Fly Away Little Birds

Chapter 1 Forsaken

It was believed that Thorin Oakenshield would never marry. It was not because he did not want to, but because there were no dwarf women that the council and elders thought to be worthy of their precious heir of Durin. While they had found a husband for his sister, Dis, they had not found one that they believed was worthy of Thorin.
Thorin then made the decision that he did not want to wait for the approval of others and, and that if he found a mate, he would marry her regardless. He then made it clear to the council, that as of that moment, they had no further say in the matter, which angered them, but they could do nothing to change his mind. Thorin found a woman, one of the greatest beauties in Ered Luin, she had raven hair and porcelain skin; no beard, but that was completely okay with Thorin, who had no love for women with beards as it was. Her name was Ondra, and that month, they were married. He loved Ondra desperately and would do anything for her, even if it meant taking on the world to make her happy.
A few short months later, Thorin's sister Dis gave birth to her first son, and named him Fili. Thorin was overjoyed, as was Ondra. Dis and her husband were similarly pleased, and loved their little love with all their hearts. Fili looked very much like his father, and Dis loved that about little Fili, but mostly they were pleased that they had created new life in the line of Durin.
Thorin was so very happy, but he noticed that Ondra was sad. She was happy about the baby, but it became clear to him that Ondra wanted a child of her own, to give Thorin a direct heir to the dwarven throne. Also she just wanted to have her own children that she could love and adore. So they tried to create a child, but it seemed that no matter how hard they tried, nothing happened. Thorin did not know what to do, and was about to surrender. Then Ondra was blessed with a miracle and she became pregnant.
Dis was actually pregnant at the same time, and so she and Ondra went through it together. However, Ondra's entire pregnancy was plagued with upset and difficulty. When the time came for the birth, it was long and difficult, but in the end, a tiny dwarven boy came crying into the world. Both mother and child lived, and the exiled king was excited beyond reason when he saw his son.
"What shall we name him?" Thorin asked, smiling broadly.
"Therien." Ondra said as she cradled her son.
"Therien it is." The proud father said.
Sadly, Ondra was told it would be unwise to try and have another child. The strain of the pregnancy and the birth would be too great for her, and she would die. Therien would be her first and last child. In the beginning it seemed like a sadness that they would not be able to have anymore children. Thorin reassured her, "It's not all bad. We have this joy, and he will grow up with cousins and other dwarves his age. We will not be losing anything when it comes to this experience."
A few months later, Dis' beloved son Kili was born, but sadly, Dis' husband was not long for this world. When he died, Dis was extremely distraught. Thorin invited her into their house so that she could be near family as she dealt with this distress. Ondra liked Dis, but didn't know if she wanted to share her home with this distraught dwarven woman. However share it she must and did, so Fili and Kili grew up close to Therien.
Dis became more and more distant as the years went on, and her attention on Fili and Kili waned as the years went on. Thorin was too busy to really notice these events, however Ondra was on the front lines, so to say. When Dis finally shut herself off completely, Ondra took over the care of her two sons, and she quickly made it clear that they were secondary (or very much third) to her own son, Therien. Often Ondra was cold toward them, and certainly had no love or caring for the two "foundlings", for that's what she thought them and sometimes said to them when she let her anger take over.
As Therien grew up, he was very much of the same opinion (shaped by his mother), that Fili and Kili may be of noble blood, but they were not as important, or even as good as he was. As they grew up, he was often cruel to Fili and Kili, usually got the best of whatever was offered, and sometimes he even lied to Thorin saying they had done things that they had not, which gave the two young dwarves no end of trouble.
The most cruel thing that Therien did was start a rumor. The two noticed as they passed through the village that people were looking at them slightly differently. They didn't have any idea what was going on, so they stopped the young dwarf Ori, who had also been trying to avoid them. He did not want to talk to them, as it seemed nobody did. Fili insisted.
"What's going on here, Ori? Why is everyone staring, yet avoiding us like a sickness?"
Ori didn't know quite what to say. So he decided the truth was best. "There had been a rumor going around that you are not your mother's sons." Ori said bashfully.
"What...?" Fili said dourly.
"I'm sorry, but it's been spreading like wildfire. That the two of you are the sons of your father's mistress, and are therefore not of the line of Durin."
"That's preposterous!" Kili said.
"They say that's also why Dis went into hiding. She found out and now can't stand the sight of you." Ori was now extremely uncomfortable with all of this. "I'm sorry. I don't know where all this came from."
