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Chapter 11

~X~

Fili had been so wrapped up in their kiss that he had failed to keep his guard up, not hearing the approach of an intruder until it was too late. Their amazing kiss was abruptly cut short by the sound of a low and menacing growl emanating from just behind the bushes to their left. Instantly, Fili had his twin blades out of their sheath and had placed himself protectively in front of Réann.

"What is it?" she whispered, peeking out from behind him with fearful eyes.

"My guess is a warg," Fili revealed, urging her to begin taking a few steps backwards, hoping he could get her back on the pony and away before they found out for certain. Yet, the next menacing growl spooked the pony, causing it to bolt, thus leaving the two forced to stand alone.

Fili knew he only had seconds before the beast would break through the underbrush and rush them, so assessing his surroundings, he turned and grabbed Réann's hand, dragging her towards a large oak.

"Can you climb?" he shouted as they drew close to the base of the tree, Fili quickly pulling the cloak from off Réann's shoulders, in order to give her better range of movement. For a split second, it occurred to him that he was getting his wish at last and was able to freely admire her form in her trousers. However, now was certainly not the time for such musings.

"Yes…but can't wargs climb as well?" she answered, wasting no time in leaping up to grab hold of the lowest branch.

"No, but you will have to go higher, for they can jump pretty far," he told her, using his hands to offer her a foothold in order for her to heave herself onto the limb. She had just made it, turning back and reaching her hand out to aid him, when the inevitable happened. The warg came bounding out of its hiding place, fearing his intended prey might soon be out of his reach, causing Fili to spin around, prepared to take on the foul beast.

"DWALIN!" Réann screamed, reaching down even further. "Take my hand!"

"Stay up there!" Fili ordered, never taking his eyes off the warg. "Go higher! I've got this." And while he had battled such creatures before, and a lot more at once, he found himself more concerned over this one than the rest. For this time, if he failed, it was Réann's life on the line, not just his alone. Still, there was no avoiding the fight, for the hungry hound seemed intent on making a meal out of the both of them.

And as it leapt into the air, intent on ripping out Fili's throat, a sudden thought came to his mind. Where were a wizard and some flaming pinecones when you needed them?

Réann was terrified, yet not for herself, but for Dwalin! Sure, she was barely six feet off the ground, which was still less than the size of the warg, but at least she had some height advantage…whereupon Dwalin had none! He had chosen to remain on the ground, weapons drawn as he faced off with a beast three times his size. Still, he stood there bravely, not giving an inch as it lunged directly at him. Réann wanted to scream, wishing she could help in some way, but all she could do was watch in horror as the dwarf she potentially loved was about to be murdered before her eyes.

And yet, that did not happen! Dwalin leapt to the side at the last moment, rolling out of the way as its front paws landed right where he had last stood, growling in frustration as his prey escaped. Yet the mighty howl it let loose next told Réann that Dwalin's blow had been true, the red swath that appeared down the warg's side a testament to his battle skills.

"Come get me!" Fili taunted, dancing around as his twin blades glistened in the sunlight that filtered through the trees. "What's the matter? Can't handle a little scratch?"

As if in reply, the creature spun around, once more going in for what it hoped would be the kill. Yet he was sorely disappointed again, with the skillful and agile dwarf dodging its jaws with grace and ease. When Réann saw it take yet another hit from her warrior's blade, and heard the painful cry of the beast, she couldn't help but let out a shout of encouragement.

"GET HIM, DWALIN!" she urged, no longer as fearful for his life as she had originally been. Apparently, King Thorin did know what he was doing when he had chosen him to head up his royal guard.

Unfortunately, her voice caused the warg to turn in her direction, no longer seeing the dwarf on the ground as ripe target and thinking perhaps the one in the tree would be easier pickings.

"NO!" Fili yelled, almost reading the creature's mind. "OVER HERE! Come get me!" he taunted, his tone now turning desperate.

Now the warg seemed confused, apparently not sure what it should do. Continue attacking the closest meal, or the one perched above it on a limb. Yet it never got a chance to decide, for just then the thundering of hooves was heard heading their way at great speed. And while taking on two dwarves and one pony might have seemed doable, whatever was approaching through the trees had it seriously outnumbered. So, doing what its instincts demanded…the warg turned and ran.

