A/N: This chapter is beyond late and I am so freaking sorry! For almost a month, I was without a computer that I could work on my stuff with. Only recently did I get a personal computer back, so I've been doing my best to write like crazy to get this chapter out for you guys! Ugh, I feel so bad ;_; I did my best to make this chapter extra cute to make it up to you all. For those of you who are still around and still reading this sucker, thank you so much!I love you all and appreciate that you guys are still enjoying this~!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bombur was fast asleep and, as usual, snoring loud enough to keep his brother awake for half the night. What did not help the situation was that Bofur had given up his bed in the tradition of guests receiving the best bed in the house; this meant that while Bombur had a nice, soft feather bed to rest his portly self on, Bofur was down on the (somewhat drafty; he and Bifur would have to fix that come winter) floor. When he wasn't dreaming of himself sitting in the shop, watching as children played with the toys he and Bifur made, he was tossing and turning while using the ears of his hat to try and drown out his brother's snoring.

Bifur, he thought, was lucky. Bifur could sleep through an avalanche and wake up feeling as refreshed as a freshly-bloomed daisy. Bofur did take some twisted form of comfort, however, in knowing that Bombur only snored this loud when he was not sleeping well. His brother had never liked being away from his family for any stretch of time, especially when he had an infant back home.

'I'm just glad he's not at the inn right now,' he thought, sitting up. Squinting through the dark room, he peered in the direction of one of the windows. To the east, the horizon was a bright, pinkish-orange color brought only by the rising sun. With a heavy sigh, he brought himself up to his feet and brushed himself off. 'Can't sleep, so I may as well get up to have some tea before breakfast.' Pulling on his boots, he carefully made his way downstairs.

Breakfast, he guessed, would come in a couple of hours. There was no way in Middle Earth that Galiene or Adela would be awake at this hour –especially since it was summer. The only people who were up at this time were farmers and there were none within the walls of Dale.

Crouching down, he gathered up the burnt pieces from last night's fire and gathered them together in the center of the hearth, forming a sort of cone shape. Between them, he slipped dry wood shavings –both fine and large- before grabbing the starting flint and striking it. It took him a couple of tries, but soon he had a small, but hot, fire burning and the kettle set over it.

All the while, he could hear Bombur's snoring.

'He could wake the dead with that snore of his,' he thought, going to check on the front room of the store. He brought a lit candle with him, knowing that no light could reach it otherwise. 'Thankfully, if he does that at all over the next few weeks, there's three walls of stone separating him from Baylee and Lovisa. The two of them are most definitely going to need their rest, what with the herd of dwarrowlings Bombur and Gerdi have…'

Shaking his head, he started to walk around and take mental notes of which toys would need restocking soon. The kites, for one, were nearly out, as were the toy birds Bifur made. The wooden puzzles Bofur was quite skilled at making were going rather fast; he'd have to spend some time to make new ones here soon. Some of the pull-along animals needed to be restocked –namely the dogs and cats, though he was surprised to see that a fair amount of deer and cows had sold.

By the time the kettle began to whistle, he had a taken a full inventory of the storefront and knew just what to write down for Will restock. Putting some dried tea leaves in the bottom of the teapot, he filled it up with the boiling water so it could steep.

'Maybe when I come back in a day or two,' he thought, wandering off to find some paper and a bit of charcoal or ink, 'I can start teaching the lad how to make puzzles. Those are simple enough…anyway, I don't think he'd like carving wee dollies just yet.' He found himself in the storefront again, scrounging behind the counter for any sort of writing utensil. Instead, what he found was a small cedar box. "What's this then?" he quietly asked aloud.

Opening it, he found it to be the charm bracelet he had made for Baylee's birthday. His eyes widened. "Well blast me and scald me!" he murmured under his breath. Closing the box, he tucked it into the pocket of his vest. 'I was supposed to give that to her ages ago,' he thought, grabbing a sheet of parchment and a stick of charcoal. He brought both into the kitchen. 'But, I guess certain circumstances prevented that from happening. Can't believe I wholly forgot about it, though! Good thing I needed to find some writing utensils!'

By the time Bifur and Bombur had woke up and come tramping down the stairs, Bofur had a fairly long list of things Will would need to do around the shop so that it maintained some semblance of order. He made his cousin and brother a mug of tea, finding himself in too good of a mood to scold Bombur about his obnoxious snoring.

"What's got you in so good of a mood this morning?" Bombur asked, taking the mug that was offered to him. As he sat down, he ignored the stool as it creaked under his girth. "Did you sleep well or is it because you've already had a nip of the ale?"

"Neither," he replied. "In fact, I hardly slept at all. But ya know me, Bombur." He added a small bit of honey to his (third) cup of tea. "I think there's no point t' being in a bad mood. Not only does it ruin your day, but it ruins everyone else's as well."

Bifur nodded in agreement. "Good mood, better health," he added, keeping up the practice of his Westron. He dared to take a sip of his tea, but found it still far too hot.

Bombur raised his brow, but merely nodded. "If you insist," he said after some minutes. "Though, if you don't mind my asking –why didn't you sleep well?"

Bofur cleared his throat before lolling his head to the side and closing his eyes. He then started to loudly imitate Bombur's snoring in a highly accurate manner. Bombur's cheeks turned beet red and he puffed up his chest, feeling quite indignant and embarrassed by his brother's antics. It didn't help that, beside him, Bifur was doing his best to not laugh –though he was failing miserably.

"I'll have you know that you weren't the only one having trouble sleeping!" he pouted. "Your bed isn't nearly as soft as mine and Gerdi's."

