Finally Chapter Eight! :D xx
'Are you sure you want to continue this?' Bilbo looked up from his seat in Thorin's house. He, the company and Gandalf had been asked by Thorin to babysit little Kili for him whiles he was away for a meeting in the Iron Hills.
His original plan was bringing Kili to Dis, but she had already things planned. She and Fili were invited over at one of her old friends so she had no time to babysit him. She almost cancelled her invitation, feeling bad about the entire situation. Thorin managed to stop her and said it was alright. Fili suggested bringing Kili along, but Thorin didn't want to do that. Bringing Kili to a stranger, that was too much for him.
That brought him to the company and Bilbo & Gandalf. He had asked them the other day and of course they had all said yes. Thorin had made sure Bilbo and Gandalf were there because just the dwarves was too risky for him.
Thorin sighed as he gave Kili his dragon and looked up at Bilbo: 'Don't make me regret this decision, master Baggins. I can't do much now, can I?' Bilbo shrugged, took a sip from his drink and said: 'I can't disagree on that statement. All I'm saying is that the dwarves are not exactly the best babysitters.' 'Hey!' Dwalin exclaimed offended. 'Like I don't know. But there is no other option.' Thorin said, sending a glance to Dwalin.
'What in the name of Durin is that supposed to mean? Don't you trust us?' Dwalin asked, getting up from his seat. 'No, I don't. You are good with fighting but not with children. You don't know how to handle a baby.' Thorin said, dead simple. 'We perfectly know how to handle children!' Gloin exclaimed. 'You, yes. But you have a son of your own. The rest? Not so much. Bofur is trustful, but not the rest of you. You are rough men, no softies.' Thorin said, looking at his company.
Balin opened his mouth to answer when Kili tugged Thorin's sleeve: 'Daddy! Where are you going?' Thorin sent his men a short glance and crunched down next to Kili: 'Daddy is going away for a meeting with a friend. All up that mountain.' Thorin pointed to the Iron Hills, which you could see from their house. Thorin turned back to his son: 'These men will take care of you while I'm away.' 'Will you be gone for a long time?' Kili got tears in his eyes and Thorin started to feel bad: 'No, no. No need to cry, little one. I'll be back before you can start counting stars. I promise you that, Kili. I will be there when you go to sleep, alright?' Kili sobbed and Thorin gave him a kiss on his forehead.
He stood up and turned back to the dwarves, who had observed Thorin the entire conversation: 'Maybe it would be better if I stay here. I can't leave Kili behind.' Balin smiled: 'Thorin, what are you afraid of? You know we would never hurt Kili. Not on purpose.' Thorin looked away: 'I know. But I just don't trust anyone but Dis with Kili. I trust you won't hurt him, but I don't trust anyone anymore.'
'Anymore? Thorin, what happened?' Gandalf spoke up. Thorin's face darkened: 'Last week. On the market. A stranger, he, touched, Kili in a way that made me and my son uncomfortable. He said things to him, he made him scared. You might understand that I find it rather difficult leaving Kili behind now.'
Nobody said anything for a while. Bilbo took his gaze from Thorin and looked at the little dwarf behind him. So innocent, that shouldn't had happened to him. Bilbo thought and he looked back at Thorin.
'I, we, I, Thorin, we are so sorry.' Dwalin said, looking down. 'You could not help it. You were not there, you don't have to feel sorry for anything. Just don't try to tell me I should trust everyone with my little one.' Thorin answered, patting Dwalin on his shoulders.
Bofur looked at all the dwarves, he was the only one who was there when it happened. He was the only one who saw Thorin standing up for Kili and Fili. A moment he would never forget. He stepped up to Thorin and said: 'Thorin, we won't let anything happen to Kili. I promise, on my heart, that I won't let anyone touch Kili like that ever again. He is safe with us. You can trust on us.' Thorin smiled and patted Bofur on his back.
