Brief mentions to the events of the M-Rated chapter in the first paragraph. Feel free to skip it.

I've also finally finished the ending. There will be several 'aftermath' chapters including two different endings to the Battle of the Five Armies.

This chapter is quite short, but the content should make up for it.

The next day Thorin moved them to another part of the hall. He kept Aire close, noting with satisfaction that she was trying to hide a limp. He'd had to ditch his cloak for the day. The memories of it being used as a floor cover last night swamping his mind. Perhaps it had been a little reckless, but he certainly didn't regret it.

Airelotwen now walked ahead of him, talking and searching with Balin. Yes, his advisor had very much taken to her. So had all of the dwarves for that matter. She could handle Fili and Kili if she needed to which had earned her brownie points with her sister already.

Ah, his sister. Now there was a meeting that many would pay to see. His sister matched him in determination in both the counsel room and on the battle field. If Airelotwen could win him over then she stood a good chance of winning over Dis. A good chance, but it was not a certainty. Dis could find fault with anyone if she looked hard enough. When she was looking upon one of her brother's lovers then she took it upon herself to look for every fault and bring it to the respective brother's attention. Frerin had been lucky enough to never bring a lover to her. She'd spent far too long thinking over her own husband but he'd waited and that was enough for her. But Dis and Thorin had always been close and Dis wanted him to only marry the best.

There had been a point, many years ago, when Thorin had once loved someone. It had been a few years before the arrival of Smaug and Thorin had been young. In his youth he had been foolish. He'd fallen in love with a young dwarf woman called Amrys. They had courted for many months and she had earned the respect of his father. His grandfather remained indifferent to her but had accepted her. Frerin hadn't bothered himself about her. Amrys had been too plain for him; tan skin and black hair. Her eyes held no sparkle but were hard like stone. Her father, Thorin forgot his name, had been a high ranking official within Erebor, but not high ranking enough to hold his place when Dis sunk her teeth into his daughter.

Dis and Amrys had met in his family's drawing room. They'd been civil enough to each other, but it soon became clear that the Princess Under the Mountain didn't care for her brother's lover. It took all of three months for Dis to tell Thorin and Thrain of Amrys' 'after dark activities'. The courtship had ended then and there and Thror had stripped Amrys' father of all power.

Airelotwen was the daughter of an elf and a traitor. His sister wouldn't fail to pick up on it. But at least she didn't have any other men on the side. Besides, Dis could object to Airelotwen until she turned blue in the face but he would never turn her away. He couldn't. By tomorrow morning, he'd have a valid reason to keep her near.

"The diamond mine was the most beautiful." Balin smiled wistfully at Airelotwen. "At the end of the day there would only be a few lights left and the diamonds would reflect it like stars in the night sky. Of course, the main mine had a wide variety of stones and metals, but you'll be introduced to them in a few months' time."

"How far down do the mines go?"

Balin shrugged. "No one really knows. King Thror had the main mines recorded, but he also had many smaller ones for his personal use. The only ones to know about them would have been himself and those which worked in them. Those miners would have died in Smaug's attack."

The two of them were sifting through a pile of gold coins, sorting them into value and size for a later date. Trades would need to be established as soon as the issues with the men and elves had blown over. They would need food supplies until the fields outside of Erebor could be salvaged. They would have to find suitable resources to start repairing the City of Dale too. The men on Lake Town had lost their home and would want to return to where their ancestors had once lived. There was a lot of work to be done, but it couldn't be done without some sacrifices.

"Aire. Balin." The pair looked up to see Gloin stood over them, arms folded and watching them with an amused expression. "You look a little like dwarflings."

Balin chuckled. "Care to help?"
"No thank you. Thorin wishes to borrow Aire." Aire looked over at Balin who waved her away with a smile. "He was over there last time I saw him." Gloin gestured towards a small path between ridiculously large piles of gold. Aire followed it and found Thorin staring up at gold-covered steps with his back to her.

