When Thorin woke, the savory smells of bacon and potatoes filled his nostrils. With a stretch and a yawn, he rose up out of bed and headed to the washroom to splash some water on his tired face. As he rounded the corner, his littlest nephew jumped in front of him.

"Boo!"

Thorin pretended to step back in fright which sent the youngster into a fit of giggles. Kili ran over to his uncle and latched onto his leg.

"I scared you, Uncle Thowin!" he exclaimed.

Thorin reached down and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Aren't you a stealthy one?" Thorin complimented, "That might come in handy someday."

Grinning, Kili placed each of his tiny feet on top of Thorin's larger ones and held his hands up.

"Walk, walk!"

Thorin grabbed onto his nephew's hands and continued walking to the washroom with Kili on his toes. The boy laughed the whole way causing a deep chuckle to come from Thorin as well. As they reached their destination, Thorin lifted the lad onto the table next to the basin before gathering some water in his hands and drenching his face.

"Me too!" Kili said as he gathered some water in his own hands. The water barely made it to his face, however, as most of it ended up soaking his shirt before it got there. Thorin laughed as he seized a towel and dried off both their faces. Once satisfied, the king under the mountain grabbed his second heir and headed to the kitchen.

"Let's go find your mother and brother, shall we?"

As they entered the room, Fili was making his own plate while Dis prepared Kili's, cutting the potatoes into tiny bite-sized pieces.

"Where's mine, dear sister?" Thorin teased as he sat Kili at the table.

"You're a grown lad, Thorin. I've never made you a plate and I'm not about to start today!" Dis joked.

When everyone was seated and fed, Thorin spared a glance out the window to find that it was raining. It wasn't a violent rain that blew in sheets, but rather a peaceful one. One they were desperately in need of after several weeks of dry, hot weather.

"What are you boys going to do today?" Thorin asked as he picked up his plate and stood from the table.

"I wanna play in the rain!" Fili piped up, the sides of his mouth covered in grease.

"Me too!" Kili agreed, banging his spoon on the table.

"I don't know, my darlings," Dis began before Thorin broke in.

"Oh come on, Dis. Let the boys have their fun. A little rain never hurt anyone."

"Thorin, I don't need you telling me what I should and shouldn't allow my sons to do," Dis spat back, "Besides, I was going to say that they could as long as there is no thunder or lightning."

As if on cue, a low rumbling of thunder sounded in the distance.

"Well, that settles that," Dis stated, "Sorry Loves, but it looks like you'll be playing inside today."

Both boys groaned in disappointment.

"No need to fret," assured Dis, "It's not as if you can't find other ways to amuse yourselves."

Thorin laughed. No doubt those two would soon forget about ever wanting to play in the rain once they found something else to do.

After Thorin finished getting dressed, hid bid his family goodbye and set out in the stormy weather to the forge.

About midday, Dis decided to take a break from her chores and make herself a cup of hot tea. She always loved tea on a rainy day. Once the beverage was ready, she took it into the sitting room and collapsed into her favorite rocking chair. Not long after, the boys came into the room. She was surprised at how well they were behaving, considering they were cooped inside all morning. Dis shook her head fondly when she discovered that Fili was on all fours with Kili riding atop his back.

"And just what are you two doing?" she asked, clearly amused.

"Fee's my pony, Momma!" Kili squealed and he yanked on Fili's braids which were obviously meant to be reigns.

"Ow, Kee!" Fili cried.

"Oops. Sorry, Fee!" Kili whispered before urging his steed to go on.

As Dis finished her tea, she got up from her chair and turned to her sons.

"Boys, I'll be in the washroom cleaning some clothes. Get me if you need anything."

Fili neighed in response causing his brother to giggle.

"Ok, Momma!"

Dis smiled as she left the boys to play. No sooner had their mother gone, Kili hopped off of his brother.

"Can we play wif our toys now, Fee?"

"If you want to," Fili answered as he stood back up on two legs and walked over to their toy chest.

Kili was right behind him, digging through the toys as soon as Fili opened the lid. He pulled out a stuffed bear that Thorin had gotten him for his third birthday. It made Fili remember a gift that he had received for his third birthday. A special gift he kept in a drawer in his room. Come to think of it, he hadn't played with it in a long time…

"I'll be right back, Kee," he said as he raced to his room. Once inside, he made his way over to the dresser, pulling out the very last drawer and reaching in the back. His hand grasped a wooden object and he pulled it out swiftly. Satisfied, he went to rejoin Kili, who looked up from his bear and glanced at the object in his brother's hand.

"I wanna play wif dat one!"