'You can go to your meeting with a good feeling, Kili is in good hands. No need to worry about him.' Gandalf said, sitting back next to Bilbo. 'You know I won't stop worrying about him.' Thorin said, turning to Gandalf. Gandalf laughed: 'I know and I will take back my words.'
Thorin smiled and sighed: 'I should take my leave now or I'll be late. Again.' He sunk down next to Kili and said: 'Be good, alright? Listen to them for now, they will be taking care of you for the rest of the day. And if something goes wrong, go to the hobbit.' Kili nodded: 'Are you going now?' It almost broke Thorin's heart and he said: 'Yes, little one, I'm going now. But remember, I'll be back before the night falls.' He wrapped his arms around Kili and gave him a tight hug. He felt Kili burying his head in his shoulder and he lay his hand on the back of Kili's head. They pulled apart again and Thorin wiped away some of Kili's tears: 'Don't be sad, Kili. Dad will be back before you know it.'
He stood up again and turned back to the dwarves: 'You know where the food is, right?' They nodded and Thorin continued: 'Kili is not allowed to climb on the counter and if he refuses to eat the vegetables, make the spoon fly.' 'Excuse you?' Bilbo asked confused. 'Act like the spoon is an eagle. Make flying movement, Kili likes that. He needs to have his vegetables, alright?' 'Alright.' Balin said and looked at the kitchen. 'And if anything, just anything, goes wrong, don't try to fix it yourself. Bring Kili to Gandalf instead, clear?' 'Clear as daylight.' Dwalin said. 'Go, Thorin. Or you'll be late.' Balin said and opened the door.
Thorin grabbed his bag and walked up to the door. He turned around and said: 'If Kili gets hurt or someone gets his filthy hands on him, I will kill you. I will seriously haunt you down if you let anything happen to my son.' 'Nothing will happen, Thorin! Go!' Balin ushered. 'Bye, Kili! I'll be back soon, little one!' Thorin waved at Kili and stepped out of the house, only to hear Kili run after him.
He turned around and saw the dwarves trying to keep Kili inside the house. Thorin shushed them and let Kili come to him: 'What's the matter?' 'You forgot something!' Kili exclaimed. 'What did I forget?' Kili gave Thorin a kiss on his cheek and Thorin smiled: 'Thank you, little one. I indeed almost forgot that. Hey, I'll be here very soon again, alright? Bye, little one!' He stood up and looked at the company: 'Kili is still one piece when I get back.' They nodded and Thorin took off.
Kili watched until Thorin was completely gone. Balin stepped out of the house and walked over to Kili. Kili looked up when he heard Balin coming over and backed away a bit. 'It's alright, little prince. I won't hurt you. Will you come back inside with me?' He reached out his hand and after some hesitation, Kili carefully took it.
Balin guided Kili inside and sat Kili down in the middle of the company. Kili gulped and instinctively he rushed over to Bofur, him being the only one he knew. Bofur smiled at him: 'Kili, they are friends. You don't need to be scared of them, I can assure you that.' Kili looked up at him: 'When is my dad coming back?' 'Like he told you, at the end of the day!' Dwalin exclaimed annoyed, not getting how Kili still didn't know. 'I-I'm sorry!' Kili stuttered scared and backed away into a corner. 'That was not necessary at all!' Bilbo snapped angry at Dwalin. 'I did not mean to scare the little lad!' Dwalin exclaimed, feeling guilty for scaring Kili.
Bilbo slowly walked over to the scared Kili and took his hands: 'Hey, don't mind the big giant. He scared me as well, the first time I met him. But in reality, he is just one big baby.' 'Hobbit! Don't you push it!' Dwalin exclaimed, being shushed by Balin: 'Let him, Dwalin!'
The fear in Kili's eyes slowly faded and he asked: 'Really?' Bilbo nodded: 'There is no need to be scared of him. He is not going to scare you again, is he?' Bilbo shot Dwalin a glare and looked back at Kili. Kili was looking at Dwalin, who was smiling very awkwardly back. He turned back to Bilbo: 'Is he right though? Is dad really back at the end of the day?' Bilbo nodded: 'He promised you that, didn't he?' Kili nodded but didn't let go of his hands. Bilbo stood up and felt Kili's hands tighten around his.
