Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Fili fell first, his body crumpling to the ground and suddenly that’s all Kili could see. The battle raged around him, but Kili only had eyes for his brother, eyes wide and unseeing, blood pooling from the wound in his side.

Kili barely felt it when he was run through, his only thought that at least they would be together in death.

But instead of waking up in the maker’s halls as he expected, Kili found himself in a space of white light. He fell to his knees, hanging his head. His face was wet and he realised he was crying.

“We failed.” he choked.

“Well,” came a warm, echoing voice from behind him, “that’s a matter of perspective. The line of Durin has fallen, but your home was reclaimed. Erebor shall live on.”

Kili turned to the figure behind him, too full of grief to give him more than a cursory glance.

“Ama will be alone,” Kili choked. “We promised we would return to her."

The figure smiled. “She would be alone, if that is the choice you make.”

Kili looked up. “Choice? What are you-... Who are you?”

“Who do you think I am?”

Kili rubbed the moisture from his eyes, and gave the man before him a proper look. At least, Kili assumed he was a man, though none of his many braids held the normal signifiers of gender. He was tall by dwarf standards, looking down at him with kindness in his eyes. His hair was wild, his face bearded, and upon looking on him Kili was filled with a sense of knowing, and awe, and family. His eyes widened, and he ducked his head into a bow.

“Aule, Maker, I… It’s an honour…”

Aule chuckled, and waved his hand. “Now, there’s no need for all that. Rise, Kili of the line of Durin. My children need bow to no one.”

Kili stumbled to his feet. “Mahal, why am I here? Why am I not in your halls, with my kin? You… mentioned a choice?”

“I did. You could go to my halls, join your kin, spend eternity with your brother as he is now- sharing your memories. Your mother would join you when it was her time. You could rest. The people of Erebor will survive, but not thrive, without the line of Durin there to guide them.”

“And… what’s the other option?”

“You could go back, with my blessing. You would keep the memories you have now, of this timeline, but you would be the only one to do so. It would be up to you to effect change, and I could not guarantee how things would turn out.”

“Ama… How does she take our deaths? Is she okay? And the rest of the company- What about Bilbo?”

“Your mother… becomes but a shell of herself. Losing her whole family took a large toll on Dis, daughter of the line of Durin, as it would anyone. Other than your uncle, the rest of your dwarrow companions survived the battle. As for the halfling-”

“Aule.” A chastising voice came from behind the maker, beautiful woman emerged from the light. Her skin was dark, and her hair looked like it was made from a meadow of flowers, flowing down her back to the ground. She was taller even than an elf, making her husband look short in comparison.

“My wife!” Aule kissed her hand, and Yavanna turned to the stunned dwarf, and smiled.

“As you can see, my husband here has picked up bad habits. My children are not half of anything, small though they may be. Bilbo, he lives a long life for a Hobbit, but spends much of it alone. He adopts a child, and that child ends up being the force for the side of light in a great war. As strong and brave as my children are, I would not wish that fate on any of them. They would stand stronger with allies, and no ally is stronger than a friendship with the line of Durin. Had you survived, it would ease the burden they carry."

“So… You want me to go back?”

“I do.”

“Yavanna…” Aule sighed. “It needs to be his choice, and it is not a choice to be made lightly. It is a serious task, one that if treated with anything but the utmost resolve, would be doomed to fail.”

“Why me?” Kili asked, looking back and forth between the two Valar. "I mean... I'm hardly the most accomplished Dwarrow out there. Why not send Uncle back? Even Fili is older than me..." He trailed off.

"We can only send one person back," Yavanna explained, smiling at him still. "Your Uncle needs outside guidance to prevent his fall into sickness, besides sending him back with the memories of his previous illness and death would be cruel."

"And true, we could send your brother," Aule continued, "but you both work best as a pair, and I believe it would be easier for you to convince him to help you, with no questions asked if need be, than the other way around. But the choice is up to you."

“I’ll do it.” Kili said determinedly. “If I have a chance to make things better I have to try. For Amad and for Bilbo.”

“You have to understand, you have my favour, but once you have returned to Arda I will not be able to help you. The Valar cannot interfere directly in the lives of mortals. Communicative dreams is the best we can do. You will be on your own.”

Kili set his jaw. “I understand. I’ll do it.”

Aule smiled. “I knew you would. My children rarely back down from a challenge. Here, my blessing, as promised.” And he held out his hand, pouring something small and shiny into Kili’s outstretched palm.

