Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Kíli winces as he heads out into the afternoon sun, raising a hand to block the harsh light from his eyes. He stumbles down the path, mumbling greetings to the other villagers and giving the dragons milling about a small smile. The people mostly ignore him, continuing on their way and ushering along the dragons that have stopped to sniff playfully at Kíli.

The brunet moves closer to the butcher shop as a large blue dragon squeezes by, almost flattening the boy up against the wall in its haste. Letting out a breath, Kíli tries to sneak by the forge. His uncle’s dragon, Orcrist, raises his head as he catches the brunet’s scent. Kíli stops in his tracks at the look the gray dragon gives him, sending pleading eyes towards the dragon in the blazing shop. Orcrist huffs and lays his head back down, Kíli’s smile widening as he darts towards Bofur’s woodshop.

Throwing the door open, Kíli smiles as two little dragons jumps off the counter and rush at him. The brunet grins, leaning down and scooping the small things up and into his arms. Bofur laughs from behind the counter, his cousin Bifur giving Kíli a nod of acknowledgment as he continues whittling. Bifur’s dark red thunder dragon is curled up around the whittler’s chair, dozing lightly despite the noise and shrieks of the baby dragons around him.

The dragons sniff at Kíli excitedly, causing the brunet to laugh as he pushes the door closed with his foot. Kíli pulls the pieces of dried meat from his pocket and gives one to each dragon, the little beasts chittering happily at the treat.

“You’re spoiling them,” Bofur comments with a smile as Kíli makes his way towards the counter, the small dragons climbing all over him. Bifur whistles sharply and the babies scamper to the floor and run to sit by the whittler’s feet.

“They deserve to be spoiled,” Kíli points out, leaning his arms on the counter and watching the small dragons curl up at Bifur’s feet. “Do they have names yet?” Kíli asks, running his finger along a groove in the counter. Bofur shakes his head and places his arm on Kíli’s shoulder.

“You’ll get your dragon, Kíli, it just takes time.”

“But I won’t, will I? I’m almost three years past the day I’m supposed to find my dragon.” Kíli sighs heavily, turning away from the dragons and looking up at Bofur.

“What’s wrong with me?”

Bifur grunts something in an old language Kíli never could understand, eyeing the boy with slight sadness. Bofur shakes his head at his cousin and turns to place both hands on Kíli’s shoulders.

“There is nothing wrong with you, lad, don't ever think that.” He says with a squeeze, Kíli nodding and stepping back from the hold.

“I’m off then. Orcrist saw me come this way and Uncle doesn't like me to bother you guys so much during the day,” Kíli says with a smile as he walks to the door, trying to keep his spirits up. He pulls the door open, Bofur’s dusty yellow lightening dragon pushing inside and sniffing at Kíli playfully before meandering up towards the counter.

“You know you’re welcome here anytime, Kíli. The little ones love you and it's a real help for you to watch over them.” Bofur calls as Kíli steps out, shutting the door behind him as he heads for the forest. He waves to Orcrist as he passes the forge, the large dragon huffing at him before turning back to the furnace he’s heating. 

As he nears the woods, he looks back, sighing as he takes in the bustling village. Mostly everyone here has a companion, the dragons usually finding their partners when the children turn thirteen. A bond forms upon seeing the dragon for the first time, instantly connecting the two for life. His uncle had gotten Orcrist on his thirteenth birthday and the two have been inseparable ever since. The large gray dragon was one of the fire species, so helping around Thorin’s forge is like second nature to him.

Bofur’s friend, Nori, has an ice dragon named Cleaver, who can freeze a man with a single breath if he wanted to. There was also the thunder dragons, earth and water dragons, and dragons made purely for the air. Almost all dragons can fly, though some are better at it than others. Kíli knows almost everything there is about dragons, his small bookshelf at home stuffed with books about them.

His favorite book to lug around is the encyclopedia of dragons Bilbo had gotten him for his tenth birthday. It has all the different types and species of dragons listed, with facts and pictures inked into the thick pages. There is even a chapter on the Royale dragons, though there are only a few sketches of what the author thinks they might look like. No one in Kíli’s village has ever seen a Royale dragon before, though Kíli’s made it his mission to someday change that.

