Chapter 10:

Nala glared at herself in the mirror. Her clothes were tattered, splotches of grime and nature rubbed so far into the material that she knew it was easier to throw them away than save them. She hadn't slept in them that night, only in her spare tunic top but now Fili was due to show up in less than an hour and she didn't have anything else to wear. She couldn't go wandering around a kingdom with a prince looking like that. Even her boots needed a thick coat of oil and polish. She would have to ask her brother to source something before she even thought about leaving this room – at least she was able to make herself a bath yesterday.

A hard knock at the door brought Nala from her brooding. With a sigh and arms folded over her stomach, Nala sauntered over to the door. She cracked it open enough to poke her head and shoulders out. Sure enough, Fili was standing there with a broad smile. He wore almost the same thing as yesterday: a faded blue over coat with fur trimmings and metal shoulder pads. His blonde hair was neatly brushed back giving him no part but just behind his temples two braids began and flowed down naturally with the rest of his hair.

Her own hair had three braids: one for each family member that she knew and three beads to go with them. One was the bead with the Durin's insignia that Fili had given her, the second was one her father had given her when she came of age and the third was a slightly dented one. It was the only bead she ever attempted to make and used the forge back in Hogan under Wikor's guidance. But she kept it for the memories.

"Are you still getting ready?" Fili questioned, quickly glancing over her slightly hidden form. Nala swallowed thickly, overly conscious of herself.

"Actually, I'm not feeling all that too well," she murmured. "I was thinking we could postpone till tomorrow."

Fili frowned as he scanned over her once more only slower this time. "Are you ill?" Though Dwarves were built with resistance to disease, it didn't necessarily mean they didn't get sick – their bodies still had to fight it after all – it just didn't get to the point of death.

Nala tried to shake her head. "No, I-" Her words cut off as Fili pushed the door open further, forcing Nala to take a step back. Fili's hands clasped the side of her face, turning it both to the left and right before placing his palm against her forehead.

"You do feel a little warm," he noted under his breath. Nala holds her mouth from retorting that it was just from the embarrassment. "Would you like me to fetch Oin? He's one of the best healers around."

Nala gripped his wrists, slowing pulling his hands away from her face. "No, it's fine Fee. I think I just need more sleep. I was travelling non-stop for two months."

"I still think I should have Oin brought up," he argued. "Just to make sure it's nothing else." The way he intoned 'nothing else' sent her stomach down to the floor. She hasn't even been there twenty-four hours and she's worrying them about being poisoned.

"No, no," she hushed. "I…I feel fine, but I don't think I should be escorted around by you today." Her words had trailed off to a very light mumble that she was sure Fili strained to here.

Fili's neck pulled back as he blinked rapidly. "Why in Durin's name not?" His mouth opened and closed a few times as Nala tried to think of another excuse. "Would you rather someone else escort you? Your brother is busy helping Dwalin but I'm sure Ori would love to meet you."

Nala scrunched her nose. She couldn't let him go one thinking she didn't want to be around him. Their friendship was new again, it was tender and needed to be dealt with as such until they restored it to what it used to be. "No, I really want to go with you. It's just…" She looked down at her clothes, pulling at the stained tunic. "I look like I've been living in the woods – which I technically have been! I need to wear something proper."

And there it was once again – the low-born living like a noble. Now with her brother given a title and her friendship rekindled with Thorin and Fili she would need to present herself in such a way that was respectable. And respectable meant clothing that had been washed.

Fili's mouth snapped shut as he took in the state of her clothes. Then he broke out into laughter. Nala's eyes widened as her jaw slowly opened. "Fili! It's not funny!" Fili clapped his hands in front of his face and Nala's only lips threatened to pull into a smile. "I look like I've been sleeping with the pigs."

"I think I can agree on that," he taunted, settling back down. "But we're still going out today. I'm going to go retrieve my mother and see if she can help you. And we can go down to the seamstress later and have some things made as well, how does that sound?"

Nala exhales slowly. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you."

Fili stiffened himself up, placing one arm long and steady down his side, the other resting over his stomach. "If you shall wait for my return, My Lady," he declared, bowing forward.

"I hate you," Nala grinned, not even attempting to try and pull a straight face. Fili winked cheekily and Nala began to wonder whether Kili got this side of him that she had seen from Fili, or Fili had adopted his brother's ways. It had been so long she couldn't remember. Fili scurried back out of her room, leaving the door slightly ajar. She eyed the crack with annoyance, but laziness took over, so she left it, wandering over to her small red lounge instead.

Someone had made sure she was delivered breakfast this morning – likely her brother, which she was grateful for since she had no idea where she would be supposed to go to get it herself. She knew most of the commoners would have their own complete residence with kitchens but in the upper chambers where she is there is a large kitchen with permanent staff. No doubt Thorin had his own dining room as well. She wouldn't mind living in a residence but there would be no point as she had no one to live with. Bola would be thriving with his own chambers and they were both of age so there was no stigma with not living with one's parents.

