[IC] Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

[kiiblade]

"Where are we going?" Kili did what he could to match his uncle's pace. Lakedown was best described as a slum of sorts; there wasn't an ounce of greenery in sight, the area was cold, stricken with poverty, and dark. In all his life, Kili had never seen such a place. Neither had Bilbo. This was absolutely nothing like The Shire. It was difficult to comprehend such a loathsome place existed.
"Yes, where?" Bilbo was in agreement with Kili. Thorin hadn't said anything as he lead them around the house, and he was starting to feel a bit unnerved. "Is there a back door?"

"No." Thorin nodded towards the water. "There's another way in."
Bilbo exchanged horrified glances with Kili. This would not be pleasant.

Inside, Bard's two daughters ran up to meet their father. “Da! Where have you been?” Tilda hugged Bard, as did
Sigrid. “Father! There you are. I was worried.”

[AngelBites15]

Bard hugged back his only two beautiful daughters, Tilda and Sigrid, while Saeril pulled down her hood, but keeping her cloak on, (what's to say? She can't take it off). The house was warm and cozy, albeit small. It was totally different to the Shire, and there isn't a speck of any riches in sight; it's almost as if there was hardly any money in this harbor at all.

Their father peered out the window to make sure that the spies weren't watching anymore, eventually nodding to his son. "Bain, get them in", he murmured. The boy headed down to the toilet and rapped three times on the wall to give the dwarves the signal. Dwalin's head rose up, eyes narrowed at the young boy. "If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off!" the dwarf hissed at him, slapping his hand away when he tried to help. "Up there!", the boy pointed to where they should go, pulling a shivering Bilbo up after Dwalin.

[kiiblade]

Sigrid looked to Saeril with curiosity, then nearly jumped in surprise as she saw the dwarves enter the home, one by one. “Da...why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?”
Tilda watched, finding this fascinating rather than alarming. “Will they bring us luck?”

Kili was helped out by Bifur, the pain in his leg never quite ceasing, nor giving him a moment to recover. The company was soaked clean through, and though the home was warm, they were half frozen. Sigrid quickly retrieved some blankets with her little sister, and one by one, they offered them to each member of the company and also Saeril.

Thorin remained near the window, his gaze settled upon a tower-like structure. “A Dwarvish Wind-Lance.”
Bilbo approached him, though was careful to keep his distance. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Balin nodded, growing solemn. “He has. The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast.”
Thorin shook his head, then turned away. “Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different.”

[AngelBites15]

Later, the company sat by the fire to dry themselves off as Bard gave them dry clothes. "They may not be the best fit, but they’ll keep you warm", Saeril took some of the clothes from Tilda, and helped pass them around, especially for the brothers. She did hear with her elf ears that Kili was in pain, but she didn't want to make herself too worried. Right now, all she did was silently pray to Mahal that the poison wouldn't kick in, until they got to the mountain. If Thorin finds out, Kili's dream, as well as his heart, will be crushed. The last thing she and Fili needed, was a very depressed young Durin.

"You speak as if you were there", Bard frowned slightly, standing behind Thorin, Balin, and the Hobbit.

[kiiblade]

Thorin eyed Bard with his continual air of mistrust. “All dwarves know the tale. “You took our money. Where are the weapons?” Time was running out, and he knew it. The longer they remained in Laketown, the less chance they had to get into Erebor. Their journey would have been for nothing. This was something he could never allow; they had to get a move on.

Once given room to speak in private, Thorin turned towards his kin. “Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn.”
Balin gave a small sigh, holding his mug of tea to better warm himself. “Durin’s Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then.”
It was now that Kili spoke up. There was plenty going through his mind, and he made it a point to stand up straight in order to conceal the fact that he was injured. Reclaiming Erebor had been his lifelong dream, an arrow could not stop that. “And if we do not? If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?”

[AngelBites15]

"Then this journey was all for nothing", Fili added to his little brother's wonder. He worried, yes, along with his uncle to find the hidden door. Worse, both his and Kili's dream to see the mountain for the first time, would be diminished. They had to keep their spirits up, despite the fact that Kili was injured. However, he noticed that his brother was paler than usual, and that was what worries him most. He was almost as pale as their godmother, or worse, paler than death. He couldn't think this way; it was his dream to not give up.

