Relieved Thorin took off his leather bracers and laid them aside on a low chair atop his fur coat he had taken to wear around in Moria, since the deeper tunnels were quite cold and they had yet to explore them all and make sure the goblins were truly defeated. It had been a long day again and he was ready to just fall into his bed and sleep for a whole day, but tomorrow he and Balin had planned to explore the area around the bridge of Khazad-Dhûm so there was no rest in sight.
With a sigh he simply stepped out of his boots and stripped down to his undershirt and breaches and simply let himself fall down onto the simple mattress, only bothering to draw up his blanket because he remembered how damned cold the nights in Moria got and he really did not want to delay his rest even further to get up and light up his fireplace.
He was quick to fall asleep, since his day had exhausted him, but his sleep was uneasy and his dreams were obscure and confusing. In them he was in Erebor again, much younger and exploring the deep caves with Dís and Frerín, playing in the vast halls between their grandfather's treasures. It was painful but also freeing to relive his memories after such a long long time and Thorin actually loosened up the more he lost himself in his dreams, but there was something that did not fit, a gentle tug at his arm, a presence that did not fit and then suddenly the golden halls disappeared into darkness as he woke and found himself back in his room in Moria. Dizzy from his sudden wakening he pushed himself onto his elbows to look about his room and find out what had jostled him and it took a little while until his eyes had adapted to the everlasting darkness again.
Next to his bed he could only just make out a tiny and slim figure that stared at him with big wet eyes under unruly dark hair. "Kíli." Thorin breathed and brushed some stray strands out of his face, blinking the rest of his sleep out of his eyes. "What is it, son?" As a response the dwarfling hiccupped and Thorin realized that Kíli was crying and had been biting his tiny fist to keep quiet.
"Un-unle Thori-ii." he gasped out between harsh sobs. "I-I saw the the gobs and they-they took Fee and mommy." New tears streamed over his nephews small face and Thorin thought he had left his heart somewhere in the dungeons for he felt horribly cold and empty and would do everything to stop the little dwarf from sounding like he had just seen someone drown a bag full with kittens.
"Shhh, come here." The dwarf prince cooed softly and lifted the edge of his cover so that Kíli could climb under it. Hiccuping and scrambling the young dwarf managed to climb up into Thorin's bed and instantly huddled close to his uncle's broad chest. Thorin drew the blanket tight around the little body and curled his arm protectively around his nephew to keep him as close as possible.
"I will always protect you as I will always protect our family. I will not let anything bad happen to you or your brother." He softly muttered into Kílis messy hair and placed a gentle kiss on top of the dwarfling's head. Kíli nodded which Thorin could only feel as a soft brush of the child's nose up and down against his chest but the dwarf prince could already hear that his nephew's breathing had calmed down a little. With his nose pressed into the dark soft hair of the small dwarf Thorin began to hum quietly and then went to sing his sister's son to sleep. Sleepily Kíli reached out with one of his small hands and his uncle could feel the tiny fingers on his neck when the child reached for one of his braids to hold onto. It was not long after Kíli had fallen asleep curled up against his chest, that sleep claimed Thorin as well.
His slumber was not as deep this time since he was aware that had to look after his nephew and stay true to his words, which was the reason he snapped awake right away because he felt the gush of air when his door was pushed open. Protectively he raised himself from his mattress so that Kíli was hidden by the blanket. "Uncle Thorin! Uncle Thorin!" Fíli sounded distressed and he – like his younger brother had tears streaming down his cheeks. Apparently it was a really horrible night but Thorin relaxed visibly when the blonde dwarfling rushed to the side of his bed.
"What is-" but Fíli was apparently much too distressed to let his uncle end his sentence. "Kíli has disappeared. He is gone and he was there when I went to sleep but now he is not in his bed anymore I have lost him I have disappointed mother after I told her I would look after him and now he is gone!" the young dwarf's voice trembled and broke and he looked up to his uncle with pleading eyes that shone wet even in the faint light that fell in through the gap where Fíli had left the door open in his hurry to get to Thorin.
