A.N: I'm cutting it too close to moving day to get all this posted, there's another twenty-seven chapters after this one to go up so I'm going to start posting them a little bit faster. This will be the third for today and then I'll post two a day (one in the morning and one in the evening) until it's done.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fili

T.A. 2873 Ered Luin

Fili adores his uncle Frerin. At fourteen it's only natural that he would have a preferred uncle and Frerin is the one with all the fun stories of travelling. He's the one who tells tales of visiting the elves in Rivendell when Amad and Thorin aren't listening. Frerin is the one who made him a small wooden sword to play with and showed him how to wield it properly when he was too young to start any real sort of training. Frerin is the one who spirits Fili out of the house for a couple of days when his lessons get to be too much or his fights with Kili too loud.

"He's a child, let him be a child," Frerin will argue when Amad and Thorin object to the impromptu trips and missed lessons.

"We lost our childhood, Dis' boys shouldn't lose theirs as well," Frerin will say at other times when the number of guards around them becomes too much. Fili think that might be why Frerin travelled so much before Adad was killed, trying to capture a childhood lost to a dragon and the battle of Azanulbizar when he barely had a beard.

"Expectations come later," Frerin will snarl when Fili has done something Amad and Thorin disapprove of, even when that something is just the same as the actions of his peers. When he acts as a child instead of as the perfect heir they seem to think he should be. "We all did foolish things at his age."

Except Amad didn't, because by the time Dis was Fili's age Smaug had already driven out Erebor's people. Amad grew up on the road running from fire and famine and without a home until Uncle Frerin was promised to Ghruna (but even Fili can see that the pair don't much like one another). Her older brothers may have tried to protect her from the trials of the road but Fili wonders if Amad would be so stern with him had she been permitted the childhood Uncle Frerin is so determined he have, if she weren't still grieving the husband Fili looks so like.

Of course, Frerin never used to be around as much as Thorin, who is always short on temper these days, and, in the past, when Frerin came Thorin would always depart within days. No one would tell Fili where he went then, but Amad always looked more tired and would stay out later with Balin while Thorin was away. He should have resented Frerin for driving Thorin away, Fili has often thought, except life for him is easier when Frerin is home and Thorin is gone. Life with Frerin is more fun.

"Come on, lad," Frerin startles him from his thoughts, which are not at all on the dry text Balin has left him to read and are, instead, on the daydream of one day reclaiming his ancestral home from a dragon single handed. "Come and sit with your brother and I'll tell you both a tale of Algirk Stonesinger."

"I'm too old for children's tales," Fili refuses with all the dignity he can muster. Besides if he doesn't have this memorised by the end of the week Balin will be disappointed and Balin's disappointment will mean that Amad and Thorin will be too and that's worse than all the anger they could display.

"Take a break, Kidhuzurâl," he replies fondly. "The dusty old text will still be here when we're done and we both know you haven't read a single line in over ten minutes."

Fili sighs and obeys, leaving the table to sit in front of the fire with his brother and uncle (and to waste a further few minutes fighting with Kili over who sits where). Then he listens, enraptured despite his earlier protests, to tales of one of the first inhabitants of Erebor and the peace he helped to bring to the mountain.

T.A. 2941 Beorn's Cottage

They need supplies and shelter, Fili knows. They also need a place that he can have a much over due conversation with Bluebell. They've really put the cart before the horses here and he knows his uncles will both be furious when they find out. He would remind them that they have both made youthful, heated, decisions but he actually quite likes his face the way it is, thank you.

The worst of their injuries have been taken care of by Bluebell, who had comically scolded Thorin like an errant dwarfling when he tried to insist that she treat others first. Oin was dealing with everyone else and Bluebell had wanted to be sure that Thorin's brain, if such a thing existed, wasn't damaged. Fili had been fascinated by the way she glowed while she worked. Thorin fixed up, minor injuries cleaned and dealt with by Oin ("If I heal every little thing your bodies will forget how to do it for themselves!"), the matter of the orcs had come up.

