The Mountain of Light

Disclaimer: I own nothing used in this story. Well, um...except the plot.

AN: Still unsure of the eventual plot...I'm just pitching it as I go. Darn it the other one came so easily! Buuuuut...I decided to make it established!Thorinduil. Also, Thrain is alive. And Thorin is the prince of Erebor.

I think I'll keep this story short just so that I don't get frustrated and lose interest. ^^;

Thanks to everyone who've provided their response.

Dina and Guest: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you do. :)

Chapter 2

The night was covered with peace and tranquillity. The sky was clear and was adorned with thousands and thousands of stars valiantly burning far away. The full moon which accompanied them glowed with a soft light, bathing Erebor with its cool and delicate beams.

Thorin was up at the corridor looking ahead and taking in the beauty which only the late hours of night could provide. He was tired and yet not a single trace of sleep could be found in his eyes. And how could he sleep? How could he get a stretch of peace when just hours before he had another tussle with his grandfather?

The old king was seemingly getting more and more introverted. As his aloofness grew, so did his unquenchable thirst for gold and treasure he guarded with his very life.

He sighed and focused his gaze at the night sky. The stars...they reminded him of a pair of bright twinkling orbs and the moon and its eerie glow were the very reminiscent of the one. His one.

His mind wandered back to the day when they first met in the halls of Erebor. It was purely diplomatic. Under no circumstances, anything other than boorish treaties and talks of co-operation was to be expected.

And there amidst that unlikely environment, Thorin's expectation grew ten folds.

Thorin perfectly remembered how gracefully he strolled up to Thrór and how delicately he conveyed his emotions through his eyes and a tiny twitch of his lips. It was the elven king and he was a sight to behold.

However, his inner revelation didn't last long. Thorin was quickly brought back to reality as his keen ears picked up hushed scurrying of quick feet going past him.

He narrowed his eyes and focused at the dark corridors, wondering if he had heard something. Again, the scurrying of feet occurred and this time it felt more cautious.

Thorin straightened himself and very carefully traced the direction of the sound. Now he was sure it was not just his ears ringing. It had definitely been somebody and the way he moved bode all the alertness a trained warrior like Thorin would ever need.

Having identified the intended direction, Thorin cautiously followed the corridor all the while keeping himself from making any unwanted sound.

He could really do with some unnecessary trouble at the moment. So he sincerely hoped it was nothing of great concern and that it was but a mere rat or rodent of some sort. Should it be a rodent, it would be properly dealt with. Should it be a mole...well, it would certainly have no ambiguous treatment as well!

Kíli adjusted himself on his pony, mindful of keeping the noise down each step he took forward. He quickly glanced behind and just prayed that he wasn't being followed. He swore to his great grandfather that he would involve nobody but himself and he intended to make Thrór trust him.

For a moment, he was concerned that Thorin would catch up to him and demand to know what he was doing. He wasn't expecting his uncle to be up that late at night. And if it was anything which was difficult, that'd be lying on his uncle's face!

When he was absolutely certain that it was only him and his pony, he felt confident enough to reach into his pocket and pull out the map Thrór had shown him.

As his eyes traced over the destined region, his mind automatically flashed the image of his great grandfather staring at him with the intensity of thousand suns combined.

The look he had in his eyes...it wasn't dwarf like. It was anything but. Kíli, with all honestly, could swear that had never witnessed such a look on somebody's face. It was the very glimpse of a one track mind and it had simply made the younger dwarf shudder whenever his mind lingered on it for far too long.

Suddenly without any warning, his pony came to a dead halt.

"Well?" Kíli frowned, not taking his eyes off the map, "What is it Bungle? Go ahead!"

He poked it with his boots and instead of Bungle sprinting off like usual, all the pony did was let out a snort. It even took a step and a half back.

Confusion burrowed in Kíli's mind at his pony's sudden unexplained behaviour.

"Go on, Bungle?" He poked it again and as the pony snorted, he finally lifted his head up with extreme annoyance. His irritation however immediately dissolved away as he felt his face go ashen at the very sight before him.

Blocking his way stood none other than Thorin Oakenshield. He was atop his own pony and by the look of his face he was none too pleased to find his nephew out and about in the middle of the night.

Kíli tried to appear calm but his sense of calmness quickly evacuated as he heard his uncle speak, "Care to explain this, Nephew?" He asked in a grave voice and Kíli tried not to flinch at the seriousness of his tone.

"Uncle...I..." He fumbled with words, deciding what excuse he could possibly provide. Anything that could explain him with his bow, arrows and a map in hand was certainly a welcomed relief.

Thorin waited patiently. He raised an expecting brow while glaring squarely at his nephew. "And what is it in your hands?" He prompted at the map and locked Kíli's gaze with an ardent focus.

"I uh...it's a map, Uncle." Kíli tried to stall vainly. He knew he could not keep this game up for long and eventually he'd have to answer to Thorin.

"Kíli!" His uncle admonished and the younger dwarf finally let out a sigh in defeat. He breathed in deeply before he finally dared to speak, "I was asked to visit a particular realm. In lieu of political co-ordinations."

Thorin's brow rose further as he looked curiously at his nephew.

"Political co-ordinations?" His brows now crossed to a frown which deepened more and more as he seemed to contemplate something in his mind. "On whose word are you going for this political co-ordination? And that too in such stealth at this hour of the night!"

