Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Hobbit belongs to JRR Tolkien and anyone who was involved in the making of it

Author's Note: Thank you for reviewing. I hope this chapter is just as good as the others ... hopefully. Hope you enjoy, and remember to review please!

Chapter Six

"Come here, little brother. Now!" Fili shouted, furious and red in the face with dismay. He was clutching a bar of soap in his hands.

"N-no!" Kili howled as he darted past a rather surprised dwarf who stared at them oddly. Fili growled to himself as he ran harder. Thorin had told the brothers he would be away from home for a few days and had given Fili instructions to discipline his brother fairly if he got into trouble. If they needed anything, they could go to the forge where Dwalin and Balin worked.

"Kili!" Fili shouted furiously as his little brother dashed into the woods. With a growl and keeping a tight hold on the bar of soap in his hands, he ran in after his brother. "Kili, stop!" He saw his little brother trip over a tree root and he skidded. Fili slowed to a halt beside him, checked that he was okay and dragged him up by the scruff of his neck.

"No! Fili, you can't!" Kili wailed, panicking even more when he saw a small river nearby.

Fili dragged his little brother over to the river and then pushed the soap into Kili's mouth, firmly but not harshly. Kili gagged but Fili firmly held the soap in his mouth. Fili could see Kili's eyes watering and he gagged once more. He felt a flash of slight sympathy, but pushed it away. It was ill-mannered for Kili to say words like that, and Fili would not have his little brother growing up ill-mannered.

"Should you ever say anything like that again, little brother, you will find yourself with a sore bottom and in the position were just in. It is ill-mannered to curse and swear like that, and I shall not have you growing up ill-mannered," Fili said as sternly as he could as Kili rinsed out his mouth in the river water.

Kili spat out the water he had been swirling in his mouth and protested, "I'm 49! You can't discipline me like that anymore!"

"I can, and I will," Fili retorted. He softened his voice and added, "It's because I care for you, little brother." He pulled Kili close and gave him a hug. "You know that, don't you?"

"Mmm hmm," Kili mumbled as he snuggled closer.

"Uncle! You're back!"

Thorin grinned when he saw Kili and Fili run up, then stand up as solemnly as they could. He knew his two nephews were trying their best to act mature, but it was simply to awkward for their uncle's eyes. Thorin chuckled and embraced both of them in a warm hug. "I hope you haven't gotten into any trouble," Thorin remarked as they strode toward the house.

"Of course not!" Kili said, a bit too quickly.

Behind him, Fili grinned at Thorin as if to say, Yeah, right. Thorin bit the inside of his cheek, struggling not to laugh out loud. He sniffed a grin and Kili frowned at him. "I didn't!" his youngest nephew insist. "Really, I didn't!"

"How about we ask Fili?" Thorin suggested casually with a grin.

"No!" Kili exclaimed.

Thorin and Fili burst into laughter and Kili stood indignantly for a few moments before his lips twitched and he, too, grinned. Chuckling, they went into the house.

"Noooooooo! It'll take too long!" Kili wailed.

Fili bit his lip and sighed before sitting down to finish his meal.

"Hush, little one!" Thorin scolded. "You are 49 now, not five. Behave like the age you are." Kili glowered down at his dinner. "I understand that you are disappointed. I was hoping to go outside and have some fun as well, but it is you who has not kept up with your studies. How many weeks did you say you 'forgot'?"

"I did forget!" Kili insisted.

Thorin frowned deeply at his direction. "Kili."

Kili sighed and looked down. "Three," he muttered.

Thorin gave a curt nod. "Three weeks. You forgot, for three weeks."

"I did!"

Fili sighed and slumped back into his seat. He had been as stern as he could during the time Thorin was away, yet Kili simply did not obey him the same way he obeyed Thorin. Hush, little brother, before you dig yourself deeper into this hole you have dug, Fili thought sourly as he chewed and swallowed. He winced as he heard Thorin's announcement.

"For the next few days, you will stay inside and work on your studies for three hours a day. No playing, no fun, nothing, until you finish a day's worth."

"You're not being fair!" Kili spat.

"I am being very fair."

Kili opened his mouth, but Fili cleared his throat warningly and his little brother stopped. He cast his older brother a sullen look before resuming his meal. Fili glanced up at Thorin with a smile lingering on his face. They both knew how this would end.

"Can I come too?" Kili asked hopefully as Fili allowed Thorin to tighten his coat.

"Not today, little brother," Fili said. "Sorry." He reached out to ruffle Kili's hair but the younger dwarfling pulled back. The hurt must have reflected in Fili's eyes, for Kili seemed to hesitate before giving his brother a quick hug.

