Calamity

Thought I'd try my hand at writing some dwarven tales.

This is an AU story. Please note that I very much respect/adore the character of Thorin and that this is just a retelling of Fili's and Kili's childhood with a twist. Please enjoy.

I own nothing.

Chapter One

Nephews. Thorin had two. One was golden haired, curious, intelligent, and had an air of justness about him that made Thorin smile. Fili was all bright-eyed and eager to prove himself to be the heir of the Durin line without even realizing that he was doing so. Dwalin bragged many a time on the hard work of Thorin's eldest nephew. Fili had become Thorin's shining hope that there would be a better future for his people. Dwarves never said things outright, but deep down Thorin adored his nephew very much.

Then there was the second. The second nephew. He was dark haired with sneaking, dark eyes that reminded him painfully of his own lost, younger brother. This one was reckless, curious in a bad way, thoughtless, lazy, and tried to drag his older brother down in his tactless mischief. Kili. The bane of Thorin's life. Somehow this misbegotten son of a near-goblin had his older brother wrapped solidly around his tiny finger and ended up getting Fili wrapped up in whatever concoction of chaos he was working on next. Kili was going to be the ruination of the shining hope that was Fili and Thorin was not going to allow that without one hell of a fight.

"Explain," Thorin snarled as he and Dwalin glared down on the dark-haired menace while Fili sat shivering in his mother's lap covered with a thick blanket, "How did your brother wind up in the river?"

"Was floating boat Bofur gave me," Killi started to say with remorseful eyes, "Got away and Fili helped get back from naughty river."

"Naughty riv…," Thorin began before sighing to try and control his temper, "Darrow Bend is netted off! There is no way that your toy was pulled into the deeper part of the river unless you put it in there!"

"Wanted bumps," Kili whimpered as Throin exchanged looks of confusion with Dwalin.

"Kili wanted to play river rapids after hearing Gloin's story the other night about white water," Fili explained as his mother continued to use a towel to dry his hair, "We only stepped past the net about a foot, but the river just grabbed Kili's toy and Little Brother began to cry and then…"

"You went in after it," Dwalin interrupted before turning back to the dark-haired dwarfling, "You wanted to play rapids? Do you realize that if your uncle and I hadn't pulled your brother from out of that river he would have drowned?! Well?"

"I sorry!" Kili whined as he pulled in on himself before turning an imploring look on his mother, "Mama, I not mean to!"

"Kili, you have to think things through more, Darling," Dis offered before growing silent as Thorin raised a hand.

"You are grounded, Kili," Thorin gritted out as his youngest nephew trembled before him, "No festival tomorrow and you will go straight to bed without any dinner. Go!"

"No!" Fili shouted as he pushed from off his mother's lap and threw his arms around his little brother, "Kili didn't have any lunch, Uncle. He was going to eat our picnic lunch after we were done playing and you promised Kili to show him the show ponies at the festival. Kili didn't ask me to get his boat at all. I volunteered on my own."

"Just like you volunteered to climb that tree after Kili got himself stuck and you ended up falling and breaking your arm?" Thorin snorted as both his nephews looked down, "Or the time that you nearly got burned to a crisp because Kili wanted to sneak into the forges to see what smelting looked like?"

"Or the time that you snuck off with my ax since Kili wanted to touch a weapon that had been in battle, Fili, and you ended up needing stitches?" Dwalin huffed as Kili whimpered once again in his brother's arms, "This has got to end! You are Thorin's heir, Fili, we need you to survive to adulthood and not lose you to Kili's reckless messes."

"Go to your room, Kili," Thorin snarled as the youngest squeaked fearfully before the older dwarf set eyes back on Fili, "When are you going to realized that the calamity that you call your little brother is doing you more harm than good?"

Kili's face grew pale as the equivalent of a seven-year-old dwarfling gasped sharply at the words of his uncle. Frightened eyes fixed on his older brother's face before he jerked away and ran to his room as sobs tore from his smaller form.

"Kili!" Fili called as he made to chase after his brother before a hand caught up his arm, "Let me go!"

"Kili needs to think about his actions," Thorin gently explained as Fili's eyes remained fixed on the doorway where the youngest had disappeared through, "This will do him some good."

"But…" Fili began as he turned pleading eyes on his uncle before growing quiet at a glare from both Dwalin and Thorin.

"Go change your clothes and get ready for dinner," Dis ordered as Fili sighed, "Hurry now. Dwalin, you will be staying, won't you?"

Fili hurried through the kitchen and then towards his room with a smirk on his face.

