Fili and Kili did not know what to expect when they finally reached the Lonely Mountain. Truth be told, they had not even been sure that they would reach it, with all the trials they had faced on their journey. They were grateful to Mahal beyond words to have survived for so long. Even after the worst had happened, when Fili had fallen from the ledge into the depths of goblin town, and Kili had dived after him without a second thought; the two dwarf brothers were alive, reunited, and had become friends with another wizard!
The two dwarf brothers instinctively knew that they could trust James (and Sirius). Although they had spent more time with the former, they could tell that the young men had not an evil bone in their body, and that James was desperate to be reunited with his friend. From the way the young wizard spoke about Sirius, or 'Padfoot' as he sometimes called him, Fili and Kili knew that they were as close as brothers. This fact, along with their desire to be reunited with their own kin, had led them to travel relentlessly along the winding path, until finally the three stood facing the great front gates.
"We're here" said Kili, anticipation in his voice.
"Why has Uncle Thorin and the company not come to greet us" said Fili worriedly.
"Try not to panic" said James reassuringly, thinking of the events that occurred in Tolkien's book. "They may not have noticed our approach. Let's head inside and try to find them".
The two dwarves nodded in agreement, and so they secured their horses to a nearby tree and headed in to the mountain. The sight that greeted them was breath-taking; piles upon piles of glittering gold, silver and gems, which seemed to go on as far as the eye could see. Before any of them could begin to express their thoughts about the sight before them, a flying mass leapt towards them in a blur of colours.
"JAMES!".
Sirius couldn't speak for several seconds; so happy was he to have been reunited with James. He held on to him for dear life, scared that he was dreaming, and he might disappear again.
James was in a similar state of shock and happiness. He hugged Padfoot back fiercely, before stepping back and giving him a good old slap on the shoulder.
"And where have you been?" he asked in mock anger. "Disappearing into a void like that and having adventures without me is downright rude you know".
Sirius held his hands up and tried to look innocent. "To be fair mate, I didn't know I was about to get sucked into… this!" he said, gesticulating with his hands at the vast wealth of treasure around them. "Although I have been involved in some pretty crazy stuff which I need to tell you all about!".
Suddenly, there was the sound of bare feet slapping on stone floor, followed by the sight of a (slightly out of breath) Hobbit. Bilbo stopped short, as he took in the sight of the group before him.
"Fili! Kili!" he cried happily. "It's so good to see you! We all thought, after Goblin town….. Thorin will be so happy to see you! He was devastated when…. Well never mind that! What has happened to you both?"
"It's a long and complicated story Bilbo" said Fili with a small smile. "We are keen to tell you all and hear your story as well. Where is our Uncle and the rest of the company? How do they fair?"
Bilbo's smile faltered for a second. Sirius' smile also dimmed as a shadow fell across his face.
"They are… alive" the Hobbit said slowly. "But Fili, Kili, I must warn you…. This gold, this treasure, it has changed them."
"What do you mean?!" Kili exclaimed, disbelief crossing his face.
"I think it's this place" said Bilbo. "There is a sickness in the air. It has caused the company to behave quite oddly. Thorin in particular is obsessed with finding the Arkenstone; he has barely eaten or slept since we arrived." The poor Hobbit stood wringing his hands together anxiously as he watched the brothers for their reaction.
Fili took a deep breath before smiling reassuringly at the Hobbit. "It's okay Bilbo, we will speak to our Uncle and talk some sense into him. Lead us to the company".
James looked questioningly at Sirius, trying to gage his reaction to what the Hobbit was saying. Sirius gave a slight shake of his head in response, indicating that they would speak later. It was an anxious party that followed Bilbo deeper into the mountain; only James having any inkling of what was yet to come.