Summary: With the Mountain in sight it seems that they have succeeded at last. But they are wrong. Many struggles and trails still lay infront of them before they can rejoice. Starting with the members of Thorin's company left behind in Lake Town. The events of one night will cause a life time of regrets, hearts heaving with guilt, and pain that can not be undone. But as long as hope still lives, no one is truly dead.

Please enjoy this story inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's wonderful story 'The Hobbit' all due credit goes to him of course. I have tried to create something from his magical world full of the charators and places that drew us in to continue and expand a story so loved by so many of us.

Heirs of What

| Part 1 |

-Trying is not Enough-

Chapter (1) 'Fated Hours'

Fate had never smiled kindly upon the sons of Durin.

There were times it did a well enough job of deceiving them. Some would argue that though the hand they were dealt was tainted by tragedy and darkened by loss, they were yet fortunate. Some said they were blessed for the traits their family had always owned. Bravery, loyalty, honor. All characters valued and at times coveted by dwarves with lineage that lacked such respect. They even possessed some characteristics that were less openly admired. A beauty uncommon to their race that wound its way through their heritage, and by the youngest two likeability and humor matched by none.

But it was all a cruel pretence. A cruel lie. Anything disguised as good favor was nothing but deception. Too much of their kin's blood ran over cold ground, too many had been slain by enemy hands, too many had fallen to ill circumstances to call it anything else. Whatever favor they seemed to have been given was only a ploy to hide the unjust and unkind nature of destiny. For when the lines were drawn and the night fell fate did not look upon them with kindness.

And so, though it grieved and pained him, perhaps Kili should not have been so surprised by his ill fate as he laid sick and wounded in the village of men while his uncle continued the quest without him. Timing too, it seemed, had played a hand in his cruel luck. For to see success and be unable to touch it hurt worse then never knowing what he was missing. And he could see it. The great shadow of the Mountain looming over him, close enough to taunt him in his failure.

He had tried desperately to hide any sign of his sickness. From the moment the orc arrow had buried into his flesh he had felt it. At first it had been coupled with the pain of the wound itself, and it was difficult to distinguish the poison from the burning of his torn skin and muscle, and the throbs that followed each heartbeat as his body warned him of his new injury. But slowly the symptoms of shock and newness had faded and he was left the aching that spread through his limb.

And the poison.

It had reached his blood and moved slowly and painfully through the rest of his body. It felt like heat, like a fire burning deep within him slow and hot, like smoldering embers. And as he had dropped to the ground by the river a day ago clutching his wound, he had felt it. Felt it climbing up his leg with a darkness and malice that ignited fear in his heart. He had realized then that this was no mere flesh wound. Terror had jumped into his throat, and quickened his pounding heart. Fear had widened his eyes to the point that some of the Company had noticed. They had looked on with concern at their youngest member's state That was when Kili had force swallowed the terror and shook away any look of uncertainty with the shake of his head, insisting that he was fine, that it was nothing. His confidence did not go beyond words though. Within him he was still terrified, and inside he could still feel it. Moving, crawling in his body, dragging through every limb, flowing through his veins. It felt heavy and thick, as if lifeless dead blood crept inside of him.

Still, he had for the most part been able to ignore the pain, and continue on, keeping up well enough. He had been careful to only favor his hurt leg when every eye was turned, to fight the grimaces away from his features in the presence of his companions, and to silence his gasps of pain whenever anyone was near enough to hear. But when the poison reached his mind he was unable to keep it hid it any longer. He had tried to fight it, the dizziness, the fever, the shaking, the weakness. He had attempted to ignored the soreness of his wound and the deep burning of the poison and carried on doing what was expected of him. But it was all for not when in one moment he failed, and his body broke and he could not stop himself from falling. And he had crashed to the bottom of the stairs with the weapons descending around him.

One brief moment before they where fighting and running to free themselves from the trap Kili had constructed Thorin had looked at him. And in that one moment Kili was swallowed by misery and guilt. He had seen it in Thorin's eyes too clear and too obvious to mistaken. His uncle was disappointed with him. And that, more than his pain and his suffering was too much to bare. There was nothing his could do or say to right his unforgivable mistake. Because of his error and his weakness the company had been captured by the men. And only by the skillful negotiations and too tempting promises of his uncle were they set free to finish their quest. Without him.

