Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór (sonofthrain) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2015-01-27 14:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, fili, kili, thorin oakenshield (movies) |
Who: DURIN’S SONS. Aka Thorin Oakenshield and his adoring nephews Fili and Kili
When: After Thorin’s arrival, Jan 25.
Where: The lobby of Potts Tower -> Fili & Kili’s apartment.
What: Uncle and nephews have some catching up to do.
Rating: G but S for sads.
When they’d heard that Thorin had arrived -- unharmed, physically, which was a relief to Kili’s ears -- a feeling of dread and uncertainty had settled over Kili’s head, even as he felt himself bubbling with excitement. Next to their mother (and his brother, of course, and now Tauriel), their uncle was the most important person in his life. Thorin had been a father figure where he had none, a role model and idol, someone he’d pledged himself to protect at all costs. To have him here filled Kili with tremendous joy and apprehension at the same time. And Kili worried. He worried about what Thorin knew. He worried about what Thorin would say. He worried if Thorin would be okay here, in a world so far removed from anything they’d ever known. It took nothing more than a glance between the brothers for them to come to an understanding: they needed to see him as soon as possible. Not knowing when, exactly, he would make his way to the tower was a complication, but Kili was willing to wait: specifically, on the ground floor of the tower. After everything they’d been through, he was uncomfortable leaving their uncle -- their king, his heart reminded him, disregarding everything he’d been trying to say about having a new start in this new world -- to fend for himself amongst strangers. Even here, he felt compelled to act as his uncle’s guard and escort. Thorin shouldn’t have to navigate this world alone any more than he already had. Fili was quite restless. A few glances towards his brother told him that Kili was also eagerly awaiting their uncles arrival. It was good to have another dwarf living in the tower with them, it was even better that it would be their King. These were the moments that frustrated Fili the most. The anticipating of seeing Thorin, unaware of what Thorin remembered from back home. Once explained about the differences in time, it was hard to comprehend what sort of situation they were looking at. Perhaps Thorin would be completely unaware of their entire journey. The many question ran through the dwarf’s mind, and it was easy to see why it caused him to pace back and forth in the lobby. They had no way of knowing when exactly Thorin’s arrival would be, but this was far better sitting in their room. The question that burned through his mind the most is what to tell Thorin about their own futures. Quite frankly, it still pained Fili to think about their fates because it did make him feel like he had failed. One of them should have been seated on the throne, and it should have been Thorin. Thorin had only been here a few hours and he had already had enough of this world of Men and their questions and their poking and prodding. It was just as well he had been brought here weaponless or he’d have taken to them with sword or axe instead of simply cursing them in Khuzdul. Even worse had been their refusal to answer many of his questions. They’d been more than willing to tell him that his nephews were here but they had refused to tell him anything about the fate of the Company or what had become of Smaug and Laketown. They knew, that much he could tell from their stammering and their refusal to meet his eyes. He feared the worst but as long as Fili and Kili had survived to reclaim Erebor, he could face his own fate with equanimity. But his nephews were here and what that meant, he did not know. He also did not know what to think of it, all of it, not just Fili and Kili’s presence here. A strange cube that transported them to another world? For what purpose? It seemed his… hosts had as few answers to that as he did. He stepped inside the building he’d been told would be his home while he was here and looked around. He saw them immediately and much of his irritation fell away, as it invariably did when faced with his sister-sons. Dís said he indulged them too much, others said he was too hard on them. The truth probably lay somewhere in the middle. His mood lightened though as he walked over to them. Fili looked little different than when he’d last seen them but Kili… “Fili,” he said, clasping his elder nephew and heir on the shoulder. He then gave Kili a searching look as he placed a hand round the back of his younger nephew’s neck. “Kili. Are you well?” The same questions Fili had were going through Kili's mind as well, and he anxiously tried to figure out how he'd explain - if he needed to - or what he'd do, depending on the Thorin who met them. His clothing told Kili enough to guess, at least, how much he'd seen, and as his eyes flickered over Thorin's form and then to his brother, he wondered how he'd be able to keep his composure. He nodded, emotion bubbling up in his chest and behind his eyes as he struggled, much like he remembered struggling on top of the wall, when he'd urged Thorin to fight. Unlike when Thorin had left him behind in