Chapter 26

A little over a week later, Fili and Sigrid strode into the throne room, bypassing all of Erebor's citizens that had come seeking an audience with the king and his consort. Bilbo sat in his throne, pain no longer marring his features, his ears all but completely healed and his hearing almost completely back to normal, for which Thorin was grateful.

"Fili?" Thorin asked once the latest petitioner was satisfied. Dwalin held off the next one as Thorin spoke with his heir.

"There's illness in Dale," Fili said without preamble. "Plague of some sort. I've come to ask you to send aid."

"Nori has already informed us of the illness in Dale," Thorin said. Indeed, his spymaster had started reporting on it after the fourth case cropped up among the Dalesmen. "We feared it would spread," Thorin said quietly so only Fili, Bilbo, and Dwalin would hear. He held his hand over his mouth as he spoke to keep lip-readers from catching any of what he said. "I've already asked Oin to draw up a roster of healers that can be spared to help with treating the afflicted. Go to him and he will give you the details you'll need to send to Bard."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Fili said, bowing his head formally, true gratitude shown in his eyes.

"Tell Sigrid everything will be well," Bilbo whispered. "She is welcome to spend time in my garden if she misses sunlight during her extended stay, even when I'm not there."

"I will tell her. Thank you, Bilbo," Fili said and returned to Sigrid.

Bilbo looked over at Thorin, concern in his eyes. "We will aid in any way we can," Thorin told him quietly, "but we must be asked to help first. It is not our place to force our people into another kingdom, no matter what our intentions are."

"And Princess Sigrid is high enough rank to ask for that aid," Bilbo said. He looked towards the doors where Fili and Sigrid had left. "There must be more that we can do."

"We will think of something," Thorin promised and nodded at Dwalin to allow the next dwarf to approach the dais.


"Princess Sigrid has taken ill. Fili has opted to stay at her side for the foreseeable future."

Bilbo looked up from his morning cup of tea. Balin sat at the other side of his new table, carefully picking a perfectly good lemon rosemary scone apart and reducing it to crumbs.

"Now what did that scone ever do to you?" Bilbo demanded as he nudged an empty teacup toward Balin. "Have some tea. We'll manage his duties well enough without him."

Balin's eyebrows rose even as he poured tea for himself. "I don't think you realize the amount of work expected of the Crown Prince," he said.

"It can't be all that bad," Bilbo insisted. "We've managed without him when he's been with Princess Sigrid during her visits after all."

The deadpan look Balin gave Bilbo did not inspire confidence. "Princess Sigrid has only ever been here when his daily load was lightest. Fili's duties for the next few weeks were supposed to be filled with shadowing Thorin for public audiences and council meetings, inspecting our military and their postings, his usual training, greeting and showing dignitaries from the Firebeards and Broadbeams that still reside in the Blue Mountains around Erebor as well as sit in on negotiations for trade, crafting at least some of the jewelry for his upcoming wedding, and any other duties that may require attention."

Bilbo stared at Balin over the rim of his teacup, his muscles locked into place. Finally, he set his teacup aside. "Right. Let's write that list out and we'll split the duties amongst the two of us as well as Kili and Dis. Does that sound like it will work?"

Already pulling out a piece of parchment, Balin nodded. "Aye, that should work. I'll assign visiting dignitaries to Dis, shall I? They're familiar with her already."

Bilbo shook his head. "I'm consort," he said. "As such, visiting dignitaries should be my responsibility, as you once taught me. Let's see if Dis will be willing to cover any unforeseen duties."

"You already have a full schedule," Balin reminded him.

Bilbo waved a hand in dismissal. "We'll reorganize my duties around our foreign visitors. We need trade negotiations to go well with them, right? They'll supply us with coal and salt as well as bring food supplies in from the Shire and we send back precious metals and gems?"

"Those are the key points, yes," Balin said, rubbing a hand down his beard, "but you know dwarrow. We're not very open to outsiders."

"They'll just have to get over it," Bilbo said. "I am Consort, after all. They'll have to eventually. Might as well make it now."

"If that is what you think," Balin said, his tone a bit skeptical. "What of his other duties?"

