Fili and Kili scampered down the stairs, tugging on clean tunics.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Kili cried, racing after his brother.
Dis came to her sons and knelt, helping them adjust their clothes and hair. They'd spent the morning outside and had become terribly muddy, and needed a quick scrub before their guests arrived that afternoon.
"Now, when Mali and Joli come, you must be on your best behavior," she said.
"They aren't used to playing with boys as rambunctious as you are," she winked. Today was a special day for her boys - two young dwarrowdams, Mali and Joli, were coming to spend an afternoon with Dis and the boys while their parents traveled. Their mother was in need of medical attention after the recent loss of a baby, and the girls were still too young to make such a long, emotional trip.
Dis helped Kili streighten his tunic.
"Joli is still small, so we need to be gentle. Gentle, Kili, do you hear?"
"Yes mama."
There was a knock at the door.
"They're here!" cried Fili. He and Mali were school friends, still young enough that their difference in gender was largely unnoticed or cared about.
He ran to the door and opened it.
"Hi Mali!" he beamed.
A little dwarrowdam with pale blonde hair and green eyes beamed back.
"Hi Fili!" she said excitedly. "We came to play!"
"I know!" said Fili, just as excited as his little guest.
A small child was placed on the floor next to Mali- a fair-haired replica of her older sister, Joli was just at the age of walking. She fixed her large brown eyes on Kili and stuck her fist in her mouth, babbling happily.
While Mali and Joli's parents chatted with Dis, the children moved into the living room to play.
Mali and Fili dug out clay figurines and settled on the rug, already engrossed in formulating epic tales of brave feats and daring rescues.
Joli gripped the fabric of her father's pant leg, suddenly very shy.
Kili, feeling that this was quite silly, made a face.
Joli's eyes grew wide, and she stared at Kili for a second. Then, her little face scrunched up and she began to bawl. She clung desperately to her parents.
"No go!" she wailed. "Mama!"
"I'm sorry, love," said Joul, her father, "But we need to. Can you be good for Lady Dis?"
Dis held her arms out to the crying dwarrowdam.
"It's alright, dear. Momma and Daddy will come back."
By some miracle, Joli allowed Dis to take her into her arms, snuggling into the woman's shoulder.
A quick kiss from both her parents, a brief thanks to Dis, and the two other adults were gone.
Joli was still beside herself, and Dis rubbed her back. She'd cared for Joli before, and knew that the little girl wasn't prone to separation anxiety.
"Hey, now, what's all this?" she asked soothingly. "What's brought this on, sweetheart?"
Kili, who had watched all of this unfold in growing trepidation, decided there was nothing for it. He would have to confess.
"She's cryin' cos I makeded a face."
Dis was confused.
"Why'd you do that, Kee?"
"Cos you're suppose ta make babies laugh," he said.
Dis began to put two and two together
"And you thought making faces would make her laugh?"
"Yeah."
"But it upset her instead?"
Kili nodded, looking miserable. For all his mischeif, he wasn't a bad sort of child at heart, not really.
"Hmm. I see."
She thought a moment.
"Can we think of some other things that Joli might laugh at?"
Kili frowned, thinking hard. Then, his face lighting up, he turned on his heel and scampered off to his room.
Dis held the still-snuffling Joli to her shoulder, rocking gently and singing to her. She wondered what it would have been like to have a daughter, to sing into sweet-smelling hair every evening. She would never dream of trading her boys for anything, but she couldn't help wondering what might have been if Ronan had not died... perhaps they'd have had more children... a whole house of spirited dwarflings... she felt the familiar prickle of tears and brushed at her face.
Kili came running into the kitchen (he never walked anywhere when running would do just as well), holding a grey, floppy stuffed rabbit aloft.
He slid to a stop and put the bunny into Joli's lap.
"This is mine, but you can use it," he said.
Dis looked at her son's earnest little face, and her heart melted. Kili was protective of this stuffed animal - he slept with this bunny every night, without fail. Here he was, offering it as comfort to someone else.
Joli studied the bunny for a minute, then reached out a tiny hand and touched the pink nose, the little button eyes... then, she wrapped her arms around the bunny and clutched it to her. She babbled happily, fixing Kili with a smile that made his tiny boyish heart melt. Babies weren't so bad, he they were older and could do things.