From the time Thorin had told him of his plans to reclaim the Mountain that summer's eve in the late hours of the night outside their home in Ered Luin Kili had wondered. He had looked up to the stars that night and wondered what it would be like to gaze upon those same stars from one of Erebor's towers. He had wondered what it would be like to roam the halls where his mother and uncles had grown, where his forefathers had once sat upon an unthreatened throne for so long. He had wondered what it would be like to see the wealth and splendor of the mountain he had heard tales of. To finally see the kingdom the dragon had stolen from them; the place his uncle had reminded him more than once should have been his home. Since that day Kili had wanted nothing more than to help his uncle take back their homeland. Neither disappointment nor devastation was truly the emotion he suffered when Thorin had all but forbade him to come. He had been crushed, completely and entirely by his own failure and his pride gutted then and there by his own uncle. Thorin had forced Kili to stay behind while they continued on.

"Stay here, rest, join us when you are healed," his uncle had told him. Thorin's speech was filled with concern, but his eyes had held in them a look of doubt. And that, rejection, was the most painful thing Kili had faced in his lifetime.

As he watched the Company disappear on the water he had felt an overwhelming misery and shame. For so many months he had sought to prove himself worthy and valuable to his uncle. He had ignored all of their dangerous encounters, their numerous toils with near death, the exhaustion, and all the cold nights. He had even faced the intimidating and at times frightening challenges that came with his first true journey into perils outside the Blue Mountains with an unbreakable fortitude. He had accompanied his uncle on errands before yes, venturing to nearby towns and aiding him on small quest away from their home. Having spent much of his youth training with weapons and learning of combat, he was certainly ready. And was, in fact, among the most well taught and prepared of the Company. But his lack of experience in the world was daunting as it seemed to stare him in the face each time he was tasked with something he had never done, and it was evident more than once during their quest. He was ready, and trained, and even so it was nothing short of a struggle many times to keep up with whose more learned and experienced than himself.

But Kili had faced it all with a grateful and joyous heart, and a spirit that shone bright despite it all. For there was nothing he wished for more than to join Thorin in this quest. Nothing more than to prove himself worthy. When he watched the boat carry most of the Company towards the Mountain as he stood on the shore left behind, he had finally known, with a heart nearly too heave to bare, that he failed. He had not proven himself, and he had not been deemed worthy in his uncle's eyes. That was a blow he had not prepared for, and could not have if he had tried. It ripped at him as painfully as the poison resting in his veins.

Only now, laying in the bargemen's home feverish and lost to his sickness could he forget his failure. He was delirious, and he knew it. He knew it by the way the voices around him were distant and weak. He knew it by the way his eyes struggle to see in anything but a blurred haze. He knew it by the panic he felt, by the way his body jerked and twisted in pain without his consent, and by the way his cries echoed remote and faint in his own ears spite his every effort to silence them. In the fleeting moments when his mind was clear and he was aware of that around him, he could tell he was delirious. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. There was nothing he could do but suffer as it drained him of strength and consciousness and life.

He could feel Fili's grip on his shoulder. Strong fingers pressing down into sore, bruising skin. He could hear Fili's deep, pulling breaths near his ear. He could feel his brother's muscles tighten each time he jerked. And he could feel Fili's hands shoving, forcing him again down onto the table. His hold was firm, unloosening, and even painful. And yet Kili willed it to stay. He welcomed this pain. It was familiar and comforting and it told him he was not abandoned. His brother had not left him.

Kili did not want to die alone. He did not wish to be rejected in death as he had been by the lake only a few painful hours ago. Other hands, he knew, held him too. But he did not care for them. Only for the ones holding his shoulders. The ones he had watched train for countless hours. The ones he'd felt reach out and grab him at times when Fili was worried; even as recently as their journey. The ones that had pulled him to his feet after a fall too numerous and often to ever bother counting. He only cared for the face above them and the wide, blue, worried eyes watching him. The fear of loss that shone in those eyes told Kili, even in his state of deliria, that he would not die unmourned. As the pain dragged him moment by moment closer to his end and the poison slowly choked his life, Fili was there.

When at last he first felt it leaving him, when the elf maiden first began speaking her healing words over him, Kili thought he had fallen into madness. That the poison had finally taken complete control of him. But slowing the heaviness in his mind began to clear, and the toxin faded in abating waves with each enchanted word she spoke. He felt the poison retreating from his veins, being drawn from his blood. It did not go without pain though. A burning reached through his body stronger with each of her words. Darkness clung tight and sickness did not leave when first asked. But as the pain grew, the illness weakened. And then finally, with a sensation he could not describe as anything else but pureness, it was gone. The she-elf had healed him.

