A/N: Hi, guys. Sorry for another late one, but my Black Friday weekend was ridiculously busy, so hopefully you'll forgive me for making you wait. Bit of fluff in this one, which I think we've been sorely missing recently. Hope you enjoy! :)

Big thanks to the following people for following/favouriting: Sarah March, peanut0210, Kalyen9391, SilverLark25, Sandra9417 and Arjetlam Bjartskular.

Review Response(s):

ro781727: Doesn't mean she's off the hook just yet, though... ;)

CrystalVixen93: Thanks, and here ya go :P

StarAvengerWho: Aww, thank you! That means a lot, and it's always a real confidence booster to get a response like yours, too. So thank you again!

Tristana702: Not going to lie, I've had the wedding night chapter written for a while now, but I haven't decided yet if I'm going to post it (either on this fic or separately). We'll see, I guess. As for the wedding, you've got a few chapters left before that one... ;)

Faron Oakenshield: Your idea has put new thoughts into my head, though. I might have to borrow that one at a later time. We'll see. Glad you liked it :D

'An action, to have moral worth, must be done from duty.' ~ Immanuel Kant

Chapter 13:

"Come on! Come on! Come on!"

Alana let out a laugh as Aragorn pulled her and Kili by the hands out of the main gate, all three of them wearing quivers full of arrows and their own bows. Aragorn had been utterly delighted to see the two of them standing at the door, wearing their hunting gear. He'd grabbed his own things so quickly that he was done by the time Gilraen appeared to see what all the fuss was about, still wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Amused looks were sent their way as the people of Erebor watched their Prince and future Queen being dragged bodily from the mountain by a young boy, though there were far fewer people out here than usual - with the celebration feast of the coronation still on-going, many were still making the most of the free ale and food.

They went into the closest forest, just to the west of Dale, which boasted bright trees and plenty of wildlife to hunt. Aragorn was practically skipping in his excitement, though Alana was surprised that, almost the second he walked past the line of the first trees, he became serious, his eagerness fading away into an almost eerie calm.

"Okay, Estel; let's see what Kili's taught you so far."

Aragorn nodded at her, readjusting his hold on his bow, before glancing around them. Alana raised an eyebrow as his eyes scanned over the trees and undergrowth, but mostly his eyes remained downward, eyeing the ground closely. After a moment he began to move forward, eyes now cemented on the forest floor, and Alana noticed a second later that he was following a tiny set of tracks. She and Kili followed him silently as he moved through the trees, glancing up every now and then to examine his surroundings, but ultimately returning his gaze to his feet.

Suddenly he glanced up again and beamed. "There! Look, Alana! A rabbit!"

There was indeed a rabbit in front of them, but the moment Aragorn raised his voice, it raced away, disappearing before the young boy could even finish talking. Alana chuckled when Aragorn pouted. "You did well, Estel," she told him with a crooked, amused grin. "Though perhaps you ought to refrain from shouting at the top of your lungs in future. You could scare the whole forest with a voice like that."

Aragorn petulantly stuck his tongue out at her. "Yeah, I know, Kili told me that before," he grumbled. He sighed. "I can't help it. This is just so amazing! I'm out here, with you, on an adventure!"

Smiling softly, Alana wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm excited about this too, muindor. But you have to keep a calm head on your shoulders, otherwise you'll never be able to progress past the first stage."

Aragorn sighed, but nodded. "I know. Sorry."

"That's alright - believe me, I was exactly the same when I first started. You have to learn to be absolutely silent, and very patient. You got lucky today, with that rabbit. It often takes far longer to find a trail. You just have to make sure you don't give up, okay?"

Nodding again, Aragorn muttered, "I won't."

Kissing his head again, Alana let him go, then turned to Kili. "I must admit," she said teasingly, "your teaching skills are clearly far better than I had thought."

Kili rolled his eyes. "Thanks," he grumbled sarcastically. "It's nice to know you have such faith in my abilities."

Alana shrugged. "What counts is my views have changed." She clapped him on the shoulder, winking. "Maybe you should try to do it more."

Kili blinked. "Do what more? Teach?"

"Well, why not? The evidence suggests you've got a flair for it, and it'll be something to get you away from your Princely duties for a while, if you can convince Thorin and your mother to let you do it."

Blinking again, Kili stared at her for a while as if she had grown another head, before his expression became more thoughtful. Alana chuckled when she felt a hand tugging her sleeve impatiently. "Come on, Alana! Let's go!"

"Alright, alright," she murmured, ruffling the hair on Aragorn's head and then ignoring his grumbling as he tried to fix the mess she'd made. "Let's go, then."

"You want me to do what?"

