Hey guys. Long time no see. I was doing really great with updating but then I lost inspiration and life happened, so yeah. I apologize! But I am back! I recently saw The Desolation of Smaug and I LOVED everything about it! So, I decided to get back to writing! Hope you enjoy! As always, reviews and suggestions are appreciated! Hope you all have a happy holiday! :) And check me out on Tumblr:

In his half-asleep half-awake state, Thorin could sense that he was no longer alone. Groaning, he turned onto his sore back, keeping his eyes shut, hoping the presence would go away if he ignored it for long enough. As he lay there, he was beginning to think his plan had worked until he felt a tiny hand lightly tap on his foot. Sighing, he lifted his head ever so slightly to see which nephew the tiny hand belonged to. Kili. No surprise there. The boy was naked from the waist up, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed while looking at his uncle expectantly. As he stared groggily at his youngest heir, Kili lifted a pudgy hand and waved with a grin on his face.

"Hi!" he chirped.

"Hello, little Kili," Thorin sighed, "Just what exactly are you doing in my room so early?"

Thorin had every intention of sleeping in this morning. Yesterday at the forge, he had hurt his back trying to lift something twice his size. As stubborn as he is, he did plan to continue working (especially since Dwalin had teased him about getting old). But as the day carried on, the pain only got worse and he decided a few days off wouldn't hurt (Plus, it would mean Dwalin would have to work alone. Perfect punishment for his taunting).

As he asked the question, Kili climbed up his uncle's legs and crawled onto his torso before settling on his chest.

"Don't you wemember, Uncle Thowin?" he probed, planting his hands on Thorin's cheeks and leaning close to his face, "We're going to the market today!"

Oh yes. The market. The largest one of the summer was in town for a few days. Farmers, tinkers, tailors, toy makers, blacksmiths, bakers and performers of all races from various parts of Middle Earth would be there. It was the perfect opportunity to stock up on supplies (and tire out a rowdy pair of boys.) Still, his bed was calling his name. He really wanted to rest his sore back for as long as he could.

"No, I haven't forgotten. But I'm not sure I'll be joining you," Thorin confessed.

As expected, Kili's face crumpled at the news and he leaned in closer until their noses were practically touching.

"Pwease?" he pouted.

Thorin grabbed the boy under the arms and lifted him over his head, resulting in a delighted squeal. Instantly, he regretted the action as it caused a sharp pain to shoot up his back. Gently, he lowered the dwarfling just above his face so he could plant a kiss on his nose before sitting him on the bed.

"Come along, Kili. Let's go talk to your mother."

Kili grabbed onto the blankets and eased his way to the ground before racing out of the door. Thorin climbed out of bed stiffly, wincing at the discomfort in his back as he stood. Slowly, but steadily, he went to find his sister.

Quiet mornings were nonexistent in the Durin household. This morning was no different. Already Fili and Kili were running around the house, clearly excited about the day ahead. Dis went about checking the pantry, taking inventory and jotting down what she needed to pick up. Thorin entered the kitchen just as she was finalizing her list.

"Morning, brother," she greeted, "You better eat up and get dressed. We'll be leaving as soon as I can round up the boys. Oh, and how's your back?"

"About that," Thorin began as he lowered himself into a nearby chair, "I was hoping I could stay behind and rest while the three of you went to the market."

Dis looked up from her list with a panicked look in her eyes.

"Thorin, you have to go," she plead, "I have so much to get and the market is so busy that I can't honestly get all my shopping done while keeping a proper eye on the boys. And I can't make them stay here, we promised they could go."

It was true. They had told the boys weeks ago that they could go to the market if they behaved. It would be wrong to break that promise, especially when the boys weren't at fault for the current predicament.

"Alright," Thorin agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I'll go. But only as long as I don't have to carry anything heavy and we stay no more than a couple of hours."

"Deal," Dis said as she gave Thorin a grateful hug from behind, "And as a thank you, I'll buy you some of those big, smooth, river stones that I can heat up and we'll place them on your back."

Thorin couldn't help but smile. That sounded like a very fine plan indeed.

