Good and Bad Announcements
At finding the door ajar, Phoenix was about to stand before Dis as protection, but Dis pushed her out of the way, giving her a stern look.
"You and your child are more precious than I lass." Dis told her and she knocked on Tauriel's bedroom door with a heavy hand. "Tauriel lass, are you alright?"
As they waited for a reply, Oin opened the door and he seemed surprised to find them there.
"Lady Phoenix, Lady Dis, the Lady Tauriel is fine, she merely asked me here to give her something for her morning sickness." He told them, before he bowed and excused himself, letting the women walk into the room.
Upon entering the room, they found Tauriel dressed in the emerald green dress that Dis had given her, her hair falling down her back in a mixture of braids hidden amongst the long locks of her hair, and fastened with the jewelled flower. However, she was sat in a chair by the fireplace, watching the flames dance on their own as she gently rubbed her stomach.
"Tauriel, are you alright?" Dis asked.
At her voice, Tauriel looked at her as she leant forward to grasp a cup of what Phoenix presumed to be an herbal tea.
"I am Lady Dis, it's just the sickness." Tauriel told her.
"I thought morning sickness was only for the mornings." Phoenix commented, sitting in another chair watching the flames, as Dis sat in the one in between.
"Tauriel, sweetheart, if you do not feel well enough to come to the banquet then you don't have to go." Dis told her, gently stroking her hand that was not holding the cup.
"I know that Lady Dis, and I thank you for the reminder, but I feel that I must go, I need to support my lover." Tauriel told her.
"Jesus, Kili needs to marry you soon." Phoenix told her playfully.
"I am fine with breaking tradition Phoenix." Tauriel told her.
"I should hope so." Phoenix told her and they smiled at each other.
Dis watched the exchange between the two women fondly; she could see what enamoured her brother and her son and made the company that had helped Thorin in his task adore them so. They were not like the other elves; they were carefree, wise and did not hesitate to stand for what they thought to be right. Phoenix and Tauriel were two women that Dis was proud to be related to through their marriage to her brother and youngest son. However, as there was a knock on the door, Dis snapped out of her daydream and walked over to answer it. On the other side, was Baztia, Phoenix's guard and also now a good friend.
"Ah Baztia, you're back on duty I see." Dis spoke and Baztia bowed her head.
"Yes my lady." She told her. "The King reinstated me so that I could help care for the lady Phoenix."
"Baztia, I have missed you being at my side, my good friend." Phoenix told her as she walked over and slid her arms around Baztia, who reciprocated the hug.
"And I have missed you too, your highness." She told her. "Whilst I do enjoy meeting that curious sister of yours, I do wish to be around someone more like you."
"Yes, Arwen can get quite carried away with her questions." Phoenix smiled in apology. "But she meant no harm Baztia."
"Aye my lady, I knew that." She told her with a smile. "Now I have been asked by the king to accompany the three of you into the hall for dinner, the King and the princes are already seated."
"Right then, well, let us be off." Dis spoke, clapping her hands together and she looked back at Tauriel who was getting herself to her feet.
"Are you going to be alright Tauriel?" Phoenix asked.
"I will be." She nodded and soon they were all walking towards the banquet hall.
"Now remember lass, Tauriel will be introduced first, then I will and then you." Dis was telling Phoenix. "You are to be queen now."
"I know Dis." Phoenix told her and Dis noticed a worried edge to her tone.
"What has you worried?" Dis asked and Phoenix looked at her.
"Nothing Dis, I am perfectly fine." Phoenix told her and though Dis was not convinced, she let it go.
Together, the three stood there and one by one, they were announced, until it was only Phoenix stood in the hallway.
"Announcing, Rhavaniel Eccaia, the Fire Ranger of the North, future queen of Erebor."