He walked over to Dwalin and Balin nodded his head towards Kili. Dwalin shot him a confused look and Balin did it again. He got the message but shook his head. Balin shot him an angry glance and nodded towards Kili once again. Dwalin sighed and crunched down in front of Kili. Kili backed away but Dwalin stopped him: 'Please, don't do that. I'm really sorry for scaring you, I did not intend to do so.' Kili said nothing and just shuffled with his feet.
Dwalin looked up at the others, desperate for help. 'Go on.' Oin hissed and Dwalin sighed. He turned back to Kili and said: 'Can you forgive me? I feel really bad about. It, It was a very bad start. Can we forget about it and never talk about it again?' Kili looked up at him: 'Did you r-really not mean to do it?' Dwalin shook his head and sighed.
Kili looked up at Bilbo, who gave him a short nod. He turned back to Dwalin and shot forward. He wrapped his little arms around Dwalin's neck and buried his face into his shoulder. Dwalin looked up at the dwarves, panic written all over his face: 'What in Mahal's name do I do now?' he hissed, trying not to move. 'Hug back, you big idiot.' Gloin said. Dwalin gulped and carefully wrapped his arms around Kili. He slowly started to feel comfortable and wrapped them a little tighter around Kili. The little boy pulled away again and said: 'It is alright. Dad always tells me it's not good to stay mad for too long.' 'Thorin has taught you well. Speaking about Thorin, don't tell him I scared you, alright? He will end me immediately.' Dwalin said, looking at Kili. Kili giggled and it melted Dwalin's heart.
The dwarves sighed in relief and Gandalf said: 'So, what shall we do first?' 'Can I go outside, mister? Dad always goes outside with me.' Kili asked shy, looking up at Gandalf, who was very tall for him. Gandalf smiled: 'That sounds like an excellent idea, master Kili.' Kili giggled again at the name and Bombur opened up the door for him. Kili sprinted to the outside world, leaving the company behind.
'Dwalin, don't ever scare the little prince like that again. You said it yourself, Thorin will kill you when he finds out.' Bofur said, shaking his head. 'I didn't mean to do it! I apologized, alright? I should be good now.' Dwalin defended himself. 'That was the first time I ever saw you so soft, besides the times you spent with Fili.' Balin grinned. 'He is Thorin's son, what am I supposed to do?' 'No, that's not it. I saw your eyes soften when he giggled. You are going to adore the little lad.' 'Shut up, Balin. I just felt bad for scaring him, can we just leave it?' Dwalin snapped, making Balin grin. 'Oh good graces! Kili, get away from there!' Bilbo suddenly shouted, rushing outside.
The dwarves ran after him and found Kili attempting to climb a tree. Bilbo had reached and pulled him away from the tree: 'Kili, no. If you fall out the tree, you might break something.' Kili's smile faded: 'I-I'm sorry, master hobbit.' Bilbo sighed and knew he couldn't stay mad for long: 'It's all good. We just need to be extra careful, do you understand?' Kili nodded and suddenly poked Bilbo in his stomach. 'What the-'You're it!' Kili exclaimed and ran away from Bilbo. The hobbit smiled and rushed after Kili.
The dwarves watched as Bilbo ran after the laughing Kili and smiled. 'And Thorin gets to enjoy this every day.' Bofur said as he sat down on the grass. 'I don't know how he does it.' Dwalin grinned and Balin hit him in his stomach: 'Don't say that.' 'You know I'm joking.' Dwalin smirked and looked up. 'He is adorable, though.' Gloin said, watching Bilbo grab Kili. They started rolling over the grass and Bilbo tickled Kili. 'A natural.' Gandalf smiled.
Thorin was at the meeting, on time. But he was bored. Very bored. They were discussing things that didn't matter to him and all he wanted was getting back home. He was worried. Worried that something might happen. What if they accidently didn't watch him and let him get kidnapped? He should be there himself, he shouldn't had gone off, he should-'THORIN!'
