"I've got you."
Bilbo blinked sightlessly at the dwarf king, trembling uncontrollably as his small fingers curled into that thick fur mantle. Thorin sucked in a quiet breath, trying to reposition the hobbit so he could get to his injuries, but Bilbo refused to budge.
"I'm trying to help!" Thorin growled, frustrated.
Stone grated as the door was pushed open, and Kili was off like a shot, running down the slope to find his brother. Thorin watched his nephew go, something twisting in his chest. He made to get up, but the hobbit's hands were still clutching at him, keeping him down. Big, frightened blue eyes blinked up at him, and Bilbo's lips parted.
"Th-Thorin?"
The king-in-exile froze at the sound of his name, looking down to the source. Bilbo, poor, abused little Bilbo, was looking at him in a mixture of fear and relief.
"Thorin," the hobbit murmured again, and his eyes closed.
Smaug had meant for this to happen, Thorin was sure. He'd meant for the dwarves to give up on their smallest companion, only for Bilbo to tug at their heartstrings again. But the deal was set. The hobbit would stay, and the Company would walk free. Once again he was paying the price for their freedom.
It wasn't fair!
There was a shout from further down the mountain, and Thorin recognized it instantly as Kili's voice. "Oin, Gloin, take care of the halfling," he ordered, prying Bilbo's fingers from his front. The hobbit moaned, but Thorin couldn't stay here, not when Kili so clearly needed him.
He brushed a hand briefly through Bilbo's hair and surged to his feet, running down the mountain towards where he'd heard his nephew yell. Bilbo very nearly sobbed as the king-in-exile left, and Bofur gently gathered the halfling into his arms, stroking through his sweaty curls.
"Easy lad," Bofur murmured. "We're all here. Let's get you taken care of."
A familiar voice and reassuring touches were just what Bilbo needed. He relaxed then, gazing up at Bofur as the healers worked open his borrowed clothes to examine his wounds.
The self-inflicted injuries weren't the only ones, though they were certainly the freshest. The hobbit's skin was littered with scars and half-healed cuts, as well as an impressive number of shiny burns. The dwarves winced in sympathy as Oin began to tend to him, being as gentle as possible. Bilbo whimpered, shivering in Bofur's arms.
"Kill me," he whispered, and fainted.
X
Kili's boots came down hard, crushing the soft grass underneath him. He ran as fast as he could, his thoughts fixed only on finding Fili, on praying fiercely that his brother was safe. Already he had learned these paths extraordinarily well, and his feet took him down familiar trails without thought.
"Fili!" he cried out at the top of his voice, darting along a different path. He had to find him, he would find him, and Fili would be just fine, he had to be...
A blur of gold caught Kili's eye, and he abruptly changed paths, faster now. "Fili!" he shouted again. Soon he caught sight of his brother's familiar blond hair, the light furs that belonged only to Fili. Anxiety pounded through his veins, and before long, the young archer had skidded to a halt at Fili's side.
"Fi," he breathed. His older brother was flat on his back, one leg bent at an unnatural angle and blood staining across most of his face. Smaug hadn't touched him.
Blue eyes fluttered open at the nickname, taking the younger dwarf in slowly. Kili cried out, this time in relief, taking his brother's hand in his own and squeezing it. Fili winced.
"Quietly, brother," he croaked, but there was a small smile on his face. "Not so loud."
"I hate you," Kili mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes. "I hate you, you stupid...cow." He pressed a kiss to his brother's lips, long fingers stroking gently through his lion's mane.
"Cow?" Fili raised an eyebrow, looking exhausted and a little unfocused but certainly still his mischievous self. "That's the best you can do?"
Kili couldn't help but giggle, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "It was the only thing I could think of."
Fili gave his brother a tired smile before his eyes closed again, letting out a shaky breath. "Thought that dragon was going to eat me," he admitted quietly.
Kili nodded, even though Fili couldn't see it. He kept his brother's hand in both of his own, desperate for a little physical contact but nervous about hurting him by accident.
"Don't scare me like that again or I'll kill you," he said abruptly, his voice rather fierce.
Fili's eyes opened and he smiled. There was a shout from somewhere above them, and relief flooded through the injured dwarf. Thorin. There was no one he wanted to see more right now, besides maybe his mother.
He squeezed Kili's hand. "Go get him," Fili murmured. "I don't fancy staying down here until the dragon comes again."
"I'll be right back," Kili promised. He squeezed back gently and kissed Fili's brow before straightening up and running off to find Thorin.
