I am so exhausted. School is back in session and I'm as lazy as ever and this is probably the chapter were I lose a few people I have. I am not sure there is any good way to describe a city as if a first time person would see it. It's just one of those things where I've been in it so often and explored the place and got lost that I just feel like I know it but just can't describe it. Obviously the giant grey buildings are skyscrapers. If you are confused as to the "tower" Fíli and Kíli are on it's actually a parking garage... Also, a lot of buildings in Indianapolis have security guards, one of the hospitals on campus treats prison inmates so sometimes you see state police there too. Some events in here are just like, "ugh" but I needed it to get everyone where I really want them - in Middle Earth.
Special 'Thank You's go out to: justicintheworldofhp-yearight, owlnighteye, serenity-hope-black (That is awesome! Please tell me if I have the Wiccan spells or ideas wrong, :) I really would love your advice and to ask you questions if I have problems if its okay with you), Ellie's imagination world (Love the name! I'm glad you enjoy this story!), SNOstorm and Ladysakura (thank you both for the reviews, I'll try my hardest to keep going!), Stargazing Strangers and Protagonist of Life (Your comment made me laugh, I totally forgot I put that in the summary.)
Wishing Well
****Four****
It was unbelievable.
Giant, grey buildings sprouted up everywhere, reaching up towards the clouds and scraping the bottom of the sky. The atrocious things varied in size and were decorated in the strangest types of ornaments. Some buildings had numerous, colorful flags on their tops while others had large signs with strange writings strewn across the front of them. On the ground were crazy carriage like contraptions that seemed to be built from strange metals and painted in different colors. Even crazier was that devices moved on their own once people got inside them. The metal carriages varied, ranging from tiny to huge. One thing they all had in common was that they were loud, fast, and annoying. They would screech while moving and stopping, blare horns when they were caught in unmoving lines and emit loud noises that resembled music but just rattle things around them. The worst part was the smog it released when they moved. Black clouds of noxious fumes came from the contraptions, making Fíli and his brother gag whenever one of things passed on by.
While Wendy and Elli were arguing by the riverbank, Fíli had snuck away, dragging his brother along hoping to find the rest of the company. There wasn't time for them to waste by staring at the water. For a while the two dwarves followed the river, hoping to find anything familiar but unfortunately everything was just as crazy and bizarre as the area they were in with the two human girls. The further they traveled away from their hosts, the further they traveled into the city. Fíli didn't want to admit it as they wandered around but he was lost. He and Kíli were lost in a strange city with no way to communicate and no way to get out.
The people inside the city were nowhere as nice or helpful like Elli and Wendy. Numerous times Fíli had to drag his brother away by the collar of his shirt from a group of men who seemed to be antagonizing them. They had been shouting obnoxiously at them, making weird gestures in their direction and laughing. Fíli wasn't sure if it was the unrelenting heat, the inability communicate with others, being hungry or a combination of all three but he was becoming just as short tempered as his brother as the day passed. Thankfully most of the people ignored them, passing them as if they weren't really there.
After a long while of following winding pathways, avoiding large crowds of people, and almost getting hit by those crazy carriages, the Durin heirs finally found a strange building that resembled some sort of open tower that they could easily get into. The two had tried to escape the heat earlier by entering one of the buildings but they were promptly "escorted" out by a couple of men in black uniforms. It was now late enough in the day that there were very few people in the area and only a handful of carriages were located in the building. The still devices were stationed between little yellow lines that seemed to be drawn on the floor making lots. As Fíli took the stairwell up to the top, he hoped and prayed to Mahal he would see something familiar to him or his brother. He hoped they see a part of the river that wasn't encased in the city and blocked off by walls or debris. He hoped he'd see green hills or fields, a forest, a mountain range, anything that resembled Middle Earth off in the distance.
But he didn't.
Once he and his brother made it to the top of the tower they raced to the edge to look over the city. All they could see were more ugly buildings, black roadways that carriages traveled on and people milling about along with other strange and confusing things in the distance. All hope Fíli had of finding his uncle and comrades faded away, dread and uncertainty taking its place. The two dwarves stood silently for a moment, staring at the city in front of them.
"We're dead Fíli," Kíli stated, stepping back from the railing in disbelief. He linked his fingers together and placed his hands behind his head as he stared out into the distance. "It's the only explanation of why we are here." The younger dwarf's voice shook a bit, sounding as if he was trying to keep himself in check and not lose his mind over the unreal situation.
"Are you saying we drowned in the river?" Fíli snapped, turning towards his brother. He didn't mean to sound so angry but the frustration was building up within him.
"No Fíli, we drowned on land." Kíli sarcastically snapped back, "How else do you think we died?" Fíli moved away from the edge and stomped towards his panicking brother.
"We are not dead, Kíli." Fíli replied, trying to keep them both calm. The idea was slowly sinking into his mind and fear was starting to take control of his rationality. The last thing they needed was for both of them to lose their senses.
