As it turned out the other substance in the mixture, besides charcoal and water, had been a soporific. By now Kíli was sleeping and the healer had left the family with the words that he would return on the next day to look after his young patient. It took a lot of Dís' persuasion to urge Fíli into the kitchen, where he now sat together with his mother and Thorin and tried to swallow his supper. It probably tasted superb, like it always did, but Fíli's mind wasn't able to realise it, on top of it he'd lost his appetite a long time ago.
After they'd silently finished their meal and Dís began to clear the table, while Fíli wanted to return to Kíli's chamber, Thorin's fist suddenly collided with the dining table, causing them to pause abruptly.
"When are you finally going to tell me who the girl is you got the cake from?", Thorin sternly demanded to know.
Fíli was so startled by the sudden outburst that he could only stare at his uncle at first. But eventually it seeped into mind, what must be going on in Thorin's mind. He must believe the girl was an admirer like anyone else and that Fíli only had to reject her kindly but firmly, so the unwanted courting would come to a stop. Little did he know about the stranger that gave him presents, after all, he'd long lost the house, when her gifts arrived. Even Dís had been no more than roughly informed of problem, Kíli was the only one who really knew what was going on, although he'd nothing but used it tease him, instead of coming up with solutions.
"Uncle, I don't know her. For weeks now she makes me presents, but she isn't showing herself. There isn't a family crest on them or anything else that would help me to identify her", he replied vehemently. Just the thought Thorin could think he protected the girl, that had poisoned his brother, angered him.
"Tell me the truth, lad", his uncle demanded instead, obviously unable to believe Fíli's words. It was something that hurt more than the blond was ready to admit. "She's tried to poison you! Tell me her name!"
A shiver run down his spine and nausea sat so suddenly in his stomach that Fíli feared he was going to throw up at any moment. Thorin had made him realise something very important. This hadn't been an attempt on his life. This girl knew him much better than he preferred, because – as Kíli had phrased it so aptly this morning – he didn't like raspberries. She'd known that he wouldn't touch the cake. But who had she been after? Had it really been his brother? Or even the children he'd given the sweets to? Whoever her target was, just the thought turned his legs to jelly. Today Fíli had nearly lost his brother and apparently someone had planned it.
"Thorin!", Dís flare up. "We're all angry and horrified, but that still isn't any sort of reason to blame Fíli. By Mahal, Kíli is his brother! Do you truly believe Fíli would protect her, after everything that has happened?"
Thorin's expression darkened, he didn't argue further, however. "How many times is she bringing you gifts?", he asked instead.
Fíli dropped his gaze, his body was shaking from his former realisation. He swallowed hard before he gave Thorin the required answer. "Every day. Every morning, when I leave the house, they're there."
"I want guards before the door and in the hall. I swear to you and Kíli that this criminal will pay for what she did!"
Even though Fíli felt a bit safer after Thorin's flaming words, he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling within him. Kíli was young and strong and yet the poison had given him a hard fight. How would the children have fared? Would they've died? Would've help come too late? Just the thought made him nauseous and was only outranked by the awful fear of losing a brother. By now Fíli sat at his bedside again. Over the last hours Kíli's sleep had been deep and calm, not a glimpse of pain was visible on his features, yet Fíli still feared that Óin's medicine wasn't enough. This was probably the reason why he held his brother's hand in his, while his thumb rested, where he could feel the strong pulse of the brunet. It was the only thing that calmed the fears that tried to tug him into the dangerous spiral of dark thoughts.
It couldn't be long until dawn, Fíli hadn't slept the whole night, when Kíli suddenly stirred. A nearly burned out candle bathed the circle around the bed in a warm, orange light and covered half of Kíli's face under dark shadows. His brother blinked slowly, obviously needing a moment to understand where he was, but after a little while he noticed Fíli and his eyes were so clear and beamed only warmer among the soft smile on his lips, so that Fíli's fear of the last night diminished.
"Hey", he greeted the younger one tenderly. "How are you feeling?"
"Better", Kíli replied immediately. "There is still a slight stomach-ache, but the nausea is finally gone."
Just a few words and still they were able to arouse memories of the last hours. The tears were suddenly there. His brother lived. Óin's medicine had worked.
"Mahal, come here." He pulled Kíli in a hug, while he cried tears of relieve. Kíli patted his arm awkwardly and rested his chin feebly on Fíli's shoulder. For the next heartbeats he just held is brother, assuring himself that he was still alive. When they finally parted he glanced at brunet sheepishly. Kíli didn't tease him for it, an obvious sign for his poor state.
