Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit. It belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, and Company.
This one was requested by LadyWallace. I hope you enjoy it, my friend!
Author's Note: In this story, Kili is about 5 and Fili around 10 in human years. I am not sure what that translates into when it comes to dwarf years.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Dis grunted as she stared at the large wooden wardrobe that graced the corner of her large bedroom in the heart of Erebor. It was so full that she could not make one more item fit into any tiny nook or cranny. No matter how much she may despise the chore, it was time to sort through the contents and dispose of those things she no longer needed. She removed clothing, an old cloak, a box containing beads and hair ornaments, and then came several pairs of shoes along with some boxes.
With a sigh, Dis shifted aside another wooden box and its lid fell off. A soft gasp escaped her lips. Nestled inside were two scraps of soft dwarf hair, the blonde tuft tied together with a blue bow and the brunette with a green one. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of her boys. Oh, how she missed them. Sometimes she ached for them so much that she did not know how she could go on another minute, but somehow she always found the strength. She had to, for there was no other choice.
Her mind drifted back to that day so long ago. She could still hear the childish voices chattering as they left the house, so excited to be going to visit Mr. Oin at his apothecary.
Many years ago…
"What's wrong, Mum?" Fili asked in concern, his blue eyes shining with worry as he found his mother still in bed instead of in the kitchen fixing their breakfast.
"I have another one of my bad headaches, Fili love," Dis murmured quietly. "Is your uncle awake?"
Fili nodded. "He sent me in to check on you. Uncle is helping Ki set the table."
"I am out of the herbs to make the headache tea," Dis informed her eldest son. "Please send Uncle Thorin in to see me."
"Aye, Mum," the little dwarf nodded. "I will send him right away!" He scurried to do his mother's bidding. Fili hated it when his mother was ill; it made him feel helpless and frightened.
Dashing into the kitchen, he found Kili placing the plates on the table carefully while Thorin heated water on the stove. "Uncle, Mum needs you. She has another one of her headaches."
Kili frowned and looked from his brother to his uncle. "Uncle, will you make her the headache tea?" he asked, his fingers beginning to twist nervously in his tunic.
"It will be okay, Ki," Fili assured his little brother. He moved to stand next to Kili and patted him on the back. "Uncle, Mum says she has run out of herbs for her headache tea."
Thorin frowned. "Fili, help your brother finish setting the table while I check on your mother." He strode quickly from the room and headed to his sister's bedroom.
"Fi, will Mum really be okay?" Kili asked worriedly.
"Sure, Kili. Her headaches feel better once she has some of Mr. Oin's special tea," his big brother soothed.
"Then why are you so upset?" Kili asked. He was always able to pick up on his brother's moods.
Fili sighed. "I suppose I just do not like it when Mum is ill. Now, help me set the table so it will be ready when Uncle returns."
Thorin knocked gently on his sister's bedroom door before opening it and popping his head in. "Dis, are you all right?"
"It is just another of my headaches," she sighed in return. "Can you go to Oin for more herbs to make my tea? I looked for them in the night, but the container was empty. I should have bought some from Oin when I went to the market last week."
"Of course, Dis," he replied, stepping into the room and walking to his sister's bedside. "I will get the boys their breakfast and then I will take them with me to the apothecary."
"Thank you, Thorin. I feel so bad that I cannot be up and about," she fretted.
"Do not worry yourself about it," her brother soothed. "You cannot help being ill. The boys and I will get the herbs from Oin and then after I brew your tea they can go with me to the forge for the day." He smoothed a hand over her forehead. "Now, get some rest. Fili, Kili, and I will hurry with breakfast and clean up our mess."
He left the room quietly and returned to the kitchen to find that Kili and Fili had set the table. Fili was pouring milk into glasses for each of them and allowing his younger brother to carry them carefully to the table. Kili carried one glass at a time in both of his little hands. His tongue was sticking out between his teeth as he concentrated on not spilling a single drop.
"Good job, lads," Thorin told his sister-sons. "Let me make us some porridge and then we will go see Mr. Oin at his apothecary."
Kili's dark eyes widened. "We get to go with you, Uncle?" he asked hopefully.
"Aye," Thorin assured him. "Your mother has a headache and needs her rest, so you and Fili will spend the day with me."
"Will Mum be okay?" the small dwarf asked worriedly.
"Sure, Ki," Fili assured him.
