Authors Note: Thank you guys, for letting me know you are getting emails. It apparently is just me, lol. I really appreciate the responses though. :D
Go ahead and read on.
Chapter Five
Before the shaking began, and the city erupted in chaos, Fili had been laughing joyously with his wife. "I do not, for a second, believe you." Viltarra had been saying, as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Ask Kili. We had fallen through the ground on some kind of slide, and were captured by goblins and taken before their king. Who was massive by the way, and before he even did anything, he started singing." Fili took a swig of his drink as Viltarra continued to stare skeptically at him. "Anyone in the company can vouch for it, they were all there. He had quite the lovely singing voice. I was rather surprised."
"Then I shall ask Tauriel. I don't believe the others won't ham me on." Viltarra lifted a brow and folded her arms.
"Oh, no. She was not there. At that point, we all thought she had fallen." Fili immediately went solemn. "I thought I had lost my sister that day, and Kili, well, Kili was barely responsive to anything. We went a month believing she was lost until she came in, daggers blazing, and saved Kili's life from a morgul wound. That also happened to be the night Finli was brought to fruition."
"Ew. I did not need to know that last bit." Viltarra scrunched her nose. It was bad enough she always found the pair in compromising positions; she certainly did not need any more details than she was already privy to in her family's halls. "However, I am glad she did return. I love her, and Kili. He would never be the same if something were to happen to Tauriel."
"None of us would be." Fili added quietly, but truthfully.
That, is when all havoc broke loose and everything began to shake around them. "GET DOWN!" Vin called from across the stand, helping his wife move crates so they both would fit. Nobody had to tell Fili twice. Within seconds he was tugging Viltarra underneath a display table.
"What is happening!" Viltarra kept her hands over her head as she crouched beside Fili, Hiril whining at her other side.
"Some sort of earthquake." Vin answered over the roar of the moving city. Tarrah was beside him, holding his hand tightly in hers as the shaking continued.
"Oh no!" Hearing his wife's alarmed voice, Fili looked up to where Viltarra was staring in time to see the tall tower waving precariously above Leotti's stand. "I don't think that will hold, and they probably can't see it!"
"Stay here!" Crawling out, Fili began to run across the cobblestone square, ignoring Viltarra's cries for him to come back. His wife is going to murder him, but somebody needed to warn Leotti.
Seeing the tower already beginning to crumble and collapse, Fili forced his legs to pump faster, only stumbling slightly with the seemingly unceasing shaking around him. "LEOTTI! GET OUT OF THERE!"
Fili did not see Ori, but he could just make out Leotti's huddled figure against the wall. So he sprinted straight for her as she stared up at him in surprise. "FILI?!"
Not bothering to respond, Fili forcefully grabbed Leotti and pushed her away from the booth and falling tower. But they were too late, before they could get away, a crack in the ground opened and both Fili and Leotti fell just as the tower broke and crashed over Leotti's stand, covering it, and the area the pair had disappeared, in brick and broken debris.
"FILI! NOOOO!" Viltarra cried, trying to climb out from under the table, but her father acted quickly and slid from where he was, to her table, holding Viltarra tightly in place.
"DON'T!" He ordered. "There is nothing you can do until this stops." He felt his daughter's sobs as she continued to call out for Fili. She will never unsee that tower fall.
When the ground finally stilled, Viltarra yanked herself from her father's grasp and ran as fast as she could to where the tower fell. "FILI! FILI! WHERE ARE YOU!? FILI!" Viltarra did all she could think to do, and began digging around the rubble calling for her Fili over and over. Hiril too, began sniffing around and howling out as she pawed and dug at the brick and stone; both searching fruitlessly for the fallen prince.
The world around them was a mess; people crying, injured, and in shock stumbled through broken streets and the debris from the fallen building. Sigrid had run from just up the street with two elves Viltarra did not recognize, the young woman frantically searching for her father.
It only took a moment for the princess of Dale to spot the young dam and make her way over to her, as Viltarra was struggling to get away from her own father once more when Vin stalked up to her and stopped her from removing a large boulder on her own. "Gem! If you move that, and they are underneath it, you could cause more of the larger pieces to collapse onto themselves. You need to step back. We will get help."
Help….KAW! Viltarra anxiously searched for the black raven who she knew had to be here somewhere. "KAW! KAW!" She cried out, and sighed in relief when a giant raven came soaring down from where she knew Tauriel and Kili's previous location to be.
Unfortunately, he seemed in a right state, falling to the ground and hopping anxiously around her feet crying out for "Nana" and "Ada" then flying away from her towards the direction he came, only to fly back and peck at her feet and fly in that direction again.
"Kaw, I cannot come with you. I need you to get word to Thorin that Fili is missing." Viltarra tried multiple times to get the raven to cooperate, but the black bird was only getting more frantic with each passing moment.
"I don't think he understands, gem. You don't think something has happened to Tauriel and Kili?" Tarrah took a step toward the raven and bent down. "Is that not who he calls ada and nana?"
"Tauriel and Kili are gone." Sigrid added, having realized what was happening. "And so is Tilda. I need to find my da! Have you seen him? The tower gave out on both sides and fell over the adjacent street as well. I don't know if they survived…or not."
Viltarra looked over to where Sigrid had come, and knew things were going from bad, to worse. "Fili is under that tower too, with Leotti." She quietly whispered, indicating to the fallen building beside them.
"Fili?" Sigrid looked to the mess. "I really need to find my da, and Baine. See if you can get that raven to get help, if not, somebody will need to go to Erebor." Without another word, Sigrid ran further up the street, searching for her father and brother.
Getting on her knees, Viltarra wiped the tears from her eyes and tried once again to gently call for the raven, who hopped back to her and turned his head to look up into her eyes. "Kaw…" she began softly, "…I need you to go to Thorin. I know you understand, you are the cleverest raven in Erebor."
"Uncle?" Kaw croaked.
"YES! Go get Thorin and tell him Fili, Kili, and Tauriel are missing. Quickly." As if finally understanding, Kaw extended his wings and took to the air, speeding off towards Erebor.
"Well done, gem." Vin praised. "I did not think he would listen to anyone."
"He believes Kili and Tauriel to be his flock, so I think to some degree, he understands the urgency." Viltarra let her father help her to her feet.
Tarrah pushed Vin away, and began running her hands all over her daughter, checking her for any injuries, but Viltarra batted her away. "I am fine mama, I just need Fili." She went back to the rubble and once again, began searching for any signs of life along with Hiril, who had not ceased her own search while the crying and screaming in the city around them continued.
Deep beneath the city, Leotti groaned and tried to sit up. The air was stale and thick with dust, causing her to cough violently as she tried to wave the cloud away from her face. Wherever she was, she could not see a thing, and her ears were currently ringing, muting the world around her.
It took several minutes for Leotti to become somewhat oriented to the dark, and she tried to stand, however, a heavy weight held her in place. Suddenly, she remembered who it was and realized…he was not moving. "Fili?"
With a bit of a struggle, Leotti was able to pull herself from under the larger, very dense, dwarven prince. "Why are you so HEAVY?" Still…no response. With no light to go by, Leotti had to use her hands to search for Fili's position, and carefully pushed him onto his back. The entire time, he remained completely silent.
"Please don't be dead." Leotti begged as tears began to form in her eyes. She sat on her knees and poked and prodded Fili, looking for injuries, but with no ability to see, she really had no idea what she was looking for. "I wish I had some light."