"Because I'm more used t' sleepin' on the ground than you ever will be," Bofur grinned. "That, an' I don't like beds that are too soft. Ya kind o' sink into those and it gets hard t' get back up out o' the bed. Soot an' ashes; just give me a blanket or two an' a pillow an' I'm good t' go!" He took a long drink of his tea, which was cooler than the others, before continuing. "Anyway, it's not as if ya won't be goin' home today anyway," he added. "I mean, you'll get your nice, soft down bed t'night, an' you'll have your wifey with you. Should be a total lack o' snorin' then."

Bombur rolled his eyes as he held the warm mug between his meaty hands. "Yes, an' you'll have your hat to share your rock-hard bed with."

"Has no else to share with," Bifur snickered.

"Tha's not true!" Bofur argued. "I could just as easily share a bed with Baylee, but she's injured…An' her dad would kill me if ever he found out."

"As would her brother and her aunt," Bombur grinned.

Bofur glanced away as he took another drink of his tea. "We've only been courtin' for a handful o' weeks anyway. That'd just be movin' far too fast. No. I'm fine with me hat…" He crossed his arms and sank down in his chair slightly. "Hat's not too tall for the bed anyway…"

Elsewhere in the city, Warren was awake and readying some tea while he listened to his sister-in-law scold him.

"Baylee's been here barely three days an' you're already sending her off again!" Demelza had her hands on her hips as she glared up at him. "After all she's been through –you just send her right back out again just because you think she won't be gettin' the care she needs!"

Rubbing his temple, Warren let out a quiet sigh. "No, Demelza, I know she won't get the care. It's getting to be midsummer an' the city is nigh t' burstin' with how many people are visitin' for the festival or for tradin'. The inn is packed! You an' the girls are runnin' around like chickens without heads." He poured himself a large stein of tea, knowing he would need it. "No; Baylee will be safe in Erebor. She'll get all the care she needs an' then, maybe, in a couple o' weeks, she'll come walkin' back home, right as rain."

She rolled her eyes, unconvinced. "That doesn't excuse you for sendin' her away again! Warren Braddock, not only was your daughter kidnapped, but she also had to fight against warg riders! How do you think she feels, knowing that her own father is sending her off elsewhere to heal when she just got home!?"

His cheeks flushed a bit pink as he leaned against the counter. "Demelza, I promise ya –I talked with Baylee for nearly two hours last night about this. She understands why I'm doin' this. She knows she needs the care-"

"But she doesn't know Bofur and Bifur's family! She just met Bofur's brother what, yesterday morning?"

"I told ya, I talked it over with her-"

"She needs her family, Warren-"

"If the two of you get any louder, you're going t' wake our guests."

Warren and Demelza spun around, finding Richard in the doorway. He had his arms crossed over his chest and, while he normally wasn't a very intimidating man to behold, he had a very stern and disapproving look on his features. Lowering his arms to his sides, he walked over to his wife and gently pushed her down onto a stool. The same thing he did to Warren before he moved to stand between them.

"We all agree that it's not fair that Baylee has to be sent away in order to heal," he began, "but we also need to understand that in order for her to heal, she needs constant care. Warren's right; this is our busiest time of the year an' it'll only get busier without her help an' with Will havin' a wee one on the way."

He turned to his wife. "Demelza, thanks t' your side of the family, Baylee's got herself a stubborn streak a league wide. If no one checks on her, you know as well as I know that she'll be up an' tryin' to walk around all on her own when she shouldn't be."

Turning to Warren, he watched as the bigger man shirked back slightly. "An' you, Warren…We have friends in town she could have stayed with. To send her off to the Erebor with a family of dwarves she hardly knows can seem a bit cruel t' those who don't know any better.

"Regardless," he sighed, "the two o' you need to stop the yellin' –you could wake our customers an' lose us some business." Rubbing his temple, he leaned against the counter. "Also, the decision has already been made an' Bombur has assured us tha' we can visit any time we'd like; it's only an hour trip anyway. An' that's by foot."

Warren didn't look at him as he took a drink from his stein. "I didn't think anyone would want t' be burdened with Baylee…especially since she's got herself a stubborn streak."

Demelza crossed her arms and her legs. "You're just lucky that Lovisa is goin' with her. At least there'll be one familiar face around t' take care of her."

"Bifur is familiar!"

"Not as familiar as Lovisa," she huffed. "I'm sorry, Warren, but I'm just not as trusting as you are about dwarvish folk. Especially ones from Thorin's Company!" She glanced around, as if making sure no one else were around. "Don't you remember how it was that lot who brought Smaug down upon Lake Town? How they caused a war because they wouldn't give us the wergild for our burnt homes?!"

Richard felt another shouting match about to surface, so he threw his hands out, silencing Warren before he had the chance to speak. "The dwarves that frequent this inn and have become friends with our family may be the same dwarves who were in Thorin's Company, but I think everyone can see tha' they're not the ones who had gotten the gold sickness. They clearly care 'bout the folk o' Dale, and they're starting to care for our family. Why else would they have risked their lives t' help save Baylee?"

"Oh, could it be because Ori was taken?" came Demelza's sarcastic reply. "Or maybe because they thought there would be a handsome reward-"

Warren slammed his stein down on the counter and stood up. "You heard 'em full well tha' day when Lovisa an' Richard brought us the news!" he snapped. "They were just as worried 'bout Baylee as they were 'bout Ori!"

"Shh!" Richard hissed. "Both of you stop arguing and just agree on the fact that Baylee is goin' t' come back home in some weeks an' she'll be right as rain again! This fight is inane an' is only going to create unneeded havoc in the inn. Not t' mention, you're both as stubborn as an ass, so there's no real point in tryin' to make the other listen!"

It was then that Adela came in, yawning and rubbing the sleep-sand from her eye. "Why is everyone in here?" she asked, covering her mouth as she yawned again. "Is somethin' happening?"

