It was a cold, bleak evening, one that left a gloomy atmosphere across the mountains and down into the valley where the ruined town of Esgaroth lay. The houses had been burned, the trees and fields now a parched, dry land. Smaug had destroyed the land and buildings, setting everything ablaze. The Lake-men had lost various numbers of their own people, both when Smaug had attacked and during the battle. 'The Battle of the Five Armies', they were supposedly calling it.

Tents had been erected shortly after the damage was done and the goblins and wargs had been brutally slaughtered. Many had given up and disappeared before their fate caught up with them. The bodies found had either been burned, or buried. Most had been unrecognisable. The people mourned, though many still despised Thorin and his company because they believed they had roused the dragon in the first place, bringing havoc to their town and civilisation.

Thranduil and his elves had moved on, refusing to stay. No one could blame them. The town was a wreck. The houses that had not been burned (though there were few) had temporarily been made a haven for belongings that were salvaged. Gold had - reluctantly - been given to rebuild the town in another location (where soils were fertile for the purpose of crops) after the people of the Lake had helped. Both dwarfs and men were working to preserve it now, though most did not work too well together after the rumours. But they were getting there, slowly, but gradually.

It was late before Kili was called for, currently in the middle of his evening meal with the rest of the Company, but for Thorin and Fili. His brother had been badly injured before knocked unconscious by the butt of an axe. It had been two days and still he had not yet awaken. Thorin, on the other hand, was well, but a hand short after a goblin rider had sliced through his wrist. A new one was being forged in the mines, one of gold most claimed, but Kili would find out for himself when it was made.

The brunet moved with Balin through the tents, belonging to men and dwarf. Both the town and mountain were under construction to renew the living standards and inhabit the dwarfs where they belonged, as well as the Lake-men, so they had set up camps for the time being.

"Is it Fili?" Kili asked, concern lacing his tone. He hoped his brother was doing well; the younger of the two had refrained from visiting him too often, afraid of the state Fili had been left in. It pained Kili any time he decided to see him. "Is it bad news?"

"I can't say, lad. I was only instructed by your uncle to fetch you." Balin replied in an amiable tone. Yet there was a hint of grimness to it that did not settle well with Kili. Was Fili dying? He certainly hoped not. His brother was the only real friend he had. Fili was his companion; they had grown up together, inseparable from the day Kili had learned how to walk.

"Uncle didn't say anything more?" He questioned further, quickening his pace in his haste to see his brother.

Balin shook his head, almost jogging to keep up with Kili's longer strides. It was not long before he reached the second largest tent, the first belonging to Bard after the Lake-men had insisted on making him the new lord of their soon-to-be-renewed-town, seeing as their previous had run off with some gold the moment he had gotten his hands on a fair share. Dale would have a new Master.

Inside came voices, Thorin's recognisably being one of them. A gruffer voice spoke, and as Kili pushed through the opening, with Balin following, he found it was Dwalin.

Thorin greeted him, noting the bewildered look his nephew wore. Kili's eyes immediately went to his brother, disregarding the other three older dwarfs within the room. A hand rested on his shoulder, and glancing up, his gaze met his uncle's. "Is Fili going to be all right?" The blood had drained from his face with worry.

"Fili is fine," Thorin reassured. He pulled back, scratching lightly at the stump where his hand had once been. It poked out of his sleeve, and catching Kili staring, he covered it. This was the first he had not worn the bandage to keep it from getting infected. "He should wake soon. He tossed during his slumber."

Kili was a little more hopeful upon hearing that statement. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, his eyes raking over Fili's sleeping form. Dwalin and Balin excused themselves and made their leave after exchanging a few words with Thorin, leaving the three alone. "Kili," he started when the others were out of earshot, frowning thoughtfully. The brunet turned his attention to his uncle, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from his brother and the large bruise that had formed across the right side of his head. Thorin glanced gravely at Fili, then back to Kili again. "The battle was gruesome, as you know. We were outnumbered. Fili suffered a great wound, which is going to affect him."

Kili's brows knotted together. "What do you mean, Uncle?"

