Make It Right

Fíli usually slept off his inebriation at Bard's home. The next morning, he awoke to a fierce headache and momentary blindness: someone pushed open the curtains.

"Morning, Sunshine," he heard Sigrid's stern voice. He cursed himself and anything he could think of: finding Sigrid in his room on a morning like this can only be a nightmare. Only, the pain felt too real, and Sigrid continued:

"Three bottles! It must be a record. Last night must have been a hard one; I couldn't wake Da yet. If you know any secret trick for that, now would be the time for sharing."

Fíli didn't feel up to talking.

"Do you need a bowl?" Sigrid asked. Fíli only covered his face with his blanket.

"Oh, no, no, definitely no!" Sigrid yanked away the blanket. "You got Da drunk, you make him right! I don't know about you, but he has a job to do!"

Fíli had no idea what he was supposed to do, but had a sneaking suspicion that he shouldn't be in bed in Bard's home when the sun was already shining so brightly. He groaned loudly and buried his head in his pillow.

"I thought dwarves can hold their drink better," sighed Sigrid, and left. She returned, carrying a tray, a pleasant, fresh smell rising from it.

"Sit up and drink. It's coffee. Your mother was asking after you last night. I told her you're here."

She spoke on a low voice and with surprising gentleness. He managed to get in a sitting position, and took the cup from Sigrid's hand. The warmth and the bitter aroma helped to regain his senses. They heard a ruckus and loud swearing from the next room, and Sigrid went to check in on her father.

"Why are you helping me now?" Fíli had to ask.

Sigrid smirked, stopping in the doorway to consider her answer. "Now, that's a good question, isn't it?"

"No, seriously! Don't we hate each other?"

"We do."

She left. Fíli managed to get on his feet, and washed himself. He avoided looking in the mirror: he knew he must look horrible if even Sigrid took pity on him. He heard Bard's groans from the next room; suddenly silence, and Sigrid returned.

"He's alright," she said hesitantly. "Is he really alright? Did he say something to you last night?"

Fíli's mouth opened in surprise. So much for the secret excuses. He shook his head slowly. "No, last night was about me."

Sigrid nodded.

"Wait, really, Sigrid, why are you helping me?"

Sigrid let out an annoyed huff. "Can't you let it go? We hate each other, and when you leave our home in a short while, we will return to hating each other. But right now, you're miserable and clearly in some sort of pain, and I'm not the sort of person to deny help only because I hate someone. I'd like to think the same is true about you."

She left again. Fíli thought about her words, and decided to take them as they were. He wouldn't turn her out of the Mountain if she was sick either. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and Sigrid came back.

"Your mother sent a messenger. You need to get back to the Mountain immediately."

"Why?"

"Go, and you'll find out, I guess," she said uncertainly.

Dís paced in the stables waiting for her son. She knew it was unreasonable to think that he can make it all right, but his presence would truly raise her mood now. He was her Sunshine; not only because of the color of his hair, but because of his rare tender moments lighting up her darkest hours. She could always rely on him, even when he was but a child – he made all her burdens easier to carry.

Fíli arrived on the messenger's horse, leaving behind his guard and his slower pony for the messenger. He jumped down from the still moving horse and run to her.

"What happened, Amad?"

Oh, finally. She buried her face in her hands, and he immediately stepped closer to pull them away and search for an answer in her eyes. She was close to tears.

"Amad, tell me, please!"

Right. She had to pull herself together. She frantically tugged on the string of her purse, and Fíli took it and opened it for her. She pulled out a letter.

"It's from Kíli, for you. I'm sorry. I opened it, because a maid said she saw Kíli pack a bag and leave the Mountain in the middle of the night. I checked his room, and he's really gone, and… Read it!" she demanded, suddenly becoming fierce.

.