A high-pitched squeal broke Thorin from his pleasant thoughts as two rambunctious dwarflings ran into the room, still undressed and messy-haired. Fili ran up beside his uncle, Kili right behind him, and timidly placed a hand on his arm.

"Uncle, Kili said you weren't coming with us! You are coming, aren't you?" he asked, bright blue eyes shining with hope.

"Of course I am," Thorin smiled as he ran a hand along the lad's cheek. Both boys' faces lit up at his answer.

"On two conditions," Dis added in from behind, "One, your uncle isn't carrying either of you or anything you buy. So remember, if you want something, you are responsible for keeping up with it. And two, we can only stay for a couple of hours. Understood?"

"Yes, Momma," replied the brothers.

"Good. Now come along, my Loves. The sooner you get ready, the sooner we can leave."

As Dis and Fili began heading towards the boys' room, Kili went over to his uncle and hugged his leg.

"I'm sowwy you hurted your back," he said with such sincerity that Thorin's chest swelled with affection.

Before Thorin could answer however, his sister-son had already darted after his brother and mother, eager to get ready and out of the house.

With the youngsters clothed and their hair tamed, the family of four managed to leave their home at a reasonable time. The brothers ran ahead, sending their tiny braids blowing in the wind. Yes, even Kili wore braids. As descendants of royalty after all, Dis wanted each son to look presentable in the presence of so many. Fili had to keep slowing his pace so that Kili could keep up with him. Both were very excited despite not knowing what to expect. Neither had been to the market before because they had been deemed "too small" until now. All they had to go on were the stories either their mother or uncle had told him and the goodies they would bring back. As they drew nearer, the reverberation of different voices and music filled their ears and the sweet smells of freshly baked goods sent their nostrils flaring. After a brief pause to take it all in, the boys started forward once more.

"Fili! Kili! Stay close," Thorin ordered. As much as he wanted his sister-sons to enjoy themselves, he wasn't going to risk losing sight of them. That and he didn't trust strangers; no matter how friendly they seemed.

The lads drew back at their uncle's instruction and clasped hands. Once the market came into full view, they both stopped, mouths flying open. Never had they seen so many people before. Men, dwarves, women and children were crowded together as far as their little eyes could see. Rows upon rows of stands were set up; some with food, some with cloth, others with toys. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in. As the more reserved of the two, Fili stepped back alongside Dis and reached for her hand, a little intimidated by what he was seeing.

Dis took his hand and patted it gently, "It's alright, Love. Just keep close to your uncle and me."

Kili, on the other hand, wasn't deterred at all. Not a tad bit shy, he ran towards the crowd and waved at everyone he saw.

"Hi, I'm Kili!" he greeted to anyone who spared him a glance.

Some were amused enough to smile and say hello while others just walked passed him. It wasn't long before he spotted someone his size, a human girl no less. He had seen few children in his short existence, and even fewer female children as they were rare amongst the dwarvish race. Eager to make a friend, he sprinted to her side.

"Hi! I'm Kili!"

The little green-eyed girl peered at Kili from behind her mother's leg and adjusted the purple bow in her blonde hair. Having heard the boy, the girl's mother glanced down and smiled.

"Hello there, little one," she cooed.

Kili brushed the bangs from his forehead and grinned up at her. She squatted down and pulled her daughter out in front of her.

"Say hello, dear."

Smiling shyly at the ground, the girl held her hands behind her back and mumbled a "Hello, Kili".

Moving closer, Kili tried to meet her eyes, but she wouldn't look up.

"What's your name?" he wondered aloud.

"I'm Anna," she said, finally looking up at Kili who grinned even wider.

After briefly losing sight of his nephew, a slightly panicked Thorin walked over to the boy once he spotted him and grabbed his hand, Dis right on his heels with Fili in toe.

Startled, Anna once again moved behind her mother who stood up when Thorin approached. Kili glanced up to see who took hold of him and smiled at his uncle.

"Uncle, this is Anna. She's my friend," Kili declared happily.

Thorin nodded at the girl and her mother, "Sorry to have bothered you but we must be going now. Say bye Kili."

