Chapter 3: The Pale Orc


I recommend you to listen the beautiful « Song of Durïn » sang by Clamavi De Profundis, if you don't know it yet, it will be the best thing you could listen.


Once Biblo accepted to join them, the dwarves gave him a pony and headed to Erebor in the company of the hobbit and Gandalf. Kili was satisfied, not only because he had won his bet against his brother but mostly because he has found in Bilbo a pleasant travel companion. The Halfling was like a little child, amazed by everything around him and his way of riding Myrtle, his pony, was terrible but yet very funny to watch.

In the evening, they used to drink together most of the time. All the dwarves seemed to have accepted Bilbo, except for Thorin. He only spoke with him to give orders, the exception being a half-hearted good morning at the start of each day. Kili felt bad because of his uncle's attitude towards the hobbit, but there was nothing he could do against Thorin's strong temperament.

The lads enjoyed time in Bilbo's company greatly, as he told them stories about his ancestors. He was especially proud of one of them who was apparently tall enough to ride a horse. In exchange, the dwarves spoke about the achievement of their kin and the line of Durïn. How Mahal, Aulë in elvish, created the dwarves without the consent of Illuvatar.

"Who is Illuvatar?" asked Bilbo while they were riding.

"He is the father of all things" answered Fili. "The one who created the elves and the humans. Mahal is a Valar but also our creator."

"Illuvatar was the only one allowed to put life onto middle earth," added Kili, eating an apple. "He discovered what Mahal did and came to him. Aulë wanted to destroy his creation to repent, but Illuvatar had compassion for the dwarves when he heard their scream of fear. He accepted to add our kin to his own creation. Durïn was the first of the seven dwarves to be born."
"A song has been written to honor his memory" Fili said, and started to sing with his deep, soft voice.

The world was young, the mountain green,

No strain yet on the Moon was seen,

No word were laid on stream or stone,

When Durïn woke and walked alone.

Bilbo had heard the dwarves sing in his home in Bag End. It seemed to him that they enjoyed music a lot despite, the rumors describing them as ignorant warriors who don't know how to appreciate arts.

He named the nameless hills and dells,

He drank from yet untasted wells.

Fili quieted down, and Kili picked up where his brother left off. He sang the song about his ancestor as beautifully as he could. His mother had taught it to him when he was still young. The dwarf was much known for his singing skill and it was one of the only things he was better at than his brother.

He stood and looked ain Mirrormere,

And saw a crown of stars appear.

Bilbo turned back to watch Thorin when he heard his voice. The dwarf prince hasn't talked much since they have left the shire and it surprised the hobbit to hear him sing like that. Thorin's face looked so peaceful, he never saw him with an expression this soft so for a few minutes, Bilbo forgot how severe he was with him. All the dwarves started to sing at the same time, their voices resonated in the forest and it seemed that nature itself wanted to listen, as no other sound could be heard.

As gems upon the silver thread,

Above the Shadow of his head.

The world was fair, the mountain tall,

In Elder Days before the Fall,

Of mighty Kings in Nargothrond

And Gondolin, who now beyond

The Western Seas have passed away,

The world was fair in Durïn's day.

A king he was in cavern throne

In many-pillared halls of stone

With golden roof and silver floor,

And runes of power upon the door.

The light of sun and star and moon

In shining lamps of Crystal hewn

Undimmed by cloud or shade of night

The stone forever fair and bright.

The world is grey, the mountain old,

The forge's fire is ashen-cold,

No harp is wrung, no hammer falls,

The darkness dwells in Durïn's Halls,

The shadow lies upon his tomb

In Moria, in Kazad-dûm

But still the sunken stars appear

In dark and endless Mirrormere,

There lies his crown in water deep,

Till Durïn wakes again from sleep.

Bilbo was amazed and didn't know what to say when the song ended. The sounds of nature came back, this short moment of true peace and respect ended as well. 'Kazad-Dûm…' thought Kili. 'What does remain of the dwarves' cities? They have been chased out of the kingdom of Durïn by a Balrog and from Erebor by a filthy dragon.' The song cured his homesickness for a brief moment but now that it was over, he surprised himself by thinking about his home again. So did all the other dwarves. The company stayed silent until the end of the day, since no one wanted to talk.