"Try to starve my brother, will you?" the equivalent of a twelve year old thought gleefully as he brandished the bowl of apples he had snuck with him from his pass through the kitchen, "Never!"

Fili was truly chilled and stopped in his room to throw on some fresh clothes before sneaking across the hall to Kili's room and creeping in silently. The sounds of snuffles and crying greeted his ears and he hurriedly set the bowl down to crawl up beside his brother on the bed.

"Fee!" Kili gasped as he looked up with watery eyes, "Uncle Thorin will be mad that you are here."

"I don't care," Fili snapped feeling anger at his uncle, "Thorin is being mean."

"But you nearly drowned because I acted like a baby and cried over a toy," Kili sniffled as his older brother cuddled him close, "What if…what if you get bad hurt because I am a bad dwarf?"

"Bad dwarf?" Fili sputtered as his face darkened with more anger, "My brother is the best dwarf ever! Don't say those words again! Do you hear me, Kili?"

"Yes," Kili agreed as his eyes brightened for a second, "I a good dwarf?"

"Certainly," Fili insisted before hopping down from the bed and retrieving the bowl of apples, "Here, Kee, you eat these, okay? I'll try to convince Uncle to let you go to the festival. I'll make this right."

Kili grinned as his mood lightened at the words and actions of his beloved, older brother. Fili always kept his promises. He instantly attacked an apple as Fili chuckled and scrubbed a hand through Kili's dark mane before Fee had to leave for dinner when Thorin called. The tiny dwarfling finished his food and hid the cores and apples in case Uncle or Mama came in later.

"Not that they ever would," Kili sighed to himself as he hopped up on a chest to look out his small window sadly, "Nobody but my Fili cares for me."

Kili was very young by dwarf standards, but he wasn't stupid. Oh no. Kili was far, far from stupid. Mama and Uncle had no time for the second since Fili needed to be trained to be the heir. Sometimes…sometimes he truly doubted if even his mother cared for him as much as for her eldest. He also had heard all the whispers among other dwarves. Kili was going to grow up to be a menace. Kili was nothing like his older brother who was perfect. Was Kili even really a part of the Durin line? He was just so…different and…and un-dwarfy. Destruction and chaos were Kili's trademark. The words of his uncle rang through his head.

"When are you going to realized that the calamity that you call your little brother is doing you more harm than good?"

Calamity. Was that all he was to his uncle? Was he really not worth anything in his family's eyes? Did Mama think that too? Mama didn't say anything in Kili's behalf when those words were uttered so she must think that he was a calamity. Then some of the words really sank in. Would Kili be the cause of his brother's downfall?

"No," Kili whispered fearfully as horrifying images of a hurt and suffering Fili filled his mind, "No, no, no, no, no. I don't want to hurt my brother."

"Then maybe you need to let go," a gruff voice called out as the dwarfling whirled around to see Dwalin standing in his doorway, "Stop holding on so hard to Fili like a moss on rock. You are just pulling him down with your nonsense. Fili is being trained as the next crowned prince. You are in need of a lot of growing up before you should be allowed to be with your brother and everyone knows this to be truth. Think about that."

Kili's heart shattered as Dwalin closed the door behind him. Everyone knew this to be truth? All dwarfs hated Kili and didn't want him to be with his Fee? The dwarfling gasped at the pain in his chest before sadly curling up back up on his bed.

"I'll make all of this right. I won't hurt my Fee," Kili thought as he cried himself to sleep.

The next day dawned bright and clear and Kili was still asleep since he had been up most of the night worrying that he was a curse upon his family despite Fili's assurances that he was a good dwarf. Thorin came and woke Kili which was a rare occurrence indeed.

"Have you thought on your actions?" Thorin demanded as Kili nodded, "You can't be left here alone so you will come to the festival, but you will stay by my side the whole time and watch what you are missing out on due to your own foolish ways. Get ready and come down for breakfast. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Uncle Thorin," Kili whispered as he kept his head down and crawled from his covers, not noticing the worried look that his uncle was giving him before the older dwarf left.

Kili got ready and calmly allowed his brother to fix his hair as Fili chattered on about how he had begged and begged Uncle to allow Kili to come. The youngest listened, but felt numb and sad inside. He loved Fili with all his heart and it had hurt to know that both Thorin and Dwalin felt that he was bad for his older brother. Heck. Supposedly everyone else felt that way too.

"Just be the best dwarfling you already are and Thorin will see that he was being too hard on you," Fili chirped as he locked eyes with his little brother in the mirror in front of them before frowning, "Kili?"

