DISCLAIMER: Let's get this out of the way. I do not own or have any hope of ever owning the characters or happenings of middle earth. They belong to Tolkien and as far as I'm concerned he can keep them. For now. I do however, own my OCs, specifically Thia! So don't steal her. Please, feel free to leave any comments and/or questions that you may have. Follow the story in which ever way you would like, but make your thoughts known but be polite while you do it. Thank you!

Chapter 26

"Hello... yeah um... Sorry about... you know... your dad." rolling my beads between my fingers only leads to me tugging on the braids sharply in irritation at my poor apology "No. No, that's just... wrong."

"Are you nervous?"

Letting out a helpless groan of blatant confirmation, I give Kili the most unhappy frown my face can muster. I'm not too enthusiastic about the upcoming meeting in Lothlorien. It's not that I don't want to see Thorin; in fact the opposite is true. I missed him terribly and I know if he is here, then so are my babies and I'm over the moon with the prospect of getting to see them all again. Yet... after I get over said moon, gravity returns and I'm pulled back to middle earth and all it's problems make a sharp spiked pit for my crash landing.

Thorin and I did have a huge... dream... fight... thing that I doubt he's forgotten about and the kids... they can't come where I'm going, so good byes will be arriving again shortly. I look forward to this meeting as much as I dread it.

"I... I don't know what to say..." peering into the passing trees, I run my fingers through my hair in agitation "About Thrain.. the kids..."

Me the ring hums lightly

"You could start off by apologizing for not telling him that Grandfather was still alive."

The simple answer doesn't help and I almost wish I hadn't told the dwarrow about Thorin and my shared dream. But I had to to keep him distracted from asking too much about the ring and its attachment to me. Sure, he knows about as much as Gimli, dude can't keep a secret for anything, but not nearly as much as Frodo and I want to keep it that way. The less people who know, the less people I have fighting me every step of the way.

"He will understand well enough about the children. I agree that bringing them would not have been for the best. Bringing YOU along is something I would have rather have been avoided. Though... I still cannot fathom why you would not tell Thorin about Grandfather in the first place."

"Neither can I." is my testy reply

"You admit that you do not understand your own reasons?"

"No." curling my lip in feigned disgust, I roll my eyes "What I admit is that I can't understand why YOU can't understand my simple reasons."

Huffing out a breath of his own faked annoyance, Kili and I walk on in silence. I know the dwarf is just as nervous as I with it being however many years since he saw not only his uncle, but his son. 'How will they react? Can I expect fists or tears? What will they say?' No one answers my unasked questions but as the trees thin out I know I'll find out soon enough.

My troop marches on quickly; trusting the guardians provided not to lead us into quicksand or the like simply because we have to believe that the won't no matter their defensive nature.

Just like the forest surrounding us, the elves here are eerily beautiful and quiet; much like Thranduil's subjects. Then again, these elves are much closer to the origin of evil, so some oddness is to be expected.

I look at the back of Haldir's head and hold back a sigh. 'He's going to die.' Everyone dies someday. It's inevitable really, even for the long lasting elves. I'd just... rather not know about those kind of specifics though. It's unfair to both parties. Knowing WHEN makes me not want to even start a relationship, especially when I can't change it.

Won't, mommy. You can, but you won't.

I'm not even startled anymore when the ring not only reads me but responds. I've long since accepted that it has the ability to feel my emotions, just as Frodo can. At first, I thought it could read my mind, which scared the living daylights out of me but no. It's just very good at putting words to feelings. Ignoring the evil band of solidified urine I watch as the city lights glow brighter the closer we get to Lothlorien. It's gorgeous, as half the things in middle earth are, but the beauty is knocked from my mind at a much more pleasant sight.

"Mama!"

Two tiny masses rush into my arms the moment I step within the city boundaries and I crush them to my chest in joy. Faintly I register Kiliel and Grim being led away awkwardly with Kili and his kin, but so long as they are safe I do not mind. With an urgency that would rival any first responder, I check each twin over to ensure their health but thankfully find nary a scratch on them.

