"Come on, Fíli, keep going. You're doing great."

The going was slow and painful for Fíli and Kíli as they made their way down the hill towards the Shire. Fíli leaned against Kíli, his left arm slung around Kíli's neck and his right hand clutching white-knuckled to a branch his brother had converted into a sturdy walking-stick. He had rested for a few hours, getting maybe a moment or two of sleep; however, they both knew that Kíli's first aid was not going to be enough. They needed to find someone who could help Fíli. They needed a safe place.

"I don't feel great," Fíli grumbled. His hair hung down lank and dripping in the rain; Kíli's clung to his forehead and his cheeks uncomfortably. He was miserable, but as miserable as he felt, he knew that Fíli had to be feeling much worse. When they had decided to make for the Shire, Fíli had tried to sit up himself and failed miserably. Begrudgingly, he had accepted Kíli's help.

Then it had started to rain.

Kíli glanced at his brother worriedly. Fíli's face was pale and drawn, and Kíli could feel him trembling with the effort of walking. He cursed the orcs that had tried to steal their ponies in his mind angrily—had they not gone through that part of the woods, none of this would have happened.

Of course, if Kíli hadn't been a fool in the first place looking for pixies by the creek, none of this would have happened, either.

With a wince, Kíli looked away from Fíli and returned his gaze to the way ahead. They had made about a quarter of the distance they could have usually covered in the same time, had Fíli been well and whole, and it looked like they still had a ways to go. At least they still had plenty of hours of daylight left, though the summer day had been darkened and severely dampened by the rain. They should be able to make it to the farm Kíli had seen far in the distance by nightfall.

They walked slowly in silence for a while, each of the brothers wrapped up in his own thoughts. Kíli wondered what was going through Fíli's head, but he dared not ask, feeling that any words that came out of his mouth would be met with derision. He could tell that Fíli was conflicted; though the words he spoke were still contemptuous, he had not attempted to harm Kíli in any way since they had stolen away from home. He had even helped Kíli on several occasions, though of course those occasions were riddled with insults and exasperation. Something was changing in Fíli, and it was clear that the poor confused Dwarf had no idea why.

"Stop, stop," Fíli said finally, panting. His face was twisted in pain, and Kíli could see and feel that his knees were wobbling. He carefully helped his brother down to the ground, but Fíli could not hold himself up.

"Lean into me," Kíli said.

"What? No!" Fíli said incredulously. He looked at Kíli with a deep frown.

"What are you going to do, then?" Kíli said. "Lie on the wet ground and let the rain fall into your face?"

Fíli curled his lip and said nothing. Kíli sighed.

"All right," he said. "What if we sit back-to-back? You can lean against me that way. Is that better?"

"Fine," Fíli grumbled, and Kíli scooted around to sit behind him. Fíli leaned back, and a strained sigh left him; Kíli bowed his head, and streams of water flowed down his face.

"How are you feeling?" Kíli said after a few moments of silence.

"How do you think?" Fíli retorted.

"You don't have to answer every question so harshly," Kíli mumbled quietly, but over the din of the pouring rain, he barely heard himself. Fíli shuffled behind him, and a strained sound came from his chest. Kíli frowned.

"We should make it to the farm I saw today," Kíli said. "It'll take us a while, but we should make it."

"Are we going to be walking all day?" Fíli said. There was an edge of anxiety in his voice that pierced Kíli's heart.

"Probably," he admitted. "We can rest every so often. But we agreed—we need to find shelter for tonight. Some place with hot water and clean bedding; maybe someone who has some supplies they'd lend us."

"I know," Fíli said. "It just—it hurts."

Kíli blinked. That was awfully transparent.

"I'm sorry, Fíli," he said. "I really am."

"It's not your fault," said Fíli.

Kíli stiffened, shocked, but Fíli said no more; instead, he lowered his head and leaned more heavily into his brother. A lump developed in Kíli's throat, but he swallowed it back.

"I miss you," he whispered, so quietly that he didn't even hear himself.

By the time Fíli and Kíli reached the farm Kíli had seen, the sky was dark; it wasn't quite sunset, but it was getting close, and with the dark, heavy rainclouds overhead, there was no beautiful orange sky to behold. Dreary. That was the word for it. Still, warmth spread in his chest at the sight of the cheery fire within the windows of the hobbit home. It was built directly into a hill, and golden windows shone from one side.