"Work on your studies, Kili," Thorin said as he gathered his weapons. Kili made a face at Thorin and spun around and stomped away. Fili gazed after him remorsefully. He wished his younger brother could come with him, but these were lessons that Thorin taught to his heir. As the oldest, Fili was first in line, before Kili.

"He'll be fine," Thorin said as he nudged Fili out the door.

"I know," Fili answered. They headed toward the forest, striding through the branches toward the clearing where they always sparred.

(Thorin's POV)

The first thing I immediately knew when I stepped into the house with a panting Fili was that my youngest nephew was gone. There was no sound as he set down my weapons and called, "Kili!"

Nothing.

Kili was gone. Most likely gone to fume on his own. He probably hadn't even finished his day's worth of studies. Whenever I scolded him, I always noticed Fili close by, looking stricken by his brother's consequences and attitude. It was a fact recently that Kili had an attitude - and one that I did not like. He was becoming mischievous, wayward, and arrogant. He disobeyed me repeatedly, and seemed to "forget" to do his studies every day.

Fili had told me, once I had come back from my long journey to visit some of my kin, that he had had to wash out Kili's mouth because of the foul language he had used. I had winced, remembering my own experiences.

"Uncle, shouldn't we go find him?" Fili's voice broke into my thoughts.

I considered, then shook my head as I hung up my coat. "Leave him. He will come soon enough."

Fili hesitated, then smartly nodded and headed up to his bedroom, most likely to wash away the grime and dirt and sweat. I headed toward the kitchen, knowing that my two laddies would be hungry. And one would be eating with a sore bottom. Twenty minutes passed, and then another. By then I had begun to wonder if Kili would not be coming back willfully and if I would have to go get him after all, when the door creaked. I deliberately kept my back turned as I stared out the window.

Footsteps were sounded, and a soft voice said, "Uncle?"

"Kili." I didn't move.

"I'm sorry."

I paused for a few moments, then said, "No. You aren't."

"I am!" Kili insisted.

I turned at last and glowered at my young nephew. Kili dropped his gaze. He was standing behind me, looking absolutely remorseful. He looked so guilty that I softened at once. I noticed a tear trickle down his cheek and I tipped his face up and brushed it away with my thumb. I spread my arms and Kili flung himself into my embrace. I wrapped my arms around my nephew and felt him quiver and shake. "Shhh," I murmured as he tried to speak. "Not now." I enjoyed the warm hug we shared, then I drew him onto my lap.

"Uncle, I'm forty-nine, I-" Kili began to protest, rather shakily.

I pressed a finger to his lips and planted a small kiss on his head. Kili stayed silent until I spoke. "I assume you didn't finish your studies?" I said to him, allowing a hint of sternness to enter my voice.

Kili looked down at his lap and said in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

"Hush," I said. "Save your sorries for later, little one, else we become drenched in them."

Kili snuggled closer to me and leaned his head against my shoulder. I wished we could stay like this forever, but I had to get on with it. "Kili, you know what happens when you deliberately disobey me," I began. I waited for a reply, but when none came, I continued. "You were a naughty little dwarfling today, laddie, and naught little dwarflings get their bottoms warmed."

"Noooooo!" Kili wailed, writhing in my tight grip. He flailed, arms waving and I grasped them with one hand.

"Stop that, little cub," I scolded. "You will yourself." I turned him over my lap and began to tug his breeches down. Kili let out a snarl and a rather nasty curse as soon as his bottom was bared, pale and quivering. I stopped. "Excuse me?" I said incredulously. "Were you speaking to me?" I gave him a hard swat.

Kili gasped and flinched, then lay still, quivering and letting out soft whimpers. I landed another swat, just as hard as the first one. "Answer me, little one."

Kili buried his face in his arms and mumbled something incoherently. "What was that?" I asked. My hand fell on the same spot and my nephew gasped again. "I cannot hear you, little cub. Were you speaking to me in such an unmannerly way? Who were you speaking to?"

Kili raised his head and spat out, "Nobody! Anyone! I d-don't know!"

"Mmmm." I gave him another hard spank and he let out a pitiful whimper. Then, my opening swats finished, I swatted down with less force and continued in a similar way. Kili was writhing and gasping, but not crying out. Not yet. He had been disobedient and he knew he fully deserved this, yet he did not want to submit to this.

At first, I had been fully hesitant about disciplining my two nephews. It seemed ... wrong. I was not their father, I was merely their uncle. Yet, once both their parents died, they looked up to me as if I were a father. I had still been slightly hesitant, but one day when Kili and Fili had gotten into a worst mischief possible, my hesitation had fled, never to come back.

After that, I had never paused whenever I needed to discipline them. I turned my full attention to the rosy bottom, not quite the deep crimson yet, but a dusty pink. Kili had gone oddly silent, and I hesitated before landing the next swat. I bent down, curious on why my wayward little cub was silent. I instantly felt a flash of disapproval when I saw that he was biting and gnawing his lip, an old habit of his.

