Chapter 7

*Fili*

Not two minutes after their little squeezing contest, Oin entered the room with three other Dwarves Fili did not recognize. Kili looked at them and give them a nervous smile. Oin nodded his head to Fili's unasked question.

"These are three of Dain's healers. They will be assisting me." he then gestured to the elder of the three, one with dark brown hair and gray streaks in his beard, "This is Kurn, that is Jilda," he pointed at the middle looking one with chestnut hair and gray eyes. This healer stood out from the others mainly because she was a Dwarrodam. She finished for Oin, "And this is my brother, Jarni. We are glad to have met you, although we wish it were under different circumstances."

Kili bowed his head to them politely, "It is nice to meet you and I to wish it were under different circumstances, but we don't always get to choose what happens to us." Jarni, a bright redhead, no more than fifteen, with green eyes, suddenly stepped forward.

"What was the battle like? I wasn't in it, but I watched from afar with Jilda. Did you kill many Orcs?" he asked. Kili raised an eyebrow and answered, "The battle was an experience I do not want to have again and I don't know how many Orcs died by my hand, but Fili killed more."

"What? Kili, I think you got more. You had your bow and a whole quiver full of arrows, a sword, and dagger." Fili said to his brother. Kili had opened his mouth to argue when Oin interrupted.

"If you want this over with you are going to have to stop talking so we can get started." Kili swallowed and nodded, biting his lip. Fili looked his brother in the eye. His eyes said, It's all right little brother. You can do this! Kili's eyes said, This ain't gonna feel the best. Kili then said aloud, "Well, let's get going than. Oh, and Jarni, if you do a good job helping, I'll give you the details later."

Fili knew Kili hated being touch by someone who was not family and glanced at him when Kurn began to undo his bandages. Kili's face showed nervousness more than anything and Fili longed to hug his brother and tell him everything was going to be alright.

When Kurn finished unwrapping Kili, Jilda gave a small gasp and Jarni turned away for a moment. Kili cocked his head to a little. "Pretty, isn't it?" he asked. Jarni looked at Kili and asked, "It doesn't hurt as bad as it looks, does it?"

Kili shook his head, "Only if it is touched."

Oin said, "That is why we agreed it would be better if you were unconscious when we start. You will have to drink this." He offered Kili a cup, which he took. After one last look around the room Kili drank the contents and relaxed. The medicine work amazingly fast and soon Kili reached for Fili's hand and when Fili grasped his hand, Kili's eyes closed. After thirty seconds Kili' breathing was slow and light.

Jarni took Kili's other hand and felt for his pulse then he turned to the others. "He's sleeping soundly. He might not wake for about two hours."

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While Kili was unconscious, Fili kept his eyes trained on his little brother's face. Kili looked peaceful, as is he had run all the way to the Lonely Mountain and for the first time, was truly resting. His completion was pale, but other than that, Kili looked like a young, tiered Dwarf who, when he wakes up, would do anything for good cold ale.

The healers said very little while they worked. Jarni hardly did more than stare at Fili or Kili and watch his sister work. Every now and then he would study Kili' face for any sign of a problem and apply soft pressure to Kili throat over the artery, and then he would give an update on Kili's wellbeing.

After thirty minutes, they finally finish their work on Kili. Jilda brought a thin needle and thick thread out from her apron pocket and began to close the wound up loosely but firmly. Fili exhaled deeply with relief when she had finished. Oin turned to Jarni, who looked down at Kili and laid his hand atop of his heart.

"His heart is beating stronger now; I think his must be sleeping lighter." Jarni said with a smile. He looked at Fili, "I like him and you too. I certainly hope he'll grow stronger quickly."

Fili smiled, "I hope so too. Kili can get almost anyone to like him, an Elf even wish to speak with him before they left for their home."

Jarni looked a little on the doubtful side at Fili's last remark, so Fili said, "When he wakes up, you can ask him about that. If he wants to talk, that is."

After a five minuet rest the healers returned to operate on Fili, and he knew no more. When he slipped into darkness, he dreamed.