They cannot be certain that Azog's demise will have ended their pursuit, and even if it has it will only be a temporary respite. As soon as some other orc takes charge the chase will continue. Slaughtering the one who killed their former leader is the orc's way and one of the reasons the Line of Durin has had such a large target on their backs for so long. Fili's family have killed a lot of orc leaders in their time. As it is, no one is eager to wait around and find out if the power vacuum has been filled or not. They have little in the way of supplies and a deadline to make. So, when Gandalf says he will lead them to the home of a friend they follow, forgetting how the wizard has an annoying habit of only giving them as much information as he thinks they might need to make the decision he wants them too.

Which is how, two days after leaving the Carrock, they have ended up nervously awaiting the wizard's summons while he has taken both of the hobbits with him to speak with the tallest Man Fili has ever seen.

"Perhaps Fili should accompany me and Kili you," Frerin rumbles as they await Gandalf's signal.

"And I suppose the two of you would go first?" Uncle asks in reply.

"My wife and daughter are over there. Pardon me for wanting them safe," Frerin says with deceptive mildness. The hobbits have had more influence than Fili thinks he realises.

"Why take Fili and not me?" Kili asks and Fili winces.

Kili knows very well what happened in the caves while they were separated. Fili may not have been able to get a private moment with Bluebell, but he has been able to speak with his brother and Kili knows him well enough to read between the lines and draw the correct conclusions. Unfortunately, Fili suspects that his brother's question is less about stirring the pot (which Kili is more than capable of doing but unlikely to in this situation) and more because, as so often happens, he feels like the after thought in even his own family. The pressure has always been on ensuring the colony survives and on training Fili as the heir. Kili will have his own role, of course, but it will always be a supporting one and so his lessons always seemed to be of secondary consideration leaving him at a loose end too often. Dispossessed royalty doesn't make the best of parents, it would seem, and neither his Amad or uncles had the best examples to follow. As the second son Frerin should be aware of all this.

"Because, kurkarukê," Frerin replies, "Fili and I have something to discuss, do we not, Kidhuzurâl?" Fili hasn't heard Frerin address him by that name in a long time, far too long really, but it isn't said with teasing fondness as it used to be. There is a firmness to it that shows that no matter how fond of him Frerin might be (and Fili is beginning to realise that Frerin didn't leave because he loved them less than he did Belladonna and Bluebell) his uncle will not go easy on him either. "Shall we speak of your intentions here, or as we walk?"

"I had hoped to talk to Bluebell first," Fili hedges, "to make sure we have the same outcome in mind." Kili sniggers and Thorin arches an eyebrow in his direction.

"I had not thought you had progressed so far," his uncle says and both boys gape at him. "I am more observant than you think and have seen both of you infatuated before." Now Frerin snorts.

"I think this goes a bit beyond that," he comments.

"That's the signal," Nori interrupts from nearby. For a moment Fili is grateful to him until Frerin's hand clamps down on his shoulder and he finds himself being led towards Gandalf and the hobbits.

"My intention is to follow her lead," Fili's tone is stiff, if he can get this done now, he can save himself a good deal of discomfort later. "She's my One," he admits, he's known it for a while and has been doing his level best to ignore it. "If it goes as I hope she'll rule beside me one day, but only if she wants it. I haven't abandoned the laws of our Maker just because Bluebell isn't a dwarf."

There is no time for anything else, they're too close to Gandalf and their prospective host. Not to mention that the hobbits hear far better than dwarves do, and Fili doesn't want this conversation overheard by Bluebell. He doesn't want her to think, incorrectly, that he and Frerin are deciding her future for her.

