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Chapter 40 – Gone

It was late night, about two weeks after the rider had appeared. Thorin had taken his word for folly and told the others not to worry. So everyone was relaxed...calm...and quiet.

"Come on Idie Mum's set up a bed for you and Frer in our room!"

Nyli and Tyli grabbed their cousin's arm and dragged her through to their cluttered room. Frerin lingered by his mother, clinging onto her skirts. He looked up at her and his Aunt as they spoke.

"So you're sure you're ok to take them for the night?"

"Anne calm down. It's not like they're going to burn down the mountain if they spend the night together...besides you, Kili and Fili are all needed at that meeting in Dale and I'm not, because I'm a bit hotheaded when it comes to politics..."

The young women laughed and Anne looked down when her son tugged on her dress.

"What is it darling?"

"Don't wanna stay..."

"Oh why?"

"Not got my dragon..."

Daisy laughed and pulled the wooden toy from behind her back. Frerin's face lit up from under his scruffy brown hair and he took the toy from his Aunt. Anne ruffled his hair.

"So can you stay now?"

"Mhm! Nighty night Mummy!"

He stood on his toes and kissed her cheek, then he ran off into the house after his siblings. Darin began to shout from his room as the noise from the twins' room grew. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"Well duty calls...you have fun at this meeting!"

"Oh sure I totally will, a lot of old, cranky and tired men arguing with each other...yay!"

The friends hugged and then Anne walked off down the hallway and Daisy shut the door.

"Right you lot pipe down, another hour of playing and then it's bed!"

"AWWWW!"

It was actually easier than Daisy thought getting the kids into bed. She smiled as she looked at them all whispering under the covers. She gently closed the door and pulled out the ties holding her hair up. Her blonde locks fell loose and she stretched as she walked to check on Darin. Opening his door quietly she spotted him snuggled in his bed with his blankie scrunched up in his fist. The woman walked in silently and sat on the edge of his bed. She stroked his cheek and watched him as he slept. After around ten minutes of watching him dream peacefully, she bent over, kissed his reddy-blonde curls and then tiptoed out the room. She closed the door with a click and sighed.

"Now what am I going to do?"

Suddenly a draft floated through the corridor and Daisy frowned. She walked back to the front of the house and her brow creased as she saw that the front door was swung wide open.

"I closed you...didn't I?"

She walked to the front door and poked her head out into the blackened hallway. The royal quarters of the mountain were silent, no sound came and there was little light. The blonde woman shrugged and went back into her house, closing the door for sure this time. She stared at the wood for a moment before taking a step back. Strong arms grabbed her and a hand clamped round her neck, cutting off the air before she could scream. Her eyes darted around and she met a pair of cold grey eyes, the rest of the face was hidden underneath a cover. The woman struggled and a choked scream came out.

"...help...!"

She looked around and saw another dark figure moving further into her house. She smashed her foot down on her attackers leg and he released her. Daisy ran and shouted, the voices of the kids could be heard from the closed doors of their rooms. Daisy threw a chair in the way of her oncoming attacker and she heard something smash as he tripped and cursed loudly. The other figure had vanished and she screeched to a halt in the corridor, trying to deduce which room he'd entered. Her heart was panicking and she turned round, only to be slammed into the stone wall. Her head smacked heavily against it and she shook herself dizzily.A cruel voice snarled in her ear and another hand tugged on her hair.

"No one is here to help you now!"

The bicep across her chest crushed onto her arm and she tried to writhe from the vice like grip, but it was to no avail. Suddenly the hold on her neck vanished and she opened her mouth to gulp for air. It was only to be cut off by the hand smothering a piece of soaked cloth over her mouth and nose. She tried not to breathe in the smell, but it overpowered her nostrils. Everything went hazy and she fought to stay awake. Darin's cries could be heard, the others were screaming and then everything went black.

…

Fili smiled as they finally had left Dale and the silhouette of the mountain could be seen in the night. Anne laced her fingers with his and looked to Kili who strolled next to them, his hands in his pockets.

"Well we managed to finish without major arguments...amazing!"

"Hahaha..I know! I'm impressed that Bard or Thorin didn't hurt anyone!"

Fili nodded and Anne leaned her head on his arm. They entered the quiet mountain, passing few guard patrols and dawdled their way to the royal quarters. Kili looked to Anne and his brother.

"So you wanting to pick up the kids now? Or are you waiting till the morning?"

"Hmmmm how about an ale and then we'll decide about kids?"

Kili chuckled and punched Fili's arm lightly.

"Sounds good to me...only hope Daisy is still awake to get it!"

Anne laughed and shook her head. They rounded the corner to where Kili and Daisy lived and Kili went to open the door. He paused when he saw it was slightly ajar.

"What the?"

"Kee what is it?"

He pointed to the door. Fili stretched out his hand and pushed it the rest of the way. They all gasped at the sight. A candle had been thrown to the floor and still lay smoking, a few chairs lay broken on the floor, smashed glassed was everywhere, there was a crack in the wall and splatters of blood. Kili took a slow step into his home and shook his head.

"No...no...please Mahal no..."

Fili put a hand on his brother's shoulder and Anne clapped her hands to her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

"Quiet they may still be here."

The trio edged nervously through the ruins and saw that the twins bedroom door laying hanging off one of it's hinges. Kili ran in and saw the bed covers ripped and his children missing...also Anne and Fili gasped when their two were nowhere to be seen. Fili pulled his wife into his arms and she started to sob. The brunette dwarf stood and ran, tears flowing down his face, to his younger sons room. He pushed open the door and his heart sank. Daisy was knelt on the floor by the broken bed, clutching onto ripped shreds of Darin's blankie and was sobbing- their three year old son was nowhere in sight. Blood caked a side of her face and hair, glass was bedded in her hand and arm and a bruise was forming on her neck in the shape of a hand. Kili managed to choke out.

"Daisy..."

The broken woman looked up, still clutching the blanket shreds. She sobbed as she saw Kili and then threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his neck. Kili cried as he tried to stop her quaking shoulders. He heard Anne and Fili walk slowly to the door. They all managed to hear her as Daisy spoke.

"They took them...Someone took them!"

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