Chapter 7: Brotherly Secrets

After Thorin left the tavern, Nyssa turned her attention to the other dwarves still standing in the middle of the street. The guard was having quite a time holding up the young Prince of Erebor until she saw another dwarf approach them and took the other arm of the dark-haired drunkard. This dwarf was similarly dressed like the prince. He had blond locks and small braids extended from his short beard. Even in the darkness, Nyssa could tell that this dwarf was heavily armed with various knives and daggers all over his person.

She continued to watch from a corner of the tavern at how this dwarf showed a brotherly affection toward the prince. He spoke something to the guard that Nyssa could not hear. The guard released Kili and walked away leaving the two dwarves alone.

Nyssa moved closer but stayed in the shadows to observe the dwarves more closely. Kili was very drunk but still conscious as he leaned on the blond dwarf for support. They continued walking toward the inn when the young prince spoke.

"I saw her, Fili. She went away again, but I saw her, brother," he said through the slurs in his voice.

So, these dwarves are brothers. How interesting!

"She's still here because she still loves me," he continued with a smile across his lips.

Kili's feet gave away, and he stumbled to the ground. He would have taken his brother with him, but Fili let his brother drop, so long as he did not hurt himself. Fili bent down to grab Kili's arm and pull him up again when he sensed that they were not alone.

A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye. Someone was following them. Fili held his position and slowly pulled a dagger from his upper left breast holster and held it firmly in his right hand. Kili had finally passed out in the street.

Nyssa had moved to get a better position to hear the dwarves' conversation when one of them fell to the ground. The other one bent over but stopped moving. His actions were very strange until she saw the glint of a knife's edge in the moonlight.

He has seen me.

Nyssa held up her hands in surrender and slowly stepped from her shadowy hiding place.

"Stay calm, Master Dwarf. I mean you no harm," she said.

Fili turned toward the voice and saw that it was a human woman. It was the woman ranger that his uncle spoke of. What was she doing following him and his brother in the dark?

"You would do well never to sneak up on a dwarf, my lady. Why are you here?" he asked.

"Forgive me, my lord, I mean no offense, but I saw this young dwarf make quite a show of himself in the tavern. I thought you could use some help." Nyssa lowered her hands and smiled.

Fili sheathed his knife and stared at the woman before him. She was too tiny to help carry a sack of flour let alone a full-sized dwarf. She seemed genuine, but there was something about her that he did not trust. Perhaps, it was the fact that she followed them, but then again, humans are naturally curious creatures. And, dwarves were so intimidating; she did not know how to approach them.

Fili grinned and gestured for her to come closer. He wanted to see how strong this little sprite could be.

"We are staying at the inn. Are you able to help get my brother to his room? I can manage on my own. Dwarves are stronger than humans, and I do not wish to overburden you," he said with a smile.

Nyssa gave him a half smirk and reached down to grasp Kili's upper arm. She bet her knees and pulled as hard as she could but to no avail. She took a breath and tried again but could not budge the dwarf prince. Fili stood by with his arms crossed and giggled. Nyssa straightened to her full height and glared at him.

"So it would seem that you are right. I cannot do this on my own. I will assist you, but I am afraid that you will need to do the heavy lifting."

Fili smiled and reached down to grab his brother's arm. He pulled Kili into a sitting position and slapped his brother awake. Kili reacted by nearly punching Fili only to miss and fall back to the ground.

Fili sighed and reached for his brother again. Nyssa stood away from the commotion to avoid any stray punches. When she felt that it was safe again, she moved to the other side of the drunken dwarf and grabbed his arm to help him up.

Both she and Fili managed to get Kili into a sitting position again. This time, Fili bent down further and hoisted his brother over his shoulder and stood carrying Kili to the inn like a sack of grain. Nyssa fell into step with the blond dwarf as he made his way down the nearly deserted street. Every so often, Fili would glance at his female companion with curiosity.

"Tell me your name, my lady," he said.

"I am called Analyn, my lord," she answered.

"Pretty name for a woman who enjoys lurking in the shadows," he said. "You never really answered my question earlier. Why did you follow us?"

"As I said, I saw this dwarf in the tavern. He had broken a table from dancing on it and nearly injured himself. He, obviously, needs help, and I wanted to offer my services."

"Well, your services are very gallant, although I am quite capable of caring for my brother." Fili glanced toward her, studying her for a moment. Her actions could not possibly be from kindness alone. There had to be some other motivation for her behavior.

"Most humans do not care so much about a drunken dwarf, and it was not like my brother was without assistance. I fail to see why you are still here," he said.

