AN – Hooray! A new chapter! I hate this chapter; I don't really know why. I wrote about four different versions of it, and I hated all of them, and then I had writers block and procrastinated by writing porn instead (oops). Anyway, I'm not completely thrilled with this chapter, but here it is! I hope you all enjoy, and I'm sorry for the wait!

PS: I would still love a beta if you'd like to volunteer as tribute.

Follow me on tumblr! displacedhobbit dot tumblr dot com.

I still own nothing. Enjoy!

Warnings: Sick babies, weirdly angsty writing, probably very bad writing.

Greater than Gold

Chapter 5: Fifteen and Ten

By Displaced Hobbit

Fili woke before dawn, as he usually did, despite the fact that he had no training sessions with Dwalin and no study sessions with Balin. Usually, on days like this, he would curl up with his brother a drop back to sleep, but today was different. Today was Kili's birthday.

Kili's tenth birthday.

He was probably as excited as his brother was. Kili had wanted his own practice sword as soon as Fili had gotten his five and a half years earlier, had wanted to start his weapons training as soon as his brother had, and today was finally the day. Granted, Kili was still a bit on the small side, and there was no way he'd even be able to put up a fair fight against his brother for years, but he still couldn't deny how uncontrollably excited he was that they would be able to train together.

As quietly as he could, Fili slipped out of the bed, wincing as his feet hit the cold stone of the floor. They had moved away from the small village they had lived in after the goblin attack just over a year before. Dwalin and Balin had accompanied them, as they always had, and Bofur and Bombur had come too. They had moved into a rather large dwarrow settlement farther up in the mountains, one where Bombur and Bofur's cousin, Bifur, lived, as well as a few of Thorin's own distant relations. It was the first time that Fili and Kili had ever been so surrounded by their kin, and, for a while, it had been quite overwhelming.

The settlement was founded shortly after the fall of Erebor, and the dwarrows had carved a large, open-air marketplace from a massive cave that had existed on the mountain. Their homes were carved directly into the sides of the cave, sheltered from wind and weather, and safely nestled deep into the core of the mountain, overlooking the rather large town of men that was not more than a half-day's walk away.

They had built an impressive mine, one that harvested gold, silver, and other precious metals from the earth, one that was kept in constant business by the dwarrows and the men who lived below. Thorin and Dwalin had purchased a dilapidated forge once they'd moved into their new home, and with a great deal of work, they'd gotten it up and running. Business was in a constant supply, with plenty of materials provided by the mines and plenty of customers between the dwarrows and the men. It had meant that Thorin spent more time working in the forge and less time at home with his nephews, but they no longer had to worry about being able to pay for their necessities.

Many of the dwarrows in the settlement had fled Erebor with Thorin, over a hundred years ago, and some of them still regarded him as their King and leader, despite their exile and Thorin's nomadic tendencies. It had been strange to Fili and Kili at first, to see people treat their uncle with such respect, when they were so used to seeing men who so obviously looked down on him, and all of their kind, for so many years. They often came asking him for advice, or to help with matters of the settlement, to make decisions for them, and Thorin spent an ever-increasing amount of time tending to his subjects that had not forgotten him.

It had meant that Thorin spent less and less time with them. In truth, Fili hadn't seen their uncle at home in nearly three days; the forge had received a lot of orders in preparation for what promised to be a long winter, and the dwarrows had wanted to organize a better town patrol, and Thorin had been largely busy tending to those matters. He had dropped in on Fili's training the day before, and Kili had said that he'd read him to sleep the night before that, but it was still a large adjustment for the lads who were so used to having their uncle at home so much of the time. Fili'd had to take responsibility for himself and his little brother; though Dwalin or Balin usually made sure they were all right and well fed when Thorin found himself working late.

Fili crept into the kitchen, lighting a few candles as he went to illuminate their otherwise darkened home. He shivered as he got closer to the front rooms; it had been bitterly cold for the past few days, and while the chill did not often reach their rooms in the back of the cavern, it certainly penetrated into the kitchen and the front room like an unwanted visitor. He set about stoking the kitchen fire back to life, intending to make tea for his brother and uncle once they awoke.