"Nothing's happening, dear," Richard told her. "Demelza an' Warren were just…having a little disagreement about something." He glanced between the two, his brow raised. "Nothing to worry about, I assure you."

She gave him a small, though unconvinced, smile and nodded. "Alright…though, ah, if ya three don't mind, I need t' get started on the breads for the day an' Warren's in my spot."

Warren stood, using the hem of his shirt to wipe up some of the tea that had slopped out of his mug. "Here ya go, lass," he told her. "I need t' go ready the horses an' cart anyway." He threw Demelza a small look before taking a long drink of tea and headed outside.

Baylee was sitting up in bed, working on finishing a bowl of porridge when there was a knock on the door. She called out for whoever it was to enter, not really caring that she had yet to brush her hair and that it was sticking up all over or that she had dribbled a bit of porridge on her nightshirt. So when she heard a somewhat masculine chuckle, she glanced up in panic, thinking Bofur had just come in.

It was just Lovisa.

'Did I scare you?' she signed.

"Not really scared," replied Baylee as she turned back to her breakfast, "just startled. Thought ya may have been one o' the lads at first."

Lovisa's brow rose. 'Whiskers aren't nearly that long…' she 'sarcastically' signed.

"I know, I know. I just wasn't payin' much attention, so I misheard you at first." She scrapped the last bit of porridge from the bowl before eating it. "I'm sorry."

'Are forgiven. Must have been starving! Eating like wild boar.' She took the empty bowl and spoon from her and set them aside before pulling back the covers of the bed. Handing Baylee her hairbrush, she went to the foot of the bed and opened her trunk. 'Would be good time to have dresses, not trousers,' she joked.

Baylee nodded in agreement. "But dresses can be a bit o' a hassle in this sort o' environment. 'Specially long ones." She winced as the brush caught on a particularly ratted knot in her hair. "So trousers it is."

'Not this time.' Lovisa pulled out a simple, yellow dress from the depths of Baylee's trunk. It was quite worn, bearing a few stains around the hem and a patch here and there, but it was still a vibrant shade of yellow. 'Is easier for you to wear dresses for time being,' she explained to the human. 'You can wear trousers when you're healed.'

"I don't mind the dresses –just the fact that I can't stand up and twirl in them," she chuckled. With some difficulty, the two of them were able to get Baylee switched out of her nightgown and into the dress, though there was a small curse of pain or two as Baylee accidentally elbowed her wound.

'There.' Lovisa tossed a handful of braids over her shoulder; she had yet to undo Bifur's hard work and was not planning on unbraiding her hair for some days. 'Now just need to find your shoes…'

"Under the bed," Baylee told her. "I don't get stockings or hose?"

The half-dwarf cocked her brow as she crouched down. 'Think you have elbowed self enough for one day.'

Baylee felt her cheeks grow pink and glanced away. "You have a point there…" She lightly rubbed her hip, just thought of elbowing it again bringing about an ache. "Do you know when we'll be leaving for Erebor?"

'Soon. Within two hours. Need to get your father to carry you out so you can say goodbyes. And maybe get you more breakfast.'

"I am still a bit hungry…" she murmured.

Lovisa grabbed the empty bowl and Baylee's nearly-empty tea mug. 'What want?'

"Bacon? Or some eggs…"

Lovisa quietly chuckled and shook her head. 'Will surprise you.'

"That works."

Lovisa smiled and left the room. As she walked down the hallway, she looked up in time to see Will entering the private quarters. He covered his mouth as he yawned, his other hand rubbing a towel over his damp hair. Glancing up, he was almost startled by the sight of Lovisa coming towards him.

"How's she doing?" he asked.

'Fine. Hungry still.'

His brow rose. "Really? I brought her a bowl of porridge and two biscuits for breakfast!"

'She is getting appetite!' Lovisa happily clapped her hands together. 'This good! Maybe she will start eating normal portions now.'

"That's hoping for a bit too much," Will chuckled. "She's still Baylee, after all. Her stomach is probably only the size of my fist."

'Not your fist. Your fist big. More like size of my fist,' Lovisa teased.

He shrugged. "You know what I mean," he grinned. Stepping aside, he let Lovisa and her empty dishes walk past him.

When she came into the kitchen, she found Demelza and Galiene quietly talking to one another. The two women had their heads close to each other as they spoke in hushed tones; Adela was too busy kneading bread to notice their secrecy. Raising her brow, Lovisa started towards them, as they had the bacon and eggs.

"Isn't there anyone in town who could take care o' her?" Demelza quietly asked.

"Oh, I'm sure there is. Especially since Baylee's wee bit o' a heroine now," replied Galiene. "I've heard word, though, that bein' a heroine has made her quite the desirable bachelorette now."

Demelza seemed to perk at that. "Is that so?" Galiene nodded. "Well, that's good! The lads will be linin' up at the door t' court her at this rate."

Galiene chuckled. "We'll see about that. After all, they'll have t' go through Warren an' Will t' even get the chance t' ask Baylee if she'd like t' court 'em."

"That may be so, but we both know Warren's been grumblin' about Baylee not having herself a man yet." She sighed, flipping an egg over. "Now that Will is all but engaged, he's only got to fret over her…"

"He's always fretted over Baylee!" Galiene chuckled. "And with good reason –she's his little girl."

"A little girl who seems to find herself in big trouble sometimes," sighed Demelza. "I swear, Will's gotten into less trouble than that lass…"

Galiene gave her a small look. "Now ya know as well as I that Baylee's never gone seekin' out trouble –it's always other people gettin' her in trouble. I'm just glad that she's able t' get out of –Oh! Lovisa, love, ya gave me a fright!"

Lovisa smiled apologetically, giving them a small gesture of her regret. 'Baylee like eggs, bacon,' she signed to them. 'Please.'