At the announcement, the doors opened and for once, she was not met with hostility, in fact it was adoration as the entire room stood. Now that Dain and Thranduil had left with their men, Phoenix was able to be met with love and care from the other dwarves and it made her smile slightly. As she walked to take her seat beside her future husband, the dwarves she passed all bowed to her. Only when she was sat in her seat beside Thorin did everyone take their seats. They ate in moderate silence; a few quiet conversations started here and there, nothing too rowdy, even Thorin engaged in conversation with the other dwarves, though he kept stealing glances at his future wife. Eventually, Thorin got to his feet and he called for the room's attention and suddenly all eyes were on him.
"Now, I would like to make an announcement." Thorin told them. "As you all know, my youngest nephew and his love are due to have a child soon." He looked to Tauriel and Kili who shared a smile with each other as Kili rested his hand on Tauriel's small baby bump. "But I would like you to raise your ale to my soon-to-be wife as she told me today, that she too is expecting a child, the future heir of Erebor." He picked up his mug of mead, just as the rest of the dwarves and Tauriel did and they all looked at Phoenix. "To Phoenix."
"To Phoenix." The crowd chorused and suddenly the conversations became more animated and Fili leaned over from where he sat next to Phoenix and patted her hand.
"Congratulations Phoenix." He smiled. "You'll make a great mother."
Phoenix gently squeezed his hand and she smiled. "Thank you Fili." She looked up as music started and suddenly Fili was on his feet.
"May I trouble my soon-to-be aunt for a dance?" He asked.
Phoenix smiled and she got to her feet. "Well, it would not be good of me to refuse my soon-to-be nephew."
When she was on her feet, she gave Thorin a smile who was watching them happily as Fili led Phoenix out onto the open space and they started to dance together. The dance was neither slow nor fast; it was a paced waltz along the floor. The night passed with humour, drink and dancing, much like any other night in Erebor, only now, Phoenix and Tauriel were at their happiest.
The next morning, Tauriel and Phoenix were walking along the bank of the river that flowed to the side of Erebor. Uldoniair was staying close to her mistress as the two walked, Baztia and Dwalin remaining ever present as a precaution.
"So, how did Oin say the pregnancy was going?" Phoenix asked as she threw some form of cloth ball and they watched Uldoniair run ahead after it.
"He said that things were going well..." Tauriel told her, she had been watching the floor for a while now and Phoenix was worried.
"That does not sound so sure." She told her. "What else is there?"
"He believes that I could be carrying twins." Tauriel told her.
"Tauriel that is amazing." Phoenix told them as she brought her friend to a stop and they looked at each other. "Does Kili know?" She asked, trying and failing to keep the smile from her face.
"No, he doesn't know yet...I have not found the time to tell him." Tauriel explained.
"Well, we must tell him tonight, this is a double celebration." Phoenix told her, before she noticed a look on Tauriel's face. "What has you worried?"
"What is something goes wrong?" Tauriel asked, sitting on a rock and Phoenix sat next to her. "Elves do not have more than one baby per pregnancy."
"Nothing will go wrong." Phoenix promised. "I know this isn't conventional for elves to have more than one child per pregnancy, and I don't know about dwarves, but everything will be fine."
"I cannot help but worry." Tauriel told her, her hands resting on her stomach. "I do not want to leave Kili alone with our babies if I do not survive."
Phoenix looked at her. "You don't seriously think that I would let you die do you?" She asked.
"I do not feel right asking you to give me back my life after the Eldar has taken it." Tauriel told her. "It is selfish of me."
"Believe me, it isn't." She told her. "You're my closest friend Tauriel; I would not risk losing you for anything in the world."
Tauriel smiled to her and they continued walking, Uldoniair remaining at their side, staying particularly close to her mistress.
They returned to Erebor just in time for dinner and they joined Kili, Thorin, Fili, Dis and Thrain in the family dining hall, where the two kept stealing glances to each other as Dis fussed around Tauriel about her bump and ensuring that she was eating.
"Tauriel dear, you need to eat." Dis told her. "Even if it's some soup, you need nourishment."
"Especially now." Phoenix commented and everyone looked at her.
