"Come," Gandalf said after some time had passed, "I am willing to bet that there will be food at camp by now. I would also venture that you could use a good meal after everything you have been through." He stood and offered a hand to the injured heir of Durin to help him to his feet, halfway curious if Kíli would take the offer or struggle to his feet alone in an attempt to show his strength.

"Why?" the young dwarf asked suddenly, his voice little more than a broken whisper and his brown eyes filled with despair as he looked up at the wizard.

"Why should you be hungry?" Gandalf asked in confusion. "My dear dwarf, even dwarves have to eat and it has been more than a day since your last meal."

"No," Kíli said, shaking his head sadly. "Why are you being kind to me? I'm useless. Even if Uncle does love me, he shouldn't. I can't do anything that I'm supposed to. I can't withstand pain, I couldn't even see that they were they were doing for me. Mahal! I can't even show the pride due to a dwarf, let alone an heir of Durin." He offered Gandalf a sad smile of apology for saying that he shouldn't have apologized to the wizard—not realizing the irony of apologizing for saying that he shouldn't have apologized (which caused Gandalf to have to hide a smile in his beard).

"I don't deserve your kindness," Kíli sighed looking down at his hands. "The others are right in how they've started treating me. The only think I'm good at is making mistakes. They don't need me."

"Kíli," Gandalf said, his voice gentle as he lifted the young dwarf's chin to look into his eyes. "I do not know what the others have said or done to you, but they are not correct to have behaved in such a way. And even if they were, it is no reason for you to allow them to be unkind to you and believe that it is what you are due. We are all due many things, and many in this world never receive what they are due. Sadly this is often the good things they are due. Others receive much that they do not deserve and, regrettably, most of this excess is cruel.

"Your uncle, for example: does he deserve all the loss he has experienced? All the pain? No, but he has received it anyway. We should not seek to cause others any more pain than we must because chances are that they have already received more pain that they are due in this world. Even if all that you just said of yourself was true, which I do not believe it is, you would still be deserving of my kindness.

"Now, come," Gandalf said, standing once more and reoffering his hand. "The others will wonder where you have gotten to." Kíli didn't agree with Gandalf, especially about the others worrying about him, but this time he allowed the wizard to pull him to his feet and lead him back to camp.

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Kíli was wrong. The first thing that the others noticed when they returned to camp was that while Thorin and Fíli were accounted for, he was missing. It worried them and they briefly debated delaying the meal even farther to send out a search party to locate him—unsure if it would upset Thorin more that they had given the lad space or slowed the expedition even more ensuring that he was safe—until they noticed that the wizard was missing as well. They could only hope that Kíli was with him and would return shortly. There were too many other things that needed to be taken care of before they could leave to search the woods blindly for Kíli when he most likely had no desire to be found. They eventually decided that if he had not returned by the time the meal was cooked, they would begin the search, whether he wanted to be found or not.

A manhunt turned out to be unnecessary. Just as Bombur began plating up food, Kíli and Gandalf returned from the woods, much to the relief of the others. None of them had wanted to be the one to explain to Thorin that they had lost his nephew. More than one offered him a small smile in welcome which Kíli didn't return as he looked at them nervously—reminding them more of a skittish animal than the lighthearted prince that had entered the mountains the day before—before his eyes landed on his brother and Uncle and his face filled with a look of longing so intense that it pained them to see it. So they looked away from the pain in his young face and focused instead on their food.

Kíli didn't realize why they looked away from him but he didn't worry about it too much. His only thoughts were for his family. Thorin and Fíli were both asleep when Kíli and Gandalf returned to camp, their contrasting hair twined together—gold and black—and Fíli was carefully curled as close to his uncle as he could get, seeking comfort. Kíli walked around the edge of camp until he was standing beside them, not wanting to walk right through the middle and endure all the condemning gazes that he knew would be directed at him. After all, they couldn't even stand to look at him. He didn't figure that they wanted his company.

He knew that his uncle and brother probably wanted nothing to do with him either, but he needed to reassure himself that they were actually alive. He knelt next to Thorin on the side that wasn't occupied by Fíli and just looked at him. The small sounds of pain that came from his uncle as he breathed brought tears to the young heir of Durin. His uncle had been injured for his sake and he didn't even deserve it: all he had done was brought shame to them all. With gentle, tentative fingers, Kíli reached out to trace the bruises on Thorin's wrist where he had been bound.

"I'm sorry," Kíli breathed. "I'm so sorry, Uncle. You were right. I never should have come. I should have stayed at home."

"No," came the ragged reply. "I'm sorry Kíli. I was wrong. I never should have said that to you." Kíli looked up in surprise. Thorin's blue eyes were open and he was looking at his nephew with a sad, tired smile on his face. He had only been dosing—the pain he was in was enough to prevent true rest yet not enough to drive him to unconsciousness—and Kíli's gentle touch and his words had roused him.