Thorin ruffled the boy's dark hair. "It is just one of her headaches. She will be fine after some of Mr. Oin's special tea and a day of quiet rest."
They ate quickly and Thorin washed the dishes as the boys dried them. Then Thorin hurried his sister-sons into their cloaks and helped Kili with his boots before taking the small dwarf's hand as Fili trotted along on his other side as they headed out of their modest home to visit Oin. The boys chatted excitedly as they left the house. It was not often that they got to go anywhere with just Thorin.
"Uncle, will we be able to help you in the forge?" Kili asked, his fingers tightening around those of the dwarf king.
Thorin looked down at his youngest sister-son, unable to keep the fond smile from his face. "Aye, Kili. I am sure that you and your brother will prove invaluable today."
"Can we watch you create a sword, Uncle?" Fili asked hopefully. He was fascinated with the shiny weapons wielded by the warriors and could not wait to begin training with a true sword instead of a wooden one.
"Perhaps," Thorin answered noncommittally. "We will see what work awaits us when we arrive at the forge."
They soon arrived at Oin's small apothecary. Thorin knocked and Oin bid them enter. Fili opened the door and held it for his brother and uncle before closing it behind them. The walls were lined with wooden shelves which were in turn covered in bottles of various sizes and colors, many of them filled with crushed herbs. Others held liquids of various colors and consistencies.
"Ah, Thorin, what can I do for you?" the hard-of-hearing dwarf asked his visitor.
"Dis needs some herbs to brew her headache tea," the dwarf king explained rather loudly.
"Ah, your poor sister has another of her terrible headaches, the poor dear," Oin commiserated. He shuffled across the room to one of his many shelves and selected a deep green bottle before moving to another shelf and choosing one in light pink. He gathered a few more items and moved to his worktable where he began to grind some brittle leaves into a fine powder. He gestured to Fili. "Bring me that yellow bottle, lad."
Fili hurried to comply. He gently placed the bottle on the table beside Oin and then stayed nearby to watch the seasoned healer create the herbal mixture for Dis.
There was a sudden clattering at the door followed by a loud shout. Thorin hurried to open it as Kili moved to his brother's side and gripped Fili's hand tightly. "Oin!" a panting dwarf entered, his tunic covered in blood.
Oin knocked over one of the bottles of herbs and cursed before hurrying around his work table. "What is it? What is wrong?"
"It is my brother! He is injured!" He hurried outside the door and attempted to raise his bloody and moaning brother to his feet.
"Thorin, help me," Oin instructed.
"Boys, stay here and do not touch anything," Thorin ordered as he helped Oin carry the wounded dwarf into his private living quarters next to the apothecary. He shut the door behind them and the two dwarflings were left alone in the apothecary.
The boys huddled together as the moans and anguished cries of the wounded dwarf filtered through the wall.
"Is he going to die, Fili?" Kili pressed against his brother's side.
"I do not know, Ki," Fili sighed. "I hope not. Mr. Oin is a very good healer and Uncle is helping him, so maybe the injured dwarf will be just fine." He smoothed a hand over his brother's dark hair. Kili was a jokester, yet so tender-hearted. He did not like to see anyone in pain.
The small brunette dwarfling stood quietly for a moment, his dark eyes studying the bottles and herbs Oin had left on the table. "Fi, we can make Mum's headache mixture. I remember what it looks like." He turned his face upward to look at his brother excitedly.
Fili shook his head. "No, Kili. Uncle said not to touch anything, remember?"
"But Fili, Mr. Oin is going to be tired after he helps the hurt dwarf. We can help him and Mum does not feel well. She needs her herbal tea."
Fili sighed as his brother dragged him forward toward Mr. Oin's work table. "I do not know, Kili. This is not a good idea."
Kili's face took on a stubborn expression. "Yes, it is!" he protested vehemently. He scrambled up onto the stool that sat by the worktable. "Please, Fili," he pleaded.
"Oh, all right, but if we get in trouble I am telling Uncle this was your idea," Fili finally told him, unable to resist his baby brother's pleas.
Kili gave him a happy grin and pulled a big bowl over in front of him. "We can mix it in here." He reached for one of the bottles Oin had gathered and uncorked it before taking a sniff of the herbs inside. He wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, this stinks!" He poured a bit in the bowl and frowned. "What next, Fili?"
