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Ch 6 Life and Death

Thorin's Halls continued to grow in wealth and numbers, not to the numbers of the other dwarf kingdoms, but a far cry from where they had been in Dunland. In 2858, Dis announced her first pregnancy to everyone during dinner towards the end of the winter season. Orli, her husband, swung her around at the news and they disappeared for the next day. Thorin had watched them leave with sorrow in his eyes, remembering his One and the child he had lost. But with his sister, their family would grow again. To celebrate, Dwalin all but kidnapped the Prince and brought him to the mead room, where they could drink alone and in private. When they were a half a barrel down, Thorin stopped and stared down in his mug. Dwalin noticed the change in his demeanor and waited patiently for him to speak.

"You would consider yourself my friend?"

Dwalin braced his forearms on his knees, his own mug clasped in both hands. "Ye know I do, Thorin. Why ask?"

"Did you know I met my One?" Thorin didn't look up nor wait for an answer. "She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, pale skin with midnight blue hair, eyes that shone like gold in firelight. I almost died the first time I met her, she saved me." Dwalin said nothing so he would continue. "Frerin was the first to meet her, by accident, but he loved her like a sister immediately. He helped us so much, making sure we could be together when no one knew of our relationship. It is a deep regret I couldn't save him to give him the same opportunity." Thorin fell into silence for a few minutes, turning the mug in his hands. "They schemed behind me to introduce her to my father so I would be properly surprised, which I was, and angry. We were separated briefly and I almost lost her when my grandfather tried to throw her over the walkway, accusing her of being a thief and after his Arkenstone. I almost lost her, and our baby then."

Dwalin couldn't hold back at that announcement, "She carries the Heir of Durin?" Stunned didn't seem a strong enough word for what the burly warrior was feeling.

"She did. My Lapis, my One. When Smaug attacked, she attacked him, and so many of my people saw her." When Dwalin made to speak again, Thorin cut him off. "She was a dragon and could shift into a human. My father saw her change as he was escaping, I was outside trying to evacuate everyone. When Frerin appeared without her, my heart stopped, she had been with him when Smaug descended. Roars and cries were heard from inside the mountain and I recognized a pained scream as hers before my father came running out. He knew and saw, whether he realized I did as well I will never know. But he told me she was dead and we could never have been together or Ones to begin with, for dwarves can only be soulmates with another dwarf." The last part was spat out in anger before tears began to fall from Thorin's eyes. "She didn't come out, there were no more sounds from inside the mountain other than the cries of our people running away. My One and my baby died, Dwalin. Before I had a chance to live, my future was torn away from me."

Dwalin sat dumbfounded by the information given to him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted his brother Balin listening through the crack in the door. He hadn't shut it all the way since this room was far from the main halls, but Dwalin had the feeling his brother already knew part of this story. He watched as Thorin cried for the first time since his home fell, grieving at the loss of the family that would've been. The fact that his One was a dragon, Dwalin didn't know what to do with that information. His whole life was born knowing dragons were gold seeking beasts with no concern for life other than their own. He needed time to think about this information, but for now, he clapped a hand on Thorin's shoulder in comfort and sat with him. That night, Dwalin and Thorin swore an oath and the two bonded as Shield Brothers, to stand by each other through whatever life threw at them.

In 2859, on a beautiful summer day, Dis gave birth to a son, Fili. His birth was greatly celebrated as he was now the heir to the Durin Legacy. When Fili was placed in Thorin's arms, he brushed a calloused hand over the blond hair with a laugh. There hasn't been a fair-haired Durin to his knowledge and made Thorin proclaim that his nephew was destined for great things. For the next few years, Thorin made time for his nephew every day, even if it was for only a few minutes, and put Balin in charge of his education. Captain Gatik had died in the Battle and thus Thorin appointed the duty to train Fili in combat to Dwalin. Dis laughed when her brother was ordering everyone around stating her son was barely walking and already have a full schedule for his future, Mahal forbid what Thorin would do to her next child. Her statement made everyone in the room pause and look at her in question. She was pregnant again.