"We'll deal with them as they come. Following Thorin is for Fili to learn more about how the kingdom is run, correct? If someone is needed to follow him, why not Kili or myself?"

"Kili is expected to be attending meetings with the guildhalls on Thorin's behalf for most of those times. Dis would be a better choice except she will never rule in Thorin's stead again, not with the line of succession secure and Erebor retaken," Balin said.

Bilbo nodded. "I'll follow Thorin when I'm not meeting with the delegates."

"Your other duties-"

"Will be handled," Bilbo said. "As for his training and crafting jewelry for Sigrid, those will just have to wait until he's able to leave Princess Sigrid's side."

"And the military reviews?" Balin asked.

Bilbo tapped a finger against the table. "Can Dwalin be spared?"

Balin frowned. "As part of the military, he can't conduct the review impartially."

"No," Bilbo agreed, "but he can teach me what I need to do for the review."

"Bilbo, I really must insist you not take on all Fili's duties. You have too much to do yourself." Balin set the parchment and pencil aside, his normally serene expression marred by the furrowing of his eyebrows.

"Dis and Kili are already busy," Bilbo said, "and they're all worried about Fili and Princess Sigrid. The more I can do to take away their burden, the better. The last thing I want to do is make them work harder."

"So you'll work yourself into an early grave?" Balin asked mildly.

"If that's what it takes," Bilbo retorted and picked up his tea again.


Thorin woke a few days after the news of Princess Sigrid's illness reached him and Bilbo. He heaved a sigh, worry for Fili and his bride-to-be (hopefully) continuing to gnaw at him. He looked to the side and heaved another sigh. Bilbo was already gone this morning. Again. How many days in a row was it now that Bilbo left before Thorin even woke?

Too many, in Thorin's opinion.

Grumbling, he crawled out of bed and readied for the day, heading to Dis, Fili, and Kili's rooms for breakfast.

"Left before you dragged yourself out of bed again, did he?" Dis asked the moment Thorin walked through the door.

"Yes," Thorin said, trying not to whine. "Ever since Fili chose to take care of Sigrid - and I don't blame him for doing so - Bilbo has been up and gone before I wake and doesn't come back to bed until well after the midnight watch call."

Dis' mouth thinned slightly. "Your husband has taken on too many duties. Balin says he voluntarily took on all of what we expected of Fili to do. Bilbo also refuses to fall behind on any of his own work. I'd like to help if I could but Balin said he won't hear of it."

Thorin dropped into a chair with a huff, reaching to fill his plate with a hearty breakfast. Negotiations with the Blue Mountain delegates started in about an hour. He would need the strength to deal with their stubbornness. "I'll talk to him after the negotiations today," Thorin promised, whether to himself or Dis, he wasn't sure.


Thorin never had the chance. Bilbo raced into the meeting at the last second and left the moment the meeting was over. Thorin tried to catch Bilbo before he disappeared but couldn't quite manage to get by the delegates vying for his attention. His mood, already soured by the Shire's insistence that they would not work with Bilbo due to his sudden disreputable tastes in spouse, darkened further.

"Your Majesty?"

Thorin looked to the side to where Ori stood. "Yes, Master Ori?" Thorin asked, trying desperately to not snap at the scribe.

"His Royal Highness asked me to give this to you." He held out a small bit of parchment.

Nodding at Ori in a gentle dismissal, Thorin took the page and opened it. Some of his ire melted away instantly as he read, "I love you. I'll be by your side for public audiences this afternoon. Stop scowling so much."

Thorin tucked the note into an inside pocket with a small, fond smile before taking on his normal stoic expression. He nodded briefly to a delegate before leaving the room, intent on finding some lunch before public audiences started.


Thorin knocked gently on the door to the Queen's rooms four weeks after Sigrid arrived in the mountain. When he didn't receive an answer, he carefully opened the door and peeked inside.

Fili sat next to the young woman, eyes fixed on her sleeping face as he held onto her hand. Thorin could hear soft whispers but was too far away to distinguish any words. Sigrid's dog lifted his head and looked at Thorin briefly before settling back down on the rug in front of the hearth, going back to staring towards Sigrid.

