Thorin did not think he had ever run so fast in his life. He could hear unfamiliar children shouting, but he ignored them, directing his entire focus on the voice of his nephew howling over and over, "Kili! Kili!"

As for Kili, he had not made a sound since that terrible scream. Thorin would have preferred if he'd been crying.

He raced down the path and cleared the tree line, and the frozen lake appeared before him, glinting under the perfect blue sky. He paused, gasping for breath, his ribs ablaze with white hot pain as he scanned the area for any sign of the boys. His discomfort was forgotten in a moment.

Great cracks had fractured the ice, running from one bank to the very centre of the lake, where Kili was desperately trying not to slide further into the water. Thorin's heart almost stopped; the bottom half of the dwarfling's body had already disappeared beneath the surface. He was holding on to the ice by his fingernails.

Crushing down his rising panic, Thorin searched urgently for his other nephew. When he found him he could have wept. Fili was edging his way across the lake, heedless of the way it cracked under his skates, still shouting for his little brother. The ice groaned ominously, but Fili pressed onwards.

"Fili!" Thorin roared.

Fili's head whipped around, fear and relief mingling on his face. "Uncle!" he cried.

"Stay still, stay still! Don't move!" Thorin abandoned the path and ran straight to the ice. He barely stopped when he reached the water's edge, slowing down only to ensure he didn't immediately fall over. His boots found no traction on the smooth, glassy ice, and he pin wheeled his arms to stay upright. "Fili, don't move!" he repeated.

His oldest nephew hesitated, torn between obeying Thorin and getting to Kili.

"I don't want you falling in too, you understand?" Thorin explained. "We'll rescue him, alright, I promise. Just don't move."

Fili looked like he wanted to disagree, but he nodded and held his position.

Thorin turned his attention to his other nephew, still clinging, motionless, to the edge of the ice. Kili's tears shone in the sunlight, but he seemed too scared to sob, or indeed to make any kind of movement at all. He was deathly pale, and Thorin did not want to think about how cold the water was. He knew that he had to get the boy out fast, or there was a good chance he might die. He remembered abruptly that Kili could not swim.

"Kili!" The dwarfling didn't respond, gazing fixedly at the ice directly in front of his face. Thorin could see he was trembling. "Kili, look at me!" he growled, putting all the force he could muster into those three words. He hated using that tone of voice with the boy, but there would be time to apologise later, once everybody was safely back at home.

His nephew turned his head slowly to face him, face drawn with terror. Even with that slight motion the ice creaked in protest. Kili screwed his eyes shut.

"Kili, it's going to be alright," he said, trying to sound soothing but not sure if he was succeeding. As he spoke he made his way further out onto the lake, inching across the ice towards his nephews. "Kili, look at me. It's going to be fine."

Shivering more noticeably now, Kili opened his eyes and stared at his uncle. Thorin's heart almost broke to see the trust in the little dwarfling's face. What had he truly done to deserve that kind of faith? A visit now and again, a gift when he could afford it. He could count on one hand the occasions he'd spent more than two days at a time with his nephews. Mahal, I'll change. I swear I'll change. Just get us home safely.

"We're going to get you out of that water first, alright?" Thorin said, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Can you nod if you understand?"

Kili gave the smallest of nods, lower lip trembling.

"Okay. Now, I need you to get one knee up onto the ice. Can you do that for me, Kili?"

A slight shake of the head.

Thorin fought the urge to race across the ice and scoop his nephew up. "Yes you can," he said instead. "You can, Kili."

Kili swallowed and shifted one leg. The ice splintered, and he let out a choked cry.

"It's alright! It's alright!" Thorin shouted. "If you move slowly it won't break. Inch by inch, Kili, come on."

"You can do it, Kee!" yelled Fili.

Kili's gaze flicked to his big brother. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes. "Fili, I'm scared," he sobbed, teeth chattering.

"I know, I know you are," Fili said gently. "But we have to get you out of that water." He took an unconscious step forward, hands stretched out to his brother, and flinched back when the ice fractured. He crept forward more carefully. "Bring one knee up onto the ice, Kili. I promise it won't break, not if you move really slowly. I promise."

Kili bit his lip and tried again. As he moved he kept his eyes on his older brother's face, drawing courage from him as the ice groaned and shifted and spat up needle-like splinters. After a tense minute he had one knee up on the lake surface.

"Good lad," Thorin breathed. "And the other one, carefully now."

Watching his tiny nephew struggle to haul himself up onto semi-solid ground, Thorin thanked the gods that the hole in the ice was small. Any larger and Kili would not have been able to brace himself on either side of the aperture, and the process of hooking his other leg over the edge might have been impossible. As it was Kili almost fell into the water twice, and each time Thorin thought his heart might give way.

But eventually, many anxious seconds later, Kili was kneeling on the ice with only his skates trailing in the water. Thorin allowed himself to relax for a moment. He all but jumped out of his skin when someone called his name from the bank.

"Thorin! Thorin, are ye alright?"