Thorin got ripped out of his thoughts and he shot right up: 'I did not fall asleep!' 'We know, Thorin, we know. But you were away again. What is with you?' Dain asked, leaning closer. 'I have a son now, Dain. I can't stop worrying about him.' Thorin answered. Dain sighed: 'You can go.' 'I beg your pardon?' 'You can go, I said. Go and check on your kin. He's much more important than this. We are not talking about anything that concerns you anyway. Besides, having you drowning in your worries is not going to help us anywhere. Go and make sure your heir is okay.' Thorin gave him a nervous smile and said: 'Can I really go?' Dain nodded and Thorin jumped up: 'Thank you, Dain! Thank you!' 'You are welcome, Thorin Oakenshield. Next time, just bring the bundle along. Less worrying for you, more joy in here.' Dain said and Thorin smiled.
Thorin rushed to his horse and didn't know how fast to get back to Kili. He never felt good when he left Kili behind, not even with Dis. He constantly worried about Kili, no matter what. He had promised Sicilia he would take good care of him and he loved Kili more than anything else. So as soon as he was on his horse, he urged him and raced away.
'Kili, please. Please hush. Don't cry!' Oin desperately cried out. Kili had fallen off the bench outside and had started crying. The dwarves were in panic, not knowing what to do now.
The tears were rolling down the dwarfling's cheek and he was hiccupping. Bilbo looked up at Gandalf and even the wizard had no idea how to handle a crying child. Bilbo looked back and carefully sunk down next to Kili, who was sat on the ground. 'Hey, hey. It's alright, it's alright, Kili. Where does it hurt?' 'M-my h-head!' Kili sobbed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. 'Can I see it?' Bilbo asked, feeling the dwarves watch him.
Kili slowly removed his hand, still crying. Bilbo's shoulders dropped and the dwarves went completely silence. The fall had caused a big wound on Kili's head and it started to get blue all around it. 'By the gods of Mahal…' Balin whispered, starting to feel really guilty.
Bilbo gently touched the wound, but Kili pulled back immediately. Bilbo removed his hand and slowly wrapped his arms around Kili. He carefully placed Kili back on the bench and walked back to the company.
'Well?' Bofur asked, glaring at Bilbo. 'I don't know how to handle this! What if I accidentally hurt him?' Bilbo hissed. 'More than that is not possible for such a little boy.' Gloin spoke up. 'We need to fix this before Thorin gets home.' Dwalin said. 'Oh, Mahal! Thorin! Yes, indeed! If Thorin finds out, we will-'If I find out what?'
The company slowly turned around and faced Thorin. Thorin had his bag on his back, pony already tied to the fence. 'What is going on?' Thorin demanded. 'Master Thorin, how good to see you back. How was the meeting?' Gandalf said, trying to soften Thorin a bit. 'Don't turn away from it, master wizard. What is going on?' Thorin said, not having any of it.
The dwarves looked at each other, panic on all of their faces. Thorin's face suddenly dropped: 'Where is Kili? Where is my son?!' 'Well, eh.' Bilbo started laughing really nervously and backed away, revealing the crying Kili. Thorin's eyes widened as he dropped his bag: 'Kili!' Thorin immediately rushed over to his son and wrapped his arms around him. He hugged him tightly, laying on hand on the back of his head. 'It's alright, little one. Daddy's here, dad's home. Like he promised. It's okay. Shush, my child.' 'D-dad!' Kili sobbed, burying his head into Thorin's shoulder. Thorin placed a kiss on Kili's forehead and turned to the company, anger all in his eyes: 'What have you done to him?!'
