Thanks for the reviews! I probably sound like a broken record but I need you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to comment on each chapter. I can't tell you how much I look forward to reading your reviews and I'm so glad you are still enjoying it.
'SkyBlue' that part in the trailer was definitely my inspiration for the argument between Kili and Thorin! And I'm really glad you liked it. I can't stop watching that trailer – so excited for the third film! 'Celebrisilweth' I'm a big fan of stubborn Kili too and it really pleases me you're enjoying reading this story :-)
So anyway, I hope this Chapter is ok. Thanks for reading.
A Perilous Road.
Chapter Eleven – The Agreement.
Fili hugged his knees to his chest as he peered out of the window high above. There wasn't an awful lot he could make out besides a few stars and the black velvet expanse of the night sky, but it was enough to remind him of home – of his and Kili's 'get away' where they would often stare at the night sky for hours on end. But of course thinking of his home comforts caused his thoughts to shift to his Mother. He missed her so much, she was never far from his thoughts. He wondered how she was coping with her Sons and Brother missing, the thought alone made his insides churn. She would be sick with worry and all he could do was pray she would forgive them for running away when he saw her again – if he saw her again.
Resting his head against the cold stone wall Fili hugged his knees even tighter and refused to think down those lines. They would get out of this mess, he had to believe it. He just didn't know how. Glancing away from the window he faced the adjacent cell, checking his Brother for the hundredth time. He knew there wasn't a lot he could do if anything was wrong with Kili when they were in different cells, but he needed to see him occasionally just to reassure himself. Kili had been sleeping fitfully on and off for the last hour and it killed Fili to know that if he was by his Brother's side he would probably be sleeping soundly. He guessed the only saving grace was that their Uncle was at least by his side.
Shifting uncomfortably and beginning to loose all feeling in his behind Fili clambered to his feet. In the opposite corner Gloin sat bathed in moon light and shifted his gaze to him – his look enough on its own could kill.
"They took my gold." Gloin spat. "My. Gold."
Rolling his eyes Fili paced the length of the cell bars. "For the thousandth time – I. Know!" Fili retorted. He felt bad really, because at the end of the day it was Fili's fault Gloin was even in this mess with all of them.
Grasping the bars tightly he craned his neck to peer down the corridor. There wasn't much to see besides a single candle mounted to the wall, casting ominous shadows across their cells. Feeling his helplessness mount was unavoidable –he was done with waiting around and he was done with being a prisoner, and most of all he was done with feeling bad. All he'd done lately was let people down and he was sick of it.
Gloin interrupted Fili's self-loathing. "I'll make that scumbag wish he was never born. I'll rip his…"
"Gloin, enough!" Fili bellowed. "We will get your damned Gold back. But right now we have bigger fish to fry, don't you think?!"
Gloin silently fumed, his face an unnatural red hue. If they hadn't been in such a poor situation Fili was sure he'd be struggling to keep a straight face. Feeling guilty for yelling Fili's expression softened as he regarded the Blacksmith. "I'll personally help you kick his arse, okay?"
Much to his relief Gloin managed a half smile and quit his bickering. Fili looked back out the cell, resting his forehead on the cool iron bars. A movement from the opposite cell had Fili watching his Uncle.
"Damn these idiots. How much longer will they keep us waiting?" Thorin hadn't said much in a while, and his silence had grated on Fili's nerves no end.
"It's a joke." Dwalin muttered. The Dwarf had barely ceased pacing and reminded Fili of a ticking time bomb.
"They took Father's journal." Kili said miserably – Fili hadn't realized he'd woken. Kili pushed to his feet and paced over to where the others stood. He could see the sadness written all over his Brother's face and there would be no stifling the urge to punch the man who'd taken the Journal. He knew how much it meant to Kili, and he'd often caught his Brother quietly reading a snippet when he thought no one was looking. It was the only connection they had to their Father and Fili desperately wanted it back just as much.
Grasping the bars so tightly his knuckles burned white Fili cursed their bad luck. He just prayed that they would make it out of here soon, and live to tell the tale.
Kili watched his Brother closely through the bars. He hated that they'd been separated, even though he could still see his Brother it wasn't the same. What he hated more was the guilt he saw in Fili's expression. His Brother was always blaming himself, or taking the blame when it was really unnecessary, and despite Kili's attempts in the past to put a stop to it it made no difference. He knew that his Uncle was probably thinking along the exact same lines at the moment and blaming himself for the awful situation and it irked Kili that he was powerless to do anything about it.
Becoming increasingly impatient Kili began pacing the length of the cell. When they'd first been chucked into their confines Kili had paced for at least an hour, spitting out every obscenity in his vocabulary. But after a while he had tired, the stress of the last couple of days finally taking its toll and he'd been glad for the brief reprieve of sleep – if only to forget the stolen Journal. He couldn't wait to get it back, and for that matter he was desperate for his bow as well.
"Damn this! How much longer must we wait?" Kili screamed. He was a little stunned to hear a pattering of footsteps the other side of the door, and then the door itself groaned in protest as it gave way to a small figure. Everyone stilled as they strained to see who was nearing them. One of the sconces was removed from the wall and carried by the figure towards the cells. The girl who stopped between the cells was Dwarven.
"It isn't much, but it's all I can manage for now." The girl muttered as she settled the tray on the floor and slid the plates of bread and tea cups of water under the bars. Everyone stood in stunned silence for a moment, all eyes on the girl. Shifting uncomfortably under the scrutiny she shrugged apologetically. "It's better than nothing."