“Look after my child, young dwarf, and you may just earn my favour too.”

“I’ll look after him, and his adopted son,” Kili promised. “They won’t be alone.”

Yavanna smiled.

“Do you have any other advice? Any… rules or guidelines? Do I have to keep this secret?” His heart clenched at the thought of hiding something so large from Fili.

“You may share your past timeline and our meeting here with who you wish, though I suggest you consider carefully before you do so. Though it may be tempting to wear my blessing openly, it may make your journey more complicated.”

Kili nodded, though he had no clue what Mahal meant by “wear my blessing”.

“Good luck, my child,” Aule smiled, “I’ve heard the journey back to your body is uncomfortable, so do brace yourself.” And with that, he reached out and touched Kili’s forehead.

Chapter Text

Kili woke up screaming.

It took a moment to find his groundings, his heavy breaths filling the room. He felt a weight settle next to him on his bed, and a warm arm curl around his shoulders.

“You okay, Kee?” Fili’s concerned face swam into view.

“Yeah, I’m- I’m fine, Fili.” But Fili looked more concerned when Kili wrapped his arms around his brother and attached himself to his side like a limpet. While Kili was always quite physical, Fili could tell that something had really shaken his brother.

Kili looked around. He was in his and Fili’s shared room back in Ered Luin. He hadn't realised Mahal would send him this far back. Wait… how far back was he? He squinted at his brother’s sleepy face, which didn’t look any younger than the last time he saw him. Not long before they left on the quest then.

“...Do you… want to talk about it?” Fili asked slowly.

“I had an… intense dream. I think I need some time to process it. Can I tell you about it later?”

“Of course.”

“Fili, what time is it?”

Now his brother was truly concerned. Dwarrow had a stone sense, a connection to the earth around them. They could always orientate themselves when underground, and as long as they knew the time when they left the surface, they could identify the time of day even without any light.

“It’s nearly dawn, nadadith. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Kili detached himself from his brothers arms, and clambered out of bed, his hand still clutched tight around Mahal’s blessing.

“I just need some fresh air, I think. I won’t be long.”

As Kili made his way through the twisted halls of the home he grew up in, his mind was spinning, desperately considering how on earth he could change their journey for the better.

As he stepped outside, he finally unclenched his fist, looking for the first time at the gift Mahal had given him. He was holding a mithril hair bead, not unlike the ones dwarrow often wore. It was the most beautiful craftsmanship Kili had ever seen in his life, with simple jewels laid into the sides of the bead in a distinctive pattern. It was attached to a thin chain, and he put it into the pocket of his night trousers. He remembered Mahal calling it his blessing, and wondered what that meant.

After spending some time watching the sun rise, Kili made his way back into the home built into the Blue Mountains. He wandered into the kitchen, and found his mother. Her long black hair was unbraided, early in the morning as it was, and she smiled at her youngest son through her beard.

“Ama!” Kili cried, and threw himself across the room into her arms. For him it had been months since he had seen her, and the thought of her mourning his and his brother’s death was still fresh in his mind. She caught him mid-air and carefully lowered him back to his feet.

“Kili!” She exclaimed. “What’s gotten into you?”

Kili didn’t respond, just gripped her tighter and buried his face into his shoulder.

“Raklûn? What’s wrong?” She cupped the back of his head with her hands, and brought it round so she could look him in the eyes, moving her hands to cradle his face.

“He had a dream,” came Fili’s voice from behind them as he entered the kitchen.

“A dushadal?”

Kili shook his head, “No, not a nightmare, not really. Just a dream.”

“Then what has distressed you so?”

Kili detached himself from his mother, pulling away and giving her a large phoney grin. “Me? Distressed? I’m not distressed, whatever gave you that idea?”

“Raklûn, for one, you haven’t called me Ama in at least 3 years.”

“Pfft, that can’t be right, I’m sure I call you Ama all the time! Either way, I’m fine, everything is fine!” He stepped back, and promptly tripped over a chair at the table. Scrambling to his feet, he continued, heading towards the door. “Anyway, I’m sure I have things to do, so I had better be off!” And with that, he hurried away towards the direction of outside.

“I’ll wrangle it out of him, don’t worry Ma.” Fili sighed.

“I’m sure u will, zubdabudê.” Dis walked over and kissed her oldest son’s forehead, before looking concernedly at the door Kili left through. “Do you think he realises he is still in his night clothes?”

