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Congratulations to WYNNI for being my 100th reviewer!

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Well, here is it...their arrival in Erebor!

Are you ready for the shock of your life Fili?

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Chapter 9

~X~

Later that night, as she put little Flinn to bed, Sier finally got a chance to tell him the story Bofur had related to her about Fili. Sitting beside his little bedroll she kept her voice low, but knew that she had the undivided attention of every dwarrow in the camp. When she got to the part where Fili had bravely stepped forward, challenging the massive lead ruffian to one-on-one combat, in order to spare the outnumbered members of the caravan he had been hired to protect, little Flinn sat bolt right up in bed, wringing his hands together in excitement.

"Did he win? Did my adad win?" he begged to know, eager to hear this new tale of his father. "Did he beat that mean old ruffian?"

"You might find out if you just let me finish the story," Sier laughed, her son's enthusiasm quite endearing. It felt good to see him reacting so favorably to an honest to goodness tale about his father. In the end, of course Fili had come out victorious, all the while drawing out the battle in order to give his fellow dwarves time to sneak out of the wagons and surround the marauders. Just when Fili had the bandit on the ground, disarmed and begging for mercy, he gave the signal and his comrades sprang from the bushes, taking the rest of the thugs by surprise and defeating them soundly. Sier thought Flinn would have leapt to his feet and cheered over the heroic actions of his father, had he not already been wrapped up in his blankets.

"Did that really happen, Ama?" he asked, his eyes still wide with both excitement and pride. "Did my Ada really do all that?"

Sier smiled down at him, and for once was able to answer him with confidence. Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder at the faces of the five grinning dwarrow, she gave him a pleased nod.

"That he did, my little lamb," she assured him. "Your father not only helped protect the lives of those in the caravan, but saved a whole settlement of dwarves from starving that winter by seeing the goods they carried were safely delivered."

"I have a pretty special adad, don't I?" Flinn asked, yet the way he worded it, left no room for question or argument.

"That you do, my dear," she agreed, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Now, get some sleep. We will reach the mountain by tomorrow, and you do not want to miss any of it, do you?"

"No, Ama!" he assured her, shaking his head vigorously. He then closed his eyes and rolled over, a big grin on his little face. Sier had just stood to leave when his voice halted her. "You know what?" he asked quietly.

"No…what?"

"I have a pretty special ama too," he informed her, giving her another toothy grin before returning to his side and shutting his eyes – completely missing the look of pure adoration that now shone in his mother's misty eyes.

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The next day dawned early for the group, all wishing to make a quick start and ensure that they reached the mountain by nightfall. Yet as the day progressed, they could see that the weather chose this final day to turn against them, pelting them with a mixture of wind and rain as they tugged onward, eventually passing Esgaroth and Dale. Everyone had donned their heavy coats and oilcloth cloaks, pulling up the hoods in order to keep the dampness out. Sier was glad that Flinn was riding with her, for his warm little body, wrapped snugly beneath the folds of her fur coat helped stave off the chill. It was nearing dusk by the time they could just make out the large metal gates of the mighty stone kingdom ahead, and Thorin called Bofur up to ride beside him. The king spoke to him for a few minutes, before the hatted dwarf kicked his pony into a gallop and sped on alone. Sier was curious as to why he had done this, yet in order to ask, she would have to uncover her face, which was snugly burrowed beneath several layers of scarves and the fur lining of her coat, and she did not wish to part with the warmth. So she kept riding on in wonder…and worry.

By the time they arrived at the entrance to Erebor, night had fallen and Sier could make out very little besides what was illumined by the torches that lit the stone bridge they were to cross. Every dwarf they met would bow or come to strict attention as their king passed, offering words of greeting to the others as well. No one seemed to take note of Sier, who kept her hood up, and with little Flinn still wrapped up beneath her cloak, no one even knew he was there. It wasn't until everyone had dismounted and the king came back to assist her off the pony that they discovered why Flinn had been so quiet for the last few miles of their journey…he was fast asleep. Reaching up, Thorin pulled the little one into his arms, leaning him against his shoulder as he continued to slumber on. The warm fur lined coat and hood concealed his tell-tale blond hair, as well as most of his little body, making it look as if Thorin were carrying a large sack against his chest and not a dwarfling at all. Dwalin was quickly at her side, assisting Sier down as well, before Thorin led the weary group into the great and awe-inspiring halls of Erebor.

