The air was cold in Kili's face as he rode his pony as fast as it could go. They rode along the north side of Erebor's lands toward the Iron Hills. They had passed the first beacon an hour ago. They would arrive at the next one in another hour, if they were lucky. Kili had brought along two guards with him. They were armed with supplies and weapons. Mile after mile, their ponies ran. He hoped a raven could be spotted once the sun started to rise. For the moment, it was too dark for most ravens to be out, much less be spotted in the darkness. If he could call a raven, the raven to could take the message to Hrafn, who could send Graig back home.
To Kili's surprise, he heard a raven cawing in the distance. It was still dark and Kili couldn't make out any figures in the sky, so he whistled the raven's call. He heard the raven again, closer, clearer. Kili whistled once more.
The raven was making a lot of noise, most of it Kili could not understand, but what he did understand made his blood run cold.
"Dwarves! Blood! Dwarves! Blood! Orcs!" the raven cried out over and over.
"Where?" Kili yelled to the raven.
"Big rock! This way!"
Kili could just barely make out the outline of the bird in the pre-dawn light. They turned their ponies and followed the raven. A strong breeze blew in Kili's face. It carried sounds of battle cries and the stench of blood. Kili kicked his pony harder and pulled his sword from its sheath. As they came around to the other side of a large rock, the early morning light revealed a pile of dead bodies of orcs and dwarves and one lone dwarf, still standing, driving his sword into an orc's chest.
"Hrafn!" Kili cried to his nephew. He watched Hrafn fall onto the dead orc. Kili jumped off his pony and ran to Hrafn. His guards were a step behind him, their swords in hand, but there was nothing left to fight. "Find Lord Graig!" Kili ordered his men.
Kili dropped to his knees at Hrafn's side and rolled him over. "Hrafn," he whispered in horror. His face had a deep gash and a knife was protruding from his stomach. How he managed that final flow to the orc was beyond Kili.
"Kili," Hrafn panted. "I'm sorry. Night raid." His breathing was harsh and blood poured from his face. Kili placed his arm across Hrafn's face, using his sleeve to stem the bleeding. He could see now that one of Hrafn's eyes was gone. "Graig," Hrafn whispered, panting. "I tried to protect him. Tell Milly sorry."
"Shh, Hrafn. It's going to be alright. Just relax."
"No, Kili. Tell Adad sorry and love him." Hrafn closed his eye. He still breathed.
"I will."
"We found him, my Lord!" one of the guards shouted. "I'm sorry, Prince Kili, but Lord Graig is dead."
Kili heart clentched. He knew Graig was dead, but to actually hear it confirmed was hard. "Get him onto Gruan's horse." They would take Graig and Hrafn's bodies back. The other guard would stay and watch over the rest of their dead until a rescue caravan could be sent out.
"Hrafn, listen to me," Kili said. "You're going to be an uncle soon." He tried to smile, but somewhere, deep in his mind, Kili knew how things were going to turn out and they weren't good for the daughter of Fili.
Hrafn's one eye opened. "Really?" he seemed excited and tried to smile. "But Graig."
"Graig will wait for Milly," Kili sighed sadly. "Come on. Let's get you home."
Hrafn yelled in pain as Kili picked him up like a small child would be carried by his father. Kili ignored the yells and carried him to his pony. "Runco! Help me get the Prince on my pony."
The guard came over and held Hrafn while Kili climbed up onto his pony, then they lifted Hrafn into the saddle in front of Kili.
"Stay here," Kili instructed Runco. "Protect the bodies. Burn the orcs. I'll send a caravan as soon as I get to Erebor."
Runco nodded. "Yes, my Lord. It will be done."
"Adad!" Hrafn yelled out. His body went limp. Kili didn't want his nephew to die, but with these injuries and the long ride back to Erebor, death would be a blessing and it was going to happen anyway. There was no recovering from these injuries. Kili would make Hrafn as comfortable in his passing as possible and the only thing he could do was ease his nephew's troubled mind.
"It's alright, son," Kili whispered in Hrafn's ear. "You have lived a good life and you have made your family proud. You can go. Thorin and all of our fathers are waiting to welcome you. Go to them now. Go to them in honor. Be at peace, Hrafn. Son of Fili. Son of Durin."
The change in Hrafn's body was immediate. He went from limp to dead weight and Kili knew Hrafn had passed. He adjusted the reigns around Hrafn's body. He joined Gruan with Graig on his horse. "Be at peace Graig, Lord of Erebor, and find your fathers in Mandos's Halls."
Fili allowed his hand to be squeezed for the hundredth time. Milly had stopped crying out hours ago when her voice became too hoarse and the exertion of yelling too taxing. Now, all of her living energy was focused on pushing her child from her body and suddenly, with a gasp, her labors were over. Arwen held up in her hands, a tiny squalling baby. Tauriel quickly wrapped it in a blanket. The baby's cord was cut, freeing it from Milly's body forever. Arwen went back to work at the business end of Milly's body. What she was doing, Fili didn't know nor did he want to know. His eyes were only for the baby Tauriel held out to him.
"Milly?" Tauriel placed the baby in Fili's outstretched arms, "Open your eyes and meet your daughter."
Fili let out a sob of joy. A granddaughter.
Milly opened her eyes. They were blood shot and teary. "A girl?"
"What will you call her?" Fili asked.
Milly's hand went up to the baby, but her strength gave out and she could not lift her arm to touch her child with. Fili placed the baby on Milly's chest, facing her so they could see each other's faces.
"She's so pretty," Milly gasped. Fili moved the baby's head to Milly's face and she kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Her name is Mailis. It's Mailli and Dis, squished together." Milly let out a little chuckle.
"It's a beautiful name," Fili told her.
Fili saw a smile on Hana's face, but he also could tell, by the way she and Arwen were whispering and shaking their heads, things weren't well for Milly.
The door opened quite suddenly and Kili stood there, covered in blood. Tauriel gasped in shock, but in half a moment, she realized Kili was not injured and the blood that covered him was not his own.
"Fili." Kili's voice commanded Fili join him outside. Seeing his brother like this, Fili quickly stood. Tauriel took his place, holding the baby against Milly's chest, and Fili went to his brother, closing the door behind him.
"Kili, what happened?"
"I'm sorry, brother. Orc attack during the night. They were dead by the time we got there. Everyone of them, except for Hrafn, who died minutes later in my arms."
Kili barely had time to catch his brother as Fili fell to his knees. "No!" he cried out. "No, no, oh, please no!"
Kili knelt at his brother's side and held him. "I'm so sorry, Fee."
The door opened again and Hana stood in the door. "Fili? She's almost gone."
Kili lifted his brother off the floor. "Go to Milly. Say goodbye."
Fili walked to his daughter's side. She was white with blood loss.
"Graig? Where is he? I want to say goodbye to Graig," Milly whispered, slightly panicked.
Fili sniffed. "He's," Fili choked on his cry. He took a deep breath and steadied his voice. "Graig is waiting for you. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and go to him. He is waiting, with Hrafn."
"The baby?" Milly's eyes were closed and her voice was hardly above a whisper.
"She will grow up strong. I will raise her and tell her stories of her mother and father." Fili tried to smiled. "I love you, my sweet Milly. Now, go in peace. Your husband is waiting for you."
Milly gave a small smile and sighed in relief. Moments later, her body stopped moving and her hand went limp in Fili's. She was gone.
In one short minute, Fili, King Under the Mountain, lost both of his children, and the mountain shook with his despair.