"How do you know Fíli? How do you know we didn't drown?" Kíli moved his arms in front of him, motioning to the city scene in front of him. "Maybe we're stuck in this crazy place instead of the Halls of Waiting because our bodies were never retrieved. Maybe this is what happens when you don't get a proper funeral - you end up here in some crazy state of Limbo."
"We are not dead." Fíli growled, his patience wearing thin. He didn't want to believe his brother. There was no way they could be dead. He and Kíli were going to the Lonely Mountain with their Uncle and kin. They were going defeat the dragon Smaug and reclaim their homeland.
They were not dead.
They could not be dead.
"Prove it Fíli," Kíli yelled, "prove me wrong." Kíli gave his brother a shove and Fíli replied back with a fist to his brother's face. The younger dwarf stumbled back a bit, rubbing his jaw where he was just hit and stared at his brother. A grin appeared on Kíli's face and the next thing Fíli knew was that defending himself from his brother's attacks. Fists were flying and both dwarves were striking out at each other, aiming to hit the other's face or stomach. Fíli had the upper hand of being more built than his brother - he had more muscle to him making his hits harder and dulling Kíli's attacks. On the other hand Kíli was leaner, making him quicker and more agile to dodge his attacks. It wasn't long into the fist fight that Kíli tackled Fíli down. The oldest dwarf fell backwards onto the ground, the back of his head striking the floor and causing a sharp pain to radiate around his skull. The youngest dwarf sat on top of his brother, slamming his fist into Fíli's face. Fíli could taste blood in his mouth and his head ached with every hit he received.
"Do you give up yet?" Kíli asked, grabbing his brother by the collar of his shirt and pulling him off the ground a bit. Fíli took the opportunity to punch his brother while he was off guard and yelling at him. Fíli slammed his fist into the side of Kíli's head, hearing a loud cracking noise when his knuckles made contact with its target. Kíli fell off him and onto the ground with a thud.
"Do you still think we're dead?" Fíli replied back, sloppily sitting up. Panic built up within him when his brother didn't immediately respond. Kíli laid on the ground motionless with his hands gripping the sides of his head in pain.
"I kind of wish we were now." Kíli hissed, slowly sitting up. "If we were dead, that probably wouldn't have hurt as much."
Fíli chuckled at his brother's statement and Kíli joined in on the laughter, everything between them forgiven. The fight between the two was good for them, helping them release their pent up anger and frustration they were experiencing for the day. Fíli and his brother were a little bruised and bleeding but at least they weren't snapping at each other or fighting anymore.
They were brothers and they fought - even though Fíli nearly busted his brother's head open and Kíli could have given him a concussion - there were no hard feelings.
The heirs sat in silence for a moment, both of them sitting next to each other but staring off in opposite directions.
Fíli watched as the sun slowly sank behind the grey buildings and casted an orange glow around them. It wasn't much of a pretty sunset. The smoke coming from the carriages floated around in the air making everything look dull and dirty, like he was looking through a filthy window.
A small growl came from Fíli's stomach and Kíli's stomach responded to the noise with a growl of its own. The noise drew the two out of their thoughts and back to their current situation: they were lost and now hungry
"Do you think they'll be mad at us?" Kíli asked, getting up and brushing the dirt off himself. Fíli followed his brother's actions but gave him a confused look when he faced him, not understanding his question. "Elli and Wendy," Kíli elaborated, "We did sneak off from them."
"I hope not. They are the only people here who seem to be willing to help us." Fíli replied as he made his way towards the stairwell. The two brothers walked quietly towards the stairs, trying to think of what to do next. They were still lost and unsure of how to get back to Wendy and Elli. They could try to find the river and hope that they were still there waiting for them. If they were gone, would they still let them into the house for the night? Fíli made a mental note to keep an eye out for good spots to camp for the night in case they couldn't find their way back. Once the dwarves got to the entrance of the stairwell, Fíli stopped, hearing a faint echo coming from under them.
"Did you hear that?" Fíli asked, motioning for his brother to listen. The noise repeated itself, sounding familiar but unintelligible as it echoed through the tower. Kíli stood still and nodded to his brother.
"Fíli? Kíli? The voice repeated, growing louder as it got closer. Fíli took a few steps down the stairs and peered around the corner. The echoing continued but nothing came into view. Fíli took a few more cautious steps around the corner to see the floor below them and suddenly Wendy came into view, slamming into him and nearly knocking him down. He grabbed onto the railing with one hand and caught Wendy around the waist with his arm, keeping her from falling face down into the stairs. Kíli peered around the corner and quickly ran down the stairs.
"Wendy?" Kíli asked, meeting up with the two. "What are you doing here?"
Wendy pulled away from Fíli, saying something to him and putting some steps between her and them. She eyed the two, making a faces and pointing at their cuts and bruises. She made an attempt to reach out and examine their injuries but Kíli shot her a glare that made her immediately withdrawal her hand back. She made an angry face at him, looking like she was doing her best to refrain from touching him. Their staring match continued till Fíli broke it.
"She must have come looking for us." Fíli replied to his brother. Wendy said something to them again and motioned for them to follow her as she continued down the steps. When they didn't follow, she let out a sigh and walked back up to them. She gingerly grabbed the cuff of Fíli's jacket, trying to pull him along. Kíli went down the stairs excitedly, pushing his brother along to follow Wendy.
