Quick and Balanced

"Nadad!" Kíli leaped immediately to close his older brother in a tight embrace. He hung on to him as if his life depended on him. If Fíli was here, then everything would be alright; Fíli always made sure of it.

Fíli carefully removed the arms from around his neck, so he could look at him. Kíli's face twitched: one part of him wanted to grin, but he remembered their mother's state.

Fíli didn't speak, and the silence started to stretch uncomfortably long.

"I'm back!" Kíli stated the obvious, with a faint smile.

Fíli acknowledged it with a nod, but still wouldn't speak. Kíli's next question would have been 'How are you?', but the answer was clear by looking at his brother.

Fíli wasn't well at all.

His blank expression told Kíli that he tried to keep it together, but the slight frown he wore spoke of how hard he needed to focus. Fíli stood rigidly, and Kíli looked at Thorin, who caught his silent suggestion.

"I'll leave you to talk," he said and left without further acknowledging Fíli.

Fíli didn't even look at their uncle. Kíli wondered if they were fighting again – it wouldn't be the first time.

About thirty years ago

Kíli didn't really enjoy his apprenticeship at the forge: the airless hole suffocated him, the constant noise was still ringing in his ears hours after he left, and he always had to pay attention to where he put his foot. Forging in itself was fine, but he knew that he'd never be the most renowned master smith. The weapons he liked, but since he was clumsier than the rest, producing nails and such small, simple objects was his usual task.

He preferred the wilderness.

Fíli, on the other hand, thrived in the forge, just as well as he excelled in everything else. Anything he touched turned to gold. He was the perfect heir to Thorin, and the only one who didn't see it was – guess who – Fíli himself.

Kíli didn't understand him at all. As if he purposefully misunderstood Uncle: he took every praise as dismissal, and turned every word of encouragement into criticism. True, Uncle wasn't very effusive, but…

"Hi Mum, is dinner ready?" he shouted, as he entered. He took off his dirty boots, and happily noticed that it wasn't the only pair there. "Uncle! Master Dwalin! Master Balin!"

Indeed, the rare visitors were sitting around the table, loudly recalling their adventures. They quickly filled a cup for Kíli too, who promised to join them after freshening up a little.

On the way to his room, he noticed Fíli sitting alone in the garden.

"Oi, Fee! What's up?" he said as he plopped down next to his brother.

Fíli flinched, but kept his gaze firmly on the old dagger he was sharpening.

"Nothing."

"Then why are you not inside?

"I'm cleaning my weapons."

He said it as if it explained his solitude, but Kíli failed to see the connection.

"Come on! Let's come in!" he invited him, and Fíli let out a frustrated sigh.

"If I go, will you stop pestering me?"

Kíli grinned. Fíli joined them, and while he made faces whenever Thorin commented on anything related to Longhaven, he didn't start an argument. He didn't like when Thorin tried to tell them how to take care of things in his absence. He only spoke when necessary, but when everyone stood up to lit up a pipe and continue the reunion outside, he couldn't help himself anymore.

"Don't lift those heavy plates, your arms might get torn off by the weight," he grumbled under his breath

Thorin gave him a stern look. "Did you just say something?"

"Nope, go on, don't worry about giving Amad extra work!"

"Your mother can stand up for herself, if she thinks she needs it," Thorin declared.

To avoid Fíli's lecturing, Kíli made a show of picking up his own plate, and put it on the counter. Fíli was scowling as the others left.

"Let it go," Mum said, squeezing Fíli's shoulder.

"Must they always leave behind such a mess? Don't they see that you've got enough to do?"

Instead of answering, she started to clean the table, and Fíli stayed to help. Kíli followed the others before they find him a task too: why didn't Fíli see that Mum was a lot more lenient when their cousins were here? Life was a lot more fun at these times.

They sat down outside. Dwalin started a story about a tavern brawl, where Balin was mistaken for another dwarf who'd cheated one of the regulars out of some money, when Fíli barged out, and walked past them without a word.

"Where are you going, nephew?" Thorin called after him.

Fíli slowed, but didn't turn.

"Out."

"Out where?"

They never got an answer for that question.

Balin shook his head. "The lad is so unruly these days," he said.

"I don't know what to do with him lately," Thorin mused. "Was I right to make him my heir so early? He seems to think that he can order us around."

"Eh, he's just developing a mind of his own," Dwalin said. "He's no worse than others at his age."

"I certainly hope so," Thorin sighed.

