This picks up right where 'Rue' left off, so it's rather helpful to read that first, as the first few chapters are going to be from her perspective. If you want to feel your way through it though, by all means go ahead.

I had heard of the line of Durin when I was young. They were fine race of dwarves that ruled under a mountain. What I could not imagine when I was young was that I would marry into such a family.

The adventure, the quest, marrying Fili…I would have never expected any of that as a girl.

I was asleep right now. Or rather, what passed as sleep. I had given birth two weeks ago, and so the nights had been rather restless. The first one there was so little sleep to be found it was like I did not get a chance to close my eyes. Now, my nights were interrupted routinely every four hours. Right now, I could feel Fili shifting in bed beside me, rising.

"Hmm?" I hummed, rolling over and softly grabbing his wrist.

"Did I wake you?" He asked. "Sorry."

"Anything wakes me now." I whispered back. My eyes were still closed. "Frerin?" I asked.

"Still asleep." He answered.

I opened my eyes, slowly, and smirked. "You look tired too." I said. "The two of us have probably been keeping you awake."

"Not as badly as you." Fili said. He was right, I probably looked awful from my lack of sleep. "Do you want me to stay here today?"

"No, you should check on the kingdom again with Kili and your uncle." I replied. "At least for a while. I can manage by myself for a few hours now I think." I really had no idea if I could, but I would have to learn to.

Fili must have guessed my internal doubt. "I wouldn't mind." He pressed.

"That's kind of you, but I'd have to wake up anyhow to feed him." I added. "You go and see how mad Kili has driven Thorin without you there to keep things organized. I'll be here with Frerin and we'll be fine."

He nodded, dressing quickly, and looking over to me again as I rose from the bed. "Are you-?"

"I'm sure." I nodded. "It's alright." I was always the one to take things head on; taking care of an infant by oneself was no different. Being royalty, we could have gotten…I don't know, a maid or an attendant of some kind, to help with Frerin, but we'd decided against this. Dis had raised Fili and Kili on her own, I had been raised by my own mother too, and quite frankly there was now a new part of my nature that didn't want anyone else touching my baby. Right now, I walked over to where he slept, and couldn't help but smile, despite the fact he had ruined my good nights of sleep.

I loved his hair, it was darker than mine and Fili's (which made sense, both of my parents had dark hair, and so did Dis), though still light enough to be considered blond. I loved the gentle wave it had to it, and the little patch at the back that insistently stood up, no matter how many times you tried to smooth it down. He looked positively angelic when he slept…I could stare at him forever.

"The company will probably come by." Fili said. I nodded, they had all been very excited when Frerin was born…I thought the mountain was still celebrating. Many of our old company were eager to come and see us, but had kept visits to a minimum after the first day to give us some time to adjust, only closer ones, like Kili and Tauriel, actually coming by, and staying for only a short while.

"You don't have to let them in." Fili said. "In fact, you shouldn't. Just focus on Frerin, and yourself."

"Good idea." I answered. I glanced around our house. I had barely managed to keep it appearing clean and organized, and it looked like a mess could burst out of nowhere at any moment.

He began to walk toward the door. "You're still-?"

"I'm still sure." I nodded again, smirking at him, and giving him a little shove. "Off you go." I gave his cheek a quick kiss.

Fili left, heading off to join his brother and uncle in some of the offices in the halls below. Glancing at the clock, I predicted I had twenty or so minutes before Frerin woke himself up. I wanted to curl up back in bed and rest for every second, but my stomach growled obnoxiously, demanding breakfast. I decided to simply pull on a dressing robe over the nightgown I was still in and eat instead.

I made quick work of some eggs and toast, and the feeling of a nice warm breakfast inside me made my head rest against the back of the chair and then my eyelids became heavy.

Frerin began to fuss, starting to make sounds that resembled crying and annoyance, though they were beginning to increase in volume and probably give way to tears. I was startled from my near-slumber, shaking my head of its cobwebs and getting up to see my son.

