"How much more can we do, Fíli?" Kíli sighed as he slouched in his chair across from Fíli. "We've talked ourselves hoarse these past three days and it hasn't worked."

"It's all we can do," Fíli said, looking at Thorin's bed. After their mother's arrival, the brothers had tried to reassure their uncle that they were safe, whole, and rebuilding their kingdom. It still hadn't worked. Dís had convinced them to leave the room more, to meet with their people to plan Erebor's future, but they always came back here. It reminded Fíli of when they were little and would ambush their uncle whenever he came home, telling him everything they had done that day.

Except he wasn't responding and the more time went by, the more the burden of the throne weighed on his shoulders.

The people needed a king to guide them. Bard had already been named king of Dale and the city wasn't even built. The dwarves of Erebor needed the same thing. Fíli had been handling negotiations with Bard, but he knew that soon the title of regent would be only a shield used to hide from the truth.

"You're going to say yes," Kíli said softly, drawing him from his thoughts.

"I can't very well say no. We both know you don't want the throne."

"I would take it if there were no other choice."

"And there is none open to us now, Kíli." Fíli shook his head. "In the beginning we had so much hope that Thorin would awake quickly, but time has proven our hopes wrong. I will never stop believing that one day he will wake, but until then we have a kingdom and people to care for."

His brother nodded. "Aye, the kingdom needs to be cared for as much as Uncle does. He would never forgive us if we let Erebor fail when he paid so much to get it back."

A faint smile teased Fíli's mouth. His brother had matured in the last three days. He still had hotheaded moments, but more and more he was actually considering his actions and the consequences of them. Just as Fíli had done when he had been Thorin's heir.

"When will you make an announcement?"

"In two days. Balin wants enough time to ensure everything will go smoothly."

Kíli snorted. "I'm surprised he doesn't have the whole thing planned already."

Balin did, but Fíli didn't mention that. The two days were actually for him so he could truly accept what he was doing.

His brother gave him a smile. "In two days you become King Under the Mountain and an heir of Durin will once again sit on the throne."

And the weight of that was heavy, but he would carry it with pride and honour as befitting his line. Exactly as his uncle had. "It will just be in name though," he said quietly. "I won't have a coronation until Erebor is fully rebuilt."

Kíli nodded. "Good plan. It will be all the more reason for our people to celebrate," he agreed.

Which was why he and Balin had decided on it. "Until then, I'll try to rule the kingdom as Thorin would and make him proud."

"I have always been proud of you," a low voice said brokenly.

Fíli felt his heart stop beating and saw the same disbelief he felt on his brother's face. If Kíli had heard it, did that mean he hadn't imagined it?

"There has never been a time when I have not been proud of both of you."

Their chairs went flying back as both brothers surged from them and rushed across the room. "Thorin!"

Blue eyes were open and sane as they reached the bed. "Fíli, Kíli," he said quietly. "You're alive."

"Aye, Uncle," Kíli said in a rush. "Everyone lived!"

"I saw you…fall."

His heart clenching, Fíli nodded as Thorin's gaze met his. "We did, but we survived. It's been a month since the battle."

"A month," Thorin mused, his eyes closing on a sigh.

Panic set in quick and hard and both of them grabbed Thorin's arms. "Uncle?!"

"Cease shouting," he growled. "I am still here."

Swallowing his heart, Fíli let go of his uncle. It was impossible not to be scared of losing Thorin, however, and letting go was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

"Help me sit up."

Both of them reached out again, maneuvering both pillows and uncle so he was propped against the headboard. Once they pulled away, Thorin pressed a hand to his chest. He was only in a tunic, but he'd be able to feel the bandages that were still there.

"Do you want to eat?" Kíli asked, filling the silence. "We can get you a meal."

"After. I need to speak with both of you first."

A bad feeling rippled through him. "About what?"

Thorin was quiet for a long time, his gaze turned inward. "I wondered about the prudence of bringing both of you with me," he said quietly. "You are the last of my kin and it was your right to help reclaim your homeland. But at the same time you are my sister-sons, the last of my family and I didn't want you anywhere near that dragon."