Kicking a branch out of his way, Kíli slips deeper into the woods and away from civilization. He is almost sixteen years old and has yet to find his dragon. He thinks about it a lot, tries to imagine what his dragon would be like. He has tons of ideas drawn in one of the blank books back home, though they don’t really look like your typical dragons. 

Some of the other kids in the village laugh at him a lot, calling him a reject and telling him that no dragon would want someone so scrawny and weak as their rider. Kíli mostly ignores them, though their words often cut through his façade like a sharp knife. His uncle Thorin had told him to be patient, that sometimes it takes a bit longer to find the right dragon. Kíli was tired of waiting; tired of being the only one besides the younger children who didn't have a dragon.

Plopping down on an outcrop of rocks facing the valley, Kíli lies on his stomach and tries to imagine his dragon soaring over the valley. They would be a perfect match, the two of them easily swooping down and crawling up into the vast sky. Not everyone rides their dragons, but Kíli is positive that he and his dragon would probably spend a lot of their time in the sky.

“Are you alright, Kíli?” Thorin’s deep voice startles the boy, Kíli rolling onto his back and sitting up to face his uncle. He sees Orcrist among the trees behind his uncle and mouths ‘traitor’ at the dragon with a frown.  “You seem a bit off today.” Thorin comes to sit on the flat rock, raising a brow at Kíli.

“I’m fine, Uncle. Just tired, I guess.” Kíli lies, Orcrist snorting and getting himself a glare from the young brunet. Thorin chuckles at the two, waving the dragon off to go hunt. He turns back to Kíli and is surprised to see tears welling up in the boy’s brown eyes.

“Is it me, Uncle? Was I born wrong, or did I do something?” Kíli asks as he rubs at his eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. Thorin sighs and motions the boy to sit next to him, throwing his arm around Kíli’s thin shoulders.

“You were a blessing upon our family, Kíli. Your mother was told she could never have a child and yet here you sit.”

“But I killed her,” Kíli says in a small voice, refusing to look at his uncle as he scuffed his boots in the dirt. Thorin winces at the words, pulling Kíli into his side with a sigh.

“You didn’t kill her, Kíli. She was so happy to have you come into this world, there was nothing greater she could have ever imagined.” Thorin says in a strong voice, chasing away some of the small brunet’s fears with his strong voice. “She would be so proud of you now, with or without a dragon.”

“I guess,” Kíli says with a shrug. He had never known his mother, who had died while giving birth to him. He hadn’t known his father, either. He had been killed in an attack a few months before Kíli was born. His uncle and their neighbor Bilbo had raised the boy, the curly haired man taking it upon himself to help Thorin when he figured out early on that the large brunet had no idea what he was doing. Bilbo had all but moved them into his spacious house, leaving Thorin’s small cottage used mostly for storage.

“Do you think Uncle Bilbo is making roast for dinner?” Kíli asks changing the subject swiftly. Thorin looks down at the boy and shakes his head slightly at the blatant tactic.

“Possibly. He was headed into the market to get vegetables when I passed him earlier, Sting already loaded up with enough food to feed an army.”

Kíli giggles at the image of Bilbo’s rust colored earth dragon saddled up with bags and bags of food, trying to snatch something for himself. He stands from the rock, followed closely by Thorin as they silently make their way through the forest and back into town. When they cross the path to the forge, Kíli spots Bilbo and Sting headed towards their cottage.

“Uncle Bilbo!” Kíli shouts, jogging ahead and inspecting the bags tied to the dragon. He scratches behind Sting’s ear and gets a happy rumble in response.

“Kíli, there you are! I was looking all over for you earlier. Thought you’d be at Bofur’s shop.”

“I was there earlier,” Kíli confesses, ignoring the feeling of his uncle’s eyes on his back. “I didn't stay long, though.”

“Ah, well, that’s all right and fine but could you do me a huge favor?” Bilbo asks distractedly as he begins counting the bags and doing some kind of math in his head. “I’ve forgotten to pick up the meat order. So, if you could do that, it’d help me out tremendously.”

