A/N

Omg, omg. I am soooo sorry about how long it has taken me to update! But uni were all like "give her all of the essays to be due in the same day." Stress levels went through the roof! But I'm home for easter now and have more time to write. Also I've got Word on my iPad so I can work wherever I am!

I truly hope this chapter is worth the wait! Thanks for being so patient!


"Two weeks," Dwalin hissed, his trembling fists curled at his sides. The warmth of the sun had began to dry his damp clothes, but the only heat he felt was that of the anger boiling in his chest. "Two weeks those beasts had us believing he was dead." Dwalin's words came out in angry growls, trying to keep his voice low. As he stood on the bank, jaw tight and posture rigid, he inwardly scolded himself, scolded all of the company. Why had they believed that orc? They should have known he was lying! They should have tried harder! How had they been so foolish? It hurt to look upon the sight before him. Of course he was happy and overwhelmingly relived to see Kili alive, but he was in such a sorry state that his heart felt pained. The lad was so thin, and filthy with blood and dirt, battered with overlapping bruises and gashes. They only had to look at him to see, to imagine what torment he had endured, what horrors he'd seen. Yet despite the cruel wounds and scrawny, half-starved frame, he had survived. He was stronger that they had ever given him credit for, not many were caught by Azog the Defiler and survived to see their freedom again. Dwalin closed his eyes to stop them from watering. Beside him, Balin placed a soft hand on his elbow, giving it a gentle squeeze. This small action made his brother's tense muscles relax slightly as he released a shaking breath.

Kili looked about him, at the trees, at the river, at the rocks, his eyes unable to stay focused as he tried to make sense of where he was. His eyes were dazed and not capable of fixing on anything for very long before they flicked to something else.

"Where are we?" He asked, his question not seeming to be directed at anyone in particular. He was looking into the trees, scanning the the trunks and shrubbery and half-bald canopy. He was shaking now, one hand still curled up in Fili's tunic. His brows pulled together as he suddenly froze, "Where … where did the orcs go?" His voice was panicked and his eyes widened as they flicked about him more wildly. It was as if he was expecting the orcs to jump out of the trees or emerge from the river to take him back. Kili's chest rose and fell rapidly as he dragged in sharp, panting breaths. Fili shifted so that he was knelt in front of his brother and placed both hands either side of his face.

"Hey," he said softly, "look at me." At first, Kili didn't comply, instead his eyes looked up at the branches and leaves above them, which swayed slightly in the light breeze. He watched their movements anxiously. "Brother, come on, look at me." Finally, Kili dragged his eyes away from the canopy.

"Where did they go?" He mumbled, his words slow and methodical, as though he had to think about each one before he spoke them. Slowly his eyes came back into focus as he switched his gaze towards his brother'a face. Fili sighed and ran a thumbs across Kili's cheekbones – which were more pronounced than before – smudging the dirt caked onto his skin, as he looked into Kili's eyes. Oh, how he had missed those brown eyes. Waking up to see them already looking down at him, or just to look beside him to see them glisten as he tried to figure out what mischief his brother was thinking up. But they were different now, darker, the joyful sparkle gone. What had his brother endured? What had taken away the sparkle and left them looking so haunted?

"They're gone. They stopped chasing us. You're safe now." Fili stroked a hand through Kili's dark hair, "I promise, I will never let them hurt you again." Kili buried his forehead in Fili's shoulder and knew that he was telling the truth. The orcs were far behind them. He was safe. The realisation made a great weight life from his aching shoulders and he felt his stiff muscles soften, they trembled as he straightened up. He winced as a cold breeze brushed over the wounds on his back. For some time, he had been numb to them, but they began to sting ferociously again with every breath and heartbeat. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Kee?"

"We should see to his wounds." Thorin said. "Oin!" He called. At this Kili's eyes shot back open and he pulled away, digging his heels into the dirt.

"N…no." He said, shaking his head. "No." Fili frowned at him.

"It's just Oin, brother. He won't hurt you." Kili's wide eyes flicked between his brother and the old healer who had began to walk towards them. His breaths were sharp again.

