Dís gave Fíli his time to weep, but Kíli saw that she was aware of prying eyes that would soon be awake. After giving her eldest enough time to calm down slightly, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into the house. Fíli staggered along, keeping his gaze on the ground, and Kíli opened the door to let the two of them inside. Bringing up the rear, he closed the door behind himself, dropped his pack on the floor, and leaned against the wall, watching his mother and his brother silently.

As soon as they were inside, Dís took off Fíli's pack and made him sit at the kitchen table. Though Fíli attempted to hide his pain, he still gritted his teeth, casting a furtive glance at Kíli that said don't tell her. Dís busied herself immediately with putting on the kettle for tea; then she sat down at the table next to Fíli, crossing her arms.

"Show me," she said.

"Show you what?" said Fíli, avoiding her eye. Kíli joined them at the table and said nothing.

"You're injured," said Dís, her blue eyes shining with concern. "Show me, please."

Fíli sighed and looked up at Kíli, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged. They both knew there was no way out of this. Slowly, Fíli looked back to their mother and leaned back in the chair, lifting his shirt. The wound was nowhere near as red and angry as before, but there was still some scabbing, and all around the site was a terribly painful-looking bruise. Goldberry's stitches held some kind of magic that neither Fíli nor Kíli had been able to figure out; they had melted completely into Fíli's skin, leaving no trace and yet holding everything together. Dís brought her hand up to her mouth and looked up at Fíli with wide eyes.

"What happened?" she said, lowering her hand.

"I, uh, I was… stabbed by an orc," Fíli said sheepishly, lowering his shirt. "A group of them passed through and tried to take our ponies, and we attacked them, and I got stabbed."

"Protecting me," Kíli added in. Dís turned her gaze to him. "Even though he couldn't remember who I was, Mum. He saved my life."

Dís smiled proudly and looked back at Fíli, who was looking down at his hands. She leaned forward and laid a hand on his cheek, stroking his cheekbone softly. He raised his eyes to meet hers forlornly.

"I am proud of you," she said. Fíli took a deep breath and blinked rapidly. She dropped her hand after a few moments and looked at her two boys.

"Well, that explains one thing, at least," she said. "We didn't know where you had gone, and when the ponies came back without you… I thought you were…" She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "It's been hard, boys. Very hard." She looked at Kíli. "I wish you had been able to do this some other way."

"There was no other way," Kíli said passionately. "Thorin never would have listened to me, and I—"

"I know you did what you thought was right, and I am glad that it worked, Kíli, but the fact remains that you betrayed your uncle's trust and you will have to answer to him for that," said Dís. "I will not say that it was wrong, but I cannot speak for Thorin. As for me… I'm just happy that you are back." She smiled at Fíli. "In more ways than one."

Fíli smiled slightly and bowed his head. The kettle began to whistle, and Dís stood and started on making tea.

"I told you it'd be fine," said Kíli quietly. Fíli looked up at him and frowned.

"Mum is fine," he said. "You heard what she said about Uncle."

"He'll forget everything once he sees us safe and sound," Kíli said confidently. "If he'll be upset with anyone, it'll be me. Don't worry."

Fíli did not reply. Instead, he looked to their mother, who was attempting to carry three mugs and a teapot to the table all at once. Kíli jumped up to help her.

"Oh, sit down—I've got this," Dís protested as Kíli reached for the mugs.

"Nonsense," said Kíli cheerfully. "Let me help, Mum."

Dís had no choice but to assent as Kíli took the mugs out of her hand and brought them to the table, placing one at each dwarf's place. Dís set the teapot down and reclaimed her seat.

"Now," she said, "tell me all about your adventure."

Fíli and Kíli exchanged glances, wondering how much to share, but they knew by this point in their lives that it was impossible to withhold much from their mother—she was too perceptive. Kíli launched into the tale as Dís poured them tea, starting when they were outside the village so as to not recount his betrayal. The two brothers shared in the storytelling, Fíli shooting warning glances at Kíli when he was sharing the more concerning details. However, Dís wrung everything out of them anyway, and soon she had the whole story. When they had finished, she sighed and traced the edge of her mug with her finger.

"You two worry me too much," she said. "All this adventuring… both of you could have died. And then where would that leave me?"

"I'm sorry, Mum, but Fíli wasn't getting any better," Kíli said. "I wasn't going to wait around forever."