Thorin debated approaching Fili. Even only able to see his profile, Thorin could make out the deep, dark circles under Fili's eyes, showing little to no sleep. He was pale, his normally bright blond hair was dull, closer to ash than gold in color. Tension and fear rounded Fili's shoulders as he leaned forward and touched Sigrid's cheek briefly, a forced smile on his too pale lips.

"Tilda's a baby, Mum! I can't care for her!"

Thorin jumped. Sigrid fought his nephew weakly, kicking at her blankets and trying to push his hands away from her shoulders as she stared to her side. Her desperate screams came stronger as she ranted at her unseen mother. Her voice sounded closer to shifting gravel than the clear kind tones Thorin remembered. How long had she been screaming?

A hand gently touched Thorin's shoulder and he turned to see Kili standing there, face grim. Behind him, Tauriel waited with something small clutched in one hand. Her expression, what little he could see behind the elven mask of stoicism, did not bode well for Fili. Thorin stepped aside and she walked in, carefully closing the door behind her.

"How bad is Princess Sigrid really?" Thorin asked.

Kili swallowed thickly, his expression grim. "Oin says she won't make it if we can't get her to eat or drink anything soon. Tauriel is giving Fee something to give her that may help but it doesn't always work with humans."

Thorin looked over his shoulder at the door. "And Fili?"

"Never leaves her side unless we force him," Kili said. "Even then, he's often back before he's supposed to be." Kili looked down at his feet for a moment before he met Thorin's eyes. He lifted a hand and hastily scrubbed a tear track off his cheek. "He's killing himself to be with her. I'm worried that if she dies, he'll follow her."

Silently, Thorin pulled Kili into a hug, letting his nephew cling. Thorin didn't comment on the shuddered breaths, the too-tight grip, or the gentle swaying from side to side. He held onto Kili, burying his face in his nephew's hair and hoped Kili would forgive him for getting it a little wet.

The door opened and closed and still Kili clung. Thorin scrubbed his cheeks quickly before looking at Tauriel. "Is there anything you can do?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he meant for Sigrid, Fili, or Kili.

Tauriel shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "The medicine I gave to Fili for her will give her some lucidity but it will be short-lived. For some humans, it will bring the fever down as well but it can take weeks for it to take effect. Our first priority must be for her to drink and eat. Otherwise, it won't have time to work."

Thorin nodded. "Then we'll send for aid. Can you return to the Woodland realm and ask your healers for something more? Anything to help her?"

Kili pulled away from Thorin enough to look at Tauriel, his eyes red but a smidgen of hope struggling to take root in his shivering form.

"Is there anything?" he asked and that little bit of hope hung by the barest bit of spider's silk.

"I'll leave immediately," she said. "With any luck, Prince Legolas will be on patrol and I can send a message with him. If not, Kili will have to enter the forest and find a patrol on his own. I may not enter upon pain of death."

"I'll go," Kili said and let go of Thorin. "If we leave now, we can be back within a matter of days."

"Send word to the kitchens for supplies first," Thorin ordered. "I'll tell your mother where you've gone. Go and may Mahal guide you." He briefly pressed his forehead to Kili's and then looked up at Tauriel. "Both of you. We'll watch for your return. I'll send crows to look for Gandalf."

"You may also try Lord Elrond of Rivendell," Tauriel said. "He is said to be the greatest healer among my kind."

Thorin nodded. "I'd heard rumor of his talents. I'll send word to him. It's too far for him to travel in such a short time but perhaps he knows of a remedy we can try that doesn't require his presence. Now go, before it's too late."

Kili and Tauriel nodded, turning down the hall and breaking into a run towards the stables at the front of the mountain, hand in hand.

Nori peeled away from the shadows at the end of the hall. "Do you think it will do any good?" he asked, his expression grim.

"It has to," Thorin said and looked back at the door. "For Fili's sake."


