A/N: This chapter is basically to apologize for all the evil crap that's happened over the last 5 or 6 chapters :) Enjoy~!

Chapter Twenty-One

Lovisa had her forehead resting on her knuckles as she prayed to Estë, goddess of rest and healing. Lying before her were Will and Baylee, their bodies wrapped with bandages and coated by medicinal pastes. Three days had passed since the battle and the twins had only briefly come to consciousness when arrowheads or warg teeth were pulled from their bodies.

No one knew how they had managed to survive. Their wounds would have left other men –and women- dead. They should have left the twins dead. And yet…there they lay, unconscious but breathing. If anything, they had improved over the last two days, with color returning to their skin and their lesser wounds already beginning to close.

Despite this bit of good, Lovisa knew well enough that the two of them had a long road to recovery. Will's shoulder and back had suffered quite a mauling and he would more than likely live the rest of his life with a limp in his right leg. Baylee had deep scratch marks along her face and chest while the healer had had to wrench two warg teeth from her thigh. And that did not even include the various arrows that they had been pierced by…

She looked up when the door creaked open and Bifur poked his head in. He gave her a tired smile and stepped in, holding a steaming bowl of soup for her. Carefully walking over to her, he set it on a nearby stool.

'Thank you,' she signed, sitting upright. Her back ached as she did so, but she ignored the pain. The injuries she had sustained from the battle had been relatively minor –a few bites and scratches along with a nice, deep sword gash on her outer thigh, though her ribs ached something awful. Hunil had told her that nothing was broken, though she would hurt for many a week to come.

'How hold up?' he asked her, his head tilted. There was a very concerned expression on his face as he gazed down at her.

She shrugged. 'Am alive.' Glancing back at the twins, she sighed and gently picked up the bowl.

'Either wake?' he asked.

Lovisa shook her head, blowing on the top of the soup before slowly sipping it.

'Will wake soon. Know it.' Adjusting his belt slightly, he slowly lowered himself onto the stool, the cuts on his back protesting the action a bit.

For many long minutes, Bifur sat beside Lovisa as she drank her soup. Once in a while, he would glimpse at her, finding a fresh tear rolling down her cheek or her trying to blink one away. He knew how awful she had felt; he had gone through the same pain of having to watch Bofur and Bombur lie on what he had been sure were their deathbeds after the War.

Eventually, Lovisa leaned forward to set her now-empty bowl on the floor, but she winced. Taking the bowl from her, Bifur set it on the ground before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. He used it to softly wipe the tears from Lovisa's cheeks and carefully wiping her nose and chin. A wobbling smile came to her lips, but it quickly faded as she let out a soft sob.

Scooting his stool forward, Bifur wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. He lightly rubbed her shoulder and took her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze before signing into her palm.

'They wake soon. Just need wait.'

They were hopelessly outnumbered and yet they fought.

Back to back, Will and Baylee fought the onslaught of wargs and their riders. They were both exhausted and had suffered grievous injuries, but they continued to fight. Something inside of the twins told them that if they could last just a little longer, they could soon rest -that they needed to keep their sibling safe.

Baylee had been the first to give out. Her foot slipping in the blood-soaked ground, she cursed and fell back. Her spear left her hand, but despite her efforts to reach for it, she could only roll onto her stomach. A quiet sob left her mouth as she weakly reached for her spear.

A shadow was suddenly cast over her and her spear was lifted off of the ground. Will stood above her, holding both her spear and his flail. "I'll keep ya safe, Baylee," he told her.

One of the riders urged her mount forward, but just yards away, the warg toppled over, the spear lodged in its throat. She rolled off of the beast, drawing a set of matching knives as she snarled. Baylee cringed; it was Zuza.

"Give up queenslayer!" she snarled, pointing one of the blades at Baylee.

"You'll get her over my dead body!" barked Will, readying his flail.

Zuza let out a cry and ran forward, ducking under his flail as he swung. His free hand caught her wrist before she could stab him in the stomach, but a curse left his throat as he felt her second blade plunge into his side. With a quick, but strong, flick of his arm, he broke her wrist and brought the chain of his flail around her neck.

Both cried out as Zuza suddenly fell backwards; down they tumbled. Landing atop the raider, Will cursed again, but had enough senses left to pull his chain tight around the woman's throat. She struggled beneath him for some minutes, trying to stab at him again, but missing. When her body went limp, Will groaned and slumped backwards.

"I didn't mean t' make you fall."

He tilted his head back, seeing Baylee just a foot away from him. Her skin, pale, was covered in blood and dirt. "You did good, Baylee," he mumbled, moving his hand towards her. He wore an exhausted grin.

She clasped his hand, smiling tiredly. "We were a good team."

"We are a good team," he corrected, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. "We'll live t' fight again."

"I don't think I can, Will. I'm so tired."

He frowned. "Baylee…Don't you dare talk like that. You're strong. I'm strong. We're strong. We're goin' t' make it through this." He squeezed her hand tightly. "Do you hear me, 'Lee? We're goin' t' make it. You know why?"

Her eyes were starting to drift shut. "Why?"

"Because we need t' go home. Both o' us."

