In his dream, Kili was walking in the familiar peacefulness of the forestry which surrounded his village. Crips leaves of red and russet and orange crunched beneath his boots as he went. Autumn had always been Kili's favorite season. He enjoyed the brisk air and the morning dew on the grass and the way the trees exploded into vivid colors as if it was their last hurrah before they fell into their winter slumber. Kili visited these trees daily, sometimes at first light, sometimes at last. They had become as much his home as the actual house he shared with his family. He found just as much peace and comfort amongst the leaves as he did before the hearth. Not even his brother knew the trees as well as he did, which was why it was the best place to go when he wanted to be alone. He knew the paths, both hidden and clear, like the back of his hand. He knew which trees and bushes bore the best fruit. where the deer and rabbits preferred to graze, which hidden streams and rivers where home to the most fish. And which tall tree provided the best view of the valley below.

And it was to this tree he was heading. It was a great oak stood on the Western edge of the forest, atop a small rise which looked down upon his village. Its broad trunk and wide-spanning branches acted like the forest's warden, if the woodland was to come under attack Kili imagined it to spring to life and act as the defender. He had heard stories of the Ents and if any tree in Ered Luin was to be Onodrim, it was this one. But, as it was, it was home to squirrels and blackbirds and owls, all of whom had grown accustomed to seeing the young dwarf climbing passed them. Being so unphased as to either take offerings of food from his hand or to go about their business as if he were just another woodland creature.

It was when he was perched in the great oak's highest branches that he felt most at peace. He felt as though he was on top of the world, a world that could no longer reach him or expect anything of him. Up there, he found a sense of peace that the rest of Ered Luin couldn't offer. And on that day, like most others, he sat there for hours, the leaves about him rustling in the soft breeze until the lights of the town below him began to grow warmer and the sun began to low. He thought of sunset in much the same way he did autumn. It seemed to him that the sun's last bursts of red and pink were like a final performance before the dark came. Each sunset was different, each night the sky was painted in a different way.

Kili closed his eyes lightly, one outstreched hand feeling the tips of leaves tickle his palm, breathing in the crisp air and feeling it fill his lungs. When there came a sound that was out of place. It sounded like a distant rumble of thunder, but the sky had been clear all day. He doubted a storm had found time to roll in during the brief few moments his eyes had been shut. But when he opened them and turned, the branches beneath him swaying slightly, he saw that clouds had come. Kili frowned, there was something ... not right about them. They weren't like normal storm clouds. They rolled low along the canopy, so dark and thick that they seemed to swallow up the leaves as they came. The trees before them swaying and cracking as if giving way beneath the weight of this black veil. They seemed to Kili like the type of billowing black clouds that rose above a fire. But they didn't rise. They clung and crawled along the branches. Something wasn't right. Something was coming.

Kili practically leapt from the tree, and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he was almost knocked off them. His back hit the trunk and he pressed his hand against the bark to prevent himself from hitting the floor. Animals rushed past him, rabbits and deer, foxes and badgers. He turned in the direction from which they fleed, to see an all consuming darkness, like the light of the world was being doused one inch at a time. It was the clouds he had seen from above, sunken low to the floor and slithering past the crooked tree roots and thicket. A sound like an explosion came from the appraching abyss and a golden light burst through the blackness. Flames coasted across the ground before reaching upwards and engulfing the trees. Kili could hear them begin to hiss and crack as their branches started to fall to the ground with a whoosh of glowing embers.

He could see the light of the fire dancing across him, but yet he felt a chill, his hairs standing on end as though faced with a winter blizzard rather than a raging fire. Even his breath came away in a wisp of fog. He watched it rise with his brows pinching together. When the dwarf looked up next, he saw a shadow stood before the fire, the flames like a cloak behind it. long horns reaching upwards, eyes alight and searing. And yet , despite those eyes burning towards him, he still felt cold. He felt it in the fibers of his muscles, in the strings of his heart and the marrow of his bones. It almost froze him to the spot, ash landing on his coat and in his hair. The figure stepped forward, the fire seeming to part for him and darkness following behind like a shroud. He reached a gloved hand towards Kili, claw-like fingers glinting in the glow of the fire.

