✓ | Forget-Me-Not ~ Fili FanFiction / Hobbit FanFiction / Fili FF

「 Chapter 41 」

Thranduil waited another moment while examining Bard. Then he turned to his army and gave a brief command. All of a sudden none of the soldiers moved anymore. Ilèyn looked up at her uncle, who hadn't taken his eyes off Bard.
"If it means so much to you..." he said indifferently "Talk to him. But I'm not here to wait." The threatening undertone in Thranduil's last sentence made Ilèyn look anxiously at Bard. The latter did not reply, whirled around and looked for his horse. Ilèyn hurried after him.
"Let me come with you!" she said urgently.
"This is not one of your business, I'm sorry." replied Bard without stopping.
"It is my business!" Ilèyn shouted angrily "I have to come with you, I just have to, do you hear?"
Bard stopped and looked at Ilèyn. The dwarf looked at him with an almost pleading look. Bard struggled with himself, but in the end he just sighed and nodded slightly.
"Fine." he said softly "Come with me." He spun around and hurried to the white horse that waited with a few others in front of a collapsed wall. Bard lifted Ilèyn onto the back of the horse and swung up behind her. Without hesitation and with Thranduil's impatience on his neck, the man drove the white horse on and rode through the winding streets of Dale out of the city, over a stone bridge to a great plain surrounded by mountains. A single path led from Dale directly to the main gate at the foot of the lonely mountain.
It was a few minutes on horseback to reach the mountain, and Bard urged the animal on to the highest speed. They quickly left the city behind and Ilèyn felt the excitement choke her breath. From Thorin's point of view and that of the others, she was now on the side of the enemy. They came to peace negotiations with an army of Elves behind them. What did that have to look like? Thorin definitely wouldn't be kind to her.
But the closer they got to the mountain, the stronger became Ilèyn's desire to see Fili. Be it from a distance or just for a brief moment to let him know she was alive.
They had not yet reached the slight rise in front of the gate and in front of Bard and Ilèyn the huge stone wall was already visible, which now blocked the gate. Thorin and the others must have worked on that all night.

Now they reached the last section of the way to the gate of Erebor and Ilèyn could already see how Thorin appeared behind the wall of stones, his head crowned, his shoulders covered with a heavy, noble cloak. One by one the other dwarfs appeared next to him and when Bard and Ilèyn on horseback had made the last few meters to the gate, Ilèyn saw Fili appear behind the wall.
"Fili." she breathed in relief and looked up. She saw Fili lean forward in surprise and met his beaming gaze.
"Hail, Thorin, son of Thrain. We are glad to find you alive beyond hope."
While Bard spoke, Ilèyn barely held it on the horse's back. She wanted to go up to the others, she wanted to be with Fili.
"It's Ilèyn, look!" Bofur called from above. The other dwarfs mumbled approvingly and even looked happy to see her. All but Thorin. The latter had not yet given Ilèyn a glance and looked suspiciously down at Bard.
"Help her up here, what are you waiting for?" Fili and Kili immediately found a rope and attached it to an iron ring in the wall. When the rope was lowered, Ilèyn could not wait any longer, swung in front of Bard from the horse's back and approached the wall. She grabbed the thick rope and put her feet against the wall to climb up.
"Why do you come to the gates of the King under the Mountain armed for war?" heard Ilèyn Thorin ask. She didn't look to the side and concentrated on not slipping off the smooth stone.
"Why does the King under the Mountain fence himself in?" asked Bard, who still hadn't got off his horse. "Like a robber in his hold?"
"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed." returned Thorin.
Ilèyn reached the top of the wall and pulled herself up the last meter of the rope. Someone grabbed her and helped her over the large stones behind the wall. When she stumbled to a halt, she immediately saw Kili's beaming face.
"There you are again!" he said happily and smiled.
Fili hastily pushed past his brother and before Ilèyn could react, he had her in a tight hug. Ilèyn let out a sigh of relief when she felt his arms around her, put her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She no longer heard what Thorin, the others and Bard were discussing, she concentrated on him alone.
"Thank Mahal" he said almost inaudibly "You are alive."
The unbelievable burden of not knowing about Ilèyn's whereabouts suddenly fell away from him.
"I'm fine." she whispered.
"I was so worried about you, I thought you were..." Fili didn't want to finish the sentence or think about it and hugged Ilèyn even tighter.
"How... how did you..." Shortly afterwards Fili loosened the embrace a little and looked at Ilèyn questioningly.
"I should tell you about that later." she interrupted him gently and put her hands on his shoulders "It's kind of a long story..."