Laketown, there was color in his face and his eyes were alive again. Without the poison slowly killing him, he looked more like the young dwarf who'd left home at his uncle's side. Thorin didn't need to know of the nightmares that plagued him still. "I'm well. Better now that you're here." Kili's words were genuine and full of a handful of emotions he didn't know how to vocalize. "Better now that I'm not dying from an Orc arrow." Fili was able to feel more at ease and yet more anxious once he saw Thorin walking through those doors. There was something about him, he was different but he couldn't quite put his finger on what that was. It gave him a sour feeling in his stomach. Yet, he could not help but smile fully at his uncle's arrival and as he greeted his king, he couldn't help but feel those missing pieces coming back to their rightful place. His head bowed slightly and he looked back and forth between Kili and Thorin. Between the small exchange, he began to wonder if Thorin might be from a time where Kili had yet to be healed. He certainly had a look of curiosity and concern about him. Fili nodded with Kili's words and added, "He's been healed and recovered quite well." There was a note of relief in his voice. There was no hiding that Fili had been very concerned about his brother's health once they had realized he had been poisoned. Fili noted in his mind that he really ought to do more for Tauriel for what she had done. Thorin’s shoulders sagged momentarily with relief and he closed his eyes for a second. He’d been told that people came from different times so Kili clearly came from a time when he had been healed and more importantly, he bore no signs of the dragon’s wrath. Surely that was a good sign. “Good… good,” he said, his hand tightening briefly on the back of Kili’s neck. “I knew I could rely on Oin’s skill.” He hadn’t wanted to leave Kili behind. Or Fili. Or any of them. But time had been slipping away from them. They’d had too many delays on the road and Durin’s day had been upon them. As much as he had wanted his nephews beside him when they entered the mountain, to show them the home that should have been theirs, he had not been able to risk missing the brief window of opportunity they had. “They told me when I arrived that people came from different moments…” He grimaced momentarily. “How much time has passed?,” he asked intently. “The dragon... “ He shook his head. “We had failed. The dragon had just left the mountain when I found myself here.” Instantly, Kili felt tension return to his shoulders and he stood up a little straighter. No -- it hadn’t been Oin who’d saved him, though he wouldn’t dream of disparaging their medic’s skills, which surely helped. The poison had been beyond his capabilities, however. Kili didn’t remember much beyond pain and a warm, bright light (and her), but he knew it’d been close. But he’d get to that in time. His uncle had to know the truth, but they had much to discuss. “We --” As weak as he’d been, he remembered the dragon well. “I’ve been here for nearly a month now. After the dragon left the mountain, it burned the town. We escaped, with Bard’s daughters, and Ta --” Kili’s voice hitched in his throat and he stole a glance at Fili before continuing. “The red-haired elf who captured us in the forest. The town… there was nothing left. But Bard killed the dragon with a black arrow. He had one left.” He tried to smile. Amidst all the destruction and all the suffering, he remembered a sense of joy to know the mountain was free from the dragon at last. “We came to Erebor after that. And then...” He hesitated again. “Perhaps we should take you to our room. Or yours. Fili?” Fili waited and listened to both Thorin and Kili. So, it was as Fili suspected and he couldn’t help but feel a little gratitude for the magical blue box that had brought them all here. Thorin had come before, well, before things got so much worse. Yet, now it was going to be up to both Fili and Kili to fill in the rest of the blanks, and Fili wasn’t sure how it was going to be done. When Kili started his tale, he felt his shoulders tense, but felt relieved once he stopped and suggested that they speak somewhere more privately. Instantly, Fili nodded in agreement between turning to look at Thorin. “There is much that you need to know, uncle. Kili and I come from some time after the incident with the dragon. I suggest we go somewhere more private. Kili and I share a room and we’re happy to go there. We have some food, drink for you if you need anything.” His nephews were hiding something. They weren’t lying to him - he knew those signs as well and he saw none of them now - but they were certainly keeping things from him. Perhaps the same things that had the humans stammering and failing to meet his eyes. They came from a point in time after him so it was the most logical option. His expression darkened a little at the mentioned of the elves of the Mirkwood. He almost asked what one of Thranduil’s people had been doing in Laketown then decided to wait. But the news about the bargeman surprised him. “Bard had a black arrow?” He remembered seeing the windlance in Laketown but hadn’t thought that any black arrows still existed. “How?” He shook his head and nodded to Fili. “Lead on. The hospitality of the men who greeted