There were a few tears running down his face, but he was still soundless. I stopped and brushed his lip. Kili released it and looked up at me through wide and tearful eyes. "Do not bite your lip, little one," I said sternly and warningly. "If I see one spot of blood on that lip after finishing up, then I shall turn you right back over my knee and spank until you do not even have the energy to move."

He nodded and gave a soft whimper as I continued. He slowly began to jerk and he bent his head as low as possible, burying his face in his arms. His legs gave small kicks and they strained and jerked as I spanked him. At last, he began to cry hard. His entire body shook with his low sobs. Kili's bottom was a light red; it would surely be burning by now.

It was time to start speaking.

"How are we doing, my little cub?" I murmured and lightened my spanks, for we had much to cover.

"We?" Kili gasped out. "We are doing fine, thank you. We need you to stop spanking me."

"Nay," I chuckled. "You want me to stop spanking you. There is a difference."

"N-no!" Kili protested, bucking up. I held him firmly over my lap as I swatted his rosy backside. "I-I-I need y-you to stop! AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Do you decide when this spanking ends?" I asked sternly, spanking the curve underneath his rosy cheeks.

"NOOOOO! OWWW!"

"Your tone, little cub," I told him.

"S-sorrryyy!"

"Who decides when this spanking is over?"

"Y-you dooooooooooo! P-please, Uncle Thor'n!" Kili wailed, writhing.

I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and saw that Fili had joined us. He sat down in a chair and watched silently. I gave a slight nod to him before returning to Kili, who was now whimpering and gasping desperately, body quivering and shaking.

"Now, we are almost done," I said in a gentle voice as I leaned over to check that Kili wasn't biting his lip. He was shaking and crying, but his lip remained unbitten. I smiled and stroked his hair in approval. "One last question, little cub. Why did you do this naughty, naughty thing?"

"I d-don't knoooooooooowwwwwwwwww!" Kili wailed as I resumed spanking his bottom. My little wayward nephew was reaching his limit. I would have to finish this up, and finish it quickly.

"You do know," I said sternly as I put more force into the next wallop. Kili's entire body jerked before he went limp, sobbing. Despite the sternnes I felt, a hot zing of sympathy ran through me as I remembered my own spankings when I was a little dwarfling, and decided to help Kili along. "Was it because you craved my attention, little one?" I asked softly. My hand was now merely giving his bottom firm pats, but it obviously felt like swats to Kili for he was kicking and squirming and wailing.

"A-aye," Kili choked out at last. "Y-you and big brother ke-kept l-l-leaving me in the-the house and I-I f-felt lonelyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

I winced. Fili and I had been leaving Kili in the house for a while now, leaving together to do kingly heir-like things. As the oldest, Fili was my heir and I had begun to train him in preperation. I knew what Kili was feeling. Jealousy. He wanted my attention, he craved my undivided attention on him and only him. I glanced over at my oldest nephew and saw the guilty, sad look on his face. "Shhhh," I murmured, drawing Kili closer to me. He buried his face in my chest, sobbing and wailing as though he were still being spanked.

"You wanted me to notice you as well, is that it, little cub?" I murmured as I let his sore bottom hang between my spread legs. I planted a small kiss on his unruly dark hair. "I kept leaving you in the house alone, and you were feeling jealous and left out. That's why you kept acting up recently, hmmm? You wanted my attention and you pushed and pushed at the boundaries I had set for you until I decided to take care of your misbehaviour."

"I dinna want a s-spanking," Kili cried softly, his sobs and wails tapering off to sniffles and soft cries.

"No, of course you don't. But at least when I spank you, my full attention is on you, hmmm?" I said softly, speaking gently to him.

Kili nodded. "Mmm hmmm. Was jealous. Had a bad, bad feeling in my chest. You dinna love me, the voice kept s-saying." Kili sniffled and rubbed his eyes with his fists.

I stared at him, aghast. Had I left him alone for so long that he had been convinced that I did not care for him, love him as equally as his older brother? Determination flashed through me. I gave him another kiss on his bowed head and he snuggled closer to me. "You may come with us from now on," I said softly. "As long as you finish your studies first. Fair enough?"

Kili raised his head and his soft chocolate brown eyes met mine. "Fair enough, Unca Thor'n."

I grinned. A spanked Kili was just adorable. I held out my right arm, the one that Kili wasn't leaning against, and said, "Fili. Come." Fili hesitated for only a moment, before darting across the room and flinging himself into my warmth. I stroked both of their heads and said, "No matter what happens, no matter what you say or what you do, I shall love you both equally forever."

End of Chapter Six

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