Hello and welcome to the last chapter of The Hobbit: Mercy of the Living.

Epilogue

The tears were hard to keep at bay as Solaris, astride Gandri, led the group up to the gates of the castle. Her eyes scanned the tall walls and the windows. She'd always wanted to see the Blue Mountains, ever since Fili and Kili had spoken about them. She just never dreamed it would be under these circumstances. Behind her was Haldir who had ignored her when she'd told him she wanted to travel alone. Since her return to Rivendell he had been by her side most of the time. She guessed it was her Father's attempt at getting her to make new friends. But she didn't want new friends; she was content with her old ones. Then behind Haldir came three carts each drawn by a large shire horses. They were all black with white socks, feathers and noses. The carts themselves were made of the finest wood, each carved with intricate patterns and laden with flowers. Laying on each was a wooden coffin that to was carved intricately also with Moon runes.

The gates opened slowly and Solaris walked as far as the courtyard and stopped. The rest of the group stopped behind her and waited for instruction. Solaris watched as the doors to the main palace opened and a female dwarf came out. She had dark hair and dark brown eyes that were watery. Behind her was a small entourage. As she walked forward her navy blue gown that was threaded with gold flowed behind her, if she was not a dwarf then her elegance would have her taken as an elf. Solaris jumped from Gandri and met the female dwarf halfway.

"Lady Dis?" Solaris asked and the dwarf nodded. Solaris noted that her lip wobbled and then a male dwarf that Solaris recognised to be Dain came beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"I have…" Solaris started but her voice caught in her throat. A sob escaped her and Haldir came forward and put a hand on her shoulder for reassurance.

"I have brought your King and your sons home…" the words had barely left her lips as another sob uncontrollably broke free.

"Thank you" Dis said pulling herself away from Dain. Solaris responded immediately and pulled away from Haldir. She dropped to her knees and Dis wrapped her arms around her neck. Solaris held the she-dwarf tightly as they both cried for the men they had lost.

"Thank you for bringing them home, my sweet child" Dis said pulling back and framing Solaris's face in her hands.

"I'm sorry that I didn't bring then back alive"

Dis leant forward and kissed Solaris's forehead. "I will be forever in your debt" Dis said "Come, sit with me and lets talk"

Solaris stood and looked back around at the three coffins. "Dain will see them to their chambers"

"Aye My Lady" Dain said bowing.

Dis took Solaris's hand. "And your men can make themselves at home in the halls. They can rest and the stable hands will look after the horses"

"Thank you" Solaris said and turned to look at Haldir. "Go with them, make sure they rest"

"My Lady" Haldir nodded and turned to instruct the other elves.

Dis led Solaris into room that had a warm fire burning, there were selves upon shelves of books mounted on the walls.

"Are these your chambers?" Solaris asked looking around.

"Yes" Dis nodded going over to a tankard that sat in the corner. "I thought that you'd feel more comfortable to talk in here, please make yourself at home"

Solaris took her cloak off and draped it over the back of a large armchair. She then sat and took the tankard Dis offered her. Her eyes were then drawn to a large painting above the fire. It was of two young dwarf boys, the blonde one was obviously the oldest and in his arms was a smaller darker haired dwarf who had the cheekiest smile on his face.

"They were mere children when that was done" Dis said. "It seems like such a long time ago. Please tell me of your time with my sons, I have heard bits and pieces but I wish to hear all from you"

Solaris started from the very beginning when she met the boys at Bilbo's hobbit hole. She did her best not to miss out any details. Dis sighed and ahhhed in all the right places. She even cried when Solaris told her of Kili's love for Tauriel.

"And what of Fili, did he find love on this quest?" Dis asked and Solaris swallowed hard.

"Yes he did, very much so" she said putting the tankard down for fear of dropping it. "I loved both your sons, I still love them very much but Fili won my heart My Lady and I won his. To begin with we were just friends but then the way he looked at me, with his beautiful blue eyes and the sound of his voice and his laugh. He protected me, from everything. Come to think of it whenever I was hurt or upset Fili was always there and when he need me the most…" her voice trailed "I failed him, I could not get to him in time and that orc killed him. I watched it happen and there was nothing I could do…"

"It's not your fault" Dis said leaning over and putting a hand on Solaris's shoulder. "Don't you ever blame yourself; my sons went into this knowing full well the danger" she said looking the elf hard in the eyes. "Thorin promised me that he would protect them but I knew also the danger, there was always going to be the risk that they did not return"

She then looked up at the painting. "I just wasn't prepared to loose all three"

"Me neither My Lady" Solaris sighed looking at the painting also.

"Please call me Dis, we are both ladies here who I think don't care much for titles"

Solaris smiled at the she-dwarf. Dis was perfect; she was all that the elf had expected her to be and more.

"Kili looked like you" Solaris said taking in the dwarf's dark hair and eyes and Dis smiled.

"And Fili looked like his Father"

Dis got up and went over to a chest of draws. With her she brought back armfuls of books.

"These contain all the paintings I have of my family" she said setting them down on the floor in-front of the fire. "You don't have to look at all of them"

"I want to" Solaris said sitting with her legs crossed.

The two women spent the next couple of hours in each others company looking at paintings of not just Fili, Kili and Thorin but the rest of Dis's family as well including her older brother Frerin and her husband, Fili and Kili's dad. Dis was right when she said that Fili looked like him.

"You can keep that one" Dis said looking at a painting that was done of Fili just before he'd left to go on the journey to win back the mountain. In the painting he was sitting against a tree looking very thoughtful.

"Thank you" Solaris said. The painting reminded her of the stone in her pocket.

"I have something to return to you" Solaris said and reached into her pocket and brought out Kili's talisman.

"Oh" Dis said taking it hesitantly. "That belonged to Kili, but didn't Tauriel want it?"

"I think it was too much for her" Solaris said and Dis nodded.

"Well" the dwarf said clearing her throat. She looked at Solaris and smiled and pulled her into her arms. "You may not of had the ceremony but I already consider you my daughter Solaris" Dis said which caused Solaris to burst into tears.

So, there we have it. I hope you enjoyed reading The Hobbit: Mercy of the Living as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am going to carry the story over to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy so I hope you will join Solaris and I when I get round to posting it which I hope will be soon. I'n not sure what I'm going to call it so what I'll do is I'll add an extra chapter onto the end of Mercy of the Living to let you know when I've posted the first of my Lord of the Rings story and also what I've called it so you can find it, if you want to of course.

Also please feel free to review and let me know your thoughts on my take of The Hobbit, I love hearing from you.

Love as always and see you very soon, Mayday xx