She weakly gave his hand a squeeze. "But I hurt. Everywhere hurts. It's not like the War. I'm not numb like I was then." She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'm sorry. All o' this happened because o' me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Will."

"This would o' happened whether you killed someone or not, 'Lee." He pulled her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it. "An' I would fight a thousand more wargs if it meant havin' ya free o' those raiders."

"I know ya would." She managed to smile again.

"Anyway…'Lee, you got t' live. You're goin' t' be an aunt soon."

"…What?"

He tiredly nodded; his own eyelids were starting to grow heavy and he let them slowly close. "Adela's pregnant, 'Lee. I wanted ya t' be the first t' know, but…Well, shit happens, doesn't it?" He squeezed her hand again. "So ya need t' live t' see your niece or nephew. Maybe both. We don't know."

"I always knew you'd have a family first. Especially when ya told me 'bout Adela." She watched him, smiling wearily. "You'd be a good da'."

"Someday, you'll be a good mum."

"Will…?"

"Aye?"

"If I don't make it-"

"You're going to make it." His tone was firm, but his voice weak.

"If I don't, though, can ya promise me somethin'?"

He swallowed hard. It was getting harder and harder to stay conscious. "Alright."

"Tell Bofur I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry. They came all this way…"

Will's grip on her hand had gone limp.

"Will?"

He didn't move.

"Will!" She gripped his hand, sobbing, but he did not move. "William, don't ya dare leave me…Stay here! I promise I won't leave if ya don't! WILL!"

Will bolted upright in his bed, gasping. His eyes wide, he quickly looked around only to find that he wasn't in the forest –he was in some strange room. Baylee lay in a bed some feet away; she, too, had bolted upright and was gasping for breath.

"Baylee!" Scrambling out of his bed (and ignoring any pain he felt), he crawled into hers and scooped her up. "Oh thank the gods…thank the gods…"

"I thought you were dead," she sobbed, clinging onto him. "You stopped talkin' an' you went limp an' you wouldn't move! Don't you do that to me again! It was like watchin' ma all over again. Don't you dare do tha' again!"

"I swear it, 'Lee. I swear." He kissed the top of his head, letting out shaky sobs. "An' don't you dare have me make a promise like tha' again, you hear? You had me so scared, talkin' like you were goin' t' die."

She could only nod, her voice lost amidst her mixture of sobs and laughter.

The door to the room opened and Lovisa froze, seeing the twins wide awake and clinging onto one another. Tears instantly filled her eyes and she dashed towards them, hugging them tightly. Behind her stood a very shocked, but relieved, Hunil. As the healer of the rangers, he had been putting all his skill and effort into healing the twins –as well as Dwalin, Bofur, and Rán.

For a few moments, he stood by, remaining silent as he let Lovisa reunite with the twins. He was trying to figure out how Will had managed to get out of bed; his wounds should have been too severe to keep him from moving. Baylee, too, had moved about, despite her own injuries. They should have been in too much pain to even lift a finger…Then again, they were from Dale and Dale-dwellers were hardy folk.

"Am glad to see you awake," he told them when five minutes had passed.

Lovisa pulled back from them, wiping her nose on her sleeve. She wore a large smile, the first one that Hunil had seen from her.

"How long were we unconscious?" Will asked, still holding onto Baylee.

"This is fifth day."

He nodded slowly, the aches and pains of his injuries finally starting to throb their way into his mind. Wincing, he gently set Baylee down against her pillows. "I don't think I should have bolted out o' bed like that…" he mumbled, slowly walking back towards his bed.

"If you hadn't, I would have," Baylee chuckled. Her own body was starting to hurt, but she was too happy to care at the moment.

Hunil shook his head, chuckling as he set a bag down on the foot of Will's bed. "Would not have thought that you could move about so soon."

"Our family is tough," Will grinned as he shoved a pillow behind him. He flinched as he slowly lowered himself back, his side protesting to the action. "You've seen our dad. He's bigger 'n me." He held out his arm as Hunil started to unwrap a bandage from it.

"Lovisa, could check Lady Baylee's wounds?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

She nodded and moved between the beds, pulling a changing curtain open between them. Being very gently, she helped lift the loose shirt from Baylee's body before starting to unravel the bandages around her chest.

"Where are we?" Baylee asked, wincing as she had to sit up again. Looking down, she cringed –there were deep gashes going down from her left shoulder and across her breast.

"Are in Rëma," Hunil answered. He peeled some of the medicinal leaves from Will's arm, exposing a deep set of claw marks. "City on southern border of Dorwinion. Not home, but large enough to be safe."

Baylee glanced towards the curtain. "So, some of the riders escaped, then?"

"Just three. One surrendered; said she did not want to fight."

"What does she look like?"

"Not know. Ashailyn and Nakara deal with her."

Will flinched as Hunil started to dab a strange, purple liquid onto the claw marks. "If Nakara is back, does that mean he and Girish were able to get Tyko?"

"Yes. Tyko is fine. Lost fingers, like Lady Baylee, but is unhurt. Missed battles." They both heard Baylee yelp in pain.

Frowning, Will instinctively started to push himself up, but Hunil stopped him. "You alright, 'Lee?"

