Part Three

Kili went into labor the very next afternoon.

At first, the young dwarf was panicked, because it felt a lot like it had when he'd nearly miscarried. But when Oin and Dori both came to check on the distraught prince, they ended up offering him twin grins of excitement.

"It's time," Dori announced.

While Oin prepared his surgical tools, Dori shooed everyone else out of the house. Only Fili was allowed to remain. As Kili did not possess the proper equipment to deliver the baby naturally, he would have to be cut open and the baby taken out. Oin had a mixture to dull the pain some, but he could still feel it when the blade passed neatly through his skin and into the tissue below. He looked away after that first cut, squeezing Fili's hand for all he was worth, pain flowing through his body as blood flowed from the cuts in his belly.

The young dwarf was summoned from his pain-filled haze by a strange noise. It sounded like crying, but…

"Fili?" he called out, eyes still squeezed shut in pain. "What is that?"

"It…it's her, Kili. Open your eyes."

Kili did so, looking past Oin, who was stitching him up, to see Dori washing a very tiny figure in a basin of warm water. He had never seen a baby before and it was strange to him, but strange or no, red and wrinkled as she was…she was beautiful, and he loved her right away.

"Mahal bless this day," Dori sang as he swaddled the baby girl. "How long has it been since dwarf ears have heard a baby's cry?"

"I understand you're excited, Dori, but could we maybe have some time with our daughter?" Fili asked with a chuckle.

"Of course, of course," the older dwarf said, a bit of a jig in his step as he brought them the tiny linen-wrapped bundle. "Prince Kili, Prince Fili…your daughter."

For once, both dwarves were struck dumb…enchanted as they held the tiny dwarfling between them. Already, dark curls were sprouting from her head, and every last one of her tiny features was perfect. The new parents felt they could have gone on for hours just looking at her. They would never be able to have enough of looking…and as Kili looked, he knew that Thror had not destroyed him…not completely. This child was beautiful…and she had come from him, so there must have been beauty…somewhere in his ruined soul. The fact that he had come through everything he had in order to be her father now…meant something. He had not been conquered.

"She's beautiful," Kili said softly, even though it didn't really need saying. Tears of joy trickled down his face as they rocked her together. Fili said nothing, but after a time, Kili realized he was humming…humming the love song…and as he listened, Kili knew what the baby's name was.

"Shiri," he said softly. "That's her name."

"Shiri? As in 'my song'?"

"Yes…that is what she is…the greatest love song the world has ever known. Shiri."

"Shiri," Fili said aloud, testing it out, and after several minutes decided, "I like it. Shiri she will be…and they will sing songs of her…the hope of her people."

"And of her papa," Kili said softly, pressing a kiss to his baby girl's forehead.

XxX

Their uncle and his advisors returned to the front lines that same day, but the young prince insisted the child be kept at home for at least a few days…which ended up turning into two weeks, as the two princes just couldn't get enough of their new little daughter, couldn't have enough of tending to her every need…and every moment the young prince spent with his new family, he could feel himself healing a little more.

They couldn't hide from the world forever, though, and the day soon came the elder prince was needed to bring their daughter out of the forest. Even though he trusted his brother, the young prince insisted that most of his loyal protectors accompany him to the battle that day. Only two remained behind for his own protection.

The king, though, had not forgotten his prize. In fact, everything that had occurred so far had done so according to his will, and he was still coming for the young prince's heart.

XxX

"Word has come through," Thror announced to Saruman as he entered their war tent. "The child is born."

"Good," the old wizard said with a sneer. "If this is so, then the boy has reached full ripeness. It is time for you to go to him," he said, whipping a hand through the air. When he held it out to the old dwarf, an apple had appeared there. "This is what you requested, I believe."

Thror raised an eyebrow. "An apple?"

"Yes. The first fruit…and Kili's last. It takes but one bite. Give it to him and you will have what you desire."

"And how am I to get to him?"

