The Fifteenth Member

A Promise

Attaras's POV

After what seemed like hours I glanced into Kili's cell again to see him tossing some kind of stone in the air and catching it.

"That stone in your hand, what is it?" I asked him, hoping the bitterness from earlier would be gone. As his eyes met mine I could see that it wasn't.

"It is a talisman." he told me, "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed" he threatened as he pressed the stone up against the bars between the cells. I turned away quickly, it seemed his mood had not improved at all. "Or not" he spoke up again, this time in a laughing manner, "depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token." he told me, smiling at me as I smile back at him. "A runestone" he continued, "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

This was not the first time I had heard Fili or Kili speak of their mother. She was Thorin's sister and loved both of her sons dearly. "What promise?" I asked.

"That I will come back to her" he said. "She worries. She thinks I'm reckless." he continued. This made my heart ache thinking about the boys poor mother at home wondering when they come home. It was then I mentally promised myself that I would get the brothers home safe.

"Well that you are" I said, laughing slightly.

"Nah" he replied, "no more than you." he said laughing. I grinned at him in response.

"Attara" I heard a familiar voice say at the door to my cell. I looked up to meet Legolas's bright blue eyes, I had been so enthralled by my conversation with Kili that I had not even heard him approach. "Have you changed your mind?" he asked, but I simply shook my head in response. He sighed, "Come with me, we have much to discuss" he told me as he opened my cell door.

I glanced back at Kili as I got up. His expression had changed from that of joyous laughter to pure hatred in a matter of seconds. I thought for a moment he was glaring at me, but he was instead glaring at Legolas. As I looked towards my cell door I saw that Legolas was fixing Kili with a steely glare as well. I sighed heavily and followed Legolas out of my cell and up towards the halls of the wooden realm.

Kili's POV

I glared at the blonde elf as he lead Attara away. He matched my glare until he was about to round a corned, when I saw him put his arm around Attara's shoulders and pull her into a tight side hug. She smiled up at him and he glanced back at me, meeting my eyes with a smirk evident on his face. I let out a loud groan once they were out of sight and slid down to the floor of my cell.

I hated seeing him with her. I hated seeing the way he looked at her. I hated that she had gone with him to who knows where. I hated the stupid nickname he gave her. But most of all, I hated that she did not see the way I looked at her.

"Someone's a wee bit jealous aren't you now lad?" I heard Balin say from a neighboring cell.

"N-no" I stammered in response, "I am just mad we are being held in the cells when Durin's Day is so close." I tried to lie.

"Aye sure lad" Balin laughed, "We've all seen the way you look at her, too bad she doesn't see it herself, but she'll come around."

"And now she's off with the elven princess" I mumbled under my breath.

"She'll be back laddy" Balin assured me, "remember, she decided to sleep down here with us when she could be up in her rooms with them."

I sighed heavily. I could only hope what Balin said was true.