"Aye, sorry! It's just some o' the medicine –it stings somethin' awful."

"Oh, tha' it does."

Half an hour later, their bandages had been changed and Lovisa and Hunil left them so that they could fetch food. Propped up on their pillows, the siblings were left alone in the room, the windows across from them wide open to allow the cool sea air to waft in. Shifting, Baylee rubbed her hip; it had been the worst of her injuries, Hunil told her, and he wasn't sure if she would ever walk properly again. Will meanwhile, quietly sighed and relaxed his head against the headboard.

She smiled as she looked at him. "How far along is Adela?"

"Hm?" He cracked open an eye and glanced at her. "Oh…We're not sure," he admitted. "We're thinkin' maybe five months? Though, that was when we found out…She may be seven or eight now."

Giving her twin a dry look, she crossed her arms. "…Will, how long ago did ya find out?"

"'Bout a month after you left. An' that reminds me! She's livin' at the inn now."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Since when?"

He quietly chuckled. "Well, 'bout two weeks after you left." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Her dad found out about us and kicked her out, but not before shaming her in front o' all his patrons."

She frowned. "He did what?"

"Aye, an' dad wasn't too happy 'bout that. Oh, you should have seen me an' him shouting at ol' Mannus-"

"Wait, papa yelled at Mannus?"

"Oh, o' course he did! After what he did t' Adela, who wouldn't yell at him?" He gave her a small smile; inwardly, he frowned. He didn't like seeing his big sister wrapped up in so many bandages, especially since she was so much smaller than him. "So Adela's livin' with us and she's pregnant. I wanted you t' be the first t' know, but…things happened. No doubt everyone else knows by now, too. I mean, Adela's got some nice curves on her, but a baby bump is just one o' those curves you can't hide." He quietly chuckled and shook his head. "So aye. You'll be an auntie here soon."

Baylee gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

He rolled his eyes, quietly laughing. "Stop bein' so damned sorry, Baylee. None o' this was your fault. It was those raiders who did this. Not you."

"I know…it's just, I feel bad all this happened."

Again, he laughed. "It's your nature. You wish everythin' can be sunshine and sunflowers."

"But I know tha' sometimes things are bloody and full o' pain."

Opening his mouth to say something, Will didn't have the chance to speak as the door opened. They were expecting Lovisa and Hunil again, but instead, Bofur and Dwalin poked their heads into the room. Their eyes widened and they let out laughs when they found the two siblings wide awake.

"See?" Dwalin grinned. "I told yeh they'd wake up soon enough!" He lightly punched Bofur's arm, not noticing the flinch it brought about. Shoving his way into the room, Will and Baylee could see that the right side of his face was almost completely wrapped in bandages.

Bofur shuffled in behind them, having a bit of a limp. While his face didn't have bandages, Baylee and Will could see that there were two large scratches across the width of his face. "An' it's about time, too! The two o' you had us scared beyond all hope, 'specially when I found ya both just lyin' in a puddle o' blood. I didn't know if it was yours or the enemy's…"

"You were the one who found us?" Baylee frowned, pushing herself to sit up a bit more. Dwalin leaned over, giving her a big hug that made two of her vertebrae pop back into place.

"Aye." He stood at the foot of Will's bed, leaning on it for support. "Nearly thought you were goners, but the two o' you were still breathin'."

Dwalin pulled back and observed the two of them, his hands on his hips. "Look at the two o' yeh! Nearly dead five days ago an' now yer sittin' up an' talkin' like yeh got wee scratches!" he grinned. "How d'yeh manage that?"

"It's in our blood, I guess," Will laughed. While the dwarves couldn't hear it, Baylee noticed a hint of apprehension to his tone.

"Must be," Bofur agreed. He hobbled his way over to Baylee so that he could give her a hug as well. Reaching the edge of her bed, he had to sit down due of his leg, but he turned towards Baylee when she pulled him to her and embraced him. "You had me so scared," he mumbled, his voice loud enough only for her ears to hear.

"I didn't mean to scare ya," she murmured, giving him an extra squeeze. "But someone had t' keep an eye on Will."

"I know, lass. I know." He lightly rubbed her back, smiling. "Everything's just goin' t' be getting better now, though. We're all safe, even if a little worse for wear."

Turning her head, Baylee lightly kissed his temple. "How bad are ya hurt?"

"Not near as bad as you, lass," he chuckled as she pulled back. He gave her a comforting smile as she cupped his cheek. "Some bites an' scratches here an' there…an' something's off with my leg, but Hunil says it's just a minor sprain from when I fell downhill. I'll be limpin' for a while."

She nodded in understanding, her thumb unconsciously stroking his skin. She wanted to tell him how badly she had missed him, but she couldn't do it in front of Will. He would end up teasing her about it. "I'm glad I got t' that warg in time," she murmured. "Don't think I could live with myself if I couldn't have stopped it."

A teasing grin suddenly came to his lips. "T' be entirely truthful, lass, I don't think I ever expected a woman o' your size t' look so fierce." Taking her hand from his cheek, he lightly held it between his hands, gently stroking her bandages. "I honestly thought tha' Oromë decided t' take on a female form an' come save me."

