The Mountain of Light
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
AN: I'm back! :D Thank you everybody who've supported me.
Dina: Aw, they went well. Thank you. And I'm glad that you do. And really, I am also happy to have Thranduil. He brings all the sass.
Guest: Lol, nice! Then it means the chapter did it's job. ;) Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter 5
Thranduil smiled down at the price of Erebor, taking in and fully enjoying his wide eyes and gaping mouth as Thorin began absorbing the shock and awe of this whole predicament. After all, not every day would one expect to find amidst the elven company...that too, away from Mirkwood.
"Come now, meleth nin. I don't believe I'm such so much out of the ordinary for you to stare at me like that." He said tauntingly, gently guiding Thorin back to his bed.
"No, but you out of Mirkwood amidst this...desolation is surely one!" Thorin replied, trying to shake off the initial shock. He protested gently as a slender hand pushed him back on the soft cushions. He tried smacking a hand away as he said ruefully, "Now what do you think you're doing? And where's my nephew?"
Thranduil's smile widened at that as he pushed Thorin further, allowing himself to lean in over the dwarf's face so that his hair gently tickled the other's cheeks.
"Oh I think he is well entertained." His voice chimed with a playful melody and Thorin could all but keep himself composed as the rich and very familiar scent of trees and flowers entered his nostrils.
"With who?" He tried regaining his ground but failed badly as he felt soft lips tracing kisses over his cheeks and the crook of his neck, to which Thorin responded by stretching himself to expose more of that area.
"With good company." Thranduil's voice was rasped and breezed coolly into the other's ears as the elf advanced to claim his mouth.
Thorin breathed in deeply, the rich and beautiful scent lifting him up in more ways than one. He dipped the other's head and caressed his long and silky hair, while leaning in to gain control over the kiss.
Thranduil purred in pleasure, opening more of his mouth as Thorin's tongue caressed and teased every corner of his own. A tiny gasp escaped his lips and his legs parted ever so slightly as the shorter of the two made himself draw closer and deepen the kiss, complimenting it with a cheeky caress of Thranduil's smooth skin from under his tunic.
Thranduil responded by entwining his fingers in Thorin's traces as he gently brushed his scalp. His eyes had fluttered shut the minute their mouths met and he clearly enjoyed the other's rough and harsh taste as opposed to the sweetness of his own which Thorin was getting a taste of.
However, Thorin soon pulled away giving Thranduil a peck before sitting up straighter. He paused, trying to regain his breath and when he did, he stated, "Not that I mind the welcome but I seem to notice that the king of the Woodland realm didn't answer my question."
"Answer what?" Thranduil replied, the longing still quite visible in his eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
At that, Thranduil's lips curled upwards. He lifted his chin and fixed his eyes at Thorin's face, getting a good look at the other as he spoke in a proud voice, "Ah! Then the king of Woodland realm apologizes to the prince under the mountain. It is the usual time of the year when we engage ourselves into a little trip where we go hunting."
"Hunting?" Thorin sounded astonished and truthfully, he was. "I didn't think of you people as a type to hunt! You all seem to give off the message 'animals are our friends and meat is forbidden in our diet'!"
At that, Thranduil's eyes lit up in merriment as the smile on his lips widened even further.
"Then you are quite prejudiced Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór!" The elven king replied in an equally astonished voice which was filled with mirth—the same which twinkled in his bright eyes as he leaned down and brushed his lips against Thorin's forehead.
Thorin huffed slightly and turned his head away as he appeared to be crossed at the rude allegation.
"Prejudiced?" He crossed his arms and looked sharply up at the other, "You call me prejudiced when it is you who asked me if I too had my own replica of the Arkenstone as my father?"
"How could I not ask? Your grandfather has the original and your father too bears a replica of it! As does your father's throne and his foot rest!"
"Because you of all people should know I am not anything like them!" Thorin defended himself, rolling his eyes at the elf's ignorance.
Thranduil too had a similar reaction as he rolled his own eyes and shook his head, only to throw an evident expression at Thorin as he spoke, "It is why we get along so intimately."
Upon hearing that, Thorin's lips automatically twitched into a smirk while shrugging a little, as he said almost in an arrogant wave, "Give me some credit! It was already very hard to keep you quiet right under their noses."
Thranduil narrowed his eyes as traces of mischief were being reflected at his gaze and the smirk he now held on his face.
"And it was an effort well spent." He replied, his gaze becoming sharper and more focused and directed at the other as the mischief now radiated from all of his facial features.
"Indeed." Thorin returned the gesture with an arrogance crossing his face when all of a sudden his eyes widened as it seemed that his mind had snapped back to the main purpose he'd have been trying to grasp all along.
"But where is Kíli? Is he alright?" He stood up hurriedly, flinching as the knotted muscles throbbed in pain.
He heard Thranduil swear in his native tongue, hurriedly catching him and putting him back to bed.
"I told you, meleth!" He scolded him harshly which was not at all unusual for him to do when it came to him dealing with Thorin and his stubbornness. "He is fine. Currently attending to our feast and engaging himself quite well."
Thorin relaxed slightly at that though he maintained a sceptical look about him. He was about to say something else to the elf when suddenly, he heard the curtains to his tent being flapped aside followed by a sound of heavy footsteps.
"I'm in Valinor Uncle! There are quite a few ladies who aren't half bad looking!"
Both of them jerked in surprise at the sound of a young and refreshing voice with excited utterances. They looked up and there stood Kíli with minor bruising and cuts and a very bright smile on his lips.
"In fact, that she-elf guard who imprisoned me has a set of nice looking finers and a finer looking nices." Kíli said, wiggling his eyebrows, "And though not as hairy as our women, the hair she has on head compensates for all the others. In fact, I say you too should go for the—uh..." He faltered abruptly when his eyes fell on the company. Soon he found himself staring at the elven king in great confusion, who was inches away from his uncle and too close to his personal space.