It was official. The entire kingdom of Erebor was working against Thorin. All he wanted was a nice, quiet word with his husband but for the last week or so, he'd barely even said three words to him that didn't pertain to the business of the realm. Bilbo left daily before he woke. They couldn't converse personally during the negotiations with Ered Luin. Bilbo always ate lunch literally on the run, if he ate lunch at all. On the days Public Audiences were held, they didn't have the opportunity to converse more than the break between petitioners. If there wasn't Public Audience, Bilbo was tied up in meetings or other duties that Fili normally attended to.

The only time Thorin managed any private time was during the rare dinner. So far, they'd only managed to have dinner together once, and only because Thorin had ambushed Bilbo on the way to his office. He'd literally had to hook an arm around Bilbo's shoulders and tow him to their room for a private meal. Bilbo had barely spoken, choosing instead to eat quickly and disappear off to his office with a hurried, "Sorry! I have paperwork that needs to be done before bed," before sprinting away. Thorin had been asleep before Bilbo came to bed, any of those nights. If it weren't for the hastily discarded, rumpled sleep clothes that Bilbo insisted on wearing to bed, Thorin would wonder if his hobbit was sleeping at all. Something had to change.

A chance to at least get Bilbo to rest came after the end of the eighth day during Public Audiences.

"What do you mean, the Crown Prince is 'indisposed'?"

If he was less experienced at hiding his emotions no matter how badly he wanted to, Thorin would be rubbing his forehead in irritation and outright anger by now. "I mean, Rassura, Daughter of Rasinar, Prince Fili is unavailable to meet with anyone for the foreseeable future."

"Is he injured?" the dam asked and Thorin almost believed the apparent concern in her voice and in the way her red eyebrows tipped together.

"He is not. Now if you don't mind-"

"Then it must be true. Princess Sigrid is ill and he's remaining apart from the public eye until she dies."

Thorin didn't even flinch at the obvious attempts to pull information. So far, the only things said about Fili or Sigrid was that they wished to have some time away from the public eye before their, well, it was time to face it by now, their imminent wedding.

"The Prince and Princess have requested time away from the public to get to know each other better," Balin recited from his place next to Thorin. "If you have no further business." He trailed off and motioned with a hand for her to step aside.

Rassura straightened her spine and a decidedly smug look fixed itself onto her features. "Well," she said. "It's good he's spending time with her. From what I understand, the illness will kill her soon and it won't be pretty. Prince Fili will be able to marry a proper dam fit to be queen someday."

A lesser dwarf feeling as much anger would have choked on their own tongue at the implication. As it was, only Bilbo and Balin shifting their weight towards him simultaneously kept him from leaping from his throne and throttling the dam. Instead, he took a deep breath and said while focusing on not clenching his jaw, "If you have issues with how the Crown Prince spends his time with his intended, I suggest you take it up with him when he returns to his duties or perhaps with Princess Sigrid when she does."

"If she survives that long," Rassura scoffed. "Humans are so fragile after all. And fickle. From what I've heard, numerous suitors have come to call for her in Dale since she and the Crown Prince started courting. Who's to say she isn't cavorting with one of them when Fili isn't around her."

Thorin shifted, intent on storming down the steps, grabbing Rassura by the throat, and throwing her off the walkway in the throne room for her rumor-mongering and impudence. Such slander towards the Crown, even the Crown of Dale, could not be tolerated.

"As the one to have lost to Her Royal Highness, I'm honor-bound to protect her good name in her absence."

Thorin's head whipped to the side, his hair momentarily obscuring his vision before it returned to stillness at the sides of his face. Dwalin stepped forward from his place at Bilbo's side, Grasper and Keeper in hand.

"Losing to a human girl," Rassura laughed. "I'm surprised the king allows such a weak dwarf to guard him."

Thorin could practically hear Dwalin's teeth grind, considering how hard the muscles in Dwalin's jaw were working.

"I did hear she cheated so maybe that explains it. After all, such a fragile, fickle creature could never best a dwarf in combat."

Dwalin turned to Thorin and bowed. "With My King's permission, I request leave to defend the honor of Sigrid, Princess of Dale, Daughter of Bard the Dragonslayer, called Wolfsbane in her absence."

"Request granted," Thorin said, struggling to keep the glee out of his voice and off his face. Loud enough for all in the throne room to hear, Thorin announced, "We shall open the Northern Arena for the Challenge against Princess Sigrid of Dale's honor."