"Come on, brother, it'll be good for you! For both of you! You haven't had the chance to do something like this in months."

Thorin eyed his sister with incredulity, wondering exactly when she'd gone and lost her mind. "You are aware of the duties we both have within the mountain, yes?"

Dís shrugged. "Consider it some additional hands-on training for Fili. Balin will make sure everything is kept in order." She took a step forward. "Don't deny you want to do it. I've seen how much you two miss each other. Whenever you're together it's like you don't want to be parted ever again. Take some time away from the mountain, away from your duties. It's okay to enjoy some time with your future wife."

Exhaling heavily, Thorin sat down on the chair by the fire. He'd been in the royal library, looking through some old documents, when Dís had barged in. Now he found himself glad to have a comfortable chair close at hand. "I won't deny that it sounds appealing," he grumbled. "But things are not so simple for us anymore."

"So make them simple," Dís muttered with a shrug, moving to sit opposite him. "You're the King, and you're about to get married. I'm sure no one will fault you for taking a day or two off to spend some quality time with your One."

"Dís," he stated calmly, slowly, knowing this would be a long conversation unless he got his point across clearly enough, "I was crowned yesterday. I cannot simply disappear from the mountain within a week of my coronation!"

Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Dís shot back, "Why not?!"

"Because I refuse to be seen as a King who would abandon his kingdom for selfish reasons," he snapped in return, feeling some of his exhaustion creeping up on him. Though he fought hard to hide it, the pressure of the crown and his daily workload were beginning to take their toll on him. He was used to the physical challenges of the wild, used to having aching limbs and tired bones. This was a different kind of exhaustion, one which originated in his mind. His tasks were not strenuous, but they seemed often to be never-ending. And he truly did miss the days wondering through forests and along pathways out in the wide world. He envied Alana in that way; she had retained at least a little of her freedom, venturing out into the forest with Kili (and now her brother, too) in the mornings. Thorin sighed again, meeting his sister's probing eyes. "I cannot possibly express in words how much I long to go out there again, to take Alana with me so that we might enjoy our freedom, even if only for a moment. But now is not the time for that. It is too soon."

Dís slid off her chair, settling onto her knees in front of him. "Thorin," she murmured, "nadad, you need a break. You have been so busy the last few months, making sure everyone is settled, making sure the mountain's mines are safe, preparing for your coronation. You have three weeks until your wedding. Use this time to actually look after yourself for once. Do something you want to do. You've spent your entire life giving everything to your people, asking for so little in return. For once in your life, Thorin Oakenshield, be selfish! No one deserves it more than you, and I know Alana will appreciate the break as well."

Thorin was torn. He wanted to, Mahal knew he did, but his sense of duty kept reminding him that he shouldn't. One of the oaths he'd taken at the crowning was to say that his priority would always be his people. That he had to give up his selfish desires and ambitions. Could he truly do this for himself so soon after making such promises?

He was broken from his thoughts when Dís took his hands in her own, her brows furrowed. "Talk to Alana," she murmured softly. "Talk to her about it; listen to her thoughts. I have said my piece to you. Discuss it with her, and decide together. But please remember that you have your family and friends at your back - you don't have to carry the weight of this kingdom alone." She stood then, leaning forward to press a kiss to Thorin's forehead, before leaving the room in a far calmer state than that in which she had entered.

Sighing, Thorin pushed the idea to the back of his mind for now, vowing that he would talk to Alana about it, and maybe even Balin and Dwalin too. She was right that he had people he could rely on, and he was grateful for that. Sometimes it just took a little nudge in the right direction for him to push aside his pride enough to ask for help.

"How's my favourite patient doing?" Alana asked cheerfully as she wandered into the healing house, ignoring the healers present who glanced up in surprise at her sudden and unexpected appearance. Oin rolled his eyes fondly at her, but quickly got everyone working again, leaving Alana alone to talk with Tamalyn and Makaylen alone.

Makaylen was sat up on her bed, her mother sat beside her with her nose in a book, the younger looking thoroughly bored. Still, when Alana approached them, both dwarrowdams glanced over at her and smiled, though surprise also shone in their eyes, as if they hadn't expected her to keep her word about visiting them again.

"Lady Alana," Tamalyn greeted pleasantly, arching an eyebrow when Alana shot her a mildly chastising look at her use of 'Lady'.

"Hi, Tamalyn," came the casual response. "What's that you're reading?"

"Master Oin gave me a book about healing practices," she told her, holding up the thick tome. "I've been trying to learn as much as I can."

"Thank you for this," Makaylen cut in quickly. "You don't know how much this will help us."

Alana shrugged slightly. "It was nothing," she said dismissively. "Now, how are you feeling?"

