The large dwarf didn't look pleased in the slightest. Crossed arms and thick muscled forearms were only a part of the daunting sight.

Of course the strange dwarf caught him with his eyes, he was standing in such a way that he had several clear lines of sight. His back to the wall of a building. Not that he was alarmed, more likely he was just used to finding the best tactical postions wherever he happened to be.

Dern looked at him, but no more than he looked at each of the newly arrived dwarves. They all looked fit and well armed.

A finely armored dwarf with a magnificenlty groomed blond beard was speaking with young Deven, the others standing quietly and watching.

Deven caught sight of Dern approaching and relaxed subtly, but it was enough of a cue for the blond dwarf to turn and look. A large grin split his rather stoic face in a way that made it seem that smiles were not his natural expression.

Dern stood silently, letting the dwarf leader approach. Since they were in public, around Men, Khuzdul was not used. "Well met." The blond bowed correctly, if a bit stiff.

"Well met traveller." Dern bowed his own head in acknowledgement. He eyed the well armed troupe with caution. "Not merchants." It wasn't really a guess.

The blond made a silent gesture, meaning roughly 'be at peace', signalling trouble wasn't about to start. He then did something very interesting, he looked to the larger warrior standing with his arms crossed looking intimidating. It seemed that pretty armor be damned, here was the real leader. Recieving a quick nod, the blond continued. "We are passing by on our way South."

South? Dern looked puzzled.

"You have heard King Dain rules Erebor?" The blond continued, then thumped his chest. "We ride to reclaim Moiria next."

Dern stilled, his eyes moving from one well armed fighting dwarf to the next. "A worthy goal."

"We are gathering support." The tone was leading.

Dern nodded, scratching at his own beard. "Our possible adventurers have already left for Erebor, to see our former home and perhaps earn new lives."

The blond pulled a face, but nodded without anger. "I had expected so, to be truthful. But further South we hope to gather more to our cause." He made another handsignal. This one was asking if all was well.

Dern smoothed his hand and made a quick affirmative move of his palm and fingers that to Men looked like a natural movement while speaking. "South might find you some interest." At the end of his words, he added a very simple thumb move against the side of his forefinger, followed by a quick flick of the thumb nail itself. Not a dwarvish word at all.

The blond didn't react, but the tall warrior he seemed deferrential to, did. He blinked twice. Rapidly. That was all. The armored blond nodded and looked around casually. "Perhaps we can replenish some supplies?"

Dern waved his hand toward the main part of town. "Mostly Men here, but a few kind businesses." Meaning dwarven owned.

"Any ...recommendations?" The deep rumble was appropriate coming from such an intimidating looking warrior, his leathers lined with the furs of predators.

o.o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o.o

Kili was laughing as Fili slid in through the back door of the bakery. Teldu had been smiling as well, but the dwarf-maid lost her mirth when she spied him. The blond didn't have time to tease her though.

"Lock the front door." His voice was low. "Make sure the place looks closed."

Kili slid out of his seat in a second, moving stealthily.

"No." A frustrated sound escaped from Fili even as he pulled a face. "Her. Display windows."

Teldu's pale-blue eyes opened wide, and then she caught her breath as she saw Fili pull out two wicked looking blades and place them on her countertop. "What's wrong?"

Fili shook his head and pointed to the front of the bakery. He hated letting her go out there alone, hated it more than anything else.

"Who are you hiding from?" The dwarf-maid gave him the full stare from her rather spooky looking eyes and Fili grimaced. "Kili, you go."

"I can do this." Teldu protested instantly, moving before either brother could stop her. She walked through to the public front of the store. The front door wasn't a problem, she hadn't unlocked it in the first place. But the display window had curtains on either side, and they were pulled back.

Not all buildings had a window like this. Dorn had taken great pride in it, as their cousin Anur had crafted it special just for the bakery. There was nothing more clever than a dwarf crafter. Teldu reached for the strings that would allow her to operate the curtains, wondering just who these Coppernose brothers really were. Her father knew, but she was more than sure he wasn't willing to share that information.