Fili's shoulders slumped and his arms went limp as he watched the warg turn tail and flee. His heart had nearly stopped beating the moment it had set its sights on Réann instead of him, and he said a silent prayer of thanks to Mahal for whomever was now coming to their rescue. Yet, the next second, his mind recalled that he was pretending to be someone other than himself, and whomever it was might just ruin all that with one simple word.

Turning, Fili waited anxiously to see who it was, not at all surprised when he spotted King Bard in the front of the mounted men riding towards him. He would have to act fast if he was going to salvage the situation.

Bard and his men had been chasing down a rogue warg, one who had been attacking some of his outlying farms. They had been tracking it for several hours now, but they had sped up the pace when they heard voices and screams coming from up ahead. Yet, as they broke through to a clearing, he was rather shocked to find Prince Fili standing there alone, with both his blades drawn…and bloodied. Pulling his steed to a halt and calling for the others to do so as well, he opened his mouth in a greeting, but was cut off by the prince.

"Hail, King Bard," the blond dwarf called, giving him an uncharacteristic bow. "I am grateful for your assistance." And rising from his sign of respect, he placed his hand over his heart in introduction. "Commander Dwalin, at your service, Sire."

Fili could instantly tell that he had confused Bard, not only by his actions, but by the name he had used. Still, he could see the gears inside the king's mind turning and hoped that he would figure things out before he spoke.

"Commander Dwalin?" Bard repeated hesitantly. When Fili nodded, his eyes nearly begging for him to go along, he cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, I know you well. It has been a while since we spoke however, thus for a moment I didn't recognize you." When he saw the dwarf prince give a sigh of relief, he pressed on. "What are you doing out here, and might you have seen our prey by chance?"

"If you mean that mangy warg," Fili nodded, gesturing behind him. "He went that way, and with the cuts I gave him, I don't think he will get too far."

Bard quickly turned and signaled for the majority of his men to give pursuit, with only a few of his personal guards remaining behind. "As for what I'm doing out here, well, this was meant to be a pleasant ride through the woods. Sadly, I doubt my companion would now agree with that assessment." Here Fili took a few steps towards the tree where Réann was perched, reaching up as he helped her down, loving how she all but melted into his embrace once she was on the ground.

"Are you all right, Dwalin?" she whispered, her voice ripe with fear and worry.

"Not a scratch," he assured her, as he reluctantly released her and turned her so they both faced Bard. "May I introduce the Lady Réann from the Grey Mountains. Lady Réann, this is King Bard of Dale."

"Your Majesty," she greeted, quickly dipping into a graceful curtsy, even if she was in trousers. "Your coming is greatly appreciated, though I believe the commander had things well in hand from where I sat."

"I find I tend to agree with you," Bard chuckled, eyeing the way Fili was looking at his companion, as if she were the Arkenstone itself. "And might I assume that you are one of the dams from the other dwarf kingdoms, come to present yourself as a potential bride for the crown prince?" For he had heard a quite a bit about this marriage arrangement business, and knew it was to the immense displeasure of the prince himself. And yet to find Fili here, with one of the dams…well, he was highly intrigued.

"Aye, that she is," Fili broke in. "And since it has been decreed that the current six candidates are to be sequestered until the seventh arrives, we would hope we could count on your discretion, and ask you to not say anything about seeing us out here together?"

"Ahhh, so you two are breaking the rules, are you?" Bard deduced, loving the way the prince blushed at his accusation. Of the two, he would have bet good money that it would be Kili sneaking around behind Thorin's back, not Fili. For the blond prince was usually the one following orders to the letter. Still, when a lass was involved, Bard knew very well that all bets were off. He simply had to know more.

"Something like that," Fili admitted.

"Yet, please don't blame Commander Dwalin for this," Réann spoke up, not wanting him to get in trouble on her account. "I was the one who originally snuck out of the Lady's Chambers and ran into Dwalin. Since then he has been kind enough to assist me in an endeavor…as well as show me around a bit."

