Another day, another chapter. This chapter has what I think you've all been waiting for…

Enjoy!

Dis couldn't help but feel proud of herself. This was a truly wonderful idea, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. When she had met with each of the Ladies for a walk, tea or lunch they had been lovely. Each of them had behaved like the perfect Lady (except for Yesna, who was perhaps a bit too quiet). Though it was nice to see, Dis wanted to become more acquainted with them so she could understand what they were really like. She had pondered about what to do for days and finally she had an idea. Why not invite a few of them to have lunch together? It was perhaps a bit strange, but seeing how the Ladies interacted might reveal aspects of their true selves that she would not otherwise be privy to.

Dis had decided to invite Rowen, Elli, Kaia and Ila for lunch. Rowen and Elli arrived together arm in arm, each of them with a bright smile and holding a basket.

"Thank you for the invitation Princess Dis," Rowen said warmly as both dwarrowdams curtsied. "Elli and I thought we would bake some sweets to bring along, I made some cherry tarts."

"I baked some oat cookies, I do hope you like them," Elli added.

"How considerate of you, did you bake together?" Dis asked as she led the Ladies to the dining table.

Rowen nodded. "My sister Raina, Elli and I spent all morning baking. We were having so much fun we accidentally burnt the first tray of cookies."

Dis poured herself a glass of water and tried to remember Raina - was that the dark-haired dwarrowdam Rowen was always with? There wasn't much of a resemblance between the two sisters, Rowen had such light features while Raina had dark. Both of them were very pretty though, she remembered seeing how much attention they received from dwarves in the Iron Hills. Lila appeared with two platters, a large one with lots of sandwiches and a smaller tray with the cherry pies and cookies. A knock at the door quickly had Lila scurrying away and returning with Kaia. Kaia's smile fell slightly when she saw Rowen and Elli.

"Good afternoon Princess Dis, I am honoured to join you for lunch once again. Good afternoon to you also Rowen and Elli."

"Thank you for joining us," Dis said. "Lila, would you please bring some tea?"

Kaia took a seat next to Elli and Dis noticed her smile seemed forced. "How are you Elli?" Kaia asked.

"I'm wonderful thank you, so far I've spent all my time trying to learn my way around Erebor. I've been all around the Mountain but I keep losing my way, I think it may take me years to learn!"

Dis laughed. "It certainly will. A lot of the dwarves who reside in Erebor still don't know some parts of the Mountain."

They were interrupted by the door opening once more. Ila rushed into the room, pink in the face and out of breath. "My deepest apologies for being late Princess Dis, I was-"

Ila stopped abruptly upon seeing Rowen, Elli and Kaia. "Oh! I didn't realise we would be joined by others Milady."

"Indeed," Dis said, trying to hide her amusment. "Please join us Ila, we were just about to start lunch."

Ila sat next to Kaia and Dis could tell the poor dwarrowdam was confused. Perhaps she should have included in her invitation that she would be inviting a group for lunch. Though she felt a little bit deceitful for not letting them know in advance, it was a good chance to see how the girls reacted to a sudden change in plans - no doubt as Queen of Erebor they would need to think quickly on their feet and learn to adapt. Well, she could see how Kaia and Ila reacted, Rowen and Elli had clearly figured it out since they had fast become friends.

"So Ila, how did you spend your morning?" Dis asked as she took a ham sandwich.

"After breakfast I visited the training arena Milady. I spent time watching my brother spar as he is a very talented fighter and I also happened to see Prince Fili and Prince Kili, they were so lovely to chat to."

Dis smiled, she would have to ask her sons how that conversation went. "Have you ever trained?"

Ila looked taken aback by her question. "With a weapon? Oh heavens no, I have never even held a sword before, let alone trained with one."

"I have," Kaia interrupted. Ila glared at her which the older dwarrowdam promptly ignored. "I trained with a sword, I wasn't very good unfortunately but I know some basic technique, such as how to stand."

"So have I," said Rowen. "It was decades ago and I also wasn't very good, but I did quite enjoy archery."

It was Dis' turn to be surprised. She had expected them all to say no. Rowen in particular surprised her as she didn't seem like the type of dwarrowdam to be interested in training but it seems there was more to her than Dis thought. Rowen was one of the quieter Ladies so though she had an excellent reputation, becoming acquainted with her had been a little more difficult.

"I usually prefer other activities," Ila said dryly as she reached for an oat cookie. Kaia rolled her eyes and Rowen and Elli exchanged a glance while Dis fought back a smile.

"These cookies are absolutely divine Milady!" Ila said dramatically clutching her chest. "May I have the recipe for these? I haven't tasted anything like them before."

"Elli actually baked these cookies, she kindly brought them for lunch."

Kaia let out a burst of laughter as Ila stilled, her smile frozen in place. Elli beamed at the compliment. "I'm glad you like them!" She said.

