This came about from reading a few Kili gets separated from his family and raised in the Shire- and me wondering what would happen if it was Fili instead …

For a good Kili in the shire story, check out 'Strangers Like Me' by Hobbsy3. I haven't found any Fili in the Shire stories, though.

Note, it skips a bit, but I just have bits and pieces of this path in my head … and my autocorrect is allergic to the little slanted thing above the 'i' in their names …

Path 4: A Lost Prince

Belladonna Baggins was not having a good pregnancy. As much as she wanted children, she was quite certain she wouldn't want to grow through another pregnancy, thank you. Bungo was a little disappointed, but accepting after he realized how unwell the pregnancy was making his wife.

In an effort to keep herself from growing too unwell, Belladonna tried to carry on as normal- walking to the Took smials every other week to speak with her relatives and assure her father she was fine.

Finding a child that was clearly not a hobbit happened during one of these visits, and Belladonna put herself and her own child in serious risk rescuing the little one- he'd been tied to a tree by some men, and Belladonna had no trouble rescuing the child- she may or may not have used some poisonous plants and doctored their water supply after seeing their treatment of the child, and really, it was quite plausible the men were so cruel and stupid they wouldn't know a safe plant from a not-so safe plant.

His name, which she eventually got out of him, was Fili, and he had no idea where his family was and was very sick from the ill treatment. Belladonna also got that he was a dwarf, before the child had curled up into a miserable ball on her lap and cried.

Belladonna had only visited Rivendell and a few towns of men with Gandalf before she settled down. She had met a few dwarves, but no way to know how to contact them.

Attempts were made by the Tooks and Brandybucks, who did occasionally meet with dwarves and elves, but most dwarves felt that she had found a child of men, due to the rarity of the child's hair coloring among dwarves and the general rule that dwarves were quite over-protective of their children until they reached a certain age, and thus weren't helpful.

Of course, had any bothered to learn the lad's name, they might have been more willing to listen, but that might have also brought some rather unsavory characters into awareness of the child's existence.

And so little Fili became part of the Baggins family, and was promptly besotted with little Bilbo when he was born. He promptly declared himself Bilbo's protector, and even tried to teach Bilbo bits of Khuzdul that he still knew, and gave Bilbo a nickname- Bili (or Billy, as the other hobbit lads and lasses eventually changed it to.)

Belladonna knew enough about dwarves to never cut their hair (much to the distress of the neighbors, who felt Fili was dangerous by having such long hair- how, Belladonna and even Bungo never understood, as neither spoke the dialect of stupid) and so tried to raise Fili as a dwarf and Bilbo as a hobbit. After Fili attempted to cut his hair having seen her cut Bilbo's, however, she decided to let Bilbo's hair grow like Fili's, who then promptly began braiding Bilbo's hair ("An' dis one's fer family, dis one cause yer the oun-est ..." Fili had explained to Bilbo as he braided) and insisting Belladonna braid his ("Keeps it outta da way!").

Trouble soon came in the way of time- Bilbo aged like a hobbit, after all, and Fili was definitely a dwarven child, though exactly how old was not know despite celebrating his 'finding day' as a birthday. Gandalf confirmed when he visited for one of her father's birthdays.

"It's troubling, I will try to find out about the little one's family … but it may be for the best that he remains with you." Gandalf said, watching as Fili and Bilbo play fought.

"If he has a family, I'm not keeping him from them, Gandalf! It's the worst thing anyone could ever do, take a child away from a loving family!" Belladonna protested, ignoring the dark part that hoped Fili wouldn't have to leave their family.

"I wasn't suggesting such a thing!" Gandalf quickly assured her. "I'm just concerned that there is some danger to the children of the dwarves, if one so young was taken by men. It might be best that he stay here until I can sort it out." Gandalf then sighed, and Belladonna felt infinitely worse. He had told her much about the world, and his role as a wizard was to encourage others to solve their own problems, often meaning he appeared as a messenger of ill news and many would not listen or accept his offer of council.

"If I could find them on my own, I would, Gandalf, but lately even the Tooks are staying close to their smials, the winters are getting worse, and it is at least a month of travel to the places where the dwarves live."

"Don't worry, Belladonna, I can help a lost child or two, but sometimes certain things are meant to happen, whether we'd like it or no, and families are torn apart only to be healed years later in such a way that you wonder why it didn't happen sooner." Gandalf smiled. "Now, are you ready for the finale?"

