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Kili walked into the dimly lit room and breathed in the smell of dwarven incense and candles. Thorin was laying in his bed, like he did everyday since the battle. He looked at Bilbo, who just gave a small shake of his head; nothing had changed since yesterday, Thorin still hadn't woken.
"I promised myself I would leave by Friday if he hadn't woken by then, but I just can't seem to move." Bilbo said in a pained whisper. Kili walked over and put a hand on the hobbit's shoulder.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like, Master Baggins. " he said quietly.
Bilbo nodded, and gave an involuntary sniff.
"How is Fili?" Bilbo asked, like he did everyday when Kili came to visit his uncle.
"It's hard to tell. Some days he's fine, others he's….confused. We're trying our best." Kili said, trying to blink away tears as he remembered his dismissal earlier.
"It's going to work out just fine, Kili. If dwarves are as stubborn as I know them to be, the three of you will pull through this just fine." Bilbo said with a small smile.
"Balin said he had an idea, but he's in conferences with the consolers right now." Kili said
He and Balin had had tea earlier, and Balin had mentioned something about a healer in Gondor, but before he could give Kili any details he had been called into a meeting by the royal conserlors.
"How far is Gondor from here?" Kili asked, wondering if the hobbit knew.
"It is south of here, I think."
"Like the Shire."
"Yes, I believe so. It's a long way, near the sea I believe."
Kili sighed, Gondor was a long ways from Erebor. But if it helped his brother, he would do it.
"Fili is in good hands, Kili. And he will get better, I promise." Bilbo said, putting a hand on Kili's shoulder.
Kili nodded, and truly hoped that the little hobbit was right.
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A few hours later, Kili quietly knocked on Fili's door hoping beyond hope that he would let him enter.
Dwalin answered the door with a quiet rumble.
"How's everything?" Kili asked
"Much better. We are playing chess…kind of." Dwalin answered and he opened the door wider. Kili hesitantly stepped inside, not sure how Fili would take to his presence. He found his brother sitting on the ground a large marble chess set and board in front of him. All the pieces were gathered at Fili's feet, some toppled over, some stacked on top of each other and one was peeking out of Fili's shirt pocket. Opposite of him, sitting on the board was a vase of daisies.
"Aye! Curse you're sudden but inevitable betrayal! Die horse master, die!" Fili shouted as he held out two black pieces, clicking them together rapidly and laughing.
Kili suppressed a giggle. Dwalin was a very good chess player, and it was kind of him to let the game go astray for Fili's enjoyment.
"Which pieces are yours?" Kili asked
"None. I am the vase of flowers." Dwalin said, pointing to the vase on the floor.
"Oh, I see."
"But I think I'm winning. It's hard to tell." Dwalin answered with a bemused smile.
"I see things are going better than when I left this morning." Kili asked, hoping for an update.
"Aye. Much better. He brooded for about an hour, but then started asking to play chess so I let him loose of the restraints. He seems to have forgotten our rocky morning." Dwalin answered.
Kili nodded, "that's good, I guess."
"He asked about you, he's been asking every ten minutes." Dwalin said quietly.
Kili smiled, atleast Fili wanted to see him again. He walked over and knelt down next to the board.
"Hey Fili." He said
Fili gave him a broad smile, and he almost looked like the old Fili—except that his hair was painfully short.
"Kili! Here, have some mice. We can play, you can be the third player. I think that's right. The rules. It doesn't break any rules. The mice whispered them in my ears." He said, handing him seven pieces and motioning for him to set them up on the board.
Kili nodded and smiled.
For the next hour they played a very modified version of chess, which included a pair of dice, the daisies and lots of grumblings from Dwalin about the right way to play chess. In the end, Fili declared the mice as the winners, and then asked Kili if they could go to the market to get Uncle something for his birthday.
Kili looked at his brother's hopeful eyes and felt his heart break as he shook his head no.
"The market is closed now, Fili. We can go tomorrow." He said.
"Aye lad, I will be at the smithy later today. I can pick something up for your uncle if you wish." Dwalin added.
Fili nodded, and then started rearranging the figures by type; bishop, knight, pawn.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to take a breather. Mahal bless you, Kili." Dwalin then said, standing up and walking towards the door.
"I am a holler away if you need me." He said
"Thank you, Dwalin."
Kili looked over the board, and at Fili's triangular arrangements of the pieces.
"Fili?" he asked
He waiting until Fili was looking at him, to continue.
"Do you remember the quest we went on? With Dwalin and Uncle Thorin?" he asked, hoping that maybe if he sparked some memories, Fili would be able to find his way through the darkness and back to him.