Kíli hides his grimace from the short man, nodding and agreeing before waving both Bilbo and his uncle off as they start home, Thorin throwing a bag of flour over his shoulder. As the boy scampers off towards the butcher, Thorin turns to Bilbo with a frown.

“You know he doesn't like those butcher’s boys, so why send him there?”

“Kíli’s never going to face them unless he’s pushed to! He needs to stand up for himself and be proud of who he is.” Bilbo rants, remembering how the small brunet had come home last week covered in dirt and bruises. It had taken a few hours and three cups of Bilbo’s special hot chocolate before Kíli had confessed to getting into a fight with the butcher’s sons over why he didn't have a dragon.

“You are ruthless,” Thorin murmurs, reaching over to grab Bilbo’s hand in is own as they walk down the path. Orcrist appears alongside Sting, snorting at the sight of the dragon turned mule.

Kíli drags his feet the whole way back to the butcher shop, trying unsuccessfully to prolong the inevitable. When he reaches the door, he says a silent prayer to the gods, pleading with them to take pity and have the butcher’s sons not be in the shop. Pushing the door open slowly, Kíli looks inside, a sinking feeling that the gods must be busy helping someone else settling in his stomach.

“Well, look who it is. The dragonless freak,” the older, Derno, says to his brother with a grin. The younger boy, Drigo, gives Kíli a nasty smile as he walks up to the counter slowly. “Where’s your dragon, little orphan?”

“I need to pick up an order,” Kíli says quietly and is ignored completely.

“I heard that when a baby is orphaned, the gods reject it. That means it's a fact you’ll never have a dragon,” Derno sneers as he jumps off his stool and advances on Kíli. The small brunet stands his ground, looking up defiantly when Derno approaches him.

“It’s a good thing I’m not an orphan, then, since I have not one, but two uncles.” Kíli shoots back, grinning to himself at they boys’ shocked expressions. His grin soon falls when Drigo jumps off his stool and comes to stand next to his brother.

Before anything can happen, Derno and Drigo’s mother comes out from the back, giving Kíli a smile as she leans across the counter. “Hello, Kíli! Are you here to pick up Mr. Baggins’ order?” Kíli nods to her with a forced smile, the woman heading into the back to get the order. When she walks out, Derno pushes Kíli roughly into the counter, causing the brunet to smack his head on the edge of the wood. 

“Hey!” Kíli shouts as he reaches up to feel where he hit his head, eyes widening when he pulls his hand back and sees blood. Drigo’s eyes widen and he takes off into the back, leaving Kíli and Derno alone in the shop.

“You’re a freak! You’ll never get a dragon because you’re too small and the gods hate you! That’s why they took your mother and father away!” Derno sneers before disappearing into the back after his brother. Kíli stands there with tears welling up, not noticing the boys’ mother coming back with the bag of wrapped meats.

“Kíli, are you okay?” She asks in a worried voice, Kíli nodding quickly before snagging the bag and muttering a quick ‘thank you’ as he darts out the door before his tears can fall.

He runs down the path, bumping into a few people and almost dropping the bag he’s carrying. Tears run down his cheeks and he brings an arm up to wipe at his eyes. As he draws closer to the road leading home, Kíli stops and tries to scrub his face free of tears. Taking a deep breath, he lets it out slowly like Bilbo taught him before heading down the lane.

He sneaks into the kitchen through the back door, letting out a relieved sigh when he sees Bilbo leaning over a cookbook deep in thought. Kíli heads over to the counter quietly, placing the bag down and creeping towards the stairs only to jump at the sound of Bilbo’s voice.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The curly haired man asks, keeping his eyes focused on the cookbook. Kíli hangs his head, a fresh wave of tears threatening to overtake him. “Did you get the—Kíli what’s wrong?”

Bilbo rushes to his side at the sight of his tearstained face. The brunet shakes his head and steps back, halting Bilbo a few feet away.