After a long day of riding, Thorin finally gave the order to set up camp next to a huge stone to shield them from the wind.

"Bombur, Bifur, you take care of dinner," ordered Thorin. "Gloïn and Oïn, watch the ponies. Fili and Kili you are on the first night watch."

They all agreed and after a light dinner, some soup with vegetables and bread inside, almost all the dwarves went to sleep. Kili sat down next to Fili who was sharpening one of his blades. Gandalf was smoking peacefully on his own. Kili was still a little sad, but he knew his brother was feeling low too as Fili didn't strike up conversation. However, just sitting next to each other, sharing their pain in silence was enough to make them feel better. After some time, Bilbo, who hadn't been able to sleep, joined them.

"You should get some rest master Hobbit" recommended Fili with a half smile.

"I couldn't find sleep…" answered Bilbo. "It is not as comfortable as my bed in Bag End."

"You will have to get used to it Mister Boggins" laughed Kili.

Bilbo smiled and didn't even bother correcting the young dwarf. He knew that it didn't matter how many time he said it, Kili would continue to pronounce his name wrong. The young one put his hands in front of the fire to warm them up. He felt like the hobbit had a question in his mind that he wasn't daring to ask, since Bilbo shuffled his feet nervously.

"What do you want to know Bilbo?"

"How…"

Bilbo looked at him, surprised by his foresight. He tried to find a soft way to ask his question, and Kili didn't press him.

"I was wondering… don't you miss your home?" Finally asked the hobbit.

"Of course we miss it" answered Kili as he put his hands on the black stone his mother gave him.

"We were born and raised in the Blue Mountains, but our home is Erebor" said Fili. "All the dwarves from the Blue Mountains will tell you that we live there, but our hearts are still in the lonely mountain. We have been missing it for thousands of years."

Bilbo kept silence, trying to imagine what it was like to be far away from Bag End for all this time. He felt dizzy for a few seconds and couldn't help feeling sorry for the dwarves. He stood up and went to the see the ponies with an apple in his hand. Fili took out his pipe and started to smoke. Kili wasn't in the mood to smoke so he decided to make some arrows instead.

"Don't you think that our uncle is too hard on Bilbo?" asked quietly Kili as he looked at his sleeping uncle.

"He is" answered his brother. "He doesn't think that Bilbo is good enough, and you know our uncle…"

Kili kept silent. He pitied the hobbit. He knew what it was to be underestimated. Between him and Fili, there was no kind of sibling rivalry. He loved his brother with all his heart, and he was ready to die if it would save him. However, people around them seemed to enjoy comparing them. Fili excelled in the art of war. He knew how to use an axe as well as a sword or a mace, and he was tough and quickly grew a beard. Kili was the opposite, preferring music and a bow instead of an axe... He wasn't as strong as his brother and never got the chance to grow a beard which worried him a lot. Sometimes, he would happen to hear other dwarves talking behind his back, calling him "elf" or "ugly" based on dwarvish beauty standards. Fili hated those who insulted his brother, and sometimes started fights with dwarves that uttered hurtful words. Furthermore, Thorin used to compliment a lot Fili more than Kili, and trained Fili harder his brother.

"I don't think that mister Boggins…" Began Kili.

"Baggins, Kili!" interrupted Fili laughing hard. "Mister Baggins with an A!"

This laugh awaked some of the dwarves. Fili apologized and then looked at his brother with a smile. He encouraged him to continue with a nod.

"I don't think that mister Baggins is a coward" Kili said, emphasizing the A which made his brother choke on his pipe's smoke. "I trust him and Gandalf too."

At this moment, Kili heard a scream in the distance. He and his brother raised their head, wary. Bilbo looked at them, he seeming worried.

"What was that?" Asked the hobbit, quickly coming back to the dwarves.

"Orcs," answered Kili after a brief silence. The scared face the hobbit made amused him a lot and he wanted to trick him.

Fili gave his brother a reproving look, and Kili felt that Fili didn't quite understand his joke. He gave him a little push in the leg with his elbow without Bilbo noticing it.

"Orcs?" Bilbo nearly screamed, waking up Thorin with a start. The dwarf put his hand on his sword, ready to attack.

"Throat-cutters," Fili added. Kili held back a smile, pleased. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lone lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the small hours when everyone's asleep," continued Kili. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lot's of blood."