Together, the Dwarves made their way through a pasture to the front door. By this point, Fíli was barely making it along at all; he had leaned almost all of his weight into Kíli, and whatever Kíli wasn't holding up just dragged behind. He kept his head bowed, and Kíli had heard him sniffling more than once.

"We're here, Fíli," he said. "We've nearly made it. Hold on, just a little bit further."

Kíli stopped at the door and took a deep breath, offering up a supplicant prayer. Then he knocked.

It felt like an eternity before the door opened, but open it did, and before Fíli and Kíli stood a sandy-haired hobbit with round cheeks and a stern mouth. He blinked, astonished, his mouth falling open; for a moment, he said nothing, and Kíli opened his mouth to speak.

"No, thank you," said the hobbit, and he shut the door in their faces.

"Hey!" Kíli said indignantly. He pounded on the door. "Don't leave us out here!" he shouted into the wood. "My brother's been hurt—we need help!"

There was no reply on the other side of the door. Fíli leaned against him heavily, shivering, and a desperation rose inside him; he pounded even harder on the door.

"Please!" he said.

"Adric Bracegirdle, did you leave people in need out in the rain when they need help?" said a shrill, feminine voice.

"They're dwarves, Bella!" the hobbit replied. "Dwarves! In the Shire! What will the neighbors think if we take them in?"

"If any of our neighbors are spying on us in the rain, that's their own problem," said the feminine voice again. "You let them in this second."

"Bella…"

"Fine, then I will!" she said. Moments later, the door swung open, and Kíli stared at the plump, dark-haired hobbit woman with wide eyes. He had thought that hobbits were all quiet, docile creatures, but this one seemed to have a ferocity about her that rivaled his mother's.

"Oh, goodness, what's happened to you two?" she said. "Come in, quickly, please."

"Thank you," Kíli said, helping his shivering brother through the door. He dipped his head respectfully. "Kíli at your service. This is my brother, Fíli. Do you have anywhere he can lie down? He's hurt."

"Of course," said Bella. Then she raised her voice and called, "Eva!"

A young hobbit lass—Kíli wasn't sure about hobbit maturity, but she looked as if she were just coming into adulthood—came into the hall at her mother's call. Her gaze settled on the two unfamiliar dwarves in her home, and her brow furrowed; she turned her glance questioningly towards her parents.

"Mama, what's going on?" she said.

"Prepare a guest room for these two," she said. "One with a fireplace. Quickly! And light the fire."

"Yes, Mama," Eva said, and she disappeared again down the hall.

"Please, come this way," said Bella, gesturing for the two to follow her. She walked slowly enough for Kíli to lead Fíli along, Adric following close behind, and they turned into a parlor almost immediately. It was eerily similar to the living room in Fíli and Kíli's own home, and for a moment, Kíli thought he had suddenly arrived back in the Blue Mountains. He shook the feeling off and led Fíli to the couch near the fire.

"Here," he said to his brother, taking the walking stick out of his hand and handing it to the still-silent Adric. "Lie down for a bit. They've got a room for us."

Fíli made a noncommittal noise in response, his eyes closing the moment he lay down and his hands drifting to his wounded abdomen. Kíli smoothed the wet hair out of Fíli's face, and Fíli did not push him away.

"What happened to him?" Adric finally said.

"Orcs," Kíli said. "They tried to steal our ponies, and we attacked them… the ponies got away, and Fíli got stabbed."

"Orcs!" Adric said fearfully. "Where were they? Close by?"

"No, up in the hills," Kíli said. "We've been walking all day. We'd have been here sooner, but…" he nodded towards Fíli. "We'd lost the ponies."

"That's why it's dangerous to travel too far," Adric said bumptiously. "There's strange critters abroad. Nothin' good out there."

"We've traveled plenty of times without any trouble," Kíli said.

"Well, folk like you…" Adric started, but when he saw the look on Kíli's face, he faltered and reddened. "Eh, never mind. I'll see about some food for you two." He departed sheepishly.

"Never mind him," said Bella. "Do you have anything else to wear? I can take your wet clothes, if you'd like. We'll hang them over the fire."