"You have but to wear your cloak," Saruman explained as he laid a hand on the garment, weaving a spell through the threads. "As long as you wear it, you will be able to pass among them."

XxX

The small company of dwarves was ready to march. The only thing keeping them now was that Kili wasn't finished saying goodbye to Fili and Shiri.

"I'll be waiting for you," Kili said, pressing several kisses to the top of Shiri's small head. The little girl burbled sweetly in response, strapped securely into a sling at Fili's chest. "I love you both."

"We love you, too," Fili said, leaning in to give his brother a kiss over Shiri's head. "We'll see you tonight."

"Please," Kili whispered, his fingers digging into Fili's shoulders, "keep each other safe…and bring each other home to me. I will wait for you forever if I must."

"Don't fear. We will return to you. Just stay safe until then."

"I will. Just don't let anything happen to her."

"Never."

"And you," he said, tapping Shiri on the nose, "make sure your father doesn't do anything stupid."

"If you two are quite finished, we'd better get a move on. We'll miss the war at this rate," Dori said with a chuckle. Then, to Kili, he said, "Don't worry, lad. Nothing will happen to them. We'll bring them back to you alive."

"Thank you," Kili said softly.

Then, with one last kiss, Fili headed out into the dark forest with Shiri, surrounded by Bilbo, Bifur, Bombur, Dori, and Ori. Only Nori and Bofur were remaining behind to protect Kili.

"Don't worry, lad," Bofur reassured him again, guiding him back into the cottage after the others had disappeared from sight. "You, Fili, and the little one are all like family. They'll not let any harm come to them."

Sadly, harm was already coming. It was speeding through the forest with deadly intent, prepared to slip in and strike, completely unnoticed.

XxX

The three dwarves were very worried when Fili came running through the trees a few hours later, his hair streaked with blood.

"What happened? Where are the others?" Nori demanded.

"They'll be along. Kili, I must speak with you alone. There is news."

"But you're…you're hurt," Kili tried to argue, reaching for the slash wound on his head.

"It's nothing," he insisted, grabbing Kili's hand and leading him back inside.

"Kili-" Bofur started, but was unable to finish before they'd disappeared. Something wasn't right.

"How's Shiri?" Kili asked as Fili dragged him up the stairs, shutting the door to the sleeping quarters behind them. He could hardly see the sling their daughter was kept in the way Fili was standing.

"She's sleeping. She slept most of the time," he said. When he finally turned to look at him, there was a very strange smile on his face. Kili felt a bolt of uncertainty shoot down his spine as his brother took him in his arms. "Oh, but I have missed this." With that, Fili pressed his lips to his…and only then did Kili begin to understand.

It was the same taste…the same vile, putrid taste he still carried in his nightmares. A hand found its way to the sling, only to find it filled with cloth. All in an instant, he realized it. He was trapped…completely helpless. He was unarmed and still weak from bearing Shiri. He was caught.

Fili…Shiri…I'm so sorry.

Kili tore himself away from the hated embrace, glaring at the fiend who wore his brother's precious face as he spit out the disgusting taste in his mouth.

"Thror," he snarled.

"Hello again, my fair one."

XxX

Fili could feel the eyes of the soldiers on him as he moved through the crowd, surrounded by his friends. Shiri was wriggling in her sling and the other dwarves were all held spellbound by the sight of the tiny girl. The two sides had been ready to do battle once again when Thorin had called for a ceasefire, summoning his heir to him.

The sight of the child was the proof so many had longed for…that a miracle had happened. As Fili moved toward his uncle, he carefully removed his daughter from her sling, holding her up for all to see. Shiri, of course, had no idea what was going on, so she just cooed and kicked her little legs in the air.

"Behold, my people!" Thorin announced for both sides to hear. "Thror has lied to you! We are not forsaken! A light has come from the darkness! Unto my nephews, and unto all of us, a child is born! I present to you my grandchild…Princess Shiri!"

