Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Enjoy!

/Will Fly Away/

The more of the quest for Erebor Persinia heard, the more she became sure of two things.

One, that Sam was indeed telling the truth, that Balin, Thorin, Dis, Dwalin, Oin, and Gloin were all alive, and that they were all living in Erebor, after having endured so much. Persinia did not recognize some of the characteristics of the dwarves that Sam had described (such as Dwalin's very gruff and untrusting attitude, and Oin's loss of hearing, and the overall less congenial, initial, behavior of the dwarves she had once known so well), but, at the base of it all, they were the same as those she had known, simply as changed by time and hardship as she was.

Two, was that Sam was not a messenger of the young woman who had traveled with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield, she was the young woman, the one who had sacrificed so much for her friends, for her family, only to lose them in the end, forced to wander Middle Earth in exile.

And she had ended up here, in the Red Mountains, bringing unspeakable joy to an old dwarrowdam that had given up hope a long time ago.

The tears dripping down Persinia'a face, obviously happy tears because of the wide and bright smile on her face, a hand over her mouth as she watched Sam with gratefulness in her eyes as the tale came to a close confirmed Nim, Sam, and Burb's suspicions that Persinia knew more than she was telling.

Just as Persinia was about to get up from her chair across from Sam in front of the fire, the front door opened, and everyone turned to see who it was.

A dark figure walked through the door, a male dwarf clad in a black cloak with his head down against the cold of the night, who immediately turned to the right of the door, whipped off the cloak, hung it on one of the pegs there, also leaning an enormous, two handed battle axe against the wall, saying," I'm home, Persinia, you've got the house lit more than usua-"

The dwarf cut himself off as, after he turned around, he finally noticed the guests his dear friend had allowed in their home, the oddness of them making him suspicious, wondering why in the world the ever vigilant Persinia would ever allow strangers into their home, especially at such a late hour, and then he noticed the tears on Persinia's cheeks.

It took less than five seconds for all hell to break loose.

The dwarf that could only be Remy, his dark gray hair pulled into a high pony tail with only two braids running through it, his pepper and paprika beard bound by a single clasp, his gray green eyes blazing, entirely fierce looking in his guard captain uniform as he whipped his battle axe backinto his hands and bared his teeth at those he now considered intruders, ready to defend the only person he had left, for he had interpreted Persinia's tears as a sign of distress at a glance, not taking the time to note the tell tale signs of happiness on her face.

Nim leapt out of his seat, long daggers in his hands as he took a defensive stance, while Burb crouched behind Nim, his hands in his robes, resting on the hilts of his swords, ready to attack if necessary.

Sam and Persinia, however, were just looking between Nim, Burb, and Remy, on edge, but not making any threatening motions like the three men were. Persinia was just too overwhelmed by all of the things that she had learned this night to really do anything besides stare, while Sam knew that the dwarf that had walked in was not a threat, but that he didn't know they weren't, so she simply watched, waiting for someone to do something.

They all stood like that for a few moments, Nim and Burb with their eyes on Remy, Remy with his eyes flicking between Persinia, Sam, and the boys, while the two women just looked between the men, wondering if any of them were going to attack.

Finally, after a few more beats of silence, Remy sighed explosively, putting his axe down with a thump, glaring at Nim and Burb before turning to Persinia and Sam, raising an eyebrow at Sam before looking at Persinia, asking," What in the world is going on?"

It was like a spell had been broken.

"Oh, Remy!"

Persinia flew across the room, knocking the breath out of Remy, as she threw her arms around him in a bear hug, crying again with happy tears streaming down her face, saying, as she looked up into the bewildered eyes of her old friend," You will never believe what news these children have brought! What they had told me! Oh, Remy! Balin and Oin and Thorin and Dwalin and Gloin,and Dis, they are all alive! Alive! And Dis even has children! Oh! And Thorin is King Under the Mountain! And Smaug is dead!"

The more words that tumbled out of Persinia's mouth, the more incredulous Remy's expression became, the more watery his eyes became at what Persinia was saying, but still utterly confused.

"...What?"

Despite feeling slightly insulted that they had been called children, Nim and Burb sat down again, watching the older male dwarf closely as Sam made him a cup of tea and Persinia settled him in a chair right next to her, the poor guy just looking between the three strangers and Persinia, utterly confused, and skeptical, but willing to give the three a chance because Persinia believed them.