Brows furrowing, Galiene put a hand on her hip. "Baylee's already eaten breakfast. I made it for her meself!"

She shrugged. 'Is still hungry.'

"Well, that's an improvement at least! I'll get her some eggs goin' soon as these one finish. Demelza, you get started on some bacon." Turning back to the pan, she lightly prodded one of the eggs, seeing if it was ready.

Lovisa cocked her brow and went to lean against the counter as she waited for Baylee's food. 'Funny that everyone is so up in a tizzy about Baylee needing to get married…' she thought. 'The poor thing has enough on her plate; can't she deal with her current problems before she has to deal with a marriage?' Lightly shaking her head, she let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes for a moment.

'But she's not the only one with lad troubles…Bifur has made it quite obvious to me that he fancies me –and I fancy him quite a bit, too. Though, sometimes it seems like Nori may also fancy me. Or maybe I'm reading too much into his needing a babysitter or child-rearing advice…?'

Her eyes snapped open as she heard footsteps approaching. Glancing up, she saw Demelza coming towards her with a plate of eggs and bacon. "Here you go, love," she told her. "It's probably more than what she wanted, but you can always nibble what's left."

Lovisa hoarsely chuckled and signed her thanks before taking the plate and walking off.

It was not much longer before Lovisa and Baylee found themselves leaving Dale by way of the northern gate. Riding alongside the cart were Bofur, Bifur, Bombur, Nori, and Dori. Zori was currently in the cart, sitting atop Baylee's stomach as she played with him and made silly faces at him. He giggled as she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, his little hands trying to reach forward to grab her tongue.

"Careful, lass," Nori lightly warned, "once he sees a tongue, he'll try t' grab for it an' if he gets it, he doesn't let go. An' he's got a right strong grip."

"I'll be careful," Baylee smiled. She slowly moved her index finger towards Zori's nose and it was her turn to giggle as he went cross-eyed while watching it.

Bombur watched the two of them, amused. "I think you'd get along quite well with my youngest children," he chuckled. "That is, when you're healed up."

"She's good with children; that's for sure," Nori added. "Been a big help with Zori, she has."

Baylee's cheeks turned a little pink. "Lovisa's been more help," she told him. "She's actually willing t' change diapers an' deal with their spittle." She grinned cheekily at Lovisa, who had shifted on the seat of the cart to look down at her. "It's true, though, an' you know it."

Lovisa rolled her eyes, though there was a smile on her lips. 'Just wait until have children of own,' she signed. 'Will have no choice but to change diapers then!'

"If I can handle it, lass," Nori assured her, "you can as well."

Scrunching her nose up, Baylee frowned. That earned a small chuckle from the dwarves. "There'll be a while before I have to worry about that sort of thing," she murmured.

"That may be true, but once tha' niece or nephew o' yours is born, you'll have t' learn," Bofur teased. "After all, Will an' Adela are more 'n likely goin' t' need a night or two off t' recuperate from parenthood. Bombur an' Gerdi did. Then again, less than a year later, Gerdi popped out another one…Doubt Will an' Adela will be doin' that, though. Humans don't-"

"Bofur, that's enough," Bombur and Dori chorused, their voices bearing no amusement.

A cheeky, though innocent, smile came to his lips. "Sorry, lads. Guess I started ramblin' again."

"You do it quite often," Bombur muttered under his breath. He thought his brother couldn't hear him, but he was wrong.

Bofur frowned slightly. "Aye, I know I have a tendency t' ramble, but it's not my fault. When I worked in the mines, the others didn't talk much an' just let me keep talkin' so we had somethin' t' listen to besides the sound o' mattocks an' pickaxes all day an' night."

Bombur managed to roll his eyes without his brother seeing. "It's not the talking I mind, brother –it's your…unpolished humor. You needn't mention such matters, especially when there are womenfolk about!"

"Oh, ya don't have t' worry about us womenfolk," Baylee grinned. "Lovisa an' I have heard far worse from raucous patrons. Who would have thought that soldiers had such a crude vocabulary?" She lightly shook her head, though chuckled. "But aye, no –we don't mind his talk."

Nori suddenly smirked. "An' if I recall correctly, on the way back t' Dale, you were joining in with such 'uncouth' banter."

Lovisa spun around, ignoring the pain that flared up in her ribs. Baylee did her best to look innocent as the half-dwarf gave her quite the scolding glare. 'Have taught you better!' she signed, her white brows knitted together. 'Are not common wench!'

Baylee shrunk down. "If it's any consolation, I was half asleep and under the effects o' that strange medicine tha' took away my pain!"

The look Lovisa gave her clearly showed that she didn't believe her.

Ori was enjoying his mid-afternoon meal in the common room of the Tankard. He was rather pleased by the quiet that surrounded him; for the first time in weeks, he didn't have to listen to his brothers' arguing. With a soft, content sigh, he took a drink of his ale and looked around only to find Dwalin coming towards him with a few sheets of paper in hand.

"Ori, how d'yeh reckon these look?" He set the paper down on the table, spreading them out so Ori could see each of them. The younger dwarf was more than a little surprised to find geometric designs sprawled across the four sheets.

"You drew these?" he asked, blinking.

"Aye, who else?" Dwalin frowned, almost as if he were offended.

"These are beautiful," Ori told him. One of the designs was that of a spear with flowers on either side. Another took up nearly the whole sheet; it had two thick bands and between them, amongst the interlacing knot work, were the dwarvish runes for strength and protection. "What are they for?"

"Designs," Dwalin told him, his chest unconsciously puffing out.

Ori cocked his brow and glanced up at him. "Designs for what?"

