I've chopped and changed a few bits since first posting this chapter. It was only to make the changes I made to the last chapter make sense. Enjoy :P x
Thorin was standing by the window and Solaris joined him. It seemed like a lifetime since she had been in his company.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I am worried about Kili, but I am fine" she said.
"How is his leg?" Thorin asked glancing over to his nephew.
"Worse than he lets on" Solaris replied. She looked out the window and Thorin took her hands.
"You must not try to use your powers to heal him, I need you to be strong and ready" he said and Solaris nodded, "Where did you go anyway, you went up into the trees in Mirkwood but didn't return with Bilbo?"
"I fell" she replied "And woke up in this room where there was loads of stairs. I could see you and the others but no matter what stairs I chose, up or down, I couldn't get to you" Thorin watched her closely. "Thranduil came to me and spoke in his patronising way and then there was this singing and I had to take a leap of faith" she said "I was really scared, not that I showed it off course"
Thorin smiled and put a hand to the side of her face. He studied her face and then pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when Thranduil attacked you, I tried" "Don't apologize, I can't remember much anyway" Solaris said quietly.
"You can't?" Thorin asked pulling back and glancing out the window.
Solaris frowned as Thorin's eyes looked at something behind her.
"A Dwarvish Windlance" he whispered and she turned to look at a large crossbow on the top of one of the buildings.
"You look like you've seen a ghost" Bilbo said coming over.
"He has" Balin said. "The last time we saw such a weapon the city was on fire, it was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher then the strongest armour. Only a black arrow fired from a Windlance could have pierced the dragon's hide. And few of those arrows were ever made. The store was running low when Girion made his last stand"
"Had the aim of men been true that day much would have been different" Thorin said.
"You speak as if you were there" Bard said.
"All dwarves know the tale" Thorin said.
"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast" Bain, Bard's sin said.
"That's a fairy story lad, nothing more" Dwalin laughed.
"You took our money, where are the weapons?" Thorin asked.
"Wait here" Bard said.
"Tomorrow beings the last days of autumn" Thorin said.
"Durin's day falls the morn after next" Balin added. "We must reach the mountain before then"
"And if we do not?" Kili asked. "If we fail to find the door before that time?"
"Then this quest has been for nothing" Fili said.
Drawing everyone's attention Bard came back in and placed a bagful of weapons onto the table. The dwarves looked through them and dumped most of them back.
"What is this?" Thorin asked holding a stick with four prongs.
"Pike hook" Bard replied. "Made from an old harpoon"
"And this" Kili asked holding a hammer like object.
"A crow-bill we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer. Its heavy I grant but in defence of your life, these will serve you better than none"
"We paid you for weapons" Gloin said "Iron forged swords and axes!"
"It's a joke" Bofur said throwing something back onto the table.
"You won't find better outside the city armoury" Bard said "All iron-forged weapons are held there, under lock and key"
"Thorin why not take what's on offer and go?" Balin asked. "I've made do with less and so have you. I say we leave now"
"You're not going anywhere" Bard said.
"What did you say?" Dwalin asked.
"There are spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in this town. You must wait till nightfall" Bard said.
Bard had gone out and almost immediately talk turned to leaving.
"My Da said that you were not to leave" Bain said.
Thorin paid no heed to the boy and lead the party out. It was nightfall by now and they had come to a stop behind a boat.
"As soon as we have the weapons we make for the mountain" Thorin said.
They had made a dwarf staircase up to the top window of the armoury. "Go" Thorin said giving Solaris a light push. She ran forwards and jumped on their backs and into the window with ease. "Has she gone?" Bofur asked.
"I think so" Nori replied.
"Light as a feather" Bofur said shaking his head.
Once inside the armoury they picked out weapons. "You alright?" Thorin asked Kili.
"I'm fine, let's just get out of here"
Thorin looked at Solaris who gave him a look that said all that she wanted to say. He was not alright. Thorin watched as his nephew took some weapons and limped his way towards the stairs. There was suddenly a gasp of pain and the clattering of the weapons as they and Kili crashed down the stairs.
"Kili" they all shouted but Fili and Solaris were the first ones to his side.
"This is ridiculous, you are not fine" Solaris said angrily.
Then the sound of guards came in the distance. "Run!" Dori shouted from outside. But it was too late as they turned to blades at their throats.
They were yet again being man-handled. They were led to a courtyard outside a large house. The doors to the large house were pulled open and a very tall man with a really bad comb over came out.
"What is the meaning of this" he demanded.
"We caught them stealing weapons" one of the guards said.
"Ah, enemies of the state eh?"