"He wasn't a bother at all, Master Dwarf," the girl's mother replied, "He's quite the little charmer, isn't he Anna?"

Anna blushed, but didn't disagree.

"Then I'll have to keep a closer eye on him," Dis answered kindly and the two mother's shared a knowing smile.

"Come along, Anna."

Frowning, Kili told Anna goodbye as her mother lead her on to another booth. Once mother and daughter were out of sight, Dis dropped the smile from her face.

"Kili," she chided, "you may not run away from your uncle or I while we are here. There are too many people! If you want to go somewhere, tell us and we will take you, understand?"

"Uh-huh," Kili muttered.

"And do not talk to strangers, Kili," Thorin added with a slight tug to his nephew's hand.

"What's a stranger?" Kili inquired.

"It's someone you don't know very well, Kee" Fili answered as he grabbed his brother's other hand.

"But Anna and her momma was strangers and I liked talking to them," he pouted.

"Well, dear, not all strangers will be as nice as Anna and her mother," Dis declared.

As if there to prove the point, Kili spotted a tall man standing alone by a knife booth. He wore all black, tattoos covering his bare arms. When he caught Kili looking, he stared back unsmilingly. Kili scooted closer to Thorin's side as the four of them moved along. It wasn't long before they stumbled upon a shop selling toys. There were figures carved out of stone and wood, wooden weapons, dolls and stuffed animals made with cloth and fur, beaded necklaces, paints and kites. Kili squealed as he took in the sight of it all, pulling at his uncle and brother's hands. Thorin chuckled at his nephew's enthusiasm but Dis stopped them before he could lead the boys where they desired.

"Well boys, I'm going to run along and get my shopping done. Fili, Kili, stay with your uncle. If you're good, I'll buy you some sweets before we leave. Sound good?"

"Yes, Momma!" the boys recited, itching to run up to the toys.

"Very well," Dis grinned, "Off you go!"

The boys darted foward to the toys and Thorin followed.

"I'll catch up with you later, Thorin," Dis called as began heading in the opposite direction.

Thorin raised a hand as a sign that he had heard her while he joined the boys.

Fili was pondering over a variety of oliphant figurines while Kili was mesmerized by a wooden sword.

"Fine lads you've got there, Thorin!"

Thorin drew his gaze away from his nephews to see a familiar dwarf with twinkling brown eyes and a floppy hat.

"Bofur," Thorin nodded, "It's good to see you. Your family is well, I hope?"

"As good as ever. Bombur has gained a few more pounds and a few more children, but that's nothing new."

Thorin chuckled at that, glancing back over at his nephews before continuing his chat with Bofur.

Kili was completely engrossed with his wooden sword. He thrashed it from side to side with the finesse of toddler, until he accidently stabbed it through the cloth covering the toy stand. Kili glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Fili was studying some oliphants while Uncle Thorin was talking to a funny-looking dwarf. Carefully, Kili placed the sword down and peered through the small hole he had created. His eyes widened in excitement as he spotted a shop further on down the path that was selling swords. Real swords.

Fili had moved on from the oliphants and was now staring at the weapons. One weapon caught him by surprise- it was a tiny bow, complete with a set of arrows. Fili had heard of and seen pictures of the weapon, but he had never seen one in person. Dwarves preferred axes and swords, of course. He picked it up and stared in awe. He just had to show Kili.

"Kili! Look what I found!" Fili exclaimed as he turned to show his brother the toy. However, his excitement gave way to confusion when he realized Kili wasn't there. He glanced over at his uncle to see if his brown-haired brother was with him, but Thorin was still conversing with the bright-eyed toy-maker.

"Kili?" he called.

Quickly, he sat the bow down and began searching for his missing sibling. He looked around barrels and under tables, hoping the little trouble maker had simply picked a very bad time to play hide and seek.

"Kili!?" he called, more frantically this time.

Hearing his nephew's voice, Thorin turned from his discussion with Bofur to see his eldest crawling out from under a table. He had a wild look in his eyes and his bottom lip quivered as if he were about to cry. Excusing himself, a worried Thorin took quick strides towards the blond and crouched in front of him.