Fíli glanced at his brother, confused. Thorin had never spoken about this before. Even though he had always been there for him, he had never been overtly affectionate or spoken of what he felt.

"I thought about it the entire length of our quest," he continued, "and I considered sending you home repeatedly."

They both tensed. Send them home. That would have been beyond shaming to him. "Uncle-"

"When you fell protecting me, I knew," he said lowly. "I knew I had made a mistake. I knew the cost was too high. What was a mountain and a pile of gold to me when my sister-sons had given their lives to defend a dwarf gone mad?"

Fíli looked away, uncertain of what to say to that.

"You're our uncle and king," Kíli answered. "Of course we would defend you."

Thorin sighed. "I never wanted either of you to die so I could live."

"But we're alive, Thorin," Fíli reminded him quietly.

"No thanks to me. I nearly led all of us to our deaths."

Both brothers fell silent again. What Thorin said was true, but it had been their choice to come. Yes, neither of them had known what to expect when they'd left home, but they had both been willing to give anything to reclaim Erebor. And neither of them regretted any of the choices they had made.

"I could hear you."

Fíli looked back at Thorin. "What?" he asked, knowing Kíli was frowning at their uncle.

"Everything you've said to me in the time I…slept. I could hear all of it."

"Then why didn't you wake?" Fíli asked, trying to keep his pain out of his voice and knowing he failed by the way Thorin's eyes darkened.

"Guilt," he said softly. "You might have been alive, but your entire world was shattered because of my decisions."

"You only did what you thought to be right."

"No, I didn't. I let the past constantly cloud my judgement and greed ruled my mind. I couldn't see what was in front of me and I let anger dictate my actions." Thorin shook his head. "Until I accepted these facts, I couldn't face either of you."

"Uncle, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Kíli said quietly.

"Not now that my sister-sons have righted the wrongs I couldn't and the ones I created. Everything you've done for our people and for Erebor make me proud to call you my kin."

A trickle of worry flowed through Fíli. "That sounds like a good-bye, Uncle."

Thorin chuckled lowly and shook his head. "No, Fíli. I don't plan on saying good-bye for a long time."

Fíli heard his brother let out a pent up breath. "Good because you aren't allowed to die when Erebor needs her king."

"The Lonely Mountain has a king," Thorin murmured.

"Everything is ready for you to assume the throne. We just-"

"I was not talking about myself, Fíli," his uncle cut in.

Fíli froze. "What?" he managed to say.

"I am not the one who dealt with the armies on our doorstep. I did not bring dwarves home to rebuild and get Erebor on her feet again. I am not the king that Erebor needs."

All he could do was stare. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that Thorin would not want the throne. He had been willing to take the title of king, but he had always known he would give it up as soon as Thorin woke. He didn't know what to do now that the title would be his permanently.

Thorin studied him for a moment before a faint smile crossed his face. "You knew that if we reclaimed Erebor, one day you'd be king."

"I didn't expect it to be so soon," he muttered honestly.

"And not ten minutes ago you were ready and willing to take the throne."

"Until you woke!"

"And if I never did? What then?"

Fíli let out a sigh and looked away. "I don't know," he admitted. "I didn't want to stop believing you'd wake."

"I understand, but I also know I am not fit to rule. Once greed takes hold of a dwarf, it does not easily let go. I cannot trust myself to lead our people to greatness once again."

"And I can?" Fíli asked. "What is to stop me from following in your footsteps?"

"I will," Thorin said firmly. "I may not be taking the throne, but I am not going to abandon you to it. You are my family and I will help you in any way I can."

"You could help by taking the throne," Fíli muttered.

Thorin chuckled. "Any way but that one."

Six months later

"Stop playing with it."

Kíli dropped his hand at his mother's voice and threw a glare at Fíli when his brother chuckled. It wasn't his fault he wasn't used to wearing these kinds of clothes. Most of his life had been spent wearing clothing meant for rough use. They were durable and comfortable. These were not.