me was distinctly lacking.” "We'll tell you." Kili's smile was strained, but still present. He'd noticed the look in Thorin's eyes when he mentioned the elves, and it stirred feelings of frustration inside him that he knew wouldn't do them any good. All of a sudden, he wanted nothing more than to tell Thorin the entire truth, right then and there. Instead, he took a deep breath and led Thorin into the building, choosing to forgo the elevators in favor of the stairs, even though it made his leg ache where the arrow had once been. He was silent, his head full of thoughts he hadn't needed to voice yet. At their door, he turned and flashed a bright smile - much more like himself - as he opened it up. "When we -- when I first arrived, I could not believe they were expecting me to live so far above ground," he commented with a roll on his eyes, going for mindless chatter instead of reliving his nightmares just yet. "But the view… it's growing on me." Fili stopped himself from letting out a heavy sigh. He certainly wasn't looking forward to this conversation, but he knew it had to be done. He did not take the news well when Kili first told him. Not so much about his own death, but the death of his family. It brought him great joy to be reunited, but great pain knowing what awaited them back home. If the stories were true, if anyone could be taken home at the blink of an eye, they all knew that they were headed back to. That was quite uneasy for Fili. Yet, there would be no lying to his king. He deserved the truth, and he would rather have Thorin hear it from Kili and himself than have someone else tell him. "Let's go," added Fili. The dreaded elevator. Fili's body stiffed as they traveled up to their floor and was all too willing to get out once the doors opened. "Speak for yourself." Fili groaned. He resisted the urge to glance at the window of the hallway. It was more difficult in the rooms, and he managed to make himself dizzy on a few occasions. Once they were all in the room, instinctively Fili went to the kitchen to grab them all drinks. Yes, this sort of occasion definitely required a drink. After handing them each their own mug, he stood and shifted his weight uncomfortably before turning to Thorin. "What is it you wish to know first? Much as happened from what you remember last, and Kili and I will fill in the blanks with all we know." Thorin watched the byplay between Fili and Kili with indulgent amusement. “There were such heights and greater within Erebor,” he said, his expression softening just a touch as he remembered his youth. And his recent time for that matter. “Though surrounded by the mountain, it did not seem so stark as it is here.” He glanced out the window at the city as he took the mug Fili offered, nodding his thanks to his nephew. “I did not think Men could build like this.” He looked down into his mug for a moment. There were many things he wished to know, each seeming to be as important as the next. Of course, he already had the answer to his most important question. His nephews survived the dragon’s attack. But that did lead to a good place to start. “The black arrow,” he said. “How did Bard have a black arrow? I saw the windlance when we first arrived but I was not aware that there were any black arrows left.” Kili cast his eyes back at his uncle at the comment about how great the heights were within Erebor and tried to look unamused (and failed), like Thorin should have been able to understand what he meant. He remembered how it felt when he finally stepped inside of the mountain and saw, with his own eyes, the grandeur Thorin had always spoken of. He could see why it meant so much, and why it was so special. He shrugged in response to Thorin's question. "I'm not sure… there's quite a lot about the town I don't remember, with… the poison." It had worked its way through his system quickly, until he was only aware of pieces of conversations, moments he wasn't even sure were real. But he knew the stories, and he knew that was not a regular arrow. "But it had to be. None of his arrows slowed the dragon, not until the last. We were lucky. Several hundred townspeople survived that night. There were so many injured…" It had been difficult to face, and Kili had felt terribly guilty, knowing that the dragon had likely stirred because of the rest of the company. "We came to the mountain after." Fili had remained silent because like Kili, he also thought of the greatness of Erebor. It was easy for Fili to forget the heights inside compared to the building they were currently in. Perhaps it was because of the attachment. Fili and his brother were brought up on the stories of Erebor, and it was a dream come true for Fili when he became a member of the company. There was something mystical about the expression on his face, as he could still remember the inside quite clearly. He wanted to say out loud that it was a different matter, and in Fili’s heart it was. Erebor represented so much more to the dwarves than this metal building. Other than providing a place for all of them to rest, however uncomfortable the first night had been. The floors were so much nicer than the beds. Still, Fili had yet to have any sort of attachment to this place, beyond being the one place where he could be with his brother and uncle, alive. “We