"You weren't," Kíli sobbed shaking his head sadly looking away from the love and regret in his uncle's eyes. Thorin had done nothing wrong. He had nothing to apologize for. He had only spoken the truth. "I wasn't ready for this, Uncle. I should have stayed in Ered Luin. If I had've . . ."

"You are ready, Kíli," Thorin replied lifting his hand slowly and painfully to stroke along his nephew's cheek. His shoulder protested the movement, but the pain of the motion was nothing compared to the ache in his heart at the sight of his usually happy nephew so disconsolate. He had already endured worse pain at the hands of others for Kíli's sake that day and now that his nephew needed him again Thorin had no intention to deny him comfort.

"But I—"

"No," Thorin cut him off gently. "You are . . . I can't say that you didn't make a mistake, Kíli. What you said to Fíli . . . I don't know that I can explain to you how much that hurt your brother."

"You don't have to," Kíli breathed, his voice still filled with tears as he pressed his cheek into his uncle's palm, his own hand coming up to sandwich Thorin's between his cheek and his palm. He never thought that his Uncle would show him kindness again and he had no intention of passing up this opportunity.

"I've seen how much I hurt him. He hates me, Uncle," Kíli sobbed, clutching at Thorin's hand desperately. He fervently hoped that Thorin was going to tell him that he was wrong. He needed to hear that he was wrong. That wasn't what happened.

"Yes," Thorin agreed, his words driving a fresh poker into Kíli's already wounded heart. "At the moment, I would agree with that." He knew that his words would hurt Kíli, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to him. Not about this. Even so, Thorin flinched at the pain in Kíli's brown eyes—the same eyes that Dís had and Frerin had shared—before his nephew looked away.

"But, Kíli," Thorin promised with a sad smile and a gentle squeeze to the cheek under his hand, "It won't last. He's hurt, but your brother loves you. I know it. You just have to remind him of why that it." Kíli said nothing so Thorin decided that he needed to continue.

"He has every right to hate both of us right now," Thorin said in such a quiet voice that Kíli almost missed it. "I pushed him too far, Kíli. I pushed both of you too far. I—"

"Did what you needed to to keep us alive," Kíli said quietly, looking at Thorin with tear-filled brown eyes that were also brimming with love and understanding. "I know that now. I understand why you did it. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I made that more difficult for you. For both of you."

"No, Kíli," Thorin whispered his tone begging Kíli to understand. "You did fine. You did better than many would have done in that situation, especially as untested youths. And . . ." Thorin paused with a small mirthless laugh, "you're not the only one to yell at me for how I handled the situation we were just in. It makes me think that I may have erred. I tried to treat you both like children to be protected and seasoned warriors at the same time. I was wrong and I . . . I failed you both." Kíli smiled wryly at Thorin's speech. This was most unlike his uncle. Though it did make him feel a bit better, perhaps he could help his uncle feel better as well.

"You're delirious with pain, aren't you Uncle?" the young heir or Durin asked suddenly, a parody of his usual mischievous smile on his face and a faint twinkle breaking through the sadness in his eyes.

"What makes you ask that?" Thorin replied, his confusion showing in his face even as his eyes sparkled with amusement that Kíli was teasing him. Even if it lacked the lad's usual fire, it was a small sign that he, at least, would recover from their ordeal if given time. If only Fíli would show such a sign.

"That little speech contained more words that I have heard you speak since before we left for Erebor and I don't believe that I have ever heard you take fault for something like that," Kíli said with a laugh.

"I could use a good laugh, lad," Bofur said suddenly from beside them, two steaming bowls of food in his hands and Bilbo close behind him with the third. "Care to share the joke?" Thorin and Kíli exchanged a look.

"No," Kíli said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, as he gently untangled Fíli's hand from Thorin's hair before he helped Thorin to sit up so he could eat, focusing more on the conversation than the pained gasps coming from his uncle. "But I'll bet that we'd both like to hear one if you happen to have one ready."

"I don't," Bofur replied. "But Bilbo did tell me one the other day about a . . . gopher? And what he thought was a bumblebee."

"That wasn't a joke," Bilbo said shifting nervously at the prospect of telling the King and his nephew a story about his gardener being chased by a sweat-bee that he had believed to be an angry bumblebee and nearly drowning in the creek until he realized that it was less than a foot deep and stood. "It was a tale about my gaffer. And not appropriate at this time."

"If you would tell it," Thorin offered knowing that it was his presence that was denying Kíli the possibility of a laugh and attempting to put Bilbo more at ease, "I would enjoy hearing about your . . . gaffer, was it?" With a deep sigh, Bilbo settled himself down beside Kíli, handing the bowl he carried to the King and beginning his tale. Soon, Bilbo forgot who he was telling the tale too, feeding off the laughter of Bofur and Kíli and the small smile on Thorin's face as they waited for the food to be cool enough to eat.