"Do you remember when being an heir of Durin was just words and didn't carry the weight of a mountain with it?" Fíli asked, coming over to him.

"It feels like a lifetime ago," Kíli sighed. "I remember when we used to pretend we were taking back the mountain. That we had slain Smaug and reclaimed Erebor for Thorin."

Fíli chuckled again. "It didn't exactly go as we pretended."

"Not at all." But that didn't mean it was a bad thing. Looking across the room, he watched as their mother and uncle spoke with one another. They were both garbed in royal blue, Thorin's tunic as rich as the dress Dís was wearing. The sight made him happy. Their mother had always been a princess, but this was the first time she had truly dressed like one.

"It's been so long since either of them have done anything formal like this, but they're so calm about it," Fíli muttered.

"That's because they aren't being crown ruler of Erebor," Kíli teased.

His brother snorted. "It's just a crown," he grumbled. "I've been king in name for the past six months and yet the thought of this terrifies me."

"Because once you wear it everything becomes real."

Fíli looked at him. "It amazes me how you've grown, Kíli."

It was his turn to snort. "I wasn't much to begin with," he admitted. "I was young and foolish. Uncle was right. I knew nothing of the world. But I can't afford to remain blind to it anymore. I would be of no service to you if I did."

Fíli clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I could ask for no greater brother," he said. "Your support is something I need as much as uncle's."

He didn't think his advice was as meaningful as Thorin's, but he had found his own purpose as a prince of Erebor. Fíli had given him and Dwalin the task of ensuring Erebor's safety and he took it seriously. But more than that, he found his job to be reminding his brother of who he was. Not King Under the Mountain, but Fíli, son of Dís. When the stress of being king weighed, too heavily on him, Kíli would recount some of the adventures and trouble they had gotten into as children. Sometimes it took a few stories, but it always worked to ground his brother.

"Do you know what I miss?" Fíli asked suddenly.

"Not having an entire nation watching your every move? Two if you count Dale. Or maybe three. Mahal only knows what the elves are doing."

Fíli growled and punched his shoulder. "Do not remind me," he muttered.

Kíli smiled and said, "What do you miss, Brother?"

"Sneaking down to the orchard at the foot of the Blue Mountains and spending all day in the trees eating the fruit. We wasted many wonderful summer days there."

Kíli remembered. The orchard had been tended by the surliest dwarf ever to set foot on Middle Earth. It had almost become a rite of passage for young dwarves. If you could spend the entire day in the orchard without being caught, you were a legend to the others. "We ate too many apples once and were sick when we got home."

"I'm more likely to believe that it was the cider we snitched that did that."

Dís had not been impressed when her sons had come stumbling in at sunset, more than a little drunk and sick to the stomach. "At forty-five and forty, we were supposed to know better."

"I don't think we'll ever know better," Fíli chuckled.

It made him smile. Perhaps not, but sneaking off now was not a wise thing to do. The kingdom would panic if the king and heir disappeared. But Kíli silently vowed he would make sure to get his brother out of the kingdom every now and then to ensure he still had fun. He would make sure that Dís and Thorin knew what they were about. After they were gone of course, otherwise they wouldn't get to leave at all.

Silence fell between them, the only noise in the room the low conversation between Thorin and Dís. Moments like these happened frequently with the royal family. There didn't always need to be words. They simply took solace in the fact that their family was here and together.

"Do you know what today is?"

Kíli almost answered flippantly again, but he stopped to think about it.

"Do you know why I picked today for this?"

Besides the time it had taken to plan the coronation? Something was tugging at his memories and he knew that he should know the answer. But what made this early summer day so-"Mahal," he breathed as it came to him.

"One year ago on this day," Thorin said, joining them, "thirteen dwarves and a wizard descended upon a hobbit and forever changed his life and theirs."

Kíli smiled fondly at the memory. He had been sad to see Bilbo return home. The hobbit was a true friend and missed greatly. "You didn't see his face when he thought we were going to break his dishes, Uncle."