"It's not that, I …" Kili's gaze fell. A look of shame crossed his face. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this, looking so weak and pathetic. He was supposed to be a prince, he was in the Line of Durin. He wasn't supposed to look pitiful. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, ashamed to look so broken. He let out a shaking breath. Fili sighed, he knew what Kili was feeling, he didn't need his brother to say it out loud. He could see it in his eyes, read it in his face. He knew him better than anyone else. He placed a hand on Kili's shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze, feeling the bones under his fingers.

"It's alright, Kee." He said. He looked at Thorin, who shrugged, not sure what to do. He had held up his hands to stop Oin from coming any closer. He looked at his youngest nephew with sad eyes. "We can make the others leave, right uncle?" Fili asked. Thorin nodded.

"Of course," he said, offering a kind smile. Kili's eyes flicked towards the company who were all stood on the bank, watching them. "But we must tend to your wounds."

"If we send them away, will you let Oin take a look? Just us and Oin, no body else." Fili asked. Kili hesitated before nodding. "Good." Fili looked towards the company and gave Thorin a nod. Thorin stood and moved towards Oin, who was waiting to approach. He placed a hand on the healer's shoulder.

"See to his wounds." He said in a low voice, glancing down at Kili, whose eyes had unfocused again. "And be careful, he's … this is…"

"I understand." Oin replied to his broken words, composing his features as Thorin allowed him to go to his nephew. "Let's take a look at you lad." The exiled king heard him say softly. Thorin pinched the bridge of his nose and released a deep breath, which felt as though he'd been holding forever.

There was a strange look in Dwalin's eyes as Thorin approached the company, reminiscent of the look of shame which had crossed Kili's face. His arms fell to his sides, and for a time his mouth opened and closed as though every word he was trying to say was escaping him. Thorin didn't wait for him to speak as he came to stand before his companions, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably under their gaze.

"We wont be travelling today," he said, clenching and unclenching his fists, his fingers brushing against his tunic. "Go into the trees and find somewhere for us to make camp." Nobody moved, they all remained stood where they were looking at him questioningly. He knew what they wanted to know, what they wanted to be told. But it was Bofur who spoke for them.

"How is the lad, Thorin?" He asked. Thorin looked at each member of the company in turn, every one of them silent and waiting. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He thought about his words carefully before he spoke.

"He'll be alright." He said, looking quickly over his shoulder and to where Kili was still flinching away from Oin's attempts to see to his wounds, Fili trying to pull his brother's arms away. "He's a little disorientated, in shock, as you can imagine. But he'll be alright." The company seemed content at this. "All I ask is that when he joins camp, that you give him space. He's not ready to be crowded."

"Of course. Of course." Balin nodded, smiling. The others also nodded at their leader's request, eyes briefly flashing to the two princes and Oin a little way up the bank. There was silence for a brief time, nothing but the sounds of the river and of a sparrow which chirped somewhere in the trees. Most of the company were almost completely dry now, the sun was warmer than it had been lately. Or perhaps it just felt that way after all that time in Mirkwood, where the sun didn't reach at all. "Right, come on then." Balin said, clearing his throat, "let's go." The elder dwarf began to usher the company towards the tree-line, leaving just Thorin and Dwalin stood on the riverbank. Dwalin's lips were a thin line now, fists curled. He dragged in a deep breath as though summoning the courage to speak. For some time, however, words seemed to escape him and he simply stared at Thorin, as though they were written in the lines on his friend's face.

"I'm so sorry, Thorin." He finally said, slowly as though explaining himself after some misdeed. He shifted his weight. "This shouldn't have been allowed to happen." Thorin glanced over his shoulder. Fili had an arm wrapped around his brother's waist, helping him move towards the waterside. Kili still didn't put all the weight on his left foot, and his face scrunched up with every step.