"We're going back to her house! That means she isn't mad and we'll get food!" Kíli exclaimed, his stomach growling as he mentioned food. Fíli shook his head and followed behind Wendy, awkwardly being pulled and pushed along.
"Just because she found us doesn't mean she's happy to see us." Fíli replied, trying to not get his hopes up. After all they had snuck off and gotten lost, causing more trouble for the two. If he were in Wendy's shoes, he wouldn't be feeling so generous to help them out again.
(After Eating)
As much as Fíli didn't want to admit it, his brother was right – Wendy wasn't mad. She led them into a building where they could sit and eat, bought them food and even attempted to speak with Kíli. Well after he and Fíli stuffed themselves with food and leaving wherever they were at, Wendy listened to Kíli while he talked. Fíli followed a few steps behind, watching Wendy as Kíli rattled on about whatever trivial things popped into his head. He hadn't really been listening to what his brother was saying. As long as he didn't hear the words 'Erebor', 'The Lonely Mountain', 'Smaug' or anything that would clue them onto their journey, Fíli didn't mind. Not that Wendy could understand them, but he didn't want to hear Wendy repeat those words. When Kíli paused in his story, Wendy would nod her head and say something as if urging him to continue on. When Kíli laughed at something he said, Wendy smiled attempting to at least respond appropriately to the conversation. Kíli didn't seem to mind the one sided conversation, and continued going on, telling her a few ridiculous things.
Why she and Elli were being so nice to him and his brother was beyond him. The two girls had given them food and shelter and even came looking for them when they snuck off and gotten lost. Even though he and his brother had thanked them earlier, there was no way for them to actually pay them back. Fíli felt that he was still indebted to them and it bugged him. All that kept running through his mind was his Uncle telling him to never rely on the help of others. Dwarves couldn't always trust man for help or to be honest and dwarves could never trust the elves for anything. The only people dwarves could trust were their own race. Uncle Thorin had drilled into them his hatred and mistrust of elves and always warned them to be cautious of man into them since they were children. He also drilled into their heads that they should always repay those who helped them in their time of need too.
Elli and Wendy did fall into that category.
"Is everything alright?" Kíli asked, causing Fíli to come back from his thoughts. At first he thought his brother was talking to him till he realized that Kíli was staring at Wendy who was standing still. She was looking up a bit, green eyes moving back and forth as if she was following something moving in the sky. Both dwarves mimicked her, looking up in hopes of seeing what she saw. She said something and Fíli looked back at her.
She looked scared.
Not the normal timid scared self she typically was but actually fearful. She said something to them, making a motion for them to stay put as she quickly darted off. The two dwarves stood in confusion for a moment at what just happened.
"Something is wrong," Fíli stated, breaking out of his confusion and running after Wendy, "Let's go before we lose her." The two dwarves followed after her silhouette, trying to catch up with her. Neither expected her to be so fast with her nearly being the same height as them. Kíli was the fastest amongst their company and even he wasn't able to close the distance between them. Poles along the street illuminated the way, allowing the two dwarfs to see her occasionally. There was the familiar sound of running water and Fíli knew they were close to the river and bridge.
"What in Durin's name is going on?" Kíli asked, stopping a few yards behind Wendy who was standing still again. Elli was being pinned against the stone railing of the bridge, kicking and failing against some tall, light haired man. A dark haired man was next to her, leaning causally up against the railing and not doing anything to help her. Fíli began cursing and shouting threats in Khuzdul at the men, gaining their attention. Both dwarves took a few steps forward towards Elli's assailants not understanding what they were saying back. The light haired man pinning Elli lifted her a bit, as if he was going to let her go only to slam her head down on the railing, making a cracking noise echo around them. Wendy screamed and rushed forward, trying to make it to Elli before anything else happened to her friend.
"Kíli, protect Wendy." Fíli ordered, rushing forward. The blond male had stepped away from the railing, cracking his knuckles and taking steps forward into the black road towards them. Kíli reached the man first, attacking him and gaining his attention so Wendy could slip on by. The dark haired man was by Elli, lifting her over the railing, dangling her backwards as if taunting her before letting go. Wendy was still a few feet away when she yelled something to the man and skidded to a stop. Elli started falling backwards and out of view from them. Everything seemed to haze over after that.
One moment Wendy was leaning over the railing looking for Elli then the next she was flying past Fíli back towards the river bank. There was the vague image in the corner of his eye of Kíli fighting with the blond man that hazed out of view. Everything in Fíli's peripheral view became a haze, the only clear thing was the image in front of him. The man was looking over the railing and down the river with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Fíli was livid.
Men did not hit women. Other world or not, it was an understood universal rule among all races that a man should never harm a woman.
The bastard in front of him not only allowed Elli to be hurt but discarded her as if her life didn't mean a thing to anyone.