Something wet was dripping down her forehead and getting into her eyes, and she swiped it away only to smell the tinge of iron, which could only mean blood. Leotti lifted a hand to the source and hissed when she came into contact with a cut on her brow. "Lovely." She grumbled.
Just when she thought things could not get any worse, a rumbling noise coming from just above her followed by some small rocks hitting her head got her attention. Leotti was no fool, and knew exactly what that sound meant…the ceiling was coming down. Dwarves, were instinctively linked to the earth, and as mountain dwellers, they knew, almost in their bones, when a cave-in was imminent. With no choice, and having to act fast, Leotti ignored the pain in her head, and secured her arms around the still unmoving Fili, and dragged him away from the sound.
Truthfully, she had no idea if this was even a large room, or just a pocket in the ground, so she let her instincts guide her as she heaved the heavy crowned prince as far away from the sound she could get. Lucky for Leotti, the room seemed larger than she had expected…and even luckier…within SECONDS of her moving, a roar filled the room and more dust, indicating she was right about the cave-in.
Leotti coughed again as the air filled with more dust and debris. "Mahal! I REALLY wish I had some light!"
"Please, wake up Fili!" Leotti tried again, shaking the prince gently…just in case he is injured. At least she knew he was alive, since she could feel the heat coming from him as well as the rise and fall of his chest which meant he was breathing. If only he would wake up though.
It took ten minutes for Leotti's eyes to adjust to the dark, and it seemed as if she was in some sort of large corridor. One side was thoroughly caved in, and the other led into pure darkness. "Great. More dark." She sighed. Really, she should go find help, but as much as Fili drove her to insanity, she did love him as a brother…in a way…and could not leave him in such a state.
"Viltarra will kill you if you die, you know." Leotti sighed.
"Viltarra?" Leotti's eyes went wide and she peered over Fili.
Finally, Fili was showing signs of waking. "FILI!"
"Kakhf, little otti! Not so loud." Fili groaned as he tried to sit up. His head was pounding relentlessly, and he could not see a thing.
Leotti, however, huffed, and sat back; folding her arms and glaring at the prince…despite knowing he probably could not see her. "Well, when you decide to get your lazy butt up, you can help me come up with a way to GET OUT OF HERE!" More rubble fell likely from her raised voice, and Leotti had to cover her head with her hands to keep the small pebbles from hitting her.
"You may want to keep your voice down. These walls are clearly not stable." Fili warned, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him. He heard Leotti huff from beside him as he attempted to see into the room.
"There is not much to see, Fili." Leotti finally sighed. "But I do think we need to move. Wherever we are, is not stable and will likely continue to cave. Can you stand?"
Without answering, Fili pushed himself onto his feet. Apart from the hammering in his skull, he felt alright. So, he leaned his hand out in Leotti's direction.
"I can stand on my own, thank you very much." Leotti snipped and got to her feet. "What is the plan now, then?"
"We don't really have much of a choice but to follow wherever that leads, but we need some light. Hang on." Fili searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for and pulled out the flint and steel he always carried around. "Just in case." He smiled.
"Just in case what?" Leotti asked, having no idea what he was holding. Her eyes may have adjusted to the darkness, but Fili had his back to her, so how was she supposed to see what was in his hands?
Fili rolled his eyes and pulled off his coat, then his cotton vest. Finally, he reached and pulled his small axe and wrapped the vest around the blade. He will have to re-handle it as the wood will in no way survive the flames he was about to make.
"Is that an axe?! Where did you have that thing!" Leotti could just make out the long handle and short blade of the weapon Fili held as he turned back to her. It was not a large battle axe, yet neither was it a small travel axe. In a way, it was a bit of both, and having had seen him earlier that day seeming to have no weapons at all, Leotti was both curious, and revolted at where that thing could have been.
Fili, however, shrugged. "Doesn't really matter does it? Just be glad I have it." Fili replaced his jacket over his belted tunic, and checked to see that his vest was tightly secured around the wooden handle before striking the flint and steel over it. It only took him two hits, and the space they were in flared with bright light.
At first, it looked like any normal underground tunnel…not that Fili had seen a whole lot of them. But Ered Luin had a few that led to the deep cellars, and Erebor had her own fare share with most of them still un-explorable due to damage from the dragon. The difference was, these walls were covered in arts and carvings of the like Fili had never seen before. He ran his hands over some of the clearly worn runes and leaned in closely to study them. "I don't think this was built by dwarves, or by humans." He put the light closer to the wall and noticed among the runes were carved figures. "I think these are supposed to be some sort of elves."
Leotti stepped up to Fili and squinted at the images in stone. "I know elves have pointed ears, but those seem almost too long for even an elf. Are you sure Fili?"
"Tauriel has larger ears then the other elves in Mirkwood." Fili said softly as he walked a few steps more following the images where they continued down the wall; though some were far to worn to be made out, most of them were in good condition. "I can't say for sure, but I think these have been down here for a very…very….long time." The young prince stepped back and froze as his foot came into contact with something that cracked under his weight.
"Oh sweet Mahal." Fili gasped as he lowered the torch to see better, almost wishing he had not. All around them were bodies. Piles upon piles of bones and clothes in styles Fili did not recognize. Unfortunately, the moment Leotti realized what they were essentially standing in, she screamed, and true to Fili's words, the unstable walls and ceiling began to crumble to the ground.
With no other choice, the young prince pushed Leotti quickly down the corridor. "RUN!" Fili yelled as the pair took off through the darkness.
"WHY ARE THERE DEAD HUMANS DOWN HERE!?" Leotti cried, her breath coming out in gasps as they attempted to outrun the falling stones.
"Did you see the clothing they wore?" Fili yelled back. "I don't think they were human! If they were…they have been down here for centuries if not longer!"
Leotti growled. "You will have to forgive me because I was too busy staring at the SKULLS to take note of their clothes FILI!"
Fili had zero patience for her but forced his frustration away and continued to run, choosing not to waist his energy on responding, and instead, focused all of his attention on getting them both out of their current predicament. This will not end well for them.
Tauriel wiped her brow for what felt like the tenth time. She hated this part of pregnancy, the part where her normally strong system which could take all manners of fatigue and discomfort before she was physically affected seemed to crumble away completely. It frustrated the eleth beyond reason that between her still somewhat newly acquired mortality and the son she was carrying, not only was she getting warm, but she was tired and dizzy.
Tauriel grumbled to herself as she continued down the dark corridor. Most days, she found her mortality as a gift, because through it, she was able to have a family, and Kili. But some, very rare days, such as right now, she despised it with her whole being. She was weaker than she had ever been in her life, far more emotional, and not to mention, she has a severe lack of the perfect elven focus she used to have.
Of course, she would never even consider trading her Kili, her family, or her precious children for even a second of reprieve from her current woes. However, that does not mean it makes her feel any less diminished as an elf. If Nagar had any inclination she was in many ways, lacking in elven terms, he would not think her as highly desirable as he did. Beautiful, hah. All she feels lately is large.
"You know, I can almost hear your thoughts, Tauriel." The eleth jumped and looked over at her other half, who was shaking his head at her. "Stop it. We will get out of this, and then, we will talk. And I don't just mean talking about our bond. I can tell there is something more bothering you."