"Quest? We needed a burglar?" Fili asked
"Yeah. Mr. Baggins. You remember him, right? We went to his house, and had dinner and then in the morning we set out on our quest." Kili urged him.
Fili nodded, "There were more than just us. Twelve total, thirteen with Mr. Baggins. Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori and Nori…and….and….you and Uncle." Fili said, counting the names off on his fingers.
"Yes, yes that's right."
"We walked, walked and talked. Bilbo he…he wanted his handkerchiefs. And then….then there was trolls who wanted our boots for soup. Did we find the mountain, Kili? Did we slay the dragon?" Fili asked, looking up at him.
Kili nodded, "Yes, yes brother we did. We took our homeland back, and we slew the dragon. We are home now. In Erebor."
"This is home?"
"Yes."
"No. No. No. No No. Home was…was where Ma would cook stew on the fire, and sing sweet lullabies in our ears. This isn't home. This is cold, and empty and dark. No light. I cant find the light. Ive searched for it, looked for it, felt it but it's not here. It's not." He dropped the chess pieces and gripped his short hair in his hands.
"I'll never be able to find it."
"Oh Fili." Kili sighed, he scooted closer to his brother and wrapped his arms around his brother. Fili resisted at first, but then he clung to him, hands gripping his clothes and his hair.
"It's okay, I'm here for you. I'll help you find it." Kili whispered as Fili gripped him tight.
"Everything is going to be okay. You'll see." He said, and hoped to all of the gods that it was true.
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Kennie stared at her garden with her hands on her hips.
The snails had gotten into her strawberries, again.
She was not in a good mood. She still had a thousand tasks to do, and the fact that she was still slightly drunk and hungover at the same time was not helping her in the slightest.
She had not ment last night to go as it did. She had ment for last night to go as she planned. But nothing ever seemed like it did. She was trying to obtain rights to open a store in the downtown market, but she had been unable to get the correct permits for it. It was hard for her to get anything done in this city, because she was a woman, and because she worked in medicine. Even though the dark ages had passed, there were still some who would deem her a witch for selling herbs and remedies. There were some who still wished to see her burned at the stake. Yesterday she had thought if she had gone to the town meeting and spoke to the market head she could get some answers. But all the men wanted to do was drink and gamble. Not her type of party, but she had played along and now her head pounded, and her vision was blurry and all she wanted to do was go to sleep, but no. The snails had gotten into the strawberries.
She sighed as she felt like a thousand little dwarves were pounding into her head with the hammers and fists.
Dwarves.
She couldn't even think about the dwarves right now.
The raven she had sent yesterday had returned, with a scoll stating that the dwarves would be there in about a month, and that she should prepare for them. It also included a detailed account of everything that had happened since Thorin Oakenshield had taken the Lonely Mountain back. Who was in a deep sleep in which no one could wake him from. Kennie desperately wished she could fall into a deep sleep where no one could wake her from.
She tromped into the strawberry thicket, wincing as drunken memories appeared in her minds eye. Had she really done that? Had she really gotten up on the table and danced until the bartender kicked her out? And did she really try to kiss him?
She winced again.
He had walked her home, and had been decent with her. He didn't even try to kiss her. A true gentlemen, yet she had pushed him away and told him to never come back because she had been hurt before and-
CAW CAW
"WHY do you keep doing that?!" she half yelled at the raven, she had landed on his sweet pea fence, cawing to it's heart's content.
CAWWWW.
"Okay, fine." She muttered, standing up and walking towards it. She took the scroll out of it's pouch and read carefully.
Dear Kendra,
In the previous letter I had stated that we will be sending two dwarves to you, Fili and Kili but now it has come to our attention that a third one will need to accompany them as well. Please make arrangements for Dwalin the third—and hopefully the last—dwarf that will be coming to Gondor.
Thank you again,
Balin
Kennie sighed loudly and surpressed a sob.
Three dwarves. Three dwarves. Will be coming to stay with her. How could she handle three when she never even ment one. Her head pounded and she sunk onto the ground, not caring that her blue skirt was getting dirty.
Could this day get any worse?
An old wrinkled face with wisps of long white hair appeared from over the fence.
"You know, the first sign of madness is talking to inanimate objects and animals."
"Thank, Ethel. I'll keep that in mind." Kennie grumbled.
Kennie sighed, scooted over to the strawberries and one by one started pulling the snails off them.
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Okay, so I have to admit that this wasnt my best chapter, mainly because I am slightly inebriated...but you don't need to know that. Sometimes fanfiction is the only thing that keeps me going. Please be nice on the review things. Love you, songsogpsyche.