Kili was walking around in one of Dales huge public gardens, looking for a special flower. A red rose. He had read somewhere that human woman loved getting red roses from their love interests and he hoped that he might warm up Kaledos heart for him a little. They only spend time together when they were with Kassandra or at their archery lessons and Kili wished to know more about the young warrior. He knew that she did not trust men or any male. Kassandra was very private about it, she only told him that some amazons had made bad experience with males and therefore did not trust them.
Under an old ruin of what seemed to have been a small summer house he found a red rose bush. Taking his time, he inspected the bush looking for the most beautiful flower. As he found it he reached for it and jumped as he heard a loud snap behind him. Kili stung his finger on the roses thorns and hit his head on the remains of the roof.
'Ow - ow! For Durins sake!' he cursed and turned around to meet Filis wide grin.
'What in the name of Durin are you doing, brother?' Fili held his stomach of laughter.
Kili sucked his stung finger and muttered 'Nothing of your business, nosy brother.'
'You used to tell me everything.' Fili put his arm around his little brothers shoulder. 'Its that warrior lady isn´t it? The young and beautiful one, not the two dragon courtladies of aunt Andra.'
'One of the dragons is Kaledos mother.' Kili muttered.
'Then maybe you should get her presents first.' Fili laughed and earned a nudge from his brother.
It took a few seconds before Kili looked at Fili in shock. 'By Durins beard, I really need something to soften the dragon...ehmmm the mother.'
'You could try not calling her dragon for a start.' Fili giggled knowing that Kili had this nickname burned into his brain already. It was inly a matter of time before it would slip. And Fili hoped that he would be there when it happened.
'My king! Orcs have crossed our borders and attacked some merchants! They are taken care off in Dale but the orcs are still inside our territory.' a guard alarmed Thorin.
'Curse that orc filth! Send out 5 dozen axes, tell them to meet me at the gate.' Thorin ordered and made his way to the armoury.
Only a few minutes later the dwarves charged out of Erebors gates. The confrontation with the orcs was brutal and bloody. Bolg was not with them, but it was clear that they tried for Thorins head. The king under the mountain had to defend himself with all force and cut down most of the orcs. As he returned to Erebor he was told that lord Bard had arrived and was talking to Kassandra in the great hall. Still in his armour, Thorin marched towards the great hall to greet lord Bard. As he arrived in the great hall he saw Bard talk to Kassandra. Kassandra had her arms crossed in front of her, while Bard talked to her. Thorin watched Bard who apparently tried to use his charm while talking to the future queen of Erebor. Frowning he moved closer.
'Lord Bard. What brings you here on such a busy day?' Thorin greeted the lord of Dale.
'King Thorin.' Bard bowed politely. 'I have come here to discuss the orc situation with you. I was told you moved out yourself to fight back the orcs who had attacked the merchants. Your queen was so nice to greet me and pleased me with her presence while I was awaiting your arrival.'
Kassandra managed a forced smile. She could not stand the lord of Dale. His obvious interest in her made her feel uneasy around him and she knew that he didn´t like Thorin.
'My king, my lord, if you will excuse me. I am sure you have alot to discuss.' Kassandra bowed and walked out the great hall, feeling the looks of both men on her back.
'You are a lucky dwarf, kind Thorin.' Bard murmured. 'Many men envy you for your queen.'
'You too?' Thorin asked sharply.
Bard laughed. 'I would lie if I would deny it. But who am I fight over a woman with the mighty king under the mountain?' He blinked at Thorin who politely overheard the sarcastic undertone in Bards voice.
'You wanted to talk to me about the orc situation.' Thorin changed the uneasy subject.
'Indeed.' Bard sighed. 'The orcs become more and more bold every day. Their raids come closer to our borders and today they even crossed the border by a mile! We must defend our lands and our people.'
'We already do so.' Thorin stated. 'We should double the patrols. But so far only dwarf patrol have defended our borders. It would be helpful if Dale invested a few soldiers for patrol duty.'
'The men of Laketown and Dale are only few. Most of them are traders and merchants, only few are soldiers and they defend the city itself.' Bard started but was cut short by Thorin.
'So you suggest that the defence of our lands shall lie in the hands of the dwarves of Erebor only?' Thorin growled. 'You have had your share of Erebors treasures, Dale is no poor city. If you lack of soldiers youself then you can still hire mercenaries. Erebor is strong, but I will not risk the lives of my people if nothing comes from yours.'
Bard frowned. He had known that it would be difficult to talk to Thorin about this, especially because the dwarf king was right. It was impossible for the dwarves of Erebor to defend both Erebor and Dale on a longer period.
'I will talk to the council of Dale about hiring mercenaries.' Bard sighed. 'In the meantime I would appreciate Erebors military support.'
'That you have, lord Bard. We do not stand there while the orcs attack our allies.' Thorin stated uneasy, remembering the near war between the men and dwarves before the Battle of the Five Armies.
With a bow, Bard left the great hall and rode back to Dale.
Thorin walked to his chambers, hoping that Kassandra would be there. He loved the fact that he could talk to her about political things. She was a great support to him and he could not be happier to have chosen her a his queen.
On his way, he nearly bumped into Kili who was daydreaming with a stupid looking smile on his face.
'Watch it, nephew.' Thorin grinned. Kassandra had told him about Kilis crush on Kaledo. 'Are you alright?' he asked as no reaction came from Kili.
'She liked the rose.' was all Kili said dreamily.