"He should be better than others at his age," Balin added. "He should be setting a good example."

Kíli felt that he should defend his brother.

"He's setting a good example! He's just showing it very poorly when you're here."

"Maybe there's a lass. He's soon at that age too," Dwalin said, wriggling his eyebrows.

Kíli had to laugh. Fíli and a lass? No way.

Now

Fíli had always stood up for their mother, even when she didn't need it. In return, he was Mum's favorite out of the whole extended family. Kíli wasn't jealous – he needed a different kind of attention, and enjoyed his relative freedom from her scrutiny. Mum also helped Fíli to deal with the pressure of being the heir to the throne, and Fíli often took advantage of her greater experience since living in Erebor.

He'd always made fun of how much time Fíli spent with Mum, but if seeing her like this scared him, he couldn't even imagine what Fíli was going through.

"She's sleeping. She's been calm ever since I arrived," he said, standing aside to let his brother check the verity of these statements. Fíli kneeled down and took her hand in his, looking for the pulse on her wrist.

"Imagine my surprise when I strolled into the Mountain – I wasn't expecting fanfares, mind you, but to sneak in completely unnoticed? That stung. Then I heard that you're making some kind of speech, so I decided that my news could wait until after that – you know how I hate official posing – and came to see if Mum was here." He sighed, not quite able to describe how stricken he felt hearing the news of her illness; especially since he was bringing news of his own, a happier one too.

Fíli touched his forehead to hers.

"She won't know that you're here – Thorin and I think that she's pretty out of it."

"I'm feeling out her temperature," Fíli said through gritted teeth. "Her hands are ice cold, but she's feverish. Get me some water!"

"But – from where? We've already used up her ration for the day."

"Then get yours!"

Kíli was baffled. "I've already drunk that. I was thirsty. We arrived at Dale late in the night."

"Mahal, Kee, you've been back for like, five minutes, and it's already about you!" Fíli barked out unexpectedly. "Can't you see that Amad is sick?"

"Now, that's mean! I've just arrived, I had no idea that something was wrong!" Kíli drew his brows together. What had gotten into his brother in the last months? "I want to help! She's my mother too!"

"Then why do you forget it so often?!"

Kíli didn't understand, but seeing his brother's fury, he didn't dare to annoy him with further questions. Fíli went on anyway.

"Do you have any idea how anxious you made her by leaving so abruptly? She had no idea where you went and why! Have you no thought for anyone but yourself?"

"That's not…" true, he wanted to say, but Fíli didn't let him interrupt his quiet tirade.

"She was constantly asking questions, and I couldn't tell her anything, because she'd have worried even more. I was packing a bag to go looking for you, and take you a spellstone! You know how important these things are for her! Had I left an hour earlier, I wouldn't even know that she's unwell!"

Kíli frowned.

"You'd be a lot calmer then," he said drily. "Why did it take you so long to come after me, anyway? Or why did you not tell her? Because Tauriel is an elf and you didn't want to burden her with my shameful behavior?"

"Perhaps so!" Fíli snapped.

"I'm sorry, but she'll know anyway, because Tauriel is here with me!"

Fíli glared at him. "That cannot be true!"

"It is!"

"Did you bring her inside the mountain?" he whispered, paling visibly. Kíli shook his head. "Good. Don't bring her here."

"What do you mean by that?" Out of his brother's hurtful comments today, this was the meanest. Kíli truly believed that Fíli would understand, that he would grant them a place and a respectable living here, or maybe he would help arranging something in Dale… It seemed he was sorely mistaken.

"I mean that you should get back to her," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, which he often did when he was trying to keep a calm countenance. Kíli had no wish to learn exactly how volatile Fíli's temper could be, if he was still holding back. "You're not helping here. Get out! Be useless somewhere else!"

Kíli really took his brother's words to heart. Thorin was waiting for him in the sitting room, discussing their agenda with Balin.

"He's gone completely mental!" Kíli burst out helplessly.

"That's exactly what Balin said as well," Thorin replied darkly. Balin's sad eyes confirmed this. "His public speech caused quite an upheaval. Our people are running around like headless chickens, buying fake talismans and spreading the fake news that their king went mad."

"Maybe it isn't fake news," Kíli suggested.

"To be fair, he's very attached to Dís."

"It's an explanation for his behavior, Thorin, not an excuse. Maybe we should leave him with her for the time being. I know that she's your sister, and your mother too," he turned his gaze to Kíli for a moment, "and we all are worried, but I fear that Fíli's lack of self-control will do even more harm."