The blonde dwarfling reached for the herbs Oin had crushed before the injured dwarf had arrived. "Maybe we should add these."
The boys mixed all of the herbs Oin had placed on the table and studied the completed result in the bowl. "There," Kili stated proudly. "We did it, Fi."
"I am not sure, Kili. Mum's mixture is never quite this color."
"Yes, it is," Kili protested. He frowned and then picked up the other bottle Oin had placed on the table. "What's in this one?"
"No, Kili," Fili cautioned just as the younger dwarf uncorked the bottle. The thick, sticky mixture splashed out of the bottle and into their bowl of herbs.
"Oh no," Kili whined.
Fili sighed and took the bottle from his brother. "Now we have to start over."
Kili snatched for the bottle. "Give it back! I need to put the cork in it!" He leaned forward and the stool began to tip. His arms flailed wildly, but he could not get his balance. Instead, he fell forward, crashing into Fili and knocking the bowl off of the worktable. The dwarflings, the bowl, and the bottle landed in the floor with a crash.
Kili's chest ached and it took a moment before he could catch his breath. Finally, he was able to suck in a deep breath of air and focus on his brother. A gasp escaped his lips. Fili's blond hair was coated in a light brown sticky goop. "Oh no, Fili," he gulped.
Thorin's heir frowned at his baby brother. "Hurry, help me wash this out," he growled. "We have to clean this up before Uncle and Mr. Oin find us."
The door flew open as the boys began to climb to their feet. Thorin's blue eyes widened in surprise and a dark scowl twisted his face. "What in Durin's beard is going on in here?"
"Uncle!" Fili gulped.
Kili just stood there, his brown eyes wide with fright.
"Look at this mess! What were you doing?" Thorin demanded.
"We were just going to make Mum her tea," Kili whimpered in a tiny voice.
"You were told not to touch anything," the dwarf king growled.
"I am sorry, Uncle," Fili said softly, his blue eyes focusing on the floor.
"I am too, Uncle," Kili echoed as he moved to his brother's side. "We will clean it up."
"Aye, that you will," Thorin told him, "and you will help Mr. Oin until you have paid off the debt of these herbs."
Both boys frowned at that news, but kept quiet.
Thorin produced a broom from the corner and handed it to Fili. "I am going to see if Oin needs any more help with his patient. You two get this mess cleaned up."
"Yes, Uncle," the boys echoed, watching quietly until their uncle disappeared into the other room.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Fili snarled at his brother as he swept the herbs and shards of pottery from the bowl into a pile.
"I am sorry," Kili sighed, looking repentant. He tried to wipe up the sticky mess from the floor with a rag, but frowned. "It is just sticking to the rag and the floor. I cannot get it cleaned up."
"Let me try," Fili groaned. "Here, take the broom." The boys switched jobs and Fili attacked the goop with gusto. He, too, found the mixture too stubborn to remove. "I cannot get it either," he panted after giving the floor a good, hard scrub.
Kili leaned the broom against the worktable and frowned at his big brother. "If we cannot get it off the floor, how are we going to get it out of your hair?"
Fili blinked at Kili in surprise. The thought had not occurred to him. "Surely some of Mum's soap and some scrubbing will take it right out," he assured his brother even a tendril of worry unfurled in the pit of his stomach.
Thorin returned then and surveyed his young nephews. "I believe I told you to clean up this mess," he told them sternly, planting his hands on his hips.
"We tried, Uncle," Kili told him as his lower lip began to quiver, "but it is sticky. We cannot get all of it off of the floor."
Thorin frowned and took the rag from Fili. It took him quite a while and he had to use some muscle, but he finally got the mess off of the floor.
Oin hurried into the room and frowned at the two dwarflings standing at Thorin's side looking utterly forlorn. "I will see you two next week," he scolded. "You will help clean the apothecary to pay for the herbs you wasted."
"Yes, Mr. Oin," the boys murmured quietly. "We are sorry we made a mess," Fili added as Kili nodded.
The healer quickly scurried to his shelves and located more herbs which he used to make the herbal mixture for Dis. He poured it into a paper packet and handed it to Thorin. "Tell Dis that this should take her headache away with a good rest."
"Aye," Thorin nodded. "Thank you, Oin. I apologize for the trouble my nephews caused." He glanced fiercely down at the blushing boys by his side.