Tauriel looked down to the ground, but Kili lifted her chin to peer into his eyes. "I have never liked it when you hid from me." He gave her a soft smile. "Come on. Let's get out of here and when we get home, I will draw you a bath and wash all this mess out of your hair as we talk." He pulled some clumps of dirt from Tauriel's normally vibrant auburn locks, though with all the dust, dirt, and building materials filling the air, the color instead was an ashy brown. She was still stunningly beautiful to him though…despite his ongoing frustration with her.
But, he tamped that down. He could feel her pain and self-loathing as strongly as he felt his own emotions. She was slipping into a hole, and he was going to catch her before she fell completely. So Kili buried his own pains, and pulled his wife to him, cradling her head in his hands. "Does that sound nice?"
Tauriel nodded, a tear slipping from her eyes. "I am sorry Kili."
"I know." Kili smiled softly. "And we will talk about it. But right now, we need to keep moving." He slipped his hands from her face and entwined their fingers together. He knew her ankle probably still hurt…though she was either blocking it from him or it was just not severe enough to make it through their bond, and with how far along she was, she likely had many other discomforts she kept to herself. To be honest, he is just glad their unborn son did not decide to make a surprise visit from the trauma. Instead, he seemed to be asleep.
Tilda, however, was wide awake and doing wonderfully. The little girl of ten was not only being incredibly courageous, but has never once complained this entire time. "You holding up alright, Tilda?" Kili asked as they proceeded down the dark corridor. Naurfaer was leading, having taken up the task when Kili slowly ambled to the back to check on his wife.
The small princess nodded and smiled. "It is not so bad down here. Just dark. I cannot wait to tell Sigrid and Baine…if they are alright." The smile left her face. "Do you think da and them made it? Do you think the entire city has fallen?"
"Not likely, little one." Tauriel answered. "There were just some areas of the city that still needed work. That is all. We were simply unlucky enough to be beside one of them. I am sure your father, brother, and sister are searching frantically for you as we speak."
"Do you really think so?" Tilda's eyes searched Tauriel's, then Kili's, earnestly begging for honesty and hope.
"If it was Finli…" Kili said, "…nothing would be stopping me from finding him. I know for a fact your father is no different and would search tirelessly until he finds you safe. I promise, Tilda, we will get you back to him."
"I know you will." Tilda nodded. But her eyes went wide and she suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Tauriel's legs when a piercing scream sounded from the distance, followed by deep rumbling.
Ahead of them, Naurfaer froze and looked back at the group, then sped up his pace. "Wait! Should we be going over there?" Bannick asked, backing away from the sound, rather than heading towards it.
"Well, there is nothing behind us, and this is the only way forward. So, yes." Naurfaer gave the man a challenging look while Dynni and Naglur were already heading towards the sound. One thing Naurfaer loved about the dwarves, is their courage. Most of the time, they were all too happy to head towards danger, instead of away from it.
Picking up his pace, Naurfaer caught up with his team who had stopped a bit ahead. The rumbling was still going, and it was coming from a large crack in the side wall. Naurfaer silently requested the glowing light Naglur was currently holding and leaned into the sizable crack. Coming straight towards him, he could just make out two beings running directly for the crevice. "Hello!? Just keep running forward! You are almost there!"
"FILI! That sounds like Naurfaer!" With the tunnel still collapsing behind them, Fili just kept running towards the voice. He had to throw the makeshift torch down a few yards back when the cotton began to fall and burn his skin. He will need a new axe, he sighed internally. He liked that axe.
It was seconds before they hit the crack in the wall, where true to Leotti's words, he could just make out Naurfaer who had his head poked through the gap. "LEOTTI! FILI! I am glad to see you well."
"Ya, well, happy to see you too, but if you don't mind moving, we need to get out of here. This tunnel is collapsing and fast!" Fili urgently yelled at the elf, looking behind him as the rocks fell and caved.
"Right, come on then." Naurfaer moved as Fili pushed Leotti through the narrow gap first. She barely fit, which did not bode well for Fili, who tried to squeeze in but with his slightly larger frame, was not having any luck.
"FI!" Kili had run up as Leotti fell into their side of the corridor. "FI take that damn coat off." Kili yelled to his brother when he saw Fili struggling.
"This is my favorite coat!" Fili yelled back.
"You will need to take those blades off too." Tauriel added from just behind Kili, knowing her brother not only had a small sword likely hidden away, but several daggers and an axe as well.
"MY BLADES!? Nope. I am going to die." Fili yelled back.
"You have got to be kidding me." Leotti growled. "TAKE THEM OFF YOU STUPID FAT TROLL!"
"I AM NOT FAT!" Fili snarled back and finally, stripped out of his coat, tore off his belt, pulled several blades, and threw them all to the ground, then tried again. This time, Kili was on the other side, grabbing his brother and pulling with all his strength to get him through. "Come on FI! SUCK IN!" Kili ground his teeth and pulled. Just as the ceiling fully gave in, Fili too fell into the opposite side, landing on his brother who grunted at the impact.
"Ow." Kili groaned and sat up, pushing Fili off him. "Next time, listen and take those off sooner. Cutting it a bit too close there, Fi, and all because of your stubbornness."
"Just wait until I tell Viltarra." Leotti seethed and glared at the prince.
Fili grumbled and stood, helping Kili to his feet while choosing to ignore Leotti. At least he knew his wife was alright…as long as she did not try to follow him. Maybe he should not bet on such things.
Fili looked around the much larger corridor, walking up to the wall and running his hand along the smooth stone. "Why does it look different here?"
"Different how?" Kili asked, stepping beside his brother and trying to see what he was looking at.
Leotti too looked at the wall Fili was studying, then at the opposite wall behind them, and finally around the ground before she breathed a sigh of what could only be relief. "Well I for one thank Mahal for that. The only adventure I find even remotely interesting is going to see the larger markets in other cities in middle earth. If THIS is what YOU three consider an adventure…" Leotti all but glared at Tauriel, Kili, and Fili. "…then I am telling you right now...I want nothing to do with it. I never once wanted to be part of anything involving treasures, fighting, or dead bodies."
"Dead bodies?" Tauriel asked, peering at Fili.
Fili nodded. "Long dead." He sighed and walked to the other wall still searching, using his hand to try and swipe away dust and some kind of moss that seemed to be in every crack and cranny. "We also found some rather interesting carvings…" Cutting himself off, Fili felt his fingers hit something that was not part of the smooth stone, and he held his hand out for the light which Tauriel now held; the eleth immediately passing the jar over to her brother who did a second take at the odd glowing jar, before shaking his head and lighting up his discovery. "Like this." He finished in almost awe."
Naurfaer was the first one over to him and stared at the carving of a person beside what appeared to be a large bird. Fili looked over to the taller elf, then back at the rather faded image. "Do you recognize it Naurfaer?" He looked back up at the elf who now had his hand on the image almost reverently.
Tauriel stood quietly in the back, just watching as even little Tilda peered at the image. "Is that supposed to be an elf? Can't be a dwarf, and the ears are too long and pointy to be someone like me."
"It is." Naurfaer said, his voice soft and pained as he looked from the little girl to the others. "Or was. I never thought I would see anything like this." He followed the image, removing more dust and moss as he went until he came to a part of the wall that had crumbled away to the ground where the image was lost. "I don't think this tunnel was built by who we think it was." He echoed Fili's own thoughts, the young dwarf nodding in agreement. "This was here, long before Dale ever was, and long before Erebor was anything more than a mountain."