“Can I just go to my room please, Uncle Bilbo?” Kíli asks meekly, keeping his eyes trained on the floor.  Bilbo’s heart aches at the sight, but he sighs with a nod.

“Sure, Kíli. I’ll call you for supper,” Bilbo says softly, watching sadly as the boy takes off upstairs. Trying not to worry about Kíli, Bilbo sets about making the roast. He knows the young brunet will tell him what happened eventually, he just has to be patient. Fortunately, Bilbo has all the patience in the world, something that Thorin lacks terribly.

“Kíli? Supper is ready.” Bilbo says as he cracks the brunet’s door open, peeking inside and finding the brunet curled up on the bed with Sting. Orcrist sits on the floor next to the bed, listening to whatever story Kíli is reading from the book he’s holding. All three occupants of the room look to him when he enters and Bilbo waves the dragons out of the room to get their own supper.

Kíli shuts the book he was reading and shoves it under his pillow, looking to Bilbo with tired eyes. The curly haired man sighs at the sight, coming over to sit on the end of the bed.  Kíli brings his legs up in front of him and wraps his arms around them, leaning back against the wall and waiting for Bilbo to start talking.

“Did you know that I was fifteen when I found Sting?,” Bilbo asks, chuckling when Kíli’s eyes widen and he scrambles forward on the bed to get closer to the older man.

“You never told me that before!”

“It’s true! I was walking in the gardens at my aunt’s house, trying to escape all of my crazy family when he stumbled onto the path with half the garden’s vegetables in his mouth. I chased him all around the garden and we ended up curled up under a tree enjoying those vegetables and taking a well deserved nap.” Bilbo laughs at the memory, patting his stomach and getting a laugh from Kíli. The small brunet leaned into Bilbo’s side and rests his head on the available shoulder as Bilbo brings a hand up to card through Kíli’s unruly hair.

“Oh! Did I tell you the news I heard at the market?” Bilbo says suddenly, Kíli jerking his head up and shaking it no. “I got a letter from my good friend Hamfast, saying that the Royale dragons are on the move. They’ve been spotted flying above villages and making their way across the country!”

“Really, Uncle Bilbo?” Kíli’s eyes widen at the news as he scrambles behind Bilbo to grab the book he was reading earlier. He flips it to the chapter on the Royale dragons and hugs it to his chest tightly. Bilbo watches him with a smile, reaching out to ruffle his unruly hair.

“Do you think they’ll come here? Our village is pretty small, but there’s lots of room for the dragons to stay!”

“I don't know for sure, but at the very least, we should be able to see them fly over, don’t you think?”

“Yes! Did you know that every generation of Royale dragon has one dragon that’s the color of a precious metal?” Kíli asks, reciting facts from his book eagerly as his eyes skim the pages once more. Bilbo laughs as he stands from the bed, pulling Kíli’s arm and guiding the boy out of the room with a hand on his shoulder as he continues to read from the book.

“Come along now, we don't want your Uncle Thorin to try plating dinner up himself now, do we?” Kíli looks up at that, wrinkling his nose at the thought of Thorin doing anything in the kitchen.

“That’s what I thought,” Bilbo says with a sharp nod as he directs them towards the kitchen, ushering Kíli into a seat at the table and bustling about the kitchen. The brunet flips through the book as he waits, Orcrist coming up behind the him and snorting warm air into Kíli’s hair. The brunet laughs softly, reaching back to scratch under the dragon’s chin and getting a happy noise in response. Not to be left out, Sting budges up next to the gray dragon and shoves his head under Kíli’s hand, knocking Orcrist out of the way.

Kíli laughs at their antics, catching Bilbo’s attention as the curly haired man huffs and shoos both dragons out of the room as he places the roast onto the table. Thorin comes in the back door and sniffs, walking over to snitch a piece of the meat only to have Bilbo slap his hand sharply.

“Hold it! Not until you’ve washed up!” Thorin tries again and gets another slap, Kíli laughing into his hands at the glare Bilbo is giving the older. With a sigh the older brunet trudges into the kitchen, Bilbo and Kíli both listening to him complain loudly to the two banished dragons.