"Yes, our commander is quite the dwarf," Bard grinned, loving this all to no end. "But has he by any chance given you a tour of Dale?"

"Dale? No, he hasn't," Réann admitted. "However, it would not be advisable, since even finding our way out here was done with great stealth and subterfuge. It would hardly be wise to press our luck."

"Nonsense," Bard insisted, waving off the murderous look he was now receiving from Fili. "Commander Dwalin is a master at stealth, and I insist that he finds a way for the both of you to join me for dinner in Dale tomorrow evening. You can call it a king's command if you wish."

Here Réann turned to the dwarf beside her with a stunned look. Was the king of men serious? Could Dwalin do such a thing?

"I…I will see what I can manage, Your Majesty," Fili said through gritted teeth, once more bowing to the man before him, though this time rather stiffly.

"I have complete faith in you, Dwalin," Bard said, putting emphasis on the name, almost as if daring him to refuse. "Oh and bring your brother along with you. My daughters have been missing his quick wit and fine jokes lately. We'll make a party of it."

"As you wish," was all Fili could say in reply.

Just then the men that Bard had sent off returned, leading Cotton behind them.

"We dispatched the warg, King Bard," the leader announced. "He wasn't much trouble after having taken several wounds already." He then signaled for the man holding the pony's reins to come forth. "We also were able to catch the prince's mount."

Fili shut his eyes, fearing he was done for. And when Réann gasped and grabbed hold of his arm, he was sure of it. Yet, in her next words he found a reprieve.

"Dwalin! You took the prince's pony for our ride? What were you thinking?" she asked in an accusing tone.

"Ummm…that it's a really good steed…and it looked like it needed the exercise?" Fili offered, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, Dwalin," Bard spoke up, looking around at his men sternly. "None of us will say a word about this. Do you hear…not another word will be spoken!" And while Réann may have simply assumed he meant about the incident; Fili knew he meant until they were out of earshot. "Now, you have your pony, so I suggest you return to the mountain. It would appear that a ride in the fresh air is no longer advisable today." He then bobbed his head to Réann. "It was a pleasure meeting you, My Lady. I look forward to getting to know you better at dinner tomorrow."

"And I you, King Bard," Réann told him, though still looking at her companion questioningly.

"Until then, Commander Dwalin," he called, turning his horse around and signaling for his men to follow, leaving the two dwarves alone at last.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Réann questioned once she was sure they were gone. "Does he actually expect you to sneak me out of the mountain and into Dale without being caught?"

"Apparently so…or else he will let something slip to the King," Fili sighed, knowing full well that their old friend would do just that if he didn't comply. That man had a wicked sense of humor. "I'll find a way. Don't worry. And you might actually enjoy dining with Bard's family. His children are very kind…not at all like him." This had Réann chuckling a bit, as he helped her up onto the pony before joining her.

"And I will get to meet your brother, Galin as well," Réann said excitedly. "Then I can at last tell Amara if he's anything like you."

"Yes…right," Fili agreed, wondering just how he was going to manage that little twist. Yet he would worry about that later. "Come, I think Bard was right, we've had enough fresh air for one day. Best we get back to the safety of Erebor."

"Agreed. I could certainly stand to be back inside a rock mountain," Réann nodded. And though their lives had ultimately been put in danger, she found she didn't regret this trip at all. "However…this did offer you the golden opportunity to fulfill your promise to me," she pointed out.

"What promise?" Fili asked, not understanding her meaning.

"Well, didn't you say you would have to find an opportunity to demonstrate your fighting skills to me? To prove that King Thorin chose wisely?" she reminded him. "Well, I would say you did a fine job of it, and I'm thoroughly convinced of both your skills and bravery."

"Are you now?" Fili grinned, suddenly thinking that this whole mess had all been worthwhile, for if she was impressed by him in any way…then it had truly been a very good day.

The two had just exited the tree line, with Fili having been on high alert the entire time, not allowing any further predators to sneak up on them, when something occurred to him.