Dear Nadad,

I don't know how you do it. I don't know how you are capable of understanding perfectly what's going on around you or in your head, but I'm just a dumbass, and I have no idea anymore about anything. I've heard you last night when I checked in on you at Bard's. I know you always said I couldn't love Tauriel as you loved F, but I have to know. I'm going to find her, and see what happens. I hope you will welcome us back to the Mountain if we decide to get back here together. You're a very tolerant king, after all.

Kíli

P.S.: Let's pray the spiders don't eat me this time. Also, please send ransom if Thranduil throws me in jail again. It's not my intention to get into trouble, but just in case, you know, check in on Thrandy if he's too quiet for too long and I'm still missing.

.

Dís watched him, while he read the letter. His face turned angry at first, then an embarrassed shade of red, then chalk white. He flushed red again, and he looked ready to kill by the end.

"That uncaring, goat-fucking selfish little prick!" Fíli swore. "Couldn't he wait until the morning at least?"

Dís shook her head. "I think I'm missing some vital piece of information here."

"Yes, you do, Amad. Who else knows?"

"No one, apart from you, me and the maid, but I sworn her to secrecy."

"Dwalin? Thorin?"

"I came to you first."

"…Kasia?"

"Kasia?" Dís asked with genuine surprise.

"Yeah, they 'had a thing'. I'm thinking right now that Kíli doesn't understand what that means."

Dís buried her face in her hands again. "That boy will be the death of me."

"Yeah, Amad, do you want to find him?"

"We know where he went, and I guess I feel better until I don't hear more about this Tauriel person."

"That's right."

"There is something else." Dís' frown hinted at some bad news. "A dwarrowdam, Raya, is missing."

"What?" Fíli felt his stomach drop.

"I sent the messenger to ask after her too; maybe he'll bring good news, but she should've been back last night. Apparently, she left Dale before sundown. You see…"

Fíli swore again, mixing in insults in Khuzdul.

"Yes. And you don't even know, but her parents are coming in a few days."

This time, Fíli buried his face in his hands, then his hands in his hair. Losing a visiting dwarrowdam was serious trouble.

"If something happened to her…" he started, not really knowing how to continue, but Dís interrupted.

"I think finding her is more important than finding your idiot of a brother. At least he can take care of himself, and we know for sure where he went and why."

"Does anyone know about Raya?"

"You, I and Sigrid, but the dwarrowdams are bound to find out when they wake up."

"Her instructor too," Fíli said, and at his mother's questioning glare, he explained. "I… sort of helped her out, and it resulted in Sindarin lessons for her."

"Why for Mahal's sake would you do that?"

"She wanted to do something with herself. She's awfully lonely, you know."

"The one single dwarrowdam you're talking to, and she goes missing?" She was scared now. "Who knew about you?"

"Kíli, Ori, some of her friends… We don't even talk much, we just get along."

"Thank Mahal! I feared for a moment that it could be an attempt against you!" She hugged him, and kissed his forehead to drive her point home. Be safe!

"Anything else, Amad?" he sighed.

"When I checked in on Raya, I found Nori sneaking out of someone's room. I didn't see which one, though, but it was clear why he was there."

"Shall I have words with Nori?"

"Maybe. I was too shocked to see him, and he slipped away before I came to."

"Fine," Fíli massaged his forehead. At least Nori was careful; probably it wasn't the first night he spent there. "Anything else? I've never thought I would see the day when Nori is the least of my problems. Usually, he is the one stirring up the biggest shit."

Dís chuckled. "Yes, I'm surprised too, but I'm afraid there is something else. It's my fault. Everything is my fault, I should've never let them go to Dale!"

Fíli smiled softly. He realized that they were still standing in the Entrance Hall. "Let's go to my rooms, I need to change and we can talk freely."

"Go ahead," Dís said. "I'm waiting for news about Raya first. Feel free to take a bath; you reek of alcohol."