The theatrical tone the brothers took ended up convincing Bilbo. He turned back to watch where the sound came from in the night, troubled. Kili was satisfied by the result of his joke and after crossing his brother's eyes, he couldn't hold back a laugh.

"You think that's funny?" said Thorin with a strong and an authoritative voice, as he walked towards them. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

The young dwarf felt guilty, he could feel in his uncle's disappointment in his voice.

"We didn't mean anything by it," he murmured, regretting his words.

"No you didn't. You know nothing of the world," Thorin said and walked away without saying another word.

Kili sighed. His mother told him the exact same thing a few weeks before. Despite the joke, Bilbo felt sorry for the young dwarf. He knew from the start that Thorin didn't value him at all and he somehow got used to it. However, seeing him acting this hard with his own family upset the hobbit. Fili gave a friendly tap on his brother's shoulder to make him feel better.

"Don't mind him, laddie," Balïn came up next to them. He seemed to have heard the whole conversation. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

Bilbo came to sit next to Kili, ready to hear the story Balïn was about to tell.

"After the dragon took the lonely mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient Dwarf Kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first."

The brothers already knew it all, as Balïn told them the story when they were just two young dwarves. However, they only heard it once because their mother refused to answer their questions, and the old dwarf never mentioned it again.

"Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs led by the most vile of all their race: Azog the Defiler," continued Balïn with disgust on his face as he mentioned the name of the Orc. "The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durïn."

Bilbo and the brothers turned towards Thorin who was watching the horizon in silence. Then the hobbit looked at Fili and Kili sadly. He already knew they were from the same family. The brothers were always referred to Thorin as their uncle. The lads were also from the line of Durïn, so the threat of Azog's Oath was upon them too. They were born years after the Moria battle, it was very likely that their existence was still unknown by the Orcs. However, they were not necessarily safe. The fear of being discovered had killed more than one brave dwarf. A deep sadness overwhelmed Kili's heart, and he shook his head to chase away the thought.

"He began by beheading the king. Thrain, Thorin's father was driven mad by grief. He went missing. Taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us," Balïn's face, which was dark and sad suddenly, became full of happiness. "That is when I saw him. A young dwarf prince facing down the pale orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe. His armor rent wielding nothing than an oaken branch as a shield. Azog the defiler learned that day that the line of Durïn will not be that so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back, our enemy has been defeated. But there was no feast nor song that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived and I thought to myself then that there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."

Bilbo became speechless by the story. He turned toward Thorin. As they were talking, all the dwarves stood up to face their prince. He looked at them with a soft smile full of love for his kin. Kili already knew it, hearing it again was painful, his ancestors have been slaughtered there. Neither he nor his brother were born at the time of the battle which was the beginning of the many disasters that plagued their family. The oath of Azog started everything. Thorin's father and grandfather both died or disappeared and even if Kili's uncle didn't want to speak about it often, everyone knew that he secretly continued to search for Thrain, his father. He was convinced Thrain didn't die during the battle, that he was hiding somewhere in Middle Earth.

"And the pale orc?" asked Bilbo. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole from whence he came," answered Thorin, walking back to them. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Kili didn't see the strange look Balïn and Gandalf exchanged at that time.

"After that, long years passed," restarted the old dwarf, "and something that has been ignored came back. We found out Azog had somehow manage to have a son, Bolg."

Kili clenched his teeth together at this cursed name, Fili put his hands on his brother's shoulder. Balïn looked at the lads, debating if he should continue. Bilbo was confused by this pause in conversation. The young one was avoiding every gaze, and Fili finally gave his permission for the old dwarf to continue, after making sure his brother was alright.

"Bolg swore to honor the oath of his heinous father. However, Thorin wasn't the only heir of Durïn anymore. Dis, his sister, married a noble dwarf named Vili."

When Kili heard this name, it was like he was out of air for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to calm himself down. The wound of barely knowing his father had not healed completely, and he thought it was the most painful part of the ordeal. He was just a mirage to him, an opaque image, blurry face…

"Is he-" started to ask Bilbo.

"He was our father" Kili cut him off, more roughly that he would have liked.

