I don't own The Hobbit. Astrid however, is mine. This fic spawned from too many cute ideas about the mischief she would cause and how it would affect her relationship with Kili later on. This is a prequel to Treasures Lost and Found and follows the movie canon. Enjoy!

The Adventures of Tiny Astrid
—Accomplice

It was a few days before Astrid was allowed to leave the wagons again. She was in a lot of trouble, so it was her job to scrub the pans from her mother's cooking and make sure her father's tools and supplies got put away properly. When Bran brought new supplies back to the wagons, she had to help count and put things away, and she had to help wash down the wagons after a particularly rainy and windy day splattered the boards with mud and leaves. When she wasn't working with her parents, she slept or read, but did nothing else.

Unlike her last confinement, this was an all-out punishment, but Astrid wasn't fighting it. Perhaps it was because she knew she'd done something very wrong, or perhaps it was because she still shook whenever she thought of being up in that tree.

Whatever the reason, when she was allowed to venture into town with her mother on the third day after the incident, Astrid found herself without the desire to run off and explore. She stayed close to Hild and listened as her mother told her they would be leaving in a few days, heading east through the Shire. Astrid nodded along, but said nothing though her mother seemed to think she would be excited to hear the news. The last time they'd been amongst the Hobbits, Astrid had been barely a year old. She remembered nothing.

It was on the way back when she spotted Fili and Kili outside one of the taverns in the centre of the dwarf village. She stopped walking to watch as Fili spoke to a dwarf woman at the door and Kili, who was around the corner of the building, lifted a pie from the window sill and hurried off down the alley between the buildings. Astrid looked for her mother and found her speaking to one of the dwarf women in the marker not too far away. Astrid carefully set the basket down beside her mother and then hurried back to the tavern, peeking around the corner. Seeing no sign of Kili or Fili, Astrid slipped into the shade of the alley and scurried towards the other end.

She found the dwarves sitting behind the building beside the tavern, the pie on the ground between them. They were laughing around mouthfuls of the dessert—blueberry, by the smell and the purple juice on fingers and chins.

"You stole that pie," Astrid said.

Fili and Kili both jumped, identical expressions of surprise on their faces. "So? Are you going to tell the innkeeper?" Kili asked.

"Shouldn't I?"

The blond brother pointed at Astrid. "You owe us for cutting our hair."

Astrid frowned at Fili, but nodded and dropped onto the ground beside them. After a moment where they remained still, Fili and Kili started eating the pie again, casting furtive glances at the little girl. Just as they were finishing the pie, Astrid heard her mother calling her name, the tone slightly panicked and angry.

"You had better go."

"I do not want to go back to the wagons," Astrid said, even as she got to her feet. She brushed off her dress—she hated wearing the skirts, but her mother had made her—and started back towards market. "We are baking today. Would you like me to bring you some more apple cakes?" She felt maybe baked goods would help get her apology across, help make her feel better as well.

"Yes!" Kili exclaimed.

Fili nodded enthusiastically, though he couldn't speak around his mouthful of fruit and pastry.

"I will bring you some then." She tried smiling at the brothers, but the expression felt wrong somehow. So, she turned and walked back down the alley to the market, waving at her mother to catch her attention. Hild came over at a run and, before she could say anything, Astrid said, "I thought I saw a cat."

Hild rolled her eyes, her shoulders slumping. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at her daughter, the exasperation clean on her face. "Astrid… Come on. Let us get back. We have a lot of work to do today."

"I know."

Astrid took her basket back from her mother and once again fell in behind her as they made their way back to the wagons. Bran had the main wagon open and there were several dwarves gathered around, waiting for their turn to purchase goods or services. Astrid and Hild moved to the firepit set up between the wagons and set about their baking. A table had been placed on the ground beside the pit, and a specially designed cover that would make the firepit function more like an oven sat on the ground beside the flames. Knowing her role, Astrid climbed onto her stool and started sorting out the ingredients as her mother began peeling and chopping the apples they'd need.

The morning passed quietly and quickly and by early afternoon, they were finished all the baking that had to be done. The air around the wagons smelled sweet and fruity and Astrid's stomach was grumbling with a fierce noise. Once they'd cleaned up the pots and pans and Astrid had eaten a quick meal of cold chicken and sliced tomato, she snuck around to where the desserts were cooling, waiting to be sold. She grabbed as many of the apple cakes as she could carry and bolted back towards town and Dis's house.

"Astrid!" someone hissed.

For a moment, she feared it was Dis, but she recognized the voice as Fili's once the fright had passed. She changed direction quickly and ran around the back of their house to where Fili and Kili where sitting, cleaning and tending their weapons by the look of it.

"Here," she said, passing the cakes to Fili, who was standing beside her.

He immediately passed two to Kili; Astrid saw she'd grabbed five of the cakes and felt bad it was not an even number. Fili looked at the fifth cake and tossed it to Astrid, who caught it and dropped to the grass, her legs folded beneath her, to start nibbling at it.

"Thank you," she muttered.

Fili shrugged. "You stole the cakes—least we could do."

"They're an apology."

Kili snorted. "Apology by becoming a criminal." He laughed again when Astrid glared at him. "Though these are delicious. Apology accepted."

"Agreed."

Astrid felt laughter bubble over her lips, real laughter. She felt better than she had since climbing that tree. "I will not steal any more desserts from my mother though."

"As long as you do not do anything else you need to apologize for, I don't see why that would be necessary." Fili's smile was somewhat smug. "Although, we could use you as an accomplice…"

Astrid laughed again, though she wasn't entirely sure if Fili was being serious or not.