"That's me," Kili grinned out as his brother grinned back at him in relief not noticing that the younger was hiding things, "Let's go. I'm starving."

Fili nodded and led his brother by his hand towards the kitchen. Kili allowed his grin to drop as he walked behind his brother. Ideas and plans were forming in his head. He was determined that he would not cause his brother any more mischief. The problem was that all of his ideas just never quite worked out how he planned them to do. How could Kili be sure that Fili would always be safe and sound at all times?

The youngest wished his mother a good morrow and sat at his place and looked sadly down at his bowl of porridge once the brothers reached the kitchen. Porridge was something Kili hated and was always given when he was bad. The smells of eggs and bacon filled his nose and made him sigh softly as he reached for his spoon without a word of complaint.

"Kili hates porridge," Fili glared out as he pulled the bowl away from the surprised dwarfling and switched his plate of eggs and bacon with his baby brother, "I'll eat it."

"You will eat what you are given," Thorin announced as he switched the dishes between the brothers, "Don't test me, Kili. You will eat what you have earned."

"Stop fussing at Kili when it was I that made this decision," Fili gritted out with livid eyes as he stood and challenged his uncle, "Kili didn't switch the food, I did. Kili didn't complain, I did. Kili's not testing you, I am. I don't like how you are treating my brother!"

Kili, Dis, and Thorin blinked as Fili leveled a look of anger, as strong as any in the Durin line could muster, on his uncle. Fili rarely grew angry and here he was livid. Thorin growled internally just knowing that his eldest nephew would never have behaved this way if that dark-headed scamp hadn't been involved.

"Now that is a Durin," Balin chuckled from the doorway as the tension cleared, "That glare is a trademark of your line, Fili. My apologies, Lady Dis, for letting myself in and all."

"You are family so no apologies needed," Dis dismissed as she loaded a plate for the elder dwarf, "How are you this morning?"

"Fine. Can't complain," Balin voiced as he sniffed at his plate, "Real food. Try eating Dwalin's cooking and you will realize that food needs a lady's touch."

"I don't know," Thorin hummed, "Bombur can cook a mean dish."

"True, but nothing as lovely as this," Balin complimented as Dis blushed happily.

Balin and Dis began to discuss the festival plans as Thorin watched Fili firmly switch his plate for Kili's bowl once again. Kili balked at the food and pulled back fearfully. The fear left a bitter taste in Thorin's mouth. His youngest nephew was a wild child and never backed down. Who was this newer dwarfling sitting before him that was acting so timid?

"Eat, Kili," Thorin ordered as the youngest stiffened, "Don't make me say it twice. Your brother wants this so do as he wishes since he fought so bravely for you despite what your actions nearly caused for him yesterday."

Kili paled considerably and gave a small gasp. Fili pushed his fork and knife towards his younger brother before frowning when Kili pulled in on himself.

"It's okay, Kee," Fili soothed as Kili looked up at him from beneath his hair, "Uncle told you to eat. Go on now. No harm was done yesterday and you and I will just be more careful, okay?"

Kili hesitantly reached for the silverware before startling when Thorin leaned over and cut up the thick bacon into smaller pieces that was easier for tots to handle. The youngling kept his eyes downcast once his uncle was through and quietly began to eat as he had been asked to do. Balin frowned and looked at Thorin in question as the dwarfling picked at the food on his plate. Thorin shrugged at the older dwarf. Breakfast was strained and the future king realized that the happy spirits that usually radiated from his youngest nephew were dimmed and faded. In fact, he was a bit startled that he missed the incessant chattering that Kili usually did at every meal.

"Kili, I heard that you and your brother got into a bit of a mishap," Balin began as the youngster looked up at him with wide eyes, "Have you learned why a dwarfling must stay behind the nets of the river now?

"Yes, Mister Balin," Kili agreed as he looked back down, "I not mean to be bad."

"Kili is not bad," Fili denied as Kili looked up at him with shining eyes, "My Kee is the best brother ever."

"Here, here," Balin chuckled as Fili smiled up at the elder dwarf.

Thorin, however, realized that Kili had grown silent once again and kept his head down as his slumped shoulders showed defeat.

"Surely a simple reprimand wouldn't have this much of an effect on that rascal?" Thorin thought to himself as he watched Fili and Dis try to get more food into Kili, but the child refused to eat another bite, "No matter. The sprite will forget by the time we get to the festival and then all I'll hear is Kili's chattering voice for the rest of the day."

To be continued…