"What do you mean lass?" Thrain asked.
"What do you know love?" Thorin asked her, gently resting a hand on hers.
"You will have to ask Tauriel." She told them.
Tauriel shared a soft smile with her before she seemed to take a deep breath. "I have some news to share."
"Is it the baby?" Kili asked. "Is he alright?"
"Kili, it might be a girl." Dis told him, before she looked back at Tauriel. "What is it dear?"
"Oin believes that I am carrying twins." Tauriel told them before she took a sip of her drink, leaving everyone speechless, except for Phoenix who finished her soup.
"Oh gods...Two..." With that Kili slid out of his chair in a faint.
This seemed to amuse Phoenix who giggled, before she frowned at Dis' comments. "Tauriel I am so sorry."
"What is there to be sorry for?" Tauriel asked.
"For you to have twins...To dwarves at least...Means that the babies won't survive if there were any complications." Dis explained.
"Well aren't we a negative bunch." Phoenix commented. "Look, we don't know what will happen; I have already sent word to Rivendell to ask my father for any advice from my mother." She told them. "Now Tauriel and the babies will be fine, there will be no complications and you're forgetting that if something tragic was to befall them, then I could always bring them back."
Everyone seemed to consider this and they all realised that she was right, they had nothing to worry about...and then they remembered that Kili was unconscious on the floor.
"Someone needs to get Kili up." Phoenix told them and Dis ran to her youngest son as Fili tipped some water over his face, startling him awake.
When he was fully conscious, he made his way to Tauriel and pulled her into a tight hug, peppering kisses to her face and neck. Watching them, Phoenix looked at Thorin who smiled and wrapped one of her hands in his as the other gently rested on her still flat stomach.
Months passed after the announcement of Tauriel and Kili having twins and the whole of Erebor was buzzing with joy and preparations for the birth. Tauriel was due in a number of days and both Tauriel and Kili had been going through the notes that Phoenix's mother had made and given to both Thranduil and Elrond for Phoenix in the future. There was nothing that they would be unprepared for and it gave Tauriel and Kili some encouragement for the upcoming day. One morning, Phoenix had remained in bed a lot longer than normal, simply staring at the ceiling of hers and Thorin's bedroom. Only when Uldoniair decided to jump on the bed did Phoenix decide to rise, however as she sat up, she was hit with a tense pain in her abdomen. Uldoniair whimpered in worry as she watched her mistress fight to breathe through the sudden rush of pain.
"I'm...Fine..." Phoenix told her wolf, who continued to watch her and she whined louder as both she and Phoenix say a patch of red start appearing on Phoenix's night dress. "Okay...I need to go to Oin..."
She quickly got herself dressed and with Uldoniair following she made her way to Oin's study. Knocking on the door, Oin answered almost immediately.
"Your highness, come on in." He told her. "What can I do for you?"
"Oin...I think I'm having a miscarriage." She told him, telling him the events of that morning and Oin immediately helped up onto his examining bed in the corner of his office. After a few minutes of examination, the grim look on his face was all Phoenix needed to know – her baby was dead.
"I'm so sorry." He told her.
"Me too." She whispered. "Does anything else need to be done?"
"No lass, you weren't that far gone, the...What left will makes its way out naturally...I just recommend that you and the King do not engage in any activities in the bedroom for a while." Oin told her as Phoenix dressed and he handed her some herbs for the pain, before she left. She was looking for Thorin and she found him in the training arena, training against Dwalin.
"Thorin." She called down from where she stood and both of the dwarves stopped, looking up at her. "I need to speak to you."
Thorin nodded and waited for her to join him, and when she did, Phoenix slid her arms around him, holding herself to his front.
"My love, what is it?" He asked.
However, before she could tell him what had happened, Dis and Baztia ran towards them, shouting for Phoenix.
"Phoenix lass, come quickly, it's Tauriel." Dis told her.
"What about Tauriel, is she alright?" Phoenix asked.