He jumped, nearly throwing the kettle of water he had just drawn onto the revived fire, when the front door slammed open, followed by a rush of cold air and some swearing from his uncle. Smiling widely, he rushed out to greet him, and was delighted to see the blanket of fresh white snow through the door before Thorin slammed it shut.

"It snowed!" he whisper-shouted excitedly, just barely resisting the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. Kili loved the snow, especially when he was able to torture their uncle or Mister Dwalin by pelting them with snow balls relentlessly.

Thorin whirled around to look at him, seemingly started to see him awake, before his face melted into a warm smile. "That it did, lad," he confirmed. "Quite a bit, in fact. There's at least a foot in the marketplace."

Fili didn't waste a second to launch himself at his uncle, jumping so that his arms could wrap around the taller dwarf's next and squeeze him tight. "Missed you, Uncle," he murmured into the thick curtain of hair, smiling delightedly when Thorin's arms wrapped around him in return.

"I am sorry," Thorin murmured as he set him back on the ground and busied himself with taking off his coats. "I had not intended to spend so much time away from home."

Fili waved him off. "It's alright! I understand, Uncle, and Kili does, too."

Thorin chuckled lightly and reached down to ruffle Fili's hair. "And what have I done to deserve such patient sister-sons?" he mused before hanging his coat on the wall. "You're up early," he observed, and Fili just smiled.

"I'm too excited to sleep," he explained, following his uncle back to the kitchen, pleased to see that the water had warmed enough to make tea. "It took me forever to get Kili to sleep! But then I got to thinking about how much fun it would be to start training with him, and I could hardly sleep either."

His uncle laughed aloud at that. "I can only imagine. I was much the same way when your Uncle Frerin starting his training."

"Did Uncle Frerin ever beat you in sparring?" Fili asked excitedly. He loved to hear about his other uncle, but he knew better than to ever bring him up. He knew that Frerin had died, young, in a battle alongside Thorin, but no one ever spoke of him outside of that. Sometimes, Thorin would speak of him, and Fili always wanted to know more, but he was careful not to push his luck too far and make his uncle turn the conversation to something else.

Thorin smiled fondly. "Not for a long while, when he was in his forties. And even then he only bested me because I had a cold."

Fili laughed. "Do you think Kili will be able to beat me before he's that age?" he asked as he pulled a tin down from the cabinet, one that contained a wide variety of flavored pastries that Balin had sent home with him after his lessons the day before, explaining to Fili that he'd wanted to have something special for breakfast for the 'birthday lad'. He finished preparing the teas, offering one to his uncle and adding a bit more honey to the one intended for his brother.

His uncle took the tea with a grateful smile. "That's the problem with your little brother," he mused, a smirk pulling at his lips. "He's always full of surprises."

Fili nodded in agreement. "Oh!" he mumbled excitedly. "Can I see his sword?"

"Of course, of course," Thorin replied, striding over to the pantry cabinet and pulling something off of the top of it. It was one of his favorite hiding places for things that he wanted to keep from the lads. Fili was tall enough to reach it (with the assistance of a chair), but respectful enough of his uncle's rules to leave it well enough alone. Kili was still awfully short, barely reaching his uncle's waist, and couldn't even come close to reaching the top, even with the aid of chairs and other furniture (though it wasn't for a lack of trying). He pulled the wooden sword from the cloth it was wrapped in, and handed it to Fili for his approval.

"Did you make it?" he asked excitedly as he appraised the sword in his hands. "You made mine, didn't you?"

Thorin nodded. "It is tradition for your first weapons to be made by a family member, wooden or not. Many people may have abandoned the old ways of Erebor, but I still like to keep with tradition for my own kin."

"That way, when we take Erebor back, we'll know all of the proper traditions and be able to teach them to the other dwarrows!" Fili agreed, smiling widely.

A strange look passed over Thorin's face, one that was a mixture of wistfulness and pride and sadness, before he clapped Fili warmly on his shoulder.

