A/N: I know that it took me forever to finish the revisions, but I hope that it helped and from here on out it will be new chapters!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's

My Brother's Lullaby

Of Conversations And Contracts

"He is here."

For whatever reason a very strange uneasiness came over me. I gulped. 'He' could only be the Thorin that I had heard about. Looking around at the company, I saw that everyone had become very serious. They all glanced at each other and turned to go meet the newcomer and I followed them to the outer hall. For some reason I was beyond apprehensive, and I had no reason to be. Though from the way the other dwarves all spoke of him, he was obviously of some importance. Thorin...The name sounded familiar to me. Perhaps I had read in a book somewhere. I drew in a deep breath as I came to a halt beside Fili. I would be finding out who Thorin was soon enough and it would be better not to speculate and worry, after all I had liked all the other dwarves, why wouldn't I like this one? Letting my breath out in a low sigh, Gandalf swung the door open and I then saw him.

He was tall for a dwarf, probably as tall as myself, with long jet black hair that had begun to go gray at the top. He reminded me of a wolf, the alpha, the lone leader of pack. I barely listened to the few exchanges made between the dwarf and Gandalf as I looked at Thorin. I was feeling much the same way as I did when I had first seen Fili. Thorin looked familiar to me, but then so had Dwalin and Fili. There was something in his icy blue eyes that I couldn't place. But before I could think of it more Gandalf had turned to Bilbo and began the introductions.

"May I present the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

My eyes widened. That was were I had known the name from, it was in one of my history books. Thorin Oakenshield of the line of Durin. Prince of the Dwarves, would be king of Erebor. Small wonder the others had spoken of him so reverently. He smiled indulgently at Fili before his eyes fell on me and they narrowed suspiciously. He shoved his cloak in my hands without saying a word, or even glancing at me. It was really not that much different from Dwalin's greetings, though for some reason, Thorin was decidedly less pleasant than Dwalin. Exiled prince to a lost kingdom or not, I scowled at him but didn't say anything though I was sorely tempted to drop it in the floor and leave there for him to get. I threw it down on the glory box and turned back to hear Thorin sneer at Bilbo.

"So...this is the hobbit. Tell me Master Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?"

"Ax or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

"Well I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know..." said Bilbo, "...But I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin smirked, as he turned away and disappeared down the hall.

Hardly the words befitting a guest, any guest, to his host, and I glared at the back of Thorin's head. Bilbo had put up with a great deal from the other eleven dwarves that had assaulted his home, but even they had shown better manners than this dwarf. He had no right to sneer at Bilbo. Though the rest of the dwarves didn't seem to think so, they laughed at Bilbo's expense and then followed their leader to the dining room. I followed slowly, walking with Gandalf and Bilbo, who looked hurt at Thorin's statement. To say that I was angry would have been an understatement. Thorin was the leader of this company of dwarves and those were the only words he could find to say to his host? I ground my teeth to stop myself from saying out loud to his face. When the three of us reached the dining room we found the company sitting at the table and they had supplied Thorin with a bowl of broth and some bread. Gandalf seated himself beside Thorin, but there was hardly any other seats to be found. I made to stand beside Bilbo in the entrance, when Fili called out.

"Kian, there's a seat next to me. There's space."

I glanced at Bilbo and he gave me a small nod so I squeezed my way past the other dwarves and sat down beside Fili. I looked up and saw Thorin's eyes on me. I wanted to look away from the cold hard glare that he was giving me, but refused to give into this little skirmish, so I returned his gaze until he finally spoke.

"And who is this young dwarf?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Kian, of Bag-End." I answered the question as coldly as he had asked it.

Thorin's glare darkened but he said nothing of my disrespect and instead chose to ask another question.

"And what is a dwarf, doing here, living in the Shire, aligning himself with foreigners?"

I bristled at the barbed question. Thorin couldn't apparently could say nothing if it didn't insult Bilbo or the Shire.

"I live here! I've lived here almost my whole life, being cared for by Bilbo." I answered.

