Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. This story is not meant to violate the rights held by New Line, Tolkien Enterprises, nor any other licensee, nor is any disrespect intended.
Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter - it made me so happy! :D Thank you to everyone who voted for our two mischievous brothers' ages. These are the results: Younger Fili and Kili: 3. Older Fili and Kili: 2. I'll have both up at some point, most likely. But this chapter is younger Fili and Kili! This chapter is dedicated to C.D. Wofford. Thanks for helping me pull through this hard chapter. Enjoy and please REVIEW!
Chapter Fifteen
In this chapter Fili is 10 and Kili is 5
"Uncle Thorin! Uncle Thorin! Uncle Thorin!"
"Walk!" Thorin barked as he heard little footsteps racing across the rather slippery floor. His warning came too late.
CRASH!
A cry was heard and Thorin leaped up from his seat in his study before rushing out. Fili was biting his lip, eyes wide as he looked up at Thorin. "Uncle Thorin! Kili's hurt!"
Thorin scooped up the young dwarfling immediately. Trying to hush him at the same time and gesturing to Fili to follow, Thorin quickly headed over to the main room and sat on an armchair. "Shhh," he hushed soothingly. "Shhhhh."
Kili sniffled and put out his hands. "Hurts, Unca Thowin! Hurts!"
Thorin sighed. "They most likely do, little one." He ruffled Kili's hair. "That's why I always tell you to walk."
Kili buried his face into Thorin's chest. "S-sorry."
"Just don't do it again," Thorin said quietly.
"Uncle Thorin?"
Thorin looked up. Fili was standing at the doorway, a large figure behind him. "Mister Dwalin is waiting for you outside."
Thorin sighed and tried to place Kili to the ground - his youngest nephew did not let go, instead stubbornly clinging to his neck. Thorin tried to pry him off, saying, "Now, Kili, I must go to Dwalin. Perhaps you should go and play with your brother?"
Kili squealed at the word 'play'. "Okay, Unca Thowin!"
As Thorin walked toward his old friend, who had seated himself at the kitchen table comfortably, Dwalin commented, "Still has that lisp of his, does he?"
Thorin groaned. "Aye. I swear he does it just to look even more adorable."
They both chuckled.
"One ... two ... three ..."
"Kili-"
"Four ... five ..."
"Kili! Can you st-"
"Six ... Seven ... Eight ... Ni-"
"Kili!" Fili hissed. His brother stopped in counting the stars carved into his bed. Fili glared. "I'm trying to study this page like Balin told me to. Shhh!"
"But-"
"No!"
"But Fili! Fili, please! I wanna do somethin'!"
"It's 'I want to do something', Kili," Fili corrected in a mature-like way. "Honestly, has Balin taught you nothing?"
Kili scowled sulkily. Fili sighed and scratched his head. "What do you want to do?" he asked.
"Go eat apples."
Fili grimaced. "Again? We did that two days ago and remember the trouble we got in?"
"That was only 'cause you threw apple at Old Mister Griff and got both of us into twouble!"
"Don't call him old else we'll get in even more trouble," Fili grumbled. "And stop with that lisp. You know you can speak properly."
"Nope," Kili said with a grin. Then he sent Fili an adorable puppy look. "Please, Fee? Just a walk outside?"
Fili groaned. He could never hide away from those soft, chocolate brown eyes. "Fine," he said, standing up. "But if we get into trouble, I'm blaming you."
"'Kay, Fee! 'Kay!" With a delighted squeal, Kili bounced off to pull on his boots.
"Where are you two going?" Thorin called as they pulled on their boots. Dwalin was still beside him, watching the boys with an amused look.
"Outside!" Kili squealed. He ran over and gave Thorin a tight hug around his knees.
"Where's my hug?" Dwalin asked, as if offended.
Kili giggled, knowing that the fierce warrior was teasing, but nevertheless gave him a hug around the knees as well. Thorin ruffled Kili's hair, then did so to Fili's. Fili scowled. Thorin chuckled and said, "Well, hurry up, then. The sun won't be up forever."
Fili waved as Kili dragged him outside eagerly.
"Don't get into any trouble!" Thorin called after them.
They strolled through the marketplace, then to the fields, then around a quiet block where the shadows cast everywhere, almost in a spooky way.
"Wow! Look, Fee!" Kili gasped, wide-eyed. He pointed to a dark alleyway that gave Fili shivers. "Look! It looks haunted!" He gave Fili a pleading look. "Can we go inside? Please?"
"No!" Fili sputtered. "Kili, no! Are you mad?"
Kili pouted. "Why not?" he sulked.
"Because we don't know what's there," Fili growled. He snatched his brother's hand before he could run off, saying, "Come on. I don't want us to get into trouble. I don't really enjoy a sore bottom, you know."
"Ah, so the Princes do get punished! And deservingly so."
Fili whipped around, Kili turning around as well. Fili grimaced at the sight of the four dwarflings he particularly didn't like. The ringleader of the group was Morkar, who particularly targeted Kili when Fili wasn't around. His "second-in-command" was Buox, and then the two brothers Nar and Sár.
