Reviewers, how I love thee... Robinbird79, readpink, readergirl4985, Deareader, Aashi, SethadoreVGC—thank you all so much for the kind words. I really am chuffed you are still enjoying this story so much and are so enthusiastic for it.

Deareader—Thank you! I think "our" dwarves are going to be quite surprised indeed by how well their Dwarrowvale kin get on with Men, which will be quite the irony because they haven't always gotten on with their own kind, thanks to the Brotherhood. And yes, Thorin has a chance to he happy. If only he'd see it that way!

Aashi—Chapter 35: That is exactly how I imagine Rejna, tough but kind. They'll see she has a sensitivity they're not used to from dwarf women, most likely due to such close relations with Men, but don't worry. She is definitely all dwarf. And I'm glad the action pleased you! Chapter 36: Thank you yet again. I knew when I started this story that the guys were not going to stay in Erebor. I had recalled reading something about how there "could have been" dwarves in the White Mountains, but there was nothing definitive in the canon, so I thought that an ideal location for them to settle. Then I figured there would definitely be dwarves there, but that something had to have happened to keep them from being recorded in the histories for a long time, so that's what gave me the idea to create a fanatical faction among the dwarves that once were noble but aren't anymore, and that they would be the cause behind a lot of conflict even if folk weren't aware they were.

37. Happy Secrets

Rejna allowed them a moment to appreciate the beauty of the almost-untouched cavern.

Thorin appreciated the gesture, for it had been years uncounted since he had been allowed the opportunity to just enjoy his Maker's handiwork. Even the elves, by whom he knew starlight was greatly revered, looked around with expressions of wonder.

"We should get going," the princess said then. "It is still another hour until we reach the garrison."

"Garrison?" said Fíli. "Why would you take us there?"

"Because, Master Fíli, it is the closest facility at which we are like to find you a bed," Rejna replied with a grin. "There are no inns this far back into the mountain. No homes. I believe it is the middle of the night, but if you'd prefer to keep going, I've got a few more hours in me."

It took only a barely audible whimper from Larkspur before Fíli smiled and shook his head. "No, that's quite all right. A few hours rest will do wonders for the day ahead of us getting to know your kingdom."

Rejna nodded and turned to lead the way once more. They were headed toward another tunnel, and had just reached it when a throat cleared behind them, then Kíli's voice was heard to say, "Forgive my ignorance, Princess, but do you think you could explain the kingdom's name to us? I mean, in the Common Tongue it is Dwarrowvale, which I know means 'dwarf valley', and in our language it translates to much the same—the 'valley of dwarves'. Why would your ancestors choose such a name if they lived inside the mountain?"

Again it was a moment that set all the native dwarves to laughing. Rejna sobered first. "All right now lads, we can't fault the boy for not knowing."

"Boy?" Kíli said indignantly. "I'll have you know I'm seventy-eight years old!"

Another round of laughter. "Which means, Irakdashat, that you are only older than Larkspur and Hakon," Thorin said, looking to Rejna for confirmation. She did so with a nod and a grin.

"Allow me to educate you, Master Kíli," she said. "South of this particular mountain and its closest neighbors is a valley, through which two rivers flow from the mountains themselves before converging and pouring into a lagoon that opens into the Bay of Balfalas. This section of the mountains also has two arms, so to speak, that encircle said valley. Because it basically lays at our front door, the land was unofficially given to our control, even though families of Men had found it and began making their homes there. A great number of the mixed families live out in the valley."

"Thus it became the 'Valley of Dwarves'," said Árni.

"How many mixed families are there?" Larkspur asked.

"Oh, a fair few," Árni replied. "Perhaps ten or fifteen percent of the population. In truth, most dwarves still prefer to marry dwarves, but if one of us finds his or her One among the Men or simply chooses to marry one for affection alone, hardly an eye is batted."

Rejna glanced over her shoulder at her, her eyes flicking to Dwalin also as she said, "You need not fear that you will not be accepted here. Lord Commander Dwalin says you are his One, and so not a single dwarf will question Mahal's will."