They had not gone a dozen steps before little Ori broke off and raced down an opposite hallway, obviously off to seek out something or someone in great haste. Yet Sier hardly noticed his absence, for her mind was now completely filled with her fears of seeing Prince Fili again…oh, how would she face him? Not only was she still mortified over what had transpired between them five years ago, but what would he have to say to her about having kept his son from him? Would he be somewhat understanding like Thorin and Balin…or instead, yell at her and accuse her of knowingly stealing his child away, like Dwalin had originally believed? Either way, her stomach was tied in knots and she was thankful that the hood on her cloak concealed her look of distress from all.

At every turn, different dwarves would approach the king, each appearing to have some vital point of business to discuss with him. Yet they all got silenced and turned away with the mere wave of his majestic hand, effectively telling them that now was not the time to seek his counsel.

After making their way through what seemed like an endless maze of halls and corridors, the small group finally came upon a large set of double doors guarded by two burly looking soldiers in full armor. At Thorin's nod, they stepped forward and opened them, allowing the dwarrow to enter. It was a splendid room, one obviously designed for entertaining important guests and dignitaries. There was a merry flame dancing at one end in a large stone fireplace, filling the room with much desired warmth. A dozen or more comfortable chairs were scattered around, strategically placed for ease and conversation. Yet what truly stole Sier's attention, were the two handsome dwarves sitting by the fire, both taking their ease and puffing on pipes as they laughed and talked. Upon seeing Thorin enter, they quickly stood, setting their smoking aside and approached in a happy manner.

"Uncle!" Fili called, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Good to have you back!" He then gave a nod of greeting to the others who had strode in right behind the king. "When Bofur arrived earlier, telling us of your impending arrival, we had fully intended to greet you at the gate."

"Yet he told us you wished to meet in here," Kili added in a questioning tone. "What is this all about? Is something amiss?"

"Nay, there is nothing wrong," Thorin said with a shake of his head, though his expression did little to alleviate the brothers' fears.

It was then that Fili noticed that the strange bundle in his uncle's arms moved a bit, revealing itself to be a tiny dwarrow wrapped in a warm fur coat.

"And who might this be?" Fili asked, a curious smile returning to his lips. Yet that smile instantly vanished, as did all the color in his cheeks, as the child lifted his head and turned his face towards the crown prince.

"Are we there?" he asked in a sleepy voice, his little fist rubbing at his eyes as he looked around the room. "Did we make it to Erebor?"

"Yes…little one, we have arrived at last," Thorin assured him, purposefully choosing not to use the child's name. He then reached up and pulled down the fur lined hood from his head, revealing the lad's distinctive golden mane, a good portion of it sticking out at odd angles, like usual.

This news drove the last bit of sleep from Flinn's eyes and the small dwarrow began to look around eagerly, wishing to see everything at once. Yet when his gaze fell upon the two stunned princes, he paused, his small brows coming together in a look of confusion.

"Who are they?" Flinn asked in a quiet voice.

"These are my nephews," the king informed him, pointing first to the darker haired of the two. "This is Prince Kili," he introduced. "And this," Thorin indicated, gesturing towards the slack jawed dwarf in front of him, "is Fili…the crown prince of Erebor."

The oldest prince and the little dwarfling just stared at each other for a long time, while Kili's eyes darted from his brother, to the lad, and then back again. His mouth opened and closed several times, as if he could not think of any words to say. And while Thorin could only imagine what his two adult nephews might be thinking, he hadn't the foggiest idea what was going on in Flinn's little mind. That is, until the lad turned and cupped his hand next to his ear, whispering something to the king. Giving a smile and a nod, Thorin set the little tyke down, watching as he straightened his coat, placed his hand across his middle, and gave a deep bow.

"Flinn, at your sur-bus," he said, introducing himself politely, just as his mother had taught him.

However, both Fili and Kili were still in shock and could only stare down at the diminutive dwarf looking up at them with distinctive Durin blue eyes. When Flinn failed to get the expected response to his traditional introduction - for the second time in fact - he became frustrated and turned his head to look up at Thorin.

