Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit.

Fireside Tale

Thorin Oakenshield felt tired as the weight of responsibility settled like a wet blanket on his shoulders. The family had just returned to his sister's house after viewing the funeral pyre of her husband, the father of her two boys, Fili and Kili.

Thorin watched as Fili, the oldest, stared remotely out of the doorway of the stone house as cool air filtered in around him chilling the small room.

Kili, the youngest, skipped happily around the table. He was too young to understand that he should be sad because his father wasn't coming back.

Thorin watched as the dark-haired child began to climb precariously up the shelving tucked away in the corner. Kili was always on the go and forever finding mischief.

"Kili!" the boy's mother reprimanded. "Get down from there before you fall and break your neck."

"Dis, he's okay," Thorin soothed his younger sister.

She ignored him and tugged the boy down from his perch. Kili began to howl in frustration.

"That's enough, Kili!" She gave the boy a gentle push. "Go find something else to do." Dis then turned to her eldest son. "Fili, shut that door. It's freezing in here." Her voice was sharper than intended and tinged with grief and exhaustion. She winced when Fili shut the door with a slam.

Thorin trudged across the room and threw another log on the fire to cut the chill. He turned to Dis to find her lips trembling and her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"I'm worried about my boys, Thorin," she choked out, "especially Kili. He's so reckless, just like his father." She wiped at her tears. "And you see where that recklessness got him." Bitterness crept into her voice.

Thorin sighed. They boys' father had died a needless death. He had been killed on a hunting expedition all because he had acted without thinking first.

"Who's going to teach my boys to be good men?" she continued shakily. "How will they learn archery or sword fighting?"

"I will teach them," Thorin assured her. He looked down when he felt a tug on his pants leg and found Kili's dark eyes staring up at him.

Dis studied her big brother steadily for a moment, watching as he hefted Kili up into his arms. Even as a child, he had always taken his responsibilities seriously.

Kili patted Thorin's face and gave him a cheeky grin. "Tell me a 'tory, Unca," he pleaded hopefully.

Thorin smiled and moved to sit in a chair by the fire. He settled Kili on his lap and the boy tangled his fingers in Thorin's dark hair as he tilted his head back to gaze into his uncle's face.

"Fili, come join us," Thorin called to his other nephew. "I'll tell you a story of the dwarves of old from the Lonely Mountain."

Quietly and without protest, the older boy sat beside the fire at his uncle's feet. Thorin's storytelling abilities were well-known across the land and his nephews idolized him.

Dis watched as all three male dwarves were soon drawn in by the story. Kili's fingers had stilled in Thorin's hair and he was staring at his uncle with wide eyes. Fili now rested against Thorin's leg with his eyes trained on his uncle's face.

A sigh escaped Dis' lips. The days ahead would be hard, especially for Fili. Hopefully, Thorin's presence would be enough to see the boy through the loss of his father.

Thorin glanced up and caught her watching them. He gave her a smile and a nod before turning his attention back to the boys.

Dis hugged herself against the chill in the room and decided to join the boys by the fire. Dropping down on the rug by Fili, she allowed the warmth of the flames to penetrate her body. Dis drifted off to sleep with Kili chattering in the background.

"'Nother one, Unca. Pleeeeaaaaase."

The End