Kili fluttered in and out of consciousness, before finally coming to blinking back light and finding his head bouncing up and down on a leather coat. He winced, face creasing as pain ripped through his head; he felt crusted blood mix with warm liquid as his wound hit the shoulder of whoever was carrying him.

'Its alright lad...' He heard a deep rumble from beneath him. Dwalin. He relaxed at the tone, before his chin hit his shoulder and he tried - and failed- to bite back a moan of pain.

'Nearly there...there's so many bloody steps...' Dwalin grumbled, hitching him further on his shoulders, for the moment having to ignore his weak protests.

'Fili...' He groaned, the very movement making his chest hurt.

'He's hurt bad, but he's with Thorin...nearly there...' Dwalin repeated, breathing hard as he ran up the steeps stairs.

Kili felt his eyes shut again, coupled with a deep want to just sleep. He wanted to hide away for years- everything hurt.

'Come on lad, stay with me!' He heard Dwalin cajole, moving his shoulder a little, but it still didn't stop him from succumbing and closing his eyes, falling back into the abyss once more...


He came to again on the floor, in the great stone hall where Balin kept most of his medical supplies. He moaned, before realising he was quite alone, apart from- 'its alright.' Bilbo said, a hand on his shoulder. 'They're with Fili.'

As Kili tried to process the words he heard his uncle talking from the other side of the room- his head hurt whenever he moved, but he tried to crawl to it, to see what was happening with his brother-

'Come on, Fili...' Thorin muttered,carding a hand through his nephew's hair as Balin knelt next to him. The trek up to the top caverns had been the longest few minutes he had ever endures- Fili seemed to get more and more of a dead weight as he climbed, but every time moved his shoulders he'd elicit a moan or a haggard breath from his nephew, which- although it broke his heart to hear- he took as a somewhat good sign.

As soon as they'd reached the top he'd followed Balin into the room, before carefully laying down his nephew and stepping back to let his old friend go to work.

The skin on his neck popped with blue- red bruises where the fork had dug in, and coupled with the large swathes of black bruising where Azog had squeezed, Thorin marvelled at how he could be breathing at all.

'His pulse is still very weak...' Balin muttered from next to Fili- he looked up at Thorin with worried eyes.

'Can you do anything?'

'I'm afraid it's a waiting game,' Balin muttered, pushing Fili's head upward a little to let more air in, 'he's breathing, but it's shallow.'

'There must be something to try?' Thorin asked, panic bubbling in every nerve.

He turned to Kili, who was peering anxiously around from the floor, a bloody wound flourishing on his own head.

'Kili...' He muttered, crossing to him as Balin continued to try and coax more air into Fili.

'He alright?' Kili asked, voice cracking through dryness and pain that came from the wounds on his chin and sternum.

'Balin is doing all he can- I need you to lay down so I can see your head.'

Kili looked at him, the thought of deviance crossing his mind- to insist to see Fili- but a throbbing pain in his head made him bring his head back to the floor. He closed his eyes as a wave of pain flew through him.

'Where you...going to give up?' He whispered as Thorin carefully used his fingers to probe the wound. Thorin thought of calling Balin over, but he knew he was busy.

'I need hot water and a cloth.' He told Bilbo, who was sitting next to Kili like a sort of protecter. 'Please?' He added as Bilbo looked at him warily. The Hobbit nodded, leaving nephew and uncle alone.

'Kili...I would never have surrendered.' He told him, giving him a small smile. 'I had a plan.'

Kili regarded him with wariness as well, trying to work out what to say. 'I didn't know whether you were...as you were before...with the sickness and everything.' He started to say, eyes widening with surprise as Thorin paled.

'I...I made a terrible mistake,Kili.' He began, voice barely more than a whisper. He bowed his head, shaking it slightly. 'What I was...what I became...' He said tersely, his hands shaking as he remembered all that had happened. 'I was wrong. It was wrong.' He looked across at Kili, who was smiling sadly up at him, face ash white amid the blood. 'I'm sorry.'

Kili was about to reply but no sooner had he opened his mouth, Bilbo was back, carefully carrying the hot water.

'There's more with Balin...he's cleaning Fili up now.'

'How is he?' Kili asked, wincing again as he tried to sit up. Thorin gently took his shoulders and moved him into a sitting position with his back up against a wall. 'He's going to be alright.' He told him, putting the cloth in and squeezing out the excess before facing his nephew.