Thorin glared and raised a brow, turning to Bilbo he demanded angrily.

"What did you do, keep a lost dwarfling to do your housework for you?"

Bilbo began to splutter incoherently and stared at Thorin, and I became angry myself. There was no need to accuse Bilbo of anything, especially when there was no proof or evidence to even suggest such a thing. The other dwarves had been curious of my situation here with Bilbo, but they had accepted my answers readily, and certainly had not attacked Bilbo!

"No, he did not!" I snapped at the older dwarf, leaping from my seat and drawing myself up to my full heighth. Thorin raised his brows at me, questioning my insolence. "Bilbo found me half dead and was kind enough to take me in and raise me as his own! He even searched for my real family, but since I could barely talk at the time and don't really remember much he had little to go by! There was absolutely no need to accuse him of keeping me here as a slave! Do I look like I have been kept as a slave?"

"So you would stand by one who is not even your own kind against one who is?" Thorin glared.

"When that one has saved you from death and raised you your whole life, then yes I would stand by him."

My eyes slid over to a very stunned Bilbo. His expression was a mix of astonishment, mortification, and pride. Astonished that I would say such a thing to a guest, mortified that I had actually said that to a guest, and proud that I had. But Bilbo was all that I had, and though being with this band of dwarves, excluding their leader, had feel right, it was still Bilbo that had taken me and raised me, and I was not going to let someone, anyone, king or not slander him like this. But Bilbo had always taught me to be courteous to a guest and what I had said had been a severe breach in that rule. So I sighed and turned back to Thorin and said,

"I apologize, Sir."

Thorin grunted and opened his mouth but I cut across him before he could speak.

"I apologize for being disrespectful to a guest of my guardian's house, but I do not apologize for the words, I meant them with all sincerity!"

Thorin jumped up from his chair and looked as though he was about to shout at me but I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw that Fili had shook his head at Thorin, who then sat back down and glared daggers at me. I wondered at this, why Thorin Oakenshield, exiled King of the dwarves would obey someone so young. I cast a sidelong confused glance at Fili who gave a look that clearly said 'Not right now.' Thorin dug fiercely at the soup and the rest of the company sat in an awkward silence until Balin broke the silence by asking Thorin,

"What news from the meeting Ered Luin? Did they all come?"

"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms."

"All of them!" cried Balin amidst the rest of the companies own cries of astonishment.

"And what do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" asked Dwalin.

Thorin sighed and flicked his eyes at the company and said quietly.

"They will not come." Dwalin closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. "They say this quest is ours and ours alone."

The dwarves murmured unhappily and looked at each other disbelievingly and would have continued most likely if Bilbo and stepped towards the table and asked confusedly.

"Y-you're going on a quest?"

Everyone turned to look at Bilbo and Gandalf quickly said.

"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Bilbo nodded and grabbed a candle as Gandalf continued, "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands...lies a solitary peak."

Gandalf smoothed a worn map out on the table as Bilbo held the candle closer to the paper and read aloud,

"The Lonely Mountain."

"Oin has read the portents and the portents say, it is time!" said Gloin.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold. 'When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'" Oin said.

Beast? I blinked. I had all but forgotten why Erebor had fallen in the first place. My eyes flickered over to Bilbo who had turned away from the company, hoping that he hadn't heard. I saw his back go rigid and knew that he had. He quickly turned around and stared at the company.

"Uh, what beast?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age." supplied Bofur. My eyes grew wide and I looked over, alarmed, to see how Bilbo had taken such information. And I was not the only one who threw concerned glances Bilbo's way, Gandalf had as well. Bilbo was nervously rubbing his fingers together, a habit of his when he was frightened, and to make matters worse Bofur decided to continue his very descriptive explanation.

"Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is." interrupted Bilbo with a fake smile.