"Oh, my babies..."

Their clothes are clean, their coloring is lively, and their bellies are rounded from a recent meal. They are alright. Their hair, on the other hand, is another story. Loose frizzy braids that adorn their little heads stick out from behind their ears only to be all but knotted off at the ends with broken scrunchies.

I've had years to work with not only the uncontrollable curls but also with the personalities of each child, something my husband clearly needs more practice with. To be honest though, I'm surprised their hair looks this good. Both children sport their traditional braids on their temples of course but the rest has been left as a wild half braided mess that I find to be the least of my worries.

"You're ok." Cuddling the two, I whisper the affirmation to them as much as to myself while breathing them in "You're ok."

"They have been well cared for in your absence." Thorin's voice, while stoic, is not as icy as I expected it to be. Cautiously lifting my eyes to his, I find him standing stiffly there while looking torn between ripping me a new one and hugging me until my guts squish out of my butt. Either way, pain "Would you care to explain-"

"Later." dropping my gaze to the two angels babbling incoherently in excitement, I can't imagine breaking the moment. There will be time for yelling and arguing later. There always is "I'll explain everything you want but.. later."

"..." approaching us smoothly, Thorin scoops up Theodore and Thoria; placing the girl on his neck on the boy on his back, before collecting me within his arms. I hadn't even noticed that we were alone until this moment but I'm thankful no one can see me being carried like this. Even now the children continue to rant, ignoring as their father nips my ear in punishment "I will hold you to your word, Thia."

Thorin POV

"Lady Galadriel has asked for our lovely Queen's presence in the morn' after she's had a night's rest. A mite hard to deny the elf given all of ours that she's housin' free of charge at the moment." I can feel the eyes of the tattooed guard as he waits for a response but I also know he has more to say. Shifting minutely, he indeed presses the point he actually meant to make with a nod toward my wife "Why was she traveling with that lot?"

"That has yet to be discovered."

"Has she seen healer yet?"

Shaking my head, I listen with half an ear as Dwalin sits beside me with a grunt. Thia has yet to part from our children's side and I am not going to force her. Though there are plenty of questions I need answered, postponing that to watch her engage with our young is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. The decision is all the easier to make as it is only a temporary standstill, being that the sky has long since darkened. My daughter has yawned more than once and my son's movements are becoming sluggish at best. Yet it is my wife that brings me the most concern.

"She is favoring her right side."

"Though wary to divulge too much about their trip, I spoke briefly with the others."

Snorting at the word, I turn to hear what Dwalin has to say. His version of talking is not a simple exchanging of words but more of a cracking of skulls. It is possible that he may have only used his words in this instance however, given the company he was dealing with.

If I remember correctly, and I'm sure I do, he'd always been a bit unnerved by Sili and always strove not to earn his ire. A just caution being that few ever lived to tell the tale if they did. I would have taken him with me on the quest for Erebor, but I could not leave my sister without some comfort.

"They said there was a scuffle within the mines before..."

"Before they lost Thurkun." I'd gotten a basic idea of the happenings of this 'fellowship' Thia had been part of in the few sprinkled moments I spent at the sides of my extended kin this evening. Gandalf was an old friend to my line, as well as myself, and while he was often off somewhere else during the quest it would not have succeeded without him. Glancing at my wife to access any damage for the sixth time tonight, I find none "What do they say of her?"

"Kili-"

"You know speaking his name is forbidden."

I felt more than a spark of surprise at seeing my nephew. Being abjured, I honestly never thought I would lay eyes on the lad again. His own eyes have lost their twinkling childishness; replaced with the accepted weight of his crimes. I never wanted this for him... never... but we must all make our own choices in life. The dwarrow had quickly left my presence once it became known, allowing his father to collect the remaining children... Including his own. He'd barely looked upon the lad, and the boy had not bothered to look at him twice. Regardless of my feelings for my sister-son's fate, his judgement is final and stands.

"Thorin..."

"The banished know this well enough, as do you. Speak without him. What has been said about Thia?"

