This story is an AU. I love all the dwarfs and do not accept the results of the Battle of the Five Armies. This story is mostly based on movie verse, but detours after the company has escaped from the Mirkwood elves. I hope that you find it to your liking.

Fourteen wooden barrels floated along the river, each contained individuals extremely glad to be out of the company of elves and their "hospitality".

To be honest the Company of Thorin found itself taking in a moment of peace and quiet as they bobbled along in their wooden barrels. The earlier rough and tumble of the waters had left all of them bruised and battered.

Now the calmed river carried them steadily toward their destination and away from the treacherous elves of MIrkwood. Each sat quietly, having been shushed by Thorin repeatedly. He would not leave this to chance. His fellowship would not be found by whatever elves that still lurked in the green wood that stood by the flowing waters.

However, dwarfs are not a patient lot. Within a few minutes Ori poked his gingered head out of his container. He peeked his blue eyes around cautiously, afraid of both elves and Thorin's foul mood. Several seconds passed, with his actions being totally unnoticed by phantom elves or his stalwart leader. He whispered to Nori who bobbed along in another barrel nearby.

"Nori, look! The woods changing. We're safe." He breathed excitedly.

Nori, who was tired of sitting in the dark damp, quickly raised his own scruffy head above the rim of his barrel.

"Oi, your right brother!" He exclaimed.

At this much louder declaration, more barrel lids were removed. One by one, dwarf heads popped into the sunlight, including one rather seasick Hobbit.

Bilbo did not care for boat rides and cared even less for the small barrel that contained him. It may have saved his life, but it was not the sort of thing that hobbits should be doing. Bouncing up and down in the water, totally adrift and helpless to the rivers currents was no way for a hobbit to travel. His feet yearned to be on good solid earth.

"I've had quite enough of this barrel. Can we please head to solid land now?" He asked as his index finger pointed to the river bank. "This is no place for a hobbit, even a burglar hobbit."

Thorin let out a long suffering sigh. That these particular dwarfs and hobbit had remained quiet this long was something of miracle. In fact this whole journey was either plagued with the most horrible luck or the best of coincidences. Thorin still remained uncertain which one it was.

"Aye, we're dwarfs not sailors!" Bofur grumbled. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Thorin grumbled and shoved his wood top into the river. "Since you will not be quiet, make for the shore!"

All the dwarfs began to chatter merrily, pleased at their success of evading their Elven captors and to once more be on the journey to Erebor. All that is except for one particular young dwarf who still sat in his barrel.

Kili felt his heart ache. He could not get the image of the beautiful elf maiden out of his mind. He knew that with every passing second, the water took him further and further away from her perfect visage. It took the sound of his brother's voice to break him out of his depressing reverie.

"Oi, Kili! Wake up in there! Quit moping." Fili yelled. In one quick gesture he grabbed the wooden barrel lid and flung it expertly at the top of Kili's own.

Kili rose up just in time to catch the wooden projectile with his unprotected nose. It bounced against his own lid and the two toppled into the faster flowing river.

"OW! Ow! Fili, you idiot!" Kili instantly grabbed his injured nose.

This led to hearty laughter by all in the company; even Thorin managed a smile for a brief moment.

"Now Kili will have a proper dwarf nose!" Nori shouted. More laughter.

Kili rolled his eyes at this and continued to hold onto his now bleeding nostrils.

"To shore. The current has sped up. Move!" Thorin ordered.

Still laughing, the dwarfs began to peddle to shore. Bilbo was the most relieved but his arms didn't hang out of the barrel enough to guide his trajectory. The hobbit furrowed his brow.

It was the ever watchful Bofur who came to the hobbit's rescue.

"Use the top, Bilbo! Paddle." Bofur smiled. He had grabbed the lid dipping it into the water. "Like this."

The idea soon spread to all the company but Kili. He had a new problem.

A ripple of wind spread the smell of blood to a particularly hungry horsefly. The fly being the simplest of creatures, instantly changed its route and landed on the very distracted dwarf. Here, its meal of blood presented itself quite starkly and obeying the most fundament of urges, eat, it tucked its mandibles in and started to feed.

Once more the youngest Durin yelped. "Ow, damn it!" He swung his gloved hands at the offending beast. A new hurt added to his old ones. Yet this fly was swift and determined. Its belly was not yet full and the smell of fresh blood was too strong for its instincts to ignore.

Easily it evaded the random swats of the large dwarf hands and settled once more on its victim.

The shout and the wild slaps and mumbles of anger distracted the dwarfs from their goal of solid land.

More laughter greeted the embarrassed and frustrated dwarf.

In this distraction both painful and comic, Kili's barrel now drifted further away from all others. The river which had flowed so steady and slow, was now far more rapid.

Several of the dwarfs were now scrambling up onto the shore as Kili's barrel suddenly spurted past them.

It was with a resounding splat that Kili's gloved left hand finally found his winged adversary. The horsefly was no more. Its bloody remains now spread across the leather.

Of course it was the ever protective older brother, Fili who realized the trouble.

"Kili, stop swatting and paddle. The river is carrying you away!" Fili shouted. He tried to stop the movement of his barrel toward land and tried in vain to use his hands to catch up with his brother.

Kili's dark eyes widen with sudden understanding as his brother and fellow travelers where quickly fading from sight.

"Ahh, damned fly. Damned river. Fili, help!" He yelled as the current continued to speed up.

Thorin quickly assessed the situation. "Fili, no! Get to the river bank!" He ordered in his most commanding tone. His nephews had such a talent for trouble where none should be.

The dwarf prince's voice boomed loudly as his youngest kin rapidly faded from his view. "Kili hang on, get to shore when the river slows. We will find you!"