In Fili's opinion, and he knows that the hobbits will agree with him, Beorn is far too tall. He's also far too delighted with their hobbit companions. To one who might not know them well they seem at ease, but Fili can see the tension in both of them. It doesn't take any thought to move to Bluebell's side and put his arm around her, especially as Frerin does the same with her mother and nods in approval at Fili as he does it. Beorn simply looks intrigued but doesn't interrupt Gandalf's story except to point out numerical inconsistencies. Ultimately, he's intrigued enough to let them stay the night and provide them with a good meal, which they are all sorely in need of. He makes it clear, however, that if they are lying he won't hesitate to kill them. It's a measure of how badly wrong this whole quest has gone that the idea barely makes Fili wince. Besides, there's still the dragon at the end to consider.

They are fed, and the less said about the fact that the attendants are dogs and sheep the better, and Fili is quick to help Bluebell onto the bench beside him as Frerin helps her mother opposite. Apparently, the others are aware of the desire to keep the hobbits from being noticed too much by their host because Kili sits on the other side of Bluebell as Dori takes up position next to Belladonna. Thorin sits beside Fili as he would at home and it reminds him that, at some point, he will also have to discuss his choice of wife with Thorin. It is a conversation that he had intended on having before things between he and Bluebell had come into the open, or indeed this far. Although Thorin has always claimed he would be allowed to marry whoever he chooses Fili doubts that his uncle had considered a hobbit as a potential choice. Since Frerin and Belladonna don't have any children of their own it's entirely possible that dwarves and hobbits can't have children together (although he knows that the tea the hobbits are careful to drink every day could be just as much to blame, there would be no reason for Belladonna to drink it so religiously otherwise). It would place a pressure on Kili that Fili isn't entirely sure he has a right to do, particularly since he knows that Kili would accept it simply to make sure he is happy. Fili would do the same were the circumstances reversed.

Once they have eaten well, and been reminded to stay in the house, the various members of the Company drift off to different parts of Beorn's home. Of Frerin and Belladonna there is no sign, although given the utter lack of privacy available on the road Fili wouldn't be at all surprised if they are taking advantage of it now. Most of the others have piled into family groups and begun to doze. Bifur is in a corner muttering to himself, as he sometimes does, with Bofur lounging next to him with his hat over his eyes. He appears relaxed but Fili knows that he is watching his cousin all the same. Bifur isn't dangerous at times like this, but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on him in case he decides to go outside no matter the warnings.

Bluebell has sagged against him, still sat at the table, her tired indigo eyes also surveying the room. Her gaze lingers on Thorin and Kili, who are, in turn, watching them.

"You need rest," Fili says softly. They all do but he can see the lingering exhaustion around Bluebell's eyes even two days after escaping Azog and the goblin tunnels.

"I know," she mumbles, "but you're comfortable and warm." She wriggles closer and he wraps an arm around her. "Mama is a hypocrite," she mutters, her voice barely audible but hard all the same. Fili has been aware of some tension between mother and daughter over the last couple of days.

"In what way?" He prompts when it seems like she has fallen silent.

"She knows that happened in the tunnels," Bluebell replies, turning her gaze up at him so that he knows she means everything. "It's always been blindingly obvious she and Frerin were carrying on like that when they travelled together, and she decided to give me a lecture about it."

"Maybe she just wants to be certain you don't make the same mistakes," he offers although he agrees with Bluebell. She scoffs.

"Hardly," she mumbles. "Besides, those are my mistakes to make. I probably won't survive the dragon even if we do make it to the mountain."

"Don't say that," he says quickly, pressing her tight against him. "You are not going to get yourself killed."

"I don't think I have as much control over that as you might think."

"I mean it, Bluebell," he hisses. "Dwalin once told me that if you go into a fight believing you're going to lose you will. If you go in thinking you can win then you stand a chance. Don't assume Smaug will kill you, we might get lucky." Which hasn't been their experience so far, but stranger things have happened.

"Positive thoughts," she yawns.

"Come on," he detangles himself from her. "Time to sleep." There is a large pile of hay nearby and he all but carries her to it.

"Stay with me?" She requests.