Dwalin grinned. "Tattoos." He grabbed the bottommost piece of paper and showed it to Ori. "This one is yers, laddie." The sheet had two bands of blood-red. Between them, at two-inch intervals, were warg heads.

Ori looked up at him, confused. "I get one?"

"O' course yeh do!" Dwalin laughed. He pulled out a stool and sat down. "After all yeh an' Baylee went through, it'd be a shame t' not give yeh one." He plucked up the one he had drawn for Baylee and looked it over. "I figured a spear would work for her; we agreed on somethin' a lil' bit more hidden than our tattoos, so I chose a back piece."

Nodding in understanding, Ori took another drink of his ale. "Where would the spearhead go?"

"Back o' her neck. When her hair grows out, it should be hidden nicely, but if she's got her hair up an' a dwarrow sees it, they'll known she's a true warrior." He held up his hand, waving down Wenna.

"What'll it be, Mr. Dwalin?" she asked, holding her tray in front of her. "An ale and some stew?"

He thought for a moment. "Actually, an ale, some fish, an' a steak if'n yeh please, lass," he asked her kindly.

She nodded in understanding. "An' what about you, Mr. Ori? Do you need anythin' else?"

Holding up his bowl, he gave her a small smile. "More stew, please."

A small laugh came from Wenna's lips as she took the bowl from him. "That'll be your third bowl!" she lightly teased. "Would ya like some more biscuits with it as well?"

He shook his head. "No thank you, but if there are any seed cakes left, I'd quite like two, please."

"Alright, then. I should have both orders out for ya two soon enough," she smiled. With Ori's bowl and her tray in hand, she walked off towards the kitchens.

"So where would this go?" Ori asked, trying to find the placement of the sketch for his tattoo. "My arm?"

Dwalin shook his head before lightly patting his knee. "Yer thigh." A cheeky grin came to his lips. "An', o' course, I'll be the one doin' it."

Ori's cheeks pinked and he frowned slightly as he looked over the drawing again. "Isn't this a bit…small for my thigh?"

The grin on Dwalin's lips widened as he suddenly spoke in a quiet tone, "Ah, lad, I've seen yer bare thighs enough times t' know the circumference o' 'em by heart."

His cheeks deepened in color and Ori lightly smacked Dwalin across the shoulder, earning a laugh from the older dwarf. "You cad!" he mumbled, though a smile did tug at the corners of his lips.

Wenna returned just a few moments later, her tray laden with food and drink. She set a mug and three plates in front of Dwalin while Ori's bowl was returned to him. "Here ya go. If ya need anythin' else, just give a holler." She walked off, moving to serve some patrons who had just come in.

"So, I take it you've spoken with Baylee and Will about the tattoos?" Ori asked after they had eaten in silence for a few minutes.

Nodding, Dwalin shoved a large piece of fish into his mouth. "Mm…perfectly roasted," he murmured. He chewed and swallowed before answering Ori. "Aye, I have. Will's a bit hesitant, but Baylee's all for it. It's funny…I would have thought tha' it'd be the other way 'round." He shoved another piece of fish into his mouth before starting to carve up his steak.

"I've noticed that, actually," Ori mused. "Baylee's a bit more outgoing than Will." He fished out a large chunk of chicken from his stew with his spoon and happily ate it. "By the way, have you told Dori your plan on givin' me a tattoo?"

Dwalin cocked his brow. "Yeh think I'd do a stupid thing like tha'?" he mused. "He won't find out until the next adventure we're forced t' go on, Mahal willin'…" He shook his head. "An' if he finds out before tha', I'm sorry, Ori, but I'll be runnin' away. Dori's been blessed with a frightenin' amount o' strength an' I don't want t' be on the recievin' end o' his bolas."

Ori snorted into his stew. "Some great warrior you are!" he laughed. "Terrified o' my older brother…"

"Yer older brother can crack a stone wall with a single kick!" Dwalin frowned. "O' course I'll run away from him!" He shoved a large bite of steak into his mouth, still grumbling about Dori and his strength. He didn't notice as Ori reached over and stabbed his knife into one of the smaller pieces of cow and stole it. "Much less afraid o' Nori. What'll he do, pick my pockets until I can't buy any food?"

"Nori's gotten better about the thieving," Ori murmured. "After all, he can't risk goin' to jail now that he's got Zori."

Nodding, Dwalin brushed some meat-crumbs from his beard. "That is true. Yeh know, I'm actually proud o' him about that."

"About Zori?"

He nodded again as he picked a few bones out of his fish. He used one of the larger bones to pick his teeth. "I wouldn't have thought him the type t' save an infant, let alone raise it. 'Specially a half-elf infant."

Ori started to cough as a bit of his stew went down the wrong pipe. Frowning, Dwalin patted him on the back. It took some minutes, but he finally started to calm down enough to breath.

"Yeh alright, lad?"

"How did you know about Zori?" he wheezed.

Dwalin's brow rose, a skeptical expression on his features. "Ori…Zori's got pointed ears an' he's still rather slim for an infant, despite all the food he gets." He leaned back on the stool and snatched up a seed cake. "O' course he's got elf blood in him. I take it, then, that Nori knows as well?" Ori nodded. "Well, then, he must be right upset 'bout that. But good o' him for still not givin' Zori up." He ate half of the seed cake in one bite, much to Ori's chagrin.

"I was going to eat that, you know."

"I jus' wanted a wee bite," Dwalin innocently told him. As he spoke, his sprayed his lover with small, damp crumbs.

Ori's nose scrunched up as he wiped the crumbs out of his beard and off his shoulder. "Your 'wee bite' devoured more than half of the cake."

Leaning over, Dwalin left more crumbs on Ori's cheek as he kissed it. "Yeh know I'll make it up t' yeh later," he cheekily told him. "I'll buy yeh some sweets from town or somethin'."