"Still a little queasy," Makaylen admitted, "but I'm alright. Unfortunately, Oin won't even let me stretch my legs. I'm officially on bed rest."

"It'll help," came the dry response. Makaylen sighed loudly, causing her mother to shoot her a disapproving look, while Alana just laughed. "Hey, believe me, I know how dull it is to be stuck in bed all day. But you'll be up and about faster than if you try to get out of it. Just drink lots of herbal tea - that should help to keep your body regulated. And feel free to throw away any tea that Oin makes himself - he's a genius when it comes to poultices and such, but somehow he always manages to get tea horribly wrong."

Makaylen giggled and whispered, "Do you really think you should be saying that when he's right there?"

Alana shrugged. "Oin's half deaf, so he won't hear. But even if he did, it makes no difference to me. He's my friend; part of that means I get to tease him and he's not allowed to get too angry at me for it." She winked at the bemused dwarrowdam, before grabbing a chair and pulling it up beside her. "So, tell me about yourself."

Makaylen blinked. "You... want to know about... me?"

"Why wouldn't I? And please don't say anything along the lines of 'because you're a noble', or whatever. I've already gone through all that with your mother."

"W-Well, actually, I just thought... Well, I'm a patient to you. I didn't think you'd want to know about me, as it were."

Alana sighed with exaggerated patience. "Listen, none of that matters. I don't care about race or class or whether or not I helped you survive an allergic reaction. I really don't. It doesn't matter - you're still a person who has interests and hobbies, and a unique life that's all theirs. So feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but I'm curious to learn a little bit about that life of yours."

Makaylen eyed her for a long time, as if expecting her to start laughing and declare that everything she'd said had been some kind of horrible joke, but Alana remained watching her patiently, and eventually the dwarrowdam seemed to accept her words. "To be honest, Lady Alana, there's not much to say about me," she confessed quietly, ignoring Alana's pointed look at the word inclusion of her title.

Alana scoffed lightly. "There's always something." She nudged Makaylen's arm. "Now come, tell me about the girl my nephew couldn't take his eyes off yesterday."

Her face flamed pink, and an expression of utter shock on her face. "W-What?!" she squeaked.

Alana winced. "Okay, please never tell anyone I told you that; I'll get skinned alive. But it's true! I talked to him last night, and he said he thought you looked like you could take on the world. And believe me when I tell you he wouldn't say that about just anyone. So, come on, spill."

"Well, I suppose..." Makaylen bit her lip, glanced at her mother, who nodded, before facing Alana again. "Amad and adad said they never wanted more than one child," she said, Tamalyn humming beside her in agreement, "but while amad wanted a girl, adad wanted a son that he could teach how to fight. When I was born, he apparently said..." She paused, then turned to her mother. "What was it?"

Tamalyn smiled fondly. "He said, 'A lass with lungs like that could probably start and end a war with a single cry.'"

Makaylen smiled. "I don't really know what he meant by that; I think only he did. But in the end, he trained me like a son, yet still treated me like a daughter."

"He trained you?" Alana echoed. "What with?"

She bit her lip. "A scythe."

Alana blinked, then grinned. "That's not a weapon that's used often. Consider me impressed."

The dwarrowdam shrugged. "I never managed to master it," she admitted. "There was only so much my father could teach me, since he favoured the warhammer. They're similar enough, in a way, but still not the same."

Alana hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I know Balin uses a staff from time to time as a weapon. They're not too different. But, he's given up fighting, for the most part." She smiled. "There's always Dwalin."

"Dwalin?" Makaylen asked, almost wary.

Alana nodded. "I'm sure if you asked, he'd be willing to continue your training."

"Isn't Dwalin the tall one with the tattoos and-?"

"Yeah, that's him," Alana said with a grin. "I know he looks intimidating, but he's not so bad. If you want to keep training, just say the world and I'll talk to him about it."

Makaylen gaped at her, then glanced at her mother again, whose lips were pursed slightly, but she said nothing. "Y-Yes!" The dwarrowdam beamed, sitting up straighter. "Yes, please! I'd love to."

Settling back in her chair, Alana nodded. "Very well. I'll discuss it with him the next time our paths cross and return to you with news."

Makaylen nodded eagerly. "Thank you!"

Alana waved her off. "Don't mention it. Besides, I will never turn away anyone wanting to learn how to fight. You may find it's a skill you'll never need, but it is better to have the skills and not need them, than to need them and not have them."

Someone cleared her throat behind them, and Alana turned to see one of the healers waiting patiently with a twisted smile on her face. Alana had never learned this dwarrowdam's name, but she got the feeling she wasn't very well liked by her.

"King Thorin has asked to see you in the royal library, my Lady."