"With my accident, I lost my hand. Fili almost lost his life, but he didn't. He's healthy, if just injured. The arrow pierced his leg. He likely will not be able to walk properly on it." Thorin explained. There was silence as Kili gathered his thoughts together. He still did not understand if Thorin was trying to imply something else.

The younger dwarf returned his eyes back to Fili, curiously eyeing the blankets where his legs would be. He was unaware of the wounded one and let out a sigh. Thorin continued, "It's your turn to look after him. He will not be able to do much for himself for sometime. Walking will be difficult. If it turns out worse than thought, well…" he paused, "we may have to think about getting his leg removed."

"Removed?" Kili repeated loudly. From beside him, Fili stirred. Thorin was distracted from what he had been about to say as the blond mumbled something incoherent in his sleep. Kili stared at his brother expectedly, his breath catching in his throat as Fili's eyes slowly opened.

"Kili?" He mumbled groggily, grabbing a fistful of the other's shirt to support himself.

"Fili!" Kili said excitedly as he flung himself at his brother, relief washing over him. The elder dwarf let out a weak rasp of laughter upon some of his senses returning, finally noticing Thorin at the bedside a minute or so afterwards when the hug was drawn to a close.

"Uncle." He greeted, shifting to sit himself up. He was instantly held back down again, Kili's hand gently pushing him back to prevent him from getting up.

"Don't. You'll hurt yourself." Kili said softly. He nodded his understanding as Thorin announced his leave to fetch the maester that had taken care of Fili. He would need a further check up.

"I am fine, Brother." Fili insisted stubbornly, a hiss of pain escaping him as he attempted to move his left leg. "Balrogs! That hurts." He saw the disbelieving look he was being given and scowled, ignoring that it seemed to say, 'I told you so'.

Kili fetched a cloth and dampened it in the pail of water at the foot of the bed, pressing the cold material against Fili's burning forehead to cool down his fever. Fili's eyes briefly closed, a fit of coughs suddenly racking his form. He had not eaten in days. Due to that, the weight loss had taken its toll on him. He was thinner than he had been, his collarbones jutting out. His face had lost its colour, now a ghostly pale and sunken in.

"You need to rest." Kili informed, listening to Thorin's advice on looking after his brother. He would do anything without needing to be told twice. Fili needed his help, and if that meant being independent and responsible, Kili would, gladly.

"I'm sick of resting," Fili complained, allowing Kili to tend to him anyway. He appreciated it. His stomach growled, aching horribly. Whilst unconscious, he had only been able to be fed soggy bread and water. It was the only food that he would not choke on. "Get me some clothing, would you?"

Kili obliged, rummaging in the chest and tugging out a pair of breeches and a loose shirt. He handed them over, averting his gaze as Fili threw the blankets from himself. "I thought I would die out there," he admitted after sometime, the clothes forgotten for the meantime. Kili did not look as though he wanted to hear that at all, but Fili felt the need to say. "I thought I wouldn't see Uncle or the rest. But mostly you."

"Fili, don't."

"No, I mean it. If I had died, I would have never seen you again. It was a horrible experience. To not see you one last time was too much to bear. I was foolish, thinking I could take those goblins down by myself. Instead, I could have gotten killed. But I'm awake now, and you're here." Fili reassured himself, as well as Kili. It was good to see his brother, to know he was alive.

Without warning, Kili almost knocked Fili back again, his arms moving around him protectively. Fili returned the embrace, a wave of emotion overwhelming him. Kili was crying first, the tears pooling over his face. "I thought you would leave me here alone, Fili." He sniffed, not caring about the image he was supposed to keep up.

Fili pulled him close, hushing him back to quiet. Kili was trembling against him, every fear he had kept within him for the past days leaving at once. He knew he was expected to look after Fili now because of his bad leg, but that was impossible at the moment. The blond comforted him, brushing the tears away with his forefinger. Kili gathered himself together, inhaling deeply to compose himself. "Get dressed. Then I'll bring you something to eat and braid your hair."

It was not long before both dwarfs were seated on the bed, Fili tearing ravenously at a leg of lamb to make up for the little he had eaten, whilst Kili sat cross-legged behind him, carefully plaiting Fili's hair with slow precision. He smiled fondly when he finished another one, moving onto the next strands of messy blond hair. Thorin came in to check up on Fili's state every now and again, but left soon after each time. Of course, he had important business and matters to see to.

