Return to Me (Kili)

Bonus: Ravenhill (Kili's POV)

Thorin took Dwalin, leaving Kili and Fili to scout the watchtower at Ravenhill. Kili's heart thumped nervously in his chest. No one knew they were here, tracking Azog alone. He hoped the others were safe.

Kili took the stairs to the second level of the tower, and Kili drew his bow, nocking an arrow as he prowled through the ruins, stepping lightly. He heard a noise behind him and turned with his bow raised and ready to fire, but froze. His eyes locked with Priscilla's. She whispered his name and he could tell she was frantic. Something was wrong. A flash of anger shot through him but he pushed it away. Now was not the time to hold grudges. Priscilla had her reasons for hiding the Arkenstone from him. 

He lowered his bow and stepped over to her, worried now. "What are you doing here?!"

"Kili, I'm sorry about earlier. Please forgive me." Priscilla grabbed one of his hands. 

"You should be in Erebor," Kili shook his head. Priscilla's eyes widened again. Her hands were clammy and she was shaking terribly.

"We have to leave. Azog has another army attacking from the north. It's a trap. There will be no way out." She said quickly.

"But we're so close, Priscilla. I can feel it." He said, glancing around.

"No! No. You can live to fight another day. There's no chance if we stay." She said, grabbing his other hand now, her voice turning into a pleading whisper. "Please. I can't lose you. Please."

Kili looked at her for a moment, seeing the desperation, fear, and humility in her eyes. No matter how hard he had pushed her away, she still came after him. There was something special about this girl, he decided. If they got out of this alive... When they got out of this... He would never push her away again. He nodded. "I need to get to Fili and the others."

"Bilbo has warned Thorin and Dwalin," Priscilla said, following Kili back down the corridor to the staircase Fili had gone up. Next to the stairs was an opening, and Kili stepped up to it to signal to Thorin, but stopped short. His uncle was staring up at the tower, face pale, horror in his eyes. Kili's heart dropped as he heard Azog on the level above them scream something unintelligible. Thorin yelled Fili's name and started to rush up to the tower furiously.

And then his brother's body hit the ground in front of him. Lifeless. Bloody.

Rage flew through Kili and he grabbed his sword, turning to the stairwell. Priscilla stopped him and he turned to see her crying and terrified.

"Kili, no. Please. You can't."

He pulled his hand away and turned towards the stairs again. When he reached the top Azog had jumped down to meet Thorin in hand-to-hand combat, and he could see another massive army approaching Dwalin from the north. He didn't have time to watch his uncle fight Azog, however, as a pair of Orcs came from around a wall towards him. He hoped Priscilla would have some sense and stay on the lower floor, but he knew she wouldn't. She was too stubborn. 

Just as he thought, she emerged from the stairwell holding a flimsy tree branch. He kicked the Orc to his right, ran the one on his left through with his blade, then turned and killed the first one. 

"Priscilla, go! It's not safe!" He prepared his sword to meet another Orc approaching him. 

"I'm not going to leave you!" Priscilla yelled back. He clenched his teeth. Why did she have to be so adamant and stubborn? Why couldn't she just leave him alone this one time? She didn't know how to fight. She was going to get hurt. He couldn't let that happen. Not to her. Not to his Priscuit. 

He spun around to block a blow from the Orc, and another followed. It headed for Priscilla. Kili shouted in rage but he couldn't shake off the first one enough to distract the second one from Priscilla.

He watched her from the corner of his eye as she raised the branch to intercept the Orc's swing, but the sword bit into the wood and flung it to the side effortlessly. She dove for Fili's fallen sword, and a third Orc ascended the stairwell. She tripped, reaching for the blade, and the third Orc brought his mace down on her hand. 

The first two Orcs were on Kili now, but there was no way Priscilla would defeat the third one on her own. It raised its weapon again, this time aiming for her head. Kili called out her name and dispatched the two Orcs fighting him, making his way to her. She rolled out of the way - thank goodness - but the Orc snarled and grabbed her by the neck and Kili saw the terror in her eyes as she looked at him, unable to do anything with her mangled hand. Kili saw a parapet behind the Orc and rushed for it as Priscilla kicked the Orc.

By the time he had made it up to the parapet the Orc had thrown her against a wall. She sat dazed. Before the Orc could bring down his mace again, Kili leapt onto him from the parapet. They wrestled, Kili sliced the Orc scarcely, and the Orc spun, throwing Kili off of its back. It stalked towards him, and Kili felt his blood run cold, but was at least glad its attention was off of Priscilla. The Orc grabbed his tunic and lifted him up, and Kili watched Priscilla push herself up. Run, he thought. She didn't. She reached for Fili's sword again just as Kili saw the Orc ready his pointed mace at him. He watched Priscilla, not wanting to give the Orc the satisfaction of seeing his eyes as...

There was a sudden dull pain in his chest, freezing cold and burning hot all at once, and he knew exactly what had happened. He tried one last time to warn Priscilla. Tried to tell her to run, to save herself, to get out of there, but all he could do was mouth her name before the Orc dropped him. He fell to the ground in a slump, now realizing that his wound was fatal. The adrenaline kept him from feeling the pain, but he knew it would come soon. 

He watched Priscilla manage to stand and take up his brother's sword, beaten as she was. Kili felt his heart break a little. She stood no chance, and he couldn't help her. She would die because she came after him. He wished he had never approached her that first night in her hobbit hole. None of this would have happened. 

Kili could now feel the blood in his lungs, and his breathing became more haggard. A few moments later Priscilla was dragging herself over to him, shaking him, saying something but he couldn't hear. He coughed and turned his head towards her, seeing the Orc on the ground behind her, dead, Fili's sword embedded into its spine. Had Priscilla done that? He felt a rush of relief and pride. He gave her as much of a smile as he could manage, and he could see that she was crying. 

Kili reached into his pocket and found his engraved stone, then placed it in her hand with the last of his strength. She said something again, but his mind was too cloudy to understand. He coughed again, focusing his eyes on her, wanting to hear her voice and talk to her one last time.

"It was a great adventure, Priscuit." He rasped out, coughing again, his face contorting with pain.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" She choked out, hardly audible beneath her sobs. He had to strain to decipher the words in his head, then smiled weakly when he understood.

"At least once more. I'm glad I got to see Erebor with you." It was true. Though he had always yearned to see Erebor reclaimed, he was especially glad to have done it with her. She had given up her home, her identity, all that she thought she knew about herself to come on this journey. He had come in search of a home, but instead of finding it in Erebor, it seemed they had both found it in each other. He knew she knew it too. 

She was saying something again, panicked, crying so hard he thought she should have kept Bilbo's handkerchief for herself, but it was no matter. All he knew was that he was glad she was alive. He could see the wound on her head bleeding and knew she didn't have much time left if she didn't find help, and that was when he saw the eagles flying in the distance. He smiled again, knowing she would live. She was safe. 

"Wake up. I love you so much. Don't leave me. I can't lose you. Please come back. Please. Come back. Come back to me." Priscilla was shaking him now. He sat up and reached out to grab her shoulder and look at her, to tell her he was okay, that the eagles were coming, but she didn't respond. She kept pleading and crying and shaking him, and Kili felt a different hand on his shoulder. He looked up.

Fili stood there, a sad look on his face, and then Kili knew what had happened. He stood to meet his brother and they embraced. He knew. They both knew. Somehow, seeing Priscilla so broken-hearted hurt more than when he had been fatally injured. He wished he could be there for her, and then Fili pulled away.

"Come," he said, leading his brother away. "Let's go get Thorin."