Following Thorin into the kitchen with a small chuckle Bilbo gets the vegetables and bread, bringing them back to the table and settling in. Thorin sits at the head of the table and carves the meat, passing a slab of it onto Kíli’s plate as the boy fidgets restlessly. Kíli ignores the strange look from his uncle, spooning a few small vegetables onto his plate and getting a pointed look from Bilbo. With a sigh he reluctantly adds more. When Bilbo gave him a nod he passes them to his uncle.

“Uncle Bilbo said the Royale dragons are moving!” Kíli blurts out around his vegetables, Thorin raising his eyebrows at his nephew before turning to look at Bilbo.

“Did he? Are they coming here?”

“Hamfast sent the letter about a week ago with word that they were headed our way.” Bilbo says simply, cutting his roast into manageable pieces and popping one into his mouth. He hums happily and starts on his potatoes, uncharacteristically ignoring the way Kíli is shoveling food into his mouth.

“Do you think they’ll be here tonight? Can I camp out—”

“Kíli! If you choke on that food you’re inhaling you’ll never get to see them!” Bilbo scolds with a frown, Kíli wincing at the tone and chewing the huge mouthful he had shoveled in. Thorin shakes his head at his nephew, trying to hold back a chuckle of his own.

“They won’t be here for at least a few days, so there’s no need to get into a frenzy. We don't even know if they’re headed this way, so don't get your hopes up just yet.” Bilbo points out, Kíli’s shoulders slumping as he pushes the few pieces of meat on his plate around absently. 

Thorin and Bilbo share a glare across the table, the elder brunet shaking his head and stabbing a piece of meat harshly before bringing it to his mouth with a scowl. Bilbo completely ignores the harsh gesture, cutting his potatoes and green beans carefully while he asks Kíli about the baby dragons at Bofur’s.

“They’re getting so big!” Kíli says with a smile, popping a piece of potato into his mouth happily at the thought of the small dragons. “They climb all over me when I come in and Bofur says I’m a big help when I come over and watch them.”

“That’s good, it’s wonderful to hear that they’re doing well.” Bilbo comments, Kíli tuning both his uncles out as they began talking about the forge and the work that’s been commissioned. Kíli’s thoughts stray to the Royale dragons and he knows he’ll be thinking of little else until they arrive.

“LET ME GO!” Kíli shouts from where he is tied to a tree, the cruel laughter of Derno and Drigo echoing through the forest as he struggles against the ropes. Angry tears fill Kíli’s eyes as he tries unsuccessfully to break free, the thick ropes holding him tightly to the large oak.

Today is the day the Royale dragons are supposed to arrive, and everyone in town is eagerly awaiting their arrival. Word from a few towns over was that there were about three or four of the Royale dragons out roaming, one being the princess herself. They were most likely to visit Kíli’s small village and stay closer to the capital, which was only a few miles away.

Kíli had gotten up early to prepare, dressing in a tunic without holes and happily getting his chores done early. Thorin had already left for the forge and Kíli had even helped Bilbo make some lemon scones before heading out to his favorite rock to wait. He’d been so excited on his way through town that he failed to notice Drigo and Derno following him until it was too late.

The butcher’s sons had jumped him, tackling Kíli to the ground before tying him to the trunk of a large oak tree in the middle of the forest. The stream that ran along the village was also close by, the noise of the rushing water drowning out most of his shouts.

“You can’t do this! You can’t!” Kíli cries, tears running down his face and dripping onto his dirt stained clothes. Derno steps in front of Kíli and kicks him in the stomach, the brunet wheezing as he leans over as much as the ropes will allow.

“We can do this, you dragonless freak! You don't have a dragon, so you shouldn't even be allowed to see the Royale dragons!” Drigo spits at Kíli from next to his brother, the two of them grinning widely at the brunet’s distress before turning and disappearing into the forest towards the village.

“Don’t leave me here, please don’t do this!” Kíli cries, shaking his head and straining at the ropes once more. They had tied his hands together before they pressed him to the tree, and Kíli can feel the coarse rope digging into his skin. With a groan, the brunet tugs one last time before going limp, his sobs getting lost in the noises of the forest.