"Has anyone ever lied about finding their One?"

All of the dwarves, including her husband and his kin, snorted or grunted in a derisive manner. "To falsely declare we have discovered Mahal's choice would be blasphemy," said Thorin. "No dwarrow who values his or her honor would risk the Maker's wrath in such a manner. To tell such a lie shames not only the dwarf who speaks it but also their family."

"And what if someone says you're their One, but you don't want them?" the hobbit pressed.

"No dwarf in his or her right mind would be so foolish," piped up Fíli.

"Denying the will of Mahal is also said to be blasphemy, Madam Hobbit," said Gunnar. "Besides, why would anyone fight fate? It takes so much of the burden of finding a mate from your shoulders if you accept that a higher power has made the choice for you."

The turn in the conversation began to bother Thorin, and so he remained silent, his eyes focused straight ahead. If what he'd been feeling since he'd got his first look at Rejna's face was what it could be, then was he not committing a grievous sin by denying what his body was telling him? Was he not dishonoring himself and his Maker by ignoring what could be the first of the signs he had warned Fíli and Kíli not to forget?

No, he decided after a moment. It simply did not make sense to him that she could be his One. He would be 196 in a month's time (he and his nephews had chosen not to count the four years they'd been displaced), and every dwarrow he knew who'd met his or her One had done so long before they were his age. Even Dwalin, who was 22 years his junior.

Not to mention Rejna was… Well, he couldn't know for sure without her saying so, but if his assessment was correct—and it usually was—she couldn't be more than 20 or 30 years older than Kíli. He estimated her age based on her being a general in rank and his knowledge that among dwarves in the north, she'd have had to be in the army a minimum of 40 years to achieve it. Which meant she was, at most, only a decade over the century mark. And while that might mean the princess was at a prime age for mating and bearing children, he was well past it. The best a dwarf on the edge of finishing his second century could hope for was a comfortable home, honest work, good food, and hopefully more than a little coin to pay for his wants and needs.

No, he was not denying Mahal's will. He was simply accepting that it would be a fool's hope to even entertain the idea that after all his long years of hardship—of denying his own wants, his own happiness—for the sake of his people, he would be granted such a blessing with less than a hundred years to live. It would be unfair to them both.

-...-

"General."

Rejna hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until Hakon shook her shoulder. Looking up at the boy, she noted he looked good.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I am well, General. The garrison healer says I'm fit as a fiddle," Hakon replied. "The elf did fine work in healing me."

He then cleared his throat. "I came to wake you because… Well, because I think there's a problem."

She sat up immediately, swinging her legs over the side of the cot and slipping her feet into her boots. "What kind of problem?"

"Well, that hobbit lady. She went into the privy a while ago and hasn't come back out."

Rejna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why are you bringing this to my attention? Why have you not alerted her husband?"

Color rose to ruddy cheeks and the younger dwarf looked down at his feet. "Um, well… I uh, I thought maybe… Well, that it might be a female problem."

She resisted the urge to laugh. Hakon had two sisters, giving him an insight into females most dwarrow males still lacked. And while Larkspur might have a perfectly good reason for not having returned to her bed, it probably wouldn't hurt to look in on her.

"All right, I'll see to her. Are the others up yet?" she said as she stood at last.

"No, General. It is not yet dawn."

Rejna stifled a yawn. "Then I'd best get Ms. Took sorted before Dwalin wakes up."

Hakon nodded and ducked out of her room. Rejna took a quick look at herself in the mirror to ensure her hair wasn't a complete mess, smoothed a couple of flyaways, and then went in search of Larkspur. There were two privy rooms in the garrison, each with four toilets—one on each level. All the new arrivals had been given beds on the ground floor, so the hobbit wasn't hard to find.

The poor thing was retching into the bowl closest to the door.

Rejna was on her knees beside her in a moment. "Larkspur, are you well?"

"Obviously… I am not," the hobbit replied, sounding miserable.