"Fili? What is it? What's wrong?"

"K-kili!" Fili stuttered as a tear slipped from his eye.

"Kili?" Thorin looked around the shop, seeking out his youngest. Despite how fast his heart was beating, Thorin's blood froze; he couldn't find Kili.

"Fili, where is your brother?" Thorin asked as he gripped his heir's shoulders.

Wailing, Fili replied, "I don't know!"

Kili strolled into the weapons shop, awe etched onto his face as he took in the various swords, axes, and daggers on the walls surrounding him. Busying himself with a client, the shop owner didn't even notice the dwarfling. Kili didn't know where to start. He had never seen so many weapons before. He knew his uncle had a sword and that he carried a few daggers with him at all times, but his momma always made him put them in his rooms and out of reach. Now was his chance to see them up close. His eyes fell on the largest sword he had ever seen. It was easily twice his size with a geometric pattern circling the hilt. Tentatively, Kili reached out to touch the blade, relishing the feel of cool metal against his tiny, sticky palms. He couldn't wait until he was big enough to have a sword of his own- then he could be just like Uncle Thorin! While deciding which weapon to inspect next, Kili noticed a red glimmer in the corner of his eye. Looking up, Kili saw the source- a small dagger with one large ruby set in the hilt. He had to touch it.

Thorin began to panic as his nephew's words set in. Where had Kili gone? He was just there! No way could he have slipped past Bofur and himself unnoticed- unless Thorin's eyesight was worse than he thought! Dis was going to kill him. But he had to hold it together- for both his nephew's sakes.

Bringing his attention back to Fili, Thorin gently grabbed his nephew's face and wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

"Fili, it's going to be alright. We'll find Kili. Now, tell me, where did you last see him?"

"He was playing with a sword right over there while I was looking at the oliphants," he sniffed, "I wanted to show him the bow I found but he wasn't there anymore!"

"Hush," Thorin ordered as Fili's breathing started becoming more frantic, "We'll find your brother Fili, understand?"

Fili nodded. "Good, now follow me and stay close. I can't lose you as well."

The pair raced out into the market. Thorin explained what was going on to Bofur and asked him to keep an eye out for his youngest.

"Of course," Bofur replied, a hint of worry in his voice, "Let me know when ya find him."

Thorin stepped into the market's center, Fili on his heels and looked for any sign of his other nephew. Seeing all the people, creatures, shops, and booths made Thorin feel a bit hopeless. Where should he start looking? Would he even find him? What if he had been taken? What if – no! He couldn't afford to think the worst, he had to pray for the best. Now, if I were Kili, he wondered, where would I go?

"What about over there," Fili interrupted his uncle from his thoughts, "Kee loves sweets! Maybe he got hungry!"

True. Thorin grabbed Fili's hand and raced to the sweets stand.

The dagger was nestled on a shelf, far out of Kili's reach- but he was determined. Kili was an expert at climbing trees and furniture at his home, a couple of shelves was nothing compare to that. Carefully, Kili managed to step onto the lowest shelf and maneuver his way up. After a few seconds, he paused to glance down and observe his progress. Looking back up, the ruby gleamed just mere inches above his face. Correcting his footing, Kili grabbed onto the shelf just above him and with his other hand, he reached towards his weapon of choice. He stretched as far as he could, almost touching the gem when-

"Hey! Get down from there you thieving little brat!"

The shop owner's shout startled the boy and caused him to lose his grip. As he felt himself falling, Kili reached out for anything that might break his fall. His flailing limbs knocked off a few daggers and both Kili and the weapons crashed to the ground.

Dis had finished up her shopping, two baskets full of cloth and food, and decided to rejoin her brother and sons. Having left them at the toy shop, she decided to check there first- she wouldn't be at all surprised if Thorin hadn't yet managed to drag her sons away. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Dis knew that her boys had their Uncle Thorin wrapped around their tiny fingers. As she approached, she noticed Bofur whittling a new toy.

