Disclaimer-I don't own any of this, I am just playing and will return everyone and everything when I'm done.
I am using the axebow website to calculate dwarven ages. So Fíli at the time of this story would be 10 years old in human years.
It was a dark, frigid, moonless night at the end of January, one of those nights where one just wanted to curl up next to the fire with a hot cup of tea. Certainly, it was no place for a 20-year-old dwarfling to be wandering around, especially not in the forest of Mirkwood.
The dwarfling was covered in mud, caking around his long curly locks. He appeared to have blonde hair once, but now it was black, as black as the night. His sky blue eyes appeared dim and old. They did not look like they belonged on a dwarfling whose beard was just starting to make an appearance. His clothes, dirty and ripped in various places looked like they were regal once, but now were clothes for a pauper.
The dwarfling coughed, as more tears threatened to fall. He thought he had no more tears to cry but just the mere thought of being lost on an unfamiliar path in Mirkwood made more tears fall. He had wandering alone for three days now, surviving on whatever plants he could find on the paths and water from the almost constant rain that had finally subsided what felt like minutes ago. In reality it has stopped 5 hours ago, but Fíli, the dwarfling did not know that, so wet and miserable was he.
Just when Fíli thought he could not get any worse for the wear, he tripped over something and found himself meeting the muddy ground yet again. That was the third time since he ran away from home he found himself face in ground. He lay on the ground crying in darkness of night, letting tears carry him to the world of haunting dreams.
"Hey Fíli!" A young voice shouted.
"Kíli, don't come closer!" Fíli yelled back.
Footsteps came closer to him, as all of the sudden the room got bigger and bigger. Fíli looked around, this was not his great-grandfather's throne room, was it? He didn't have time to think as Kíli entered the room that was growing by the second.
Next thing Fíli knew, the floor opened up beneath his brother and he disappeared.
"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he screamed.
Fíli shot up off the ground with a scream. 'Just a dream', he thought to himself. It was now morning, the dawning of his fourth day of running away. He knew he could never return to Erebor, fourth in line for the throne or not, not after what he did, not after what was said to him. Fíli stood up and continued his journey, stopping twice to pick some berries that he found and to take a sip of water that had collected in a leaf. He smiled for the first time in five days when he finally saw the edge of Mirkwood and what he considered freedom.
Meanwhile back in Erebor, there was a lot of commotion coming from the royal chambers. It had been five days since what is now being called 'the accident' which left Young Prince Kíli in a coma, and Prince Fíli missing. Servants, extended family members, and members of the court were running around everywhere, many it seemed had no destination in mind. One royal, Princess Dís, the mother of Fíli and Kíli had not left her youngest side since her brother Frérin brought Kíli to her in his state five days ago. She currently sat in a chair holding her youngest son's hand as the door silently opened to let in the elderly royal healer, Narvi to change the bandages that currently criss-crossed Kíli's body and head.
"Milady," Narvi said, softly as not to disturb his patient, "has there been any news about Prince Fíli? Has anyone seen him?"
Dís could only shake her head no. Her father Thráin, her brothers Thórin and Frérin, her husband Víli, as well as a small contingent of royal guards were all out searching Erebor and the surrounding areas for any trace of her son. However, so far all of the ravens and messengers coming back have been negative. It had been four days, five since the accident, and four since she had last seen her golden haired son.
Narvi weakly smiled and grabbed Dís hand, off her son. "If you need anything, let me know." Narvi left the room as silently as he came in.
Dís returned her hand to her son. "Kíli, mama's here, please wake up," she said softly while trying to hold back tears. "Kíli, please."
The tears could no longer hold back, all she wanted was Kíli to wake up and Fíli to be safe in her arms once again. But, she was beginning to lose hope, the hope that she would ever see Kíli open his eyes and would be able to kiss Fíli goodnight. She leaned forward and could do nothing but cry into her son's bedside. She didn't even realize that her grandfather, King Thrór had walked in to cover her with a blanket. There was nothing to be said, nothing that could be said, nothing that could be done, but wait.