Hello, All. I know it's been quite a while. Before you read, a few notes: I've decided to fully rewrite this story. Looking back, some of the work isn't up to my current standards, and I'd like to only present a work that I am fully proud of. The second note: I will be cross-posting this on Archive of Our Own under the same author's name, so if you see this story there as well, rest assured, so long as the author is still CocaColaWriter123, there is no need to be alarmed. Thirdly, I am still working with a fellow author. She is no longer on Fanfiction; she has fully moved to Ao3, and I will tag her on that site if you'd like to see her works, which I do recommend. Finally, I hope you enjoy this story rewritten. I certainly feel like it has improved. Thank you all, CCWriter.

Prologue

Fate never fell kindly upon the Line of Durin. Perhaps it was the dwarves' love of jewels or their pride to blame, yet it seemed that Mahal had no mercy on those who were intended to rule the misty mountain. Where the misfortunes first began is difficult to say, as no good soul marks the day of their first great loss in ink. All the same, many who know the story to be told would name Thror as the first to fall victim to the unlawful choices of circumstance. His death only seemed to deepen the faith of his people, not in himself mind you, but in the curse that seemingly grasped the king and his heirs. The two dwarves he left behind were what had been his security during his reign; his son and grandson once ensured a long successful line of Durins, but yet again, the plans of good people were tossed into the wind by the very world in which they lived. After his father's disappearance, Thorin, son of Thrain, faced a cruel world with the weight of a lost kingdom resting on his shoulders.

Few options were left to the dwarf prince, and of them, he chose to begin a new life for himself and his kin. Bit by bit, the two sons and the only daughter of Thrain created something that could be called contempt from the ashes with which they had been supplied. Frerin and Thorin had taken it upon themselves to make a life of ease for their sister, and their desire to keep her safe only grew with each of Dis' sons.

Fili and Kili were lights in Thorin's otherwise dark life. The young dwarves were joyful little things, and though Thorin would never know why, they looked to him as the one who hung the moon among the stars. The brothers followed their uncle as often as they were able, and mimicked him in everything they could.

Even in his attempts to keep his heart guarded and his face stern, the now king found himself growing fonder of his charges each day, and he began to enjoy the occasional task of watching over the two when Dis was unable. Fili, just old enough to know that they lived in the blue mountains and that he was to care for his little brother, wanted very much to know how to fight. He pestered his uncle about it every moment, and when Thorin introduced the blonde prince to Dwalin, even the old warrior couldn't help but chuckle at the anticipation that seemed to radiate off of Fili.

Kili, even at the young age of learning basic Westron still could hardly stand to be far from his brother without wailing in sorrow. Dis did her best to comfort her son, and she did well often, as she was a very good mother, but the bond between siblings is something rather hard to break.

That is why when Dis announced that she would have a third child, Fili and Kili could hardly be still. The thought of a third playmate was rather exciting to the young dwarf princes, and the friends of Durin were also joyful. After such a long time of misfortunes, three young, good healthy heirs was well deserved to the family. Much like the two that came before, the celebration of the new baby was well known. Toys and clothes poured in from all who heard the good news, and even another good friend of Thorin's was there to offer his aid in the birth of the child.

But the tides of change had not turned in the way that all had hoped. Thorin was called back from the forges a month too soon, and there was no excitement to be found in the home when he arrived. Fili and Kili were quite frightened, for their father had yet to return from a hunting trip. He was a good husband to Dis, but he had not expected to be needed for a month's time. So it was Thorin who held the boys and sang to them through the night, his own heart heavy with worry for his sister. Hours later, when Oin had emerged from the room, there was a thin smile hidden in his beard, but his eyes were glazed with tears of sorrow. The girl was quite small, even for a dwarf, and Lady Dis had not survived.

Thorin was uncertain then if it was fortune or misfortune that had decided to let the brothers be fast asleep when the news was announced that their mother was dead. They didn't have to hear it so soon, so late after hardly any rest, but now Thorin would have to bear the news to them himself.

He held the girl first after Oin, and the boys stirred not long after. Filled with excitement, they both waited eagerly for their turn to hold the baby. Thorin found himself having to explain that they had a sister, not a brother, as he gently laid the bundle in Fili's arms, and that they would protect her the way he had protected Dis.