"Come to me." The voice was like a low whisper, like the howl of wind before a storm. And it echoed in his mind like an old song, like something familiar. He could feel it in his veins, pulling at him. "Come forward." But like a rabbit staring at a wolf, he knew he needed to flee. And as the flames began to enclose him, reaching closer to the edge of th forest. He turned his back on the figure and ran.

He burst through the underbrush, catching the tip of his boot on a low, thin branch. It sent him tumbling forward and he barely had time to right himself before he reached the top of the rise that lead him downwards to his village and so he half-ran half-rolled downwards on the loose stones and dirt. As he traveled, he allowed himself to look back, only to find the entire forest was alight. And on its edge, the tall tree groaned as its branches began to crack and fall away. Kili could almost hear it wail as the flames took it over.

He turned back as the slope met flat ground and suddenly he was stood at the very center of his villiage. There was no sign of the burning trees in the distance but the smoke still hung heavy in the air. Thick and bitter. About him the buildings were in ruin. They were nothing but blackened skeletons. What made a house exactly that had been burnt away. Through the smoke and the ruins he could hear screaming. Echoing, haunting. It seemed far away, but right there at the same time. There were shadows moving through the debris, like people fleeing, but the smoke seemed to swallow them up before they got anywhere.

He moved through the town, picking up speed as he went. He needed to get home, he had to find his brother. His mother and Thorin, too. He prayed the flames had left his house unscathed. Hoped that the fire had somehow bipassed it. It wasn't long before he started to run, but as he did, as his breathing got quicker, he could feel the smoke in his throat. The closer he got to home, the more he felt it start to choke him. But soon he saw it, and despite his prayers, his house, too, was a burnt shell. He pushed to run faster, but no matter how fast his legs moved it suddenly seemed as though he was rooted to the spot, making no progress at all. In fact, it was as though he was moving backwards, being pulled away. He turned his head and there stood the figure from the woods, only he seemed ten times larger. His long fingers reached forward, it was as if he was holding a rope tied around Kili's waist pulling him back towards him. The world began to grow darker, the smoking getting thicker, swallowing up the house. And in the final moments before Kili, too, was swallowed up, he heard his family call for him. They sounded so desperate.

Kili shot up straight, so quickly that his head began to swim. He sat on the bed with his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, feeling as if the entire room was spinning. He closed his eyes until the sensation passed, until the bed stopped rocking and the room stilled. When he opened his eyes again, he fell back onto his elbows. His arms were shaking, in fact all of him was, from head to toe. It took all his strength not to collapse back onto the bed. He sucked in a long breath, filling his lungs as much as he could before releasing it slowly. As he breathed, he could almost still taste smoke on his tongue, could almost feel it in his throat. He closed his eyes and shook his head. It was just a dream. Then why did it feel so real? He had felt the heat of flames on his face, felt the smoke and dust sting his eyes. He breathed again.

"Bad dream?" Kili's eyes went to the edge of the bed, he saw his own face staring back at him, black eyes and grey skin, twisted smirk. Kili edged backward, saying nothing. "Want to talk about it?" The other him asked with mock, dramatic concern, titling his head to the side and sticking out his lower lip. Kili felt ice in his veins, he pushed his back against the headboard of the bed, as if trying to melt through the wood, and the thick stone beyond, to fall into room next door. "Fire singed your tounge, boy?" Kili's brows pulled together.

"How did you ... " Before he could finish his scentence, the other him lunged across the bed, crawling on all fours like some eratic animal. He reached forward, pressing a finger against Kili's forehead.

"I can put whatever nightmare I like into your damaged little mind, Kili." He smirked, his face mere inches away from that of the young prince. "You don't even need to be asleep. You're body may no longer be mine, but your mind will always belong to me."

Fili walked down the torch-lit hallway, a bowl of porridge in his hands. He had eaten his breakfast with his uncle and the others, eating as quickly as he could without giving himself a stomach ache. He didn't want to leave his brother alone for too long. Oin's sleeping draught managed to keep Kili asleep for the whole night. He still tossed and turned, mumbling nonsensities under his breath, but he didn't wake in a panic so Fili considered it a success. This seemed to make Oin very pleased, the old healer clearly happy he could have helped. But when Fili pushed open the door to his room, it seemed perhaps it didn't work quite as well as he had first thought.