Kili pointed to the toy that Fili held. It was an eagle carved beautifully out of pine. A string hung from the bottom that caused the bird's wings to move as it was pulled. The toy had been a gift from their father for Fili's third birthday. It was all he had left of his Da. Fili was particularly fond of the trinket and had never let Kili play with it before. At his brother's request, he covered his hand over it protectively.

"No," he hesitated, "this one's my favorite!"

He drew the toy close to his chest and looked at Kili defiantly. Normally, he would indulge his sibling's wishes but this toy was different. It was his.

Kili returned his brother's glare and placed his tiny hands on his hip.

"You have to share, Fee!"

"But this is mine! Play with the other toys!"

"I want dat one!"

By this point, Kili had gone over to his brother and was trying to wrestle the toy out of his firm grasp. Fili shoved the youngster off and made to run, but Kili grabbed his leg causing him to trip. Before he knew it, Kili was on his chest, gripping the bird's wing in an attempt to pry the toy out of his brother's hand.

"Stop, Kili! You're gonna break it!"

Fili could've pushed his brother off him if he wanted, but he knew he'd be in big trouble if Kili got hurt. Instead, he went to raise the bird out of Kili's reach, but his brother's hold on the wing was strong. As he moved the toy up, Kili yanked down and its wing broke off into Kili's hand. Both boys gasped. Kili stared at the wing that lay in his palm.

"Uh oh."

At first, Fili's eyes were wide in shock before they filled with hurt then narrowed in anger.

"Look what you've done!" he shouted, causing Kili to shrink back. "Da gave this to me and you've broken it!"

"I didn't mean to, Fee," Kili whimpered.

Fili glared at his brother, cupping the broken toy in his hands. Tears spilled from his eyes and he wiped them away forcefully. Fili didn't have a lot of possessions that solely belonged to him. Especially ones from their father. He had to share everything with Kili and that fact suddenly made him angry.

"I hate you," he whispered, bowing his head in defeat.

Kili was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. Sure he and Fili had some arguments now and again but never like this one. Fili had never hated him before. All he wanted was to play with his toy. And it broke, so what? They had plenty more. Kili didn't understand why that toy was so special and why it warranted Fili the right to hate him for breaking it. His bottom lip began to quiver as the two boys stood in silence.

Alarmed by all the shouting, Dis barged into the sitting room before crossing her arms over her chest. The day had been going so well. She had hoped they would have made it through without a skirmish.

"What in Durin's name is going on in here?" she scowled.

Fili scurried over to his mother and buried his face into her skirts in an effort to suppress his sobs. Worried by her son's behavior, she picked him up and settled him on her hip, using her free hand to lift his chin up.

"What's the matter, Love?" she asked.

Fili rose his hand up and unclenched his fist to reveal his broken toy. Dis recognized it immediately and her heart broke for the lad.

"Kili tried to take my toy and he broke it," he mumbled before hiding his face in the crook of his mother's neck.

Dis swayed from side to side and patted his back to offer some comfort. She tutted and looked over to a very overwhelmed Kili, who still held the broken wing between his fingers.

"Kili," she scolded, "Did you try to take your brother's toy?"

Kili hung his head in shame and shuffled his feet.

"I wanted to play wif it," he muttered dejectedly. Obviously, if he had known it would have caused his brother this much pain he would never have tried to take it.

"You know good and well to wait your turn, Kili. You don't take things just because you want them," Dis chided.

"But-"

"No buts! Now you go stand in that corner until I come to talk with you, understand?"

First his brother hated him, and now his mother was angry with him. On top of it all, he felt guilty. All these emotions were too much for the little dwarfling to handle.

"I don't wanna!" Kili cried and plopped down on the spot where he'd been standing, tossing the wing across the room.

Dis sighed. She knew a tantrum when she saw one and this was definitely a tantrum. She sat Fili down and told him to go to his room before bustling over to her youngest. She pulled him up to his feet and pointed in the direction of the corner.

"To the corner, Kili!"

"I want Uncle Thowin!" he wailed as he trudged over to the corner.

"Well Uncle Thorin isn't here at the moment so you'll do as I say," Dis asserted, "Don't move. I'll be in here to talk with you shortly."

Leaving Kili to himself, Dis made her way to her sons' bedroom, picking up the broken wing as she went. As she entered the room, she found Fili sitting on the bed, cradling the toy in his lap as tears streamed down his cheeks. Normally, Dis would have thought he was over reacting, but she knew that toy had been given to him by his father a few years before he died. The ache he felt from the loss of his Da was a burden Kili didn't have to bare. He was too little to understand what he missed out on. Fili, however, had known his da. He got to make memories with him, play with him, love him. The only pieces of his father he had to hold on to were the items he left behind. The toy bird was one of those items and now it was broken. Her heart clenched at the sight of her golden-haired son. She sat on the bed next to him, scooping the boy into her lap. She wiped the tears from his face and kissed his forehead as he continued to sniffle. After giving him a few moments to calm down, Dis took the toy from his hands, holding the severed wing next to it.