"I understand," said Dís. "I am grateful to you, Kíli—I cannot tell you how grateful I am." She took Fíli's hand in her own. "You saved my firstborn. I just don't know what I would do if you both were gone forever—if I had to carry on without you."

"Well, we won't let that happen," Kíli said with a smile. Dís smiled and took his hand as well.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Thorin burst into the house.

"Dís!" he cried. "Dís, I have information on—"

Then he stopped.

Fíli stood up in his chair as quickly as he could, and Kíli followed suit; he glanced sidelong at his elder brother, who was staring at Thorin with wide eyes. Then he looked back at Thorin, who had not moved. His gaze moved from Fíli to Kíli, and for a moment, their eyes met. A thousand thoughts flickered in his face in the span of a moment.

Then, without a word, he turned back around and walked out.

No one spoke in the stunned silence that followed. Kíli looked at Fíli, and his heart dropped into his stomach. Fíli was staring at the empty doorway, his breath caught in his chest and his eyes shining in horror.

Kíli looked at his mother, and she looked at him; he could tell she was torn between staying with Fíli and going after her brother to give him an earful. He nodded at her and signed Go ahead, I'll stay here. Dís nodded gratefully in return and dashed out the door, closing it behind her. Fíli sank back into his chair and dropped his head into his shaking hands.

"I knew it, I knew it," he whispered, staring wide-eyed at the table.

"Whoa, it's all right, Fee," Kíli said, drawing a chair close and sitting down. He placed a hand on Fíli's back. "He probably just needs a moment, is all."

"You know that isn't true," Fíli said quietly, though his voice trembled. "He's angry—I could see it in his eyes. He's not going to accept me back, he's going to—" He stopped pressed his palms into his eyes. "I don't deserve forgiveness, after all the things I have done—"

"Stop, Fíli," Kíli said. "We'll talk to Thorin. We'll bring him around."

"You should have left me in jail, Kíli," Fíli said, shaking his head. "You should have left me there, it's no more than I deserve…"

"That's not fair," Kíli protested. "You would still be lost if I hadn't sprung you out. You can't regret that. You shouldn't be held responsible for anything you did then—Mum will make sure of it."

"He's not going to forgive me, Kíli," Fíli said, raising his head and staring at him incredulously. He gestured at the door with a shaking hand. "You saw the look in his eyes—he's probably going to… to disinherit me, or something, maybe even cast me out—"

Kíli leaned forward and pulled Fíli into a fierce hug then, and Fíli leaned into him with a shuddering breath.

"Mum went after him, all right?" Kíli said. "I'll talk to him, too. He can't do this to you—he can't. We won't let him. It'll be fine."

Fíli nodded. "I just… I think I want to lie down," he said faintly. "Let's just go to our room. Can we go to our room?"

Kíli nodded and pulled back from the embrace; he touched his forehead to his brother's.

"You deserve nothing less than complete forgiveness and a hearty welcome," he said. "Don't despair, all right?" He patted Fíli's face and stood, holding out his hands for his brother. Fíli took them, and Kíli pulled him up. They walked together to the bedroom, and Fíli immediately climbed onto the bed and curled into a ball, his back facing the door. Kíli frowned, his heart aching for his brother.

"Don't worry, Fíli," he said. "Everything will be fine." Fíli did not answer; he merely curled up even tighter and sighed. Kíli shifted on his feet and bit his lip.

"Do you want me to stay?" he said.

"You don't have to," Fíli said to the far wall. He didn't move. "I think I'll just sleep. I haven't been able to properly rest in… in quite a long time."

"All right," said Kíli, backing out of the room. He closed the door and leaned against it, running a hand through his hair. This was all wrong. Thorin shouldn't be treating Fíli like this—he understood if Thorin was angry with him, but Fíli was a different story. Thorin should have accepted him with open arms.

I have to talk to him, he thought. I have to fix this. With that thought, he pushed himself off the door and ran out of the house, looking around for his uncle and mother. He stood still and listened; surely, if they were close by, his mother would be shouting. Then he spied his mother rounding the corner, fury radiating from her face. Kíli took a step back.

"Where is Fíli?" she said to Kíli when she spotted him, her voice surprisingly gentle given the look on her face.

"He wanted to rest," Kíli said. "He's in our room."

