Tauriel showed Sigrid the crate, carefully stowed in the cool stores of the kitchen. "This is my gift to you, mellon, for your gathering."

"Oh, thank you, Tauriel," Sigrid said, peering into the crate. A dozen thick, oddly-shaped bottles stoppered with corks were lined up inside. "What is it?"

"It is a rare elvish wine. My people traditionally drink it during the Feast of Starlight, and on other special occasions." Tauriel smiled at Sigrid. "It seemed appropriate."

Sigrid was touched. "That's very thoughtful, Tauriel, thank you. But, to be honest, I feel a bit silly to be having this gathering at all. Fili and I handfasted months ago."

"Ah, but it's dwarvish custom, mellon. You and I, we've both chosen our path, here in the Mountain. They're our customs too, now." Tauriel tilted her head at Sigrid and grinned. "And you wouldn't want to deny Dis her party, would you?"

Sigrid laughed. "Never."

Late that afternoon in their chamber, after he'd finished dressing for his night out, Fili took Sigrid in his arms. "Thank you for doing this, love."

She smiled. "Your customs are my customs now. Tauriel said that to me this morning. She was right." She gave him a kiss. "So, what will you be up to tonight?"

Fili shrugged. "I don't know. Kili's organised it, and he's not let on anything to me. All I know is that the whole company is coming, as well as your Da and Bain. We'll probably ride out, shoot some game for a camp supper, and wind up at the tavern in Dale and get roaring drunk."

"The night before our wedding feast?" Sigrid laughed. "That's not a lot of time to nurse a sore head."

"Believe me, if I could get out of it, I would. What does Mother have in store for you?"

"Don't know. Tauriel's brought elvish wine for us, that's all I know. What usually goes on at these things?"

"I have no idea. Sharing braiding tips? Pillow fights?" Sigrid laughed again and swatted his shoulder, and he grinned. "And elvish wine? You might be the one nursing the sore head, love."

"Don't worry about me. You just come back in one piece. Tomorrow's a big day."

"I will." He drew her closer. "Have a good night, and I'll see you at the feast. All those agreements will be signed, and you'll be stuck with me."

"Mmm, lucky me." She pulled him towards her for a last kiss. He released her reluctantly, and made his way to the door, giving her a smile from the doorway, and left to meet up with Kili.

Sigrid was just wondering if she should go and find out where she ought to be, when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Tauriel and Tilda, both wearing silver filigree tiaras on their head.

"Come on, Sigrid," said Tilda brightly. "It's time." She reached up and placed another tiara lopsidedly on Sigrid's head.

"What on earth?" She took the trinket off and looked at it, then placed it back more securely atop her head. "I have to wear this?"

"We all do. Come on, everyone's waiting." They took Sigrid's hands and led her, laughing, through the corridors of the Mountain to Dis's chambers.

"Ah, here she is!"

Sigrid peered through the door. It seemed crowded. Dis had placed a number of extra chairs around the room, and Sigrid was happy to see that Britte the seamstress, Bain's young sweetheart Marta, and Gloin's wife Gayle had joined them in addition to her family. They all sported the same filigree tiaras as Tauriel and Tilda, with varying degrees of success.

Sigrid lifted the tiara from her own head and held it up to Dis with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Are you responsible for these, Dis?"

"Apprentices need to practise, Sigrid dear. They might as well practise on something useful," she shrugged, pouring Sigrid a goblet of elvish wine. "They'll be melted down and reused later. Come, put it back on."

Sigrid replaced the tiara, and Dis handed her her drink and motioned her towards an empty seat, before addressing the gathering.

"Welcome everyone, to Sigrid's bride's night. As some of you know, it's traditional for the groom's friends and the bride's friends to gather separately and treat them to a night of fun and entertainment before their wedding. Notwithstanding the fact that Sigrid and Fili are already handfast," she paused, raising her goblet in Sigrid's direction, "we didn't get to do this then, so we're doing it now. Tomorrow is their wedding feast, and tonight we're going to give Sigrid a night to remember." She raised her goblet. "To Sigrid and Fili."

Everyone raised their goblets and chorused, "Sigrid and Fili," and drank. Sigrid smiled her thanks fondly to Dis and took a sip from her goblet.

"Tauriel!" she exclaimed, after tasting the wine. "This wine has bubbles in it!"

"It's very rare. Sometimes bottles will explode from the pressure before they can be drunk," Tauriel smiled. "Legend has it that a wine maker, long ago, accidentally bottled a vintage before it had finished fermenting. Later, when he tasted the wine, it was full of bubbles, and he cried out in delight, 'I am drinking the stars.' It has been a part of the Feast of Starlight ever since."

