"Never," Aragorn panted. "Never have I fought someone with such skills using two blades as you do, Fili." Fili twirled his twin swords, very pleased with himself. "As I understand it, you were trained by Thorin Oakenshield himself."
Fili nodded. "That's right. As our uncle and our king, he was determined Kili and I learn all manner of weapons, but I favored the twin blades and Kili the sword and the bow. Thorin could fight with anything. You put a weapon in his hand, he was an expert at it, even a bow and arrow and that is a weapon most dwarves did not learn."
"Did not?" Aragorn asked.
"That's right. Every dwarf learns to shoot a bow now, although many don't like it. My own son is the archery trainer," Kili patted Iomhar on the shoulder.
They spent the rest of the afternoon sparring in the spring sun. Kili and Fili, Kili and Iomhar, Hrafn and Fili, who both used double swords, Iomhar and Hrafn, and even Klin and Keil showed off what they had learned. Fili saw great potential in those two. Aragon took on any who would challenge him and of course, Kili did. It was a fairly even match. Kili even managed to get Tauriel out to show off her skill with her knives.
"Just wait until August, for the wedding," Kili laughed as Tauriel helped him off the ground. "We'll have Legolas, Gimli and Torsten. What a tournament that will be with the entire family together."
"I heard," Iomhar joined in, "that Agli's mother is fierce with a sword."
"We'll invite her too!" Kili laughed.
"Is that what dwarven weddings are like? Get married and have a tournament of weapons?" Aragorn asked.
"Only the best weddings," Kili answered.
Everyone roared with laughter.
Fili found Aragorn sitting on the battlement terrace near the guest quarters. Most of the guest quarters did not contain an outside exit. Dwarves did not feel the need to step outside into the fresh air often. But the guest rooms meant to house men and elves had an outside terrace. Aragorn sat on the terrace and smoked his pipe. Fili cleared his throat to let Aragorn know he was no longer alone.
"Ah, Fili," Aragorn stood. "I was just enjoying the incredible view of Long Lake and Mirkwood. This battlement is nicely situated for landscape viewing and enemy watching."
Fili chuckled. "I hope you've been finding the view nice and free of enemies."
"Indeed."
"May I sit and visit with you?" Fili asked nervously. Normally he didn't feel nervous being with others, but Aragorn, King of Gondor, was a different story.
"Of course," Aragorn sat down again. Fili sat next to him and pulled out his own pipe. They sat together for several minutes, smoking and watching the boats move across Long Lake.
"My Uncle lived most of his life in exile, but was still a prince to his people, often putting their needs before his own. His father and grandfather were good dwarves, but I don't think they were the best examples of a good king to their young heir. Uncle Thorin was a great king, though. I do not wish to speak ill of my fathers, but from what I understand, Thorin was a better king than Thror and Thrain put together. However, there are certain aspects of being king that Thorin never really understood because no one had taught him. I was reading a while back, the histories of my ancestors, and I came across something interesting, but I don't understand what it means."
Aragorn watched the dwarf king with great interest, unsure where this was going.
Fili glanced at Aragorn's earnest face and he felt embarrassment creep up. "Oh, never mind. I apologize." Fili chuckled mirthlessly. "I'm not much of a king if I don't understand the roles of a king."
"King Fili," Aragorn spoke sternly. Fili looked to Aragorn. "Don't be embarrassed to seek knowledge. You are a great king and by showing humility to ask about things you don't understand proves you are the best king for your people. You know, I spoke with Elrond, not long after we received word of Thorin's death. He had nothing but good things to say about your uncle, but he did say this to me: Thorin was the right dwarf to lead his people back to Erebor and rebuild it. Erebor was reborn and grew impressively under Thorin's rule, but, Elrond said, I believe under King Fili's rule, Erebor will reach a Golden Age that it hasn't seen since the days of Durin. I believed Elrond and now I have seen first hand that it is true. Erebor is the greatest kingdom on Middle Earth. I love Gondor, but even now, seventeen years later, we are still rebuilding and recovering from the War with Mordor. It has not yet reached its full potential as the beautiful, great kingdom is has the ability to be. Erebor is thriving and it is because of its great king."
Fili was red with embarrassment. He never felt himself to be a great king. That had been Thorin. He just took what Thorin had given him and tried his best to maintain. This high praise from Aragorn was overwhelming and Fili felt undeserving of it, but proud at the same time.
Aragorn smiled at Fili. "Now, what question did you have about the roles and powers of your ancestors?"
It took Fili a few moments to remember what it was they had been speaking of before Aragorn's overly-kind words. "I read that a king, in his kingdom, has the power to heal his people."
"Ah yes, the hands of a king are the hands of a healer. It is an ancient magic," Aragorn nodded and looked out to the lake again.
"But what does it mean? Does it mean I can heal my people when they are injured?" Fili asked. He wanted so much to know if this was true and terrified that it might not be true. It was in his bloodline to be king, but the direct line had been slightly broken since Thorin, the direct bloodline king, did not have an heir, and so it had gone to his nephew. Fili worried that some of the rights of a king might not have been passed on to him.
"It does, to some degree," Aragorn answered. "It does not automatically make you a great healer who can heal illnesses or perform surgery. It means that, as king, you have the power to protect your people and heal them from dark powers and evil curses."
"Oh, I see. That would explain a few things." Fili thought about this for a moment. Back, during the War of the Ring, when his people had fought orcs and goblins on the slopes of Erebor, there had been an unusual instance, one he had never spoken about with anyone except Kili. Neither of them had understood it, and they feared it might be evil, so it had never been brought up again. He feared telling Aragorn, but perhaps if Aragorn was right, it might not have been evil. If anyone could explain what had happened, it would be Aragorn.
