Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit. It belongs to Professor Tolkien, Peter Jackson, and Company.
Special thanks to LadyWallace for reading over this and helping me out. If you haven't read LadyWallace's Hobbit stories, go check them out. They are great!
Author's Note: I have not abandoned "Gem of His Heart," but I needed a bit of a break. This fic is intended to be a collection of one-shots. I hope you enjoy it.
Tales of the Heirs of Durin
Chapter 1: Falling Into Trouble
"Wow, Fi, we have never been out this far to play by ourselves," Kili chirped at his brother as he skipped along behind him.
"We will just stay a little bit and go home," Fili told his brother. "Mummy and Uncle never have to know we left the mountain."
"Let's play Hide and Seek," Kili shouted enthusiastically. "There are great places to hide out here, Fi!" The youngest heir of Durin looked around at the lush forest, the rocky hills, and a thicket thick with thorns.
"Okay, you hide first, Kili," the eldest heir of Durin ordered his brother. "I will count to twenty five."
"A'right," the dwarfling announced happily, his gaze darting around as he tried to decide where he should hide. Once Fili's eyes were covered and he began to count, Kili darted into the forest and slipped under a leafy bush. Fili would never find him there.
"Twenty five!" Fili shouted. "I am going to find you, Ki!"
A grin quirked Kili's lips and he held back a giggle. Nope, he was well hidden. Fili would look and look before he ever found him. Kili watched from his hiding place as his big brother searched first among the rocks, then along the tree line.
"I am still going to find you, Kili!" the blonde dwarfling called out cheerfully.
Kili had to cover his mouth this time to keep from laughing out loud. He watched as Fili moved closer and closer until his brother nearly stepped on him. He let out a startled squeak when Fili's boot landed next to his fingers.
"Found ya, Ki!" Fili yelled triumphantly. "Now it is my turn to hide!" He helped his little brother crawl out from beneath the undergrowth and watched as Kili hurried over to the base of a large tree to cover his eyes and count.
The game continued as the boys found many clever hiding places. "We should head home," Fili finally admitted. "Mummy will want us home for lunch," he panted.
"Just one more time, Fi!" Kili pleaded. "It is my turn to hide."
Fili looked up at the position of the sun in the sky. "All right, Kili, one more time and then we are going home. If Mummy finds out we left the mountain, we are in big trouble."
Kili let out a whoop and waited eagerly for his brother to hide his eyes. He just knew he would find the best hiding place yet. Waiting until Fili was counting loudly, Kili ran up the nearby hill behind the thicket of briars. The rocks at the top would make a great place to hide. Quickly, he scrambled up the hill and dove for the biggest rock. Somehow, his feet got tangled together and he pitched forward, rolling ungracefully down the steep hill. A yell escaped his lips as he began to tumble faster.
Fili's eyes snapped open at the sound of his brother's startled call. He leapt to his feet and looked around wildly just as Kili reached the bottom of the hill and pitched forward into the thicket. "Kili!" he shouted, running forward as his heart pounded in his chest.
He watched as his little brother struggled to gain his footing in the briars, his arms, legs, and face bloody with the effort.
"Help, Fili," the little dwarfling sobbed as he struggled to get out of the thorns. He winced and cried out as the sharp little points on the vines dug deeper into his skin.
"Hold on, Ki!" Fili shouted as he studied his little brother's predicament. Very carefully he tried to pick his way into the thicket, but the barbs tore at his clothes and skin. He had to get to his brother, but he knew that if he did get to Kili it would be difficult to get him out without causing pain for both of them. He struggled a bit more and then looked down to see blood streaming down his arms and legs because of the thorns that had pierced his skin.
"Ki, I need to go for help," he finally told his brother reluctantly. "I will not be able to get you out of here without hurting you." Fili felt his stomach twist sourly as he watched huge tears roll down Kili's flushed cheeks.
