Hi: Hello, here's another chapter and though it's not quite hurt!Kili yet, read to the bottom and you'll see the beginnings of Kili's problems... Poor Kili :( :) Thanks for the review
A gentle patter of raindrops against the window awoke Fili, and though at first he was slow to stir, memories of yesterday's happenings suddenly leapt to mind, and he practically shot up in bed. Glancing over to Kili's bed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fili could almost always count on Kili to sleep in, and this morning was no exception.
Kili mumbled in his sleep, tossing his head, and then he resumed his soft snoring. Fili crept over to the chair where he'd readied his clothes last night, and soon he was dressed and ready for the day. He was just reaching into the clothes chest when there was a soft knock on the door. Fili glanced at the chest hesitantly, and then hurried to answer the door. He gently pulled it open, revealing Nori on the other side.
Nori looked surprised, "Oh, your uncle said you wouldn't be here. In any case, I'm to tell you that it's been raining all night and the street is to wet and muddy to put up our stand. The group is meeting downstairs to talk about when and where we can sell. Your uncle told me to send Kili down, but since you're here, I guess you may as well go down too."
"Actually," Fili said in a hushed voice, "I was just leaving. Go tell Uncle that; and tell him I'm leaving a note for Kili, Uncle Thorin'll understand." Nori looked unsure, but he nodded, scurrying away. Glancing back at the bed, Fili found that his brother was still asleep, and he breathed yet another sigh of relief.
Turning back to the clothes chest, Fili lifted the lid fully expecting to grab what he needed and go, but he stopped short. His heart dropped into his stomach, and he searched through the clothes chest desperately. Throwing clothes aside and onto the floor, he dug to the bottom of the chest, and yet it was in vain. The seal pelt was gone.
"Good morning brother… What in Durin's name have you been doing to our clothes?"
Fili spun, his breath coming in gasps, and he gulped, eyes darting from his now awake brother to the clothes lying in piles around him.
"I… I was... I was looking for something, but… Well, it doesn't seem to be here. Must have left it at home," Fili finished lamely, but Kili looked unconvinced.
"Oh, maybe I've seen it. Last night I rearranged a little after you were asleep, perhaps it got mixed up?" Now Fili's heart was beating even faster.
Rearranged? Why would his brother do that unless he knew what he'd had? He'd been so fascinated with the creatures, what if he'd stolen the selkie's pelt on purpose? Kili had never been told the same stories as Fili as a child, but Fili had heard things which made fear course through his veins at the idea of Kili's deliberate act.
"You okay?" Kili gave a confused laugh, Fili giving a shaky shrug.
"Did you… What did you take out of the trunk?" Fili asked, surprised when the answer came rather easily.
"Why this strange seal pelt; I don't know why it was there, do you? I thought it was rather an odd thing to be with our clothes, and so I took it out and put it over there," Kili pointed to the other side of the room, where indeed the pelt was draped over a second chair. Fili could have fainted with relief. As it was, he simply nodded stiffly.
"Oh, that was an accident. I think its best that I take it back to where it came from. That was my intention all along. The others want you, and I must be on my way."
"What were you looking for?" Kili asked as he got out of bed, and his brother shrugged.
"Just a shirt, don't worry about it. If I've lost it, it's one less thing to carry home in my pack."
Kili studied Fili for a moment, still seeming unconvinced, but finally he began to get ready. Fili sat and studied the pelt, eager to bring it back and leave it on the shore, yet there was something about it… He knew he must look odd sitting and staring at the pelt, but his brother said nothing about it. Finally Kili was ready, and Fili accompanied him out, locking the door behind them.
They were heading toward the stairs, Fili prepared to hide the pelt beneath his coat so that no one in the town would suspect, when there was suddenly a blur of color that almost knocked him to the ground. It did in fact knock the pelt to the ground, and Fili scrambled to pick it up. By the time he had gathered the slippery thing into his hands and stuffed it under his coat, he found Kili speaking to someone he'd never seen before, and suddenly his breath caught in his throat.
She stood in the shadows for such a long time that she eventually had to sit down, and just as the sun was rising, she found that there were both men and little people more her height (dwarves, perhaps?) walking to and fro. Because she had hidden in a small, out of the way place, she'd so far been unnoticed, but she wouldn't go unnoticed forever. That was when she felt it. It was him, he was coming, she was sure of it. She wasn't sure why she was sure, but she was.
In her excitement, she rushed from the little out of the way place, yet she was shocked when she collided with someone. Standing abruptly, she almost turned and fled, when she found someone was speaking to her softly. Because she was small even for her kind (which were small in comparison to many of the humans that roamed the town) the little man before her was about her height, albeit a little smaller and much stockier, though not stocky enough to be an adult dwarf. This little one must be a dwarfling or a young one at least.