Fili however was having none of this. Too many close calls on this journey had frightened the older brother of losing the younger. He continued to paddle out to the current, but the hilt of large battle axe snagged his barrel. Dwalin grunted and Kili's barrel collided with his own.

"Laddie, Thorin's right. We will catch up to him. No use in looking for two lost lads. One is plenty."

Fili frowned as he saw the last of Kili's dark head go around a river bend. "We will find you!" He echoed his uncle. His heart fell for a second, and then he turned to his elder. "Quickly."

The dwarfs were spread out along the shore. Wet and muddy, one by one they gathered the company together. They began to chase after Kili.

Bilbo tried to wipe his wet locks out of his eyes. He gathered in a deep breath over bended knees. Running, always running from one danger to another. Oh yes, his taste for adventure was quite sated thank you. However, he forced his jumbled stomach down and lurched forward in chase of the others.

Fili ran as fast as he could, setting a pace that few of the others could follow. That was his little brother out there, his responsibility.

Fili ran and ran until his heart felt it would burst from his chest. His lungs burned but he ignored the pain, ignored the fact that the others were far behind. It was only the fact that the ground sloped down that he was able to travel so fast.

His efforts were rewarded as he caught sight of the lone barrel now rising up and down in the rivers rapids. Somehow he found the breath to shout, "Kili!"

The young dwarf barely heard his brother's cry of the roaring of the water. The sudden rapids had caused his vessel to become loaded down heavily with water. His effort totally focused on keeping his barrel upright and floating. At the sound of Fili's voice he looked over his shoulder.

"Fili!" He cried out, his heart lifted seeing his brother so near. However in turning and shifting Kili's barrel jerked. This simple movement caused his trajectory to change enough that instead of flowing in the center of the river he now was headed to the far side.

The river was slowing now and the water logged dwarf felt momentary relief. He would get to solid ground and Fili was near. This would be one more wild tale to recount in their later years.

Thorin heard Fili's shout and forced his legs to move faster. He caught up with his nephew who had suddenly slowed his pace. He felt relief jolt through his heart as he finally glimpsed the battered wood headed for the distant shore.

Kili waved at the two, a smile on his face. Suddenly the barrel lurched forward faster than even before. In a panic the dwarf turned to face what new obstacle lay in his way.

Thorin and Fili looked on in sudden dismay. "NOOO" Fili shouted as the barrel spun into tighter and tighter circles. Kili was trapped in the vortex.

The rapid spinning caused the poor sodden dwarf to sink back into the barrel. He tried to grab the rim, the sides, anything to steady the movement. Nothing worked. The sky above swirled and the sun became a blurred bright light, and then in an instant it was gone. It was replaced with the dark blue of rushing water. The barrel containing, Kili the youngest of the line of Durin, sunk below the waters out of the sight of his kinsmen.

Thorin and Fili's voice sounded together in horror as they watched Kili tumble under water. Fili's heart froze and for the briefest of seconds Fili stared unbelieving at the fate that befallen Kili.

Fili ran toward the river, determined to jump in and save his precious brother. "Kili!" He shouted as he launched himself into the current. Even with the adrenalin and fear fueling his strokes, Fili soon found himself moving more as the current willed and less as he would have chosen. But few things in nature are as stubborn as a dwarf. Fili swam, pushed and pulled closer and closer to the far bank.

The current slowed as he made his path across. An amazing feet as even the most talented of swimmers would have faltered and drowned attempting to defy the water's flow, but Fili would not be defeated.

Out of breath, almost completely spent the blonde dwarf's feet touched the muddy bottom. Gasping and coughing up water, Fili trudged forward; slipping his hands felt the muddy land before him. With this newfound progress, Fili moved up and out, stumbling out of the water's grasp. As his feet found more solid and less slippery ground, Fili forced his way back up the river, toward the spot upstream where his brother disappeared.

Branches of water loving trees seemed to try and snare his hair and arms. More than once he slipped and fell.

The whirlpool was in his sight. Large logs and other river debris were strewn here, but there was no sign of his little brother or his barrel. With a ragged breath, Fili called out. "Kili" he cried in vain, but no answering call was heard. His keen eyes searched the water trying to find some indication of where Kili could be.

"Kili!" He shouted once more, not believing that this place of trees, of sunlight and clear blue waters could be the end of his brother. This was no place for a dwarf to die.

He shouted in anger and frustration and drew a deep breath. He hurled his exhausted body toward the river, steadfast to find the brother that he had loved so much or join him in his fate.

His forward movement was roughly stopped as arms gathered around the young dwarf's frame. Not expecting the attack, he tumbled onto the muddy bank.

Scrambling and twisting Fili attempted to squirm free. However, Thorin held his nephew fast.

"No, Fili." Thorin shouted.

"Let me go!" Fili growled angrily.

"Fili stop. You cannot save him."

"I can, I PROMISED." Fili cried now, tears streaming down his face. He grunted with tremendous effort, but those strong arms would not let him free.

His voice lowered, begging. "Please, let me go."

"I will not lose you both." Thorin's heart broke even as he said the words.

"No! KILI!." Fili screamed with all the breath he had. Like snake he twisted and turned attempting to break free.

Thorin shook his head and continued his tight grasp. After another few frantic seconds of wrestling, Fili suddenly went limp. The exhaustion of his trek and the magnitude of who he had lost washed over him.

Great sobs wracked his body. Kili was dead.

Thorin sensed the defeat be accepted by his nephew. His fierce hold instantly changed into one of comfort.

When Fili keened in heartbreaking loss, his was not the only voice to sound in grief.