'His neck needs to heal a great deal.' He added, before carefully dabbing the cloth onto Kili's head.

The three of them sat in silence; Thorin was occupied with cleaning Kili's wound, Kili was busy trying to peer around Balin's shoulder to see what was happening with Fili, and Bilbo was wrestling with intense guilt as he watched the scene around him. The Arkenstone was still in his pocket, and as he looked over at what his actions by concealing it had caused, it seemed to get heavier and heavier in his jacket than ever before.

He massaged his own head from where Bolg had struck him- it was less than he deserved really, he mused. Everything could have been so much worse.

'I was blinded by greed..' He heard Thorin continue, his voice low with sorrow as he squeezed out bloody water into the bowl.

Kili nodded slowly, hissing in pain as the water seeped into his wounds. 'Thought we'd lost you...' He muttered, looking over to his uncle with with wide eyes, 'we really did.'

'I know...I thought I was lost too.' Thorin nodded, before pushing the bowl away. 'Its done,' he muttered, before regarding his nephew with sad eyes. 'I know I don't deserve it...I wouldn't be surprised if my actions meant you never spoke to me again- but I beg for your forgiveness, Kili.' He finished, kneeling on the ground. 'I really do.'

Kili attempted a snort, but all he got was a throbbing pain in his head- he settled for a broad, knowing smile, before weakly leaning forwards, arms out. 'You don't have to apologise for anything, amadnadad...' He muttered as Thorin met him halfway in the embrace. 'We knew it wasn't you...'

'Thank you, this means-'

'Thorin!' Balin called from the other side of the room, wild eyed and panicked. 'He's stopped breathing!'

'No...' Thorin breathed- he bolted over to his nephew, leaving Kili to weakly pull himself up, to try and reach his brother.

Fili was blue by the time Thorin reached his side... 'No! Come on, come on Fili...' Thorin cried, totally at a loss for what to do. He turned to Balin, who was also looking stricken. 'Help him! Save him!'

'I can try to beat the air into his lungs to get them working again-, he muttered, mouth open in worry.

'Try it all!' Thorin gasped out, before moving out of his friend's way once more.

'Come on, Fili...come on...' He muttered, as Balin began pounding on his chest to help air reach his lungs.

'Don't make me lose you...' He added, feeling tears spring in his eyes, 'not now...'


Fili woke up, not chained up or on a cold stone floor, but in a deep, soft bed, with a goose feather pillow under his head. He looked around, recognising the rooms of his Uncle Frerin- the fire was warm and crackling, the noise comforting to him.

He lay in silence for a while, listening to droplets of water from somewhere in the stone caverns drip onto the floor. As he breathed he winced, before reaching up to his neck and finding a linen bandage there, clean and warm.

He tried to make a noise but all he managed to illicit was a high pitched sort of whistle. It seemed to attract some sort of attention anyway, because before the noise had stopped echoing around the room he heard footsteps. He looked round as a small door off from the bedroom opened, and someone very familiar peered around the door, eyes creased in worry.

'Kee?' He managed, eyes closing in relief as his brother stepped into the room.

'You're awake!' Kili smiled, and as he got closer Fili could see that he too had a bandage around his neck. 'Didn't think you ever would.' He added as he sat at his side in a wooden chair and gently took his forearm. 'You gave me a real scare.' He whispered, eyes glassy.

'What happened?' Fili got out- he remembered Azog squeezing his neck until his vision blurred, but apart from that he couldn't recall a thing.

'Thorin carried you up, as Dwalin did to me...' Kili began, face turning pale again as he remembered. 'We thought you were ok, but then you stopped breathing...'

'Oh Mahal...'

'I thought you were dead...' Kili swallowed back a sob, a tear spilling out of the corner of one eye. 'You looked it, like a corpse...'

'I didn't mean to scare you...' Fili encased his brother's hand with his own and gave it a comforting squeeze. Kili chuckled nodding his head.

'Apology accepted.' He teased, before sighing. 'Uncle Thorin told me to tell him when you were awake, I better-'

'It's alright, lad, I'm here...' Thorin spoke up from the darkened doorway.

Fili looked over at him as he approached with cautious eyes- he squeezed Kili's hand again, letting him know that he was there for him.

Thorin saw the move, and although he understood it, his heart still broke. 'Fili,' he muttered, voice already choking up with emotion as he sat on the bed, looking between his two nephews. 'There is nothing I can say to make up for my despicable behaviour over the past days, nothing at all.'