"We will adjourn this session of Public Audience until the King's Guard can retake his place," Balin said, stepping forward with his arms outstretched as if to herd everyone out the great doors.

"What, you mean in ten minutes, considering it takes three to walk to the arena?"

Laughter worked its way up the line and Thorin looked for the origin of the statement only to see a very familiar hat and braided pigtails. What in Mahal's name was Bofur doing in line? He didn't need to wait to see Thorin. Shrugging, Thorin made a note to seek Bofur out later to find what he needed.

Balin, in the meantime, only smiled slightly and continued to shoo everyone from the throne room.

Bilbo moved to slip down another path towards the side door they often used to enter the throne room. Thorin caught his arm, just above the elbow. "This is a duty we must fulfill," Thorin whispered to him. "We must show our support for Princess Sigrid, even if it is someone else fighting on her behalf."

Bilbo glanced forlornly at the door before turning to slide his arm through Thorin's. "So much for catching up on a little paperwork," he muttered.

Thorin patted his hand consolingly as he moved toward the walkway. Dwarrow moved out of their way and Thorin could feel Bilbo's fingers grip his arm all the tighter.

"No one is going to fall," he whispered in Bilbo's ear. "Dwarrow have better balance than that."

"I don't care," Bilbo said. "Why do all the free peoples in Middle-earth insist on not having railings between walkways and drops that will lead to serious injury if not death? Even Goblin Town had railings for Yavanna's sake!"

"Do hobbits not have railings either?" Thorin asked.

"We don't have any drops that could kill us." He paused for a moment. "And yes, we do have railings or did you miss the fence around Bag End as well as your way?"

Thorin shook his head in bemusement and led Bilbo into the Northern Arena.

The room contained little more than a dirt-packed floor and bleachers around the edges. Granted, it was large enough to hold a good portion of Erebor's current population if not all of it.

Thorin took his place on the edge of the ring where a section had been built with royalty in mind. He and Bilbo took the two somewhat more ornate chairs as dwarrow flooded into the room. Thorin glanced worriedly at the four empty chairs to his right where his nephews, and someday Sigrid and Tuariel would sit. He had yet to hear from Kili and Tauriel. Soon, Dis arrived and took a seat next to Bilbo. She breathed a bit heavier than normal.

"How do you fare, Sister?" Thorin asked her quietly.

Dis nodded, taking a deep breath and deliberately slowing her breathing. "I heard of the insult to Princess Sigrid's honor. I wanted to see Dw- Captain Dwalin trounce the dam that would insult the Royal House of Dale."

Thorin resisted the urge to let surprise show on his face. It wasn't like Dis to forget Dwalin's title in public, even for a moment. Had something happened? Unfortunately, he could not ask without risking someone overhearing or reading lips. He had no illusions that Nori wasn't the only one that had that particular skill within the mountain. He'd have to ask later.

For now, he needed a word or two with Bilbo. He nodded toward Dwalin who was side-eyeing him, knowing Thorin needed a moment to talk to Bilbo. Dwalin turned his attention to Grasper and Keeper, checking them meticulously for any damage that could slow him or make them less effective.

Thorin leaned an elbow on an armrest, placing his hand under his nose and effectively hiding his mouth.

"We need to have a word," he told Bilbo quietly.

"Do we?" Bilbo asked, lifting a sheaf of papers in front of his face, examining them for all intents and purposes.

"When's the last time you slept?"

"Last night." Bilbo actually was reading the papers, curse it. Did he ever stop?

"For how long?"

Bilbo's mouth set in an irritated line for a moment. "We all must do our part to assist Fili," he whispered even quieter than before.

"And we all will," Thorin said earnestly. Bilbo glanced at him long enough for Thorin to tip his head towards Dis, Balin, and Ori in turn. "Even I can see you're working yourself into an early grave."

"Early by your standards maybe," Bilbo said but his shoulders dropped in defeat. "I'll try to pass on some of the work."

Balin, who had stepped closer to inform Thorin that both combatants were prepared for battle, said, "Do or do not, Your Majesty. There is no try."