"It's a bit smaller than mine," he observed, running his fingers along the blunted edges, "but I think it's about the same size as Ori's, isn't it?"

"It should be close," Thorin agreed. "I'd imagine that Ori wasn't very tall in his tenth year either."

Ori was one of the dwarrow children that also lived in the settlement, along with his much older brothers Nori and Dori. Ori was fourteen, just a year younger than Fili, and was in most of Fili's lessons with Balin. Because he was tall and quite strong, despite his youth, Fili usually had his weapons training with the older dwarrow children, though he'd heard a lot of teasing comments regarding Ori's lack of skill in Dwalin's training sessions. Like his brother, Ori was a late bloomer, slight and lean and a bit on the short side, for a dwarf.

Fili bit his lip as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you think they'll tease Kili too?" he asked, protectiveness for his brother shining through.

Thorin gave him a small smile. "I should think not. You and your brother are of the line of Durin, you're born fighters and warriors; it's in your blood." He chuckled softly.

"And he wants to be like you, so he'll try his very best," Fili murmured in agreement as he handed the sword back to his uncle. "I should go and wake him."

"I'll rouse him," Thorin murmured as he wrapped the sword back in its piece of cloth and set it on the table. "You should enjoy your breakfast. I'm sure you'll need all your strength to keep up with your brother today." Fili laughed lightly as he nodded in agreement.

Thorin slipped back to his nephews' bedroom as quietly as he could manage. Kili was a light sleeper, and he often woke up several times during the time, unable to fall back asleep until he was curled securely against his brother or uncle's side, or until one of the two of them had read or sung him back to sleep. Even as a babe, Kili'd had trouble sleeping, and it had gotten much worse after the goblin attack. He was prone to letting Kili sleep late into the day when he could manage it, but he was sure the lad would mind being woken early this day.

He knelt by the side of the bed before reaching a hand out to card through the lad's hair softly. "Good morning, little Kili," he murmured as bleary brown eyes looked up at him. He'd expected his youngest sister-son to barrel into him with a fierce hug, as the lad was wont to do, but instead Kili just whimpered softly and buried himself back into his furs.

Thorin frowned. Kili was usually easy to wake, and he had thought his nephew would be a bit more excited to see him after his absence for the past few days. To be honest, it hurt a little that Kili had not immediately climbed into his arms; Thorin loved the lad's displays of affection as much as he pretended to be annoyed by them.

He swept a hand across the boy's forehead, frown deepening as he felt the heat there. "Fili!" he called, even as he jostled Kili to try and stir him into wakefulness.

The blond youth poked his head through the doorway, confusion marring his face for a moment. "What is it, Uncle?" he asked, voice hitching with the tiniest bit with concern when he noticed his still slumbering brother.

"Did Kili have a fever when you woke?" he asked, careful to keep any accusations out of his voice. He didn't want Fili getting the wrong impression, didn't want the boy to think that he had failed in taking care of his brother.

Fili frowned and stepped further into the room. "I didn't notice," he murmured. "I was trying to let him sleep, so I left him alone." He watched as his uncle pushed up the fabric of his brother's sleeping clothes, gasping softly at the small red bumps that had popped up on his Kili's skin. "What is that?" he asked, a slight edge of panic in his voice.

Thorin gathered Kili up into his arms, and Fili visibly fretted at the pitiful whine that escaped from his brother's lips. "I think he may have the pox," Thorin murmured softly as he tucked the lad up against his chest, shushing him softly when he whined again. "What did he eat last night?"

Fili bit his lip, remembering. "He didn't eat anything, actually. Mister Dwalin brought some salted pork and ate with us but Kili said he was too excited for food." Fili frowned. "What's the pox, Uncle? Is he going to be alright?"

"It is a sickness common to dwarrow children, though he is a bit old to have it," Thorin explained, extending an arm to wrap around Fili and pull him close to his side. "Most dwarrows get it when they are very small. I had it when I was six, gave it to Frerin before he could even walk." Fili nodded to show he was listening, but his arms reached out to comfort his brother. "You had it when you were three; I was not around, but your mother wrote to me about it."