"That was very nice of you, Kili," Dis said, stroking his hair. "What made you think of your bunny?"
"She was sad," was all Kili said.
"Does Bunny make you feel better when you're sad?" asked Dis.
"yeah," said Kili plaintively.
Joli slid out of Dis' lap, toddling unsteadily towards Kili. He smiled a bit crookedly at her.
She took a few last tentative steps, and wrapped her arms around Kili's middle, her chubby arms barely reaching his back.
Dis' heart melted all over again.
Kili looked up at his mother in surprise, hardly able to say anything.
Mali and Fili trooped into the kitchen, looking for a snack. They stopped short when they saw their siblings.
"Why's Joli huggin' Kee?" Fili asked.
"Mama says Joli's very affectionate," said Mali. She had no idea what 'affectionate' actually meant, but she knew it was a long word that sounded very grand indeed.
"What's that mean?" asked Kili, keeping an eye on his bunny as Joli toddled around the kitchen, dragging the grey bunny behind her, for he was still rather attached.
"It means you enjoy showing people you care about them," said Dis.
"Like hugs and stuff?" asked Fili.
Dis smiled.
"Yes, Fili."
Suddenly Kili grinned mischievously. He ran across the room, tackling his brother to the ground. the two of them wrestled for a minute, then Kili planted a great smacking kiss on Fili's forehead.
"EEEW! Kili, stop it!" Fili howled.
"What? I'm bein' 'fectionate!"
The dwarflings ate their snack of apples and cheese, chattering happily among themselves. Little Joli took particular delight in Kili's bunny, clutching the little thing to her round little tummy. Wherever Kili went, the tiny dwarfling trailed after him. While he, Fili, and Mali sat on the floor playing with clay figures, Joli sat next to him, watching them play and looking up at him with wide eyes every so often.
Dis watched these proceedings with a small smile. Apparently, Kili had earned himself an admirer.
Dinner passed uneventfully, and Dis and the children enjoyed Joli's dinnertime antics. Thorin came home from the forge to find Dis, the boys, and Mali in gales of laughter, while Joli blinked her large brown eyes at them, her little face covered in smears of potatoes and carrot.
"What's all this?" he asked Dis, his tone light. "Did you adopt two strays while I was out?"
He winked at Mali, who stared back at him, wide eyed. He smiled at her and nodded his head.
"Evening, miss...?"
But Mali just stared at him.
"he's askin' your name," Fili hissed.
"Um... M-Mali, Mr. Thorin," she said, a bit intimidated at being in the presence of the rightful King Under the Mountain.
Joli, not the least bit concerned with status, turned in her high chair and craned her little neck to look at Thorin. He smiled and brushed his hand over the light curls.
"Who's this little one?" he asked Mali gently.
"That's my little sister, Joli."
The table erupted in laughter again when the dwarfling held out a boiled carrot in a chubby hand, squishing the vegetable between her fingers.
"Bite?" she asked, large brown eyes melting the owner of the ice blue ones.
Thorin fought to keep his face steady at this gesture of infantile goodwill.
"Oh, no, that's your dinner," he rumbled.
Joli brought the carrot back to her mouth and chewed happily.
After dinner there was more playtime until the girl's parents came to pick them up.
Dis had feared tears and a tantrum when Joli was forced to part with the stuffed animal, but the little girl merely smiled shyly at Kili and toddled toward him, Bunny in her outstretched arms, large brown eyes searching his face.
He smiled crookedly and turned a bit pink.
"Thanks," he said, gently taking the grey rabbit back.
Joli's father scooped her up in his arms, and she lay her head on his shoulder. Just before the door closed, Dis thought she saw a tiny hand waving goodbye to her youngest.
As the two boys settled down into bed, Kili with his bunny, Dis smiled and blew out the candle. She hadn't even left the room when Fili turned, threw himself over his brother, and planted a sloppy kiss on his brother's forehead.
"Goodnight, brother!" he said cheekily.
"EEUGH! Fili, that's gross!" Kili howled in outrage, scrubbing at his forehead.
"Fili." Dis warned, trying to keep her voice steady from laughing.
"What? I'm just bein' affectionate!"