A/N: Hello again everybody! I'm SOOOO sorry it's taken this long! I kept to the week as promised, the month long week -.- I've been working on this non-stop at work as I'm in the tourism industry, and where I am if there's no one around (most of the time during term time) then I have literally nothing to do. Hence why this chapter was actually 10k+ words so far and yet to be completed, so I've split it into two giving you an extra nice long one to apologise for the wait. :) Unfortunately for me I may have started on two new stories with a third looking to worm its way into the line up hence the other delays! I also apologise if anyone feels it drags out a bit, I did try and shorten it but I couldn't decide on what to cut O.o
Just wanted to say welcome to the new followers/favouriters: Nicci1234, kassiopeia, Death to Elves, and once again thank you to everyone else who has stuck with me!
As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the writings or the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, they are the wonderful and exclusive workings of J.R.R Tolkien
Dís sat patiently in her bed. Kíli was fast asleep in his cot after being fed and she doubted he'd wake anytime soon, although she had threatened the other dwarves who were now in her room that if he woke due to them being unable to keep their tempers and their voices quiet, she'd show them just how painful giving birth to a child could be.
And it was safe to say they understood her message perfectly.
She sat there waiting for the two elves to enter the room, she was finally going to get the answers she had so desperately wanted since she had found out Fíli had been injured. A slight shuffling had her looking towards the door as the elves entered the room, Fréya behind them carrying two chairs she'd picked up from the hallway. Fréya moved past the elves and set the chairs down near the fireplace, motioning for the elves to take a seat.
The elves looked at each other hesitantly so Fréya spoke up.
"You are both still weak from healing Fíli, so sit, please. We want to hear what happened and I'm sure we would all prefer you not collapsing part way through a story." She said gently.
The elves still looked somewhat unsure, but when Dís gave them a simple "Please" they nodded and moved to the chairs, groaning when they sat down and their bodies were able to relax slightly.
There was silence in the room except for the sounds of breathing, so Dís took it upon herself to break the silence and the tension, shifting in her bed so she could face them.
"I am Dís, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror, sister to Thorin Oakenshield, heir to the line of Durin, but more importantly mother to Fíli and Kíli, and I am forever in your debt for saving my son." Dís dipped her head towards the elves in thanks. She had blatantly ignored the sharp intake of breath from Thorin who had sat on the bed next to her, because she knew he would be less than thrilled about her placing herself in their debt.
"Lady Dís, it is an honour. I am Elladan and this is my twin and younger brother Elrohir, we are the sons of the Lord Elrond of Rivendell, and representatives of matters concerning the Last Homely House, and we are at your service." Both elves tilted their heads to Dís in unison.
"Thank you, and I am at yours. In order to avoid any awkwardness between us all, this here is Thorin, my brother, this is Balin, Thorin's advisor and Balin's brother Dwalin, our warmaster. That is our healer Oin, and his brother Gloin, and Bofur and his cousin Bifur." Dís said pointing out each dwarf as she introduced them. She knew that by giving names to the faces of the Dwarves in the room it would likely lessen the tension for the Elves if they had to address any of the males in the room who were about ready to snap.
Elladan and Elrohir dipped their heads to each dwarf as they were introduced.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all again, however I wish our first meeting had been under uh… better circumstances." Elladan said sincerely.
"Well perhaps…" Thorin growled, mindful of the sleeping baby near him "You would care to share how my nephew came to be in his current predicament. No doubt by fault of your own."
"Thorin! Watch your tone or Mahal help me you won't be walking properly for a week!" Dís hissed at her brother.
Thorin glared at his sister before focussing back on the elves that seemed to be amused by her outburst. Thorin knew it wasn't their fault for Fíli running off, that had been his own, but the moment Fíli met the elves and everything after Thorin was determined to pin on them.
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other in amusement before turning back to the dwarves.
"Alright…" Elladan began "We will tell you everything we know…"
"And what Fíli has told us, but most importantly as to how you can help him." Elrohir finished for his brother.
The two brothers told the gathered dwarves their story of meeting the devastated young dwarfling, about healing his cuts and scrapes and him eventually breaking down when asked about his family and telling them that he was no longer wanted. They told them about finding out about Drégo's story to Fíli about siblings, and Fíli's desire to go with the elves to become their brother. They spoke about how they took him back to the town to try and see if someone would recognise him only for them to spend all day in the tavern sharing stories with Fíli. They explained how they left for their campsite when they realised not only had they spent most of the day indoors, but they were likely going to have to face the storm that was currently still raging outside if they didn't go to collect their belongings.
