A/N: Hello my lovelies! So! Chapter two! I apologise for the slight delay, I've been working hard out on chapter three as well as working in general and I always prefer to have at least the next chapter complete before I publish, one reason being so I have less pressure to write as I know I've already got something waiting and the other so if I have to change anything I can.

If you take a look at chapter one you will see I've added the full chapter name at the top, this site doesn't allow me to put the whole thing in so this is my way of giving you the full titles as I really like them and they're kind of important.

Anyway I won't give too much away but I will say what happens at the end of this chapter is what I'd hoped would happen in the movie, sadly it did not :(

Special shout out to the new followers/favouriters: FTA92, Ozlex, CrazyFanGirl18, Obi-wan's girl, mrsnathanielbuzolic, Marg1780 and Fallen Angel 1243, you guys are awesome!

As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the writings or the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, they are the wonderful and exclusive workings of J.R.R Tolkien


Chapter 2 - I Grew Up On Tales Of Adventure, But My Own Adventure Turned Out To Be Quite Different

Fíli had avoided his Uncle for the first week of his return for fear of being scolded once more, not knowing that the only thought on Thorin's mind each time they crossed paths was to reach out and apologise for the harsh words he had lain upon his nephews overburdened shoulders. However as the days slipped by so too did the urgency to apologise, after all, would Fíli really find much meaning and sincerity in an apology a week later? Thorin doubted it and knew it was better to leave the past where it belonged, especially when his nephew began talking to him once again.

All Thorin could hope was that somewhere deep down Fíli knew how important he was to him, how he, along with his mother and brother were the most precious treasures Thorin possessed.


Days turned into weeks, the weeks slipped into months and the months faded into years in the mere blink of an eye. It was ten years later when Fíli, eighty-two and barely past his coming of age, found himself side by side with his brother on a Halflings doorstep in the Shire to wait for their Uncle whose dream of reclaiming a homeland was quickly becoming reality.

It was a fool's quest, their mother had said, but if it was the quest that got her and their Uncle to smile again after returning to their home Fíli knew he would trade all the gold in Erebor to see it happen.

Before they left their home in the Blue Mountains Dís had pulled her eldest son aside whilst Kíli followed Thorin to pester him for more information about the area they would all be meeting in in several weeks' time.

"Fíli my sweet," Dís murmured softly "I want you to promise me something."

Fíli took her hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it as he looked her in the eyes. "Anything mama" he swore quietly.

"I want you to look out for your brother whilst you are gone. If I had my way neither of you would be leaving this house but as Thorin continuously reminds me you are his heir, and as such you are expected to join him on such a quest. And where one of you goes the other will follow, I know this, and yet it was with a fool's heart that I hoped your brother would choose to stay behind. He's reckless that boy, he is likely to be too caught up looking ahead that he will forget to look behind." Dís looked sadly in the direction where they could here Thorin telling Kíli in exasperation everything he had already told them about the land of the Halfling's.

"I would tie him up and leave him here if I knew it would be the only thing to keep him safe, but just as I know he would find a way out and would follow us into the very heart of Erebor I also know he would never forgive me for leaving him behind." Fíli wrapped his mother in a hug, letting out a small sigh as she pressed a kiss to his brow before he continued on. "He is my little brother mama, my shadow and I will never allow anything to happen to him. I will protect him with every fibre of my being," he swore to her "no matter the cost."

Dís grabbed his shoulders and looked him sternly in the eye, forcing her voice to stay calm and not break as it threatened to do. "As long as that cost is not you! I know your duty will lie with your uncle and your brother and you will do what you can to keep them alive, but I want my lion home just as badly, don't you ever forget that."

Looking back on the promise he'd made to his mother all that time ago he realised that the task he had set for himself was going to be harder than he thought. Already both he and Kíli had nearly drowned after one of their ponies bolted for no reason, dragging the pair of them behind her which after they had been rescued resulted in Thorin yelling at both of them for endangering themselves, they ended up stuck in sacks and at the mercy of three trolls before Bilbo managed to get them out and just the day before they had found themselves running for their lives from an Orc pack that had tracked them down.

Truly, he had made a promise that seemed to be getting harder to keep by the day.


It was wishful thinking that an Orc pack, trolls or a bolting pony would be the worst of their problems on their quest, yet never before had Fíli been as terrified as he was right in this moment as he watched the stone beneath his feet shift and crumble until a chasm formed between him and his brother, dragging him away from the safety of the mountain as the cry of his name died on Kíli's lips.