"Perhaps it can be fixed," she suggested, "Bifur is an excellent toy maker. I have no doubt he would mend it for you if you asked nicely."

"I don't want it fixed!" he sobbed, "I want it the way it was when Da gave it to me! It's all Kili's fault!"

"Now, now," Dis cooed as her son's emotions were riled up once more, "You can't stay mad at your brother, Sweetheart. He doesn't know the difference between that toy and any other toy you boys own. Unlike him, you were lucky. You got to know your Da. Kili didn't. You can't blame him for something he doesn't understand."

"I don't care," Fili interjected, "He always tries to take my things! I don't wanna share all the time."

"Fili," Dis rebuked, "it's not nice to not share your things. Your brother looks up to you. He learns from you. All he wants is to be able to do the things you do; even if that means playing with your toys. But, I agree he shouldn't have tried to take it from you and I'll talk to him about that. And if it'll make you feel better, I'll allow you to choose a few toys to have for your very own. How does that sound?"

Fili looked up at his mother and nodded, "Ok."

Dis kissed his forehead once more before pulling the boy to her chest.

"There's something we need to do, Fili," Dis declared.

Fili sat up in his mother's lap and used the back of his hand to wipe his nose, "What is it?"

"We have to explain to Kili why that toy was special to you. That way he'll understand why it upset you so much when it broke. Think we can do that?"

Once again Fili nodded.

"There's something else you need to do for Kili, as well. Share stories about your Da to your brother. As I said before, you're lucky to have gotten to know him. It's your duty to ensure his memory lives on and you can start by telling your brother all about him."

Fili beamed at his mother's words. "And you can tell him too?"

"Of course I will!" Dis grinned.

"I'll tell Kili all about him! And I'll teach him the games me and da used to play!"

Fili was bouncing excitedly as he spoke and Dis couldn't help but laugh.

"Very good! Your father would be proud of what a great brother you are."

At the last comment, Fili frowned and looked down at his hands. Dis was confused at the sudden change in behavior.

"What's the matter, Fili?"

With his head still hung, Fili answered reluctantly, "I…I told Kili that I hated him."

Dis sighed before stating sternly, "Now son, you know better than to say such things. You make sure to apologize to him for that, understood?"

"Yes Momma," he replied.

"I know you were upset when you said it, so I'll forgive you. You better hope Kili forgives you as well."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"You don't need to tell me that. Come on, let's go talk to your brother."

Fili took his mother's hand as the pair went to reconcile with the youngest member of the family.

Meanwhile, Kili sat in the corner with his back against the wall. Everyone was angry with him and he didn't know why. Feeling alone and confused, he didn't know what to do except cry. Tears stained his cheeks and he took in shaky breaths between sobs. He just wanted someone to hold him. That's why he was relieved when he heard the front door open and saw Thorin returning home for lunch. Even though he was told to stay put, he couldn't help but run to his uncle and lift his arms up to be held.

When Thorin saw his sobbing nephew run towards him, he had no idea what to think. He took off his rain-soaked cloak and threw it in a nearby chair before cradling the crying boy in his arms. Thorin made shushing noises as he wiped away the hair that clung to Kili's wet cheeks.

"What's wrong, little one?" he asked, voice laced with concern.

"Nobody loves me!" he wailed.

Thorin pulled the boy closer and rubbed his back, completely baffled as to why his nephew would make such a declaration.

"You know that's not true," he soothed, "I love you very much. And so does your mother and Fili."

"Nuh-uh! Fee said he hated me!"

Oh. So the boys had a fight apparently.

Thorin sat down in the rocking chair as Kili's cries intensified. He continued rubbing his back as he waited for the child to calm down enough to explain what had happened.

"Why did Fili say he hated you, Kili?" Thorin asked after the boy's cries had quieted.

"He had a toy dat I wanted to play wif but he wouldn't let me see it and when I tried to taked it from him it broked."

As Thorin was about to respond, Dis entered the room with a distraught Fili by her side.

"Kili," Dis began, "I thought I told you to stay in the corner."

At his mother's admonishment, Kili began crying again and clung onto Thorin even harder. Dis' expression softened when she realized how upset and befuddled Kili was. She allowed her brother to comfort her youngest until he was calm enough to listen to reason. In the meantime, Dis took a seat next to the pair and sat Fili in her lap. Once Kili composed himself, Dis took the chance to speak.