His brother was pressed right up against the headboard, knees tucked tightly against his chest and he face buried in his arms. Fili couldn't tell if he was rocking himself slightly or if his body was simply wracked with violent tremors. Which ever it was, he didn't hesitate in the doorway. He rushed over, setting the bowl down on a small table.

"Kili," He settled himself on the bed and reached forward to pull his brother's arms away. Once Kili's eyes fell upon him, he jumped forward and wrapped his arms around his elder sibling. "What's wrong brother? Are you alright?"

"I ... I couldn't find you."

"I just went to get breakfast, Kee."

"No, my dream. He was there and I couldn't find you."

"I'm here now, nadadith, where I'll always be." Fili ran a hand through Kili's dark hair. "You had a bad dream? You were sleeping soundly when I left." He felt a pang of guilt, he shouldn't have left for so long. "I'll talk to Oin, perhaps his draught ..." Kili pulled away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He shook his head.

"No, it worked fine, I slept at last, didn't I?" He shrugged, "I just ... I think I'll always have nightmares." Kili said quietly, sadly. Fili lowered his eyes. The only monsters he couldn't chase away. Beside him, Kili sniffed. "What did you bring?" Forcing a noteable change in his tone.

"Porridge," he glanced towards the bowl, standing up to retrieve it. "I know it's not your favourite, but I put some honey in it." He passed the bowl to his brother, who took it gratefuly. Silence filled the room for a moment, before Fili cleared his throat. "We recieved a raven today," he said, "Mum has left Ered Luin and is on her way here." At this Kili cast his eyes dowards, stirring the bowl. Fili frowned. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be excited to see her."

"I am, it's just -" Kili sighed, "do you think I'll be better by the time she arrives? Do you think I'll be fixed? I don't want her to be dissapointed."

"Kili, why on earth would she be disappointed?"

"She raised me to be brave and strong, I'm neither of those things anymore."

"You may not think you are, but I do. And so will mum." Fili placed a hand on his brother's knee. "Besides, mum feared that we'd perish on this journy, but we haven't. And I'm sure mum would much rather have you a little ... changed than not have you at all." Fili bumped his shoulder into his Kili's with a smile. "I know I would." Kili smiled a little.

"How long do you suppose it'll take her to get here?"

"I'm not sure, a few weeks perhaps. So long as she avoids the nasty diversions we went on." Fili chuckled. "No trolls, or goblins, or orcs, or elves," Fili paused and gave his brother a sideways glance with a knowing smile , "or giant spiders." Kili's head snapped to the side, his brows raised.

"Giant spiders?"

"Aye," the blond nodded, "as big as this bed, bigger maybe."

"You're lying to me." Kili's eyes were narrowed dubiously, studying his brother for hints of a lie. Fili was never very good at lying.

"I am not. We came across them in Mirkwood. Or more like, they came across us." Kili's eyes widened, he looked intrigued. Fili knew that he wanted to know the full story, he smiled and nodded towards the bowl, "eat your breakfast and I'll tell you about it."

Fili began to recite the event, making sure to add a pinch more drama. Kili listened, his mouth open in a smile as he slowly ate the porridge. Just like when Thorin used to tell them tales when they were young. And for the first time in weeks, Fili saw a glimpse of the brother he knew.

Do you think I'll be fixed?

Perhaps, little brother, perhaps.

Howdily doodliy readerions! Incredibly, I'm still here! I have't been kidnapped by orcs or eaten by a dragon! I'm just a bad uploader, I've had three quarters of this chapter completed on my computer for months but ... well, here it is about 8 months late. A part of me was ready to let this story go, but I've had a few new messages/reviews lately and I thought, there's no way I can quit now! We've gotta meet Dis first, at least!

I hope you liked this chapter and can forgive this over half a year gap.

If you're still following this story, thank you!

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See you in the next part, which will hopefully be here well before 2019 :')