I peered into his cradle, and his eyes were currently scrunched shut, and his little hands in tight fists, trying to pull away the blankets overtop him. Every so often his eyes would open and large tears would spill out. "Oh dear." I said, picking him up and pulling him close to me. "Shhh…" I hushed. "I'm here now." His crying continued for another moment, but after more soothing Frerin was pacified, and he looked up at me with big tear-streaked eyes and sniffled. "That's better." I smiled. He started to squirm and the corner of his mouth contorted. Obviously, much like my stomach, he was demanding his own breakfast. I seated myself down to feed him, and this he was quite pleased by, no longer threatening tears, and remaining quiet. I watched him, and gently stroked his soft little head, trying (again without success) to smooth his adorable cowlick.

I could understand why my mother had so many children. Holding a baby was lovely, the little warm bundle in your arms, snuggled up against your heart, completely helpless without you and staring up at you with love. How could anyone not adore that?

Once done, Frerin was happy to simply lay in my hold. However, this relaxed state made it very hard for me not to dose off, so our little cuddle was brief. I changed his clothes, while I still remained in my nightgown and dressing robe, and then placed him in a basket of sorts, which I laid on the kitchen table. He stared at me with his big green eyes. He was too young to really smile yet, but he looked happy. "You get to keep me company today." I smiled. "It's just you and me, Frerin." Frerin stared back, and I glanced around. Motherhood was new to me, and I was basing what I did from what I had observed from my own mother, since I had never been left in the charge of a child under the human age of two. Unfortunately, being her last child, I had never seen her multitasking with housework and a baby before. A small hoard of children, yes, but we were old enough to keep ourselves entertained, and mostly out of trouble and didn't need someone to feed and watch us constantly.

So I was trying to think of what she would have done. Likely she would have cleaned something, a lot of children certainly kept our house in a state of near-disorder. I felt my home was in the same state, and had managed to become so with only a single child in it. One that wasn't even able to walk or talk or crawl around yet.

I glanced back down at Frerin, who's eyelids were drifting. "Oh no, no, no…" I said, snatching his tiny foot and shaking it, causing him to wake. "I need you awake so you can go to sleep on time." The last thing I needed was the routine I had established with him to be turned on my head. It was the one thing that made this easier, the predictable timing with which Frerin could eat and sleep, if you managed to keep him awake.

Frerin's eyes bounced back open. Springing into action, I decided to do whatever work I could do near the kitchen table to keep him awake. He was the sort of child that liked to observe, and if you kept him intrigued he could watch something for hours.

I cleaned the pan and plate I had used for my breakfast, keeping an eye on him as he laid in his basket. Frerin would sometimes make a series of soft coos and other noises, trying to grab at my attention. I should have been focusing on the work, but I could not help but indulge him, speaking back, having one-sided conversations.

"Hello." I replied, when he started up. "Hello Frerin, are you enjoying being up on the table?" He sneezed. Oh, it was an adorable little sound. "Oh, bless you." I said, coming over to him, wiping his little nose and giving him a hug.

I swore the reason why houses got so untidy after a baby was born was not because the baby needed to fed and changed every moment, though this did keep one's hands full, but because everything they did was so sweet that you just got distracted by them, and this slowed you down. I would have rather cuddled more with Frerin, than swept up. Reluctantly, I placed him back in the basket, tucking him in. "Later." I promised him. I tried to do more work then, finishing the dishes and moving on to making up the bed (doing this is a rush so I could run back to the infant), then picking up a dish cloth, so I could scrub down the table and countertops. My closer presence was a great development for Frerin, who became more vocal, and also tried to shove his fist in his mouth.

It was as if he knew I wouldn't be able to resist him if he continued to act adorable. I kissed his little head in several places. "You just don't want me to do any work this morning do you?" I asked. "You want me to pay attention to only you." Frerin made a long, babbling sound. Clearly I was right.