But, before Sam told her story again, she wanted some questions answered.

"So, how do you two even know Thorin and all of them? Specifically Balin and Oin?"

Sam hand't missed how Persinia and Remy had reacted to Oin and Balin's names, knowing that it meant something, but she had no idea what.

And now it was Persinia's turn to tell a story, a wide grin on her face as she said," Well, dear, let me tell you our own tale..."

/May It Be You Journey On/

"So Persinia told us how they had gotten to the Red Mountains, how they knew all of you, and the rest is history. For the rest of the time we all lived in the Red Mountains, their home was our home, and that in and of itself was often times an adventure."

Sam smiled at the memory of the little house on the outskirts of town that they had spent so much time at, as Balin and Oin smiled, their eyes still wet, but much happier than they had been when Sam had begun her tale of how Persi and Remy had ended up in the Red Mountains, and probably more happy than they had thought they would ever be again without their spouses.

Sam was glad that the two couples would be reunited in a few short months, and she would be glad to finally see them together again, because it was obvious how much they loved each other. Sam had always thought that Balin and Oin deserved someone to share their lives with, they were such wonderful dwarves it was hard to imagine that they had been alone, without any love interests, their entire lives. Sam was more than a little surprised when she had found out they had already found people to love, that they had intended to spend the rest of their lives with, and she was entirely too pleased when she discovered their loves were such an ornery duo (Sam smiled even more at that thought).

"I cannot believe those two have been in the Red Mountains, all this time..." Thorin was smiling, at Sam and the good news she brought, and at the entire situation entirely, a soft, slightly wistful smile that shone in his eyes, the dwarven king shaking his head as he put an arm around Balin and Oin, comforting his long times friends and cousins, continuing, the knowledge that their family would be even more complete making him ever happier than he had already been when he had gotten up this morning," well, at least they will be home soon."

"Aye, they will be," Sam's expression became clouded again as she watched Balin and Oin both caress the beads that belonged to their loves as everyone, once again, made their way towards the doors, knowing she really needed to drop the proverbial bomb now, rather than later, lest she completely ruin the rest of the day for everyone, because Thorin and Dis were going to need their family by their sides when Sam told them what else she had learned, that she had avoided telling them until now, mostly because she had been unsure about how to address the issue," but those beads are not the only things I have to return."

Everyone turned towards Sam again, wondering what other news she had to share with them, what she also needed to return, smiles on their faces until they saw her expression, dread pooling in the pits of their stomachs as she went over to the packs they had piled in the corner of the room for later, a grim expression on her face, dread in her eyes.

Sam rummaged through one of her packs for a few moments before drawing out a small bundle, wrapped in burlap.

Sam then walked over to Thorin, who had dropped his hands from the shoulders of Balin and Oin, picked up his right hand, and placed the little bundle in it gently, almost reverently, before stepping back and motioning for Thorin to open it.

Thorin looked, dubiously, because he knew he was not going to like whatever was in the little bundle given the way Sam was acting, between Sam and the bundle, only for his new niece to nod her head again in the direction of the package, a serious and sad look on her face.

So, with no small amount of trepidation, the rest of the Company just looking on, tense and a little nervous, Thorin unwrapped the package.

And the room went eerily silent, once again, after a collective intake of breath when the object within the bundle was seen, for, there, in Thorin's hand, was the Ring of Thrain.

The ring of power that had been passed from King Under the Mountain to Crown Prince since it had been given to the Line of Durin by Sauron, the silver ring with a sapphire, was sitting there, in Thorin's hand.

Dis slowly moved to her brother's side, the king rigid with shock, leaning heavily against him as they both gazed at what was likely all they had left of their father.

Dwalin, Balin, Oin, and Gloin stared at the ring, remembering those who had worn it, and how they were lost, a new pain in their chests, while Dori, Nori, Ori, Gimli, and Dala (those who had not grown up thinking of the ring as a symbol of the Royal Family, but simply an object owned by the rich and powerful) simply looked at it, knowing it to be a ring of power, and a piece of their history, of the legacy that belonged to those they cared so much for, but wondering just how it was so, what it actually did, and how it was Sam had come by the thing, which they were relatively sure was cursed given the fates of it's last two wearers.

