AN: I don't own any of The Hobbit characters, I am just taking them out of Tolkien's toy box and playing with them.

With thanks to my Beta fierynightangel.

Chapter Fifty One – The Heart of Everything.

"Gwedeir!" The young voice broke through the peace that dwelt in the wing that had been lent to the Company during their stay in Rivendell, causing several dwarves to mutter under their breaths, Bilbo to curl closer into Dwalin's bare chest, and Elladan to blink slowly into alertness. His brother wasn't so lucky though, and found himself awoken by a small, blurred shape barrelling onto his stomach as he fought to awaken from his waking-dreams.

"Man?" Elrohir's voice came out breathless as he automatically tightened his arms around the bundle sitting on his torso. "Estel?" He struggled to sit up, oblivious to the heads of several confused dwarves sticking out from their bedrooms. "Glân galu tithing gwador."

Elladan managed to calm his laughter to a soft chuckle as he took in his little brother's frantically flitting eyes and jutting bottom lip. "Tola Estel," he crooned, "Man na rhoeg?"

Estel merely widened his pale grey eyes and pouted further, "Lindir," he muttered in a childish sulk, arms crossed over his narrow chest and sinking against Elrohir's chest.

Kili decided at that point that enough was enough. He may have understood very little of the conversation that had taken place, but he recognised a younger brother trying to get his elder to do something. After all, he had done the same to Fili loads. Running a hand over his hair and carefully smoothing his under tunic down, Kili stuffed his feet into his battered boots and left his rooms with a simple "Good morning." He froze as the child looked at him before hitching a smile onto his face. That was no elf, but one of the race of Men.

He held himself carefully as the young human scrabbled to his feet to attempt a bow, blinking as he realised the lad was nearly the same height as him already. Careful to keep his smile on his face, he realised he would have to be the first to talk. "Kili, son of Dis, at your service."

Behind the young one, the elven twins visibly relaxed, and yet Kili's eyes stayed fixed on the human's pale grey orbs. The young face softened slightly, and Kili watched as he chewed a lower lip in worry. Without warning, the young one blurted out, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Estel."

Kili bowed softly again as he finally noticed the gobsmacked expressions on Elladan's face. "Well met, young one." This time his smile was real, and he held his hand out for the child to take. Estel came forward cautiously, and Kili nodded down at him as small hands that were already showing signs of weapon's training grasped at one of his. "Now then, Young Master, how do you know these two?"

Estel blinked at him, apparently unsure why anyone needed to ask. "They are my Gwedeir!" he stated proudly, as if that explained everything.

Kili supposed it probably did, but as he had very little knowledge of Sindarin, it helped him not one bit. "That is all well and good, Young Master, but I do not speak Elvish."

The human holding his hand let out a soft giggle, and Kili relaxed further. The only one who would have problems with a human this young would be Ori, but Kili hoped that seeing that he had relaxed around the lad would help the scribe. Shaking himself, the dwarf turned back to the human at his side when he noticed the incessant tugging at his hand.

"It's not Elvish, silly," The child hanging on his arm smiled charmingly, "It is Sindarin. Erestor has me learning this, Quenya, and Silvan, along withAnnúnaid. I do not much like Silvan, it makes my tongue tie in knots." Kili raised an eyebrow at the babbling, but his humour must have shown on his face as Estel went on. "Erestor is the head librarian here, and he also teaches me. I can also do arithmetic, and I am learning to read and scribe in all four languages. My Gwedeir have been teaching me to defend myself, and Glorfindel is going to start teaching me to shoot when he gets back, he promised."

Kili jumped in to the opening that he found when the child paused for breath. "I am impressed, I can only speak my people's tongue and Westron, which is what I assume Ann…Annunaid is. I can write again in my people's tongue, which by the way is called Khuzdul, and in common, as well as read them rather well." He flashed the human a smile, "Now, you were going to tell me what Gwedeir meant."

A slight blush stole up Estel's cheeks and he bit his lip. "Sorry, it means brother. Well, it is more complicated than that, but yes, that is what it means."

