AN: Well, I had a longer weekend this week since I just had finals and the teachers needed extra time to correct the tests, so that gave me extra time to write :)
A soft roaring was the first he heard of the sea, then it became louder, and soon the ponies had finished ascending the hill that overlooked the sparkling shore where the roaring became the only noise that reached Kili's curious mind.
Quite honestly, Kili could have bubbled with joyful laughter at the gorgeous blue, green water and white crested waves rolling onto creamy sand and crashing against a scattering of shimmering, grey rocks.
The water stretched as far as the eye could see. A dot that could either be a ship, or a far away island, was the only thing that disrupted the view of sky and sea colliding at the horizon.
Sharp, rocky cliffs jutted up at both ends of the beach, the grass on top of each hill almost as green as that in the forests back home. Sea grass grew up right next to where the sand began, and Thorin urged his pony forward, giving his nephew a better view.
"What do you think? Worth the long journey?" Fili grinned, and Kili nodded, his dark eyes shining.
"Come, the village is this way; we'd best find lodging for the night before anything else is done," Thorin focused his gaze on his nephews, though there was a fond glimmer in his gaze.
The group made its way along the shoreline, just within the grasses, until the ponies made a sharp turn to the right and followed a little dirt path to a quaint, but busy village.
Dwarves and men alike hurried through the main street in search of none knew what, while others stopped to chat with venders and shop keepers. The call of 'fresh fish' rang in the air, and was returned by more calls of sea glass jewelry, warm rolls, and too many other items to count.
More than once, Fili saw Nori eyeing the stands, though the fact they still rode their ponies kept his hands on his reigns. Bofur chatted casually with Kili, who laughed and watched wide eyed when Bofur pointed out this and that about the sea port. Fili's little brother seemed to have forgotten the 'sea-woman' story all together, which only served as relief to his older brother. One dwarf, who Fili believed to be named Vufur, pointed out an inn with adjoined tavern and stable, and Thorin gave a single nod. Leading the group to the inn, Sêl Hyfryd, he handed the reins of his pony to Fili and went in looking for open rooms. Several minutes later he returned and told the dwarves to put their ponies in the stable for they were staying here. Then they all headed into the inn, except Fili and Kili.
"And where do you think you're going?" Thorin asked Kili who was turning to walk away into town.
"We're just going to look around a bit, maybe head back down to the beach," Kili replied. Thorin was about ready to tell his nephews that they had better at least unpack before any sightseeing, but Bofur smiled at the brothers.
"Ah, let the lads have a little fun. Kili's never seen the likes of this place before," Bofur reminded Thorin, who backed down with a nod.
"Have fun; be careful!" He told his nephews, who nodded and then walked away laughing about something they'd seen or something they'd heard somewhere along the way.
"Sometimes I worry," Thorin muttered to himself, rolling his eyes, "It's not as if anyone would know why I worry, would they?"
Bofur chuckled as he watched the young dwarfs run recklessly about the street, once almost knocking a cart over before Fili caught it in time and apologized. They'd been in some scrapes through the years, but with each other, Fili and Kili had always gotten through. Why worry indeed? Fili always got Kili out of whatever problem he'd wedged himself into, and on the rare occasions that it was Fili in trouble, Kili was right by his brother's side. Durin forbid the day that one wasn't there to help the other, but the day could never come to pass, what with the brother's closeness, and Bofur shook his head at their uncle's qualms.
Why worry indeed?
"This place is amazing! Erebor itself can't be any greater than this!" Kili grinned over some sort of seafood dish he and his brother had purchased with a bit of small change. Already they had dashed through shops filled with art of the sea, a sea food market, something some man had owned called an 'aquarium' that had gripped Kili's wonder, and the thing that had really done it was the bow and arrow store a few shops down.
"What is this you ordered, anyway?" Fili asked, as he'd left Kili to the food choosing while he looked over a fishing pole for sale. He'd seen people fishing the last time he'd come here, and the idea appealed to him, though he wasn't sure he'd put his money into buying one of the awkward, long poles.
"Uh…" Kili shrugged, "But it certainly is good!"
Fili laughed his strong, hearty laugh, and Kili felt as if he'd never been as at home as he was sitting in this crowded, noisy, wooden building eating something he didn't recognize across from his reliable, older brother.
"Well, what's the schedule for after lunch?" Fili asked, though his was met with a feigned, shocked gaze.
"We need a schedule?" Kili raised his eyebrows, "By all means, let's come up with one. Number one: Have a great time. Number two… Is there a number two?"
"I don't see why there would be," Fili replied, letting his younger sibling grin and enjoy the salty sea air that floated through the open window.
"Could we go down to the beach?" Kili asked, receiving a nod in return. After finishing what was left of their meal, the brothers strolled out of town and toward the glistening ocean.
Upon arriving, the brothers raced into the sand, their footsteps sending it flying through the air around them. After they tired and collapsed onto the faintly pebbled beach, their deep breathes were accompanied only by the sound of the breaking waves.
Kili lifted his head to watch the sky turn brilliant shades of purple and pink against an orange sun beginning to dip below the horizon.
"Don't you just love it here?" Fili sighed, also watching the colorful sunset, and Kili nodded silently. "It's time we head home before Uncle gets to worrying."
Just because it was a lovely place in the day, didn't mean the port was necessarily safe at night.
Kili got to his feet, helping his brother stand, and he threw a final glance back at the darkening beachscape. The waves still crashed and lapped against the large rocks, and they brought a memory to mind.
"Didn't see one today, did we?" Kili murmured. He'd meant the comment to be only for himself, but Fili head and asked him what he didn't see.
"A selkie, of course," was Kili's simple answer, yet it sent stabs of anxiety into Fili's stomach.
It wasn't only Uncle Thorin who could get to worrying.
AN: And so Fili gets to worrying about... What exactly? Keep reading and see how everything will go... :) Please review, it makes the chapters likely to come a little faster ;-)