Fathers and Sons

Chapter 8

Fili and Kili stayed locked in their uncle's arms for a precious long moment. Neither of them wanted to let go. But as they finally pulled away, other dwarves came into the clearing. Kili saw Balin and Dwalin come out and he and Fili quickly exchanged hugs with them. Gloin and Oin headed quickly for Gimli and Dori, and Nori followed quickly behind them. Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur were all in attendance. There were very few of them, Kili noticed. The village had been small, but it had been thriving. Now...

"Where is everyone else?" he asked Thorin. His uncle gave him a solemn and weary look.

"The village was razed to the ground. Not much survived," He said sadly. "The people fled in all directions, those few who survived. We're homeless now, I'm afraid."

As Kili looked around, it seemed every single dwarf bore some kind of injury. Cuts, wounds, broken bones, and sprains were all in abundance. Even Thorin was not unscathed. A large gash ran across the left side of his face, caked with dried blood, and he was limping slightly. But he was alive.

"We've been tracking you for days," Dwalin said, coming over to them, "We were afraid for you. How have you fared?"

"Well," Kili said, turning to his brother. "Fili took care of us."

"Didn't do a very good job of it..." Fili muttered under his breath. Kili turned to respond when he noticed his brother was very pale.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern. Thorin raised a brow at them, but Fili waved them both off irritably.

"I'm fine," he said curtly, "Fine."

Kili wasn't convinced, and from the expression on Thorin's face, neither was he. But neither of them pushed the issue. Fili could be very stubborn and the expression he gave made it clear the matter wasn't open for debate.

"What is our path?" Fili asked, changing the subject away from himself. "Uncle? We were planning to follow the river."

"That is a good plan," Thorin responded as he searched around the clearing. "Where is your mother?"

Kili winced as his uncle's weary eyes searched around for any sign of his sister. Kili felt a familiar lump form in his throat as he thought about his mother. He looked into Thorin's face, tears clouding his vision.

"She didn't make it," Fili said for him. "We were ambushed by Orcs."

The news hit Thorin hard. He looked away to compose himself, putting a hand to his eyes.

"Why did they come?" Kili asked, more to himself than anyone else. He knew orcs were dangerous and evil, but why had to come? Why did they hurt them? He didn't understand why anyone could have any grievances towards him and his kin. They had lived in the blue mountains since long before he had been born and they had thrived there. They were peaceful and got along well with the villages of men around them. The blatant hate and thirst for blood that the orcs possessed was hard for him to process.

"We aren't sure, Laddie," Balin answered, stepping forward to put a hand on Kili's shoulder, "orcs are orcs, they lust for death and blood, there's no reasoning with them."

"We cleared the mountains of orcs long ago," Dwalin replied, a note of frustration in the gruff dwarf's voice. "I can't understand where they came from."

There was some silence as each dwarf pondered their situation. Kili watched as Gloin and Oin attended to Gimli and Nori, and Dori inspected Ori's broken arm. He felt hopeful. At least they were all together now. Kili noticed the look of relief in Fili's eyes. He was happy to be relieved of the pressure of leading them.

"He did a good job," Kili said, gesturing towards Fili as he stood beside Thorin. "He kept us safe."

"I had no doubt that he would," Thorin replied, turning back to face them. Kili noted his eyes were red rimmed.

"Do we stick to the plan?" Dwalin asked Thorin. Kili and Fili exchanged confused glances.

"Yes, I suppose," Thorin said, looking very reluctant.

"It's for the best, Lad," Balin reminded him. "You know that."

"What plan?" Fili wanted to know.

"We don't know where the orcs came from," Thorin began, the gentleness in his voice worried Kili, "But we suspect someone sent them."

"They were looking for your uncle, lads," Balin explained. "Seems there is a price on his head. We're being hunted."

Kili gulped. Someone wanted to kill his uncle! He couldn't fathom the thought. He knew Thorin was a mighty king who had been through many battles with orcs, but those battles were in the past. Who would want to hurt him now?

"It's not safe for us all to travel together," Thorin continued. Those words hit Kili like a hammer. He blinked as if he'd been struck in the face as he realized what Thorin was implying.

"We're not staying together?" He breathed as he looked at Fili, who looked equally upset.

"I'm afraid not, Laddie," Balin said, sorrow in his eyes, "We stayed together just long enough to find you, now it's time to go our separate ways."

"But we just found you!" Fili cried out. "We thought you had all been killed!"

"It's for the best, Fili," Thorin said firmly. "We need to find a new home. The Blue Mountains are not safe anymore. If we split up, we'll cover more ground that way and we'll be harder to track down by orcs."

Kili shook his head in disbelief. His world had been shattered and turned upside down. He had lost his mother, his home, and now he was losing all of his friends and relatives. It was too much for him. He tried to be strong, but he couldn't keep the tears from spilling from his eyes. He wiped at them quickly, not wanting anyone to see.

"Don't worry, Laddies," Balin said. "We will find each other again. Dwalin and I will make sure of it."

"I dislike the idea of my people being scattered across Middle Earth like nomads and vagabonds," Thorin said sadly. "But we will be easier to pick off if we remain together. You, your brother and I are to follow the Brandywine river east. The others will seek their own paths."

Kili bit his lip to suppress his emotions. Thorin's word was final, and he and the others had come to this decision already. Kili knew better than to argue with his uncle. He exchanged farewells with all the dwarves he had grown up with. His eyes fell on Ori and Gimli as they approached.

"We'll see one another again," Ori assured him, giving Kili an embrace with his good arm, "Be well."

"Thank you for taking care of us," Gimli said, embracing Fili, "Don't lose touch, Cousin."

And just like that, the dwarves were gone. They left in family groups, Gloin, Oin, and Gimli together, Ori with his brothers, etc. but they left. Kili and his brother watched sadly as the last of them disappeared around a cluster of trees, the sounds of their footsteps on the dry vegetation fading off. Only Balin and Dwalin lingered behind, just long enough to confer with Thorin and his nephews.

"We'll keep track of them," Balin assured them. "And of you, Thorin."

"Which direction will you take?" Thorin asked.

"We'll cross the river and take it from there," Dwalin answered, "Perhaps to the Misty Mountains."

"You know what lives in Moria," Thorin said with warning, "Be careful."

"You too, Lad," Balin replied, glancing at Fili and Kili, before hugging them both tight, "Don't forget your lessons now, Laddies. And don't forget where you came from."

"And don't forget your training," Dwalin instructed. "It will come in handy now."

"It already has," Kili assured him, swallowing hard. Dwalin exchanged hugs with them all, a show of emotion that was quite rare for the old, hardened warrior. And finally, Balin and Dwalin turned and departed, leaving Kili, Fili, and Thorin alone.

"Come on," Thorin instructed, putting an arm on Kili's shoulders and another on Fili's. "Lingering too long in a clearing will bring unwanted attention and we have a long road ahead of us."