The shouting woke up half the village. The booming roar of Thorin's voice only flooded out when thunder rumbled overhead. Dis' desperate screams worried many. Cloaks were pulled on as dwarf and human neighbors gathered around, whispering to each other. Many of the men were tense waiting for the sound of something to break or the soft impact of fist hitting flesh to run in and aid the woman they were certain was being harmed.

The front door swung open as Thorin stalked out, the citizens of their little village quickly separating to give him a wide birth.

"Brother no!" Dis threw herself after him. She fell into the mud and snow, her hands clutching at his tunic. "No! You must see! He will end us all!"

"He is a child!" Thorin took her wrists and forced her away from him, throwing her onto her back. "You have poisoned my nephew's mind and now you taint even my own child with what you have told Kili! We believed innocence could help you but... but you remain sick. I will not risk him to fall further into your perversions!"

"Perversions? Perversions?!" Dis struggled up from the mud, her husband coming to her side to help her up and hold her back. "I have been trying to save our family!"

Thorin looked physically ill and so sad. "Take her inside Vili... She cannot be left alone and she shall not see Kili again." He shook his head and started to walk home.

"Thorin. Thorin no! NO!" She clawed at the air, her voice raw as she screamed after her brother. "Fili will devour us just like Frerin! Please! Listen to me!"

Thorin continued to walk. Her yells dying away the closer he got to his hut. "Fili will devour us just like Frerin!" The king felt his stomach lurch. His dinner spilled out onto the road with every heave that accompanied the memories of his long since dead brother. The smiles, the laughs, the arguments and fights between brothers that grew up only ten years apart. Those years were so close by dwarven standards, it made them inseparable even on the battlefield.

He held his head as a painful dry heave caused his head to throb. The sounds of metal clashing echoing instead of thunder. The first drops of rain made him flinch. It didn't feel cold to him, only hot in the memory of fresh blood fanning out in the air and onto him. He fell to his knees trying to fight back the memories of that terrible battle. Every time he remembered, his head split, his heart hammered, and his body became ill for days to follow.

"Udâd."

A hand pressed against his head.

Blue eyes slowly looked up meeting eyes the same color as his own, hair as beautiful as Frerin's, nose like Dis. How did he not see it before?

Fili stroked his father's hair the way Thorin would do to him when he was upset. Two powerful arms wrapped around him, pulling him tight against a broad chest. He hugged Thorin around the neck, burying his face into the wet black locks of hair. His father had been away for a long time. Kili had already fallen asleep and Oin had grown impatient for his own bed. So Fili had went out to find his father. He followed his scent and found him here, kneeling in his own vomit as something made him smell so sad and afraid.

"Come home, udâd."

Ori was actually a pretty good friend, Kili discovered as days passed. Ori knew a lot about different things and since Kili could not do much but sit and do his studies he spent more time with the redhead. They made up stories together, they drew pictures and Ori even gave him a book to do whatever he wanted with. Something called a journal. At first he didn't care for it but the more he looked at it the more it seemed familiar.

"What are journals for?" Kili asked one day while Thorin spread balm over his burns.

"To record your journey. So that people know how you lived. Fili told me that Ori gave you your first journal. Have you written in it yet?" Since Kili got burned Thorin had been extra nice to him, reminding him every day that his uncle loved him just as much as his mama loved him. He missed his mama but... he had to admit he didn't like how she made him scared of Fili, or how she wanted him to believe that Thorin didn't love him. He was slowly starting to understand that even someone's mother could lie. As to why, he couldn't.

"No..." Kili frowned as his arm was being wrapped.

Seeing the upset expression on his nephew Thorin asked, "What is it?"

Kili looked over to Fili who was sitting quietly with his chin in his hand, eyes trailing over the lines of khuzdul written in a book Thorin had bought in the market recently. He climbed onto Thorin's lap, pulling him down by his braids and whispering in his ear.

"Mama's journal knew Fili's secret."

Thorin's heart stopped. "What?"

"She showed me a scary picture in it. A bad kitty was hurting dwarves and she said that Fili would do the same if we didn't help him. But..." Kili pulled back and looked at Thorin with an open soul. "How did she know? I didn't tell her the secret."

"Good question." He set Kili down on his lap properly. "Very, good question."

The next day, instead of going to the forge Thorin went to the mines. He made sure he went early catching the miners that milled about gathering in groups for a morning chat before they had to slip down deep in the mountain's roots. He spotted a familiar hat in a large group of dwarves.

"Bofur."

"Mornin'," the dimpled dwarf grinned. "Heard a kind of rumor about ya' not a minute ago." He leaned in, his thumbs looped in his belt. "Is it true that you'll be takin' the little ones completely under your name?"

Thorin frowned. "I hardly see how that is any concern of yours."

Bofur nodded politely. "I'm only asking, seein' as what you already are savin' up for. Havin' two little one's to care for will make it difficult."

"I have been managing quite well."

The miner pulled the king to the side away from possible listening ears. "Thorin, you already get half my wages for good reason. If you need more just say."