He would not die of his wound. Fili would not have to watch him meet his end. He would be able to join Thorin in Erebor still. Gratitude pulled at his lips, but he was unable to speak. He could only hold her gaze and hope she knew of his thanks. Hope that Tauriel knew how grateful he was. Thorin was wrong, the elves were not all cruel and heartless. This one, whom he had only shared a few passing moments speaking to during their imprisonment, had saved his life. He owed her much. And even despite everything his uncle had always told him of elves, he believe a friendship was possible.

He would live now. And that was enough. That was enough to let him rest in gladness and peace. And rest he did. Exhaustion had long ago claimed him, and had it not been for the pain refusing to let him sleep he surely would have. He knew he would not have woken again. Death would had found him buried in delirious dreams. But now he could sleep without fear of never waking. Now he could close his eye knowing when they opened his would be well, and his brother would be there waiting for him. He was still weak, to be sure, and a heaviness still hung on his limps, but his mind was clear and he was no longer dying and that was enough.

Fili had heard of the healing power of elves. He had heard of the way their ageless hands drew out sickness and banished illness. He had even heard that they could call the dying to life again. He had heard of it, But he had never seen it. He had not witnessed the miracles they worked. Until now. Until it was his own brother dying before his eyes.

Watching Kili jerk and cry out in pain was heartbreaking. With each of his brother's dying breaths Fili felt a fear, a terror he had never know before. Dread climbed in his veins. Disbelief choked his lungs. And grief pounded in his heartbeat strong enough to drown every other emotion and any other fear he had ever felt. When Kili had collapsed into his arms by the lake, his skin burning with fever and his face drained of all color Fili had known it was nothing short of perilous. Nothing less would have rendered Kili to such a state of weakness. But it wasn't until he saw the sad and regretted shake of Oin's head as the old healer looked around, looked anywhere for help, that Fili knew the truth.

Kili was dying.

Nothing had ever hurt like this truth. Nothing had ever came close. Nothing could compare to the panic and horror he had felt mounting within him. He was losing his brother.

The grip of terror and grief only began to loosened after the elf healed Kili. Only when Fili saw his brother's dark eyes close in a peaceful rest for the first time as his chest rose and fell again in a familiar rhythm was he able to breath without rushed panicked laced gasps. Only then could he feel the tears of relief fill his eyes. Gladness and thankfulness and joy had suddenly replaced the horror and fear. And then Fili knew, he knew Kili would survive the night. And when morning came, should Kili be well enough, they would join Thorin in Erebor.

It was by more than mere chance that the elves had found them. A miracle woven by the hands of fate. Legolas, Mirkwood's prince, told him that they were trailing the orc pack that had attacked them on the river. The pair of elves had followed them to Lake Town, where they had discovered the remaining members of Thorin's company that were left behind and a dying Kili. Tauriel, the she-elf, had compassion on him, and being too kindhearted to let him die a most painful death, they had interrupted their search to heal him. Legolas had hesitated for but a moment, and in the end he did not objected. Compassion it seem, was not as scarce among the elves as Fili had always been led to believe. It was far more plentiful, he was now convinced, than in men.

A fore night ago the people of Lake Town had cheered for them. They had showered them with gifts and supplies, had helped them in every possible way, and just that morning sent them off with fair wishes. But then, thought Fili pleaded and begged for their aid, at the first sight of trouble they had turned their backs and shut their doors leaving Kili to die. Only Bard, the sole objector of their quest had let them in and offered his help despite their conflict. And it was then that Fili decided most men where bad, cruel heartless and selfish. But some, few, where great. A few believed in honor. A few were selfless and could see passed their own desires to care for the needs of others. The kindness of a man and elf had saved his brothers life that day and Fili knew he would not soon forget that. But perhaps he could not judge the people of Lake Town so very severely. For even some of the Company had ignored Kili's pain when he had first fallen ill.

Every member of their company loved Kili. There was not one that did not enjoy his humor and laugh, his bright spirit and his ability to create a pleasant mood even after the most trying of times. There was not one that did not appreciate his smile and jokes and light heart opposed to that of their own aged ones. And not one that did not value his skills as a fighter, his sharp eyes and keen ears. They had been sorry when he was hurt to be sure. Still, some may have shared a few meaningful glances and a few words whispered in hushed tones to the nature that he had brought his injures upon himself. That his impulsive recklessness had finally caught up to him. It had been said more than once that Kili searched for trouble. And now he had found it.

