THE SWIFT FOX (Kili X Reader X Fili) (RE-WRITTEN & UPDATED)

1st Ending: Can a Dead Soul Die Again?

You went missing. Nobody had seen you or heard about you after Thorin banished you from Erebor. Some say they saw you die in the battle. Others say you fled when you had seen the Orcs. None of which was the truth. You neither fought nor fled. You had no idea what had happened, but you knew you had to leave since you were no longer welcome amongst the people who became your home. You thought that one day you would consider returning when Thorin was no longer King Under the Mountain. Maybe Fili would let you stay. But you couldn't. You just knew you would not be able to face the brothers again for it was too painful. They were the reasons why you left. You simply could not choose either of them, because you loved them both equally. So you had chosen neither of them, despite promising Fili to make a choice in the end, and you also risked appearing as a coward in Kili's eyes for never even trying. You abandoned the prophecy Lord Elrond had told you and didn't set free either of them. At the time you were leaving, you didn't understand what it would mean to abandon the prophecy altogether.

The battle evolved the very day after you had left. You didn't know that the line of Durin had been broken and that the Dwarves you loved with all your heart, Fili and Kili, were dead.

You went back to Rivendell. You didn't know why the Elves let you stay there, but they did. And you were thankful for that. It was easy for you to adjust to the life of the Elves and you had grown to like Imladris and its people. Your heart was almost at peace, except for those moments when your memories and the dwelling love in your heart you felt for the brothers flooded your mind. You missed them greatly, but you still believed your departure was for the best.

It was two weeks after your leaving when the news of the battle and the death of the Durins reached Imladris.

...

You didn't age like most of the Dwarves did. Nobody did in your family. You knew - you felt it in your bones - that you were a mortal creature and that your days were numbered. However, your appearance didn't change at all - decades passed and you didn't age a bit on the outside. Not like on the inside. You felt tired, ready to lay down the heavy burdens you carried. All of your days looked the same - you got lost in the dullness of the conservative routine you lived with. It seemed to numb the pain enough to make your life bearable. But the ache had never really left. It felt like something still kept you there. Something still held you in the life of the living which only tightened its grip when you tried to escape. So you gave up.

One day, you were sitting in the library brushing up on your knowledge of history as usual when something unexpected had happened. A book had been dropped and it landed with a loud thud as it hit the ground. You looked up from your own book and saw an old hobbit with wrinkled face and white hair.

"(Y/n)..." the hobbit said with disbelief. "It cannot be..."

"Excuse me, do I kno -" you started when you suddenly recognized him. "Bilbo..." you whispered.

You got up from the chair and rushed to the side of your old friend, restraining yourself from hugging him. You just picked up the book he had dropped and placed it in his hands.

"Everyone thought you were dead," he muttered.

"I... I had to leave," you said, tearing up.

"But they all trusted you! You could have known that Thorin would change his mind! Tell me, what's been more important than him? Than Fili and Kili? They all depended on you," Bilbo said, clearly hurt.

You turned away from him and stared out of the window to hide your tears.

"The brothers both loved you. But obviously you have never cared for them. Oh, (Y/n), I was there. I heard Fili's last words as he uttered your name before Azog killed him. I was there holding Kili in my arms after he received a lethal wound. Do you know what he told me, (Y/n)?" Bilbo was crying now. "He said 'Find her and tell her we both died so she can live.' And I've been everywhere. I've been looking for you for years."

Every word he said was a dagger in you. Your heart ached so much you could barely breathe. As your tears fell, one after another, they stained your black silk dress.

"Tell me, (Y/n), did you love them at all?" Bilbo asked, now shaking with sobs, his old face mirroring your own sorrow. You slowly turned around. Bilbo was slightly taken aback by the amount of pain that was displayed on your face.

'I still do. I've mourned every single day," you whispered, your voice shaking. "I've also died 60 years ago when they did. And I am also buried with them in the tombs of Erebor."

"My dear friend..." Bilbo said, opening his arms for you. "I'm sorry I have doubted you."

...

That night you felt weightless and almost content. You felt light on your feet as you skipped through the halls of Imladris with a genuine smile gracing your lips. You felt redeemed. Content. After all those years, you had been granted the closure you needed so desperately.

When you went to sleep, you had woken up to white shores.

And to two well-known and beloved faces.

~~Author's note~~

Alas, we've reached our first ending. Stay tuned, because more endings will follow. This was my original idea for the ending, but I'll write more so that everyone can choose their favorite one.

The feels... D':

The reference at the end... I think you all get what happened. D:

If there's an ending you'd like me to write, tell me in the comments or message me. :) I'm open to any ideas.

Vote and comment! ❤