"Kili," she stated softly, "Your brother and I would like to talk to you. Is that ok?"

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, he nodded into Thorin's chest.

"First of all, your brother wants to apologize, don't you Fili?"

Fili looked over to his little brother who had sat up now and was giving him his full attention.

"I'm sorry I said I hated you, Kee. I was upset and didn't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean it. I love you a lot. Do you forgive me?"

Kili nodded, "I love you too, Fee."

"And Kili," Dis questioned, "is there something you need to say to your brother as well?"

Hanging his head, Kili replied, "I sorry I tried to taked your toy. I didn't mean to break it. I weally didn't."

"I forgive you," Fili declared truthfully. Even though he was still upset by his broken toy, he knew Kili wouldn't have taken it if he realized how important it was to Fili.

"Now Kili, do you know why that toy was so special to Fili?" Dis asked.

"Nuh-uh," Kili pouted.

"That toy was a gift to Fili when he turned three. It was given to him by your Da."

Now Thorin understood what the big deal was. He couldn't see the boys arguing over a simple broken play thing. Learning that the damaged toy in question had been a gift from their father, suddenly made the drama make more sense.

At the mention of the father he never knew, Kili perked up.

"From Da?" he inquired.

"Yes, little one," Dis confirmed, "your father had that toy made especially for Fili on his birthday. That's why your brother tried to keep it from you."

Realization washed over Kili and he felt guilty once more.

"I sorry, Fee! I fix it!" he promised.

"There's not much you can do, Love," Dis revealed, "But we'll see if Bifur can repair it."

Kili nodded and Dis noticed how his eyes were starting to droop. All the crying and drama had worn the poor lad out. Before she lost his attention for good, Dis had to get one final word in.

"Now, this goes for both of you boys. Never snatch something from each other's hands. You wait until their done playing with it and you ask them nicely. If there's a problem, you come and get me, understood?"

"Yes Momma," they replied in unison.

"Very well," Dis said as she stood from her seat, "Come, Fili. You and I will go make lunch."

As she moved towards the kitchen, Dis motioned for her brother to keep rocking Kili. Hopefully after a nice nap and a full belly, both boys would be back to their happy, playful selves.

A week had passed since the toy incident. In that time, Fili had told Kili all kinds of stories about their Da. He told him his favorite foods, his favorite weapons, how he laughed really loudly and flailed in his sleep just like Kili. Kili was very excited about it all, especially when he learned of things he and his Da had in common. The boys had been playing a game that Fili used to play with their father when Thorin returned home for the night. Both boys ran to greet him and Thorin lowered himself to catch them in his arms. Giving them each a kiss on the cheek, he sat them back on the ground.

"Fili, I have a surprise for you," he goaded.

Fili's eyes widened and he jumped up and down, "What is it?!"

Thorin reached into the pack he was carrying on his shoulder and pulled out the toy eagle. The day following the incident, Thorin dropped the toy off at Bifur's and asked if it could be fixed. Bifur said (or signed rather) that he could indeed repair it and he would let Thorin know when it was ready.

Fili grew silent and took the toy in his hands.

"Look, Fee! All better!" Kili said with delight.

Dis came to see what all the commotion was about and stood beside her brother. She grinned when she saw Fili's stunned face and Kili's genuine happiness for his sibling.

"Thank you, Uncle!" he finally managed to say.

"It's not I you should be thanking," Thorin commented, "That's Bifur's handiwork."

"We'll be sure to send him our thanks, won't we boys?" Dis asked.

Both boys nodded and Dis led them into the kitchen for supper. As they sat at the table, Fili pulled the string on his toy, relieved to see that both wings flapped up and down just as they had before. He glanced up at Kili to see he had been watching him in awe. Looking at his brother, a sense of guilt tugged at his heart. He wished Kili had known their Da. He would have loved him very much. It was then he made a decision. He reached the toy across the table and handed it to his little brother.

"Here, Kili. I want you to have this," he said.

Thorin, Dis and Kili stared at him in confusion.

Feeling the need to explain, Fili continued, "I got to do many things with Da that you never got to. He was able to leave me some things while he left you nothing. So I want you to have this. A piece of Da. That way you'll never forget about him."

Dis beamed at her son and her eyes filled with tears. Thorin, too, looked very proud at his nephew's actions.

"Thanks, Fee," Kili said as he took the toy gently from his brother and nestled it to his chest.

Dis hugged Fili from behind and kissed the top of his head.

"That's a very nice thing you did, son. I'm very proud of you."

It seemed as though everyone's spirits were lifted. As they ate dinner, the family joked and reminisced about one's they had loved and lost.