Nyssa thought for a moment before answering him. She did not want to explain her relationship with the dwarf king to his nephew. She remembered Kili's encounter with the elf outside of the tavern, the same elf staying at the healer's house. It was as good an excuse as any to tell the dwarf prince. Plus, she was also curious about the relationship between the dark-haired dwarf and the elf.

"I saw a red-haired elf outside of the tavern. She seemed surprised and frightened by this young dwarf. I confess that their behavior toward each other was most intriguing, so I followed him. That was when I saw you."

She turned her eyes toward the blond dwarf to study his reaction. His face was stern, but his eyes had an emotional sadness to them. He turned his head toward her and stopped walking for a brief moment. His mouth fell open like he wanted to say something but closed it. He said nothing and resumed his journey. Nyssa felt like she hit a nerve when she mentioned the elf. Kili remained unconscious and unaware of the conversation.

"I met that red-haired elf at the healer's house. Her name is Tauriel. She saved my life," Nyssa added.

"The relationship between that elf and my brother are personal," he said in a low voice.

"I am sorry. It was wrong of me to intrude," Nyssa said with her eyes cast down as they walked.

Fili turned his eyes toward her while she kept her eyes straight ahead. He watched her for a moment trying to understand this strange woman. She seemed genuinely embarrassed by her inquiries. He smiled to himself as they continued walking in silence.

They had finally reached the inn. It was very late, but there were still candlelight burning in some of the windows. Nyssa allowed Fili to go first, carrying Kili to their room on the second floor.

Nyssa opened the door to a darkened room with two beds large enough to accommodate the dwarves large frame. Fili laid his brother down while Nyssa lit a candle for light. She turned around to see Fili pulling KilI into a sitting position on the bed to get his coat and various weapons off of him. She moved forward to hold him steady while Fili peeled the coat from his brother's arms. Once that task was done, Fili relieved his brother of his boots before pushing him back into the bed.

Nyssa pulled the blanket over him while Fili walked toward the fireplace to light a fire. The room seemed quite cold. The fire would provide both warmth and light.

Nyssa placed the blanket over Kili's shoulders when his hand snaked out from underneath and grabbed Nyssa's wrist. He gently, but firmly, held it for a second before he opened his eyes to look at her. Kili stared into Nyssa's eyes and smiled.

"Tauriel, you came back to me. Amralime´, you came back like you promised."

He reached up to caress her cheek. Fili heard his brother's voice and turned back only to see him close his eyes and pass out. Nyssa carefully disentangled herself from his grasp and moved away. She turned to see that Fili was still sitting in front of the lit fireplace watching the scene between them.

"My brother expresses his emotions more openly sometimes," he whispered. "He is still quite young when it comes to matters of the heart."

Nyssa slowly walked forward and sat in a chair facing the fire. She watched as the fire light danced around the room and on the dwarf in front of her. She studied his face and noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes. He cared very much for his brother, but maybe there was more to this than she understood.

"I understand that it is none of my business to pry, but you seem rather sad. I once had a family. I had older siblings that took care of me until I reached an age when I could take care of them. Now, I am on my own."

She peered into the fire and allowed the memory to invade her mind for a short moment. Fili watched her face and could see the distant faraway expression. Her eyes turned sad, and he could almost see tears welling up in her eyes until she blinked them away and took a breath. She turned back to him and smiled.

"Your brother is lucky to have you. "

Fili smiled at her words. Yes, Kili is the lucky one to have such a brother. Fili could relate to his brother's plight, having a very similar problem of his own. They could rely on each other's strength to get through the nights when loneliness was a troubling companion.

"It is getting rather late. I should be getting back to the healer's house," Nyssa said as she stood from her chair. Fili also stood and followed her out of the room, leaving Kili to sleep the night away.

Before Nyssa left, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small pouch of herbs. She handed it to Fili.

"When your brother wakes, you should make him drink a tea made from these herbs. They are peppermint leaves. They will help settle his stomach."

Fili smiled and placed the pouch back into her palm. He held her hand for a brief moment observing how warm, yet calloused, it was. No doubt, her hands were made that way through hard years of living on her own.

"I thank you for your help, but dwarves do not require such remedies. Dwarves have stomachs like iron. We know how to survive a drunken stupor."

Nyssa bowed her head slightly and left. Fili watched her walk away with curiosity. He had only met one other human who was this helpful in his lifetime, and she was his sweetest happiness while also his greatest sorrow.

He turned to Kili and watched him sleep, thinking that tonight Kili had the better idea. Fili closed the door and walked toward a cabinet at the far side of the room. He opened it and pulled out a bottle of ale. He decided to join his brother by drinking until he, too, passed out.