Title: Make It Better
Summary: Sometimes when there is no father to kiss hurts better or to tell you he's proud…all it take is an Uncle to make it all better.
Disclaimer: I do not own never will.
A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
2nd A/N: This was inspired by TheTrickyOwl's fiction "Kiss It Better" its brilliant go read it.
Thorin Oakenshield never considered himself an expert at raising children. He had none of his own but when it came to his nephews and niece, well they thought he was the best thing since Bofur's toys. After their father died – of which only two could remember him – he had taken on the role as main-bread winner and father figure to the dwarf children. He took it upon himself to make them feel as if their father had never left. He made beads to tie off their braids when they were old enough, he tucked them into bed when their mother was busy, he told them stories, he gave cuddles when the children needed them. Right now he had his eldest nephew, Fíli, sitting quietly in front of him while Thorin gently braided his blonde hair. The beads sat on the table in front of them.
"UNCLE THORIN!" A cry came from outside, abandoning his nephew's hair, Thorin got up from his place and rushed to the garden his sister had so lovingly made since they moved to the Blue Mountains. His youngest nephew, Kíli, came running up to him grabbing the hem of his tunic and pulling him towards the trees.
"What happened, Kíli?" Thorin asked scanning his nephew for injuries.
"It's Karla! She felled!" The toddler informed him, Thorin hurried now, if anything happened to Karla he'd never hear the end of it. Thorin followed Kíli, Fíli trailing behind them, towards the large oak tree that stood at the very back of the garden. Karla was the oldest of the three children but she was a gem. As they neared the Oak, Thorin could see Karla trying to sit up but it was obvious her back was hurt.
"Karla?" The little girl looked up at her Uncle with teary eyes, "are you alright?" he asked, she shook her head. He picked her up carefully holding her gently against his chest. She was sniffling and trying not to cry she buried her face in her uncle's shoulder and gripped one of his braids for comfort. Thorin carried her back inside and took her into the washroom. He set her down and looked at the breeches she wore and the tunic she had dressed in that morning. Her breeches were torn at the knees and her knees were bleeding. Her elbows too had taken a beating. Thorin asked the boys to grab some washcloths for him. Kíli returned with 7 and Fíli had 10 in his arms, Karla giggled through her tears at her brothers. Thorin chuckled and thanked the boys before telling them to go wait in their room. Thorin helped Karla out of her breeches and tunic.
"This is going to sting a little all right? Are you going to be a big girl?" Karla nodded and bit her lip, her uncle gently cleaned her knees and elbows even with a small whimper but it was soon over. She smiled up at her Uncle and let him lifted her up.
"You always make it better Uncle Thorin!" She said burying her face in his shoulder again. He let her grip his braid again and after making sure she was alright, he set her down with Kíli and set about finishing Fíli hair while keeping his eyes on the two others.
Karla was never very reckless but she often hurt herself, and often got her baby brothers into trouble too. Kíli more than Fíli, as Kíli was trusting and when his sister told him to do something, his desire to be praised took over. He was the youngest and craved the same praise his brother and sister got given by Uncle.
This time Karla had climbed into an apple tree and was tossing apples down to Fíli and Kíli to put in the basket. They had meant to buy them at the market in town but had seen the apple tree first. Fíli was looking around every few seconds to check for the farmer. Suddenly Karla, who had heard the dogs barking, jumped down two apples in her hands.
"Come on! Run!" She said Fíli picked up the basket and took off Kíli's hand in his. Karla was trying to keep up but she tripped falling and was pinned to the ground by a wolfhound that had its front paws on her chest. She looked up at it until it was pulled off her by its collar and she was yanked to her feet. She looked sheepishly up at her Uncle and the farmer. Thorin held out a hand to the Farmer, and dropped several gold pieces into his hand.
"I hope that pays for the apples and the inconvenience." Thorin said and took Karla's arm leading her away.
"I'm sorry Uncle. I didn't mean to." Karla said as he dragged her inside their house.
"How can you not mean to? How do you accidently climb a tree? And how do you accidently throw apples from that tree down to your brothers – who you know will do anything you tell them to?" Thorin snarled. Karla shrunk back under his gaze but stopped as pain shot through her back. Thorin instantly took her into the washroom grabbing a cloth from the cupboard; he pulled the back of her tunic up and saw the small grazes there from the rocks on the ground. He shook his head and slowly started to clean her back so it didn't get any worse. He tugged it back down after he'd cleaned them and turned a small smile to his niece.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" He asked, she shook her head. She wrapped her arms around Thorin's neck, and he returned the cuddle and held her tightly against his chest.
"I am sorry Uncle. I didn't want Fíli and Kíli to get bored. When we go to the market, I'll always find them at the toys stall playing with Mister Bofur's toys. I wanted to keep them occupied. So I thought a game would be fun." Karla said.
"As long as you're not hurt anymore." Thorin said, releasing her.
"Of course not Uncle! You always make it better!" Karla told him with a smile.
Karla sat in the healing tent nursing a broken arm and she had a large gash running up the length of her leg that Óin had seen too and she now sat there waiting for the lecture, she knew would come. Thorin had told her not to get involved and what did she go? She got out her own sword – it had been a gift from Kíli when he started at the forge – and she had joined the fight. It was her home too and she deserved to fight for it.
Lives had been lost she knew that but thankfully, when she looked up it was her Uncle and Brothers that stepped into the tent. Fíli and Kíli looked a little worse for wear. Kíli had a bandage around his arm and Fíli had a black eye and both seemed to have had wounds to their legs as they limped, but Thorin only had a large bandage around his torso, he still fell to his knees in front of her and looked up at her eyes, so like her mother's and gave her a small smile.
"When are you going to learn to do as you're told?" he laughed, she giggled.
"I don't think I ever will, Uncle. You'll have to marry me off to Ori, I think. Maybe he'll tame the beast that hungers for battle and war." She said with a shrug.
"And Mischief." Fíli added. Karla gave him a wide smile.
"Well at least you look all right. Not too damaged." Thorin said.
Karla shook her head, "No Uncle. I'm fine. I'm sure I'll live. What about you? All of us took a beating it seems. But the battle is won yes?"
"Yes, Sister. The Battle is won. Erebor remains ours." Fíli said with a smile.
"Still…the gold is a problem." Thorin said, Karla sighed.
"Give them what they deserve. We can always mine more gold Uncle. Bard deserves some to help rebuild Dale. Give Thranduil a little – not as much as Bard." Karla told him.
"Thranduil has the Arkenstone." Thorin pointed out.
"A rock. He has a rock. Find don't give him any gold tell him the Arkenstone is worth less than the mountain but more than the gold inside." Karla reasoned, "Don't worry Uncle. You'll always make it better!" The tent filled with their laughter. It was true. Uncle Thorin could always make everything better!