Kili frowned a little at the slight sadness he could see in the young eyes. "Now then, Young Master, don't pout at me, or your brothers will use me for target practice." He patted the small hands with his spare, and towed the child along so they could sit. Estel curling up beside him sent a jolt of an unidentifiable emotion through him, but Kili merely smiled, "After watching you this morning, I have no doubt they love you as if you were a blood sibling." He smiled widely as Estel raised hopeful eyes to his, and pretended the two elves didn't look shocked, "Yes indeed, Young Master, now will you stay around long enough to meet my brother and my family?"

The dark head was nodding ecstatically, and Kili laughed and waved a hand. "You might as well all come out properly, the laddie isn't going anywhere before he meets you all."

To his surprise, it was Ori who joined them first, the scribe couldn't quite hide his nervousness, but still walked directly over to them and held out his hand for Estel to shake. "Ori, son of the House Ri, it is a pleasure to meet you, Young Master."

Kili tensed lightly as the human hopped off the chair to shake Ori's hand, "My name is Estel, and I am so pleased to meet you as well. Are you Master Kili's brother?"

Ori blinked and froze as the small hands grasped his, but found himself melting at the sight of the bright smile. "I am afraid not, young one. That pleasure is still to befall you. If you wish, you can also meet many of his family as well." He patted the small hand still in his, "I heard you say you are being trained in scribing, Young Master, is this true?"

Kili relaxed as Ori snuggled next to him and Estel leant against the arm of the chair, blinking at them. "Not entirely, Master Ori, but I have been told I need to learn."

Ori laughed at the very obvious pout the young human was supporting. "Now that is a shame. I was looking forward to someone to share my interests with."

Estel tilted his head as he tried to understand that, "You like reading and writing?"

Ori nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, yes, Young Estel, very much so. A well written story or even a historical account can take you to distant places, daring sword fights, magic spells, and even maybe a prince in disguise."

The pale grey eyes opened widely. "You have stories and histories about such things?"

Ori wrinkled his brow, "What is your kajul teaching you?" Shaking his head, he opened his mouth to claim it didn't matter when Estel interrupted.

"Oh. What is ka…ju…l please?" The way he carefully pronounced the word made Ori bite his lip, before sighing as he realised he couldn't give the true translation.

"It is hard to translate to Westron, young Estel, it could roughly mean teacher."

"Oh," young eyes went bright with joy, "Who was your teacher, Master Ori? Because he sounds more fun than mine."

Ori gestured for the young human to stand up and turn around to where Balin was waiting to smile gently at him. "I was, laddie. Balin Fundinson, at your service, young lord."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Balin, sir, my name is Estel." Kili draped an arm across Ori's shoulder, and stuck his tongue out at the collection of dwarves who still hadn't moved forward, before snorting as he realised Bilbo's door was still firmly shut. Ori snuggled deeply into Kili's side as he watched with sparkling eyes as Estel sized up the newcomer. "What's wrong with the colour of your hair?"

Silence fell over the room, with Elrohir and Elladan staggering to their feet, before Balin laughed. "The colour of my hair, young one? Let me tell you a story."

Estel nodded eagerly, and Balin allowed himself to be pulled to the cushions on the floor.

"Very well, young one. Many years ago, before you were even born, there was a beautiful dwarven kingdom within a mountain. Its halls stretched from its very peaks, to deep in the rock under it. In this kingdom, many Dwarrows lived and worked side by side. I was lucky enough to be born into this fantastic place, and I grew up surrounded by glittering jewels and ropes of gold. I was also gifted to be the eldest of all of my generation within my family. I was blessed with a younger brother," here, Balin pointed at the still shut door. "He has always liked to lie in late, and doesn't always follow the rules. A sister, who could not stay away from a fight, and another brother who decided to choose archery as his chosen field of combat." He raised an eyebrow at Estel, who was watching him in awe, "Can you imagine a dwarf choosing archery? I should have known better even then."

