So I was not really planning this, it sort of became planned as I went along the flux. Not sure if it's coherent right from the beginning, but here you go nonetheless ^^

I wrote this just because I wanted to use battle strategy metaphors, sort of, and it came out of my control. So here Fili is arrogant and capable of being cold blooded in tough situations, and Kili is the raging force that only his brother can tame. And for once, I wanted them to not be afraid of Thorin's disapproval – or at least, having dealt with that so long ago that it has no place in this story.

This is mostly about Thorin coming to understand that he cannot defeat his nephews in the matter of their love, I think.

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Chapter 1 – A battle to be fought

Fili, Thorin knows, fights with the mind. Either alone or teaming up with his brother, the blonde dwarf can form strategies in the split of a second, counting enemies, assessing their weakness and striking exactly at the right moment. There is mad precision about the way he moves through a battlefield, driven by cold blooded decisions that more often than not lead him victorious. Even during training against Dwalin and Thorin, when Fili's battle genius is still not enough to overpower decades of experience, it was possible to see him learning and adding to future tactics he might need. Thorin had left Fili on the ground many times during his training, but it was never with the same move, because his nephew would never commit the same mistake twice. Therefore, it is not surprising that when both brothers are acting together on the field, Fili easily gets into the role of bossing Kili around. When Gimli is with them he too falls quickly into the pace of the blonde's instructions. Thorin is usually slightly vexed that Kili, with all his defiance and stubbornness, never questions his brother for even a second while many times the brunette had argued with the king about what he should or should not do. But then again, he can understand to some point why this happens.

Kili, differently from his older brother, fights with the heart. He is body and soul when he is moving, completely focused at his surrounding, but attacking and dodging out of instinct instead of planning. That gave him many advantages; it made him unpredictable and fierce. Angry Kili was a force to be reckoned, all the more when someone he cared about was in danger - if Fili, in special, was in danger, there was nothing that could stop the younger. He seemed to glow so brightly with determination that it rubbed off on Fili when he was already exhausted from fighting. When Thorin was fighting against him in training, their battles were always longer, as if his nephew had an endless amount of energy, and soon after Fili would be on his feet again, fed by his sibling's enthusiasm. Nonetheless, a wild power can be as dangerous as the enemy, so Thorin had tried to give as much discipline as he could, only to fail almost every time - in battle, Kili listened to one person alone and that was Fili. He fitted perfectly under his brother's strategies, because there was no one who could harness Kili's full potential as Fili.

They - meaning Fili - would choose the spot that fitted the plans and then they - meaning Kili - would keep the fight going for as long as necessary. Thorin thought the best way to describe his nephews' battling style was that of a defending castle, which was probably no coincidence, given the blonde's genius to combine their different abilities.

Fili was the Fortress. The outer walls, high and mighty and impenetrable. His calculating mind added to the immense ability with double swords barely left any opening for foes to go through him in any circumstance, making sure the archer was safe to do his job.

Kili was the Archer, naturally. Standing atop the castle walls, with the advantage of high ground, shooting arrow after arrow both protecting and aiding his brother, who would be circling around him, maintaining the stronghold.

Sometimes, when either the battle was particularly bloody or when the boys were being particularly exuberant in their youth's arrogance, other fighting dwarves would be attracted to their island of controlled battle. They would help widen the circle Fili made around Kili, and soon enough the blonde would be ordering around dwarves much older than him, because his orders made sense, they worked, and because Kili obeyed. Although probably not consciously, the other dwarves knew that if even wild-Kili was following instructions with the discipline of a proper soldier, then the instructions must be worth following.

These are the times when Thorin can't help but feel proud of his nephews. These are the times when he sees the future king Fili will be and what an asset Kili will become to his brother's rule over others. It was a perfect combination, while one was calm and offered the security common men needed when following someone into battle, the other was furious and gave the inspiration to keep their spirits high and loyal to their leader. Obviously he doesn't wish wars during his nephew's time of ruling, but at least he knows that if they should come, Fili and Kili will fly past through it with ease - a little begrudging of his sister that they were not born earlier, he knows that if they had a few more like Fili and Kili back then, Erebor's fate might have been different.