"The babies are on their way." Baztia told her.
Phoenix looked at Thorin, she really should tell him, but he pushed her towards his sister, telling her that they would talk later and she sighed to herself before Phoenix ran up to Tauriel's rooms.
Upon reaching the rooms, they found Kili pacing outside with Fili sat in a chair watching and when he saw Phoenix he walked to her.
"Help her." Kili pleaded. "Please."
Phoenix rested a hand on his shoulder. "I will." She promised, before she took her waistcoat off and handed it to him and she walked into the room where they were a cry of pain. Inside the room she found Tauriel lying in her bed, her legs up, midwives crowding round all commanding her to do things in an old dwarvish language.
"She cannot understand you." She told them and she walked to Tauriel petting her hair. "It's alright my friend, I'm here." She slid one of her hand into Tauriel's. "We will do this together."
"Alright Tauriel, we need you to push." Dis told her. "On the next contraction push as hard as you can lass."
Tauriel nodded through gritted teeth, and she gripped Phoenix's hand tighter as she let out a groan of pain as another contraction tore through her. Phoenix did not know how long this carried on for, but soon there was a shrill cry followed a short while later by another and Tauriel lay back in the bed exhausted. Looking to Phoenix, Tauriel beckoned her to go and look at the babies. Phoenix walked over and she saw the two faces of the children and she smiled softly, tears threatening to fall.
"Two sons, two sons of the line of Durin." She heard the midwife announce to those outside of the room and she heard the congratulations of her fiancée, Fili, Dwalin and many others.
"Soon it will be you." Tauriel told her with a soft and tired voice.
"No...Not for me." She told her.
"What do you mean?" Dis asked her, and suddenly it hit her and she pulled Phoenix into a hug. "Oh my dear, I'm so sorry, we should not have called upon you."
"I was needed, it could not be helped." She told her, pulling away from the hug. "Now, I think it's time to bring the father in to meet his sons." She walked to the door and held it open. "Kili." She watched him walk to her, the poor prince looked to be in a daze as he handed her the waistcoat and she watched him walk straight to Tauriel and his mother who was gently petting Tauriel's hair.
When everyone else had filed into the room, Phoenix disappeared into the shadows, walking away from the rooms. Thorin looked around for her after meeting the two children but was found by his sister.
"She needs you." Dis told him. "Do not let her go through this alone."
Thorin had no idea what his sister was on about, but he went looking for Phoenix anyway and he found her at the bridge overlooking the lands outside of Erebor, her arms folded on top of the wall, her head resting on them as she watched the moon.
"It is exciting isn't it?" He asked her, standing beside her.
"It is." She told him.
"Soon it will be our turn." He told her, moving to slide his arms around her, but as his arms rested on her stomach she moved away out of his grip. "My love, what is the matter?"
"When I came to see you today...Something has happened..." She told him.
"You've miscarried." He told her and he sighed as she nodded, crumbling into tears.
"I'm so sorry Thorin..." She sobbed and he pulled her into him letting her cry. "Hush now my love, we can always try again."
She nodded slightly. "I'm just sorry...I carry the child, it should be my job to keep them safe in my womb and help them grow...I've failed."
"It's not your fault...Sometimes these things cannot be helped, it's just not our turn to have children yet." He told her, kissing her head. "Come on, let us get some rest, we can see the babies in the morning."
She nodded and they walked together to their room, where Thorin watched her get changed for bed and when she was settled under the blankets, he joined her and as she fell asleep against him, Thorin watched her sleep, looking at her stomach.
"I'm sorry I could not protect you." He told her stomach quietly.
Looking to the ground as he heard a cry, he found Uldoniair looking up at him and he sighed softly, before he gestured to the end of the bed, signifying for her to join them both of the bed and he watched her jump up onto the bed and curl up on the end so that her head was against Phoenix's legs and that was how the small 'Oakenshield family' fell asleep that night and how the maids found them the next morning.