One Of Us
Bilbo was sat at the edge of the Carrock, looking out towards the Lonely Mountain and wondering how long it might take them to get there. The dwarves and Gandalf were setting up camp and starting to settle down. Thorin was still healing from his injuries, so they had agreed to spend the night up here before moving onwards. Gandalf had mentioned that he had a friend who lived at the edge of the forest.
Things were better now, since Thorin had accepted him into the Company. It felt like he was becoming part of the group now, and he liked the feeling. It would make things a lot easier if he was no longer seen as a burden.
He was aware of whispering close by, and from the voices he could tell who it was.
"It was your idea," Kili whispered to his brother.
"I know, but...I think we should do it together. I think it'd mean more."
"True." Bilbo smiled slightly when he heard the princes approach him; he liked them despite their knack for causing mischief. "Bilbo?"
"Hmm?" he asked, looking up at them. Fili was carrying a bowl of stew, fresh from the pot that Bombur was making. "Everything alright?"
"Yes," the elder replied, and he handed over the bowl. "Here...we've already eaten ours."
He took it gratefully; he hadn't eaten for what felt like months, even though it was probably only a short time ago. "Thank you. Was there something you wanted to say? I heard you whispering..."
The princes seemed nervous, which he hadn't expected. "Um...the thing is," Kili started. "We wanted to...thank you. For saving our uncle."
Bilbo blinked; he hadn't known that they were related in such a way. He knew that there were groups of brothers within the Company, including the dwarves stood before him. But he hadn't known about Thorin. "He's your uncle?"
"You didn't know?" Fili asked, and Bilbo shook his head.
"Nobody said..." he confessed. Then he smiled slightly. "Well, you're welcome anyway. So how are you related...?"
"He's our mother's eldest brother," Kili replied proudly; Bilbo could certainly see the resemblance they held to Thorin now. He figured that Fili looked like their father with his blonde hair, while Kili took after their mother. "And...our father died when we were both very young, so..."
"He's your father figure," Bilbo finished, nodding. Come to think of it, he had caught glimpses of affection from Thorin to his nephews, and he liked that there was this other side to Thorin. "Well..."
"Enjoy your meal," Fili said simply, nodding. He and Kili left, but then Bilbo saw them meet Thorin on their way back to camp. He smiled when Thorin clapped hands to his nephews' shoulders and nodded to them. Bilbo turned back when he realised that Thorin was heading for him; he still wasn't sure about the Dwarf King despite their forming friendship.
"Bilbo?" Thorin asked softly, addressing him by name for the first time. The hobbit looked up at him nervously, and he gestured to the space to Bilbo's left. "May I?"
"Of course," Bilbo replied. He heard Thorin sigh as he sat down. "How are your wounds?"
"Healing well, thanks to Oin," the king replied. "I should be fit to continue by tomorrow. My nephews weren't bothering you, I hope?"
"No, they just wanted to bring me some stew. And...they thanked me for saving you," Bilbo added, glancing at his companion. "I didn't know before that you're their uncle..."
Thorin smiled. "Aye. Helped their mother raise them after their father died. They were just young dwarflings at the time. Bilbo...there's something I have told nobody else, not even Dwalin."
Bilbo was surprised; Dwalin appeared to be Thorin's closest friend so he didn't understand why Thorin had kept something from him. "And what's that?"
Thorin looked towards the mountain in the distance. "It's for them that I undertake this quest. They have grown up as princes of a lost kingdom. I was younger than they are now when Smaug attacked. I want them to grow up with more than I did."
Bilbo stared at him; he'd never heard Thorin speak like this before. "Thorin...I didn't..."
"I simply want them to be happy," Thorin confessed, looking back to his young nephews. "Fili is my direct heir and I want him to have his kingdom when the time comes. Being a King in exile is...harsh. He has good spirit and would make a great king one day. As for Kili...he would do anything to help his brother even if he never sits on the throne himself."
Bilbo nodded. "Well...I can guess how they felt when Azog attacked you. And after I took down that orc, they and Dwalin were the first to help. I think they were the only ones who could get out of the tree, to be honest."
Thorin sighed. "They're rather reckless, I'll admit. I worry for them...my sister will have my head if something happens to them."
"They'll be fine," Bilbo tried to assure him. "I'm sure of it. They've got you, after all..."
"I suppose. Did you want to join us to eat your supper?" Thorin offered, and Bilbo nodded, happy to be invited in. He followed Thorin back to the others around the fire and sat next to Kili, closely observing how he and his brother interacted with Thorin. He couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it before. They did look a lot like him, even Fili with his blonde hair.
Bilbo suddenly remembered what Balin had said shortly after the journey had started; that Azog had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. This included Fili and Kili, who were so young and full of life. What if Azog found out that they were Thorin's heirs? That surely didn't bode well for them. He couldn't protect the two young princes in the way that their uncle could, but he silently promised that he would at least try to help them in his own way.