Fili had seen the acquisition in their faces. But not one of them dared to speak it. None dared to voice those thoughts because they knew. They knew Kili, in all of his haste and rashness had saved them all when he opened the gate on the river. With an orc arrow to the leg as his price to pay, Kili had spared every one of their lives. And though they failed to voice it, Fili could see that they were grateful. It was enough to silence the blame once they all had a chance to realize what Kili had done for them. And for that, Fili could forgive their accusing looks towards his brother. Kili had, after all, always been known for his skill of getting himself in to trouble, and in fact still was. But it was not enough to excuse Thorin's actions.

Fili had already boarded the boat when he heard Thorin speaking to Kili.

"Not you," his uncle had said, stopping Kili, freezing him where he stood. Kili had tried to pass it off as a joke, as though Thorin was merely toying with him. But Fili could see it in his brother's face. Kili knew he was not. He knew he was being left behind, banished on the shore. And even Thorin's gently instructions to rest and heal could not ease his pain. Fili had protested, immediately. It was natural and even instinctive to speak on Kili's behalf. He had tried to get Thorin to see reason. He had pleaded and begged for his brother. But Thorin did not yield.

"Someday you will be king and you will understand," Thorin had said. And for a moment Fili had excepted that. He had let his excitement to enter the Mountain and his duty as heir blind him to what really mattered. He had even almost turn away, resigned to the fact that Kili would not be coming. But then he caught the look of complete hurt and rejection in his brother's eyes. And in that moment realized how utterly wrong he was. He could not leave Kili behind. Nothing was more important than family and he rebuked himself for forgetting that, if only for a moment.

Suddenly it did not matter that this was the biggest opportunity of his life, or that this was the adventure he had dreamed about from his youth. This was the very thing he had longed for since he first heard the stories about the Mountain and gold and dragon. It was everything anyone seeking honor and a quest could wish for. And yet now it none mattered. In a moment he was ready to give it all up. Because in every dream, in every fantasy he had ever had of bravery and battles and taking back their homeland, Kili had been in them. Kili had always been there with him. He could not leave now without his brother. He could not leave him behind. He realized the one thing that he had always most wanted when he dreamed of this very adventure was that they should share in it together. With new determination Fili had step out of the boat towards Kili only to be stopped by Thorin's arm and scolding.

"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the Company."

Words and anger alike had rush through him. How dare Thorin ignore family. How dare he weigh Erebor more important than Kili. But Fili had, in the end, settled on the first and truest thing his mind thought.

"I belong with my brother," he had said, his eyes burning with anger only leaving his uncle's when he turned again to Kili. Fili knew he had never said anything truer.

"Someday you will be king and you will understand."

That's what his uncle had told him. But he did not understand. He did not understand a love for gold that was stronger than love of kin. He did not understand it, and he never wished to. He had realized with one pained look from Kili that no amount of gold could be worth hurting someone you loved. But Thorin did not. He had left them both on the bank. With Oin by his own kindness, and Bofur by luck, good or bad.

Thorin had hurt Kili. If not deliberately, than knowingly. And that was nearly as bad. He had deemed the treasures within the Mountain worth more than Kili's dreams and hopes, had disregarded his sacrifice, and forgotten his loyalty in a heartbeat. It would all be forgivable, given the importance of their quest if not for the love Thorin had ignored. Kili loved and revered his uncle more than perhaps he should. And Thorin had deemed that worthless against Erebor's riches. That was inexcusable in Fili's eyes. Biased as he may be, no one hurt Kili without evoking his anger. Not even their uncle. Not even himself. Fili was sorry he had thought of leaving Kili behind. He was ashamed that it had taken as long as it did to realize his error.

But now, watching Kili sleep peacefully and healed, and feeling the joy it brought his heart, Fili knew with new certainty that he was right. He belonged with his brother. Always. Despite being left behind, despite Kili's wound still sore even if healed of the poison, and despite his disappointment in their uncle, Fili was happy. He was pleased and grateful to a measure he had not been for as long as he could remember. And for a fleeting moment it looked as though happiness would shadow their night after all. But no. No indeed. Fate did not smile kindly upon Durin blood.

With no sign of warning but a shower of ceiling dust, the groan of pressured wood, and the creaking of the stairs, evil came. The door fell from its hinges and they were there. Orcs had come.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of what will hopefully be a very much enjoyed story. If not already obvious, there will be no Kili and Tauriel romance in this stroy. It's not that I hate Tauriel. In fact I like the she-elf's charactor. It's just that like Tolkien, I think the beauty of the Hobbit is the love between family and friends. So I will be focusing on that. Again, I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you thought with a review. I'd love to know!