Thorin saw the look of confusion etched across his nephew's face and he tried his best stifling a groan he felt was rising up his throat.
"Uh...um...who're you?" He asked and it was then that Thorin released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding a long time. Thank Mahal, their secret was safe.
"Oh Kíli!" He began but he was cut off by Thranduil himself, who rose up and nodded graciously at the youngest of them all.
"I am Thranduil, king of Mirkwood and apparently your saviour young one." He introduced himself with a very regal air. "I was just here to say how your uncle was doing after we found two of you unconscious after that little rockslide we had heard."
Thorin was grateful that his lover had deflated an otherwise precarious situation. Kíli was young but he was anything but a fool. When the other looked past his lover and at him, he nodded in approval and mouthed 'courtesy' to which Kíli complied.
He nodded courteously in response and introduced himself back at which Thranduil seemed pleased.
"Well, I had better go and attend to the feast." He had declared after a while of uneasy silence, nodding at Thorin as he started to walk out of that tent. As he was on his way, he glanced at the others over his shoulders and mentioned, "Please. Do join us."
And if it was anyone other than Thorin Oakenshield, then he'd surely miss the prolonged stare directed at him—for just a fraction of a second longer—which was full of intensity and something more than just longing.
Kíli watched the retreating back of the elven king and his eyes narrowed very slightly with each connection his brain was trying to make at the oddity of the circumstances.
He was soon pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of his uncle calling him.
"What was that, Uncle? I didn't quite catch you." He didn't miss the concerned gaze he received from the older dwarf but he appeared to be calm and as much of his usual self as he could muster.
"I said," Thorin repeated in a firmer voice, "You still haven't told me why you had gone off into that cave. That too, at night and without me."
Thorin was focusing all of his attention on him now and the look he threw was quite intimidating. In fact, it was already making Kíli to work hard to control himself from shifting and keeping his calm. He met his uncle's gaze confidently as he replied in a similar tone, "I was just exploring, Uncle. Nothing more."
He breathed in and straightened himself.
Thorin's eyes, however, narrowed at his response as the older dwarf didn't seem to believe a single word that Kíli had provided.
"Exploring." He stated, sounding not too pleased, "In the middle of the night? Even endangering yourself by getting squashed under a pile of rocks? Kíli what are you upto?"
Thorin's eyes flashed as he no longer was able to suppress the anger he felt. "It was so reckless of you and had it not been for pure luck, Mahal knows what would've happened to us. What would've happened to you!"
Kíli sighed and bit his lips as guilt had encroached his mind and heart. There was no excuse on his part. He had been reckless but he certainly didn't want to put his uncle in line of danger! That was why he went up alone to begin with! That was why he ventured alone from the start! That and the reminder of the trust Thrór had placed exclusively on him. He didn't want to let down the king!
I don't want to let down Uncle either.
He looked up yet again as Thorin continued to speak, his voice rising with each passing moment and his face showing signs of growing trepidation.
"What would I say to Dís should anything ever happen to you? Did you think of that? How could I ever face anyone?"
Thorin's eyes were wide and brimming with concern and an unknown fear. Kíli very well understood that it took his uncle great amount of restrain not to just lunge towards him and shake him as he panicked. Thorin had always been overprotective of him and truly, it pained him to see such anguish on his uncle's face.
"Uncle...I—"
He started but was cut off quickly by the other.
"I do not know what Thrór wants of you and your reasons to keep his intention a secret...but Kíli..." The dwarf prince paused, frowning hard as he tried to gather his bearings, "Whatever it is, you can trust me! I'll help you through it but I can't let you go ahead so blindly. Do you understand me?"
The younger dwarf sighed again, finding it so hard all of a sudden just to even look at the other.
"Do you understand me?"
He heard Thorin speak again, this time more insisting than before. It was then that he had made a decision.
He breathed in a few times more before he finally daunted to look up.
"Yes Uncle. I trust you." He said, pausing for a moment to lick his lips before he went on, "I...I have something to show you."
He paused again, the wild drumming of his heart now increasing as he felt the other's intense and curious stare falling on him.
He gulped and steadied himself before slowly reaching for his tunic, pulling out a small pouch.
"What is that?" Thorin asked, baffled by the sight of such a thing. Thousands of question was sure to bubble in his mind, of that Kíli was sure. Instead of going into the excruciatingly lengthy detail of it all, he decided it would be best just to show him.
He began untying the string that closed the mouth of the pouch and when it was undone, he put his hand in and looked about. When he was absolutely sure that no one was intruding, he slowly and delicately pulled out the object within and held it out for the other to see.
Thorin's eyes broadened as tidal waves of shock, surprise, awe and a damning numbness crashed against him. He stared at the thing with his mouth open ajar, his lips quivering with words which quickly dissolved away the moment they were being formed.
There in Kíli's hand was something that until then was thought not to exist in reality. Its brightness was so gorgeous and crafted so delicately brilliant as if thousands of stars shone down upon them and graced them with white beams of pure unearthly light.
As the shock slowly wore away, it was replaced immediately by anticipation and a great sense of fear. Thorin's breath came out extremely shaken much like his own demeanour and state of mind.
He felt his mouth dry as he finally made connection of every single event that led him to be with his nephew.
Minutes seemed like hours before he finally regained his voice. His mind was still baffled and finally, after a long while the only coherent words that seemed to form in his mind were exclaimed with a shuddering and windless voice.
"Oh Kíli. What have you done?"
AN: So now you get a glimpse of why I chose the rating to be what it is. XD Please review.