Ori suddenly jumped up and said that he wasn't afraid of the dragon. I couldn't help but think that Ori may be thinking differently after he came face to face with Smaug the Terrible. Apparently his elder brother thought so as well since he had pulled him back down to his seat with a sharp reprimand. I almost laughed at Ori's statement, Bilbo could have stood a better chance in a fight than he could.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best...nor brightest." said Balin

There was many discontented grumblings at Balin's words and I could have sworn I heard Nori say, 'Hey! Who are you calling dim?', but Fili quickly quelled their mutterings.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us! To the last dwarf!" said Fili, thumping the table with his fist to emphasize his point.

"Well maybe not to the last dwarf." said Thorin with a sneer and a pointed look at me.

I looked down and felt my face redden. I started fiddling with my vambraces looking at anything but the company. It was clear the Thorin at least doubted my usefulness just as much as he doubted Bilbo's. I wondered briefly how many of the others thought the same. Dwalin probably did. I was startled from my inner wonderings by Fili stating with a grin.

"I wouldn't discount Kian's ability to fight just yet uncle. He managed to throw me on my back."

"Ye did, did you?" asked Dwalin. "There's not many that could have done that to our Fili. The lad's quick and light on his feet. You must be as well."

He gave me a curious look, as if wanting to see for himself if I was good enough. The company all wore similar expressions, a strange mixture of astonishment, and curiosity. Though at the moment I didn't care, I was still focusing on the what Fili had just said. Uncle? Thorin Oakenshield was Fili's uncle? Fili was a prince? It made sense though, that since they were on their way to reclaim Erebor, both the exiled king and prince would be embarking on the journey. I lost track of the conversation I was so caught up in my own thoughts and was rudely awakened from them by Thorin shouting something in Khuzdul.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?"

I had to admit, Thorin was quite the motivational speaker. The company cheered at Thorin's words and banged the table to emphasize their cheers. Even I felt inspired, though I refrained from cheering with the rest. But Balin suddenly spoke up, destroying the good humor of the rest of the dwarves.

"You forget, the Front Gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." said Gandalf, as he twirled a large key between his fingers.

Thorin appeared to recognize it for he gasped in wonder,

"How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain. For safekeeping. It is your's now." said Gandalf, as he placed the key in Thorin's hand.

The whole table went silent and I felt as if some passing of the mantel had taken place. That Thorin's predecessors were giving this task to the company. That Thrain, through Gandalf, had passed this quest on to his son. I was probably overthinking it, Bilbo would have told me so, but I couldn't help but feel that way.
I had been musing this when Fili said,

"If there is a key, there must be a door."

Gandalf happily supplied the answer

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"There's another way in!" I exclaimed, getting excited in spite of myself.

Fili grinned at me and surprisingly so did Thorin. I didn't have the chance to wonder at this as Gandalf had spoken again.

"Well if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf sighed. "The answer lies somewhere hidden in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind, will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage." said Gandalf, as he smiled encouragingly at Bilbo. "But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" piped up Ori.

I glanced at the company and then to Bilbo. He had yet to realize that he was the burglar in question and I silently prayed to the maker that Bilbo would figure that out before he opened his mouth. My prayer went unanswered as Bilbo choose to say,

"Hmm, and a good one too. An expert I'd imagine."

"And are you?" demanded Gloin while at the same time his brother said loudly,

"He said he's an expert!"

Oin laughed holding up his ear trumpet, completely mishearing what was said. Bilbo paled and quickly tried to explain.

"Me? No. No, no, no. I'm not a burglar! I've never stolen a thing in my life."

"Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material."

Bilbo made a gesture of agreement with Balin and Dwalin spoke up.

"Aye the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves."

"He's just fine!" I said quickly trying to shore things up a bit as Bilbo now agreed with Dwalin.

My words fell on deaf ears as the dwarves burst into incomprehensible babbling and agreements that I couldn't understand. The sound was grating and I nearly jumped from my seat to tell the them to shut up, but Gandalf beat me to it.

"Enough!" shouted Gandalf, as he rose from his seat. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is."