Will and Dwalin, who had been holding their own conversation, looked over as Baylee burst into a fit of giggles. Dwalin raised his good brow, a small smile coming to his lips. It was good to hear laughter again.

"Honestly!" Bofur continued. "Here I am, lookin' down death's throat an' next thing I know, there's this radiant beam o' light an' there you go, majestically riding by an' savin' my life." He grinned as she continued to giggle.

"But then a different warg went an' yanked me off o' my horse!" she told him. "So, I don't think Oromë would have chosen me for a vessel."

He shrugged. "You never know. For thirty seconds, ya could have hosted one o' the Valar."

Will cracked up now. "Oh, I don't doubt that Oromë was present somewhere durin' that fight –elsewise, how did we all live?" He winced slightly and leaned back against his pillows again. "Anyone know where Lovisa got to? She told us she was bringin' us some food."

"We saw her headin' into the kitchen when we were comin' up," Dwalin answered. "Knowin' her, she's bringing yeh lots an' lots o' food. She's been makin' sure we all eat as much as our bellies can hold."

Bofur grinned cheekily. "Not that we mind much," he chirped. "The food here is quite good."

"There's no mint in it, is there?" Baylee inquired, her tone wary.

Dwalin shook his head. "No. Well, there's some, but not much."

She sighed. "Good. I've had enough mint t' last me a lifetime." Glancing up at the large dwarf, she tilted her head. "How bad is your head wound?"

He let out a sigh and looked at the floor, lightly kicking it with his boot. "Don't have right eye anymore," he admitted. "But I'm not lettin' that stop me from fightin'." He grinned broadly.

"If anything, it'll make ya look tougher," Will told him. He turned his head towards the door as Lovisa and Bifur came in, each bearing a tray of food. Just as Dwalin had predicted, the trays were full of edible delights. "It's a good thing I'm starvin', because if I wasn't, I don't think I could eat half of what you've brought us, Lovisa."

A small laugh left her throat as she carried a tray over to Baylee's side of the room. Bofur took it from her before setting it over the small woman's lap. 'Not eat well for weeks. Need good food! Build up weight again. Build up strength.' She pointed a finger at Baylee. 'Just need weight. And not get out bed two days, young lady.'

Baylee lightly pouted as she started to open up a still-hot biscuit so she could fill it with butter and honey. "Why two days? Will got out o' his already." Bofur noticed that her hands were shaking slightly and she seemed to wince every time she moved her fingers.

'He bigger, stronger. Not lose as much blood. You need rest. Lots rest.' She walked across the room and started to clean up a bit of the mess she and Hunil had made earlier.

Still wearing the pout, Baylee took a bite out of the biscuit. 'Can walk,' she definitely signed.

Chewing on a piece of fish, Will grinned. 'Listen to Lovisa,' he signed. 'Not want spanking!'

'Not spanked as much as you. Trouble maker,' she smirked.

'Then she put in corner for time out.'

Bofur and Dwalin snorted, causing Lovisa to turn around. 'What they sign?' she demanded.

'Love you!' the twins signed in unison, pointing at Lovisa. Their too-innocent smiles and giggles betrayed them and Lovisa rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

'Children…'

Later in the day found Dwalin sitting outside, enjoying the warmth of the late-afternoon. He had his eye closed and head tilted back towards the sky as he sat on a bench, letting his skin be warmed by the sun. Despite his body being filled with aches and pains, the sunlight somehow managed to make him feel much better. He let out a quiet sigh, not hearing the smaller dwarf approach.

"You look rather content."

He opened his eyes, startled to find Ori walking towards him. From the elbow down, the scribe's arm was held stiff by a splint. "I thought yeh had gone in for a nap?" He scooted over, letting Ori share his bench.

Before sitting down, Ori stole a kiss from Dwalin. "I couldn't sleep. At least, not without you by my side." He rested his head against Dwalin's arm. "I've missed you too much."

Wrapping his arm around Ori's shoulders, he chuckled. "I've missed yeh too, lad," he quietly told him. "An' now I've got yeh back. Can't say I'm too willin' t' let yeh go wanderin' off anymore, though."

"Understandable. Though, it was a completely unforeseeable event…" He closed his eyes, his unhurt hand moving to clasp Dwalin's hand. "But I don't want t' leave home for a long while. I've had enough adventures for now."

"Yeh've got one left –goin' home." Dwalin entwined their fingers, smiling gently. "But that'll be a whole lot easier than gettin' here, eh, lad?"

"So long as you're by my side, I think I can manage. Though, I do wonder about Dori's reaction to all that's happened…Nori told me that there hadn't been time to tell him."

"Oh, he'll be mighty upset for sure. Not just 'bout yeh, either. I don't think he'd appreciate the new addition t' yer family…"

Ori lightly shrugged. "He may, actually. He's been telling Nori that he needs to learn some responsibility an' I think Zori's a good way t' bring some sense to him." Opening his eyes, he looked out across the gardens of the healing house. "He's a cute lil' bugger, though. I'm glad Nori saved him."

"Aye…though, soon as Nori starts doin' wrong by him, I'm takin' him."

He snorted. "What?"

