DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HOBBIT.


Thorin watched Fili speak softly to Kili while he hammered at his small anvil. The younger dwarfling was staring with steely intensity at what Fili was doing then at Fili's face when Fili was talking. Thorin saw his little fingers twitch in an unconscious imitation of whatever action Fili was performing.

Thorin sighed to himself. He had to deliver a sword to a man that asked for it to be delivered personally by the smith who made it. Since Thorin was the smith who made it, he had to go deliver it. But therein was the problem. The trip would take him three days. Normally he would not have bothered about a trip like this. But in three days time was Kili's birthday. And while Dwarves on the whole did not celebrate birthdays; Thorin, Fili and Kili secretly did. And so far for both of them, Thorin had never missed one. But if this trip had unexpected delays, Kili's fifth birthday would be the first that he missed. He didn't want to think of what the dwarfling would think of him after that. But he had also given the man his word, and Thorin never gave his word and not keep it. He would have to tell the children.

"What do mean you will be away for three day?" Kili said sounding almost frantic, "My birthday is in three days! You promised that you would never miss any!"

Thorin sighed inwardly but kept a stern face.

"I know I did. But I also gave this man my word as a dwarf and as a smith. And I always keep my word. If you give someone your word only death and other similar circumstances, can give you cause to break it." Thorin said.

"But you also gave me your word," Kili said with tears in those black eyes, "And you are not going to die. So you can't break it either."

Thorin sighed again. The little dwarf was getting too wise for his age. Thorin took one more look at Kili's tearful eyes and felt his stern resolve melt.

"Look I will make it back in time for your birthday alright," Thorin growled, "I promise you that Kili."

Kili gave a shriek of delight and hugged Thorin around his leg.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Uncle Thorin. I would really miss you if you didn't come. It would be really bad birthday if you were not there." Kili blurted out.

Thorin patted the boy on the head and made a promise to himself that he would not even stop to eat or sleep if he had to, to make sure that he came back in time for Kili's birthday.

He visited the boys early in the morning before he left to give them instructions on their classes and to obey whoever was in charge of the forge. Both dwarfling nodded seriously. Then to Thorin's surprise Kili lifted his arms up for pick up. Thorin smiled and picked up the drawling. Kili nuzzled into Thorin's beard then planted a small shy kiss on Thorin's cheek. Thorin's jaw all but dropped. Kili gave him a sweet smile that didn't fool Thorin for a second. He knew that the child was pleased at the effect that the kiss had on him.

He put down Kili and waved to Fili and began to make his way down the street when he heard feet pattering after him. He turned to see Fili running towards him, his blond mane of hair flying wildly behind him. Thorin reached down and Fili barreled into his arms. The dwarfling clung to his neck.

"Do you have to go?" Fili whispered against Thorin's skin.

"I will come back," Thorin said softly.

"That's what he said," Fili said grimly. Thorin felt his heart grow cold and then ache almost unbearably for Fili. He pulled the child away from his neck and made him watch him in the eyes.

"I will come back," Thorin said slowly, "I give you my word that I will not die. I will return to you Fili."

"And you never break your word," Fili said. It felt as though Fili had sealed Thorin to him in some way. Thorin nodded to the child. Fili then pressed his forehead against Thorin's. "We'll be waiting at the door."

By the middle of the first day, rain had come down in torrents. Thorin cursed the rain because now he would have to stop and find shelter when he was already halfway to his destination. He fell asleep in a little outcropping and woke to mosquitoes biting him and the moon shining bright in the sky. He grumbled and started a fire, made a quick meal and set the pony down the pathways again.

He rode for the rest of the night and well into the day when he saw the wooden makeshift walls of the town he was supposed to deliver this sword to. But he was seeing three of the walls. He found a quiet grove of trees and sat down to take a short nap before he went in, for with the level of exhaustion he had, he might deliver the sword to the wrong man. Or worst get cheated out of the proper pay.

He awoke to the setting sun. He wanted to scream in frustration. Here he was trying to push himself so that he could get back in time for Kili's birthday and he was now so tired that he was sleeping hours away at a time. He rode into the city with a grumpy fierce look. With the same look he handed over the sword and collected his pay. And on the way out he swore that he would never make a bargain like this again; especially when a dwarfling's birthday was clashing with business.

The way back went even worst than the first day. His pony decided that it wanted to get frisky for some reason and ended up stepping into a small hole and twisted its foot. So Thorin had to walk all the way to the Blue Mountains.

