Prompt: In which Azog or some other enemy captures the two brothers and realizes very quickly that they share a close bond. Especially Fili as the older, protective brother who would die before letting anyone touch Kili.
Tell me how the bad guy exploits this and tortures Fili in front of his younger brother.
Thorin and co. saving the day would be nice, but not needed (not the emphasis of this prompt).
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Their greatest weakness
Fili is lying on the makeshift bed that the others have put together by piling their coats, Kili always at his side. He is holding his brother's hand, Fili's head in his lap and his own coat covering the shaking body, and watching over his sleep. Every time the blond dwarf starts up, woken by another gruesome nightmare, he is there, talking him back into the world of the living. The others do not dare to come close, for Fili backs away from everybody but his uncle and his brother and when he is sleeping, lost in his dreams and unaware of reality, every touch that is not coming from Kili's hand makes him scream.
When they had found Fili and Kili and managed to rescue them the company had thought everything would be fine again. They had already deemed the brothers lost and seeing them alive had clearly raised their hopes and spirits, but that had been before they had seen Fili like this, broken. Nobody of the company knows what has happened and nobody wants to find out, except for Thorin. Kili does not tell him, though, claiming it is his brother's decision whether or not he has the right to know and the blond dwarf is in no state for such a conversation.
Fili does not really remember much anyway, having buried most of the memories deep in his mind, not ready to deal with them just yet. He knows they are painful and cruel and devastating, he sees it every time he looks into Kili's eyes. His body has to be cured before anyone can attempt to heal his soul, for he is not strong enough to fight these demons he is seeing in his brother's eyes. All he knows is that his sub-consciousness trusts no one but his brother and that there must be a reason for it, and all he remembers is how everything had started. The rest is also there, in his mind, but he cannot grasp it and, frankly, he does not want to. The memories haunt him every time he closes his eyes, every time his wounds take their toll, no matter how hard he tries to stay awake.
He feels Kili's hand in his dirty, matted hair, and he thinks about the panic in his brother's eyes when they had been captured.
They are running, desperate to help the Halfling, who has proven them all wrong, desperate to safe their uncle. Dwalin is fighting at Fili's side, his eyes ferocious and his expression murderous. Fili thinks of his uncle's limp body and he feels the same fire, the same rage that he can see in the warrior's face in his own veins. On his other side Kili is wielding his sword furiously, keeping the orcs at distance, but suddenly there is a blade pointing at his brother's throat and Fili freezes.
Obviously the pale orc notices this and realizes what it means, for there is an evil grin convulsing his face when he threatens: "Drop your swords or I'll have him killed."
And Fili obeys; he capitulates, his brother's life being dearer to him than his own.
And while Dwalin continues to fight he is unable to move when another orc approaches him, leering maliciously, and grabs his collar, pulls him towards the pale orc. He does not dare to struggle like Kili does, his eyes always on the sword threating to slice his brother's throat. When the eagles come they are already bound and thrown over the back of the white warg.
Fili clings to his brother's hand and immediately Kili stirs, looks at him. "Hold me?" Fili whispers and it is the first thing he has said since waking up from the feverish dreams that have been plaguing him since their rescue. "Of course", Kili answers and without hesitating he lifts his brother's head, and lays it onto his arm instead of his legs, curling up around the blond dwarf. Carefully he wraps his other arm around his Fili's chest, knowing where each and every one of the wounds is, and pulls him against his own body. And Fili feels safe, safer than he has felt ever since their kidnapping, safe enough to let the next memory come back.
They are thrown into a hole, dark and narrow and moist and it takes a long time for their eyes to adapt. When they do Fili realizes this is not just some random cage but a dungeon cell, torture equipment lining the walls. He thinks about taking one of the knives, using them to attack their kidnappers, but their hands are still bound. He sees Kili look around, sees the panic in his face when he realizes what is awaiting them.
He is about to try his best and comfort his brother when the door of their cell is opened and Azog enters. His eyes are gleaming in the dark as he watches them like a warg would watch its prey. "What do you think?" he asks, leering. "I prepared this room for Thorin Oakenshield but you might as well inaugurate it." Hope stirs in Fili's breast, is it possible that the pale orc does not know that they are from the line of Durin? It may give them a chance to survive. He does not know at this point that in a few days' time he will wish to be dead. "It is nice, isn't it? I had a hard time choosing which toys to place here, for there are so many that can serve as a great pastime." He watches Kili press against Fili and his grin broadens. "What a cute couple you are!" he sneers. "Let's see, with whom should I start? What about the pretty little dark-haired one?"