There was a sense of satisfaction Fíli felt when his fist connected with the stranger's face. There was the familiar sound of bones breaking and blood splayed out from the man's nose and down his face. Fíli shook off the excess blood on his knuckles as he made his way towards Elli's assailant again. The man had been caught off guard earlier, not noticing Fíli coming up to him until he turned his attention away from the river. Fíli's hit had sent him sprawling back and onto the floor, the attack leaving him with a broken nose and a little disorientated. The man clutched his bloody nose with his hands and began shouting loudly. Blood continued pouring, leaking between his fingers and running down his shirt. It was apparent to Fíli that his opponent had little to no fighting experience - instead of getting back on his feet to defend himself, he stayed on the floor writhing in pain.
"Get up." Fíli growled impatiently. The man glared up at Fíli, still clutching his nose with one hand and using the other to push himself up a bit. Fíli grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up a bit when he didn't move fast enough. There was nothing fair about kicking a man while he was down. "I said, get up." Fíli repeated, letting the man go once he mildly steadied himself on his feet. A few more words, most likely curses and threats, came from the man's mouth as he took to a mildly offensive stance. Fíli tensed up, waiting for the man to make a move. His opponent struck out with right fist sloppily that Fíli easily caught with his left hand. Even though there was a height distance, the man was such a poor fighter he felt like he didn't even have to try. Fíli squeezed his hand over the man's fist, twisting it at the same time and causing the man to yelp in pain. He yanked the man down towards him, using his momentum and weight against him as Fíli slammed his right fist into the man's gut, right below the ribcage.
The man gagged, gasping and coughing for air as his diaphragm contracted violently from being hit. Fíli let go of the man's hand and stepped back, letting him fall to the floor. The man laid there, clutching his stomach and gasping. The wind had been knocked out of him and he couldn't do anything else till he could breathe again. It was pathetic that he was out after only two hits.
"Fíli!" Kíli yelled out, causing the older dwarf to look around for him. He saw his brother in the middle of the black road pushing himself up off the floor. "The bastard followed Wendy to the riverbank." He yelled, limping a bit as Fíli rushed to him.
"Are you alright?" He asked, helping his brother up. "What happened?"
"I'm fine," Kíli growled, "that coward dealt me a low blow. Go get Wendy before he finds her." The younger dwarf swatted his brother away, motioning to where Wendy and the man had run off too. Fíli darted to the end of the bridge, turning sharply around the corner post and rushing downhill to the bank. There wasn't enough light from the lamps to properly illuminate the area but Fíli could hear the splashing in the water and could see the faint outline of someone submerging another person in the middle of the river. There was a hand flailing above water, causing a splashing sound and creating waves in the river. Fíli rushed into the water, hissing at the coldness of it. It was icy and felt like the water he was in before when he first went in to save Kíli a day earlier.
"If I survive this I swear I'll never step foot into another river again." Fíli said to himself, shivering as he fully submerged himself into the water and swam out to the figure. The water current felt weird, violently pushing against him and speeding up as he swam. The figure of the person in the water began to come into focus as he got closer. The blonde man was submerging Wendy who was flailing one hand trying to get him off. Fíli cursed in Khuzdul loudly enough to get the man's attention, causing him to lose his grip on his victim. Wendy's head popped up out of the water momentarily and she gasped for air. She flailed out with her free hand again, smacking her assailant in the face. The intentional or unintentional hit gave Fíli some time to swim closer to the man. Wendy was coughing and flailing, one arm trying to keep her a float while her other arm was wrapped around something else. The man lashed out at Wendy, hitting her in the face and pushing her underwater again as Fíli wrapped his arm around the blonde's neck. He thought he had a good enough chokehold on the man, hoping he'd get him to let of go Wendy and focus on him. Fíli didn't expect the man to thrust his head back, slamming it into his face. Pain shot through Fíli's head and he barely had a moment to hold his breath as the man leaned back, submerging them both in the water. Fíli felt the man's fingers dig into his arm as he tried to break the hold he was in.
It was a power struggle.
Fíli couldn't breathe and his chest ached with the familiarity of wanting air but he couldn't let go of the man. They were fully submerged under water and it was a struggle of whose strength would overcome the other - who'd be on top to reach the surface and breathe while the other stayed underwater to drown. The current started to pick up and rush around them, dragging their bodies down the river as they kicked around trying to injure the other and gain the upper hand. Fíli got lucky, twisting himself and using the current to get them turned around so he was on top, his back was to the surface and his was victim facing the river's depths. Fíli's lungs got the best of him causing his chest to sear in pain. He let his grip on the man go and pushed off his shoulders, aiding himself in moving towards the surface and causing the man to sink further below. Fíli broke through the surface, coughing as he took in a deep breath of air. There was a splashing noise echoing around him and he feared that the man had suddenly surfaced too.
"Fíli!" Kíli's voice called out, drawing his attention. Fíli could see the faint outline of his brother floating in the distance, bobbing up and down with the waves. Fíli waved his hands up in the air, trying to catch the attention of his brother.
"When did you get in the water?" Fíli asked, swimming out towards Kíli. His limbs ached and his body was refusing to comply his commands. His strokes were sloppy, causing him to just splash more water around instead of moving him. He didn't recall his brother jumping into the water. Last time he saw him he was limping on land. Kíli made it to his brother and grabbed a hold of him, helping him float above water a bit.