“Come back,” Kíli whispers through the tears, hanging his head and rubbing his wrists together to try and get them free. He winces when he feels his skin break, biting his lip against the pain. After a few more moments, he stops all movement and leans back against the tree. Trying to blink the tears from his eyes, Kíli looks up, straining to see or hear anything going by overhead.

The only sound he can hear is the river, the rushing water doing nothing to soothe the pain Kíli feels all over. He sags against the tree and sits there silently, trying to think of a way to get free. A noise in the bushes to his left makes the brunet shoot his head up with a hopeful look, though it crumples quickly when he sees a lanky gray wolf lope into the clearing.

Kíli freezes at the sight of the mangy wolf, sitting up straighter and watching with fearful eyes as it circles the clearing. Sniffing the air, the wolf catches the scent of Kíli’s blood, curling its lip in a snarl as it focuses on the brunet.

Taking a few steps towards the brunet, the wolf stops suddenly when a growling shriek comes from overhead. Both Kíli and the wolf look skyward to see a dark shadow pass above the trees, the wolf snarling at the shape and advancing towards the boy.

Another growl fills the forest, and Kíli can feel the ground shake as whatever is making the noise grows closer. The wolf growls one last time at Kíli before taking off into the trees in the opposite direction. Hearing branches snapping close by, Kíli shuts his eyes tightly against his tears and waits for the worst.

After a few moments of waiting, the only thing the brunet teen can hear is the endless babbling of the river and a breeze shifting the leaves. Kíli keeps his eyes firmly shut, starting with a yelp and slamming his head back against the tree with a groan when he feels warm breath on his face.

Letting out a whimper, Kíli waits for whatever has joined him to finish him off, only to snap his eyes open at the feel of soft skin against his own. His eyes try and focus on the blond hair in front of him, and as the head shifts back, Kíli’s eyes lock with a large pair of cerulean orbs focused on his own.

Kíli’s mouth drops open at the sight of the naked blond teen in front of him, his tanned skin a golden color that’s a few shades darker than his hair. Before Kíli can notice anything else the teen leans forward again, resting his hands on the thick ropes. He nuzzles his nose into the brunet’s cheek, following a path down his neck and causing Kíli to chuckle. With a grin the blond blows warm air onto Kíli’s neck, the dark haired human laughing quietly and pulling weakly at his bonds.

He freezes with a wince, the blond pulling back sharply and looking Kíli over with a frown. He shifts back onto his heels and follows his nose to where Kíli’s hands are bound behind his back, gnashing his teeth at the scent of blood.

Kíli watches all of this with wide eyes, his heart clenching tightly for some reason as he takes the blond teen in. “Hi,” Kíli whispers belatedly, the blond offering him a quick glance before raising a hand and snapping through the ropes holding the brunet to the tree with too-sharp nails. Kíli doubles over with a huff, the blond scampering to sit at his side as he examines the brunet’s bound wrists.

Craning his head back to watch the strange blond, Kíli’s eyes widen when the blond carefully snaps the coarse threads with ease, gently pulling the blood stained rope away and sitting back to admire his work.

“Thanks,” Kíli grunts, the blond’s eyes widening as he scrambles into the brunet’s lap and helps him sit up. Kíli lifts his hand to wipe at his face, only to have the blond snatch the limb and bring it up to his mouth.

Kíli’s breathing hitches when the blond licks at the wound, cleaning the blood away carefully and then repeating the actions with the other hand. The brunet just sits in stunned silence, a few tears leaking from the corner of his eyes and down his face when the blond licks a little too roughly. Whenever Kíli winces or hisses, the blond lets out a pained whine and coos softly to ease the brunet’s discomfort.

When the blood is gone, the stranger nods at his work before crawling forward into Kíli’s lap. His fingers come up to trace Kíli’s face, ever mindful of his sharp nails. The brunet stares with wide eyes, taking in the fascinated look the blond wears, along with his eerily blue eyes that are more catlike than Kíli has ever seen. 

