Chapter 1

~twenty-four hours after the battle~

Thorin opened his eyes and sighed. He finished polishing and cleaning his sword and tried to push the last memory of his wife away. He still had that hair piece. Still had it and grieved the fact that he had wasted all those days arguing with her.

Dwalin entered the tent. "Gandalf has gathered Thranduil and Bard together. Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel, it seems, are also hear to help clean out Mirkwood." He grunted and sat down, pulling off his boot and dug out a pebble from his sole. "How Bilbo walks around barefoot is lost on me."

Thorin stirred. "And where is my son?"

"With Fíli and Kíli. They're showing him the inner treasury vault, all the family heirlooms and such are in there, safe and sound. Telling him the history behind most of the pieces they know or were told about." Balin entered the tent and sat across from his brother.

"Those lads love their cousin." He chuckled and then looked at Thorin with concern. "Thorin?"

"Bella…" He rubbed his face with his hands and then his shoulders started to shake. "…Bella!"

Dwalin and Balin sighed and looked at each other sadly. Balin slipped a hand on his king's knee. "You have your son, Thorin. You have Bilbo."

"Bilbo…do you know why he was name that?" Both Dwarves shook their heads. "He was named after the Dwarf who took Bella in and helped her set up her tea house. Bilboni of the Broadbeam Clan. He still runs it even now. I will have to make sure that another house is set up and run by Dori in her honor and memory." Thorin nodded to Balin. "Make a note of that."

Balin pulled out a parchment and wrote it down quickly. "Do you want Bilbo to know about it?"

"Yes. I want to work on it with him. A shrine of memory to my wife, his mother." Thorin nodded slowly.

Dwalin smiled and then nodded. "But first you need to attend this meeting with all these lords and kings."

Standing, Thorin straightened his jacket and wiped his cheeks. Glancing at a shield with a clear reflection, he nodded. With a tired sigh that he would only allow Balin and Dwalin to hear, he exited his tent.

He heard the group before he saw them. He blinked in surprise at what he saw. Bard was sitting there making a new bow, glancing up every so often at the shouting Lord Elrond. He would then sigh, shift in his seat, and continue his carving.

Thorin looked over at an amused Gandalf. The wizard made his way over to Thorin. "Welcome to Dale! Come this way, Thorin. I asked Bilbo to come and make an appearance. He should be here soon. Fíli too, since he will be Steward or second-in-line. Kíli wanted to come because his lady love was here." Thorin rolled his eyes.

"Yet another thing I need to process…" He muttered. "My son is an Elf-Friend and my youngest nephew wants to marry an Elf. Why am I suddenly inundated with Elves?" He rubbed his forehead.

Gandalf chuckled and merely shook his head. They sat down next to Bard, who nodded to them. Balin coughed. "Ah, why is the Lord of Rivendell yelling at King Thranduil in Sindarin?"

"Thranduil abducted Bilbo, Elrond's nephew of the heart, and a proclaimed Elf-Friend. The Elves would view this as Thranduil kidnapping Lady Arwen, or one of Elrond's sons. It is quite the scandal." Gandalf lit his pipe with a chuckle.

Thorin started coughing violently. "NEPHEW OF HIS HEART?!"

His scream stopped the Elves. Lord Elrond blinked and then nodded to Thorin. "I proclaimed him as such and went through the adoption papers. He is my nephew, legally. He is the Thain's grandson both legally and by blood." Elrond focused his dark eyes on the King Under the Mountain. Thranduil looked relieved that he was no longer the focus. "And, King Thorin, if you think you can steal my nephew away from me and spirit him into that blasted mountain, you will have another war on your hands!"

Dain gaped. "Now just one moment! Bilbo is the Prince of Erebor! He is Thorin's son! Yer can't just go makin' those statements! Thorin has more right to him than yer do!"

Thorin waved Dain down. "Thank you, Cousin."

Dain huffed and sat down again. Everyone stared at Elrond who sighed and smoothed his robed gently. "I can understand that you would wish to spend as much time with your son as possible."

Thorin's eyes were made of ice. "Yes, no thanks to you, Elf-Lord. Tell me, why did you continue to pretend and lie to me about my own son? Why did you allow me to grieve both the deaths of my wife and son when both were alive at the time of my deception?"

Thranduil leaned closer and grinned smugly. "Yes, I'm interested in this too, Elrond. Why did you lie to this Dwarf? This grieving father!" He gave Elrond a look of pain. Thorin glared at him.

"I have no need for your defense, Elf-King."

Thranduil merely smiled and leaned back into his seat. Elrond was squirming, though he didn't look it.

"I was bound by the Thain."

"And why hasn't the Thain been given a dressing down for lying to me? Why am I the only one who is being treated like a bad school boy?!" Thorin growled and stood up. "Bilbo is my SON! He is my SON! Would you like your sons taken from you by someone else?! You would fight it! You would fight for them! I was denied access to my son for forty-three YEARS!" His roar echoed over the buildings.

Thranduil leaned over to his own son and murmured in Sindarin. "He feels strongly about this." Legolas stuck his tongue in his cheek.

"Yes Father, just a bit."

Thorin ignored the whispering Elves and continued to glare at Elrond. "You owe me an official and public apology for lying and deceiving me about the state of my kin. I was not even able to bury my wife in the family crypt! We will now be buried separately!" His voice broke, and he slumped back to his seat, covering his face with his hands to keep the others from seeing his tears.

Balin stood up quickly and leaned in to block the sight of his king from the others. Thorin would hate showing weakness, but Balin knew that he could use it to their side.

"My King is a widower." He looked at Thranduil, Elrond, and Bard. "Do you not know his pain? What if your own children were taken from you? How would you feel, knowing that they were alive all those decades?"

Thranduil looked at Legolas and then sighed. "I would find out who lied to me and have them flogged." Bard gripped his bow tightly and agreed.

Elrond jerked and stared at Thranduil. "Thank you, friend." Thranduil smirked and shrugged. Elrond took a deep breath to defend himself, but a soft hand stopped him.

Hey guys, I owe all of you an apology. I haven't updated any of my stories in nearly a month. I know it's frustrating to keep checking and finding nothing has been posted. I know that, as an writer, I have a certain obligation to fulfill with updates. I know. And I'm sorry.

I found that I couldn't balance my life anymore. Last month, and this month, are still insane. I bit off more than I could chew, and I had to let some things go, including my writing and social life.

Once again, I'm sorry. All updates for all my stories will be erratic from here on out. This story will be finished. I simply cannot guarantee if it will be finished soon.

Thank you for all your patience,

InkstainedHands1177