His Promise | Kili fanfic (Complete)

Chapter 21 - Brink

The pain was almost too much, but I had strength enough to keep a hand covering the baby's body, even as I was struck with that damned creatures' arrow. The baby cried in my arms as the waters finally calmed, but my eyes were closed and my head was against the edge of the barrel. I felt as if my legs would give way at any given moment, but I had to remain strong for his sake. I forced open my eyes and gently rocked the baby both my arms, shushing him as he continued to make a noise. "Kili, you need to keep that baby quiet in case there are any Orc's still following us" Dori quietly said.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asked, looking over the company to where we had just come.

"Not that I can see" Balin replied, sounding as cheerful as ever.

I thought Bofur had fallen asleep during the barrel ride down stream until he suddenly leaped up inside his barrel and spat out about half the river, losing his balance inside the barrel as he went. "I think we've out run the Orc's" He said, looking behind us.

"Not for long, but we've lost the current" Thorin replied, paddling his way down stream with a huge stick he'd found. I proceeded to use my arms to drag my barrel towards a rock formation at the side of the river, but it was tough with a child and the salt water in my leg.

"Good thing, none of us have drowned" Dwalin remarked, making me chuckle in my efforts.

"Make for the shore" Thorin ordered just as I reached the rocks myself and climbed out of the barrel, gripping my leg.

I moved away from the edge and almost collapsed if not for the baby against my chest, reminding me of why I couldn't give up. I kneeled on the rocks and checked the little boy's face, smiling as he gazed up at me, his big green eyes just like his mother's, as if she was looking at me herself. Once the child had a hold of my finger, I moved my leg to check on it. A huge hole was carved in the side of my leg, blood coming out of it at a slow pace with every beat of my pulse. It hurt and I grit my teeth, grunting with the flesh as I dabbed a cloth on it. But when I opened my eyes, Bofur was looking at me like I was about to keel over and die. I dropped my face and stared at him. "I'm fine. It's nothing" I lied, glancing down again.

"On your feet" Thorin said as he passed us.

"Kili's wounded" Fili told him as he came to kneel beside me. "His leg needs binding"

"We have an Orc pack on our tale. We keep moving" My uncle replied, looking upstream with concern plastered all over his face.

Balin laughed. "To where?" He questioned, his long white beard soddened against his shirt.

"To the mountain, of course. We're so close" Bilbo said, his shoulders hunched as he walked along side the older Dwarf.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have a mounded man, a child and a woman who can barely stand as it is. And we've no way of getting across that lake without drawing attention" Balin said, shrugging and sighing at the Hobbit. My attention was caught as I noticed Anna standing at the back of the company with her arm around Nori's neck as he helped her stand. She struggled for a second, before he stepped away and she was able to walk forward.

"So then we go around" Bilbo suggested, moving to Anna and taking her hand.

"The Orc's will run us down as sure as daylight and we've no weapons, therefore no ways of defending ourselves" Dwalin interjected, as he stood with Thorin near me.

"Bind his leg quickly" Thorin said harshly, crossing the flat rocks in front of me.

"I need to feed my baby" Anna spoke up as Bilbo walked behind her towards Thorin, her face pale and weak as if she were the one shot in the leg.

Thorin turned away, his face twisted in disgust. "You have two minutes" He muttered before walking away.

Immediately, Anna crouched in front of me and allowed me to hand her baby back to her, my hand supporting its head as she held him in her arms, gazing lovingly at his face. She gave me a thankful smile before walking to edge of the rocks and sitting down with her back to the company. Fili began to wrap a cloth around my thigh, pulling it a little tight to help me, and I patted him on the shoulder for it, thanking him gratefully. He rolled his eyes and continued working. I listened intently to the sounds of the birds and the calm waters below us as it flowed effortlessly across the smooth rocks and slapped against the sides, making it sound like a faint applause. I blinked and whizzed my head around to see the silhouette of a man holding a bow and arrow, ready drawn. I was going crazy. The man fired an arrow at someone on the waters edge, and when I looked, it was Dwalin, but the arrow had pierced a stick he was holding, so not harming him. I plucked a small rock from the ground and aimed it at the man, but it suddenly wasn't in my hand anymore, and I looked at my empty palm confused. He was as good aim as I was with an arrow. "Do it again and you're dead" The man said, still in silhouette against the clouded sun.

"Excuse me, but you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken?" Balin said, his hands in the air as the man turned his aim at him. "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available to hire by any chance?"

The bowman lowered his aim and looked behind him at his small boat. "May I take these barrels?" He asked, then turned and walked over to it as Balin motioned for the barrels to be rolled over to him. And soon they were. All assembled at the edge of the wooden pier, as were the company. "What makes you think I would help you?" The man asked.

"Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat" Balin said. "I presume you have a lot of mouths to feed. How many bearers?"

The man smiled as he loaded the next barrel. "A boy and two girls"

"And your wife, I imagine... a beauty" Balin glanced back to the rest of us as I perched on a rock with Anna.

The man looked away, staring across the river. "Ey, she was"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, come on. Enough with the nicesties!" Dwalin grumbled, knowing too well that his brother's charms could go on for hours.

"What's your hurry?" The man asked suddenly composed.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin questioned, frowning.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands" The dark haired man leaned on the edge of the barge, staring at Balin, who shrugged.

"We are..."

"...simple merchants from the Blue mountains, travelling to see our kin in the Island Hills" Anna spoke up, standing with her growing baby perched on her hip.

"'Simple merchants' you say" The man lifted an eyebrow, seemingly convinced.

"We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" Trust Thorin to get straight to the point.

The man looked from my uncle, to Balin, to Anna and noticed her child, then turned to the barrels and ran his fingers along the wood. "I know where these barrels came from" He told us.

"What of it?" Throin angrily asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the Elves, but I don't think it ended well. "No one enters Laketown but by leave of the master. All his wealth comes from the Woodland Realm. He would see you in irons before risking the father of King Thranduil" The man tossed the rope tying the boat to the side, landing in Balin's arms.

"I'll wager there are ways of entering that town unseen" Balin continued, dropping the ropes.

"Ey" The man replied. "But for that, you would need a smuggler"

"For which we will pay double" Balin said as I felt myself almost collapse if not for Fili's hand in mine.