They remained in an awkward silence for a few seconds. Fili went sitting next to his brother and put an arm around his shoulders. Even if Kili always acted tough, he was very sensitive when it came to his father. Fili was much older than him and he could still remember of some of the time spent with Vili, his father, before he died. Fili remembered how Vili taught him how to fight with a sword, or how to build a small windmill like the ones on the hill next to their house in the Blue Mountains. Kili didn't have that chance, and almost all his memories of him disappeared. Fili tried to help him by telling him what he remembered about him and his father, but it has never been enough. Bilbo felt sorry for them, seeing how sad it made them feel to hear it.

"I'm sorry for the lost…" he said softly. "You don't have to tell more if it hurts you…"

"Go on Balïn," murmured Kili.

"Kili maybe he shouldn't…"

"I'm fine, continue please," the young dwarf interrupted with the movement of a hand.

After looking at Kili for a second, Balïn sighed.

"Fili and Kili was very young when Thorin came to his sister's house to inform Vili and Dis about Bolg. Their Father feared for the life of his sons" Balïn stopped for a second. "He rallied a few dwarves loyal to his family and started hunting the orc. Thorin and his wife tried to stop him but nothing could have been done to change his mind. Unfortunately, they were ambushed. No one survived. It was a real slaughter."

"No corpses were found. Their ponies went back alone to the Blue Mountains covered in blood," Fili said painfully. "For our people, it is important that the body is properly buried into stone to be accepted in the Hall of Mahal."

"Those abominations deprived him from this right," Kili spat and muttered through clenched teeth."We will never get the chance to meet him again, even in the afterlife."

67 YEARS EARLIER

It was a wonderful day of spring, neither cold nor hot as birds started to come back to the Blue Mountains. It was the first time since the snow melted that Fili and his younger brother Kili were allowed by their mother to play outside. The blonde dwarf took his brother with him. He wanted to teach him how to build a small windmill like the one on the hill where all the children used to play. They sat on the grass near their house so Dis could see them while she was cooking.

"See? You put the two sticks like that and with the twine, you tie it all together!" said the young dwarf showing Kili how to do it.

"I don't know how to tie it well, Fili!" the other one grumbled, unable to a knot correctly with his little fingers.

"Do you know how to tie your shoes?"

"No I do not, mother usually does it…"

Fili laughed. The brothers were having so much fun together that they didn't saw a tall armed dwarf coming toward them.

"Good morning lads" he said while putting off his helmet to salute them. "My name is Balïn, I would like to speak with my lady Dis."

The older one immediately stood up and put himself instinctively in front of his brother to protect him. He took a very short knife out of his belt while Kili took his arm, scared.

"You want to fight me with a toothpick, laddie?" The dwarf said with a laugh. "I can recognize the fighting spirit of your mother and father."

Balïn leaned to be at the same high as the two young dwarves.

"You can put it back, I am not your enemy. It has been a long time since we last met but I had hoped that you remembered me."

Fili didn't let his guard down. It wasn't a time of peace among the dwarves and they didn't live in the city. Their house was a little ways apart from every form of life, so a foe could easily come here without being seen. Their mother told them numerous times to be careful about strangers.

"What do you want," he asked with an authoritative voice.

"As I said earlier, I am here to talk with your mother," answered the old dwarf as he stood up."She is an old friend of mine."

"I am here Balïn" a voice said, coming from the door.

Dis came quickly, she put his hand on Fili's shoulder who was still on a position to attack.

You can put the knife back son, I know him well."

He did as his mother told him, Dis took Balïn forearm and bumped her head on his softly.

"We have fought a lot together during great battles with your uncle Thorin," Dis told her sons.
Fili nodded a little but kept his head high and proud. Kili was a little intimidated by the old dwarf he didn't remember at all. He said a shy hello.

"Come inside Balïn, you said you wanted to talk with me."

The happy expression the dwarf had suddenly disappeared as he remembered the reason of his coming. He took off his helmet and placed it on his chest.

"Dis, I have been sent by Thorin from the Mountains of Iron and…"

"Why is my brother sending you?" The princess said immediately, cutting Balïn. Her smile was long gone.

"We have news from your husband Vili."

Dis froze just like her two sons. Their father had left several months before without any reason. Their mother knew why but they didn't, and she refused to explain it to them, saying they were too young to understand.

" Fili, take your brother with you and go play to the windmill."