The she-elf was standing near the window, looking out, being quieter than usual; as if she was never there with them. Bard was quiet for a moment before he began to walk away. "Wait here", he told them before disappearing out of the house, towards his boat, and reels out the weapons from underneath. He laid them out, and the company gathered round to pick them out, though they frowned and muttered under their breaths when they realised they were crudely fashioned, and not what they were expecting at all.
"What's this?", asked Fili, picking up something that looked like a harpoon.
"A pike hook", Bard answered, "Made from an old harpoon."

[kiiblade]

Thorin and Dwalin inspected their weapons, then looked at one another with matching looks of disgust. These would not do. At all. They would have to obtain better weaponry before setting forth.
Since he'd paid his way in coin, Gloin was riled, and he tossed a pike back to the table. “We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged swords and axes!”
"It's a joke!" Bofur agreed with him, and they all voiced their displeasure.
Balin rubbed a hand over his face wearily. “Thorin...why not take what’s been offered and go? I’ve made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now.”

Kili used the poor excuse of a weapon to lean on. Keeping on his feet proved to be a mistake, for he was hurting worse than before. Slowly. he used the weapon to lower himself to a nearby seat. Wincing, he examined the bandage on his leg, though made sure that no one was looking. He only needed to hold on a few more days...they were so very close, he could not give up now.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril made a quiet, frustrated groan at the company's displeasure in such weapons. Stubbornness kills them all; it was in their Dwarvish blood. Not to say that they are the only ones. The she-elf maneuvered herself so she was right in front of her injured godson, already expressing such pity, and silent fear within her eyes, already knowing what this wound would do to him later on, if not treated immediately. But she couldn't do it in front of the company, for the sake of Kili not to be a let-down. She understood his predicament, and she felt his pain. Kneeling down to his level, she was careful to block the sight of his leg to anyone, and placed a hand on top of his rested one.

"You can't leave", Bard protested. "What did you say?", Dwalin demanded of receiving such a threat. anger. "There are spies watching this house, and probably every dock and wharf in the town. We must wait till nightfall", he explained whike looking out the window.

[kiiblade]

When Saeril approached, Kili was quick to move his hand away from the wound to his leg. For a brief moment, he worried that she may have reprehended him, but she didn't. Instead, she helped block his injury from the others. This was a relief. With a faint smile to show his thanks, Kili moved over a little so that she could sit down too if she wished it.

Thorin was in discussion with Dwalin. The plan had been made: they would sneak out from Bard's, steal the weaponry needed, then leave towards the mountains. There was no time to rest, no time to sleep. The sooner they arrived to their destination, the better. Time was something they no longer had.
"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain."

[AngelBites15]

Saeril didn't move from her spot, only to just in amusement when her godson made room for her. Whether if he knew it or not, his injury had to remain covered, so she stayed where she was. Scanning his young Dwarven facials, where he had no beard, she lightly smoothed a hand on his cheek, to his lower jaw. There was pity in her luminous eyes, and she wanted to help him so badly, the she-elf feared about his upcoming fate, more than anything in her entire Elven life.

Making up her mind, Saeril looked at the injury on his leg, and back up to him. "I'll go grab some medicine", she quietly told him. "We'll quickly tend to it, and we'll be on our way", the she-elf bored her eyes at him, a motherly glare. "Stay here", it was serious. Standing up to her full height, Saeril covered her face with her hood, and before anybody noticed, she slipped out. What she didn't know, was that they made their slip as soon as she left.

[kiiblade]

Kili lifted his eyes to meet his godmother's. The youngest felt comforted by her presence, and he leaned his face to her hand in appreciation of her so faithfully helping him. "Medicine?" In a town this broken, Kili doubted very much that anything worthwhile could have been found to heal him, but he had to cling to that hope. "Alright...I will," he managed a tired promise, nearly ready to fall asleep. Unfortunately, sleep never came. As soon as Saeril left, Thorin and the others put their plan into action.

Later, the company found themselves at the town armory. The building was no more than a shack, and the top window was open. Kili felt badly to have broken his promise so soon, but they'd needed his help. Together, the dwarves used one another to reach the top. Once inside, they were met with a wide array of weaponry.

"What about Saeril? How will she know where to find us?" Kili stayed put as Thorin handed him a sword followed by an axe. The weapons felt about ten times heavier than they should have, and Kili had to grit his teeth to prevent crying out.

"She will know." Thorin paused only briefly, his eyes on his youngest nephew. The lighting was dim, but Kili looked paler than ever before. "Kili...are you alright?"