Nearly as one, the combatants fell to their knees. Shouts of joy and amazement filled the air, praising Mahal and praising Shiri and her fathers.

"Hail, King Thorin! Hail, Prince Kili! Hail, Prince Fili! Hail, Princess Shiri!"

Fili smiled in relief as he saw dwarves who had formerly been enemies joined in celebration, all because of his daughter. Maybe…maybe the worst was finally behind them?

XxX

"Are you going to take my heart?"

"That's the idea. Are you going to run?"

"No. Others would pay for it if I tried. I just want to ask…why now?"

"Why?" he repeated, the stolen features he wore twisting into an ugly, mocking leer.

"You had me imprisoned for six months…completely at your mercy. Why did you wait until now?"

"You were not ready yet. The absolute power that my quest requires is called hope. From the moment I first saw you, I have waited for the hope inside of you to ripen. In order to awaken it, I first had to reduce you to ash. Everything that has occurred has done so according to my will, even your escape. You were not going to grow anymore in my hands. Although I didn't foresee you staying free as long as you did. I may just have to punish you for that," he said, drawing an apple from his cloak and tossing it to his prey.

"What is this?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's a spell…nothing more, but you really ought to thank me for it. It's a mercy."

"How?"

"That spell will put you to sleep…an eternal sleep…a dark sleep…a sleep that will leave you alive after I've taken your heart."

"But…why would you-"

"You and I will watch eternity pass together. I will live it, and you…you will have an eternity to remember…to see what you lost…and to long for it with every fiber of your being. Fili will grieve for you, for he will think you dead, but he will live on…and eventually die. Shiri will not remember you, but she, too, will live her life and someday go to her rest. You, though…you will never rest. You will be trapped for all of time…and you will never see them again."

"Now explain to me how that's a mercy," Kili said, glaring at his great grandfather whilst still clutching the apple in his hands

"Because even now…when you are beyond saving…you still have hope left. It burns brightly within you…the hope that your brother will find a way to break the spell, despite the impossibility of it. Death is final, but this…there is a glimmer of hope in this, which I believe will make your torment worse in the end…but the choice is yours. To die…or to sleep?"

"There is a third option," Kili pointed out, casually tossing the apple up and down.

"Yes, but you're in no fit state to fight me…and you know what happens if you do…to the people you love."

Suddenly, fists could be heard pounding against the locked door.

"Kili? Fili? What's going on in there?!" Bofur shouted.

"If you don't come out, we'll break down the door!" Nori warned. Kili spoke as if they had not interrupted at all.

"So…I do this…and they live?" he clarified.

"Certainly. Once I have immortality, no mortal hand will be able to destroy me. Your kin will be no enemies of mine. I will even allow them to leave this land if they wish. Their lives…to be had upon payment of your freedom."

Slowly, Kili nodded. Thror wasn't wrong…in pointing out that, even now, he still had hope. Fili's love, Shiri's birth, the friendship of all the other dwarves…it had given him something stronger than the pain this beast had caused him. Even if everything he predicted came to pass and he was left imprisoned in a cage of his own mind for all eternity, he had known their love, for however brief a time…and that would remain with him always. No matter what he did…Thror could not destroy what they really were. Whatever lay ahead of him, he was ready to face it.

Fili…Shiri…I love you. This is goodbye, he said in his heart as he raised the apple to his lips and took a bite. At first, he tasted the sharp tartness of the fruit, but there was something beneath that flavor…something of spice…of heat and darkness…and that darkness slid down his throat as he swallowed, filling him up and replacing everything he was with a heavy, destructive mist.

Briefly, Kili choked, his feet giving way beneath him as he lost his strength. Thror was there to catch him as he fell. The disguise had finally slipped away and he looked as he always had: an old and bitter dwarf with a glint of his insanity showing in his sneer.

"Sleep well, my fair one. I will put your heart to good use."

