« Will your belly just keep getting bigger and bigger ? » Fili asked with a frown, as he watched his mother.
She had never exactly been a slender woman, but now her stomach was protruding in a very alarming way. Fili was sure it would explode anytime soon. It was so big she couldn't really move anymore, now.
« The baby will come soon, sweetheart, » she told him with a smile. « Then my belly will be flat again. »
Or almost flat, she added to herself as an afterthought, but it didn't bother her that much. Dwarves were not made to be thin and slender Dwarves – and particularly Dwarf women – were made to be round and soft, with generous curves. And she knew her husband didn't give a damn about what she looked like. Urggo had fallen in love with her soul : a woman both gentle and solid as a rock, both sweet and incredibly stubborn. The marks time and harship left on her body would not change anything.
« When will it come ? » Fili asked.
« I can't tell you when, exactly, but I know it will be soon. »
« Good. I don't want your belly to explode. »
Dìs laughed out loud.
« Oh, my little lion, don't worry about that – I won't explode. My belly was even bigger when I was pregnant with you, and even then it didn't explode. » She knelt at her son's side, grunting as a wave of pain wrenched her back. Of late Fili was very worried, so she always made sure to reassure him whenever she felt he needed it. « Everything will be fine, you'll see. »
She kissed him on the forehead, and gave him a long hug.
« Would you mind running to your father's forge and tell him dinner is ready ? » she asked, and the boy nodded proudly. Not so long ago he was still considered as a little boy and he was never allowed to leave home alone, not even to join his father in the forge just across the street, but now he would be a big brother soon. His mother often sent him to fetch Father, and usually he was always proud to not be treated like a baby anymore.
But this time Fili didn't move. He was staring at his mother's belly, in silence, his face showing a mix of fear and curiosity.
« What is it, sweetheart ? » Dìs asked him.
Fili didn't answer, but he put one of his tiny hands on her belly, very softly, as if afraid he might hurt her or the baby hidden inside.
How did the baby end up being in Mother's belly, anyways ? he wondered. Who had put it in there, and why ?
But before he could ask his mother, though, he felt something move under his hand. He screamed and jumped back, sudddenly terrified.
« The baby kicks a lot, lately, » his mother told him, amused by her son's reaction. « The midwife seems to think it will be a boy, but she can't know for sure so it might still be a girl after all. But wheter it's a boy or a girl, it's a restless little devil who kicks me day and night. It even keeps me from sleeping. »
« Was it really the baby moving ? » Fili asked, still wondering if it had been pleasant or unpleasant.
« It felt your touch, so it decided to say hello. »
« It felt my touch ? »
« Yes, sweetheart. And it hears your voice, too. When it will come to this world, it will know you already. »
Fili watched her belly agin, his head slightly tilted. After a while, he put his hand on her belly again.
« Hello ? » he said hesitantly. « It's me. I'm going to be your big brother. »
For a few seconds nothing happened, and then he felt it move again. This time he didn't remove his hand. It was the strangest thing he had ever experienced, yet it was not really unpleasant. Slowly, a smile stretched his lips.
« Did it hear me talk ? » he asked his mother.
« I'm sure it did. »
Fili pondered this answer for a while.
« Then I will sing him a song tonight, so maybe he will fall asleep and he will let you sleep as well, » he suggested. « Do you think it will help ? »
« Maybe, » she said, happy to see that Fili was slowly taking interest in his unborn sibling. « We can try tonight, if you want. »
« I want ! » Fili exclaimed, his face alight with joy.
« And now run to the forge and bring your father back here, will you ? » she repeated. « And quick, please, or else the dinner will be cold ! »
« Yes Mother ! » he bellowed, already running. He slammed the door shut behind him, and Dìs suddenly found herself alone in the house, happy to enjoy some peace and quiet before her son and her husband would return. Instinctively, her hand came to rest on her heavy, swollen baby. She smiled, and wondered what life would be like for her with two little imps to watch over.
Fili left their small house like an arrow, running fast on his short legs, but when he reached the street he watched on his right and on his left before crossing, as his mother had taught him. He saw neither horse nor carriage, so he ran to the other side, without stopping and without talking to any of the Tall Men. He knew they didn't like Dwarves like him and Mother and Father. He knew they could harm him if he wasn't careful. He had been taught to stay at a distance from them. So he just ran till he reached his father's forge, just across the street. It was a low, narrow building with only two windows, and they were so filthy that they barely allowed any light to enter.
The door creaked when Fili opened it, then he entered. For a moment he saw nothing but darnkess, and then – once his eyes had gotten used to the semi-darkness – he saw a silhouette that was definitely not his father's.
« Uncle Frerin ! » he screamed at the top of his lungs when he recognized his mother's brother.
« By Mahal's beard, it that my favourite lil' rascal that I'm seeing here ? » he roared, opening his arms to catch the little boy. Frerin was taller than Dìs, and his hair was dark brown rather than black – just like his beard – but apart from these details they both looked a lot like each other. Frerin was Fili's favourite uncle, because he was not as serious and brooding as Uncle Thorin. Frerin loved to laugh and to joke, and he always had a smile or a nice word for Fili. « How are you today, my laddie ? » he asked.
« I m' fine ! » Fili answered, before bursting into shrill giggles. « The little baby kicked me ! » he said, lifing his hand so that Frerin could see it. « Right here. I put my hand on Mother's belly, and he just kicked me ! »
Then Fili's father joined them. Urggo was shirtless under his heavy leather apron. He was filthy and sweaty, as usual when he worked in the forge. He was holding a handful of horseshoes in his hands, and a gentle smile stretched his lips when he saw his son.
