Okay so this is basically a series of one shots and short stories set around Christmas time. I thought it would be a nice festive treat for everyone and would be some comfort after the BOTFA. Also I decided to call Christmas 'Yulemas' as it sounded far more Tolkien-y.
"Uncle look!"
"It's been snowing!"
Thorin Oakenshield smiled down at his two young nephews – both of whom were staring out of their bedroom window in delight. Where there had once been a clear view of the rocky plains and forests that surrounded Ered Luin; now Thorin could only see a thick blanket of brilliant white. As the winter sun streamed in through the window he had to hold up his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light. Both Fili and Kili however were too busy grinning at each other mischievously to notice. With a wide grin Kili spun round to face Thorin,
"Can we got out in in it uncle?" he swallowed and gave Thorin one of his famous innocent stares. Although he was only six years old; Kili had almost perfected the puppy dog look and it was enough to melt any dwarfs heart. It was certainly enough to work on Fili and his mother. Thorin sighed before taking another look out of the window. It would be freezing out there and Kili still hadn't managed to gain enough weight to keep him protected from the cold. Although he didn't want to disappoint his nephews, when it came to their safety Thorin was absolute.
"I don't think…" he broke off with a gasp as something grabbed his leg. Looking down he couldn't resist a smile as Kili gazed up at him; his brown eyes obscured by his dark hair. Thorin was about to tell Kili to let go when Fili wrapped his arms round his waist and hugged him hard. Thorin tried not to wince at his oldest nephews grip but Fili was stronger than he looked. In truth they both were,
"PLEASE!"
It was the way they had both said it at the exact same time. They hadn't even looked at each other, hadn't given a signal. They'd just instinctively known what the other had been about to say. Thorin opened his mouth when he heard a familiar chuckle behind him. He rolled his eyes as his sister came into view. At the sight of his mother Fili broke away from Thorin and moved to give her a hug. Meanwhile Kili still clung to Thorin's leg and Dis burst into laughter,
"Let go of your uncle Kili," she smiled and Kili shook his head,
"Not until he lets us play in the snow," he nodded firmly and Thorin shook his head before ruffling Kili's hair. Dis eyed him and he shrugged,
"He isn't fit enough Dis…it's too cold for him out there,"
"He can wear one of Mister Dori's jumpers," Fili butted in with a protective look at his little brother, "and he can have my fur coat,"
Thorin took another look at Kili and Dis smiled; gently placing an arm on his shoulder,
"Let them go Thorin," she whispered; her blue eyes sparkling, "It might be all gone tomorrow,"
Thorin doubted this highly. However his leg was starting to get cramp from having Kili cling to it and he knew his nephew well enough to know that Kili really wouldn't let go unless Thorin said yes. With a quick sigh Thorin nodded,
"Very well…but me and your mother are coming with you,"
The weight from his leg was gone in an instant. All he saw was a dark blur as Kili shot towards his brother who hugged him tightly. As the pair shot off to get dressed Thorin shook his head good-naturedly before smiling at his sister,
"They remind me of someone very familiar," he winked at her and she shrugged,
"Indeed…I remember a certain brother who always wanted to play in the snow when he was younger," she jabbed his arm and Thorin sighed.
"Will they be okay do you think?" he kept his voice quiet so the boys wouldn't hear him. Dis frowned at his term. She knew he was talking about Kili.
"He'll be fine. Fili won't let him freeze to death," Thorin noticed the admiration in her voice when she spoke about Fili protectiveness over Kili. He remembered how protective he'd been over Dis and Ferin when they were younger. As the memories began to cloud his mind Thorin was aware of Dis bursting into laughter at something. Shaking his head to clear it he looked over at his two nephews. Both were dressed in thick furs and huge snow boots. But it was Kili that was making Dis laugh. The poor boy had been forced into at least two more layers than Fili and was starting to look a lot like Bombur as he walked awkwardly towards Thorin,
"Can we go now?"
It was a lot colder than Thorin had been expecting it to be. Pulling his fur cloak around him he watched enviously as Fili and Kili chased each other on the banks of the frozen lake that lay a few metres away from the forest. At first both he and Dis had been terrified one of the boys would run on the ice and it would break beneath his feet. But as Fili made sure Kili stayed away from the edge Thorin's fears began to slowly disperse. Instead he and Dis both stood back and watched the two boys playing with each other. Every so often a snowball would find its way to Thorin's feet; but he simply chucked an even bigger one in the direction it had come from. Dis watched it all from the side lines and after receiving several snowballs to the chest Thorin was forced to make his way over to her and out of range from his nephew's constant bombardment.
"What's the matter?" his sister muttered. Thorin shook his head but he knew it was pointless. Dis had always been able to tell when he was lying. Running a hand through his hair he took a quick look at his nephews before giving his sister a wan smile,
"Nothing. I've just had a lot on my mind recently,"
"By that you mean Erebor?" Dis said softly. When Thorin didn't respond she sighed,
"Thorin…I know what the mountain is to you, to me and to the boys. But you need to stop living in the past. You need to be living in the now!"
