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

「 Chapter 31 」

Bard had left his hut in a hurry some time ago and had not returned since. To Ilèyn's astonishment, the dwarves had actually kept to what they had been told and had stayed in the little wooden house with the boatman's children.
Since Bard had still not returned, however, and the sun was gradually drawing towards the horizon, the dwarves were getting more restless and jittery, Ilèyn could sense. Thorin and Dwalin had put their heads together the whole time, as if they were thinking something up and the others kept looking out of the windows. The onset of dusk seemed to stress them.
Ilèyn knew that they would all set off for the mountain immediately and without further ado, if they were well equipped enough to do so.
As Bard had not returned shortly before dark, Thorin stepped into the midst of his followers and looked at everyone seriously and meaningfully.
"We don't have any more time.", he said, "The boatman has disappeared and we have no weapons."
Ilèyn saw Bilbo frown, the others exchanging quick glances and mumbling approval.
"We are now on our own, we have to leave immediately."
"But the archer said...", Ori started.
"Do you see him here?", Dori interrupted and gave his brother a punishing look. The youngest just shook his head and looked at the floor.
"We have to get the weapons in the armory, otherwise we have no chance.", Thorin continued.
Most of the dwarfs reacted very positively to the revelation of his plan. They laughed eagerly and patted their shoulders. Only Bilbo, Fili, Balin and Ilèyn remained calm and looked at each other doubtfully.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Thorin.", Bilbo dared to note.
"Do you have a better idea, Master Baggins?", Thorin asked sourly and his stern look pierced the hobbit, "Or do you have weapons with you that could be useful to us?"
Bilbo couldn't find an answer and met Thorin's gaze in silence.
"Then we'll do it my way.", Thorin said in response to Bilbo's silence.
Thereupon the dwarves began hastily to gather their things. Indeed, Ilèyn had never seen them leave so quickly and she had a hard time moving too and being prepared. When the archer put on her doublet, which was still slightly wet, and fastened the straps, Bard's son suddenly came rushing to them.
"What are you going to do?" he asked uncertainly.
Ilèyn opened her mouth to answer him, but then Thorin pushed her aside and stood in front of the boy.
"That's none of your business, kid." he said coolly.
"Father said I can't let you go." the latter returned and tried to look seriously at Thorin.
"Watch how you talk to our King, you little..." Dwalin growled and stood behind his leader.
Ilèyn left the discussion between the three of them behind and hurried to Fili. The young dwarf was just trying to tie the robe he was wearing so that it would not prevent him from walking.
"Do you think that's right?" Ilèyn hissed as she came to a stop next to the blonde. "If we are discovered, we will spend the rest of our lives in a musty cell in a human city."
The archer glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the group and then turned back to the dwarf.
"This is not really my preferred way of spending my future." she added.
Fili looked up at her.
"I think Thorin has given his plan enough thought." he tried to reassure Ilèyn, but didn't sound too convinced of what he had said.
"It won't go wrong. It can't go wrong."
"Don't trust your uncle's mind, Fili." Ilèyn said and her sudden warning tone made Fili pause in his departure. "The mountain does something with his spirit and his soul, I can feel it." She scowled at the dwarf leader, who was pounding past the boy, Dwalin and the others behind him. They pushed open the door and carefully started down the stairs on the outside of the house.
She and Fili looked a little helpless and indecisive. Since they couldn't think of a better way to solve the situation in their rush, both forced themselves to follow the company.

The dwarfs crept quietly and cautiously between the houses, at every slightest noise that came from them or from somewhere else, they sought cover. Everyone knew that they couldn't afford to be discovered.
Ilèyn was not comfortable with it at all. How could a bunch of slightly impatient dwarves manage to clear out an armory? Secretly. And unseen. That just couldn't work together in Ilèyn's head.
Several times she had already caught objects that the dwarfs had carelessly pushed down from various market stalls, benches or piers, and thus prevented the whole neighborhood from standing at the window because of the noise and seeing the uninvited guests.
But then the moment came when Thorin signaled the group to stop.
The dwarfs stood in a long row one behind the other on a thin jetty, the water on their left, the armory on their right, and directly in front of them a small window, firmly locked and located on the second floor.
"Part of the group stays down here, understand?" Thorin instructed and began to explain his plan in a whisper. Ilèyn didn't particularly like the role she played in it.
"Why exactly do I have to give you access?" she whispered a little indignantly.
"You can pick locks and you're significantly faster than Nori at it." came the impatient answer.
"What?" Nori asked indignantly and his louder outburst was censored with a hasty hiss.
Thorin sent Dwalin, Fili, Bofur, and most of the others to access the window like a large robber ladder. While Ilèyn waited to climb the dwarfs, the others kept looking for guards or townspeople.
In the meantime, the dwarf tower had come to an end with Fili as the tip. Ilèyn looked skeptically at the others behind her and cursed herself for having come with them at all.
With long strides she ran quietly and swiftly towards the tower in front of her, jumped on the back of the first dwarf and worked her way up quickly until she had the closed window right in front of her nose. Fili held her tight and she carefully balanced on his shoulders. Ilèyn looked down as she reached for her belt to pull out the small metal pick. The moment she pulled it out, the dwarfs under her began to sway a little and she almost let go of it. When she leaned forward to get hold of the lockpick again, she too almost lost her balance.
"All good, I have you!" Fili whispered, holding her even tighter by her legs and preventing her from falling into the icy water below. Ilèyn nodded briefly and exhaled with relief as she began to work on the heavy lock on the window.
It actually didn't take long until the lock popped open, she opened the window and signaled Fili that he could let go of her. He did as he was told and Ilèyn immediately started the descent.
She reached the footbridge and made room for the rest of the group, who could now enter the armory through the window.
"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain." Thorin whispered to the others when they noticed that Ilèyn had finished.
"Go go go!" someone hissed and Nori was the first to run, climbed the dwarf tower and reached the window. Next was Bilbo's turn. He too reached the top of the tower and Fili lifted him the last little bit up. One after the other followed until the other part of the group was able to free themselves from the tower and now waited below.