This is my first ever Hobbit fanfic, written for my dear friend thewholockedhobbit. I don't own any of the characters, they are all the property of the Tolkien estate. I am more than willing to expand this into a series, feel free to message me any suggestions you might have. I hope you enjoy it! Please read and review!
Life in the Blue Mountains for Thorin Oakenshield was far different than what he had grown up accustomed to in Erebor. Long gone were the great halls of carven stone, the constant bustle of fellow dwarves working in the mines and crafting beautiful works of gold, diamonds, sapphires and rubies. The life he had at Erebor was a life that he could be proud of. Ever since the day that he was born, Thorin had been raised to be proud of who he was: one of the Heirs of Durin and the heir to one of the greatest kingdoms in Middle Earth. Now, after the terror that was brought upon the dwarves of Erebor by the dragon, Smaug, Thorin and his family lived in exile in the Blue Mountains. His father had been lost and though he had tried to find him, it had been to no avail. Thrain was gone, and now not only was Thorin the dispossessed King Under the Mountain, but he was also responsible for lives of his closest kin, his sister, Dís, her son, Fíli, and her unborn child.
Thorin had taken up a job working at the local village of Men near Ered Luin. Work at the forge was relatively soothing for the dwarf prince, hammering the heated metal into new swords and shields just as he had seen it done in the forges of Erebor. Ever since he was a dwarfling, Thorin had had an interest in how the stone quarried from the mines deep in the caves could be transformed into such beautiful and powerful weapons. He made several tours of the forges with his grandfather, though Thror took a much more eager interest in the work being done with gold, which Thorin now recognized was the beginning of the dragon sickness that had overthrown his grandfather's mind. Long ago, Thorin had promised himself that one day he would tour the same great forges with his own sons, or even his grandsons, and show them the transformation from stone to sword. This promise, however, was unlikely to come to pass after the destruction brought about by Smaug. Hope still remained for Thorin, in the life of his five year old nephew, Fíli, and the child that would be born any day now.
Fíli provided his uncle, who had become more of a father to the boy after the death of his father, with not only hope that his line would endure, but also with joy and happiness. The small golden-haired, blue-eyed boy, who looked very much like his father, had a similar disposition to his uncle: proud, strong and protective of his family, which was rare in a child so young. After a long, hard day of working at the forge, Thorin was utterly exhausted, his face and hands stained with ash and his long dark hair damp with sweat. Walking back to the small cottage where he lived with his sister and nephew, Thorin would hum the familiar tune of the song that he had been singing for near one hundred years,"Far over the misty mountains cold…"
Just as Thorin pushed through the door of the cottage, before he had even had the chance to take off his cloak and boots, something collided into his legs. He looked down to see a small golden head tightly wrapped around his legs, his bright sapphire blue eyes and smile beaming up at him.
"Fíli, my lad," Thorin chuckled as he lifted up the boy. "Have you been a good boy for your mother today?"
"Of course, Uncle! I was on my very best behaviour, I helped her prepare supper and clean up afterwards," Fíli replied, obviously very pleased with what he had accomplished that day.
"There's a good lad. Now just give me a moment to take off my travelling cloak and boots and say hello to your mother. Then, I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?! Mama, hurry in here, Uncle is home and he has a surprise for me and I can only have it once he says hello to you!"
"Fíli…" Thorin sighed, shaking his head at his nephew's evident enthusiasm. "Don't rush your poor mother around. She is having quite a hard time now that your new brother or sister will be here any day now. You know that she must rest."
"Now, now brother," Dís said, walking into the room as Fíli ran off into the adjoining room and jumped into his Uncle's large armchair. "I may be with child and about to burst, but I am not to be coddled, you know that very well." Hugging his sister as close as he could, Thorin kissed her cheek. "How was your day at the forge? Did you have your dinner already?"
"I will eat after he has gone to bed. And it was as to be expected. Nothing of particular interest, though I have brought home something special for my favourite nephew… I don't know how much longer I can say that."
"Well, perhaps Thorin this child shall be a girl and then you could have a favourite nephew and a favourite niece. Though I believe that will not be the case."
"Now, you believe it to be a boy? After months of arguing with me that it would be a girl?"
"Feelings change, Thorin. This one feels very much like his brother did, he is practicing for a war in here, I feel it several times daily," Dís winced as the baby started up again waging a war on its mother.
"Now listen here, little one. You be nice to your mother, and when you are good and grown we shall get you and your big brother here all trained up."