It was on the field, the elves explained, that they discovered the patrol of Orcs nearby, and how they had been planning on getting Fíli out of there immediately, but that the Orcs were closer and a larger pack than they had anticipated so they had had no choice but to fight, and how they'd tried to do everything to protect the dwarfling they had become so fond of.
"What it comes down to is that Fíli left because he thought he was being replaced. He may no longer feel that way about his new brother but we believe he still thinks he's unloved by his family. We did our best to explain that it wasn't the case, but we're not the ones who should be trying to convince him of that." Elrohir concluded quietly.
The silence was heavy in the room, only the occasional crackle of burning wood could be heard. The dwarves in the room sat there speechless, their mouths gaping and devastation clear in their eyes. Fíli had left them not just because of a broken promise, but because of the belief that they were disgusted in him, that they wanted to replace him!
"To think we had been so close to finding him!" Balin breathed, smacking his hand into his knee. If only he and Dwalin had gone into that inn after all then all of this would have been avoided!
"My poor baby…" Dís whimpered, tears streaming down her face and a hand pressed to her mouth.
Thorin turned so he could hug his sister to him and try to control his own emotions. After several minutes of trying, really trying to get his breathing under control he looked his sister in the eye and promised "I will be finding that boy and his family and teaching them not to mess with my family. I do not understand what it is we've supposedly done, but I will not let this rest."
Dwalin, Bifur and Gloin all growled their agreement.
Dís nodded before she turned and pulled away her blankets. She stood, after having to wave Thorin away, and headed over to the elves, who were now looking well and truly exhausted.
She placed a hand on each of their shoulders and looked at the pair of them. "Thank you, for not only saving my son but also looking out for him where we clearly did not." And to everyone's surprise, including the elves, she cupped their faces and pressed a kiss to their foreheads.
After a moments' pause to register exactly what had happened, they place a hand on the one that cupped their face and smiled gently at her.
"Everything we did, we would do again. Fíli has worked his way into our hearts and letting him go will be difficult. We have come to love him greatly." Elrohir said softly.
"Well everything except taking him back to the field." Elladan said with a soft smile.
Dís laughed quietly and patted their faces before returning to her bed, not failing to notice the look Thorin had on his face, which appeared to be a mix between disgust, shock and perhaps a tinge of admiration, Dís thought. Of course, she wasn't exactly going to be discussing his looks with him any time soon, she'd need an ale for that.
"So Elladan, Elrohir…" Balin spoke up as Dís made herself comfortable in her bed once again, "What would your suggestion be as to how we approach this next? When Fíli wakes up I mean."
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other, communicating mentally, and after several moments Elladan spoke up.
"Well Master Balin, as we said it is best that you, or specifically Master Thorin, explain to him what he means to you all."
"The reason we say Master Thorin should be the one to talk to him is because it was his promise to pick him up that was broken." Elrohir continued.
"However…" Elladan said looking apologetically at Thorin and Dís "When he first wakes up I think it would be best for Elrohir and I to talk to him first."
"Not a chance!" Thorin said angrily, only to rub his arm when Dís whacked him painfully.
"Thorin Oakenshield, he may be your nephew but he is my son. The only person who has the right to make that decision is me." Dís turned to the two elves. "I mean no offence, but what makes you certain this is the best idea?"
Elladan scrubbed his face so with some reluctance Elrohir took it upon himself to speak up. "My lady, there is no gentle way of saying this to any of you so please, we beg of you to not get too offended. It is most likely the best course of action to take as Fíli… well Fíli trusts us. We found him when he had been lied to and had the lie confirmed in his mind. He believes us to be his brothers as we think he is basing the word brother on those who would protect him and care for him even unto death. Fíli saw us fighting to save him, so in his mind he would most likely now view us as his guardians and protectors over you all. We just need time with him when he's conscious to remind him that you are his family and what he means to you all, before any of you speak to him."
Elrohir looked at Dís apologetically, but to his relief saw her nodding thoughtfully. Less to his relief was Thorin's thunderous expression. Perhaps for the time being it would be best to avoid Thorin until Fíli was conscious.