Fili wiped the juice from his mouth and beard with the back of his hand, reaching for the flagon on the stool beside his sickbed. He took a swig of the ale, belching loudly when finished. "Do you think they'll have any more lamb?"

Kili rolled his eyes. "You have already had three servings." Fili grinned at that. He sucked the juice from his fingers, satisfied. Reaching a hand behind his head, he toyed with one of the plaits when Kili swatted his fingers away again. "You'll mess it." He had gone through enough effort without Fili ruining his hair.

The tent flap opened, and striding in came Bofur with a fourth serving of lamb. Fili's eyes lit up with appreciation. "Here you go, lads," Bofur announced, setting the dish beside them. "Thorin would visit, but he is caught up with some matters. Wants ye to eat." Bofur cheerfully clapped Fili on the back as encouragement. "Good to see you awake. Even more so alive." He then gave the two a long, strange look before departing, chuckling quietly to himself.

"What was that about?" Kili asked when alone again, his expression contorting into one of confusion. He did not understand what had been so amusing to Bofur. When Fili picked at a leg of lamb, deliberately ignoring Kili, he bit into it to distract himself. Kili noticed, his brows furrowing. "Tell me." He urged, his fingers pausing with a strand of hair.

Swallowing, Fili sighed. "He thinks it's strange how close we are," he admitted, continuing through a mouthful. "Asked why you braid my hair every morning. I told him it was habit, almost like a routine. You have since my hair was long enough." That was true. Kili had always practised with Fili's hair until he got better. Fili had once offered to do his brother's, but Kili had refused. He liked his hair loose and hanging around his shoulders. He experimented before with braiding it, but it did not look as good as Fili's.

"But we're brothers. Aren't we meant to be close?"

"I believe he thinks we're too close. Must have said something to the rest of the company too. Some have given us the same look."

Kili had not seen, nor realised. Not that he minded. Fili was his brother and he had every right to get along with him. Yet now that he thought about it, they were rather close. Maybe more than that. But surely it was natural. Thorin would have said something if he believed the same as Bofur. And he had not, so Kili took that to be a good thing.

Fili chewed thoughtfully, aware that his brother was in a daydream. "Do they think that - that we're… together?" Kili eventually questioned. Fili almost choked at the thought. Bofur had not said whether he thought that himself or not, but the smirk had been enough.

"Maybe - it's a silly thought, Brother. No need to take it seriously. Bofur was probably joking." Fili said hastily, but Kili would not believe him. The blond regretted telling the truth now, though he did hate to lie to Kili. However, avoiding the truth might have been a better idea.

"When did he say this to you?"

"Before the battle. The morning after we fought with the trolls, actually."

"Why did you not tell me then?" Kili appeared to be hurt by that. His use of tone gave it away. To think that Fili would keep that from him made him upset. Fili turned to him, ignoring his hair. He hated seeing Kili this offended and stricken.

"I thought nothing of it, honestly," he frowned, irritated with himself for that. "Bofur seemed to be joking with me, or so I thought. Then he continued, and only then did I realise -" Fili stopped himself, but Kili would not be put off the subject.

"Realise what?"

"That we're close," the older of the two confessed quietly, "Really close."

Kili considered that thought. He knew himself they were close. One could likely mistake their closeness for a relationship. That must have been why Bofur found it amusing to see the two together. Kili did often catch a smirk from the elder dwarf when himself and Fili were in one another's presence.

"But we're brothers." Kili repeated his earlier statement. He had no better answer.

They were interrupted as Thorin moved silently into the tent. He looked exhausted from organising plans and workers and moving from place to place all day without a minute's rest. "Kili," he started, "Go back to your own tent now. Your brother needs rest."

"I've rested for days, Uncle." Fili complained, but Thorin would have none of it. He crossed his arms over his chest, giving Kili an impatient, expectant stare. Kili got the gist and climbed from the bed, bidding his brother a goodnight as he disappeared into the dark and the biting cold outside. Fili frowned, already missing the company as Thorin waited until he was rested. After a brief exchange of words and small smile, Fili watched as Thorin was not long following his youngest nephew out the tent.