“Hi…w-why are you naked?” Kíli stutters, leaning back from the blond’s questing fingers and getting a huff and playful growl in response.

“Hi!” The blond parrots back with a cheeky grin, squishing Kíli’s face between his hands so the brunet’s lips are pursed. Cackling wildly the blond teen tumbles backwards and off of Kíli’s lap, flipping to settle on his knees next to the brunet.

“W-who are you?” Kíli asks in awe as the blond begins running his fingers along the brunet’s outer tunic, poking the buttons and crooning inquisitively.  

“Fíli!” The blond pipes up, right before be tries to bite one of the buttons, Kíli pushing him back with one hand as he laughs.

“Fíli? Is that your name?” Kíli wonders out loud, watching as the blond circles him with appraising eyes. He gets a distracted nod as an answer, the blond tugging his sleeve slightly and running his hands along the soft fabric.

“My name is Kíli,” Kíli offers, shrugging out of the tunic and pulling it over his head to hand it to the confused blond. With a chuckle, he helps Fíli into it, happy to notice it covers almost all of Fíli’s nakedness. Fíli holds his arms out and spins, collapsing to the ground in a fit of laughter with Kíli not far behind.

Fíli sits up suddenly, his head cocked to the side as he listens intently. Kíli can’t hear anything but the river, a pang of sadness shooting through him when he realizes how much time must have passed since he first headed out into the woods.

Fíli pulls him out of his thoughts with a tug on his hand, the blond stumbling on unsteady legs and leading Kíli back towards the village. Kíli winces at the pull on his arm, Fíli stopping abruptly to kiss the marks on the brunet’s wrists in apology.

“Sorry, Kíli.” With an apologetic smile, Fíli darts forward to peck a kiss onto Kíli’s lips, quickly moving behind the brunet and pushing him in the back slightly to steer him towards the small town. Kíli laughs belatedly at the movements, his own hands darting back to steady the blond when he trips too far to one side.

They both startle at the loud roar that comes from the village, sharing a look before taking off at a sprint through the trees. Kíli can’t believe that the Royale dragons are still there, it must be his lucky day!

Bursting through the tree line, Kíli looks around wildly for Fíli, frowning when the blond is nowhere to be seen. Shaking his head sadly, he trudges to the town center, keeping an eye out for Derno and Drigo as he makes his way through the crowd to a less populated area.

With wide eyes, Kíli takes in the deep blue dragon standing in the center of town, its large wings folded neatly along its back as it studies the town. From the regal bearing to the deep sapphire coloring, somehow, Kíli knows this has to be the princess. There are a few other dragons standing around the town, no doubt the princess’ guards. The brunet tries to remember every detail so he can draw her in his book, not noticing someone creeping up behind him.

The sapphire dragon, Dís, he heard the name murmured in the crowd, began walking around the small village, sniffing every so often and watching the townspeople curiously. She stops suddenly, turning her head skyward and giving a sharp whistle, though Kíli isn’t sure why. As she lumbers past gracefully, Kíli could swear she looked right at him, though reality tells him she’d never be able to see him crouched down at the far end of the crowd like he was.

All of a sudden, a flurry of movement comes from the trees across town, both the villagers and the dragons turning towards it. Kíli can’t take his eyes off Dís, his brow quirking when he thinks he sees her give a large sigh. Excited murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire, but before Kíli can tune in, he’s pushed roughly from behind.

Sprawling into the dirt, Kíli lets out a pained noise, rising up onto his knees and seeing Derno above him. “How’d you get free, freak?” The older boy growls, taking advantage of the villagers focus elsewhere to plant his foot on Kíli’s chest with a hard shove. With a shout, Kíli goes down, trying to brace his fall and crying out when he lands on his bruised wrists.

Kíli lies on his back, staring up at the blue sky with watery eyes as he tries to ignore Derno. He rocks back up to sit, not noticing Dís’ attention is now focusing on them as he struggles to his feet.

