AU: Extra long chapter! And Kili!hurt ahead!

Thorin didn't want to admit it, but he was growing a bit worried. It was several hours ago when he'd sent Kili to deliver the package, and he still hadn't returned. Thorin wanted to shrug off the worry and say that Kili's disappearance was connected to all of his strange behavior as of late, and yet most of Kili's behavior had been due to the selkie, and she was still sitting on a window seat in the tavern, Fili dutifully watching over her until Kili's return.

Rae too seemed nervous, and Thorin had a deep feeling inside him that something was wrong. Kili wasn't one to leave for long periods of time without reason. Before he'd been leaving because he'd wanted to spend time with Rae, but Kili was not a dwarf who liked to spend time by himself.

The dwarves were selling their wares in the street, and eventually Fili and Rae came out to join them, both pairs of eyes worriedly watching the village for any sign of Kili.

"Don't worry, lad and lass," Bofur tried to cheer the two up, "I'll bet Kili found a food merchant in town and couldn't help but stop and spend the last of his money."

"Yes, or he's found a bow shop," Vufur grinned, "Point is, he'll be back in a jiffy."

The two continued to try and cheer up Fili and Rae, until suddenly a horrified voice cut through the air.

"You dwarves! Master Oakenshield! Something terrible has happened!"

A man who Thorin recognized as the owner of The Sea Shop came running up to the stand, his voice soft enough to not draw unwanted attention, but full of sympathy and fright. Thorin's nerves suddenly bunched and grew in his stomach.

"What is it?" Thorin asked with as little worry as he could manage. His fellow dwarven merchants were watching with something between curiosity and dismay.

"Perhaps we should talk alone," the man's voice lowered, "Come."

Thorin's stomach dropped and he had to try hard to keep his face from paling dramatically. Fili made to stand and follow, but Thorin shook his head, commanding Fili to stay behind. Fili hesitated, his eyes flicking between the man and his uncle, and finally he sat uneasily, watching intently as Thorin and Krangon stepped around the corner of the building.

"What do you think happened?" Rae asked, and Fili could only shake his head. This selkie may have been the cause of a row between the brothers, but Fili had a feeling she really did care about Kili as well.

Around the corner, Krangon took a deep breath, his eyes searching Thorin's sadly.

"Your nephew," he swallowed, "He's… Well I had to go to the beach to collect drift wood and he wanted to come, you see. I told him he should go back, but he said he had to help, you see, and, well, you see…"

"Where is he? What happened?" Thorin growled at the man who was practically sniveling in fear and horror.

"The waves are large here, and I had to go out and grab a very good piece of driftwood from the waves. I'm used to this procedure, so I steeled myself for the current, but then Kili followed me! I had no idea he would do something so dangerous! I told him to stay on the beach, but he didn't listen, and then a wave came and…"

Thorin shook his head, denying what this sea merchant was trying to tell him.

"The waves swept him away and I tried to go after him, but the current is so strong and…"

Thorin thought of all the reckless things Kili had done over the years. Thorin thought of all the times he'd told his younger nephew to be more careful, to take caution and think before he acted. Kili had always been a reckless dwarf, but never had Thorin thought that something like this would, could happen. Of course, Thorin knew what circumstances came of recklessness, but this, this was unthinkable.

"I'm sorry," the merchant told the dwarf, reaching out to comfort him, and for the first time in Thorin's memory, he didn't jerk back or yell for the comforting to go away. Instead, he just stood there, no emotion lining his face on the outside, nothing like what he felt on the inside.

"I must speak to my nephew; my other nephew," Thorin stepped quickly away, the emotion still held back expertly.

"I understand. I'm sorry and good luck," the merchant told Thorin, and then the merchant scurried away.

Thorin rounded the corner to see a lot of confused and expectant eyes, and he shook his head before turning to Fili.

"Come here," he said, and Fili balked immediately.

"What happened?" his voice was hoarse.

"Fili, come here," Thorin repeated, and his nephew stood slowly, his feet feeling leaden as he followed his uncle around the corner. The other dwarves watched silently, their stand completely forgotten. Moments later there was a cry of disbelief and then all was silent. Neither uncle nor nephew returned for quite some time, until finally they both emerged, appeared rumpled but both carried themselves as strongly as they could.

Thorin gathered the other dwarves together as he delivered the news, and Fili pulled Rae aside.

"He didn't make it," Fili finally finished speaking to Rae, who was on the verge of tears, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Rae's voice was impossibly soft. "He gave this to me."

Rae lifted a pendant from around her neck and showed it to Fili.

