T.A. 2875 Ered Luin
"Uncle!" Kili calls as he bursts into Thorin's office.
Thorin and Frerin are both in there, their heads bent over some piece of parchment and their expressions serious as they talk. They both look up as he enters, Thorin frowning and Frerin with a sternness that Kili isn't used to seeing on his face.
"What have I told you about coming in without knocking?" Thorin asks and Kili's face falls.
"I'm sorry, Uncle," he replies, foot scuffing at the floor. Thorin sighs and Kili knows that he is about to receive another lecture in proper behaviour.
"Wait a moment, nadad," Frerin says, "I'm sure it's important or Kili wouldn't have interrupted like he did." He fixes his dark eyes on the young prince and Kili sees the twinkle there, Frerin has remembered what day it is.
"I just," he hesitates. "I just wanted to tell you what my chosen weapon is." Thorin's glare eases.
"Come, kurkarukê," he says. "Tell us this important news."
Kili goes to the desk with a bright grin. Once Thorin might have lifted him and set the boy upon his knee to listen to him. Now, Kili has a chosen weapon and Thorin treats him as one might a warrior, letting him stand before him to speak instead of as a child. Fili still treats him like a baby but Frerin and Thorin know better than his big brother.
"I've chosen the bow," he grins.
There is a moment of silence and something unidentifiable passes over Thorin's face at the words. Frerin, however, smiles and claps him on the shoulder hard enough to make Kili stumble to the side a little bit. Kili waits for something from Thorin, some word of pride or even just acknowledgement but his dark-haired uncle remains silent.
"I see," he says finally, "you should tell your mother." Kili's heart drops into his boots. He just wants to make his uncles proud of him.
"That's all you have to say?" Frerin asks. He stands and comes to Kili's side, his hand gentle on the boy's shoulder as he stares at his brother. "I will return shortly, one of us should take Kili home."
Thorin waves a dismissive hand and the grip on Kili's shoulder tightens. Kili feels tears gathering in his eyes at his uncle's dismissal and follows silently when Frerin leads him from the office with a frustrated sigh. Thorin's disappointment burns hot and bright in his chest, he had done exactly as Thorin had instructed and chosen the weapon that drew him in. Frerin had told him that the stone would sing when he touched that which he would be most proficient with and it had. The stone had sung as soon as Kili's fingers had touched the bow and he had been proud. The bow had been his father's weapon and he has always longed to prove that he has something of his father in him. He certainly doesn't have Vili's looks, which Fili got the entire share of, but he should have known how Thorin would react when he heard Dwalin muttering about elf weapons under his breath.
"Uncle's angry with me," Kili says softly, hating the teary sound in his voice.
"Thorin isn't angry," Frerin disagrees. "He's just a little bit too set in his ways sometimes, he's a swordsman but he can use a bow as well as any of us."
"But it isn't the weapon he's chosen," Kili argues. "He's upset because I chose the bow."
"So did your father," Frerin replies. "I've never seen another dwarf with the skill Vili had. Your mother will be pleased, kurkarukê, and Thorin will get his head around it eventually."
"I wanted him to be proud," Kili sulks. "You're always proud of us, but Thorin never is." They stop.
"Listen to me, Kili," Frerin crouches in front of him. "Thorin is always proud of you. You and Fili are his greatest joy, even if he doesn't say it very much. He's never been good at saying or showing what he feels and even though you're a prince you won't always hear what you want to hear. He thinks he needs to prepare you for that." Kili pulls a face at him. "He'll come around," Frerin promises, "and if he doesn't do it quickly enough your Amad will smack him with her spoon until he does."
T.A. 2941 Rivendell
Kili lounges in the sun on one of the multitude of stone benches that can be found around Rivendell. The Last Homely House has been on his list of places to visit since Frerin told him about it as a child and now that he's here he finds himself slightly disappointed. It's pretty enough, he supposes, in that way of things that appear to have grown in place rather than constructed of good stone. Even what stone the elves have used seems thin and unsuited for the task it has been used for. He knows that isn't the case, Rivendell has been here for centuries, but it lacks the solidity he's accustomed to. Even the hobbit house seemed better constructed than this, but that's probably because it was under the ground as is more proper.
He opens one eye to look at Fili who is on the ground next to him staring at nothing. He's better than he was the night before, sleep has apparently helped him to become accustomed to the strangeness of the stone in this place, but it's eerie to see his blue eyes completely lost to the burning mithril of his Stone Sense. Fili keeps such tight control of his ability these days, ever since they nearly lost him to the mountains when he was forty-nine and pushed too far, to have it so evident now must be frustrating.
