The Lions Chapter Six

Chapter 6.



   Fili took his time before entering the main hall of the Iron Mounts’ castle. Kili didn’t force him and just waited for him to be ready to face Thorin. Finally, the blond dwarf sighed deeply and resigned himself to push the large oaken door.

Thorin’s head immediately turned to him, glaring daggers at him.  

« Where were you ? What have you done ?! » He asked him huskily. « Answer me, Fili ! »

The blond ducked his head in submission, eyes locked to the floor.

« I did what I had been told to, Uncle. » He began quietly. « I went outside and- »

« And you disappeared ! » Thorin roared. « With a stranger ! »

« I didn’t know she wasn’t the Princess. King Rogon told me that his daughter was in the garden and when I went, a girl dressed in her finest was standing there. I assumed that- »

« Silence ! » Thorin shouted. « How can you not know who was with you ? I assume that you were anything but speaking to her ?! How can you have been so blind, Fili ? How ?! The slightest discussion would have put you on the right track. »

The King under The Mountain was pacing up and down, but his eyes never left Fili and he looked like if he was about to skin him alive with his nails and teeth.

« Do you have any idea of how the night went for us, Fili ? The Princess appeared without you, maintaining that she never saw you. And you were nowhere to be found. »

He finally stopped, hands clenched at his sides.

« The worst is that you had a stroke of luck that you don’t deserve. »

« A stroke of luck ? » Fili asked, intrigued.

« Kili and I are the only ones who know that you left with another girl. Rogon just knows that you left without his daughter, he doesn’t know that you weren’t alone. He’s probably thinking that you went out too soon, before his daughter, and that you seized your chance to ran away when you saw that you were alone. And let’s hope that he’s still thinking that. We can try to pass your night of debauchery as a fit of fear because of the prospective wedding. It’s not very brave, but it’s better than your real fault. King Rogon will so be flattered to have a coward instead of an unfaithful son-in-law. »

« I’m sorry, Uncle »

« I dare to hope so. »

Both of them stayed silent for a while until Thorin spoke again :

« Who was that girl ? »

Fili stiffened. That was precisely the question he feared.

« Answer me. »

« I don’t think you want to know, Uncle. » Fili answered.

« I do. Answer me. And don’t even try to lie to me. »

Fili kept silence, unable to tell the truth. He couldn’t confess that he spent the night with a homeless girl. He just couldn’t !

« Kili. » Thorin said after a moment.

« Uncle ? » The brunette said.

« Who was she ? » He asked him, startling him.

« W-what ? I don’t know, Uncle. I was with you yesterday for the entire night, how could I know who- »

« Stop trying to protect your brother !! » Thorin yelled. « I’m sure you know more than you’re letting on. Tell me. Who was she ? »

Kili’s eyes locked to his brother’s, fuelled with a genuine fear. He couldn’t betray Fili like this !

« You brats ! » Thorin screamed again. « Why can’t you understand that I’m trying to find a solution ! I can’t help you if you don’t speak to me ! »

« The Princess’s friend » Kili finally confessed before turning to Fili. « I’m sorry, brother… he needs to know and he’ll find out anyway… We need his help for this, we can’t handle such a political mess on our own… »

« The tramp. » Thorin choked. « Are you kidding me ? »

« No, Uncle » Fili admitted. « I’m sorry, but Kili told you the truth. »

The King of Erebor was about to say something, but they were interrupted by Rogon entering the hall, carrying a bag, obviously furious, his face almost red.

« You filthy Prince ! » He shouted.

« Father ! No ! Calm down, I‘m begging you ! » Luvan screamed, running after him.

« Keep silence, you empty headed brat ! » He cried out at his daughter before walking to the blond dwarf.

Startling Fili, Thorin moved to interpose himself between him and Rogon.

« King Rogon. I know your upset, and I am too, but Fili’s my nephew and my heir, and his punishment for his escape is mine to decide. »

« Oh yes… His « escape »… And how are you going to defend the fact that he betrayed my daughter ?! »

« How could he have betrayed me when I didn’t even know that you were planning our wedding before this morning ?! » Luvan argued.

« He betrayed you when he slept with that tramp ! »

Thorin frowned.

« I don’t know what you’re talking about » He said huskily.