"I think you should keep it."

"What? But he gave it to you! I can't take it; please, keep it in memory of him."

"No," Rae shook her head, "Please. He was your brother. I know I had one once, and if my memory serves, they mean everything. Please, please take it!"

Fili shook his head, but he jumped when he suddenly felt it slip about his neck.

"Please, he was your brother," Rae repeated, and Fili watched her as she rushed from the scene and into the inn, her feet taking her away as quickly as they could.

Fili rubbed the pendent subconsciously, his mind drifting to his brother, and then he too headed for his room in the inn.

Kili had almost fallen asleep when the storeroom was filled with light and he moaned as he wished to finally escape into dreamland. His sleep was cut short, however, when his head was suddenly doused with what felt like freezing sea water, and he gasped for breath, which resulted in salty water dripping into his mouth. Kili grimaced against the pungent taste, and a sarcastic laugh caused his eyes to blink toward the door.

"I'm sorry, but you really can't fall asleep," Krangon declared in the most unrepentant voice Kili had ever heard. "I just had a right terrible time being the bearer of bad news, and I'd rather just get this done and be over with this whole thing."

Quite honestly, Krangon was more than a little nervous. He'd taken this whole thing much farther than he'd ever planned, and now that he'd started this, he wasn't sure how to end it. He hadn't exactly meant things to be taken to this much of an extreme, and he wished he could simply put the whole happening behind him. At the moment, however, he didn't know how that would ever be possible. Glaring down at the young dwarf, Krangon decided he may as well follow through with his plan, since he had taken it this far.

Kili, on the other hand, appeared to have nerves of steel. He'd quickly regained his composure and was now glaring up at the merchant with nothing short of rage.

"If you think anything has changed in the last," Kili hesitated. How long had it been now? He quickly continued, remembering his uncle's commandant to never appear weak. "However long it's been, you're mistaken!"

"Well now, that's just too bad, because you'll have to tell me where that pendant is sometime, sooner or later."

"My uncle and brother will find me, and then you'll be sorry!" Kili growled, and Krangon shook his head with mock sympathy.

"Your uncle and brother think you're dead."

This made Kili freeze, and his face took on a faraway look, his breaths coming in short puffs.

"They what? They wouldn't believe that! There… There's no proof, they're smart! They can't think that!" Kili's voice slowly gained power.

"I told them, with much sympathy, how you were pulled out to sea with the tide. What proof is there to be offered?"

Kili was silent. His uncle and, even more, his brother couldn't stand to think he was dead, could they? He didn't mean to be pompous, but surely they were be heartbroken? Surely they would at least be sad? He didn't want them to be sad; he didn't want them to be heartbroken.

Kili had been angry with Fili; he didn't want Fili to remember him as someone he'd been angry with. At least he'd followed through on Thorin's request.

But all this sadness suddenly welling up inside of him was ridiculous! He'd see them again! They would find him anyway, right? There was still hope. Surely his brother couldn't give up on him!

"And now you finally understand your situation," Krangon hissed, "So you'd better save everyone a whole lot of trouble and tell me where that pendant is."

Kili turned his eyes toward Krangon, and Krangon was almost surprised to see the fury that boiled there.

"I'll never tell you," Kili replied, "I won't."

Krangon hesitated, and then his eyes turned harsh to match the dwarf's.

"Fine, have it your way."

He exited the room and Kili could hear soft voices in the next room, and then a growl of anger on Lee's part. Lee then entered the doorway, glaring down at Kili.

"So," he glared, "You refuse to say where it is?"

Kili was silent, but he shook his head sharply.

"Fine," Krangon also entered the door way again, and Kili suddenly froze when he heard what Krangon said to Lee.

"Well, if he's not going to talk willingly, you'd better get to it, or give up all hope."

"I won't give up!" Lee glared at first Krangon and then Kili. Suddenly Lee was beside Kili and Kili had to try hard to hold back a groan after Lee hit him hard in the stomach and then in the back.

"I won't say anything," Kili cried, trying and failing to worm away from the attack.

"Lee," Krangon's voice was very quiet, but a whisper really. "It's time you find out, for both of us. So get to it!"

Lee stared at Krangon, seemingly not understanding, and Kili watched carefully as Krangon whispered something else to Lee, who suddenly looked unsure.

"Well go on!" Krangon urged Lee harshly, and Lee swallowed, making no moves from where he stood. "Fine, if you're going to be weak, I'll start it."

Krangon bent down, firmly tying the gag back into Kili's mouth, who suddenly felt very nervous, and then he glared at Kili again, who shook his head.

