Kili lay nestled beside his older brother, watching him sleep. Fili stirred, moaning a bit in his sleep and Kili could tell that he was still fighting the illness. But he looked better, that sickly yellow hue was beginning to fade. He had even managed to keep down his breakfast so far.
Kili glanced up when he heard the door creak open. Asphodel walked in slowly and Kili motioned for her to be quiet lest she wake his slumbering brother. She came in and sat down in the chair beside the bed, glancing at Fili.
"He just got to sleep," Kili explained, propping himself up on the bed to look at her over Fili's body, "I think he'll be okay now."
"My mother wanted me to come check on him," Asphodel said, placing her small hand on Fili's forehead, "How are you feeling, Master Dwarf?"
"Good," Kili said, trying to sound convincing. He trained his eyes on Fili's sleeping form, not wanting her to see.
Physically, he felt the best he had felt in weeks. He and Thorin had been treated to good meals and the hobbit's dwelling had provided needed shelter from the intense heat wave outside. But with the recovery of health and relative safety, Kili had been plagued by the trauma of what he had experienced and his fear of losing his big brother only amplified this.
Last night, as Fili fought for his life, Kili had awoken in the next room, gasping for breath. The nightmare had been so real. The village was on fire, the orcs were everywhere and everyone he loved was lost. He was alone in this world.
It was only a dream. A terrible dream. But he could not shake it. And he couldn't let anyone know. He didn't want to be weak, especially around all these hobbits.
"My father died last year," said Asphodel, suddenly, after the two shared a long silence. Kili glanced up at her. She looked at him with her large green eyes, gleaming in the soft light through the window, "He got sick…"
"I'm sorry," Kili said, thinking about his mother, "I never knew my father. Uncle has always taken care of us. And Mother…"
"My uncle helps out too," Asphodel said, "He's a very kind Hobbit, though Mother says he used to be quite mischievous when they were young. He and father were close friends."
Asphodel sat quietly for a moment, as if contemplating something. Kili watched her. He realized she was trying to cheer him up, but seemed unsure of how to go about doing it. Then, quite suddenly, she jolted out of her chair and gave him a smile, "Can I show you something?"
Kili was reluctant to leave Fili. He glanced down at him uneasily.
"It will only be a moment," she assured him, "He needs his rest."
Kili got up and followed her. She led him out into the dining area where Thorin was still talking with Azalea and Bilbo.
"Kili?" Thorin looked at him, "Is Fili alright?"
"Yes, he's asleep," Kili responded, "Though he's still in a lot of pain."
"Yes, that will last awhile," Azalea explained, "Muscle pains."
"Mother, I am going to show him our garden," Asphodel said, "We'll only be a moment."
"Ah… what if someone sees you?" Bilbo asked, looking concerned.
"Well what if they do," Azalea scolded, "What were you planning to do, hide three dwarves in your home and expect them to stay hidden? Some fresh air would be very good for the lad."
"Okay…" Bilbo conceded and Kili glanced at Thorin sheepishly before Asphodel grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the door.
Kili was relieved to find that the heat was not so intense this evening. A gentle breeze blew through his hair as he gazed around at the rolling hills and little paths of the shire. Hobbit holes were carved into many of the hills, all with bright colored round doors. Cattle and livestock roamed about in fields surrounding them.
Asphodel led Kili to a hobbit hole with a bright yellow door. They passed through the little white gate and moved around to the rear of the hill where Kili found a small garden sprawling out from the rear door.
"My uncle taught me how to plant these," Asphodel explained, kneeling down to pick a piece of lavender, "I put it together myself. We have herbs for medicines and herbs for cooking. I mix all the medicines Mother uses for healing."
"Have you and your family always been healers?" Kili asked, quite impressed with the pretty plants and greens spreading out before him. He watched as Asphodel moved about to gather a few bundles of herbs, "and gardeners?"
"All hobbits love to grow things," Asphodel explained, "We love to grow beautiful gardens and crops… but my mother is the only apothecarist in the area. Father was a farmer, he helped with the grain fields."