"Thorin, please don't speak of such violence, Fíli is only a child and this one isn't even born yet! Please let them be children, at least for a little while."
"Dís," Thorin whispered, wiping away the tear running down her face, "you know that I want them to be children for as long as possible. But they are Heirs of Durin, and they must be raised as such. When we reclaim our homeland, Fíli shall be king and he must know such things."
"I know, all too well. But after what happened to Frerin… I could not go through that again, especially with my own son and I know that neither could you."
"It will not happen again and I will do everything that I can to prevent it, you know that. But Fíli needs to know how to protect himself. I promise I will hold off on the training for as long as possible."
"Thank y– "
"Uncle!" Fíli shouted from the next room jumping on Thorin's armchair. "What about my surprise? I've been waiting for ages!"
"Well, someone has certainly inherited your patience…" Dís smirked, rolling her eyes.
"Which is by no means a reflection of your own character I'm sure, my dear sister. Yes, Fíli, I'm coming!" Thorin said as he walked into the adjacent room to find his nephew eagerly jumping up and down on his armchair. "Now, what is it that I can help you with, young master Fíli?"
"Uncle," Fíli groaned, as he was growing quite impatient and was becoming tired of his uncle's teasing. "You said you had a surprise for me and I have been ever so patient sitting here waiting like you told me a good prince should."
"Indeed you have, and I am very proud of you for your patience, nephew. Now where did I put your surprise," Thorin muttered. "Ah!" Thorin exclaimed, pulling the carefully wrapped package out of the front of his jacket, "Here it is! Now you must sit very carefully so I can give it to you. Let me sit first and you and sit on my lap, yes?" Fíli nodded eagerly as he climbed out of the armchair to make room for his uncle. Once Thorin was seated, he lifted Fíli onto his lap where he sat completely still, eagerly awaiting his surprise.
"Now Fíli, you must take great care with this surprise. You are a big lad now and I know you can be responsible, especially now that you are going to be a big brother. Here you are," Thorin stated as he handed the boy the package. Fíli eagerly untied the strings and folded back the cloth carefully.
"Uncle, it's wonderful! Thank you!" Fili shouted, his blue eyes glowing as he gently placed the parcel on the floor and jumped back into his uncle's lap and wrapped his tiny arms around Thorin's neck.
"You are most welcome, Fíli. Now go and show your mother, but be careful!" He called after the boy as he ran off to show Dís what he had received.
"Mama, look what Uncle Thorin brought for me!" Fíli said proudly as he lifted his gift high above his head to show her. It was a small wooden sword, carved to be the same as Thorin's. For almost as long as he could remember, Fíli had admired his uncle's sword, but he had always been to small to play with it and was not yet old enough for a real sword of his own. For several weeks, Thorin had been working hard at carving the wooden sword for his nephew. The past few months had been hard for Fíli. Getting used to the prospect of a new sibling had not always been an easy thing for Fíli. He had often feared that he would lose a lot of the attention and love that was directed towards him to his new brother or sister. Fíli was now mostly reconciled with becoming an older brother, and was actually becoming quite excited and fiercely protective of his younger brother or sister. He had taken to asking his mother almost daily when his brother or sister would be here so that he could play with them and teach them how to behave like a proper prince or princess of Erebor.
"It is lovely, Fíli!"
"Now I can be just like Uncle! I am the King Under the Mountain!" Fíli shouted swinging the sword around.
"Fíli, what did I tell you about being careful?" Thorin warned the boy. "Besides, I believe it is time for this dwarf prince to head to bed." Thorin said lifting the boy over his shoulder, causing the boy to laugh as his uncle tickled his sides. Thorin opened the door to Fíli's room, helped the boy change into to sleeping robes and tucked him into his bed.
"Uncle?"
"Yes?"
"When will you be the King again?"
"Well my lad, it could be some time. I still am the King, you see, but our home was taken from us before you were born. That is why we are living here."
"By Smaug the Terrible! When I'm grown up like you I shall help you slay the dragon so you can be King again!"
"I don't think that your mother would approve of that, my lad. But, once you are grown and trained up a bit, we shall see."
"Can you sing me the Lonely Mountain song?"
"Of course. I believe it is your favourite song, is it not?" Thorin asked. Fíli nodded, but had already begun to drift off to sleep. "Close your eyes, Fíli, and I shall sing you the song.
Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, ere break of day,
To find our long forgotten gold.
The pines were roaring on the height,
The winds were moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light."
Fíli had long since drifted off to sleep long before Thorin had finished singing the song, his golden blond hair splayed across the pillow and his little arms above his head.