"I dove in as soon as I saw you and that man go under." Kíli replied back pulling his brother along.
"What about Wendy and Elli?" The waves seemed to calm for a moment as the two dwarves floated through the water. "Have you seen either of them?" There was a moment of silence as Kíli debated on what to say.
"No. They weren't on land when I got into the water and I haven't seen them surface yet." The two waded into the shallower end, trying to keep traction and walk through the muddy ground below them.
"This is ridiculous." Kíli groaned, shivering a bit as he trudged onto land. "Twice this river has nearly killed us. Twice." Fíli wanted to throw himself onto the grass and hug it the second his foot touched land but he resisted. Dwarves weren't built to be swimmers. They were fighters. Warriors. Dwarves learned to wield axes and swords to defend themselves in battle at young ages. They spent time learning trades and how to craft things from metals and precious gems they minded from the earth. Mahal did not put them on Middle Earth to play around in the water.
"Do you see them anywhere?" Fíli asked once he fully caught his breath. He stared back at the river and scanned over the surface for Elli and Wendy. The surface of the water was calm as the waves slowed to an even pace, showing no signs of someone struggling or swimming. It was an eerie calm, now flowing swiftly and quietly as if nothing had happened.
Fear began to build up in Fíli.
There were no signs of the two in the water and he assumed the worst - that he and Kíli didn't come in time to save them.
"Is that them over there?" Kíli asked, walking up river. Fíli spun around in the direction his brother was going and trailed after him. There was a hazy outline of a body hunched over on land, moving from a hunched position to sitting up. The two brothers picked up their pace as they watched the figure move.
"Wendy?" Kíli asked out loud. Fíli squinted his eyes and watched as the person performed the same weird maneuvers over and over again. Fíli broke out into a run towards Wendy and Elli.
"Is she breathing?" Fíli asked, dropping down next to Wendy who had her hands placed on Elli's forehead and chin and tilting her head back oddly. Fíli stared at Elli's chest, watching for any rise and fall.
There was no movement.
Nothing.
Elli laid there motionless.
Kíli took a spot on the other side of Wendy, closer to Elli's head.
"What's wrong?" He asked, leaning over Elli and glancing between his brother and Wendy.
"She isn't breathing." Fíli replied. The two dwarves stared at Wendy as she took a quick deep breath and leaned down over her friend.
"What is she doing?" Kíli gasped, scooting back in shock as Wendy put her mouth over Elli's. If the moment wasn't so serious, Fíli was have jumped back in shock too. Wendy pulled back and repeated her action. There was a rise and fall of Elli's chest as Wendy breathed air into her lungs.
"She's breathing for her."
Wendy sat back and placed two of her fingers on Elli's neck like her friend had done with Kíli before. She moved her hands again over Elli's chin and forehead and repeated her actions.
"Nothing's happening." Kíli replied, worry laced in his voice. The moment Wendy sat up from her second breath, Elli began coughing, spitting up water in the process. "She's breathing!" Kíli shouted, completely forgetting his statement earlier. There was a gasp from Wendy as she turned her friend to the side a bit, causing Elli to cough up and spit out more water.
Kíli threw his hands up in the air, cheering as Elli took in a deep breath and continued breathing slowly on her own.
"Thank Mahal!" Fíli stated happily. Arms wrapped around him and he immediately went tense. Wendy said something, hugging him tighter and rocking back in forth out of happiness. He turned to face Wendy to congratulate her but what happened next threw him off.
She kissed him.
It was obviously supposed to be a peck on the cheek but Fíli had turned his head in mid movement, accidently causing her lips to bump into his. There was a noise from Kíli and Wendy immediately let go of Fíli, pushing him a bit as if he had burned her. She looked embarrassed, face slightly red. She opened her mouth to say something and what came out surprised the two.
"Fíli,…sorry! ...Mean to….that."
The sentence came out broken, a combination of her language mixed with Westron so he only caught a bit of it. It sounded awkward and slow, like a child trying to speak another language for the first time. Fíli looked over to Kíli who was wide eyed and staring at Wendy.
"Did you?" Fíli began, turning to Wendy who was equally shocked. She had obviously heard the difference in the language between them too.
"She spoke Westron." Kíli said, laughing. "Do it again!"
"Do…again?" Wendy asked in a mixture of languages.
"Do what?" Fíli asked. He hoped his brother wasn't thinking what he was thinking.
"Kiss her."
"No. You do it."
"You started it! You should finish it, Fíli!"
The two heirs began a staring contest with each other, trying to get the other to cave in. It wasn't as if Fíli never kissed a girl – there was a difference between kissing someone he had feelings for versus someone he just met. "Is there something wrong with her?" Kíli asked.
"No."
"Then why won't you kiss her?"
"Because it would be weird."
"This all is weird!" Kíli retorted, pointing to Wendy, the river, Elli, then to their surroundings. Wendy looked between the two, making confused faces as the dwarves argued on.