In the street, she spied a long beard. One that she'd not seen before. Teldu slipped back into the shadow as the curtain slid closed.

o.o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o.o

Dern watched as the large leader of the dwarven group sent the dwarrows on various errands to resupply. He didn't seem in any hurry. But when Dern looked behind him, as if thinking about going back to his own work, the deep rumble stopped him. "Stay a while. I would speak with you." Then he made that odd hand sign that wasn't a word, mirroring the one that Dern had given earlier.

The Brookshire dwarrow nodded briefly, barely a twitch of his bearded head. Obviously the warrior recognized the sign that Fili had taught him. Dern hoped this was a good thing, and that he wasn't making a mistake.

Finally they were the last two dwarrow standing before the town gates, under the watch of the guards who were acting like they weren't curious about the heavily armored company.

The large warrior with the frightening looking hand weapons decorating his fists sighed and looked Dern over with deep speculation. For his part, the Brookshire dwarrow had to look up to meet the hard-eyed look of the intimidating fighter. He was about to speak, when the group's leader shook his head slightly.

Dern glanced up just as the blond in the pretty armor came up to them, grimacing slightly. "Some of the lads saw a sweet-beard behind a closed shop window. Bakery." It was a question.

The father tensed and bristled. Sweet-beard was a slang term for a dwarf-maid.

The large dwarven leader scoffed and frowned sharply. "We are not here to court. And the shop is no doubt closed to keep such as ourselves from bothering a local treasure."

"Not many maids in Erebor as yet." The blond hesitated.

The warrior shrugged. "And fewer still in Moiria. Do we ride to fight and free our home, or are you looking for a soft lap to lay your head?"

Dern continued to frown, shifting his weight slightly. Nervous. He could only hope that Cleadeth didn't get wind of the visitors in town. That one would want to try her wiles on so many new dwarrows.

"What if some of the lads have a sweet tooth?" The blond wasn't ready to call it quits.

The leader squared his shoulders, glaring down at the armored dwarrow who suddenly looked less sure of himself. "Any lad who has a sweet tooth? I will gladly knock it loose from their jaw for them. No charge."

Dern watched the blond fairly flee after a hasty dismissal. He glanced nervously back up at the large warrior. That one had unreadable dark eyes.

"You have something to share?" The deep voice rumbled with an emotion Dern was unsure of. Hope maybe. Reluctance as well.

The Brookshire dwarrow shrugged. "I will have to find out." He stalled, wondering if the intimidating male would agree to wait.

After a long considering moment, the warrior nodded and Dern made his escape.

o.o.o.o.o

o.o.o.o.o

Teldu boxed up the cooling spinach twists for Kili, still on edge. The two Coppernose brothers seemed tense, and the feeling was catching. "What's wrong?"

"Probably nothing." Fili muttered, pacing slowly in her clean kitchen.

The dwarf-maid pulled a face. "Nothing to share with a mere female?" She guessed with a bitter note in her voice.

"Not true and not fair." Kili offered her a reassuring smile, that would have gone a lot better if his hand wasn't resting on the hilt of his belt knife. "All good dwarves have secrets." He quoted King Thrain I, the hero who had founded the kingdom under the mountain so long ago.

"And secrets can be just as precious an ore." Snapped Teldu, capping his quote with one of her own. Both brothers turned wide eyes on her, a bit stunned that she quoted their own great-grandfather at them. "What?" She asked, uneasy under their heavy regard.

Fili frowned. She didn't know, it was just a quote. He grunted and looked away. Kili gave a small salute to her with one hand and a warm grin. A grin that faded into nothingness by a knock on the back door of the kitchen.

No one said anything until the clear sound of a key in the lock had them relaxing just a bit. Teldu looked over at each brother in turn, her own nerves jittery as she noted that their hands were definitely on their weaponry. Fili had even drawn a blade forth.

