The Mountain of Light
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was. :(
AN: Oukayyy, so I'm back with the latest installment. And there's a surprise. ;) Thank you for your feedback.
Guest: Thank you! believe e when I say this- I am also excited of the direction this will take.
Chapter 4
Thorin's eyes snapped open because of an unexplained uneasiness he felt growing in him. He sat up with great alertness and looked around. His heart sank as panicked eyes fell upon the bedding next to him.
Kíli wasn't there.
He quickly got up on his feet and looked around.
"Kíli!" he called out for his nephew but he got back no response. Panicked, he grabbed his sword and ventured towards the border of bushes, hoping against hope that he'd find his nephew there.
However, he had no such luck.
"Kíli, where are you?" He called out again, his voice now dripping with fear and worry as he came back to the fire again looked around with extreme franticness.
He tried using all of his senses. His ears were sharp with alarm as he kept them perked up in case any sound entered, leading him to the other.
But all that was around him were sounds of crickets and rustling of dry leaves—which at another time would give him tremendous relief to know that there was no one else in that area.
Ironically, this very fact now caused him dread.
There was no one else in that vicinity. Thorin was all alone. Helplessness took over him as he sat heavily on the ground with a groan. Suddenly, his temples began to hurt and the fear in his chest swirled faster and faster as his mind wandered to unchartered territory.
What if Kíli had gone to find some water and had been attacked? What if he fell and hurt himself? What if he got lost?
He sighed and shook his head vehemently, trying to push away those negative thoughts.
No, his nephew was strong and had a better sense of direction than him. He wouldn't get lost and he was more than capable of protecting himself.
He stood up, eyes burning with determination. He wouldn't let anything happen to the young one. That was why he came in the first place! What good would it do to either of them if Thorin just sat there being a complete cynic?
He tightened his grip on the sword and decided to start again.
He again looked about him and at the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a cave— something that he missed entirely in his frazzled state.
Relief washed over him as he now took in other possibilities. The cave was not too far from where he was and Kíli's supplies were still there. So there was a high chance of finding him in that cave. And there was also a chance of knowing exactly what Thrór's intent was.
With a new found resolution, Thorin now began walking towards it.
"Kíli?" Cautiously, Thorin called out at the mouth of that cave. His weapon was firm in his hands, ready to strike down whatever foe he might expect. However, from the looks of it, the cave was abandoned and had been so for quite a while.
"Kíli? Mahal be damned, where are you lad? Answer me!"
His frown grew as eyes remained fixed ahead of him, sharp with focus as he took cautionary steps inside.
He was about to call out again when suddenly, shuffling sounds of feet entered his ears. His eyes narrowed automatically as his hands raised the weapon by reflex, his whole body going into a defensive position.
The sounds were louder and were approaching right for him. Thorin breathed in and held his ground, crouching to launch an attack when all of a sudden, he was whizzed past by a lighter and shorter body with all the franticness Arda had to offer.
Thorin barely had time to catch the form and was relieved to see it was him who he'd been searching for the whole time. However, his respite was shattered ever so quickly as another low and rumbling sound made its way into his ears.
He stepped away from the cave and came to its opening and as he lifted his neck to get a view of any form of discrepancy, what he saw made him grow stiff with pure terror as all the colours from his face quickly drained away.
They were attacked alright. But not by any enemy which was mortal or could be struck down with a sword. Had they been under those categories, Thorin would still have the confidence of effectively wielding his sword.
This enemy was far more cruel and unforgiving and not even among the living or even the dead!
He was quickly snapped back into attention as he felt a tug at his arm. He looked at Kíli who was visibly shaken and was trying his best to drag the other away.
"Run Uncle, run!" He shouted at the top of his lungs barely managing to say the following word.
"Rockslide!"
The first thing he noticed was an unbelievable pain in his temples. He saw nothing but darkness all around him but it was only until Thorin realized that he had his eyes closed.
A stiff groan escaped his lips as he tried to turn over to his side. He couldn't conceal a flinch when a dull pain throbbed at his left leg.
Where am I? He vaguely wondered as quiet murmurs echoed in his ears. As he turned around, he felt the warm sensation of something soft and soothing against his side and leg which caused his frown to deepen further.
Where in Arda am I?
The last thing he remembered was sliding precariously against an edge with Kíli as rocks showered all around them.
He groaned and let himself indulge in the soft sensation underneath him for a moment, the murmurs still echoing about him—albeit muffled.
It's nice.
He smiled softly, wondering how much Kíli would be enjoying this. He always was a pampered one.
Wait. Kíli!
His eyes snapped open as the image of the younger dwarf flashed in his mind. He had almost forgotten about him! His heart raced with trepidation as he sat up with much haste, eyes widening being filled with fear and concern.
Where was he? Was he injured?
He felt his breath hitch as he looked around and as he realized that he was no longer at their camp, he could all but choke.
He let out a shuddered breath as he took in the extremely foreign surroundings. It was a room. No, a tent but a much lavish tent and the soft sensation he felt was that f a proper bedding—undoubtedly belonging to a very rich and powerful nobleman.
"Kíli!" He yelled out, flinching in pain as he abruptly stood up. His mind raced with all sorts of worries. When no answer came, he ignored his pain and was about to venture out when suddenly he was stopped by a warm hand on his shoulder.
It has slender and was glowing softly and while he looked down at it, Thorin couldn't help but feel a calmness radiating within him all of a sudden.
His breath slowed down and slowly he lifted his eyes to meet the person in front of him.
"Calm down, you're safe now." The person spoke, his icy blue eyes smiling down at the other as a soothing expression was painted on his face. "He is fine."
Thorin's eyes widened much like before as they lay upon someone whom he had least expected to see.
He felt his lungs out of wind all of a sudden as the fullness of shock and surprise set in.
Honestly, this was far from what he had expected to see.
"Thranduil." He breathed out. Upon hearing his name, the elven king smiled softly.
"Nice to see you too," Thranduil greeted, bending down to place a soft kiss on the other's forehead. "Melleth nîn."
AN: As I've mentioned in my other fic, because of exams (and me being lazy and piling everything up until the last moment), updates will be a little slow for a couple of weeks.
As always, feedback is lovely. Feedback makes an author discard lethargy. Please review~