The amount of support for this story is so amazing! It really means a lot and I'm so happy people enjoying it! So a BIG thank you to everyone who followed and/or favorite and thank you to everyone for reading!
Fili lead his brother and the hobbit down to the treasure room, the glow from the gold growing brighter as they got closer. Fili paused just outside the entrance. He breathed deeply trying to keep himself calm. Fili knew all too well what could happen when his uncle lost himself to the gold sickness. He glanced back to Kili and Bilbo, gave them a forced smile, and then entered the treasure room.
The place was dead silent. Everyone who was assigned to organize and count the treasure was out looking for Thorin making the place feel empty and ominous. Kili's nervous heavy breathing echoed off the pillars and piles of gold. The group took a few steps scanning the piles for a sign of their king.
"Thorin!?" Kili yelled. The three paused for an answer, Kili holding his breath, but no answer ever came. "Thorin!?" Kili screamed even louder, again no one answered.
"Split up," Fili ordered. "This place is huge, he could be anywhere." He spotted Kili's worried face; Fili knew what he was thinking. "He must not have heard you, Kili."
Kili frowned, "or he purposely ignored me."
The eldest sighed not having anything to say that could make his little brother feel better. "Come on, let's take a look around."
The three began searching the treasure room. Bilbo searched by himself, climbing the piles of gold to search from above. Fili made sure his brother was always in direct line of site as they searched the cleared paths. A few minutes passed with not the slightest sign of Thorin. Kili began to yell again. More minutes passed and Fili began to yell as well. Their screams echoed off the piles and piles of gold.
They searched for an hour, checking every inch and space for their king. Thorin was not there. The place was empty. Despite this, Kili kept screaming for his uncle, as loud as his lungs would let him. It took Fili grabbing a hold of both his shoulders and shaking him to make him stop. "Where is he, Fili?" Kili asked in a soft voice. Fili had no answer.
"Perhaps one of the other search parties found him," Bilbo suggested.
Kili perked up and ran out of the treasure room. In uncle had not gone to the treasure room, instead he wandered somewhere different. Thorin did not give into the sickness again. Kili smiled brightly as he ran to meet with the other search parties. Someone must have found Thorin by now; he was sure of it.
Fili and Bilbo watched as Kili sprinted up the steps. They turned to each other seeing they both had sad, worried looks on their faces. They both forced a hopeful smile and followed Kili.
Only three of the search parties had returned by the time Kili made it to the meeting hall. Kili ran inside scanning the crowed of dwarves for his uncle. He wasn't there. The smile left his face. Did no one find him yet?
"Was he in treasure room?" Gloin asked the young dwarf walking up to him. Kili shook his head. "That's a relief."
"Did you find him Gloin?" Kili asked with hopeful eyes.
Gloin shook his head, "no, laddie, I can't say I did. Oin and I searched every healing room, but our king was not there. The others," Gloin said pointed to the crowed, "said the same thing. None of us found a single trace of King Thorin."
Fili and Bilbo entered just in time to hear Gloin. They hung their heads and Fili gave his brother a soft pat on the back. They all agreed to wait in the meeting hall till the other search parties came back with news. Kili paced the hall not speaking to anyone even when addressed. Fili reported his findings, or lack thereof, to the other parties and listened to what they had to say about their search. He dismissed himself and sat in the corner staring at his shoes. Bilbo sat at the table by himself. He rubbed the surface of the ring as he waited.
Another search party, the one Bofur led, came back after ten minutes of waiting. With a heavy heart Bofur told the princes they did not find Thorin in the dining hall or the kitchen. He said they searched it twice just to be safe. Fili thanked them with a smile and Kili began pacing again.
A search party of all guards arrived a few minutes later. They reported finding no sign of the king in the vast number of halls they were assigned to search. Fili thanked them with a smile and Kili started pacing faster.
Ori, Nori and Dori came back a half an hour later. They sadly told Fili they had not seen Thorin in the records room. They offered to look again, but Fili told them to sit and rest till the other search parties returned. He thanked them for their efforts, still smiling. Kili stopped coming up to greet the returning search parties.
Balin's search party returned. Balin put his hand of Fili's shoulder and apologized telling him they did not find Thorin in the throne room. Fili smiled saying it was alright and he thanked Balin for looking.
Another group of guards returned after an hour of waiting reporting not seeing Thorin in their assigned section of the mines. Fili thanked them for their efforts with a half smile.
Dain's search party returned next. He shook his head telling Fili they did not find him the forges. He reinsured Fili they would find him soon, but Fili looked unchanged by Dain's kind words. The lord of the Iron Hills patted Fili on the shoulder and went to speak with the others.
Fili's mother came back next. Kili came up this time to see if she found her brother. She shook her head and hugged her youngest. She went to hug Fili, but he avoided her embrace. Kili and Dis sat down at the table and spoke as Fili waited for the other search parties who were still looking down in the mines.
One of them arrived and said the same thing everyone else did: Thorin was not there. Fili thanked them, but he could bring himself to do the polite thing and smile. Another returned from the mines. No sign of Thorin. Another returned. No Thorin. Another. No Thorin. Another. Still no Thorin.
It had seven hours since Fili sent the search parties out when the last one returned to the meeting hall to report. Kili jumped up from the table and ran over to them as the guards entered. Noticed they were the last to arrive and the sad looks on everyone faces they took off their helmets. Shaking their heads the reported that they did not find Thorin.