Everyone stared at the wizard to shocked to speak. I swear I think that Gandalf must have used magic to silence them. replacing his seat, Gandalf continued despite Bilbo's protests.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact they can pass by most unseen if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the final members of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins and Kian. There's a lot more to them than appearances suggest. And they've got a great deal more to offer than any of you know! Including themselves."

Gandalf's eyes twinkled. I smiled at him, I was glad that Gandalf had taken it upon himself to stand up for me and Bilbo, though I was sure that Bilbo was not. If the the look of Bilbo's face was an indicator I would have had to say that he certainly was not. He was looking at Gandalf as though he had just sprouted daisies from his beard.

"You must trust me on this." ended Gandalf, and he gave Thorin a pointed look.

"Very well. We'll do it your way." Thorin conceded. "Give him the contract."

Bilbo tried desperately to speak but Balin cut across him.

"It's just the summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo squeaked startled, as the contract was thrust into his hands.

I winced, knowing exactly how well Bilbo would take that bit of news. But he surprised me by keeping his feet and not fainting. He unfolded the parchment and began to read with a sigh. Thorin suddenly stood from his seat and whispered to Gandalf. I couldn't catch the words, though from the look on Gandalf's face it must not have been pleasant. All I heard was Gandalf's reluctant reply of 'Agreed.' I felt a little nervous, not knowing what had just taken place, but as there was nothing I could do about it I turned my attention back to Bilbo. Everything seemed to be going well until I heard Bilbo read aloud.

"Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted or sustained by as a consequence thereof, including, but not limited to, lacerations..." My head snapped up and I cast him a worried glance, but Bilbo continued. "Evisceration...incineration?" Bilbo demanded, turning to the company.

"Oh aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." said Bofur in his overly cheery voice.

I cringed. Not the words I would have chosen when trying to convince a skeptical and now scared hobbit into joining you on, what was most likely a suicide mission that would probably end poorly. I saw Bilbo go white and gasp a little for air and I feared this time he wouldn't be able to stop himself from fainting.

"You alright laddie?" asked Balin.

"Huh? Yeah, I huh, feel a bit faint." Bilbo gasped doubling over.

Then the ever present unhelpful Bofur struck again.

"Think furnace with wings."

"Air. I need air."

Bilbo wiped the sweat from his upper lip and clutched his chest, but Bofur wasn't finished by a long shot.

"Flash of light, searing pain and then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"

My eyes grew wide at the sight of Bilbo clearly panicking and I actually began to fear for his health. But still Bilbo kept his feet and I began to whisper under my breath, 'Come on Bilbo, come on Bilbo, come on Bilbo!' And then as if to answer my silently whispered pleas Bilbo suddenly shuddered and said,

"Nope."

And promptly passed out.

I was the second person to reach him, Gandalf being the first simply because there was no table in his way that he had to climb over. I roughly shoved Thorin out of my way and knelt beside Bilbo. Bofur stood beside me and muttered something that sounded like 'I'm sorry.' But I paid him no mind as I quickly checked Bilbo's breathing and pulse, and once I was satisfied that he would wake up in a moment I breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough after a few seconds had passed by Bilbo's eyes flickered open and he groaned. I helped him to feet and asked if he was alright. Bilbo nodded and whispered that he needed to sit. So I lead him to the parlor, got him into his armchair, and then hurried off to fix him up a cup of strong tea. As I passed by Thorin to the kitchen I heard him mutter under breath.

"Good little maid."

I would have liked nothing better than to punch him in the mouth, but Bilbo needed me more than Thorin needed my fist in his teeth. So I said nothing and quickly brewed some tea for Bilbo and brought it back to him. I handed him the steaming mug, which Bilbo accepted gratefully. He must have caught my worried glance for he rushed to reassure me.

"I'll be alright just let me sit quietly for a moment."

"You've been sitting for far to long!" reprimanded Gandalf.

Having no wish to listen to a scathing lecture from Gandalf, even if it wasn't directed at me, I left the two together and went fill up my beer mug. I down several of them and avoided the looks of the company. I didn't want to see the disappointed looks from the dwarves or the apologetic glances of Bofur. I was just finishing the fourth cupful when I saw Bilbo walking off to his room. I got up to follow him and as I rounded the corner I saw Thorin and Balin in conversation.