And all of this was marvelous in terms of battle. Thorin could not have wished for better heirs when concerning this matter. Problem was that they were like this in every other aspect of their lives. Perhaps they were even worse, because when there was no risk of death, then they could be reckless and arrogant and thought they could get away with anything. Including an incestuous relationship that might be the doom of Thror's line if they didn't end that madness.

The first time Dis came to him to talk about how strange her sons' bond was, Thorin had thought nothing of it, dismissing it as the absurdity it was. Fili and Kili were close, yes. Closer than any pair of brothers he had ever seen, sure, but that hardly classified as strange. To some extent, it was to be expected. They had been born on the road, with no mountain above them and surrounded by adults that were too busy trying to make a living as they roamed through Middle-Earth, Fili and Kili had learned to turn to one another for family comfort, friendship, protection.

Mischief too, you can never forget that.

Fili had been in his own right, a little blonde devil. Always had a wicked grin on his face as he pulled his pranks and tricks on naive people that let themselves be fooled by his innocent-looking blue eyes. At the age of five, Fili had been close to a wild thing, running ahead through the road, falling in rabbit holes and playing with swords that were double his size. There were very few who could boss him around - Dis, Thorin and Dwalin, no one else - but not always one of them was available to discipline him, and Fili knew that, displaying an arrogant little smirk as he went about causing havoc. It was a general relief, then, when Kili was born. Because they expected that being a big brother would sober Fili up, he would have to be more responsible and take care of the new dwarfling in their family. Secretly, they had all been terribly afraid that the coming of a second child would make the older jealous, turning the situation even worse. Well, it did, just not quite the way they had feared.

Kili's presence did sober Fili up a bit. The blonde dwarf fitted the role of older brother at complete ease, taking immediately upon himself the task of watching over the younger without even being asked to. During two years, they had some peace, until Kili began to talk, and then walk. The day Kili took his first steps beneath the proud eyes of his older brother was the day that their family learned the true meaning of a nightmare - Thorin was sometimes melodramatic like this. Because it was not a month later that they had two, instead of one, chaos-bringing children, running around, causing all kinds of problems and laughing wholeheartedly at it. He was not sure whether Fili's nature had rubbed off on Kili or if they had both been born like that and this was something that had passed down to them from the line of Durin, fact was that his sister had given birth to two partners in crime who seemed to be attached at the hip despite the five years difference.

So, yes, being a big brother had sobered Fili some, but that just meant that the blonde had become more careful and more creative about his pranks, his calculating nature rapidly arising as the demand for different ways to have fun and escape lecturing appeared. According to Fili himself, who defiantly had explained this when he was twenty years old to Dwalin, it was just not him getting into trouble, it was his baby brother and he had to be careful to make Kili's escape easier. In fact, he became so good at hiding Kili's participation in a prank or at bailing him out when the younger got into trouble on his own, that with time people forgot that he could be even worse than his brother.

As they grew up, Fili and Kili achieved a perfect sync. They walked around side by side, communicating each other's movements through subtle elbows and looks, shifting their positions according to the other's moves. As Kili became more extroverted and outspoken, laughing at everyone's face, Fili settled for discrete mockery, always alert to get them out the trouble they were getting into. The one thing that remained from the wild five-year old was the arrogant grin whenever he succeeded in causing havoc and saving their asses. So, people who didn't know them thought erroneously that the responsible older brother just couldn't resist the younger's antics, accompanying him just to make sure he was safe. Fili really did spoil Kili to no end, that was true, but he was far from being the more innocent of the two. If anything, Thorin still thought he was the worst - who else had taught Kili all the proper ways to disarm the ponies' saddles? And who else would have the perfect plan to clean them from any obvious guilt?