Dern called out as he opened the door cautiously, slipping inside. Fili let his knife disappear once more. He smiled at his daughter and made motion for her to follow him. "We're going to leave you two here." He said with a pointed look.

"The sign?"

"One recognition." Dern stated quietly. "Large dwarf, fist weapons, bald head covered with tattoos." He watched the lads carefully. "He'll be coming here."

Fili and Kili both grinned so suddenly it was as if the sun pierced through storm coverage and bathed the land with light.

Dern blew out a nervous breath, nodding. "Good?"

"Better." Fili laughed.

Dern threw a covering cloak over his daughter, escorting her back home and all the while chiding her on THIS being the reason that he didn't want her working in town by herself. The unmarried bachelors of Brookshire knew and respected Dern. Dwarrows passing through? They might push things further in an attempt at wooing an actual dwarf-maid.

Fili and Kili had shared an amused glance at each other as Teldu had turned and stubbornly argued the point with her da even as they left.

Grinning, Fili rocked back on his heels. "Mister Dwalin."

"Could be no other." Kili's own grin answered his brother's delight. He watched as his older brother reached over and grabbed a large green apple from a bowl. "I think those are for tarts."

"Missed lunch." Fili spoke, his mouth full. "Teldu came screeching over, complaining."

Dark-eyes widened appreciatively. "Looking at you for help?"

"Oh, I think it was more to place the blame." Fili's smile turned conniving. "But since I ended up helping after all, it keeps her off-balance."

"Not Cleadeth, then?" The younger sibling teased, already knowing the answer.

Fili made a face and his brother chuckled.

"She's got a mean and sneaky way about her. I quite like it." The blond admitted. "Clever and sure of herself."

Kili nodded and then turned thoughtful. "If she gets to the point as a baker that she wants to be a master, she'll have to test."

The older brother looked up at that statement, missing the point. "I'd escort her with Dern if need be."

"Where?" Kili asked the question quietly.

Suddenly Fili's good mood slipped a bit and he sighed. Where indeed? Iron Hills? Ered Luin? "Erebor is now the closest." He grimaced. None of the choices were tenable actually. All were places where he would not go unrecognized for long. But only one was a place he'd made a vow never to return to.

"A branching of the trail we have yet to come to." Fili said quietly.

Kili nodded, his expression unusually somber. "I like her."

"I as well." Fili frowned. "Didn't expect to, not really." Which was true. She was not as flashy as her sister, with a quieter beauty around her. But her mind was sharper than his blades.

"Don't need Dern's approval, really." Kili pointed out. "You could start courting today if you want."

What his younger brother said was true. A female dwarf held all the power in a courtship. She said yea or nay. Not a family. No dwarrowdam was ever forced into marriage, and could say no at any time.

Fili shook his head. "I ...I need to prove myself. To her. To her father. To me as well."

Looking startled, Kili made a wordless protest.

"I'm not a prince anymore. Not the 'heir of all heirs' that Thorin raised me, us, to be. I don't have an apprenticeship." Fili struggled to find the right words to explain. "I'm a dwarrow of low family name and few prospects."

Kili made a noise of disgust followed by an even ruder and cruder hand gesture that had Fili choking with surpressed laughter. "You're a prince, even without the title. Uncle's training of us puts us able to accomplish the impossible. We're supposed to be dead, remember? Your prospects are without limits!"

Fili grinned widely, shaking his head at the younger dwarrow. No one could cut straight to the heart of the matter like his brother.

A knock on the door had both of them tensing. Despite their assurance that it was Dwalin, both of them went on high alert. Fili's blade made a reappearance.

"Come."

The large warrior with the furred tunic slipped inside the kitchen, looking around cautiously. He saw Kili first and then, with his harsh expression unchanged, his dark eyes slid to Fili.

A wide grin broke over the larger male's usually dour face as the three males moved in as one, wrapping their arms around each other in greetings.