Time passed, there was no news from Gandalf, and for a while, Fili and Bilbo didn't notice the difference that their mother did. They attended the same lessons, and Fili always took his role as the eldest seriously, even teaching himself how to use a couple of swords after the Fell Winter. A year before Bilbo was to come of age, however, Fili finally spoke to Belladonna about the difference in age.

"Bilbo's growing quicker than me." Fili said one day as he helped his mother with the dishes (Bilbo and Bungo had gone to visit a cousin). "I know I'm a dwarf, I know I'm adopted …" Fili's hands shook. "Are we really that different?"

"Dwarves live over 200 years, I think, Hobbits and Men live for less than that … I've heard that adulthood for dwarves is reached at 70, or so." Belladonna gently took the dish, before pulling Fili in a hug. "We love you, Fili, that makes up for any possible difference."

"I know." And Fili did. His memories of life before the shire were faded, and while he knew he had a dwarven family, he couldn't remember their faces. He'd never felt the loss of those memories as keenly as he did now, realizing that his little brother was aging faster than him. "I love you all too, I just … never thought I was different."

There were little things, Fili had noticed, the fact he and Bilbo were the only children with hair to their shoulders and in braids (and some wisps of stubble that may someday become a beard); that he was taller and stronger than other children (a fact he did his best to keep in control); that he made far more noise, and he needed shoes when it got cold. He had of course known he was a dwarf, Belladonna and Bungo had never hidden that fact from him, and the more unpleasant relatives had tried to bring it up as an insult only to get a frightfully angry Bungo (and it took much to get him mad) threatening to ruin their reputations if they dared insult his adoptive son again. Fili called them mother and father, and knew that they loved him.

Fili tightened his grip, realizing in a dizzying sort of way that he'd not only outlive his little brother, but his mother and father would be very old (if they didn't- he couldn't even finish the thought) by the time he reached his own coming of age. He didn't realize he had started to cry.

"I know sweetie." Belladonna hugged her eldest tightly. "Shh, my dear Fili, got plenty of time to figure out a plan or multiple plans, whether or not you want to continue living in the Shire or set out to find your family- there's still time, dear heart, don't go worrying about the future just yet."

Fili dried his eyes, and Bilbo drew him into a mock fight later which considerably improved his mood, but time was still slipping away from them, even as Fili turned to helping at the smithy and learning what he could.

Belladonna got sick when Bilbo turned 40. It was a simple exhaustion and aches at first, but she wasn't getting better, so Bilbo and Fili did something rather reckless and left the Shire in search of Rivendell and a healer that might be able to help.

They weren't expecting Lord Elrond himself to come to Belladonna's aid, but it turned out to be only borrowed time- Belladonna passed a year after Fili reached his majority. Bungo followed not long after.

Bilbo and Fili settled down, somewhat, occasionally making trips to Rivendell, where both learned sword play (more Fili than Bilbo) and life was fine. Fili after getting frustrated, finally figured out how to braid his mustache so that it wouldn't get into everything he ate or drank.

"Fili, Bilbo, I'm glad to see you both still here." Gandalf returned, and it rather surprised the two. "Fili, I've found your family." Gandalf said, and it took a long moment for Bilbo to stop choking on the smoke he'd managed to inhale too quickly for Fili to finally register what the wizard had said.

"My family …" Fili managed. "How, when-?"

"Why are you telling us now?" Bilbo demanded, not happy at his brother's distress.

"I'm afraid it's taken me longer than it should," Which was the closest they would ever get to an apology, they both realized, "I also came, to offer you an adventure."

"I'm guessing my family and this adventure are connected somehow, then?" Fili glanced at Bilbo, who looked a bit resigned. "Bilbo?"

"I'm trying to think of everything I'll need to pack- I'm going to forget something, I just know it."

Gandalf chuckled. "You might want to wait to hear the details, would latter tonight be alright? I'll bring the Company."

"How many? We'll need food."

"Thirteen, counting me."

"Fifteen, with me and Fili." Bilbo nodded. "What time?"

"A late dinner or supper, I suppose, they're traveling separately." Gandalf nodded, and cheerfully left a mark on the door, much to Bilbo's later annoyance.

The first to arrive was a large dwarf, and he pulled up short at the sight of Fili standing behind Bilbo.

"Dwalin, at your service."

"Bilbo and Fili Baggins at yours, please come in." Bilbo introduced. The awkward silence that fell was caused by the dwarf not entering the hole, and staring at Fili.