"Yeh heard me. Soon as Nori starts messin' up an' doesn't seem t' be changin' for the better, I'm takin' the wee fellow an' yeh an' me can raise him. We'll do it right." He brought Ori a bit closer to him. "Personally, I think yeh'd make a good father. Yeh'd be like Dori, only less…"

"Of a fusspot?" he suggested. Dwalin grinned, nodding. "I don't know. I wouldn't know where t' start with a baby. I mean, Baylee made me hold her cousin down in Lake Town an' I didn't have the slightest idea of what to do."

Dwalin chuckled, shaking his head. "No one's really prepared for a baby, unless they're Bombur an' Gerdi. They've got so many children…"

Ori gave him a small look. "Dwalin, we're two males. It's a wee bit hard for us to unexpectedly get pregnant."

"I'm jus' sayin', lad! When a baby comes into a person's life, they're not really ready for it, regardless o' what they think." Kissing the top of Ori's head, he quietly sighed and rested his chin atop his skull. "I see yeh've got a fine bit of stubble comin' back," he murmured, changing the subject.

Knowingly rolling his eyes, Ori quietly laughed. "It's a good thing we dwarrows are hairy folk. I may have a beard again before we reach Dale. A small one, but a beard nonetheless."

Smirking, Dwalin reached up and stroked his stubbled skin with his thumb, making Ori blush darkly. "Yeh never know. It may be decently sized by the time we get back." He snickered as Ori lightly tugged on his beard. "Might be enough for a wee lil' braid or two."

"Don't get your hopes up," he murmured, glancing away shyly. He froze, seeing Nori standing some yards away, his brow raised and a hand on his hip. Zori was strapped to his back via a proper sling, babbling away as babies were wont to do. "Er…hello, Nori."

Dwalin looked up, his eyes wide as he mentally cursed. Nori did know about 'them', but it was still an awkward thing to be caught by his lover's brother…

"An' here I thought I wouldn't be interrupting anythin' or anyone," mused Nori. He dismissively waved his hand and walked by. "Don't mind me. I'm just out here to get some air. That place is getting too stuffy with all o' the cookin' going on."

"Ah, but it's good food," Dwalin commented. "Haven't been able t' each as much as we want for nearly a month now…An', since all o' us are on the mend, we need all o' the food an' drink we can get." He grinned cheekily.

Nori raised his brow, grinned. "With the way you eat, you'll empty this city of food in a few days."

"I'm not Bombur!"

"Ah, but you can eat just as much as him, given enough food," Nori grinned. He winced slightly as Zori managed to wriggle his hands around his braid and yanked his head back. "Ack! Zori, no chewing on my hair!"

Laughing, Ori shook his head. "It seems Zori's not gettin' enough food. You may want to take him in and find him some cookies to nibble on. I think Lovisa said she was going to make some, after all."

It was not Nori who perked at this news, but Dwalin. "Cookies, yeh say?" he repeated, trying to hide his excitement. "Did she say what kind?"

"No, though I don't doubt they'll be good. I had some of her cookies when we were in Lake Town and they were quite delicious. I'm sure you would approve of them, even if they weren't made by Balin."

"Well…someone best warn her about Dwalin's love for the things so she can hide them," Nori told them, his hands trying to free his braid from Zori's hands and mouth. He was thankful that it wasn't his hair the child was chewing on, but the metal clasp. 'I'll have to get him something to teethe on that isn't in my hair,' he thought to himself.

"Do you not believe you can feel like queen?"

Her cheeks had felt like a furnace as she gazed down into her cup. She mumbled something, but what it was, she wasn't even sure.

"What was that?" With a glance up, she could see the queen doting unwanted affections along Ori's neck and shoulders.

'Why do you keep doing that? It's all too obvious he's not going to respond to you,' she had thought. 'Ori isn't into females. Are you that confident in your beauty?' With a small gulp, she mustered up enough courage to reply. "I said I could, but not because o' silks or jewelry."

"Then how would you make self feel like queen, hm?" Damayanti wore a small smile, almost as if she weren't paying attention to her words.

"I was always told that when I fight the right man t' love, he'd make me feel like a queen. Not with fancy gifts, but with his affection."

The queen had given her a dirty look, no amusement in her eyes. She pulled back from Ori and crossed her legs, leaning forward slightly. Looking at Baylee, she wore a mocking grin. "Bah. And who told you that? A man, no doubt. Such a silly thing to say, no? Only a man can make a woman feel like a queen…"

Anger suddenly flared up within her chest and Baylee was unable to keep herself quiet. "It was my mother who told me tha'," she had boldly stated. "An' I believe her because my father made her feel like the queen o' Lake Town every day that they were together." Meeting the queen's gaze, she clenched her teeth, but did not shy away from the look.

For a long moment, Damayanti was quiet –a dangerous sort of quiet. Baylee shakily took a drink from her cup, listening as Damayanti and Vlasta exchanged a few words in their native tongue before summoning her guard. The guard grabbed hold of her wrists and yanked her forward, making her cry out in pain. She tried to struggle free of the grip, but the guard only held on tighter.