Fili snorted.

Fili found his younger brother up a tree. While tree climbing was certainly not common for dwarrow, Kili had mastered the art at a young age, climbing ever higher and higher and scaring the living daylights out of whoever was meant to be looking after him. It hadn’t taken Fili long to master the skill also, his need to protect his brother overriding any fear he once might have had about heights.

Thorin’s Halls, where the Ereborian dwarrow had settled all those years ago, was built into the sides of the Blue Mountains, the slopes of which were covered in a dense, thick forest. Kili used to imagine running off into that forest when the pressures of home became too much. When other young dwarrow teased him for his favouring a bow and his undwarflike features and lack of beard, Fili would track him down and find him hours later, sitting among the high branches.

It had been a long time since such trivial matters had bothered Kili, but he never thought he’d miss those problems.

As his brother made his way up to him and settled down on a level branch, Kili sighed, staring off into the distance.

“I guess I have some explaining to do,” he said. Fili just raised his eyebrows. “Nadad, you know how you can always tell when I’m joking and when I’m being serious?”

Fili nodded, wondering where this was going.

“I could never get anything past you.” Kili turned, and finally looked at his brother, his face the most serious Fili had ever seen it. “So please believe me when I say I would not joke about this.”

Waiting until he had received an affirmative from his older brother, Kili turned and looked back off into the forest.

“We went on the quest, to Erebor. We stopped on the way to pick up our party’s 14th member, and together we travelled across the Misty Mountains.” Kili didn’t dare look over at his brother, sure he would see nothing but confusion and derision. “We battled trolls, and orcs, and goblins, and wargs. We got so far, so far , Fili, but for all our efforts it was not enough. We perished, you, me, and Uncle Thorin. We died. But instead of finding myself in the maker’s halls, I found myself in a space made of light with Mahal himself in front of me. He gave me a chance to come back, to fix things.”

Kili finally turned and looked Fili in the eye, his eyes wet but intense. “And I took it, Fee. I took it for Ama. She doesn’t deserve our deaths.”

Fili stared intensely into his brother’s eyes, before nodding. “Okay.”

“Okay? You believe me?”

“I do. And you’re right. Ma deserves better. We’ll have to tell Uncle we will not go on the journey.”

But Kili was shaking his head, “No, no we must go. I was also given a task by Kaminzabdûna-” Fili’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t just sent back for Ma, Fili, and I don’t want Uncle Thorin to die. Besides, who knows what could change if we weren’t there? Then all my future knowledge would be for nothing. No, we have to go.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Fili looked determined. “Tell me everything .”

And so he did. From meeting Bilbo, all the way through to their final battle. He explained about the trolls, about their stop at rivendell, their journey through the goblin tunnels, and their first encounter with Azog. He mentioned the eagles, and Beorn, and getting lost and imprisoned in Mirkwood. Finally he divulged meeting Bard, Smaug’s death, and their Uncle’s sickness.

Fili seemed impressed by how the little hobbit had saved them so many times, annoyed when told about his weapons being confiscated in Mirkwood, and was appropriately shocked when told of Thorin’s madness.

He sat in silence after Kili choked his way through their deaths, and explained his meeting with the Valar.

“We need to tell Amad.”

Kili groaned, “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“Listen, I don’t think we should tell her everything , but we’re going to need back up. If you run in and tell her you’ve lived the quest before and we’re going to die, she’s going to lock us in our room and never let us out again. Plus she would murder Uncle Thorin so this whole issue would be moot anyway. But besides that, you’re not the first dwarf Mahal has visited in a dream, though it hasn't been recorded to have happened in an age. He’s said to visit dwarrow with important tasks in their sleep and leave them his blessing.”

“Oh! That’s what this is!” And Kili pulled the small bead on a chain from his pocket and held it out to his brother, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Fili’s hands hovered over it, before asking tentatively “... May I?”

Kili handed it over and his brother examined the beautiful bead closely.

“Madh Mahalul,” he breathed, before turning back to Kili and slapping him round the head.

“Hey! What was that for!?”

“You should have lead with that, lulkh!”

Kili grinned sheepishly. “Well, I didn’t know what it was!”

“Anyway, now we know Ma will definitely believe you, we still need to work out what to say. It seems to me, the biggest problem that we need to change is Uncle’s dragon sickness. I mean, things might have been difficult but you- I mean, we- had survived everything up to that point. This time, with foreknowledge, it can only be easier, right?”

