Kizár Elená Durin · @SilmarilNaro
12th Jul 2014 from TwitLonger
Laketown
Quest-verse. After http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s28bfs and http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s2auls
Kíli is sick and Kizár's healing is needed again.
@SonofDari @SilmarilNaro
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Kíli
Leaning on one of the bits at the Quay of Laketown, Kíli watched the boat drift down the channel, having pushed slightly overhung Bofur on-board the last moment. He had a hard time standing, his leg was not just hurting, it was getting cold. An arrow had hit his knee during the escape from Mirkwood... the pain of the arrow maybe lesser than other things that had happened there. He had yanked the arrow out, as soon as he had the chance, but the wound had gone dirty, and he knew it. Most of the time he had tried not to think about it, the arrow had right pierced the side of his knee, and even under the best of circumstances such wounds could a cripple a man.
He had tried, tried hard to hide it, to ignore the rising pain... and failed. Thorin dismissing him here, was only the consequence of Kíli's failing in the warehouse. Still, it did hurt. He had refused to allow Fíli to stay, his brother had already been torn between loyalties, and for once Kíli was tired of being the little brother who needed looking after. If he was left behind, dismissed from the company, then he might as well go on alone. He did not like seeing the others off against the dragon... but tired and exhausted as Kíli was, he had little strength left to wish them well. Maybe right here at the other end of the world, he had come fully face to face with the futility of what they were trying to do. Why in the world had they ever attempted to journey into this wilderness? Into this dismal town?
Forcing himself to stand a bit more straight, he leaned his weight on his left leg. If he was careful he could walk. The people around him ignored him mainly, not sure what to do with the wounded dwarf, but Kíli did not need to draw on his experience with Menfolk to know he should not expect help for them. Hospitality was at an end. "We better find a way out of this city, Kizár... look for a place to hide. The docks maybe... the waterfront must have their hideouts, or I know nothing of Menfolk." He told his sister in his mind. She was with him, which meant he was not alone.
Kizár
"Between Bard's attitude to our quest, and the Master's attitude to Bard, I have a strong feeling staying near him is going to be bad from both sides." Kizár murmurs thoughtfully, weighing the best options. One issue she has to take into account is how ill Kíli currently is. If they have somewhere safe, she could check the wound and, if needed, burn it out like she did with Kíli's shoulder. "I know as little about this town as you do though. Getting information from Bard may be our only option, as that 'Master' does not seem the sort who would care much for someone left behind."
She looks around at the dispersing crowd and notices Bard's youngest, Tilda is standing a little way off, her eyes set on Kíli. Casting her awareness a bit wider she picks up on Sigrid not far away as well. "Maybe you can find out if Bard's girls know where you can go. We need shelter for now, and if they can find it, a few herbs to treat that infection as well."
Kíli
Kíli's eyes find the two girls Kizár drew his attention to. "I am not sure that it was wise for Thorin to show Bard up the way he did..." he thinks towards his sister. "Thorin of course saw the political weights here, he knew how make Bard look bad in front of the people... he has the training of a Prince, Bard has not." And he can imagine the great-grandson of Girion of Dale will carry a grudge. Yet, Kizár is right, the girls might be his chance, especially as one of them - Sigrid - seems to be watching Kíli.
Limping towards them, Kíli is careful to not draw attention to them as they come to stand between the baskets and nets of the quay. "Forgive me for approaching you like this," he says softly, careful to not make himself heard too widely. Bard is not liked in this city, and Kíli is not either. "I do not wish to impose on you again... though I am looking for a place where I can hide and rest for a while."
Kizár
Sigrid looks at Kíli with a considering look. "You don't look well... I'm sure I could talk Da around if it means somewhere for you to stay while you're sick. He's not so cruel he would let you go out in the cold like this."
Her words are a relief to Kizár, though she does note that even so, the final word will be up to Bard. "If she has some herbs available as well, we can use them on your leg... I would feel better for it, especially if she can get her hands on some kingsfoil." Something about the wound worries her especially, and she knows athelas is something she can make extra use of. There is something about the plant with extra arcane sensitivity to it.
