Chapter 1 - Lessons from the Forge

Ten or so years before his death, Thorin had passed on the crown of Erebor to Fili. Thorin had several reasons for doing this and not ruling until his death. One reason being he did not want Fili to be alone as he started his rule as king. Thorin knew the heavy weight of responsibility and he wanted to make sure Fili had plenty of aid in the beginning, to which Fili had been very grateful.

The second reason Thorin had given up his title was so he could enjoy his last years - free from responsibility. Even before becoming King Under the Mountain, he had been a prince and solely responsible for his people during their exile. There had been very little time for just him. Now he wanted that time to be free of such burdens. He wanted to craft again and have time to spend with his wife.

Thorin had gone back to the forges. During his life, in his exile, Thorin had worked as a blacksmith to earn money to care for his family. Now he worked for the sheer joy of creation.

Fili would join Thorin in the forge when time permitted and worked to hone his own skill as a smith. It was hot, noisy work that would make his muscles ache, but there was also a sense of calm in the steady hammering of the metal and watching a chunk of iron turn into something beautiful.

Fili learned more about ruling Erebor during his time in the forge with Thorin than he had in the forty years of being Crown Prince to King Thorin. In smithing, a firm, but gentle hand is needed to work the metal. The smith must work hard, be patient, and keep constant watch over his work to make it form into something beautiful and useful. Thorin also taught Fili how to spot bad metal before even starting to work it, thus saving the smith many hours of work. But, sometimes, problems arose unexpectedly, no matter how careful the smith was. So it was with ruling a kingdom. A good king tried to see problems before they could grow, but unexpected things happen, and the trick is to learn to deal with those issues calmly.

Fili was filled with Thorin's wisdom as a blacksmith and a king while working the hot metal over an anvil.

During his decade without the responsibilities of being king, Thorin had produced enough swords and knives to arm an entire outfit of soldiers. His work was some of the best Erebor had ever seen and to own one of Thorin's creations was highly prestigious.

In the decades following Thorin's death, Fili didn't do nearly as much smithing. But sometimes, when his mind was troubled and he couldn't sleep, Fili would find himself in the hot forge, pounding out his problems on a piece of metal, slowly shaping it into something of use. It helped to clear his mind and often he would come up with solutions to his troubles while working.

Tonight was one of those nights. It was a hot summer. Fili couldn't remember a hotter nor drier summer. It wasn't good for the local farmers, whom Erebor relied on for much of their grains.

The dry weather was also drawing out animals from the wild to drink at the shores of Long Lake. This was good for their hunters and plenty of meat was being stored, but all those wild animals also brought lots of trouble. Erebor's guard was being kept busy protecting the roads from animal attacks.

If the local crops did poorly, winter would be hard on men and dwarves. He wondered how far out this heat and drought extended. Was all of Middle Earth suffering or was it just their area of the world? Fili had sent out scouts and messengers to other areas of Middle Earth, hoping another land was faring better and they might be able to trades goods for food.

Fili's mind worked over the problems and possibilities, and he did not notice that someone else had entered the forge.

"Deep in thought?" Kili asked.

Fili was surprised Kili had been able to walk in without him noticing, but he wasn't surprised to see Kili.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Fili asked.

"No," Kili looked over Fili's work. "Nice. A new knife?"

"Yes. I don't really have a use for it. I'll probably add it to the armory's collection. I just needed to work out some thoughts and the knife has formed.

"I know what you mean," Kili said.

Fili dunked the knife into a bucket of water, then he pulled out his own water pouch and look a long drink.

"What's keeping you up tonight?" Kili asked.

"The heat, the drought and its long term effects on our winter food supply." Fili sat next to his brother. His muscles ached. It was good to sit down. "What about you? What keeps you from sleeping this night?"

Kili sighed. "Torsten." Torsten was Kili's oldest son and had just turned eighty.

Fili waited. He knew Kili would talk, eventually.

"You want to go to the springs?" Kili asked.

Fili nodded. A soak in the hot springs would do wonders for his muscles. He cleaned up his work area and they walked together to the springs. There were few torches lit and it was completely empty. It was just as hot in this room as the forge, but it was a different heat. It was humid and smelled of the fragrant oil they burned in there. It was calm and relaxing. They stripped down and slowly sank into the hot water.

It stung and it soothed. Fili laid his head back against the pool's edge and gave a great sigh. He watched Kili swim a few laps up and down the pool before he settled on the step next to his brother.

"So, are you going to tell me about Torsten, or do you not wish to talk about it?" Fili asked.

"I'm worried about him, Fee. Most of the time, his inability to walk has little impact on his life. He can go about his duties and training within Erebor, but he is feeling trapped. I've watched Hrafn and Iomhar decline hunting outings or trips to Dale or Mirkwood. They say it's because they are too busy, but I know it's often for Torsten's sake. He cannot leave the mountain. He can't go hunting and trips to Dale require a lot of planning and work because of his chair."

Kili's eldest son had been injured sixteen years ago at the Battle for Erebor during the War of the Ring, taking away his ability to walk. Through some ingenious ideas and skill, a chair with wheels had been built for Torsten. He could easily get around Erebor. Its stone walkways were easy for the chair to glide down. Through a bit of work, most stairs in Erebor had been fitted with smooth ramps. There were very few places within Erebor that Torsten could not go.

But, Kili was right. Leaving Erebor was near impossible. The outside terrain was not kind to anything on wheels. Torsten was, to some degree, a prisoner within Erebor. Fili knew that his son, Hrafn and Kili's second son, Iomhar, had turned down countless trips over the years to save Torsten the uncomfortable and frustrating situation that he could never go out on these expeditions.

Kili went on, "I know that Torsten is grateful for his cousin and brother's consideration for him, but he feels, well, this is hard to say to you, but he feels they are pitying him and he doesn't want to be pitied. He got mad at Iomhar for not going out with yesterday's hunt. Iomhar says he's not interested in going out in this scorching heat, but Torsten knows better."

"Being a good brother is hard work," Fili smiled.

Kili grinned. "You would know best, Fee."

Fili splashed his brother before resuming the topic of conversation. "What can be done? Does Torsten have any ideas?"

"No. He says there is nothing that can be done. He is here for life."