A Brothers Bond

Chapter II

Every morning started the same, they had breakfast and then Thorin would train Fili and Kili how to fight and defend themselves, but now he had another one to teach, and she had been taught by the shapeshifters to fight with her hooves, not her fists.

Thorin tried to stop her from turning into her fille form, he knew that today was going to be one long hour. But by half past and managed to contain her beast.

He then set Fili loose on her and he always beat his sister to the ground where as Kili was more gentle and Thorin knew that he allowed her to win, but however he couldn't do that if he was fighting an Orc.

Thorin sighed and sat down on the wooden carved bench watching them play fight, but he ran a hand through his long ebony hair, as he knew that as soon as Kili and Esmerelda hit 18, he would be sending them off on a mission to prove themselves worthy of the line of Thrain.

Everything he was teaching them, they would need. It would go by fast but he pushed that thought away and just told himself to enjoy the time he had with them. Esmerelda settled in very well, it was almost as if though she had been apart of this family for years not a week.

Thorin called them in for lunch, but Esmerelda stood staring out at the city and mountains, the wind blowing through her loose hair and cloak. Thorin began to worry that she was thinking of returning. But he hurried her into the house.

She took her space at the table next to Kili, both boys woofed down their food, but out of manners waited for their sister, then they ran outside and carried on play fighting, well Kili and Fili did, she sat in a secluded spot hidden under a tree reading.

'Did something happen yesterdaythat she didn't want to tell us, as she only spoke to Kili and Fili, she had started acting this way yesterday afternoon?' Thorin asked himself.

"Fili" he called. Fili paused and came bounding over to his uncle. "What's wrong with Esmerelda?" he quizzed the blonde haired dwarfling.

"Some other dwarflings picked on her yesterday, they called her names and threw objects at her" he replied truthfully.

Esmerelda could hear everything as that was a trait of being a shapeshifter. She got up and then closed the book and walked inside. Fili ran after her he met her in the corridor. "You promised, you wouldn't tell" she growled.

"I am sorry, but I couldn't lie to Thorin" he apologised. She just slammed her door shut. Kili ran in after them. "Kee give her some space" he told him.

So the boys went into the living room and played with their wooden set of Orcs, Dwarves and dragon that Bofur made and gave to them.

"I am worried about Esmerelda she hasn't been out of her room all day" Dis said, Fili heard this. He got up with his brother following and they knocked on the door, but no answer so they walked in and saw Esmerelda was asleep.

Both of the boys decided to play chess while they waited for her to wake up. "You cheated!" Kili insisted as his brother took his queen.

"No I didn't" he answered innocently.

Esmerelda began to stir, she sat up on the bed looked down at the chest board and said "he did" then sat herself around on the bed so her feet touched the floor. She got up and sat next to Kili but opposite Fill, she only knew how to play because while Thorin taught Kili she was watched and took in everything he taught him.

Thorin knocked on the door and said "do you guys want to come down to the market with me, as I need to pick something up?" he asked.

They all smiled and grabbed their coats as a fresh layer of snow had laid since Esmerelda slept. They all went running out and began to pelt snowballs at each other. "Okay guys stop" Thorin told them, but a snowball hit him on the back of his head.

"Who was that?" he asked trying to sound angry. Each of them pointed at each other and giggled amongst each-other, but he looked at their little faces and knew he couldn't be angry at them for long, because in his eyes they couldn't do anything wrong.

Fili and Kili walked ahead of them but Thorin kept an eye on them, Esmerelda stayed by his side holding his hand. They soon came to the market the boys chattered excitedly to each other, but Esmerelda shied behind Thorin.

"Its okay, go with your brothers" he told her calling the boys back and handing their sister over to him, so he could pick up something very special for Esmerelda without her or the boys seeing. He went over to the stall and paid for it before finding the Dwarflings and the shapeshifter at the toy stall.

That Bofur was selling wooden horses, Wargs, Ors, unicorns and elves. I bought both of the boys a Warg, then the snow fell again and it was a heavy snow storm, so the market shut up and then Thorin returned back with the children freezing, shaking and quivering. They all ran to the fire and warmed themselves up.

"Did you get it?" Dis asked.

"Yes" he nodded showing it to her.

"We'll give it to her when they've warmed up a bit" Dis suggested.

A few hours later and they noticed that Kili, Fili and Esmerelda were passed out on the floor in front of the fire, but Dis and Thorin woke them up gently.

"Esmerelda we have something for you" Thorin told her.

He took out a small bead with the Durin crest engraved into it, Fili and Kili both had their own in their hair. Dis braided a small piece of Esmerelda's hair which hung just next to her right eye, once done Thorin slipped the head on and said "welcome to the family of Durin" he held his arms out to hug her and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you" she said.

"You're one of us now!" Fili exclaimed and then hugged his sister in turn, then Kili and Dis after. But now that bead was in her hair it had to stay in. After they sent the children to bed as it was late, Esmerelda fell asleep on her bed with a smile on her face as she finally had a family.

Unlike the one in the shape shifting clan, as she was snatched from her parents as soon as she was 3 they began to put her to work, so it was lucky that Fili and Kili saw her trying to escape.

They woke the next morning to find they had been snowed in. The children were running around the house playing Dwarf versus Orc, and as Esmerelda's back was strong enough she turned into horse form and allowed Fili to ride on her back, they were driving their mother mad.

"Fili get off your sisters back and Esmerelda turn back into human form immediately" she ordered.

"Do you think you guys could be a little quieter please mummy doesn't feel well" she told them.

"Yes mum." They each whined. Uncle Thorin was asleep as he no way of getting to the palace or work. The dwarflings and shapeshifter all sat in Filis room and devised a plan to prank their uncle.

As Kili was the more artistic one, he painted a picture of Azog based on his uncle descriptions and then placed the painting outside his room, they went back to Filis room and played draughts together, with Esmerelda on Filis team and then swapping over.

A few hours later and they heard Thorin shouting and the painting went over with a crash in the hall echoing around the cave. disrupting the bats from their slumber, which flew around it.

"Fili, Kili, Esmerelda" he yelled they all sniggered to one another, as a rather pale Thorin came rushing into Fillies room it was almost as if he had seen a ghost.

"Don't ever do that again" he bellowed."Understood?" he asked.

'Yes' they all nodded in unison.
Please vote and comment