"Thank you," Kíli said. "I've got some dry clothes in our packs—once we're settled in, I'll hang them in the guest room. But I need some other things for now."

"What can I get for you?" said Bella kindly, glancing at Fíli's face.

"I need clean cloth strips—long ones," Kíli said. "I didn't have anything good to bind his wound with. And boiling water. And yarrow, if you have it." With all the moving around, the wound was probably bleeding again.

Eva came into the parlor just then. "The beds and the fire are ready, Mama," she said.

"Oh, good," said Bella. She turned to Kíli. "Can your brother walk a little further? It's not too far."

Fíli moaned from the couch, and Kíli frowned. "I'll help him," he said. "Come on, Fíli."

Fíli allowed Kíli to help him up; he moaned again, stumbling and leaning into Kíli.

"Hurts," he muttered. "I'm tired…"

"We're almost there," Kíli said. "You can make it."

Eva led the two dwarves down the hall; as promised, it was a short trek, and Fíli would have fallen into bed if Kíli had not been there to help him lie down. He was exhausted, Kíli knew. The day's walk had been slow going for him, but Fíli had said that he felt as if he had exercised that one part of his body around the wound nonstop for a week—not to mention that he had lost quite a bit of blood that morning.

"Is he going to be all right?" Eva said, watching Fíli with round eyes.

"I hope so," Kíli said. "Thank you for your help."

Eva nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Kíli dropped his pack and peeled off his wet jacket and tunic, and then pulled his one remaining dry shirt out of his pack and threw it on. He then set to work helping Fíli out of his. When he had gotten Fíli's jacket off, he immediately spied the red staining his brother's tunic and swallowed. Not only had he bled through the makeshift bandages—he'd bled through his shirt, too. Kíli peeled the wet shirt off. The bandages underneath were also soaked, and he unwrapped them carefully. The wound underneath was still open and bleeding, but not as freely as it had before. Still, if Kíli waited a few moments, fresh blood beaded up, and Kíli knew that was not a good sign. He ran to the door and opened it; Bella shrieked, having just approached the door, and Kíli jumped at the sight and sound of her.

"Sorry," he said. "I was just looking for you, actually. Is this everything?"

"It is," said Bella, stepping into the room as Kíli moved out of her way. She peered around Kíli to Fíli, who lay still with closed eyes and a grimace upon his face. Her gaze turned to Kíli. "Is there anything I can do?"

Kíli twisted his lips and looked at the hobbit woman, unsure.

"There is one thing—but I don't know if I'll need it—"

"Tell me what I can do to help," said Bella, taking on a familiar motherly tone. Kíli let free a half-smile and nodded.

"I might need someone to calm him down," Kíli said. "I don't know—I might not, but just in case…"

"I'll do what I can," Bella said. She set down her burdens on the bedside table and stood next to the bed; her eyes found the stab wound, and she winced and looked away.

"You don't have to look at it," Kíli said kindly. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, was it, dear?" said Bella.

Kíli didn't answer. He turned his attention to Fíli's stomach, dipping a cloth into the scalding water and wincing as he wrung it out; then he gently laid it on Fíli's bloodstained belly and cleaned the skin around the wound. Fíli remained still, too tired to fight back. Kíli dipped the stained cloth back into the water and wrung it out again, and this time, he went for the wound itself. Fíli started and hissed, and his hands flew up to protect himself. Kíli stopped for a moment and looked at Fíli until he caught his shining eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you, remember?" Kíli said softly. "I'm still trying to help you. I promise."

Fíli relaxed his hands, though his eyes still shone, and Bella looked between the two dwarves curiously. Kíli continued cleaning the wound as gently has he could manage, though he had to stop every few moments and speak comforting words and hope that Fíli would relax. It worked for a while—until Fíli cried out and pushed Kíli's hands away.

"Stop!" he said.

Kíli sighed. "All right, I'm done cleaning," he said. "But we're not done. You're bleeding again."

Fíli looked dangerously close to a breaking point. His teeth were gritted and his eyes were shut tight; his fists clenched and unclenched at his side. Kíli took a deep breath and reached for the yarrow.

"It's all right," said Bella suddenly. Kíli looked up at the hobbit in surprise. She laid a hand on Fíli's face, and the dwarf started and opened his eyes to stare at her.

