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Dis, her two brothers and her two sons live together in the little house that Thorin and Frerin had built with her husband when they first arrived in Ered Luin. Dis’ husband has passed away a few years back and since then her two brothers have taken it upon themselves to try and be father figures for her young sons. Kili is too young to even remember his da, but Fili had asked when “adad was coming home” for months. And once he began to realise that he was not going to he had clung to Thorin like a limpet.
They are sat together in a cosy living room. Dis and Frerin are seated in their arm chairs, smoking their pipes and drinking the homebrewed ale, whilst Thorin is sat on the sofa with little Kili bouncing up his down on his knee. Fili is clambering all over him, tugging at his hair, trying to copy the pattern of Thorin’s braid and tying his uncle’s hair into knots that Thorin knows is going to take him days to pull out. But he doesn’t mind. He loves having his two nephews sat with him like this and he couldn’t love the boys more if they were his own sons.
“Uncle Thorin?” Fili all of a sudden asks, looking up at him with his big blue eyes. “Kili was not here before. But then one day he was. Where did he come from?”
Thorin chokes on his own saliva and Frerin almost spits his ale across the room as Dis starts to giggle.
Thorin looks helplessly from his sister to his brother, a light blush creeping into his cheeks, but both shake their head in response. “This one is all yours, brother!” Frerin laughs at him and Thorin gives him a scowl.
He takes a deep breath as he looks at the pairs of eyes staring up at him expectantly now. Even Kili, who is too young to even understand the question, let alone the answer, has stilled as he is waiting for Thorin to speak. And Thorin can almost feel his brain churning at a rate of knots as he is trying to find a way out of this awkward conversation. He is hardly going to educate his baby nephews in what goes on in the bedchamber. But it’s such an honest question that he doesn’t feel like he can just brush it under the rugs either.
“Well,” he begins carefully. “You know how there are so few dwarf babies?” Fili nods eagerly, happy that his clever uncle is going to solve this mystery for him. “That is because babies are very very special for us. And you know why?”
Both Kili and Fili shake their heads. “Why, uncle Thorin?” Fili asks.
“Because babies don’t just grow on trees, like apples do.”
“Do they grow in pods? Like the beans we grew last year?” Fili smiles brightly.
Thorin, grateful for this prompt, smiles back, “Yes, you are right, my clever boy. They indeed grow in pods. But not just any pod. We cannot just grow a baby here, in Ered Luin, like we grew the beans. There is only one place in the whole of Middle Earth where dwarf babies grow.”
Fili’s mouth is open in anticipation and Kili stares at him with his big brown eyes, still as a mouse now.
“Far from here there is mountain range that stretches as far as you can see. They are called the Misty Mountains and this is where the elves and goblins live.” Fili crawls a little closer to his uncle now. He has heard his uncle tell stories of goblins and elves before and they are scary.
“And in those mountains there is a really large cave,” Thorin continues, drawing his little heir protectively close into the fold of his arm. “And in that cave there lives a huge dragon.”
He feels little Kili shudder on his knee at the word. They have all heard their elders talk about Smaug, although the boys are fortunately still too young to really understand those stories. To them it’s just another scary fairy tale.
“This dragon is so big that a hundred dwarves could stand on each other’s shoulders and they would only barely be able to touch his snout.” He grins at the look of awe that Fili is giving him. “His eyes are as big as this house. His tail is so long you cannot even see the tip. And his scales are the brightest blue, like the sky above. And you know why this huge dragon lives in this cave?”
The brothers shake their heads again, Kili following the motion that his brother is making more than anything else as he pops his thumb into his mouth now and cuddles up against Thorin too.
“Because he is the guardian of the pods in which the dwarf babies grow. That is where Kili came from. And where you came from. And me, and your mother and da and uncle Frerin.”
“So how did we get here? If the dragon was gardening us?”
Thorin laughs at Fili’s misunderstanding of the word guardian. “Guarding us,” he explains. “Protecting us. And this is where your father comes in.” And Thorin warms at the huge grin Fili is giving him now. He always tries to fit the boys’ father into his stories, to keep his memory going, and this story is just the perfect setting for making him into a hero.
