Seems like trying to trick me into another chapter yesterday didn't work :P
Talking about my updating schedule: I have exam time coming up this month and really should start my revision. I therefor can't promise regular updates until February, I'm sorry guys. I'll try to update every day, as usual, but please don't be disappointed if I don't, cos I have no idea how much time I will have for writing until the end of January.
By the way, I entered Men-i-Naugrim into a Fíli/Kíli fanfiction challenge yesterday, so keep your fingers crossed that we will win! ;)
That said, on to the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews again and enjoy the chapter!
After passing the ivy alley by midday, they journeyed on for what felt like hours and the further they walked through the dim lights of the forest, the less sure they became whether it was still day or night-time already, for no light came through the dense treetops of Mirkwood. The undergrowth was thick and dark, the path matted with fir needles and cones. Not a sound was audible, the whole forest lay quiet.
"I've never seen a place like this", Kíli muttered quietly, for he did not dare to speak too loud, in case something dark might hear them.
Bilbo had quickly noticed how uneasy the youngster felt. Dwarves were made to live underground in huge mountain halls and it dawned on the hobbit, that Kíli felt just as uncomfortable in a vast forest, as he had felt uncomfortable in the great halls of Mount Gundabad. This was no dwarven territory at all and Bilbo quietly admired Kíli's bravery for still venturing here on his own, separated from uncle and brother.
"Gandalf said we'd be fine as long as we don't leave the path", Bilbo reminded him reassuringly.
The air was stuffy and not a single breeze blew below the large trees. Kíli, though used to a lack of fresh air, slowly believed to be suffocating and he wished for nothing more but his brother by his side. When the worried expression returned to his face, Bilbo gently clutched the dwarves larger hand.
"We'll find him soon, I'm sure."
They did not anticipate however, that they would be found first.
When the dwarf and the hobbit had reached a small glade in between the trees, they suddenly heard the sound of hoofs, muffled on the soft ground beneath their feet.
"Someone's coming! Quick Bilbo, hide!"
The hobbit quickly scurried off the path and behind a large tree but Kíli did not make it in time. Just when he was about to hide behind another tree, riders appeared before them. The young dwarf drew his sword in defence but was quickly surrounded.
Four elven riders on beautiful, slender horses, their fur glistening in the dim light like diamonds. The elves wore a light armour made from leather in green and brown, they each carried a bow and quiver and when they noticed the sword in Kílis hand, three of them immediately drew their weapons as well, aiming at the young prince.
Never before had Kíli felt so intimidated, looking up at the unmoving faces and for the first time he understood, why Thorin hated it so much to look up to others. For the first time, he felt his small dwarven size.
"Lower your weapon dwarf, or you will force us to use ours on you", one of the elves spoke up. He was young and fair, the long blond hair falling over his shoulders and his eyes gleamed in bright blue. He was sitting on a gorgeous dark stallion and Kíli felt strange looking at him. As if some form of evil magic came from the elf.
"You lower your weapons first", he snarled.
"Last warning, dwarf. Lower your weapon or I will have you shot."
Bilbo watched in horror behind his tree, praying silently for Kíli to put his weapon away but the stubbornness of dwarves was unrivalled and the youngster did not move an inch. Not until an arrow buzzed through the air and drilled itself deep into Kílis shoulder.
The youngster clenched his teeth, suppressing any noise and hissed quietly instead. He dropped his sword and held his shoulder, staring angrily at the elf, who still seemed utterly unfazed.
"Don't say we did not warn you", he blankly stated. "Now what business has a lone dwarf in the realm of the woodland-elves?"
"I need to speak to King Thranduil", Kíli muttered between clenched teeth. "My business is my own."
The elf eyed him suspiciously for a while. Though the gentle and beautiful folk had a natural, somewhat inherited distrust of dwarves and any other creature that willingly lived in mountain caves and caverns, he could sense no real danger coming from a single dwarf.
"Disarm him", the elf ordered and immediately two others jumped from their horses. "Bind his hands and blindfold him."