Fíli took a bath and changed into comfortable clothes. Kíli's actions didn't make sense. What did he hear? And why? Can't he accept that there are things he feels more comfortable discussing with Bard than with his brother? Although, he had to admit that he wasn't surprised by the manner of his departure. Kíli made rash decisions and acted upon them impulsively. In this moment, Fíli strongly hoped that Thranduil finds him and throws him in jail. He would let him rot there for a while, maybe that will teach him a lesson.

Raya's disappearance didn't make sense either, but it gave a cause for worry. He hoped Amad would bring good news, but he feared she wasn't.

He also hoped he would be far, far away when Kasia discovers Kíli's betrayal.

Amad knocked half an hour later, and shook her head.

"Get Dwalin, and make up an excuse for Raya. They will be asking after her, and they will panic."

They both knew that Dís' (and Erebor's) reputation as a hostess was depending on how they handled the case – probably more, if the vengeful dwarrowdams and families decided to turn against them. Fortunately, Dwalin was a man of action, and he rode out immediately to find a trace.

"Let's go see where he goes."

Fíli and Dís walked to a quiet terrace about midway to the top.

"Val made a spectacle of herself yesterday," Dís said conversationally. Fíli searched his mind for a face, but came up without result. "The 'dam Kíli insulted a few weeks back."

"Oh, I know! She's a little… less proper, than the others."

"That's the one. She got herself a Man."

"And what's wrong with it?" Fíli himself had been with plenty of Women, and he wasn't the only one in his acquaintance.

"That we know, clearly!"

"Any complications about it?"

"Oh, just a little bit of bad reputation, why should we care?" Dís answered sarcastically. "Bofur also caused a stir, when he was caught entering a brothel. He tried to explain away with excellent food and drinks, but his purpose was painfully obvious."

Fíli snickered.

"Stop laughing!" Dís said sternly. "I catch you once entering one of those places, and you're disowned!"

"I own the whole Mountain, Amad."

"By my bloodline!" she threatened. "So, apparently Bofur has fallen out of grace with the ladies finally. I was waiting for it, really, because there is only so much chomping and burping a 'dam can take during lunch, and I'm amazed they tolerated him so far. Also, the guard, who you so mercilessly ditched, had to sweep in and save a young 'dam, Lena from a grabby Man. I don't know what's wrong with her, but she is very accident-prone."

Fíli puffed out his chest, "I'm really proud of Ronen, he's a good guard."

"Good, as in blindly obedient!" Dís retorted angrily. "Did you at least paid him to cover for your little excursion, or you simply gave an order?"

Fíli flushed red again, and mumbled his answer inaudibly.

"Because he wouldn't tell me where you were, and he reassured me in a quite convincing manner that you completed the exercise by yourself and he only brought the tokens to me so you could have some rest!"

Ronen was very loyal, but obviously, there was no fooling Amad.

"See? A raven!" pointed Fíli to the sky. Ravens were sensitive about the Mountain's moods, as if it was a sentient being. They reacted to every upset that happened inside or outside; maybe they can help. Accidentally, there was a raven, but it made no attempt to descend. Fíli sighed in frustration. "It's pointless. I wish I could do something useful!"

An hour spent on the terrace, and they discussed involving others in the search. They had seen Dwalin's form disappearing in the young forest east of Dale.

"I should go," he suggested. Next to Dwalin, Kíli was the best tracker in Erebor, but as he left, his involvement was obviously out of question. Thorin would be useless with his lacking sense of directions, and Balin always relied on his brother in these matters. Óin cared more for the sky than the ground outside, Glóin's obvious preference of cities wouldn't help either; Gimli was too young to have any significant experience, and they were out of cousins. To avoid panic, they had to choose carefully who and how many to involve. Aside from the Company, not a lot of dwarf had significant tracking skills: they preferred mountains, cities and avoided the wilderness, where they were too clumsy and loud. Perhaps Nori could be tricked into a bargain: his secret for his help; but Nori was also a shadow, who simply disappeared.