Fili nodded at the news. He turned to crowd of dwarves and thanked them for their efforts in a loud, strong voice. He told everyone to get something to eat and some rest and then they would continue the search. Everyone left the meeting hall besides, Fili, Kili, Dis, Dain, and the elders of the council, who had a quick meeting about what to do next.
"Another party should search the mines," Fili said first. "The mines are large, dark, and unmapped someone could have easily missed Thorin if he was down there. He may be hurt and unable to call out for help." the elders nodded in agreement with the prince. "I think we should also check outside the mountain. I want a search party to check outside Erebor, send one to Ravenhill and one to the ruins of Dale."
"We should send one to Lake-Town as well," suggested Dain. "Perhaps he had a meeting with those filthy lake men he neglected to tell us about."
"Right, send word to Thranduil. Perhaps Thorin has wandered into the woodland realm by mistake," Fili ordered. The council agreed and began to make the necessary arrangements.
"Fili, you should listen to your own advice, go get something to eat," Balin said. "We can organize the search parties."
"I'm not hungry," Fili said walking towards Dain to help him with the search party to lake-town.
Dis stepped in his way. "Now Fili, listen to Balin and go get something to eat. We have everything handled here." She stroked his blond hair. "We'll find him, my son. Thorin wouldn't want you starving to death looking for him. Go get something to eat," she looked over at Kili, "both of you."
Fili and Kili didn't argue, they knew it was hopeless against their mother. They were both hungry, although they would never admit it. They went to the dining hall and sat down next Bilbo. The hobbit, being the kindly soul he was, told them a story about the time he lost his favorite scarf. Soon most for the dwarves had gathered around Bilbo to listen to his story. Fili and Kili began laughing and smiling at Bilbo hilarious story. Bilbo smiled seeing the two happy again. He would never tell them that the story as completely made up.
After they ate Fili, Kili, and Bilbo went back to the meeting hall. They helped form the search parties and map out where everyone was to look. It was past dark when they finally got everything ready. The elders, Fili and Kili reluctantly, agreed that the search parties would set out at first light the next day.
The night passed by slowly. Kili spent the first part with his mother, the two cleaning up his chambers. Dis finally went to bed and Kili lay down in his bed looking up at the dark ceiling. It took hours for him to fall asleep. He tossed and turned wondering if there was someone where they forgot to look. He thought about the times, when he was little, when he would play hide and seek with Thorin and his brother. He was always the best at hiding and Thorin was always the worst. Kili uncomfortable slept through the night.
Fili spent his night alone, sitting on his bed looking down at his feet. He would get up occasionally, and pace around his room, only to sit back down on the bed. They must have missed something. Thorin had to be somewhere. Jumping up Fili ran to the one place no one looked: Thorin's chambers.
Pushing by the guard Fili entered his uncle's room with high hopes. The room was empty. Yelling in anger Fili began searching the room, as though Thorin was hiding from him. He pushed the bed over and opened every chest, even the small ones. Thorin wasn't there. Still angry Fili went back to his room and sat on his bed till morning.
The next morning came. Fili and Kili saw the search parties off and watched as the crow carrying the message for Thranduil sailed off towards the forest. The hours passed by slowly as they waited for word from the search parties.
"Is there anywhere else in Erebor we haven't looked?" Kili asked growing impatient.
"We have a party looking over the mines again, per your request Fili," Dain said. "The mines are vast and deep with many tunnels and passages. It may be a while till they are all thoroughly searched."
"But all of them are being searched, correct?" Fili asked.
Dain gaze a sideways glance and Fili crossed his arms. "There is a section of the mines we have yet to search," Dain told Fili. "The mine was closed, by King Thorin, after Erebor was retaken. The mine is deep and dangerous. The rock is loosely packed together and crumbles easily. We lost ten miners who tried to go down the tunnel before King Thorin ordered it to be closed. You would recall King Thorin prohibiting entry into that mine if you did not sleep through the meeting," Dain said with a glare. Fili glared right back. "Yet, if you feel the mine must be searched, prince Fili, then we will get it done."
Fili thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. I don't want any more death, we have had too much of that lately."
Dain's mouth hung open in awe of Fili. He was young, still a child, yet already he had the baring of the true king. Dain nodded to himself.
The three went to join a search party that was doing another sweep of the halls and corridors. Dain watched Fili closes as they looked. He held himself like a king, a true king.
The day passed by quickly. Soon enough the search parties from Ravenhill and Dale returned. They both reported that they did not find Thorin. The bird returned from the woodland realm shortly after. Thranduil wrote that Thorin had no crossed into his boards. He made a snarky comment about how they should keep a better track of their king and everyone was ready to cut his head off.
Fili went out to the balcony looking out at the setting sun. Maybe Dain was right, maybe Thorin had gone to Lake-Town without telling anyone. Maybe he was meeting with Bard, maybe he was out there in the wildness on a hunting trip, and yet maybe he wasn't. Maybe something had happened, something horrible. Fili thought about the mines Thorin closed for being dangerous. The mines and Lake-Town were the only known places they had yet to look. He had to be at one of those places. He had to be.
"Where are you, Thorin?" Fili asked no one and went to his chambers.
Sort of long filler chapter to build suspense. Where is Thorin!? Any ideas? Thanks for reading!
Review and have a nice day.