"Fíli, calm down, Kíli had a nightmare, he is here with me." Carefully he lifted the heavy blanket to let Fíli see his brother sleeping peacefully still pressed against his uncle's chest. "Kíli!" In his relief of seeing his brother the blond dwarfling almost toppled over when trying to climb into the bed as well. "Quiet son, don't wake him up." Thorin softly reminded his nephew, but moved further back against the wall, cautiously dragging the still sleeping Kíli with him to make more room for Fíli, since the little one did not seem to want to leave again after having found his lost brother. But he did look questioningly into his uncle's face.
Reassuringly Thorin gave him a soft smile and lifted the cover again so that Fíli could climb under them as well. "You are an amazing older brother; you stood up right away when you saw that Kíli was missing and did the exact right thing with coming to me. Kíli is lucky to have you and I will always make sure that you are both safe. Promise." The older dwarf reassured his other nephew just like he had calmed Kíli before, knowing that Fíli needed reassurance just as much as his younger brother, he was only five years older after all. They were still children and it was obvious in the way the brothers always stuck together that they loved each other dearly.
It became also very clear to Thorin now again, when Fíli very carefully laid down, his front to his smaller brothers back and encircled him with his arms just before their uncle let the blanket fall over all of them again, stretching so that he could reach around both his small nephews with one arm.
"Uncle?" Fíli's voice was much steadier now, but it still held some of the earlier fear.
"Yes?" Thorin grumbled back quietly and managed after a little shifting to tuck Kíli's head under his chin so that he could look at Fíli, even though he could not see much of the dwarfling in the dark. "Can… can you sing to me?" the dwarfling's voice was timid but Thorin would like to see how anyone could say no to such pleading and big puppy eyes that worked their magic even though he could not see them. Softly as not to wake Kíli he started humming at first, the oldest song he knew which was usually reserved for singing in larger halls, short before going on a quest or something of the like. The song of his father's and grandfather's legacy, the home he had lost and would reclaim one day.
"Far over the misty mountains cold… to dungeons deep and caverns old…" Thorin sung on until he was sure that Fíli had fallen asleep and then continued humming quietly to himself for a little while.
He did not realized that he had actually fallen asleep, somehow calmed by the two small bodies and the sounds of quiet breathing, Thorin only realized this, when he was woken by a hand gently patting his hair, brushing stray strands out of his face.
Alerted he blinked his eyes open and wanted to raise, his mind jumping to Balin who was certainly already waiting, but he was held down by the tiny bodies of Fíli and Kíli who had moved in their sleep and the smaller one of them was now lying halfway across his chest.
"I hope these two have not kept you awake." When he finally managed to drag his eyes away from the peaceful faces of the small children he found his sister Dís smiling at him. "I… I woke up and they were gone. So I looked for them." She explained upon his questioning look since usually he would visit his sister in her housing rather than her coming up into the small room that was now fairly crowded. Thorin nodded quietly. He knew how hard it was for his sister's family. Dís had lost her husband in the battle for Moria only a few months back, no wonder the two boys were clinging to their mother and each other as much as they could.
"They were having troubles sleeping. So I was merely fulfilling my duties as a loving uncle." he told her softly. She looked at him, as if she was searching for something in his eyes or face and he gave her a genuine, honest smile in return.
He would do all he could to keep her boys safe, for they were not only his sister's sons but also his heirs and he loved them as if they were his own children, from the first time he had set eyes on each screaming bundle. Even though he quite loved them when they were nothing more than a handful of ruffled clothes and messed up soft hair like now.
"Could you tell Balin I was busy this morning, attending an important meeting with the heirs of Durin?" Thorin inquired of his sister, giving her a playful smirk and drawing the blanket higher around himself and his nephews again. Moria would still be here after midday, so for now it could wait and he and Fíli and Kíli could rest.