Chapter 11

It had been months since the attack in Ered Luin and after much traveling, the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains had finally found shelter in the Northern part of the mountains. After a long day at the forge, Thorin returned home, tired and sore. He had thrown himself into his work, stay late at the forge or spending more and more time in the village to make sure his people were taken care of, using them as distractions from the real cause of all his pain.

His nephews were gone.

However, today he knew he needed to be home. Today marked the birthday of Kíli. Just that knowledge alone hurt. Thorin remembered when this was the only day Kíli woke up before his brother. He remembered how Fíli would always surprise him. The sweet smell of buns cooking in the kitchen from Dís could make any person salivate. But there would be no buns, no laughter or joy. Only pain and sorrow.

This was going to be the day that Thorin was going to give Kíli his first sword.

The package was wrapped tightly in his arms. It seemed silly to finish, but Thorin always had hope that one day, his nephews would find their way back to him. Some called it a fool's hope, but he would never give up.

And there was a small piece of him that believed that they were alive.

As Thorin walked through the door of the home he and his sister shared, he saw Dís sitting by the fire, her face staring blankly at the embers. Very gently he approached her, setting the package down in his chair before resting a hand on his sister's shoulder. Mahal had never been kind to the line of Durin, but this seemed cruel. No words were said between the siblings for no words could describe the grief they shared. All they could do was stay there in silence and watch as the embers slowly died.

After a while, the Baggins had left Tuckburough and returned home to Bag End, taking Fíli with them. They had given him new clothes to replace the rags he wore, the white cotton shirt being soft on his skin and the trousers being tailored to fit him better. Since Hobbits didn't wear shoes, it took some doing but eventually a few of Belladonna's cousins had gone to Bree and returned with boots that, as the store keeper that sold it to them said, were the perfect pair for Fíli, and they were. Although still not fully recovered, he was well enough to sit in the back of the cart with Bilbo as they rode back into town. Unfortunately for Fíli, his body was still exhausted, having been plagued with nightmares of the memories of atrocities inflicted upon him. Almost every night he was awoke screaming as some new memory came forth, but worse the memory of how he had lost his brother. How the Orc had picked him up and carried him off and there was nothing, nothing Fíli could have done to save him.

Surprinsingly, however, it wasn't Belladonna Baggins that managed to break through the wall of sorrow Fíli put up around himself, but the little Hobbit Bilbo. The small child was entranced by the Dwarf and asked many questions about where he came from and any of his adventures. Bilbo had taken a shine to Fíli and Fíli was more than willing to open up to him. He told Bilbo many stories of the "adventures" he and his brother shared back in Ered Luin and soon the little Hobbit was running around, pretending to be the third little Dwarf brother of The Brave Fíli and The True Kíli. But Fíli had yet to tell what had become of the True Kíli, believing that to be a story he would never share and every time Bilbo asked, Fíli would just say, "That is a story left for another day."

The wagon rocked as they moved over the uneven paths of the Shire and already Bilbo was attempting to get Fíli to tell him another story. However Fíli could not bring himself to tell one. The night before had been the nightmare of watching as his dear brother was beaten and tortured in front of his very eyes and how there was nothing he could do to stop it. Bilbo pulled lightly on Fíli's hair but Fíli stopped him, saying, "I'm sorry, Bilbo, I'm not feeling very well."

"But you promised me a story!"

"I know, but I did not sleep well last night. Maybe later after I've had some rest." Bilbo pouted and sat there, mimicking Fíli's posture. The wagon hit a bump and the flap opened slightly. Through the opening Fíli got his first glimpse of the Shire. He was in awe of how green everything was, how the sky was a vibrant blue and all the colors were rich and bright. He found himself crawling over to the back, getting a better look of all the Shire had to offer. There was laughter and joy as the Hobbits went about their day and it almost seemed strange how there didn't seem to be a touch of darkness anywhere. Bilbo, having forgotten that Fíli's back was still healing, climbed on top of him but Fíli didn't protest, just grunt at the pressure as Bilbo laid on top of him. His little finger pointed to the top of the hill and said, "That's where I live!"

Fíli strained his eyes but sure enough, he saw the door nestled into the hillside. "Are you going to live with us, Fíli?" Bilbo asked, almost hopeful.

Fíli turned his head enough to see the pout on Bilbo's face. "I don't know, Bilbo. I still have my family to find too."

Bilbo's pout grew more which made Fíli chuckle. Eventually he managed to get Bilbo off him and sit up just in enough time for them to arrive outside the front gate. As Bungo settled the ponies, Belladonna went to the back and opened the flap, helping her son and Fíli out. "Welcome to Bag End, Fíli," she said, urging Fíli to walk forward.