"Please do not leave me, Fili. I am so scared." Kili tried once again to extract himself from the prickly vines, but they snagged him tightly and hurt him when he tried to move.
"I know you are," the elder brother soothed, "but I will hurry to the forge. It is closer than home. Uncle can get you out of here much easier than I can." Fili winced at the thought of how angry Thorin would be once he found out his nephews had ventured from the mountain alone.
Kili sobbed brokenly and tried twisting free only to cry out in pain. "Fili, hurry," he choked out, bleeding from scratches on his face from the sharp bristles.
"I will! I promise!" Fili vowed. "I will run as fast as I can." He darted off down the rocky path between the trees.
Kili felt his whole body tremble as his big brother left him alone in the thorns. He could hear insects chirping and buzzing around him. A lone thrush landed on a nearby tree and began to sing its heart out. Kili bit his lower lip to stifle his sobs and forced himself to focus on the little bird. Its song was clear and true. Sucking in a trembling breath, Kili began to sing a lullaby that his mother sung to him each night. His voice wavered with his tears, but still he continued to sing and willed Fili to run like the wind.
Fili had a stitch in his side and his lungs ached as he gasped for air, but still he kept going. He and Kili had wandered too far from home today in their play. They had never ventured outside of the mountain on their own; they had only traveled outside its safety with their mother or uncle. Fili tripped over a tree root and sprawled face first on the ground, knocking the air from his lungs.
His chest ached and it was a moment before he could suck in another breath. His stomach burned with the effort. Pushing himself upward on shaking arms, Fili felt his stinging chin and came away with blood on his fingers. He knees ached as well and he was sure that he had scraped them both. But no matter, Kili needed him. Taking a deep breath, he began to run once again. It did not matter if Uncle would be angry; Kili was in trouble.
The forge was quiet as lunchtime neared. Thorin set aside his mallet and reached for a rag to wipe his sweaty face. His sister had packed a lunch for him that morning, and he was greatly looking forward to partaking of it. A scuffle in the doorway commanded his attention and he looked up to see his eldest sister-son in the doorway, scraped, bloody, and gasping for breath.
"Fili!" he breathed in alarm as he dropped his rag and scurried toward his nephew.
"Uncle," the boy choked out, pitching forward into Thorin's arms as the king moved forward. "Kili."
Thorin looked around and did not see his youngest heir, knowing the boys were never very far apart. Fear skittered down his spine. Where was Kili? Fili answered his unvoiced question.
"He is stuck, Uncle, in the thorn thicket. I cannot get him out; the vines are too dense. I had to leave him, and he is very scared. Please, Uncle, he is so afraid! We must hurry!" Fili tugged on Thorin's arm as tears cascaded down his cheeks. He hated the thought of Fili alone and scared in the forest.
Thorin immediately scooped his exhausted sister-son into his arms and looked over his shoulder at Dwalin who stood behind him. "I am going for Kili. I do not know if I will be back today." Anger immediately vied with the fear that churned in Thorin's gut. What were the boys doing out of the mountain alone?
"Take care of your family, Thorin. I will see to things here," Dwalin assured him.
"Uncle, hurry!" Fili pleaded again.
Thorin snatched a blanket off of the shelf in the back of the forge as Dwalin handed him a canteen filled with water. "All right, Fili, let us go find your brother."
Fili clung to his uncle as Thorin jogged easily down the path that led to the forest. The dwarf king said nothing about the boys leaving the mountain alone. Fili knew that would come later once his little brother was safe.
Thorin was slightly breathless as he approached the thicket, but his steps slowed as Kili's high-pitched childish voice filled the air as he sang a familiar lullaby with all of his might.
"Kili," Fili shouted, "I have brought Uncle!"
"Uncle!" Kili sobbed brokenly from his place in the depth of the thorns. "I am sorry, Uncle, so sorry."
"However did you get in there?" Thorin asked in confusion as he placed Fili on the ground and surveyed his youngest heir's precarious position in the midst of a bed of thorny vines.