"I completely forgot to ask you about the meeting with Lord Balin," he told her. "How did the royal interrogation go? Did you duly make yourself distasteful in the prince's eyes?"

"I have no idea," she sighed. "It was nothing like I had imagined it would be, and I did as you suggested, I told the truth and answered from my heart. It still makes no difference, for no matter what the prince might think of my responses…I will not agree to becoming his bride. I did, however, become rather irritated with a few of the others and their answers. I swear, if Prince Fili chooses either the Ironfist or Firebeard dams, I will revert back to my original opinion of him, no matter what you say to the contrary."

"Ahhh, I see," Fili laughed, knowing just what she meant, for he was of the same mind. "And did you perhaps put them in their place over such responses, my fiery lass?"

"Maybe a little," she admitted, blushing slightly, though in the position they rode, he could hardly see her rosy cheeks. "But thankfully, Lord Balin was there to see they didn't get too far out of hand." Here she paused and turned to look at him. "I was meaning to ask, would Lord Balin by any chance be a relative of yours? I mean, his name sounds very similar to yours."

"Oh, I think he and I are related in some way, though distantly, I'm sure," Fili replied, doing his best not to let any trace of panic enter his tone. "But there are plenty of dwarves that share similar names in the mountain. If this was the criteria for close relations, then the king himself could easily be my brother, or uncle, since his name also sounds like mine."

"Dwalin…Thorin," Réann said out loud, nodding her head at his words. "I see your point. Still, you can't blame me for wondering."

"I don't," he assured her with a wink. "And for the record, there are several other dwarves named Dwalin who reside in Erebor." He threw this in just in case she might overhear something about his older cousin…the real commander of the guard and laying the groundwork now might aid him in talking his way out of a sticky situation later. "As I'm sure there might even be a few in the Grey Mountains."

"Perhaps," she agreed, this time knowing he was able to see her blush. "Yet…none as brave and handsome as you."

"And I must admit that I've never come across a Réann who has touched my heart as easily as you have, either," he admitted. "So, I would say we are both quite fortunate to have found each other."

"Indeed," Réann smiled, turning back around as she gazed straight ahead. It was quite clear in her mind what she needed to do. First, she must find a way to deny the crown prince, without insulting the royal family in any way…and then do all she could to convince Commander Dwalin to petition for her hand in marriage. For, after today, Réann was thoroughly convinced that being his wife was all she ever wanted…forever.

Well, they both want each other, forever. Now if she will only figure out who he really is...or he come clean and tell her...then I can write THE END and mark this one as complete. BUT...I don't think you believe that will happen so easily, right? (good guess)

So, Bard is a little stinker, and he is just itching to see if Fili will pull off the impossible simply for kicks and giggles. Apparently being the king of Dale isn't as exciting as he would like, and requires Fili and his ruse to shake things up a bit. ha ha.

However will he manage it?

Guest Reviews:

Emrfangirl : Yep, the longer he waits, the worse it will be...but in the meantime, we will enjoy all his trouble...like this one he just got into with Bard. ha ha.

Travelbug: 5) Yep, I do love thick plots. Her dad is starting to wonder if this is the Dwalin he once knew. This could not only put a stop to Fili's plans, but his life as well. ha ha. Fili can't help but want to see her...he's in loooooove. Nori is just out to have a good time and a few laughs. (6) Yep, got to get the kissing in quick...this is a short story. ha ha. Lying is bad...shame on him...but we will forgive him because he's so cute. (7) Indeed, things are NOT adding up here for her family. (8) Yes, you HAVE to love Kili...I think it's written in the laws of Middle Earth. ha ha. Feren is a wild card...but I think Reann can take her. ha ha. (9) In ALL his glory? I hope Dwalin had his pants on! Balin still thinks of Dwalin as his baby brother...what would HE know about girls, right? ha ha. Nori's mind is always working, that's for sure. (10) Nori is sure earing his pay this week, right? Soonish...yes. Not yet though. Oh, you will see both Thorin AND Dwalin's reactions, along with a few others, that's for sure. Ori will be seen soon...as will a few others. Nori is Middle Earth's version of the Genie. ha ha. But glad he's not blue.