Sigrid shook her head in amazement. "It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I can't believe you brought us a dozen bottles."

"As I said this morning, it's a special occasion. Enjoy it, mellon."

Sigrid took another sip of her sparkling wine, and relaxed back into her chair. She wiggled her toes.

"Hold still, please, Lady Sigrid."

Sigrid giggled. "Sorry, Benni." She was dressed in a robe made from towels, her goblet in hand, and on the floor in front of her, a young dwarf named Bennon had washed and massaged her feet, filed her toenails, and was now painting them red with a tiny horsehair brush.

"There you go, Lady Sigrid. Just wait for that lacquer to dry before you go walking about."

"Thanks, Benni. You're amazing." Sigrid looked around the room. Bennon's two apprentices were also hard at work, one giving Tauriel a head massage, her silver tiara in her lap and her long auburn hair flopped over her face, and the other carefully dabbing a creamy, sweet-smelling concoction onto Gayle's face. "I'm finished. Who's next?"

"Ooh, me please," piped up Tilda. "I've had my face done, but not my toes." She yawned.

"All right, Tilda, you go next. Then it's off to bed for you, love. It's getting late."

Dis leaned over from her chair and topped up Sigrid's goblet, before offering her a plate. "Strawberries?"

"Yum, yes please."

"Gorin sent these up for you especially."

"He's sweet. I'm glad he's doing so well. Did you hear Jerrik has taken him on as apprentice?"

Gayle snorted from underneath her face cream. "Maybe he can help keep Jerrik organised."

"You were lucky things turned out as they did, Sigrid," said Britte. Sigrid nodded.

"Born under a lucky star?" said Marta softly.

"Luckiest in the Mountain, for mine," Bennon quipped, giving Sigrid a wink. "I should be so lucky."

They all laughed, except Marta and Tilda.

"Oh, I don't know about that," said Britte with a grin. "I would say the Lady Tauriel's the luckier lass."

"And what about you, Lady Tilda?" Bennon asked, looking up at Tilda from her feet. "Do you favour Prince Fili or Prince Kili?"

"Oh, is that what you're talking about?" Tilda thought for a moment, a crease of concentration on her brow. "Well, Fili's better with a blade, but Kili's better with a bow, so I'd have to say Kili."

There was another burst of laughter, again except from Marta, who looked slightly worried, and Tilda, who looked confused.

"Quite right, Taurauthiel," said Tauriel, with a smile for her young friend.

"I'm finished, and I'm for bed," said Tilda with another yawn. "Thanks Bennon, that was fun. How do I look, Sigrid?" She held up a foot for inspection.

"Very nice, Tilda. Goodnight, love." Sigrid smiled as Tilda waved a general farewell and left. She turned back to the group and saw Marta's face. "Marta, what's wrong?"

Sigrid heard bare snatches of words in Marta's mumbled response, her eyes as round as saucers and darting from herself to Tauriel to Dis. "…to be making so free… you and Lady Tauriel… and the Lady Dis right there…"

"Don't look so shocked, girl," said Gayle, as Bennon's assistant wiped her face clean with a warm cloth. "There's no harm in appreciating a fine display of… sword play."

"I'm quite well aware of how good-looking my sons are, Marta. They take after their father." Dis smiled, and her eyes turned soft. "My Farli. He was the handsomest creature I'd ever seen. Fili has his hair, you know, and Kili has his brown eyes."

"Aye, he was a fine figure of a dwarf," said Gayle. "Oh, the dams that envied you on your wedding day, Dis." She grinned. "And your wedding night, for that matter."

"What happened to him, Dis?" asked Sigrid softly. "Fili told me he died when he was young."

"An orc raid, up in the Iron Hills. Fili was only eight. It was a long time ago now." She looked wistful. "I still miss him sometimes."

Gayle raised her eyebrows with a smirk. "Rumour has it that you've not been inconsolable, though."

Dis tossed her head, but her lips were pursed to keep from smiling. "Maybe. Maybe not. Rumours are rumours. I wouldn't put too much store in them."

"Want to hear a rumour I've heard?" Sigrid raised an eyebrow slyly. "I heard that a certain widowed dairy farmer is not insensible to the charms of a certain town seamstress."

Everyone laughed, including Britte, but her cheeks were glowing where Bennon had started applying her face mask.

Sigrid smiled. "I'm glad for you both. Arrild deserves to be happy again. He has such a warm heart."

"Warm bed, too, I'll wager," said Bennon, with a wink at Britte. She swatted his arm playfully.