Naurfaer took the light from Fili and crouched low to find a small band of runes and began to try and decipher the symbols. "I was not the only elf to awaken in Arda when I did. The first to come, was Imen." He smirked. "He was a bit pretentious, nothing like Thranduil who is the Lord of pretentiousness. But, he was always trying to take the lead. The second was Tata, whose fate was shrouded in much mystery, but became the father of the Noldor elves."
"I do remember much of this from my youth." Tauriel said softly. "The third would be Enel, father of the Sindar, Lindar, and Teleri elves. I never was given further instruction because as a Silvan, my learning was moved to topics which would help me better Mirkwood like medicine and fighting. History and instructing were not within my abilities."
"Silvan!? SILVAN?! MY GRANDAUGHTER SILVAN!?" Naurfaer twisted around and stared at Tauriel. "Who…who said you were silvan?!"
Tauriel stared at Naurfaer then folded her hands before her, but remained silent so Naurfaer huffed and turned back to the ruins. "You are certainly no silvan, not that I have anything against a silvan elf mind you, I have known more than a fair few who were extraordinary beings. But you are not a silvan. Your father was a sindar and his line was pure. Your grandmother…" He looked to Kili who stiffened only slightly, but nodded that he was fine so Naurfaer continued, "Your grandmother…Elbereth…was a descendant of Maedhros of the Noldor. I may not have a clan, but I am certainly not a silvan elf either. You have no silvan blood in you, Tauriel, not one ounce. Why that tree fairy thinks it is okay to just…label…someone a silvan, forcing them to be beneath him, all because he has a complex the size of this world…is beyond me."
Tauriel did not know what to make of this, she has been silvan all her life and doubts she will ever think otherwise. Being told she is lesser then others, is just something she was accustomed to. "Can you read what it says?" She asked, not really wanting to get further into her upbringing. She was not feeling well, and though Kili told her they were okay, she feels his deep frustration with her. She has lost some of his trust and it broke her heart. She is undeserving of his forgiveness. Many of her tutors, instructors, and trainers always said she was undeserving and ungrateful, and was essentially nothing more than a charity case Thranduil kept around. Ivethin, was the first to ever say the contrary until she proved herself as a talented warrior.
The eleth played with her wedding ring, and shook her head. She did not need anyone to say she deserved anything. She fought for her station, her right to live in Mirkwood. But why, was all her hard-earned confidence, coming crumbling down all because Kili was angry with her for forgetting to tell him about one, single, aspect of their bond? It is not as if she did it on purpose. He is being unfair, to be angry with her, or, that is what she was trying to tell herself.
In reality, all Tauriel want's is for Kili to smile up at her like he always did; with his bright smile, that twinkle in his eye, and a loving comment on his lips. But now she feels him withdrawing from her. At least, that is what the little, nagging, voice in the back of her mind keep saying. The more she pushes it away, calling it absurd, the louder it is calling to her. Then the memories come, the ones where she disappointed those around her, and the punishment she received from breaking their faith in her abilities.
Tauriel shook her head as she watched Naurfaer continued to study the runes while the two humans were getting antsy. She understood, they all want to get out of here, but she was curious as to why there were odd looking elves engraved on the walls. They were depicted to have ears even larger than her own, which was rather curious to her.
Finally, after several minutes, Naurfaer nodded to himself and stood, staring once again in awe at the engraving. "I had always wondered what became of the clans Tata led. His demise was strewn in mystery. He is gone, but even I don't know if he was killed in battle or sailed to Valinor. He is there though…Manwe wanted them to greet me." Naurfaer shuddered at the thought, glad he had more time before he had to talk to them again.
"But this, mentions Tata directly. If I am right, this tunnel was built by a small group of elves called the Búlë kal nórë." He read a bit more then nodded. "It means, people of the deep light. I never actually thought they existed, because their were only whispers of their existence, but from the lore, they were a clan of Noldor elves who chose to make their home under the earth like dwarves, rather than above it. But there is more…"
Naurfaer studied the runes further and huffed to himself when he reached the end where the wall had crumbled away. He searched the ground but whatever he was looking for, was either taken, or turned to dust.
"What is it?" Kili asked, now quite interested. He eyed his wife who stood staring at the wall and sighed. She was acting really distant. He is trying to be reasonable despite his frustration with her keeping things from him; he even tried to tell her it would be fine and that they would talk. But Tauriel just keeps withdrawing into herself and Kili just doesn't have the patience to deal with getting them out of this mess, and trying to console her when she clearly won't listen anyway. He will watch her though, and make sure she doesn't push herself over the edge like she had done when they had just left the shire and Kili had upset her with that orc story he had told Bilbo for a laugh.
Afterall, he loves her and will always love her. Nothing she could ever do, would make him love her less. But he is allowed to be angry with her, and with all those times he talked to her about what he went through in that compound, meant she had more than enough opportunities when she could have told him she too went through it. She did not forget; Kili does not believe that for a moment, so he could only surmise that she withheld the information whether consciously or not…probably, in her mind…for his benefit.
Kili gave her another look and focused back on Naurfaer who had stood from the ground and searched some of the other walls but found nothing until Fili stopped him and the elf sighed. "There is a part missing, something that speaks of a mythical creature the Búlë kal nórë considered companions according to ancient stories." He gestured back to the image of the large bird.
"Are they ancient when you tell them?" Fili asked lifting a brow. "Or are they just…stories."
"Really Fili?" Leotti huffed in annoyance, but Fili just shrugged. Naurfaer was ancient himself, so it would just be a story…wouldn't it?
Naurfaer, however, was unamused. Which was rare for him since he always just let things Fili or the others said in jest roll off his back, and typically even found them entertaining despite being directed at him. There is not much he has not heard in his thousands upon thousands of years of life. But this image and those runes were something that reminded him just how old he was. It felt as if it was not long ago, that he was talking with Tata about how his clans were thriving in the valleys, and the success of the smaller groups who had broken off to form their own cities which were growing by the year.
But now, Tata is gone, Imen and Enel too. Proof of that passing time was right in this dark tunnel, where elves he was once sharing arda with, were here building and engraving these very walls. Naurfaer touched the wall again and smiled softly. Tata always had a flare for creativity, so it would make sense a people who followed his order would consider the arts to be highly favored. After all, these engravings were stunning, despite being here a millennia.
There was a groan from above them and Tauriel looked around at the structure. It seemed sound enough to her despite wherever Fili and Leotti coming from collapsing, but the four dwarves in the room begged to differ. Dynni was already turning towards the way they were headed. "We need ta keep movin'. Who knows how long this will decide ta stay up."
Tauriel nodded to Dynni and placed a hand on her son, who had just woken up and decided it was time to move. She sighed and stepped up to her grandfather who seemed to still be transfixed to the wall. "We will come back, Naurfaer, when we find a way out. You and I, and you can bring some parchment to do some rubbings. I am sure Balin would be thrilled to see something like this as well. But we must keep moving now." Naurfaer looked at her and nodded, wrapping his arm around her and taking some of her weight. He could see the pain she was hiding, and it did bother him that she was acting as if she needed to keep it from everyone. Yet another thing Thranduil trained her in, the need to not only hide her emotions, but her pains as well.
"Any idea where this goes?" Kili shook his head at Fili, who had taken the light back from Naurfaer and was looking into the darkness up ahead. "Naurfaer?"
