Comfort in a Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit Tolkien does and New Line Cinema owns the movies

Authors Note: Kili was four in human years and Fili was seven. The dwarvling in the story was an older child of eleven. The story that Thorin reads is a children's story. There is no graphic violence in it.

A wind began to blow lightly making the leaves on the trees and the grass sway a little. While the wind was blowing, the grey clouds, heavy with water, were moving around in the sky and making crashing noises while they were bumping into each other. They were trying to hide the moon and the stars from middle earth and when they finally did they released the waters that they were no longer able to hold. The rain was light at first and then it got heavier. The ground was soaking up the water and giving thirsty trees, plants, and grass, a drink. As the rain became heavier, the wind began to blow faster and stronger making a rushing sound like a howling ghost.

Several dwarves were watching the storm from the entrance of the caves they were living in. The sight of a fast flowing river made wild by the wind, water drops landing on swaying trees and plants like little diamonds, the ducks that were swimming in the water, and the little birds that were drinking water in their nests were a wonder to their eyes. Flashes of light made the land look even more beautiful. The dwarves were enjoying the sight. For the dwarvlings however it was a different story.

Two little dwarvlings named Fili and Kili were sleeping in a bed covered with a few coverlets, and dreaming of nice things. Fili was dreaming that he was in Erabor with a pickaxe extracting mithril while Kili was dreaming that he was extracting diamonds. Both of the boys were too young to do any mining with the adults; however, some of the dwarves gave them mining toys and they often played happily with them, and they also played pretend mining games with the other dwarvlings.

They were sleeping contently until they were woken by a loud thunder sound. Thunder was crashing all round them and the sound of the wind was very loud. The two dwarvlings eyes went wide and their hearts began to beat wildly. They immediately clung to each other for protection.

"I'm scared," Kili said.

"I am scared too," said Fili. "And the Thunder is so loud."

"There are ghosts here too," said Kili.

"There is not such thing as ghosts. That is the wind that is howling and whistling."

"I wish mama, is here," said Kili who wanted to run to the comfort of her arms.

"I do too, but Uncle Thorin is here. Let's find him."

They heard another crash of Thunder.

"It's going to get us!" Kili said while jumped out of the bed and ran to the door.

Fili followed him and opened the door. Kili grabbed Fili's hand and held it tightly while they walked into the hall because Kili was scared of the dark. (Their room had a little night light in it.)

They came to the door that was next to the door that was across from their room (to the left), and opened it. They climbed on Thorin's large bed and began to try to wake him.

"Uncle Thorin, Uncle Thorin, please wake up!" they said while they were shaking him. "We're scared!"

Thorin woke up slowly and groggily. For a few seconds he was unaware of his surrounds.

"Wasshappning," he mumbled rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When he woke up fully he lit the lamp and saw two frightened dwarvlings on either side of the bed, and heard the storm noise of the storm.

"We're scared Uncle Thorin," said Fili. "There is thunder and lightening!"

"The thunder is so loud," added Kili.

"And the wind is blowing very strongly! It's going to blow this cave apart!"

"The storm is trying to come inside and get us!"

At that moment the thunder made a particularly loud noise as if a giant Ent was stomping near their cave. They immediately threw themselves in their uncle's arms which closed around them. Thorin felt them shaking in his arms, and he rocked them a little to comfort them.

After they calmed down a bit he let go of them and said in a soothing tone, "There is nothing to be afraid of; the thunder can't hurt you, and the wind and lightening can't get you in here. The walls of the cave are much too strong.

"We are still scared, Uncle Thorin. Can we sleep with you tonight?" Kili asked.

"Get in," said Thorin while he held the coverlets down.

The two dwarvlings climbed in on either side of Thorin. He blew out the lamp and all three of them tried to fall asleep. Fili and Kili were tossing and turning because the noise from the storm was keeping them awake and they were still frightened by it. Thorin also had a hard time falling asleep because they kept bumping into them. He finally lit the lamp again.

"Can't sleep boys?" Uncle Thorin asked.

The boys shook their heads.

"Why don't I read you a story then?"

"We like stories," said Fili.

Thorin got out of his bed and left the room and came back in a few minutes later with one of Fili and Kili's favorite story books.

He climbed back in bed between them opened up the book and began to read, The Adventures of A Mithril Mining Dwarvling.

"Once upon a time there was a little dwarvling who liked to mine gems from caves, his favorite was mithril…"

"I like mithril. I wish I can mine them," said Fili. "Can I Uncle Thorin?"

"Not until you are older," said Thorin.

"Is he going to meet any dragons?" Kili asked.

"We'll see, now let me continue."

"The little dwarvling walked down the left tunnel in the cave. Soon he entered the cavern. He walked into the cave and began to use his pickaxe on the wall trying to extract the mithril from it."

"I hope he gets lots of mithril," said Fili.

"What is extract?" Kili asked.

"It means to pull apart," Thorin answered.

"Pull apart from what?" Kili asked.

"From the wall," Thorin answered. "Now where am I?"

"Is mama coming home tomorrow?" Fili asked.

"Yes she is. She will be home from her friends cave."

Tears began to fall from Kili's eyes.

"I want mama. I wish she is here right now."

Thorin wiped his tears and hugged him, but when he let go he said, "Kili you are a big boy now, and you know that your mother hasn't been gone that long. She will be back in the morning. Besides you have me with you"

Kili quieted his tears to sniffles for he didn't want his uncle to think of him as a baby, and he was comforted by his uncle's presence.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"

"Yes," both boys answered.

"He gathered lots of mithril until he heard a loud roar."

Fili and Kili threw their arms around Thorin in sudden fear.

A dragon entered the cave, but the dwarvling wasn't frightened at all. He took out his axe…"

"Is he going to kill the dragon?" Fili asked.

"You will see," said Thorin. "The dragon blew fire at him, but the dwarvling ducked behind a bolder before it hit him. Then he took his axe…"

Fili and Kili continued to listen to the story. They were so entranced by it that they hardly noticed the thunderstorm. Thorin continued to read to read the story to them until they fell asleep. He blew out the lamp kissed both boys on the forehead and fell asleep between them.

The storm continued to rage on, but the three dwarves were sleeping peacefully for the rest of the night.

The End