Kili forced himself to stand taller. "I can manage. Let's just get out of here." Now with a full armload of weaponry, he moved towards the stairway. On the fourth step, his leg gave out. With a terrible crash, Kili fell down, the weapons spilling in every direction. The sound was more than enough to alert the nearby guards.
As Kili struggled to get back up, someone grabbed his shoulder roughly and held a dagger to his throat. At the same time, three others held swords and spears at the rest of the company. They had been caught red handed.

"Bring them to The Master." The guard forced Kili up, and Kili hissed a breath at the pain the action brought. With a rough shove, he was forced to follow the others outside and into the city.
"This is all my fault," Kili started to blame himself, but Thorin shook his head and motioned him to quiet.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The Master of Laketown left the comforts of home in order to meet with their captives. One of the guards started to fill him in, but Thorin stepped forward.
“We are the dwarves of Erebor...and we have come to reclaim our homeland." Despite their difference in height, Thorin held his head up high. "I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North. I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!”

[AngelBites15]

Saeril was looking about town to find at least a hint of a weed, or a certain plant she could use to tend to Kili's wound. However, right before she was about to turn a corner, a controversy near the Mayor's house made her instantly stop in her tracks. Elvish ears were no mistake, so by pushing her way through the crowd, her eyes widened once she came next to the house of the Master. Perfect to be in the company's eyesight. For once, she felt betrayed that Kili didn't keep his promise.

Now, the she-elf was dissapointed in the brothers, especially the youngest. She breathed deeply through her nose as she tensed, shaking her head in dissapproval. Even while the crowd was cheering, Saeril wasn't liking it, and it only made her worried. Even if she knew that Kili and Fili followed Thorin, it was not going to end well for the townspeople, and clearly, the king wasn't in his right mind at the moment; she could sense it.

"Death!", Bard's voice shouted from amongst the crowd as he made his way towards Thorin. "That is what you’ll bring upon us: dragonfire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all", he tried to warn the dwarf Prince.

[kiiblade]

Thorin scoffed lowly. “You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!” This earned cheers from the crowd, and The Master of Laketown smirked to himself. Dwarves were not the only ones fond of gold.

As Thorin and Bard argued, The Master spoke up. "Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!”
Alfrid was quick to agree. “It’s true, sire. We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark.” The people turned on Bard, accusing him for Giron's failure to kill the beast.

Kili pulled away from the guard gripping his shoulder. From where the youngest Durin stood, he could barely see his uncle. In order to get a better look at what was going on, Kili attempted to stand on tiptoe, but the movement hurt, and he inwardly cursed his misfortune.
When Saeril arrived, Kili's heart sank. Like a guilty child, he attempted to hide himself from view, but it was too late. She'd spotted him. Face burning with shame, Kili dropped his gaze. He hadn't wanted to break his promise, but his alliance was split.

[AngelBites15]

"All of you! Listen to me; you must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King, so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!", Bard sternly told the people of Laketown, wanting them to see the true picture of Thorin's plan.

However, the bargeman was below the Master, and the mention of his own ancestor brought an inner anger inside himself. He saw the reality, the people didn't; not to mention the Mayor. "You have no right; no right to enter that mountain!", Bard angrily told the Dwarven prince.

[kiiblade]

“I have the only right.” Thorin turned towards the man in charge. “I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people? What say you?”

The Master fell quiet, and everyone waited with anticipation. Suddenly, he smiled and opened his arms to welcome them. “I say unto you...welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Thorin climbed the stairs, facing Bard down. "We will need adequate supplies..."

Supplies were promised to them, and the guards went to retrieve what was needed. Kili moved to follow the others, careful to keep his distance. As of now, he felt too poorly to apologize to his godmother. Hopefully, she would understand why he broke his promise.

[AngelBites15]

Saeril, in the distance, in front of the crowd, was devastated at hearing this. This wasn't right, and even she knew about that. That mountain will become Thorin's undoing, as well as the horrid fate for Laketown. Taking one long glance at Kili, she looked down and shook her head in devastation before walking off into the crowd.

The next morning, as the company was getting ready to leave for the Lonely Mountain on a barge, they had the weapons provided as they loaded their supplies, along with armor.

Saeril decided she wasn't going; for the sake of the townspeople, she wasn't going. She would rather die with them, rather than see it crumble from a mountaintop. For the brothers, why was there no shame within them to see it happen? This wasn't how she wanted it to be. Not for her, not for them. For her to believe that this will be her last glance to see them, she sat about a foot away from them on a step of the pier, and watched them with hurt, and her hood up.