The elf shook his head. "There is not much known about the Búlë kal nórë or where their city was located. The closest lore we had was their city was endlessly fed water from the skies, and the only supposed sightings and drawn depictions had them soaring in the air on winged creatures."
"So they came out of the ground like wasps?" Bannick said, not really interested in anything but leaving. He neither liked dwarves, who he placed the entire blame of losing Lake Town on, or elves, who were beings that considered themselves too far above man for his like.
Leotti glared at the man. "That's a bit crude to say. Wasps are pestish creatures who cause more harm then good. I would never say a group of elves to be like wasps, especially ones who made such lovely carvings."
"I do not think any elves are like wasps, mister Bannick." Tilda said loftily, for a ten-year-old. "My da mentioned you, he said you like to hide extra food and rations in a whole under your floor. Does that make you a rat?"
Both Bannick and Rosyn glared at the little girl as Kili pushed her behind him, while holding in his amusement; a quick glance at Fili had his brother biting back a laugh while Tauriel shook her head with a small smile. "Now, us getting at each others throats will do none of us any good. I cannot say anything about those elves Naurfaer speaks of, but the way I see it, it is likely they are long gone from here."
"Never thought I'd say it, bu' pity to tha'. An underground tunnel that lasted an earthshake without collapsing." Dynni said shaking his head in admiration of the inlaid, arching, ceiling made of fine stone, and the dust covered ground with patches of what seemed like worn cobblestone smoothed out from years of use before being left to decay through the ages. "No' many could do tha' but dwarves. I am no' half impressed."
"One tunnel did collapse, if you have already forgotten. Now…as fascinating as this all seems to you…" Bannick huffed. "I just want out of here before this corridor collapses, or even worse, it leads us to some….lost city where elves living outside society for thousands of years, decide we are worthy of a sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?" Tauriel said, not a little insulted herself by the man. "What ignorance do you speak of? I know of no cultures outside orcs who would do such a barbaric thing."
"She is right lad, though if yeh keep talkin like that…I might choose ta sacrifice ya meself." He folded his arms as the human gaped at him, opening and shutting his mouth indignantly but not finding the words to argue with the armed dwarven guard. "Thought so. As for this tunnel…I say we jus' keep following it. Could lead ta anywhere including a way out."
"Or it could lead ta nowhere." Naglur added in unhelpfully, causing everyone to simply look at him, to which he just shrugged in response.
"Let's just, keep moving forward. I really want to get as far away from those bodies as possible." Leotti shuttered as she looked back at the crack in the wall her and Fili had just squeezed through moments before.
Naurfaer peered at the large crack in the wall that had dirt and debris coming through. "They are long gone now, Leotti. I do wish I could have paid some respect though." He released Tauriel to put his hand on the wall and bowed his head, muttering a soft prayer to the fallen, despite the centuries that have likely passed since their demise.
While Naurfaer was taking a personal moment, Fili, seeing his sister, stepped forward and brushed some dust out of her hair. "You look terrible little sister. Are you alright?"
"I am well, Fili. You are not hurt are you? You have blood on your tunic." Tauriel pointed to the dark spot just above his heart.
Fili looked down at himself even as he shook his head. "I think that may be Leotti's. She has a wound on her head that looks as if it would bleed out if given the opportunity."
Tauriel turned back to her friend who was gingerly touching the wound she had forgotten she received in her haste to get out of the crumbling corridor. The eleth carefully lifted Leotti's head to peer down at the trail of blood that led to her hairline. "You will have a sizable headache, Leotti, and this should be stitched…but I can do nothing for you here I am afraid."
Leotti smiled and pulled away. "I know Tauri, I will be alright. But can we get out of here? I am worried about Ori. He had gone to get us something to eat just before the shaking started and I am afraid something has happened to him. I also need to know that Viltarra is alright as well." She gave Fili a rare smile, knowing he has to be worried about his wife whose fate was still up in the air.
"So we keep going forward?" Bannick asked as he looked ahead into the darkness, knowing if he said anything else, he and his wife could very well be abandoned without light, meaning they would likely never get out.
"Nowhere else to go." Dynni answered as he began to move forward. Naurfaer, who had finished his moment of silence, patted Leotti on the back, and took to leading along with Fili as the rest of the group followed suit.
"Are you sure you are alright Tauri? You seem…I don't know. A bit different. Like how you were two years ago. Has something happened?" Leotti looked at her quiet friend, who was normally quiet, but even to her, seemed to be pulling into herself.
Kili immediately turned from just ahead of them and looked at Tauriel and Leotti, but stumbled and nearly fell to the ground after tripping over a stone he had not been paying attention to. Tilda took the young prince's hand, tugging it gently. "Kili! Are you alright?"
Kili looked from Tauriel to the little girl. "I hope so." He gave her a smile and slowed his pace to walk beside his wife, opposite of Leotti. He took Tauriel's hand in his, and wordlessly continued.
For her part, Tauriel squeezed Kili's hand tightly and looked at Leotti. "I will be fine, Leotti, I am only tired, that is all." Of course, there was more, but that was between herself, and Kili, and considering he was tightly holding her hand, she believes what she said. She, will be fine.
Across the cracked streets of Dale, in Erebor, Thorin was calling out orders. "I need structural assessments NOW! I also want the numbers of the injured, who is missing, and we have got to get those furnaces back up! We need light!"
Thorin stomped through the dark corridors of Erebor towards the food hall where everyone had been ordered to gather, the only light coming from the candles and handheld lanterns many of the dwarrow had brought in. Finli was held firmly in his grasp as he stepped inside, the little toddler looking around him wide eyed as he tried to understand the chaos his home was in.
"AND SOMEBODY FIND ME DIS!" Thorin roared to the guards at the entrance, one of which bowed and ran off.
As soon as Thorin walked inside, Nori and Dori ran up to him. "Looks like we may be without power fer a bit." Nori sighed. "Dwalin's down in the furnace room with a team tryna get it goin'."
"And Dis?" Thorin asked, setting Finli down at his feet. His grandson instantly grasped onto Thorin's long vest as he quietly observed.
"There is a small blockage to the school's wing keepin' anyone from gettin' out, but its nothin' major." Dori reported. "Nori and I were jus' about to go and get it cleared."
At that same moment, Gronti came running over, his customary floppy hat barely hanging on his head over his thick, sandy, hair. "Did I hear the school is blocked? Me boys are down there, so I am commin' to help."
"Thank you Gronti, your help will be appreciated." The dwarven king turned to two of his trusted company. "Nori, Dori, make the school a priority. I want Dis and all the dwarflings safe and accounted for before you do anything else. Take however many you need to get it done." The brothers nodded at Thorin and went to work with Gronti, all three running past Balin who was making his way to the dwarven king.
"Oin says there are several hundred injured, but so far, no casualties have been reported." Balin looked at the parchment in his hands. "Apart from having no light or heat, things could be worse." He sighed, but smiled down at Finli who had his large brown eyes staring at the elder dwarrow.
"Any word from Dale?" Balin asked, recalling today was the day Kili, Fili, Viltarra, and Tauriel all went to the bazaar. Which should not have been surprising with their history.
Thorin shook his head. "I can only hope they are all well." There was a small rumble that echoed through the hall causing many of the dwarves to mumble and begin looking around in concern, at least until the hall suddenly flared with light as the chandeliers overhead burst to life.
