Chapter 20

A/N Khuzdul phrases are explained in the footnotes with all credit to the Dwarrow Scholar. And as requested, the last scene contains Kili-dwarrow fluff. Enjoy!

The laundry slide was both longer and twistier than Fili expected—and he quickly lost Dwalin and Gloin after a steep drop. Then he was spiraling down a corkscrew slide and heard Dwalin's yelp of surprise somewhere above him. At some point he acquired a pillowcase on his head, managed to cast it off as he transitioned to another slide…and then he was falling in open air.

Right when Fili was fully regretting his choice, he landed—in a large fluffy pile of sheets.. He felt two whumps alongside and knew Dwalin and Gloin had joined him.

For a full minute they were all silent. Then he heard the other two grumbling…a sure sign they were unhurt.

"If I find a dirty diaper in this mess…" Dwalin growled.

"…You will deserve it," Fili finished as he started shrugging off linens and heading in the direction of less laundry. "Let's just get out of here."

It didn't take long to roll and stumble out of the small mountain of laundry, and thanks to the fires under the water boilers, they had enough light to find the exit. Abruptly, they found themselves not too far from the main entrance.

Fili straightened himself to walk out as if all was normal and he was headed somewhere official.

Then the main entrance opened.

He heard Zêl again.

"Again, my great thanks," she was saying. Fili saw her bowing, hand on heart to someone still inside the Hall. "Really, you've done a great favor. No need to provide escort…"

Fili groaned. That was all they needed…

Then a call from inside the Halls seemed to catch Jarle's attention and Fili took the chance to step into the hallway, catching Zêl's eye.

"Don't let me keep you," she looked back to Jarle, bowing again and taking a step back.

Good lass. Thinks on her feet… Fili took a deep breath Zêl, with her heavy book in a sling, was backing away from the door, and a narrowing stream of light told him that indeed, Jarle seemed to be closing the door and allowing to Zêl to leave on her own.

They waited until the latch clicked shut on the great door, and then Zêl turned and trotted towards him, her expression of exasperation turning to great relief.

In a silent phalanx, the four of them headed for the King's quarters together. Now it didn't matter if guards or residents spotted them at this unusual hour. No one would question the King in his own halls, regardless of any oddity.

Finally, they could see the great doors into the King's Quarters and in silent agreement they ran—headlong and noisy, hitting the door, swinging it open, and rushing inside.

Fili grabbed Gloin's arm, keeping the old fellow from falling over as Zêl and Dwalin turned and as one, pushed the great doors closed behind them and pushed the bolt into place.

Fili let his breath out as he saw them both lean against it in relief. "Mahal…" he said.

"Lads…?" Gloin said, looking at them and then at his own night shirt. "Care to tell me what this is about?"

Fili could only grin. "With pleasure," he said, one arm out to embrace his old friend and steer him to the side wall lined with large casks. "But first–I think we each need a good full tankard of the very best ale I have."


Peregrin Took didn't ride into Annuminas until a message from Elrohir, Son of Elrond, announced that the Dunedain had eradicated seventeen goblins from the ruins and declared the place free of vermin. Elrohir's announcement had come with an order for a pack train of good Shire food for the men, and Pippin had packed up and led a line of thirty-seven ponies (with a requisite guard of his Tookland Archers) and arrived in good time.

Pippin knew that the company of Dunedain also included Elrohir himself and one other–a young dwarf with dusky gold hair and a scruff of beard. He found the lad after dinner–sitting alone on a large rock at the lake's edge.

He knew, of course, what it was like to be a smaller companion to a company of fighting men.

"You look like one of your famous forefathers, sitting there," Pippin called to him as he approached.

Gunnar turned to him and smiled. "Hello, Mr. Pippin," he said, hand on his heart in respectful greeting.

Pippin hopped up on the rock and sat nearby. "It's quite stunning, this sky," he said, looking up at the wide view of jet black winter night sky with so many sparkling stars…all reflected in the calm water of the lake before them.

Gunnar nodded. "I was looking for Durin's Helm," he said, pointing to the East. "I think that's it peeking over the horizon."

Pippin agreed as he pulled out a pouch from his pocket. "Just for you," he said, smiling. "In honor of Gimli–who along with Aragorn himself could truly appreciate a good pipe full of Longbottom Leaf. Shall we?"