He was speaking, though it was hard for her to follow. The language he spoke was familiar, and yet it confused her at the same time. She backed up and again was prepared to run off, and yet for some reason she didn't. She didn't know why, but she wanted to stay and talk to him, whoever he was.
"Are you alright?" he asked again, slower now, and hesitantly she nodded once.
"Look, it's okay; don't worry. Who are you? I'm sorry, by the way. I thought you'd speak Khuzdul since you're my height, but then again you don't really look like a dwarf… And your ears… But you're not an elf because I've heard they're tall… What are you?"
Her eyes flicked to the stairs, and she wondered if she should simply make a break for it, when she noticed that there was another, light haired one standing there. He locked eyes with her, immediately turning to the dark haired one and saying, "Kili, we need to be on our way. Come on." Kili, who must be the dark haired one, hesitated, though.
"I'll be down, Fili," he said, "Just give me moment, I think she's lost. Are you lost?" Fili stood protectively by his brother's side, not moving an inch, and she back away.
The light haired one seemed somehow threatening, and she didn't want to upset him farther. Kili persisted on asking her if she needed help, and eventually she spoke in a soft voice. "Yes," she finally relented, "I think I am lost. That is, I don't know how to get home."
Fili glanced between his brother and her dreadfully worried face, and he turned to his brother.
"Kili, let's get downstairs, come on. Go on, Kili. I might be able to help her get home, but we must get downstairs to uncle."
She turned suspiciously to Fili, how would he know? Something was bundled under his coat, and sudden suspicion caught fire inside her. What was he hiding? He was obviously hiding something, and she didn't like it. Stepping closer to Kili, she spoke softly again.
"How would he know where my home is, when even to me it seems far away? Almost like a dream stepping out of the past…"
"Look, we will try to help you get home!" Kili promised, "Perhaps we should go down stairs, my uncle knows the whole countryside! I'm sure he would be the best to help. But how did you get here, if you don't remember?"
She and Kili began down the stairs, speaking softly to one another, and Fili's heart beat quickened. She was one of them, he was almost sure of it. If only he could just give her the pelt and tell to go back whence she came, but Kili would be confused and suspicious, wouldn't he? But perhaps that would be better than letting them speak to each other any longer.
It was after he stood there, going over his options in his mind, when he realized that Kili and the girl had disappeared completely. Fili rushed down the stairs, searching for the two of them, or for the rest of the party, and both were rather easy to spot, though they weren't particularly near to each other. Picking his brother over seeking out Thorin's help, Fili hurried to Kili's side only to go unnoticed by the chatting pair.
"Kili," Fili spoke, and Kili looked over at his brother.
"Oh," Kili smiled, "I should introduce you! This is my brother Fili, and this is Rae."
Again the girl, who Fili was now almost positive was a selkie, shied away from Fili, though he took no notice.
"Look, I'm going over to Uncle; I suggest you join me at once."
"Oh, actually I was going to bring Rae out to see the town and try some food and perhaps see the sea," Kili declared, though Fili had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes.
"Kili, it is raining and you've had no breakfast! Come on!" Almost sure Kili would follow, Fili headed over to his Uncle, who smiled up at Fili.
"Hello, where's Kili? And I assume you have finished with you task?"
"Kili is coming right after me," Fili said in a hushed voice, "But look who is with him!"
Thorin glanced around, but he simply shrugged his shoulders, "I do not see your brother," Thorin said, and now it was Fili's turn to look around. Indeed, Kili was no longer in the room.
Repressing a groan of horror and frustration at his little brother's rashness, Fili turned to his Uncle quickly, "Uncle, I've got to speak to you. Something has happened."
Thorin could tell from his nephew's voice that whatever it was, it was not good, and his mind immediately leaped to the pelt.
"Excuse me," he said to the other dwarves, and then he followed his nephew to the edge of the room. "I told you to keep that pelt away from him and to get rid of it this morning!" Thorin hissed, and Fili nodded, barely retracting the pelt from under his coat.
"And so I have," Fili nodded, "It's far more complicated than that now, however."
Thorin's eyes met his nephew's, and immediately he understood. "Do you mean… It's one of them and she came looking? Has she found him? Have they met? Is he with her?"
Fili nodded, "I believe so. I'm afraid so."
"We must find them," Thorin decided, and he tore from the building, Fili in his wake.
In truth, Thorin seemed even more worked up than Fili thought he'd be, but Fili knew he had his reasons; and so Fili didn't question, he simply hurried to find his brother.
"What do you mean you came from the sea?" Kili asked as they hurried into a shell shop and out of the rain.
As she had before, again she shrugged. "Just that, I came from the sea, I'm sure, and yet… I don't think I can tell you anymore. I'm just not sure completely, but I don't think I really have to go back. I don't know… In any case, let's not talk about that. It's another life away, let's talk about where you're from. Are you from this town?"
