The Hobbit: Lessrien Ancalimë

Chapter Ten

Fili

Kili is on a bed, groaning and straining in pain, his face is covered in swear. Bofur rushes over with a bowl of water and I grab the cloth, putting it on my brother's forehead. Part of me is glad Lessrien isn't here, I do not want her seeing Kili like this. But mostly I wish she was here, it might help Kili, even just a little.

"Can you not do something?" I ask Oin, wishing there was something I could do to help Kili.

"I need herbs, something to bring down his fever." Oin answers. Over at the table Bard goes through what I assume is a medicine bag.

"I have nightshade, feverfew..."

"They're no use to me. Do you have any Kingsfoil?" Oin replies while Kili grabs my hand. I squeeze it back.

"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs." Bard explains.

"Pigs? Weed? Right!" Bofur exclaims. "Don't move!" He points at Kili, who glares at him before he takes off out of the house.

"I thought your sister would have stayed with you." Bard states, referring to Lessrien.

"She tried, Thorin wouldn't have it." I explain and Bard raises an eyebrow.

"I imagine Lessrien won't take kindly to that?" I chuckle and nod.

"No doubt she's already given him an earful. More than that, she is not a sibling nor cousin to Kili, nor he a brother or cousin to her." I explain while Kili continues to groan and strain in pain.

"They're in love with each other?"

"Aye, I hate seeing them apart. As soon as he's better I want to head to that mountain, if only to see Lessrien and Kili together again." I explain. "And to make sure my little sister is alright." Aside from Kili the room falls silent. I soak the cloth again, putting it back on his forehead. "Being so far away from her, where I don't know what's happening bothers me. While she can handle herself well, and the others are with her, I have barely been away from her since she was six years old. The only other time it happened she was kidnapped." I explain, the memory of that night and the following three days still haunts me. "I promised I wouldn't let her out of my sight again, yet now she's miles away from me."

"And reclaiming the mountain? Do you not care for that?" Bard asks and I turn to him.

"Reclaiming that mountain means nothing if my brother and sister are sick or injured or worse. Kili and Lessrien...to me they mean more and they're worth more than any mountain. I don't care where we are, if they're with me then I'm home." I just want to see them smiling again. "Kili and I were not born in Erebor, we were born in the Blue Mountains, our father died when Kili was an infant. Thorin raised us, we grew up on stories of Erebor. Yes, we want to see those halls, we have since we were children..."

"I take it Lessrien changed that?" I smile thinking about the sassy young elfling we welcomed into our family.

"Not entirely. Thorin adopted her soon after Kili and I brought her home and she grew up on the same stories we did. Also Durin promised her he would take her to his home one day, so she's been as eager to see Erebor as Kili and I. My view on Erebor and reclaiming our homeland changed after a ten year old Lessrien said something incredibly wise."

"Home isn't always a place. Home is what or who you think about whenever you feel like something is missing in your life. Home is where or who makes you feel safe." Kili mutters. "Lessrien, is she alright?" He asks, already somewhat out of it.

"Yes, she's fine Kili. She's safe with Uncle." I answer, hoping that eases some of his worry... Though it does nothing to ease mine.

Especially when a loud, ominous sound comes from the mountain and dust falls from the ceiling.