He should refuse, he knows, because this isn't some casual on the road fling. It isn't a way to take off the edge that builds and builds the longer they go without physical companionship. This is his One and until where they stand with one another is clear he should avoid sleeping next to her even in as innocent a setting as this one. It will hurt less, ultimately, should she not feel the same way about him if he doesn't become accustomed to being so close to her. Instead he removes the knives most likely to poke one or other of them in their sleep and settles next to her. Bluebell instantly rolls so that she can pillow her head on his chest.

"So much more comfortable than the ground," he mumbles, and she hums an agreement.

"Definitely more comfortable than a rocky tunnel," she replies.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that," he blurts out the admission and feels her tense against him. "I was going to wait until we'd taken back Erebor, we were going to have a huge, comfortable, bed covered in furs and a roaring fire. I was going to take hours," he whispers, he wouldn't put it past the other members of the Company who are awake to be attempting to listen in.

"I would have liked that," she sighs.

"We still could," he assures her, "when this is over. We could lock ourselves away for a while and make up for the tunnels."

"I don't regret it," she tells him, "and I wasn't disappointed with it either."

"Nor I," he agrees, "but that doesn't mean we can't improve on it." He decides to press on. "I'd like to spend the rest of our lives improving on it, as your husband."

As proposals go, it isn't the most romantic. Or the best timed. Or even the most private, although, to their credit, none of the other occupants of the room give any indication that they've heard. He could, he concedes, have worded it better. Bluebell's head flies up and she twists so that she can meet his eyes.

"You're a prince, Fili," she hisses, "the crown prince." He nods, he knows where this is probably going. "I'm a hobbit, do you really think your people will accept me as queen? Would your uncle even allow it?"

"My people will accept you as queen or I'll give up the throne." He's had time to think on it over the years. No throne is worth a miserable marriage, he thinks. Bluebell raises an eyebrow and glances over at Kili. "He wouldn't be that bad, just don't tell him I said it." He shrugs. "Uncle has always insisted that both of us will be able to marry where we choose. I'm not sure he thought my One would be a hobbit, but I don't think anyone could have seen that coming even with Frerin as an example. Besides, our people will love you. How could they not? You're willing to do what none of them are, you're going to walk into the lair of a sleeping dragon to try and help a people not your own."

She doesn't say anything, and he can see the doubts flickering behind her eyes. Frerin's story has really stuck with her, although Fili can understand why it would.

"Bluebell," he continues when he sees confusion flicker over her face, "do you know what a One is?" She nods and it stands to reason that Frerin would have explained at some point. "You're mine," he states simply, just in case the implication of the previous time he said it hadn't been clear. "Thorin isn't of the old way of Thror, he won't deny me the One Mahal created to walk beside me."

"Hobbits have the same thing," she whispers. "We call it our life-bond, but we don't always marry them. It leads to big families and that it doesn't always make for social advancement. Social status is important in the Shire and some can't see past it. I've seen what happens when those who weren't created for one another marry anyway. I swore I would only ever marry my Bonded, my One, if he were in a position to have me. Since that's you-" She gives him a lopsided smile.

"Bluebell," he breathes and her eyes twinkle. "Did you just agree to become my wife?"

"Yes," her smile is breath taking and he pulls her into a fierce kiss.

"Oh, thank Mahal for that!" Kili exclaims, apparently having been listening more closely than they had realised.

Thorin clips him about the ear without a thought, hardly a surprise given how often his little brother manages to speak without thinking, and Kili yelps. Naturally, he starts pouting, a habit he will have to grow out of if they get the mountain back. Some of the Company, who have also been listening, laugh, but for the most part the outcome of the conversation is ignored in favour of giving the couple the illusion of privacy. At least for the night. Teasing and everything else that comes with it can wait until the morning.

Fili doesn't even remember falling asleep.

A.N: Kidhuzurâl means Golden One, it seemed appropriate for Fili. He just goes for it once he makes his mind up, doesn't he? Brain to mouth failure there that I wasn't originally intending on him having. It works better for later, though, so I left it be.