As the rock giant moved Fíli threw himself backwards as he lost his balance, grateful for the hand that Bofur had placed on his arm to haul him closer to ensure he didn't tumble off the side. He let out a gasp as a thunderous crash echoed around the valley and the head of the stone giant they were clinging to slammed into the mountain above his brother and uncle.

He felt his heart catch in his throat as the leg they were standing on flew past the other half of their company, the helpless few that where huddled on the ledge watching them with terror unable to do anything but watch and pray their companions and loved ones did not meet their end that night. He had but a moment to look at his brother and his uncle, both of whom were staring at them in horror before Fíli's vision was filled with rock as they went slamming into the mountain.

The freezing rain pounding steadily on his head and dripping down his neck told Fíli that he was very much alive, as did the groans of pain and shock from his companions. As he muttered a quiet thanks to Mahal for sparing them all a cry of Thorin's voice had him rolling over.

"No! Kíli!"

Fíli felt his heart sink. Had his uncle not been looking at all of them as they went past? Had his uncle been so focused on looking for his youngest nephew that he failed to notice that it was him who almost died? He turned his head towards the part of the cliff he knew was hiding his brother and uncle and watched as Thorin appeared around the corner and felt disappointment flood through his system when Thorin locked eyes with him, who was relieved that it was blue he was looking into and not brown.

He watched as Thorin moved towards him with a thankful smile on his face and couldn't help but fix his Uncle with a steady look that barely hid the hurt in his heart. As he often did, he would deal with the pain and fear alone.


"No!

Thorin felt his heart stop as he watched the stone giant crash into the mountainside, his bubbly nephew and half of his companions disappearing around the corner. He watched as the giant fell backwards, its empty leg reappearing making him fear the worst for his companions.

"No! Kíli!"

His legs carried him forwards despite wanting to collapse and mourn the loss of his beloved nephew who had been crushed before his very –

The grief rolled off his shoulders and a sigh escaped his lips as he laid eyes on his companions, all groaning from being thrown harshly onto rock but very much alive. His piercing blue eyes swept over the group, searching for his youngest nephew knowing Fíli would undoubtedly be beside himself with fear when the dwarf in the middle caught his attention making him reel in shock. It wasn't Kíli that had been trapped on the giant,

It was Fíli.

Thorin fought back the cry that threatened to break loose when he realised it was his golden haired nephew that he had nearly lost, a nephew that he loved dearly

A nephew he wished he could call son.

He watched as Fíli rolled over and looked at him and he couldn't help but give the blond a relieved smile, showing him how glad he was that he was ok. He took a step forward just as the expression on Fíli's face changed; what had first been a look of being slightly shaken was quickly covered by a mask of indifference before Fíli turned his back to push himself slowly to his feet.

He closed his eyes, knowing the reason for the mask on his nephews face as well as he knew his own name; he was hurt. There was no way Fíli could have missed Thorins cry for their youngest family member and was obvious that Fíli believed him to be uncaring for his safety.

He looked down and to his surprise found that his hand was outstretched to his nephew, as though his heart had told him to grab him and hold him close for the scare Fíli had almost given him. He curled his fingers into a fist and let it fall to his side, trying to ignore the pain in his heart before cries for the missing hobbit drew his attention away from the one person he needed to show that he cared.


Once he was on his feet Fíli began rearranging some of the blades that were pushing uncomfortably into his side. He glanced over his shoulder in alarm when Ori's cries for Thorin to be careful drew his attention and he watched with baited breath as Thorin climbed down the side to hoist their burglar back onto the ledge, his body jerking automatically to help Bombur anchor Dwalin when Thorin slipped and his weapons master grabbed his hand to stop their leader from falling to his death.

When he was sure his uncle wasn't going to disappear he turned his back on the scene and clasped hands with Bombur in an effort to help him stand. He ignored his uncle's comments of the burglar not belonging as he believed his Uncle to be wrong; had he not already shown his worth with the trolls? The hobbit was a good addition to their company, Thorin just needed to open his eyes and see that.

He got Bombur to his feet just after Thorin walked past him, calling out for his shield brother to help him secure the cave they had found themselves in front of. Clapping their cook on the shoulder Fíli was about to step into the dry when a solid weight collided with his shoulder and he let out a grunt of surprise as he regained his footing.