Without any words he poured water into a cup from a jug, he'd brought with him as he'd returned to his brother's chamber, and offered it to Kíli.
"Here", he said. "Óin said you should drink plenty of fluids."
Kíli took it with a grateful nod and down it with only a few gulps. When he put the cup down however, his features changed. Confused, Fíli frowned, while Kíli turned the cup in his hands and eyed it with a bewildered expression.
"I'm sorry", Kíli told him eventually, which only caused Fíli to furrow his brow more perplexed.
What was Kíli apologising for?
"I should've taken the whole situation more seriously", Fíli got his desired answer not much later. Kíli didn't need to speak on to tell his brother what he was aiming at. In turn Fíli tiredly run his fingers through his hair.
"There isn't anything to forgive. I didn't expect these things to happen, either."
Kíli watched him through eyes that must look as exhausted as his own. "What's going to happen now?"
"Thorin is going to post guards. We can only hope that they're going to capture the girl."
His admirer didn't show up again and little by little Fíli started to relax again. The guards in front of their house had probably scared her off. Of course it didn't make good for an attack on his brother, but Fíli began to feel a bit safer. Kíli needed more time, the poison had taken its toll and so he slept the most time. During his recovery Fíli stayed at his side, since a part of him was feeling responsible for what had happened to Kíli. But life goes on and soon he didn't waste much thought on his creepy admirer.
Weeks later Fíli was heading home from a meeting he'd attended with his uncle. The sun was slowly setting and some dwarves busy with lighting the halls for the night. But when he arrived at home he couldn't smell the usual scent of supper and didn't hear a lively conversation between his brother and his mother. Instead he was greeted with an empty room. Dís, as well as Kíli, was missing.
This sight was so unfamiliar that an uneasy feeling settled in Fíli's stomach. Nearly a week ago Thorin had pulled the guards off, when it had become obvious that they weren't going to catch the blond's admirer this way, therefore no one was present to tell him of the whereabouts of his family. Just in case he searched the whole house, but all chambers were empty. Just when he wanted to set off to his uncle, in hopes that he was at least informed, the forceful knocking at the front door reached him. He only needed a few heartbeats to cross the entrance hall and opened the door.
A young, red-haired dwarf with a shrubby beard stood in front of him. Fíli immediately recognised his cousin Gimli by his wild head of hair that would do every dwarf proud.
"Kíli sent me. He told me you would be home by now", his relative blustered out, wasting no time with a greeting. It didn't bother Fíli in the slightest as soon as he heard the name of his brother.
"Has something happened?", he asked instantly as Gimli started to tug him along. Fíli closed the door hurriedly and followed his cousin.
"Dís got attacked on the market. They weren't able to capture the attacker", Gimli explained. "She's all right", he added, when he noticed the horrified look on Fíli's face.
He hastened his steps, guessing that Gimli was leading him to Óin anyway. Besides, where else should he have met Kíli?
"What do you mean, she's all right? You said she got attacked!" Dwarves were only treated at Óin's if something bad had happened, furthermore, Kíli was with her and not at home to tell Fíli about the attack. This and Gimli's words against it made no sense and only scared him further. His heart started to beat harder under these feelings and his fast run, so that it felt like it was going to burst in his chest.
"A blow to the back of her head. She's awake and except for the nausea and a headache she seems to be fine. Uncle Óin just wants her to stay overnight, to make sure that she's completely all right, but other than that she's fine", panting, Gimli tried to calm him.
Fíli bit back an angry comment, that a blow to the head wasn't something that justified a she's all right, but only because they'd arrived at Óin's house. Without slowing down he entered and detected his brother almost immediately, who seemed to be involved in a serious talk with Thorin and Óin. So his uncle had been informed about Dís' state at the same time he was. Of course Kíli was the first to notice his presence and gave him a crooked smile, which instantly chased away some of the fear and tension from Fíli's body, since Kíli's little gesture told him more than every other dwarf was able to do with words. As long as panic was absent from Kíli's features everything was all right.
With a relieved sigh his shoulders slouched. Kíli left the other two dwarves and walked over to his brother, in the meantime Thorin and the healer continued their conversation.
"What's happened to her?", he repeated the question he'd already asked Gimli.
"I've helped mother doing some errands, we were on our way back when we got attacked. The thief was after mother's necklace and dealt a heavy blow when she fought back. I tried to chase him, but I lost sight of him in the crowd", Kíli explained compunctious. Fíli could see the blame on his brother's features straightaway.