"The only one who needs to be punished soundly is you," Kili retorted with a glare.
Funny that his lisp is suddenly gone, Fili thought wryly. So the lisp was fake. He suppressed a smirk but it was too late; Morkar had seen his half-smirk. "Who are you laughing at, Princeling?" he sneered. "Are you laughing at your half-elf brother?"
Fili was taken aback. Then anger flared, so suddenly, and he saw red. Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "My brother is no foul Elvish blood in him, you-!" And here he inserted a nasty Khuzdul word that would have made Thorin pale a brilliant shade of white.
Morkar smirked at him, his lip curling. "Are you so sure about that?" he jeered.
"Aye; even the others talk about it," Nar taunted, eyes dancing wildly.
Fili felt Kili tense a bit, but there was no big reaction from his brother.
"He is Half-Elven and everyone knows it!" Sár called with a right nasty sneer.
"Half-Elf! Half-Elf!" Buox started to chant, then the others joined.
"Shut up!" Fili saw a flash of scarlet red. Then, the next thing he knew, he had punched Morkar squarely on the jaw.
Chaos broke out.
The dwarflings screamed and pummeled each other to the ground. Fili kicked Nar's ribs when the nasty dwarf tried to punch his brother in the nose. Fili let out a loud, taunting laugh as Kili kicked Buox's groin. Apparently, he was not the only furious one.
"STOP!"
A hand grabbed the scruff of Fili's neck, yanking him back. Fili gasped and tried to squirm away. He brushed his fingers over a cut and grimaced. It stung. He was spun around and turned to meet the face of Thorin Oakenshield himself.
Fili swallowed.
Wonderful.
"It wasn't my fault."
"Be quiet."
Fili fell silent again. Thorin was furious; he could just feel it. Fury was radiating off of him as he dragged Fili and his brother into the house. Fili heard a small sniffling noise. He didn't have to look. He knew it was Kili.
Thorin placed the two of them on a chair with a short order to sit still and be quiet. Then he left.
"I'm sorry for getting us into trouble," Kili whispered.
Fili looked at him, puzzled. "What? Kili, it wasn't your fault! It was mine."
Kili was nibbling on his bottom lip as he rubbed ruefully at some red cuts. "But if I wasn't so Elvish-looking, we wouldn't have gotten beaten up like this."
"No," Fili corrected. "You can't decide how you look. And besides, I landed the first punch. It's my fault."
"Boys, I don't think this is the definition of 'quiet'."
Fili fell silent as Thorin strode back into the room, an eyebrow raised. He hissed slightly as Thorin cleaned off the scratches and put salve on them. Then he watched Kili receive the same treatment.
"We're sorry, Uncle," Fili said quietly as Thorin put away the salve.
"You should be." Thorin turned to them, arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart. A stern look was in his eyes. It made Fili uncomfortable; it always did. "Fili, I want you to explain everything, in detail, to me. Go."
Fili gulped, then began. "Kee and I were walking back from the field," he began meekly, not meeting his uncle's eyes. "Then we went farther from the house and it was really quiet and there were barely any people."
"Continue."
"We were just about to return home when Morkar and his gang appeared."
Thorin let out a soft growl but gestured for him to continue.
"They started taunting Kili. They called him a half-elf and other nasty things!" By now, Fili was shaking with fury. "I ... I ... and then I ..." Fili grimaced, falling silent. He did not want his uncle to find out what he done next.
"Fili."
The warning in Thorin's voice was enough to make him continue. With a resigned sigh, Fili did so, speaking meekly. "I-I punched Morkar. In the face. And then we started to fight."
"I see." A silence fell.
"Sowwy, Unca Thowin," Kili offered softly. "Didn't mean to hurt Morkar and his fweinds."
"We all know what's going to happen next," Thorin said quietly. He pulled out an armless chair, murmuring, "Come, my little cub." He beckoned Kili. "Come so that we can finish this without any further wait."
Then he pulled Kili over his lap.
Thorin pulled down Kili's breeches and allowed the child to wriggle for a few moments to get as comfortable as possible before pulling him close. Kili's body was tense and quivering; he was obviously waiting for the first dreadful smack.
Thorin didn't hesitate either.
Kili gasped at the first swat. Thorin raised his hand, swallowing against the lump in his throat. It always pained him to spank his little ones. But he had to do it, and he would not fail them. Repeating that thought, he let his hand drop.
"Ow!" Kili gasped, wriggling a bit. "Unca!"
Thorin spanked down again in silence - Kili would learn his lesson; Thorin intended to make sure that he did. It was mainly Fili's fault this time (though he would never tell the boys that), but Kili had to understand that fighting was never the solution.
He swatted down again for the fourth time, seeing the pink flush in Kili's cheeks. He had decided that he would give Kili fifteen swats - it was a reasonable amount, considering his age.
Fifth swat.