had to evacuate the village quickly.” Fili added. “The town was up in flames. We only heard the roars and watched the dragon go down. Once we made it to the shores, that’s when we joined you and the others at the mountain.” How long after they had all reunited that Thorin started to fall under the sickness? Fili felt that while he and Kili shared in the story telling, he didn’t want his brother to have that burden of what happened. “The halls were as great as you told us, uncle. They were magnificent. We were all quite proud and all seemed to agree that the long journey to get there had been worth it for that moment.” Fili let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid our victory did not last long. If you ask of us, Kili and I will tell you with complete honesty.” Thorin smiled a little to hear Fili’s words. “They are a pale shadow of what they once were, thanks to that thieving wyrm, but you will see their true magnificence now that we have reclaimed the mountain.” He felt a surge of pride, of satisfaction, of fiery determination. Everything he had done had been for his nephews and for his people. They deserved more than exile in Ered Luin. They deserved their home. But his satisfaction faded when he looked at his sister-sons and their downcast expressions. The death of Smaug should be a cause for celebration, for them and for the Men of Laketown. Durin’s folk could reclaim their home and as for the Men… Dale had been prosperous, a fine city, unlike most he’d seen in the world of Men. Just as Erebor would be rebuilt, so to could Dale. It would not be easy but there was much to look forward to… wasn’t there? An uneasiness gripped him as he remembered that moment in the treasury, before Smaug had shown himself, when he had drawn his sword on Bilbo. Could he… no, that had been nothing more than frustration surely. Inappropriate and requiring an apology to their burglar but nothing more. Still, unease swirled within him when he spoke. “Tell me. I would know all that has passed.” Kili quickly drained what was in his mug and moved about the apartment to refill it while Fili spoke. He still did not wish to tell their uncle the full truth of what had happened within the mountain and after -- though truthfully, he thought the after part would be easier now that he'd faced it. He'd looked Tauriel's grief head on and survived, he'd told Fili the truth of their fates and survived. This, too, he could handle. Thorin's madness, however… it sent a chill down his spine, even after all the time since, and even after seeing their uncle become the brave and true king he was born to be. There was no point in hiding too much, Kili knew. Thorin had raised him as much as Fili had -- more, even -- and he would be able to read Kili's expression with ease. He was too open, he felt too much. And so he skipped ahead. If Thorin asked, Fili could answer, as he'd promised. "Our cousin arrived with an army from the Iron Hills." He left out how Thorin had refused to pay Bard and King Thranduil what they had been promised, and how dwarves and elves had once more been on the brink of war. "An orc army followed. Two armies. Azog the Defiler…" He considered his uncle and felt a swell of pride and love replace the fear and grief. "Fili and I… we were ambushed, us three and Dwalin, on Ravenhill. The elves tried to reach us in time, to warn us," this was important, too, for Thorin to know that despite all of the history between him and Thranduil, two of Thranduil's closest kin had come to their aide. "The prince and the red-haired captain." Fili nodded as his brother spoke. “The two elves helped us drive them away.” The grip he held onto his mug almost caused it to crack, and so he put it down before continuing on. “This news is not easy to say, nor will it be easy to hear. We were ambushed, yes, but Kili and I were sent to scout the area. We had fallen into their plan, I was captured and-" Fili paused. "That was when I arrived here in the city, same as you. My story ends with Kili's account, but I knew the fate that awaited me before I was brought here. I was to be made an example of. Not long after I had fallen-" Despite his strength, his voice had cracked. "Kili and the red-haired elf fought hard and true. You would have been proud to see how much strength Kili had in him after watching me-" Yes, he charged out of grief and anger, but Fili would have done the exact same had their positions been switched. Gently, Kili rolled his eyes at his brother and waved off the compliment. “I could do nothing else. You’re my brother. I belonged with you. I only know what I’ve been told of what happened after. I arrived here before…” His mouth felt dry. “Before I knew the truth about my own fate, though I could not say I was surprised. There were too many, and only the three of us.” Five, once the elves arrived, but the orcs had the advantage. His leg ached where it had been pierced by the Morgul arrow, and Kili gestured for his brother to continue. Fili's eyes were locked on the wall, and at last he spoke up again. "We knew the risks on this journey, and the two of us are honoured to have fought by your side, uncle. We have seen the halls of Erebor, a sight we never imagined to be possible. We have seen you show so much strength in wisdom, even after-" His