"Thank Mahal." Balin sighed. "At least Dwalin got those boilers goin'."
"Balin, stay here and get a second count. I want to make double certain nobody has gone missing that was in Erebor at the time of the quake. I am going to go help Nori and Dori get the dwarflings out of the school. Report to me if you find anything." Balin nodded in understanding and went up to the high table to begin getting everyone rechecked.
Thorin looked down at Finli and sighed. He really ought to pass him to Taada or Shaada so he could get some work done, but he just could not find it in himself to leave his little grandson behind, especially since his parents are still in Dale HOPEFULLY getting themselves back to Erebor. So instead, Thorin bent down and scooped the quiet little toddler back up. "Guess it is you and me today." Finli wordlessly wrapped his arms tightly around Thorin's neck, and the pair made for the school.
"Is everyone alright?" After lighting one of the old handheld lanterns kept in the room, Dis brushed some blond hair from Toki's eyes and looked around at her group. All in all, everyone seemed alright, if not a fair bit shaken up.
"Why is it so dark?! I want mama." Baara cried.
Dis knelt to the ground, sitting on her knees before the dwarfling. "I know darling, and I am sure your mama is missing you as well." She looked up at the darkened lanterns high overhead, then back at the group of dwarflings huddled around her. "All of the lights in Erebor come from the special furnaces that also warm the water and the mountain itself. They must have been extinguished, but the lights will all come back on as soon as the boilers are re-lit. I promise we will get out of here, and get you all to your parents. We just need to make certain everything is stable and safe before we leave. Alright?"
"Lady Dis?" Dis looked up from her place on the ground and looked at Henningur who had just stepped inside her room, holding a candle in his hand. "A moment please?"
Nodding, Dis stood. "I will be just outside that door my dears, if you need anything, just come out."
Without waiting for an answer, Dis followed Henningur out the door. "What is it? Is everything alright?"
Henningur shook his head. "There's a blockage keeping us in."
Dis looked behind the shorter dwarf into the darkened hall where the entrance corridor to the school was located, and sighed in frustration. "I am sure Thorin will have someone clearing it soon. Are the other dwarflings alright still? Perhaps we should bring them all together in one room."
"That may be a good plan. I will tell Tórhethin to gather his group and bring them in here." He sighed and looked up at the dark, unlit, lanterns. "I do hope we can at least get some light soon."
Without another word, Henningur moved across the corridor and entered another room as Dis stepped back inside her own. "We are bringing the other little ones in here, my darlings. If you can please help each other push the tables to the back so we can fit everyone in."
"Yes, my lady." Came a round of replies as her small group of twelve dwarflings went to work, teaming up together to push the four wooden tables they used against the back wall. As soon as they were done, the room filled with a low hissing noise, and the lanterns above them made a popping sound before coming back to life, causing a cheer to erupt not just from their classroom, but from all three.
"Well, at least we are no longer in the dark." Dis smiled and clapped her hands together and gathered her class just as the other elder classes came barreling in, some going to siblings and huddling together, others whispering to their friends.
The two other instructors simply watched for a few moments before calling order. Henningur signaled to the ground. "Have a seat. We will be doing things a bit differently until we are freed. Today, we shall discuss history."
There was a loud groan that filled the room. "Through a story." Henningur added with a smile. "We will be learning about the great Durin the Deathless, and who better to help us than a direct descendant of our greatest lord himself, Lady Dis, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror, mighty heir of Durin."
"I heard he had powers, like the elves, and lived forever." One of the dwarflings exclaimed before Dis could even say a word.
"If he lived forever, Gunther, he'd be alive now." Another answered.
"Ya, well my gran said Durin would come back through his family line. But my da said that cannot happen, because prince Kili chose an elf, and the younger prince has tinted blood."
"It's TAINTED ya halfwit, not tinted." One of the elder dwarflings corrected with a roll of his eyes. "An he ain't wrong, your da. My ma said the same thing, said Durin will refuse to reenter the bloodline as long as an elf is mixed with it."
"OI! Ain' nuffin wrong with little Fin, or Tauriel. Anyone who says otherwise can talk ta me fist! Right Regar!?" Toki stood, seething.
"I agree." Hillana glared at the two other dwarflings. "Tauriel is a strength to the mountain, my dad even says so, and Finli is perfect."
Dis sighed. She knew there would arise some animosity among the people just, for her grandsons mere existence, let alone his right to rule. At least Fili was married and Viltarra carrying on their line. Both she and Thorin back Finli's right to the throne, but it would make things much easier when Fili bares a male heir. Easier on little Finli as well, so he does not have to put up with the still apparent prejudices in Erebor. However, something inside her, almost wishes Finli would be the next heir, it would teach their people a bit of humility.
"Alright, enough is enough." Henningur called out when Bombur's children rose to their feet to join Toki, Regar, and Hillanna in defending Finli and Tauriel along with a few other dwarflings. It seemed they were divided nearly in half, although those defending the toddler were a bit greater in number than those not…and several more were simply watching, not offering an opinion. "What is to happen in the future, is up to Mahal, not any of us. We are discussing history, not politics. For what it is worth, I happen to quite enjoy Tauriel and Naurfaer. You would do well to learn that an open mind, is a growing mind. Progression, is success my pupils, did not master Balin say the same thing on his visit last week?"
The dwarflings all nodded. "Good. Now have a seat. Dis?"
Dis nodded. "To answer your first question, yes. Durin the first did indeed have what some may call magic. But, we too have great skills and talents that exceed those of mortal men."
"And elves?" Someone called out.
Dis thought for a moment. "Not quite. Just…different, darling. Like us, elves too have talents and abilities, but ours tend to fall under correlation with things of the earth. The soil, stones, gems, and minerals all around us. We, are connected to them like no other race, which is why all dwarves have a natural drive to dwell deep in the heart of arda. Whereas elves, are creatures of the air and sea. I shall have Tauriel or Naurfaer come down and tell you further of the gifts of their people. But today, I want to tell you about my first father, Durin, who ruled over the dwarven people, and the six other lords." For the next hour, Dis answered questions and taught about her ancestors. Helping to clear up misconceptions, and biases as she spoke.
"How long do you think it will be?" Tórhethin hummed, as he watched the dwarflings scattered around the room trying to keep themselves occupied.
"Hopefully not much longer." Henningur sighed. "We don't really have any food down here, and we will be having a mutiny on our hands quite soon if they are not fed." Of course, he said this in good humor. Not one of the three adults believed they would have any issues worse than arguments with this group.
"I am going to go check to see if any progress has been made on that blockage, I will be back in a moment." Without waiting on replies, Dis left the room and walked towards where several pillars and stones had fallen; effectively blockading them into these lower level halls.
"I SAID ON THREE, NORI!" Dis huffed out a laugh as she could make out her brother yelling at the poor dwarf. At least she knew he was there, and by the shifting of rock she could see, they were not too far off from reaching them.
Of course, not seconds later a loud crash sounded followed by several choice expletives from her brother who was now yelling at Dori. "Thorin, they are only trying to help." Dis yelled between the cracks, now able to see a good portion of her brother, and what looked like Gronti just beside him evaluating the still remaining rubble.
"NAN!"
Dis started, then growled. "THORIN! WERE YOU JUST SWEARING INFRONT OF MY GRANDSON?!"