"No," Thorin breathed, "it shouldn't have. But let us just be thankful that he's back." Thorin knew that Dwalin felt as though he'd let him down, let Kili down. But the truth was, they'd all let Kili down. They'd all fallen for the orc's trick and carried on their journey, leaving him behind.

"That's right, brother," Fili said, holding Kili as tightly as he dared. He heard him wince, eyes squeezing shut, "almost there." Kili nodded, biting on his bottom lip to prevent another sound of pain. He had only allowed his brother to help him walk towards the river, wary of Oin – who said they needed to clean his wounds with fresh water - unable to meet the old healer's eyes. And so Oin walked a pace behind them, watching each of his shaky steps, ready to lend a hand – or a shoulder – if it was needed. From behind him, Oin could count the bones in Kili's spin, as they pressed against his torn skin, beneath those malicious lash wounds. Some of the wounds had started to slowly bleed again, fresh blood collecting with the dry. They would be painful the clean. "Here we are." Fili said, helping Kili to the ground, his brother's movements as slow and stiff as an aged man's. Once he was sat, Kili pulled in deep breaths, as though the short journey from the tree to the riverside had exhausted him. He tilted his head back for a moment before gazing into the soft flowing water, at where the sun shined upon it. His eyes fixed upon it, once again in a daze. He was unfocused again, as though he was somewhere else. Perhaps they could clean his wounds before he got back. Fili tore a piece of fabric from the bottom of his tunic and reached to dip it into the water, he rung it out and passed it to Oin. "Use this," he said, not trusting his own hands, which were still shaking slightly from the shock of having his brother back.

Oin decided to begin with the wounds on Kili's chest, he pressed the piece of cloth against one of the burns which ran across it. They looked red and sore, the cool water of the river would sooth them. He was afraid that Kili would pull away or cry out, but he didn't move, just remained sat like a statue, staring into the river as if in a trance, but he was gentle nonetheless. As layers of dried blood and dirt were washed away they revealed harsh bruises across Kili's ribs, red and purple and blue, fresher bruises layered over old ones. The lad had taken quite a beating. Oin placed the cloth onto the rock beside him and pressed his fingers against the bruises, the flesh tough and tender. Broken ribs, he suspected.

"Kili," he said, he waved a hand in front of the brunette's face, trying to break him from his daze and get his attention. "Kili?" Kili stared at him. "I need you to take a deep breath, lad. So I can check if these ribs are broken. Can you do that?" Kili's eyes narrowed, as if he had to think hard about what Oin had requested of him, as though he had to study each of the healer's words. Eventually he nodded and sucked in a deep breath, Oin's palm on his side as he did so. "And out. Good." Fili was staring at Oin now with his brows raised. Although he only had to look at the angry bruises and the way his brother's face scrunched in pain, to know what he was going to say. "Aye," Oin nodded, "broken."

"How is he?" Came a voice, a shadow crawling across the stone riverbank. It was Thorin. Behind him, the company were disappearing into the trees.

"He has broken ribs." Fili sighed.

"Quite a few too."

"Steel toed boots." Came Kili's quiet voice, a shadow crossing his face. The other three dwarves exchanged sad glances, Fili giving his younger brother a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. An image of his brother being kicked in the ribs flashed across his mind. It was like a dagger to his heart.

"Why don't you let me take a look at those wrists, brother." As he reached for Kili's forearms, Kili pulled them away and held them close to his chest. "Don't worry, you're not going to be bound again, I just want to bandage them." Kili frowned at him, like a disbelieving child. "Please? They're still bleeding a little." Kili looked at them, curling and uncurling his fists as red rivulets of blood rolled slowly through his fingers. He nodded and reached them gingerly towards Fili, watching anxiously. Fili observed the ravaged skin, the way the tight rope had dug into the flesh and torn it away. Any deeper and his brother could have bled to death. He tore some more fabric from his tunic, this piece he ripped into two and wound the first around Kili's right wrist, tying it as tightly as he dare. Kili hissed in pain. "Sorry brother." Fili almost dropped Kili's arm and recoiled away, hating that he was causing him even the slightest amount of pain. His hands began to tremble a little more. He dragged in a deep breath and tied the second piece of cloth around Kili's left wrist. He was glad when the job was done and he released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He forced a smile. "There, done."