Sixth swat.
It wasn't until the seventh that Kili cried out, loudly. "Ow!" he yelped. "Unca!" His tone was most indignant.
"You only have yourself to blame, dwarfling," Thorin said matter-of-factly. "If you hadn't fought, you wouldn't have been in this position right now.
Eighth swat.
"B-But-" Kili paused to flinch, then continued. "But it wasn't m-my fault that I look like an e-elf!"
Thorin stopped, resting his hands on the small, quivering cheeks. "Kili, I am not disciplining you for looking like an elf," he said. "I am spanking you for fighting." He continued to swat down.
Ninth swat.
"It is unacceptable to be brawling out in the streets."
"OW!" Kili began to weep.
Tenth swat.
"It is unmannerly and most certainly dangerous."
Eleventh swat.
"N-No more!" Kili cried out, flinging a hand back desperately. Tears soaked the blanket he had buried his face into. "P-Please, Unca! P-Please be d-done."
"Almost, little cub," Thorin soothed. Kili's bottom was rosy now. His small frame shook with sobs. Aye, Kili was most definitely learning his lesson. He swatted down again, almost flinching when he heard Kili's high-pitched wail.
SWAT!
Thirteenth spank, a bit harder than the others.
Kili howled, legs kicking, body shaking with sobs. Thorin paused again. "Tell me what you are sorry for, little dwarfling," he said quietly.
"Sor-sor-" Kili had to pause and wipe away his tears before gasping out, "S-sorry for f-fighting! S-Sorry for putting m-myself in - in d-danger! S-Sorry!"
"Apology accepted," Thorin said, then swatted down. They had been the hardest yet, and the last two.
Kili was positively sobbing, legs not even having the energy to kick. "S-Sorry!" he kept crying out. "Sorry! S-Sorry, Unca!"
"Shhh," Thorin purred, rubbing Kili's back and pushing away the damp, loose hairs away from his nephew's face. "Shhh. All over now. All over. Your slate is clean."
Fili watched Thorin lay Kili down in the bed on his stomach. His brother mumbled something drowsily, perhaps another apology, and fell asleep. Watching his brother, he had not seen his uncle heading his way. He was shocked when he was hauled over his uncle's lap.
Fili gasped and jerked at the first swat. It seemed to be more painful than the usual 'getting your attention' opening swats, for some reason. Perhaps it was his guilt. Or perhaps it was just his uncle swatting a bit harder than he usually did.
"Ow!" Fili gasped out involuntarily, twisting a bit. "Uncle! Too hard!"
"Too hard?"
Fili could just hear Thorin's frown.
"Too hard, Fili?"
Suddenly, the swats smacked down even harder. "Well, pup? Is this hard enough for you? Is this too hard?"
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fili kicked, desperately trying to wriggle away. "S-Sorry, Uncle," he gasped out.
Thorin slowed down the spanks. "I will have no more of your impertinence, my wild little pup," he said sternly. "This is deserved - and we both know it."
"Y-Yes, Uncle. I kn-know!" Fili buried his face into his arms and began to silently weep. Normally he would hold out longer than was he at the moment but Thorin's swats had been just too hard, in his opinion.
"Fili - let us make this lesson short. Why are you getting this spanking?"
Fili howled again and sputtered out, "Because I was n-naughtyyyyyyy!"
"Aye, you were," Thorin agreed. "But I think we can go into even more detail, don't you think?"
"Ahhhhhh! Y-Yessir!"
"Very well, then. Perhaps you could re-word your statement?"
"I-I am be-being sp-sp-" the words caught in Fili's throat, but he had to continue, "spanked because I-I fought! I-I shouldn't have! W-Was naughtyyy! N-No morrreee!"
"Aye. Straight to the point, hmm, pup?" Thorin paused and gently rubbed Fili's back. "Fili, you are the older brother. You must the older brother. You are a role model for your brother." He swatted down, making Fili yelp, then continued. "How do you think Kili saw it when he saw his older brother, his role model land the first punch?"
"I-I was defending him!" Fili sputtered out, swiping an arm angrily over his face. "Th-They were mean and bad, Uncle! It's not m-my fault, it's - ow! Okay, okay! Never mind!" He buried his face back into his arms.
"I know they were mean, Fili," Thorin soothed. Fili listened quietly, every once in a while letting out a soft sniffle. "But the world isn't full of just good." He bent down and smoothed Fili's damp hair away from his eyes, murmuring, "Let's not let this happen again, hmm?"
"Y-yes, sir," Fili mumbled drowsily as Thorin pulled him up, rocking him gently. "S-Sorry for ev-ev-everything, Uncle ... sorry."
"Accepted, my wild little pup," Thorin murmured.
End of Chapter Fifteen
Author's Note: Sorry, I know this wasn't the best chapter. I did try, though. I hope Thorin wasn't too hard on Fili and Kili. Please drop in and send me a PM or a REVIEW! Thank you, and await the next chapter! Bwahahaha *smirks*