Kili shook his head, a little confused that she'd so quickly stop talking about needing to go home. It was a little alarming and suspicious, but Kili was not a particularly suspicious type of dwarf, and so he obliged to her new topic.
"I'm from the Blue Mountains, they're very far away. I'm just here on a little business type trip with some of my fellow dwarves. My Uncle is selling some metal wares that he's made. I think he's the best blacksmith in my town, but his friend Dwalin would beg to differ. They're both dwarves, you see. You know, you never said what you were."
"So I didn't," she murmured, "Yes, well… Well I'm not a dwarf, and I'm not a human. I'm not that other thing you said earlier either, an elf was it? No, I'm not an elf. I'm called by many things though, you realize. I think I remember calling myself a selchie; that is what my mother called me, but I believe I go by a different name here. Will you turn away if I tell you? I have no one that I know here, and I do not know what I would do without even you helping me find my way…"
Indeed, she did seem dreadfully afraid, but Kili shook his head adamantly, a joking tone playing into his voice, "As long as you aren't an elf, I don't think any dwarf would mind!"
"Well, I believe in this town, I am called a selkie."
A selkie? Kili's heart jumped. He had so wanted to see one, but hadn't half believed that he would. Had the token he'd bought worked? If it had, he needed to go thank the shopkeeper who'd sold it to him, even if the shop keeper had seemed to be a little... strange...
Rae noticed his sudden change in expression, for she turned to face him with worried eyes."Are you alright… Kili? That is how you say it, Kili?"
"Yes yes, never mind that! A selkie? Why, that's marvelous! I've got to show you to my Uncle; this is by far the best luck I've had in a while. My Uncle will be shocked and amazed to see you! He is always shocked and amazed at whatever I find, though you're a bit different. He's the first I want to go to, since I've already introduced Fili to you. You selkies have created quite a little standing in this town! Besides, I'm sure he can help you get wherever you need to go! Where is it you need it go?" Kili paused for a moment, and Rae shrugged.
"I don't remember anywhere I need to go, actually…" her voice was still soft, and she looked deep into Kili's eyes, "Are you really keen to get rid of me?"
Kili shook his head, momentarily brought from his excitement, "No, it's just… Well I thought you wanted to go home, but I don't want to force you to go anywhere. If you want to stay here, then I'm not stopping you."
Rae smiled faintly, and she nodded, "I'd love to meet this Uncle of yours," she told Kili, "You've talked about him quite a bit." "Well, he half raised me so I'd think I should. Come on, let's go!" Without thinking, Kili grabbed her hand and rushed from the store, though moments later he quickly retracted it with a blush.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."
Rae gave a gentle blush herself, though she shook her head, "No, it's quite alright, Kili." She gently slipped her hand into his, causing him to blush all the more, and then she said, "Come, introduce me to this uncle of yours."
Stepping out into the muddy street, the two hurried along, dodging from awning to awning, until Kili found himself under the awning of the shop he bought the selkie token from.
"Hey, give me a minute," Kili said, "Can we step in here?"
Rae looked unsure and became skittish, but he ignored her nervous feelings and pushed the door open, stepping inside. It was warm and dry in the shop, and the man almost immediately noticed Kili and the girl. His eyes widened and he stood abruptly.
"Krangon," Kili exclaimed, "You remember me from yesterday? Yes, well I just wanted to thank you for that little token-type thing you sold me. Anyway, I've got to be on my way, but I thought I'd stop by. You know, I was wondering there if it was real, but I guess I shouldn't have doubted you!"
"Oh, right, uh… Kili!" Krangon appeared flustered, but he gave a sort of half awed smile.
"We'd best be on our way, but thanks and goodbye!"
As soon as he'd come, he left, leaving the shopkeeper to stare after him. "It worked?" the man stared in awe, "I can't believe it worked… But I only had one of those from that fisherman that passed through, and I sold to that dwarf… I can't believe it worked…"
Hesitantly, the man stepped toward the window, watching the dwarf and girl. She looked very much like the legends said the seal people did, she must really be one. The dwarf and selkie hurried from under a building's overhang into one of the local inns, and gears began to turn inside the shopkeeper's head.
People would give real money for a token like that; money unlike he'd ever gotten from his quaint shop. He was unlikely to find any more of those tokens; he didn't even know where the fisherman had gotten it from. Perhaps the dwarf had one of the few in existence? If he could get that token back, then he could copy exact replicas and sell them, but how in middle earth would he get the token back? His gaze traveled out of the window to the inn, dark thoughts swirling through his mind.
AU: Finally, a longer chapter!
Hmm... Why is Thorin so worried? Must be a reason, right? And Krangon... Don't be to trustful Kili!
Reviews make me happy and then I write longer chapters!