
"Don't tell me your fine; I know you're not," Fili says, staring at his brother. Fili waits a moment but when Kili doesn't say anything, Fili continues. "What happened at the Armory?"
Kili shakes his head, not wanting to relive the shame of it; it was bad enough his uncle knows, but for Fili to know as well? Fili softens his expression and turns to face Kili fully.
"Kee, what happened?" Fili asks softly, his eyes pleading his brother to talk to him. Kili sighs.
"I was carrying the weapons down the stairs. My leg gave way," he says softly, refusing to look over at his brother, not wanting to see the shame in his eyes.
"Did you get hurt?" Fili asks his brother as he sits up straighter and checks his younger brother over. Kili's head whips over to Fili and furrows his eyebrows.
"I almost ruined this whole quest and you're worried if I got hurt? We could be in shackles, locked up, right now," Kili says with anger in his tone. Fili's face hardens and he holds his brother's gaze.
"For Mahal's sake Kili, of course I'm worried if you got hurt. Some things are more important," Fili says just as angrily, furrowing his eyebrows at his brother, needing him to believe this. Kili looks away from his brother and back down at the floor. Fili looks away as well, looking out the door at the Dwarves making merry and drinking.
"Thorin will leave me behind; I'm a liability," Kili says softly, the emotion clear in his voice. Fili's head jerks back around and he stares at his brother, not sure if he heard him correctly.
"He won't; he knows how much this means to you," Fili assures his brother, resting a hand on Kili's shoulder. Kili leans in to the touch and closes his eyes.
"I have to be there Fee. I need to be there," Kili whispers. Fili squeezes Kili's shoulder and his eyes shine with emotion.
"You will Kee. We both will…together," Fili replies as he moves the hand resting on Kili's shoulder and wraps the arm around his brother's shoulders.
AN: Please review and give me some feedback! I am planning on doing a sequel to this, starting at the morning the Dwarves depart Lake-Town and through Fili and Kili's time there and then Smaug's attack. Thanks for reading and following!