Kili wonders if that's why Bluebell has been avoiding them this morning, not that it isn't nice to have some time just with Fili. He likes Bluebell and Ori, but he hasn't had much time alone with his brother since the Shire. In Bree they had other things to talk about and Thorin usually avoids putting them on watch of any sort together because they tend to get distracted horsing around or planning new tricks to play. Which hadn't been the case when they lost two of the ponies, Kili had been too busy trying to get Fili to talk about his problems with Frerin. Kili hates trying to get Fili to talk about the things going on in his head, but if he doesn't his older brother lets things fester until he's brooding almost as much as Thorin does and there's only room for one grumpy dwarf in their family.
"So, Bluebell," Kili says casually. That's something else he needs to discuss with his brother.
"What about her?" Fili asks after first checking for the arrival of their little hobbit friend.
"She's quite pretty," Kili mutters. "You know, in a sort of beardless elvish kind of way."
"There's nothing elf-like about her," Fili argues. Kili snorts.
"You've seen her ears," he replies. "Almost as pointy and delicate as any elf's, and you like her." Fili doesn't reply and Kili frowns. Obviously, his brother is going to be difficult today. "But if you're not interested," he continues, "I wouldn't mind having a go myself, if you haven't already."
"Leave it alone, Kee," Fili warns.
"It's going to be a long journey," Kili continues blithely, "and this is the perfect place, since we're stuck here for a few days and all. Those beds they've given us are huge." He grins at Fili who is glaring at him with murderous intent. His brother is so easy, he thinks gleefully.
"Don't even think it," Fili snarls. "Bluebell isn't-"
"I'm just saying, if you aren't interested back off and let the rest of us have a go," Kili interrupts with a smirk.
In hindsight, he should have expected the fist. Fili is very protective of Bluebell even if he won't admit it. She's easy to be protective of really and she's become a very good friend, if anyone else were talking about her like this Kili would probably join his brother in giving them a beating. Not for the same reasons but Fili doesn't seem to have noticed that just yet. Kili ignores that line of thought as he tussles with his brother. It's familiar, as frustrating as his Amad and Thorin find it, and it usually serves a purpose, even if that purpose is trying to convince Fili to get his head out of his ass.
Kili has been doing this since they were young, made aware of the importance of it by watching Frerin and Thorin. Fili and Thorin both brood and Kili learnt young that sometimes it's the job of the little brother to help the older. He has seen first hand how Thorin has suffered without having Frerin around to goad him into discussing whatever bothers him. Their Amad does it as well, of course, but Frerin always seemed to be better at it, better at getting under Thorin's skin because they were so often at odds with each other over one thing or another.
"Leave her alone," Fili says once he's pinned Kili to the ground. "Understand me, you leave her alone. She isn't some plaything for you to discard when you get bored."
"When have I ever done that?" Kili asks, offended. He's never taken any serious bed mates, but nor has Fili, and the end of any such arrangements has always been a mutual agreement. "You know me better than that, nadad."
"I know," Fili deflates a little and pulls away. "It's just hearing you talk about her like that- she deserves better than that."
"I know," Kili agrees, "and I'd hit anyone who hurt her the same as you would." Fili narrows his eyes at him. Kili has gotten what he needed from the discussion and he suspects Fili has realised it.
"It isn't what you think," he warns.
"Of course not," Kili smirks.
"Uncle wouldn't allow it," Fili continues. Kili doesn't dignify that with a response, they both know what Thorin's stance on that is. "And Frerin wouldn't either."
"I don't think we have to worry about Frerin," Kili shakes his head. "It's Belladonna we need to look out for." She has impressive aim with her little knives, Kili wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of her.
"No," Fili disagrees, "I think we're doing Bluebell as disservice, she can take care of herself."
That she can, Kili thinks, and it's a good thing that Fili can recognise it. Now if only his brother could accept the rest of it. Kili doesn't like the thought of the hobbits going back to the Shire once this is over. For one, he can't imagine Erebor without all of the Company there and for another he knows that if Belladonna leaves Frerin will go with her. Kili isn't blind, he knows Frerin will go wherever his hobbit woman is and Bluebell will follow her mother, or Belladonna will follow Bluebell. Either way, if he wants Frerin to stay in Erebor, and their Amad will be over joyed to have her brother back (once she's stopped trying to string him up by the stones for vanishing on them), he needs to keep the hobbits in Erebor. That means convincing Bluebell to stay and Kili rather suspects that will rely rather heavily on Fili.
Just once Kili would like something to be simple.
A.N: kurkarukê means "my tiny raven", it seemed appropriate for Kili. Also, I adored writing Kili, he actually had more chapters in my original draft but I didn't have any memories to put with them. I could have come up with something but in the end I was just going over the same information and they were cut. I have a few sections like that, some of which I even typed up before changing it for my final draft. I've been out of the game too long to have a proper beta, so all bobbles are mine, but my sisters have been happy to consult on occasion and a lot of the Kili stuff was cut on their advice.