voice trailed off. "Even after the sickness took you. You showed a strength that I had never seen in another dwarf before, and the sickness did not have it's hold on you for long. You fought it, bravely. You showed strength that only a true King would be deserving of the word." There was time for a moment of satisfaction at the news about Dain. He’d known his cousin would not forsake him, even if he’d refused to join the quest. But what came next made him feel as if his blood was turning to stone. Orcs, Azog, an ambush and… He registered the words about the elves but for the moment they were lost in the rest of what was being said as Fili picked up the thread of the terrible explanation. “Fili… Kili…” he said, his voice hoarse and his expression agonised. This was not what was meant to happen. Let Death take him but the future - Erebor - was meant to be for them. They were not meant to fall. Then Fili spoke of the gold sickness taking him and he could only turn away - in shame, in grief, in despair. He had watched it take Thrór, turning his grandfather cold and harsh, more in love with the gold than his own family. He had sworn that he would not let it take him, that he would fight this curse and defeat it. But he had not. He had failed. Failed his nephews, failed the company. “What did I do?” he said, his voice low and full of trenchant bitterness. “What did the madness drive me to do? I would know it all.” He would know to what depths he plunged, what dishonour he had brought to bear upon himself. He would not hide from it. Any of it. Nervously, Kili shook his head. It was difficult enough to face the look on his uncle’s face as they told him that they would never see Erebor repopulated and rebuilt. Ever since he’d been a young lad, he’d heard stories of the mountain, and he knew what it meant to his uncle, to their mother, to all their kin. It was their birthright, it was their future. He also knew of gold sickness, and the greed of their forebears, and the shame that followed him. He wished things had been different, but it did not soil the memories he had of the dwarf he called uncle. That dwarf had always been there, through it all. “I would not -- Thorin, it does not matter here.” Kili crossed the room to return to Thorin’s side. “It will not benefit us to dwell on it. It will only hurt, and what Fili said is true. It did not last. You came back to us. Dain’s forces rallied behind you. You brought Azog down yourself. Is that not enough?” He did not want their uncle to be haunted by the choices he’d made, and he feared he would be. They could not change the past; they could only move forward. “This is a new world. We can start anew here.” His eyes were alight with hope once again, timid but present. “We’re making friends, Fili and I. Master Baggins is here, and we’re learning of this world. What happened… it needn’t follow us here, where we cannot make amends except in words.” Thorin closed his eyes, a surge of affection and love for Kili forcing its way past the bitterness and despair for a moment. That Kili could still find such hope and optimism after all that had happened, after he had led them to their deaths, after he had succumbed to madness… he could scarcely bear to hope that his nephews might still view him with any respect, let alone love. But Kili’s hopes would not be fulfilled. Thorin had never shirked his duty in the past and he would not do so now. Still, he could not bring himself to be harsh. He placed a hand on Kili’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “No, Kili. I must know.” He looked over at Fili. He had placed many responsibilities on his eldest nephew’s shoulders over the years and now he must add one more. “Tell me, Fili. Tell me what I did. If I have grasped the nature of this place correctly, I will not be able to avoid knowing this. I would hear it from you before I hear of it from a stranger.” Fili nodded, and there would be no denying his uncle after this request. He knew, deep down, that Thorin would want to know, as did Fili when Kili was telling his side of the tale at their first meeting. It was expected that Thorin would ask him to share everything, and he was happy to take that burden off of his brother. Kili had the their uncle's best interest at heart, but perhaps this would be for the best. If Thorin knew the whole truth, then he could see how his nephews looked at him no different. If anything, Fili admired his uncle more. It was quite sad seeing Thorin with the sickness, yes, but he couldn't begin to explain how proud he was when Thorin fought it. "You became obsessed with finding the Arkenstone. The company searched high and low, and the longer it took, the more obsessed you became. You grew paranoid, convinced that one of us had betrayed you and kept the stone away from you." Fili took a breath and pressed on. "The people of Dale came to you looking for aid, and their share of the wealth, and you denied them. The Bard negotiated with the elf-King that if you did agree, there would be bloodshed. Bilbo had some part to play, he was trying to help you see reason. I ask you to let him share his story and to keep your mind open." Fili did not care to say what Bilbo had done, and he was sure the hobbit would want have the chance to explain himself. "That was when the orc