« Don’t expend great effort trying to lie to me, King Thorin Oakenshield. »

He let the bag he was holding fall on the floor, and the dark haired dwarf could see old clothes stuffed in it.

« What’s that ? »

« Clothes. Tramp’s clothes. » Rogon answered before facing his daughter. « You invited her, didn’t you ?! That orphan brat that I’ve forbidden you from associating with time and time again ! You lent her a dress and tried to hide her clothes, didn’t you ?! »

« Yes… » Luvan confessed. « I’m sorry, Father, I just wanted my friend to be here, I didn’t expect to create such a mess… »

« Keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear you speak anymore ! And you… » He said, now facing Fili over Thorin’s shoulder. « How can you be stupid enough to mistake a tramp and a Princess ?! »

« You told me that your daughter was in the garden and when I went, I’ve found a girl nicely dressed. Anybody would have made the same mistake ! »

« I’m sorry, Prince Fili, so sorry… » Luvan murmured. « It’s entirely my fault. I’m the one who asked my friend to wait outside and I lied to my father when I told him that I was going in the garden… I wanted to hide her clothes first and when I tried to join her outside to bring her back in… Both of you had already left. »

« I said that I didn’t want to hear you speak again ! » Rogon shouted, slapping her and sending her to the floor.

This rude act froze everybody, and the King of Iron Mounts left, letting his daughter on the floor. Thorin shot a severe look to Fili, who was getting pale seeing his future wife treated this way because of him. But before he could even think about moving, Kili was near her, helping her to stand up.

« I’ll take her back to her room, Uncle. »

Thorin nodded at him, and Kili left, one arm wrapped around Luvan’s shoulders, whispering to her reassuring murmurs.

« I’m so sorry to put such a shame on your brother… » Luvan hiccupped.

« You’ve done nothing wrong, beautiful Princess. » Kili smiled. « You just wanted to see your friend. You couldn’t have known it would end up like this. »

« But… »

« Shush, Princess. Don’t be unfair with yourself. It was really brave from you to dare to defy your father’s orders just to protect your friendship with this girl. Nothing is your fault. »

« You… You really think ? »

« Aye, I do. » Kili murmured, finally earning a smile from her.

« I feel so sorry for both of them… » Luvan said, stopping upstairs to look at Fili.

« Aye… But I doubt there’s anything we could do. »

Luvan frowned and took few steps towards a balcony, her eyes wandering over the landscape.

« You know… My roaring Lioness and I have been best friends since a very long time. »

« Your what ? »

« My roaring Lioness. That’s what I call my friend since she doesn’t have a real name. I know her by heart, you know. I know where to find her when I want to, I know where she likes to eat, to bath, to sleep, to walk, to find shelter… But I have no idea where she could be to fix her broken heart… »

« Broken heart ? Isn’t it a little… excessive, Princess ? It was surely a one-night stand with the wrong person, nothing more. » Kili said, even though he knew he was lying.

« No. I know my friend. I would be lying if I tell you that she isn’t one to sleep around when she needs some… company… But she would never have done that with a noble. Never. The nobility is an unknown world which frightens her. She wouldn’t have done that if there hasn‘t been… something special. »

Kili lowered his head, wondering.

« What about Prince Fili ? » Luvan asked.

« I beg your pardon ? »

« What about your brother ? Is he one to sleep around ? Was this night truly a mistake for him ? »

Kili bit down on his bottom lip. She was perceptive.

« I won’t lie to you, beautiful Princess. Seeing the circumstances… I don’t think it was a meaningless night to him. He thought that he was with his future wife. With you, a Princess. He would never have been ill-mannered enough to sleep with you so fast, without letting you know about the wedding, it would have been a betrayal to have you in his bed while keeping secrets. He would never have done that if… there hasn‘t been… something special. »

Luvan locked her eyes to his, concerned.

« I need to find her. » She said, her voice tight. « I… I can’t marry a man if it means stealing him from my Lioness ! Political alliance be damned ! »

« And I’m not going to let you marry my brother if he loves another one. But I may have an idea to save the alliance. »

« Really ? Tell me ! »

He whispered to her ear during a long time, and Luvan eyes widened.

« You… You really… Do you… »

« Yes. Go find your friend and bring her back, I’ll take care of my brother and our Kings. »