This little one shot is written for NarniaTolkienNerd, who pointed out that I don't write about Dis very much. Which is so true, despite the fact that I love what fans have expanded on her character. I think we can all agree that she was a strong, fierce dwarf who could probably match Thorin in a scary glare contest. :P But honestly, she's Thorin's sister and the mother of Fili and Kili (and Brynn) - she had to be awesome!
So here's a little story with some Dis for you all.
Mothers protect. It's their nature, it's their instinct. The minute their child enters the world they are struck with the sense that they must protect this little life. Mama bears will fight anything that tries to hurt her cubs, and she will tear them apart.
Dis, Daughter of Durin, was a perfect example of that. She was a warrior, a fighter, and while she stopped battling after Fili was born, it did not make her any less fierce. She protected her children with every ounce of her will.
But there comes a moment in every mothers life when she realizes that maybe she doesn't have to protect her kids as much. Some cling onto the need to protect her children, but not Dis. Not after seeing her children in their finest form.
It happened just a few months after the Battle of Five Armies, when Dis and her children were in the lower lands near the woods. Brynn was 14, and Fili and Kili 19 and 18 respectively. Dis knew she didn't need to fret over her boys as much but Brynn was still fairly young and that made her watch over all three of them, despite the age gap. They weren't doing anything in the woods. They were simply enjoying each other's company, which they hadn't done in a while. Erebor was still being rebuilt, and they had been overseeing it in different ways and different areas, often far from each other. Today was a break. Or it was supposed to be. The Durin's never really got a break.
"You know, mama, if you wanted to get away from Uncle Thorin, you could've just said so. None of this nonsense about 'bonding with your children'." Kili said, throwing a boyish grin at his mother as he lifted himself into a tree.
"Are you accusing me of lying and scheming, my boy?" Dis demanded, hands on hips.
"Perhaps. Why else would you want to spend time with your hooligan spawn?"
Brynn hoisted herself into the same tree as her brother, not caring that the movement caused Kili to flounder to right himself after losing his balance.
"I don't much appreciate being called a hooligan spawn, brother." She said.
Kili grinned but said nothing. Dis, arm looped through Fili's, settled herself on a fallen tree. Fili was content to sit with his mother and watch his younger siblings tackle the great oak they had chosen.
"Even if you are hooligan spawn, you are my spawn, and I do wish to spend time with you." Dis replied, eyes twinkling. Her children were characters, that was for sure, and she loved the banter they shared. It exercised the mind.
Brynn hooked her knees on a sturdy branch and fell backwards upside down, clasping her hands over her heart. "''Tis so sweet to know the depths of your love for us."
"If you hang upside down too long you'll drown your brain." Fili warned.
Brynn rolled her eyes and sat up, her core strength enough that she didn't need to use her hands. "Really, mama, we're glad to get away and spend time with you. I've been overseeing the work on the ballroom so long I feel like I haven't seen you all in weeks."
Dis nodded. "Yes, and Kili has been working on housing and Fili has been working with your Uncle Thorin on the throne room, and I've been clearing that blasted treasure out. It won't always be quite so busy, but you should get used to it."
Fili agreed solemnly. "I'm afraid our days of leisure are over."
"Leisure? Living in a mountain with a bunch of people who hate you?" Kili asked incredulously.
"You know what I mean."
"Yes, we do." Brynn said, swinging her legs. "But a little hard work never hurt anyone."
"That's the spirit, dear." Dis said approvingly.
"See, this is why I'm mama's favourite child." Brynn boasted with a sly smirk, looking up at Kili to watch his face.
"Hardly! Who was the one that broke mama's new glass bowl?" Kili asked. "As I remember, it was not Fili or I-"
Brynn stiffened, raising her hand to shush her brother. She stared off into the distance, brow furrowed.
"Brynn?" Fili questioned quietly, tightening his hand on his mothers arm.
"Do you hear..." Brynn started.
"Yes." Fili and Kili said at the same time, coming to attention as they too heard what Brynn had.
Somewhere, in the distance but close enough to make one nervous, were orcs. Uneven footsteps, louder crunching, sniffling. To the untrained ear, there wasn't much to it. It was easy to brush off. But to Fili, Kili, and Brynn, it was clear what it was. Especially so close to the quest to reclaim Erebor, when they were so often around the creatures.
Brynn and Kili dropped from the tree, landing almost silently. Fili and Dis stood from the log. They stood in a circle, Dis in the middle. The siblings, without talking about it, knew they were going to protect their mother. She had her sword, but they did not want to risk her getting hurt.