Kili coughed violently into his uncle's chest, and Thorin bent down to press a kiss against the crown of the lad's head.

"Are we going to get sick too?" Fili asked, voice tinged with worry.

Thorin offered him a warm smile. "No, lad. You can only get the pox once. Kili must have picked it up from one of the other children; it's been a long time since we lived with our own kin."

He nodded, a deep frown falling onto his features. "Will he be alright?" he asked again.

"Aye, he will, with a little medicine from dear old Mister Oin," Thorin confirmed. "Though I should expect he'll be a bit miserable for a few days, at least. Pox usually makes you quite ill to your stomach and gives you a nasty cough."

"But it's his birthday!" Fili bemoaned. "We're supposed to go training and eat sweets and attack Mister Dwalin with snowballs today!"

Thorin sighed lightly as he rose to his feet, keeping Kili close. "And the two of you shall do all of those things, and a great deal other sorts of mischief, I imagine, but not until your brother is well again." Fili frowned. "I daresay you are more disappointed than he would be."

"I'm not!" Fili protested, before his cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment. "I just…I just wanted him to have a birthday that's as special as all of mine have been. It always snows on his, so people can't visit, and none of his favorite foods are anywhere to be found this time of year, and I just wanted…but now it's all ruined" He sighed, heavily.

Thorin knelt down to be eye level with him and clapped his free hand on the lad's shoulder. "Sweet Fili," he murmured. "He will indeed have a special day; I know you will see to that. It will just have to be a little late this year, is all."

Fili still frowned, but nodded anyway.

"But now," Thorin murmured as he stood up straight again. "I'll need you to run and fetch Mister Oin for me." Fili nodded and trudged off to the front rooms. "And make sure you're bundled up properly, Fili! It is quite cold out."

Fili did as he was told, donned both of his coats and his thick winter boots before heading out of their home. He was comforting by the fact that his uncle did not seem overly concerned with Kili's condition, but he was still so upset that Kili had to fall ill on his birthday of all days. He wrapped his arms around himself as he headed out into the cold; the chilled air bit at his lungs, and he shivered involuntarily. Their uncle probably wouldn't have let them come out to play in such cold weather anyway.

Oin and his younger brother Gloin were distant cousins of their uncle. Gloin was a proud warrior, much like Dwalin, and often assisted in the weapons training for the dwarflings. Oin was a physician, the best in all their little settlement, one that Thorin trusted enough with the care of his nephew's. They lived in a house on the far side of the marketplace, with Gloin's new bride Aerona, and Fili hastened his steps to get there faster.

He only encountered a few other dwarrows on his trek; it was too early for most to be awake, and the ones that were seemed to favor staying inside to avoid the chill. He eventually broke into a brisk jog, eager to get out of the cold and reach his destination. He winced slightly as he knocked on their door, hoping that he wasn't intruding on anything or rousing them too early. He hated to be impolite.

The door opened not a moment later, revealing Aerona's smiling face. "Fili, dear! What brings you here so early in the morning?" She ushered him inside her home, and settled him down in a large armchair near the fire, murmuring something about not wanting him to catch cold.

"Kili's sick," he explained, frowning as he did so. "Uncle thinks he has the pox, and he wanted me to come and fetch Mister Oin, ma'am."

She frowned softly. "Poor little dear," she murmured. "It's not any fun to have the pox. I'll go and get him, lad. I imagine he's still sleeping, but he won't mind coming to check on your brother."

Fili nodded his thanks, and she disappeared down the hallway to the back of their home. He occupied himself with taking in the appearance of their home – there were a lot more decorations and embroideries in their sitting rom, and Fili found himself suddenly envious. His mum used to make quilts and tapestries, though he hadn't seen any of them for years, and he suddenly wondered where they had got off to. The only quilt he could think of was the one that was on the bed he shared with his brother, the one she had made for him when he was just a babe. It was hardly big enough to cover him, now, but he still took comfort in holding on to some small piece of his mother.