Kíli felt stiff before his uncle's scrutinizing gaze. He felt his throat drying but he camouflaged his discomfort well while he spoke with apparent confidence, "By the king's order. I thought if I left now, I could be there by morning."

"King's order?" Thorin, however, was far too seasoned to be taken for a fool. His eyes flashed suddenly with a residual anger as he glared at the younger one, "Grandfather put you up for this and he couldn't say this to me?"

Kíli refrained from shrugging. Thorin's pallor grew more and more intense as his frown deepened and the anger clearly smouldered in his eyes.

"You will return immediately, Kíli. Give me the map and go home. This errand can wait for a few hours more."

"No but," Kíli's protest came almost out of reflex and he could barely resist the urge to groan openly when he had just provided Thorin with even more cause of suspicion.

As was supposed, his uncle tilted his head in tremendous suspicion and asked tauntingly, "What could be of such importance that it cannot wait till dawn? Or is it..." He narrowed his eyes yet again as he took in his nephew's demeanour inch by inch, "Or is it something that cannot be seen carried out in dawn?"

Kíli held his ground and stared back confidently but under his uncle's gaze, he found the facade of his confidence quickly ebbing away, much like the real confidence did the moment he had seen Thorin right in front of him.

When he didn't answer, Thorin asked again and this time, with a more demanding tone, "Tell me, Kíli. Where exactly are you going?"

The map that was handed over to him was nothing out of the ordinary. It was simply a map of Arda and that too, one with no special marking or special symbol that could give away the intended destination.

Thorin frowned at it and watched steadily as his nephew was forced to go into his quarters and take a little rest before his supposed errand.

What bothered him the most was the fact that this errand was appointed to him by Thrór himself. The wise and strong king of Erebor who somehow found it rational to entrust his great grandson to carry out his deed. Not his son, not Thorin, not even his eldest nephew Fíli. None but Kíli. Kíli, who was a mere dwarfling by their standards! A young adult, yes but a dwarfling nonetheless!

And then, the errand was set by Thrór...

He felt concern bubbling in his mind as his grip on the map tightened.

Just what exactly are you planning to do? He pondered as his brows knitted deeply in a grim frown. Just what exactly do you need Kíli to do?

It was the earliest hours of dawn when he came down to his youngest nephew's quarters. Kíli was already up. From what he could gather, the young one had been like that for the entire night.

Upon seeing the other, Kíli quickly stood up on his feet and straightened himself.

"Good morning, uncle!" He greeted Thorin with his usual enthusiasm. However, underneath it all, Thorin could easily see the impatience, the restlessness and the nervousness the other dwarf was trying so hard to conceal.

"Good morning, Kíli." He greeted back and said, "You still haven't told me who your errand concerns."

Kíli was approaching him when he suddenly paused at the blunt question thrown at him. "I can't say that."

Upon listening to that equally blunt answer, Thorin's suspicion grew even more. He tilted his head and threw a sceptical look at the other while not missing the tiniest of flinch Kíli almost gave away.

"Why not?" His voice was laced with wariness and a deep concern.

"Great grandfather asked me not to. I can't disobey him."

"Why not?" Thorin asked him in the same disbelieving tone as before, not at all accustomed to listen to Kíli talk about obedience.

"Because he's the king!" The tone Kíli used completely matched the shocked look on his face and somehow Thorin felt very unsettled all of a sudden.

"Indeed he is." Thorin's voice didn't hide the sarcasm any better than his facial features. For a while he said nothing. He desperately wanted to grasp at a clue. Anything that would help him figure out what was Thrór's motive?

He didn't miss the abrupt change in the old king's personality. He became gloomier, more obsessed with gems and jewels and if it was upto him, he'd probably barter away his own life just for the sake of those damned things. Thorin didn't miss the erratic look those once wise eyes held and the grimness that surrounded his whole aura as he flaunted off his wealth.

Thrór made it clear—his wealth was his alone. Others could only bare to feast with their eyes...if he had the mood to allow them.

All of a sudden, a wave of protectiveness swept over Thorin.

What if...what if that old fool was trying to barter off Kíli? It was no secret that the young one wanted to be acknowledged by the king! What if he was being used just to satisfy Thrór's greed? Clearly Kíli wasn't told much about Thrór's changing demeanour!

When it was apparent that the quietness was becoming extremely unusual, Kíli ventured and called out to his uncle, thus snapping him back to the present state of mind.

"Uncle...uncle, are you alright?"

Unsure of when he actually looked away to begin with, Thorin snapped his head back up at the other and looked with the sternest of gazes.

"If you want to be secretive, then I have no qualms about it. Not fully, anyway." He spoke as his gaze grew stronger. "However, you will not go alone."

Kíli was about to protest but was quickly cut short.

"Either I come with you or you don't go at all. You know me, Kíli. I take my words very seriously." He directed his stern focus on the other and when the younger dwarf finally gave in, he felt a tiny relief at the back of his mind.

"Then let me grab my supplies and we shall make way." Thorin said, quickly leaving to get his supplies.

He prayed that this would not bring in any further trouble.

AN: I love Thrór, but let's face it. He did become greedy! And loony. I'd love to hear from you guys. Let me know what you think so far!