Oh, they looked for him, Dís and Fíli, but when they arrived at the home the three brothers shared, they only heard shouted argument.

"You can't just stay out for the night! It's dangerous! You made me sick with worry!" they heard Dori's voice. To their surprise, he wasn't scolding Nori – Ori answered.

"I'm a grown dwarf, I can do as I please!" he said.

"When did he grow a backbone?" Dís mouthed to Fíli.

"I can go out with a 'dam if I want to!" he continued. Fíli nodded to his mother.

"For her."

"For who?"

Fíli snorted in frustration. Did his mother really expect him to memorize the names of all these 'dams?

"She is not good enough for you!" Dori whined.

"She is perfect for me. You only hate her, because you can't control her. And by the way, you can't control me either! If I want her to spend the night here, I will just ask her, and she'll say yes!"

Dís listened with utter befuddlement. Fíli decided to break up the fight. He knocked. Both Ori and Dori stood at the door, and asked in perfect sync:

"What?!"

"Is Nori here?"

He wasn't, and he hadn't been seen for a while. Fíli dragged Amad away before she expressed her congratulations to Ori. She was very pleased with his choice when she managed to put together the identity of the dwarrowdam based on Fíli's vague descriptions.

"Why can't you be like Ori? He's such a good boy! If only his mother would live still, she could be really proud!"

"Yeah, and seeing Nori would send her back to the grave!" Fíli argued. "I was a perfectly good son minutes ago, you know!"

After this scene, he decided to go out after Dwalin, as the next best tracker available. Since he was going without a guard, he agreed to disguise himself, which meant another change of clothes, and a generous amount of dirt to hide his distinctive hair. Amad left, muttering something about her secret weapon.

Fíli had just put on the finishing touches, when Amad knocked.

"Are you decent?" she asked, which was strange, since she cared little for her sons' state of undress generally. Fíli went and opened the door.

"Another dwarrowdam?" he asked, when he saw the figure standing next to Amad. "Haven't they caused enough trouble yet?"

Amad fixed him with a glare.

"She's my cartographer, and you appreciate her too," she reminded him.

That was true. Fíli looked at her with stirring curiosity. He had seen her here and there in the Mountain, always in the strangest of places. She wore her hair on her right side tightly braided back in two lines, while left it free on the other side. Her beard hang in two plaits, heavily adorned with metal beads. She wore a piercing in her right eyebrow, and there appeared to be blue lines in her dirt-blond hair. She wore a dark, knitted sweater and a leather vest under her shortish but thick coat, tight leather pants, and big, sturdy boots. She looked… tough.

She also looked very unimpressed.

"Are you ready to go?"

She spoke with little intonation, as if she found the situation unbearably boring or unpleasant. Fíli looked at Amad.

"She's going with you. Her tracking skills are excellent, trust me. We tested her on the way here," she winked.

Fíli put on his hunting coat – an old, well-worn piece, but very trustworthy, and heavy with hidden weapons. He sighed in pleasure when he felt the familiar weight of his knives. This earned a quick weird glance from the cartographer, but she didn't make a comment. They rode out together on the best horses, to reach Dwalin as quickly as possible.

Fíli looked at her with appreciation, when they reached the forest. She was an excellent rider. She tied her horse to a tree, and instantly went to find Dwalin's trail.

"Did you bring weapons?" Fíli asked, before they entered the forest. This earned another weird glare.

"Did you really need to ask this? Of course I did. Now, hush."

Fíli felt a thrill running through his spine. No one 'hush'-ed him in a long time; it was simply not done to the King of Erebor. She cared little for titles and ceremony, it seemed. He watched as she moved gracefully through the undergrowth. She moved swiftly and quietly, like a deer. Fíli felt awkward and clumsy behind her, but she didn't once scold him for it.

They found a message from Dwalin: wheels.

"They are on a wagon," Fíli said, pointing at Dwalin's message. The dwarrowdam wouldn't have found it, since she didn't know to look. She nodded, believing him.