"You're welcome," Ila said barely glancing at Elli. She quickly turned back to Dis. "I'll have to bake you some of my peach slice Milady, it's a recipe that has been passed down from my great grandmother and everyone in the Iron Hills loves it! You do like peaches don't you? Surely you do!"

"Does she have a choice?" Kaia muttered under her breath.

Raina thought Erebor was beautiful. When she found out her family had been invited to Erebor at the King's request, she had started packing that same day. For years she and her sister would sit by the fire with Father as he told them of Erebor's unrivalled grandeur with a wistful look in his eye. Since the King and his company had reclaimed the mountain all those years ago, she had begged Father to take her to visit each time he travelled to Erebor but he had always left without her. Now that she was here, she didn't want to leave. She did love the Iron Hills, it would forever be her home and she missed her friends terribly. But Erebor was magnificent. Surely if Rowen became Queen she would be allowed to stay, she dreaded the thought of leaving and she most certainly did not want to part from her sister.

Raina passed by a few guards as she entered the Gallery. There weren't many dwarves in the Gallery (maybe because it was lunchtime), only a few dwarrowdams who wondered through the rooms. Raina had wanted to visit this morning but when Rowen and Elli received an invitation to dine with the Princess they had spent the morning baking together instead. At first she had been wary of Elli, perhaps it was because she was another contender for the King's heart, but as they spent more time together Raina liked her more and more. Elli was sweet and funny, as well as an excellent baker. After baking, they had retreated to their rooms and Raina had painted Rowen's face and helped her get dressed. As Mother was saying goodbye to Rowen, Raina had then slipped away before her Mother could ask where she was going. She felt slightly guilty (she had not spent much time with Mother since arriving at Erebor) but she had been wanting to visit the Gallery all week. She had recently learnt that a sculptor by the name of Jora had spent years creating statues of the dwarves who had accompanied the King on his quest to reclaim Erebor. Jora was an incredible artist who was known for producing breathtakingly realistic pieces of art. Raina had seen the portrait of Lord Dain she had painted and the level of detail was astounding, so she desperately wanted to see the statues.

Raina walked through the rooms but she wasn't having any luck finding statues, she could only see paintings and artefacts on display. She didn't have a map so she wondered around aimlessly hoping to come across them. As she entered one of the larger rooms, she found a landscape painting of Erebor that was so large it filled the whole wall. It must have been painted in the Spring as the trees were green and full of life. The painting was so detailed that she could see very blade of grass and every single leaf on the trees. The sky was a hundred shades of pink, orange, red and yellow, creating a beautiful sunset. The Lonely Mountain sat in the middle, its dark stone looking so strong and still compared to its surroundings.

"Do you like this painting?"

Raina spun around and came face to face with the King. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in his usual navy blue robes. She immediately curtsied and bowed her head but his eyes never left the painting. Raina rose slowly and stood beside him, her eyes flickering between the painting and her King.

"I do My Lord," she said slowly. This was the first time she was alone with the King and she was nervous. "Which artist painted this?"

The King shook his head, his blue eyes still studying the painting. "No one knows," he answered softly. "This painting is rumoured to be as old as this Mountain. It has been here for many centuries, from a time before my grandfather was even born."

They stood in silence for a moment longer before the King turned to her. "Your sister mentioned you were interested in the statues I commissioned?"

Having the King's eyes focused solely on her made Raina feel anxious. She was finding it hard to think straight and it felt like her stomach was doing backflips. She also couldn't help but berate herself - why hadn't she worn a nicer dress? She should have listened to her Mother and worn one of her good dresses instead of just a simple grey one. She realised she had taken too long to answer when the King raised one of his eyebrows, amusement written all over his face.

"I am, yes!" She quickly answered. "I can't find them though."

"You don't seem to have a good sense of direction," he said. Raina was confused at first, but started laughing when she realised he was jesting with her. Her laughter caused him to grin and Raina felt her cheeks start to grow warm. She had noticed the King rarely smiled, and when he did it was usually just a small smile given out of politeness. This was different though, he seemed relaxed and very different to the intimidating dwarf who sat on the throne of Erebor.

"You do always seem to find me when I'm lost," she said. "I know it might be hard to believe, but I usually am quite good at finding my way."

The King laughed softly and offered his arm. "Let me escort you to the statues."

Raina took his arm and tried to ignore the rush of adrenaline through her body. Her heart was beating wildly as the King led her through the Gallery. They passed a couple of dwarrowdams who bowed their heads as the King passed and she could see the envy on their faces as they glared at her. He led her to a corner of the main room and pushed open double doors Raina had not seen earlier. She waited by the door as the King lit a few lamps on the wall. As the room became brighter, she could see the floor was covered in white sheets and dust flew through the air as the King moved around the room. Jora's tools were strewn across the floor amongst fragments of stone. Raina walked in cautiously (she didn't want to touch anything in case it upset Jora). Fifteen statues stood around the room in a circle. She walked up to one she recognised and glanced down at his nameplate - Bofur. He was a jolly dwarf who had greeted her once when she had been walking around the Mountain with Elli and Rowen.