Kili tried to respond, but he had no strength to speak anymore. With one last shudder, he finally let go and fell into the cursed sleep…the sleep from which there was likely no awakening.

When Bofur and Nori finally made good their threat to break down the door, they found Thror crouching over Kili's still body, his chest cut open and his eyes empty and staring as blood flowed freely to the wooden floor. In his hands, the old king held the dead prince's heart, dripping with blood.

"NO!" Bofur cried out.

With a wordless shriek of rage, Nori launched himself at Thror…but found himself stopped by a face-full of powder, which left him disoriented and weak…yet one more spell from the white wizard for getting past the spiders. It took only one more hit to put Bofur out of commission, allowing Thror to flee the cottage, shrieking with childish, joyous laughter.

"It's mine! It's mine! The child's heart is finally mine! Mine! No one else's!"

Bofur and Nori could not pursue him, nor possibly hope to warn the others of what had happened. Besides…what would be the point of it? Kili was dead. The boy they all loved so much had been murdered…and they'd been unable to stop it from happening. They had failed him.

In their current state, the only thing the two dwarves could manage to do was crawl to Kili's side.

"We're so sorry…Kili," Bofur said, weeping openly now. "So…miserably sorry."

How would they ever tell Fili?

XxX

As earth-shaking as the joining of the two armies had been, it was still only the first step in their battle that day. After Thror's warriors had laid down their arms, Saruman took up his…weapons altogether more deadly than an axe or a sword.

Although Fili ached to be part of this fight, to punish one of the fiends who had hurt his brother, he knew his first duty was to keep Shiri safe, so he stood back and bore witness, keeping out of the sorcerer's sight.

Bilbo and the five Mirkwood dwarves joined Thorin and his council in confronting the ancient evil. Bilbo and Thorin stood together, their swords yet undrawn, waiting until the last possible moment to reveal their trump.

"Do you seriously believe a handful of dwarves stand a chance against a wizard?" he demanded, raising his staff high and bringing its power to bear on his enemies.

Immediately, their stand began to fall apart. Oin's and Gloin's weapons turned to snakes in their hands and Balin's shifted into sand. Bombur's knife turned into a fish and Bifur's spear became red hot, blistering his hands before he could drop it. Dori's weapon turned to harmless wheat and, worst of all, Ori's and Dwalin's weapons turned on each other, seeking the blood of their wielders. It took everything they had to keep a hold of them.

Despite the chaos around them, Thorin and Bilbo stood calmly before the wizard, hands on the hilts of their weapons, shielded from his power. Saruman raised an eyebrow, focusing more of his attention on the two before him, but nothing he did seemed to affect them…and when they finally bared their blades, he began to understand why. The ancient sorcerer sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I should have known I hadn't seen the last of your power…old friend."

Saruman didn't even try to run when the duo sprang at him. Bilbo's blow struck his staff, breaking it. Thorin's strike took the wizard's heart, and as he fell, his body turned to dust.

A great cheer went up at the sorcerer's fall. Fili felt a small spark of joy himself, but at the same time, he somehow felt this had been too easy…and when Thorin's next question was answered, he knew why.

"Where is Thror?" Thorin demanded. "Where is this snake who calls himself king?"

"Thror is not here, my Lord," one of his former lieutenants answered. "He left early this morning."

At this, a chill of horror stole over Fili's heart. Where else would Thror be going except-

"Mine!"

The scream came from the edge of Mirkwood. All eyes looked up to see the former king bolting from the trees, hair wild and clothes muddy and torn…and in his hands, he held-

"NOOO!" Fili screamed, his entire world shattering when he beheld the mangled heart in the old dwarf's hands. There was only one person that heart could belong to.

Surely the others must have reacted to the awful sight, but Fili was numb to everything but the heart in Thror's hands. It couldn't be true…it just couldn't. This couldn't be Kili's heart. This couldn't be his end. He couldn't have died for this wicked creature.