"I'm sorry you have not been able to find the Arkenstone." Aire said quietly, wrapping her arms around Thorin's chest and resting her head on the back of his shoulder. She could feel his heartbeat against her hands and the rise and fall of his chest. Usually such things would be hidden by the many layers he wore, but the heat of the hall and the constant climbing over treasure had forced him to shed some layers.

"It is frustrating." Thorin agreed. "The accursed thing fuelled my grandfather's lust for gold, but it is the sign that the line of Durin should rule. Unless Smaug moved it or ate it then I'm certain it is somewhere in this room." He brought his hands up to hold her fingers, kissing each one gently.

"You'll find it." Aire assured him.

Thorin turned in her arms, lightly gripping her waist with his hands. He kissed her before asking; "Where are the others?"

"I believe Fili and Kili are teaching Bilbo to tune some instruments they found. Dwalin was inspecting some shields, Balin's sorting coins and the others are across the hall."

Thorin nodded. "I wonder if I may ask you something?"

"You may ask me whatever you wish."

"You will promise an honest answer?"

"Of course. What is it that you wish to know?"

"Firstly, you must tell me if this is too forward. I have known you a little over six months, and you know that for the majority of those I was not overly fond of you."

"Well, that's putting it lightly." Aire smirked, making him smile slightly. "I presume you don't wish to ask if all is forgiven. You should know the answer to that."

"I do." Thorin took a breath, kissing her forehead. "I love you Airelotwen and I want to know if you will do me the honour of becoming my wife." He fished something out of his pocket, holding it out in the light. It was a thin band of twisted silver which was bent around a small ruby. A thin line of small diamonds ran along the crease of the metal. It was, in all, a very beautiful ring. "I know that it is customary to make a ring specifically for a loved one, but this is a ring I carved many a year ago. I will carve a new one for you, if you will become my wife."

"Thorin…." Aire glanced between his hopeful, love filled face and the delicate ring he held in his hand. "I can't - I can't marry you." She shook her head, taking his hand and closing it over the ring. She didn't want to look up into his face and see whatever anger, pain or heartbreak was written there.

"Why not?" the question contained nothing but confusion and possibly a hint of sadness. His voice was gentle, as though terrified he would scare her away.

"I just… I just can't." she released his hand and tried to walk away but he caught her arm, holding her still. "Thorin, please, let me go."
"Not until you tell me why you can't become my wife. Is there another that you've fallen for?"

"No!" Aire looked sharply up at him. "Gods, Thorin, you are the only being I have ever and will ever love. It is not a matter of how much I love you."

"Then what is it a matter of?" his brow was furrowed in confusion, eyes swimming in the pain he kept from his voice. His other hand was still clasped firmly around the ring.

"It's a matter of family."

Thorin sighed. "Your heritage means nothing, Airelotwen. Your loyalty and bravery overrides your elvish blood. If any dwarf or other being says anything foul against it then I will have their tongues."

Aire winced slightly. "Whilst that's good to know, that's not what I mean. I can never give you children, Thorin. A king needs his own heirs, not two born to his sister. I will never give you that."

Thorin released her arm, cupping her cheek instead. "Did something happen? Why can you not bare children?"

Aire shook her head. "You misunderstand. It's not that I can't, it's that I won't. I can't be a mother Thorin because I would fail my children. I could never be as selfless, protective and caring as my mother and father were. I am afraid that I will fail them."

Thorin chuckled, pressing his forehead to hers. "If I wanted to marry someone who would produce an heir every year then I would have married a Lady from the Iron Hills or one of my sister's friends. Fili will be able to rule as I have, no matter who his parents are. If you do not want children, then you shall not have children. There are ways of preventing conception, although I will have to keep my hands off you until Oin can draw up some of the herbal remedies. Knowing this and knowing that I will love you no matter what, will you reconsider my offer?"

Aire pulled away from him slightly, looking up into his hopeful face. It would be wrong, of course, to marry a king and refuse to give him any sons or daughters. She wasn't even of noble blood. Yet the line of Durin didn't seem to have a knack for sticking to tradition or following the 'right' path. She smiled slightly. She could turn away and save possible pain in the future but it would most likely kill her now. "Providing you remember this conversation in years to come then yes, Thorin Oakenshield, I will marry you."