Ignoring the stiffening of the spines of his kin at the casual mention of his two deceased siblings, Balin carried on. "I was also gifted with three younger cousins, Dis, Frenrin and Thorin. Now, Thorin is with us, he is the one standing there," Balin pointed at the royal dwarf, who waved back, a smiled fixed on his face. Estel gaped for a short while before finally waving back and then turning to look at Balin again. Chuckling, the white haired dwarf continued. "Now, since I was the oldest, I ended up having to run after this lot all over the kingdom, and let me tell you, it was tiring work. Skena often had to be physically prised off children who had insulted her or those she cared for, even when she was grown, she would still fight those who sullied the family's honour. Vili was easy to keep an eye on, as he had a head full of golden hair," Estel's eyes wandered to where Fili leant against the back of Kili's chair, having crept there at some point, and Balin laughed. "No, that isn't him, he isn't yet born in this part of the story. Now, as I was saying, Vili was easy to find with his hair. As a child, he loved to drive our mother round the bend with hiding in darkened corners and jumping out at her. Then came the day he was to choose his weapons, and he picked up a bow. Now, while there is nothing wrong with a bow, it is most definitely not dwarvish. I also had to spend days fixing his forearms up where he had thought he had known better than the few dwarves in our home who could shoot."

Rolling his neck, Balin shut his eyes in memory, "Skipping Dwalin for later, I will tell you about my cousin Frerin. He was loud, and very devious. Such a combination as that shouldn't go, but strangely, he managed to make them work for him. I can remember spending a week hauling stupid guards from where they had gotten lost by falling for one of his tricks. I mean, really, they got lost in their own homes. Dis, ah, our Dis. Never one to suffer fools happily, she had a mean temper as a child, and merely steered it to being the most feared dwarrow-dam in our home as she grew. If people avoided upsetting Skena for her temper, then they avoided upsetting Dis for her love of revenge." Balin let himself give a theatrical shudder. "Now, on to the juicy stuff. My brother Dwalin and Thorin would forever run off when they were on tours of the mines, steal foods from the kitchens before feasts, or set traps for unsuspecting guests of the kingdom. When Dis joined in, I stood no chance, and that was why the three of them were allowed to choose their weapons early. Dwalin rose to be one of the royal guards before he came of age, Thorin was never beaten in a match, and Dis. Well, Dis was a natural with a bow. Even if she could disarm anyone with a sword, she would always go back to that damn bow."

Smiling wryly, Balin coughed slightly, and shook the Company out of their shock at his honest talking. They listened as carefully as Estel to his tale. "You're a bit young to know this, lad, but when dwarves fall in love, they fall hard. Well, Dis and Vili fell for each other, made a right scene when he proposed to her as well. Thanks to their union, I gained two nephews, and there you see them." Balin waved a lazy hand at Kili and Fili. "My youngest you have met, and he takes after both his parents for his choice of weapons, my Vili for his height, and Dis for his looks. Fili, however, looks almost the spitting image of his father, but he has his mother's eyes and her sword arm, well, in his case, arms. He fights both left and right handed. They are devil spawn, I tell you. So full of mischief and pranks as you wouldn't believe. Guess who I got lumbered with to teach. But I am getting ahead of myself." Balin smiled again, "We gained Healer Oin," he pointed to the grey haired dwarf, who gave no sign of hearing him, "Through his union with my sister. And through Oin, we gained Gloin," the red haired dwarf waved cheerfully, "And his wife and son. I met Master Nori," here the thief narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the human child, who laughed delightedly, "Through Dwalin and his involvement in the guard. Trouble maker though the lad turned out."

Balin forced himself to stay calm and not go into details for the next bit. "Then our home was attacked, and we were driven from it. We wandered the wilds for many years, with no place to call home. Yet no sooner than we had settled in somewhere we were willing to try and make a new home, our king wished to have better for our children. We marched to war, and lost a great many dwarves in the attempt, including our king. Since then, I have been a teacher, a friend, an advisor, and a diplomat." Balin grinned, and Estel leant in, "I met young Ori by accident, and he became a scribe under my tutelage. He is very good. Dori, I met through Ori, but had become aware of him when we wandered," Dori offered a short bow, and Balin smiled, "My apologies to the Ur family, but I didn't get to meet them until about three years ago. These are Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur." The three waved, and Bifur laughed at the wide eyed look that was sent to his axe. Balin smiled, "Well, lad, suffice to say we all have stories. Even the youngest member of our Company, one Bilbo Baggins of the Shire, who is also behind that door, sleeping late."

Estel turned to the dwarf beside him, and smiled widely, "Can you teach me, Master Balin?"

"How to spin a tale? I can try, but didn't you want to know why my hair was white?" Balin grinned smugly as the child and his elven brothers turned to him in shock, having forgotten the question.

