Friends For Life
"What's wrong with you?" Kili demanded of his uncle, staring with confused eyes. "Bilbo was just trying to help!" The hobbit had soon fled after Thorin's outburst and was making his way down to the front doors. Thorin didn't respond right away, so Kili stepped closer. "Why do you push away people who try to help?"
"He betrayed us," Thorin replied, looking out over the valley towards Dale. "He pulled the wool over our eyes from the beginning and made us trust him. He's a traitor."
"This isn't you," Kili said quietly, shaking his head. Fili glanced at him; they both knew the story of how King Thror had succumbed to the gold sickness, but had hoped that Thorin would be able to resist it. But it looked as though they were wrong. "This isn't like you at all, Uncle."
With that, he too ran from the battlements and went chasing after Bilbo. Fili sighed and turned to leave, glancing at Thorin sadly before he did so. Something wasn't right.
Bilbo walked down the pathway dejectedly, trying to hold it together. Thorin had been his friend, and now hated him. Why did it have to go so wrong when things had been going so well? Now he would have to return to the Shire by himself with a heavy heart.
"Bilbo!" came a voice behind him. He turned to see Kili running down, closely followed by his brother. He smiled sadly at them.
"Hello, you two. Sorry that you had to see that...I never wanted..."
"We know," Fili assured him, nodding. "Something's not right with Uncle; it's that gold sickness that our great-grandfather had. I didn't think it would actually happen, though..."
"Me neither. Thorin was afraid of it happening to him." Bilbo looked at Kili, who was visibly choked up. "Kili, don't look like that. You know I have to leave..." He was suddenly aware of just how young Kili was and smiled. "But I can promise that I won't ever forget you two."
"Us neither, Mr Boggins," Kili replied; he still didn't get Bilbo's name right but nobody cared. "We always liked you. And...when we were betting over whether or not you'd turn up, we thought that you would."
Bilbo smiled. "That's good to know. Thanks, you two. Can you at least do me a favour?"
"Of course. Anything for the hobbit who helped us get Erebor back," Fili replied, holding his head high and smiling.
"I know you love your uncle, so...just promise me something. Try to help him get over this gold sickness, if you can. Smaug told me that it would drive him mad, corrupt him...that's why I didn't tell Thorin I found the Arkenstone. I was trying to protect him."
"We figured it was something like that," Kili told him, and Bilbo could tell that he didn't want to say goodbye. "You did the right thing, Bilbo."
"I thought I did, but...he obviously didn't think so. I was trying to avoid even more fighting. That this whole thing could be solved by everybody banding together against the orcs."
"Will you at least stay for that?" Fili asked. "To help us fight?"
Bilbo hesitated. "I don't know...I can't stay here in Erebor but Bard said I might stay in his camps while they prepare for the battle. But...I might go home. I've been away for so long and I miss my home. I said I would help you get the mountain back and I've done that. I fulfilled my contract."
"But this has become more than a contract," Kili implored him. "You're our friend now; you're one of us."
"I believed that when Thorin said it," Bilbo replied. "But...his judgement's been clouded now and I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay here. He'll kill me if I do."
Fili shook his head. "To think that this has happened to Thror and now to Uncle...I'm next in line, so what if it happens to me?"
"I won't let that happen," Kili assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I promise." Bilbo smiled at how close they were and hoped that Thorin's love for them would be enough to keep him grounded.
"So...you're going straight back to the Shire?" Fili asked, and Bilbo nodded.
"Yes. Might stop off at Rivendell on the way; I liked it there. It's peaceful...reminds me of home a little bit."
"Elves aren't so bad," Kili said, and Bilbo knew he was thinking of Tauriel; they had told him what had happened in Laketown. "Not all of them, anyway."
"You're right. Elrond said I could stay there if I ever wanted to. But I don't know yet what I want. I do long to see Bag End again."
"You have a lovely home," Fili told him. "Sorry that we trashed it..." Bilbo shook his head.
"No, it was...exactly the wake-up call I needed. Without it...I would have lived my whole life there and never ventured out. Thank you for that." He sighed. "Well, I'd better get going before Thorin sees me here." The pair of them hugged him tightly and Fili extracted a knife from his varied collection.
"Here...take it," he told Bilbo. "It'll be more like a sword for you. I want you to have it." Bilbo nodded, a lump in his throat. He then saw Kili holding out his pipe.
"I know you liked the design, and I can always find a new one somewhere around here. Might even make one myself," he said, smiling at him. Bilbo took it and looked at them both.
"Thank you. Take care of yourselves, and Thorin. It's been an honour to know you." He bowed slightly and turned away, trying not to let his tears fall. He would miss those two.
"So what do we do now?" Kili asked his brother as Bilbo walked away. Fili sighed.
"We do what he said. We try to keep Uncle as sane as we can. Come on." He put an arm around his brother and they headed back up to the battlements.