A/N: I made up a lot of things from their past as of course we authors must do. Take note here that I don't make mention of a father for Fili and Kili because I like to think that the father was either killed in the battle for Moria or his and Dis' union wasn't exactly an official one. So I'm pretending that Thorin took his sister under his wing while he was searching for work and stuff. I have this lovely picture of a nomadic group of dwarves, traveling across Middle Earth, looking for a place to settle and never really finding one…

Anyway, here's some fun back story for Fili and Kili. Enjoy!

Four Times Fili Was Made to Apologize and One Time He Actually Meant it

It should be made very clear that Fili and Kili were as normal a pair of brothers as ever there were. When they weren't ogling pretty Dwarf maidens or having misadventures, there was a good chance that they were fighting. Childhood saw to a lot of bruises and bloody noses in Thorin's household. But no matter how much bickering occurred, the two brothers were as thick as thieves. It would take the worlds end to separate them...or an angry Mum. They were brotherly love incarnate.

That said, Fili was never one who enjoyed apologizing to Kili. In fact, he actively avoided it. But there were four times in particular which stood out to Fili because he hadn't at all meant the apology and lying was wrong.

The first time was when he was eight and Kili was three. Thorin had moved them to a very pleasant city of men where he was promised a contract with the residing prefect to update and repair the contents of the armory. Mum managed to find them a cottage that came up alongside an apple orchard. For a young boy of eight, the move promised endless fun and a constantly full belly in the fall if he was clever enough to steal apples without mum finding out. And that was the rub, really. Fili fancied himself to be a clever boy and Thorin had even said as much…when asked about it…repeatedly.

He sat on the backdoor stoop, elbows on knees and chin in hands. Mum was in the shed that they'd turned into a workroom so she could make her delicate jewelry in peace and quiet and, most importantly, a contained space that she could keep her children out of.

"Keep watch over yer brother," she had said.

Fili gave her a very emphatic nod and promptly locked Kili in their bedroom after he removed all the sharp objects. Then he went outside because Kili's indignant high pitched screeching was irritating but you could hardly hear it at all from the back stoop.

Fili pursed his lips and stroked his chin. He'd swear on a stack of holy books that his beard was coming in. Thorin had even said so…when asked about it…repeatedly… Soon, he'd have a beard as thick as Balin's and he'd keep it in braids because Mum said only the nimblest of dwarves could braid their own beards and that those were the ones who made the finest craftsmen. Kili said he'd never braid his beard because warriors had better things to do and that's why Dwalin never bothered with braids. Kili was stupid.

Fili peered up at the apple trees and his mouth started watering. Apple season was just starting and he could see flashes of bright red under the dark green leaves. The real question here was not whether or not he'd be able to climb up there and get apples for himself. He could definitely do that. The real question was how was he going to get away with it?

The young dwarf puzzled over this for quite some time before he was wrenched away from his thoughts by a loud thud. His head jerked up and around as he glared back inside the house.

"Kili?" he shouted inside, a flash of panic running down his spine.

He got a long drawn out wail in reply.

Like a shot, Fili was barreling into the bedroom. Kili was sprawled out on the floor, a wooden sword in his hand.

"What did you do?!" Fili barked.

"I was fighting goblins!" Kili cried.

Fili pulled him up by his shoulders and looked him over. "You big dumbie," he muttered. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Kili tucked his chin down and frowned at him. "No…" he grumbled.

Fili smirked. "Did you get the goblins?" he asked.

Kili brightened a little at that. "Yep. Killed them all dead," he said gleefully.

And that's when Fili was struck by an idea. What he really needed in this apple situation was a good story to cover up why he was in the orchard. He could stash the apples near the fence where Mum wouldn't find them. It was a lot easier sneaking over to the fence then it was sneaking into the orchard.

"Hey, Kili, you missed one," he suddenly said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Kili grinned, pleased that his brother was joining the game. "I'll get 'im!"

"He ran off into the orchard! Better go quick before he gets away!" Fili said excitedly.

Kili paused. "But Mum says we're not allowed to go in there…"

"She'll understand," Fili insisted. "You can't just let a goblin run free around here. You've got to go and get him!"

It only took the younger dwarf a moment to accept the adjusted rules. He was off like rabbit, tearing out of the house with a squealing war cry. Fili trotted after him, making sure Kili was fully inside the orchard before he hopped the fence to go "do what mum asked" and "look after his brother".

While Kili was out hacking at trees with his wooden sword, Fili was busy finding a tree with low enough branches that he could shimmy up. He found one that was so far away that he couldn't see the cottage anymore – not that that mattered any. Fili scooted up the apple tree and plucked the juiciest apple within his reach. He was just about to bite into it when he heard Kili wailing again.

A knot of dread and a sigh of exasperation settled over him. He picked another apple and stuck it into his pocket before he climbed down to search for the brat of a dwarf that he called his brother because, in the end, he would always search for his brother and rescue him, if need be. It's just what brothers did. Thorin said so… without being asked.

Fili found Kili huddled in a tight ball at the base of an old apple tree several rows over.

"Kili! What did you do!?" he snapped.

Kili looked up at him with big watery eyes. His lower lip was quivering. Dark strands of hair hung over his face. He was the picture of misery. "I wanted an apple," he said in a voice that was thick with tears. "Just like you…" Kili was holding his arm very close to his chest.

Fili felt a little panicky again. "You shoulda asked me, dumbie! Did you hurt your arm?"

Kili nodded, starting to cry again.

"Ok," Fili said quickly, "stop crying like that. Mum's gonna hear you and when she does, we're both gonna get the switch. Got it?"

Kili did his best to suck in his tears, taking a big shuddering breath, but they still leaked out. "It hurts really bad," he whimpered.

Fili sighed. "Come on, I'll help you home."

Together, with Fili's arm around Kili's torso, they hobbled back to the cottage. With each step, Fili was grew more and more certain that he was done for. That sense of mounting dread crested as soon as they got to the fence.

Mum was standing there, hands on hips. She had a look that would strike a troll dead in a heartbeat.

Fili gulped.

Kili started sobbing as soon as he saw her. He shrugged Fili away and bolted towards their mum.

"I fell out of the tree!" he cried. "Fili said there was a goblin in the orchard an' I chased after it and I fell and my arm hurts really really bad, mum!"

Fili glared daggers at his brother. "He ran in there!" Fili shouted. "I had to go after him!"

"He said you'd let me! To get the Goblin!" Kili insisted. Then he threw a finger towards Fili. "He's got apples in his pockets!"

"Enough!" Mum snapped.

Both boys hushed in an instant.

The Dwarf woman looked first at Kili and then at Fili. "Fili, apologize to yer brother."

Fili opened his mouth to say something to his defense, a look of indignant anger on his face. "But—"

"Now."

Fili shoved his hands in his pockets and glowered at Kili. For a moment, he said nothing. And then he ground out an angry "sorry".

"Kili?"

"I forgive you," he said.

"Apples," Mum said sharply, extending her hand.

Fili dug into his pockets and produced the two apples.

He spent the rest of the day with a sore bum and a bad attitude.

But the second incident was much worse...

TBC