"We were playing Hide and Seek," Fili explained.
"I was hiding up there." Kili pointed to the small rocky hill that rose behind the thicket.
"He tripped and he rolled right down into the thorns," Fili explained. "It was not his fault, Uncle. Please do not be mad."
Thorin did not respond. He was intent on figuring out a way to rescue Kili from the thicket without causing either of them too much damage. A rumble of thunder from above caught his attention and he eyed the threatening clouds with disdain. A storm was the last thing they needed right now.
Fili shifted anxiously from one foot to another as he stared at his brother. "Are you all right, Ki?" he asked in a small voice.
"I am scared," Kili whimpered. "I am sorry, Uncle. I will try harder to be brave." His voice shook as more tears rolled down his flushed and scratched cheeks.
"Hush, Kili," Thorin said sternly. "Let me think." He did not mean to sound angry or uncaring; it was just that he knew it was going to be difficult to get the small dwarfling from the bed of thorns without further injury.
Kili sniffled, but remained silent as large, fat rain drops began to pelt down from the heavens above.
With a groan at the sour turn in the weather, Thorin eyed the small hill that had led to this predicament. It was too steep to allow him to help Kili. He would only end up in the briars himself. "All right, Kili, you must hold very still. I am going to cut what I can of the vines with my sword."
Kili nodded, his huge brown eyes focused on his uncle and full of trust.
"Fili stand back," Thorin ordered, waiting until his eldest heir obeyed before he began thrashing his sword at the brambles in front of him. As he neared Kili, he slowed his strokes until finally he had to stop for fear of hurting the wee lad.
His arms stung from scratches, but he ignored them as he slid his sword back into its scabbard. "Fili, pass me the blanket," he ordered.
Quicky, Fili scrambled to pick up the blanket and hand it carefully through the thorns to his uncle. Thorin took it and studied Kili's position once more.
"I am afraid some of these thorns will prick you as I try to free you, Kili," Thorin told his youngest sister-son sadly.
"That is okay, Uncle," Kili said softly. "This was my fault."
"It was an accident, Ki. You did not mean to end up in the thorns," Fili pointed out. "Uncle will have you out shortly."
It took several minutes and some sharp cries from Kili, but Thorin managed to wrap him in the blanket and lift him from the thorns. The dwarfling sobbed brokenly as Thorin held the bleeding child against his chest. The rain poured down and they were soaked. Kili shivered and buried his face against his uncle's neck.
"What in Durin's beard were the two of you thinking coming this far from the mountain?" Thorin roared once he and Kili were safely out of the briars and Kili was being held tightly in his brother's arms.
"We just wanted a new place to play," Fili said in a small voice, eyeing Thorin's thunderous look nervously.
"I am disappointed, Fili," Thorin continued. "You should have known better than to take your brother this far from the safety of the mountain."
"I wanted to come, too, Uncle," Kili chattered, suddenly shivering all over. "It is not all Fili's fault."
Thorin brushed a hand over his youngest heir's tussled dark locks and his heart clenched at the small boy's pale, scratched face and chattering teeth. "Let's get you home, little warrior." He swept Kili up into his arms; his anger could wait until the boys were safe and warm before the fire.
Fili trotted anxiously by his side as they hurried home through the rainy deluge. By the time they entered the mountain, all three of them were shivering from the chill.
"Thorin!" Dis's voice echoed down the stone hallway as she ran toward them. "Dwalin told me what happened. Is Kili all right?"
"Mummy!" Kili wailed as he turned in Thorin's grasp and reached for Dis.
"Oh," she murmured as she took her scratched and bloody son from her brother and settled him on her hip. "Kili, love, just look at you." She tucked his soaking wet hair back from his face and tutted at the scratches she found marring his pale skin. "You are freezing."
Quickly, she reached out and touched Fili's cheek. "And so are you!" She took his hand. "We are going home and putting the both of you straight in a hot bath."