"When we fought for Erebor's continued freedom during the War of the Ring, something strange had happened, but I never understood it and so never spoke of it. While we fought, a ghost-like figure appeared before me. At first, I thought it was my weary eyes playing tricks on me, but I watched as it cut down several of the dwarves who fought alongside me. I knew at that moment it was real and a dangerous threat, so I attacked it. It was the hardest thing I had ever fought. It was strong. Orcs and goblins have strength, but they are clumsy and untrained in their fighting. They are fairly easy to kill because they do not know how to fight. They can swing weapons and be very deadly, but they don't know the art of fighting." Fili looked to Aragorn, who nodded in understanding.
"But this ghost knew how to fight. He understood the importance of movement and well placed swings. It was hard to fight and at one point I feared I would be defeated, but I was able to feign an attack and caught it unawares. My arm burned when my sword touched its body and I quickly pulled away, watching it crumble to the ground and disappear. My arm ached, but I continued to fight until our enemy was defeated. When I was no longer being threatened by my enemy, I was able to take the time to looked at my arm and saw a black line, running from my fingers to my wrist, under the skin, like a vein of blood. I didn't know what it was, but I knew it was not a normal wound, and that it had been caused by the ghost. Kili was with me as I looked at it and we talked about what it might be. He suggested it was a wound from a wraith. I knew it would be the death of me. No, not the death, but something much worse. I could feel it in me, changes and I knew that I would become a ghost like it."
A flash of anger crossed Aragorn's face at this moment. "Sound like a wraith."
Fili nodded. "Yes, that's what I was afraid of. I had heard that the stone that rises over the king's throne was carved by a direct descendent of our first father, Durin. I went to the throne, stood on it and touched my hand to the stone. I prayed to Aule that I might be healed so I could continue to care for my people. My hand burned and I watched as the black line shrank and faded before disappearing completely."
Aragorn's eyes were wide.
"Afterwards, I went among our wounded, to praise them for their loyalty to Erebor and hoping to bring them comfort. I found one of those who had stood with me when the ghost, well wraith, appeared and who had been taken down by the sword of the wratih. I saw the black lines that spread across his body and I recognized it as what I had suffered. He was pleading with me to end his life because he could feel himself changing and he didn't want to be like the wraith. I placed my recently healed hand on his and prayed once again to Aule."
"In Khuzdul?" Aragorn asked.
"Aye. The language created just for the dwarves by Aule. As I spoke, the black lines began to fade and soon they had disappeared. I felt very tired after that, but pleased because the dwarf was in less pain, his skin normal and the burning gone."
"What happened to that dwarf, if I might ask? Did he suffer from any additional after-effects from that wound?" Aragorn asked.
"I don't know. He did not live long after that. In addition to the wraith injury, he had sustained many other injuries that finally claimed his life. But he died an honorable death from battle wounds and not from the poison of the wraith."
"What about you? Do you suffer after effects from your injury?" Aragorn asked.
"No. I was not actually injured. Nothing about the wraith actually pierced my skin, nor did I com in direct contact with it. Mahal healed me completely. Kili and I talked later and I understand that I was healed by Mahal, but why was I able to heal the dwarf? We never quite understood and guess that it was because I had only just been recently healed and that Mahal's powers were still burning within me."
"I believe that you were healed by Aule," Aragorn said, "but you were able to heal your soldier because you are the king. You stood in your kingdom with the very stone of your kingdom resting under your feet, speaking the language of your creator, and as king, you posses the power to heal your people from such dark curses."
"Does the power extent to Kili?"
"I don't know. You are king, but Kili is just as worthy of the power as you are. The only thing that made you king and not your brother was birth order. Kili might posses the power you do, but I do not actually know."
"But I cannot cure Milly?" Fili said, trying to take in all the new information.
"No. Your healers hands as king can bring comfort to those who are sick or hurt, but you cannot cure the body from normal injuries, illnesses or ailments." Aragorn looked sad. If his hands could heal everyone, many good men would never have died.
"Can Arwen cure Milly?" Fili asked.
"Perhaps, but from what Arwen tells me, Milly's condition is an ailment of her body. It is not an illness to be cured. If the body is too injured or its natural functions broken, not even the greatest elven magic an reverse the effects. Arwen can bring relief to Milly's pain and suffering and that relief might be enough for Milly's body to recover on its own, but, no, Arwen's skill cannot make Milly's body whole again."
"So there is no hope for Milly?" Fili felt a tear run down his cheek.
"Not true. There is always hope. Milly is strong. She's your daughter; a daughter of Durin. There is always a chance. Arwen will do everything she can to give Milly that chance to recover. Don't give up hope and never let Milly see you despair."
Fili looked to Aragorn and simply nodded his head. "Thank you, for bringing your wife to the aid of dwarves."
"You and your daughter are more than worth the effort. I will always aid dwarves who are loyal to Gondor, goodness and freedom. Arwen is happy to help someone her father held such high esteem, King Fili, bringer of the Golden Age of Erebor and Fighter of Freedom."
Thank you, once again, good readers. I always appreciate your comments. Elise, spam away. :) I appreciate your insights. One of the comments asked about the kings hands being healers hands. I had forgotten about this. I have this story mostly written and didn't want to change the story, so I went with my own take on Fili being a healer because he is the king. I hope it makes sense. I was having trouble putting my thoughts to words in some places. Anyway, thanks again, y'all!
-Idrylla