Kíli
Kíli smiles a little at Sigrid, the thought of a place somewhere in their house is a bit of a relief. A few hours of rest would help a lot, and her father is a smuggler, he might know where to find some strong alcohol to clean the wound. "Your father has any right to be angry with... my Uncle." he replies to Sigrid, he is not sure if she or her family heard Thorin's introduction of his heirs during the celebrations, but if not he wants to be honest with Bard and upfront. "Still... if you could ask him I'd be grateful. My leg was injured during our escape from Mirkwood, and..." he feels bad to ask so much of them, especially he has little he can give in return, except maybe his working skills once his leg is better. "do you know if kingsfoil even grows in this land? It might help with the injury." The thought that he could work the debt off, is helping Kíli a bit to even ask the question.
Kizár
"Kingsfoil?" Sigrid's face shows some puzzlement over that request. "I didn't know it had any medicinal uses, most around here think it no more than a weed only worth feeding to the pigs. I could get some easy enough though, but for now..." She ushers Kíli to come with her, towards where she last saw her father. "I'll talk to Da for you."
The admission of the local views on kingsfoil makes Kizár wryly amused. One man's trash is another man's treasure, or something like that, she thinks.
Kíli
Kíli follows both girls through the maze of the city, gritting his teeth sometimes as he walks, but most of the time it helps to lean on his left leg more. "Kingsfoil is often disregarded," he replies, remembering some Hobbits who made salad from it, and Bilbo always swore it was the right thing to spice herb-chicken with. "but it has cleansing properties. It is an ancient elven plant." Those last bits again come from his dreams, memories of a slightly exasperated elf, binding one of his injuries.... where and when it happened he cannot tell.
Kizár
"Elven? I suppose with the Greenwood so near-" Sigrid starts, though her sister interrupts her with a quip "Not all that green!" that makes Sigrid hush her. "Maybe if I knew a bit more about it, I'd be able to talk some of the old wise women around and it'd be used for more than just fodder."
With the crowd from seeing Thorin off dispersing, their path back to Bard's house is a bit slower, but it does not take long to get there. A warren though Laketown may be, Sigrid seems to know all the paths and back alleys. She heads into the house first, though ushering Kíli to follow her as she checks to find if her father is there. He is, and seems less than happy to see Kíli there.
As Sigrid pulls him aside, Kizár urns her attention to Kíli's state. "You, sit. You're not well, and until we can really look at your leg, I don't want you straining *anything*, if you can avoid it."
Kíli
Kíli hears his sister's chastising voice and almost shakes his head. "The leg grows cold, walking helps to keep it warm." He says in his mind, still, he takes to her advice and leans against the door-frame, letting the sturdy wood support him. His eyes go to Sigrid, who is talking to her father, while he cannot understand their words, there is no doubt that the daughter has a great deal of influence on her father.
Fast than Kíli can react his leg suddenly gives out, much like in the warehouse, sending him down to the ground.
Kizár
With Kíli's collapse, any argument between Bard and his daughter about the wisdom of Kíli staying vanishes as the both of them come over. "He has an injured leg, I should go look for herbs he asked about before." Sigrid murmurs as they help Kíli over to a bench where he can sit.
"Hurry then." Bard responds to her, and Sigrid goes to find the kingsfoil.
Kizár reaches in, looking at the way the wound is affecting Kíli from the inside, looking into his mind. The thought of it being *cold* makes her worry. Slipping through Kíli's senses she can see the range of the *cold* spreading from the wound and it strikes her with fear. This is not a normal infection, there is something fell to it. Just as well she thought about asking for kingsfoil, the same arcane effects she is aware it has are good for fighting things of a fell nature.
"Hold onto me, Fire-Brother, I'll keep you warm, keep the cold back until we can push it out entirely." She murmurs softly.
Kíli
Kíli reaches for her warmth, her presence alone makes it easier to breathe for him. He tries to sit up, still clinging tightly to Kizár's brightness. "Your light..." he whispers. "it helps, Stone-sister." He knows he cannot afford to collapse entirely, not if he wants to survive this. With Bard's help Kíli manages to sit down again inside the house, and to remove the dirty bandage on his leg.
Kizár
"That arrow must have been poisoned." Kizár murmurs as she lets her light spread further through Kíli's spirit, pushing at the cold, holding it at bay. IT tries to sneak around her, but she makes her shield as comprehensive as she can. "It sounds like some I've heard... though not nearly as fast-acting." Poisons of Angband were known to corrupt Men's souls within hours, and she had heard they could take down a dwarf in not too much longer. Whatever this may be, it is nowhere near that strong, but still has a similar insidiousness in it.