Gently, he placed a hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Stop it", he reassured him. "You did what you could. How is mother?", the last he added to forbid Kíli from protesting. Luckily it worked and Kíli chuckled.
"She's awake, furious and wants to go out and capture the thief all by herself."
Fíli snickered softly. "Yeah, that sounds exactly like her."
"Fíli, Kíli", they heard the voice of their uncle and turned around to face Thorin. "Come." Indicating them to follow him, the brothers entered the chamber with Thorin and Óin, where Dís rested in a bed. At least resting was what she should've been doing, before Fíli could even see her however, Óin clicked his tongue.
"I told you to lie down. If you continue to neglect my advice I'm going to tie you down!"
"Now you even sent for Thorin and Fíli?", his mother flared up, ignoring Óin's threat completely. "For the love of Mahal! I've only a bump on the head, I'm not dying!"
A bandage of white linen was bound around her head and showed that Dís tried to downplay her state. After all, she was in one of Óin's treatment rooms, where the dwarf normally treated patients or kept them for a medical observation if he thought their condition was critical. She must've been unconscious for a few minutes, otherwise she would've never allowed them to place her on the soft bed she was now sitting, with pillows between her back and the bed frame.
"Enough!", Thorin interrupted Dís as well as the healer. Fíli understood him only too well, although his mother looked surprisingly well, the concern still chewed at his insides. She was well known, as well known as any member of Thorin's family, and the thought, that someone still dared to attack her, worried him deeply. There was no dwarf that Fíli thought capable of doing this to his mother. She was a respected woman and could be scarier than Mister Dwalin.
Under Thorin's rumbling voice Dís winced slightly, her right hand wandering instinctively to her head to palpate her, without doubt, throbbing head. From one moment to another she looked terribly exhausted, as if the words of her brother had deprived her prior strength.
"Lower your voice, Thorin. It was a hard blow to the head and just because your line is blessed with pig-headed dwarves it doesn't mean that they're invulnerable", Óin put his distant cousin into place.
Thorin didn't answer, but nodded to show that he'd taken note of the other dwarf's words.
"Kíli told us, that you were attacked. What did the thief steal? Did you recognise him?", their uncle asked quietly.
Dís slowly dropped her hands to her lap and looked at her brother through tired eyes.
"No, I didn't recognise him", she answered and shook her head carefully as if to underline her reply without mistreating her head. "As usual the market was crowded. Someone grabbed me from behind and tried to steal my necklace. I fought back and the thief knocked me down. He just wanted the necklace, nothing else", she finished her explanation in a low voice.
Automatically Fíli clenched his fists, if he would get a hold of the thief he would let him pay for what he'd done to his mother. At the same time Kíli bowed his head in shame. The blond didn't blame him, in the crowd of the market it was nearly impossible to react to such an act in time, but he also understood why the younger felt guilty, Fíli would've probably felt the same way had he been in Kíli's shoes. Thorin's expression however darkened and Fíli could almost see how the thoughts in his head worked like cogwheels, trying to connect the all these information.
"What kind of necklace have you been wearing?", Thorin pressed, despite the knowledge on his features. Fíli couldn't tell what this all was about.
Much to the consternation of the brothers tears were shimmering in their mother's eyes. Fíli and Kíli exchanged a worried glance, before the younger made uneasy step towards the dwarrowdam.
"Mother?", he whispered, concerned.
Never before had they seen Dís in such a state of agitation. Normally she was strong and proud. Even when she'd lost her husband Fíli had never seen her cry in his presence. She'd always seemed like an unswerving prop to her children, as solid as a rock that survived every storm unscathed. To see her now completely changed tightened his insides, until he feared to throw up at any moment.
"The mithril-medallion", Dís eventually answered her brother's question. "My only memento of Erebor. The medallion that's handed down in our family for generations. I'm so sorry, Fíli", the last words were directed at him.
Confused, Fíli could only stare at her.
"Someday it should've belonged to your bride", she revealed.
Fíli swallowed hard. Of course it was only a thing, it might've been of value and tainted with memory, but it remained a thing. It was more important that nothing worse had happened to his mother. Still he understood why the loss of the necklace made her feel low.
"We'll capture the thief", Thorin promised his little sister. "A medallion as this will draw attention. He won't be able to able to sell it so easily and since the attack the guards are keeping their eyes open. He won't get away."
But despite his vehement words everyone present knew that the changes were low to get the medallion back.