Thorin, who had heard that on more than one occasion, stifled a smile and stood, turning to address Rassura and Dwalin in turn.


Bilbo leaned an elbow against the armrest of his chair, his eyelids drooping. He struggled to keep them awake even as Thorin stood to start the fight. Really, his time could be spent much better than watching Dwalin beat some poor misguided soul into the ground.

Thorin's hand on his arm brought him out of the light doze. Bilbo glared blearily at him. "I'm fine," he hissed at the concerned look Thorin shot him out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you really?" Thorin asked. "You've only been in that chair for three minutes and already you're falling asleep. It's a wonder you didn't fall asleep during Audiences this morning."

Bilbo's nose twitched against his will as he sat up straight. "I beg your pardon?" he demanded, annoyed at himself. He actually had fallen asleep during Audiences that morning but only briefly. Balin had noticed and nudged him on his way to accept something from a dwarf seeking advice on a land dispute.

Barking pulled Bilbo's attention away from Thorin and he cringed when Dwalin bodily lifted the hound racing to attack him over his head and out of the arena. The dog yelped but got back to its feet, circling the solid wood fence and searching for a way back to his target. Dwalin now circled with the dam, Grasper and Keeper ready to defend or attack.

"As I thought," Thorin said and Bilbo bristled at his tone. "You need to go back to bed."

"I'm fine ," Bilbo insisted and flinched when Dwalin swung an ax (really, he didn't know which was which) and slammed it into the dam's shoulder, sending her staggering to the side and into the kick he aimed at her stomach. "Just a bit tired. Nothing to keep me from my duties."

Thorin sighed a little and Bilbo once again turned a glare at him only to stop. Instead of the frustration he anticipated, Thorin looked weary.

"We already have one member of this family lying abed," Thorin said softly. "I'd hate for you to have to do the same for similar reasons."

"It's an illness of Men," Bilbo said, his own ire draining from him but not the petulance. "I won't be able to catch it."

"I thought colds were illnesses of Men," Thorin said. "If I recall, you caught one as we reached Laketown."

Bilbo shook his head. "Colds are universal. Everyone gets colds."

"I've never met a dwarrow who had one," Thorin said, "but that's not the point. You need to relinquish some of the work."

"And I already said I would," Bilbo huffed and watched as Dwalin parried Rassura's swing and drove his other ax into her belly. The armor there crumpled under the blow. "I'll go to bed early tonight, all right? Will that satisfy you?"

"It will indeed," Thorin said and leaped to his feet to cheer as Dwalin smashed an ax into the dam's helmet. She fell, groaning and didn't move.

"Do you yield?" Dwalin demanded.

She lifted a hand weakly and tapped the ground twice, moaning again.

"See," Bofur said as the Company gathered around Dwalin on the arena floor to congratulate him on his victory. "Didn't take more than three minutes."


"She was doomed from the beginning," Dwalin groused. "Daft dam tried to copy Princess Sigrid by bringing her mutt into the fight. That thing didn't even compare to Magnus in size."

"So you admit your fight with Princess Sigrid was a fair one?" Bilbo asked, affecting an overly innocent expression, trying to hold back a snicker at the dark glare Dwalin cast towards him.

"Girl cheated," Dwalin grumbled. "Doesn't mean I'll let others slander the future princess consort of Erebor in public for it."

"You could have gone a little easy on her, Brother," Balin sighed. "Smoothing over that mess with Lord Rasinar is going to be a headache and a half."

"If he can't separate personal matters from business, he can remove himself from the negotiations," Bilbo said, rubbing at his forehead. The headache he'd been fighting for two days had finally started to pound behind his eyes. He suspected his admitting to being overworked had something to do with the sudden onset of agony.

"You may remove yourself too, laddie," Balin said, looking over at Bilbo. "You're about dead on your feet."

"I can still work," Bilbo protested.

An arm dropped onto his shoulders. "Nonsense, Bilbo" Bofur said cheerfully. "Off to bed with you now. Come along." He started pulling Bilbo away from the official meeting halls and towards one of the massive, open spaces in the mountain where numerous paths and staircases met in soaring heights of green stone lit by sunlight with enormous mirrors. From there, Bilbo knew he'd be dragged back to the Royal Wing and to his rooms.