The boys did not protest. As Dis carried Kili, Thorin lifted Fili up into his arms and the boy curled into his uncle. He was so cold that his teeth were chattering and his lips were tinged with blue.
As soon as they entered their small home in the depths of the mountain, Dis hurried straight into the washroom and began to heat water to put into the large tub. As the water was heating, she and Thorin peeled Kili and Fili out of their wet clothing and Thorin unbraided Fili's hair. Dis poured the first pot of hot water into the tub and put another one over the fire to heat. Both boys were instantly placed in the tub by their uncle. Dis grabbed a cloth and began scrubbing Kili.
He squirmed from her grasp. "Mummy, the soap burns," he protested.
"I am sorry, love," she apologized, "but we have to get your scratches clean."
Soon both boys were clean and warm from the steaming water. Thorin and Dis lifted them out of the metal tub. Dis produced a jar of salve which she used to cover both Kili's and Fili's scratches. Fili was silent as his mother doctored him, but Kili whined and complained until Thorin settled him on a clean dry towel on his lap and held him still. Dis then bound Fili's wounded knees and gave both of her boys a stern look.
"What in the world were the two of you doing all the way out at the thorn thicket not to mention out of this mountain alone?" she asked angrily as she swiped a damp strand of her dark hair back from her face.
The boys looked at one another guiltily before Fili answered. "We wanted a new, exciting place to play," he answered quietly.
Thorin nearly growled in anger. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to the two of you all alone out there? What of orcs and goblins?"
The boys' faced paled noticeably at their uncle's words.
"I am sorry, Uncle. I did not think," Fili said softly, the words laced with guilt.
"No, you did not," Thorin grouched back, his fear for his sister-sons making his words sharper than intended. "The orcs could have carried you and Kili away and we would have never known what happened to you. As the oldest, Fili, you should have known better."
"Thorin," Dis said quietly, placing a hand on her brother's arm. "Boys, you are both to blame for what happened today," she said softly, but firmly. "Until you show me that I can trust you once again, you will have to play in the sight of either myself or your uncle. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mummy," both boys echoed sullenly, sharing looks with one another and sneaking worried looks at their uncle who still looked quite fierce.
Finally, both boys were dressed in their nightshirts as Dis ushered them into the kitchen. "We need to let Uncle Thorin bathe and get into some dry clothes. I am sure he is cold, too."
Thorin felt chilled to the bone and he nodded gratefully to his sister as she shut the door behind her. He slipped out of his dirty, wet, cold clothes and tossed them onto the boys' pile of dirty clothes in the corner. He emptied the dirty water from the tub and filled it with fresh, hot water. Sinking into it with sigh, he slid down as far as he was able into the tub allowing the water to warm his chilled form.
His thoughts drifted back to Kili trapped in the briars looking so small and helpless. His stomach burned with anxiety. His little nephew was one of his greatest treasures; the idea of him being injured and terrified made Thorin feel ill. What had possessed the boys to think it was safe to venture out of the mountain alone? Anger flowed through him all over again. The boys could have been killed or kidnapped. Why did they not think?
He finished washing and stepped out of the tub before drying off and dressing in a pair clean trousers and a blue tunic. Then he combed his hair and left the washroom to enter the kitchen. Dis was stirring something in a large pot over the stove.
"Where are the boys?" Thorin asked as he moved to stand by his sister and looked down into the pot to see a delicious, meaty stew.
"I settled them in front of the fire with some toys. They were still quite chilly. Will you go check on them?" Dis glanced at him over her shoulder.
"They could have died today, Dis, venturing out alone." Thorin's voice was flat with worry.
"Aye, and they will think twice before they do so again," she assured him. "It frightened Fili that something could have happened to his brother." Still, an anxious frown creased her forehead.
Thorin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead before he turned to find his sister-sons. The boys were cuddled together in front of the fire with Fili reading to his little brother. Thorin settled beside them and both boys looked up at him, trepidation in their eyes.