“I hope so. But what can we do about Uncle’s sickness? How do you prevent a sickness of the mind?”

Fili grinned ferally, “Bureaucracy.”

Chapter Text

When they arrived home a few hours later, their mother was waiting for them. They sat down together at the dining room table.

“Ma, you might want a drink.”

Dis sent her eldest son a quailing look. “I’m sure I can handle whatever the problem is, thank you very much.”

Fili shrugged, and gave Kili a ‘well, go on then, show her!’ gesture. Kili reached out and placed his gift from Mahal on the centre of the table.

Dis froze, then slowly reached out to pick up the bead. “... Is this...??” She whispered.

Fili nodded. “Kili had a dream last night,” he said, quietly.

Dis gently placed the bead back on the table as if it might shatter, then she stood up and walked off into the pantry. She came back a minute later with a bottle of the strongest alcohol they had and three glasses, much to the surprise of her sons.

“Amad, you’ve never let us drink anything but mead before! Are you sure we’re ready?” Kili teased.

“Raklûn, if Mahal himself thinks you mature enough to champion a task for him, who am I to argue?”

She poured the drinks, but slapped her son’s hand away from the glass before he could reach it. “Ah, ah! We will need a steady head for this conversation. These are for after,” she said, moving them to one side. “So. What task has Mahal asked of you? I assume it has something to do with the quest to retake Erebor?”

The smiles dropped off her sons faces, leaving them looking more serious than she had ever seen them.

“Yes, Ma,” Kili said quietly. “Mahal showed me things, things I need to change if we are to succeed. He showed me that if nothing changed, Uncle Thorin, Fili, and I would perish.”

Dis gave a sharp intake of breath, rising to her feet as if shot by an arrow. “I told him! I told him this foolish quest would get you killed! You’re not going, I won’t allow it, you are to stay here, with me, where it’s safe!” Two pairs of arms wrapped around her halted her rant, and she gasped out a sob, holding her children close to her. “I can’t lose you.”

“We know, Ama,” Fili said into her hair. The use of the childish title caused her to sob again, her arms tightening around the two most precious in the world to her. “But we need to talk this through. If at the end, you really think we should stay behind, we will.”

This, the brothers had agreed on. Though if they stayed their uncle would die, and they would not be able to protect Bilbo as Yavanna had asked, they would both be alive to continue the line of Durin and lead Erebor during the upcoming war. It wasn’t everything the Valar had asked for, but it was enough. Nothing would force them to part with their mother against her will ever again.

They settled back down at the table, and Dis took a deep breath. “Okay. Talk me through it.”

“Mahal showed me some of the dangers on the journey, and some meetings with the elves, but the problems actually properly start after we reclaim the mountain. Uncle Thorin gets sick.”

“Sick?”

“Dragon sickness, Ma. He… loses himself completely, and nearly starts a war with the men and the elves. The men had their town burnt down by the dragon, and he refuses to aid them, even while sitting upon all the treasure of Erebor. He summons Dain from the Iron Hills, and they bring an army. The company burglar, a hobbit Gandalf recommended, stole the arkenstone in my vision, and gave it to the men to barter with, to try and prevent a war. Uncle Thorin nearly killed him for it. This is one of the things we are hoping to prevent.” At his mother’s thunderous expression Kili hurried to add, “Ma, don’t forget this didn’t actually happen, and if we work hard it never will! Mahal gave me this task for a reason, and Uncle Thorin didn’t technically start a war in what I was shown. With all the squabbling between those factions, no one noticed the orc and goblin army until it was too late. Uncle snapped out of his sickness, but only after the fighting had started, and it was too late to create a cohesive fighting unit with the men and elves. We all fought, but we fought separately, and the line of Durin fell. This is what I was shown.”

After a long silence their mother spoke. “I’m not seeing why I should let you anywhere near this foolish endeavour.”

“Ah, but we have a plan! Fili and I are going to become the most frustrating bureaucrats we can possibly manage to be!”

“And we happen to be masters of being frustrating!”

Dis snorted. “That you are.”

“Right, well, we need you to have a meltdown very loudly and publicly-”

“Or just in front of some of the company members, specifically including Balin, and possibly Dwalin,” Fili said quickly, seeing his mother’s face.

“Yes, I guess that would work too,” Kili said grudgingly. “But as I was saying, you need to act like you’ve changed your mind about letting us go-”

“Shouldn’t be difficult,” Dis interjected.