"What? No! Thorin!" Bilbo tried to pull away from Bofur.

"Make sure he doesn't disappear into his study," Thorin said, the dirty traitor. "He is to sleep. Not work."

"As you command, Your Majesty," Bofur said with a tip of his hat towards the king.

"Oh, honestly," Bilbo huffed. "Can we at least stop by the kitchens first? Something smelled delicious when I ran by there earlier today."

"That'd be Bombur's raspberry dumplings," Bofur said. "They were delicious. We'll stop in, see if there's any left."

"Wonderful," Bilbo sighed and stopped struggling.


Kili caught Thorin six days later as he headed to the meeting room where negotiations were proceeding at a crawl. Why they were even still having them, Thorin didn't know at this point. They could do nothing until revisions the delegates from Ered Luin brought with them reached the Shire and returned with approval. Even with the fastest crow taking the message it would still take at least a week and that was assuming the weather was ideal and no predators tried to harm the crow. Yes, Erebor probably could do without trading with the Shire for plant-based goods that wouldn't spoil in the journey across the Misty Mountains such as pipeweed, seeds, and certain textiles, but Thorin knew Bilbo would appreciate having the connection to the land, if not the people. Discussion with the Ered Luin dwarrow could not proceed until they were certain trade routes would be open through the Shire's borders as well.

"What happened?" Thorin asked, stopping in the middle of a busy staircase. Dwarrow parted around them, glancing curiously at their king and the younger prince but kept their distance as Dwalin glared menacingly at them. "Did the elves have anything that would help?"

Kili shrugged. "They let us both into the palace. Tauriel spoke the healers. She's headed to see Fee and Sigrid now. There's no guarantee that whatever she has will work, she said. Something about a personal connection and the strength between them and how well Fee can carry a tune." Kili looked a bit confused at the last bit.

Thorin nodded, placing a hand on Kili's shoulder. "You did well. Go. Rest. See Fili. I'll be up as soon as may be."

Kili nodded and continued on his way up the stairs while Thorin turned to go down. Determination set him moving faster and Dwalin followed, matching him stride for stride.

"What's in your head Thorin?" Dwalin asked.

"I'm canceling this meeting. I have better things to do than to talk circles around issues we can't make decisions about until after Jeki returns with the Shire's decisions."

Dwalin snorted. "About time you told those pompous Ered Luin dwarrow where to stick it."

"And this is why your brother is the politician and you are the guard," Thorin reminded Dwalin. They continued the rest of the way in silence. Once they entered the room, Dwalin smoothly stepped in front of Thorin and threw the door open so Thorin could make a dramatic entrance.

"This meeting is canceled until Jeki returns," Thorin said. "There is little point in talking over points that cannot be decided on until after we receive word from the Shire. Good day." He turned on his heel and left, heading straight for the Queen's rooms. He needed to see Fili.

By the time Thorin managed to work his way through the mountain, dodging what courtiers he could and quickly excusing himself from others, Kili and Tauriel had already left. Thorin nudged the door open carefully, afraid of the scene he might come across. He hadn't dared return to Sigrid's rooms since he'd sent Kili and Tauriel to Mirkwood for aid.

Fili sat next to Sigrid as he had the last time. He sang some low, crooning song in Sindarin, if Thorin wasn't mistaken. As Fili's voice drifted through the room, his fingers worked, braiding Sigrid's hair. Thorin stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, watching silently.

Sigrid's skin was paler than normal with an almost greyish tint. Her lips were cracked, bleeding, and scabbed over. Already thin, her bones now jutted painfully where before that had been a healthy covering of flesh. Even with the attention Fili paid attention to her hair, the shine to it was dull, lacking all of the shine that Thorin knew Fili liked to see.

Thorin watched the patterns Fili braided into her hair. He'd not paid much attention to them before but he was sure there wasn't something different about it. As he watched, he recognized the simple twisting braid as one Bifur wore in his beard. One of the only braids the war-scarred dwarf could do without assistance when the ax had been buried in his skull.