Asphodel finished gathering her herbs and came over to Kili and handed him a piece of chamomile, "We can make a tea for your brother," she said, "This will help soothe his stomach and help him to sleep."
Kili couldn't help but feel better. Asphodel had a cheerful, sweet demeanor and it made him feel much more at ease.
"Do dwarves garden?" Asphodel asked as they walked leisurely back towards Bag End.
"No," Kili said. "We craft things and we are warriors. My uncle is a blacksmith, he made tools and weapons out of iron. Or he did, before…" Kili trailed away, looking sad as he remembered that they no longer had a home.
"I enjoy wood crafts and Uncle was going to teach Fili and I our own crafts," he continued, sadly, "Before the orcs came."
"I am sorry, Master Dwarf," Asphodel responded.
"You can call me Kili," Kili corrected her, "We are all grateful to you and your family for taking us in."
"Kili," Asphodel replied, "You do not have to abandon your crafts. Your skills would be very useful here. Hobbits can build hobbit holes well enough but we prefer to devote ourselves to our gardens and our fields. And to eating, of course."
"Eating" Kili said with a chuckle, "We have something in common, then."
Kili realized he had much in common with Asphodel, more so than the love of food. She was being raised by her mother and her uncle, just as he was, though her father's loss was obviously still being felt, Kili could see the sadness in her eyes.
But Kili also realized that it had been a long time since he felt happy enough to laugh and to joke. It felt good, and he wished it would last.
"Eating, ales, and pipeweed," Asphodel said with a laugh, "We hobbits are experts in those fields."
"You'll have some competition now-"
"Asphodel!" Kili was cut off when two hobbits stormed up to them.
"Uh oh, it's the Sackville-Bagginses!" Asphodel whispered to Kili, "Longo and Camellia."
"Where are you off to with that… dwarf?" Camellia demanded. Kili raised a brow when she emphasised the word dwarf as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.
"He is a house guest of my Uncle Bilbo," Asphodel explained. Her explanation seemed to shock the two hobbits even more.
"That Bilbo Baggins is housing dwarves in our midst!" Longo proclaimed, "How distasteful! Unsavory folk, they are!"
Kili opened his mouth to protest, but Asphodel beat him to it, "You are the ones who are unsavory!" she shot back, "All you ever do is judge my uncle. It's because you are jealous that he has Bag End and you don't!"
"Hmph!" Camellia scoffed, "Just wait. We'll tell everyone we know that Bilbo is housing Dwarves! Soon he'll be housing men and elves and maybe even Orcs! And then the shire will be overrun with these riff raff!"
Asphodel rolled her eyes. Kili remained silent as the two hobbits continued to hurl jives and insults at him and his people.
"Greedy, hairy, uncultured creatures," Longo continued, "You won't catch me socializing with the likes of them."
"You shouldn't be seen with him," Camellia added, in a more hushed tone, as if she was speaking for Asphodel's benefit, "You don't want people to talk, do you?"
"I don't care what you think of me or my kin," Asphodel responded, "I'm free to be seen with whom I will! and you'll do well to leave my Uncle Bilbo alone!"
With that, Asphodel motioned for Kili to follow her, and the two of them left Camellia and Longo Baggins in their wake.
"I hope our presence here does not make trouble for you and your family," Kili said as they burst into the front entrance of Bag End, "We don't want to be trouble."
"The Sackville-Bagginses make their own trouble," Asphodel explained, "They are jealous of Uncle's wealth, they think they should be the rulers of Bag End and of the shire itself. They're greedy and obnoxious and like to stir up trouble."
Kili nodded. He and Asphodel found the others talking in the parlour, Bilbo and Thorin both enjoying their pipes. Kili was most surprised to find Fili sitting on the parlour sofa, leaning slightly on Thorin.
"Fili!" Kili exclaimed with a happy grin, as he moved to join him on the sofa, "So good to see you up and about, Brother."
Fili returned his brother's smile. It seemed he was on the mend, though it was clear he was still hurting. Kili suddenly felt sad as he glanced over at Asphodel as she told Azalea and Bilbo about their run in with the Sackville-Bagginses. Kili realized that once Fili was better, they would most likely be moving on and he found he didn't want to leave the shire.