"Almost all of them are complete," the King said, coming to stand beside her. "The statues of myself and Gandalf are the only ones that need work."

"Gandalf the Grey? May I see his?" Raina asked excitedly. She had heard so much about the wizard and she hoped one day to meet him. She thought he may be at Erebor since he was a good friend of the King's but her Father had quashed her hopes. Father said Gandalf hadn't been to Erebor in many years and was known to show up in the most random of places at unexpected times as he was, of course, the wandering wizard.

The King led her to the tallest statue in the room. Raina had to lean back just to see his face under his wide brimmed hat. He looked awfully friendly, Jora had sculpted him with kind eyes and a small smile on his face as he leaned on his (half-crafted) staff. His robes looked very loose, almost too big for him and his beard was so long it almost reached his stomach. Beside Gandalf was the shortest statue in the room and it was a figure Raina didn't recognise - he had no beard, short hair and to Raina's horror, no shoes.

"This is Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire," the King explained.

"He has no shoes."

Thorin grinned again. "Hobbits do not wear shoes. Their feet are naturally tough and incredibly resilient so they have no need for shoes."

Raina looked at the King with a healthy amount of skepticism. Surely he was joking? Who doesn't wear shoes? He seemed to know what she was thinking.

"I know, it is very strange," he admitted.

Beside the statue of Mister Baggins was the statue of the King. It was far from finished. Only the bottom half of his statue had been sculpted so far (up to the King's waist) and even that part wasn't completed.

"Jora needed to have every dwarf spend a few hours here as she crafted," the King explained. "Just to capture the way they stand, their demeanour as well as their measurements. Unfortunately I haven't had the time recently."

"I see. How did she sculpt Mister Baggins and Gandalf without them here?"

"With Ori and Dori's help mostly. Ori drew detailed portraits of Bilbo and Gandalf so Jora could have them for reference. Both Ori and Dori also have an eye for detail and an excellent memory so they were able to provide guidance."

"All of these statues are incredible," Raina said gazing around the room again. She had to bite back a laugh when she saw Dwalin's statue, of course he was sculpted with a scowl on his face. Raina didn't know why the Captain of the Royal Guard always looked annoyed, but she was willing to bet there was some softness underneath his hard exterior.

"Are you having another statue commissioned to stand with your ancestors?" Raina asked as she moved around the room slowly looking at each statue. All the Kings under the Mountain had a statue crafted, but she had been told they all stood in a private room.

The King stilled and looked at her blankly. Raina's smile began to fall - should she not have asked that? Had he taken offence?

"Forgive me My Lord, I-"

"No need to apologise," the King interrupted, holding up a hand. "Yes, I do have another statue being created. Once it is finished, I will be more than happy to show you."

Raina smiled brilliantly, from both relief and excitement. "I would like that very much, thank you My Lord."

"Have you always enjoyed looking at art?" the King asked, a smile on his face as he followed her from statue to statue. "Are you perhaps an artist yourself?"

Raina shook her head, her dark waves falling over her shoulders. "Oh no, I'm hopeless at drawing, painting, every form of art you can imagine. I just like looking at it."

"What hidden talents do you have then?"

Raina laughed. "I enjoy crafting jewellery but I wouldn't say I'm talented, I'm still only learning. If I have a hidden talent then I'm afraid I haven't found it yet."

The King watched Raina study every statue and she could feel his eyes on her. She tried to ignore his gaze, instead focusing on the art in front of her.

"Uncle, there you are!"

Prince Fili stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips. "Kee and I have been looking for you, did you forget about our meeting?"

Raina glanced at the clearly confused King and tried not to giggle. "I don't have a meeting until this evening," he said slowly.

Prince Fili walked into the room and smiled widely at Raina. "Good afternoon Milady, please forgive my poor Uncle. It seems he has forgotten about the infrastructure meeting we pushed back at his own request last week."

Raina couldn't hold back any longer and dissolved into a fit of giggles. The King glared at the Prince and ran a hand through his hair.

"Are you perhaps the reason why he was so distracted?" Prince Fili teased.

"Enough Fili. Wait for me outside," the King growled. The King's anger had no effect on the young Prince who laughed loudly, winked at Raina and turned on his heel.

"I apologise for my nephew," the King said lowly once the Prince had left the room. "Pay no attention to his antics."

"It's quite alright My Lord. Thank you for taking the time to show me these statues, I have thoroughly enjoyed it."

Raina curtsied and rose to find the King staring at her. His face was impassive so Raina couldn't tell what he was thinking. She didn't know what to do with herself (usually after she curtsied dwarves left), did he want her to do something? Suddenly the King reached down and took her hand in his. Without his eyes leaving hers, he gently pressed his lips to the back of hand. She could feel his breath on her hand as he stroked his thumb once over her fingers. Her heart was beating erratically. Her skin felt like it was on fire and she was sure her face was red again. Without saying a word, he then dropped her hand and left.

Raina stood as still as the statues in the room, trying to understand what just happened.