« Did your mother send you ? » he asked, and Fili nodded vigorously.
« She said dinner is ready and you must come, or else it will be all cold. »
Urggo sighed deeply.
« Tell her that I can't come right now. There's still too much work to finish here, and if I don't do it now I won't have the time to finish it before the end of the day. » He notced Fili's crestfallen face, so he knelt in front of his son. « If I had a choice I would rather come home and eat dinner with you and your mother, you know it little lion, don't you ? »
Fili nodded dejectedly.
« Yes, I know, » he said, biting his lips and looking at his feet.
« But I really have to finish my work, all right ? »
« Will you come to say good-night to me, later ? »
« Yes, little one. I'll come to tell you good-night, before you go to bed. »
« And you must say good-night to the baby in Mother's belly, too, » he added, remembering what his mother had told him earlier about the baby being able to hear their voices.
« Of course I will, » Urggo said gently as he ruffled his son's blond hair. « But now you get back home and you have dinner with your mother, will you ? Tell her I will come as soon as possible. »
Fili nodded, but without enthusiasm.
Urggo sighed again. Life was not easy since they had had to leave Erebor. The men used to like the Dwarves as long as the Dwarves had gold, but now that their pockets were empty they were treated like worthless beggars. They were of Durin's folk – proud and strong Dwarves – but they had to go from village to village, from city to city, begging for work and struggling every day to survive. Urggo was working twice as hard as any human blacksmith, yet the men who bought his goods didn't even pay him half the price his hard work would have deserved. They threw a handful of coppers at him like one throws a bone at a dog, and when he complained that this was not the price agreed upon they just laughed at his face. If you don't like it you can just go elsewhere, they answered him. And Urggo just swallowed his pride, because he knew there was nothing he could do about it, and he knew it would not be better elsewhere.
Raising a family in these circumstances was hard, and getting harder everyday since the new baby would mean new costs as well.
Urggo loved his wife and his son with all his heart, and he already loved the unborn child that would soon be a part of their family, but sometimes when he thought about all this he was just terrified. The idea that one day he might no longer be able to provide for them was frightening. He wanted what was best for them, yet sometimes he couldn't even afford the bare minimum.
All he wanted was to live a quiet, comfortable life. Was that too much to ask ?
What did we do to deserve such a fate ? Why are the gods so cruel ?
Fili slowly left the forge, and the door slammed shut behind him. He put the horseshoes on the worktable, and Frerin's hand came to rest on his shoulder.
« One day life will be better again, » he said. « My father and my grand-father and Thorin will not allow this situation to endure. We are too proud to be treated like that. We will fight our way out of these slums, and then you will be able to offer them the life they deserve. »
Urggo nodded silently. He wished Frerin's words were true, but they had been living this life for so long that he had lost hope.
No more than empty words and false hopes, he reflected sadly as Frerin walked out of the forge.
Once he was alone he grabbed a bar of iron and put it into the oven, and when it was red he started hammering on it harder than necessary. He put his anger and his frustration into each blow, till he was so exhausted he could barely lift his arm, and it helped him feel a bit better – but only a bit. His fears and worries were still here, so overhelming that he could think of nothing else. They had been living like this for such a long time that he couldn't even remember what a carefree life tasted like.
« Will Father come home soon ? » Fili asked restlessly.
« You already asked five minutes ago, » Dìs answered with infinite patience.
« And you said soon. But he is still not here. »
« He will be here soon. Now get into your bed, please. »
Fili nodded and slipped under his blankets. They had been washed not long ago and they still smelled of sunlight and fresh air. Fili fretted till he found a comfortable position, then he yawned. He was exhausted, but Dìs knew he wouldn't sleep before he had seen his father.
« When will he come ? » Fili asked once more.
« Did you not tell me you want to sing something to the baby tonight ? » Dìs reminded him, to take his mind off his absent father.
« What can I sing him ? »
« Whatever you want, sweetheart, » she answered with a smile.
« What about the song with tthe red apple and the bird ? » he suggested.
« Sounds like a wonderful idea. »
Fili smiled and started singing in his childish voice. Dìs sighed in relief. She knew her husband had no other choice but to work late, but it didn't make it any easier for her when she had to tell her son – for the umpteenth time – that he would have to wait a bit longer to see his father. She closed her eyes and relaxed as Fili's voice filled her ears. The baby was moving, but very slowly, as if it were half-asleep. And when Fili was finished with this song, he started with another one, and this is how Urggo found them when he came home at last.
« Father ! » the little boy shouted, jumping out of bed to hug his father's big leg. Urggo picked him up and put a kiss on his soft, round cheek.
« Little lion, » he said tenderly, putting the boy into his bed and tucking the blankets over his small body. « I am here, now. You can go to sleep. »
Fili didn't answer immediately, but he smiled from one ear to the other.
« I wish you could be here all the time, » he said at last, after a long moment.
« So do I. » He kissed his son again, on the top oh his head this time. « Good night, Fili. Have sweet dreams. »
« Good night, Father, » the boy said happily, before yawning again.
Dìs blew the candle, and suddenly the room was filled with darkness – but Fili was not afraid, because he knew his parents would be sleeping in the next room. He knew no harm would come to him as long as they were here to watch over him.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly, happy and contented as only small children could be.