"Good, lad." Oin nodded. "Now … I'll clean the wounds on your back." He said slowly and with dread, for he was sure Kili would flinch away and cry out this time. He wet the cloth again and knelt behind the young prince. He flashed a look towards Fili which said keep him still. Fili nodded. He pulled Kili's head down so that it was resting against his shoulder, he placed one hand on the back of it and the other tightly on his brother's own shoulder. He looked at Thorin who had fallen to kneel beside him, ready to help if he was needed, and closed his eyes, waiting.

The moment the wet fabric pressed against the first wound Kili cried out in pain, pressing his forehead deeper into Fili's shoulder, fists balling in his brother's tunic. Fili's own body went stiff at the sound.

"Sssh, it's alright brother." He said in a trembling breath. His eyes were still closed, for which he was glad, as they were beginning to water beneath his lids. He would not cry in front of his brother, who needed him to be strong. He stroked a hand through Kili's hair as he cried out again, feeling the air released by the scream on his neck. "It's okay, it's okay." He wasn't sure who he was talking to, his brother or himself. Perhaps both. Kili shifted, trying to shrink away from Oin as he attempted to clean a particularly painful wound. He didn't cry out this time, however, his agony escaping him in a whimper. Fili pressed down on his shoulder, keeping him where he was as he shifted again. He kept mumbling soft, reassuring words into Kili's ear for what felt like forever as Oin worked, holding him as he cried and hissed and whimpered in his pain. Slowly, though, Kili quietened as if he was becoming numb to it, but instead began to violently tremble all over, chest rising and falling rapidly.

Kili tilted his head back to pull in a clear breath once Oin had moved away, the pain in his wounds now just sharp stings as they had been before, a dull ache across his chest. And that was when Fili noticed it, in the light of the late morning. He had seen it before but he thought it was simply a shadow, told himself that it was a shadow, he didn't want to think otherwise. But as the light shone down, he studied its shape, it's colour. A bruise. A hand-shaped bruise on Kili's throat.

"Ki…Kili?" His voice was trembling as he reached to his brother's neck and brushed a thumb across it. "What happened here? Di…did they do this to you?" A stupid question, he thought, who else would be so cruel but the orcs? Kili seemed to know what he was referring to and batted Fili's hand away, eyes falling. A tear rolled down his cheek as he nodded once.

"Azog." He said, voice barely audible beside the river. "Got angry because I wouldn't tell him my name." He began to rock slowly back and forth, memories of the frustration on the pale orc's face, the fierce glow in his blue eyes and the snarl on his lips as he held Kili up by the throat, elevated from the ground, the other orcs cackling around him with sick delight. Then his face turned to Gurlak's, whose one eye shone with just as much cruelty, and if not more hatred. "And Gurlak. Because … " Because he was angry that Azog wouldn't let him kill me. He just shrugged, eyes still looking down at the ground. Fili's fists curled, anger boiling in his gut, hatred like nothing he'd ever felt before. Those vile, callous beasts! How dare they! Twice, twice they tired to strangle his little brother, two times they had wrapped their filthy hands around his throat, leaving bruises behind. If he ever saw them, he would slaughter them where they stood. Nobody hurt his brother and got away with it. Fili wished there was an orc stood before him now, how much his clenched fists yearned to hit one, to punch one, to leave it bloodied and bruised as they had his brother. Then his anger left as quickly as it had came as he saw the tear roll down Kili's cheek as he began to shake like a leaf in a gale. He pulled Kili forward and wrapped his arms around him.

"Oh, Kili." He breathed, pressing his lips against the top of his brother's hair. "It's alright now, you're safe, they wont come near you again."

I'll kill them if they dare.


A/N

More caring Dwalin, because that's the type of guy I imagine his to be beneath the tough-guy look. Poor Kili :( You shouldn't be ashamed! And Fili is such a good big brother.

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