"If you are hungry go then! There is a mountain of food in there. I will follow after you in a moment." I encouraged Alexander before I set him down.
"Mommy, all the people!" He complained as he tugged on my dress.
"Find the man we were talking to, or Bilbo. Kili was saving us a seat maybe now would be a good time for you to apologise."
"Together?" he asked with a questioning look.
"I already said sorry, but I can come with you if you want?"
"Okay!" he cried before raising his arms up to be carried.
"Oh, honey, my back really hurts. Can you walk? I promise you will be safe. I can hold your hand?" I offered.
Alexander looked at me as if I had grown three heads. We had never made him walk if he didn't want to. Stephen and I would trade off carrying him around but there was only one of me and I couldn't imagine carrying him around all of the time.
"Okay?" he stated slowly as if it was a question.
"Alright! Lets go I'm hungry!"
As we walked back into the room we caught the attention of everybody crowded around the table. Kili looked up and smiled, catching my attention, before waving at me to join him.
"Lady Catherine, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our company." He quickly began listing off names far too fast for me to comprehend.
"Excuse me," Alexander cut him off by tugging on Kili's heavy leather jacket.
Kili looked down in surprise before nodding for him to continue.
"My Mommy said I had to say I was sorry I hit you in the head but I am Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, and I was saving Lady Marian." Alex explained seriously.
My head drooped in defeat. I was never going to get him to just apologise.
"I'm sorry?" Kili asked looking at me for clarification.
I noticed the entire table was listening to us and steadfastly ignoring Bilbo's protests.
"I think he said that he was Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, which he is not because his name is Alexander, and he was saving Lady Marian, that would be me." I pointed at the tiara that sat on my head with a sigh. "I was looking for him to actually apologise but that may be the best we get tonight." I sighed. "Alex, when we are saying sorry it is not a game!" I admonished lightly.
"Prince of Thieves you say? Well Robin, did you know I am a prince too? And so is my brother, Fili." He nodded over to a blond man with a thick beard. "But not of thieves."
My mouth dropped open. I was not going to get a break tonight.
"A real prince? But Mommy says we don't have them in our home, only far away. She says you can only be a pretend prince." He explained with wide eyes.
"Well, Love, we are very far away from home." I explained after I felt every pair of eyes trained directly on me.
"Where is the boy's father?" came a harsh voice from the one I recognised as Dwalin.
"If you must know, he decided that we were not his responsibility anymore." I muttered in his direction. "If you have a problem with it, take it up with him!"
"But you can't raise a child by yourself, lass." An old man with a long white beard spoke slowly.
"Just what are you saying? I can do anything a male could do except maybe pee standing up, but lets be honest who wants that particular talent anyways!" I shouted.
This caused a round of laughter to circle around the table before the rest of them went back to talking and laughing. It was not until Fili began walking on the table passing out drinks that I realised the direction of this evening.
"Who want's an ale?" he cried out as he passed one to his brother.
"What's that Mommy?" Alex asked with wide eyes.
"Do you remember at that party when Daddy had a drink and you accidently took some?" I asked.
"Oh yeah that was not good!" Alex stated emphatically.
"Well it's that." I explained.
Alex tugged on Kili's coat again.
"Why do you drink that? It's really bad!" He cried as Kili took another long gulp before downing the entire thing.
"Well, I guess some people don't like it but it is really good." He let out a loud belch.
"Mommy, Mommy! I want to do that!" He clapped his hands excitedly.
"No you don't." I stated without looking down.
"Yes I do!" he cried before reaching his little hand over to grab at an unclaimed mug.
Before I could stop him he had placed the mug to his little mouth took a large gulp. His eyes grew large and he made large spitting noise.
"No, Alex, no!" I cried as he attempted to rid himself of the taste.
"That's right, Laddie, we will make a dwarf out of you yet!" One of the men called from across the table.
"That is not very good!" he told Kili with a frown.
"That would be because it is an adult drink. It isn't meant for little boys, even Princes." I told him with a serious look.
"When will it be good, Mommy?"
"When you are as old as I am." I answered without thought.
"How old are you, Mommy?"
"Twenty nine."
"But I am only this many." He held up three fingers.
"Yes you are, my little prince."
"Excuse me." One of the men with an oversized knitted sweater on called. "Did you say you were twenty nine?"
"Yes, I'm sorry what is your name?" I questioned.
"Beg pardon, my name is Ori. Please is that really your age?"
"Yes, what of it?" I was completely bewildered by this line of questioning.
"Well, that makes you the youngest." He stated before emanating a loud burp that caused the group to go up in cheer.
"Alright then who was the youngest?" I questioned with a laugh.
"That would be Master Kili." Gandalf waved his hand in Kili's direction. "You are younger by quite a bit as well."
"I see. Here, son, have a piece of bread it will take the taste away." I comforted. "And next time when I say no it means no! Okay so tell me your names again." I addressed the whole table.
