Happy New Year everyone! I would have posted this sooner but I had to work plus I went out drinking last night and didn't get back until about 6:30 in the morning and I had to work at 12 so...yeah. I hope all of your New Years were awesome and to start off the new year, a new chapter! :)

Chapter 16

It took Bilbo a moment but soon he got his bearings and was able to lead Fíli through the caves towards the place he had seen Kíli.

While Bilbo focused on where they were going, Fíli's mind could only worry about the state of his little brother. He just hoped they arrived in time.

After a while, Bilbo began to wonder if he took a wrong turn somewhere, until the distorted echo of voices put his mind at ease, somewhat.

It was difficult to make out the source of the voices but as they drew nearer, they became more clear and distinctive.

When Fíli recognized the sound of his brother, he felt a pain in his heart. His voice sounded so weak, so fragile. What had happened to him?

They reached a corner where the voices were clear as night, peering around and Fíli's knees threatened to fall out from under him. He could see Kíli, curled on the ground, red streams running down his skin and staining his clothes. The sleeves of his tunic were burned away, revealing blisters and burns. From where he stood, he could see a few of Kíli's fingers bent at unnatural angles.

Fíli wanted to call out this his brother, to tell him he was here, but his voice was constricted. Bolg came into view, a sinister smile on his face. "Are you ready to talk, glob?"

"Imrid amrad ursul," Kíli growled back.

Bolg connected his foot with Kíli's abdomen, and Fíli lurched forward but was held back by Bilbo. "No!"

"What are you doing? We have to save him!"

"I know, but you can't go rushing in! You'll get both of you killed!"

"I do not care, that is my brother!"

"Fíli, we need a plan…"

"We don't need a plan. We need to go in there and save Kíli!"

"I know you're worried but if we just go in there…"

"Quiet, you! You know nothing of this! What plan could you possibly come up with that will work?"

Bilbo was stunned by the hurtful words of the dwarf. There was something dark in Fíli's eyes that he hadn't seen for some time now.

"I know nothing of this? Alright, then I guess all the plans I came up with before to save your skin couldn't possibly prepare me for this. It's not like I rescued you from the spiders of Mirkwood, from Thranduil's dungeons, from the bandits in the mountains, from the Orcs we saw in Mirkwood on the way here. No, I couldn't possibly know anything about rescuing someone!"

Bilbo took a deep breath to even his breathing before he continued. "I know you're worried about Kíli but rushing in like you normally do will get both of you killed so unless you have a death wish you should listen to what I have to say."

It seemed that his words had finally made it through to Fíli. "I am sorry, Bilbo. I do not know what came over me. I owe you my life many times over."

"Water under the bridge, my friend. Now, I think I may have an idea…"

Kíli wanted to die. His body was in so much pain. Every breath, every thought hurt. He couldn't last any longer under Bolg's torture. For the first time since his capture, he prayed that Fíli had perished from his fall off the mountain so that when Bolg eventually did kill him, he would find Fíli waiting at the Hall of Mandos for him so that they may pass on together.

"I will ask you one last time, where is the Slayer of Azog?"

Although his breathing was hitched, he managed to say with a confident voice, "I am the Slayer of Azog."

He waited for the blow to come. He even saw the twitch in Bolg's muscles but when it didn't come, he looked up. Bolg was no longer leering down at him. Instead his attention was focused on something approaching from the left.

When Kíli turned, his face blanched. It was Bilbo, walking towards them with his hands raised. "Please, don't kill me."

Orcs rushed Bilbo, their weapons held out as they threatened to spear the poor Hobbit.

"What are you?" Bolg asked.

"I am Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. I was traveling with this dwarf and another to my homeland."

"You traveled with the Slayer of Azog?"

Bilbo nodded.

"Where is he?"

Bilbo looked to Kíli. Kíli pleaded with his eyes for Bilbo to run, to save himself.

With a sigh, Bilbo replied, "If you wish to know, you will have to follow me. I can show you where he is."

Bolg sneered before turning to Kíli. "It seems your companion is not as loyal as you dwarves."

Bolg turned to a few Orcs and gave them orders in the Black Tongue before turning to Bilbo. "Show me."