"What? No! Just take me to the king!", Kíli protested, struggling against the approaching elves but to no avail. With an arrow buried in his shoulder he wouldn't be able to fight properly.
"We shall. But on our terms", the elf calmly explained.
Bilbo watched the whole scenario from behind the tree and before they could disappear with a blindfolded Kíli, he quickly slipped on his ring and followed them in some distance.
They ventured on for a while, Kíli staggering behind the horses, blind, in pain and scared and unsure of what he had gotten himself into. His hands were tied and bound to the saddle of a horse and he stumbled over pinecones and roots every now and then, wishing he was back in the Ered Luin, playing cards with his brother and smoking pipes. Bilbo felt utterly sorry for him, following in the shadows of the woods, for even though the elves would not see him, he was worried of casting a shadow himself somehow.
They eventually got to the river that Gandalf had mentioned and while Kíli only heard the quiet gurgling and gushing, Bilbo saw the black waters and was soon quite sure that he wouldn't have dared to drink from it, even without the wizard's warning. They crossed a wooden bridge and soon a large wooden gate appeared before them, built in what seemed like a mountain.
Bilbo watched in surprise for he had believed that elves preferred to live in beautiful halls above the ground and not below it, like dwarves or orcs. The House of Thranduil however was nothing like a dwarven home. The slopes of the mountain were green and covered in trees and thick undergrowth, dark flowers growing between the fern and shrub. The gate had beautiful carvings, not angled and pointy like dwarven runes but intertwined beautifully, creating true art and glorious patterns.
The gates opened and the small company halted, the elves dismounting their horses. Another elf stepped through the gates, a surprised look on his face.
"Our young prince back already? That was a quick hunt for sure", he mumbled.
"We picked someone up on the path", the young elf explained and now that Bilbo looked at him again, he did indeed have something noble about him. "He inquires to speak to my father."
Now Bilbo grew terribly pale. He might have known, for Kíli had an admirable talent of getting himself into the deepest trouble, that they would be found by the young elven prince himself and though Bilbo didn't know his name, he knew that Kílis success on this mission might very well depend on that single elf.
They disappeared inside the halls and the hobbit quickly rushed after them, just in time before the gates closed behind his back. Torches of red and brown burned on the walls, casting the colours of autumn on the ground and ceiling and even though they ventured into another mountain, this place looked far more inviting than the Goblin halls or Bolg's lair, though Bilbo believed it to be just as dangerous.
The elves took the blindfold off Kíli as they led him on like a dog on a leash and the only reason why the youngster didn't protest violently, was because of the arrow still stuck in his shoulder and burning with every step.
'He needs your help', the young dwarf reminded himself over and over. 'He needs you to succeed on this quest, otherwise he will die. Don't let him die.'
They eventually reached a large hall and Kíli was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of this place. Everything shone brightly in the colours of autumn slowly approaching. The hall was decorated in orange, yellow, red and brown, beautiful banners hanging on the walls and large torches lighting it, drawing beautiful dancing silhouettes on everything the light touched.
At the far end of the hall stood a wooden throne, decorated with carvings and branches and leaves and on it sat a handsome man, tall and slim. He was dressed in shining bronze robes and on his head, he had a crown made from leaves, beautiful as the fall itself. He looked stern when he noticed the dwarf.
"Now what is this?", he calmly asked, his voice soft as velvet but cold as a winter night. "A dwarf in my halls?"
"He was out on the path, travelling alone", the young prince explained, slightly bowing his head to his father. "He wants to speak to you."
"Indeed?", the great elf king leaned back on his throne, raising his eyebrows. "Plainly speak to me? For that would be a surprise since your kin seems to have taken a liking in insulting me, dwarf."
Kíli stood tall and tried his best to ignore the feeling of insecurity. Everything in this hall seemed big, though it was actually smaller than the halls of the Ered Luin. He looked around for a brief moment and when he couldn't spot Bilbo anywhere, his hope fell and he suddenly felt terribly alone in this world. He held no grudge, for he had told the hobbit to hide but something within him wished that he hadn't listened.
"I do not intend to insult you in any way", Kíli solemnly declared, trying very hard to mimic Fíli, who was way better in official speeches than he was. "I came solely to speak to you and, in fact, ask your help."
