All That Matters

They weren't his sons. But they might as well have been.

As the battle went on, the only thing Thorin saw was a job that needed to be done. A victory to be won. Thorin was a warrior. He and war were well acquainted. He saw an enemy, his sword struck without hesitation. The movements came naturally. For Thorin was a natural.

But then, he swung too late, and suddenly he was on the ground. The pain was overwhelming. He could feel his blood seeping away, taking his life with it.

Was this how he was going to die? After all he had been through? He did not deserve this. He had a throne to claim, a people to rule.

Then he heard the yells in the distance. They were strangely quiet, like his ears were failing him. He couldn't move...

A face appeared in his view, streaked with dust and gore. Fili. Another yell sounded, and the face disappeared.

That - That was Kili. He stood next to his brother, and they cut down any creature that dared come near. Fili. Kili. His nephews. Protecting what little life remained in their fallen uncle.

He didn't think then that he would have to watch them die.

Kili took two arrows before Fili realized what was happening. Fili screamed, and Thorin could hear it ringing in his ears. A scream of anguish and pain as his little brother hit the earth.

"Kili? Kili! No!"

"...F-Fili..."

"You can't leave! Stay with me!"

Fili let his guard down for only a few moments, but it was long enough. There was a sickening sound as the blade was plunged into his chest. He collapsed on top of his brother's broken and cooling body, and moved no more.

When Thorin awoke, for a moment he was dazed and pain-ridden.

Then, his memory returned. He felt the white hot pain of the blade in his stomach. The blood blossoming over Kili's body as the arrows sunk into his flesh. Fili collapsing over him soon later, the life fading from his face.

At the time events had run like a dream. Now he faced reality. And with reality came the full realization that both his nephews were dead. He had never felt such sorrow since he lost his father and grandfather, so many years ago.

He saw Fili, a happy child, eager to learn and become a hero, forever pestering Thorin to duel with him. He saw Kili, mischievous, small, for a while even a little weak, eager to prove his worth.

Kili had died believing he was a reckless disappointment.

When Balin came into the tent Thorin lay in, Thorin's face was red and blotchy. "I failed my sister. I swore I would protect them. I failed them, Balin!"

He knew he would soon be joining his nephews.

They weren't his sons. But they might as well have been.