Several minutes passed whilst the dwarves and two elves waited for Dís to make a decision on their next move, Elladan and Elrohir beginning to doze in their chairs as their bodies were still incredibly weak.
Eventually Dís looked at them "You're right," She said finally "I may not like it, but you're right. If you talking to him first and convincing him that we want him home is the best thing to do then you do it. I just want my baby back." She said, a sob breaking through at the end.
The twins nodded in reply, their bodies and minds now too exhausted to do much else.
Thorin wrapped his sister in a hug "We'll get him back Dís, don't worry." He whispered in her ear.
"Right then" Said Oin, clapping his hands together quietly, less he wake Kíli and entice Dís' wrath. "Fíli won't wake for a while; I gave him some sleeping draught not too long after Thorin settled him into his bed as the pain had woken him briefly. I gave him some of the strong stuff and will continue to do so as needed, that boy needs rest and lots of it. For now, that storm is still raging outside and we all need to rest, some more than others," He paused briefly to look at Dís and the elves.
"There are plenty of beds here, so I suggest unless you need to get home urgently for whatever reason, you find a room and make yourselves comfortable. Elladan, Elrohir, up you two get. We've got a couple of human sized beds in one room that have been prepared for you."
When there was no response from the elves Oin stood and walked over to the pair, shaking their shoulders gently. "Come on lads, you did a brave thing saving our Fíli, now you two need to rest and let your bodies recover. I might be a dwarf who is meant to hate elves, but I'm a healer first and foremost, and looking after the injured will always be priority over animosity any day."
This last part he said looking over his shoulder pointedly at Thorin, practically daring him to say anything different and with the help of Fréya, got the elves slowly to their feet.
"You know," Said Bofur with a small smile at Dís, "not only did we manage to have a conversation with Elves without everything blowing up in our faces, but we managed to keep it quiet and civil enough that Kíli stayed asleep."
Dís was about to nod in agreement that all had ended well when there was an almighty crash, causing them all to look towards the fireplace in shock.
Dwalin had stood from his chair as the elves moved towards him to put as much distance between himself and them, only to step back and catch the seat of his chair with his legs, which in turn snagged against a hole in the floor sending dwarf and chair tumbling back and to the side into the metal fire rack, sending the poker and bellows clattering across the floor.
There was utter silence in the room, everyone looking at the cot with wide eyes. A whimper was heard, which was followed quickly by a high-pitched cry from a now awake and very grumpy baby.
"DWALIN!"
The rest of the day passed in a blur. The elves had practically collapsed when they were given their beds and slept soundly until the next day. Thorin envied them, all he wanted was to climb into bed and try to forget the guilt he'd suffered through the night.
"You really should thank them Thorin." Balin said as they waited for the stable hands to return from the Elves rooms, leaving their packs inside their door.
"Why?"
"Because they saved Fíli, we would have lost him if they hadn't stayed behind and barged in, all against your orders. You owe them and you know it."
The others had returned to their homes once the storm had lessened early the next morning, all well rested but very hungry as the Healing House didn't have much aside from broth, which was generally the only food patients were able to eat whilst on the mend there. Thorin had gone back home to throw some of Dís' and Fíli's clothing into a bag and got Fréya to help him carry some of the prepared food Dís had left for them over to the Healing House, handing her a large platter of Dís' baked goods in thanks.
He planned on returning home to sleep, unfortunately for him it seemed as if fate was working against him as the moment he stepped out of the Healing House a city guard found him to take him to see where the Orcs had been camping. According to the guard there had been at least another 10 Orcs there and all had been captured and were awaiting interrogation at the site. Several hours and 10 dead orcs later Thorin arrived back into the town, only to come face to face with a tired and irritated Balin who informed him that the envoys from the Iron Hills had arrived a week early and were demanding an audience pronto. That took up most of the afternoon for Thorin who by the end was ready to bash the envoys heads together because both had separate political opinions and neither could agree on the terms Thorin had given them. Before he could act on his decision however the council room door flew open and a guard rushed in to inform Thorin there had been an explosion and full scale fire at the forge in the Human part of town. Ignoring his weary bones and pounding headache Thorin dismissed the envoys none too gently and raced after the guard. The firefighting effort lasted well towards the evening and by the time the fire was extinguished the Forge and several stables were nothing but rubble and ash, but thankfully no one had died or was too badly hurt.