Dís stopped in front of Kíli and smiled at him, taking his face in her hands and pulling it down to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're back," she said. "And Thorin is, too. I know it. He's just a stubborn old mule."

"I was just going to go talk to him," Kíli said.

Dís huffed. "If you can talk some sense into that one, be my guest," she said. "But he's been hurt, Kíli—you didn't see him when he discovered you were gone. He was completely beside himself. What you did… it may be hard for him to forgive."

"I don't care if he doesn't forgive me," said Kíli. "I only care that he forgives Fíli."

"Well, talk to him, then," said Dís. "He wouldn't say much to me. He's in the stables." She stroked her son's hair and then went inside, and Kíli headed behind the house to where the ponies were kept. Thorin was leaning against the outer wall, smoking his pipe; when he saw Kíli approaching, he extinguished it and crossed his arms, waiting.

"What is it?" he said as Kíli came closer.

"Well…" said Kíli, taken aback by the amount of bitterness in his uncle's voice. "I… I thought you'd be happier to see us, I guess."

Thorin sighed and turned around, heading further into the stables towards his pony. Kíli furrowed his brow as a surge of annoyance shot through him.

"What, you can't even talk to me?" he said.

"Kíli, go back inside," Thorin said, keeping his back turned.

"No, I won't," said Kíli incredulously. "Uncle, what you did to Fíli back there… I understand if you're angry with me, but Fíli didn't—"

"Fíli tried to kill you," said Thorin, his eyes flashing as he turned his face towards Kíli.

"He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't even know who he was," Kíli said. "You know that. How can you hold that against him?"

"You don't understand, Kíli—"

"No, you're right—I don't," Kíli interrupted. "I don't understand how you could spend all that time saying you would try your hardest to make Fíli better and still do nothing, how when I said I had an idea, you shut me down. I don't understand how you could say that you care about him and then reject him the way that you just did."

"Kíli—"

"If you were so beside yourself when we left, then what is keeping you from welcoming us back?" Kíli continued as anger began to boil inside him. "What could possibly warrant such behavior?"

"You have no right to speak to me that way," Thorin snapped, turning completely to face his nephew now.

"No, you have no right to treat Fíli that way," Kíli retorted. "He is desperate for your approval, Uncle—he thinks he deserves to be cast out—"

"And given what he's done, he should be!" Thorin said. Grief flickered on his face for a moment. "I can't—Kíli, when I look at him—all I can see is the things he's done, the things he's said…"

"He didn't mean to do any of that, and you know it!" Kíli shouted. "He feels guilty, so guilty about what he has done… Thorin, I've never seen him like this." He lowered his voice. "I've never seen him so… so broken. You have to tell him that you forgive him."

Thorin stared at Kíli for a few moments, his expression torn. "I thought I could," he said finally. "And now… I am not so sure."

Kíli spluttered incredulously for a moment. "How can you say that?" he said. "How could you possibly hold that against him—you're the one who told me that he was just fighting back, like an animal cornered in a cage—"

"And a fat lot of good that did!" Thorin shot back. "I told you to be careful, and what did you do? You let him go free! It's a miracle you're still alive, Kíli!"

"That doesn't matter now," Kíli said. "Fíli would never have done that had he known who he was and who I was. He is your nephew and your heir—"

"And he betrayed my trust!" Thorin shouted.

"I betrayed your trust!" Kíli shouted back. "Fíli was victim to circumstances out of his control! If you are going to be angry with anyone, be angry with me! Fíli doesn't deserve your wrath!"

"Yes, you betrayed my trust!" roared Thorin, taking a step towards Kíli. "You—you didn't listen to me—you drugged me and sprung your brother out of jail! You almost died at your brother's hand, and then you decided for yourself that the best course of action was to run off with the very person who attempted to murder you in cold blood!"

"You weren't doing anything!" Kíli screamed, so loudly that his throat hurt. Thorin's eyes widened, and he looked around for others, but no one was around. Kíli took another step forward. "You told me that you were trying as hard as you could, that you wanted Fíli back, and then all you did was sit around and arrange shifts at the jail to make sure he didn't escape! You never took me seriously and you never listened to what I had to say! I had ideas, Thorin, and they worked—which you would have known if you had just listened to me for once in your life!"