I picked up another basket, this one containing pieces of laundry that needed to be folded, and sat at the kitchen table before him, so I could stay close by. Frerin continued to babble on, keeping me smiling. Occasionally I would rub his belly (babies were simply made of belly I had realised) and speak to him more. All went well until…

Frerin began to cry, quite suddenly. It wasn't the first time he had appeared to cry without rhyme or reason. When he persisted I turned my attention to him. "Oh, poor thing." I hushed. "What happened?" I checked him over, but he did not appear wet or hungry. I examined his face. Perhaps he had scratched himself with his (surprisingly sharp) little fingernails. But this did not appear to be the case either.

"Oh dear…"I said, partly to Frerin and partly to myself. I picked him out of the basket and the volume of his cries wavered and lessened. I held him, and he continued to cry, though softer than before. I looked down at the half finished basket of laundry, the neatly folded cloths and clothes on the table, and the sink which I had forgotten to empty of water.

"Shh, darling." I said, hugging him close. Maybe if I could soothe him quickly I could finish all my partly completed chores. "What makes you so sad?" I wiped away the tears. My voice was soft and motherly in tone.

Frerin continued to cry. "Have you noticed Adad is missing?" I asked. This could have been what caused him to begin his crying. He had gotten rather used to having the two of us nearby, and perhaps he was a little lonely now that someone wasn't holding him so much. "Don't be sad, you still have your Amad here. I love you." I held him tight to my shoulder, and sighed. Doing work was better done when one had the use of both hands.

I surrendered and sat down in a chair by the fire place and held him close to me, cuddling him again. Gently rocking Frerin, his tears subsided. He looked peaceful now, feeling safe and warm. I continued to rock him, feeding him again once he had been settled down.

With this finished, it was quiet and warm and relaxing…and that's when I fell asleep.

/

I woke up and the realization came over me very suddenly, hitting my stomach like ice. I had fallen asleep! Holding Frerin no less! Oh my…what if I had dropped him?! I looked down at him and scanned him quickly. He was sound asleep, comfortable in my hold.

I looked at the clock, but had no idea what time it had been when we sat down. I supposed I had been asleep for an hour. Frerin likely had been sleeping this whole time as well. I sighed, getting up, swaddling him in a blanket, and placing him in his cradle to sleep for another hour or two. My body felt so stiff and drained. I couldn't curl up and sleep now, because I had no idea of knowing when Frerin would wake, that predictable routine now gone. Oh…and I would have to stay awake even longer because Frerin would wake up and want to be changed and probably fed again soon and he'd been wide awake for another few hours…oh dear.

I sat down at the kitchen table and sighed, deeply, burrowing my head into my arms, running my hands over my hair and rubbing my temples. Fili wouldn't be back for a few more hours still. He'd probably come if I called for him, but I'd hate to take him away from the kingdom the day he just returned. I wanted to prove to him that I could do this…prove to myself that I could do this.

I was so tired…maybe the help from a maid had been a good idea after all. I shouldn't have dismissed it so completely. Shaking my head, I pulled myself up and glanced around, trying to organize myself again.

There was a knock at the door, probably someone from the company. I couldn't handle any visitors right now. "Hello?" I asked through the doorway. "Now isn't the best of times…"

"It's me." Dis called through the door. "It sounds as if I'm coming just in time too."

I opened the door, wide, despite the fact that I was still in nightclothes. "Dis?"

"Oh Rue…you look like you've been awake for days."

I stood aside so my mother-by-marriage could enter, soon regretting it. My half-done chores lay around the kitchen. Now that I looked more critically on my home, I noticed it needed a good dusting too. Why had I decided I wanted to this all myself and ignore the privileges I would receive as royalty?

"What happened?" Dis asked, reading my face.

"Frerin…I was holding Frerin and I was so tired I fell asleep, and he fell asleep." Dis nodded, understandingly. "I have no idea how long he's been sleeping or how much longer he will be sleeping so I have to stay awake even longer, and I haven't been able to finish anything, and…I'm still in my nightdress."

"I saw Fili working with Thorin and Kili downstairs." Dis nodded. "I thought you might be worn a little thin."

