AU: Thanks so much for your reviews, it's cool to know that some of you have heard of selkies before :) Here's another update!
"You alright?"
"I'm alright, alright!" Kili repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
"Aright."
Fili retreated to speak to Thorin who was standing stoically in the back of the room, Fili casting a backwards glance at his little brother.
Kili was wrapped in a blanket; his feet plopped into a bucket of steaming water which sent mist hovering around the lad. Thorin had hardly said anything since they'd returned.
"You aright, uncle?" Fili asked softly, snapping Thorin out of his silent trance. Thorin glanced over at Fili, his eyes worried.
"You saw what he had, did you not? You saw?"
Fili stiffened, "I saw."
"What did you do with it? He doesn't have it any more."
"I put it away in the clothes chest until tomorrow. I'll return it tomorrow."
"Will you?" Thorin's expression was unsettling, and Fili felt it was important to nod quickly, though it was a stiff nod. "Good, he doesn't seem to be missing it. Perhaps he didn't know what he had; he need never know."
Nori entered the room, a bucket of hot water in his hands, and he announced that he had the last of the water Thorin had requested.
Thorin nodded, prompting Nori to pour it in, and Kili almost yanked his legs out.
"That's hot!" Kili cried.
"As it is supposed to be; thank you Nori," Thorin nodded again to Nori, who motioned to the door.
"Bofur wants to come in and see the lad, if it's alright?"
"Tell him to come in!" Fili was quick to speak, hoping the smiley dwarf might cheer his shivering brother, yet before Nori could leave, Thorin lifted a hand to stop him.
"Nori, er, could I speak to you?" Thorin cleared his throat, and Nori nodded, "After you bring Bofur in?"
Nori raised an eyebrow, though he nodded again, and moments later Bofur burst into the room.
"Kili lad!" Bofur rushed over, "You alright? We were worried, and I didn't know it'd be raining like that or I wouldn't have sent you out today! You're alright? Good good!"
Bofur and Kili began a rather one sided conversation, while Nori approached Thorin. Thorin glanced at the door, and Nori nodded, following Thorin outside.
Fili watched them leave with his eyes, curious and slightly worried what their conversation would center around, although he already had a pretty good idea, what with the way Thorin had been acting.
"What was that about?"
Fili's eyes traveled to focus on the older dwarf, who had a wave of confusion crossing over his face.
"What?" Bofur didn't know, and there was no need for him to. Besides, Kili was sitting mere inches away and would surely figure things out if Fili were to even begin to explain anything.
"Oh, I s'pose it's nothing. Private business of you uncle's is none of my concern, sorry for intruding."
Fili could see the gears spinning, and he knew that Bofur was aware that Fili knew more than he was saying. Perhaps he realized it was because of Kili that Fili didn't speak up, or perhaps Bofur really didn't want to get into someone else's business. Either way, Fili was grateful that Bofur didn't persist for information.
Fili went to sit next to his brother, laughing when Bofur presented Kili with a toy bucket full of false water that he'd obviously quickly made.
"That way you can always remember the joy of that steaming water, even if you are a bit old for these things!"
Kili took it, telling Bofur that it was well made, considering he'd had almost no time to spend on it, and then Thorin had returned without Nori. Thorin appeared worried.
"Kili," Thorin spoke, "Did you see anyone on the beach?"
Kili glanced up sharply, "What?" he asked.
"Did you see anyone? Was there anyone there on the beach before the storm or before we found you?"
Thorin seemed to have grown in size, if that was even possible, and he looked much more intimidating than he did on any other day at any other time. Kili searched quickly for an answer.
The shape in the dark jumped to mind, but Kili pushed it away and shook his head, perplexed.
Thorin nodded, though something in his expression still made Kili uneasy, and then he stepped back to his earlier post in the back of the room.
There was someone! Fili could see if on his brother's face that he'd thought of something; he could ask him later in private, however, and Fili resolved to find out what had crossed Kili's mind. For now, Bofur was standing and nodding down at Kili.
"It's late. I'll be heading down and leave you to get a good rest."
"You get a good rest too, Bofur, we'll be up early in the morning again," Thorin spoke, and Bofur gave a hearty laugh.
"I'll get a good enough sleep after a quick trip down to the tavern. Quick, I promise! See ye in the morn!"
Once Bofur had excited the room, Thorin glanced at Kili again.
"There was no one?" Thorin asked again, apparently he had noticed Kili hesitation as well.
"I saw no one, really!" Kili gave a small laugh, "Why would it even matter? Can I go down to the tavern?"
"You can go to bed," Fili told his brother, "Come on, you'll need a good rest to keep you from growing ill."
Thorin watched Fili help Kili out of the bucket, and Thorin passed Fili strategically.
"Find out," Thorin whispered in his eldest nephew's ear, and then he too had disappeared from the room.
"What was that?" Kili called after his uncle, but he'd already left the room. "What'd he say?" Kili asked his brother.
"Shh, be more quiet, Kili. We're not the only ones staying in this inn," Fili warned, taking the blanket from Kili and setting it back on his bed.
"What'd he say to you?"
"He said to get to sleep, so hop to it Kili."
Kili glared joking at Fili, realizing it perfectly well that wasn't what Thorin had said, but he figured it must be of little importance if Fili wasn't telling him. Fili told him everything that was important, Kili could always trust that.
Soon the dwarves were ready for bed, and it wasn't until the light was off that Fili spoke again.
"Kili," Fili said softly, "What did you really see on the beach?"
"Hm?" Kili asked sleepily.
"What did you really see on the beach? I could tell that you saw something you didn't tell Uncle, but you can tell me!"
Fili told him everything that was important, so he could tell Fili.
"It was nothing, really. I just saw something through the rain and fog; I don't think it was a person. It could have been my imagination for all I know. Really Fili, I promise," Kili expected a response from his brother, no matter how little, yet Fili was completely silent.
"Fili?" Kili asked, yet still he got no response. Shrugging, Kili fell into an exhausted, peaceful sleep, little did he know that his brother had no such luck.
Fili tried to sleep, he really did, yet long into the night, he found his eyes refusing to close or travel anywhere besides his brother, the window, and the clothes chest. Still, he couldn't keep them open all night, and slowly his eyes drifted shut.
He was in there, she knew he was. And it was in there, yet she didn't know what it was. She could just slip into the building, and then she was sure she could find it, and him. Besides that, the dark village made her uneasy.
She'd never before been his far from home, though when she really thought about it, this wasn't that far at all, and yet it seemed like a life away. It was a life away, though, wasn't it?
"Foolish girl," her mother would say, "It'll only bring you trouble."
Well, perhaps she was ready for trouble!
A dog howling somewhere in town made her jump, and without another thought, she lifted the latch and slipped inside.
Was she making the right decision?
The dark, shifting shadows of the building made her question things yet again, yet it's not as if she could go home. She wasn't sure how… How had she gotten to this unusual place anyway? She wasn't sure about that either…
Glancing through the building made her pause yet again, maybe she could just wait here in the shadows and someone would come, and that someone might be him with it.
Yes, he would come, and she would wait for him to bring it.
AU: I'm kinda pleased I'm able to post this so much, even if the chapters aren't super long. My original intention was not to update this very often. I just seemed to be kinda inspired for this story. I'm expecting some action/drama to start in the next chapter, btw :)
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