Gunnar's eyes went wide, then he quickly patted his leather coat and located his own pipe–hardwood with a carved stone bowl. "Oh, blessed Hobbit…we shall!"

Together the Hobbit and the young Dwarf packed their pipes, shared a light, and drew long and deep on the Shire's best pipeweed on a clear cold night, all the stars of the night sky glittering above.


Kili was King of Ered Luin, but he was also a father. A Da to three young dwarrows. It was late in the evening on the same night that his brother had used the Ward of Vustin (and Gunnar sat by the lake with Pippin) when Kili returned to the royal quarters and found his beloved Nÿr pacing the nursery with their youngest in her arms, trying to quiet a squalling Lís and get her to settle enough to nurse.

Outside the great lodge of Khelethur, high in the Blue Mountains and far to the south and west of the Shire, snow and winter winds raged through the narrow valley, strong enough to topple weak trees and form snow banks. He would deal with that tomorrow. Tonight, those dwarves sensitive to stone were disturbed by the subtle vibrations from the storm-and were probably all curled tight in their beds or quietly getting drunk on his best ale.

But at the moment, Kili only considered his tiny lass and wondered that she might have inherited more from her royal grandmother than a variation of her name. His mother, after all, had been skilled at stone-spelling.

And while charging into battle was more his style, his children were teaching him the art of being subtle.

He shed his bandolier and outer coat, setting them aside as he met Nÿr's exhausted look.

"Can I help?" he asked in a low voice.

Tiny Lís went silent, eyes wide at the sound of his voice. But after only a moment of quiet, her face scrunched up again and she drew breath for another wail.

"My usual tricks aren't working," Nÿr said. "But try more of that."

Kili took the hint. "And a good evening to you as well, my little Uzbadnâtha," he said in a slow, deep voice. She paused again and her eyes opened to look for him. So he hummed and started a low song, hoping it would sooth his little lass.

alatâs

aya aflât

il-latâs

binaklât

ô, kurduwê

Tahasiyê

ô, kurduwê

tahasiyê…

Five minutes laterNÿr had the little one nursing and Kili helped his Lady wife to the rocking chair. As Nÿr sat and cuddled Lís into position, he kept his deep-voiced song going, letting it get quieter and slower.

Nÿr looked at him with relief as the baby slowly stopped nursing and suddenly looked entirely asleep. "Check on the lads," she mouthed silently.

He nodded, bent to gently cup her face and kiss her brow, and withdrew from the nursery as quietly as he could.

But when he checked the rooms shared by Kirin and Sorin, the beds were empty-though he recognized the signs of a mock night-time battle.

That, he knew, could easily range through the entire Royal Suite.

Suppressing a grin, he listened carefully for the usual giveaways-giggles, whispers...and in Sorin's case, the sound of a lad tripping over his own feet. But nothing.

His gut told him to first check the door to the raven-speaking parapet...though any self-respecting raven would be roosting deep inside the rookery or a hollow tree–but the lads would head there to play, not ravenspeak. He rushed down the hallways to the heavy door, relieved to see it barred and the upper latches-the ones high out of reach of the lads-were locked tight.

At least they aren't out there in the snow. Kili took a deep breath in relief.

So, with all his hunting senses on alert, he checked the usual places around the Suite, then he scoured the not-usual places.

Not for the first time, he reconsidered his choice to keep the family quarters private. Unlike Erebor's princes and princess, who grew up under close guard and deep underground during many uncertain years of siege, Ered Luin's royal lads and lass were only watched over by their parents…and sometimes by Nÿr's staff or the tutors, but for the most part Kili wished his children to grow up much as he and his brother did–free to play and grow in the embrace of their family.

But it did mean that he was on his own at times like this.

After checking the day room and his own ready room, he found the trail in the ante-chamber. A chair on its side, a small blanket (someone's play-cloak?) cast aside...a hand-sized toy pony left behind. These things led him to the double doors to the grand stairway...and while he found the main doors locked tight, he immediately checked the service door-a smaller side access through a butler's closet that the lads had obviously discovered.

Time to add extra latches to this door… One more item for tomorrow's to-do list.

Kili silently tracked his quarry down the staircase-there: another abandoned pony, a sock, and the leather sheath of someone's play-sword. Below, in the twilight created by outdoor torchlight, he could see what must be the perfect night-time battle ground: the Great Room of Khelethur, with it's soaring crystal glass windows and the cavernous fireplace and ever-smouldering embers.