One by one they started listing off their names. So far I had Nori, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dwalin, and then there were a couple of oin's but I could not keep them straight. By this point I knew Kili and he had already introduced me to his brother. Most of them were so intent on eating they could not be bothered to spare more than a few grunts as each of their names were called. I blinked quickly as a roll flew past my head and was caught in the mouth of the fat one called Bombur.
"More please!" Alex whined. As he clapped his little hands together at the show these men were putting on.
Before I could get another piece of meat for him Kili placed a large plate piled high with meat and potatoes in front of him.
"Finish that and then bed. You met the people now sleep."
Alex took several bites before proclaiming that he was done.
"Here you go." Fili yelled as he swiped the plate and dumped the remaining food on the fat man's plate.
He tossed the plate to his brother who chucked it around the room as if he were playing a game of football. Somewhere in the background I heard Bilbo complaining about blunting the knives. Before I could comprehend what was happening several of them began to hum a tune that matched their stomping feet. I almost choked on my laugh as I heard Kili begin to sing.
It was a merry song that I soon lost the words to and became transfixed on the sound of them creating music. Plates were still tossed around as if they were plastic and silverware was tossed with little regards to eyeballs or small fingers. I wanted to yell or say something but just as I worked up the courage to halt their game it came to an end. I ran to the kitchen with Bilbo and found all of the dishes, unbroken, stacked neatly in the sink.
"Well I suppose my job is done." I laughed as I pat Bilbo on the back. "It will be alright they are just having a bit of fun. And, you, bed now!" I pointed at Alex.
He let out a soft giggle.
"Mommy, do your song!" He cried while clapping his hands.
"Not tonight maybe some other time."
"No, Mommy do the you and Daddy song." He insisted.
"Daddy's not here to do his part." I warned with a tear in my eye.
"Do the you and Daddy song!" He repeated with more vigour.
"Alex, I have already told you I don't want to sing the song."
"Please, Mommy, Please!" he cried throwing himself around wildly.
I lost words and simply picked him up and carried him away from all of the people. It took me twenty minutes before I was able to get him to stop screaming and start sleeping.
By the time I made it back to the others they had transformed into entirely different personalities.
"What's wrong, you all look as if you have seen a ghost?" I laughed and was rather shocked when they did not respond in a similar fashion.
Suddenly the crowd parted and I could see what they had all gathered around. A man with an imperious gaze looked at me in curiosity. I could feel his eyes size me up and I immediately felt not good enough. Feeling stupid for wearing a child's toy on my head I immediately reached up and swiped the tiara off my head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Catherine." I greeted with a smiled that hid my nerves.
"Yes." He stated finally stated before turning his back on me and rounding on Bilbo.
"I'm sorry, your name is?" I cut in realising it was rude but I refused to be so easily dismissed.
"My name is Thorin Okenshield. Any further questions?" He snapped while glaring daggers at me.
"No, I'm good." I forced a smile.
"Right. So you are our burglar?" he questioned Bilbo. "Tell me, what weapon do you favour?"
Bilbo fumbled for a minute before giving a rather lame response. I could feel the judgement rolling off Thorin in waves. I needed to jump in and save him; I could not just let him fumble under Thorin's gaze.
"Hey! What's with the third degree? If you don't like him just say so but you and your friends have made ample use of his home and food. If anything that requires a small amount of gratitude, not public embarrassment!" I called from the corner I stood in.
Every pair of eyes turned to look at me and I could feel the blush colouring my cheeks.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Thorin asked with a sneer.
"Should I? Do you have any idea who I am?" I retorted without much thought.
"I am Thorin, King Under the Mountain." He whispered in a deadly tone.
"Well mountain king! I am Catherine Chilton, daughter of Richard Chilton, head of a multibillion-dollar company. I was raised with proper manners, which you are sorely lacking!" I shouted.
"I thought you name was Taylor." Dwalin questioned with a sneer.
"My husband's name was Taylor, but he has abandoned his responsibility so I have abandoned his name. I am Catherine Chilton and I demand respect even from some puffed up king I have never heard of!" I yelled with a small stop of my foot.
"I have had enough of this." Thorin declared with a snarl. "Let us sit."
I moved over and placed a hand on Bilbo's back in a gesture of comfort.
"Are you alright?" I whispered with concern.
"Yes, I am fine but I will be better when they leave my house." He smiled with tired eyes.
"I have to tell you something. I was talking to Gandalf and he told me there was a place that I could settle down and find a place to raise Alex. I am going to go with them." I told him as gently as I could.
"You could stay here. This is a very nice place to raise a boy." He smiled.
"I love it here, you know that, but it's not home." I whispered sadly.
"Perhaps, I just hoped."
"I wish I could stay here forever. It is a very nice place to live. I wish I could be completely content here."
"I understand."
We looked at each other for a moment before nodding and moving off to listen to the others.