Indeed, the brunette was the mad power that drove the brothers forward. He had energy enough for three dwarves, and was very creative. Whatever wrong things Fili had taught him, Kili had multiplied tenfold and always innovated. Improvisation was a natural talent to him, as well as the will to be different - it hadn't been really a surprise that he had chosen the bow. Fili, however, was the construction that kept them safe. He would raise walls and defenses, preferring to use more careful planning and strategy. Very rarely the blond left any of his flanks open for attack (or being caught in the middle of a prank, in this case). It was infuriating! Constantly Thorin and his sister would be left with knowing exactly who had been responsible for the occasional pranks but almost never could break their alibi. The good thing about being the adult, and the king for that matter, was that you could ignore reason and put them to punishment even without evidence.

So, the second time Dis came to him to discuss about her sons, she had tears on her eyes and pulled him through abandoned mines in the middle of the night until he could witness what she had seen. Two brothers doing obscenities with each other. By the time he had arrived, the act in itself was probably over, but Fili and Kili still laid naked, entwined around each other sharing a long, slow kiss.

"What... do you think... you ARE DOING?!" He yelled, unable to control himself "This is an ABOMINATION!"

The scream made them jump apart. Kili blushed entirely - and he had already been red faced - hurrying to put his clothes on in front of Thorin and Dis. Fili, cold blooded as he was, stared at them in shock for a moment, before taking a deep breath and calmly picking his clothes up to get dressed, as if not at all ashamed of his body or of what he had been doing. For a moment, Thorin deduces that this could only have been Fili's fault, since he had always been the one to give bad habits to his brother. However, the intense fear with which Kili was looking at the older, told him it was not a one-sided idea. Kili was not looking with fear because he was afraid of Fili, he was afraid for Fili, of what Thorin would do to the blonde, clearly seeing what the king's conclusion had been.

"Fili, Kili. This isn't right." Dis said, her tears dry and a stern expression on her face. His sister had recovered from the shock, her strong will taking over again.

Kili winces, looks to the ground, fidgets with his clothes poorly dressed in the middle of his hurry. Fili, only now finishing his dressing, directed them an indifferent glance - he had the nerve to look indifferent! - before turning to Kili and proceeding to rearrange the wrinkled clothes, properly wrapping the tunic and lacing the pants. At first sight, it would seem that Kili would shy away from him and scowl, because he was not a child anymore that needed to be pampered. Nonetheless, Thorin was surprised with the fact that the younger brother clearly calmed down at the action, felt more secure, more confident, exhaling a deep breath and finally lifting his eyes from the ground. Only too late he and Dis realized what Fili had been doing - he had been communicating with Kili, probably using their coded language that no one would ever be able to make sense of. Then, in a matter of minutes, the two brothers faced them. The Fortress and the Archer, ready for confrontation.

"How... how long have you been... together?" Thorin forced the words out. He knew his nephews. He knew Fili had a plan and Kili was ready to never give up. The best course to take was that of reason, little else would work against them.

"We are brothers, uncle. We've been together ever since Kili was born." Non-surprisingly, it is Fili who speaks first. His are always the initial careful blows, testing the waters before Kili's precise aim could be applied.

"You are way too sure of yourself for someone who was just now committing a sin." Dis snapped, already too calloused by her sons' behavior to bother to use any strategy "It doesn't matter for how long. This has to stop!"

"Why?" Fili asks then, looking straight into her eyes, sounding infuriatingly calm "We've done nothing wrong."

"Since when laying with your own brother is not wrong?!" Dis has her fists clenched, glaring back.

"Since it's done out of love!" Kili shot back, speaking for the first time "At least it was not like you and father!"

Tense, Thorin watches as his sister swiftly crosses the distance to her sons to slap Kili on the face. The matter of her marriage had always been a delicate one, and Dis rarely allowed her boys to even talk about it, which led them to believe she did not love their father. But as she raised her hand, Fili stepped in between them on the last minute, taking the slap in Kili's place. It was to be expected, Fili never allowed anyone to touch his brother with the true intent of hurting him, he kept his Archer safe no matter what.