"Her? Weird?" Wendy repeated. Kíli pointed at Fíli accusingly as he continued on.
"Look, now you made her think that she's weird."
Fíli fumbled for words, looking at Wendy who looked confused and hurt. "Kiss her and get it over with! I bet it's the only way she'll learn to speak Westron."
There was absolutely no logic in that statement.
Apparently there was no logic in the world anymore and things were just happening to happen. Fíli and his brother were in Limbo. Men threw women off bridges. People could breathe life into each other and kissing allowed one to learn a new language.
Swallowing his pride, Fíli leaned over and awkwardly grabbed ahold of Wendy. He placed his hands on sides of her face and pulled her forward. He leaned in at the same time, closing the distance between himself and Wendy and kissed her.
And it was weird.
It was the kind of weird that reminded him of being a small child and him getting his first kiss from a girl by surprise. It was awkward and unenjoyable. They were both tense and had their eyes open, making the situation even more awkward as they made disgusted faces at each other.
There was a sharp pain to the side of Fíli's face and Kíli burst into laughter. Fíli rubbed his cheek, hissing momentarily as he looked back to see Wendy glaring at him. First Kíli had punched him in the face multiple times, then that weird blonde haired man head butted him and now Wendy had slapped him.
"What are you doing? That was disgusting!" Wendy shouted, her words sounding weird and slightly sluggish as she spoke Westron. Wendy made a shocked face and covered her mouth with hands, as if that would keep her from speaking.
"See, I told you it would work." The youngest dwarf said triumphantly. Fíli shot his brother a glare only to receive a smug look in response.
"That hurt though."
"I'm sorry." Wendy mumbled, her hands still covering her mouth.
"It's fine. Are you alright?" Fíli asked, still rubbing his cheek. The girl nodded, removing her hands from her mouth and slowly pulling herself up.
"I am but Elli's not. We need to get her to a hospital. She could have a concussion or fluid still in her lungs. She could still get sick or…." Wendy ranted, moving to her friend and trying to pull her up. Kíli immediately got up and began helping Wendy pick Elli off the ground. Fíli joined in, taking over Wendy's spot who was having a hard time lifting her friend up.
"Kíli and I got her." Fíli stated, moving Elli's arm over his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Kíli did the same on the other side, helping to pick Elli up as much as they could. Wendy quietly thanked them and turned to walk towards the bridge. She took only two steps before she came to a sudden halt, nearly causing the two dwarves to bump into her.
"Is something wrong?" Fíli asked, taking a few steps to the side to see what Wendy was staring at.
"Why's the land flat?" Wendy asked quietly, sounding scared. "Why's the land flat instead of slopped?" The two dwarves looked around, noticing that the whole area was indeed flat instead of sloped like earlier. There was the chirping of insects in the night and for the first time they noticed that the landscape was different.
A good and familiar different.
"Where's West New York Street? The bridge? The campus and hospital towers?" Wendy asked, voice trembling. Everything was dark but the stars were shining brightly and illuminating just enough to show the faint silhouettes of some trees, large rocks and plants. It wasn't the same chaotic mess of buildings and crazy contraptions, it was the familiar nature of Middle Earth. Fíli was excited, his heart racing in anticipation to explore more land to make sure they were really back. The sight of the girl in front of him brought him back to reality.
"Wendy?" Fíli asked cautiously as he noticed Wendy started to shake. He didn't know if it was from being wet and in the cold that was making her tremble or the realization that they might not be in the city anymore but he was afraid she was going to faint. He didn't need another body to pick up and watch over.
"I need to sit." Wendy whimpered making Fíli groan. She was going to faint. "I'm just going to sit here and pretend this isn't happening." She stated, lowering herself to the floor. Kíli looked at his brother making a face and mouthing, 'what do we do?'. They couldn't just sit and wait for her to calm down and they couldn't just leave her at the same time.
"Wendy," Fíli began. The girl turned around and looked up at him, wide eyed and terrified. Her green eyes were glazed over like she was about to cry. "Right now we need to move. Those men could still be near. I'm not sure if they drowned or if they made their way to the bank but we need to move." Fíli was used to his Uncle giving commands. Uncle Thorin always knew what to say – what moves to make, what to do next. Without Thorin here to lead them, Fíli had to be in charge and he felt incredibly unprepared. "When we find a safe spot then you can sit."
Wendy nodded, and took in a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Fíli kept his eyes on her, making sure she didn't faint as she stood up. He stared at her, looking for any signs she might lose her calm and have a mental break down. At least him and Kíli took their crazy first drowning better - they may have hit each other a few times but at least they didn't look like they'd cry. Wendy stared him in the eyes and he stared back, trying to appear authoritative and not nervous.
"Lead the way." Was all she said, stepping aside so he could be in charge.