"... That a mountain troll struck her with a spear."

"Of course it would ignore the actual warriors and attack MY wife out of all the people there."

"She attracts trouble like honey to bees but ye knew that when ye married her."

"Aye, that I did... I will find what has been done to her in my absence." speaking loudly enough to be heard but not to wake Theo and Thory, I announce my intentions "Dwalin, put the children to bed and then ensure that Lord Posen hasn't run off in a fright again. You know how he gets on moonless nights." Standing fluidly, I march over to the woman who has been sitting quietly by the sleeping children. She gazes at them in motherly affection and I almost wish to leave her in the moment but we have much to discuss. Gently placing my offspring in my cousin's arms, I turn to my One "Come Thia."

She bites her lip nervously but takes my offered hand. Standing and following me through the open aired corridor, she allows herself to lead to our quarters. There was no need for the lady of the home to assign Thia a room, being that her place will always be by my side. Leading her to our room, I keep my steps short to ensure she doesn't fall behind. Regardless of her taller stature, Thia always walks at an unhurried pace. I can count a handful of times I've seen run; nonchalant even when facing a dragon, I'm sure she was.

The girl clutches her side lightly when she thinks I'm not looking but oddly enough, it does not appear to be from pain. I knew even before Dwalin arrived that she was hiding something and would refuse a healer, thus I found no reason in calling one just yet. Opening the wooden door, I guide her into the room and light the candles as she gazes about curiously. It's a simple suite consisting of only what is needed: a bed, an armoire, and a washroom; as well as a few chairs and end tables. While each room contains the same items, it is the quality that decides who gets which room. For example; rooms of the lowest status have simple cotton sheets while this room consists those of silk.

"I suppose you want to start the interrogation now." running her hand over the books lining the shelf naturally made by branches, Thia sighs tiredly "Let's get it over and done with."

"Alright." gesturing toward her side, I take a seat and nod for her to do the same "What has happened there."

"... A troll... uh... it hit me..." she sits tentatively, as if expecting the chair to bite her. Stroking the material of the armrest, Thia hides her face from me behind a curtain of hair "But I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt."

"You have not seen healer to be sure."

"I KNOW that it doesn't hurt, Thorin."

"Maybe not but you do not know that no harm has been done. Your blood could still be filled with the fire of a battle coupled with the joy of seeing our children again, leaving you unable to feel an injury. That is the task of a healer."

"... I don't need one."

"Let me see it." She says nothing, simply turning her face further away. Quickly growing tired of her avoidance, I stand and make my way over to her chair. Pulling the woman up to her feet is a simple task being that she never fully sat comfortably into it "Remove your shirt."

"I'm sure it's fine, you don't-"

"You do not have the necessary skill to make that deduction with a simple glance."

"Oh and you do?"

"Better than yourself, love. I'll know what I am looking for far better than you have done." folding her arms across her chest, Thia shifts with uncertainty. It can not be the thought of undressing that bothers her, fore I have seen all she has to offer. Thus, it must be what I may find that should not be. Even more so, if she is aware of said differences "...Have you checked for yourself?"

"...I..." opening and closing her mouth in search of a good explanation, my wife drops her head with a shrug "There wasn't any time."

Grasping her wrists, I firmly unfold her arms and begin undressing her. She doesn't stop me from lifting the dirty pale tunic over her head, nor does she cover herself as my eyes skim across her body. She is covered with blotches of dirt and grime but that is to be expected given where she's been.

As always, the teardrop mark from the Vala sits provocatively upon her chest. It does not glow in this moment and though that can easily be fixed, I continue my search in a professional manner.

Even with that being said, her cloth clad breasts would have held my attention for much longer had it not been for the black writing sprawled out beneath them. Like tangled chains, the scratches swirl around Thia's navel before a doubled tendril partially stretches out to line her lowest rib. The other extends much further and disappears beneath her otherworldly bindings. Reaching out, I pull the cloth down in a single jerk.

"What are you-" having shut her eyes when I removed her tunic, the orbs snap open as I attempt to rub the writing off the underside of her breast "Thorin, stop that!"