He missed them, his mum and da, more than he would ever admit to anyone, even Kili. Sometimes he feels guilty, because even though his uncle gave up a lot to take the place of his parents and was raising him as if he were his own, he knew he would never really love Thorin as much as he loved his mum and da. There would always be a hole in his heart; one that Thorin just didn't quite fit in to, though his uncle tried his best to father him. Sometimes he wants to love Thorin like he is his father, but it feels like he betrays his father's memory in doing so, and just the thought of letting someone else replace his da in his heart makes him feel full of guilt.

"He'll be round in just a minute, dear," Aerona announced as she came back into the front room, startling Fili from his thoughts. "I'll fetch you so tea; you look like you could use something warm."

"Thank you," he murmured quietly, eyes focusing back on the fire.

He envied Kili, sometimes. He never knew their parents, all he'd ever known was Thorin, and he loved their uncle with his whole heart, unconditionally. He loved Thorin as though he truly were his father; it was Thorin who had taught him his first word (Feewee!), it was Thorin who had taught him to walk (though Fili had helped), it was Thorin who had taught him to read and write (then Balin when he had to fix his brother's mediocre skills). It was Thorin who kissed his scrapes better and Thorin who tended to his hair and Thorin who sang him to sleep. He didn't have to remember his mum and da doing the same things, he didn't have to feel that twisting in his chest when he thought too hard on them, he didn't have to miss them, not like Fili did.

He frowned and shook his head to clear those thoughts. He knew Kili missed them dearly, ever since he had learned they were there to miss. He could recall more than one occasion on which he'd held his crying brother, murmuring words of love and encouragement when he'd whispered, "Do you think Mum would have liked me?" or "It isn't my fault that they're gone, is it?" He couldn't imagine the pain his brother probably felt, missing people that he hadn't ever known.

Still, he envied the love his brother had for their uncle. It was easy to him, natural, to treat Thorin like his father. And Fili knew that Thorin loved him as though he were his own son, though he never spoke about it. For a while, Fili had wondered if his uncle simply loved Kili more that him; he always coddled him, gave him little treats for no apparent reason, snuggled him and kissed him more than he ever had Fili.

Eventually he realized that it wasn't that Thorin loved his brother more, it was that he loved Kili like he were his own son. His uncle had raised the lad straight from his birth, taught him everything he needed to learn. Their bond was different than the one he shared with his uncle. Kili was like his son, and Fili was still his nephew, but both were loved with equal intensity from their elder. In fact, sometimes Kili pouted that their uncle loved him the most, when Thorin spent a large amount of time with him training him to be his heir.

He was drawn from his thoughts as Aerona pressed a warm mug into his hands.

"A bit young to be so thoughtful, hmm?" she asked as she squatted down in front of him. "I wouldn't worry about your brother, dear. All dwarrows get the pox at one time or another, and we're all sad and miserable and grumpy for a few days, but it will pass."

Fili managed a small smile. "I know," he murmured. "I just can't help it sometimes," he admitted.

"You know," she said softly. "I have two little brothers myself. Right young hellions they were once, though I shouldn't say the same for your brother. Always sweet and charming, that one."

Fili laughed. Kili did tend to make that impression on people. He was still young and rather shy around people outside of their little family, and he usually stayed latched to Thorin or Fili (or sometimes Dwalin, which always made him snicker with amusement at his tiny brother attached to the hulking warrior), only speaking when spoken to and always being as polite as Fili was.

"He just doesn't know you well enough to cause any mischief," Fili mumbled, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I should expect not," she agreed, a smile tugging at her lips again.

At that moment, Oin rounded the corner into the sitting room, already dressed in his coat and carrying a rather large bag, eyeing Fili tiredly. "I hear we've got a spot of the pox, perhaps?" he asked, and Fili nodded as he stood, handing his mug back to Aerona and fixing her with a grateful smile.

"You'll have to tell me about your brothers some other time," he murmured apologetically, but she just waved him off.

"Well come on then, lad," Oin said a bit gruffly, clearly disgruntled at being woken earlier than he intended. "Let's get your brother taken care of so I can get back to sleep!"