"Uncle," Kili began hesitantly, "are you still angry with us?"
"A bit, aye," Thorin admitted as he reached for Kili and lifted him, settling the small dwarfling in his lap and running a hand through his mussed dark locks.
"It was my fault, Uncle. I truly should not have taken Kili out of the mountain. I was the one who wanted to venture out," Fili admitted, unable to look his uncle in the eyes. His chin quivered as tears welled in his big, blue eyes.
Thorin's heart ached at the guilt he saw written on his heir's face. "And you will think twice before you do so again. I believe you have learned your lesson, Fili."
"And me, too," Kili admitted, tugging on Thorin's braid. He was not going to allow his brother to take all of the blame. "I wanted to go. It is my fault, too."
Thorin settled Kili on his knee and reached an arm out for Fili, drawing the trembling boy close. "There are many scary things that can happen to a dwarfling who leaves the mountain alone. You must never do that again."
"We won't, Uncle," the boys echoed one another.
"Do you forgive us?" Kili asked in a small voice.
Thorin's hard blue eyes softened at the boy's words and he tipped his forehead to rest against his smallest sister-son's. "Always," he murmured before repeating the gesture with Fili.
Kili yawned and cuddled against Thorin.
The dwarf king held his youngest sister-son close. "How are you feeling, Kili?"
"I am fine, Uncle," the sleepy dwarfling replied as he curled into Thorin's chest. "Thank you for helping me." He yawned once again and scrubbed sleepily at his eyes before he lifted his head and cupped Thorin's cheeks with his hands. "I am sorry you got all scratched up from the briars." He traced a scratch that ran down Thorin's cheek with one small, blunt finger.
The dwarf king smiled and leaned forward to rest his forehead against Kili's once again. "You are one of my greatest treasures, Kili," he said softly. "I will always come to your aid."
Fili leaned against Thorin's shoulder and rested his cheek against his uncle's damp hair. "May I braid your hair, Uncle?" he asked hopefully.
Thorin smiled at his eldest sister-son. "Aye, Fili, that would be most helpful." The dwarf king continued to hold his youngest nephew who was soon snoring softly in his arms while Fili's small fingers wove Thorin's signature plaits into his dark locks.
Fili had just hooked the final clasp into Thorin's hair when Dis appeared in the room. "The stew is ready."
Thorin stood and cradled Kili close before placing a gently hand on the crown of Fili's head. "Thank you, Fili, for braiding my hair. You did well by your brother today."
"But I was the one who got him into trouble in the first place," he frowned guiltily.
"But you were able to make it right in the end and you learned a valuable lesson," Thorin informed him, giving the boy's slight shoulder a squeeze.
"Come and eat, Fili," Dis encouraged before moving to her brother. "I can take Kili so that you can eat," she told him.
"I will put him in his bed. It will only take a moment and then I will eat," Thorin assured her.
Dis placed a gentle hand on her brother's arm. "Thank you for taking care of my boys, Thorin. I do not know what I would do without you."
Holding onto Kili with one arm, Thorin placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and rested his forehead against hers. "I will do my best by the boys; you know that."
"Aye, I do," she promised with a small smile. "Now go put Kili to bed so that you can eat while the stew is still hot."
Thorin nodded and turned toward the small bedroom the boys shared. He deposited Kili in his bed and tucked the blankets snuggly around him.
"Uncle," Kili mumbled in his sleep before turning over and tucking his thumb securely in his mouth.
A smile hooked the corner of Thorin's lips as he ran a soothing hand over Kili's forehead. "Sleep well, little warrior."
Kili sighed in his sleep and cuddled further into the blankets.
Thorin turned to leave the room, but cast one last look over his shoulder at his sleeping sister-son. He shook his head and chuckled softly. Kili always found his way into one scrape after another; the little rascal was going to turn his hair gray before its time. Thorin left the room to rejoin his sister and Fili and enjoy the warm stew that Dis had prepared.
The End
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