The blue hood and chestnut hair that obscured his vision told him immediately who had latched themselves onto him and Fíli managed to turn himself enough so that he could hold Kíli against his chest, his arms coming up to hold his little brother to him tightly when he felt his body shake with silent sobs.

"Fíli Fíli Fíli" Kíli kept chanting in his ear almost desperately, his voice hitching every so often as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Shh Kee," Fíli soothed, pressing their foreheads together as he held a hand against the back of his brothers head. "Let's get inside; it would do no one any good if you were to fall sick now."

Kíli gave his brother a nod and followed him quietly into the cave, his fingers unable to let go of the tanned leather in front of him. Fíli led him to a little hollow near the entrance and dropped his pack to the ground, gently encouraging his brother to free his jacket to remove his own.

Once their bags and weapons had been placed on the ground and their sleeping mats had been placed side by side the brothers lay down facing one another, Kíli's hands creeping up to grasp his brothers jacket once more as though he feared he might disappear the moment he let go.

"I was so scared Fee," Kíli admitted, his voice barely a whisper that was lost in the wind. "I watched you disappear from my sight and I have never felt so hopeless, so terrified like I did in that moment."

Fíli brushed his brothers' bangs out of his eyes and pressed a kiss to his brow. "I will never leave you Kee, not if I can help it. Your stuck with me I'm afraid, such is your bad luck."

Kíli couldn't help but snort, the moment broken between them. Before he could speak Fíli placed a hand against his heart, and he imagined the warmth from his brothers' hand spreading across his chest despite the numerous layers of clothing.

"I will always be with you Kíli, even in here" Fíli said softly. "Now sleep nûlukhel, whilst we still can."


Fíli believed the stone giants were the worst thing that he could experience whilst on this quest, however he soon began to realise that what he thought was awaiting them and what was actually out there in the world were two very different things.

And the reality was so much worse than he could have ever imagined.

Fearing his uncle would die when they were captured by the Goblin King Fíli breathed a sigh of relief when Gandalf appeared in an explosion of light allowing them to escape, only to watch in horror as his Uncle charged down the pale Orc and ending up in the jaws of its horrific beast. He barely remembered charging down the centre of the tree, Kíli and Dwalin on his heels with only one goal in mind; protect his uncle.

On the Carrock he watched in dread as Thorin lay still as death, the face that held soft smiles for him and his brother now slack and cold. He had but a moment to fear he had failed in protecting his uncle when Gandalf crouched beside him and passed a hand over his face, and in the blink of an eye Thorin was standing up and telling Bilbo how wrong he had been to judge him.

Standing there looking over Erebor Fíli couldn't help but agree with Bilbo; surely the worst was behind them.


Fíli decided that if he never set foot in Mirkwood again it would be too soon. Truly, it was a forest that reeked of illness and decay, a forest where unnatural creatures festered in the dark and every step further in made him feel like he was walking with his head underwater. The smells and noises closed in around him making him dizzy and weak, Bombur's weight on one of his shoulders was threatening to snap the bone in half and on top of it all the mutterings of his companions that they had lost the path and the sun were beginning to overwhelm him.

Everything got worse when the spiders appeared.

He had never been more horrified in his life when he came face to face with these monsters of the forest, not even when his mother caught him and Kíli doing a drunken run through the town on a dare in only the skin in which they had been born, and were forced to listen to a telling off so fierce Smaug himself would be terrified whilst standing in ankle deep snow trying to preserve the tatters of their dignity.

And what had made his heart stop was the fact that his little brother, whom he had sworn to protect at any cost, had been separated from him. Fíli had been ready to take on every elven soldier there if it meant getting his brother back, but no sooner had Kíli yelled for help than they were reunited when Kíli was pushed to his side by a she-elf.

The company was forced to stand there as they were searched, and he couldn't help but find it amusing that the elf that was searching him was growing more annoyed with every weapon he removed. He mourned the loss of his weapons, weapons that both Thorin and Kíli had forged for him for his name-days or that his mother had bought for him, weapons he knew he would probably never see again, yet he couldn't help the smirk that appeared every time his captor found another blade.


