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054: Patient
Fili is patient.
Fili is a remarkably patient dwarf.
He lets his little brother crawl toward him and latch onto his fingers, gurgling, "Liliii," because he can't pronounce his fs yet.
It's five years before Kili realizes his name isn't Lili, but Fili doesn't really care.
When Kili's older, Fili play-fights with him when no one else will. Kili laughs through their duels, even when Fili knocks the sword from his hands.
Fili wants to wait to duel him for real. But he's had five more years of practice, and he's ready long before Kili learns to hold his sword steady.
When he gets his first pair of steel swords, Fili takes Kili out in the orchard and lets him hold one. One for both of us, see? But the sword is too heavy for Kili, and he gets discouraged.
Fili smiles and says he's just got to get stronger first. They practice climbing trees and swimming and wrestling, and waste away summers in the golden orchard.
One summer, years later, Fili walks by the orchard and sees him with his bow. He watches Kili shoot down apples and realizes, this time, Kili didn't let Fili wait for him.
He's never been happier.