I sat down and resumed folding. "How did you even manage this…and with politics too?"

"About as well as you are right now." Dis patted my shoulder. "Now put down the laundry. Let's get you back in bed."

"Sleep now?" I asked. "But Frerin…"

"Will be fine with me." Dis finished.

"I really shouldn't leave you with all this." I protested. "It's all such a mess."

"Don't be stubborn." Dis concluded. "You'll break yourself for trying too hard. Believe me, I've been where you are and if I had anyone offer to take care of my home and child for a while I would have been back in bed within a moment."

I continued to protest, being as stubborn as I usually was. I had walked miles every day when we were traveling to Erebor, surely a newborn was something managed with much more ease, surely my fatigue had been lower at some point.

Dis would have none of it, and frankly my exhausted brain was too slow and heavy to keep up with any argument. I was pulled back to the bedroom, where I quickly changed into a fresh nightgown, and was tucked into bed as though I was the child.

"Get some rest now." Dis smiled. "It'll do you a world of good."

"You don't mind?" I asked.

"I insist." Dis nodded. "Now close your eyes."

"What if he needs to be fed again…?"

"I'll wake you then. If you haven't had much sleep still, you can go right back to resting when you're finished."

"It doesn't seem fair of me to put this on you." I mumbled, eyelids pulling themselves open still. "I should learn to manage…"

"You can do that when you have the energy for it." Dis promised me. "Trust me, you'll be far better off when you've gotten some sleep."

"You won't let me oversleep, will you?" I asked.

"Not at all." That was the last thing I heard from her before finally succumbing to rest.

/

Fili entered his home, quietly, because Frerin might be asleep again. He was relieved to find his mother standing in the kitchen. "Thank you for coming." He said. "You didn't tell her I sent you, did you?"

"No, I told her I simply noticed you were working today." Dis nodded. "I take it she was a little stubborn in getting you out the door this morning?"

Fili nodded. "Where is Rue now?"

"Asleep." Dis nodded. "She's tucked away in bed."

Fili ducked his head inside the room, and saw her sleeping soundly for the first time since Frerin had been born.

"She really wanted to prove she could manage this." Dis said. "All that effort wore her out."

"Stubborn as a December forge…" Fili mused. "I'm glad I found you, and that you had the time for this."

Frerin began to make his presence known, and Fili drifted to the side of his son. The boy looked almost surprised to see him, but happy as well. Frerin reached out a tiny hand and Fili held out one of his fingers for the infant to grab at. "Hope he wasn't too much of a handful." Fili said.

"I wish you had been as well behaved." Dis said, swatting his shoulder. "I take it my help is no longer needed?"

"No, you can go back to whatever I tore you from earlier." Fili smiled.

His mother made a quiet exit, wishing them all goodbye. Fili picked Frerin up from his basket, turned around, and then spotted Rue in the hallway.

"You sent her?" Rue asked. "After I told you I could manage?"

"You were too tired." Fili replied, noticing her better rested state already. She looked much improved since when he left in the morning.

Rue smiled. "Thank you." She then laughed, coming over to the both of them. "I actually fell asleep holding him." Seeing the look of shock on his face she quickly added "I didn't drop him though, thank Mahal."

"We could still see about getting someone to help you…" Fili suggested.

Rue shook her head. "Sleep is a wonderful thing, but Frerin is even more precious." She said. "I was raised by my mother and father, you were raised by your mother, and Frerin will raised the same way. He's not going to look back on his infanthood and think of some ladies maid that held him when he cried."

"He likely won't remember his infanthood." Fili smiled. "But I'm sure he'll appreciate it all the same."

Rue tried to smooth down that standing patch of hair on the back of Frerin's head again. "One day I'll be able to do this." She said. "We'll be able to do this, and we'll look back on this day and wonder why we thought it so tiring in the first place."

Yes, when Frerin was older and a little more capable of minding himself. Silently, both of them committed the moment to memory, happy that for now that day was so far off.