The healer nodded. "I must return to my patient," he told them. "Boys, I will see you in a few days' time."
Once Oin disappeared into his other room, Thorin took each nephew by the hand and headed out of the door. "I will discuss your punishment with your mother once her headache subsides," he told the boys firmly.
"But I thought we had to clean Mr. Oin's apothecary," Kili whined.
Fili shot his brother a fierce look and reached up with this free hand to touch his hair. The slimy, sticky brown mess was beginning to dry. He frowned.
"Not another word, Kili," Thorin growled. "It will only make things worse for you."
The small dwarf sulked as Thorin led them the rest of the way home.
Once inside, Thorin directed them into the bathing chamber. "Get out of those dirty clothes. I will be in to help you get clean once I brew your mother's tea. Fili, help your brother."
Fili was quiet as he helped Kili struggle out of his tunic. This was all his little brother's fault. If Kili had only listened to him, they would not be in trouble right now.
"Fi, I am sorry," Kili whimpered, his big, brown eyes filling with tears. "Are you mad at me?"
Fili sighed and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We should not have touched Mr. Oin's herbs, Kili. I should not have listed to you."
"It is my fault," Kili wailed.
"Hush," Fili scolded. "We will talk about it later. Let's just get ready for the bath." Once Kili was undressed, Fili shucked out of his own clothes. He frowned once again as he felt at his hair. It had dried into a sticky glob that was crispy around the edges. "You can help me wash my hair," he told his brother.
"Okay, Kili sniffled.
Fili filled the tub with warm water that was pumped in from the heart of the mountain. Thorin entered the room just as Fili finished scrubbing his brother's dark tresses.
The dwarf king looked at the mess that was Fili's hair and knelt beside the tub. "Come, Fili. I believe that is going to be more than you can handle."
The heir to the throne was silent as he scooted to the side of the tub and let his uncle massage soap into the goop that coated his hair. Thorin scrubbed and pulled as Fili winced and grunted. No matter what the elder dwarf tried, he could not remove all of the brown mixture from his sister-son's hair. Finally, after nearly forty five minutes of scrubbing, he sat back with a sigh. "Let's try rinsing it now, Fili."
The boy nodded and Kili helped his uncle pour water over Fili's blonde locks Although Thorin had managed to remove a lot of the sticky mixture, some of it stubbornly remained caked in Fili's hair.
Thorin lifted Kili out of the tub and dried him quickly before helping him dress in clean clothes.
Fili felt his hair and frowned. "Uncle, it did not come out."
"Some of it did," Thorin told him. "We will try combing out the rest of it. Now, get dressed and join us by the fire." He left the room with Kili on his hip. Fili dried and dressed quickly in order to join them.
He found Thorin in his chair by the fire with Kili snuggled in his lap. The boy looked drowsy as he leaned against the dwarf king's chest.
Fili approached Thorin cautiously. "I am sorry for not listening to you in the apothecary, Uncle," he said softly as he moved to stand before the dwarf king.
"I am disappointed in you, Fili," Thorin sighed. "You know better than to touch things that are not yours."
"Yes, Uncle," Fili murmured miserably.
Thorin placed the drowsy Kili on the rug before the fire and turned his eldest nephew to stand before him. He took the comb Fili handed him and began to run it through his nephew's hair. It only snagged in the sticky snarls. Thorin pulled harder and Fili bit back a grunt of pain.
"What happened?" Dis nearly shrieked as she entered the room and caught sight of her son's hair.
Thorin shook his head. "There was a mishap at the apothecary. The boys got into some of Oin's things and Fili ended up wearing it."
"Why in the name of Durin were my boys left unattended in an apothecary around all of those medicinal herbs?" Dis nearly roared.
"There was a bleeding dwarf, Mum," Kili piped up. He was awake now and leaning against Fili's leg. Kili did not want his mum angry with Uncle. "Mr. Oin had to try to make him better and Uncle Thorin helped him."
The anger seeped out of Dis when she heard the words of her youngest child. "Did you try washing this mess out of his hair?" she asked Thorin as she gestured to Fili.
"Aye," he replied. "I was able to get some of it out."
Dis examined the snarled, sticky mess in Fili's blonde locks. "Perhaps a different type of soap," she thought out loud. "Come with me, Fili."
Her son trailed her into the bathing chamber and allowed his mother to scrub at his hair. She did no better than Thorin and once again the blonde heir stood before his uncle as the king attempted to comb the mess from his hair.