This is the moment when Thorin angrily understands that they have won this round. Because Fili is still the only one of the four of them that has his temper under control and now Dis' action had only served to fuel Kili's fury. In general, it was the brothers' winning pattern, the more furious Kili got, the more under control Fili stayed - they had the perfect balance to get out of any situation.

"You are my Mother, and I love you." Fili says after a moment of silence, raising his face to look Dis in the eyes. His voice was cool and serene, but Thorin saw the cold rage in his eyes "But you will not attempt to hurt my brother ever again."

"You insolent child! Kili is my son before being your brother, and I will discipline you both until some sense has gotten into your heads!"

Dis is about to slap him again, but this time Kili is prepared and pulls his brother backwards, putting more distance between Fili and Dis. The Archer defends his walls. "I don't care for the hierarchy of the blood. Fili is mine before anything else!"

This one bit of information amuses Thorin for a brief moment. Claiming someone as his usually meant who... well, who was the receiving end of the carnal relationship. That went to prove his earlier observation was right, their incest came from both instead of Fili alone. But still was surprising, that Fili with his dominating personality and arrogant manner would be the one to submit.

But that was none of business. Independent on who belonged to whom, that had to stop. Yet he knew they would achieve nothing today, with both Dis and Kili glaring at one another and Fili calmly staring at Thorin. Rage swirled inside of him to see his older nephew – his heir – challenge him with such nonchalance. For all his brilliant tactics, Fili was still a green boy, and this was not a battle that should be fought between them. This was an order from the king that the brothers would have to accept one way or the other.

Blue eyes looked at him, analyzing and calculating. Fili knew Thorin couldn't have the luxury to separate them now, when Ered Luin was finally growing and more and more dwarves from the exile arrived each day. This was a time in which the Line of Durin had to stay together, if only for their people's sake, and as noted earlier, Fili and Kili working together had a very strong effect on morale. They were the princes, the hope of a struggling people.

At least, Fili did not smirk. He had the good sense of recognizing this as something serious. Thorin sighed, waving his head in exhaustion and wasn't the bloody dragon enough to ruin this House? That was a thought to be mulled over later, though, when he would have the good council of Dwalin and Balin and when his sister could think straight again.

"I hope you two understand this is not a game. I will not spend this night lecturing you over something you should already know." Thorin said, putting a hand on Dis' shoulder to pull her back "I will say this once. Put an end to this obscenity. Brothers are brothers. Brothers will remain brothers no matter what, there is no need for you to act like indecent animals. Stop this, before I stop you myself. This is an order from your king."

Thorin is usually not keen on reminding his family members about his status, but it's necessary every once in a while. For a moment he hopes that power is something that could sway them a little. He disregards this possibility immediately as he looks at his nephews. Kili is standing tall and proud, bent on fighting until the end for the things he loves. Fili is simply standing, his features giving nothing away except for the eyes. Anger, protectiveness, defiance.

Defiance was very common in Kili, but the older prince could usually appreciate the benefits of following orders, even if not pleased by them.

Fili was next in line to be king, and although he had never shown greed for the title, he had always acted as a proper prince, trying to lead when Thorin was absent but following instructions whenever the king was around – pranks aside, of course. It was even relatively surprising that it had taken that long for the prince and him to have a big confrontation – Mahal only knows how many times Thorin had argued with Thrain and Thror. Today, however, his nephew stood against his decision. Today Fili's eyes let him know that king or not, Thorin would have no authority over their relationship.

Well, that remained to be seen.

It was about time he and Fili measured their strength against one another. His nephew was not the only one who could use strategy, he had yet to survive a dragon before he was a match for Thorin and Dis.

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Again, I had no idea this was going to be like this. I was just writing things from Thorin's pov and then the king started talking on his own in the paper… go figure!

So, I don't know how long this will be, but I don't think it should be more than three chapters. I'll post the second chapter by Saturday. Until then, let me know if they are too much out of character, so I can try and correct it without deviating too much out of my plot :)

In this chapter I may have made Fili too… big, too grand and in control (maybe he is my favorite…), but Kili will not be forgotten, I promise!