****Later****
Fíli had to admit it, Wendy was handling herself well. Inwardly he and his brother wanted to jump up and down, run around, and cheer about how they were back in Middle Earth but resisted. The night air was clean and the stars and moon illuminated their way. There was grass under their feet that expanded out everywhere instead of stone slabs covering them up. They had found a nice wooded area that had tall, thick trees that expanded further out. They weaved their way into the woods, trying to avoid tripping over roots and fallen branches. Fíli couldn't express how happy he was to see a tree – a real tree that wasn't some stick figure decorative item that the city seemed to have planted weirdly about. There weren't any ugly towers. There were no metal carriages. They weren't dead – they were back home in their world.
Once they found a good spot they made a fire to help them dry off and warm up from the cold. Wendy was seated up against a tree with Elli laying on the floor, her head in Wendy's lap. She was breathing regularly and would occasionally cough up some water or say something incoherent but nothing more than that. Her face was bruised where she had been hit and there were tiny scratches in the bruised area that looked like she had her face dragged against the ground.
An awkward silence floated around them, no one knowing what to say. Kíli would occasionally glance to his brother and they'd make faces at each other but nothing else. Wendy was silent, keeping to herself and looking as if she'd burst into tears any second. Neither dwarf knew what to say to comfort her and they feared that if they said the wrong thing she'd cry. They were prepared for laying their lives down for Erebor, ready to fight orcs and goblins, slay the dragon Smaug but consoling a crying female was not something they knew nothing on how to do and left them paralyzed in fear. Neither wanted to be the first to speak and fortunately they weren't first to break the silence.
"Thank you," Wendy began, keeping her gaze on the ground as she spoke, "thank you for saving us. You didn't have to get in a fight with Eddie and Darrel but you did. I don't know how to pay you back for that."
Her Westron was getting better. At first her speech was spoken slowly and awkwardly as if she was unsure that the words coming out of her mouth were real. With the passing of time and her speaking earlier, the words became clearer and controlled.
"You knew them?" Kíli asked incredulously.
"We used to go to school together." Wendy replied, looking up at Kíli.
"Why were they attacking you and Elli?" Fíli questioned. Wendy shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. I wasn't really friends with them. Elli used to hang out with them when we were younger."
"Hang out with them?" Kíli made a face and mouthed, 'hang out' silently to himself. It was a phrase they hadn't heard before and sounded weird. "Those were Elli's friends? Why would they try to kill her if they were friends?" The girls' world had a weird version of friendship if it included people trying to murder each other. Wendy shrugged her shoulders again.
"I don't know. Elli got into some trouble back home so I invited her to live with me for a bit so I have no clue what is going on either." Kíli opened his mouth to question Wendy some more but Fíli cut him off. She looked uncomfortable talking about it, shrinking back when Kíli questioned her.
"It's fine." Fíli said, getting a look from Wendy. "You don't have to pay us back. You and Elli saved us earlier so we're making it up to you two now." Wendy went quiet and looked back to the ground. They were quiet again until Elli mumbled something.
"What did she say?" Kíli questioned, curious as ever.
"She said she wasn't going to fall."
"That makes no sense." Wendy smiled faintly and shook her head.
"I know."
"You can still understand her? What language is she speaking?" Fíli asked. It seemed like a more important question than what she was mumbling about. It was amazing how the language barrier just 'suddenly' broke.
"English, but it sounds a little weird. What are we speaking now?"
"Westron." Both brothers said simultaneously.
"What are we going to do about Elli speaking English?" Wendy asked. It was a good question. Wendy's Westron better but it was going to be a pain if she had to translate back and forth between them.
"You could kiss her like you were earlier and maybe she'll start speaking Westron too." Kíli teased, laughing as Wendy's face turned different shades of red.
"That was rescue breathing!" She retorted, trying to defend herself, "She wasn't breathing on her own so I was giving her rescue breaths!"
"Rescue breaths. Really." Kíli continued, enjoying how uncomfortable Wendy was becoming. He had no clue what rescue breaths were or how Wendy learned to do them but he did enjoy her embarrassment. "You kissed Fíli and started speaking Westron. Maybe you're some kind of leech, stealing someone's language when you kiss them." He kidded. It was a pathetic comment, he himself not entirely sure of what happened. All Kíli knew was that the more he went on, the more Wendy squirmed.
"That was an accident. I didn't want to kiss him."
"Someone doesn't like you Fíli."
"I didn't mean it like that."
Fíli laughed a bit. Wendy gave him a pleading look as if she wanted him to intervene and make Kíli stop. She looked like she might die from embarrassment but he was enjoying it too. It was nice to see Wendy looking something other than timid or scared.
"If I'm a 'leech' like you say, wouldn't your idea not work?" She asked when Fíli didn't come to her rescue. Kíli was quiet for a second as Wendy continued on. "If I kiss Elli, won't I leach and learn English again?"
"Fíli can kiss her. He's done it once, he'll do it again."
"Don't bring me into this. I kissed Wendy and she hit me." Fíli replied rubbing his cheek, feeling a sting at the memory of being hit. "I've done my job and paid my dues." Wendy apologized again and turned her attention back to Kíli.