“So when your mama asked for a little brother for you, your da packed his bag and got his sword and saddled his pony as he was going to ride all the way to the big cave in the Misty Mountains to bring back your brother.”
“Da did that?” Fili’s eyes are huge in amazement. “Did he do that for me too?”
Thorin smiles widely at him. “He did, Fili. He did all of those things for you too.”
Fili sinks back into Thorin’s embrace, content that his da had gone to the cave with the dragon to get the pod with him in it.
“So this is where the story really begins,” Thorin lowers his voice a little now, to really get the boys’ attention. “When your father leaves Ered Luin to find baby Kili.” Kili looks up at the mention of his name, pops his thumb out of his mouth and babbles, “Kiwi.” Thorin cuddles him with a chuckle. “That’s right, my clever little one, that’s you.” Nevermind that Kili cannot say the letter L properly yet.
“The journey to the Misty Mountains is very long. And your da travels for many days before he can even see the mountains on the horizon. He is tired and his pony is tired too. But your da knows he must keep going, because there is only one day in the whole year that he can go into the cave. That is because the dragon only sleeps one day a year you see. And so that is when your da can quietly slip past him and find the pods without getting eaten by the big scary dragon.”
“He didn’t get eaten did he?” Fili now asks anxiously.
Thorin laughs softly and he can hear his brother and sister giggle across the room too. “No, you silly. Because he brought Kili back with him didn’t he. Otherwise your brother would not be sat here, now would he?”
Fili considers this and eventually nods in semi-understanding. It is still a little difficult for him to connect such things and put things in the right chronological order.
“No he didn’t get eaten,” Thorin smiles. “But we are not there yet in the story.”
“Sorry uncle,” Fili purrs and then pops a thumb into his mouth too as he continues to listen to the story.
“So your da continues to ride towards the foot of the mountains,” Thorin continues. “But when he gets there, the cave is very high up and his pony cannot go there. So he has to leave his pony tied to a tree and climb up the mountain himself. It is very difficult and scary as it is very high. But he knows he has to keep going to get to the cave. And finally he reaches the ledge and he climbs onto it. When he stands up he stares into the huge mouth of the dragon’s cave.”
“Is the dragon there?” Fili asks and Thorin can feel Kili burying his face into his tunic. He doesn’t like dragons. ‘Good,’ Thorin thinks quietly to himself.
“Yes, the dragon is there,” Thorin almost whispers now as he looks down into Fili’s huge eyes. “But your da has got there on exactly the right day and the big blue dragon is fast asleep. As your da enters the cave he can hear his loud snoring echo through the cave, before he even sees the beast.”
Fili wraps his hand around Thorin’s index finger now, squeezing him softly in search of comfort from his strong and protective uncle.
“He has to tiptoe through the cave, all the way past the beast,” Thorin continues, softly rubbing his thumb over the back of Fili’s hand in reassurance. “He can feel the dragon’s hot breath as he walks past his huge nostrils. But your da is very brave and he continues on, deeper into the cave. Until he sees them. Hundreds of pods with little baby dwarves in them, growing in a shallow lake in the middle of the cave.”
“But how does he know which one is Kili?” Fili asks in confusion. “What if he gets the wrong one?”
Thorin had already anticipated this question and has an idea ready. “Because there is only one pod that is ready when your da gets to the cave. That is the pod that has your baby brother in it. And he knows this because it glows softly. As if there is a star inside.”
“Kili is a star?”
“Oh my sweet,” he can hear Dis smile warmly. And Thorin laughs softly. “Yes he is. As you are, thatrê mim.”
And Fili beams brightly. He already knows that word and many others in Khuzdul as the dwarrow learn their ancient tongue alongside their common tongue from a very early age.
“So when your da finds the pods, he walks up to the one that shines brightly and inside he can see your tiny baby brother. He is only as big as my fist,” and he smiles down at the dark head of hair of his youngest nephew, for a moment imagining him as a pod baby, perfect as he is now but so tiny, and the thought is so cute it’s making his chest flutter. “And your da takes his sword and cuts through the stem. And then he catches the pod in his arms and puts it very carefully in his bag, keeping your brother very safe.” And he ruffles a hand through the dark hair of the little dwarfling who is almost asleep against his chest now.