army arrived. You left, saying that we would not fight. Your cousin came and still you would not charge. We do not know what happened when you left, but when you came back you were changed. You asked us for our forgiveness and asked if we would follow you once more. We all stood behind you, Thorin." Fili would remain strong despite the great pain his speech was giving him. He kept his voice steady, but his eyes were filled with so much sorrow. "Bilbo will have a better account, but you should know that while you defeated Azgog, you were mortally wounded." His knuckles turned white and he shook his head not wanting to go on. "Everyone else in our company survived." And there it was. What the gold sickness had driven him to. Greed, paranoia, cowardice, breaking of oaths. He had become his grandfather... or worse. He had turned his back on his kith and kin. He had turned away from Men and elves in the face of danger, just as he had cursed the elves for doing to his people. He had lead his nephews to their deaths, a fate that might not have happened had he acted sooner. Even the knowledge that he had defeated Azog could not soothe his mind, for even in death, Azog had triumphed. Durin’s line was broken. He turned away and walked over to the window, though he did not see the city that stood outside. He saw Erebor as it once had been, as it was when he had been brought here and as it would have been, as it should have been, what he’d wanted to pass onto his nephews, to his people. Now all gone, lost to dust. His joy at reclaiming his kingdom was now little more than a bitter taste in his mouth. “I… forgive me, though I surely do not deserve it.” His voice thrummed with his sorrow and despair. But one thought crawled up. Something mentioned briefly and not elaborated on. Something he might have discarded but for his determination to know all. “But what of these elves? The princeling and the guard captain? What part did they play?” For his nephews had said they come to warn them, to offer aid. It seemed unlikely but he would know the truth. Disappointment filled Kili's heart, though he remained silent, scowling a little at his uncle's stubbornness. Thorin had much to be proud of, even if they took the madness into account. Kili didn't want despair to take over when there was so much to be glad for instead. Erebor was safe. The Lady Dis returned to the mountain. Their cousin led their kin into prosperity once more. The pale orc would no longer hunt their line. Kili desperately hoped that things would be different here. "We forgave you already," he insisted. He hoped Thorin believed him. Though he wanted to step closer, he found he could not. He remained rooted in one spot, which wasn't like him. "The captain, Tauriel. She healed me from the Morgul poison." He had once thought it only a dream, but he knew the truth now. His vision of her had not been a dream. As he spoke, his voice gained its strength again, and found passion instead of fear. "It was because of her I lived to fight by your side once more. To see our home. They came to help us when they learned of the second army." Against the Elf-King's orders, Kili thought. Risking banishment from her home, all to save someone she barely knew. "They are here as well, if you wish to speak with them. She arrived the same day I did, not long after…" He inhaled, exhaled, trying to calm his pounding heart. "After the battle was over." Fili nodded in earnest, also hoping that Thorin would someday believe them. “We still hold true to the very oath we gave you,” he said. “You are our leader and our King. We follow you till the end.” Now he could see it. It could see the life that three of them could have here. This was their second chance at life, to be together in this world of man. “We owe them a great deal,” Fili added. “When the elven prince and I spoke after I arrived, he asked for forgiveness for his actions. It seems he comes from quite a ways in the future, and has learned much. He’s traveled with our kin, Gloin’s son Gimli.” He didn’t know the specifics of the friendship, but it did seem that Legolas spoke about Gimli with affection. Perhaps that would lessen what feelings Thorin had towards the elves. Thorin could only look at his nephews with weary affection at this display of their generous hearts. He did not feel worthy of their easy forgiveness and he wondered if he ever would. To find that all his determination had been for naught was disheartening. But he took some solace in the fact that the mountain had been reclaimed for their people. He had achieved some small thing. At the news that it had been the elf-maiden who had healed Kili, he turned and stared at Kili with a frown of surprise and confusion. They had left the elves far behind. Why had she had come to Laketown? Why had she followed? Had she sought some kind of revenge against them for escaping her king? But if so, why would she show any mercy to Kili? And the news about the princeling was equally baffling. He had heard the elf’s insulting words about Gloin’s wife and son and now he claimed Gimli as a friend? “These elves-” The word was spoken with an ingrained bitterness and anger that had made Balin despair more than once over the years. Thorin could not forgive or forget Thranduil’s callous disregard for Durin’s folk