The first time he began to think that they might never reach the mountain was when they were thrown into cells in the Elven Kings dungeon. He hoped that it would be considered a misunderstanding and that they'd be freed quickly, but as he listened to Thorin tell Balin what the conditions for their release were he felt like banging his head against the bars on his door. Truly, the line of Durin was known for being stubborn but Thorin was the worst of them all. He had passed up the opportunity for freedom and for what? The sake of some petty jewels?

He was grateful when Bilbo arrived with the keys, as being stuck in a cell on your own with minimal food and being forced to listen to nothing but your thoughts or your brother exchanging pretty words with the she-elf who saved him was beginning to irritate him. He owed her for saving Kíli, he knew he did regardless of whether she would view it as a debt or not but he just wished she would leave them be as this attraction Kíli seemed to be forming would not end well one way or another.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when his cell door swung open and he scrambled out of his prison, checking Kíli was free before he focused on ensuring his companions were silent whilst they followed Bilbo to the cellars.

The possibility of losing his brother had never crossed his mind when he signed up for the quest, nor when he and Kíli had set out to the Shire. Fíli knew that he would do whatever it took to protect his little brother yet he had never expected to be forced to watch Kíli jump out of his barrel to pull the lever to the gates blocking their passage and stumble as an arrow embedded itself in his leg.

"Kíli!" He cried, desperately trying to find a way to his brother when the she-elf arrived and distracted the Orcs long enough for Kíli to escape. Kíli dropped into his barrel and before Fíli could reach out to him they were swept out the gate and down the river, his focus quickly drawn away from his brother and to the Orcs that attacked them.


Laketown was not the first town of Men Fíli had been to, having been made to travel to many of them over the years for trade purposes yet he hoped that it would be the last he would have to be in for some time. It was a miserable place; houses were squashed together, every other person they slipped past had an illness of some kind, everything was damp and the smell of fish filled the air. He was eager to leave, to leave this cheerless place behind him for good yet they were unable to straight away. The Bargeman who had given them passage into the town and refuge in his home refused to let them to leave immediately, telling them spies were not only watching his house but every dock and wharf in the town.

He looked around his companions, taking in the glum and bored expressions of them all and the look that he could not quite place that seemed to settle over Thorin every time he looked out the window. He couldn't help but wonder how torturous it must feel to see the object of ones desires for so many years so close yet just out of reach.

And Kíli. He couldn't help that his gaze lingered longer on his brother than it did any of the others. Despite Kíli's assurance that he was fine he had watched his brothers' skin slowly become an ashen colour, and he never missed how he winced in pain every time his leg shifted or the near inaudible gasps of pain every time he knocked it by accident.

Fíli just wanted them to get out of there.

And soon.


"Fíli don't be a fool, you belong with the company."

"I belong with my brother."

Never before had he defied his uncle on something as important this, yet the moment the words fell from his lips he knew he had never spoken truer words than them.

It is your duty to protect and look after your younger brother.

It is your responsibility.

Although he could not remember everything his uncle had told him the first time he laid eyes on Kíli, those three small words were ones he knew were embedded in his very being.

Duty

Protect

Responsibility

Thorin may have been his King, and he may have sworn an oath to his uncle both as a member of the company and as his heir, but Fíli knew Thorin would always be second to his brother, no matter what.

He met his uncles' glare with his own before moving towards his brother, grateful for Oin's insistence he stay behind to look after him. With his back to Thorin he missed the pain that flashed through his uncles' eyes and the slight movement of his hand jolting towards him, as though Thorin wanted to grab him; as though he were afraid that if he let Fíli go now everything would be forever changed.

I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin

He didn't grab him.

Instead a hardness settled in Thorin's eyes and heart and he stepped into the boat that had been supplied to them. As they pushed away from the docks he refused to look back; back behind him where innocence, loyalty, love and two willing hearts beat with his blood, instead only caring to look at what was in his future.

What was right in front of him

The only thing that truly mattered.


The tales and songs of dragons fell utterly short of what was before them. Smaug was even more incredible, more terrifying than he could have possibly believed.

And he was here.

As Fíli helped Bofur carry an unconscious Kíli onto Bards boat with the she-elf close behind he realised with a sickening clarity just what Smaugs presence meant. Yes Laketown would burn, yes people and quite possibly themselves were going to die, but if Smaug was here laying waste to this town of Men then that meant Thorin had failed, that the entire company had failed.

That everyone might be dead.

The moment he had Kíli on the boat and secured enough so he wouldn't fall out at the slightest knock he leapt out and grabbed Bards son by the arm.

