"Will you follow me one last time?"

If you didn't know Thorin, you wouldn't have know how desperate he was despite the well-guarded look on his face. He wasn't going to show his dispair to his nephews, he was too proud to admit the mistakes he had made earlier.

None of the three dwarves standing before him anything. Kili had the most neutral look on his face, almost as if ready to give in his uncle's plea. He knew he would've only been a burden, he would've only seen Erebor to die at its roots, he knew his uncle did what he thought was right.

It was Kili who felt the betrayal the heaviest. He could not forgive Thorin meaning to leave his little brother to die so easily.

As the uncomfortable silence got heavier, Thorin got visibly nervous. "Fili? Kili?" He asked, adding "Bofur" as if an afterthought.

"Don't lool at me, you didn't abandon me for my death, nor are you my uncle, are you?" He simply answered, though his tone was almost regretting.

"I did what I had to do"

"By that you mean leaving your kin behind? What would you have told your sister when she'd ask where her precious boys were?" Bofur's words sank deep.

"I had no choice. We had to reach the door before the eve of the Durin's day"

Fili glared at his uncle, shutting him off.

"Why should we forgive you?" Thorin blinked. The coldness in the older brother's voice was almost unbearable.

"I..."

"Is that all you have to say? He's my brother and you would have just left him in there on his own, even though you must have known he would die alone!"

Thorin knew he had to choose his words carefully. "If we had taken him with what then? He would've died before reaching the mountain! At least in Lake town he had a chance"

"Yes, such a great a chance it would've been, a lone dwarf in a strange city with the only man he could call his friend angry at him, angry at us, but most of all angry at you!"

"I trusted Bofur to look after him"

"By leaving him behind as well?"

"He was late! We didn't have any time to lose"

"You should've woken him, it would've only taken seconds!" Fili shouted. He took a long breath, getting his nerves back under control and gave his uncle a long, stern stare. "It is true we would've slowed you down. But you had no right to even think about leaving him alone like that!"

"I had every right!" The glow of the sickness pierced Thorin's dark eyes. "Durin's day was closing and we had to reach the door!"

Fili let out a small laughter. "So, in the end, it's still all about your treasure" He nodded at his younger brother and together they turned their backs to leave.

Thorin looked like he had been hit in the face. He soon gathered the remaining of his pride. "Go ahead then, leave, we can make it without you just as fine"

His words echoed in the cave. If you looked carefully, you could've seen the shoulders of the younger dwarf slump and the older one stiffen. Neither of them looked back as they started making their way down the mountain side.

Thorin and Bofur were left alone at the doorstep, neither of them saying anything. Finally, Bofur broke the silence. "Really, Thorin? You are just going to let them walk away?" He spat. "I thought you cared more about your kin than this. Or is it really so difficult for you to swallow your pride and apologize? Because, you know, that's all they want" his voice grew softer in the end. "They love you more than you even know, you're their uncle. No, you're more than that! Ever since their father died you've been there for them, I doubt neither of them would argue with that. They feel betrayed by the way you handled yourself in the Lake Town. They know it was the only way to get to the mountain in time, but you should've handled the situation better, not by just abandoning them. They feel you care more about the treasure than you care about them!"

"That- That isn't true!" Thorin said, with the glow slowly dimming from his eyes.

"Then tell them that, with real words!"

Thorin looked at his companion. "I never took you for a good counselor"

"Oh, but I'm not, really. I only have a brother and a cousin with whom I've learned a thing or two about caring" Bofur smiled. "Go on, you can still catch them, we need them here as much as you don't want to hurt them – or them to get hurt"

Thorin smiled briefly, before charging down the mountain towards his nephews. Bofur could swear he heard a silent "Thank you" floating in the wind after he had gone.

"Fili, Kili!" Thorin shouted as he neared the young dwarves.

"We're leaving, isn't that what you wanted? We will not bother you nor your quest any longer. Go and enjoy the treasure you care so much about" Fili said, but they stopped and turned to face their uncle.

"N-.. No!" He took a deep breath, trying to find the words that were so difficult to him to utter. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. Please listen" his voice was little more than a whisper, taking the brothers aback.

"We're done listening your poor excuses"

"No, please, I don't know what I'd do if it weren't for the two of you.. You mean everything to me, you and your mother! You mean more to me than any treasure, I'd rather have you than all the gold and jewels in Middle-Earth" Thorin had reached his breaking point.

Fili and Kili studied their uncle, until they gave each other almost an invisible nod, paired with identical small smiles.

"That's all we needed to hear" Kili declared

"And you have been forgiven" Fili added

"But don't think this is all forgotten"

Fili's smile had turned mischievous. "We will find a way to get even"

Thorin laughed. "I believe you will"

Together, the brothers bowed their backs. "We will follow you, for the one last time"