“Stop interrupting! And act like there’s no point in us going along because there are already enough warriors. They’ll of course argue that we are princes, and it’s our birthright!”

“And if they don’t, we could join the scene! I’m good at improvising!”

“Shut up , Fili! Anyway, then you say that we have no princely experience and no knowledge of diplomacy or running a kingdom, and what’s the point of even reclaiming our homeland without the knowledge of how to look after it, especially since we need allies for trade and food, and we all know Uncle Thorin isn’t the most charismatic of people-”

“And that’s when he’s not driven mad by a large pile of shiny coins and gems-”

“ Thank you, Fili, and then we jump in, promising to learn all about politics and trade and swearing to become ambassadors if that’s what it takes, and then you think about it and say that if we can prove to you that we’re serious about it, you’ll let us go as the journey’s ambassadors!”

Both brothers look at their mother expectantly, waiting for her to see the genius of their plan.

“You’ve both clearly thought this through,” she said, slowly. “But I have to admit I don’t see how that solves the problem of you dying.”

Fili and Kili grinned at each other conspiratorially, and leaned forwards across the table. “Well…”

And so they explained, in excruciating detail, their plan for Not Dying. Their mother stayed silent, nodding occasionally but otherwise staying seemingly impassive. When they were finally finished, she looked at them appraisingly.

“Okay, you can go.” She raised her hand to stop them before they started celebrating. “On one condition. You both stay out of that battle. I don’t want you anywhere near the fighting. If you don’t think you can swear that you will stay inside the walls of Erebor where it is safe, you are to remain here.”

“Ma,” Fili said gently. “It would be dishonourable for us to hide behind stone walls while others fight our battles for us.”

Kili jerked at hearing his own words parroted back at him, though Fili would have no idea he was repeating anything.

“I don’t care!” Dis said firmly, scowling. “This is my condition. Either you agree to it or you don’t go!”

The brothers had a brief conversation with their eyes, before sighing and turning back to their mother.

“Okay, Amad. If that is what it takes for you to be comfortable going on this trip, then that is what we shall do.”

“Comfortable? I shall not be comfortable until both of you are safe in my arms again, but Mahal has given you a task, my boy, and I am not one to argue with the creator.” And with that, she reached for her drink and downed it in one. Fili and Kili took this as their cue and also reached for their drinks, only to have their hands slapped away once again. “No, you two still have work to do. Go and fetch Balin and Dwalin, I have many things to say to them.”

Fili and Kili rose from their chairs, and headed towards the door.

“And Kili, dear? Do put some proper clothes on.”

Kili looked down and flushed, realising he was still in his night clothes.

Chapter Text

“Balin! Balin! ” Kili’s piercing voice broke the comfortable silence of the records room, and the older dwarf gave a suffering sigh.

“Through here, laddie,” he called, and the young dwarf came barrelling round the corner.

“Mister Balin, you’ve got to- Oh, hello there, Ori!- Mister Balin, you’ve got to come and help us! Amad’s lost her mind, she’s saying we can’t go on the quest!”

“It’s a bit late in the day for that, isn’t it?” Balin frowned. “The contracts are already written up!”

“But not signed, and now she’s refusing to even consider it! You have to come and talk some sense into her, Mister Balin! Fili’s gone looking for Mister Dwalin to see if he could help.”

“Alright then, lead the way. Is it okay if young Ori comes along too? It would not do for a master to leave an apprentice on his own.”

“You’re only saying that because Dori asked you to keep an eye on me,” Ori grumbled, collecting together his books and parchment.

They could hear Dis before they even entered the dwelling, and Kili had to be impressed by her commitment to the role.

“I’M NOT LETTING MY SONS ANYWHERE NEAR THIS SUICIDAL QUEST WITH NO PURPOSE BUT TO FLUFF MY BROTHER’S EGO!” Her voice echoed down the stone hallways. They entered the building, and Balin seemed taken aback by how angry Dis sounded, half expecting Kili had been exaggerating. Ori looked terrified.

“Come now, Dis-”

“Don’t you ‘come now, Dis’ me, Dwalin Fundinul, adadmêzu duhû bintarg ra sigin'adadmêzu kasat gairurukhs!”

Kili winced, and there was a moment of silence before Dwalin responded, “Well now, that was uncalled for.”

“Indeed it was,” Balin said, entering the room with his eyebrows raised. “What did our ancestors ever do to you, my Lady Dis?”