Fili and Kili, however, saw a relic of a dwarf they had never known, but really should have. They saw a piece of their grandfather, the dwarf their mother and uncle had told them so much about when they were children, regaling them with tales of the glory of their lineage, of the proud and good dwarves they had come from. The two, for once, really, truly understood the loss that had so haunted their elders for all of their lives, understanding just what could have been, but had never had the chance to be.

"How?"

Thorin looked at Sam, who stood before him with her head bowed and posture almost as rigid as his own, her eyes shiny with unshed tears as she saw the hurt on Thorin's face, as unguarded, as vulnerable, and desperate for answers as she had ever seen him, and it broke her heart, especially knowing what more she still had to tell him.

So Sam whispered, hesitantly, regretfully, wishing it could have been almost anyone else that was telling Dis and Thorin this," Remember the skeleton that was in my cell in Gundabad?"

The atmosphere within the room became even more dour at Sam's question, understanding coming over their faces as they understood, pain in all of their hearts for what it meant, and how they knew it hurt Thorin and Dis.

And then the tranquility of the room was broken when Thorin, angrily, turned to Burb, who had been standing at the back of the group, quietly, hoping that what he now knew would happen could be avoided, so, instead of shrinking back from Thorin as he would have when they first met, he stood strong, though with a regretful expression on his face, and looked the king in the eye as he advanced, not a little threateningly, on the orc.

Burb motioned Bifur, and the others that would stand in Thorin's way in his defense, such as Oin, Bofur, and Bombur, (he still couldn't quite believe he had been given a place amongst them), away, not wanting anyone to deal with the blame Thorin would lay on anyone but him, despite the fact that it was Sam who had delivered the news, neither Burb nor Sam thought for a minute that Thorin would go after Sam in his anger and grief.

"You! What did they do to him? What did Azog and Bolg, and, and, you, do to my father?"

"Thorin, please-"

Thorin brushed off the hands of his sister and the words of Sam as they both tried to calm him down, Fili and Kili looking between their mother, Burb, and Sam, unsure what to do as everyone else looked on, angry at Burb for, at the very least, having some knowledge of of Thrain's fate, but saying nothing, even as they knew saying nothing had likely saved his life.

And without him Sam would have died, or she would have left again for them having killed the orc who had saved her, so they could not truly be angry with Burb, but they were disappointed in him, to say the least, feeling the trust they had put in him should have warranted learning this news sooner.

"I did nothing to him, when he was brought to Gundabad from Dol Guldur," Thorin reeled back, appalled by the fact that he had been so close, so close to where his father had been being kept, and had not been at all aware of it, guilt tearing at him for having, unintentionally, left his father to a horrible fate," I was only aware that a dwarf was in the dungeons, a usual occurrence given Azog's hate of dwarves, and I did not know who the dwarf was," he allowed Thorin, Dis, and the others believe that Thrain had died long before Sam had arrived, neither he nor Sam willing to tell them that he had not been dead long enough for him to become a skeleton by the time Sam arrived, the real reason his bones had been stripped of flesh was that he had been eaten, alive, a fact Sam had been able to discern before she ever knew who he was due to the marks on his bones, and it had made her unwilling to eat for days after the revelation," I had little knowledge of the names of different dwarves or their significance, and did not know who he was or why his death was important until Sam identified the ring, and that was after we had already left Gundabad."

Thorin deflated, all of the anger leaving him as he looked between Sam, Burb, his sister, and the ring, unable to be angry at Burb for something he had had little to do with, especially given Thorin's knowledge of the isolation, and low status, that Burb suffered under Azog's control, remembering the first time he had glimpsed the scars from a lash and manacles upon his skin.

"Thorin," the king turned to look at Sam, his eyes sad, grief once again apparent on his face, and that of his sister, as she continued," please don't blame Burb, he had nothing to do with any of it, and could have done nothing to stop it," she did not bother to say that he would not have cared to do anything about it at the time, not wanting Thorin to become more angry with Burb.