"You should listen to me for once in your life!" Thorin shouted, moving forward until the two of them were standing toe-to-toe. "I wanted to keep both you and Fíli safe! I have watched over you and your brother for over sixty years, making sure you were fed and had a roof over your heads and that you knew how to defend yourselves so that you don't die on my watch! I promised your father that I would take care of you as best I could! How can I keep you safe if you will not even listen when I try?"

"I was looking out for Fíli!" Kíli retorted. "I was trying to do what was best by my brother—not what made you look good in front of others! You care so much about your own reputation, about what everyone thinks about you, what goals you have in mind, that you can't even see beyond your own nose! Fíli was lost and afraid and you knew it and you did nothing!"

"I did what was best for both of you!" Thorin roared. "It was his irresponsibility that got him into this mess in the first place. Do not hold me accountable for the irresponsible actions of your brother. I did not make any of this happen."

Kíli's hands were shaking. He stood his ground, staring Thorin straight in the eyes, their noses only a few inches apart. Thorin did not back down either; his gaze burned with fury, and Kíli matched it. He felt a twitch in his upper lip.

"Fíli is nothing if not loyal to you, Thorin," He said, his voice low and venomous. "He would never willingly cross you. You would do well to remember it."

With that, Kíli took a step back and whirled around. He marched away, flexing his shaking hands; his head was buzzing with adrenaline. He wanted to punch something. He wanted to punch Thorin square on his big, hawkish nose. But he had Fíli on his mind. Fíli would not approve of Kíli punching their uncle—their king—in his defense. Especially not now.

Instead, Kíli made do with slamming the front door as he came in the house. It wasn't quite as satisfying, but it was violent enough. He made his way to his bedroom, opening the door less forcefully; inside he found his mother sitting on the bed, stroking Fíli's hair as he slept. She did not look up as he entered the room.

"You shouldn't talk to your uncle like that," she said softly. "I could hear you shouting."

"He deserved it," Kíli growled, looking at his brother. He looked peaceful, more peaceful than he had in weeks. "Is he all right?"

"He's just exhausted," said Dís. "He said it was hard to sleep on the journey home."

Kíli nodded. "Thorin is angry with him," he said. "He won't listen, Mum."

"I know," said Dís, a hint of anger making its way into her voice. "I tried to talk to him, too."

"He said it was Fíli's fault that all this happened. That he was only looking out for him. I don't believe any of that for a second."

Dís sighed and bowed her head. "He doesn't know what he is thinking," she said. "He is my brother, Kili. I've known him for a very long time. He wants to forgive—he just doesn't know how anymore. He doesn't know how to let go."

"He has to," said Kíli. "For Fíli's sake. Fíli will never be the same again if he doesn't."

"I know," said Dís. "Give your uncle time. Perhaps he will see the light. Until then we will have to watch Fíli closely. He is rarely rash, but when he thinks he is unwanted…" She sighed. "Kíli, don't let him out of your sight."

Thorin avoided the house for the entire day, and Kíli was glad of it. Just the thought of seeing his uncle's face made him burn with anger, and Fíli was looking more defeated and shrunken by the hour. Further rejection could only hurt him more.

Kíli called on Gimli in the evening in the hopes of cheering Fíli up. On the way back from Gimli's home, Kíli had filled him in on Thorin's attitude, and his cousin had been rather surprised—while they had been gone, Gimli said, search parties had been called for many times. Thorin had never given up, even when the ponies had returned riderless. Kíli felt a small surge of hope—perhaps Thorin would have a change of heart.

For a while, Kíli's distraction seemed to work. The three young dwarves had drinks together and talked and even laughed, but after a while, Fíli's laughter seemed hollow, and the smile on his lips did not carry to his eyes. Kíli noticed that he was continually looking towards the front door; Gimli noticed, too, and they exchanged worried glances. Eventually Fíli claimed pain and exhaustion and excused himself to bed, leaving his brother and his cousin sitting in the kitchen.

"Well, he's better," said Gimli quietly, "but he's not better, if you know what I mean."

Kíli nodded. "It's because of Thorin," he said heatedly. "If Thorin would just tell him that he didn't hold anything against him, we could have the old Fíli back."

"He'd have to be telling the truth first," said Gimli, taking another sip of his beer.

"Aye," said Kíli faintly, staring at his bedroom door. "He would."

Kíli and Gimli talked for a while longer, but it was late and Gimli was tired. Soon they said good night and Gimli headed home; Kíli sat alone in the kitchen, staring out into nothing, deep in thought.