Both dwarves agreed.

"There are things to do though," he continued, feeling uncomfortable to bring it up, "and some dwarves are petitioning for compensation. They want to see what we are doing to resolve the situation, and they want it now."

"Yeah, but if we make Fíli deal with them…" Kíli didn't finish the sentence. He had no idea what Fíli would do. He'd never seen this cruel version of his brother.

"We shouldn't force Fíli to deal with them," Thorin declared. "I can do that."

Balin was humming, not quite sure how to express his disagreement and Kíli hid his smile behind his hand. Thorin always took his time: he patiently heard out everyone, made his own inquiries and checked every fact twice before coming to a decision.

"A lot of people are scared, Thorin," Balin said. "We have to act quickly."

Kíli snickered quietly as Uncle frowned.

"I can act quickly!"

"No, you really not," Kíli said.

Fíli or Dís were the ones for this role. They could make considerate decisions in mere moments, which appeased everyone and put little strain on anyone. Thorin had to take his time to make peace with his conscience and pride, and Kíli… well, he was good at the 'quick' part, but less so with 'balanced' or 'considerate', and he usually changed his mind when the other party came up with new arguments.

"Still, I would only trust you with the important decisions," Balin concluded, looking at Thorin askance. "People listen to you. They will do what you ask of them."

Most people did indeed listen to Thorin, but there was one key figure in this whole mess who refused to cooperate with just any busybody. She loved her independence too much, and she couldn't tolerate when outsiders tried to stick their noses in her business and tried to tell her what to do.

Alas, neither Thorin, nor Balin had the good sense to shut their mouth in time; that's why Dwalin spent the whole morning placating a disgruntled Reika and reassign some tasks to people whom she was willing to work with – and he had to intervene several times later in the day.

They should've given more support to her, but instead, she was thoroughly questioned first thing in the morning by Balin. Dwalin swiftly put a stop to it, when he found out.

"This is the lass who brought Dís here, or did you forget that?" he said, glaring at his brother.

"That's not the point. We need to establish that she is qualified to lead such an operation…" Balin started with his half-assed excuses, but Dwalin cut in.

"She's qualified! She's been working on rediscovering the mountain with the expert team for a year now, she knows the place better than anyone!"

"Her credentials are lacking…"

"Her credentials! What's wrong with her credentials?" The lass was conspicuously keeping her head down. Dwalin knew what was wrong with them: she rarely put her name on her work, preferring to keep a low profile, and being a part of a team allowed her as much anonymity as she wanted. Dwalin turned to the so far silent person in the room. "Her boss is here; remind me, Master Brohn, why haven't you clarified it yet?"

Master Brohn was gaping, and Dwalin fixed the pompous dwarf with a pointed glare before he managed to say something stupidly irrelevant.

Balin made another weak attempt to defend his behavior.

"We have to make sure that she is able to deal with such a huge responsibility…"

"Bah, that's your job, Brother," Dwalin waved it off. "She knows what to do, and we have to ensure that it gets done."

"Again, you give proof of your overly simplistic view of life," Balin sighed. "We can't just…"

"We can't just sit around and argue about politics. The lass is capable, let her do the job!"

Master Brohn wanted to argue – probably, he viewed himself as the ultimate expert and wanted to take the lead and the glory – but he backed off under Dwalin's continued glaring. For good measure, Dwalin placed his hand on Reika's shoulder to show his support.

"Just say a number and you'll get as many dwarves under your command!"

The lass blushed. She wanted to protest, but Dwalin wouldn't have it.

"You know Bombur, don't you?"

She nodded. Of course she knew him: Bombur's daughter, Kora, and sister-in-law, Maren traveled with Dís, under Reika's guidance. Bombur was very grateful for seeing his daughter here and well, he must have invited Reika over a couple of times. He'd be the perfect ally for this endeavor: if he extended his fatherly protectiveness to his daughter's friend, no words would be uttered against the lass.

Bombur proved to be the perfect baby-sitter: the lass was clever, but too independent. She wasn't used to enforcing her will at all. At first, she had to be reminded to give tasks to others, and then she forgot to check if they were doing it right or doing it at all, but Bombur kept calling her over to look at this and that, and soon, she realized his purpose. She started giving out orders, hesitantly at first, but grew bolder thanks to Bombur's firm backing.