Bilbo swallowed his nerves before turning around and walking off down the tunnel he came from, Bolg and a few Orcs following behind. Two of the creatures stayed with Kíli, their eyes watching him closely. Kíli closed his eyes and wished for death to take him for surely if Bolg found Fíli alive, they stood no chance.

Suddenly one of the Orcs squealed, followed quickly by a thud. Kíli opened his eyes to see one Orc on the ground and the other pulling out a knife that had speared his chest. Kíli recognized the knife and the flash of gold that leapt over him before slicing the Orc's neck. At first he thought he was hallucinating. Perhaps this was all in his head. But when two familiar arms pulled him into a hug, he knew it was real.

"Kee," Fíli cooed in his ear.

Kíli smiled as he nuzzled his face into his brother's shoulder. As they pulled away Fíli undid the bonds binding Kíli's hands together.

"You survived?" Kíli asked as he took in his brother's appearance.

"Apparently so. Can you walk?"

Fíli helped his brother to his feet. Kíli's legs felt weak beneath him as he tried to stand. He had to lean into his brother for support otherwise he would fall. Kíli didn't need to answer. "Put most of your weight on me. We're going to get you out of here."

"What about Bilbo?"

"Don't worry, we have a plan."

They were slow as they moved through the caves, and Fíli wasn't exactly sure where they were going. As long as they were headed away from the Orcs he was fine.

Suddenly they could hear Orc chatter before one shouted, "FIND THEM! BRING THEM TO ME!"

Fíli and Kíli's faces instantly fell. Someone had noticed their disappearance. Fíli adjusted his brother's weight before quickening their pace.

They had barely made it a few steps before three Orcs appeared behind them. "GET THEM!"

"Kíli, run!"

Fíli pushed Kíli forward as he pulled out his swords. The silver metal glistened as they slashed, battling the Orcs that threatened to take his brother away. They would never lay a single hand on Kíli again, not while he was still breathing.

Once the Orcs were slain, Fíli put one of his swords away and grabbed Kíli by the arm, careful to avoid the burns before dragging him through the tunnels. Their run was slow, Kíli having been weakened by the torture inflicted upon him and Fíli still wounded from his fall.

They could hear footsteps getting closer. "They're catching up," Kíli muttered.

Suddenly Kíli wrenched his arm from Fíli's grip and stop. "Kee, what are you…?"

"Go, Fíli. Save yourself."

"Don't be stupid Kíli, I'm not going anywhere without you!"

"I'm only slowing you down, just go!"

Fíli approached his brother and grabbed his shoulders. "Either we get out of here together or we don't. I am not leaving you, Kíli. I promised I would protect you, no matter what. Now come on!"

Fíli grabbed Kíli once more and began to drag him through the tunnels. They could hear the Orcs closing in on them. All hope seemed lost until Fíli felt a soft breeze and the warmth of the rays of the sun as it fell on his shoulder. He turned and he smiled as he saw a way out of the caves; Kíli saw it too, hope filling him once more.

Energy surged through them as they made a desperate run towards the exit. When they finally hit the outside world, they ducked into some bushes and waited. None of the Orcs appeared. It seemed they had lost them in the mountains.

Only when the brothers were sure they were in the clear, they emerged from the bushes. In the light, the brothers were finally able to see the wounds the other had suffered.

Fíli was drenched from head to toe, covered in dirt and grime. Pieces of his clothing were torn and cuts littered his body. His left wrist was swollen to twice its normal size and he seemed to be favoring his left side. The wound he had suffered in the plains was bleeding freely, dripping off the ends of his fingertips.

Kíli looked worse. There wasn't a spot on him that didn't seem to be hurt. His tunic was in tatters, torn to reveal lashes. His arms were burned, the blisters having opened and the fresh air began to sting the exposed skin. His right hand cradled his left, where three of the five fingers were clearly broken. A long cut ran down his cheek and a small nick on his neck was bleeding. His face was sickly pale.

"Oh Kíli…"

Fíli couldn't stop himself from embracing his brother. This had happened because of him. Guilt flared through him as he held him.

"Where's Bilbo?" Kíli asked.

Fíli looked around. Indeed their Hobbit was nowhere to be found. They both turned back to the entrance to the mountains.