"Do you know me?" Fili finally asked, moving forward a step, and making Dwalin also step forward, Fili absently pushing Bilbo behind him- he was still the oldest no matter what his hobbit brother could claim in maturity.

"Fili, did you say?" Dwalin finally managed.

"Yes, I was found 50 years ago in the Shire, and adopted by the Bagginses when no dwarves came to claim me." Fili decided it was probably best to be honest. "Gandalf said he'd found my birth family."

"I'm a cousin, was searching for you … we never could find the men that had taken you, or where they went." Dwalin's focus turned to the hobbit with braids in his hair.

"Dinner's in the dinning room- normally we'd use the kitchen, but it'd be too crowded, if you wouldn't mind helping us set up." Bilbo closed the door behind him. "Fili, it might be easier to explain all at once than as people come in."

"Probably." Fili glanced at Dwalin, who had returned his focus to him.

The air became increasingly more and more awkward, the more dwarves that entered and got a good look at Fili. Finally, Gandalf arrived with two more dwarves.

"Is this some sort of trick?" The older of the two was not impressed with Bilbo and Fili's introduction, and was practically growling.

"Here." Bilbo came out with a small chest. "These were the clothes and other objects found with Fili." Thorin opened the small chest, blinking at the sight, before looking up at Fili again.

"I'm Kili, your younger brother!" Kili stepped forward, before halting. "Do you, remember me?"

"It's … faded, I always knew I had another family, just, not who or where." Fili admitted. "I was really sick, when I was rescued … and then no one ever came for me, so…"

"Though that explains why you kept insisting I was the youngest." Bilbo muttered, going to grab desert, much to the surprise of the dwarves. "Mother wrote down as many clues as she heard Fili give from babbling to nightmares, her favorite was when Fili started braiding my hair and informing me that a certain plait meant I was the youngest, she thought it was an interesting choice of words."

"I didn't think hobbits wore their hair long." Balin finally said.

"Ah, that was because I tried to cut my hair, because I saw mother cutting Bilbo's … I can't remember why, but she thought it would be better to let Bilbo's hair grow so I wouldn't go near the shears ever again." Fili admitted, looking embarrassed. "It was one of the few things she knew for certain about dwarves, so," He shrugged, before looking back at Dwalin and Thorin.

"Well, your beard's coming in nicely, so no harm done." Dwalin clapped him on the shoulder.

"Do you have any weapons?" Thorin asked suddenly, sizing them both up.

"Two swords, I'm average with them." Fili winced, remembering his last fight.

"Have training, don't have a sword."

"Why not?" Kili asked, completely interrupting his uncle.

"It broke our last trip, haven't gotten around to replacing it." Fili looked at Thorin, absently putting himself between him and Bilbo, before looking at Gandalf. "And this is the adventure part, I take it?"

They were a few days on the road when Fili received a rather shocking pronouncement.

"I'm the what?!"

"Heir Apparent, or Crown Prince, if Thorin ever becomes King." Kili said with a grin.

"But- I'm- You-"

"You're the oldest Fili, despite your upbringing, you're still my heir." Thorin said shortly.

"Which means I'm off the hook." Kili's grin got bigger. "And I get to have time getting to know our new little brother."

"I think I should be running, does anyone else get that feeling?" Bilbo asked the company in general, urging the pony he was on away from Kili.

"Me." Ori agreed, remembering what it was like growing up the youngest.

"I'm going to have to learn a lot, then, aren't I?" Fili looked at Thorin, who gave a stiff nod.

Weeks later, Fili got a new lesson- his uncle really didn't like elves.

"Rivendell's not that bad." Fili had interrupted the other dwarves grumbling as the walked towards it, and got more than a few glares. "I'm missing something, then?"

"We will discuss it later." Thorin had snapped, and Fili glanced around, then quickly put himself between the others and Bilbo, seeing that more than a few were glaring at his brother.

When Lindir came down the steps, Fili gently pulled Bilbo with him, dodging Thorin and Dwalin's attempts to pull them back. "Hullo, Lindir! When'd you become the doorwarden?"

"Master Fili, Master Bilbo, it has been a while." Lindir greeted them with a smile, and a bow which Fili and Bilbo returned. "The Lords Erestor and Glorfindel are having a discussion."

"They're arguing again, you mean." Bilbo shook his head. "And you were the closest to the door."

Lindir laughed and nodded. "My Lord Elrond is not here," He added to Gandalf's impatient look, but was interrupted by the sound of a horn. Lord Elrond's arrival and introduction could have gone smoother.

