This is an answer to Chick1966's request, Dís saying goodbye to Thorin, Fíli and Kíli. I have to say, I do like writing about Dís.
And the hope keeps growing like that light of spring
Dís had stayed up all night baking and packing. She had made bread and buns, canned some jam and wrapped dried fruits and meat; she had even made some syrup cakes and a whole lot more. All in all, there was probably enough food for an army of dwarves. After all the food arranging, she had thought about every possible little thing one might need on a long journey and searched them ready.
When she was done with everything she stepped outside to enjoy a cup of tea in peace, watching the sun rise. Her brother had set out the day before; since he had a council meeting he had to take part of. Dís had tried to offer a lot of stuff (mostly food) to take with him, but he had declined. From her concerning words and motherly advices he though couldn't escape.
"Are you sure you don't want anything with you Thorin? You will starve to death before you get even to the Misty Mountains, not to talk about Erebor", she had said to him on the doorway.
"Yes sister, I am sure. You do not have to worry about me", Thorin had answered calmly, once again.
"Well, I don't really worry about you, it's those two I'm worried about", Dís waved her head inside where her two sons were having a very loud talk about whose weapons were better and betting on which one would get to kill more orcs. Dís certainly hoped they wouldn't even see a glimpse of mentioned creatures. "Promise me you will look after them. They are still just boys." She looked her brother with pleading eyes.
"I shall have some extra cautions with them", he answered frowning to the sight of his nephews, he had seen their quarrels more than enough to know it would soon turn into a brawl. He shook his head; he really did hope the boys would be more of a profit than giving trouble on this journey, though he wouldn't have decide to take them with him if that wasn't the case. "They are great warriors. I trained them myself", Thorin said aloud his thoughts.
"I know brother. But this is first time they go on such a quest, they have never been in a real fight against enemies who want to harm them, maybe even kill them."
"Do not worry, they will be fine, I promise you", Thorin said stably making his sister feel a bit calmer. "But now I have to leave. Fíli, Kíli, I'll meet you and the rest of the company later. Don't be late."
"Have a good journey to the council Thorin", Fíli answered from the top of his brother, who was lying on his stomach beneath him.
"We'll see you at the burglar's place", Kíli added his voice muffled, for his brother was pressing his face on the floor. It seemed that Fíli was going to win this round.
Thorin sighed to his nephews before heading towards the council meeting. Dís had stayed watching her brother's furthering back, until she had to have go back inside and give quite smacks on her sons' heads with a ladle.
Dís squinted her eyes in the sun beams waking from her thoughts. It was about time. She emptied the cup and went back inside.
"Boys! Wake up!" She was given no answer but that didn't matter, she knew it took some time for her sons to get themselves up from the bed. Instead of calling them again, she started to prepare breakfast. They would need a sturdy one on this morning.
"Breakfast is ready!" Dís yelled again. After fifteen minutes of waiting, she went to look what was taking so long. "Fíli! Kíli! Your food is getting cold if you don't come now! Are you two still asleep?" The last sentence came with a high-pitched disbelieving voice. She had opened the door to the room where Fíli was supposed to sleep, but found both of her sons there sound asleep. Fíli had fallen halfway from the bed (or had fallen asleep that way) and Kíli was using his brother's feet (the part that was on the bed) as his pillow.
Dís knew the boys had been in the pub having the last drinks before their journey, but she had thought they would have enough sense not to stay too late and only have couple of ales. From the smell and snoring she could guess she had been wrong.
"Get up you two! Did you not promise your uncle you would be on time? The sun has already risen!"
"Just five more minutes, then I'll be sure I can find it", Kíli mumbled mindlessly clearly still asleep. Dís gave a heavy sigh before she kicked her sons out of the bed, more or less literally.
It always managed to surprise her how well her sons were in the morning no matter how much they had drank last night. Right now she watched them stuffing food in their mouths like they were afraid someone would soon take it from them.
"I gathered some things you might find useful on your travel", Dís said and was about to get up and get the items so her sons could decide what to take with them, when Fíli stopped her.
"Thank you mother, but we have packed everything we need already."
"Unh an' wme twalkemd wmit-"
"Kíli, not your mouth full of food", Dís scolded her younger son and to her horror, he spitted all the food from his mouth onto his hand.
"I was saying, we talked with Thorin about everything we should take with us, so no need to worry." And then he happily put the food back into his mouth and started to chew again. Sometimes it was hard for Dís to believe her son was already in his seventies.
"Are you sure? There might be something you have forgotten and if you don't have it with you then-"
"Then we'll have to deal without it", Fíli interrupted.
"Weally mum-"
"Kíli. And do not spit it out of your mouth! Just swallow before you talk!"
Kíli gave a shocked look at his mother before swallowing half of the food in his mouth. "That's just waste! I can eat so much more if I don't use my time to empty my mouth before talking."
"The food isn't running anywhere brother", Fíli said looking his brother amused. Kíli just gave him a quick glare before putting his concentration back to eating.
"At least take the food I prepared for you", Dís begged.
"If you mean all the things I saw in the kitchen, then I'm afraid it won't fit our bags. And we have to think how heavy they'll get", Fíli answered apologetic.
"Hey, thaa wha aa wa tain ta saa!" Fíli and Dís looked both at Kíli with a raised eyebrow.
"Please teach your brother some table manners. You'd think one would have learned some by his age."
"Yeah… I can try." Though Fíli didn't really think that was possible anymore, not that dwarves actually had much table manners.
In the end the boys had lots of the food, their mother had prepared, in their bags. Dís even managed to put some extra with them when neither was watching.
They were all three of them standing at the foot of the mountain. Dís watched her sons in full armor, weapons on them and holding their ponies who carried their bags. She couldn't help but feel a bit sad, there her sons was, ready on their first adventure, all grown up, well, at least almost.
"Are you two sure you don't need anything else?" She asked once again causing Kíli to sigh a little bit, Fíli shoving him with his elbow before answering to her.
"We have everything we'll need and besides the ponies would probably throw us from their backs if we'd take anything more with us."
Dís gave a little nod but she couldn't stop worrying. "Do you have warm clothes with you? Is that food surely enough? I still have plenty of it. Do you have your handkerchiefs with you?" She would have gone with that for half a day at least, if Kíli hadn't stopped her.
"Mum, firstly we're not some kids anymore; you can't keep on pampering us. And secondly, we are starting to be in a hurry here."
"Yes I can, you are my children and you will always be, no matter what", Dís said determinedly, but tears were forming up in her eyes.
"He didn't mean it like that", Fíli said comfortingly.
"I'm sorry mum", Kíli added apologetic after getting another shove from his brother.
"I know, I'm sorry, I just… I will just miss you two so much", Dís said voice broken and tears falling on her cheeks.
"Don't worry mother", Fíli said and stepped forward to her, "we'll be back before you even notice and then we can all go together back home." He smiled gently before kissing his mother on her forehead and stepping back so that Kíli could step forward.
"He's right and when we do get back you'll notice yourself wishing we hadn't been so fast on our journey." He gave a mischievous smile before too planting a kiss on her forehead and then he added: "we love you mum."
"And I love both of you." She smiled through her tears and waved goodbyes to her sons. After their features had long disappeared from her sight, she went back inside as her plan to go finally to sleep. After all, all she could do now was to wait.