They worked out an effective system. Reika knew the spots where they could comfortably reach the river and establish a base for pouring beer (as the cheapest alcoholic beverage) into the water. If it still caused discoloration, they moved upwards and tried again, packing up their equipment when the purple stream reached their previous base. They progressed quickly, especially when the guards granted for her realized that there was no slacking off under Bombur's watchful eyes.

However, when Thorin joined them, Dwalin had to make an appearance again.

Bombur's daughter, Kora was delivering messages for the team, and had the good sense to make a detour for fetching Dwalin to the scene.

When he arrived, he let out a stream of rude Khuzdul words, as he saw a similar interrogation as a few hours ago, Thorin replacing Balin this time.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dwalin barked out. Bombur was helplessly shuffling his feet, turning red. Apparently, standing up to Thorin was too much to ask.

"Dwalin! Finally!" Thorin greeted him, annoyed. "Balin told me that you insisted on allowing Rita to lead the search for the poison, but I'm starting to think that we are the victims of an elaborate joke!"

Dwalin scratched his head. Thorin looked conflicted, trying his best to remain calm, and the lass was batting her lashes innocently, while Bombur opened and closed his mouth twice, before deciding not to speak. Dwalin wondered if he wanted to correct Thorin about the lass' name; Thorin consistently called her Rita since she arrived, and she never called him out on his mistake. Still, Dwalin wondered if she felt offended, and he knew that soon, he'll have to talk to Thorin about it. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation. Thorin used to take his criticism in stride, especially when the hard words were chased with beer and easy banter, but lately, they were leading so different lives, and Dwalin wasn't sure how to do 'easy banter' with him anymore.

"Are we?" he mumbled, shooting a glare at Reika. The lass was looking too innocent.

"He's asking me questions. I'm answering them."

Well, that was problematic. Last night, Thorin was impressed by the numerous scenarios she drew up in one go, but if she kept telling him about the endless possibilities… well, she had that talk with Dwalin last night. Dwalin told her that he didn't want to hear a thing until she had solid proof. Thorin, on the other hand, loved theories.

"She keeps saying that she doesn't know the answers!" Thorin exclaimed. "How can we trust her to solve this if she has no idea what she's doing?"

Dwalin shook his head, and shot another stern glare at the lass. She stopped pretending innocence, and simply shrugged, as if saying that he deserved it.

"And she won't find any answers if you hold her up by questioning everything," he said, putting a soothing hand on Thorin's shoulder, so he could strong-arm him into leaving if he wouldn't come on his own volition.

Fortunately, he did, and was willing to give Reika the benefit of doubt.

"Is there any progress with Pearl and her stalker?" Dwalin asked, to change the topic. After checking the food last night, the party went on in the Courting Hall, but since Liv was giving him the cold shoulder, Dwalin decided to retire early.

Thorin made a noncommittal sound.

"Is she a fraud after all?" Dwalin asked, sighing. Thorin and ladies were just an awkward thing, let's leave it at that. His otherwise sensible mind failed to notice even the most obvious manipulations, thanks to his mistaken definition of respecting dwarrowdams. Not to mention, Pearl was a pretty little thing, although Dwalin personally found her too delicate and obnoxious.

"No!" Thorin answered, appalled. He opened his mouth to continue, but thought better, and shut it back. He turned away and finally managed to squeeze out an acceptable answer. "He didn't show his face last night."

Dwalin had a strange feeling that Thorin was embarrassed. He would've liked to ask, but this wasn't the time for teasing, and he had no idea if it would go through as a joke.

They talked about what measures they should take. They surrounded the clean wells with guards, and they placed many of them in the corridors too. Fíli's short announcement created more questions than answers, and some opportunistic dwarves tried to fill in the holes. Fake stories were going around, and unsavory figures started selling talismans and protective items against evil spirits. Even the dragon's name came up. Some blamed the humans living nearby, which was plainly unacceptable, and anyone caught spreading that tale was immediately arrested, just like anyone who suddenly developed magical protective abilities. They put Glóin in charge of the complaints, since many were petitioning for compensation. Their best bet to get out of it with the least possible loss was him: he didn't like to part with his money, and he wasn't at all affected by sob stories without evidence.

Since Kíli was back, Dwalin immediately put him to work. Balin and Thorin tried to interrogate him about his absence, even though he clearly didn't want to reveal anything. (Even if Fíli's secrecy in the past months didn't give them a clue, Kíli's angry objections should have.) Dwalin immediately dismissed him to 'take care of the relationship with Dale'. The daft kid started on about how he wasn't the right person for that, until he caught on that it was his way out.

