Sudulthurkh

by Nightchaser

3 years after BOFA a heartsick and abandoned Bilbo comes across a Dwarf merchant selling jewellery in the local markets. It is then that he discovers that Kili now betrothed to Prince Fili has been captured by Saurons minions and is being held for ransom within Mordor itself. The price for his return? The Arkenstone and the head of Thorin. Thorin/Bilbo and Kili/Fili slash.

14. Mothers and Braids

Fili had never been any good at doing his own braids, his mother had done them when he was a Dwarfling and then Kili, when his little fingers had enough strength in them. Since Kili had disappear their mother was once again doing the braids in his hair however the ones in his beard, which only his beloved was allowed to touch, were looking dowdy and loose. A lesser Dwarf than he would probably remove them and just comb their beard straight, Fili however refused to give up on Kili that easily.

He had wanted to chase down those Orcs and get his brother and betrothed back, however Uncle had insisted that he remain safely in Erebor and that he not lose both his heirs in such a way. It hurt his heart to admit it, but Thorin was right ultimately the future of Erebor was more important, plus his Uncle was sacrificing so much to try and get Kili.

"Stop moving your head." His mother's strong hands gripped both sides of his head and held it steady. "Or your braids are going to be uneven."

He found himself frowning at that. "Nobody is going to care if I have uneven braids mother."

She tugged on one of his braids, and he hissed as it pulled against his scalp.

"Your Uncle will care," she answered, finishing one braid and starting on another. "And so should you."

Once again she was right, it was open court today which was something which Thorin had been putting off since Kili disappeared. However he could only stop it for too long, the everyday running of Erebor had to continue even now, they were to recently reclaimed to alienate the Dwarves who were still flowing in from Ered Luin and the other places that had been settled.

"Kili never cared," he muttered, and he heard his mother chuckle from behind him.

"Your brother never wore a single braid in his hair until that blasted battle," she said. "Then again he was waiting for you to place a betrothal braid in that unruly thatch he calls hair."

Fili couldn't help laughing at that, Kili's hair was unruly at best and had a way of becoming knotted and twisted. It also looked incredible spread out across his pillow after they had made love and Kili was telling him dirty jokes. Those memories made him have to swallow around the lump in his throat.

"I miss him Arda," he whispered, just as the last braid was being finished.

"I know you do," she answered, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "You will never ever stop missing him."