"If Fíli does it again, he might lose Westron and learn English instead. Wouldn't that create more problems if you couldn't talk to him"
"If so we can still speak in Khuzdal." Kíli replied back in their language. The look on Wendy's face was priceless, causing the brothers to laugh. She looked like a fish on land, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something then shutting it again. She pouted at Kíli which didn't affect the dwarf at all
"Nobody is kissing anyone." Fíli stated, trying to keep from laughing and be serious for the moment. "You should go to sleep Wendy. Kíli and I will take watch for the night. I'll stay awake for the first half then Kíli will keep watch for the second. We need to get ready for tomorrow; find some food and make a plan." To be honest, Fíli didn't know what they were going to do next. Wendy and Kíli nodded in agreement and began to adjust themselves into more comfortable positions to sleep. Fíli looked between them and the fire, watching and waiting for the minutes to pass by as Wendy slowly fell asleep against the tree with Elli's head still in her lap.
He could tell Kíli was faking sleep. There were a few things the dwarves wanted to talk about in private and were waiting till Wendy fell asleep. Talking to each other in Khuzdul in front of Wendy would cause her to ask questions they weren't wanting to deal with. Fíli waited a few more minutes after Wendy fell asleep to whisper his brother's name. Kíli rolled over towards his brother, signaling that he was awake and listening.
"What are we going to do Fíli?" Kíli asked quietly.
"I'm not sure."
"We can't take them with us. We have to find the rest of the company and continue on now that we're back."
"I know but we can't leave them either. They wouldn't last out in the wilderness without any help. They don't have any way to protect themselves-"
"And we have no weapons to protect them or ourselves with." Kíli interrupted. The two remained quiet as Fíli continued thinking.
"They took us in when we were lost and stranded in Mahal knows where. We got food and shelter and they even went looking for when we wandered off. We still owe them."
"I know," Kíli replied back, sitting up to face his brother, "but we can't continue on with them too. Either way I look at it, they are going to be in harm if we leave them in the woods or they'll be in harm if they come with us." Fíli knew his brother was right. With whatever decision they chose, the girls wouldn't be safe.
"In the morning, we'll take them back to the river." Fíli stated. Kíli made a face at his brother, his brows furrowing together in confusion. "Maybe there is something, a witches spell, some kind of ancient magic, anything really casted on the river we aren't seeing." There was a pause as Fíli thought what nonsense he was spitting out, "maybe there is some kind of link between here and there in the river."
"You think some kind of witchcraft that was placed on the river?" Kíli asked, slightly following what his brother was saying. Outside of Gandalf, Kíli had never seen any magic before. Any stories he had heard about witchcraft came from his childhood where he and Fíli would listen to scary stories about Witches that lived in the wilderness.
"So we're just going to push them back into the river and hope for the best that they make it home?" The youngest dwarf questioned. That idea sounded just as bad as leaving them in the woods.
"I don't know, Kíli." Fíli replied rubbing his temples with his fingers as a headache started forming. "I don't know. All I can say is when we wake up, we'll figure something out." Kíli agreed with his brother and resumed his sleeping position on the floor while Fíli continued eyeing the group. Uncle Thorin always knew what to do. He never questioned himself and always made decisions that were best for the group.
Kíli was right – they had to find the company and continue on to Erebor. It wasn't an option to take them with them. Their presence would only create problems and hinder the group if they ever found them.
But Wendy and Elli couldn't survive in the wilderness alone and there wasn't a guarantee that he and Kíli could protect them when they didn't have anything to protect themselves with.
If he was right about the river being a link between their worlds then them going back into the water could send them back and would be the best option for both groups.
Or it could just be a plain old river where they'd get caught in the currents, be swept downriver and possibly to their deaths if those men were lurking about still.
The flames of the fire crackled, tempting Fíli to close his eyes and give into sleep. His body and mind were fatigued from the events and his thoughts kept circling around on what to do. The more Fíli thought about it the more his head began to ache, causing him to close his eyes. No matter what he thought of, what choice he made, he had the feeling that he wasn't going to make the right one.
So, I guess that's it so far for this chapter. My friend said she wanted a story where two people get caught in Middle Earth and I thought it would just be weird for two girls to randomly fall in a river, find some dwarves and just randomly go on a quest. I hope that it doesn't irk any of you that Fíli and Kíli fall into the river and go to Indiana then get caught up in it again and go back to Middle Earth. It sounds so repetitive and unoriginal. In the next chapter I will get into a bit more detail how the spell Elli casted works and what not. I hope the guilty feelings Fíli feels justifies his actions for helping them. As for Eddie and Darrel and the drugs - it does have a point in the story which will pop up eventually. I didn't just throw them in there fun randomness although it feels that way.
Anyways - same old, same old. Please review, they make my day. :) I ready them whenever I'm in a block or wanting inspiration. Please let me know what you liked, what you didn't, what I could improve, what you want to see, if there is spelling errors and what not.
Also, I'm not entirely sure if anyone is interested in proof reading my chapters before I post them. I make a lot of errors and I can't always catch them all :( . My friend hasn't been very responsive with me asking for advice and help so just curious if anyone out there is interested. You don't have to be an English major or been an experienced Beta Reader for years. Just anyone who is just willing to help is just fine.
Once again, thank you to all of you! :)