Fili let him speak, and his heart broke for his uncle as Thorin looked down, sucking in a breath.

'You weren't yourself.' He said at last, giving Thorin a small smile as his uncle looked up. 'You don't have to apologise to us.' He added, but his eyes turned strong as he regarded his uncle again. 'But-' he said, looking from his brother to his uncle, 'if you ever, ever strike Kili again...whether he deserves it or not-' he added with a wry smile, 'I will not be so forgiving.'

Thorin nodded gravely, unable to meet his nor Kili's eyes as he was forced to remember what he had done. 'My actions were deplorable, disgusting...' He whispered, before looking at them once more. 'I will not be repeating them.'

'Thats good to hear,' Kili said, eyes alight with a smile. He looked across at Thorin, who regarded him quizzically, 'I've missed you.' He added, voice low.

'And I you-' Thorin muttered, before leaning forward and embracing his youngest nephew; he pressed their foreheads together, sinking into the embrace.

As they parted Thorin looked across to Fili, who was smiling between them. 'You still look very pale,' he said, worry creasing his chest, 'Balin said a few more days bed rest and you'll be find to start moving around again-' he leant forwards and embraced his eldest nephew, also touching their foreheads together, 'you looked out for me, even when I accused you and sent you away...' He whispered as they clasped each other's shoulders. 'I should be kneeling at your feet, begging for forgiveness. Yet you have forgiven me.' He smiled as they left the hug- Fili sank back into his pillow, neck aching.

'That is the mark of a true King Under The Mountain.' He finished, nodding at the two of them. 'Both of you show it.'

They sat in silence after that for a few seconds, each contemplating the events that had unfolded.

'I shall leave you two to rest.' Thorin finally muttered, smiling at the two of them. 'I will bring your food up so you can eat together.' He added, before getting down off the bed and heading to the door. 'I'll be up to check on you later.' He promised, before shutting the door with a snap, leaving the two brothers alone.


Bilbo watched Thorin walk down the stone corridors back down from the armoury, where he was sitting with Balin as he cleaned some more weapons- the bandage around his head made his hearing a bit fuzzy, but relief flooded through him as he heard their leader's footfalls lead not to the gold room, but to the food hall.

'Seems like he's back to normal.' He observed, turning to the older dwarf.

'Aye, thank Durin.' Balin nodded, before he sighed. 'We still haven't found the Arkenstone, however.'

'You think it'll still bother him, not having it?'

'Oh aye- it's what he came here to find. The sickness may have left him, but the want and desire for that stone had not diminished.' Balin warned with a grave nod. 'He'll still want to find it.'

Bilbo frowned with worry, sighing. 'If someone were to...you know, find it...' He began, watching as Balin's head snapped up to look at him. 'I just mean, if someone knew where to find it...will it make things better for him?'

Balin hesitated, thinking over his words. 'The obsession may grow again- Thrain's Goldsickness new no bounds; nothing could tempt him away from his gold. No pleading, bargaining or begging could sway his love for it. I am afraid that he may well just fall back into those ways again.'

Bilbo sat back, hopelessness falling into the pit of his stomach. 'But he could be alright?'

'He could be, laddie...why?' Balin's eyes were probing. 'Why do you ask such questions?'

Bilbo didn't answer; he smiled weakly at him, hoping his eyes didn't display his true feelings- nor his intentions. He stood up, shrugging at the quizzical gaze. 'I'm just worried about him, is all.' He said, before turning and walking from the room.

As his footsteps echoed down the stone corridors he knew what he had to do. He climbed up to the battlements, looking out across to Dale. He breathed in air still spiked with the stench of burning, and sighed deeply.

He looked back down, at the darkening corridors and caverns of Erebor. He was going to stop this madness if it was the last thing he did...

The End.

After this the rest of the film happens, with Bilbo still giving the Arkenstone to Thranduil and Bard.

So, my Blades in the Dark trilogy is now completed! Thank you to everyone who has kept up with the stories and read them all in order, and to new readers who only read this one- thank you to each and every one you ^^

I hope you've all enjoyed it, I know I've enjoyed writing each instalment!

This will probably be the last big fic I write for the Hobbit fandom, now the films are over- I am rapidly becoming obsessed with the BBC series 'The Musketeers', so will probably do some longer fics based on them ^^

Please review one last time, you know how much I love hearing your comments!

Thanks again- Happyday girl xx