"Goodnight, son of the Lonely Mountain. May Mahal watch over you this night and always. One day you will be King, I promise you, no matter what it takes," Thorin whispered as he kissed Fíli's forehead.
"Love you, Uncle," Fíli muttered in a drowsy voice. "I want to be a great king, just like you."
"And I love you, nephew, more than you know. You will be, my lad, perhaps an even better king than I," Thorin said, sweeping the boy's unruly curls away from his small face. "Sleep well, Fíli."
Thorin extinguished the candle by the dwarfling's bed and left his room, closing the door behind him.
"He went to bed without any problems?" Dís inquired as Thorin entered the kitchen, finally sitting down to eat his supper.
"Indeed, seems he was quite a tired lad. I think the excitement of his surprise may have taken a lot out of him. How are you feeling, sister?"
"Quite well, Thorin, though I cannot wait for this little one to get here, it will be such a relief. It should be any day now. He certainly seems to be getting anxious to meet his big brother and uncle."
"Fíli is certainly getting anxious to be a big brother. I have never seen a dwarfling so protective of his siblings, especially before they are even born."
"Well, I can certainly think of at least one other," Dís teased, patting her older brother on the shoulder. "You clearly remember our childhood quite differently. I seem to remember a young dwarf prince who would not let his younger brother and sister out of his sight for more than a few minutes together."
"I suppose you're right. That's what the heirs of Durin do, we take care of each other, no matter what," Thorin said as he hugged his sister and kissed her cheek affectionately. "Well, I'm off to bed, it was a long day at the forge. Goodnight, sister."
"Goodnight, brother. Sleep well."
After changing into his night robes, Thorin fell asleep almost the instant his head met the pillow. He did not have a dreamless sleep that night, but for the first night in several years, he dreamed of the happy times that he had with his family in Erebor and of his younger brother, Frerin.
"Thorin! Thorin!" Frerin yelled, running into his brother's room with tears streaming down his face.
"Frerin, what is it?" Thorin inquired, rushing out of his bed to check on his younger brother.
"I… I had a bad dream again."
"The same dream?"
"Yes. It was you, Dís, and I. There was a great battle, and many around us had fallen. Father. Grandfather… and… and you and Dís. Everyone was gone and I was completely alone. It was so real Thorin…"
"Frerin, it won't come true, I promise. I will always, always protect you and Dís, no matter what. I am your older brother, and that's what older brothers do. And you know that Father and Grandfather will do the same."
"I know. Can you sing me a song?"
"Of course. Do you want to stay here with me?" Frerin nodded happily and jumped onto Thorin's bed, tucking himself in. "Now, which song would you like to hear?"
"A song of Kings, and treasure. Of brothers. And our home."
"Very well. Let's see…"
"Thorin. Thorin, please wake up," Dís asked pleadingly, shaking her brother awake.
"Dís? What is it? What's the matter?" Thorin asked in a hurried and concerned manner.
"It… it's the baby… it's coming…"
Thorin threw back the sheets and rushed to his sister's side, rubbing her back consolingly. Dís was quite obviously in a fair amount of pain, which made Thorin very uneasy. It had been just over five years since Fíli was born and he had forgotten the amount of pain that she had gone through to bring his nephew into the world.
"Dís, how long has this been going on?"
"Almost all day, but you were at the forge and there was no one to watch Fíli. I didn't want to bother you because I know how important your work is…"
"All day? Dís, why didn't you come get me or send someone to bring me back to the house? I will go get Oin myself," Thorin said, pulling on his travelling cloak. "You stay here and rest, go lie down. Fíli should be down for the night. I will be back as quickly as I can. Please rest, sister." Thorin kissed his sister goodbye, closed the front door behind him and ran off into the village.
"Dís? Dís, are you alright?" Thorin asked as he returned to the cottage, breathing heavily.
"Uncle?"
"Fíli, why are you awake?" Thorin asked his nephew who was quite clearly distressed.
"Mama is crying. What's the matter? Is she sad?"
"No, Fíli, she's not sad. She will be very happy shortly. It's your little brother or sister; they are going to be here very soon. That is why I have brought Mister Oin with me," he said, picking up the anxious child. "Oin, she is in the bedroom on the right at the end of the hall. I will stay with my nephew. Fetch me if you need anything."
"Very good," said Oin. "From what you told me, it shouldn't be very long now. Your niece or nephew should be here very soon."