"I'll hold you to that, you big oaf," Ori murmured, yet again wiping the crumbs from his face.

Erebor was enormous.

Having only ever seen the mountain from afar, Baylee would have never thought that, inside its stone walls, the reclaimed city of the dwarves would be so large. Dwarves were short, stocky folk and she had expected to see low-hanging ceilings and wide pillars to match. She couldn't have possibly guessed that the ceilings of Erebor's main streets were hundreds of feet tall with large, ornate lanterns and carved windows to light the way.

Lovisa, too, was taken aback by the sheer enormity of the place. As they passed through the market, she was greeted by the sight of seemingly thousands of colorful cloths strung over the hundreds of vendors trying to sell their goods. Dwarves called out deals on their wares, speaking primarily in Khuzdul, but a few called out their specials in Westron. At one point, she unconsciously locked gazes with a particularly handsome gem dealer. Giving her a wink, he held up a highly expensive ruby necklace while calling out, 'Gorgeous gems for a gorgeous woman!', bringing a dark blush to her cheeks.

Bifur steered his pony a bit closer to the cart, a frown on his features.

Halfway through the market, Nori and Dori excused themselves from the group and led their ponies off down a side street. Before they had gone much farther, Baylee watched as the two of them dismounted in the distance and, after paying a smaller dwarf to watch their ponies, disappeared into a building.

"Is that their home?" Baylee asked.

Bofur glanced over his shoulder. "Nah. That's their trading establishment," he told her. "Ori, Nori, an' Dori run a sort of fine wine an' fine tea trading company. They get their wares from all over the world! Wines from the Shire, Belfalas, and Felaya an' teas from Szrech-nîl in the Eastlands, Mardruak in the south, an' even some from Umbar."

"Don't forget their rarest of items," Bombur added, a small grin coming to his lips. "The ice-wines of Järvamaa."

The three males suddenly sighed in unison, dreamy looks coming to their features.

'What ice wine?' Lovisa signed, frowning in confusion. 'Never heard of.'

"Ice wine is delicious, that's what," Bofur, unhelpfully, told her.

Bombur shook his head. "It's a rare wine made only every couple of decades in the Frozen Realm," he explained. "It's made when the winter has been mild enough t' allow the ice to defrost durin' the spring and summer. The berries they use are pure white and have the most fruity of flavors. The wines an' whiskeys they brew are highly sought after by nobility an' rich folk." He let out a small sigh. "Dori gave Gerdi and me a bottle when our first daughter was born. Try as we might, it was gone within the week."

'Sound interesting,' Lovisa replied. 'Maybe someday, will get to try.'

"Ya might if ya butter Dori up well enough," Bofur grinned. "Baylee may get one jus' because she kept Ori safe!"

Baylee laughed. "Oh, that I highly doubt. I may have kept his brother safe, but that's not nearly enough t' warrant the gift o' some precious wine."

"Dori is a bit of an oddball," Bombur shrugged, "he may. If anything, though, he'll end up givin' you some delicious tea."

"And tour of Erebor," Bifur added. For the most part, he had been silent on the trip, letting his cousins do most of the talking. "May get from me, Bofur though."

Baylee gave him a small smile. "It'll be awhile before I can get a tour of anywhere but a bedroom."

For a few minutes, Bifur was quiet as he tried to formulate his answer in his mind. "Will heal," he finally spoke. "Have good caretakers. Will get good medicine. Dwarrows make potent dîzak." He frowned as the last word came out in Khuzdul, but shrugged it off. Bofur patted him on the back.

"You're doin' quite good," he chirped. "Just a few months ago, ya couldn't speak a lick o' Westron an' now you're havin' regular conversations! Wait 'til Gerdi an' the wee badgers hear ya!"

Lovisa cocked a brow. 'Badgers?'

"It's what they call my children," Bombur explained. "I haven't the faintest idea why…"

"Attack like badger," Bifur told him. "Pounce. Not let go."

Bofur grinned. "An' they try t' steal me hat every time I see 'em."

Baylee quietly giggled. "I wasn't aware badgers wore hats."

"O' course they do," he chuckled. "I once saw a badger who wore a great yellow hat. Even had a bright, green feather stickin' out o' it." He gave her a small wink as he spoke.

Lovisa chuckled. 'Sound like quite the find,' she signed.

Bofur nodded in agreement. "Oh, it was. Ah –home sweet home!"

Having left the market some time ago, they now found themselves staring at what appeared to be an unassuming stone wall with a highly decorated wooden door set into it. Lovisa brought the cart to a stop, her head tilting to the side.

'This your home?' she asked.

Bifur nodded. "Is home! Two home in one." He pointed to the left side of the door. "Bombur's home." And then to the right. "Our home."

"Why is it split in two?" Baylee asked, watching as the males dismounted their ponies. Lovisa hopped down from the cart only to wince, her ribs protesting.

Bofur walked over and carefully lifted Baylee out of the cart. "Because dwarves don't have homes like humans or elves; we've got mansions that are shared betwixt our families," he explained. He kissed her cheek when Lovisa wasn't looking. "Bombur an' Gerdi have the majority o' the mansion because o' their eight children while Bifur an' me, bachelors, get a couple o' rooms on northern side."

'How many rooms?' Lovisa questioned. She easily lifted a heavy, wooden chest out of the cart, Bombur doing the same with a second, smaller trunk.

"In total? Hmm…About fifty," Bombur answered. "But that includes two kitchens, a few bathing rooms, and some suites that have multiple rooms o' their own as well as a library and a smithy."

Baylee blinked, trying to comprehend the sheer amount of space that was. The Full Tankard only had twenty rooms in total and it was a rather large inn. To think that, behind a stone wall, fifty rooms were hidden was an almost impossible thing for her.