"Thank you Ori." Fili said, patting him on the shoulder. "I think I do."
Ori quickly walked away as Fili and Kili made their way back to Thorin's house. Once they arrived there, the conversation with Therien quickly devolved into a shouting match. Sadly it attracted the attention of Therien's mother Ondra, a woman both Fili and Kili had come to hate. She made her way into the room. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked coldly.
Fili explained the rumor. "And you think this is sufficient reason to attack my son?" She asked.
"We're not attacking him", Kili began. "We just wanted to talk..."
She cut him off, "you have no right to speak to your prince like that! Especially seeing as the two of you probably really are bastards."
Fili was incensed! How dare she! "We most certainly are not! And how dare you, woman! For suggesting such a thing of our beloved father."
"Your beloved father was nothing. A man of her choosing. Did you know that?"
"Uncle Thorin chose you, what's the difference?"
"Your uncle, my husband, knew my family, that we were of high standing. Who knows where your father came from? They say that he came from Dain's country, although that doesn't mean that he wasn't the son of a whore. Maybe even an elf whore..."
"How dare you!" Kili said. "Our father was a great dwarf!"
"Come now, boy." She said. "You didn't even know him."
"I did." Fili said.
"For five years. That tells you nothing about him."
"Still, you have no right!" Fili said. "Then again, you always have been an unholy bitch!"
Anger flared in her eyes, and she stepped forward and slapped Fili. "Get out! You and your disgusting brother. I'll have you sully my house no longer. Get out..."
She was seething, so Fili and Kili left the house, and planned not to go back. However things did not cease to be complicated. The rumors about them were flying, and no one in the village would take them in, so they found themselves alone and homeless for the first time. It took a while for the their uncle's dearest friends, Balin and Dwalin to take them in off the rainy street. Balin and Dwalin were of a good age, and had little use for rumors. Also they had almost no love for Ondra, and thought her to be as unholy as Fili did. Fili and Kili spent the next few years with them, and then the unthinkable happened. Their mother died.
The brothers were allowed to go to the funeral, but it was clear that most either did not want them there or didn't really care that they were there. Thorin had been there, but Fili and Kili made the conscious decision not to see Thorin or his family there. So they went later, and the three had already come and gone. Kili may have wept, he would not remember, but Fili would not. If anything, he felt like he had been betrayed by everyone who had ever been supposed to love him, his mother included.
Life had to go on, though, and so it did. Fili and Kili separated themselves more and more from Thorin, only seeing him on occasion, and never in the presence of Ondra or Therien. They separated themselves from their connection to the house of Durin, for it was of little use to them now, and began to create new lives for themselves. Then one day Thorin called for them, and once again, everything changed.
It was immediately clear that Thorin was angry with them, for it was clear that someone had given Therien a good thrashing, and it was clear that Thorin believed it was them.
"You would do this?" Thorin asked. "You would hurt my son? Your cousin? Your family?"
"We have not done this, Uncle Thorin," Fili said. "And in all truth, Uncle, we haven't been family for many a long year. What would thrashing Therien gain us?"
Thorin jumped from the chair behind his desk, slamming his fist down upon the desk in fury! "Fili, how dare you speak to me in such a manner! You are my sister's son, of course you are my family, which makes this crime even more disturbing."
Kili said, "I swear to you, we have not done this thing. Please Uncle, you have to believe me!" He was trying to repair some of the damage Fili might have done them.
Thorin simply glared at both of them. "I have several witnesses that say you are guilty of this."
"Are they his friends?" Fili asked.
"That doesn't matter. You and your brother must leave Ered Luin immediately, and never return." Thorin said.
"It is nice to see that your mind is so easily poisoned. Thank you for nothing, Uncle..." Fili said as he turned his back on Thorin.
"Just get out, you pathetic little bastards." He heard Thorin say quietly. Nobody responded to this, and Fili and Kili were soon gone. But they had no doubt that Therien and Ondra were celebrating over their defeat.
Fili and Kili left the village where they had spent the first forty-five years of their life and made their way toward the ruins of Gondamon to the South. They had no idea where they were to go now, for they would find no love with Dain in the Iron Hills either. Perhaps they would go South into the realms of men. Maybe as far South as Minas Tirith Fili had once said to Kili on their ride. However that was not to be either, for their cousin had set one more trap. Men who had stopped them on the road and taken them prisoner. They were never to be seen in Ered Luin again. They had disappeared.