"Bain, the black arrow, where did you hide it?" He asked hurriedly. The young boy looked at him blankly for a moment before another bark of his name and a shake had him focusing.

"It's not too far from here," Bain said as his eyes darted around, trying to find the statue of the Master the arrow was hidden near.

"Show me!"

"Fíli!" Bofur cried as he watched his prince and the human boy run off "where are you going?!"

"Just start getting to safety!" Fíli yelled over his shoulder "We will catch up with you I swear! Tauriel get them out of here!"

The elf looked hesitant for a moment but if she had wanted to follow them she was too late, the pair had disappeared from sight and the way was blocked by blazing buildings that collapsed behind them. She looked at her charges; two girls, both too young to be witness to something so devastating and three dwarves, one unconscious and oblivious to everything happening around him and two trying to row them to safety as well as keep an eye out for their missing kin.

Tauriel knew that whatever the blond dwarf had planned he needed to return soon; the town was burning down around them and the air was filled with smoke making it difficult to breathe. And to make matters worse Smaug was still alive and the moment the town sank he would turn his attention on the survivors.

If the dwarf and child wanted to escape with the rest of them they would have to hurry.


"Where is it Bain?!" Fíli choked out, the smoke surrounding them becoming so thick it was difficult to see or breathe.

"Here!"

Fíli watched as Bain leapt into an untouched boat and pulled the arrow free from the netting before climbing out, relief on both their faces that they had been able to find the one thing they needed to destroy the beast amongst the ruin.

"Alright Bain come on!"

Fíli turned on his heel and ran, dodging in between falling beams and burning rubble as they made their way to where they had last seen their kin. To his relief the boat was easy to spot, Tauriel towering above the other occupants and the pair broke out in a sprint, yelling at the top of their lungs in the hope she might hear them above the screams of the people and the roars of the dragon.

It wasn't Tauriel that spotted them but Bofur; the old dwarf turning to look behind him for his missing prince when he spotted the pair charging down the wharf as quickly as they could.

"Oin! Stop the boat!" He yelled, his arms working furiously as he backpaddled in an attempt to stop the raft.

As Bain and Fíli neared the raft Fíli slowed down, Bain stumbling to a stop behind him.

"Why'd you stop?!" The young boy yelled as he locked eyes with his sisters.

"Give me the arrow!" Fíli yelled, already snatching it from his hands and pushing Bain towards the raft. "Now get on board and get them to safety, guide all the survivors to Dale, it will be the only safe place for you all."

"Fíli come on!" Oin yelled, watching nervously for the dragon that was just beginning to turn around.

"Go!"

"Where are you going?!" Bain yelled, his feet already carrying him to safety as Fíli's carried him back into the town.

"To free your father!"

And with that Fíli was gone.


To his surprise he found the jail easily, and to what may have been mere luck his path was not blocked. Although there had been plenty of damage most of it was from larger beams which were all currently resting on each other above him, some burning and others balanced precariously it was a wonder they had not collapsed completely.

He spotted a man's hands at a barred window and hurried up the stairs; the black arrow clutched tightly in one hand and a sword he had found on the wharf in the other.

"Bard!" Fíli cried as he made his way to the door. "Bard are you alright?"

"You?" Bard gasped in shock as he took in the dishevelled and soot covered dwarf. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone has to kill that dragon," Fíli replied, a smirk appearing on his face despite the seriousness of the situation. He handed the human the arrow between the bars and grabbed the keys he spotted hanging on the wall a little further down. The moment Bard was free the pair of them ran towards the armoury, Bard guiding the blond dwarf around all the rubble before they both dashed inside.

"What do we do now?" Bard asked as he armed himself with a long bow and quiver of arrows as well as a couple of blades. "I need to get to the windlance but I'll stand no chance should Smaug spot me."

Fíli looked away from the bargeman as he sheathed daggers in his vambraces, biting his lip as he tried to come up with a plan that would give the man time to put the arrow to the lance. Smaug would need to stop, even momentarily and his focus would need to be elsewhere.

"Distraction," Fíli whispered before his gaze snapped up to his companion. "If you are to get to that windlance without being seen he needs a distraction, and that distraction is me."

If his mother had heard the words he had just uttered Fíli knew she would have strung him up by his ears for even thinking of doing something so dangerous yet he knew it had to be done. If Smaug had killed the entirety of the company in the mountain then not only did that make him one of the four remaining members, but it also made him the King under the mountain, and that title brought with it a responsibility to the people of Laketown and would also be enough to get the dragon's attention.