There was a bout of silence then she actually heard Thorin grumble, then loudly exclaim, "FINLI NO!"
Before Thorin could capture the toddler, he had seen the opening and made for it, crawling in the small gap. Dis's reaction was instant, and she ran up to the shaky pile and plucked her precious little grandson before anything could fall back on top of him.
"NAN!" Finli instantly wrapped his arms around her, melting Dis's heart despite wanting to scold him.
There was a loud crash, another expletive, then the hole got bigger and Thorin was able to step through, followed by Gronti, Nori, and Dori. "Is he alright?!" The dwarven king walked straight up to Dis and began looking Finli over for any injuries, scrapes, or bruises but he seemed perfectly fine. "Finli! Never do that again. Understand?"
"Pop." Finli yelled with a smile, reaching over and patting the dwarven kings cheek affectionately. He then looked behind Dis as if he had been expecting to see more coming. "Mama?"
"Oh darling, she is not down here." Dis looked at Thorin. "Thorin, I think he thought Tauriel was here."
"Da?"
Dis once again shook her head. "Not da either. I am sure they will be back soon."
"THORIN!" Thorin sighed as Aeodhen came running down the stairs, pausing to and sighing in relief when he noticed the cleared rubble. "Thank Mahal, yeh got the school open."
"We did, what is it Aeodhen, I want to get these dwarflings to their families." Thorin sighed.
"It's Dale. Tauriel's raven jus' came in with a message. I think 'e was looking for yeh. Said help was needed."
"ADAD!"
Aeodhen looked down the hall to see his daughter running from the room and towards him, and he could not help but kneel to the ground to gather Hillanna up in his arms, then pulled away to check her over. "My little lady, I have been worried about yeh. Yer mam, I am sure, is as well. Are ya alright?"
"I am fine da. Do I have to stay here? Can I go to ma?" Hillanna looked at the entrance now mostly cleared by Nori and Dori, who had decided to keep getting rubble moved safely out of the way so they could be of use elsewhere in the mountain. Gronti was still helping them, though he would be staying to get his boys.
Nodding at his daughter, Aeodhen smiled. "No, ya are going to yer mam. I will take ya up myself so yeh can be with her and yer brothers." He then stood, keeping Hillanna's hand in his own. "If tha' is alright with you, Thorin. I want ta make certain she gets to 'er mother, then I will put a team together ta go to Dale."
"Of course." Thorin nodded. "Meet me at the gate. Hopefully my nephews will be meeting us at Dales entrance. Though I am concerned as to why Viltarra and Tauriel have not returned."
Thorin looked to Dis who was still holding Finli. "You don't think something serious has happened? Oh Thorin, both girls are due to have children in just over two months time."
"We will see when we get there." Thorin sighed. Given their history, he was not going to pit the hammer against the anvil just yet. He looked at the group of dwarflings now standing together with the two instructors. "Dis, get these little ones to their families, then I am going to need you to take over. Dwalin is working with Balin to get the areas of the mountain cleared and re-stabilized and Oin is tending to the wounded. I, will be going to Dale."
Dis nodded, tightening her grip on little Fin. "Bring them home, Thorin." As Thorin turned to leave, he looked back at his sister, and nodded, then disappeared up the steps, calling Nori and Dori with him as he went.
"Can we leave now?" Regar asked, just beside Dis. Then he spotted his father and both he and his brother cheered as they all but tackled the dwarf to the ground. Gronti sobbed out a laugh as he held his sons close to his chest, kissing each of their heads as they clung to him.
Dis smiled at the scene wishing her own sons were here. They may be into their eighties now, but they still were, and will always be, her babies, and she was worried about them. Dis shook her head then looked at the rest of the dwarflings. "Come along children, I am sure your families are all worried and would like to see that you are alright." Without another word, Dis and the two other instructors guided the children past the remaining piles of rubble, and up the stairs to their parents; Gronti and his sons following behind.
The moment Thorin made it to the gate, he was bombarded with a mass of black and white feathers. Kaw flew down, ramming his head repeatedly into Thorin's leg and screeching almost forlornly as he bobbed about the floor. He had never heard Kaw make that sound before. "What?!"
"Nana! Ada!" Kaw flew towards the door, then back again when Thorin did not follow, ramming straight into the dwarven king before landing on the ground only to begin nipping at his hands. Clearly, he wanted haste.
Just in time, Aeodhen came running towards him along with a handful of guards, Nori, Dori, and Bombur. "Got a group, Thorin."
Thorin nodded. "We will take mounts. Let's go." He stalked towards the stables knowing the group would be following and took Rhya's reins from one of the stable hands who had pulled her from her stall and saddled her while Thorin waited at the entrance.
"Thank you, Oklan." The quite elderly dwarrow nodded and slowly stepped away as Thorin jumped onto his horse and without even a glance behind him, kicked Rhya into full speed towards Dale; a peek towards the sky showed Kaw keeping perfect pace above him.
Pandemonium, is the best way Thorin could describe the human city that abutted his mountain. Many of the men, women, and children were running around, calling out for missing loved ones, as most of the dwarves from Erebor seemed to be working together to try and remove fallen rubble from several fractured buildings, doing their best to help in the chaos.
"THORIN!" The dwarven king looked to Bofur who was running towards him with Ori in tow. "We got problems!"
"What is it!?" Thorin bellowed as he met Bofur.
"Both Fili and Kili are gone, and Tauri is to, and Leotti!" The hatted dwarf took his hat off and wrung it in his hands. "Viltarra is fine, but she's a right mess and no' even her folks can get her to stop movin' bricks."
"Take me to her." Thorin growled and Bofur immediately led them to where not just a team of dwarves, but also a handful of humans were removing stone after stone. "Where is Bard?"
"He's on the other side. This is apparently where Fili ended up tryin' ta save Leotti when the high tower fell, an Kili along with Tauriel were subjected to much of the same on the opposite side." Bofur kept pace with Thorin as he made for the blonde who was yelling at a slightly taller blonde dwarf who was giving her a look. "We tried ta get the lass to take a break, bu' she is as stubborn as an anvil taken hits."
Thorin headed straight to the blonde who was now on her hands and knees peering into a hole despite many of their people, including her parents, trying to get her away from the potential harm of loose debris falling on her, or her possibly falling into a cavity in the rubble. "Please Gem, we can handle this."
Shaking his head, Thorin caught Vin's eye; the blonde dwarf silently begging him to intervene. So the family patriarch carefully kneeled down to the young dam's level and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Not having seen Thorin appear, Viltarra instantly whipped her head around, obviously ready to give some sort of biting remark…if her present scowl was anything to go by…to whoever was touching her. However, the moment she realized it was Thorin, she seemed to have decided to bite her tongue.
Thorin took her in for a moment. She was covered nearly head to boots in dust, except for the clear track of tears that had so obviously fallen from her still wet eyes. "Fili is missing." It was all she said as she sat on her knees, a stone still in her dirtied hand.
"We will find him, Viltarra." He could have easily ordered her back to the mountain, but Thorin did not think her to be reckless in any way. She knew her condition, she knew the risks. So instead of arguing with a dam who clearly will refuse to listen, he decided a better course of action would be to allow her to continue helping. He thinks he knows Viltarra well enough to say she would never willingly put herself in a position where she can lose her and Fili's child.
Thorin stood and looked over the damage. "Bofur, is Bifur alright? Have we lost anyone else?"