"Come on, tell us!" Krangon shouted, and then he seemed to calm. "You're an archer."

Kili looked confused, yet Krangon could see in Kili's eyes that he was right, and Krangon continued.

"You're an archer, I can see it in your hands," Krangon sounded almost calm, and then quite suddenly he took a hold of one of Kili's fingers and twisted. Kili could hardly hold back a cry as he felt a snap.

Kili squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold back as his cry as he suddenly felt another finger snap.

"Well," he suddenly heard talking somewhere above him, but he couldn't force himself to open his eyes. There was a soft whisper, and then Krangon declared, "Well if you're not going to do anything then you may as well just give up!"

Kili barely opened his eyes to see Lee staring down at him with disgust, but Kili could also see hesitation in Lee's eyes.

Lee suddenly was kneeling beside Kili again and he hesitated again before twisting another one of Kili's fingers. Kili whimpered this time, and to Lee it almost sounded like a plea. If this dwarf was an archer, he needed his hands…

"Well?" Lee asked, wondering if the dwarf would give up at this point and say the location of the pendant, and Lee frowned when he saw the dwarf blinking back tears, and yet the dwarf still looked determined.

"Here," a leather belt was suddenly in Lee's hands, though he was suddenly unsure about where it came from. "Go on," Krangon urged.

Lee stared at it, and then at the dwarf who may very well be keeping his sister captive, and in fact had the power to keep any selkie captive due to his sea token. Lee's eyes hardened, and yet his hands simply held the belt loosely.

"Like this," Kili suddenly cried out through his gag as Krangon grabbed the belt and flicked it at Kili's back. Just as Kili was beginning to open his eyes, the belt hit him again, and again. Then there was a pause.

"Well?"

Lee took the belt again, standing, and he stared at it, and then at Kili. He look uneasy as he flicked it lightly at Kili, who trembled and squeezed his eyes shut again.

"Just say where it is!" Lee suddenly yelled with so much force Kili visibly flinched, "Come on! Just say where it is!"

Kili opened his mouth around his gag, and Lee looked hopeful, and he hastened to undo it. Kili glared at him for a moment, and then spat at him.

"I won't!"

Lee looked incensed, and Kili squeezed his eyes shut once again.

"Yes, that is a good choice. Have a good day!"

Lee watched as Krangon sold a large sea shell to a couple that had come in, and then the man turned to his money, counting it cheerfully.

"Krangon?" Lee's voice was soft and uneasy; the man raised his eyebrows in question, but didn't stop counting the money. "Well, I was just wondering what you're going to do about the dwarf. He's been in there for a long time. I mean, it's been a day now and he hasn't said anything, and he hasn't eaten anything, and…"

"Do you feel bad for him? The dwarf who stole your sister away and refuses to tell you where she is?"

Lee glared angrily.

"No," he shook his head. "But I do think perhaps something should be done to his wounds. You know, we don't want them infected, do we? He… He needs to stay alive so… He needs to stay alive so that I can find out where my sister is," Lee said with growing conviction, and then he hesitated as a twisted smile grew on the merchants face.

"Yes," he said, "Something should be done so that they don't get infected. You should wash them. Here's some water."

Krangon lifted a pail from the other side of the counter, and then handed Lee a cloth.

Lee took the two things hesitantly, he had a feeling there was some sort of catch that he wasn't catching, and then he headed for the back room.

Lee pulled open the door and almost winced when he spotted the dwarf curled in on himself in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the surrounding aggression. He appeared asleep, but his eyes fluttered open when Lee settled beside him.

"I'm going to wash your wounds," Lee spoke, and Kili stared at him with suspicious, red rimmed eyes.

Lee sighed, soaking the cloth in the cold water, and then he moved it to Kili's back, biting his lip at the crisscrossed red marks the belt had made. Lee placed the cloth on Kili's back, and Kili suddenly screamed though the gag, breathing heavily. Lee was confused, why would he have such a violent reaction to having his wounds cleaned? Lee brought the cloth to his nose for a moment, smelling it, and then he almost recoiled. It was salt water.

He stared down at the dwarf who seemed to be struggling to hold back something close to sobs, and Lee swallowed hard himself.

"It… It will keep your wounds from becoming infected," Lee told the dwarf in his most convincing voice, and yet Lee wondered who he was really trying to convince. Then, he continued to clean Kili's wounds.

AU:I know, the first part was really sad :( Don't worry, there's light at the end of the tunnel, it's just a long tunnel. Anywho, what do you think? Reviews really help me know where to take this! :)