Thorin took Fíli into the sitting room and sat in his armchair with Fíli snuggled close to his chest. This was the first time that Fíli had ever experienced seeing or hearing his mother in pain. Dís was one of the strongest dwarves that Thorin knew and provided her son with a strong sense of stability, safety and love, especially after the untimely death of his father not that long ago.
"Uncle?"
"Yes, my lad?"
"I'm frightened for Mama. Why is the baby hurting her so much?"
"Well, Fíli, that's how new dwarves are brought into this world. Your mother went through the same thing when you were born." Fíli's eyes widened at this. "But don't worry for your mother. She is of the line of Durin so she is very strong, and pretty soon, you shall be an older brother and will have to watch out for your new brother or sister."
"Just like how you looked out for my Mama and Uncle Frerin?"
It had been some time since Thorin thought of his younger brother. He had lived for so many years with feelings of guilt and almost as though there was an empty space in his heart. The void was beginning to heal, especially after a certain golden-haired dwarfling was born and now in a short time, another child would help to fill the void that his brother left.
"Uncle?" the young dwarf asked inquisitively, sensing his uncle's mind had wandered elsewhere.
"Aye, you we be an excellent older brother. The best. Though, I believe you will be a much better older brother than I was. Now, try and get some sleep, and when you wake up, the baby should be here." After gently rocking in his favourite chair for a short while, Fíli finally nodded off to sleep again, and Thorin eventually drifted off as well, resting his head on his nephew's. The questions of his inquisitive nephew brought to his mind's eye a memory that he had long hoped he could forget.
The Battle at Azanulbizar had been a long and bloody one, infinitely more horrid than Thrór had told them it would be. He had not anticipated that the orcs had practically overrun Moria and they had a vast army waiting under the mountain in case the dwarves should come to reclaim their homeland. Though the dwarves of Erebor were able to recapture Moria, the glory of winning the battle quickly turned to ashes as a result of the devastating cost of their victory. Thorin was devastated by the sudden and violent loss of his grandfather during the course of the battle and his father was driven mad with the grief of his own father. Thorin silently thanked Mahal that the other closest members of his kin remained safely in Erebor. He and his father, not to mention the countless other dwarves who had participated in the battle, had already lost so much this day that he did not think he could handle loosing anyone else.
"Thorin!" Dwalin yelled, running towards his comrade. "Thorin, you best come quickly!"
"Dwalin, wha-" Thorin began, but Dwalin had run off in the direction of Mirrormere by the eastern gate. His legs heavy as iron from fatigue, Thorin ran after his friend as fast as he could. 'What could be wrong now?' Thorin thought to himself. 'The orcs were destroyed, and those that survived fled the mountain. Grandfather is dead, and father is well, well, alive at least. What could need my attention so desperately?'
Crossing the ridge and going down towards the lake is when he saw a group of dwarves huddled together, all looking down at a dwarf kneeling, holding another in his arms. As he ran closer he recognized the dwarf that was kneeling as his father, Thrain, making Thorin grow more anxious.
"Father? What is going on? Who are you…" Thorin recognized him immediately. The dwarf's long, wavy, ebony hair in two small braids keeping it away from his face. His strong features were remarkably similar to Thorin's, only a few years younger. "No, it cannot be… Frerin." Thorin collapsed to his knees beside his brother. "Why are you here? You were supposed to stay home with Dís," he whispered wiping Frerin's bloodstained hair away from his face. "You're too young too be here. I told you not to come."
"I ha- had to help you, father and grandfather. To bring honour to our family," Frerin stammered, his breath becoming ragged.
"You should have stayed home, where you would be safe. I told you I would help you train to become an even better fighter so you could lead your own army. You were so brave to come, but you should have stayed with them. I did it to protect you. I'm your brother, I'm supposed to protect you!" Thorin said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I was supposed to protect you…"
"You were a great older brother. This was my choice." Frerin replied, his voice barely audible. "Please, Thorin, forgive me. Forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you, I will always forgive you." Thorin took Frerin's hand, holding it in both of his hands. "Do you forgive me?"
"What could I have to forgive you for?"
"For not being there for you when you needed me most."
"You don't need forgiveness, brother. But I give it you if it will help ease your conscience," Frerin's eyes began to close. "Thorin?"
"Yes, Frerin?"
"Sing me a song, the song you sang to me when we were young."
"Of course.
Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old…"
Frerin's eyes fluttered and slowly closed. By the end of the song, and the day, Thorin had lost two of the most important people in his life, one of whom it had been his life's goal to protect. He collapsed onto his brother's lifeless body, sobbing, his father kneeling above him, consumed by grief.