"Having spent time with Mister Baggins, I can easily imagine it."

Kíli shared a grin with his brother. The hobbit had had no way of knowing that to break those dishes would have been incredibly rude by dwarven standards. There weren't many rules to a dwarven party, but the main one was that you left the residence in the same state as you found it. Minus the food and drink. Poor Bilbo had taken their song seriously and expected them to leave his house in ruins.

"He nearly passed out several times during the night," Fíli laughed. "He didn't know what to do with us."

"I think, even at the end, he still didn't know what to do with or make of dwarves," Thorin said, smiling faintly.

Kíli had never asked if Thorin remembered making amends with Bilbo and his uncle never brought it up. But when Bilbo was mentioned, no anger came from Thorin so he assumed he did.

"Not that I'm sure we dwarves will ever understand any hobbit."

"I don't know. I know they set a fine table," Fíli mused. "Even when they don't want the guests."

Whereas a dwarf wouldn't stand for others raiding their larder like the company had Bilbo's.

"Perhaps you should invite him back," Dís said as she came over. "You all speak so fondly of him. I would like to meet the Halfling who saved my family so many times."

The brothers shared a look. Fíli had wanted Bilbo to be here, to see Erebor in her glory, but they hadn't sent an invite. They knew they had shaken up the hobbit's world enough as it was and to ask him to travel so far when he couldn't have been home for long was too much. Even though they wanted to see their friend, they knew his home was in the Shire.

The door opened suddenly and Balin poked his head in. "It's time."

Kíli saw his brother tense, but Fíli nodded. "Thank you, Balin."

As the door closed again, Dís smiled at her eldest son and straightened out his tunic. "Come. The people want to see their king."

Thorin gripped Fíli's shoulder as Dís stepped back. "Never forget you are a true king of Erebor and I am proud of you," he said quietly.

"Thank you," he said thickly.

They both moved away from the brothers, heading to the doors to wait for them.

"Do you really think I can do this, Kíli?"

"You have been doing it," he said immediately. "You've been ruling Erebor for nearly seven months and look how she's prospered. All that's happening today is a ceremony for the people really. You've been accepted as king and nothing will change that."

"When did you become so wise?" his brother chuckled.

"I'm not. Anyone with eyes can see what you've done for our people and they love you for it." Kíli paused for a moment. "The crown is just a symbol of what you already are. It isn't going to change anything." I won't let it. I'll never let you forget who you really are.

Fíli gripped his arms and bumped his forehead against Kíli's. "I am lucky to have you as my brother," he said softly.

"And I am proud to have you as my brother and king."

Taking a deep breath, Fíli let go and said, "I'm ready."

Kíli nodded and followed him to the door. On the other side, their kingdom was waiting for the king to take his throne. The galleries surrounding the throne would be filled to overflowing, every dwarf in the mountain coming to see, to celebrate this moment. It was no wonder Fíli was nervous.

Glancing at Thorin, Kíli saw the pride on his uncle's face and in the small smile he was giving them. Returning the gesture, Kíli knew that his brother would be fine because he wasn't alone. His family was supporting him and would always be there for him.

As Fíli pushed the doors open, Kíli fought a grin when the hall exploded with cheers at the sight of their king and he knew two things. The people truly did love his brother and the celebration for this even was going to last for days.

A/N: Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed how things have panned out for the royal family! I knew early on that this was exactly what I wanted to happen when Thorin woke up. Although, I will admit, I wasn't sure if he was actually going to live or not, but my roommate convinced me that he had to live. So this is all that I have planned for the story at this point, but inspiration strikes in odd ways sometimes and I'm sure there would still be a tale or fifty to tell of Fíli being king. Love to you all for reading this! You're what makes me keep writing!

A/N 2: As some of you may already know, I decided to do a sequel to Aftermath. Three chapters are up already and it's called Aftershocks. Hope to see all of you over there and thank you for reading!