Fíli looked around in awe, never having seen such a place before. The view was spectacular from up on that hill and the freshness of the air was different than what he was used to. He heard a whisper and turned to see the neighboring Hobbits looking at him in curiousity and fear. He offered them a weak smile and a wave but they, in turn, turned and fled into their hole. Belladonna chuckled as she urged Fíli further towards the door. "It's nothing against you, dear. Hobbits aren't used to seeing Dwarves in these parts."

She opened the door and instantly Bilbo ran inside heading towards, what Fíli could only guess, was his room. Belladonna was the next one in followed by a hesitant Fíli. "Let me give you a tour."

And a tour she did, showing him the pantry, cellar, living room, dining room, sititing room, bedrooms, garden, and finally, the room Fíli would be occupying while he was here. Fíli walked into it, looking around as if to take it all in. After doing a full circle, he looked at Belladonna and gave her a slight bow. "I thank you for your hospitality, Misses Baggins," he said, remembering the manners that his Uncle Thorin had taught him.

Belladonna smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to call me that, Fíli. Belladonna or Bella is fine. Would you like something to eat or perhaps some rest? We're going to be having Second Breakfast here soon."

Fíli looked at her in confusion. "Second Breakfast?"

Again, Belladonna chuckled. "We hobbits have many meals here. You lay down and rest while I start preparing the meal."

She had turned and walked away but was stopped as Fíli asked, "Misses Bella?"

Belladonna spun on her heel and looked at him. "Yes, Fíli?"

"When can I go home?"

Belladonna sighed, knowing that soon she would have to tell him what the messengers had found when they had been sent to tell his kin he had been found, but today was not that day. "Soon, dear. But first, we need to build up your strength again."

Fíli nodded and laid down on the bed on his side, his head facing the window. The bed was warm and comfortable, but it still didn't feel right. He wasn't home…and he wasn't with Kíli.

The arrow whizzed through the air, hitting the target on the top edge. After seeing where the arrow had hit, Kíli sighed and lowered the bow Elladan had given him. "It's no use, I'm not good at it," he sighed, his frustration growing.

"Nonsense, pilin, it just takes practice. Now," Elrohir said, angling Kíli's body so he was squared off better, "Hold your arms straighter and move your feet further apart."

Kíli sighed as he did as the Elf said. Once he thought he had a good stance, he brought the bow up with an arrow notched and took aim. "Your back elbow isn't straight," Elladan said from the side, his arms crossed.

Again, Kíli sighed and lowered the bow. "This is hopeless! How am I supposed to be good enough to go out hunting Orcs with you two if I can't even hit a stupid target?" Kíli growled out a curse in Khuzdul as he unnotched the arrow. The two brothers looked to each other and sighed before Elladan approached. "I think I may know what the problem is."

Before Kíli could ask, Elladan took the bow from his hands and handed it to Elrohir. With the weapon gone he knelt in front of the short Dwarf and ran his hand down his face, closing his eyes. "Close your eyes and breath. Focus on the breeze, the sounds of the waterfall. Let it all calm you, relieve your fears and your angry thoughts."

Visibly Kíli's shoulders slackened as he followed his advice. Elladan took a step back, taking the bow and gently curling it in Kíli's fingers. "Now, when you open your eyes, you will look at your target and see not a target, but the reason why you are shooting it."

When Kíli's eyes opened, he looked at the Elf before turning to the target, taking the arrow in his hand and notching it. His stance was wide and his arms straight as he visualized the target. The round, large target turned into the image of the Orc, holding a knife to Fíli's throat. Kíli growled and let the arrow fly.

Elladan and Elrohir stood in amazement, their jaws dropped as they saw the arrow embedded in the target, not dead center but closer than before. "You are an excellent student, Kíli," Elrohir said as Elladan went up to the target to remove the arrow, however it would not budge. "I would have hated to be on the wrong end of this arrow," he said, finally pulling it free.

They turned but when they saw Kíli, they paused. Already he was notching another arrow and preparing to fire. They saw the string tense and instantly they backed off, just in the right amount of time for Kíli to fire. But Kíli didn't stop there. He fired arrow after arrow until the ten training arrows he had been given were embedded in the target, all of them within meters of each other. The brothers looked to one another and finally, Elrohir said, "Remind me never to replace his wine with water again."

TBC…

Wow, that turned out to be a lot longer than I originally planned. The next chapter; Belladonna finally tells Fíli what their messengers found, Kíli goes Orc hunting and Bilbo continues to be adorable! Please read and review!