"I'll stay here, you bring the horses."

Fíli jogged back to their horses obediently. When he came back, she was sitting on a clearing in the very spot where the sun shone through the leaves, her face turned to the warm light.

"I'm back," he announced, and immediately felt stupid for it. She must have heard him all along. She didn't comment though – she took the reins, got into the saddle, and kept a steady pace following the clear wheeltracks.

They noticed Dwalin not far ahead of them, when they reached the edge of the forest.

"Race?" he offered. She raised an eyebrow, and nodded.

They caught up to Dwalin soon, and Fíli had the strange urge to laugh. It felt more like a fun day during the year he spent with Dwalin and the caravans, than a desperate rescue mission. Dwalin acknowledged their presence with a nod, and they increased their pace. With three of them against the offenders, they had little to fear.

They only slowed down when they noticed the wagon.

Kidnappers, Dwalin signed. Four at least. Amateurs.

You're going in for the girl, Fíli signed back. We stay outside.

It was safer that way. As King, he had to leave the riskier moves to others, and while they could see the enemy outside, they didn't know what awaited them inside.

"I only have small weapons," the cartographer spoke up. "I guess you're discussing tactics, but I've never learnt Iglishmek."

"At least you have a good head on your shoulders!"

A huge grin spread on Fíli's face: it was high praise, indeed, coming from Dwalin.

"Here!" Fíli handed her one of his twin blades.

She took it carefully.

The dwarrowdam took initiative, and rode ahead of the wagon to stop them, while Fíli and Dwalin took out a few of them from behind. They were dwarves; two plus three sat on the sides, guarding the precious cargo hidden under the covers. One sat at the front – the appearance of the dwarrowdam spooked the horses, but thanks to the clever maneuver of the driver, the wagon stopped safely.

Fíli and Dwalin knocked out the guards in the meanwhile, and Dwalin moved to peek inside.

He cried out, which alerted both Fíli and the cartographer. They leaped together, in the end the 'dam letting him push her back.

"Secure the horses," he said to her. She was doing very well so far, but for Fíli, it was painfully obvious that her bravado was greater than her skill. He almost took back his sword seeing the way she held it, but she held it with a rare confidence, which softened Fíli's heart. His sword had gone through worse, and she (as in the sword) would get extra special care after this grabby trauma.

He climbed into the wagon after Dwalin, and he cried out, too, taking in the scene. Raya sat tightly bound at the back of the carriage. Bruises discolored her beautiful face, marked by glistening lines of fallen tears. Dwalin had his axes trained on the two other occupants of the wagon: a whimpering dwarrowdam, scared out of her wits, and a stern-faced rotund dwarf, trying to control his shaking. Dwalin was a scary, mean goat-fucker straight out of your nightmares, when you crossed him.

"Get the girl," Dwalin barked. "My hands are a little full."

Raya looked like she couldn't comprehend the situation, and she screamed when Fíli touched her.

"Shh, it's me, Fíli," he said softly. "I'm taking you back to Erebor. It's going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright. You are safe now, and we will heal you."

Untying the knots looked too difficult, so he took a knife to cut through them. Unfortunately, despite his gentle reassurances, Raya couldn't stop shaking, and Fíli's knife cut into her skin several times. Fíli hissed, but she didn't seem to feel the pain anymore.

He softly got her into his arms, and she leaned heavily on his shoulder.

"Mama," she whispered. "Mama, why won't you help?" she murmured.

"I'm not your Mama," Fíli said on a low voice. "I'm sorry. I can't get her for you."

"Mama, please, Mama, I hate you!" she cried.

"Which of you elvenhearted stuckup is her Mama?" Dwalin growled, looking at the dwarrowdam, obviously.

"Her!" squealed the dwarf facing his other axe.

"Her!" Dwalin snapped. "Grasper doesn't seem to like her much," he stated with a happy grin. "Grasper doesn't like parents who wouldn't help their kids! Likes to grasp their souls!"