“I’m sure they did something,” Dis said darkly, clearly unapologetic.

“I can understand your concern for your son’s safety, but to say the endeavour is pointless?” Dwalin said, gruffly. “You know as well as I that Thorin longs only for his homeland back.”

Dis snorted. “And the large pile of gold and treasures is merely a bonus?”

“What’s gotten into you, Dis?” Balin questioned gently. “What’s caused this change of heart?”

“I had a dream,” Dis stated, and Kili started, sharing a concerned look with his brother. This wasn’t part of the plan. “I dreamt my children and brother died, leaving me alone, all because of my brother’s selfishness. I dreamt of my brother driven mad, and my children bleeding out on the sides of that accursed mountain. And then I awoke, and realised the folly of your trip, and how my son’s shouldn’t need to go at all. They are not warriors, not more so than any other dwarrow! In fact, they are of the royal line! Imagine for a second if your journey does fail, the entire line of Durin would be wiped out in one fell blow! No, my son’s must stay here.”

Silence fell, and Fili and Kili stared at each other in horror. She wasn’t supposed to actually convince Balin and Dwalin to let them stay!

Balin and Dwalin, in fact, seemed stunned into silence, staring at Dis with their mouths open. Ori looked as if he might faint. It was time for their backup plan to come into effect.

“But Amad, like you said, we are of the line of Durin! It is our birthright!” Fili cried.

“Now, laddie, your mother does have a point,” Balin said grudgingly. Dwalin looked like he had swallowed a lemon.

“But if Uncle does take back the lonely mountain, we’re going to have to help run it!” Kili interjected desperately. “No dwarf would take us seriously as leaders if we sat on our bums while others reclaimed our homeland!”

“Also a fair point,” Dwalin allowed.

“But that brings up my other issue!” Dis continued, not noticing the desperate signs to tone it down that her sons were making behind the backs of the other dwarrow. “What is the point of reclaiming a home with no means to run it? My sons have no knowledge on how to run a kingdom, no experience with diplomacy or the importance of trade deals! Have you forgotten that Erebor has no method for food production? Our kingdom relied on trade with our neighbours! Neighbours such as Dale, which no longer exists, and the Elven Kingdom, and I think you both know there's no chance of my thick-headed brother making a trade deal with them!”

“Surely we can come to some sort of compromise,” Fili begged.

“We can learn!” Kili cried, at the same time.

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” Fili continued.

Balin looked thoughtful. “You bring up good points, Dis. Regardless of this trip, it would be a good idea for your sons to learn more about the craft of ruling.”

“We’re more charismatic than Uncle Thorin!” Kili piped up helpfully. “We could be the party’s ambassadors!” Dwalin made a sound that made the others concerned he was choking.

Dis, however, looked thoughtful. “Now, that could work.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Dwalin said, staring at Dis as though she’d gone mad.

“I am not,” Dis said coldly. “My sons are princes, and they have not found their Calling. Working to create strong allies for our homeland is a worthy job for sons of Durin. They may be young, but if they can prove they’re willing to learn, and commit, then I see no one better for the job. Besides, somebody needs to do it, and by the looks of it it’s something that the current questing party hadn’t even considered.”

Balin and Dwalin both looked uncomfortable and embarrassed at that. Ori was watching the goings on with wide eyes.

“Balin, write up a new contract. My son’s have eight days to prove that they are willing to commit to this, and if they do, I shall sign the contract on their behalf before they leave.”

Balin coughed, “And, um, what would you like the terms of this contract to be, my Lady Dis?”

“My sons will be the company’s ambassadors, as well as the ambassadors for the people of Erebor. They are to negotiate trade deals, as well as speak on behalf of the company. They are both to stay out of any fight or battle that is known about in advance and/or is not a matter of direct life or death.”

“Amad!” The brothers cried, despite having already agreed to it. The older dwarrow would never believe Fili and Kili would let that go without a fight.

“If you want to go, these are your terms,” she snapped back, repeating her words from earlier. Then she paused, and looked kindly on Ori. “Might I also suggest similar terms for the company scribe? Ori, you are also young, and not a warrior by trade. Besides, it would not do for you to perish before you have finished writing down the story.”

Ori looked thoughtful. “That would make it easier to convince Dori to let me go,” he mused. “He’s still threatening to lock me in my room.”