Early evening found Thorin (who had given up on trying to sleep and was now valiantly trying to keep himself awake), Oin, Balin and Dwalin sitting in Dís's room talking amongst themselves as to the events leading up to their current situation, Dís busy snuggling against Thorin's side with Kíli in her arms, stroking his head gently whilst he slept.
Oin was busy describing Fíli's injury and how well it seemed to be healing when the door opened and a healer stuck her head in. "Master Oin, the elves are awake and would like to know if they can join you."
Oin looked to Thorin and Dís; Dís nodding immediately followed by Thorin's resigned one.
"Show them in, and bring some chairs for them." Oin said. The healer titled her head and disappeared, returning several minutes later with two chairs and two surprisingly dishevelled looking elves. She sat the chairs by the window and motioned for the elves to sit, not leaving until they were settled.
"How are you feeling?" Dís asked kindly. Her eyes had widened when they entered the room, they looked nothing like the pristine elves that she had first laid eyes on when she stormed past them yesterday. Now the exhaustion they had suffered when saving her son showed up clearly. Both had dark circles under their eyes, their hair was mussed and they were both pale, despite the solid day sleep they'd had.
"Sore, tired and hungry, Lady Dís." Elladan replied with a small smile.
"Well, all of that is easily fixable. Thorin and Dwalin can escort you both to the inn where you can purchase a room with more comfortable beds, a bath and some food." Dís said with a smile. "No doubt food and a wash would be welcome for you both."
"You know El, I do believe that was a polite way of telling you you smell." Elrohir said with a tired grin, nudging his brother with his elbow gently being mindful of their sore muscles.
Dís looked mortified that they thought that was what she was implying, only to start laughing when she saw the tired smiles on both their faces.
"You Roh, are no better, you smell like you slept in a stable for a week!"
Despite themselves, all the dwarves started laughing at the Elves antics, including Thorin.
Elrohir rolled his eyes before facing Thorin and Dís. "Has Fíli shown any sign of waking yet?"
Oin shook his head, answering for Thorin. "Not yet, I gave him a sleeping draught whilst you both slept. I didn't want the lad lying there not being able to talk to anybody because you want to be the first ones to speak to him, but also because the sleep is doing his injury a world of good. You healed him from the worst of it, but I still had to put in some stitches to hold the wound together, it wasn't too deep by the time you collapsed, but it was still bleeding pretty bad and I wanted to be safe. Whilst he's sleeping he's not trying to move to find anybody, so his stitches aren't at risk of tearing."
Elladan and Elrohir nodded at this information. "Well then," Elladan said speaking up "If you don't mind we'd appreciate you keeping Fíli asleep for another day. It'll allow us to have a meal, sleep a bit more and freshen up, that way he'll be more likely to respond to the two elves he got to know, not the two elves that look like they've been dragged across the ground backwards by a horse. He'll most likely be confused after being asleep for so long, no need to add to that confusion."
Oin nodded, taking over the conversation and forgetting that both Thorin and Dís were in the room. "I agree, it'll give him an extra day to heal and rest, and we need you both to be on your toes and prepared for anything that could happen."
Thorin sighed, accepting Oin's decision. Tomorrow, tomorrow they'd get answers and tomorrow he WOULD get his nephew back.
Dwalin, Balin and, with much reluctance, Thorin escorted Elladan and Elrohir to The Lone Warrior where they were given free rooms and meals, by much insistence on Balin's part. They left the elves to themselves for the night, the elves promising to be along at sunrise the next day. Bofur greeted the three dwarves as they exited the tavern, carrying a parcel and handing it over.
"Bifur told me I'd find you here. When the lad wakes, can you give him this? He painted it the other day. Remind him that he chose to paint it with the colours that reminded him of his family, because he loves you as much as you love him."
Thorin nodded, thanking the toy maker and taking the package, handling it as though it was made of glass. He returned to the Healing House to be with Dís and Kíli, the lack of sleep from the last few days due to all the excitement had worn him down immensely was clearly showing and he was struggling to stay awake when Dís all but ordered him home, threats of tying him up and dragging him there herself if he didn't leave in the next ten seconds following him out the door as he bid a hasty goodbye.