The next time someone was at her door there was no knock to alert their presence. Nala shot up from her sluggish seat, perking up as a feminine voice carried loudly through her room. Her smile grew as an elder woman – Dis – was marching through her door with hands full of different coloured fabric. Fili followed behind with his lips pulled back tightly. It looked like he had been trying to say something to his mother who was continuing to chatter away to the air. Fili offered her an apologetic look, shrugging slightly.

Nala stood up, not sure whether she should wait till Dis had stopped talking to welcome her or try and speak over her. It didn't seem to be needed as Dis turned towards her. "Nala my dear!" she cried. Her arms suddenly emptied as she tossed the fabrics onto Nala's bed, but they stayed open as the older Dwarf woman marched forward.

Nala laughed, jogging forward to meet the woman. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you last night."

Dis had the same hair as her brother, a brown so dark that in some light it almost looked black. They even had the same grey streaks though Dis was younger by a few years. "Oh, don't you worry about that!" Dis exclaimed as they embraced. "Really our reunion could have waited until you had rested more but there came my son sprinting down the halls! You know you can say no to a prince, he is just Fili after all."

Nala held her snort, raising her brow at Fili over his mother's shoulder. "Mother," he drawled. "Nala wants to go, don't you?"

"I do," Nala agreed honestly. "And so, I'm eternally grateful that you've brought me something to wear so I don't embarrass your son in front of the entire kingdom."

"Please," Dis grunted, already beginning to sort through the mountain of dresses. "He could to with a little humbling sometimes."

"I think you're mistaking your sons," Fili countered. He leant against her bedpost with folded arms. Dis perked back up, placing her knuckles on her lips.

"I think you might be right there," she muttered. She tilted her head to the side with an exasperated expression before filtering her attention back to the dresses. Nala stands back with Fili, knowing she would be completely lost on the current fashion choices of nobility. "No, nothing pale. You always looked better in royal colours," Dis noted under her breath. Half the pile of lighter colours is moved to the side. "Red is definitely your colour."

Dis plucked a maroon dress from the pile and Nala agreed that it was very pretty. Nala held out her arms partially as Dis held the dress up to her body. She nodded in approval but then frowned and the dress folded over one arm as the other reached up towards her neck.

Nala followed her hand down, her stomach dropping slightly as the older woman's fingers delicately fiddled around with the blue gemstone necklace. "This is going to clash with the dress."

"Oh, I always wear it. I can tuck it in," Nala offered, already moving to move the pendant back under her shirt where it belongs.

"No, it's very pretty. Tanzanite if my memory serves me right. I have a blue dress that will go nicely with it." Dis moved back to the pile and Nala risked a glance at Fili but her gaze instantly turned back to Dis. "Here." Dis held out a dark blue dress that had a velvet texture and a silver cloth belt.

"Thank you."

"And dear-" Dis clasped her arm with a solemn expression. "I'm terribly sorry to hear about your father."

Xx

"So you don't have any princely duties today?" Nala questions. Fili was first showing her the main areas of the palace area of Erebor. Her chambers were quite near the middle and true to his word – only a few minutes away from his own chambers. Nala made sure to keep the directions in her head for emergencies.

"Technically I'm usually down in the mines on a Thursday morning making sure everything is in check there before reporting to Thorin but Kili is doing that for me today."

"Does Kili know that you're skipping out to help me?"

"Ah, no," Fili admitted through a guilty chuckle. "Can't blame me. I didn't want to hear him moaning about it. I already owe him."

Nala sucked her lips with a heavy sigh. "So I can be right to assume that we still won't get along?" She watched for Fili's reaction as he doesn't say anything. He only glanced at her periodically over the few moments of silence with squinted eyes. "Don't worry, I wasn't expecting anything different. But I'll be civil. Did…Did he say anything about me?"

Fili shrugged, most of his attention tuned into directing them both. Moving around Erebor was still somewhat new to him as well it seemed. "Not really." He glanced down both ends of a corridor before leading them left. "He was a bit quieter than usual. Why are you worried so much? Last I recall you didn't care what he thought about you?"

It was Nala's turn to shrug. She twisted her lips around before answering. "It was stupid of me, but I hoped that perhaps nearly sixty years would let it die down. And perhaps it has but it's obvious that he still hasn't let it go."

"And what is this 'it' that happened?"

Nala gave him an exasperated expression, throwing her hands up slightly. "You tell me. Ok, but moving on – we don't need to talk about this."

"Don't pretend that you don't care. You're still wearing the necklace after all these years," he drawled, earning him a scathing glare to which he laughed at.

"It was a gift," she replied with indifference. "And I'm serious. I'm calling for a change of conversation. I need to know where this main dining chamber is." Fili suddenly swirled around and started marching the opposite way causing Nala to skid and run to catch back up with him. "You didn't know where you were going, did you?"

"Hadn't the foggiest," Fili laughed. "I think the library is down that way."

"No wonder you've never been there. I'm not sure you know how to read."

"Uncalled for."

"But not a lie?"

"Well, maybe I would have had more practice reading if someone sent me letters."

"I fear my words would be too intellectual for you."

"Not if they're the same words that come out of your mouth."

"I think I know your title for when you become king. Fili, King of Erebor and comebacks."

"I quite like it actually."