But it was…and he had…and Fili understood as he watched Thror flail through the crowd of stunned soldiers that his life was over. Perhaps his brain hadn't understood it yet, but the knowledge came from a place even deeper within him…deeper than logic…the place where Kili had lived.

The next thing the prince became aware of was someone taking Shiri from him and placing a sword in his hands. Fili awakened from his horror-struck trance to find Bilbo standing beside him, his expression calmly furious as he rocked the frightened dwarfling. The sword in his hands was Sting.

"For Kili," the hobbit said softly. Nodding, Fili gripped the sword tighter and moved straight through the shocked crowd, the soldiers falling away from him like raindrops from stone, so great and terrible was his anger. By the time he reached the deranged dwarf, the rage in his eyes could have turned high mountains to dust. Slowly, he raised the sword to the former king.

"You. What have you done?" he demanded, his whisper more terrible than any scream. Thror offered him a lopsided grin, blood dribbling from his mouth.

"I wanted you to see…I wanted to make you watch…my ascension. You couldn't keep him from me forever. This is destiny."

"No. This isn't destiny. My baby brother is dead…because you made a choice. You made a choice…to murder him…to abandon everything that matters…and care only for yourself. You truly are insane…and you don't deserve to live."

"What can you do to stop me living, boy?"

"You haven't eaten the whole heart yet. You're still vulnerable. Your sorcerer is dead and there is no one in this world who will fight for you anymore."

"Maybe not…but they still fear me. They will not stop me," he cackled, moving to take another bite of the heart…Kili's heart…his heart.

"I will stop you," Fili declared, holding the sword up in front of him like a shield.

"No, you won't. You will only watch…powerless…as you were powerless to prevent your brother's death," he said, flinging a fistful of his magic powder in the prince's face, ready to watch him fall, weak as a kitten…

…only he did not fall. The spell was blocked by the power of the sword, and Thror had only a moment to feel true fear before Fili came at him, screaming in rage and pain as he took the mad dwarf's head off with one clean blow. Then he fell to his knees beside the old king's headless body, dropping Sting and reaching to take his brother's heart from his accursed hands.

"Kili," he whispered before leaping to his feet and sprinting to the forest. He heard the others shouting somewhere behind him but he ignored them. He knew…of course he knew…but some part of him couldn't help hoping, couldn't help begging…that it wasn't true…that it was all some horrible nightmare, and he would arrive at the cottage to find his brother alive and well, waiting for him with a smile and a warm embrace. Even though he knew…he couldn't help himself.

Fili ran until he couldn't breathe and kept going, forcing himself past pain, past endurance, driven only by need.

"KILI!" he screamed when he came in sight of the cottage, but there was no answering call…and the main floor was deserted. Throwing himself up the stairs, he found Nori and Bofur, kneeling beside a still body and weeping.

"Kili," he whispered, speaking as if his brother could still hear him. Tears burned at his eyes as he moved into the room. "You're…so still. Won't you wake up? Won't you speak? Kili…look at me," he begged as he fell to his knees beside the other two. Laying the still heart aside, he gently gathered Kili in his arms, but his lover was still, staring with unseeing eyes.

"Kili…please…please…look at me! Call my name once more. Please…don't leave me…don't leave me here. We did it. We stopped Thror. You're safe now. Are you listening?" He had to keep talking. He just had to…otherwise the tears would overtake him. "Wake up. Please wake up! Shiri needs you. I need you! Help me raise our child. I can't…I can't do this by myself. I can't…I'm not…please…please…please…NO!" he finally cried out, the horrible sobs contained in his chest tearing free as he clutched Kili's body to him. The painful cries wracked his body, but they were hardly even a fraction of the pain in his heart. Even so, his grief was terrible to behold. He screamed and cried until he had ruined his throat, until he had wrung every last drop of strength from his body…until he felt hands on his shoulders.

"Enough now, lad," he heard Dori's voice in his ear. "It's time to let him go."