"Do you think he's still…?" Kíli asked.

"I don't know, but there's only one way to find out. Find cover and wait for me. If I'm not back before the sun falls…"

"No, you can't go in there alone! What if Bolg catches you?"

"I am not leaving our Burglar to die in there!"

As Fíli began to walk towards the caves, a familiar squeak behind them shouted, "Wait!"

They both turned and sighed in relief when they saw Bilbo climbing down from a tree. His clothes were slightly torn and his face seemed to be covered in dirt, but it was still their Bilbo. "Oh thank heavens you two found your way out! I was just about to go in there and find you myself."

"How did you lose Bolg?" Fíli asked.

"It wasn't easy. I'm glad I'm small and can fit into tight spaces. It would have been easier if I had my ring."

"Where did it go?" Kíli asked.

"I lost it in the mountains. It fell off a cliff. It's a shame; I was quite fond of that ring. Now it's lost forever."

Fíli's hand went to his pocket where he was holding the ring.

"Not quite," he muttered, pulling it out.

Bilbo and Kíli watched as he removed the golden band from his pocket. "Well I'll be... you found it!" Bilbo smiled as he took a step forward to grab it.

The moment he did, Fíli instantly retracted, holding the ring close to his chest. "Fíli, what are you…?"

"Why should I give it to you? You lost it."

A dark voice began to fill his thoughts. He had found it. It was his now.

"Fíli, can I please have my ring back?" Bilbo asked.

"Why? Do you think you are more deserving of it than me? What makes you better than I?"

"What has gotten into you?" Kíli asked.

Bilbo held out his hand as he took a step forward. "Fíli, please…"

"No!" Suddenly Fíli pulled out his sword and pointed it at Bilbo. Both Bilbo and Kíli froze, unable to comprehend what was going on. "The ring is mine now and anyone who tries to take it from me will not succeed."

Fíli took a step forward, forcing Bilbo to step back. He continued to do this until Bilbo was corned against the trunk of the tree, the tip of Fíli's sword touching his neck. "You have no right to call it yours."

Suddenly something collided with Fíli, forcing him to the ground. As he began to wrestle, two hands pinned his arms to the ground. Through his haze he was able to see Kíli. "Fíli, that is enough! Bilbo is our friend!"

"He is a traitor! He traded the Arkenstone to our enemies after EVERYTHING Thorin had done for him! He is NOTHING!"

"He did it to save us! What has gotten into you? This is not Fíli. This is not my brother!"

Fíli tried to struggle, but Kíli held him down harder. It hurt him to keep his brother still but he could not let Fíli harm Bilbo.

Fíli managed to free one of his arms and as he used his free hand to reach for a rock that was within his reach, something hard hit him across the face. After the blow, he looked to Kíli who held his right hand in a fist, having used it to hit his brother. It was as if something inside him had awoken. No longer was there anger in his eyes. He stared at Kíli in confusion. "Kíli?"

Slowly Kíli got off his brother, allowing Fíli to get to his feet. Once he did so, he looked at his companions. They both shared looks of fear as they stared at him. Fíli looked to his hand that still clenched onto the ring. It was the first time he was able to look at it in disgust; there was something dark about it and he wanted to fling it from his grasp.

Quickly he threw it to the ground at Bilbo's feet. "Bilbo, I am sorry, I do not know what came over me. Please, take it... keep it out of my sight."

Before anyone could say a word, Fíli turned and looked to the sky. "We should be heading out. We will make to Rivendell. Hopefully Elrond will give us aid."

And without another word, Fíli began to lead away from the mountains, the fear of what he had done flooding his thoughts.

TBC...

...o_O Sometimes this story has a mind of it's own. I just end up riding the waves. PREVIEW!

Bofur began to laugh.

"What are you laughing about?"

"The idea of you leading something. You couldn't lead a dragon to gold either because you would have stolen the gold by then and the dragon would have caught you and you'd be nothing more than a pile of dust!"

As Bofur continued laughing, Nori jumped at him and soon the two dwarves began to wrestle on the ground. Their tustle only lasted a few moments before they realized something was missing.

"Hang on a moment, where's Bifur?" Bofur asked as looked around.

Alright my pretties, please read and review!