Studying the other female as she slumped back against the wall, Rejna noted how peaked she appeared. Her posture was slumped, her head braced in one hand with her elbow on the edge of the toilet and the other holding her stomach.

An idea began to form, and so she asked, "Do hobbit females have monthly bleeds?"

"Aye. Mine starts the 22nd of every month, regular as clockwork," Larkspur replied. "Or it did until April. I've not had one since then."

She looked up at last. "I know what you're suggesting. And you'd be right." A tear slipped from each eye. "I'm going to have a baby."

Though it could simply be her current misery that made her look so unhappy, Rejna still wondered, "Are you not pleased about having a child?"

Finally a smile broke, though a small one. "Oh, I am! It's just… I thought… Well, I guess I'd hoped to have a little more time to prepare for it. To just enjoy being married. We don't even have a home yet!"

"Does Dwalin know?"

Now Larkspur looked almost frightened. "Are you mad?! I couldn't tell him, not yet. I mean, do you have any idea of that dwarf's personality?"

"Well, I know he can be gruff. And stubborn. But most dwarves are," Rejna replied.

Larkspur scoffed. "Seems you got to know him when you met him in Erebor four years ago, Princess, but not very well. I love my husband dearly, with all my heart, but he can be so bloody irritating sometimes! Do you know that when we first began our journey from the Shire, I could not leave the campfire to relieve myself without him asking where I was going? He couldn't stand to let me out of his sight for a single moment."

Rejna chanced a smile. "Sweetie, that's only because he cares about you. I admit, that would bug the khakf out of me as well, but knowing dwarf males as I do… He was simply looking out for you. Especially in the wilds, where anything could happen."

"And I love him for being protective, truly I do," Larkspur said. "But can you imagine how he'd have reacted if I had told him the moment I suspected I was with child?"

Here the princess could not help but laugh. "I think I'm beginning to see what you mean. If he's anything at all like the males of my acquaintance, he'd have been helpful to the point of overbearing and he'd have been by your side everywhere you went, including just going to pass water."

"Precisely! A lady, even a married one, needs some bloody privacy once in a while!" Larkspur declared. She sighed then. "I wanted to tell him. So many times I have wanted to share this joy, because I know how happy he will be. There was a time Dwalin thought himself beyond such happiness as having a wife or children. But his concern for me on our travels was already so great, I did not wish to add to his burden. Besides that, I've never been a wee delicate flower, and that's exactly how he'll treat me. I know he will."

She laughed without humor. "I suppose there's no need to keep silent anymore, as we're here even if we don't have a home of our own as yet. And it's not like the babe will come tomorrow—I've still got a whole six months to prepare myself for being a mum."

"Six months? How long do hobbit females carry?" Rejna asked.

"Eight months is our term," Larkspur replied.

Rejna cleared her throat. "I don't want to frighten you, but there's a chance you'll go longer than that. You see, dwarrow females carry ten months. Daughters of Men carry nine—most mixed pregnancies, we've learned, tend to last somewhere in between nine and ten."

Larkspur frowned. "So I could be pregnant for longer than eight months?"

"Obviously I cannot say for certain, given yours is the first dwarf-hobbit pairing in history," Rejna said. "But I would hazard to guess that it is likely."

"Well, I… I suppose that will be all right, so long as the baby is healthy." The hobbit sighed again. "Now I've got to figure out just how to tell him."

Rejna smiled. "As I recall, you have a lovely singing voice. Is there a song you know that might send the message?"

Larkspur studied her a moment, and much to Rejna's relief, her expression began to brighten. "Well, there is this one that Elrohir taught me while we traveled. There's a line in it I'd only have to change one word. But oh, I don't really like to sing in front of others—and who knows when we'll have time alone."

Rejna reached forward and took her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. "If you like, I will help you. I'll come to your inn at dinnertime and that will be your cue. One of my good friends is quite like you—loves to sing, but has a hard time doing so before an audience. I always tell her to choose one face in the crowd and focus on that one person, like they're the only one she's singing to. If focusing on Dwalin doesn't work for you, you can focus on me."