"Do I really have to go to Dale?" he asked Dwalin, when they got rid of the other two.

"Yes."

"But what should I do there?"

"Pick flowers and sing a song!" Dwalin growled. "What do you think? Ask Bard if you can be of any help, or I don't know. Balin can help you out, you can still catch him if you really want some advice!"

The lad chose to be creative on his own. Dwalin dearly hoped he wouldn't provoke a war.

He went down to the dungeons to see how many dwarves were arrested. To his relief, there weren't more than a dozen. To his surprise, he didn't find but one guard down here. Just as he was going to bring it up, he felt something small – an apple seed – hitting his head. He looked around angrily, suspecting the criminals behind bars, but another seed landed right in front of his boots. He'd seen now which direction it came from, and his gaze found the barred window a level higher.

A flight of narrow stairs led up there. He watched carefully where to put his feet on the crooked steps, while constantly watching out for spider webs. It didn't awake good memories, and when he met with Nori's grinning face, he almost cursed him down for this insipid joke.

"I found my cell!" Nori declared. Dwalin looked confused. "You promised me that I can choose a cell and you'll lock me up, I'll just have to ask. I'll choose this cell," he explained.

Dwalin growled. Nori's strange excitement was completely out of place, considering the day's events.

"I can hear everything from up here!" he whispered.

Now, that was finally interesting.

"And what did you hear?"

Nori shook his head. "The lark doesn't sing anymore. Too bad; it was pretty, but she doesn't like the crowd, unlike the guard. He whistles, but can't give justice to the melody."

"That's nonsense," Dwalin said. "You should make yourself useful."

"I am useful!" Nori said, arranging his apple seeds in a new pattern. "I watch the guard. He's alone since last night. I hope he doesn't have to take a double-shift. I worry for his health."

"Bless your tender heart!" Dwalin murmured, contemplating the new information. "Fine, stay here. Someone should watch the prisoners, if he falls asleep. I'll see if I can send someone down, but we are a little short on manpower." The guards seemed to be more affected by the poisoning than the average population. While only a few was feverish like Dís, a lot were unfit to serve.

The third time he had to intervene on Reika's behalf, the lass found him, dragging a sulking Kora with her.

"She can't run messages for us anymore!"

The passionate outburst surprised Dwalin. Did they have a fallout? They were supposed to be friends, but now Reika was tapping her foot impatiently, looking determined, while Kora firmly kept her eyes on the ground.

"I won't move an inch further up until she's running up and down there!"

Dwalin shortly contemplated the situation. Should he ask…? Of course he should.

"What happened?"

"It's too dangerous for her. We move on uncleared surface."

Kora's face reddened. Something was amiss, but he didn't have the time and the energy to get to the bottom of it. He had a soft spot for the little lass anyway, and he protected her all day, what's one more decision in her favor? His gut feeling said that she wouldn't ask out of a passing fancy.

"Fine. Get her to Glóin, he needs help."

Reika left wearing a smug smile, while Kora's shoulders sagged.

The day was busily spent, and Dwalin was looking forward to the end of it. Thorin called them together to shortly review the situation just before dinnertime.

For a while, he tried to sit straight, but soon he started to nod off. He'd forgotten how long Thorin's 'short' usually lasted. He'd already heard everything

He rested his cheek on his palm, finding the perfect balance on the table with his elbow, and closed his eyes. Despite Thorin's insistence to remain visible and show the people that life was almost normal, he wouldn't stay at the party in the Courting Hall. He'd find the one person he wanted to spend time with; maybe she'd be more lenient tonight. Liv hated drunkards and now the Mountain was full of them, since many used the lack of water as an excuse to consume ale excessively. He hoped that she'd accept the comfort he offered – otherwise, he'd have a long way to go to get back on her good side.

A/N: First of all: sorry for the long wait! I didn't give up on the story, in fact, I'm making progress, but I found myself in a horrible plot-knot. (Is that a word? It is now.) I have several scenes written that will come later in the story, and I have to get them in the right order, checking if I'm giving the right pieces of information in the right places. I think I'll stick to weekly updates until the story is completely put together.

to Emrfangirl: Yup, it's Kíli. I think Liv was too stunned to react to Dwalin's answer - but we're going to see more of them, as well as the suspicious fortuneteller ;) Thanks for the review!