Thorin woke to the sound of knocking at the front door; he rubbed at his eyes and staggered out of his room half asleep. He opened the door only to find himself face to face with Dwalin and Balin, the sun shining in his eyes making him squint.
"There you are! Dís said she hadn't seen you since she sent you home yesterday." Balin looked him over with a smile. "You look awful." He added cheerfully.
"He looks like he's slept over 12 hours is what he looks like" Thorin heard Dwalin say matter-of-factly as he peered at what he now realised to be the mid-day sun in surprise, shocked that he'd been asleep since early evening yesterday.
"Well it explains why I feel the need to eat a deer." He said rubbing his now vocal stomach absentmindedly.
Dwalin and Balin chuckled. "Go get changed, there's food for you in Dís' room."
Thorin went and got changed and met the two several minutes later. "Have the elves turned up yet?" Thorin asked as they made their way to the Healing House.
"Elladan and Elrohir arrived not long ago, they're the reason we came to get you, said they weren't going to do anything until you arrived." Balin said.
Thorin was shocked. "That… well that was kind of them." He said, surprised at the consideration they were showing towards him especially after the way he'd been treating them.
"Wasn't it just?" Balin said pointedly, not needing to look to know exactly what his friend was thinking.
After a brisk walk the three arrived back at the Healing House and headed straight for Dís' room. Upon entering they found Elladan and Elrohir telling Dís a story, which had her clutching at her sides trying to breathe through her laughter.
"We learnt where some of the best hiding places in Rivendell were pretty quickly that afternoon I assure you." Elladan said grinning.
"That and if you're going to put honey on your fathers hairbrush to make sure either you seem uninterested about what your fathers doing, or ensure you are well away from his chambers to give you a head start." Elrohir sniggered, elbowing his brother gently.
"And here we all thought elves were incapable of having fun" Dís gasped, wiping away the tears rolling down her face. "Oh Mahal help me, I know for a fact that Thorin, Frerin and I weren't that bad, then again there was a large age gap between us."
"Well we were hoping to make a point," Elladan started, trying to contain his grin but failing spectacularly.
"What? As my boys grow up ensure my honey pot has a lock on it and my hairbrushes are hidden?"
"Well yes, if you don't want to spend an hour trying to get it all out, but the main point was that most dwarves leave large gaps between having children, and because Elladan and I are twins we can relate with Fíli about having a sibling so close to our own age. Granted we're twins so it's slightly different, but we're more likely to have more common ground with him than anyone in this room."
Dís nodded and looked up in surprise when Thorin sat on her bed. "There you are! I was beginning to think something had happened. Very rarely does the great Thorin Oakenshield not only do as he's told, but stays there longer than instructed." There was mischief in her eyes as she spoke.
Thorin responded in a very unkingly manner by sticking his tongue out at her.
Dís was about to shove Thorin off the bed when Oin knocked on the door and poked his head through. "Ah there you are Thorin, you have impeccable timing. Elladan, Elrohir, Fíli's beginning to stir; he should be awake in a few minutes.
Elladan and Elrohir nodded and looked to the others in the room. "There is no need for any of you to be anxious. He's upset but he does love you, he just needs to be reminded of that. Thorin perhaps it would be best to wait outside his room so you can go straight in when we call you."
Thorin nodded, his throat suddenly going dry. He wasn't sure if he could respond right then, too many thoughts and fears flying around his brain making his head spin, but he stood and followed the twins out of the room after giving Dís a squeeze on the shoulder.
Outside of Fíli's room Elladan motioned to a chair "take a seat and regain your thoughts Thorin, all will be fine. Wait for us to call you."
Thorin nodded and sat down, watching as the elves entered the room.
Elladan and Elrohir entered the room and headed straight for the bed. There was a chair on the left hand side that Elladan took, whilst Elrohir climbed onto the foot of the bed and sat cross legged. Elladan looked at his brother with a raised brow.
"Well I'm not standing." Elrohir huffed.
Elladan rolled his eyes when their attention suddenly switched to Fíli who let out a whimper. "Fíli, can you hear me? Open your eyes." He said gently. He held Fíli's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to encourage the dwarfling to respond.
After several moments a light squeeze was given to Elladans' hand. Elrohir noticed and grinned at his brother.
"Good boy Fíli, very good. Can you open your eyes for us?" Elrohir encouraged softly.