Alana nodded. "Okay, thank you." The healer tilted her head to the side and then spun on her heels, walking away with decisive footsteps. Alana turned back to Tamalyn and Makaylen. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this conversation short." She smiled. "Hopefully I'll be able to drop by in the next few hours or so. If not, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you for visiting, Lady Alana," Makaylen called, giggling when Alana shot her yet another of her pointed looks.

With a shake of her head and a tiny smile on her lips, Alana left the healing halls, heading for the royal library. She knew that Thorin would likely be doing paperwork there - going over treaties with other kingdoms, since there were representatives from all of them still in the mountain.

It was unsurprising, then, when she arrived to see him with his head bowed over a table, a pot of ink and a piece of paper in front of him, a fine quill in his hand. He looked up when she approached him, smiling and then placing the quill in the inkpot. He turned his whole body to face her, grasping her hands in his and then capturing her lips in a soft, tender kiss.

Alana was pleasantly surprised by this, but nonetheless responded eagerly, moving her hands to grasp at his hair and pulling him closer. His hands circled her waist and tugged her so she was flush against him, before rising to press at her shoulder blades. His tongue slipped into her mouth, tangling and dancing with her own.

When they pulled back to draw breath, Alana was shocked once more when Thorin's lips shifted down to her neck and shoulders, where he carefully pushed down her sleeve a few inches. He then attacked the newly bared spot with his lips and teeth, sucking and biting and laving at it, while Alana just did her very best not to let her knees buckle, overwhelmed as she was by the intoxicating sensation. At length, Thorin pulled back, taking a quiet moment to admire the fresh bruise he'd left on her skin, before glancing up at her through his lashes and smirking suggestively at her as he moved her sleeve back into its previous position.

Alana had a dazed look on her face, her mouth open and her cheeks pink. Thorin smiled, cupping her face and tilting her eyes down to him. "Asti abnâmul kuthu nurutsi baraz'alâj, (You're cute when you blush,)" he murmured, leaning up to press a much more innocent kiss on her lips.

"Amin delotha lle, (I hate you,)" she replied, blinking her daze away. She took a small step back before he could draw her into anything else so... so... whatever the hell that was.

Thorin chuckled. "No, you don't," he retorted easily, smirking again when Alana rolled her eyes.

"So, what did you drag me here for? And if you're about to tell me that what we just did was the only reason, I'm going to throw you out of the nearest window. I don't care if I first have to drag you by the ear through three public corridors; I will do it."

Stifling his laughter, Thorin mused, "I don't doubt you for a second, atamanel. But no, the reason I asked you to meet me here is to discuss with you something my sister suggested."

"Uh oh," was her immediate response, and Alana settled on the arm of the closest chair. "That sounds dangerous."

Thorin grunted. "She seems to believe that you and I should take a day or two away from the mountain."

Alana blinked. "She thinks what?"

He chuckled. "It was something to do with needing a break from our work, and making the most of the last three weeks before we wed."

Alana frowned. "She does know that we have duties here, right?"

"Yes, I did point that out."

"And that you were only crowned yesterday?" Thorin hummed again, silently conveying that yes, he had mentioned that too. Alana cocked an eyebrow. "And she still insisted?"

Thorin shrugged. "My sister is nothing, if not persistent."

Alana chuckled. "Yeah, you two have that in common." Thorin shot her a bland look, but she just smiled innocently in response, dropping to sit in her chair properly. "I don't understand," Alana admitted. "If you know these things, why are you bringing this up with me?"

"First, because it concerns you as well, and second, because Dís wanted me to get a second opinion. To talk it through with you so we could decide it together."

Alana sighed, leaning back further into the cushion of the chair. "Thorin, as much as I'd love to do this, now is not the time. Everything is still too fragile around here - I'm genuinely terrified that something will go horribly, horribly wrong while we are gone."

Thorin nodded. "You and I both," he mumbled, sitting in the chair opposite her. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, a contemplative expression on his face. "I have convinced myself that that is the best course of action, multiple times, and yet I cannot get the idea out of my head."

Smiling almost wistfully, Alana leaned forward and pried his hands away from his face, holding them in her own. "We'll be able to do this," she murmured. "We'll plan it and arrange it so all possibilities are covered. But not now. We can't. It is too soon. Our duty to our people must come first; always."

"I know," came the quiet reply. "But I cannot fight what my heart desires. And it desires this time with you, more than anything else."

"Just be patient. That time will come." She placed her hand on his cheek, and his stormy eyes met her. "And when it does," she whispered, sliding out of her chair so she was knelt in front of him, "we will make sure it is one of the best days of our lives." With another smile on her lips, she pulled Thorin into another kiss, and the world fell away beneath them.