"And what about you?" Thorin snapped as I drew near.

"What about me?" I glared.

"Your guardian has chosen not to accompany us, but will you?" He snarled. "Will you accompany your own kind to reclaim our," he paused a moment. "Your home?"

"My guardian's name is Bilbo. And if he has decided to stay, then I will stay as well. He has raised me nearly my whole life to his own hurt. Blood kin or no, to leave him now would be a dishonor. And you know that! It such by the laws of the Dwarves." I spun on my heel about to leave him, before I turned back and said, "And I have a home, thank you." And with that I left him with Balin.

I found out minutes later from Gandalf that Bilbo had retired to his room and was planning on staying, quite safe and sound in his comfortable hobbit hole. Even though I had meant every word I had said to Thorin I had to admit I was disappointed that Bilbo had decided to stay, disappointed, but not surprised. Though I was not sure I could have even handled a journey with Thorin Oakenshield for very long. I sighed and filled me up another tankard. Fili came up beside me and fill up his own mug.

"What was that about?" Fili asked, jerking his head back towards Thorin.

I shrugged, not quite sure myself. Thorin was angry at me and Bilbo and that was all I knew, and I didn't care to know. I had no idea why he had taken such a disliking to me and Bilbo. All I knew was that I didn't like Thorin. I shook my head and I quickly swallowed the ale, before filling it up once again.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Fili laughed, nodding at my mug.

"No." I agreed with him. My head was beginning to feel pleasantly fuzzy and I could only assume that I was beginning to get tipsy. And with an irate Thorin in the house I was sure that I would probably want my wits about me.

I was about to deposit it down the drain when I heard the sound of soft singing from parlor. It was Thorin. I blinked at Fili and he half smiled and turned and followed the sound back to the parlor, pulling out his pipe as he went. I trailed behind him, still holding my tankard. Taking a seat in front of the fireplace, I listened quietly to Thorin deep voice as he sang.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold

The pines were roaring on the height
The winds were moaning in the night
The fire was red, it flaming spread
The trees like torches blazed with light

I felt a strange feeling settle in my heart as I listened to their song. A jealous love. A fierce and covetous desire to win back all the gold in Erebor, the desire of the hearts of the dwarves. I suddenly wished to see the great mountain, explore the grand halls, and carry a sword instead of a walking stick. I looked out the window. The stars were shining brightly against the dark sky and I thought of the jewels of Erebor glistening in the dark halls. A fire suddenly was lit up on the hill and I thought of Bilbo having to face a plundering dragon that had settled himself in Erebor and I shuddered, becoming once again, Kian of Bag-End.

I turned back to the fire and glared into it. I thought of Bilbo having to face a dragon. That though alone was enough to make me never want to set one foot any closer to Erebor than I had to. But I could not help the feeling of longing. A longing that I didn't understand. The restlessness had settled back in my heart after hearing their song, and as always when that feeling took hold of me my senses left me. I shook myself with a sigh and went to dump the remaining contents of my mug.

It was not long after their song that the dwarves began bedding down for the night. I gave Thorin the guest bedroom, simply because if I had given it to one of the others they would have insisted he take it anyway and I gave Balin my room. Which left me the parlor, with the rest of the company. I curled up against the far wall, letting the others get the furniture and the places closest to the fire. I was sure that the dwarves would be angry with both me and Bilbo for deciding to stay, Thorin certainly was, at least at me. I sighed. For some reason, the thought that the dwarves were angry at me bothered me, though I suppose it shouldn't have. I was convinced that the company would leave me be and not speak to me. I could tell that whether or not they agreed with Thorin, they always went with what he said or did. So I was expecting the cold shoulder by everyone. I wasn't far off. Dori glared at me. So did Nori, though I suspected that was because I had stopped him from pilfering a piece or two of Bilbo's fine silver spoons. Most just looked indifferent. I sighed again and faced the wall so I wouldn't have to see the looks. I was actually beginning to get drowsy, lulled by the soft movements of the others when I felt someone come up behind me. It was Fili.

