Author's notes
Major spoilers for Desolation of Smaug. This is Bilbo thinking about the individual families of the Company. enjoy!
Kathryn xxx
Chapter 1
Thorin, Fili and Kili
To say that Bilbo had been intimidated by Thorin during their first meeting would be an understatement. By the time they got to the mountain they were comfortable around each other but back then, Thorin had pretty much terrified him. But the other Dwarves had respected him as their leader and Bilbo had soon followed suit; he'd been brought up to respect authority figures.
Fili and Kili, on the other hand...he still couldn't quite believe that they were princes. While they did have a regal look about them, they could be very mischievous. He did like them, because they were very friendly and upbeat, but they reminded him of some of his boisterous young cousins. Not to mention that they had been the ones to start throwing his dishes around and singing.
He'd been very surprised to learn that Thorin was their uncle and father figure; he wondered what it had been like for them growing up. Kili looked just like him, so Bilbo figured that he took after their mother's side of the family. Fili must take after his father, but he had the blue eyes of Thorin's ancestors. He did look like someone who could be King one day, clearly taking after Thorin in that respect.
Throughout the journey, the young princes had shown that while they could be very brave, they could also be reckless. The situation with the trolls was a classic example; how they had got him to investigate on his own. But at least Kili had tried to rescue him on his own; Bilbo did appreciate the effort.
He could see why Thorin was sometimes hard on them; he didn't want them thinking that this journey would be easy and safe. And he was right to do so; poor Kili had learned it the hard way when they had tried to escape Mirkwood. But he had saved the rest of the Company in doing so and that was no small thing; Bilbo just hoped that he wasn't going to pay the heaviest price for his bravery. Hopefully he had recovered by now.
Bilbo had watched all three of them closely during this time; it was clear that Fili took his responsibility as the older brother very seriously; he'd barely left Kili's side and had flat out refused to leave him in Laketown. He'd wondered if Thorin might be angry about that but the King had let it go, and now Bilbo was worried about that. Smaug was currently heading for Laketown and he had no idea how Kili was faring; what if he'd become ill and couldn't defend himself? He was actually glad that Kili had three others to take care of him.
Balin had told him that Thorin used to read the princes stories of Erebor while they were growing up, which surprised him; Thorin didn't seem the type for that sort of thing. Maybe he was just different with his nephews. Bilbo wondered how Thorin was going to react when he realised that he'd pretty much goaded Smaug into attacking the town, especially if Kili was ill. If something happened, Thorin would never forgive himself.
He remembered the conversation during their departure and what it meant.
"Uncle. We grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You cannot take that away from him!"
"Fili-"
"I will carry him if I must!"
"One day you will be King, and you will understand. I cannot risk this quest for the sake of one Dwarf, not even my own kin."
"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the Company."
"I belong with my brother."
Bilbo smiled slightly; if anyone was going to give Thorin a telling-off it would be Fili; he clearly wasn't too intimidated to do so. Since Fili was Thorin's heir, it would probably have been his duty to come with them to find the hidden door. But Fili had given that up to tend to Kili. Bilbo had thought that Dwarves were selfish and greedy, but not Fili; maybe it was due to his youth or the bond he had with his brother.
One thing he did know was that Fili and Kili had always been nice to him, and maybe they were amongst the members who had bet that he would turn up. From his conversations with the older members, Bilbo had figured out that Fili was barely into adulthood by Dwarf-reckoning, and Kili was still technically an adolescent.
Bilbo thought about the gold sickness that plagued Thorin's family and what Smaug had told him about the Arkenstone. If he was to be believed, then surely giving Thorin the stone would drive him mad? Bilbo thought about the stone, safely hidden away in his coat where nobody would find it. He was in two minds; Thorin needed it in order to become King, but at what cost?
Maybe Fili and Kili would be here soon, so that they could keep their uncle grounded even when he did have the gem in his hands. Perhaps the love that Thorin held for them would remind him of what was truly important and stop him from succumbing to the sickness. It was the only thing that Bilbo could really count on; Gandalf was still nowhere to be seen and they had no idea where he was.
Bilbo looked to his left; Thorin was talking to Dwalin quietly about what they were going to do now. There had been a horrible moment when Thorin had kept himself separate from him and Balin as Smaug chased them; Bilbo hadn't wanted him to do that, truth be told. Thorin was his friend now, but Bilbo would always remember the look in his eyes when Thorin had asked about the Arkenstone and he'd taken far too long to answer. He hoped to never see that look again and wondered what he was going to do with the gem. He didn't have any answers, but he knew it would be a while before any of this was over.