"That mountain is…was our home! Had been for as long as anyone can remember," Thorin hissed,
"Your sons are princes Dis," he placed an arm around her shoulder, trying to soften his tone in the hope of appeasing her,
"They deserve to live in the rich mountain halls. To have the riches of our fathers at their dispersal. They deserve so much more,"
"I agree," Dis said smoothly, "But right now they need both me and you to be there for them. To take care of them and protect them,"
Thorin scowled at this but as he saw Dis's outraged expression he hurriedly smoothed his face out as she narrowed her eyes,
"There will come a time to take back our homeland," Thorin could hear the reassurance in his sister's voice and she gave him a warm smile,
"But that time isn't now Thorin. You need to focus on Fili and Kili. With or without a mountain home they are still your heirs. They are your family. They should be your priority."
Thorin nodded at his sister, "When I do reclaim it," he muttered, "I'll do it for them,"
At this he turned to look to where he expected to see Fili and Kili playing in the snow. When he was greeted with an empty space Thorin's stomach plunged. He winced as Dis gripped his arm in terror,
"Thorin…" her voice was hoarse and Thorin held her close,
"Don't worry…they'll be here somewhere," he muttered before taking a tentative step forward. The snow crunched under his boots and Thorins eyes scanned the horizon in desperation,
"FILI!" his voice echoed in the silence and when there was no reply Dis's grip on his arm tightened,
"FILI! KILI!" she yelled. Thorin opened his mouth when she began tugging on him,
"Over there,"
Thorin followed his sister's arm and his eyes widened. Somehow Fili and Kili had made it to the centre of the frozen lake without him or their mother noticing. Thorin didn't even realise he was running until he reached the very edge of the lake and took a tentative step. As he heard an ominous cracking sound he jumped back and looked over at his two nephews. Both were too busy running around to notice him or Dis.
"Thorin do something!" Dis was staring at her two sons in horror. Thorin nodded to himself before taking another hesitant step forward. He didn't step onto the ice this time and instead just rested the tip of his boot on it. Cupping his hands to his mouth he yelled at his two nephews,
"FILI! KILI! GET OFF THE LAKE!"
Thorin had no idea he could shout so loud. He watched as both boys looked over in his direction. For a second they paused before edging forward. Thorin turned to give Dis a reassuring smile when he heard a creaking sound beneath him. Looking down his blood froze as he saw several cracks start to appear in the lake. He took another look at Fili and Kili. Both had to move slowly to avoid falling and even from his distance Thorin could see Fili holding his baby brother close to him. The creaking sound could be heard again and Thorin bit his lip. If he ran to grab them then the ice would give way completely.
"FILI, KILI! RUN!"
Without saying a word his nephews began running awkwardly towards him. As they got closer Thorin reached out an arm to pull them to safety. Fili was within touching distance when the ice began to break apart around the pair. Fili pulled Kili close as the patch of ice his brother had been standing on broke away,
"NO!" Dis screamed as the ice where her sons were standing broke apart. Thorin watched as Fili shoved Kili forward before throwing himself after him. Kili fell in a heap whilst only the top half of Fili had managed to stay on the ice. As he watched his oldest nephew struggle to pull himself up Thorin didn't even think twice. Throwing off his thick cloak and leather jacket he hurried onto the ice and picked Kili up under the arms,
"Run to your mother," he ordered. Kili bit his lip,
"But Fee?"
"I'll get your brother," Thorin gripped his shoulder hard, "Just run!"
Kili nodded and Thorin noticed he was shivering slightly. Putting that out of his mind he turned his attention back to Fili who had almost managed to haul himself out. Grabbing his nephew Thorin pulled him away from the water and held him in his arms. Fili's wet body clung to him and as more of the ice began to break Thorin began running. His blood was hot in his veins and his heart hammered against his ribcage. Only when his boots touched the hard snow on the frozen bank did he allow himself to stop and put Fili down. The second his nephews feet touched the floor Kili all but jumped on his brother,
"Fili!"
Thorin smiled softly as Fili held onto his brother. For a second he assumed it was because they were brothers and their bond was closer than most peoples'. However, after almost a minute he realised the pair were hugging each other to try and keep warm. Fili's boots and trousers were soaking wet and Kili was shaking all over. Wrapping his thick cloak around the pair Thorin embraced his sister who hugged him so hard he thought his bones would break,
"They're alright Dis," he whispered, "They're stronger than they look,"
She nodded before kneeling down and pulling her two sons close.
"We should be heading back," she muttered. Thorin nodded and retrieved his cloak from his nephews before bending down and waiting patiently for Fili to climb onto his back. He watched as Dis did the same with Kili and he waited until Fili was comfortable before starting the long journey home.
As his two nephews sat quietly by the fire Thorin watched the pair closely. The second they had arrived home Dis had wrapped her sons in thick fur blankets and told them that if they moved an inch away from the fireplace then they would never be playing in the snow ever again. She must have looked terrifying because by the time Thorin entered both Fili and Kili were sitting next to the fire; each with a bowl of hot stew in their hands. Although they hadn't moved it hadn't stopped the pair from talking to each other; words tumbling out of their mouths so fast Thorin had no idea how they could understand each other. As Dis placed another blanket over the pair Thorin watched as Fili put his arm round Kili. How Kili snuggled against his brother. With his pipe in one hand Thorin lay back in the armchair; his eyes never leaving his two nephews. They were everything to him. They were his world.
Okay so I hoped everyone liked the first installment. Nice mix of drama and family love. I'll be posting every day in order to be finished by Christmas Eve. Let me know what you think.