The hall fell silent and the elven king observed the young dwarf quietly for a while.
"Why is there an arrow sticking from your shoulder, dwarf?", he suddenly asked and Bilbo, still invisible and actually closer to Kíli than the dwarf might have known, blinked puzzled for the quick change of subject confused him.
"Your son shot me", Kíli replied, quick like a shot but calm, pointing at the young elf prince with his hands still bound.
"It was a warning shot", the elf explained, a little flustered by the boldness of the dwarf. "He refused to lower his weapons."
"You threatened my kin?", Thranduil asked.
"It was four of them against a single me, how much of a threat do you believe I was?", Kíli snarled and Bilbo pulled a face. Hadn't Gandalf explicitly reminded him to be humble and not to act up against Thranduil?
The elf king though seemed bemused as he watched the, obviously very displeased, dwarf.
"Now what help might a dwarf require from an elf?"
"Medication, for my brother lies wounded at the border of the forest and won't survive without a healer", Kíli calmly replied, finally trying to remember Gandalf's words.
"Your brother?"
"Aye. We're a company of fifteen, travelling to the east to reclaim our homeland", the youngster explained, not without a spark of pride in his voice.
Thranduil's fair features turned grim though, all amusement gone from his eyes and replaced with mistrust and disrelish.
"To reclaim your homeland, you say. Then I believe you speak of the company of Thorin Oakenshield", he almost spat out the name.
Kíli felt stuck. Of course he was aware of the on-going hostility between his uncle and Thranduil but still, lying to the elven king felt wrong, for he was quite certain that the elf would look right through him, as if he was made of crystal glass.
"I do", he therefore honestly replied and Bilbo grew very anxious, even though nobody even sensed that he was there. "My name is Kíli, son of Dís, nephew of Thorin Oakenshield."
Thranduil remained quiet for a very long time. Long enough to make Kíli nervous but he did not dare to say another word. He was thus relieved when the elven king spoke up again, though his words were ungracious and wary.
"And your uncle send you here?"
"No, my lord. My uncle is not aware of my being here. I came on my own account", Kíli replied, still reminding himself to remain polite. Thranduil again did not answer immediately but the young dwarf saw his features growing darker and darker and he soon learned, that the elven king's mistrust was just as big as that of his uncle.
"Bring that dwarf to the dungeons, cater to the wound in his shoulder and bring him water and something to eat", the king ordered.
"What?!", Kíli bellowed as he was grabbed by his arms. "I did nothing to you, why would you lock me away?!"
"I mistrust your kin for I've known dwarves long enough", Thranduil replied sharply. "I will think about your words but until then you will remain locked up here."
"But my brother is dying! Don't you understand?! He will die if you don't help him, there's not enough time!"
But all the shouting was to no avail, as Kíli was dragged off to the dungeons, kicking and fighting. Bilbo quickly followed after him, terror and frustration mingling in his guts. Neither the hobbit, nor the dwarf noticed the young elf prince watching quietly as Kíli was dragged away.
Thorin had meanwhile gone into a rage after he had noticed the absence of his nephew and had gotten even more furious when Gandalf explained to him, where the youngster had disappeared to. He spit out vile words like "betrayal" and spoke much about "family honour" and everyone felt more than uncomfortable. No matter how hard Balin and Dwalin tried to calm their old friend down, Thorin would hear none of it.
With Kíli gone, Bofur had settled down next to the anguished Fíli and had begun to tend to the youngster, Ori close by, for the chronicler had grown fond of the princes and regarded himself as their friend now. They tried to soothe the fever with cold bandages and whenever Fíli grew restless, often whispering his brother's name in his sleep, they would quietly sing to him, Bofur sometimes playing the flute and Ori read poems and stories to calm the youngster.
"Do you think he will come back in time?", Ori quietly asked when Thorin had ended his rampage but he did not dare to speak up too loud, in case of triggering the king to go into another frenzy.
"I hope so, lad", Bofur replied thoughtfully, watching Fíli's tense features. "I really do hope so."