This celebration was greater than the previous, although Fili had been first born, giving birth to more than one child in the dwarf race was cause to rejoice. By spring of 2864, Dis was giving birth again to another son. Every dwarf in the Halls laid down their tools and drank to the new prince. He was given the name Kili, a twin like name for how close together in years they were born. Thorin held his second nephew in one arm while Fili sat in the other and examined his features. The soft brown hair was unusual and he showed no signs of other dwarf traits, Dis waved off his worries saying he would grow into them. Thorin nodded and sat holding his nephews until it was time for him to return to his duties. A week after the birth, he pulled Dwalin aside.

"Take me to whomever inked your tattoos."

Dwalin raised a brow at his friend. "If ye donna mind me askin', why?"

"I wish to have my One with me over my heart." Thorin answered quietly.

The gruff dwarf crossed his arms and looked thoughtfully at the Prince. "Now?"

"Yes."

The insistence was clear and Dwalin took Thorin to an older dwarf, Pillan, and formally introduced the two to each other. Thorin sat on the bench opposite Pillan and explained to him of the tattoo he wanted. The grisly inker sat still with his hands twisted together, his eyes darting from Thorin to Dwalin before nodding slowly.

"I remember her, she steered the fire breather away from my family, so we could escape. She was lovely."

Dwalin sucked in a breath and waited for Thorin's reaction. Instead of anger or grief, he looked relieved and a hint of a smile was on his face.

"That she was."

There were no more words exchanged between the two and Thorin laid back on the bench and prepared himself for an afternoon of pain. The finish product took a few weeks, needing time to heal before other colors could be tapped in before continuing. When it was done, Thorin proudly stood before Dwalin, Balin, and Pillan with a white and dark blue dragon with a gold stomach curled up over his heart. No one would ever see it unless they bathed with him or Thorin became injured, not a close foreseeable future for him.

Back in Dale and Erebor, Lapis and Smaug met up once a week, either in the mountain or outside, to try and conquer her task of training him to shift human. But so far there had been no avail and the great dragon was losing his temper with the passing years. It wasn't that Lapis was trying to be difficult, as Smaug often accused her of, but that she didn't know how to train him how to shift since it came naturally to her. Lapis was able to sense magic as Smaug did after spending time with him trying to find the source of her gift. With new eyes, she could see the wisps of gray and black that surrounded Smaug and learned that was the dark magic he could see around her, but in greater quantities. When Lapis studied her children with the same eyes, she saw no dark magic in them as humans but as dragons, the was the barest trace that hover at their back. It was a curious thing and Smaug wouldn't tell her anything until she accomplished her task.

Come 2880, Smaug flew outside for the last time and curled up in his gold one last time. No matter how many visits Lapis took or how far she entered the mountain, climbing over the treasure, he didn't wake up. She was left baffled at his behavior and had no idea what to do with her tremulous freedom. On one hand, she didn't have to continue her failing lessons with him while he slept and could leave this side of Middle Earth if she wished. On the other, if he woke soon and found her missing, Smaug would most likely destroy all that was in her path to find her. It wasn't like they didn't have a decent life here, but Lapis wanted to see more of the world she had read about in the books she taught to her children. Maybe a short trip wouldn't hurt anyone, but they would wait a while to be sure Smaug slumbered deeply. In the meantime, Lapis would accustom herself and her children to wearing clothes to allow them to walk amongst regular cities of Men without raising alarm.

More than a year passed and there was no movement from Smaug, not even a shift in the gold to give way to his position. Wearily, Lapis made plans for them to fly at night and sleep a portion of the day away in a shelter. A map had been dug out of what had been the library her and Thorin had visited often and showed her children where they were going to stop first, a blot by the Anduin River named Carrock. As the sun began to set, Lapis packed individual sacks for each of them with the best plain clothes she could find that fit them, with coins and jewelry, for them to carry while they flew. Her excited offspring danced around in their dragon forms, making quite the scene, until Lapis called them to order and they presented themselves to her. She tied a bag around each of their large ankles to ensure they wouldn't lose their possessions before shifting and wrangling her own around her foot.

"Follow me and do not wander, understood?" Her eyes burned into each of her children as they nodded their large heads in agreement.

Lapis launched herself into the summer night sky, hearing the three do the same with growls of delight. She turned and directed them to the forest that was labeled as a home to Elves and locked her eyes on the mountains in the middle. That was a resting point before continuing to the Carrock by morning light. Hopefully, nothing would try and harm them along the way.

Memo, my guest reviewer, if you made it this far, welcome to our world.