Are they hunting a dragon?

He made it down the three flights of stairs into the Great Room without hearing any battle noise and checked the doors on the eastern wall (which led to the family play area) first. All latched and secure. From there, he considered the four carpeted sitting areas and went to the warmer area near the fireplace.

His sharp eyes spotted a third toy pony on a chair, and not far away: a booted foot protruded from under a low table.

Kirin, Kili sighed in relief. He crouched to see his oldest son sound asleep on his stomach, face scrunched against the carpet. He tried unsuccessfully to suppress a grin…and then heard a sniff.

To his right, Sorin slumped half-awake with his brother's wooden play sword in his lap, one hand tight around the hilt. There were tears on his cheeks as his round eyes looked up.

Kili instantly recognized the lad's instinct to guard his "fallen" brother and could hardly scold the lad.

"Sorin?" he gentled his voice. "Your brother's sword is a bit heavy for you, lad."

More tears welled in the lad's eyes.

Kili felt something melt inside and held out his arms. "Come here, son."

Sorin abandoned the toy sword and rushed to him. Kili knelt and pulled him close.

Kirin lay sound asleep like a rock on the plush carpet. And since he was in no danger there, Kíli grabbed a blanket from one of the chairs, spread it over his firstborn, stood up with his younger son and held him tight. "Maybe we just let your big brother sleep, hmm?'' he said.

"He couldn't find me when I hid," Sorin sniffed. "And then I was ready to go back…but he's too heavy...I can't move him. And…stairs…!"

"Hush, my lad," he said in that same deep voice that he's recently used on his infant daughter. Sorin pressed his face into Kili's shoulder. Seeing that they were next to a certain chair...he walked to it.

"You did the right thing. A brother always guards a brother who has fallen in battle…" Then he stopped before the chair. Of course he'd sat here with all his dwarrows, but he wasn't sure Sorin knew its history. "Do you know about this chair?" he asked, turning to sit with Sorin resting against his chest. "Your Uncle Fili told me all about it on the day that Kirin was born…"

He glanced at Sorin to see if the lad had questions (he nearly always did at the start of a story) but realized Sorin had already fallen asleep, exhausted from his adventure.

And there, in his own father's chair in front of the warm smouldering fire, Kili smiled warmly and wished his lads a good night.

Ikhf' id-ursu khazâd, he murmured. And he settled in for a long rest in front of the fire.

.

.

.


A/N - Hand on heart to all of you this holiday season! Thank you for reading this slowly unfolding story...i work full time and during these strange times, it's actually a little more work than it used to be. A shout out to Jessie152 who nudges me along (thank you, Mellon) and to everyone who drops a review or PM. I appreciate the continued interest.

Source for dwarven words (Khuzdul) is The Dwarrow Scholar (just google.)

Uzbadnâtha = princess (a compound noun meaning "Lord Daughter")

– Kili's lullaby for Lís: Dwarrow Scholar has posted a YouTube for the original song "The Lament of Dís" (Ô, Kurduwê)...and my apologies for altering the intent of that song a little bit. In my AU, she would be lamenting her brother Thorin (and in my mind her brother Frerin and her grandfather before him), but not her sons–because obviously, in my AU they live on! It's a bit of a stretch to turn this lament into a lullaby of sorts, but Kili is thinking of his mother, for whom Nÿr has named their daughter…and of course, the baby is crying and needs consolation. If you listen to the YouTube song, try to imagine Kili's deep voice (much like Thorin's I would assume) and I think he really only sings the first verse (without the preamble that is in the YouTube version.) The full lyrics are in the description section of the YouTube post and the section I used here belongs to the songwriter (The Dwarrow Scholar), not to me.

the cries

upon the air

the tears

without hearing

oh, my heart

it helps me

oh, my heart

it helps me…

Ikhf' id-ursu khazâd = feel the fire of the Dwarves, which is used in BotFA but can also be an expression of affection, as in fire as a "strong feeling from the heart." A shout-out to Jed Brophy who explained this to me in a Cameo video (need a gift for a Tolkien fan? Dean, Jed, Adam, Stephen, and Graham are all on Cameo and will do video messages for you for a fee. Just sayin ;D )

So, hand on heart and may you Ikhf' id-ursu khazâd to all of you this holiday season!

Summer