"Yes, sir," Fili agreed as he pulled the door open for the older man, who nodded in thanks. "I'm sorry we had to come and get you so early."

"It's not a bother, lad," Oin replied, wincing at the cold wind as it hit him when they stepped outside. "Just had to be up late with Missus Cora's babe; this cold weather doesn't agree much with him."

Fili scoffed. "I shouldn't expect this agrees much with anyone, really."

Oin laughed heartily. "Quite right, laddie," he agreed as they walked swiftly across the marketplace. "When did your brother start feeling ill?" he asked, shifting into his physician's mode easily.

"Uncle noticed his fever just before I came to fetch you," he explained. "He has spots all on his belly, so he thought it might be pox. He didn't eat anything for dinner last night, but he didn't say that he felt ill; he just said he was excited for his birthday."

Oin tutted quietly under his breath. "Has he been sick at all?"

Fili shook his head. "He hasn't." Oin frowned at that, and he felt a tiny bit of panic well up inside of him. "What's wrong?"

The physician quickly covered his frown with a smile and patted Fili's shoulder comfortingly. "Nothing, my boy, I assure you! Normally you're sick first, then the fever, then the spots, is all."

"I mean, he could have been sick and just not told me," Fili reasoned before shaking his head. "But even if I was asleep he would have woke me or Uncle. He's terribly clingy when he's sick."

Oin barked out a laugh. "Terribly clingy when he's not, that one. Never seen a dwarf as affectionate as he is." Fili had to laugh in agreement.

They finally arrived back home, only to find Thorin seated on the floor in the middle of their sitting room, with a shaking and sobbing Kili retching into a pot on his lap. Thorin looks immensely relieved to see his distant cousin walk into their home, and for a split second Fili wondered if his uncle was really more worried than he had let on.

"So I see that has started then, hmm?" he asked as he removed his coat and crouched next to Thorin, who merely nodded as he pushed Kili's sweaty fringe from his forehead when the lad collapsed back against his chest.

Fili hovered back, watching the three with interest. He was unnerved at seeing his uncle unsettled; it was so rare that Thorin showed any emotions aside from his affection for them, and he did not like the worried look in Thorin's gaze one bit.

"Good morning, Kili!" Oin greeted cheerfully as he settled himself on the floor. "And a most happy birthday to you, lad. I am sorry you're sick," he murmured as he swept a hand across Kili's forehead, feeling how high the fever had gotten. "Do you mind if I take a look at your spots?"

Kili frowned, but shook his head anyway, allowing Oin to do his work. Fili was struck by how pale and tired his brother looked; it had been a long time since either of them had been ill, and he couldn't remember his brother ever looking so miserable before. He frowned when Oin lifted his brother's shirt, and saw how large and red the bumps had become.

"Do they itch?" he asked aloud, and Kili seemed to finally focus on him, to notice him for the first time.

His younger brother reached out a hand toward him as he shook his head. "Fee," he whined, truly one of the most pitiful sounds he had ever heard, and Fili found himself settled down next to his uncle, his brother's hand firmly grasped in his.

"They might start to itch," Oin warned, "but you mustn't scratch! If you do, they could get infected, and then you'll have nasty pox scars and even nastier medicine to take." Kili nodded, but Oin fixed Thorin with a stern gaze. "You wrap his hands to keep him from itching, if you have to," he ordered, and Thorin simply nodded.

Kili whimpered and lunged forward to retch into the pot again, sobbing when he heaved and nothing came out. Fili placed a comforting hand on his brother's back and rubbed in small circles as the boy dry-heaved for several long moments.

"Definitely a touch of the pox," Oin concluded once he'd finished his examination, giving the family what he hoped was a reassuring nod. "I'll mix you up some tea that will help him sleep and some ointment you can use on the spots if they itch. He should be back to normal in a few days; a week at most, I should think." He rose and took his bag with him into the kitchen to mix up the medicines.

Kili turned and curled up against his uncle's chest, groaning as he did so. "Hurts," he mumbled.

Thorin pushed the hair back from his face again. "I know it does, little one," he soothed. "But it will only last a couple of days." He pressed a kiss against the lad's fevered temple.

