The Duty of a King

by FiliFanForever

Sequel to my previous story, "The Duty of an Heir", which definitely should be read beforehand for maximum understanding of this story. When Thorin Oakenshield departs after a long and successful rule, his heir is left to pick up the pieces. Will Fili fall to the dragon-sickness, like his ancestors before him? Or is there something in him that will keep him safe?

1. Prologue

Thank you all for your extremely kind reviews of my first story, The Duty of an Heir. Here is the sequel. It's quite a bit darker than the first, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Prologue

Kili gazed with tear-filled eyes at the sight. Thorin, lying still with Orcrist in his venerable, battle-scarred hands; Fili, his pale face looking more ashen than usual and his eyes bloodshot, trying with all his might to hold back tears; Dis, Valni, and Balin, shamelessly weeping; Dwalin, tearing his beard in the Dwarven expression of unrestrained grief.

Yes, Thorin had died. After years of a strong rule, characterized by his constant struggle against the return of his dragon-sickness, he had gone, leaving all who had loved him to pick up the pieces. Kili watched as the engraved stone was lowered over Thorin's body, and Fili fell to his knees as the sight of his uncle was removed from him. He already knew that Thorin was gone, but the placing of the stone gave an unavoidable feeling of finality, as Fili let the fact that he would never see his uncle again sink in. A choir of deep-voiced dwarves chanted a funeral dirge in Khuzdul as the whole kingdom mourned the loss of their King Under the Mountain.

Kili really pitied Fili at this moment, when he was forced to collect himself and stand. He was expected to say something, and Kili got the urge to run up and take poor Fili away from the scene so that he could mourn freely. But now, the duty of an heir, his final duty as an heir, was to remind the world of the king who came before.

As Kili looked at Fili standing in front of the mass of mourning dwarves, he noticed with a start how much older Fili looked now. The more carefree, eager Fili from the days of the Quest for Erebor was gone. This Fili, weighed with sorrow and care, had deep shadows under his eyes; some streaks of grey had tainted the golden glory of his hair.

"Thorin Oakenshield," Fili choked as he reached up to wipe his eye, "...was... a father to me and my brother, after our own father had gone... he raised us as his own. He taught me everything I know about how to be a good and just king. And now I can only hope to be half of what he was for us." He turned away and put his hood over his head, shading his eyes. Kili knew that Fili wanted nothing better than to hide from the world, but now, his duty called him to rule his people.