"A desperate bunch of mercenaries if ever I saw one sire" the man who Solaris knew to be Alfrid. She tried to hide her face but it was too late as he recognised her.
"I know you" he said walking forwards. The Dwarves looked at Solaris and then at the man. "You came in with Bard; he's a part of this isn't he?" Alfrid said.
She kept her face turned away and Dwalin stepped forward "You do not know to whom you speak, this is no common criminal, this is Thorin, son of Thrain son of Thror"
Thorin stepped forward "We are the Dwarves of Erebor; we have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town in the great days of old, fleets of boats lay at harbour filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake this was the centre of all trade in the north. 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" cheering went up from all around them.
"Death!" a voice called. Bard came through the crowd. "That is what you would bring upon us. Dragon fire and ruin. If you waken that beast it will destroy us all"
"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"
"All of you listen to me!" Bard said turning to the crowd "You must listen, have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those that died in the firestorm? And for what purpose, the blind ambition of a Mountain King, so riven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire"
"Now, now, we must not any of us be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor who failed to kill the beast!" the Master shouted.
"Its true sire, we all know the story. Arrow after arrow he shot each one missing its mark" Alfrid said.
"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain" Bard said to Thorin.
"I have the only right" Thorin said, he turned back around "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. What say you?"
"I say unto you welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"
The people of Lake Town cheered and jumped up and down.
They were given chambers in the Master's home but none could sleep apart so they all went into one of the biggest rooms together and dragged mattresses and pillows in with them. The room was pitch black and the curtains were drawn and no moonlight shone in. Even though she could not see them Solaris could hear all of their breathing. She could hear Bomber's heavy snoring and even Fili's silent breathing. She also knew that some were not asleep. She knew that Thorin and Dwalin lay awake thinking about what was to come. Bilbo was also awake thinking about his hobbit hole in Bag-End. Kili was also awake under the windowsill. His leg was throbbing in pain and he had started to feel a fever taking him. Every time he moved his leg sent spasms of pain through his whole body. Solaris got up silently and kneeled down by his leg.
"Me'a (light)" she whispered and blew into her hands. A tiny orb of light sparked and floated above Kili's leg. "Let me look" she whispered.
Kili watched her closely as she unwrapped the garb and pulled his trouser leg up. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at it. It was infected with something evil that had been on the arrowhead. She'd known it since she saw the orc fire the arrow but hadn't been able to get a good look till now.
"Its bad isn't it?" he whispered.
"It could be worse" Solaris said reaching for some clean garb that had been given to them to wash with in the morning.
"How?" Kili asked.
"You could be dead" she replied watching his eyes carefully and then wrapping his leg back up again. "You need to rest, you cannot come with us tomorrow" she said and Kili caught her wrist tightly.
"Do not tell me what I can or can't do" he hissed.
"I am not telling you, your leg is" she whispered harshly back. She sighed heavily and placed her hand over his leg.
"Fallan" she whispered and her hand shone purple.
"What are you doing?" Kili asked.
"I'm trying to heal you" she whispered.
"Laris you cannot" he said.
"Do not tell me what I can or can't do Master Dwarf" she said and he looked at her and then rested his head back.
"Fallan" she said more gruffly but the purple shone for a few seconds and then faded. Solaris gasped and rested her hands on her knees. "It's gone too deep" she said. "You need proper healing"
"But I'll be alright?" Kili asked.
"Off course" she said knowing that unless he made it to her Father or another elf that could heal better than she then he didn't stand a chance.
"Solaris" her name was whispered harshly in the darkness. "What did I tell you, go to sleep" Thorin said crossly.
"Kili can't sleep" she whispered harshly back.
"Then sing him a song" Thorin said.
Solaris looked back down at Kili and he had rested his head back against the wall.
"Let me" she said and shuffled behind him. He rested his head on her chest and sighed heavily.
"I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, I'll never let you go
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, don't leave me here alone
But all that's dead and gone has passed tonight
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound"
His head a relaxed and turned sideways against her. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed her lips to the top of his head. She knew he wasn't going to make it through this, not without healing.
"Don't you dare look out your window
Darling everything's on fire
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold on to this lullaby
Even when the music's gone, gone
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound"
By now everyone's breathing had relaxed. Solaris sighed and rested her head back on the wall. She didn't sleep that night, her mind was to busy reeling with what she was going to do in the morning.
Anything 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord of the Rings' related belongs to J.R.R Tolkien and Tauriel belongs to Peter Jackson. I also used the song Safe and Sound from the Hunger Games. I enjoyed this chapter, before I was a little unsure as to what I was going to do with Solaris and Kili but I think I've made my mind up. Hope you guys enjoy the following chapters.
Love Mayday xx