Thorin had just lain his two nephews on their beds when the front door slammed. Dis, followed by Dwalin, stormed her way into the boys' room, face flushed and eyes red and swollen. She had obviously been crying. She immediately strode over to Kili's bedside, ignoring Thorin standing by the doorway. Dis knelt down beside her cherished son, stroking his sweaty brow with her thumb. After several long minutes, she finally spoke.
"What happened?" she asked, barely speaking above a whisper. She knew Kili, he normally did not sleep well, and she didn't want to wake him.
"Fili found him in a cave, buried underneath a pile of rocks. He barely made it out alive," Thorin whispered. He decided to hide the fact that Kili had actually left them; he knew Dis would never be able to control herself from the news.
"Well what was he doing there in the first place?!" Dis snapped.
"You saw him yourself; he ran off again because..," Thorin paused, remembering the chaotic fight he had with Kili the previous morning.
"Because what?"
"Well...Kili was arguing with me and-" Dis snorted, rolling her eyes.
"What? What's wrong?" Thorin asked, his voice rising. "Don't be shy! Spit it out!"
"What's wrong? Oh okay, I'll spit it out. My beloved son is laying before my eyes, mangled and bloody, after a pile of rocks collapsed on him, and I had no knowledge of this until now? After he had his appendix removed? And better yet, you blame this on him for arguing with you? You are always the one yelling at him, and for what? What does he get out of it? Nothing. No, no. You do not get to blame him for this. The only person to blame here is you." Dis's voice had such a heinous edge to it, it shook Thorin right to the core, leaving him to shocked for words.
"All his life, he has tried so hard to live up to your expectations. Tried so hard to be like you," Dis continued.
"But he is a better dwarf than you will ever be."
With that, Dwalin stepped up from the corner of the room where he stood. "Dis," he said gently, "you are being irrational. What happened to Kili was nobody's fault; please do not blame this on Thorin."
It was almost as if a volcano erupted in the room.
"DON'T. YOU. DARE. YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THAT I'M BEING IRRATIONAL AFTER COMING HOME TO MY HALF-DEAD SON!" Dis exploded, making both Thorin and Dwalin jump.
Thorin approached her, grabbing her arm. "Dis, please. You are going wake him," he said soothingly, trying to calm her down.
Smack. Thorin stumbled as Dis's fist connected with his nose. He grasped his nose as warm blood oozed down his face. With a grimace, he looked up to see Dwalin awkward holding Dis as she half-cried, half-fought against his firm grip, finally giving in and slowly falling to the floor in dismay.
Dwalin glanced at Thorin to make sure he was alright. With a quick nod, Thorin went over and kneeled next to her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle embrace.
"Shh...it's okay," Thorin whispered in her ear. "Everything is going to be fine."
"I j-just want m-my b-baby back," Dis said, sobbing into Thorin's chest.
"I know. We all do."
And they sat there in the corner of the room, shedding their sorrows that had been a heavy burden to them for the past day.
But their sorrows were not long forgotten.
Because just then, a dreadful scream resonated throughout the room, filling their hearts with dread.
Kili was awake.