Turning back to the sons of Fundin, Dis’s expression turned serious. “Balin, you are the royal advisor. Starting tomorrow, you will begin teaching my sons all they will need to know before the quest begins. You are to tell me immediately if they are slacking off, or not taking it seriously. If they prove themselves, both you and your brother will treat my sons as the ambassadors they are, and support them in any way they need. This will be their position, and you will take them as seriously as you would any other diplomat.”

Balin bowed, “Yes, my Lady. Boys, I’ll see you in the room of records tomorrow morning,” he said to the brothers.

Turning to Dwalin, Dis pulled a dagger from her belt. “Dwalin, I know you would give your life for my brother, but I am warning you now, if anything happens to my sons, I will kill you. You protect them as if they were your own, you hear me?”

And Dwalin did not doubt for a second that if either of those boys perished, it would mean the end of his own life too. He gulped, and nodded. “Yes, my Lady.”

“Good.” She put the dagger back in her belt. “Now get out of my house.”

Five minutes later, the small family was sat together, Fili and Kili both nursing their drinks, careful not to drink them too fast.

“Why did you tell them you had the dream, Ma?” Kili asked.

“So they would take my warning seriously, raklûn. Dwarrow have an unhealthy habit of thinking themselves invincible, and I had to remind them that you are not.”

The family fell silent for a few minutes, before Fili snorted.

“We should ask Nori to get us into the job of con artists! We absolutely nailed that!”

Chapter Text

The brothers rose at the crack of dawn. Dwarrow tended to be late risers, as working underground without light means daybreak becomes irrelevant. Young dwarrow especially liked to sleep in, and Fili and Kili knew that turning up early would play a large part in convincing Balin they were serious. 

Ori was already at the hall of records when they arrived, tired and bedraggled.

“Morning, Ori,” Fili said through his yawns. “What’re you doing here at this time?”

“First morning getting up early, is it?” Ori asked sympathetically. “It’s always the hardest for the first week. Master Balin dislikes when his students are late, and I was lucky to get this apprenticeship in the first place.” 

The brothers nodded sympathetically. Dwarrow children were rare, and so to encourage learning and teach social skills, children of a similar age spend a lot of time together. Ori was a few years older than Fili, and had spent much of his childhood running after the princes trying to keep them out of trouble. Ori’s mother had died when he was but 40, leaving the family with little to live on, as Ori’s father had abandoned them after his birth. Dori had done his best to look after his younger siblings, but times could be harsh in the blue mountains, and Nori turned to crime to help keep food on the table, much to Dori’s despair. 

Ori finding his Calling was a joyous occasion for the family, even more so when he was taken on as Balin’s apprentice. Though, it was probably something Dori regretted after Ori signed up as the company’s scribe, both him and Nori joining the quest immediately after to keep an eye on their younger brother.

After a few minutes catching up with their long-time friend, the brothers were interrupted by Balin’s entrance into the room. He froze in the doorway, rubbing his eyes in disbelief of what he saw in front of him. To see the young princes up before the eleventh hour without being dragged out of bed was a sight to behold.

“I… didn’t expect you boys here so early,” Balin said, despite having told them to come in the morning.

“We’re here to prove we’re serious!”

“And we’re here to learn,” Fili reminded his brother, who nodded quickly.

“Yeah, that too!”

Balin could feel a headache starting, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, lads, do you have anything to take notes with?” Seeing the look on the young Dwarrow’s faces, Balin sighed again. It was going to be a long day. Luckily, Ori had some spare plain notebooks for the brothers to write in.

The next week passed quickly, to Balin’s surprise. The princes threw themselves into studying, no sign of the daydreaming and constant pranks Balin remembered from when he last tutored them. Fili and Kili paid close attention to what Balin was saying, asking many relevant questions, and even inquiring into topics Balin hadn’t thought to cover.

“You want to know about elvish etiquette?” Balin asked, incredulously. 

“Well, Uncle’s not likely to follow it, is he?” Kili snorted. “We need to be able to cover for his blunders and apologise for any deliberate digs.” 

“Also do you have anything on Hobbits?”

By the time the boys sat down with their mother a week later to review their progress, Balin was quite convinced of their sincerity to take their job seriously. Dis sighed.

“I was rather hoping you wouldn’t manage to convince him and I would have an excuse to keep you here,” she admitted. “But I knew nothing would sway you once you’d set your mind to it. Here, your beads.” And she handed them a new hair bead each, signifying them as ambassadors. If they had other professions, they would wear this bead above that one, showing that their current role as diplomats was the more important, and their current priority.