"Make a space." He said with a grin, as he nudged me with his foot.

I slid over a little so that he could have some of the soft carpet, and he flashed me another grin before throwing himself down next to me.

"Thanks much better. The others wanted the warmth from the hearth but the floor's too hard for me."

"Yes, we wouldn't want to hurt your poor, tender, princely back." I all but snarled, as I turned away from him.

I heard him sit up and could tell that he was looking at me strangely. I waited for him to speak first but when it became clear that he wasn't going to, I rolled over and demanded to know why he was looking at me.

"Because I'm curious as to why you are angry with me."

"The other dwarves seem to agree with Thorin on everything, why shouldn't you?" I snapped, turning away again.

"If that was meant to explain something, you may need to try again. You just confused me more." said Fili.

"Thorin is angry that Bilbo and I aren't joining you, therefore the rest of them are, so why would you not be as well?"

"Oh. Well, I can't exactly speak for the others, but I'm convinced they aren't angry with either of you. Maybe a little disappointed." said Fili with a slight smile.

"Then why did Dori glare at me?"

"He was hoping that Nori would behave himself and was just upset that you found him out." laughed Fili. I raised my brows at this so Fili added. "Nori is a thief. Been in jail before because of it and didn't even care and that upsets Dori. He's really actually angry at Nori not you."

I nodded feeling relieved, though my rational mind was telling me that there was no reason I should. But the fact remained that I was glad that this motley group of old warriors, tinkers and toymakers were not angry at me or Bilbo. Two still may be, and one of them was a certainty.

"And are you?" I asked. Fili looked confused. "Angry I mean." I added.

"Of course I am!" said Fili "You, my dear dwarf, have just condemned me to traveling with a bunch of stodgy old sods! And here I was, basking in my good fortune! Ah, well such is the ways of life." Fili shook his head sadly with a smirk.

"I was being serious!" I said with a chuckle, as I lightly punched his arm.

"Alright, I surrender!" laughed Fili holding up his hands. "I was actually hoping that you would come though." said Fili, in a more serious tone. "Though I would never ask you leave without Master Baggins. It's quite clear that care for him, though I would have as well if he had raised me." Fili said before adding, "I would have enjoyed your company on this adventure though."

I looked down and studied the carpet. I could not help but feel that I had let Fili down and that thought was incomprehensible. I actually shuddered involuntarily. Fili either didn't notice or ignored it and continued,

"You never know, Master Baggins may change his mind come the morning."

"I wouldn't take that bet if I were you. You would lose." I said.

"Actually I think I will take that bet." said Fili with an evil grin. "A gold coin apiece sound fair?"

"But what if you don't win, however will I make back my gold piece?" I laughed, truely hoping that come tomorrow all I would be out was a gold piece and not the dwarves company.

"I swear, I'll see to it that you get it!" replied Fili, sitting up and placing his hand over his heart.

"I hope you win this bet!"

"So do I! And I get the feeling that I will."

I couldn't help the grin that was plastered on my face and I grinned all the broader, until it was interrupted by a earsplitting yawn. Fili shoved me back down to my pillow, grinning like a madman at my undignified splutters.

"Get some sleep, so that way I'll be able to make my gold piece and have you well refreshed when I torment you about it!"

I flashed one of my winning smiles and rolled over back over. I felt Fili's back touch mine and I stiffened slightly before relaxing and shifting a little. It felt good having Fili there beside me. It was like having a brother with me. I yawned again and drifted, only half awake.

"Kian?"

I hummed a reply. I was nearly asleep and didn't have the energy to talk.

"Where did Master Baggins find you?"

"On the river b-b-bank." I said through a yawn, trying to fight sleep. "W-wh-y-y?"

"I was just curious. Goodnight."

A/N: I would like to thank everyone again for helping me and waiting for me! Chapter 5 will be up tomorrow!