And Fili stumbles to his feet, shouting "Never!" for he would rather die than see his brother hurt.
Interest is showing in Azog's eyes. "So, what have we got here? A protective little dwarf? You shall have your way, blondie, I will not hurt your little lover… not as long as you are alive anyway." He suddenly grabs Fili's arms and presses him against the cold stone, undoing the ropes around his wrists only to chain his arms with catenae firmly fixed to the wall. He decides not to scream but by the time the Defiler stops, having cut and burned all kinds of marks into his skin, he has cried himself hoarse. Azog leaves without undoing the chains and there he is, hanging on the wall, naked except for his undergarments and covered in blood.
Suddenly Kili is standing in front of him, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm sorry", he sobs "I'm so sorry! There was another orc, his blade at my throat all the time. Oh, I wished I could have helped you!"
Fili faintly remembers hearing screams that were not his own and he sees the guilt in his brother's face. "There was nothing you could have done", he tries to assure him and then the darkness that has been edging on his mind all the time finally claims him.
Fili shivers, the memory too vivid, too cruel. Kili's arm around him tightens and he presses him closer to his warm body. "Are you cold?" His voice is full of worry and terror and guilt. Fili nods and shakes his head at the same time. "There was nothing you could have done", he repeats. "I wanted to protect you and I did – he did no harm to you."
"No physical harm at least", Kili murmurs hoarsely. "I can still hear you scream and I will for the rest of my life." Fili turns his head, presses his lips against the arm he is lying on. "I will make you forget them", he promises. Kili laughs weakly. "How is it that you are the one trying to comfort me?"
Fili smiles faintly, for the first time since he had seen the blade point at his brother's throat. "You are here with me, that is everything I need."
They lie in silence for a couple of minutes until the younger one speaks up again. "Do you remember… it?"
Fili gulps heavily, not sure he wants to find out what it exactly is. "Bits and pieces", he replies." I have suppressed most of it, but you are giving me the strength to deal with my memories." Kili exhales slowly, buries his face in the snarled blond hair. "I'm here", he promises "and I will still be here when you have dealt with the next part."
Fili takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
There is hardly a part of his body that is not aching, for apart from the superficial wounds there are also a lot of broken bones. They have lost track of time, but both of them assume that Azog comes every day to amuse himself. "My scouts have told me your little friends are looking for you", the pale orc announces while cutting another rune into the skin of Fili's breast, this time using a blunt knife. He feels the blood run down his upper body and hears Kili's desperate sobs, who is forced to look at the tattered skin by an orc holding his head in a firm grip. "They will not find you, though. You are miiiiineee!" His laughter is dark and mad and there is something in his eyes, something in the way he is looking at him, that Fili does not even dare to think about.
"Am I right assuming that you are neither able to speak the language of Mordor, nor to read it?" the Defiler asks and the blond dwarf nods. He has had to learn that the pale orc is not very patient and that he expects him to answer immediately in a very painful way. "That's a shame, for you're not able to read all the nice things I have written upon your body. Well, I might as well teach you. Only a little bit of vocabulary, you will learn it quickly."
Fili doubts that he will ever be able to forget it.
"This one" Azog raises his healthy hand, puts one finger onto a rune on his upper arm and traces the barely healed cut. He squeezes a little too hard and the wound breaks open. "means weak. As you can see I decided to use it quite often, for you truly are weak. You can see it here, and here, and here, and here." He points to various caked marks and scratches open every one of them. "You better remember it, it describes you very well." He points to another rune and continues. "This one says pathetic. A very good choice I must say, it, too, fits you very well." He pauses. "I know, I know, you must not blow your own trumpet. Well, whatever." He continues to translate the runes and before Kili's horrified eyes he learns to read all of the marks on his abused body. "Oh, and I really like that one over here. Agony. A very nice word, don't you think so?" He grins viciously. "And this one, over your heart? It is my favourite", he murmurs, a crazy gleam in his eyes. "It means whore."
Fili screams.
Thorin comes running, his sword drawn, closely followed by Gloin and Bifur. "What happened?"
Kili does not even bother to look at him, only holds his brother's trembling body and whispers into his ear. "What did you remember?"