They watched as Fíli eyes cracked open slowly, before he turned his head towards them weakly raising a hand to rub at his eyes.
"There you are, welcome back." Elladan said with a smile at the dwarfling who was slowly looking more coherent.
"El..." Fíli started before coughing, whimpering at the pain he felt in his chest.
Elrohir slipped off the bed and poured a cup of water from the pitcher on the bedside table and with Elladans' help the pair got Fíli sitting up with pillows piled behind him so he could rest comfortably whilst drinking.
Fíli was still too weak and exhausted to hold the cup, so Elladan held the cup to his lips and slowly he drained the cup.
"How are you feeling mellon?" Elrohir asked as Elladan returned the cup and sat back down.
"Hurts" Fíli whimpered, his bottom lip trembling slightly and looking for all the world the little lost dwarfling he was.
"We'll see if Oin can get you something for the pain Fíli, but you mustn't move too much, you'll only make it worse."
Fíli nodded before looking scared "Oin?" He asked looking at the two elves fearfully.
"Yes Fíli, Oin."
"But he... He'll call Unca Thowin! I don wanna go back! I wanna go with you!" He cried hysterically.
"Shh Fíli, shh. You're ok, no one's going to make you do anything you don't want to do ok?" Elrohir said soothingly from the end of the bed.
"I don wanna be unwoved! I don wanna be forgotten!" He sobbed into Elrohir's shoulder when the elf shifted up the bed to sit beside him. Elrohir wrapped an arm around Fíli gently until he quietened, he and his brother murmuring nonsense soothingly to help settle him. Fíli whimpered and clutched at his chest above the wound. When he felt the bandage he sniffled and looked at the elves in confusion.
Elladan and Elrohir frowned at each other before looking back at Fíli.
"Fíli, what do you remember?" Elrohir asked slowly.
Fíli looked at them confused "you were tewing me stories." He said, looking worriedly at the twins.
"Are you hungry?" Elladan asked suddenly, "I'll see if I can get you some food."
Fíli nodded still confused but Elladan stood and hurried out of the room, promising to bring food and something to help with the pain.
Elladan shut the door behind him and came face to face with Thorin who looked devastated after hearing Fíli say he didn't want to go back.
"Come with me" Elladan said urgently, heading for Dís' room and not bothering to wait for a reply.
Elladan walked in a sighed in relief upon spotting Oin chatting to Dís as he checked up on Kíli. "Oin I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."
Everyone looked at Elladan in concern. "Is Fíli alright?" Dis whispered.
"He's fine, considering the circumstances, he's awake and talking. Something to take the pain away wouldn't hurt though; he's feeling it pretty bad. I've come to tell you there's been a...development I guess, and I'm not sure how you'd want me to proceed."
"Go on" Oin said, ever the professional.
"It seems he has amnesia, whether it's only temporary or not remains to be seen as he doesn't remember getting hurt, in fact the last thing he remembers is us in the tavern telling him stories that occurred several hours before the attack."
"You want to know whether it would be a good idea or not to remind him about what happened." Oin said, sensing the elf's dilemma.
Elladan nodded "personally, I believe he's far too young to remember let alone experience what he went through, it's enough to give fully grown men night terrors. We could tell him something else for the time being which would allow him to heal without fear, however if he starts remembering he's going to ask why he was lied to and that will undoubtedly bring you back to the same situation to what he left. Ultimately the call is yours, and whilst you think on it I need to get back. If we could get some broth or something sent for him would be great, poor thing is half starved. Just have whoever is taking it knock on the door, it's best if they don't enter." He gave the dwarves a slight bow before hurrying back to Fíli, hearing Thorin follow him back.
"Sorry little one, I was just trying to find you some broth to help get your appetite back, you've been asleep a while so you must be hungry." Elladan said as he slipped back in the room, shutting the door behind him and keeping Thorin hidden.
The twins grinned when Fíli's stomach grumbled loudly in agreement, and Fíli looked embarrassed. "Once I'm all betta, we going home?" Fíli asked once his stomach had said its piece.
Elrohir held Fíli's hand. "Elladan and I will be going back to Rivendell, but you Fíli, you're already home. Ah!" He said, placing a finger across Fíli's lips "You've had your entire family and all your friends frantic with worry over where you got to, they were terrified that you'd disappeared on them. We got to meet your ma and your Uncle who you've really given a fright. They don't want you to leave mellon, they never wanted that."