"Hello, Master Bofur," she greeted with a warm smile.

Bofur stopped what he was doing and looked up, a wide grin forming on his face.

"Good day, Lady Dis," he piped, "Have ya got everything ya set out for?"

"I have, thank you," she answered, "I was hoping you might could tell me where my boys went off to so that when can head home."

Dis grew concerned as the smile fell from Bofur's face and he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Well lass, I haven't seen them since Thorin and Fili ran out to search for Kili."

Dis' heart stopped.

"Search for Kili? What do you mean?"

"He disappeared while Thorin and I were talking. One moment he was here, playing with the toys and then the next- gone!"

Dis' hands began shaking and she was about to ask more questions when she heard it- a familiar high-pitched cry.

She turned her head in the direction of the cry.

"Kili?!" she yelled as she took off in a run.

"Did you hear that?" Thorin asked as he and Fili made their way out of the sweet stand. He stopped and closed his eyes so that he could hear better. Another pained cry reached his ears. Fili must have heard it also.

"Kili!"

The duo ran towards the cries. Thorin's mind was racing as well. He knew that cry. Kili was hurt and it was completely his fault. He promised his sister he'd watch both of her boys and he had failed. He prayed to Mahal that whatever had happened to Kili wasn't too serious- otherwise he'd never forgive himself.

They earned a few befuddled looks as they sprinted through the market. Thorin ignored each one. All that mattered was getting to Kili. The cries became louder until the pair found themselves outside of a weapons shop.

Oh no.

Thorin barged inside; eyes growing wide as he quickly spotted his nephew. A large human man was hovered over Kili, hoisting the lad up none-to-gently by an arm. Thorin saw red.

"Get your filthy hands off my nephew," he growled, "What did you do to him?"

Thorin and Fili raced to Kili's side as the shop owner backed away.

"I didn't do a thing, dwarf!" the man spat, "Your boy here fell while trying to steal one of my daggers!"

Thorin gasped when he took in the sight of his precious nephew. There was a gash on the right side of his face- starting from the corner of his eyebrow and ending just below his ear. The lad was clutching his left arm to his chest and Thorin noticed his wrist was red and swollen.

Hearing his uncle's voice, Kili cried harder and lifted his uninjured arm in a plea to be held. Thorin scooped the boy up and cradled him in his arms, pushing his hair out of the tears and blood that had begun to drip down his face.

"Sshh. It's alright, Little One. I've got you. You're safe now."

Thorin continued murmuring assurances to his littlest heir until his crying reduced to breathy hiccups. Just then, Dis ran up to the shop, eyes full of worry. When she spotted Thorin, she dropped her baskets and went to his side.

"Thorin! What happen?"

As her youngest came into view, she gasped at the tears and blood streaking down his face.

"Oh! My baby," she cooed as she took her son from Thorin's arms, "What happened?"

Burying his face in his mother's chest, Kili sputtered, "I w-wanted to look at that dagger up there with the wuby on it but I c-couldn't weach so I climbed but then he yelled at me and made me f-fall! It hurts, Momma!"

Both Thorin and Dis glared at the shop owner.

"Is that true?" Thorin demanded.

"I wanted the boy to get down. I didn't know yelling at him would cause him to fall. That's what he gets."

Thorin moved towards the man but his sister's voice stopped him.

"Don't, Thorin. He's not to blame. Now, let's go. We must get Kili to Oin."

Dis turned and headed out of the shop. Ignoring his back pain, Thorin picked up the forgotten baskets before scooping up a strangely silent Fili as well.

"This is my fault," Fili whispered as he hugged his uncle's neck, "I'm the big brother! I'm supposed to protect Kili and now he's hurt!"

"Fili, this is not your fault. It was my responsibility to watch over the two of you and I allowed myself to get distracted. If anyone is to blame, it is me."

"Your uncle is right, Fili," Dis snapped, "This isn't your fault; it's his."

Thorin paused, taken aback at his sister's cold tone. Dis continued walking, not bothering to stop or look back. If Thorin felt guilty before, he now felt a hundred times worse.

To be continued…