"Yes I did. I do not know anyone whose hair is white, Master Balin."

The lad's voice was innocent, and Balin laughed again. "Dis pulled a prank on me one year, and I woke up to a head full of white hair and this rather charming beard."

Elladan was the first to break the silence, "You mean you told us a very condensed version of your history, making us think it was because of your younger kin and what happened to your home, when it was because of a prank your younger cousin played on you?"

"Breath, Master Elf," chuckled Balin, "Yes. I wanted to see if any of you had ever been taught history the proper way, and I have to say I am disappointed."

Elrohir snaffled his little brother back and sat down with a huff, "So am I. I hated history."

Silence followed his announcement, and it was into this silence Bilbo's voice echoed. "Dwalin, there is a kit in the common room."

Bilbo's words broke the thread of tension running through the room, and Fili grinned widely at the rumpled looking human child in their quarters. "Brother, you have a strange habit of befriending everyone."

Kili laughed as slowly, the Company shook off their stupor, and went about their morning routines. Estel watched them all with wide eyes, and he smiled at the thought they could make at least one human like them.

Dwalin had wandered up behind Bilbo, hastily tucking his shirt into his trousers as he went. Wrapping his arms around Bilbo's waist, he rested his head on the hobbit's shoulder, and peered into the communal area. "So there is, Bilbo," he nuzzled at the curls that were still wild from sleep and their activities the night before, "Why is there a child, let alone a human child, in our quarters?"

Bilbo laughed, "How would I know?" He turned in Dwalin's arms and dropped a kiss to his nose. "Should we go and say hello?"

Dwalin nodded eagerly, and the pair crossed the room, oblivious to the smirks thrown at them by Gloin and Bombur. Bilbo smiled down at the human, who scrambled quickly to his feet, as Dwalin nodded politely to the elven twins who were still sitting and apparently sulking.

"You are Bilbo Baggins and Dwalin?" There was curiosity in the young voice, and Bilbo blinked to find himself on eye level with a child.

"Aye, lad, I am Bilbo Baggins, and this here is Dwalin," He tilted his head, "As you have quite clearly guessed. Can I ask how you know our names, young master?"

"Mister Balin told us that his brother Dwalin and Bilbo Baggins of the Shire were still asleep behind that door." Estel grinned widely, "I don't think he likes you sleeping in."

Dwalin laughed, and wrapped an arm around Bilbo's shoulder, "That's only because I used to wake him up at the crack of dawn when we were younger, young one. May I enquire as to your name?"

A blush stole up the child's chubby cheeks, "Oops, my name is Estel, Master Dwalin."

"Well met then, Master Estel." Dwalin glanced at a sniggering Elladan, "Are these two your older brothers?"

"Yep."

Elladan pushed to his feet, "He was escaping from Lindir, Master Dwalin, and I suppose I should get him out of your hair."

Dwalin frowned at the tall elf, "Well, Lindir sounds stuffy, and the lad is doing no harm. Most of the Company seem taken with him." He forced himself to smile at the standing elf, "I tell you what, why don't you go tell this Lindir the child is safe, and we will feed him. I am sure your brother can stop any harm befalling him."

So it was Dwalin Fundinson found himself being hugged by a human child, and being laughed at by his nephews, brother, and cousins as one of the elf twins smiled happily at him and the other one walked away with a large sigh.

AN: Reviews are always welcome. On another note, I believe Aragorn would have been around the age of ten(ish) when the Company was at Rivendell. So if my maths is right, we have a young human meeting dwarves and a hobbit for the very first time in his young life.

Translations:

(Sindarin to English).

Gwedeir – Brothers (normally those not kin, but sworn, i.e. Shieldbrothers, brothers-in-arms, or in Estel's case, those he had grown up with, but knows they cannot be related as his father is not Elrond and their mother is not Gilraen. )

Man? – What?

Glân galu tithing gwador. – Bright blessings little brother. (Again see notes on Gwedeir for usage of this noun rather than hawn, which means little brother by blood).

Tola –come.

Man na rhoeg? – What is wrong?

Annúnaid-The "Westron" language.

(Khazdul to English).

Kajul – Elder (Ori throws Estel a lie as he realises at the last minute he cannot teach the youngster his language without the blessing of a king.)