The dwarrowdam was trembling now, without making a sound.

"But Keeper is wondering," Dwalin continued, comically furrowing his brows. "If she is her Mama, you, sitting in here with them all alone, must be her Papa!" He pushed Keeper to the dwarf's neck in a swift movement. "Is Keeper right? Oh-oh, no," Dwalin interrupted when the dwarf wanted to speak up. "She would like to have a taste to know for sure!" Now, Dwalin made a low chuckling sound. "Keeper also likes to keep what she tastes! What do you say, Your Majesty?"

Fíli, who listened to Dwalin's performance with a smile tugging on his lips, finally managed to turn to look.

"I think knock them out, bind them and take them to the Mountain. They are guilty of kidnapping a citizen of Erebor for now, but who knows, by the time we can determine their identity, I can make up a law about the punishment of harmful parents. How does death penalty sound to you?"

Dwalin agreed, and Fíli turned to the kidnappers-turned-prisoners with a smile. "Sounds good to you too? I care a lot for the happiness of my people!"

Blood run out of the dwarf's face so fast he fainted. The dwarrowdam held up better, but Dwalin had no qualms about knocking her out too. He bound them tightly.

"Oi, Lass!" he called out to the cartographer. "If you know some healing, now would be the time to say so!"

She poked her head into the wagon. "I know the basics."

Dwalin helped Fíli laying Raya down, while the cartographer climbed in. Dwalin went to bind the others, and he hauled them onto the horses like sacks. The dwarrowdam finished her examination.

"We should take her back to Erebor. The less shaking the better, but I found no life-threatening injury."

"I'm going to hold her," Fíli promised. The dwarrowdam left him with another of her trademark weird glares, and climbed out to take the reins.

They spent the road in silence. Fíli's mind was whirling with the day's events, and he cursed Kíli for his horrible timing. He prayed for Raya, and vowed to make right by her.

He wouldn't let her parents close to her, ever again. As he said to Dwalin, she was a citizen of Erebor now. She belonged to him, just like the other dwarrowdams who arrived with her. He may not want to get to know them personally, but he can't hide from them anymore. He was their King, and he had a responsibility to give them a home, making an unconditional, wordless promise by allowing them to settle in the Lonely Mountain.

Amad waited for them, pacing in the stables, just like in the morning. Dwalin called for guards, who took the prisoners down to the dungeons. He left with them. Dís, seeing their state, called for healers and a stretcher. The cartographer stayed sat until they arrived, in case the horses spooked. It was very thoughtful by her. Fíli didn't move until the healers moved Raya safely onto the stretcher. They wanted to fuss over him too.

"It's just dirt," he shook them off.

The cartographer talked quietly to Dís, and when he approached them, she gave the sword back to him.

"Thanks. I wouldn't know what to do with it, but having it in my hand felt right. Safe. I can stab from farther. Thanks."

"Her," Fíli corrected her. "Not it. Her. She has a name too, just like her sister."

This earned another weird glare, and she sashayed out of the stables before he could infect her with his stupidity.

"You seem to get on well," Amad commented. Fíli started his usual annoyed protestations, but Amad was smiling with pride. "You did it," she embraced him, touching her forehead to his. "You brought her back, and I don't know how to thank you."

"Maybe I can go back to brooding with Bard?" he asked. He had half a mind to do that.

"Must you?"

"I don't think Sigrid will let me in there again in the near future," he shrugged, "and Kíli is missing, so I'm out of drinking buddies."

A/N: That's it. This chapter practically wrote itself. Raya's back, Fíli met the Cartographer, and he came to realize something important. He'll face the dwarrowdams in the next chapter, which would be the last one of this story. Of course, there would be more, since justice has to be done, and I want to explore Fíli's change of heart a little more, and of course, we'll see Kíli's journey too, so stay tuned for a sequel!

SV