"He's just trying to help you," Bella continued. "You'll be fine—just let him work. I won't let him hurt you."

Fíli did not speak, but his eyes softened as Bella nodded and smiled softly. Then, unexpectedly, he reached up and took her hand. Bella started, but recovered quickly, smiling again at Fíli. Then she raised her gaze to Kíli. He nodded to her gratefully.

"Thank you," he said.

"Hurry," she said. "For his sake."

Kíli nodded again and bit into the yarrow, grimacing at the bitter taste; after chewing for a few moments, he spit it back out and applied it to the knife wound. Fíli made a small sound, but he did not struggle, keeping his gaze locked on Bella. Kíli folded a bit of the clean cloth and pressed it over the yarrow.

"Good. You're doing very well," Bella said. "Just a little bit longer."

"I need to bind it again now," Kíli said. "Can you help me get him sitting up?"

Bella helped Kíli lift Fíli, who cooperated wordlessly. Kíli pulled Fíli's head into his shoulder and wrapped the cloth around his torso; when he had finished, he laid Fíli back down and made sure the wrapping was snug.

"Should be good for a while," Kíli said. "I wish Óin were here… he could stitch this up. I don't know how…"

"We should leave him to rest," said Bella.

"Aye," Kíli said, rising. Fíli closed his eyes, and Bella pulled the blanket over him. She and Kíli left the room. Bella led her guest to the kitchen and asked him to sit at the small table in the center of the room. There was already plenty of food cooking—they had arrived just in time for supper—but she brought out some small cakes and started to fill a kettle for tea. After glancing at Kíli's face, she set down the kettle disappeared for a minute, returning with a bottle of wine. Kíli chuckled.

"My mum always puts on tea when we're upset," he said.

"Well, I'm not your mum, am I?" said Bella with a sly grin, pouring him a glass. He accepted it gratefully, and Bella sat down across from him.

"Now, before my husband comes back from wherever he disappeared to instead of getting food for you two, I'd like you to explain," she said.

Kíli blinked. "Where would you like me to start?" he said.

"Well, for starters," she said, "why is your brother afraid of you?"

Kíli sighed and swallowed before continuing. "He doesn't remember me," he said. "He—he was attacked by a creature in a cave, and it…"

He stopped and passed a hand over his eyes, leaning back in his chair. The memory of the creature was coming back to him, and he would rather not remember that right now. He had recovered well, but the thought of that creature still made his stomach clench.

"It's a horrible creature that makes you forget everything about your past," he said quickly. "And it leaves you feeling afraid. More afraid than I—you've ever felt in your entire life. And Fíli was just so angry… I still don't know why. He tried to—"

There he stopped himself. This hobbit didn't need to know everything.

"He tried to what?" she prompted.

Kíli shook his head and brought the wine glass to his lips. Bella frowned and studied his face carefully.

"We have to get to the Old Forest," said Kíli. "There's a fellow there I've heard of that might be able to help him. Some of my people in the Blue Mountains have met him—Tom Bombadil. Have you heard of him?"

Bella furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No," she said. "But folk in Buckland might've. They're queer sorts on the other side of the Brandywine—know all sorts of queer things."

"We weren't going to go through the Shire at all," Kíli said. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"It's not me you need to worry about, dear!" said Bella. "My husband's the one worried about what the neighbors will think. You're someone in need, and that's all that matters to me."

"That's strange, for a hobbit," Kíli said, though at this point, he could not be surprised. She had been extremely helpful—far more than Kíli had expected.

"Well, that's what I think," she huffed.

Kíli opened his mouth to reply, but just then, a very small hobbit lass walked into the room. Her curls were tied in ribbons, and she stopped dead in the doorway, eyeing Kíli warily.

"It's all right, Lily," Bella said. "Come meet our guest."

Lily ran to her mother, keeping a wide berth from Kíli, and Bella scooped her up into her lap. Lily tugged at one red ear and stared at Kíli with wide brown eyes, leaning into Bella.

"Hello, Lily," Kíli said. "My name is Kíli."

"Why's there hair on your face?" Lily asked.

"It's a beard," said Kíli with a chuckle. "Or, what barely counts as one, for a dwarf."