Survivor.

Thorin waited for Fili to finish before stepping forward and placing his hand on Fili's shoulder. He stayed next to his nephew as Fili sang until his throat ran dry. Thorin poured him a glass of water before bringing over a spare chair to sit next to him. As he watched, Sigrid shifted in her sleep and shuddered slightly for a moment before stilling again.

For a while, Fili sat silently, staring at Sigrid, the glass held loosely in his fingers.

Thorin took the glass. Fili didn't seem to notice, his only moving enough to take one of Sigrid's. Thorin saw marks over her knuckles, scabs where her hands had dried to the point of cracking. More such marks lined the tips of her fingers and the sides of her hands. Bottles and jars of ointments and medicines lined the table near Fili. Half-empty teacups and bowls of broth were scattered around the room as well. A full tray sat next to Fili, the food untouched.

"What if she doesn't come back?"

Thorin turned his attention back to the two in front of him. Fili didn't move, refusing to take his eyes away from Sigrid, searching for some change. She drew a shuddering breath, the air rattling through her dry throat and chest.

"She will," Thorin said. Fili's hand tightened on Sigrid's briefly.

"I can't lose her."

Fili sounded so lost, so young. Thorin hadn't heard that tone in decades. Hearing it now tore at Thorin's heart. He took a deep breath and released it before standing. He placed his hand back on Fili's shoulder.

Fili turned in his chair and wrapped his arms around Thorin's midriff, hiding his face in Thorin's furs. "Please Uncle. After all we've gone through to get here, surely Mandos won't take her."

Willing his voice to remain steady with the conviction now burning inside him, Thorin said, "Mahal has not forsaken our line. Retaking the mountain is proof of that. He will intercede for her if we ask."

"I've been begging Him for help." Fili pulled away, rubbing at his eyes. He too looked gaunt and tired. Even for a dwarf, Fili was pushing his limits.

"Eat. Bathe. Rest," Thorin advised and nudged the tray next to Fili. "It won't do Sigrid any good if she wakes to find you have neglected yourself. I will make prayers to Mahal."

Fili nodded shakily and turned back to Sigrid. He reached blindly toward the tray and picked up a roll. He took a small bite before setting it aside again with a grimace. He chewed and swallowed, struggling with the morsel. When it was gone, Fili took another drink of water and started to sing again.

Thorin left the room after tapping the tray again, receiving a nod in return even as Fili kept the song going.

Dwalin met Thorin at the end of the hall. "How is she?" he asked, uncharacteristic worry coloring his tone.

"In need of help," Thorin said. "Come. We need to go to my forge. I should have asked Mahal for his help in this a week ago at least."

Dwalin nodded and followed him. Once they were both inside the king's private forge, they stripped down to trousers and donned leather aprons, pulling back hair and beards to keep them away from tools and fire. Together, they set to work, both singing prayers to Mahal as they crafted.

By the next morning, Thorin had an array of jeweler's tools on his workbench, runes for healing and safety etched into them as well as declaring the one called Wolfsbane as a member of the line of Durin through marriage. Finally he'd placed the date for Durin's Day, marking the day when Sigrid would officially be part of the family. Alongside the jeweler's tools sat two mithril armbands, each designed for his nephews' intendeds, the seal of Durin surrounded by new geometric patterns, ones Fili and Kili had created for Sigrid and Tauriel respectively. It was about time Thorin gifted their wives-to-be with something to mark them as part of the royal family.

Dwalin, though he was a soldier to the core, could craft as well as any dwarf and better than many. He'd made new knives for Sigrid with prayers of safety, strength, and speed to Mahal etched into the blade as well as Durin's crest. Two longer, slimmer blades, dirks sized for an elf sat next to them, Tauriel's name etched in runes along with the same prayers.

As they finished their work, banking fires and cleaning up after themselves, someone pounded on the door.

Glancing at each other, Dwalin retrieved his axes from where he'd left them by the door before calling, "Come."

Kili shoved the door open and Dwalin and Thorin relaxed. He didn't pause to greet them. "She's awake. The fever's gone."