'Then again,' she thought, 'dwarves are known for their ability to make things hidden. I don't doubt that they could have an entire castle hidden down here.'

"Will ya get the door, love?" Bofur asked as he neared the door. "I'd get it, but…well, me hands are full." His cheeky grin appeared on his lips, earning a small smile from Baylee. As she tugged on the latch and opened the door, he stepped inside a bright lit corridor. The warm smell of cooking soups and baking breads instantly filled their noses. "Ahh…That'd be Gerdi's cookin', that would," he smiled. "Galiene's a good cook, but wait until you've tasted Gerdi's. Her whole family is known for their skills in cookin'; in fact, her great-grandmother was the head chef for King Thror before Smaug came here!" He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Lovisa following him. "Alright there, Lovisa?"

She nodded to him, unable to sign thanks to the trunk on her shoulder.

"Good. It's just a short ways t' your rooms, I promise!" He was careful to not bump Baylee's legs or head against the wall as he walked up a short flight of stairs. Once he was at the landing, he managed to maneuver his hold on Baylee so that he held her with one arm while the other fished a key from his pockets. He used this to unlock and open the door before carrying her in. "Sorry for the darkness; should o' had Bifur ride ahead…Oh well!" Despite what he said, the area was moderately lit thanks to a window in an adjacent room.

Turning left into a corridor, he walked past two doors before coming to a halt. "Right, this'll be Baylee's room," he told the others. Opening the door, he brought them into a room that had its bed carved into the wall. Above the bed was a window that overlooked the northern roots of the Lonely Mountain and the farmlands that had sprung up in the distance. Setting Baylee on the bed, he kissed her temple. "Thought ya might want a wee bit o' a view."

She smiled and looked out of the window. "An' what a nice view it is," she chuckled. "Thank you." Her hand started to reach up to pull him down for a kiss, but the loud 'thunk' of Lovisa setting her trunk down reminded her that they weren't alone.

Lovisa looked up at the two of them, her brow cocked. 'Don't mind,' she signed to them. 'Can kiss if want.'

Baylee's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red while Bofur tried to innocently look away. "I haven't the slightest idea 'bout what you're talk-" started Baylee.

'Father is oblivious,' Lovisa told her, 'but I am not.' She looked over her shoulder as Bombur poked his head in.

"Bofur, what room will Lady Lovisa be stayin' in?" he asked.

"One right next door," Bofur answered, his tone quiet and a bit shy sounding. He glanced up as Lovisa suddenly patted him on the back.

'Don't worry,' she signed to him, a mischievous grin on her lips, 'approve of you. It Warren you worry about!' Still wearing the smile, she moved to go inspect her room.

Bofur's face paled as he watched her go. "Baylee…" he murmured.

She patted his arm. "Don't worry. Lovisa's harder t' impress than my papa," she assured him. "After all, she's a woman an' all but my second mum."

"Ya sure? Because I'm not so convinced right now, love. There was somethin' 'bout the look she gave me tha' said 'Warren will rip ya t' shreds an' then feeds ya t' the hogs so no one will ever find out'."

At that, Baylee couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Papa won't rip ya t' shreds! If anything, he'll scold me for not havin' told him any sooner. Aye, he may not be entirely fond o' the idea o' me with a dwarf right now but he'll warm up to it."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Bofur still looked a little unsure. "If'n ya say so." His eyes widened as Baylee lightly tugged him down and kissed him on the lips.

"Ûk! Na'adad Bofur namim zhin!"

Bofur spun around as the small voice echoed through the mostly-empty room. Standing in the doorway, he found Buruz and Grid peeking into the room, both wearing matching expressions of disgust. Upon seeing Baylee, however, their eye widened and they gasped.

"Na'ada Bofur namim zhinûn!" Grid gaped. "Buruz! Tashfat, aglâb'amad!"

The two dwarrowlings moved to run away from the door, but Bofur raced towards them and, grinning, caught up Grid and lightly tossed her in the air. "Aye! Go on, Buruz, an' tell your mother we've got guests!" He looked at his niece, who was giggling as he turned her upside down in the air, her mass of curls swaying back and forth. "An' you, ya wee badger…" He blew a raspberry against her cheek, earning another round of giggles from the girl. "It's not polite t' speak Khuzdul around those who can't!"

"Na'ada Bofur!" she squealed, squirming in his grip. "Zil nîd!" She kicked her legs lightly, still upside down in the air.

"Wha' was that, my wee badger?"

"Zil nîd!" she laughed.

"Bofur, are you torturing my little ones again?" Bombur stood in the hallway, an endearing smile on his chubby face as he watched his brother and daughter.

Bofur shrugged. "Just Grid," he mused. He turned around, facing Baylee. "Baylee, I'd like ya t' meet my eldest niece, Grid. Grid, this is Miss Baylee an' she'll be a guest here for a while."

The girl looked at Baylee and then back at her uncle. "Zu namimdhi. Zu yâsith, Na'adad Bofur?"

Baylee could tell by Bofur's darkening cheeks and Bombur's sudden chuckling that Grid had asked something embarrassing.

"No, no she's not, Grid," Bombur told her. He came into the room and 'rescued' her from her uncle. "Miss Baylee is a good friend of your uncle and Cousin Bifur's. So is Miss Lovisa, but you've yet to meet her." He lightly poked her nose. "And your Uncle Bofur was serious when he said that it's rude to speak Khuzdul around those who cannot understand it."

A mischievously defiant grin came to Grid's lips as she looked between the three adults. 'Not speak if use Iglishmêk!' she signed. 'Am not rude now!'

Baylee chuckled. 'Understand Iglishmêk,' she signed in return. 'No, not rude."