"Oh aye, e's fine, e's helpin' Bard down tha' roadway with a few others. As far as we can tell, jus' yer nephews, Tauri, Leotti, Naurfaer, Dynni, and Naglur are missin' from Erebor. Everyone else is accounted for." Bofur reported, Ori nodding with him. The younger dwarf kept taking looks at the rubble Viltarra was still digging through. Even Hiril was nonstop searching, her nose directly to the ground as if she was trying to catch a scent.
"Alright." Thorin looked back at the pile of rubble. "I need to speak to Bard. Aeodhen, divide the team. I want half with me, and the other half getting through this mess. If we have to move every stone, we will. Ori, stay here, Nori, Dori, Bofur, Bombur, you come with me."
"Aye." Aeodhen called out along with the five from the company, before splitting the guards he brought while Thorin walked beside Bofur to the other side of the building.
"Looks like the building split." Dori looked up at where clearly a tower once stood, but the entire thing was gone.
Thorin nodded, his eyes scanning the humans, several dwarrow, and surprisingly two elves working hard to move stone after stone. It took a moment, but finally he spotted Bard working with two of Erebor's guard trying to heave a stone as large as a horse out of the way. "CLEAR THE WAY IT'S COMIN' DOWN!"
It was one of the guards who yelled out just as the stone came loose and fell down the sizable pile and landed on the cracked cobblestone street. "Get to work helping." Thorin ordered. "I will speak to Bard."
Thorin walked past the working group and up to Bard who had jumped down into a small space he created from removing the stone, though he paused when the shadow of Thorin Oakenshield fell over him, and he wiped his brow and looked up at the dwarven king. "I wish I could say well met, Thorin. But I fear we are in a deeply unsettling situation once again."
Thorin hummed and jumped into the hole with Bard. "I was told my daughter and nephew were over here. Have you found any sign of them?"
"No. Tilda is missing too, Sigrid said she was with them." Bard said quietly, continuing his work in clearing rubble as he was unable to just sit and speak while his youngest daughter was missing. He also refused to believe she was lost to him. He will not stop until he finds her alive and safe. "Had I known something like this would happen here, I would have never let anyone near this tower." Bard looked up at the remains of the crumbled building.
"Nobody knew this would happen, Bard, and we too had several structural cave ins in Erebor, though…nothing so severe as this." Thorin muttered as he too began assessing the area before he stepped in to help bard with another large stone.
But it seemed as their troubles were not over, as the ground began to shake once more. "CLEAR OUT!" Thorin bellowed as he pushed Bard out from the hole. This time the shaking only lasted several seconds, but it was enough for the remaining pieces of the tower to fall and pile on top of the rubble they had yet to clear. "BOFUR! GO CHECK ON THE OTHER SIDE!"
Nodding to Thorin, Bofur raced down the street to the opposite side of the tower. But it seemed as if everything was alright. "Should we get back to work my lord?"
Thorin looked to Bard who stared at the younger man of Dale who was holding a pickaxe. "Is everyone alright?" The Lord of Dale asked, looking around at the people of his city, the dwarves of Erebor, and the two elves of Mirkwood. Everyone nodded, and before he could even give the order, many of them were back beginning to clear the new rubble from the top.
"We have to do this right, or we can just make things worse." Thorin grumbled.
Bard nodded in agreement. "And we have to hurry." He added, grabbing a shovel that had fallen to the ground and joining the group as they all went back to work.
"Just how far does this thing go?" Naurfaer sighed. The question was asked by Bannick of course, who seemed to have a ready complaint at every corner. What was worse, was his wife, though she spoke very little, agreed with him.
Tauriel ground her teeth. They have been walking for nearly an hour and getting nowhere. However, she froze when the same rumbling from earlier that day filled her ears. Naurfaer, though, was the one to yell out. "Get to a wall! NOW!"
Immediately, the group of twelve braced themselves against the smooth, stone, wall just as things began to shake once more. Kili had pulled Tilda close, protecting her as Fili put one arm around Tauriel and his other around Leotti who seemed to allow it…for the time being. At least the shaking did not last long, and Naurfaer was looking at the group around him. "Well…that could have been worse."
Fili glared at the elder elf. "Really Naurfaer? You are in a dark cavern, with Kili and Tauriel…two of the biggest trouble magnets in Arda, and you are mocking the fates?"
"I resent that." Kili grumbled.
Tauriel, however, smirked. "There is nothing wrong with a little adventure, Fili. Where is your sense of fun?"
Leotti dusted off her pants and folded her arms. "I said it once, and I will say it again…I for one, never asked for any kind of adventure like this. If it is like this whenever you go off, remember to just leave me behind please."
"Oh, we will." Fili muttered, causing Leotti to glare at him and kick his shin…hard. "OUCH! LEOTTI! Is that how you treat the one who saved your life!?"
Leotti paused, and blinked at Fili who seemed to be truly annoyed at her, and not just his normal annoyed. "Oh." She sighed, closing her eyes. It really was because of Fili, that she was even here. Not that she wanted to be in this particular here, but being alive in general was definitely something she should be thanking him for.
"Forget it." Fili spun around and began walking away, but Leotti ran up and grabbed his arm.
"No, stop. You are absolutely right. I have been horrible, especially considering what you risked for me. Thank you Fili. Honestly." Wrapping her arms around Fili's waist, Leotti gave him a true hug, which after a moment, Fili reciprocated.
"Life would not be the same without you, little Otti." Fili murmured as he released her. Leotti gave him a grin which he could just see with the little light they had.
"As touchin' as tha' is. We should keep going." Naglur grumbled and started forward once more into the darkness; not even waiting for Naurfaer to follow with the light.
Kili looked down at Tilda who was clinging onto his arm. "How about a ride on my shoulders? Hm?" The small girl looked up at him and nodded so Kili bent just a bit and helped the human princess up onto his back. "Comfy?"
"Yes." Tilda giggled as Kili began walking with the group, making sure to keep pace with his wife who looked up and smiled at the girl on her husband's shoulders. She wondered if they would ever be gifted with a daughter. She knew for certain if they were, Kili would dote on her endlessly. What is she saying, he already dotes endlessly on Finli, and refuses to sleep until he tells their unborn son a story or sings him a song every night; Kili says he likes it, and he is of course, right.
Tauriel turned her eyes to Kili when she realized he was looking at her. "And you? Are you comfortable, Tauriel?"
"Comfortable Kili? Certainly not. But I am fine." Tauriel gave him a soft smile, bordering on a grimace, as they continued on their way in the darkness.
Authors Note: You got me pegged Syreen XD. Though no wereworms in this. Those things kind of creep me out. Shudder. It's just a normal quake.
And see, friends and family totally fine Dreamer3. They now just need to know each other is alright.
Thank you too, pasorider67! I will just be glad to be done and have a small break between quarters here in a few days. Which leads me to my next point…so the next chapter is around 20,000 words which may take me a few extra days. I will try and have it cleaned up and posted by Thursday, but it may not be until the weekend. Sorry guys!
Thank you again for your reviews and reading. I should warn you ahead of time, more craziness ahead. But I PROMISE this will probably be the last time I put them through horrors, lol. I think I wanted to give them one last hurrah before completely settling down, and there is a method to my madness, most of the time. Aka, good days to come. But…not for a little while. Drama first. XD. Love you!