[kiiblade]

The night had been a long one. Kili barely slept; his conscious nagged him, he felt sick to his stomach and the pain only worsened. When morning came, he had to force himself to his feet. The company was rewarded with new clothes, armor, and weaponry. Such gifts should have brought pleasure to all, Kili could not share in the excitement, he merely followed the others down the dock, head hung low.

Upon seeing Saeril's cloaked figure, Kili looked to her with the faintest bit of hope that he might follow. To his dismay, she did not. "She isn't coming with...is she?" Heartbroken, Kili looked to his brother, and then Thorin clasped a hand to his shoulder in order to stop him.

“Not you." Thorin knew that this would crush his nephew, but he was left with no choice. Kili's health had worsened. "We must travel with speed, you will slow us down.”

Thinking his uncle to be joking, Kili smiled lightly. “What are you talking about? I’m coming with you.”

Thorin's mind had been made up. Bringing Kili would threaten his life more than it was already. “No.”

Kili's worst fears had come to pass. Swallowing hard, he attempted to move forward. “I’m going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin.”

Thorin laid a hand to his shoulder. “Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you’re healed.”

In a state of shock, Kili turned away, his mind reeling.

“I’ll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded.” Oin tried to see to the youngest's injury, but Kili pulled away, refusing treatment of any kind. This was the lowest Kili had ever felt. Thorin had forbid him to come, he had proved himself nothing more than a burden, and he'd even broken his promise to Saeril.

[AngelBites15]

Fili knew the pain that his brother felt, and by looking back at Saeril, he could tell that something unlikely happened, and conflict took place between them. He was just about to say something, when he no longer felt his baby brother following him. Turning back, Kili was being held back by Thorin. Disbelief filled him that their uncle would split them up. Never in their childhood, have they ever split up; it was impossible. Right now, he felt despair for the first time.

"Uncle, don't do this!", the elder brother jumped to Kili's defense. "We grew up on the tales of the Mountain, tales you told us; you can't take that away from him!", Fili narrowed his eyes at Thorin and went to get out of the boat to stand with his brother. "If you won't let him go, I stay. With him and Delva."

Saeril looked up from her devastating period when she heard an argument amongst Thorin and the brothers. To top it off, Kili looked saddened. What was going on? What did Thorin say to them? Curiousity, guilt, and concern filled her, making her stand from where she sat.

[kiiblade]

"Fili," Thorin sighed, his breath visible from the cold. Fili speaking out did not come as a surprise; both brothers were incredibly loyal to one another.
“One day you will be king...and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin.” Seeing that Fili's loyalties were divided, Thorin put a hand to his arm in an attempt to stop him. "Don’t be a fool. You belong with the company.”

Further away, Kili shook his head, insisting to Oin that he was fine. Why would no one listen to him? They had no place else to go, he belonged in Erebor, and above all else he needed to help reclaim their homeland.
"Oin...please, speak sense into him." Kili became increasingly lightheaded, the voices around him were making less and less sense. "I won't let this stop me--"
"Lad, enough! You haven't a choice!" Oin started to guide him away from the dock, and Kili's eyes stung with betrayal. Had things been different, he could have helped, but now he hadn't a choice.

[AngelBites15]

Being stopped by Thorin, didn't stop Fili, unfortunately. All his eldest nephew DD was glare at his uncle, and yank his arm away from his grip. Walking towards Kili, he stood next to him, like he always did during their youth.

The trumpets began to announce the Master as he steps onto a platform and the crowd cheers.

Back in the Masters house, Bofur is passed out drunk under a table when he hears the trumpet. "By my beard, is that the time!?", he shouted with slurred speech before he rises until banging his head on the table. He then rushes out to join the dwarves on the dock. "Wait!"

"Go now with our good will. And may your return bring fortune to all!", the Master announces before the crowd cheers with the company setting off on the barge down the lake. At the same time, Bofur pushes through the crowd, but when he reaches the dock, he sees the rest of the company has left, and is too far down the lake for him to reach. While this was happening, Saeril approached the remaining dwarves, and stood just behind the brothers, placing a hand upon Kili's shoulder, trying to sooth him of his despair.

"I can't believe he would just leave us like that!", Fili growled angrily. Bofur looked to the side, hearing Fili's voice and smiled. "Oh, did you all miss the boat as well?"