Grid's eyes shot wide open and her jaw fell slack. Even Bombur seemed a bit taken aback, but he quickly recovered upon remembering that Lovisa could only use the sign language. 'Know Iglishmêk!?' Grid hurriedly signed.

'Yes! Learned when I was your age.'

Crawling atop Bombur's shoulder, Grid whispered in her father's ear. Bombur laughed heartily. "No, my dear, it's not against the rules for humans to know how to use Iglishmêk," he assured her. He set her on the floor and he and Bofur watched as she tentatively walked towards Baylee.

"How learn?" she shyly asked when she was five steps away.

"My nurse taught me," Baylee replied. "She can't talk, so she uses Iglishmêk."

Grid curiously tilted her head to the side. "How she learn?"

Baylee chuckled; she had seen Lovisa step into the room a few minutes prior. "Well, she's behind you. Why don't you ask her?"

Grid's eyes widened again and she turned around. Looking up, she saw Lovisa's smiling face and her cheeks got a bit pink. "…You're really pretty…" she murmured.

'Thank you,' Lovisa signed, still smiling. 'Are really pretty too! Love your hair.'

A shy giggle left Grid's mouth and she grabbed two handfuls of her hair, using it as a cover to hide behind. "Tank you. Have pretty hair, too."

Bombur smiled. "Well, Grid seems to like them," he told Bofur. "Now to see how the rest-"

"Bombur! Bofur! Kuf hûzik aglâb mâ agrîf anakâlh?" a female voice boomed from down the hall. "Mâ izirmish ba—Oh! Humans!" Gerdi had come into the room, Bifur following in on her heels. "Oh my, I'm sorry for my yellin'; I wasn't-"

Bofur patted her on the back. "It's alright, Gerdi," he chuckled. "It's sort o' my fault. I offered up our home t' a couple o' good friends o' ours who needed some time to heal from the…adventure we've been on an'-" He winced as Gerdi suddenly smacked him upside the head.

"An' just why didn't you think t' come tell us that you an' Bifur were going to go runnin' off into the wild, hmm?" she scolded. "We had to find out two months later from a messenger sent by Lord Bard! Three months later, an' I don't even get so much as a 'Hullo, Gerdi! We're alive and in one piece, nothin' to worry about!'" She turned towards Baylee and Lovisa, giving them apologetic smiles. "O' course, I don't blame either o' you in the least! Bofur an' Bifur are always getting themselves into heaps of trouble."

Bofur frowned, puffing his chest out slightly. "I'll have ya know tha' Bifur an' I were a crucial part t' the rescuin' o' Ori an' Baylee here," he told her. He ignored the snickers from some of his older nephews. "Why, without us, there would have been a lot worse injuries in the group!"

Lovisa bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing; Bofur very much resembled an angry pigeon at the moment. 'Is true,' she signed. 'Bofur, Bifur help protect group. Also help keep morale up.' She gave Gerdi a small smile before managing a small, but stiff, bow. 'Lovisa, at your service, by the way.' As she stood back up, she winced and rubbed her ribs.

Gerdi gave the two of them warm looks. "Ah, yes. Bifur was warning me about how the two of you are injured. Oh, where are my manners! Gerdi, at your service!" She gave a quick curtsey before standing upright. She looked Lovisa and Baylee over, taking in the signs of their injuries –both visible and not. A pitying smile appeared on her lips as she saw Baylee's bandaged hands and scarred face. "Ah, you," she pointed to her, "must be the innkeeper's daughter that I've heard about."

Baylee's cheek turned a bit pink. "Baylee Braddock at your service," she replied, giving a half bow to the woman.

"These two women are some o' the finest folk ya can befriend," Bofur told his sister-in-law, his tone rather matter-of-fact. "Lovisa must have been blessed by Oromë, because she's a damned skilled tracker an' hunter. Without her, we would'a never found Baylee an' Ori."

Bifur nodded in agreement. "Good warriors," he added.

Gerdi's eyes shot open. "Bifur! You-you-!"

He lightly patted her back. "Not now. Have guests! Talk later." He looked at Lovisa and Baylee. "Want drink? Food? Gerdi good cook."

"You know…food actually sounds quite good," Baylee replied.

Lovisa smiled. 'Would be good,' she concurred. 'Need help?'

Shaking his head, he lightly pushed her and Gerdi towards the two chairs near the bed. "No. Stay. Get know Gerdi, get comfy! Bofur will help." Before any of the females could object, Bifur grabbed Bofur and Bombur by their arms and led them away.

It was then that Grid, standing on tiptoe, poked her head over the back of her mother's chair. "Are sure not dwarrow?" she asked Baylee.

Gerdi frowned slightly. "Grid, it's not polite to ask such things," she lightly scolded.

"It's alright," Baylee quietly laughed. "My da' an' brother tease me about my height all the time. Sometimes I am mistaken for a dwarf." She turned to Grid. "So, no, lil' one, I am not a dwarf. I'm just a tiny human."

Grid didn't look entirely convinced. "Need beard, then."

Lovisa and Baylee cracked up giggling while Gerdi sighed –though, there was a small smile on her lips.

It was nearing nightfall when the lone rider came out from beneath the eaves of the Old Forest Road. The pony they rode walked on as it had for the last couple hundred miles, its head lightly bobbing and its tail swishing behind it. Up and down low hills it walked, its pace unhindered from the steady trot it had adopted miles ago.

Suddenly, its rider pulled on the reins, bringing it to an unexpected stop atop the tallest hill. The rider lowered their hood, revealing the face of a travel-weary woman. She gazed out across the land with eyes as blue as midnight, scanning it for signs of movement. Then, her sight paused on something in the distance: A single, solitary peak, rising above the land as if it had been placed there by the Valar themselves.

A smile graced her lips and she urged her pony forward.