A/N Wow. It's lonely in here. I guess I'm marketing wrong or doing this fic all wrong or something. Still, I'm enjoying writing and publishing. To the silent readers, I hope you enjoy this update: a classic Tim Burton dining scene.

Chapter 6

After dressing in a clean shirt and a new silver coat that had yet to be worn by its owner, the King of Dale, Kili stepped out of Bard's rooms feeling a bit better, even if he wasn't in his own body. Tauriel arched one brow at the coat, but said nothing as she led the way down to the kitchen. He kept close to her in case she grew dizzy again.

Kili frowned. She was so pale, so thin. It was no surprise that she had blacked out when she'd found out that not only was he back from the dead, but he was in Bard's body. Still, it was better than Fili's reaction.

His brother, Fili, was now sitting at the kitchen table on a stool that made him seem as tall as a man. He folded his arms as Tauriel and Kili approached the table, and then narrowed his eyes unknowingly at his brother.

Kili smiled back and then realised that Fili wasn't the only one in the room staring at him. Three pairs of eyes belonging to three children watched him from their seats. Their appearance was vaguely familiar to him.

The eldest of the three, a young woman, rose from her seat and approached him to inspect the coat he was wearing. "You look nice, Da. Didn't think you'd ever wear the fancy clothes the tailor made for you."

Kili blinked, and remembered that this young woman, the boy and the little girl were all Bard's children. They had all helped take care of him when he had taken ill in Lake-town. He gave the eldest a small smile.

"Glad you're finally trying to look like a King," she added. "Maybe now Bain and Tilda will start to act like King's children and remember their manners at table."

"That's not true, Sigrid!" protested Tilda, waving a dagger in the air.

"Table manners are pointless," Bain groaned. "We never needed them in Lake-town, so why do we need them now? I'm right, aren't I, Da?"

Da? Kili looked from one young expectant face to another, and tried not to panic.

Tauriel gently pried the dagger off of Tilda. "Go easy on him. He has not been well today."

"Not well?" said Sigrid, looking worried. "Why? What happened?"

Bain pointed at Fili. "He knows. Da, Fili said that you're not right in the head."

Tauriel narrowed her eyes at Fili, he gave her a shrug in return. "I didn't know what to tell them. He's been acting strange all day, and now you are…" He grew silent as Tauriel's expression grew dangerous.

Kili snorted at his brother. "He's the one disrespecting the dead."

Fili glowered at him. "I see someone is still itching for a fight."

"No one is fighting anyone," ordered Sigrid. "We're all going to sit at this table nice-like and finish dinner."

"Hear that, Fili? You'd better be nice to your hosts," Kili teased.

Sigrid blinked at him and shook her head. "You're acting very strange, Da."

Kili nodded absently and gestured for her return to her meal. He took a seat in between Tilda and his brother. "I am not myself. I hope you can understand and wait while I work this out."

"You're being very mysterious," said Sigrid, settling herself between Bain and Tauriel on the other side of the table. "I don't suppose you're going to tell us what you're up to now?"

Tauriel gave a worried look at her empty plate. "We don't know."

"But we'll work it out." Kili gave her a reassuring wink. Tauriel smiled a little.

Inspired by that smile, Kili picked up a carving fork, reached for a plate near Tilda, and began to push lettuce leaves on the two prongs. The leaves were folded and arranged to form a small flower, which he topped with a piece of radish, the centre of the flower, to hold it all in place.

"For you," he said, handing the flower to Tauriel.

Her smile widened at the green petals and she took the fork. She was more beautiful when she was happy.

"No," said Fili. His eyes were fixed on the edible flower. "That is not possible."

"What's not possible?" asked Bain, glancing from one adult to another.

Tilda stared at the flower. "Can I have one?"

Kili gave his brother a knowing look, reached for a piece of radish and a knife, and began to peel and slice it. He did it just as his older brother had done it for him when they were young.

Fili turned to look at Tauriel. "No." It was more a question than a statement.

Tauriel gave him a long look. "Yes."

"How?" he demanded.

"We don't know," she said gently.

"What's going on?" demanded Bain. "I'm not a child. I can help."

"I'm not a child either," Tilda claimed.

Kili finished making his radish flower and held it out to Tilda. She smiled at the white petals tipped with red took a bite from it.

Kili leaned back, and was attacked by a pair of strong dwarf's arms. They wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed and crushed him in their embrace. Tilda giggled as Kili gasped.

"Ow! Fili! Take it easy, I'm not sure what this body can take."

Fili eased up on the grip a tiny bit, and then sobbed into Kili's back. "Why didn't you try harder to convince me?"

"There, there," Kili soothed, unable to move. "I tried to, but it hasn't been easy for me. They wouldn't even let me use my name."

"Who? Tell me who and I'll kill them."

"You know, them, the family." Kili pointed up to the sky hoping Fili would understand he was talking about their forefathers. He didn't want to scare Bard's children with talk of dead men and the afterlife.

Sigrid shook her head and folded her arms. "Da, I realise you have a secret, but at least tell me why a dwarf is crying over you."

Locked in Fili's tight embrace, Kili couldn't think of a good answer. He could feel the back of Bard's new coat getting wet.

Tauriel put down her flower. "They remembered that they were old friends from a long time ago."

Kili pointed at Tauriel in gratitude. "Yes, that's it!"

She smiled. "More than old friends, brothers of a sort, perhaps. If you'll excuse me, I believe I can hear Bran's loud feet searching for me upstairs."

Sigrid watched Tauriel disappear and then looked back at Kili. "A radish flower and a crying dwarf. Da, really? Might as well give up on her now."