He turned to see Bofur charging down the bank, face coloured with anxiety. The toymaker gave a shout of dismay when he saw little Kili crouched by the hole in the ice. An instant later he was running back the way he'd come, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll get some rope! Stay where ye are!"

Thorin might have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire. Instead he turned to face his youngest nephew again, giving him an encouraging smile. "Bofur will be back before you know it, Kili," he called. "We'll have you home soon."

But Kili did not answer. His head was down on his hands, his slender frame trembling terribly. He had curled in on himself as tightly as he could.

"Kee!" Fili cried. "Look up, little brother!"

Kili raised his head enough to peek over at Fili. His lips were blue now, and his eyes lifeless.

Thorin swore. The lad would pass out from the cold before they could ever reach him. He had to get him to move. "I need you to stand up for me, Kili," he yelled. "Come on, up you get!"

" 'm t-tired," Kili whimpered.

"Stand up Kili."

Sniffling miserably, the dwarfling carefully got one skate flat on the ice and raised himself up into a standing position, feet turned inwards awkwardly. Thorin breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, now, you need to –"

Then Kili sneezed without warning. Everything went downhill from there.

The ice fractured from the sudden, violent movement with a resounding crack!, and Kili shrieked wordlessly.

"No!" Fili and Thorin cried in unison.

Heedless to the shouts of his brother and uncle, Kili cast his tear-stained face around this way and that, looking desperately for an escape. But great fissures were opening in the lake all around him, and the ice beneath his skates heaved and tilted. He let out a broken sob. "Fili."

Fili was moving before his little brother had even called for him.

He back-pedalled, moving onto ice that was not cracked and creaking, and skated around till he stood to the right of his brother. He paused for a precious second, estimating, calculating, staring at the ice that separated him from Kili, and the perilous crevices that grew more numerous the closer his eyes strayed towards the petrified dwarfling. At last he nodded.

Thorin tore his gaze away from his youngest nephew and caught sight of the elder. He pieced together in seconds what Fili was planning.

"Fili, no!" he shouted. "Bofur will be back any moment with rope! Fili!"

The blonde ignored him. Kili was crying his name again, and Fili blocked out all sounds other than his baby brother's voice. Fili tensed, readying himself.

Thorin felt like he might explode. He was too heavy, far too heavy to proceed any further onto the ice and stop his nephew. He could only watch, helpless. "Don't move!" he roared. "Fili, don't you dare move!"

Fili glanced at him once, an apology in his eyes, and took off.

He flew across the ice, his skates a blur, gaining speed as he neared his brother. He barely faltered when he reached the first of the fissures. It was only when he came to a particularly wide gap that he threw himself forward, tackling Kili around the middle and carrying them both over the hole in the ice, momentum sending them clear of the worst of the cracks.

They landed heavily and slid the rest of the way across the lake, coming to rest only when they hit the snow-covered bank. They remained there, motionless.

Thorin stumbled over, cursing the entire way, and fell to his knees beside them. "Boys? Boys? Say something," he growled, hands hovering above their bodies.

Fili did not reply for a long while, occupied with murmuring soft words of reassurance into his baby brother's ear. Kili was curled up in his lap, sobbing quietly into Fili's shoulder and clinging on for all he was worth. He was trembling like a leaf – Thorin suspected it was only half from the cold. Then Fili looked up at him, still rubbing slow comforting circles on Kili's back.

"We're alright," he whispered.

Thorin's shoulders slumped. He placed one hand on Fili's golden hair, his anger at the boy's disobedience forgotten in his relief. Kili did not look likely to release his hold on his brother any time soon, so Thorin scooped them both up and held them close to his chest, disregarding the way his broken ribs flared in protest. Kili buried his face in the fur of his uncle's collar, seeking whatever warmth he could find.

Bofur appeared on the path, a coil of rope held high above his head and his hat sitting askew over one eye. "I found the rope!" he hollered.

o-o-o

Thorin sent Bofur ahead to warn Dís that they were on their way. He was not looking forward to his sister's reaction, but the safety of his nephews was foremost in his thoughts, and he hurried home as fast as his aching ribs would allow.

Dís met them at the door with a fur blanket ready in her hands. She took her youngest without a word, wrapping him in the quilt and carrying him inside, straight to the fire, and Fili wriggled out of Thorin's arms to run after her. Thorin followed quickly, barely stopping to thank Bofur.

The fire blazed in the hearth, sending painful pins and needles dancing up Thorin's fingers as the sudden heat met his frozen skin. He could only imagine what little Kili was feeling. Dís had removed her youngest son's soaked clothes and bundled him up in what looked like every fur throw in the house. Only Kili's mop of dark hair and his sleepy, brown eyes were visible over the top of his cocoon of blankets. He yawned enormously, head cradled against his mother's chest. There was no fear in his face now, only drowsiness, Thorin was thankful to see; the memory of Kili's pale, petrified face was burnt into his mind.

He stood in the doorway, unwilling to interrupt the silent gathering. No words needed to be spoken between Dís and her sons. Her presence was enough to comfort the boys, and Fili and Kili had never needed speech to communicate. Fili sat on the ground beside Dís' rocking chair, one hand resting on his little brother's knee (or what was most probably his knee – it was difficult to tell under all the blankets).