Damayanti was drawing a knife and telling her, in a sickly sweet voice, that it would only hurt for a few days. She forced Baylee to splay her hands before lifting the knife up. And then, quick as lighting, she brought it down-

Baylee gasped, her eyes snapping open. She found herself staring at a white ceiling that was lit by the early-morning sun. Quietly groaning, she pushed herself to sit upright before rubbing her face.

"Will?" she murmured, her voice slightly muffled by her hands. When no reply came, she looked over to his bed only to find it empty. "Oh, that's right…you're allowed t' get up an' walk around…" she grumbled. Slumping back against the pillows, she sighed.

The previous morning, she had tried to walk around the room, despite Lovisa's orders, though she barely made it to the foot of her bed. Not for lack of strength, but because of the pain that would flare up in her right thigh and hip. She had stayed in bed since, not quite willing to suffer the agony again just yet.

She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a cloth bag that lay there. Dumping its contents onto her stomach, she slightly grinned; it had contained four large warg teeth. From what she had been told, two of them had been removed from her thigh while the other two came from Will's shoulder. They had been saved because Hunil thought that they would be good trophies to show others what they had lived through.

Picking up the largest one –it was almost as big as her hand- Baylee closely inspected it. 'I hope Will's arm isn't damaged any further,' she thought. 'If he's going to be a father like he said, then he'll need all the strength he can get.' She smiled at the mental image of Will holding a baby. 'He'll be a good papa…and Adela should be a good mother. She's sweet and already rather motherly to Will.'

Picking up a different tooth, she tilted her head. 'This almost matches Bofur's earring. It matches the size of one of my puncture wounds for sure, though.' Turning it over in her hands, an idea started to form in her mind. 'He did kill that warg, so it'd be right for him to own this tooth. It just needs a bit of cleaning and some metal to cap it and make the hook…'

The door creaked open and, glancing over, she saw Bofur poking his head in. He smiled when he saw that she was awake.

"I would have knocked, but I didn't want t' wake ya if you were still sleepin'," he quietly told her. Pushing the door the rest of the way open, he came in with a tray of food. "Lovisa's orders, I'm t' make sure you eat at least three quarters o' this food."

Baylee rolled her eyes and laughed as she rearranged the pillows behind her. Sitting up, she winced as her leg and back twinged, but did her best to ignore them. "I can barely eat half o' all that! Does she think I'm Will or somethin'?" She slid the teeth back into the bag before tossing it onto the nightstand.

"Well, you two are twins, as different as you look," he chuckled. Grabbing one of Will's pillows, he set it over her lap before resting the tray on top of it. "Maybe she thinks you've the same size stomachs?"

She quietly laughed, moving to pour some honey into her porridge. "Ah, I doubt that. She knows well enough that I can't eat nearly as much as him." She was glad to see that he looked more rested than he had when she woke up two days ago. Despite this, though, she could see that he still had small bags under his eyes. "Have ya already eaten?"

He shook his head. "No. Just had some tea is all so far."

"Then maybe ya can help me," she chuckled, offering him one of her biscuits as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I wouldn't want t' bring about Lovisa's wrath, lass."

She continued to tempt him with it. "I know you're hungry," she told him. "Lovisa doesn't have t' know. It's just a wee biscuit. Maybe some o' the bacon an' eggs. It's not too much. C'mon…" A triumphant grin came to her lips as, taking the biscuit, he laughed.

"Alright, alrigh'!" He pulled the biscuit apart and started to put some clotted cream on it. "But only because I don't get any food until I bring down your dishes."

"Well that's not fair. You're a dwarf on the mend! You need all the food you can get t' build your strength back up," she lightly teased. She poured a bit of cream into her porridge before crinkling in a piece of bacon and adding some berries.

He raised his brow as he watched her. "Bacon in your porridge? Lass, I've heard o' many odd things, but that's certainly the oddest." He took a bite of the biscuit, some crumbs falling into his beard.

"Normally I'd eat it on its own, but the bacon down here is too salty t' eat on its own," she explained. "So I mix it in. It somehow tastes good with the sweetness o' the honey an' the berries." As she stirred the contents of her bowl together, she glanced at him. "Bofur, do you know what sort o' injuries Lovisa sustained? I know she has some, but she won't tell me. Says she doesn't want me t' worry 'bout her."

Slowly chewing the biscuit, he tried to recall what all Lovisa had. There had been so many injuries dealt to everyone, it was hard to keep track. "I think she's got some bruised ribs," he told her, "an' some gashes on her arms an' legs, but who didn't get some o' those? Except Zori. The wee lad got out scratch-free."

She nodded in understanding, chewing a bite of her porridge. She had gotten to properly meet Zori the previous day and found much amusement when he crawled all over her bed. "Make sure she doesn't do too much then, will you? She sometimes forgets tha' she's hurt an' does too much. Ends up strainin' herself…She may be half dwarf, but she's also half human an' in her eighties."

"No need t' worry about that, lass," he assured her. "Bifur's been actin' like her nanny. Won't let her do more than stir a pot or chop a couple o' vegetables before he makes her sit down and rest."

Baylee tilted her head curiously. "Really?"

"Mhm." He took a sausage as she offered it to him. "I think they've takin' a likin' t' one another, truthfully. They've got common ground, what with most folk being unable t' understand them an' them raisin' lil' ones that weren't theirs." He took a large bite out of the sausage; it was quite spicy and left his mouth tingly.

