I always wondered what happened when Kili and Fili died. I may never know, nor will anyone ever know, how Tolkien had it happen. However, this one-shot represents the sort of bitter-sweet ending I imagined they had.

I hope you guys like it and I don't own J.R.R Tolkein's universe (If I did, I wouldn't need to write this now, would I? ;) )

:-:

Kili knew he was going to die that day. He could feel it in his gut, in his bones, in his heart... every fibre of his being was preparing him for death which he just knew was going to come. Yelling, 'You are going to die!'

Would it be by a common orc or a commander?

He couldn't really answer that, but Kili preferred the idea of the latter to the former (it seemed much more noble to die by an authority figure than by some common orc who couldn't even use a butter knife properly) Despite his preferences, the question soon left his mind unanswered.

How would he die?

A knife through the back? An arrow to the head? A poison dart lodged in the neck? Kili tried not to allow this question to arise in his head but it was a very pressing question, more pressing than the earlier one, and the dwarf allowed himself to ponder it for a few moments, if not less. It wasn't a nice thing to think about, then again, death never was. Like before, it was impossible (at least in the time he gave himself) to find any decent answer and the matter was soon dropped like the other question before it.

Would he fear death when it came for him?

Kili knew he didn't fear death. It was what happened after death that interested him. Would death be the end of his soul or would he live on for an eternity as a supernatural being like a ghost? Would he join the Gods who created Middle Earth or would he be reborn as another? There was no way of knowing the answer and this was concerning for the dwarf, but he ultimately didn't fear the prospect of dying.

"What's with that face?" Fili smiled at his brother at one point, mere hours before the battle was due to begin. Both he and Kili were sharpening smooth, steel swords ready for use in their bedroom. Thorin had given them strict orders to do so.

Kili glanced up, barely acknowledging Fili's question. That is when another question appeared in Kili's mind. "Fili, if I died in this battle, what would you do?"

Fili's soft, confidence-invoking smile disappeared from his face. He had tried beforehand to remove any thoughts of his brother dying from his mind but the question had continued to loom. Not just before this battle too. All throughout the quest, Fili had pondered what would happen if his brother was cut down and he somehow managed to survive. "Well, what would you do if I died?"

The brown-haired dwarf straightened up a bit. "In your last moments, I would sing a lullaby to you."

The elder dwarf raised an inquisitive brow, "That's a new one; I'll give you that, Kili! Why, may I ask?"

The younger smiled sadly, a distant look in his eyes. "To help you to sleep one last time."

:-:

The Battle of Five Armies had begun and Fili fought with practiced elegance and grace which was rarely seen in those his age. In fluid motions, he would cut down orcs as if they were stacked wooden blocks and would never miss a beat as he fought to protect his Uncle.

It was like a dance. Every step Fili made had been practiced at least twenty times before and every stroke - a hundred times. When Fili danced, his enemies shuddered and he was no opponent to be taken lightly.

When Thorin had been gravely injured, Fili and Kili had jumped to protect him. With every second a new orc hit the floor and another one arrived before eventually, that one was cut down too. This repeated in a consistent cycle before Fili and Kili's backs were pressed against each other with a limp Thorin at their feet, at least another sixty orcs surrounding them.

"What do we do?" Kili asked his brother whose eyes were examining the scene for some form of escape route. Kili's sword was tainted with black blood and he held it towards any orc who dared to approach.

Fili lifted his twin swords, "I don't know, Kili. We're completely surrounded and even if we did manage to cut them all down, more would-"

Fili was cut off by the sound of Kili's yelping in agony before a thump sounded. On instinct, the dwarf spun around and screamed in terror; pride forgotten. Kili lay in the dry mud on his side with a spear through his stomach. Blood splattered on the mud. Kili groaned as he was in too much shock to do anything else.

The orcs took advantage of Fili's terror to imbed an axe into his shoulder, leaving the limb barely attached to his body. The dwarf froze as they removed the axe then he too hit the floor besides his beloved brother.

That is when it hit Fili that he was going to die. He would no longer breathe anymore, would no longer smile, would no longer see the ones he loved. This was petrifying for the young dwarf and even with his arm hanging off and completely numb from pain, that wasn't the first thing on his mind.

It wasn't only him who was going to die, as well. He'd failed to protect his little brother from the Grim Reaper and now they both were going to be forever locked in the afterlife.

That is when he felt it. A hand, covered in a black and crimson mixed substance which Fili realised to be orc and dwarf blood, grabbed hold of Fili's remaining own. "F-Fili..." Kili gasped. He was barely breathing and his eyes drooped sleepily.

Fili tried to hoist himself closer to his brother but couldn't get up from the floor. So, he was left at least a metre away and the only thing keeping the two together were their joined hands. "Does it hurt, Kili?" Fili's voice was much firmer than his brother's for he had taken considerably less damage, despite his time being well and truly up. He was losing too much blood.

The younger nodded weakly and he dragged himself to the side of his brother. "I-I... thought... I thought I was going to d-die today."

Fili rubbed his brothers palm with his thumb, not knowing what else to do. He could feel himself beginning to get sleepy and his whole body was prickling with the feeling of little blood flow. His toes and fingers on the hand which remained were turning a sickly shade of blue.

"F-Fili..." Kili took some deep breaths. "C-could... you sing me a lullaby, big brother? I want to hear you sing... one last time before... before I leave this life."

Fili felt tears sting his eyes and he took a deep breath, similar to the one which Kili just took (weak and shaky) "Only if... you sing with me..."

Kili nodded and Fili croaked out his words.

Yellow fields~ Covered with the sun's~ light~

When it's night~ the colour will sleep~

Kili coughed before he began.

If you take a peep~ you won't need to hide~

For the light~ illuminates the sky~

Fili placed Kili's head on the dirt and stroked his cheek as he became less and less conscious. His body too was wobbling, but he continued to sing.

Up high~ the stars will rise~

They shine~ even in the darkest of times~

Kili's eyes were now closed and Fili hit the floor beside his brother.

We are no longer bind~ to this land~

We're free~ to go without plan~

Fili closed his eyes now and with his dying breaths, he murmured.

In death~ we will be forever pleased~

Dear brother~ we will be free~