First up, sorry for the long update. But between school and, well, school, I haven't had much time to write. Secondly, the Durin fluff I promised last chapter flew out the window - this chapter turned out to be completely different to what it was originally going to be (for better or for worse I don't know - but I might just agree with worse...). Anyway, enjoy. And the NEXT chapter will be faster. I swear on my laptop.
Chapter 10: Easily come by
The next few days were on and off for Dis' feelings towards her brother. He had gotten some sleep, though not a lot of it, and each time he seemed to be plagued by some sort of nightmare. The less sleep he got, the more irritated or withdrawn he would become and sometimes it was all Dis could do to keep herself from hitting him over the head with her metal pot or worse. And he never talked about the dreams either, never even acknowledged he was having them, which was both frustrating and concerning in itself.
He did keep his promise, however, and had taken a day off work to spend with Fili and Kili. They had loved that, their joy in being outside mingled with their joy of the fact it was their uncle who was with them. And once Fili and Kili were smiling, it was hard not to smile yourself meaning both Thorin and Dis had gone to bed with giant grins plastered across their faces. That particular day had been a good one; there had been no arguing or frustrations of any sort, the three males even managing to coax Dis out of the house for a short while.
A sharp rap on the door drew the dwarfish woman out of her brooding thoughts, and, placing down the broom she had been holding motionless in her hands for a time, Dis went to see who had decided to stop by.
"Oin!" she exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
The white bearded dwarf shifted somewhat awkwardly on her doorstep, the small bundle in his arms moved slightly and emitting a soft cry. Dis was taken aback.
"Is that a-?" she began. Oin nodded.
"Aye, his mother passed in the birthing and his father died about halfway during the pregnancy from a mining accident," the healer informed her.
"Can you not take the babe?" Dis asked, not wanting to have another child placed under her care, not when she still felt the loss of her own husband and was wrapped up in concern for her brother. Oin shook his head solemnly.
"I would if I could, but he needs a mother's attention, and I am run off my feet as it is. The strain of sickness may be fading, but it has not yet completely gone. Besides, here the child will have less of a risk in catching the sickness," Oin said.
Dis sighed, looking once more at the infant asleep in the healer's arms. The babe was tiny, even smaller than her Kili had been when he had been born.
"Why me?" she asked, still not entirely convinced.
"Because you have been a good mother so far, and there are no current women with a child as young as him," Oin said, sounding as if he had been expecting the question, "And, as I said before, I do not want him catching sickness, and your house is far enough away from the worst of it that he should be relatively safe. I fear if he does catch it he will not be able to fight it off, as harmless as it is to most." His expression was so persuasive and kind, and Oin had helped her family many times in the past without complaint, that Dis could refuse him no longer.
"But it is not a permanent solution," she warned, "I will look after him temporarily for the time being, but I already have two children I have to care for. I suggest you find a new home for the child as soon as possible."
"As I will," the half deaf dwarf said, nodding in understanding as he transferred the bundle in his arms to hers.
The two stood there for a time, in silence, before a sudden thought struck Dis.
"Does the child have a name?" she asked only to have Oin shake his head.
"No. The mother passed before she could hold the babe, let alone name him," the healer informed her regretfully.
Dis felt pity prick her heart. How horrible to leave this world into the halls of Mahal before you even got a chance to name your newborn. The dwarfish woman was glad that both her sons' births had gone as well as they could have, with only minor difficulties in both cases, and everyone concern at Kili's birth.
"Well, I wish you luck then," she heard Oin begin, and the princess of Durin zoomed her attention in on the dwarf opposite her, "And I thank you for taking in the child. I will be back early tomorrow to check up on him unless a more pressing matter presents itself to me. The child is not strong, and I would suggest you or Thorin keeping and eye on him during the night in case anything goes wrong."
With that, the village healer left her standing in the open doorway, a tiny life force wrapped in a blanket cradled by her arms. Dis drifted inside, noticing for the first time the unusually cold chill of the late morning air, closing the door firmly behind her.
"What's that?" she heard a small voice ask. Dis smiled gently down at her son.
"It is a newborn babe, Fili, a boy," she informed her eldest. The blonde looked up at her with an expression of confusion.
"So I have a new brother?" he questioned.
Dis shook her head as she made her way over to the kitchen. The child would be hungry and, if she remembered correctly, they still had some milk they could spare. She could feel her maternal instincts taking over, and it was concerning just how small the babe was, for he had seemed to have shrunk in her arms.
"No, Fili, he is not a new brother," she told the blonde child, "I am just looking after him for mister Oin until he can find the child a mother."
"Why does mister Oin need to find him a mother?"
It was just like children to always find another question to ask. Dis sighed, unsure of what to tell her son.
"He needs to find him a new mother, because his mother is not here to look after him." It was the best explanation she could come up with, without having to explain the details. But, as always, the inevitable happened.
"Why can't his mother look after him?"
"Where's your brother?" Dis asked, suddenly changing the topic. Fili pouted.
"Napping, meaning I have nothing to do," he answered, previous question completely forgotten. His mother could only thank the gods that children's attention spans did not last very long and were easy to divert.
"Well, why don't you go and play with your toys then?" Dis asked, focused on finding a suitable bottle for the babe to drink out of. Fili's pout deepened.
"Playing by myself is boring," he complained. Juggling a babe in one arm and a bottle of milk in the other, Dis had no way of dealing with the whinny child. It was lucky for her that Thorin stopped by, as he now usually did; Dis did not think it would last though.
Dis' brother did not even have a chance to set a foot inside the doorway before Fili was upon him.
"Uncle, Uncle, guess what! Mother has a new baby!"
Thorin's expression was a point of hilarity with Dis for it looked like it had passed well beyond either startled or shocked. She decided she had better explain before her brother got the wrong impression, if he hadn't already. So it was with a barely smothered laugh that she opened her mouth to speak.
"Oin asked me to look after him while he tried to find the child a new home," she said, clearing up the mess that Fili had made, "It is for the time being only. I am sure we will only have to wait a few days before Oin comes to fetch the babe."
Thorin slowly blinked as he absorbed this before he responded to his sister, scrutinising the child in her arms.
"Looks awfully small," he commented. Dis ' face fell.
"There were some difficulties in the birth."
"Ah," was all Thorin said, his face kept carefully clear of any emotion. They both knew what it could mean.
"Oin wants one of us to keep watch during the night."
"I'll do it," her brother instantly volunteered. Dis was in half a mind to contradict him, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than before. But who was she to argue? She knew she needed sleep as much as he did, and that Thorin would not back down once his mind was made, being the stubborn dwarf that he was.
"Very well then," Dis said, before turning her attention to the hungry infant who had just began to cry.
Don't worry. The kid is not a prominent character - more so that I could write this chapter and get the plot line to where it needs to go. Will hopefully make more sense next chapter.
So what did you think? Good? Bad? Neither? Both?