“Your da has to creep all the way out of the cave again, with little Kili safely in his bag, past the big sleeping dragon. He tiptoes past the long tail again, past the huge claws as big as a horse, carefully stepping past the big snout with the huge teeth. And he thinks everything is fine and he is going to get out of the cave safely.” Fili’s hand is squeezing his finger hard now as Thorin builds up the tension. “But then Kili starts to cry softly, because he is scared in the bag and he doesn’t know where he is.”
Fili’s mouth is a perfect “O” now as his eyes bulge in terror.
“The dragon opens his eye at the soft sounds. And he sees your da, carrying little Kili in his bag. And your da starts running fast towards the daylight up ahead. The dragon slowly lifts its head, just as your da gets to the ledge. And your da starts to climb down quickly, as he can hear the deafening roar of the blue dragon. And as he looks up he can see a big blue flame coming out of the cave.” Fili is almost curled into a ball against him now.
Enough angst, Thorin thinks. Or his nephew will never sleep tonight. Time to make his brother-in-law into a hero.
“But your da is fast and strong and he jumps the last bit to the ground and runs towards his pony. And before the dragon has come out of the cave, he is already galloping away with little Kili cradled safely in front of him. He can hear the dragon roar in anger that he has managed to take one of the dwarf babies. But your da is too fast and the dragon will never be able to catch him now.”
Fili releases the strong squeeze on his finger, leaving little white imprints on Thorin’s skin, as he smiles in relief.
“And he rides all the way back to Ered Luin, not stopping once. And when he arrives home, he hands your mama the little pod. And your mama peels back the leaves and finds your little baby brother inside.”
“Really mama?” Fili asks with huge eyes. “Is that really what happened?”
Dis can see her brother giving her a stern look, but she isn’t going to ruin his fantastic story. “It is, my lovely. That is exactly what happened.”
“So there you go,” Thorin smiles contently into Fili’s glowing face. “That is where Kili came from.”
“Wow,” Fili sighs as he sinks deep into Thorin’s embrace. And then he whispers, “When I am big I am going to go to the cave of the blue dragon and find a dwarf baby for you, uncle Thorin.”
The innocent statement hits home a deep emotion. “That is very sweet of you, Fili,” he whispers back, placing a kiss on his nephew’s soft blond hair as he closes his eyes and feels the warmth of the two little bodies pressed against him. And he wonders if he ever will … have children of his own that is.
***
They stay like this for a little longer until Fili starts to feel heavy in his sleepiness. And at that Thorin cradles his nephew onto his strong forearm as he already has a snoozing Kili scooped up in his other arm and he carries the two brothers towards their bedroom.
First he tucks Kili in, who is fast asleep before his head even hits the pillow. “Goodnight Kili,” he presses a kiss on the dark hairs and strokes his hand over his head. He looks so perfectly peaceful in his sleep.
Then he walks around to the other side of the bed and tucks the rugs gently around Fili. “Goodnight Fili,” a kiss on blond locks this time. And Fili throws his arms around Thorin and gives him a soft kiss back. “Goodnight uncle. Love you.”
“Love you too, my little prince. Sleep well.”
“I will,” Fili whispers sleepily. “I am going to dream of dragons and pod babies.”
And Thorin smiles as he watches his eldest nephew nuzzle himself against his little brother before he drifts off to sleep too. And for a moment he just stands there, leaning against the doorpost, taking in the peaceful picture of his two nephews perfectly safe and happy together. And he wishes he could shrink them and put them in one of his made-up pods and carry them around with him, keeping them safe forever.
***
“That was an amazing story, brother,” Dis kisses her brother on the cheek after he has carefully closed the door to the boys’ bedroom. “You did very well. Thank you.”
Thorin smiles and gratefully takes the mug of ale his sister is offering him.
“You did, brother,” Frerin grins at him. “So well, that you can do that again when Kili asks the question next. And when they are older I think you will be the perfect person to tell the story of where babies come from again. The real one!” And he deftly dodges the pillow that his older brother throws at his head.