"I'm so sorry, Frerin. I'm so sorry."
"Thorin? Thorin?" A voice asked while gently shaking Thorin awake. Thorin slowly opened his eyes to see the blurry face of Oin.
"Oin? What is it? Is Dís alright?"
"Come and see for yourself. You may wish to wake young master Fíli as well, I think he may like to see his mother."
"Fíli, it's time to wake up my lad. We are going to see your mother." Fíli opened his eyes drowsily at first but quickly realized what this moment must mean.
"The baby is here!" Fíli jumping out of his uncle's lap and running down the hallway towards his mother's room.
"Fíli, stop!" Thorin called after the boy as he chased him down the hall, stopping him just before he reached the door. "You have to be calm and quiet. Your mother is going to be very tired and you don't want to startle your new brother or sister."
"Okay," Fíli whispered as he slowly turned the door handle and tiptoed into the room. "Mama?"
"Fíli! Come sit by me, there is someone who I would like you to meet."
Fíli walked cautiously across the room, and very carefully climbed onto the bed and snuggled into his mother's side, hugging her tightly. After assuring himself that his mother was well, Fíli's eyes wandered to the small bundle that his mother held in her arms. The baby had a small pink face and a head full of dark brown curly hair and long dark eyelashes.
"Fíli, I want you to meet your new brother, Kíli."
"But he's so tiny! When will he be big enough to play with me?"
"Not for some time, Fíli," Thorin cut in. "But once he's grown up a bit, you can teach him all about being a prince and a Durin. Well done, sister, he's a handsome lad. A boy, just like you said." He leaned in and kissed Dís on the cheek.
"He looks just like you, brother. It must be that strong Durin blood."
"Indeed it must be. Now, let me hold my nephew," Thorin said reaching out and gently taking his new nephew from his sister's arms. It had been five years since he had held a baby, baby dwarves were a fairly uncommon occurrence, and it felt like just yesterday that Fíli was this small. "Dís you must be exhausted. Why don't you try and get some sleep, I'll take care of these fine young princes, " Thorin smiled, looking down at his two nephews.
"Thank you, Thorin."
"Sleep well, sister, and congratulations."
"You too, Uncle," she smiled at him as she closed her eyes. Thorin kissed her cheek one more time and left the room with his two nephews in tow. He could hardly believe that he now had three people who relied on him: his sister who he had cared for all his life, his nephew Fíli who had been his pride and joy for the past five years, and now the tiny infant that he was holding in his arms, his newest nephew, Kíli. These three dwarves were the last of his immediate kin and the end of the line of Durin. And Thorin knew, from the moment that he set eyes on that tiny dwarf prince with golden hair and piercing blue eyes five years ago, and now looking at the infant he cradled in his arms, just hours old, that he would do absolutely everything in his power to protect these boys and to reclaim the inheritance that is rightfully theirs: Erebor. As he reached the room that Fíli and Kíli were to share, Fíli quickly climbed into his bed and tucked himself in.
"Uncle, can Kíli sleep in my bed with me?"
"I'm afraid not, Fíli. He is still far too small. He will sleep in the cradle next to you so you can keep a watchful eye on him."
"I will always watch over him," Fíli said proudly, puffing out his small chest. "No matter what."
"I know you will, and I am very proud of you for that. You are both sons of the Lonely Mountain, of Erebor, and I love you both very much. Now, you go to sleep, at least for a little while longer. I am going to go sit by the fire with your brother. It's been a long night. Now close your eyes. There's a good lad. Goodnight, Fíli."
"Goodnight, Uncle. Goodnight, Kee." From that night on, his nickname for the youngest Durin stuck.
After closing the door to Fíli's room and returning to the sitting room, Thorin sat down in the armchair where he was sitting with his older nephew sleeping in his arms just a few hours earlier waiting for the dwarfling he now held to be born. And now he was here, the newest member of his family and the youngest of the line of Durin. Thorin sat down comfortably in his chair with Kíli in his arms. Slowly, Kíli started to grow restless and began quietly whimpering. Before the babe started fuss too much and wake his mother and brother, Thorin held Kíli more closely.
"Well then, my lad, what is troubling you?" he asked the infant as he snuggled him closely to his strong chest, the sound of his heartbeat and his deep voice settling him.
"Would you like me to sing you a song, just like I do for your older brother? He always asks for a song when he has trouble sleeping. Very well…
Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old…"
I hope you've enjoyed the story; it was a lot of fun to write. If you have any scenarios you would like to see feel free to message me. Please review! :)