Fili was standing on the road outside of their mother's home, the early morning light bathing his face and hair in a warm, golden light. Kili stood by his side, as jumpy as a grasshopper. They were about to leave on the daring quest to reclaim Erebor and had come to wish Dis farewell. Their mother had tears in her eyes but she did not cry. Years of hard labor had strengthened her, however she embraced her sons. They were not even considered adult in Dwarven standards. As she pulled her sons close to her she whispered, "Be safe my boys. May the wind be at your backs and the road you travel be straight and true." Fili stepped back and looked his mother in the eye. "Mum, we'll be fine. I swear by all that is good, I will let nothing hurt Kili or myself. I will protect him with all my strength and my life, if it comes to that." "Let us hope it does not. I want you both back." Kili gave his brightest smile, "I want us both back too. If you don't show up soon after we get there and Smaug's dead, we will come back here and walk you there!" Thorin arrived then and Dis looked at him sternly, "Thorin," she had said, "You keep these young idiots alive, you hear me? Because if one of them or both of them gets hurt, I'm going to let you have it! Got that?" Thorin looked down at her from his pony, and smiled slightly. "Trust me this one time, sister. I will keep both eyes on them when we start." Fili then mounted his pony and Kili swung up on his own, right beside his brother. Dis waved and shouted, "No pranks! You hear me, Kili?" Kili had turned in his saddle and winked with a grin on his face that spelled fun. They were passing through the village quietly, but as they were nearing the gate they were halted by a call. "Fili, wait up!" They both turned in their saddles to see Ilay running up behind them. She ran up to Fili's pony, Pluck, and pulled him off from the stallion's back. Ilay's eyes suddenly filled with tears and she stepped closer to him. "Fili, you have to come back. Don't go and leave me!" Fili smirked at her, "Don't you worry. I'll be fine." Ilay grinned back, "Of course you will be. You have Kili to look after you." At that announcement Kili laughed until he nearly chocked. As Kili was distracted, Ilay kissed Fili on his cheek; she then lowered her head and stepped back from him. "Bye Fili, Kili, see you at Erebor." Fili got back on Pluck shook his head and they started on again. "I don't understand girls." Fili remarked when they were out of hearing range. Kili smiled, "Well, I do. You can learn all sorts of things if you chase them." Fili rolled his eyes. Kili was not only known as the Prank Mastermind, but also as the Tormenter of Dwarven Girls.

When Fili woke the pain in his side was almost unbearable. He blinked, trying to focus. He turned his head towards Kili and saw that his brother was sleeping. Jarni was talking in Khudzul to Bifur in a corner of the room. Bifur side-glanced at Fili and motioned to Jarni at him; when they came over to Fili's side Fili signed: Hi Bifur, how are you? Bifur grinned and replied: I am fine. You dream good dream?

"Yeah, kind of. Has Kili been awake yet?" Fili asked. Jarni shook his head.

"Jilda and the others wanted me to stay incase either of you were to wake up. It's been on hour since then, Bifor stopped in to keep me from dying of boredom."

Fili smiled, "You sound like Kili. He can't stand to be still unless he's sleeping, which makes me wonder what he is going to do when he's bored now that he is a prince. He used to start prank wars in our village, but he can't do that now."

"What kind of pranks would he pull?" Jarni asked, full of curiosity.

"Anything he could get his hands on became dangerous. Once on Durin's Day, right before his eleventh birth day, when our mother and Thorin were nowhere to be seen, he and I got our hands on a small amount of black powder. We snuck into a tent when no one was in it, put a scrap of lamp wick in the middle of the tiny pile, lite it, and ran for our lives. Seeing the tent fly up in the dark sky as a ball of fire was worth the thrashing we got and eventually it became a tradition for us." Fili told him. Jarni's mouth fell open.

"You mean that every year since he was ten, you've been blowing tents up?"

Fili nodded. "Until this year, every single time Durin's Day comes around, there's an explosion for nine years strait. Last year we drug our anvil out of the shop and hit the powder with the hammer after Kili heated the end of it. That time we had black faces and they did not have any trouble seeing us as the culprits." he informed the younger Dwarf. Before he could ask another question, Thorin entered. Jarni stared in awe at the great king as Thorin strode over to Fili.

"Are you feeling well, nephew?" he asked, ignoring the apprentice healer's stare, he sat by Fili's side.

"I am feeling fine, considering I dreamed of Dis." Fili answered, smiling slightly. Thorin sighed.

"I suppose I'll have to face the wrath of my little sister, won't I?" he replied, a slight sound dread in his tone of voice. Fili shrugged with a sigh.

"Well, you are not along to face that. I promised her I would not let Kili get hurt, and now look at him." he said with a trace of guilt.

"It was not your fault, Fili. You would not have been able to stop it from happening. It was a battle and a large one at that, you probably would have gotten hurt anyway, thing like this will happen." Thorin said with a slight frown of disapproval at Fili tone. Fili sighed; it was depressing to see Kili like that. His energetic little brother got tiered by just talking and it did not seem to be him anymore.

Sometime after, Ori showed up followed by Dori, and soon the entire company was in their little room. Fili noticed that Jarni was standing in a corner of the room staring in awe at all the heroes so near to him. Jarni saw Fili watching him and blushed scarlet to his ears; Fili smiled and motioned him over with a hand. When Jarni shyly arrived by Fili's bedside, Fili got the attention of everyone in the room.

"This fellow right here helped with everything today. His name is Jarni." Fili announced. Jarni looked like he was about to die with the attention he was receiving from these great figures until Bofur, of course, thumped him on the back and started talking to him like they were old friends.

A/N The DOS came out well after I had written chapters 1-8, that is the reason there is no Tauriel in this story, sorry if any of you wanted her…