'Thorin, we did not do anything. We were inside for just a second and Kili fell off the bench.' Balin explained, hoping it would help lighten the situation. 'How could you leave him unguarded?' Thorin asked angry, stroking Kili's hair. 'We are terribly sorry for it. We did not mean for this to happen. We were trying to help him, but we did not know how.' Dwalin said, looking down. Thorin started grinning, making everybody look up at him. 'What is it?' Bofur asked, a bit scared. 'You are all unbelievable. You know how to use a sword, but to cheer up a crying child is too much to ask.'
Thorin placed Kili back on the ground and saw his wound. He gasped and gently placed his hand on it. Kili turned away, just like he did with Bilbo: 'T-That hurts, dad!' he sobbed. Thorin sighed: 'I know, laddie. But I need to know what's wrong. Let me have a look at it.' Against his will, Kili turned back and whimpered as Thorin touched it again. Blood was starting to pour out of it and Kili started to panic: 'A-Am I dying, dad?!' Thorin smiled and removed his hand again: 'No, little one. You are not dying. I just need to clean it up, just like aunt Dis always does. You'll be alright in now time.' He stood up, lifting Kili from the ground. 'I'll be right back.' He told the company and walked inside his house.
'And that is where you went wrong, master Baggins. Do not give in when one does not do what you want him to.' Gandalf said, leaning on his wand. Bilbo sighed and shook his head: 'You are learning something every day.' 'Those are true words, master Hobbit.' Balin smiled and looked inside. After some time they heard Kili giggling again and sighed in relief.
Thorin walked back outside, Kili walking next to him. He had a bandage around his head and was smiling again, dried up tears on his face.
'Is he alright?' Gandalf asked, looking down at Kili. 'He is. Luckily. I'm happy I was allowed to go sooner. I don't want to know what could have happened if I didn't.' Thorin answered, ruffling Kili's hair. Kili giggled and looked at the dwarves. 'Ehm, Kili. We are extremely sorry for everything. We know we are no good babysitters.' Dori said, looking at Kili. Kili smiled: 'Thank you for everything.' 'What?' Nori asked confused. Thorin looked at Kili and the boy continued: 'Yeah, you are really funny.' The dwarves grinned. 'So the pain does not matter?' Ori asked. 'I did not say that.' Kili said and Thorin started laughing. He sunk down and wrapped his arms around Kili: 'I love you, little one. Never ever forget that.' 'I love you too, dad.' Kili whispered and hugged him back.
Thorin looked up at his men and said: 'Thank you for watching Kili for me. Despite the fact that you hurt him, you did make sure he was not alone.' 'Thorin, we are very sorry for the pain we caused him.' Dori said. 'It is alright. Just make sure you now know what to do, next time you have to watch him for me.' 'Say what?' Nori asked, taken aback. Thorin grinned and winked at them.
He pulled back from Kili and exclaimed: 'Dragon attack!' 'What?! Where?!' Balin exclaimed turning around. Kili giggled and ran away: 'You won't get me!' 'Oh yes I will! I'm a big, scary dragon! I am strong!' Thorin groaned and pretended his hands were claws and chased after Kili. Kili giggled and Thorin grabbed him and started tickling him. 'Dragon has got you!' Thorin exclaimed and rolled over the grass with Kili. 'No! I've got you!' Kili yelled and wrestled himself free from Thorin. He climbed on top of him and started playing with his braids. Thorin cried out, faking his pain: 'Have mercy, oh mighty Kili! I am defeated!' Kili laughed and bounced up and down in excitement.
The dwarves were silent before bursting into a fit of laughter. It was rather rare for them to see Thorin 'defeated' by someone. Gandalf grinned as Kili wrapped his hands around Thorin's face. Thorin all of a sudden grabbed Dwalin's legs, pulling him down. Dwalin did not know what happened and fell down. 'What in-'Who's laughing now?' Thorin grinned. 'Are you going to help me?' Kili asked happy, climbing over to Dwalin. 'I guess I am.' Dwalin grinned and let Kili climb on his back. Kili cheered and exclaimed: 'We are undefeatable!' Dwalin grinned and with Kili on his back, he ran after Thorin, who sprinted away.
Hopefully you liked it:) Review please! :D x