"Does this mean I don't get to train?" he mumbled as his eyes drooped shut. "Mister Dwalin said…he said we had to start on our tenth if we wanted to be warriors but I don't think I can."

Thorin glanced over at Fili and let his eyes flicker to the table where Kili's sword still lay. In an instant, Fili was on his feet to retrieve the gift.

"Of course you'll get to train," he murmured. "It's too bloody cold for Mister Dwalin to leave his house and train with you anyhow. I'll bet he's cooped up in front of his own fire wrapped in all his furs," he added with a chuckle. "When you are well again I'll start your training myself; does that sound fair?"

"And you'll learn how to use this!" Fili exclaimed happily as he sat back down, thrusting the practice sword into his brother's hands.

Kili perked up a bit at the sight of his own sword, small hand grasping at the hilt as he testing its weight in his hands as he held it out in front of himself experimentally. He was already feeling the strain of his illness, and his hands shook with exhaustion even with the sword's slight weight. Thorin reached around him and gently grasped his wrist to keep them stable.

"It's prefect," he breathed as he turned back to face his uncle to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, uncle," he murmured before dissolving into a coughing fit and slumping back against Thorin's chest. His elder shushed him softly, rubbing his back comfortingly.

Fili gently pulled the practice sword from his hands and set it on the nearby armchair, watching the pair with a pensive look on his face. He couldn't quite decipher the look in Thorin's eyes, and it made him a bit concerned that his uncle seemed unwilling to let Kili out of his arms.

"All right, laddie," Oin called as he came back into the room, a steaming mug of tea in his hand. "It's off to bed with you." He handed the mug to Kili, and the boy took an experimental sip before grimacing.

"S'nasty," he mumbled, but obediently took another sip after a stern look from the physician. It took him a few moments to finish the medicine, and when he did Oin patted him on the head before collecting his mug and the pot he had been sick in, disappearing to the kitchen once more.

Kili coughed again, weakly, and for a moment he looked so green that Fili rushed into the kitchen to grab another pot should he be sick again, but it passed and he was soon sound asleep, slumped against his uncle with his thumb lodged firmly in his mouth. Once he was sure his brother was asleep, Fili tugged on his arm to pull the digit free; he was getting to be too old for such a habit.

Oin returned from the kitchen and handed Thorin a small jar. "This is the ointment, should you need it. It will help with the itching and fight any infections he might wind up with from scratching. I've left a few satchels of tea to help him sleep on your table. Give hime one dose in the morning and one in the evening, no more." Thorin nodded his consent. "Should he get worse, you should call on me again, but I would expect him to be well in a few days time."

"Thank you, Oin," Thorin said, extending a hand for his distant cousin to shake. "I am in your debt."

The older dwarf waved his hand, indicating that no thanks were necessary. "Anything for my king and his boy," he said, giving them a soft smile. "Though I should like to return to my bed, if it's all the same to you."

"Go, go," Thorin commanded, chuckling lightly.

Fili stood and walked the physician to the door, bestowing his thanks on him once again, shivering when the cold air bit at his skin again. When he returned to the sitting room, he found his uncle idly carding his hand through Kili's hair, but he looked to be a million miles away. Hesitantly, he sat back down next to them, smiling fondly at his brother's soft snores, before laying a hand on Thorin's arm.

"Are you alright, uncle?" he asked, causing the older dwarf to jump slightly before he focused on him.

"I…"he started, then frowned. "I am just feeling sentimental, I suppose." His arms tightened almost imperceptibly around his nephew's slumbering form. "It has been a very long time since I needed to care for a sick dwarfling."

Fili wondered whom it was that Thorin had cared for. He couldn't remember a time when he or Kili had been sick, really sick, and needed a lot of extra attention. Most of the illnesses that afflicted them barely lasted a day, and almost none of them ever required any medicines, just a bit of sleep and then they were good as new.

"Frerin fell ill often," he continued, answering Fili's unasked question. "I find myself thinking about him more and more these days. Kili is much like him, in spirit."