“The biggest barrier to this plan working now is Uncle Thorin,” Kili said, already adding a new braid to his hair. 

Dis snorted. “From what you’ve told me, he’s the biggest barrier to the entire quest working.” From the quailing look from her older son, she raised her hands. “Sorry, sorry! I’m still bitter he hypothetically got my children killed! But anyway, Thorin listens to me. I’ll write him a long, strongly worded letter. Plus, you’ll have signed the contract by then. My brother knows well enough that a Dwarf will not break a contract.”

“Are you sure that will be enough, Ma? Uncle is known for his stubbornness, and I’ve got a feeling he won’t take well to us taking charge in situations that involve elves.”

“... You’re right. He wouldn’t take that well.”

Fili sighed, and turned to Kili. “Maybe it’s time to call in backup for the backup?”

“Mahal did warn me to be careful who I told,” Kili reminded his brother, frowning.

“What’s he saying?” Dis asked, used to her children talking to each other without regard for who was listening.

“He’s saying we should tell Balin about my Adul Mahal,” Kili translated, still frowning.

“... That’s not a terrible idea,” his mother admitted, tapping her fingers on the table. “But I don’t think you should tell him about the troubles you will face. He will be unable to not involve himself in trying to prevent them.”

“How do we stop Balin telling Dwalin? Because Dwalin will have to tell Uncle Thorin, then Uncle Thorin will demand to know all the details.”

“Leave Balin to me,” Dis said, with a grin that bared her teeth.

“Balin, thank you for coming to see me at such short notice.”

“Of course, Lady Dis. What can I do for you?”

“You might want to be sitting down for this conversation, zudrôkrag,” Dis said, handing him a glass of alcohol. 

Balin sat down opposite Dis, a bemused look on his face. He placed the rewritten contract on the table.

“Before we begin,” Dis said seriously. “You must swear an oath to Mahal you will not share what I am about to tell you without the express permission of either me or my sons. Not even to your brother, nor mine.”

This shocked Balin. Oaths to Mahal were not to be broken, and usually oaths of secrecy were for family secrets only. That Dis was keeping such a thing from Thorin both worried and intrigued him. 

“I will swear the oath.” And he did.

“I lied to you last week when I said I’d had a dream, and that was why I’d changed my mind,” Dis admitted, when he was finished.

“Is that so?” Balin raised his eyebrows. “So why did you change your mind?”

“My sons came to me that morning, with this.” And she handed him Kili’s Mahal’s Blessing.

Balin breathed a low oath in Khuzdul. He passed the bead back to Dis reverently, then took a large gulp of his drink.

“Indeed,” Dis agreed, wryly. 

“Which one?”

“Kili.”

They sat in silence for a minute, Balin nursing his drink. Finally, he sighed, placing it back on the table.

“I never thought I would see a Madh Mahalul in my lifetime, Dis. Your line has truly been blessed.”

“If they survive,” Dis said darkly, glowering. “Which brings us back to the point of this discussion.”

“Dis, why are you hiding this? Madh Mahalul is meant to be shared, it’s a hair bead for a reason! With the knowledge that your line has been blessed, more people would join the company, we may even gain support of the other Clans-”

“The task my sons has been given is one of a sensitive nature,” Dis interrupted. 

Balin froze, finally thinking back to what Dis had said about her dream.

“... You said something about Thorin getting dragon sickness, didn’t you?” At Dis’s cold face, rested his face in his hands and whispered a prayer to Mahal.

“The reason I am telling you this,” she said, “is so you understand the importance of my sons’ mission. Thorin must listen to what they have to say, especially when you reach Esgaroth and the Lonely Mountain.”

Balin nodded solemnly. Dis sighed.

“My son’s have changed, Balin. They are not the same boys they were two weeks ago. Kili woke up that morning a different person than he was the night before, and I fear for him. Fili always had the capacity to be mature, but he was waiting for his brother to catch up, and now he has and I don’t know what to do with them anymore. And I know they haven’t told me everything, and what I don’t know scares me. I don’t know how to keep these boys safe.” She buried her face in her hands.

She heard the squeak of a chair, then Balin was kneeling next to her, pulling her hands from her face and holding them in his own. 

“I swear an Oath to Mahal that I will look after your sons, Lady Dis. I will aid them in whatever way I can in their mission, and protect them from harm. You have my word.”

“Thank you, my friend.”