"If they didn wan me to weave, why did Unca break his pwomise?" Fíli sniffled.
Elladan sighed and looked Fíli in the eye. "Sometimes adults have no choice but to break their promise. When we were younger our father promised to take us to an apple tree not too far from home, it had some of the most delicious apples I've ever eaten. When we got there Ada noticed a weed growing around the base of the tree and pulled us both away, telling us it was time to leave. We argued that he'd promised us that we could have one, and that we could bring some home. He agreed that he'd promised, but now had to break that promise. He pulled an apple off and took us to a nearby rock. When we got there he cut it open. Now on the outside it looked fine, but on the inside it had black lines running through it. He wrapped it in some cloth and ran it over the grass, which died instantly. The weed that was near the tree was poisonous to anything living. Ada said if he had kept his promise, we would have been very sick and could have died, but because he broke it he kept us safe." Elladan looked at Fíli whose face was pinched in thought. "Fíli, just because your Uncle broke his promise doesn't mean he doesn't love you. It's important for you to always try and keep your promises, but sometimes even the best people can't do it."
"So... Unca was twying to protect me when he didn't pick me up?" Fíli asked with a frown.
Elrohir shook his head. "Breaking promises isn't always just to protect someone. Sometimes it's because someone else needs their help or they get delayed by something they have no control over. This time I think your uncle needed to help your ma."
Fíli looked at the elves stricken "why would mama need hewp?! Is mama ok?"
"Well I'm pretty sure your Uncle needed to help your ma bring your sibling into the world." Elladan said with a smile.
"Mama had the baby?" Fíli asked looking scared.
"She did, you're a big brother now Fíli, just like me." Elladan said with a smile.
"But I'm not wike you, I dunno how to be a big bwover. What if I'm bad at it?"
"Do you remember what I told you about Elrohir? About what he is to me?" At Fíli's nod Elladan continued. "Well it'll be the same for you. To be a brother is to be a protector Fíli, and being a brother works both ways. He will become your best friend and closest ally, your partner in crime. The one who will follow you to the ends of the earth to be just like you, and the one you will have to constantly keep out of trouble. He will be the one to find you when you are lost, and he will be the one to remind you who you are when you have forgotten. Being a brother is one of the greatest gifts you could ever have and you will never regret it."
"But Drégo said..."
"Drégo is a human boy who is jealous of the gift your ma gave you. She has so much love for you that she wanted to give you something more precious than any jewel. He lied, Fíli, because he wants something he doesn't have." Elrohir said firmly. He knew he was lying slightly, he didn't know the first thing about Drégo or why he lied, but seeing the change in Fíli's eyes made it worth it.
"They weally do wove me?" He asked his voice full of hope.
Elladan stood and moved to the door. "They do Fíli, and now I think it's time they told you themselves." He opened it and tilted his head slightly to Thorin who walked carefully into the room.
"We'll leave you to it" Elrohir said softly before he and his brother left, shutting the door to give them privacy.
Thorin moved carefully to the bed and placed the broth and tea laced with medicine on the table. He watched Fíli's reaction as he sat down on the edge of the bed and noticed he looked suddenly nervous.
"Unca..." Fíli started hesitantly, reaching out a small hand slightly.
Thorin let out a sob and wrapped his arms around his nephew, drawing him onto his lap gently as he buried his face in the golden hair. "Oh Fíli, my little lion I thought I'd lost you! I was so scared." He whispered, elated at the feeling of Fíli grabbing onto his tunic and gripping tightly.
"M'sowwy unca. I'm so sowwy!" Fíli sobbed into his Uncle's shirt, tears falling steadily.
Thorin held Fíli tightly for several long moments, rocking his nephew slightly to soothe him whilst he was pressing kisses into the golden hair. Eventually Fíli's cries turned into sniffles and Thorin ran a hand over his hair before pulling away to look at his nephew.
"Oh my child," he said as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears "I'm so sorry for everything. I should have picked you up as I promised but your ma needed me. I should have had Fréya tell you you were going to meet your brother but I wanted it to be a surprise."
"I have a bwother?" Fíli asked as he settled himself in Thorin's lap and cuddled into his side, running his hand over Thorin's braids.
"You do, his names Kíli."
"That's like my name!" Fíli said turning bright blue eyes on him in shock.