X
It only took Thorin and Kili a few minutes to return to the injured dwarf, but by that point Fili had passed out again. This time Kili did a sweep for injuries, finally noticing Fili's clearly broken leg.
While Thorin attempted to bring Fili back around, Kili dropped instead to examine the injury. He drew one of his knives, creating a rip in his brother's trouser leg enough to where he could tear all the fabric below the knee off completely.
The string of curses that followed was certainly creative, and were they in any other situation, would have earned Kili a slap. Instead, Thorin added a few choice expletives to Kili's statement.
The fall had broken Fili's leg, the pressure causing the bone to buckle. Kili gagged as he realized the shard protruding from his brother's shin was the bone itself, darkened with blood from the wound it had caused.
"Fili...oh Mahal..." Kili moaned, barely managing to keep from emptying his stomach.
The bone would need to be pushed back into place before they could bind the wound, which was still bleeding steadily. If they didn't act fast, Fili would bleed to death. Thorin's gaze snapped back to Kili, his voice sharp.
"Bring Oin here. Now."
Kili hesitated only a moment before nodding and dashing off to fetch the healer. Thorin watched him go before leaning back down, trying to rouse Fili once more.
X
Bofur sighed as he looked down at the unconscious hobbit in his arms. Oin had since finished bandaging the worst of the wounds, and Ori had offered his best furs to keep Bilbo warm for now. Bofur kept him close to the fire, adjusting Bilbo to rest his head in the dwarf's lap and pull the furs up to his chin. The hobbit mumbled something incoherent and snuggled a little closer.
It was almost physically painful to see their burglar like this. Bofur had been one of the first to befriend him, and had stayed close to Bilbo's side for almost the entire journey. On some particularly cold nights, they had shared a bedroll to keep the hobbit warm. Of course, Bilbo had probably thought Bofur was just as cold as he and being practical. But dwarves could withstand extreme weather far better than other races, and after living most his life in mineshafts, Bofur was hardly affected by the chill in the Misty Mountains at all. Watching Bilbo shiver beside him had led him to invite the hobbit to share a bedroll for warmth. After the first night, Bilbo crawled over to cuddle with the dwarf for many more to follow.
The halfling had become a very dear friend throughout the journey. Bofur stroked through damp curls, watching Bilbo sleep. The resulting sigh from the small creature just made his heart ache.
"D' you s'pose there's a way to save 'im?" Bofur asked aloud. A few of the dwarves looked up at him in surprise, the rest staring at the ground.
Balin shook his head slowly. "Not without risking everyone else's lives as well," he replied.
"I'd do it." Bofur's response was immediate, a sudden flare of emotion rising up in his chest. "I'd risk m' life for his. I'd die for him!"
There was a long silence. Ori frowned, getting to his feet. "I'd do it, too."
"Ori, sit down!" Dori tugged at his younger brother's tunic, but Ori shook his head, pulling away and joining Bofur by the fire.
He paused a moment and took one of the hobbit's limp hands in his own. "Bilbo's nearly died for all of us several times over," Ori said quietly. "We all came here knowing there was a chance we wouldn't make it home. We can't give up."
The Company was quiet, the dwarves thinking it over. Dwalin opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Kili, his face white and strained. Everyone turned to look at him, anxious for news of Fili.
"Fili...H-he's alive," Kili stuttered. "But Oin, we need you. He...he broke his leg, and the bone..." The young dwarf swallowed. "It's sticking out. He's lost a lot of blood."
Despite his age, Oin was surprisingly quick to get to his feet, gesturing for his brother to follow.
"Lead the way, lad," Gloin said gruffly.
X
Kili didn't think he would ever get his brother's scream out of his ears. By the time he had returned with Oin and Gloin, Thorin had managed to bring Fili back around. He'd been awake when they had forced the bone back into place. Kili couldn't watch; he'd just held Fili's arms down and kept him still when he struggled and cried and begged for them to stop. By the time Fili succumbed to unconsciousness, there were tears streaming down the youngest Durin's face and he couldn't stop shaking. He'd never heard Fili beg before.
Fili hadn't woke or even showed any inclination of waking after that. Thorin had carried him back to where they made camp, and now Kili sat with his brother's head in his lap, fingers combing absently through his golden locks. Fili's leg had been bandaged and set in a makeshift splint of branches and strips of fabric to keep it in place.
"He can't travel like this," Kili murmured to Thorin, his gaze focused on Fili. His brother was too pale, too still. "He'll die if we leave now."
