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 Two

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."

However, something wasn't right. Kili didn't make a single noise as the family bustled to get ready to leave for the festival. The most surprising thing was that the youngest refused his brother's hand when they were walking towards the festivities.

"Kili, take my hand," Fili ordered in exasperation as his little brother wormed his hand away from him again, "You know that you are supposed to hold my hand when we are walking on the road. Stop being stubborn."

"Not being stubborn. Uncle said Kili have to stay beside him, Fee," Kili offered in explanation while Fili regarded him thoughtfully as they arrived at the festival, "Can see your friends waiting for you at the end of the road. I grounded and will stay here and be good while Fili has fun today. You don't have to stay with me and miss all the festival."

"I'd rather stay with my Kili," Fili denied, "There will always be other festivals."

"Want you to have fun today, Fee," the little dwarfling urged, "I stay with Uncle and be good so Fili can go play. Not have to stay with Kili all the time and not get to have fun."

"Kili is correct, Nephew," Thorin agreed as he nodded at the youngest and hid his surprise that Kili looked away quickly, "Go be with dwarves your own age for a change instead of always hanging out with your brother."

"Are you sure, Kee?" Fili asked as his heart did indeed soar at the thought of having a free day with his friends before grinning as Kili nodded at him with a big smile, "I'll come and check on you to make sure that everything is okay."

"No need," Thorin stated as the two boys looked up at him, "Kili will be with me today. I expect you to act with proper decorum today, Fili, but go have some fun."

"Yes, Uncle," Fili answered as Kili grinned at him again.

Kili hid his sadness that he couldn't be with Fili today, but he wanted his brother to be happy. That is all the younger wanted in his life and if that meant that he had to be alone with Uncle Thorin, so be it.

"Here," Thorin offered as he handed his eldest nephew a bag of coin, "Don't spend it all in one place."

"I won't, Uncle. Thank you," Fili called as he whooped and chased after his friends, "Bye, Kili. I'll see you later."

The dwarfling waved happily before growing silent and still once again. Dis had already gone to mingle with some of the other dwarf women and so Kili stood silent and alone even being surrounded by the crowd.

"What do I do now?" Kili fretted as he kept his head down, "Do I just stand her all day? I miss my Fili."

Kili sighed sadly and kept quiet. Thorin had been in a debate with Balin and Dwalin when he realized the stillness of his nephew.

"Go sit on that barrel over there. Remember that you are grounded and not allowed to stray from that spot," Thorin instructed as Kili glanced up at him before silently going over and doing what his uncle had asked.

Again, Thorin watched his nephew with a little bit of surprise. Kili hadn't begun to beg or whine not once. What was up with his youngest nephew?

"What did you do?" Balin demanded as Thorin turned back to him in shock that first the youngster was being quiet and second that Balin was fussing at him, "I heard from Dwalin and Bombur what happened at the river yesterday and now the bubbly, happy dwarfling I know seems to be missing today. Explain."

Thorin blinked at the word. That was the exact word he had used on his youngest nephew the day before.

"I addressed the situation of Kili always getting his brother into trouble," Thorin admitted as he glanced over at the little one once again, "Kili went too far this time and needed to realize the errors of his way. Balin, Fili would have drowned yesterday if not for Dwalin getting a hold of a handful of golden hair in the nick of time. I think that finally Kili might have understood that his actions have consequences."

"Are you kidding me?" Balin groaned as he swore softly, "How can someone so wise be so wrong right now?"

"How is Thorin wrong?" Dwalin snorted, "Kili needs to grow up a speck and it looks like a bit of that might be happening at the moment. That is a good thing, Brother, Kili was going to lead to the death of the heir and everyone knows this."

"Everyone?" Balin spat, "You two cannot place all blame for Fili's decision on that dwarfling over there. My beard! Kili is a child and has gotten into as much trouble as I remember you getting into Dwalin and you too, Thorin. Both of you grew up just fine and so will that lad. Look at the child! That is not the Kili we all know and love!"