Thorin nodded slightly at Sam's words, and Sam relaxed a bit, as did the rest of the Company, relieved that they would not have to deal with further conflict, all of them feeling a little guilty for their anger as Burb avoided all of their eyes and looked at the floor (they knew they tended to react to harshly without all of the information relevant to certain situations, and it once again seemed to have bitten them in the butt as Burb, who had been opening up to them, drew back into his shell), seeming to shrink at the reminder that it would take a lot of time for him to truly, truly, have a place amongst them, only for Sam to tense again as she continued to speak, eyeing the way that Thorin caressed the ring in his hand," It was only dumb luck that I found the ring in my cell, I don't think any of the orcs there knew what it was, or really cared, but, Thorin," Thorin looked at her, curiosity in his eyes, for the way she had said his name indicated that she had something to ask of him, something very important given the way she squared her shoulders," I would ask you, and I do not ask this lightly, but I would ask you not to wear the ring, ever," now everyone looked a little confused, many (save a few) wondering why Thorin shouldn't wear his father's ring," entomb it in the Mountain in lieu of a grave, in Thrain's honor, keep it in your office, anything, just don't wear it."

"Why? Why shouldn't he wear our father's ring? It is his right as King Under the Mountain and as our father's son."

Dis voiced the question going through her brother's, and many of the other's, minds, wondering what reason Sam might have for making such a request.

"I do not contest his right to the ring, but I do not want Thorin to wear it because of the threat it might pose to him," everyone but Burb gave her confused looks, so Sam changed tactics, addressing Thorin since he was the one she had to convince," Thorin, it is a ring of power, made by Sauron himself, given to the Line of Durin so that he might have influence over them," eyes widened as they realized where Sam was going with this," it is an evil thing, Thorin, and I do not trust it, I do not want to risk you coming to harm because of it, despite the fact that it is all you have left of your father, I don't feel it is worth any harm coming to you," Sam saw she was convincing him, seeing the way he now eyed the piece of jewelry suspiciously," it's last two wearers lost their minds and met horrible fates, one likely because someone sought that ring," all of the dwarves winced, but nodded," and I think that ring," she pointed to the ring that all of the dwarves were now looking at quite dubiously," may be more cursed than the Arkenstone, that it might have been the reason for the madness of both Thrain and Thror, so, please, I beg of you, Thorin, do not wear it."

Thorin studied the ring for a few moments more, hearing whispers in the back of his mind to disregard Sam's fears, and wear his birthright, be the king he was meant to be with the final dwarven ring of power on his finger, but there were even stronger whispers, and feelings, deep in his heart, kinder whispers than those in his head, like a soft wind in the spring rather than a cold gust of winter, telling him to listen to Sam and do as she says, for she meant to protect him, and nothing more.

And it was those whispers, the one's that warmed his heart and made him feel safe, that won out.

Thorin looked back up at Sam, nodding as he said, everyone relaxing, especially Fili, Kili, Dis, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, and Gloin, glad that a possible danger had been averted, that they wouldn't lose Thorin, again," Then I will not, dear Sam, and it will be interred in the family tomb in place of our father," he glanced at Dis, who nodded, the dwarrowdam squeezing the arm of her brother in support," Thrain, son of Thror, so that his memory may live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew him, and a piece of him will remain in his home."

Everyone nodded at Thorin's statement, looking on solemnly as Thorin wrapped up the ring and put it in one of his pockets, before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes with a frail, but genuine smile on his face as he said, gesturing toward the doors of the chamber," Now, let us shake off our grief, anger," he nodded at Burb, who simply nodded back, unwilling to do more at the moment, making Thorin feel a little guilty for blaming the orc for the actions of Bolg and Azog," and hurt, and instead celebrate this day," he put an arm around Sam and Dis both, the two women glad to seem him recovering so quickly, for now, from the shock," for it is a joyous occasion to welcome someone into a family," everyone smiled at that, glad to get back to what this day had been meant for, for celebrating their family, and being together," and to learn of the survival of ones thought lost," Balin and Oin both grinned at that, their younger brothers throwing their arms across their shoulders in support and happiness," so let us celebrate, and eat the wonderful meal Bombur has no doubt prepared."

At that everyone laughed at little as said red headed dwarf blushed and bustled towards the door so he could make sure everything was ready before everyone got to the feast, even as they all mulled over everything that had happened that day.

So they all headed in the direction of the feast that awaited them, surprised at the way the day had turned out, but glad it had happened all the same.

/May It Be You Journey On/

Hoe y'all enjoyed that!

Reviews are always appreciated, especially when they contain ideas for one shots anyone might want to see. ;)