Sigrid enters, a bundle of green in her hands. With a good portion of her attention occupied, Kizár does not stop to think before her illusory ghost form appears, prompting a shocked yell from Bard as she starts dictating orders on making a poultice from the plant. It takes a moment for Sigrid to get over her shock, but she follows the orders.
Kíli
Kíli can see the fear and the shock in Bard and the girls, he knows Menfolk and how easily they frighten from things not quite normal. "She is... the spirit of my sister," he manages to say, Kizár's presence helps keeping the cold and the fever at bay for the moment, allowing him to act lucidly, in spite of the pain. Or maybe pain is becoming a new friend, one he better get used to. "she protects me..." it may sound crazy, but Menfolk has lots of tales of the spirits of mothers or siblings returning to protect their beloved.
Kizár
"I have heard many tales of Dwarves in my life, but this is passing strange, even compared to them." Bard speaks, as he eyes off Kizár's presence.
Sigrid has the poultice ready soon enough and brings it over to Kíli, obviously nervous as Kizár passes her to look closely at the wound. It has black lines starting to spread from it that make her frown, and she looks up to Kíli. "If you hold my stone over the would, with the poultice on it, I believe that will be the best for me to burn it out."
Kíli
Kíli wants to reply something to Bard, but Kizár's instructions interrupt them. He manages a small small for Sigrid though, who bravely helps, in spite of probably being more than a little frightened. "Thank you." Sitting up a bit more, he helps spreading the hot poultice on the wound, before retrieving the obsidian orb from the pouch at his belt. He knows what is to come, and he still is afraid of it - but then, he better get used to it. Carefully he brings the stone close to the wound, getting ready for the pain that is inevitably to come.
Kizár
Kizár brings her power to bear, pushing it through the athelas, letting the herb's effect guide her in killing the poison in the wound. Almost as if it is alive, the poison tries to dig in deeper, but Kizár's line of defense within Kíli is still there, trapping the darkness between the two fronts of her light. Hammer and anvil, she thinks of it, but does not give herself any time to be amused by the thought as she now has to go into the painful part.
While concentrating on holding the poison in place, she calls up her fire, and like she did weeks ago with Kíli's shoulder, shapes it into a fine needle to burn through the infection the poison has set up. She knows it hurts Kíli, and tries to hold onto him, and give him something to hold onto in turn.
The ghost image flickers as she works, and for a moment here and there, a different image may be seen, the tall, elegant form she once considered herself before she adopted a dwarven form, the elven daughter of Valinor.
Kíli
It hurts, maybe even worse than the shoulder, for there is something else... something darker digging into Kíli fighting Kizár's flame. He groans, biting back a scream, his body shaking with the strain. His eyes widen when he sees her, not her dwarven shape, not the elven form... but maybe what is her true self, that he only saw as a child when he found her at first, the radiant being of light she truly is. He cannot help but trying to reach for her hand, as he feels the poison die, though something... something, a remnant may be forever sealed inside him.
Kizár
Kizár lets her power fall off as she feels the poison die. She likewise can feel some remnant inside, but the darkness is neutralized and will not take him over. In her relief the ghost-form vanishes, once again surprising their hosts, but Kizár is too distracted as she curls herself around Kíli, soothing him after his having to go through that pain.
"It's over brother, you'll recover now." She murmurs to him.
Kíli
Kíli embraces her, holding onto her tightly. "Thank you, sister... you saved my life, again." He can only hold her, not wanting to let go.
Kizár
Kizár somewhat dully observes as Sigrid rouses herself from her shock and moves to dig out some clean rags that will work for bandages. "I worry about the mountain. Dwalin knows the basics, but whether he can make sure the dragon doesn't escape the mountain... I don't know. If only we could get a message to Rú... maybe he could help them." She murmurs as she holds onto Kíli in turn, keeping him warm.
Kíli
Kíli pushes himself up, forcing his mind to focus on their surroundings, as he helps Sigrid to bandage the cleaned wound. "Bard," he looks at the man who still stares at him a bit strangely. "I know you have little reason to like my people... or my Uncle for that matter. But too many things can go wrong up on that Mountain... too many that could bring death and danger to this city. You know this land like none other - is there a way, any way, up to the Mountain's peak?" In his mind Kíli is already thinking of alternatives. If the dragons flies up, if he comes after the city, they will have to make their stand here. The thought still makes his stomach clench, but if they have to to do it, they have to try.