Bard looked as though he wanted to argue but when Fíli stressed to him they had no choice and were running out of time he backed down.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bard growled to the blond before hurrying to the windlance.

"You and me both," Fíli muttered.


Fíli had no clue as to how the tower housing the windlance was still standing; it was as though Smaug had deliberately left it untouched as a way of taunting the survivors every time he passed over it. What was equally as surprising was the fact that a tower opposite it, which was identical in height was also standing. And it was this tower that Fíli made his way to. He sprinted up the stairs leading to the roof, praying that Bard would be there ready to shoot the arrow the moment he captured the dragons attention and that Smaug wouldn't decide that the two towers were no longer required to be upright and would barrel into them on his next pass.

Climbing the ladder to the top of the tower Fíli hauled himself up and looked around for Bard, spotting him on his left and he watched as Smaug made his way across the town before adjusting his position so Bard and the black arrow were behind him hidden from view.

"SMAUG!" Fíli roared over the screams of the dying and injured. "YOU WORTHLESS WORM!"

A growl like rolling thunder echoed in the air as Smaug turned mid-flight and landed on the houses at the furthest end of the town, his teeth gleaming in the blazing fires around him as his lips drew back in a snarl.

"Who are you?" Smaug hissed, moving forwards fluidly like a snake and Fíli watched him come closer with horrified fascination.

There was no time for distractions now, Fíli remembered and shaking himself free of the emotions that were threatening to overcome him as he watched his death creep closer he shot the dragon a smirk before drawing himself up to his full height.

"I am Fíli, son of Dís, daughter of Thrain, heir to the throne of Erebor." His voice rang clearly through the night, as though all other sounds had been erased as the world held its breath;

Waiting

Watching

"Oakenshield's heir," Smaug hissed in amusement. "It will grieve you to know then that your precious leader is dead. Your friends are dead. I hunted them down one by one and burnt the flesh from their bones as they screamed for their lives."

Years of training allowed Fíli to school his features and keep the smirk on his face despite the fear, the terror that what the dragon said was true. There would be no way of knowing until they reached the mountain, and if they did and Smaug was in fact telling the truth then there would be only charred remains of the people he loved.

He reminded himself that the truth or lie of Smaug's statement was not important right now; what mattered was the overall goal, he just hoped Bard was ready else this would end quickly.

"If what you say is true you miserable snake then that makes me King under the mountain. And as King I order you to leave the people of Laketown alone."

"KING UNDER THE MOUNTAIN?!" Smaug roared "I AM THE KING UNDER THE MOUNTAIN, AND YOU SHALL JOIN ALL YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS AND THOSE HERE IN A FIREY DEATH. NO ONE CAN STOP ME."

With that Smaug launched himself at Fíli, his jaws wide open as he prepared to engulf the dwarf in flames when Fíli dropped to the deck revealing Bard who glared at the dragon before firing the arrow, embedding it in the patch of skin below the left wing where a scale sat a lifetime ago.

There was an almighty scream of pain when it hit, and before Fíli or Bard had the chance to move the dying dragon ploughed into both structures, sending them toppling into the burning remains of the town below.


Kíli watched his brother in terror as he faced down the dragon, insulting the beast and laying claim to the throne. He had woken to find Fíli missing; the usual warm presence at his side cold and empty instead. He had nearly tipped the boat in his desperate attempt to climb out and go searching for his brother after being told what had occurred when the voice that he had known since birth rang out through the town.

Tilda spotted them first, her scream for her father drawing Kíli's attention and he looked to see the bowman perched on top of a tower, hands targeting the windlance and the lone black arrow in place, ready to bring down the beast should it find its mark.

And there, just ahead of him on another tower was Fíli.

From where they were in the boat Kíli could only see the side of his brother, outlined by the flames that blazed close by and the heat rising made his form waver, as though he was no longer a dwarf but an ethereal being made of flames; made of the fire of Durin's line.

The occupants of the boat watched the exchange between dwarf and dragon in fear, and the moment the arrow was freed from the lance and found purchase in the dragon a chorus of cheers erupted from the boat. The cries of joy quickly turned to cries of terror as they watched Smaug collide with their loved ones who disappeared in the flames and wood, Kíli's voice screaming for his brother drowned out by Bards children as they cried for their father.