Thorin did indeed look and saw that Kili hadn't raised his head and neither did those small, booted feet swing happily against the barrel as would have been his custom in the past. Kili looked…he looked lost and alone as he sat quietly on the barrel with his hands lying despondently in his lap. The child looked like a kicked dog.

"Kee!" a shout called out and Thorin watched as Fili ran up with a candied apple on a stick, "Look what I got you. Candied apples are your favorite."

Kili looked up and grinned brightly before hesitating and shooting a fearful look over at his uncle and putting his head back down sadly.

"Fix this," Balin spat as Thorin exhaled loudly and nodded.

"Looks good," Thorin offered as he walked over to his nephews, "Go on, Kili. Grounded or not, I don't think a candied apple will hurt. You have been very good since we got here. Go ahead and eat the treat that your brother went to the trouble to get you."

"Thank you, Fee," Kili whispered as he took the treat in his smaller hands and took a bite to please his brother despite the apple tasting like dust in his mouth, "Yummy."

"Just keep being real good and I bet Uncle will allow you some fun today," Fili whispered softly as Kili nodded looking away, "Kili?"

"I'll be real good," the younger dwarf promised as Fili scrubbed a hand through his hair.

Fili smiled brightly before scampering off back after his friends who were shouting at him to hurry up. Kili ate the apple since he felt his uncle's eyes on him before Thorin reached and took the empty stick to throw away. Kili sighed when he was once again left alone. Alone. Mama looked happy and Fili was happy. Uncle was more relaxed and nobody was glaring at the youngest for the moment. Maybe…maybe alone was good.

"Don't like alone," Kili wailed in his mind as he peeked from beneath his bangs, "Want to be with my Fee."

The dwarfling watched the crowd as they pass by him without seeing him. There was Gloin with his wife. He could see his uncle with a group of his closest friends. Kili dropped his gaze again at a glare from Dwalin. He remembered Dwalin's words from the night before and sighed sadly. Yes. Maybe alone was good. Hours crept by as he sat staring at the ground trying to pretend that he was invisible and that was why nobody cared to speak with him at all since they couldn't see him.

"Here," a voice interrupted as a plate was pushed into his surprised hands, "Eat your lunch, Kili. Stay here. I have a meeting to attend and if you have been good, then maybe we will see about looking at those ponies later."

"Yes, Sir," Kili sighed as he accepted the mug of apple cider from his Uncle before watching as Thorin disappeared into the crowd, "Bye, Uncle."

Kili looked at the plate of food. Thorin had bought him some salted fish. Kili got itchy with salted fish and broke out in rashes. Did Thorin not care at all for him to not even buy him food that he could eat?

"Guess not even his brother wants to be around the troll today, huh?" a voice giggled as Kili looked up again to see a group of dwarflings that had always hated him, "What are you doing over here all by yourself, Troll?"

"I'm grounded," Kili said as he looked down at the plate of food in his hands, "Fili should be with his friends and not have to be punished because of me. Killi is trying to be good dwarf."

"Good dwarf?" the leader chuckled, "A no-beard like you that always causes trouble cannot possibly be a good dwarf. I don't think I've seen Fili look so happy being parted from you. You are trouble waiting to happen."

Kili gasped as the group moved off. Again 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. Thorin hated him and Dwalin hated him. Uncle didn't care that the stinky fish made Kili itchy and that his tummy was rumbling from hunger. Momma never defended him. Fili nearly drowned yesterday because Kili was a big baby. Kili sniffled at realizing that he was a calamity that had been born into his brother's life and was really doing Fili more harm than good.

"Can't be a calamity if you are not around people to cause any harm," Kili realized within his mind and a decision clicked into place that changed everything in this young dwarf's life, "This will fix everything."

Kili hopped down and carefully laid his untouched plate and mug on the barrel and crept away. The dwarfling knew when to move about without being seen. With determination he walked home and quickly gathered what he was planning on taking. He had heard enough tales and seen enough dwarves leave on excursions to have an idea of what he may need. Tenderly Kili packed away the drawings of his family in the frames that were by his bedside and then took his small bow and arrows that could down small birds. Kili sat and jotted down a quick note as his heart broke more and more with each activity he was doing.

