Chapter One

Disclaimer: It belongs to Tolkien, not me! No disrespect intended while writing this story :)

READ AUTHOR'S NOTE!

TJDJJK's A/N: Hello to all those who are reading! This is my first fanfic, so please forgive me if I get some facts wrong! I just hope you enjoy. I welcome feedback, advice, reviews, ideas, etc. Have fun reading!

Teddy1008's Author's Note: Hey, how's it going? This isn't my fanfic, but it's my sibling's, TJDJJK's. I'm just posting it for him because he's experiencing some problems in RL and in fanfiction. So, the main credit goes to my sibling's, but we planned it out together. Anyway, hope you enjoy! At the end, can you review too make my brother happy? He's been so disappointed and sad because he can't post on fanfiction ...

All he remembered was a loud roaring noise that filled his eardrums and head. He remembered that his hazel-brown shoulder-length hair had been swirling around him, and he had closed his blue-green eyes, desperately trying to block out ... water. Water. Where in the world had the water come from?

Then he had been tossed up high, a wave pushing him from behind, and he had been flung back into the water again. He had sputtered and desperately tried to swim up, but his clumsy arms and legs did not cooperate. Finally, after a few long moments of struggling, he allowed himself to sink. Deep, deep, deep into the water, and everything went black.

"Uncle!"

"Patience, my little pup," a dark-haired dwarf with a firm face murmured as he braided a younger-looking dwarf's blond hair, slowly and carefully.

"But, Uncle Thorin!"

Thorin sighed, twisting the braid and clamping it together. "You're done, Fili," he murmured, and the young dwarf jumped up from the stool he had been sitting on.

A darker-haired dwarfling with chocolate brown eyes was pouting gloriously. "Are we done now?" he asked sulkily.

"Yes, Kili, we are," Fili announced. He grabbed his little brother's slightly smaller hand in his own, and turned to grin at his uncle. "Uncle Thorin, can we go now?"

"Find something warm to wear, and then we shall head toward the river, my little lion," Thorin directed. "I shall be downstairs soon. Do not leave the house without me."

The young dwarves let out squeals of delight and raced out of the room. "Don't run!" Thorin called after them, worried. But they had already gone. Thorin sighed, and just prayed to Mahal that they would not trip or fall.

Quickly shifting on a warm jacket, he closed the door behind him and walked downstairs to where his nephews were waiting patiently. As he passed the fire that blazed warmly in contrast to the cold winter wind, he could not help but glance at the picture that hung on the wall.

It was a picture of his sister, Dis, who had passed away a bit after giving birth to Kili, his youngest nephew. Forcing back the tears that threatened to trickle out, he managed a smile and said, "Ready to head down to the river?" He chuckled at his nephews' quick nods and eager looks, and opened the door. "Out you go."

They both dashed out. They were both energetic, or at least more than they usually were. It was because Thorin had not let them out for the past three days, thinking that it was too cold for his nephews. They had been most disappointed.

The river was not far off from their settlement. It took a few minutes of walking, but it was still worth walking there. Thorin snapped off a large branch from a tree as he walked, and began to slowly whittle it with a knife he carried around. Just in case.

"Uncle Thorin, look!"

Thorin looked up from his work with the branch. Kili was running back to him, and Thorin was surprised to see that there was worry etched onto the small dwarf's face, which was unusual. "Kili? Are you all right? Where's Fili?" Thorin bent down to stroke his nephew's dark hair.

"Yes, Uncle. I'm all right, and so is Fili. But there's someone on the shore of the river. He's not talking, but he's still breathing." Kili looked up at Thorin, obviously worried. "Can you help him?"

Thorin didn't answer, merely picking up Kili. He didn't want to give any false hopes. "Let's see what I can do, hmm?"

It was warm.

So very warm, compared to wherever he had been lying before warm arms, and warm bodies pressed against him. He gripped something with his fist and realized it was a blanket. It was soft, and warm and he could hear low talking, but he had no idea who they were. Slightly frightened, he whimpered and struggled a bit.

"Hush," a gentle voice said, smoothing his tangled locks in a comforting way. "Hush, it's all right. Nothing will hurt you."

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking the warm light of the fireplace. He let his eyes travel slowly across the room he was in. There was a picture of someone with a beard, and a russet-brown rug on the floor. The walls were made of stone, and there were stairs leading upstairs. He was in an armchair, packed between warm blankets.

Then he looked at the place where the voice had come from, and squeaked.

The person was not a man, but obviously not someone like an elf. Then he realized that the person was a dwarf. Beside the tall dwarf, were two smaller and younger dwarflings, peeking out from behind the tall dwarf's legs.

"Hello, little one," the tall dwarf murmured, bending down so that he didn't have to crane his neck to look up at the dwarf. "I am Thorin. These two are my nephews, Fili, and Kili." The dwarf extended a large, calloused hand and said softly, "What is your name?"

He hesitated. He did not know his name. He looked up, shrugged and quietly murmured, "I do not know."

"How can you not know your own name?" a voice chirped. The darker-haired dwarfling-was Kili his name?-was peering at him curiously.

He felt his face burn, and fell into a silence as he half-heartedly listened to Thorin growl at Kili, scolding him for his rude words. Thorin extended his hand again, and he stared at it distrustfully, unsure of what to do. Thorin raised an eyebrow, and he searched the dwarf's eyes for any sign of anger or harshness, but found nothing but gentle encouragement. He lifted his own small hand and placed it onto the hand before him.

Thorin was puzzled. A child, a human child who did not know his own name? Odd. He eyed the child wrapped in blankets thoughtfully, then looked down at the small hand that was placed on his own palm. "We shall have to give you a name then," Thorin said. "We cannot continue calling you 'little one', can we?"

"Nay," the child murmured after a bit of hesitation.

There was wariness in the child's beautiful blue-green eyes, and his hazel-brown hair that fell down to his shoulders was tangled and messy.

"Messy-haired? It fits how he looks," Kili offered quietly from behind Thorin.

Thorin tried to ignore his nephews and think of a good name.

"Big-nose?" Fili murmured, giggling along with Kili.

"Strange-ears."

"Ugly-Duck."

"Princess."

"Dog."

"Sheep."

"Elephant-ears."

"Enough!" Thorin growled, glaring at his nephews. Fili and Kili shrank back. "Leave now if you are going to continue to be rude, or stay silent."

They stared at their feet, silent.

"Good." Thorin gave a nod of approval and looked at the child who looked sad now. He stared at the child for a long time, and the child stared back. Finally he murmured, "Thorontur."

"Thorontur?" the child echoed. "Is that my name?"

Thorin swallowed and said, "Yes."

Chapter One End

TJDJJK's A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please review, please? I know it isn't really good, because this is my first fanfic ...

Teddy1008's Author's Note: Hey, just remember to read the author's notes above, or else you might get a bit confused. TJDJJK might be able to pop in and drop some author's notes sometimes, like today. He had originally posted chapter one on his account, but then he deleted it because I offered to post it here. Can you review and make my sibling happy, please? Thanks!