Upon his foolish mention of the boys' mother, Thorin then had to tell his nephews the terrible truth. They cried for days, and clung to their uncle, and when their father came home they clung to him. Wanting to remember his wife, Blain gave the girl the name Dis had saved for what they thought would be a boy, Kai. They called the baby Kaia, and Fili and Kili knew they would keep her safe as long as they could.

They kept that as a promise, though as they were brothers, they teased her along the way. She wasn't as fast as them, and when she toddled after them on her clumsy feet, Fili told her she had to keep her own speed. All the same, they played with her as they once did with one another. Two had become three, and the heirs of Durin once again had drawn the eyes of many. But not all eyes that watched were looking in fondness.

When Kaia was but eight years old, a group of goblins came upon the blue mountains, hungry for any kind of blood to be spilt, and eager for any kind of terror they could bring. Thorin and Blain had fought the creatures alongside their fellow fighters, but their numbers were still not enough. Many dwarves were lost that night, but not before the goblins had made off with little Kaia. They hadn't gotten far before the fury of a father rained down upon them, and Blain slew each goblin that had dared to touch his princess and child. Thorin then came to the scene, and he wished he'd been later, so he might have been spared from watching one dying goblin kill his niece's father.

"Keep them safe." Had been the final words from his dear friend as the life faded from him.

Even as Thorin mounted a pony to rush back to the safety of the mountains, he kept his crying niece pressed close to his chest, an arm wrapped around her as if he might protect her from any more harm the world might offer.

And so in a few short years, Thorin had become the guardian of three wreckless little dwarves. They chose to see the good wherever it could be found, and with the responsibility of caring for the three, Thorin found his heart becoming quite easily attached to them.

Fili, though still young, understood that he was now in line for the throne. He held himself to a high standard, trying his hardest to be like a future king should. He learned the way of dual swords, and while he still played with his siblings, he knew he was meant to protect them.

Kili was less of a follower when it came to the way of traditions. Although he often chose to copy his brother, he took great dislike in following rules. Thorin was not entirely pleased the day Kili held up a bow at the market, asking to learn to shoot rather than to swordfight. It had taken some good persuading by both Balin and Dwalin to convince their king that a bow, though the weapon of elves, was useful in battle. Kili's pleading eyes brought Thorin to a compromise to allow his nephew to learn the bow, so long as he also took up swordfighting. Despite his original thoughts, Thorin was pleased with Kili's accuracy in shooting, and the smile on the young dwarf's face made it worth it.

As for Kaia, she followed her brothers in many ways, and yet she was still a young princess all the same. Following tradition, Thorin had bought Kaia the earrings and hair clasps that a dwarvish princess should have, but when he allowed the girl to choose the silver, she chose smaller ones, meant for battle, and Thorin was hardly surprised when she asked him one day for a doll in one hand, and some throwing knives in another. And so Kaia was raised as a warrior and a princess at the same time, and the dwarves that followed their king were willing to follow all three of his heirs.

Now a word on the princess of Erebor and how she appeared. She grew in what you and I might call beauty. She was short like other dwarves, but she had less of a beard than even Kili, and it should have at least begun in her twentieth year. Although it was unusual for a dwarf to have such a clear face, the race of men would have thought her pretty. Her hair was colored like chestnuts, and wrapped in several braids as an heir's should be. She had blue eyes that were filled with mischief and curiosity. Thorin had never thought himself to be anything but a warrior, but the little girl that he raised near from birth had become a treasure he was determined to protect. Her sweet laughter and long locks that tumbled after her as she chased her brothers had captured the king's stone heart. Kaia had made a small crack inside him, and her brothers quickly snuck in as well. Even as he had to be their king, Thorin fathered the three, and was fond of the moments he spent with them.

He taught them Khuzdul, and the way of weapons. He dressed them and fed them and nursed them to health when they fell ill. He sang to them when they woke from their dreams at night, terrified they would be taken like their father, or when the storms outside beat down on the house a bit too loud. And he told them stories of a mountain, one far off all on its lonesome, where one day, he might take them, and they would live in a world of gold, and they would fear no more. And so one day, when a wizard called Thorin back to his home of Erebor, he couldn't have been surprised when three young shadows stood behind him, ready and eager to follow.

Updated on December 27, 2020

Notes:

At eight years for a dwarf, Kaia should have been at the equivalent of roughly 3-4 in human years by my research.

As per the last version of this story, Dis' husband's name is Blain.

I do not own the Hobbit, or any of it's characters other than Kaia.

Constructive criticism is always welcome. ~CCWriter