Thorin said nothing. He had told Smaug he and the others would leave, but Kili was right. Fili had lost too much blood to travel, and there was no way he could walk on that leg. His condition was uncertain enough as it was, but if they were to force him all the way back across Middle-Earth, he would never make it.
His eyes drifted to rest on Bilbo, asleep in Bofur's lap. The hobbit looked terrible, skinny and frail. It was hard to believe this was the same person that had so valiantly saved the lives of the Company time and time again. Was Thorin really willing to give him up to a dragon to save the lives of his kin?
"Uncle?"
Thorin shook himself out of his thoughts, turning to look at Kili. "I do not know what to do," Thorin admitted quietly. "Smaug will slaughter us if we do not accept his terms, but for us to have come so far, only to turn back, does not sit well with me. But I gave him my word..."
There was a dangerous sort of glint in Kili's eyes, one that Thorin had learned not to trust. "Let Fili and I stay here," he said softly.
Thorin stared. "No."
"Wait, just listen." Kili was pale, his arms looped protectively around his older brother. "If Fi and I stay, then we won't be breaking your word. We'll wait until he's healed up, and then we'll kill the dragon and save Bilbo. He won't be expecting us at all. We could do it, Thorin."
Thorin was quiet for a long moment, assessing the pros and cons. Normally he would not even consider such an idea, but these were desperate times and Fili needed rest.
"I cannot allow you to challenge Smaug," he said finally. "The odds aren't in your favor, whether you surprise him or not."
"But-" Kili tried to interrupt, but Thorin held up a hand and he fell silent again.
"I know you want Fili safe, but so do I, Kili. I want both of you safe. I will not allow you to be so foolhardy." Thorin rested a hand on Kili's shoulder. "We'll go as slowly as we need to and stop in Lake-town for Fili."
Kili didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally he looked up at his uncle. "You're giving up on Erebor?" he asked, his tone accusing. "On Bilbo?"
That stung. "What choice do I have, Kili?" Thorin shot back, keeping his voice low. There was no reason for the others to hear this. "If we don't agree to the dragon's terms, we will all be killed and the royal line of Durin broken. We did not plan this carefully enough and I will not allow any more lives to be lost than necessary."
But Kili was still shaking his head, his gaze turning hard. One hand tightened around Fili's most prominent braid. "Then what was it all for? What does Bilbo's sacrifice mean, or Fili's?" His breath came fast, tears starting in his eyes again. "He's never going to walk properly, Thorin! And for what, for us to just...give up?"
Kili shook his head again, glaring at his uncle with such ferocity that it surprised Thorin. Kili had never looked at him like that, not even once.
"It's got to mean something. It has to. Maybe you can give up, but I can't. Not when Fili's..." He swallowed hard, forcing the next word out. "Crippled."
The accusation and hurt in Kili's tone struck Thorin to the very core. Pushing himself to his feet, he squeezed Kili's shoulder briefly. "I'm just trying to protect you both," he said quietly, and walked away.
Kili shuddered and hung his head, trying his best not to burst into tears in front of everyone. But Fili, crippled for life now...at best he would have a limp, but if the bones didn't set like they were supposed to, his leg could end up completely useless. Until they got to Lake-town or somewhere similar, where the healers had all the proper materials they needed, they couldn't be sure that Fili's leg had been set correctly, and by that point it would be too late.
Kili's shoulders started to shake and he gripped Fili's braid tighter in his hand, tears spilling down his cheeks. He couldn't let this happen for nothing. He couldn't. He loved Fili more fiercely than anything in the world, and seeing him hurt was agonizing.
It wasn't Thorin's fault that Fili was hurt. No, Kili blamed himself for that. What he did blame Thorin for was not giving them a chance to avenge Fili's injury. He understood why Thorin had made the decision he had, that he'd chosen the lives of the Company over Erebor, but a fire burned in Kili's heart. Someone had to pay for what had happened to his brother.
A surprisingly soft hand on his shoulder made Kili blink and look up. Bilbo sat beside him, giving him a small, sad smile and gently mopping away the dwarf's tears with his sleeve. Kili had heard stories of the dragonspell and what it could do to someone, how it could bend a person completely into something they weren't, but this was so clearly the hobbit that Kili knew and adored.
His eyes filled with moisture again, angry and sad all at the same time, and he let his head drop to rest on Bilbo's shoulder, hiding his face in the halfling's neck. Small fingers stroked through Kili's dark hair, smoothing out the tangles, and the young dwarf cried in earnest. He cried for Fili's leg, for losing Erebor, for the final sacrifice the hobbit was about to make for the Company.
The other dwarves kept a respectful distance, though they too mourned for what was to come.