"But mother! If it is about father I want to be here!"

"Go now!" yelled Dis, losing control of herself.

Fili stood in shock for a few seconds. His mother wasn't the kind of person to get angry easily. He took Kili's hand and pulled him curtly as he walked away from his mother, furious. He was 15! He was old enough to understand anything. As soon as Dis and Balïn closed the door of the house, Fili turned back and went back to the house.

"Aren't we going to the windmill Fili?" Asked Kili, confused.

"Something happened to our father, otherwise he would have come back a long time ago"

They crawled silently beneath the window of the kitchen where their mother led the dwarf. They sat down against the wall of the house and waited. Kili saw a little ladybug walking on his hand and he started to play with it, not very concerned by the conversation that took place inside.

"Would you like some tea, Balïn?" asked Dis.

"Please."

The ladybug flew away to the disappointment of the young dwarf.

"Fili, I want to go…" he whispered.

"Hush! Let me listen!"

Kili took two wooden sticks to play with it while his brother tried to listen. He wanted to go play with his friends. He was bored.

"Very good the tea, Dis," Balïn took another sip of tea.

"Enough about the tea" she said strongly, "I know what your coming means, I am not a fool. Now tell me, why does Mahal recall my husband to him?"

Kili was too young at that time to know who Mahal was and what relation he had with the dwarves. However, the brown haired dwarf immediately felt something wrong. He let go his wooden sticks and looked at his brother. Fili was pale, his eyes opened and he was trembling a little, his fists clenched.

"Fili?"

"At the beginning of the month, their ponies came back to the Mountain of Iron without riders" started Balïn with a soft voice, "They were ambushed near the Moria mines by orcs. We went there. There was just blood everywhere and dismembered bodies without their head. We found his ring among all the different hands. I am sorry Dis."

Suddenly, Kili understood everything. He started shaking and the tears appeared. His father was dead. He will never come back. The young dwarf couldn't breathe correctly, because the emotional shock was too strong for the little kid. He stood up with difficulty and looked at his brother for comfort. Fili was crying, his hands on his face and trembling from everywhere.

"Fili! Father is… father is gone!"

Kili fell on his knees, too weak to stay up. He was crying loudly and stated suffocating due to the tears and the emotion. Fili was hurt, too, and the loss of his father was horrible to him, but when he saw his brother like that, he immediately chased his tears from his eyes. He came to him and dispelled all the sadness he had, he forcing himself to smile at Kili.

"Look at me Kili," he took his brother by his shoulder, "look at me, everything is alright."

Fili took Kili in his arm, Kili cried against his chest. He tried to hide his sobs in Kili's hair. This was too much for a young dwarf of 15 years.

"I will protect you brother" he added, "I will protect you and mother."

Their mother heard them cried outside. She ran out and understood that it was no longer possible to hide anything from her sons about their father's death. She took them in her strong arms and cried with them in silence. The day after, she left the house for an unknown reason and the two brothers left the Blue Mountains with Balïn to live with their only family, Thorin Oakenshield. He was like a father to them. He had known Fili well and fought often by his side. Thorin loved his two nephews deeply and did everything he could to make them feel good. During the day, he taught Fili how to fight with a sword. During in the night, when Kili was crying, his uncle came to comfort him, hugging the young dwarf in his bed until he fell asleep. Their mother came back a month later and they all went back to the Blue Mountains. The brothers never knew why she left and they were aware that she would never tell them.

The day when they discovered the truth about their father's fate was the last time Kili saw his brother cry. Since then, Fili took the role of the father in the house and quickly became a responsible person. He was always there to take good care of his younger brother and sometimes, he quite forgot that Kili was an adult now too.

"Brother?"

"Oh" Kili shook his head. "Sorry, bad memories came back hunting me."

"What?"

"Good evening lads," Dwalin said before Kili could answer. "It is my turn to do the night watch, you can go get some rest now."

The brothers stood up and changed quickly, they went to their bed and just before falling asleep, Kili called his brother.

"Fili?"

"Hum?" he said half asleep.

"You don't have to protect me anymore," Kili smiled at him softly, "it is my turn now to keep you and mother safe. You can rest from now on."

Fili was surprised by what his brother said. He fell asleep with a peaceful smile on his face. It was their last night of true peace for a long time.