Thorin looked up at Dis, his blue eyes full of sorrow. "There is no other way, Dis," he said quietly.
"There must be, Thorin," she begged, her voice quiet and desperate.
"If there is, I do not know of it," he replied. "I will get my knife."
Fili whirled around to face his uncle, fear in his blue eyes. "Why do you need your knife, Uncle?"
"We must cut your hair, Fili. There is no other way to get this mess out of it."
"NO!" the boy wailed. "Please Uncle; please do not cut my hair." Fili began to cry silently, his shoulders shaking. Cutting one's hair was taboo in dwarven culture; the thought made his stomach twist in nausea.
Kili watched in horror as Thorin walked down the hall to his bedroom and returned with one of his knives. "Please do not cut Fili's hair, Uncle," he begged as he wrapped his thin little arms around Thorin's leg.
"It cannot be helped, my little warrior," Thorin soothed as he stroked a gentle hand over Kili's still-damp locks.
Fili gulped back a sob and faced his uncle. He was trying very hard to be brave, but his shoulders still shook now and then with a stifled cry.
"I am sorry, Fili," Thorin told him quietly as he placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I wish there was another way."
The boy nodded. "I know, Uncle. Please, just do it." He turned his back to Thorin and sucked in a fortifying breath.
"I will cut as little as I possibly can," Thorin assured him. Fili stood perfectly still as his uncle began to carefully remove the sticky mixture from his hair. It took quite a while, and when he was finished there was a pile of blonde hair at Thorin's feet. He placed the knife on the table beside his chair and surveyed his work.
Fili turned to look at the hair on the floor and could not help the strangled gasp that escaped his throat.
Thorin cupped the boy's face in his hands. "It will grow back, Fili," he soothed. "I am sorry, lad."
His heir nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. "It will be okay, Uncle," Fili managed after a moment, sounding as if he did not quite believe the words.
Kili watched his brother carefully and tears formed in his big brown eyes. It was his fault that Fili had to get his hair cut. Now his brother would be ridiculed until his hair began to grow back. Sneaking the knife from the table, Kili slipped from the room and hurried to the bedroom he shared with his brother.
Thorin helped his sister prepare lunch and then called the boys to the table. "How are you feeling, Dis?" he asked in concern.
"Much better," she replied. "The herbal tea was just what I needed."
Fili entered the room and slid into his chair without speaking. His hair was a bit uneven and had been cut nearly to his chin. The boy was embarrassed and devastated. He was not hungry, but he knew his mother expected him to come to the table.
"Where is your brother, Fili?" Dis asked once Thorin placed the last bowl on the table.
Fili looked up from his lap and frowned. "I do not know."
Dis sighed. "Kili!" she called as she stomped down the hallway to the room the boys shared.
Thorin and Fili leapt to their feet as Dis' cry echoed down the hall. "Dis!" Thorin called just as Fili shouted, "Ki!" They ran to the boys' bedroom and slid to a stop in the doorway.
Kili sat in front of the boys' fireplace with Thorin's knife in his hand. His dark hair hung in uneven clumps around his face. Swatches of brown hair littered the floor around him.
"Kili, what did you do?" Fili nearly roared as he entered the room and took the knife away from his brother.
Kili began to sniffle as huge tears rolled down his pudgy, round cheeks. "It was my fault that your hair got sticky," he wailed. "And I did not want you to get teased all by yourself."
"Oh, Kili," his big brother sighed. He handed the knife to his uncle before dropping to his knees beside Kili and pulling the little boy into his arms. "You did not need to cut your hair."
"Yes, I did," the smaller dwarf hiccupped. "We always do everything together." He wrapped his arms around Fili and squeezed.
"That we do, brother," Fili told him. "I love you, Ki." He ruffled his brother's short, uneven hair.
"I love you, too, Fi," Kili sighed as he snuggled into his brother's chest.
-Erebor, Dis' Suite-
Dis lifted the locks of hair to her lips and gave them feathery kisses. It seemed like just yesterday her boys had been small and mischievous, finding all sorts of trouble. Now they were gone, killed ruthlessly in battle alongside her beloved brother. She placed the locks of hair back inside of their box reverently and returned it to the shelf in the wardrobe. "I miss you so much, my loves," she sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
The End