"What is this?" looking down at herself, Thia jumps at the sight but not enough to have been totally unaware. The black lettering is not common or any other language I would like to see on her and no matter how hard I rub, it does not wipe off "What is this?!"

"I-I think I should start at the beginning."

"Explain." I command, leaving no room for denial or refusal "Quickly."

Thia POV

And so I do. Trying my best to keep my voice leveled, as not to upset my husband further, is easier said than done. My partner's attempts to wipe me clear of the, what I know to be Tengwar inscriptions of black speech, symbols only serve to redden my skin around it. I tell him of the ring and its strangeness; having to go back to Bilbo finding it and it kind of/sort of being mine. I even share the idea that the writing spread when he troll tried to skewer me; most likely reaching out to defend me in an odd way. All the while Thorin just rubs at the symbols causing a dull burn to rise around area. My only knowledge that he is paying attention is how he begins rubbing harder when I say something he doesn't like. By the time I get to the part where I met Sili, the constant rubbing has become almost unbearable.

"It isn't coming off, ok?!" pushing his hands away from me, I pull my shirt back on; not even bothering to fix my bra. I leave it lopsided and lumpy beneath my shirt; like a physical representation of my uncomfortable experiences thus far "If it was that easy, Gandalf-"

"What else shall I do then? The wizard is dead, Thia. Dead." Gripping my shoulders tightly, he gives me a firm but harmless shake. I want to contradict his words but there is no point. For now, Gandalf is as good as dead "Do you know what that means?"

"I-"

"It means" he presses on insistently "that whatever plan he had for ridding you of this curse is lost with him."

"Well… I…" It's true. Whatever plan Gandalf had, if he had one to begin with, is still rooting around in his ancient mind. When he returns from his short eternity of a break he'll barely remember his name, let alone some half cooked plan about my belly button. Which means... "Damn it."

"T'is already damned." His voice is harsh and his eyes are firm but his hands turn gentle as they grasp my chin "But you are not."

"Waited too long to have me to yourself just to let someone toss me into a pit of flesh melting lava?" the corner of his lip twitches but we both know this is no laughing matter. There is much we need to discuss and I know by the end of the night, we'll both have our curiosity satisfied and tempers stoked "Thorin…"

"Yes?"

"You…" my throat is suddenly so dry that I can barely stand it "You... lied. .. about Azog… Didn't you."

"… It was to protect you." Feeling very unprotected and more betrayed than anything, I say nothing. Instead, I try to see it from his point of view… which is surprisingly easy being that I did nearly the same thing concerning Thrain. Thorin must come to the conclusion just as I do and his shoulders slump just the tiniest of bits "I suppose that was your goal with omitting the fact that my father might have still lived."

"I didn't know he lived through that... but I did know it happened. I guess we're both pretty bad at that protection thing, huh?."

A rapid succession of even knocks and scratches beat upon the door, nearly startling me out of my skin. 'Given what's imprinted on it, that may have been welcomed.' Breathing heavily through his nose with a nod, Thorin departs from my side to address the night visitor. I quickly wrap my cloak around my shoulders, as the idea of being seen so disheveled or worse (with my hands down my own shirt) is not ideal. Absentmindedly glancing around the room, I call to Thorin just as he reaches the barrier.

"How IS doing Thrain, by the way."

The door swings open and I scramble onto the bed as a snarling animal rushes past my husband and into the room. Unconcerned for his own well being, Thorin gently coos to the raving creature in a voice that I imagine he'd use on a child. Biting the inside of my cheek, I gasp as bloodshot blue eyes glare at me from behind a shaggy mane just as I realize that the being before me is actually a person. And not just any person. The low murmurs are not only nonsensical whispers, but also the repetition of a name.

"He is not doing well." Hugging his snarling father to his chest, Thorin frowns in deep sadness "Not well at all."

Alright! All the chapters that have been previously written have been posted! Now you have to wait because I have to start writing from scratch again. I'm actually excited though. I missed Thorin and Thia.