Finally, long after Kili had drifted off to sleep, Dís stood up. She moved to the lounge and placed her youngest down on the cushions, arranging the blankets around him and ensuring his feet were covered. Fili moved to her side, looking down at the unconscious dwarfling.

"I'll look after him," he said quietly. "You can go now, mama."

Dís paused, inspecting him, then nodded. "Go get changed, my love. I'll find another blanket for you."

Fili disappeared into the hall, leaving Thorin and Dís alone. They were both silent. Dís could tell from her brother's expression how close she'd been to losing a son, and Thorin could not help but feel responsible. If he had walked a little bit faster, woken a little bit earlier…

"I did nothing today," he growled.

"Thorin–"

He shook his head. "No, listen. I did nothing. I didn't save Kili. I couldn't. Fili did."

Dís sighed. "I know."

"Bofur told you?"

She gave a wry chuckle at that, leaning against the foot of the couch. "No." Her hand found its way to Kili's head, absently playing with his soft, dark hair.

"How, then?" Thorin frowned.

Dís' fingers stilled, and when she looked at her brother there was a fierce, wild light in her eyes. "I know, Thorin, because that's always how it's been," she said, and she was proud and sad at the same time. "When Kili is in trouble, who gets there first? It's not me, I can tell you that, no matter how fast I run. I might race across the world on winged horses, but my boys will always get to each other first. No army could keep Fili from Kili, no force on this earth, not even me, not even if I wanted to. You would never have saved Kili today, no matter how hard you tried. Fili would have beat you to him a thousand times over. My boys will always get to each other first."

Thorin gazed at his sister as the fire died in her eyes, pride a solid lump in his chest. "You've raised them well," he said, because he could trust his sister to understand what his heart was trying to say, even when his mouth would not cooperate.

"Glad I have your approval," Dís muttered dryly, her face softening.

Fili reappeared, dressed in new warm clothes, and Dís slipped out to fetch him a blanket. Wrapping it around his shoulders, Fili clambered carefully onto the end of the couch and perched there with his knees drawn up to his chest.

"I'm so proud of you, my love," Dís whispered, and pressed a kiss to her eldest son's forehead. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

Fili nodded and smiled at her. Then Dís strode out of the room, and Thorin was left alone with his nephews.

He dropped down onto one of the chairs, exhaling deeply as his aching muscles were finally given some respite. You really are going soft, he thought half-heartedly. Then he cracked open one eye and saw Fili staring at him with a worried expression on his face.

Thorin sat up straighter immediately. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Fili bit his lip, looking down at his brother. He mumbled something that sounded a lot like, 'M'sry,' and a crease appeared between Thorin's brows. "What's wrong, Fili?" he said more forcefully.

"I'm sorry," Fili repeated, not meeting Thorin's gaze. "For disobeying you." He fiddled with the silver bead in his hair, a gift from his uncle when he'd been very small.

Shaking his head, Thorin stood up from the chair and went to kneel in front of Fili. "Don't apologise, Fili," he said gravely, clasping his nephew's hand between his own, two, much larger ones. "What you did today was very brave. Slightly fool-hardy," (Fili grinned sheepishly at that), "…but brave nonetheless." Thorin's own smile faltered slightly. "Never apologise for protecting your brother," he murmured. "Never."

Fili's eyes were solemn, and the resemblance to Frerin was startling. "Thank you, Uncle," he said. "I won't forget that."

"Good," Thorin rumbled. He patted his nephew's hand. Then he rose to his feet, and hesitated for a moment before leaning back down and kissing the top of Fili's head. Quick as a flash Fili had wrapped his arms around Thorin's neck. Thorin blinked. Then, carefully, he hugged the boy back.

"Fee?"

Thorin and Fili both turned to see Kili watching them blearily from the recess of his blanket mound.

"Go back to sleep, Kili, it's alright," Fili whispered.

Kili looked dismayed, even half asleep. "You were having a hug without me," he said sadly, resigned to being excluded from this bonding moment because of his inability to move.

Thorin huffed a laugh and shuffled over to his youngest nephew, bending down to wrap one arm around Kili's cocoon. The dwarfling hummed happily as Fili scrambled across to join their hug. "Warm," he breathed, and his eyes fluttered closed again.

Thorin's heart was full then, while he sat with his nephews held close to his chest. Something healed in his soul for a few, sweet moments, something that he knew would never be fully mended. He thought he might like to stay there forever. But he noticed with amusement that Kili was already snoring softly, and he disentangled himself as gently as he could so as not to disturb his nephew.

"Thank you, Uncle," Fili said again, shifting to allow Thorin to stand.

Thorin smiled and ruffled his hair, then turned to leave. He paused briefly at the door, waiting till Fili had settled beside his brother again, gazing at the fire, before making for the kitchen to help Dís with the chores.

He realised that he'd smiled more in the last week or so than he had in years. It'll do you a world of good, his sister had told him.

He ought to have known Dís wasn't talking about his health.