“Leave me alone!” Kíli shouts hoarsely, feeling the ground shake as something big heads their way. Derno pushes Kíli out into the street, the brunet tumbling onto his bottom with a cry and raising his hands up protectively just as a large form appears over him. 

With a loud roar, a golden dragon is standing over Kíli, blazing eyes on the bully and snapping his teeth threateningly as it crowds around Kíli protectively. Derno freezes, looking up into fierce blue eyes before scrambling back and away from the dragon with a sharp cry. 

Kíli shudders against the warm golden scales pressing against him, his eyes shut firmly as he waits for it all to be over. The crowd is in an uproar now and Kíli could hear Derno’s shouts and the bellowing voice of the butcher scolding him. Kíli can faintly hear his own name being called, though he can’t really see what’s going on around him.

Peeking out from around his arms, Kíli sees a wall of gold, unfolding slightly and huffing when a snout presses into his stomach. With wide eyes, Kíli falls back, taking in the golden dragon that is wrapped around him and glancing around it to see Dís watching them with a knowing grin. 

The smaller dragon buried into his stomach pulls back, cocking its head to the side and looking at Kíli worriedly before darting its tongue out to lick a stripe up his neck and face.

“Blegh, yuck!” Kíli sputters, bringing his arm up to wipe his face before looking into the smaller dragon’s eyes. Familiar cerulean orbs watch him with excitement, the dragon wiggling and uncurling from around the brunet to turn to the sapphire adult and chirp quickly. Dís snorts at the younger, nodding her head and filling the golden dragon with more energy.

As Kíli gets to his feet and tries to back up, the smaller dragon turns sharply and gets behind the brunet, pushing him in the back with his head towards Dís. “Woah, what are you doing? I can’t—”

The dragon growls playfully, cutting Kíli off as he continues to push the brunet towards his mother. The teen tries to dig his feet into the dirt, but his strength is no match for the young dragon’s. When Kíli is standing within touching distance of the Royale dragon, the golden youngster chirps happily, settling down next to Dís and curling around a confused Kíli.

“What’s going on?” Kíli whispers to himself, trying to ignore the stares from the villagers when Dís leans down to blow warm air into his hair playfully, tousling the unruly mane with affection. The gold dragon croons softly, bringing his tail around to pull Kíli closer. Tripping over the dragon’s legs, Kíli plops down on his bottom, leaning heavily against the young dragon’s warm stomach. Nipping softly at Kill’s messy hair, the dragon pulls back to look Kíli in the eyes.

The dragon’s vertical pupils watch him with interest and when he tilts his head to the side, something clicks in Kíli’s brain, his eyes widening comically.

“Fíli?” He whispers, the golden dragon wiggling happily and licking Kíli’s face again. The stunned brunet lets out a shout, bringing his hands up to wipe the slobber off his face and shooting the dragon a glare.

Dís makes a chuckling noise above them, causing both teens to look up with matching grins. Leaning down, she licks at Fíli’s head, the smaller dragon making a hissing noise as he tries to avoid her without crushing Kíli at the same time. 

“Ha! How do you like it?” Kíli laughs, scratching the large sapphire dragon under the chin when she leans down. Cooing happily, Dís sits back up, moving back away from the two and spreading her wings out as she barks to the guards. Kíli notices some of the villagers turning from the scene, wondering at their actions and yelping when Fíli brings his own wing up to cover the brunet.

“Fíli, what are you—”

A huge gust of wind almost knocks Kíli over, though he manages to grab Fíli’s wing just before he tips to the side. The blond removes the appendage when Dís and the others are in the air, the two of them watching her circle before she and the rest of the company head south. When they disappear from sight, Kíli turns to the crowd, noticing his Uncle Thorin and Bilbo heading towards them, followed closely by Orcrist and Sting.

“Kíli?” Bilbo hesitates, stepping closer to the pair. Fíli’s sharp eyes track his every movement, tilting his head to the side and eyeing the short man from head to toe. His eyes shift to Orcrist and Sting excitedly, chittering a string of strange sounds that the two answer immediately. Kíli rubs Fíli’s golden scales and turns to his uncles with a sheepish smile.

“Can I keep him?”