"That is very kind of you—really, you have been truly kind to us all, allowing us to travel through the mountain when you don't normally bring folk through that way," Larkspur said. "I know Thorin was certainly relieved by it—he was so eager for the journey to end."

Rejna felt her blood warm. That happened anytime she thought about the handsome dwarf. Or heard him speak. Or looked at him. Or, like now, at the mere mention of his name. It could simply be a reaction to his attractiveness and nothing more—at least, that's what she tried to tell herself. Convincing herself that she was not experiencing the first of the signs she'd met her One was proving to be much harder. She'd been questioning whether she was even ready for it—so many of her kin had said that meeting their One changed their entire life.

And she wasn't quite ready for hers to change.

"I am glad I could be of service," she said at last. "Come now, let's get you up and out of here before your husband wakes and wonders where you've gone."

As the two of them entered the bunkroom where the new arrivals had taken their rest, the males were indeed rising. Dwalin immediately came toward them, concern in his expression.

"Where have you been? I woke to find you were gone from your bed."

Larkspur looked to her with an expression that said See? What did I tell you? It was all Rejna could do not to laugh.

"Dwalin, seriously—can you not allow your wife to visit a privy without resorting to an inquiry?" she teased.

The balding dwarf sputtered, which set all who knew him to laughing. "Come on, fellas," Rejna said then. "Let's get you all to an inn, so you can begin your new lives in Dwarrowvale."

-...-

As they had walked through the industrial areas of the mountain, then the social center where the market was held in winter (it was held out in the valley from spring through fall), through to the very front where a number of inns and taverns were located, folk had stopped to stare. There was natural curiosity as to why they were coming from the back of the mountain, and certainly more than a few whispers and stares were directed at Gandalf, Larkspur, and the two elves. Interest in the attention Dwalin paid to Larkspur was clear.

There was also much interest in Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli—many females were overheard remarking how handsome they were, though much to Kíli's dismay, there were grumblings about his lack of a proper beard. Rejna, after a polite inquiry from Larkspur, had explained that the influence of daughters of Men had led some dams—like herself—to shaving their beards that they would fit in and be more attractive to non-dwarf males (though she quickly asserted that she did it simply because she liked a smooth cheek). Over the centuries even dwarf males had seen the attraction to a female having a smooth face, though it seemed most—if not all—females rather liked her mate to have a good beard; dwarf males were still expected to grow them long, while only sons of Men were "allowed" to keep them short or only sport scruff on their jaws. Fíli leaned over and told his brother to ignore the naysayers—his beard or lack thereof was no one's business but his own.

It was when they reached the entrance that the new arrivals finally understood why Rejna's ancestors had chosen to call their home "valley of dwarves". A wide, expansive area of land dotted with homes, businesses, and a grove of trees lay before them. They could see the rivers Ciril and Ringlo pouring from their mountain beginnings.

"This is beautiful!" Larkspur cried happily. "Oh Dwalin, I know you're used to living in a mountain, but can we have a home out here in the valley?"

Dwalin grinned at her enthusiasm. "Of course, Kardûna. It shall be as you wish."

His kinsmen, as well as Gandalf, Glorfindel, and Elrohir, glanced around at each other with secret smiles. They knew he'd been hoping to purchase land outside the mountain, as his plan was to build Larkspur her very own hobbit hole. He had a design already in mind that combined elements from the house she grew up in with Bag End, and would also incorporate a few ideas of his own. He had been almost as eager as Thorin to reach Dwarrowvale so that he could get started on it.

"First, Iraknana', I think it wise we secure temporary housing for us all," Thorin said. "Then we can put together a solid plan for the future."

Larkspur rolled her eyes as she turned toward him. "Well of course, Thorin. 'Tis not as though I was suggesting we camp out until the house is built."

There was much sniggering at her words, and then Rejna said to them all, "I know just the place to set you up—they have beds for big folk as well. But before that, let's get those poor ponies and horses to a stable. I think they've well earned a long rest."

Not one of the company disagreed with her.