Of Dragons, Dwobbits and Dwarves

Chapter Eleven

Fili woke with a start. Adrenaline surged through his veins and his heartrate sped up even as his brain tried to figure out what it was that had awakened him.

He kept his body still and eyes closed. His hands, under his pillow, tightened on the hilts of his two favorite daggers. They were sheathed so he wouldn't embarrass the line of Durin by accidentally stabbing himself in his sleep but the sheaths were attached to his bed so he could draw the blades with ease.

"I'd say not bad," a voice said mildly, "if it weren't for the fact it took you a full thirty seconds to react to someone being in your room."

"He hasn't bothered to raise a single alarm," another, gruff voice, said. "Clearly he's in need of more training."

"Oh, clearly," the first voice agreed cheerfully. "You know his ride partner probably would have gutted us both by now."

"She would have at least tried."

Fili groaned and buried his face in his pillow. His heartrate slowed and the adrenaline bled off, leaving him simply annoyed rather than ready for battle. Distantly he felt a vague question from his brother, still asleep but subconsciously reacting to his initial distress. Fili sent back a feeling of peace and waited until he felt Kili settle again. Then, with a sigh, he released his daggers and pushed up on one elbow, wincing as his eyes adjusted to the light from his fireplace.

Nori was lounging in a chair a few feet from his bed. Dwalin stood just behind the Spymaster's right shoulder, arms crossed across his chest and a scowl fixed to his face.

Fili tried to copy his uncle's look of disapproval. "Want to tell me why you're watching me sleep?"

"Not for the entertainment value, that's for sure," Nori said dryly, "I heard you wanted to speak to me." He spread his arms out theatrically. "Here I am, my Prince."

Fili resisted the urge to throw a dagger at him.

Nori would only catch it and thank him for the gift and Fili would be out a dagger.

A dagger he happened to like.

He sat up entirely, shoving the blankets off and grimacing as cooler air cut through his shirt and trousers.

His mother would prefer he wear full armor to bed or, at the very least, chain mail but while he would like to avoid assassination as much as the next royal there were limits to how far he was willing to go.

He'd left word he wanted to speak to Nori over a week ago. The Spymaster was rarely available. Nori wasn't content to sit back and wait for news, choosing instead to get out himself and run down rumors and leads, ever trying to stop attacks against the royal family before they happened.

Fili, in turn, had found his own time increasingly taken up by preparations for his Coming of Age ceremony. Kili had mocked him over it until Fili had pointed out there were only a few years left until it was his little brother's turn.

Kili had responded by pouting to Lyth, the only one who would put up with it. Kili had a pout that rivaled Syrath's.

His mood soured further. That was another sore point. With his time so taken by his duties he'd had almost no time at all to spend with Syrath or Bilba. He knew the two spent a lot of time together, often outside the mountain. He'd worried about them until he'd heard Xalanth was practically glued to their side, desperately trying to forge a bond with his long lost son.

It annoyed Fili that he wasn't with them but, until the ceremony was over, he barely had time to think let alone bond with his dragon or fellow rider.