The sound of the front door opening pulled Kíli from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Thorin stepping into the house. His eyes met Kíli's for a moment, and Kíli shot him a dark look. Thorin looked away, sitting down to pull off his boots. Then he walked down the hall to his room and closed the door, never casting a second glance Kíli's way.

Kíli huffed and set down his beer. He wasn't getting anywhere with his uncle tonight; he didn't even want to see him, let alone talk to him. It was time for bed. He stood and stretched, yawning, and then made his way to his room.

Fíli was awake when Kíli stepped in, much to his surprise. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back facing the door and the lamp out; he turned his head slightly as Kíli stepped in.

"Hey," said Kíli, closing the door gently.

"Hey, Kíli," Fíli replied. He faced the far wall again and was silent.

"You all right?" Kíli said, stepping towards the bed.

Fíli nodded slightly and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm all right." He swung his feet onto the bed and lay back, gritting his teeth, and pulled the covers over his shoulders.

Kíli bit his lip and nodded. If Fíli said he was all right… well, he was probably lying, but Kíli was not the only one there for him anymore. Fíli probably wouldn't want to talk to him about this again—not when their mother was there. Kíli had only been a substitute for a caretaker when no one else had been available. Quietly he stripped and put on bedclothes and climbed into bed. Fíli kept his back turned as Kíli curled up into his usual position; he stirred when Kíli's foot came in contact with his leg, but still he said nothing.

"Good night, Fíli," he said.

"Good night," Fíli whispered. Kíli stared at the back of Fíli's head, his eyes tracing the golden waves of his brother's hair. He wondered if he should say anything more.

"Kíli?"

Kíli blinked. "Yes?"

"Thank you," said Fíli quietly. "For all that you did for me. I'll never forget it."

"Of course," said Kíli, bewildered. Fíli's voice seemed strange.

"You're a good little brother," Fíli continued. "The very best. Better than I could ever deserve."

"Fíli, are you sure you're all right?" said Kíli slowly.

"None of this is your fault, all right?" said Fíli thickly, ignoring the question. "You did everything you could for me. I love you, little brother."

"Love you too," Kíli replied. Fíli sighed and rolled onto his stomach, shoving his face into his pillow—a signal that the conversation was over. His hair hid his face from Kíli's view, and Kíli stared at him in the darkness, his heart burning with both pity and anger.

When Kíli awoke, the rays of the early morning sun were peeping into the bedroom, casting a pale light throughout the room. In the semi-darkness, the room looked odd; shadows lay in strange places on the walls, familiar and yet unfamiliar after so long from home. He yawned and stretched his legs, pausing suddenly when they passed through nothing from empty space. The space next to him was vacant. Kíli sat bolt upright in his bed and looked about the room.

"Fíli?" he called tentatively. No answer.

Kíli ripped off his covers and jumped out of bed, taking a cursory look around the room—no Fíli. He burst into the kitchen and looked around, but Fíli was not there either. His heart sinking in his chest, he dashed into the living room, but it was empty.

"No," Kíli whispered. He ran outside and looked around; it was early enough that there was no one to see—not even Fíli. He checked the stables, but only the ponies were there.

Maybe I'm just tired, he reasoned with himself. Maybe he just got up for a minute. Maybe he's back. With that thought, he ran back inside and into his room—but he was wrong. Fíli was not there.

Kíli dropped into the chair in the corner of the room and buried his head in his hands, breathing hard. This isn't happening. This can't happen again. He thought back to the night before—the words Fíli had said; they had seemed odd to him, out of place, and he hadn't known why. Now he knew. Kíli let out a panicked moan and ran his hands through his hair.

Fíli is missing… again.

DUN DUN DUNNNN. What ever shall happen next? Well, I'll tell you. There will be another chapter. And then there will be one more chapter. And then this story will be over.

If you are reading this before I finish the entire fic, be warned/informed: I will be editing previous chapters of this fic in the future and changing some things. Nothing huge. Just... Kíli cries too much in early chapters. It's weird. I'm gonna fix it. But anyway. Now you know.

Also, paper copies of Race Against Time are a thing that has happened. I don't have them yet but if you want one send me a PM—NOT A REVIEW. I will fill you in on how you can acquire one for your book collection.

As always, please review. You don't have many chances left to do so!