"Who did Bifur raise?"

He took a moment to finish the sausage before answering. "Me 'n Bombur. Our parents died before I was thirty, so he an' his mum took us in, though Bifur did most o' the work. He was in his early one-hundreds at the time an' had a lot more energy than his mum, who was always out at work. She was a seamstress, so she was always makin' these fancy gowns for the noble dwarrow ladies…Meanwhile, Bifur was an apprentice t' a toymaker. He's the one who taught me how t' make toys after I quit mining." Catching himself rambling, he shut himself up with half of a biscuit.

She warmly smiled at him. "Well, he did a good job raising you, then."

He chewed and swallowed the biscuit before affectionately smiling at her. "Lovisa an' your folks did a better job."

"Why do ya say that?"

"Because I don't know many folk –dwarrow or not- who would go chargin' into battle like the two o' you did when the odds were so horrible."

"We had t' keep you lot safe."

"An' scare us all," he quietly chuckled.

Baylee set her tray aside and scooted closer to him so she could hug hum. "I was more scared at the thought o' losin' any o' you than I was at the thought o' me dyin'," she softly admitted. "Especially after all o' you had traveled so far for the three o' us…"

Bofur set his hand on the back of her head, smiling fondly. "But we all lived," he gently told her. "Aye, we're a bit beaten, but we lived t' tell this tale."

"Thank the Valar." She pulled back slightly and rested her forehead against his. Her fingers rose up, stroking his cheek, though she was careful to not touch his scratches. "Bofur?"

"Aye, lass?" He couldn't take his eyes away from hers; they were so bright and so green, they made him think of two perfectly cut peridots.

Her fingers unconsciously brushed against his lips. "Out o' everyone, save Will…I missed you the most."

Taking her hands, he covered her knuckles in tender kisses. "I've missed you, too," he told her before nuzzling his cheek into one of her palms.

Watching him, Baylee felt her cheeks growing warm and a fluttering sensation filling her stomach. A small lump caught in her throat as he kissed her knuckles and she swallowed hard, trying to force it away. When he buried his cheek into her hand, her heart started to beat faster and she couldn't stop herself from speaking.

"Bofur, I love you."

He glanced up at her, his eyes wide in shock. Though his cheek left her palm, he continued to hold her hand. "Wh-what was that, lass?"

"I love you," she repeated. Swallowing hard, she looked down at her lap. "We haven't even known each other all that long, but somethin' 'bout you…You're sweet an' kind an' funny an' I just fell for ya."

Reaching over, Bofur lightly tilted her head back up so he could see her face. For a brief second, she saw a smile on his lips, but it was quickly hidden as he leaned forward and kissed her. As he did so, his mustache and beard tickled her skin, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Her eyes closing, she returned the kiss, feeling relieved that he hadn't rejected her.

"I was goin' t' wait awhile before I told you," he murmured, barely drawing back from her. "Let ya get healed up an' recover from the ordeal. But since you said it first…" He kissed her a second time, feeling her lips curve into a smile. "I love you, too."

Remembering the words of her uncle from nearly a month ago, Baylee shyly raised her hand and stroked his mustache before twirling the end of it around her finger. A soft giggle left her mouth as Bofur grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Through all this, the two of them hadn't realized that they weren't exactly alone. Bifur stood half hidden behind the door, a proud look on his features as the two kissed. He was glad his cousin had finally gathered up enough courage to admit his feelings. Before they could notice him, however, he silently closed the door and crept off, heading for the kitchen where he found Lovisa ladling a bowl full of porridge. She looked up as he came in and gave him a small wave before adding the bowl to a line up of other breakfast bowls.

His brow rose; there was sweat on her forehead and a bit of a pain expression on her features as she turned around to flip some bacon. Walking over, he plucked the two-pronged fork from her hands and set it aside. Lightly set his hands on her shoulders, he guided her over to a stool, where he made her sit.

'Have eaten?' he asked.

'No. Make sure-'

'Need eat. Need rest! Have hurt ribs,' he lightly scolded. 'Will get you food. Take over. You rest.'

She let out a defeated sigh; she knew better than to argue with him, especially since he was right. The left side of her torso was aching something horrible and it would continue to ache for some months –ribs took a long while to heal.

'Thank you,' she signed when he handed her a bowl of porridge.

'Someone need watch over you,' he signed back, giving her a small smile. 'You watch over all us. Need watching over self.' Rolling his sleeves up, he started to putter about the kitchen, cooking various foods. All the while, he kept an eye on Lovisa to make sure she ate the porridge. "I have some news, by the way," he told her, his Khuzdul filling the quiet kitchen.

Looking up, she made a quick sign. 'What?'

"First, you need to promise you don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you."

She nodded, making the sign for promise –an X over her heart.

Bifur leaned against the counter. "I saw Bofur an' Baylee kissing."

Lovisa's eyes shot open and she nearly dropped her bowl. 'What!?'

He nodded. "Saw it with my own two eyes."

'He best treat her well. Will have me, Will, Warren to answer to if not.'