"Bye-bye, Home," Kili whispered and then walked out the door and the child disappeared with only one last sad glance behind him.

Meanwhile, Thorin was irritated that his meeting had gone over by two hours and hurried back to his youngest nephew with Bofur trailing after him asking a few questions about the construction of the new bridge. Guilt had been weighing on his mind. Maybe he had been too hard on the lad. Kili was, after all, only a small dwarfling, but the fear of nearly losing Fili had made his temper flare. The older dwarf drew up short when he came upon the barrel that had housed his nephew and found the plate of food and cider untouched and swarming with pilfering flies. Where was Kili?

"Kili," Thorin called feeling a bit miffed that his nephew hadn't listened to him, "Kili, where are you lad?"

"Kili?" Bofur asked in confusion, "Kili was here?"

"I left him here to eat his lunch," Thorin growled and glanced about before then looking back down at the food, "Why hasn't the child eaten and where is he?"

Fili had said that Kili hadn't eaten lunch the day before and then didn't have dinner. Kili had hardly touched breakfast and the candied apple had been too small to fill him up. Any dwarfling should have been hungry enough to finish off the whole plate with so little food in his or her system. Why hadn't Kili?

"Thorin, isn't Kili allergic to salted fish?" Bofur asked in confusion as he shooed the flies from the plate as the older dwarf froze at the words, "Maybe he left to find Dis or Fili to get something he could eat."

"Dammit! I forgot about that," Thorin berated himself as he glanced about, "Still, Kili would have come back here to eat anything else. Where is my nephew?"

A leader's instincts gripped Thorin. Something was wrong.

"Kili!" Thorin yelled as he began to push through the crowd as Bofur followed, "Kili! Answer me now! Kili!"

"Thorin?" Dwalin asked as he hurried over with Balin, "What is wrong?"

"I'll keep looking," Bofur called as he hurried past and continued to call out for the missing dwarfling.

"Kili's missing," Thorin spat in his distress, "Didn't eat his food at all despite the fact that I idiotically got him something he couldn't even eat, damn me. I don't like this. Could someone have snatched him up?"

"Nobody would want that bad luck charm," Dwalin disagreed before grunting at the fists that smacked both of his shoulders, "What?"

"Don't refer to my nephew like that," Thorin snarled after having punched his friend before he hurried past to continue to look for his errant nephew, "Kili! Please answer me! I'm not mad that you had to leave the barrel! Tell me where you are!"

"That is one of your princes, Dwalin, have some respect," Balin spat as his brother gaped at him since the second fist that had hit him had been from Balin, "Go get some of the others. Kili shouldn't be too hard to find."

Gloin, Nori, Bifur, and Bombur were close enough to begin searching for the dwarfling. Dis realized that something was off and quickly cornered her brother only to reel back in shock. Her baby was missing?

"He's around here somewhere. I'll find him," Thorin insisted before whirling at a sharp gasp from behind him.

"Find him?" Fili demanded as the big brother in him began to put the pieces together while his group of friends looked startled at the blonde dwarf's intense tone towards a figure of such importance in their community, "Find who, Uncle? Where is Kili? Why isn't he with you?"

Fili looked about frantically before placing a weighted look upon his uncle. Kili was supposed to be by Thorin's side today. Fili had only left his brother alone since he thought that his uncle would be watching out for Kili.

"Where is my brother?" Fili snarled as Dwalin looked on in shock at the younger one's fierce demeanor, "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Thorin admitted as Fili stepped back in horror, "I only left him alone for one meeting and…."

"You left him alone?!" Fili gasped before turning and racing away, shouting his brother's name loudly.

The festival halted as all in attendance stopped to look for one lone dwarfing, but no trace of Kili was found. Thorin chased after Fili as the younger dwarf ran home in hopes to see if Kili had been tired and left to go nap when it was determined that the dwarfling was no longer at the festival. The older dwarf burst into Kili's room minutes after his eldest nephew only to find the lad shaking in rage.

"You did this!" Fili shouted as he pounded hard on Thorin's torso with as much strength as he could muster, "You did this! You did! I hate you!"

To be continued…