The handwriting in the envelope seemed vaguely familiar when Kili picked it up from the worn doorstep, but once it was open he had no doubt as to the sender.
"Fili," he yelled, "come look at this. We've a letter from Thorin Oakenshield."
"From Oakenshield? Are you sure? We've heard precious little from any of the dwarves in these past years," Fili called from his bedroom.
"It's from Oakenshield as surely as I've the misfortune to have a twin brother like you." Kili walked through to the kitchen and began ladling out porridge. "Who else would address us as 'To the sons of my dear sister'?" Kili dropped the short letter on the kitchen table.
"Alright, I'm coming. You might give a dwarf a chance to straighten his beard."
"You're too young to worry about your beard. Come and read the letter. Your breakfast is waiting for you," Kili added through a mouthful of porridge. Fili was always up so late that he barely had time to eat. Unfortunately, that meant that Kili did all the chores.
Fili's yellow beard was indeed in disarray, but on perceiving that the letter Kili indicated was truly from Thorin – and clearly on a matter of some importance – he forgot his beard and began to read as he spooned oatmeal into his mouth.
"How excellent! I'm surprised we dwarves haven't already driven Smaug from the Mountain."
"You were no more than a boy when the dragon first came," said Kili pragmatically, "I'm not sure that any of us but Thorin had any battle experience to speak of." He removed the dishes from the sturdy wooden table and left them to soak in the large basin.
"True enough. I see that in all this excitement you've forgotten to put the kettle on the fire. It'll be off to work with no coffee today – hopefully for the last time." With that Fili pulled on his bright blue hood and hurried out of the door, followed shortly by his brother.
Having left the grimy mines early, Fili and Kili arrived home at their cottage to prepare for the journey ahead of them.
"He says we're to meet the burglar on Wednesday. Must we begin travelling today or will tomorrow be soon enough?" asked Fili, leaning back in the overstuffed armchair.
"Well, where are we to travel to?" asked Kili, wondering why his brother always had the most comfortable seat.
"He says," Fili scanned the letter, trying to find what Thorin had said, "he says this burglar – Bilbo Baggins – lives in the shire. In The Hill, with the mark of a burglar on his door."
"I've never heard of such a place," pronounced Kili, "or, for that matter, of such an outlandish name: Bilbo Baggins." He rubbed absently at a stain on the arm of his chair.
"I know where it is, or at least, I know better than you do where it is. I believe the Shire is just past Bree. It's the land of the Halflings," Fili said.
"The land of the Halflings?" Kili was intrigued, "Do you suppose that our good uncle Oakenshield has procured a Halfling as a burglar?"
"I suppose that he must have, but what I wish to know is, if we must travel past Bree need we begin today?" Patience had never been one of Fili's better qualities.
"Indeed we must: we could hardly have further to travel. I believe this Shire of yours must border nearly on the ocean, since by my reckoning Bree is past halfway there. A week will be hardly enough time for the journey. You had better get used to leaving your beard uncombed, brother."
"I'll do no such thing. It's a simple enough matter to put a comb into my pack."
"Do as you will, Fili, but let's begin. We've enough ground to cover without standing here arguing. Let us begin our quest to reclaim the Halls of Thrain, King under the Mountain." Kili rose to begin packing.
"How grand that sounds," said Fili as he left to pack his comb and whatever other gear he felt necessary.
The dwarves were on the road before supper-time and by the time they stopped to eat, the tiny mining town was long out of sight. They paused only long enough to eat some bread and cheese under a spreading tree before continuing. They planned to cover a fair distance before making camp that night.
"You know," said Fili as they tramped on down the road, "this is going to be quite an adventure."
"It's a dangerous undertaking, but if we defeat the worm our names will indeed be remembered for all time." Fili needed to be reminded of the serious side of things occasionally.
"Whether or not we are remembered, I will remember today," replied Fili.
"It is certainly a day that will change our lives forever," agreed Kili, "Who knows what will come of this? It will certainly be nothing that we expect."