Bifur laughed. "No need to worry. The males in our family treat their lovers very well. It wouldn't be an exaggeration t' say that we spoil them rotten." He smiled at her as he turned the bacon over. "Are you still hungry, by the way? I can cook you some eggs, if you'd like."

She watched him for a moment; she was still rather hungry, but his words were lingering in her mind. 'The males spoil their lovers?' she thought. 'Here he is, making sure I'm not working too hard and making me food…In fact, he's barely letting me do any work, even though he knows I can do some things. He's even rubbed my shoulders a time or two…' The slightest hint of a sly grin came to her features.

'Eggs lovely,' she signed as she stood up. 'Just putting bowl on counter!' She quietly laughed as Bifur eyed her movements.

He grinned slightly as he watched her return to her seat. "How many eggs and how do you like them?" he inquired, moving to grab the egg basket.

'Scrambled. Three, please.'

Crawling through the grass as he tried to catch butterflies, Zori was the epitome of adorable. Nori couldn't help but grin broadly as he sat some yards away, his pipe between his teeth with smoke slowly wafting into the morning air. The child had already gained some weight in the seven days that they had been in Rëma, making him look healthier; though, it did mean more diaper changes. All that mattered to Nori, however, was that Zori was in good spirits and being treated well…even if he had to endure the seemingly endless poopy diapers.

After a proper bath, Nori had discovered that the child had strawberry-blonde hair, a color not often seen up north. He also seemed to be quite popular with women; whenever Nori took him out, he got stopped every few yards by a young woman who wanted to coo to the child. He didn't mind so much, as Zori seemed to enjoy the attention.

"Don't try t' eat the butterflies," Nori quietly laughed as Zori slowly crawled towards some daisies. Five or six butterflies had perched atop the flowers, making them the perfect target for the child. "I hope there're not bees in the flowers." He lightly shook his head, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the baby.

Zori laughed as one the butterflies flew into his face, its wings tickling his skin. Of course, he tried to grasp it from his face, but only ended up grabbing his nose and falling forward as the insect flew away. He whined, not quite able to wriggle his arms out from underneath him, rendering him stuck. Wobbling this way and that, he still could not free himself –and to his displeasure, the other butterflies were flying off without him! He let out a small wail.

"Papa's comin'," Nori gently told him, getting up from his spot and walking over to him. Gripping his pipe with his teeth, he stiffly leaned over and plucked the child up, giving him a little toss before catching him again. Zori giggled, hands clapping together. "You like that, huh?" he grinned, giving the wee lad another toss into the air. 'If Dori were here, he'd have my hide for doing this,' he thought. 'Nearly tanned me alive when I did it with Ori.'

Babbling at Nori, Zori happily kicked his legs as he was tossed into the air twice more. But then, out of nowhere, he scrunched up his little face in intense concentration. Nori stopped tossing him, looking concerned until Zori started to grunt and growl, his cheeks turning red. He couldn't help but crack up as the child suddenly passed wind a couple of times.

"You lil' pooper!" he laughed, tickling his belly.

And then he caught a whiff of the smell.

He held the child out at arm's length, gagging. "Aw, Zori –that's worse than Dwalin after a night o' nothin' but drinking and eating meat!" A sour expression came to his face, the sour smell having filled his nose. "How can a little babe like you make that big o' a stink?" he asked, disgusted. It wasn't the first time Zori had produced an awful stench, but it was the first time he had done it when alone with Nori.

Zori clapped again, his legs kicking out below him. He didn't know why his new father had such a funny face, but it was hilarious to behold –especially since Nori had his hair in the intricate star-shape again. Cooing, he started to run his hands over Nori's vambraces, entranced by the geometric designs.

"Let's go change your butt," Nori murmured, keeping him at arm's length. "With this sort o' smell, you may need a bath, you little stink bug."

Turning around, Nori suddenly stopped. Dwalin was standing just a few yards away, his arms crossed over his chest and his brow raised. What had Nori a bit nervous, however, was the large grin that the warrior wore.

"I saw tha'," he told Nori.

"Saw what?"

"Yeh playin' with Zori."

"I was just amusing him."

"Yeh were playin' with him an' havin' fun."

"I was amusing him. There's a difference," he replied, his voice tart.

Dwalin snickered. "Yeh know what I think?"

"No, and I wouldn't care t' know." He started to walk by Dwalin in a bit of a huff.

"I think yer enjoyin' fatherhood!" he called after Nori. "An' there isn't shame in that!"

Rolling his eyes, Nori continued on his way, though he quietly chuckled as Zori passed wind again. "More? You're really makin' a mess for papa to clean up, aren't you?" he quietly asked as the baby grunted. "You really are a little pooper…"

Zori let out a heavy, yet relieved sigh, the red slowly fading from his cheeks.

"Oh, is that it? You're done now, are you? Best make sure. I don't want to be changin' you and then a surprise happens."

He looked up at Nori, confusion all over his features.

"That's right. Papa doesn't want a surprise in the middle of changing your diaper," he chuckled, daring to pull him a bit closer. He still stank, but it wasn't as bad now that he had stopped passing gas. "Papa's lil' pooper…I'll hold that one over your head for a couple o' decades for sure."