Sigrid looked at Marta. Her eyes were still as round as saucers. This type of conversation was clearly a revelation to the young woman, and Sigrid hoped she wasn't too shocked. Maybe she needed another drink. From across the room, Sigrid heard a loud pop as Tauriel opened another bottle of wine, and she held out her own goblet for a top-up.

The bottle came to rest, its neck pointing toward Dis.

She threw up her hands. "No, no, not me." There was a general cry of "Yes, come on," and she pursed her lips with a smirk. "Oh, all right then. Go on."

"I've got one," said Britte. "Most unusual location."

Dis inhaled, paused for a moment, then let her breath out slowly. "Throne room."

Shrieks of laughter filled the air.

"No!"

"Really!"

"What, here in the Mountain?"

Gayle grinned. "Told you she wasn't inconsolable."

"Come on Dis, spill," said Britte.

"Stayed up drinking after a feast one night, and got a bit carried away. Not telling who."

Dis grabbed the bottle and spun it around. It came to rest pointing at Sigrid, amidst more squeals and laughter.

"Oh, no!" she wailed.

"Same question," said Britte. "Most unusual location."

Sigrid lifted her goblet and pointed a finger in Britte's direction. "You'll pay for this."

"Ooh, I'm shaking," Britte laughed. "Come on."

Sigrid took a sip. "On the grass, at the top of the Long Lake. You know who."

Dis looked up at the corner of the ceiling and put her fingers in her ears. "Not listening."

Sigrid grabbed the bottle and spun it.

"Ha! Britte. Same question."

Britte thought for a minute, biting her lip. "Can't think of anything really noteworthy. Suddenly I feel extremely boring. No, wait, how about the back room of my shop?"

More laughter. Britte shrugged.

"What can I say? Arrild has kids. It's hard to manage."

Britte spun the bottle, and it came to rest pointing at Marta. She blushed bright red and started shaking her head.

"No, no, I've never… I mean, I haven't…"

"It's all right, Marta. Different question for you. You have to confess… your first crush."

Marta looked relieved. "Oh, that's easy. Bain of course."

There was an outcry.

"No, no."

"He doesn't count."

"Are you telling us you never had a crush on anyone before you started seeing Bain?"

Marta's eyes darted evasively around the room. She finally looked down and gave a quiet, impish smile. "I have to say, I always thought Prince Legolas of the Woodland Realm was very fine."

"Don't we all," said Britte, lifting her glass.

"What say you, Tauriel?" said Gayle. "The Prince Legolas?"

Tauriel had been keeping out of the discussions, smiling with amusement at the antics of the others and quietly topping up their goblets. She raised her eyebrows at Gayle's direct question.

"Prince Legolas is, I agree, very fine in appearance."

"And did you two ever…" pressed Gayle.

Tauriel frowned and turned a repressive stare on Gayle. "I was Captain of the Guard, Gayle. It does not do to engage in romantic entanglements in one's place of employment."

Gayle snorted. "Pish tosh. I met Gloin in a forge where we were both working as apprentices. If that bottle had wound up pointing at me, I'd've told you some tales that would make your hair curl."

Squeals of laughter.

"Really? Gloin?"

"Would never have thought it."

"Come on then, Gayle. Give us something good."

She sipped her drink. "Let's see, in the forge, in my parents' bed, in his parents' bed, on a riverbank, in the kitchen store cupboards…"

"All right, all right, we get the idea," said Dis.

"Well, we've been married nearly 90 years now," she shrugged. "Have to keep it interesting."

Everyone laughed, including Marta.

"Five."

"Three."

"None."

"Eight."

"Ooh, snap. Eight. Tauriel?"

A pause. "Thirty seven."

Shrieks, and bursts of giggling.

"You must remember, though, that's over a span of six hundred years."

It was time to go.

"I've had the best night, Dis," drawled Sigrid, holding on to Tauriel in order to stay upright. "You're the best mother-in-law. I love you." She held out an arm to her, and Dis leaned in for an embrace. Sigrid's tiara wobbled on her head and she lifted an unsteady hand to catch it. "Can I keep my tiara? I want to keep my tiara. It's the best."

"Of course you can, Sigrid dear. Tauriel, you'll make sure she gets back safely to her chamber?"

"I will, Dis."

As she made her way to the door, Sigrid looked back at the group, cleaning up and setting Dis' room back to rights, and flailed an arm in their direction. "I love you Britte. And you Gayle. And you Marta. You're the best. It was the best night. We should do it again." She peered up at Tauriel. "I love you most of all, Tauriel. You're my best friend."

"You are very dear to me too, mellon. Come on now, it's time to go."

"You know, when I was little I didn't ever think I'd marry a dwarf and have an elf as a best friend. Life's funny, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's very amusing, Sigrid. Keep walking now."