Still they all gaped and stared. Before finally Thorin seemed to shake himself from the surprise. "Who are you and why are you here?"
Typical Thorin, straight to the point.
Ducking her head she looked at her shoes. "My name is Ara. I'm a maid about the Mayor's dwellings. I heard a group of Dwarves were caught trespassing and I couldn't do nothing – I thought you may be hungry and I know none of the men would bring you any provisions. I know how they treat prisoners, and I've done nothing for far too long." A glazed look took over her face as she looked ahead and Kili wondered what had become of the previous inmates.
More silence ensued as everyone digested this. Most of the time they all had too much to say for themselves but in this moment they were too stunned to think let alone speak. Remembering his manners Kili bowed his head and smiled. "Thank you, Ara."
Seeming bewildered Ara looked to Kili wide eyed before adverting her gaze. "It's ok. To be honest it was curiosity which led me down here as much as my guilty conscience."
"Curiosity?" Fili prompted.
Ara looked to Fili and it was the first time she managed to maintain eye contact for more than a heartbeat. Kili wasn't surprised though, his Brother had an easy going manner that instantly drew people in.
Seeming to hesitate Ara looked back towards the door before continuing. "We don't get many Dwarves coming this way. There are only a handful of us in the village and I barely see them as I'm not allowed to leave the dwellings much. I was curious to see if the rumours were true and to find out why you are travelling this way? You must know of the dangerous roads beyond this place, and where they lead…"
Averting her question Fili answered with one of his own. "What can you tell us of the roads between here and the cave city?"
Licking her lips a pained expression accompanied her words. "I know that you'd be mad to attempt going there. And of the roads between here and there, there are two. One the Wargs and Goblins patrol and the other…" She physically grimaced before continuing. "No one would be crazy enough to travel that trail." Before they could ask any more questions she carried on distractedly. "I just cannot believe the Wargs didn't get you before you made it here. The leaders of this settlement they have an agreement you see."
"An agreement?" Thorin asked.
Nodding, Ara continued. "Yes, an agreement. When the cave city was taken over it was feared that this village would be over run with Goblins and Wargs. There is a fair distance between the two but the concern was there never the less. The leaders of this village at the time came to an understanding with the Goblins, that if they encountered any travellers with grand ideas of trying to reclaim the lost city they would be intercepted and… killed. It meant that the villagers got to stay here and the Goblins got to keep the cave city – it was a win win as far as they were concerned." Looking amongst them all she continued. "There have been travellers, men and dwarves and sometimes even Elves who are simply wayward and lost. But most of them get hunted by the Wargs before they even make it this far, and those that don't are dealt with. Regardless of their reasons for travelling this way."
Churning this over Kili grasped the bars tightly. "The cave city… are there any dwarves left? We've heard stories some were kept as slaves."
"I… I believe that it true, yes. I know that when I was escaping most were slaughtered, but some were captured."
"What? You lived there?" Kili watched Ara with shock, as did everyone else. He wasn't even sure who had asked the question.
Becoming distant again, Ara fiddled with the hem of her piny. "I was only a dwarfling when they came, I can only remember snippets… But I do remember my Father carrying me from the caves. I can still hears the screams now, at night I…" She stopped abruptly, sadness contorting her pale face. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she swiped it hastily away.
Overcome with sadness and compassion Kili felt lost for words as he watched Ara pull herself together.
"We're sorry you went through that, Ara." His Brother breathed. Fili went to reach through the bars but hesitated, his hand dropped limply to his side and it was hard to miss the tears brimming in his Brother's eyes.
Kili took a moment to breathe deeply and collect his thoughts when something occurred to him. Unable to resist he asked the question hesitantly. "Do you recognise the name Liviel? She's who we are searching for." Kili felt no need to hide their reasons from Ara but he noticed his Brother's head snap up in his direction at the mention of their Sister's name.
Frowning Ara shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Sorry." She replied gently.
Kili's shoulders sagged in disappointment. It had been a long shot, but he'd had to ask.
"But it was such a vast city. There were so many Dwarves, it would have been impossible for anyone to know everyone." Ara explained.
Kili appreciated her compassion and nodded resolutely. There was nothing that would hinder his hope of finding Livi.
"They're going to execute us then?" Oin asked solemnly.
"That's the plan. I'm sure they told you the Mayor would meet with you but that is never the case. They usually leave any prisoners for a while, making sure they are too weak to fight back before 'dealing' with them."
Kili ground his teeth and regarded his friends and family. They were not going down like this, no way.
"But…" Ara began and looked amongst them. "I'm not going to let that happen. Like I said, I've stood back and done nothing for too long. I'm going to get you out."
Kili couldn't believe the words she spoke and in his disbelief he stared at Ara in wonder.
"You would do that?" Thorin breathed.
"Yes. Nobody deserves to die for trying to save a loved one. For putting themselves in danger when they are uncertain that person is even still alive. I would give anything to still have my family around me, and I cannot stand by while others are denied that privilege."
"But what will they do to you when they find out you've helped us?" Fili asked.
Giving a sad smile Ara squared her shoulders. "Nothing I cannot handle. Now eat, I need to take the plates with me." Fili regarded Ara worriedly, not at all placated. In all fairness Kili didn't like the idea of Ara receiving punishment but at the moment he was too overcome with emotion and shock to think clearly.
After eating the bread with unending gratitude Ara left them and promised to be back soon. There was nothing they could do now but wait and hope she came up with a plan.