"Oh, Bilbo, please," Kíli begged around his fits of laughter mingled with small sobs as the movement made his bruises ache, "no more! Please, no more! It hurts to laugh."

"The tale is not done yet, Nephew," Thorin said with a small smile. Kíli's laughter warmed his heart. If Kíli would be fine everything he had endured would have been worth it. "Would you have him stop before it is over? It has been a fine tale so far and I would see how it ends."

"Then it's a shame I missed the entire thing," Fíli said suddenly sitting up, his sleep-blank expression turning hard as he watched Kíli wipe tears of mirth from his eyes as their Uncle smiled at him fondly. He felt rage bubble within him that Kíli could laugh like that when he was still aching from the broken pieces within him grinding together. How could Kíli be so happy when Fíli still felt like dying? Did his brother really care that little for him that he could laugh so freely while Fíli was in pain? And how could Thorin let him get away with it? His uncle had betrayed him again.

"Oh, Fíli!" Kíli laughed, looking at his brother, "You have to hear it! It was hilarious! You . . ." he trailed off as he saw the hatred and rage in his brother's blue eyes and his laughter died in his throat. He looked away, unable to hold Fíli's gaze any longer and began to pick sullenly at his food. He should have known better than to hope that Fíli would be fine when he woke up.

Bofur and Bilbo shifted uncomfortably at the sudden chill that had come over the group. It was clear that they wanted to be anywhere other than in the middle of a glaring contests between Thorin's heirs. Neither of them knew what to do, however as Thorin had requested that Bilbo finish the tail, he should do it but it was more than inappropriate in the current atmosphere.

"It's not that funny," Bilbo said quietly, his tone subdued where it had been so bright only moments before. He felt the full force of Fíli's ire even though it wasn't directed at him. "Rather silly really." He found that he couldn't quite meet the eyes of any of the heirs of Durin at the moment.

"No," Thorin disagreed. "It was quite entertaining. You will have to finish it for us at another time. But you must be hungry. I notice that neither you nor Bofur has a bowl and there are still two by the fire. I thank you for bringing us food and apologize for keeping you from your own." Bilbo looked up at the king, his hazel eyes wide in surprise. Thorin had just given him a way to extract himself from the situation and he more than intended to take it.

"I am," Bilbo agreed. "Feels like days since I last ate. I will be more than happy to finish it for you later. All you need to do is ask." Thorin nodded and watched with a jealous sigh as both Bilbo and Bofur beat a hasty retreat from the tension surrounding the royal family. The king looked between his nephews, Kíli who wouldn't look at his brother and Fíli who was glaring at his brother in a way that made Thorin immensely glad that looks could not kill. Righteous though Fíli's anger was, Thorin feared it and what might come of it. He made a note that he would have to ask Dwalin to keep an eye on the brothers for him until he was able to do it himself. That thought alone disturbed him more that the tortures he had undergone.

Never would he have believed it. And if anyone had ever told him that he would fear one of his nephews would harm the other he would have said that they had been too far into the cups . . . perhaps even into the keg itself. The two of them had loved each other unconditionally since Kíli had been born and had been so evenly matched once they were both fully grown that even if they did occasionally brawl he knew that no grievous harm would come from it. But now, Fíli was so changed, hurt and broken and Kíli so filled with guilt that he was unsure what they would do. One wrong word from Kíli might be all it took for Fíli to snap (as the bruises that Thorin was just noticing on Kíli's upper arms attested to) and he wasn't sure that Kíli had it within him at the moment to resist the punishment that his brother would dish out in such a rage. He feared for them both if it came to that.

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There we are all, a new chapter. Sorry it took me a bit, this one was very hard for me to get out for some reason, though I do have some big plans coming up :) I hope that you enjoyed it!

As always, thank you to everyone who took the time to read this chapter or to add this story to your alerts or favorites.

And a special thank you to those of you who reviewed, you all really make my day :)

Dwíli: I'm glad that you are still enjoying it! And Kíli's a very forgiving thing. Thorin said that he was sorry, and Kíli accepted it. He's still got MAJOR self-esteem issues and it will pop back up, but he and Thorin are ok . . . for now. And that he does! Thorin gets it and will TRY to help them work through it, though it's possible that he will only make it worse. .. his advice to Kíli in this one may just backfire. I'm not sure that showering Fíli with love will fix this and may even bring about the conflict that Thorin fears. And actually, nope. You only make a few mistakes and they are little things that aren't actually wrong so much as strange. And I'm glad that you think so. . . I'm afraid that this last chapter may have been crap. It feels like it was . . . and I took it as the content being appalling (family feuds/torture/etc.) don't worry, I was not in the least bit offended :)

Well, that's all for now folks! I hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear what you thought (even if you hated it) so please leave me a review if you have time and/or feel so inclined.

Stickdonkeys.