"It is good to see you two, again." Elrond greeted Fili and Bilbo with an embrace. "I was sorry to hear of your mother's passing." He added softly, "Belladonna was a good friend."

"You gave her a few more years than she would have had, she lived to see me come into my majority." Fili bowed.

"I am glad to have been of service." Elrond gave a small bow as he once again stood. Bilbo just groaned as the formal invitation to enter and eat with them was somehow mistranslated by Gloin.

To say there was a bit of distrust towards Bilbo and Fili for being friends with these elves, and being able to speak elvish, was a bit of an understatement. Fili wondered if that meant Thorin would disown him. Dinner went marginally better, and then Fili and Bilbo received quite a lecture on why elves and dwarves were never friends.

"Okay, this Thranduil doesn't sound honorable, but Lord Elrond, his sons, and Glorfindel are." Fili started, only to receive a dark look from Thorin. "Elrond came to the Shire at our request to heal our mother, he didn't have to, he could have sent someone else, but he came himself because he once promised her he'd help her if she needed it." Fili snapped, finally annoyed.

"It's alright laddie, we're not upset about that." Balin got between Thorin and Fili. "You've lived your life apart from us, that's not your fault, or that of your mother or Bilbo. As Thorin's heir, you are expected to be seen a certain way."

"I'm not going to hate every single elf in existence, if that's what you want. It'd be a waste of energy." Fili crossed his arms and met Thorin squarely in the eyes. "Last I checked, part of being a prince requires being able to politely deal with those I don't personally like."

Silence reigned, before being broken by Bofur's chuckle. "True enough, lad, and I imagine being able to understand that birdsong is an advantage for dealing with elves that are speaking behind your back."

"You have no idea." Bilbo snorted. "Fili got into a prank war our last visit, frustrated his opponents that not only did he know sindaran, he could also understand Quenya, rendering their attempts to plot in either language moot."

"A prank war?" Kili asked, curiously. "With elves?"

"Well, two elves, one human."

"I thought we agreed never to talk about that again?" An elf poked his head into the room. "Our father wasn't amused we managed to put dye in the water, or you and Estel's prank with the feathers."

"Were you eavesdropping again?" Fili asked annoyed, which made Thorin and a few others bristle.

"No, I came looking for you, seeing as you apparently forgot I lived here and haven't come to say hullo or rescue me from Erestor or Glorfindel; they're fighting again, by the way, so be careful in the library." The Elf huffed.

"Thanks for the warning. What's it about this time?"

"A missing document, originally." The Elf shrugged. "Elladan Elrondion, at your service." He said belatedly with a bow. "Mind if I borrow Fili for a spar?"

Thorin watched as Fili absently checked on both Kili and Bilbo, careful not to wake them as he then raised his head to check the camp. Fili was protective of both of them, and Thorin had watched him gently fix Bilbo's hair in the beginning, at some point including Kili in the small grooming ritual. His Sister-son had been raised well in the shire, but was not soft, like Thorin had originally felt Bilbo to be.

That's it, that's all I wrote for this … *shrugs* it got too long and complicated, and some parts were too much like 'Strangers Like Me' by Hobbsy3 for my liking. The version of this I do like is Path 5 (aka the next chapter.)

The idea was Fili got kidnapped by slavers, but because Belladonna dealt with them and their bodies were never found, the dwarves couldn't track Fili, and so thought he was out of reach … or something.

Note on character ages and ageing via Book!Canon- Dwarves reach their majority around age 70 or 75 (I can't remember which, right now, but for the purpose of this note, it's 75). Hobbits around 33. (Men, I believe, are 16/18 due to this being a fantasy setting- possibly 20s. Elves supposedly reach majority around age 100. Please correct me if I'm wrong) Bilbo is 50 when he goes on the quest, middle age for a hobbit, while Kili is 77 and Fili is 82 with roughly 5 years between them- making Kili just past his majority on the quest. (So, Kili would be around 50 when Bilbo came of age, and Fili around 55- probably still in their pre-teens if compared to a human. Alternatively, Bilbo would be 43 when Fili came of age, and 48 when Kili did.) Also, Belladonna dies ten years before Bilbo goes on the quest, so while Bilbo's in his 40s.

So, if Fili or Kili did show up, they would more likely be raised by Belladonna and Bungo next to Bilbo, as they would be in their tweens/early thirties when he was born.