"We cannot flee. We're too close, aye?" Brynn whispered. "They'll chase us. It's better to fight them here?"
Fili was nodding. "It's a good place to defend. Good footing, clear ground. Lots of room."
"There's a hole near that tree. Be careful not to step in it." Kili said. He had spotted the possibly treacherous footing traps when they got there, a habit he had never shoot from the quest. Not that he really wanted to shake it. "And a hill over there."
A split second later the footsteps quickened, and the sniffling turned to snarling. No doubt they had caught the dwarves scent and were now running. Fili pushed his mother against the trunk of the big oak so her back would be covered, and the three of them stood in a slight triangle formation in front of her. They could now see the orcs, and they pulled their swords.
A quick count had them facing 10 orcs - three and a third for each of them to care about.
Dis was not as young as she once was, but she could still fight. But she didn't feel the need to. Ten orcs against three highly skilled dwarves was hardly even a skirmish, and while her heart still quickened at the thought of her children in danger, they wanted her to stay put and she respected that. She wouldn't let it become a habit and if the fight looked too hard she would join it (she was their mother after all), but for now... for now she would watch her children. She had never seen them fight before. Not in any real way that counted.
She watched Brynn crouch, rocking just slightly back and forth on her feet, ready to spring into action. Thorin did the same thing. She watched Fili and Kili smile at each other, like they were about to play some game. They were still very much boys.
As soon as the orcs got to within a few feet, the siblings charged, never liking to wait for their opponents. That was far too polite for war.
Dis couldn't help but smile as Kili lopped an orcs head off, then kicked the body into another opponent to throw him off balance. Fili finished off the tottering creature in one swing when Kili moved on to another orc, knowing his brother would take care of the kill.
Brynn was fighting just as well, but Dis had to admit she was just a bit more afraid for her daughter. She was only fourteen, after all. But Brynn didn't seem at all fazed. She disarmed her orc - literally. She cut off its sword arm, and then kicked it down to buy time for her to face an orc who was a little more serious a problem. To Dis, it looked like she was playing easy with this fight. She skipped many opportunities to kill the orc, and the fight was prolonged. Dis wondered why, for she knew Thorin had taught them all not to hesitate. Hesitating wasted time, and created opportunities for you to be killed instead. But, and Dis saw this with a perfect side view of the action, Brynn had it handled. With one swift move, Brynn sunk her blade straight through the belly of the orc, then used the leverage of her sword and her free hand to move it in front of her - just as the disarmed orc threw an axe at them. It sunk into the dead orcs back, and Brynn yanked it out, throwing it into the skull of the other orc. She pushed the orc off her blade and resumed fighting. She had anticipated what Dis had not - she had been aware of her surroundings, even as she fought for her life.
The fight lasted no longer than a minute more, and her children took a few seconds to catch their breath before sheathing their weapons. They looked at each other with a look Dis could only sum up as glee, then returned to their mother.
"Are you alright, mama?" Brynn asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
Dis smiled. Oh, she was alright. Physically, anyway. But emotionally? Her last baby had grown up. Brynn could now take care of herself. Dis was almost sad. But she was proud. Proud that her children were so competent. Proud that they were as strong as they were. Proud that they were her children.
"I am fine, darling. I'm very impressed with your fighting skills." Dis nodded, deciding to keep her thoughts to herself.
"Ah, well you know Uncle Thorin needs the credit for that." Fili said, wrapping his arm around his mothers shoulders and starting to walk in the direction of Erebor. They had had enough of the outdoors for one day.
"Oh, I know. He would be proud of how you fought."
Brynn walked alongside Dis. "Sorry your time with us was tarnished so, mama. Orcs do seem to ruin most things."
"I dare say. Though my time wasn't ruined. What better way to spend time with my children than to see them in their natural habitat?"
The trio couldn't argue with that. Fighting just felt so normal that it was almost relaxing. And they couldn't help but be a little happy at their mothers praise. And then, they also thought about how odd their family dynamic was. What other family went out to be together, then slaughtered a pack of orcs, and then walked away like nothing happened, actually being almost glad the incident occurred? But that was how they functioned, and they liked it. They were Durins to the core, and that would never change.
Hope you enjoyed! I'm not sure if I quite got her character as I see her pinned down, but for the first time she's really been in here, I think I like it. I always pictured her as someone who is fiercely protective of her family, but not hovering. I think she's quite content to let her kids kick butt and be there when they get back.
Leave a review if you so desire!