Kizár
A frown crosses Bard's face as he considers Kíli's words. "There are riding paths leading up there, but that would take quite a bit longer than the boat. Perhaps if I can get to my barge, or another boat. The barge might be under watch, so a smaller boat might be better, and faster as well."
Kíli
The old waterways... Kíli remembers Thorin telling them about the waterways of Erebor. If they are still there... they might get them where they need to go. Pulling it together he forces himself to stand. His leg his hurting, throbbing, but the weakening cold is gone. He can handle this, simply because he has to. He looks up to the taller man, wondering what Bard is thinking of right now. "Can you... will you help me to get there?" he asks.
Kizár
Bard's gaze bores into Kíli. "Do you really think you have a chance to keep the beast from getting out? Keep it from attacking this town? One more dwarf and his ghost sister?"
Kíli
The way Kíli stands is calm, utter calm, no straightening up, no posture, not even indignation, the quiet has come from inside, from the dreams, from something he cannot even name. "Can I take the dragon alone? I do not know, but I will if I have to." he replies firmly. "But what DO know is, that if we wait this out, we might as well prepare this city for battle." He hates to say it out loud, but ever since Kizár shared her dream conversation with him, he found his fear of Thorin's plan confirmed. Doubting his Uncle is not easy, but somewhere deep inside Kíli found the calm to do so. "What would you prefer, Bard? Wait it out here until the Dragon is on top of us? At least the people can jump into the lake, for all good that will do. Or to at least try to prevent it from happening?"
Kizár
There is something in Kíli's manner that, though he hides it well, has it's effect on Bard. "Then if it means the fight can be kept in the mountain, I will see you get there, hopefully before your uncle does." He says, keeping a steady tone in his voice. "I will have go find a boat we can take." He finally breaks eye contact to look at the quiet Sigrid. "You're going to have to keep and eye on both your brother and sister while I am gone. I want you to pack though, and if you see any sign from the mountain, anything that might be the dragon, you take them and run."
Sigrid nods, biting her lip in worry.
Kíli
Looking at the three children Kíli's heart clenches, where shall they go, should the town burn? Where in the world? The dwarf in him would suggest they come along. It is the way Kíli grew up, on the roads, and usually in danger. But he is sure that they have not lived the same life, nor does he wish it on them. While the boy is talking to his father, Kíli turns to Sigrid in an unguarded moment. "Sigrid, in case what your father says truly happens..." in which case they'd all be dead, and probably dragon food, but this is not what Kíli is thinking about. From the pouch at his belt, the same where Kizár is hidden, he gathers two small beads, one stone, one silver and presses both in Sigrid's hand. "you gather your siblings and you go west. It is a long journey, but it will be better than staying here, with the Mountain ablaze. You go west, and you keep going west until you reach a town named Bree. There you ask for a trader named Brea. Show her the pearls and ask her to bring you to Dís. They both will know I gave you these... they will help you on." It would be a last message and Dís would know, Kíli is sure his mother would help those girls if nothing else. Hoping that Bard has not noticed that little chat, he turns back to the preparations swiftly.
Kizár
Kizár relaxes just a bit, as Kíli start preparing. She holds onto Kíli, helping keep the pain from distracting him, though not blocking it totally. Her awareness tracks Bard and his children moving about and she catches something odd in Bard's preparations - he pulls something metal out of a hidden spot, and though from here she cannot here their words, Bain has an air of surprise around him at whatever his father has. She will look into it later, when Bard is closer.
Kíli
Kíli too has noticed that Bard is bringing something odd with them, maybe a weapon he did not speak of before, maybe something else. With their alliance as tense as it is, he is not sure that it bears impertinent questions at this point and thus he respects Bard's decision to bring whatever he does. "You said your boat might be guarded," he says to Bard. "what if we left your house the way we first came? Through the water and swim towards the next landing? I think there were small boats on the one just off your home?"
Kizár
Bard stops for a moment and then nods. "That might work, and I doubt Alfrid would have anyone watching them." The metal item is there, in his pack, though he has disguised the most obvious features to it.
Kíli
"Then let's go." Kíli replies. He had little to pack, but that does not bother him much. As Balin said: they all have done with little and less in the past. Together with Bard he walks down towards the waterhole. His hand falls to the pouch at his belt, the most important item of them all. Carefully Kíli secures it, before going down into the water. Ahead lay an uncharted night.