Fili looks up and he sees his uncle flinch at the look in his eyes. "The runes", he whispers, barely audible. Kili's face is dark, but he does not let go of him. It takes Fili a few minutes before he dares to ask: "Kili, the last one – is it true?" There are tears in his brother's eyes when he nods and Fili forgets to breathe. By now Thorin has put his sword aside and sent Gloin and Bifur back to the camp (their makeshift bed is close enough for them to come to their help if need be, but far enough away to give them some privacy). His eyes are glowing. "Is there anything I can do?" he asks, knowing that he will most likely not receive an answer if he asks what they are talking about.
Kili nods. "Could you bring us a mug with water, please?" As soon as their uncle has left to do as instructed Fili turns around and buries his face in his brother's shirt. "How… how am I… how can I think about that?" His voice is shaking. "How can I willingly choose to remember it?" He feels Kili's arms tighten once more and he thinks of the times they had been in that cell on their own, his brother leaning against him, trying to warm his almost naked body, for the cold stone wall took all his body heat away. More and more often he had been shaking with fever due to his angry wounds, and feverish dreams would capture him and only Kili's gentle hands had been able to release him from his nightmares. He had known this touch his whole life and he had always felt instinctively that this person, his person, could mean him no harm.
"You have to deal with it", Kili answers "you cannot suppress it for the rest of your life!" Fili knows he is right, but that does not make it any easier. "I'm here", the younger one whispers "and I'll be with you the whole time."
Fili nods slowly and just as his uncle returns, bringing them the requested water, he lets himself be pulled into that last memory.
Azog's leer is different this time. Fili watches nervously as the pale orc walks up to him, slowly. His heart starts to race when he realizes that the Defiler does not take any of his forging equipment. He stops when he is standing right in front of Fili and then turns around to look at his brother. His grin broadens. "I have thought about this and I have to admit I really like the thought of the two of you going at it. I only wondered – who is the bottom? That little delicious black-haired" he licks his lips "or you, blondie, weak as you are?"
Fili is terrified but he manages to squeeze out an "I am!", still desperate to protect his brother.
Azog raises his eyebrows. "You are? It is certainly interesting to imagine. Well, since you are already used to it… I'm sure your little brother doesn't mind sharing?"
Fili's eyes are begging Kili not to object and the younger one nods slowly, horrified. "I'm glad to hear that", the pale orc sneers and lets his fingers travel over the blond dwarf's body. He takes a short time to undo his bonds, turn him and chain him again, face towards the wall. Then suddenly his undergarments are gone and Fili loses himself in the terrible pain, the feeling of being ripped apart from the inside. Only faintly can he hear his brother's hysterical screams and frantic begging to stop.
The agony seems to last for hours and before Azog leaves, untying his bonds and leaving him lying broken and bleeding on the cold floor, he takes a bucket filled with salt water and makes sure it finds its way into every open wound on and in Fili's body.
He can feel Kili's hands on his shoulders, something being wrapped around him, tears falling onto his cheeks and he hears his brother's desperate whispers and then everything goes black.
He is sobbing, clinging to Kili's shirt and begging to forget. His brother holds him, trying his best to comfort him and soothe the pain that is tearing at his soul. "Fili", Kili murmurs "hold on, don't let go. I'm with you and I always will be." And he holds on, holds on to his brother and cries for hours. He feels the exhaustion, feels sleep try to claim him, but he cannot close his eyes without being pressed against that stone wall again. Finally his sobs subside and Kili, who is stroking his hair, forces a smile. "Can you remember what happened afterwards?"
And Fili thinks about it, desperate to distract himself, and he finds a blurred memory that contains battle sounds and cries of pain and he remembers his brother whispering "They are here!", the relief clearly audible. Kili had lifted his body that had been wrapped in the very same coat that is now covering his shivering form like a blanket, Kili's coat, which had smelled of his brother. He can remember that he had not realized much of what had been going on, for he had repeatedly been falling into unconsciousness and waking up the whole time. There is a faint image of his raging uncle who had left Azog with no arms at all and Fili is really thankful for that now that he remembers what these hands have done to him. He had ultimately passed out some time during the battle, still pressed against Kili who had protected him with his life.
Fili huddles against his brother. "Thank you", he murmurs "for being here."
Kili laughs weakly. "Thank you for protecting me", he answers, his voice heavy with tears. "You had to suffer so much because of me… and I'm so sorry for that." The guilt is still there, unmistakeable.
This time Fili really smiles. "Don't be. After all this is the only part of this matter I am glad for: That I was able to safe you the fate I had to suffer."