Life in Exile

Chapter 14: Kili, Son of Vili

For Dwarflings, Durin's Day was an exciting time of year. Because  they were too young to understand or study Dwarven history, Durin's Day  to them was a day where their parents give them gifts. For those of  Durin's Folk, they were given more gifts from Dwarves outside of their  close relatives. On Durin's Day, Thorin presented Fili with the sword  and shield that he commissioned Bifur and Bofur to craft. They were made  of a sturdy wood and were sanded down so that they weapons were smooth  and soft enough for a Dwarfling to handle. When Fili received them at  dinner, he was explosive with joy and happiness and began to swing the  sword around at the table. Dís stopped him sternly, "Not at the dinner  table," she hissed. Fili pouted and crossed his arms.

"All is ready, Thorin," Dwalin said, as he gnawed on a turkey's bone, "We are prepared to set out at sun-up."

Though  Dwalin's voice was muffled by his eating, Thorin understood him and  gave him a nod, "Very good." He glanced at Vili, "How does it feel to be  involved in your first mission?" Vili smiled, "I feel ready," he said  confidently, "I will not let you down, Thorin." Dís put her hand on her  husband's arm and whispered to him, which Thorin highly disapproved of.

"Dís, if you have something to say, you best said it to everyone."

Dís sighed and rolled her eyes at him, before standing up, "I have an announcement."

Everyone  at the table gave her their attention, except for Fili, who was busy  carving runes into his sword's blade and the inside of his shield with  his dinner knife.

"I am with child again."

Just then, Fili dropped his knife aggressively on his plate, causing a ruckus of clashing.

Dís snapped at her son quietly, "If you do not behave yourself, I will take you to your room!"

Fili  frowned and picked up his knife again, only to stab his pate  repeatedly, causing more commotion than before. Dís quickly grabbed him,  making him angry and cry loudly. Thorin looked at Vili, "I am assuming  you told Fili already," he said. Vili's face went red with  embarrassment, "I didn't know he was so upset about it."

Dwalin dropped his clean turkey bone on his plate, "What do you expect, lad? No Dwarfling wants a sibling," he muttered.

Thorin glanced at him, "I was fine with having a brother."

Balin  chuckled and wiped his beard with his cloth napkin, "No, you were not,  laddie. You threw a royal fit! I'm not surprised Fili is acting the  same!"

Vili laughed, along with Dwalin, only to receive an  injurious glare from Thorin. Dís returned and sat back down in her  chair, "I locked him in his room," she told Vili. Thorin glanced at  them, but it was Balin who said, "Perhaps to ought to talk to the lad,  Vili." The Stiffbeard nodded and quickly left the room. Balin rose from  his chair and approached Thorin, "I took the liberty of mapping out our  plan," he said, laying out a map of the West on the table in front of  Thorin. He had the path of the mission drawn out in red ink; it started  from Ered Luin and split into two lines heading towards the High Pass  and Gundabad. The objective was to clear out the High Pass and  significantly reduce the number of orcs in Gundabad, if possible, while  Thorin's personal objective was to find any sign of his father.

"If everything goes according to plan, we will be done by tomorrow night."

Just then, Vili ran into the room in a panic, "Fili is gone!"

Dís rose from her seat, "What?!"

"I went to his room and the door was open and he wasn't inside!"

"But I locked the door!"

"Apparently not," Thorin grumbled, rising from his chair, "I will tell the guards at the gates to—"