"It is my lion; we named him after you and your pa, two dwarves we love very much."
Fíli couldn't help the smile that crept across his face as he thought about how he and his brother had similar names. He raised his arm to pet at Thorin's beard, only to strain his wound causing him to gasp and clutch at his chest in shock, only just remembering he had been hurt.
Thorin looked at Fíli in concern before understanding what the gasp was about. "Here," he said leaning over and grabbing the tea "Oin says you need to drink it to help take away the pain."
Fíli looked at the tea and sniffed it, wrinkling his nose and turning his head. "No" he said stubbornly.
Thorin rolled his eyes, used to his nephews' stubbornness but he knew not to back down. "Come on, do it for me and your ma and Kíli. We all want you to get better, but we don't want you to be in pain."
"Did I fall over?" Fíli asked changing the subject.
Thorin grinned inwardly with his nephews' tactfulness, deciding for the time being to leave it alone as this was an important question and needed to be handled carefully. Whilst the twins had been with Fíli he'd thought long and hard about what to tell him. He eventually settled on telling him the truth, knowing if he were to lie only to have him start remembering again Fíli might never forgive him.
"No little one you didn't. When the elves -"
"Ewadan and elwohir!" Fíli said indignantly
"Sorry. When Elladan and Elrohir took you from the tavern after telling you stories they took you to your campsite on the field outside of town, do you remember?"
Fíli frowned and shook his head so Thorin continued.
"Well they took you to the field where you were camping because there was a storm moving in and they wanted to get their packs. When you got there, there were orcs nearby."
Fíli gasped. He remembered what orcs were, they were the ones who had taken his pa away. He blinked as fuzzy images flashed through his mind: of Elrohir putting on his sword, rain and thunder, something moving in front of the trees.
Thorin continued quietly, watching Fíli for any sign of distress. "They attacked you three, Elladan and Elrohir tried to hide you, protect you." Thorin licked his lips "an orc got too close before our guards could step in and cut you pretty bad." Ok slight lie, Thorin thought. It was probably best he didn't know he got shot or that he almost died, it was unlikely he'd remember getting shot anyway as he'd collapsed straight after he'd been hit. That part was something he could be told when he was older and was more likely to understand. Thorin hugged his nephew gently. "It knocked you out which is why you don't remember what happened. You were so brave facing them Fíli, and if you remember what happened over time I will be there to help you get through it ok?"
Fíli nodded, trying but failing to remember much more about what happened on the field, but all he could really focus on was the fear they would come back for him. A whimper escaped his lips as he thought about what could happen.
Thorin of course didn't miss it. "What's wrong little one?"
"What if they come back?" Fíli whispered fearfully, shivering despite the warmth in the room.
Thorin kissed Fíli's head. "They won't. Because when we went looking for you we found out about the orcs so we killed all of the ones on the field, and we sent out guards to see if there were anymore. We killed the other ones we found too. They won't be coming back. In a way you're a hero, you helped protect everyone in town, but more importantly you helped protect your ma and Kíli. That's why I know you'll be a good brother, because even when you were upset you protected him."
Thorin ruffled his hair before picking up the tea and handing it to him, earning a whine of protest. "Come on, you need this to help you heal and sleep. There's someone who'd like to meet you later but you need to be feeling better ok?"
Fíli whined again before taking the cup grudgingly. He drank it quickly, his face scrunching up like he'd just sucked a lemon at the taste. When Thorin was satisfied he swapped the cup with the bowl of broth, where Fíli took several small mouthfuls before turning away.
"Good boy. You need to get some sleep ok, and then you can meet Kíli." Thorin made to stand up but a small hand grabbing his made him pause and look at his nephew.
Fíli looked up at him miserably, hand still firmly holding Thorin's. "Pwease stay Unca..."he whispered.
Thorin was about to say he had to go talk to Dís when he stopped himself. The look on Fíli's face was so sad that he knew that Dís was not the one who needed him right now.
He scooped Fíli up gently before settling himself on the bed under the blankets, with Fíli leaning into his chest. He tucked the blanket around his nephew before wrapping an arm around him, hugging him to his chest unwilling to let him go.
"Go to sleep my little lion. I'll be here when you wake up."
Fíli sighed contently as he drifted off to sleep. "I wuves you Unca."
"I love you too Fíli, always."