Then a hand reached down into his field of vision, gently closing Kili's empty eyes. They were pulling Kili away from him…he tried to fight them, tried to hold onto him, but his strength was gone…spent in grief and shock…and before he was even aware of slipping, the world had gone black before his eyes.

XxX

The young prince was mourned by the entire nation. His miracle became known far and wide…the male who had carried and borne a child. He had brought hope to the weary, light to the darkness…and in the end, he had been lost to that darkness. Yet the prince was so beautiful, even in death, the dwarves could not bring themselves to bury him…to lay him to rest in a stone sarcophagus as per their traditions. Instead they fashioned a coffin out of crystal and glass, leaving the prince to lie in state, so that all who wished to might come and look upon him.

In the following months, the elder prince, now the crown prince, suffered in frozen silence. He tended to his little daughter: he fed her, changed her, played with her, but his heart just wasn't in it. Even for the baby princess, he rarely smiled. The love she needed, she received from the Mirkwood dwarves, the hobbit, and the new king. The two were growing closer after their triumph over the wizard, and before long, the king took the hobbit as his official consort. The young prince's miracle was not the last to occur, either. It was soon discovered the youngest of the Mirkwood dwarves was with child by the huntsman. Vitality was indeed being returned to a race thought to be fading. Life was happening around him, but to the prince, it seemed that his life had stopped. He could not bring himself to continue on after losing his brother. It was like being frozen, waiting with bated breath for the younger prince to walk in from the next room…to wake from his endless sleep…to smile at him once more and tell him it was all just a terrible joke. His days were passed in silent mourning, and his nights were spent in crushing, unbearable grief. In the night, he lay beside the glass coffin, hand pressed against the cold glass, aching to cross the impossible distance between them. Some nights he missed his love so badly he could hardly breathe, knowing that the only reason he still did was for the sake of his daughter.

As the months passed, the emptiness in the prince's eyes only continued to grow, and the others began to question the wisdom of leaving the dead prince to lie in state for so long. Perhaps it was only prolonging the prince's suffering? Perhaps it was time to let the young prince go? Maybe it would speed his brother's healing? In the end, the decision was finally made to lay the young prince to rest in the rock-hewn tombs beneath the city, but still contained within his glass coffin. Pilgrims would be able to view his remains, but only with special permission. Perhaps…by laying his brother to rest properly…the prince might finally be able to find peace.

XxX

Fili had not been happy about the decision to lock Kili away in the cold, unfeeling stone, but he had not opposed it. He'd only wept a little harder each night he'd spent beside the coffin. Just because Fili was weak…incapable of letting his brother go…didn't mean Kili didn't deserve the honor of being at least partially buried in the fashion of their ancestors.

The Mirkwood dwarves bore the glass coffin on their shoulders, even Ori, who was very heavy with twins. To them, it was some sort of symbolic penance for failing to keep Kili safe, as they'd promised. Thorin and Bilbo came first behind the coffin, followed closely by Fili, with little Shiri cradled in his arms. In some ways, it was almost like having a second funeral for the young prince.

Even now, six months after his death, Kili still looked so beautiful. They all claimed it was the glass that preserved him, but Fili often felt like some sort of different force was at work…as if death would not dare to touch his lovely features. They'd even placed his heart back in his chest and sewn him up, according his remains at least that much honor.

Fili was numb to it all…numb to the fact that he was losing his brother all over again. As was the case most days, he knew that if he didn't keep himself together, he would absolutely lose it. He would break down in front of all these dwarves. He didn't really let himself feel anything until they were laying Kili to rest in the alcove that had been hewn out for his coffin. In that moment, Fili felt the loss of his brother just as keenly as he had that very first moment. He felt the pain claw at his already fragile heart…and knew that he couldn't just leave it like this.

"Please!" he called out to his uncle, pushing through to him. "Please, Uncle…at least let me say goodbye."