Lily looked up inquisitively at Bella, who laughed heartily at the confused look on her daughter's face.

"Dwarves grow hair on their faces, Lily," she said. "They grow taller than hobbits and they don't have hair on their feet."

"Did you take it off your feet and put it on your face?" said Lily, turning to Kíli, her eyes bright with curiosity.

Kíli laughed then—really laughed, something he felt like he hadn't done in forever. It felt good.

"No, it just grows there," he said, still laughing. Lily laughed too.

"You're lying!" she giggled. "You put it on your face!"

"I promise, I am not lying," Kíli said. "Do you believe me?"

Lily did not answer. Instead, she grinned, confused, and hugged her mother. Kíli smiled warmly at the small hobbit lass.

"Master Kíli is going to join us for dinner," Bella said to Lily. "Speaking of which, it's almost time to eat. Get your sisters—your father and your brothers should be in soon."

Lily scooted off Bella's lap and dashed out of the room, casting one last glance at Kíli before she disappeared. Kíli chuckled, still amused by the child's confusion.

"How old is she?" he said.

"Four," said Bella. "She's the youngest. My eldest you've met—that's Eva. She's twenty-three. Then there's Andy, Aldo, Angelica, and Molly. You'll meet them at supper."

"I look forward to it," Kíli said.

Though Adric Bracegirdle was unhappy about his unexpected guests, he was surprisingly cordial at dinner, and his children followed suit, though they had some unexpected and amusing questions. After an extensive meal where everyone had enough to eat and more, Kíli retired to the room he was to share with Fíli, carrying some food with him.

"Fíli, are you awake?" he called as he stepped into the room.

Fíli did not move, and Kíli could see the blankets over him moving steadily. He set down the food he had brought on a small table and sat on Fíli's bed, looking his brother over. The evidence of pain was etched into his face; even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed, and every so often he hiccupped as if he had been crying. He probably had. Kíli frowned.

A knock came at the door, and Kíli looked up.

"Come in," he called.

To his surprise, Adric stepped into the room. He looked behind him warily and then shut the door.

"Can I help you, Mister Bracegirdle?" Kíli said cordially. He didn't like the look in the hobbit's eye.

"I have a request," Adric said.

Kíli waited for him to continue. Adric swallowed.

"Well, see, Master Kíli," he said, "we're not used to folk like you in these parts. This is a peaceful place, and we don't get wrapped up in adventures or trouble of any sort. That's what the Shire is about, see."

Kíli's heart sank, and the corners of his mouth pulled down. "What are you saying?"

"You've got a bed tonight and breakfast tomorrow, but then I'm going to have to ask you to move along," said Adric. He avoided Kíli's eye when he spoke.

Kíli's heart sank even further, and he looked at Fíli. He struggled to come up with a response; on one hand, he needed a safe place for Fíli to rest—but on the other hand, he had already imposed on these poor hobbits enough. He had no right to insist they stay longer.

"I understand," he said finally. "I am sorry to have bothered you. I wouldn't have come at all had Fíli not been hurt."

Adric kept his gaze down. "Perhaps they'll help you in Buckland," he said. "You can make your way there."

Kíli nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality," he forced himself to say, though this haughty hobbit left him with a bad taste in his mouth. His elders had taught him not to show it, and he lived up to his education. He smiled humorlessly and nodded to the hobbit.

Adric nodded in return and let himself out, still avoiding Kíli's eye. Kíli sighed when the door clicked shut, and he tried to force away the anxious thoughts that immediately clouded in. He could deal with those in the morning. He looked back down at Fíli.

"Sleep well, Fíli," he said. Then he stood and made his way to the second bed in the room and lay down on his side, facing his brother.

At least they had a place to sleep tonight. Who knew what tomorrow would bring—but for tonight, Fíli was safe and alive, and that was all that mattered.

SOOOOOO there is a bonus chapter thingy from Thorin and Dís's POV on my tumblr! I have changed my url. I am now mistergandalf. So if you go to my blog and click the little circle that says "FIC:ILLUSIONS" you will see the bonus thing. It's a little far down the page (currently; if you're reading this way in the future you might have to go back for a few pages) so keep scrolling. Also follow my blog. :P