The figure stood motionless in the shadows, just looking down at the young Dwarf.

Fili, in the meantime, tried with all his might to control his breathing. Emotions were coursing through him like never before. He did not know what else to do than just let it happen, let it all pour out for once. He silently cried into his knees and shudders rocked his body.

The figure in the shadows finally stepped out into the moonlight, seeing Fili breaking down in front of him.
"Fili?" A familiar voice said anxiously. Fili's head snapped up. He knew that voice very well, but it was the last one he had expected to hear.
"Thorin!" he cried out, immensely relieved to see him awake. He quickly wiped his tears away, for he did not want his uncle to see them.

Fili made to get up, but Thorin placed a large hand on his shoulder.
"No, no, stay down" he said.

With a great effort Thorin sat down on the ground beside Fili. The actions caused him to wince in pain a couple of times as his wounds protested. Fili had resumed his original position, with his face buried in his knees.
He and Thorin sat quietly for a while. The only sounds came from the waterfalls making their way down to the valley and a soft wind rustling the leaves on the trees.

Thorin was the one to break the silence. "Tell me what happened".
Fili raised his head marginally up from his knees, so he could just look at his uncle.
"Obviously I have missed some things" Thorin added with the hint of a smile.
Fili hesitated. He did not really feel like reliving the events again, but was certain that Thorin would not give in until he had been told everything.
Fili took a deep breath and started to tell everything that had happened. He found it difficult to speak about earlier that day and found himself stammering more than once.

Thorin listened intently to Fili's version of the events, a serious expression on his face. He noticed a change in Fili's voice when he spoke of Kili hiding his injuries and collapsing onto the stone courtyard. The young Dwarf had started telling about what had happened in the House of Healing, but halfway through his voice trailed off and he fell silent.
It took a moment before Thorin realized that Fili was not going to continue. He looked at the blonde Dwarf and noticed he was shivering all over. It dawned on him that it was not that Fili did not want to continue, he just could not.

Pain was emanating from Fili so strongly now, that it was almost palpable. Thorin put his arm around his nephew's shoulders.
"It's okay, I know this is hard for you" he said. The comforting words still sounded quite blunt coming from his mouth.
"I just don't understand why he did it" Fili blurted out, "why didn't he say anything? I'm his brother, for Durin's sake! No matter the rest of the Company, but he could have at least told me! He… he could have been killed by what he did…" Fili took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to call himself down again, but did not quite succeed at it.
"But he didn't die, he's still with you" Thorin said, squeezing Fili's shoulder in comfort.
"I just cannot bear to live without him" Fili added softly, "how would I go on without him?"

Thorin considered those last words, staring out over the valley.
"I know" he said after a while, "and it is very hard to move on after the death of a family member, especially when you are as close as you two are. But… in the end… you will have to. It took me a long time, but I managed. Still, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of Frerin and realize how much I miss him".
Fili looked at his uncle, not knowing what to say. Never before had he realized that his worst fear, was in fact his uncle's reality.

Fili and Kili had never known Frerin, for he had died before they were even born.
"I'm sorry…" Fili said softly, "I didn't mean to offend you".
Thorin kept staring at the river below. "You didn't" he said, "would you like to hear his story, though?"
Fili nodded slowly and Thorin began telling of the Battle of Azanulbizar, in which Frerin had perished.

Fili listened to his uncle breathlessly. Never before had he heard him speak of that battle or of Frerin's death. In fact, Thorin never spoke much of his brother at all.

Thorin's deep, rumbling voice had a calming effect on Fili. He felt his panic and worries sink away, even though the story was a sad one. His respect for Thorin only grew as he listened to his tale. Also he began to appreciate how fortunate he was to still have his brother with him. Kili had surely made some bad decisions today, but was not taken from him.

When Thorin finished speaking, he cast a glance at Fili. He had felt his nephew calm down during the tale.
"Thank you" Fili said softly, "it means a lot to me that you told me this". Thorin gave Fili a small smile. It had meant a lot to him that his nephew had wanted to listen to it.

"But, luckily, you are not in that situation" Thorin said determinedly, "Kili is still alive and I am sure he will make a full recovery". Fili nodded feebly in reply.
Thorin gave Fili a reassuring pat on the back, which caused the young Dwarf to whimper in pain.
"What did I do?" Thorin asked, hands raised in apology.
"Nothing" Fili answered through gritted teeth, "my back's just bruised from that battle". The pain only slowly ebbed away.
"Did you have anyone tend to it?" Thorin asked suspiciously.
Fili hesitated. "Uh… no, not really" he answered. Thorin gave him a stern look. Fili held his uncle's gaze for a few seconds, then sighed deeply.
He turned his back to his uncle and Thorin carefully pulled up his nephew's shirt.

There were black bruises covering Fili's back from shoulder blades to hips.
"These must hurt" Thorin said with a grunt, "how did you get them?"
"An Orc slammed me into some rocks" Fili answered, "I was… defending you… after you were injured...".

Thorin suddenly felt a deep respect for his oldest nephew. He really was a very brave Dwarf and an asset to this quest.
He let Fili's shirt fall down again. "You'll be fine, no broken bones" he said, "it will hurt for a while, though".
Fili sighed miserably and leaned back against the wall again.

"I am proud of you" Thorin said a bit out of the blue. Fili stared at his uncle thunderstruck. He was never told anything like this before, by Thorin or anyone else.
Thorin smiled. The look on Fili's face was all he needed to know that his words meant a lot to his nephew.

"Come on" Thorin said to Fili after a while, "I feel like resting again. These wounds have taken a lot of my energy".
Fili helped Thorin get up and together they went inside again. Thorin could not move faster than a slow shuffle, limping heavily. Moving around caused him considerable pain, but he hid it well.

Kili had not moved an inch. He was lying on his back, breathing slowly, still in a deep, enchanted sleep.
Thorin looked at the sleeping form of his youngest nephew. "He's peaceful now" he said.
Fili agreed. His brother was indeed completely calm now. He, too, was feeling calm for the first time since they had reached Rivendell.

Thorin climbed into his bed. "Go to sleep, Fili" he said, for the young Dwarf still stood next to Kili's bed, "you need your rest as well". Fili could not agree more. He felt a lot better after his midnight talk with Thorin, but was still exhausted.
He glanced longingly to the last unoccupied bed in the House of Healing.
Thorin caught his doubt. "I am sure you are allowed to sleep there" he said.

Fili hesitated only a short moment, then pulled off his boots and climbed into the bed. He rolled onto his side to prevent hurting his back any further and laid his head down on the soft pillow. It took less than a minute before he had drifted off to sleep.

Thorin lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't long before he heard Fili's soft snores, which told him the young Dwarf had fallen asleep. Thorin smiled a little at the comforting sound.
Long had he doubted his choice to take his nephews on this quest, but it looked like he had been wrong in doubting them. He was proud of them, both of them.
Slowly Thorin closed his eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Thanks again for reading! This was the penultimate chapter, so one more to come...
Still, all reviews are appreciated :-)