Date: TA 2879

Thorin: 133 years old

Lina: 130 years old

Lina stood quietly, watching her two nephews training. Fili was practicing the sword dances he'd learned from Kira. Kili was firing arrow after arrow into a target. Both were becoming skilled warriors. Fili was just old enough to go out on one of the travelling parties which sometimes ventured out from Belegost.

It had been fifteen years since the birth of Dis's second son, Kili. The two children could not be more different from one another.

Fili's hair was coarse and blonde. Already it was getting quite long and he kept it braided and pulled back in a style almost identical to that of Thorin in his youth. The way he wore his hair, his prominent nose, and his startling blue eyes were so much like his uncle's that it was sometimes hard for Lina to believe that Fili was not actually Thorin's son. The young dwarf had his uncle's broad shoulders and sturdy body as well. At twenty, Fili was just beginning to grow out his own beard. Like his uncle, he did not want anything long or easily tangled as Dwalin and Balin both had. Instead, he kept his beard neatly trimmed, but he was trying to make the hair on his upper lip long enough to braid.

Kili on the other hand had his uncle's dark hair. He wore his soft brown locks in loose waves, never bothering to braid any of it back. His eyes were a dark brown. The shape of his head and body were far less blocky than his brother's. The broadness Fili possessed, Kili did not. He was smaller than most of his male year mates. Kili was still too young to begin growing his beard. Lina wondered if he'd ever manage to truly grow any facial hair. While Fili was quite obviously taking after his uncle, Kili was taking after his father. The boys' father had one of the scraggliest and sparsest beards Lina had ever seen.

The differences in the two went far beyond appearances. Lina knew their personalities so well that, given a phrase or sentence just as it had been spoken, she could tell exactly which brother had been speaking.

In personality, Fili was, again, most similar to Thorin. He was incredibly loyal, and tried his hardest to please the ones he held in high esteem. Both Thorin and Fili would go out of their way to do anything Lina asked of them. Both males were very protective. In the bouts Lina sometimes ran against Thorin and his nephews, Fili most often went down first. Being struck down first was not because Fili had no skill with weaponry. Quite the opposite! He was extremely fast and very strong. His training under Kira and Thorin made him a deadly swordsman. His early release from combat was often due to his protective nature. Lina had, on a number of occasions, been on the verge of striking down Kili through some foolish mistake the younger brother had made when suddenly Fili was there. Kili would be knocked backwards, away from the danger of Lina's blow. Fili would take the full force and be knocked out of the fight.

Fili's desire to please and habit of putting himself in danger to protect Kili infuriated Thorin more often than not. Lina was afraid the young male was beginning to believe his uncle hated him. Thorin had a bit of a temper and it seemed to come out most often around Fili. Fili was constantly being chastised for putting his brother before anything else. In the middle of a battle he could not throw away strategy and planning for the sake of one. He had to learn to think about the goal and not those who would be lost along the way. At least, that was what Thorin told him. After these lectures, once Thorin had gone, Fili would slump down against some wall by himself. His shoulders would be hunched in defeat, believing he was a disappointment to his idol. Lina made sure she was always on hand when Thorin was particularly hard on his heir. She had to explain to her young nephew that Thorin was so hard on him because he was trying to make Fili as strong as possible.

"You've seen that scar your uncle has on his side?" Lina asked.

"Yeah, the one he said Azog gave him?"

"That's right. He got it when his shield shattered. His shield shattered when he jumped in front of me, protecting me."

Fili's eyes had gone wide and Thorin had gone up one more step in the child's esteem. He had begun to realize, with Lina's help, that Thorin did love him. The young dwarf learned to temper his desire to protect with a little more strategy based on Lina's suggestions. His "death" in the bouts became less frequent though he would still defend his brother whenever he realized Kili could not protect himself.

Kili was far more like Frerin than Thorin. His emotions frequently overruled his common sense, leading him into more trouble than he'd bargained for. Things came out of his mouth that made even hardened warriors used to hearing stupid things stop and stare. No matter how many times one of them drove the younglings around the training arena in a brutal training session to knock the common sense into him, Kili just did not get it. Nothing the older dwarves did seemed to be able to get through to him. He was about as thick as a wall and very impulsive. However, he was exceptionally loyal to whoever earned his loyalty.

While he usually survived longer in bouts than his brother, thanks to Fili's protection, he was the most likely to get himself into trouble. All Lina had to do was somehow insult his pride and he would charge at her without thinking of the consequences. On Kili, Lina was just as hard as Thorin was on Fili. Thorin was training his heir. Lina was protecting the next in line. Kili had to be ready should anything happen to his older brother. Lina did not want to lose Kili the same way Frerin and Ona had been lost, through foolish impulsiveness. Unlike with Fili, the criticisms Lina gave Kili rarely seemed to do any damage to his ego or self-esteem. Most things just bounced off of him. It took Lina a very long time to break some of his bad habits and implant good ones, but when she was successful Kili never forgot the lessons she had taught.

Both of the brothers were hard workers and very eager to learn. Kili preferred the bow to the sword, but was sufficiently good in melee combat. Fili favored a sword longer and heavier than his uncles. Fili, however, had picked up something from his aunt. Like Lina, the younger dwarf had knives hidden all over his body. For his last birthday, Lina had arranged for her assassins to teach him how to use a set of throwing knives she'd given him. In addition to his sword, Fili usually carried at least six other blades. His two favorites could be inserted into the soles of his boots.

"Do you think Fili is ready to go out into the world for a time?" Thorin asked, coming up behind his wife.

"I assume he'd be with one of the trading parties," she answered.

"Of course. He's not ready to be completely alone just yet." The dwarf crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Fili executed a lightning quick spin and strike. Lina could see the pride in his eyes. As much as Thorin tried to hide it, he was extremely proud of his nephew. The young dwarf was quickly growing into one who would be a strong leader.

"Will you be going with us?" Lina wondered aloud. She had secured a spot for herself in this trading group. It had been some time since she had last left the city, and she was anxious to see the outside world.

"I can't," her husband replied, "I've business to attend to regarding the Iron Hills."

Lina nodded and turned her attention back to the brothers. Fili had just finished his bout with Kira and was heading in their direction.

"Fili!" Thorin called. The younger dwarf jogged over to his uncle.

"Yes, uncle?"

"Are you ready to go out with the trading group?"

Fili's eyes brightened. He'd never been outside the city of Belegost. For a young dwarf eager to have adventures, this was akin to going on a quest of legendary proportions.

"Of course, sir," he managed finally. Lina smiled. The youngling was trying hard to hide his excitement, not wanting his uncle to think him too young or immature.

"Go pack your things," Thorin ordered gruffly, trying to hide his own amusement.

"We leave in two days," Lina added.

Fili nodded and was off like a shot once dismissed. Lina just smiled and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek before heading to retrieve her own armor. The trading trip would be a good experience for the young dwarf, and a good chance for Lina to test out his abilities.