At the mention of his name, Kili stirred weakly against his chest, but Thorin quickly soothed him back into sleep by humming quietly. For a while, they sat there, on the floor of their sitting room, nestled together. Fili did not ask more questions about his other uncle, and Thorin volunteered no more information.

After a while, Fili broke the quiet with what he'd thought was a harmless question.

"Where we your coming from, this morning? You weren't working at the forge all night, were you?" His voice held a tint of concern to it.

Thorin sighed, shoulders sagging with some weight that Fili did not understand. "I had thought…there were signs, indicating that the dragon may have gone from the mountain, that we may soon be able to return to Erebor." Fili's eyes widened with excitement. "But Balin came to rouse me early this morning. Word had come that the dragon was alive and well, burning the eastern woods before barricading himself back inside." His voice was tinted with a bitterness that Fili hadn't heard often.

Fili groaned in frustration for his uncle. He knew how much Thorin wanted to reclaim their homeland, and he had no doubts that they would one day do so, but there was not much one dwarf could do against the might of a dragon, so they had to wait until fate was on their side.

"I promise you," Thorin whispered as he wrapped an arm around Fili's shoulders. "I promise both of you that you will see your home some day soon. You will be princes of Erebor, as you were meant to be. You will have your home again."

Fili nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as an unexpected wave of emotion surged through him. "We already have a home, uncle," he murmured quietly. "It's with you."

He didn't dare look up to see what emotions played about Thorin's face, but he guessed from the shuddering sigh and the kiss pressed to his temple that his uncle had tears in his eyes. "My sweet, wonderful boys," his uncle murmured as he hugged him closer. "I would be lost without you."

In all, it takes Kili a week to get over the pox. He spends most of the week asleep in Fili's lap while he reads or practices braiding his brother's dark hair. Despite the cold, and news of the lad's illness, he has many visitors on his birthday.

Ori comes and chats excitedly about Kili joining his weapons training. The older dwarfling doesn't plan on becoming a warrior, not like Fili and Kili, so he still spends his time learning the basics with a practice sword, and hasn't moved on to mastering specific weapons like Fili has, and he is excited to have someone new to spar with.

Bofur brings him some carved toys, a dragon and a dwarf warrior that Fili thinks looks suspiciously like their father, and sits with him for a while, letting Kili slay the dragon until he starts coughing too much again, and then leaves him to let him sleep.

Dwalin doesn't come out in the cold, just as Thorin had predicted, but Balin brings him a book that has pictures and information about all of the plants and animals that live in the woods outside their home. Kili asks him a thousand questions, until his voice is slurred with exhaustion and Balin takes his leave.

Bombur brings him a helping of soup that he claims will have him cured in hours, but Kili retches it back up not two minutes after the large dwarf left their home, and the three swiftly decide to never let the redhead know what happened to his favorite meal.

Kili demands to be allowed to start his weapons training the day his spots disappear, and for a while, Thorin hesitates. He can see that the lad had lost some weight from his illness, and he is wary of stressing the boy too much when he is only just well, but Dwalin placates the boy by agreeing to teach him the proper stances and leave the heavy work for another day.

Thorin finds himself watching with an amused smile as Dwalin shows him the appropriate stances, watches his brown eyes brim with adoration when he sees Fili perfectly execute a move, sees how both of their cheeks are flushed with excitement. He finally feels relaxed; Kili illness had made him immensely concerned, for reasons that he did not fully comprehend. He had seen dwarflings with the pox a number of times, had taken care of Dis when she'd had it. Seeing Kili so frail and weak must have drudged up memories of that awful dream he'd had, memories of Frerin, and that, combined with the news that the dragon was still alive and well and squatting on him home had stirred up a mix of emotions that he hadn't truly known how to deal with.

It isn't until Kili is excitedly tugging on his hand, dragging him into the sparring arena to demonstrate some stances with Dwalin that he drags himself out of his depressing thoughts. Fili's words from a few days before spring back into his mind, and he wonders if maybe, maybe those words could be true for him as well.

"We already have a home, uncle. It's with you."

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.