"Bofur! Oin!" Kíli screeched, turning to look at the pair with wild eyes the moment the dragon laid unmoving in the ruins of the town. "Turn the boat around! We have to find them!"

"Kíli…" Tauriel started only to be cut off by a desperate snap of denial.

"NO! Their father is alive, my brother is alive. I know it in my heart now take us to where they last were or I will search for them myself!"

Bofur and Oin looked at each other before directing the boat towards where the towers had stood seconds before. When they could go no further they aimed the boat at one of the wharves that were still supporting several houses and Tauriel leapt out of the boat and onto the platform to secure it the moment they were close enough before assisting her companions in climbing out.

The moment Kíli's feet were on the wood Bofur wrapped an arm around his waist to help steady him before the group set out for the remains of the towers, their voices ringing out in the silence that had settled over the town.

"DA!"

"FÍLI! FÍLI WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"FÍLI! BARD!"

Kíli's hands grasped at his hair as he surveyed his surroundings, terror and grief threatening to tear his heart to pieces. Bain had led them to where the towers had previously stood, but now all that remained was broken wood and trails of fire. Bodies of villagers that had been unable to dodge the falling debris lay about the dock or floating in the water and with each body Kíli saw his hope for finding his brother alive diminished.

A groan had Kíli's attention snapping in Bain's direction and he watched as the boy hurried over, pushing beams off the person who was moving.

"Da?" The simple gasp slipped from Bain's lips as a head of dark hair raised itself from the rubble; a pained groan from the voice Bain would recognise anywhere.

"DA!" The boy rushed forwards, feet slipping on the loose wood as he threw himself at his father, screams from his siblings of their fathers name echoing as they hurried forwards to embrace him.

Kíli turned and kicked the pile of rubble beside him in panic, the bargeman was alive and moving yet he had no sign, no idea as to where his brother might be. If Fíli was alive he would answered by now, he had never left Kíli in the dark as to his whereabouts or abandoned his brother but every cry of his name, every plea for him to respond went unanswered.

He kicked the pile again and again, ignoring the bolts of pain that raced through his leg and the calls from both Oin and Tauriel to stop as he could reopen the wound when a large portion of the wood slid away to reveal a hand. Kíli stopped and stared at the hand; a hand that was too small to belong to a man, unless it belonged to a child which Kíli prayed it did not for children should never have been exposed to the death and destruction that Laketown had seen that night. As he studied the hand the thought that he'd seen it before, that it was actually familiar had him dropping to his knees with a wince before he started pulling away the planks of wood to dig the body out.

The blond hair had him pausing for but a moment before he began working furiously, screaming for Oin whilst calling for his brother that lay before him.

"OIN! I FOUND HIM! Fíli wake up please wake up! Do not leave me here alone brother please! OIN!"

Oin, Bofur and Tauriel hurried to Kíli's side, all three working with him to dig out the prince and none of them noticed Bard or his family moving closer, watching with worry as the blond remained unresponsive.

Kíli's breath caught in his throat as he looked down on his brother. Fíli's loose tunic had a gaping tear in the back through which a deep gash could be seen oozing with blood, as though a nail in a plank had sliced open his back. He watched with baited breath as Oin placed a hand in front of his brothers mouth only to let out a sigh of relief when Oin smiled and announced that his brother still drew breath.

"He is still in bad shape laddie," the healer informed him solemnly as he pulled the clothing back a bit more in order to inspect the wound where muscle could clearly be seen. "He has lost a lot of blood and there is a risk it could get infected if we leave it untreated."

Kíli turned to Tauriel who was inspecting Bard for injury. "Tauriel, can you…" He trailed off as he waved a hand at his brothers back.

"Of course," she said with a small smile, moving over and crouching down beside them before scooping some of the water from the freezing lake into her hands and washing away the blood. When Fíli's back was more skin than blood Tauriel placed her hands over the gash, the elvish chant she had used to help Kíli rolling off her tongue and helping the worst of the injury knit itself back together.

The gasp of pain was like music to Kíli's ears as he placed a hand against his brothers' shoulder whilst the other stroked over his hair as he murmured for him to lie still.

"It's ok Fee, it's ok."

"Kíli?" Fíli's pained whisper was barely heard by those around him.

"Aye Fíli, it's me. I'm not going anywhere."