in their hour of need. But the fact that this elf, Tauriel, had saved Kili and that he had or would apparently do the same to Thranduil’s people at least meant that the rest of his words were said in a more reasonable tone. “-aided us? Why? Thranduil-” Oh, and there was that tone again before he reined in his emotions. “-would never allow it.” "His army fought alongside Dain's for a time. It was… like nothing I'd ever seen before. But she was banished for disobeying his orders." Kili recalled how horrified -- and deeply sorry -- he had been to learn the cost she would pay for her choice, and he could not help the anger that seeped back into his own voice briefly. It didn't last long, however. He did not want to start off on the wrong foot here, not when he knew his elf and her king had begun to make amends. "But she… I should not speak on her behalf, but I believe she was only following what her heart said was right. As was her king, though their hearts said very different things." It was difficult to put into words without confessing everything right there on the spot. He'd wanted to give Thorin more time to adjust to the rest of the news first. "She did not want to see me, or any of our company, perish for any reason. I know it seems unlikely, but it is true." He smiled, faintly. "You would like her, if you got to know her." Kili sent up a silent prayer to Mahal - even though this was a different world - that he would be right. Fili gave his brother a hard look. It's true the two of them have yet to openly discuss the relationship between Tauriel and Kili, but Fili thought he was doing his best to let Kili know of his consent. After all, it made his brother happy, and Tauriel seemed very real in her own affections for him. Of course he had hoped that their conversation would have happened before Thorin arrived. What mattered most to Fili was Kili's happiness. Tauriel did spring a light in Kili's eyes that Fili had not seen in a long time, if ever. That spoke volumes to Fili and she was indeed a very likable elf. "I would suggest speaking with both of them, the prince and the captain. They are more than willing to tell their side, when you are ready to meet them." He was amused by his brother's act, wanting to avoid the subject at all costs, but this was not a tale Fili could tell. It was a lesson that Kili had to learn on his own. Kili was no longer a child, and in this sense, Fili could not protect him. The idea that Tauriel would aid dwarves against the orders of her king was hard to fathom. He knew that once there had been an alliance between the dwarves of Erebor and the elves of the Greenwood and that he couldn’t truly say what had broken it. He remembered his grandfather denying Thranduil some gems for reasons he had not known but his questions to his father had gone unanswered. Thorin shot Kili a look that spoke volumes about the idea of him liking any elf but, elf or not, he could acknowledge his debts. “I owe her my thanks, if nothing else,” he said gruffly. “She saved your life and that is a debt I cannot repay.” He didn’t know if it was the news he had just received and its grim nature or just the very thought of speaking politely to elves but he suddenly felt the weariness he had been fighting since he had been deposited in this world by the blue cube wash over him. He had just been battling - after a fashion - a dragon, with far too many close calls for himself and the company than he liked to think about. As little as he liked to show such weakness, this was family he was with. He drew a hand down his face. “I… have much to think about.” He drew the odd card he had been given out of his tunic. “They tell me this is a key.” "Please --" Kili's brow furrowed slightly, worried that it would go no farther than his uncle's thanks. His voice trembled with emotion he was trying to hold in. It was more than he’d asked of Fili so far. "It would mean a great deal to me if you would try. For me." But maybe what he needed to give Thorin now was time. Kili recalled how Legolas told him to be patient and he relaxed his shoulders. He needed to be patient and to let his uncle rest. Now that they were all here, Kili's heart felt more full than it had in weeks. It would not help to rush his uncle into accepting her as readily as he had. "It is. We can show you how to use it." He'd never felt so anxious around his uncle before, and part of him wanted to run, as far away as he could. It made Kili want to ask Fili to take over and guide their uncle from here, but he didn’t. "You deserve your rest. We can talk about all of this when you're ready." Fili got Kili a look when he spoke. It was best to let Thorin rest, this was a lot of information to take in, and Thorin’s thoughts towards the elves were going to take more time and patience. He understood why Kili was so eager, but with the look he gave his brother, hopefully he would leave it at that. Turning to his uncle he nodded, agreeing with Kili’s statement about a key. “It’ll lead you to your quarters, but know you are always welcome here, with us.” He gestured towards his brother, purposely leaving out the fact that Tauriel also lived with them. Again, that was a topic for another time. “We’ll show you everything that you’ll need in due time, but Kili is right. You must rest.” |