It was far into the night when he finally entered the front gates. He was tired, angry, hungry and frustrated. But more that all of this was a deep sense of disappointment in himself. After all his efforts, he'd failed. He had failed Kili. He had missed the child's birthday. Thorin OakenShield had broken his word to one of the few people that he cared for above all else. He sighed and walked his pony to the stalls and told the stall master what happened. The man said he would take care of it. Thorin thanked him and began a slow heavy walk back to his house. It made no sense going to Dís' house now. It was too late.

He reached the door of his house but for some reason he could not go in. Kili's words played back in his head.

'Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Uncle Thorin. I would really miss you if you didn't come. It would be really bad birthday if you were not there.'

He swallowed hard and tried to reach for the doorknob.

And Fili's words followed Kili's. 'We'll be waiting at the door'

Thorin jerked about and stared down the street. Would the boys really be waiting by the door for him? He thought about the two dwarflings standing at the door, watching and waiting for their Uncle that never came. The thought was too much to bear. He had given them his word dammit! He growled in frustration and slammed a fist into the door. He looked up into the sky and noticed the position of the moon.

'There is still time," he thought to himself, 'I could go over and just look at them if they are asleep. I could whisper my apologies to them for my failure.'

With that decided Thorin spun around and all but ran back to Dís house. He paused at the door and wincing slightly he knocked gently. No voice told him to come in, no sound echoed from the inside. He sighed and let his hand drop. He had really been too late. On an impulse he twisted the doorknob viciously and to his surprise it turned. He pushed it open slowly and the moonlight from behind him flooded past to illuminate two small dwarf boys sitting on the floor in front of the door, fast asleep.

Thorin felt his heart sink with an emotion he could not name. It was like a painful mixture of pride and shame. He looked up to see Dís sitting on a chair staring daggers at him.

"Sorry I am late," he said in a low voice. Dís frowned harder.

"It is not me that you have to apologize to, Thorin OakenShield," Dís hissed at him, "Do you know what you have put them through? Do you know how many tears…" She paused as Kili, who was lying in Fili's lap turned in his sleep. Then Thorin saw his little nose twitch and in a flash his eyes were open. He leaned his head back to look up at Thorin.

Thorin smiled an apologetic smile at him. "Sorry I am late," Thorin said. Tears filled up in Kili's eyes and with a high pitched wail, the dwarfling raised his hands up to Thorin. Thorin knelt down in a flash and gathered Kili in to his arms. Fili jerked awake at the motion.

"I'm sorry Kili. I'm so sorry," Thorin babbled, "I broke my word to you. I am sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me." Thorin buried his face in Kili hair and tried not to let the heartrending sobs get too much to him. Kili was murmuring something but it was muffled by Thorin's body. Kili pushed away enough so that he could look at Thorin. Those dark pools glared back at him with such intensity he felt breathless.

"You didn't break you word. You came. You came, Uncle Thorin!" The dwarfing then began to cry afresh and hugged Thorin back murmuring over and over; 'You came. You came.'

Movement caught Thorin's eye and he looked to see Fili standing by, looking a bit sheepish. He held out at arm and with a dazzling smile Fili ran to him.

"Thank you for keeping your word Fili," Thorin whispered into Fili's golden hair. Then with a play at being in his normal composure, he gruffly said, "Now up we go." And rose with both boys in his arms. Dís shook her head, got up and opened the bedroom door.

"You are taking a bath first before you bed down with the boys," Dís said as he passed by her, "you stink." Thorin frowned at her but there was no intensity in it.

Fili and Kili were waiting on their beds when he came in. A thick sheet was placed in the floor for Thorin to lie on. He ruffled his hair one more time with the towel and then tossed it on the floor. He then went to lie on the sheets. In a flash Kili and Fili were down beside him, snuggling up to him on either side. He extended his arms so that they could rest their heads on his chest and in so doing he could wrap his arms around their tiny bodies. They lay there talking in soft voices about school and training, and how the forge had been without him. Then Thorin began to tell them stories and soon had them caught between awe-ing and laughing. Then they fell into a comfortable silence with Kili messing about with Thorin's braids, while Fili was looking and playing fascinatingly with Thorin's chest hair. The sun had begun to peep through the windows when Kili and Fili finally fell asleep in Thorin's arms. He lay there for a while, feeling strangely content and at peace with a black haired dwarfling on his left and a blond haired dwarfling on his right. He leaned down and kissed their heads with a sacred solemness that surprised himself. He then let himself drift to sleep with two of his favorite people in the world.