Just as Fíli was drifting off to sleep, he heard the patter of small footsteps in the hallway, and groaned.

"Go away Kee, not tonight."

"But I'm scared!" Fíli's bedroom door opened a crack, and he glared blearily at the little figure standing there.

"Kee! I told you, I have a test tomorrow, and Balin's going to be angry if I fall asleep in the middle of it."

"Balin's going to be angrier that you didn't study."

"I didn't study only because you were bothering me."

"Wasn't."

"Yes you were!"

"Wasn't."

"I'm not having this argument with you right now, Kee, now go away!"

The door closed softly as Fíli rolled over, and for a moment he dared to hope that his little brother had gone away. No such luck.

"Fíli…"

"Mahal, Kee, go away!" Fíli elbowed at the dwarfling now on the bed beside him. "I told you before, I can't sleep with you around."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's a small bed, and you kick."

"When did I kick you?"

Deciding it wasn't worth his while to answer, Fíli rolled over again, pulling the blankets around him and tugging the pillow away.

"Fíli! I'm cold!"

"You wouldn't be cold if you were in your own bed with your own blankets."

"But it's dark and scary there."

"Just how old are you again?" Fíli groaned in exasperation.

"Fifteen!" Kíli responded proudly.

"Go sleep with Amad, then, if you're such a scaredy-bird."

"She's not in bed yet, she's doing the dishes."

"Fine, you can stay here for now."

"Yippee!" Kíli reached across his brother to tug some of the blankets back. Fíli rolled his eyes and relented.

For a few moments everything was quiet, and Fíli closed his eyes, willing the night sounds to lull him back to sleep. Someone was working in the forge outside, and the faint, rhythmic pounds were like a heartbeat. In the kitchen, the slosh of soapy water had been replaced by soft clinks as Dís put the dishes back on the shelf. It was warm, Fíli had to admit, with Kíli pressed against his side. Maybe a bit cramped, but that was alright for now…

"Fíli…"

"What in Mahal's name do you want now!"

"No, shhh, listen. Amad's singing."

Fíli fell silent for a moment, straining his ears.

"I don't hear anything, Kee."

"What about now?"

Dís's voice floated suddenly above the clinking of the dishes, soft and deep. She was humming, but Fíli didn't need words to recognize the low, steady melody, rising and falling with a sad sweetness that made his heart still.

"She's singing about Erebor, Kee," he whispered into the quiet.

"She never sings about anything else."

"That's because she misses it."

"I know, Fíli, I'm not stupid."

"Never would have guessed."

A pause, then—

"Fíli, do you think we'll ever see Erebor."

"I hope so. I'm sure the bedroom doors there will have real locks, so I can keep you out."

"That's not nice," Kíli pouted. "But remember when Amad told us about how there were lamps in the walls in her bedroom? She won't let me have lamps now, 'cause everything wood, but she told me everything in Erebor's all stone. If there are lamps in my walls there, I'll turn them on, and then it won't be so dark and scary. I won't even want to come sleep with you."

"Good. When can we go?"

"When you're all grown up."

Not having expected a serious answer, Fíli turned around to face his brother. "Really?"

"Really." Kíli responded with uncharacteristic sincerity. "Uncle Thorin told me so. He said he's waiting for you to grow up, so you can go to Erebor with him and help him kill the bad dragon. He's going to bring me too."

"Oh, Uncle Thorin told you," Fíli scoffed. "Everyone else knows you can't kill a dragon, even if you had the armies of all seven dwarf kingdoms."

"Of course you can—"

"You know what I mean, Kee."

"Okay," Kíli whispered, "but I don't care what everyone else knows. When we go to Erebor, I'm going to have my own bedroom with lamps in the walls, and I'll love it. Do you want to hear more about it, Fíli? It's going to have blue curtains, like Amad's old room, and there is going to be fur on the floor so it won't be cold, and there will be a huge bed that's soft. What about your bedroom, Fíli?"

"Since you seem to want to take Amad's old room," he muttered sleepily, "I'll take Uncle Frerin's. Now, I really want to sleep, Kee, please be quiet."

"All right, Fíli, nighty."

"Nighty, Kee."