Thorin smiled a little, "I am not going to pull you out of house and home."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it. But I could give you a counter offer, Bifur's on the road again with his family so I've got an extra room. Seein' as you still have to pay rent for the forge and the land your home is on, I want to offer you the spare room for you and your boys. Closer to the forge, closer to the healers, right next door is Bombur and his happy brood."

The king sighed. If he was honest with himself he would admit that things were starting to stretch a little thin. Dori's lessons cost money because Dori had to supply home and food for Ori and a brother named Nori that Thorin had yet to meet. The forge, buying the ore to work on, rent, food, clothes, and all the healer visits that Kili was currently requiring, all if it added up.

"That's... that's kind of you, but really right now I must speak to Vili. Do you know where he is?"

"Sure I know. He's on my team today going into the east tunnels." He turned and shouted loudly. "Oye! Vili! Get your sorry arse over 'ere!"

"Keep barking like a bitch and you'll wind up getting slapped like one." Vili pushed through a crowd of dwarves that burst out laughing. His bright smile faded upon seeing Thorin. "Kili?"

"Is fine."

Vili relaxed, his smile returning. "What can I do for you brother?"

"Kili mentioned something yesterday that I think may help us understand what may be wrong with Dis."

Vili frowned. He scratched his beard in though. "I'm listening."

"He spoke of a journal that Dis owns. She showed him frightening pictures from it. I believe whatever is in this journal may give us insight as to what is wrong with her."

"I have never seen Dis with a journal before." His brow wrinkled in thought. "But there are plenty of places to hide things..."

"All I ask is that you look for it. If you do, by chance or fate, find it please bring it to me right away."

"Aye, I will... Now tell a joke so that I don't have to go to work with a head heavy with thought."

"Bofur has a wife."

Vili nearly fell over laughing. It wasn't the idea of Bofur being with a lass it was the way that Thorin said it in such a stone cold way and how quickly he said it with his lips bent in a frown. His laughing earned him a punch in the shoulder by Bofur who then pointed at Thorin.

"I could tell a few jokes about you laddy, be careful what you say."

"Oye, that's my brother you're threatening," Vili slung an arm around Bofur's shoulders still snickering.

"Brother or no, he's still the forge master and I've got an order of twelve picks that needs fixin' by the end of the week. Won't be trustin' those to anyone else." Bofur gave Thorin a wink.

The king sighed through his nose and walked off. Of course Bofur would not trust the mending of his work tools to anyone else. Thorin was the best smithy this side of the Misty Mountains and he was seriously starting to think about raising his prices if not in general then just for Bofur. He was pretty sure Vili was going to come home that day with many terrible jokes that Thorin was the punch line of.

For the rest of the day he worked hard. He pushed himself on the many orders he had waiting for him upon the start of the day. He was pleasantly surprised when Dori brought all three children by for a lunch of bread, cheese, and dried meat. They kept away from the forge and sat on the counter in a little line with dangling feet as Dori rattled on how proud he was of how well all three boys were getting on with each other and how their studies were going better than anticipated. He was quite impressed how Fili took to reading so quickly though writing was still difficult for him.

Thorin politely listened between Dori and one of the children that would randomly call on him and start rattling on about things they saw or what they learned that day. Eventually they had to leave for him to finish his day.

He was on his last project when Vili came into the smithy. He shifted strangely, his eyes bright with unshed tears. Thorin had not noticed, his back to the dwarf as he hammered out the last of the lumps and dents to make a workable pick, one of many.

"Th-thorin?"

He didn't hear him as he struck a few more times, turning the hot metal before quenching it in a large vat of water.

"Thorin."

Thorin pulled the pick out and placed it to the side. He turned around, wiping his sweaty hands on his trousers. "Vili. Did you finish work early?"

"Y-yeah. East tunnel had little ore, we'll be digging out a new tunnel tomorrow... um... Thorin... I..." Vili rubbed the back of his neck smearing dirt and mining soot into his skin. "Since I got home early, Dis was taking a nap. I gave a look around like you asked."

Blue eyes narrowed, "You found it."

"Amongst others." He looked ill. "I only read a little. I... I cannot read any more, I couldn't bare it."

Vili moved his beard to the side. He reached into his leather tunic and pulled out three small books bound together with a piece of twine and a leather strap. He pressed them into Thorin's hands, folding his own over his brother-in-law's. Brown eyes met blue. Vili squeezed Thorin's hands in a bruising grip. "Mahal's hammer shielded Fili and Kili well when the gods chose you to guard them."

"Vili..." Thorin fell short. What was wrong with the man? Was what was written in these pages that terrible?

"I... I must return home, before Dis wakes up. I would, with your permission, like to take Kili and Fili to the markets some day. Spend some time alone with the boys." At Thorin's questioning gaze he smiled a little. "Only me, no Dis."

"I suppose. When you do come to the forge and we can have something to eat."

"I would like that." Vili closed his eyes and bowed his head as if given a grand gift that could not be repaid. "I would, very much like that."