Thorin only nodded, his expression solemn. Bilbo moved forward to take Shiri from him and the others lifted the lid from Kili's coffin. Then they all retreated, allowing Fili his moment alone.

Fili approached slowly, feeling his body tremble with every step. How could he do this? Could he really bear to say goodbye to Kili forever? He felt his heart clawing at his ribcage worse than ever as he knelt beside the coffin.

"Well…here we are," he said quietly, reaching forward to stroke Kili's dark hair. "I don't know why they think this will make things better, Kili. I still miss you. I miss you…so much. It feels like my heart's breaking every time I breathe in. I would join you…but Shiri still needs her father. Someday…someday, Kili…I promise you…we'll be together again someday," he vowed, tears starting to spill from his eyes as he took one of Kili's hands in his, holding it close to his heart as he started to sing…the last time he would ever sing this song. It was only for Kili.

One song,

I have but one song,

One song

Only for you.

One heart

Tenderly beating,

Ever entreating,

Constant and true.

One love

That has possessed me.

One love

Thrilling me through.

One song

My heart keeps singing

Of one love

Only for you.

Then, leaning forward, Fili pressed one last kiss to Kili's lips. Even now, his brother's lips were still soft and warm. As he separated from him, though, he felt a shudder run through the air. Then Kili's eyes fluttered open and he drew in a deep breath, the color returning to his face.

Fili stumbled back in shock. Kili lay still for a moment, confusion and fear in his eyes, but then he looked over and saw Fili. A smile of relief and amazement lit his face as he sat up.

"You broke it. You broke the spell!" he cried out, tears of happiness shining in his eyes.

"Kili?" Fili whispered in shock, frozen where he was. "You…you're real?"

"It's me."

"Am…am I dead?" he asked, reaching out a hand as he moved hesitantly forward.

"No. No, it's me. I'm alive! We're both alive!"

"How can it be?" Fili asked, his hand tangling in Kili's hair.

"Thror cast a spell…to keep me alive after he'd taken my heart…to punish us. Your kiss must have broken it…your love."

Part of Fili didn't want to believe it…the broken heart that had continued to beat for six months…that part of him wasn't ready to believe that his suffering could be over just like that, but there was yet another part of him that was even stronger…the part that had prayed endlessly for such a miracle…that part had already won.

"Kili…" he whispered, his voice at once broken and jubilant. "Six months…six months I've been without you. I've had such sadness," he said, pulling his brother to him for another desperate, hungry kiss.

"I know, I know," Kili whispered against his lips, his arms wrapping around Fili's shoulders. "I'm sorry…that I caused you such pain…but it's over now. I will never leave you again, never. Hold me tight, Brother. Shake the cold and the dark from my heart. Let me feel your love…for I have gone so long without it."

Finally giving himself over to his joy, Fili lifted Kili from the glass coffin, holding him tightly and kissing him as he spun him around and around the chamber. The sound of their laughter called the other dwarves back to the now unneeded burial chamber, revealing that the miracle child had produced one last miracle.

XxX

The prince had once said his little brother might never be free of his nightmares, and this did prove true in its own way. He could never leave behind the memory of his time trapped in the darkness, but at the same time, his experiences made the young prince who he was. In the end, the power of their love had proven itself stronger than any curse.

After the miracle of the young prince's awakening, the two lovers never spent a moment apart again. Having already been separated by war, greed, pain, despair, and death, they were not going to stand to be separated ever again. They raised their daughter in love and, when the time came, ascended to their uncle's throne.

And of course, because you are wondering, they did indeed live happily ever after.

XxX

(A/N) My last little note here is that the song comes from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I'm not sure how long it's been since anyone has seen that old flick, but I'm not ashamed to say that the closing scene, before the awakening but while the dwarfs and the prince are still mourning, still breaks my heart. I was hoping to recapture something of that emotion; no idea if I succeeded, but I certainly gave it my best go.