"Did I do it wrong?" Flinn asked in a plaintive voice, his brows pursed together and his little lip sticking out in a pout.

"No, you did it just fine," Thorin reassured the lad, then gave Fili and Kili a pointed glare. "I taught you better manners than that, did I not?"

Their uncle's deep voice broke the two out of their shock and they both gave a simultaneous bow as well.

"Fili…"

"And Kili…"

"Also at yours," they finished in unison.

This seemed to please the little dwarrow tremendously, as if he had cracked a dwarf code or had been taught a secret handshake. His smile instantly returned and he stood there with his fingers laced together behind him, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Uncle?" Fili managed to get out at last, that one word conveying all that needed said as he pleadingly looked at Thorin for answers.

"We discovered little Flinn, and his mother, in the city of Himros. Thankfully we were able to convince the two of them to journey back with us," Thorin informed them. He then turned to the side, causing the two princes' eyes to follow. "I think you might recall his mother, Fili."

As all eyes turned towards her, Sier knew she could remain hidden no longer, and slowly raised her hands to remove the hood of her cloak. She heard a gasp of shock come from both dwarrow, but when she lifted her eyes, Sier saw the golden haired prince stumbled slightly, causing his brother to reach out and steady him.

"S-s-sier?" Fili stammered, not having said her name out loud in quite a long time…though if he was being truthful, she had never been far from his thoughts.

"Your Highness," Sier greeted him, giving him a graceful curtsey as she let her gaze drop, too embarrassed to continue making eye contact.

"He...he is yours?" Fili gasped, all the pieces finally falling into place as he looked between the dam that had plagued his dreams for the past five years, and the little child who stood before him. Going down on one shaky knee, he looked into the pair of eyes that mirrored his own. "H-h-how old are you, lad?"

"Four!" Flinn replied proudly, though he still had a bit of trouble keeping his thumb down while his other fingers showed his age. "But I will be five soon."

Fili's hand reached out, trembling slightly, as he yearned to touch the lad before him, wishing to confirm that he was indeed real and not some figment of his imagination. Yet just before making contact, he pulled back, unsure of his right to do so.

"You're tall. Did you know that?" Flinn announced, never shy about speaking his mind. "My ama says that one day I will be tall too. If you're a prince, why don't you wear a crown? King Thorin said he would show me his crown. Can I see yours too? Do you have a sword? I have one, but it is only made of wood. Is yours bright and shiny?"

Fili opened his mouth to respond, but for the life of him he did not know which question to tackle first.

"Perhaps it is best if we all sit down before we get to answering all that," Thorin chuckled, knowing just how far the lad's curiosity could go.

Everyone agreed, especially Fili, who felt as if his legs would soon give out from under him. Thorin steered Flinn over to one of the cushioned benches near the fire, indicating that Fili and Kili were to take the seats to his left. Balin guided Sier over to a set of chairs next to the princes, kindly placing himself in the spot between them so as not to add to her already nervous state. Dwalin came to stand behind them, taking his normal stance, arms crossed and scowl on his face.

"Where is your mother?" Thorin asked once everyone was seated. "I told Bofur to see that my sister was in attendance as well." The king had thought having her present might help keep the upcoming situation under control. Dis was well known for her calm and level headed spirit, especially in a crisis. Yet she had never been suddenly introduced to her own grandchild before, so to be honest, Thorin had no idea how she would react. Yet anything had to be better than the look of total bewilderment on Fili's face at that moment. His heart went out to his oldest nephew, for unless he could pull him out of his astonished state, the king feared that he might just pass out.

"She…she is in Esgaroth," Fili replied, finally tearing his eyes off the golden haired child and looking at his uncle. "She went down day before yesterday to coordinate the exchange of goods and discuss more about the treaty to plant crops next spring. She should be back sometime late tomorrow."

Thorin, not pleased by this news, turned and nodded to Balin, sending him a knowing look. With a nod of understanding, the elderly dwarf patted Sier's hand supportively and then disappeared through the doors, closing them quietly behind him. Yet, no sooner had he left, the doors on the opposite side of the room opened, and in came Bofur - with his cousin, Bifur, and brother, Bombur, following directly behind. When the scruffy hatted dwarf stopped suddenly, the other two plowed into him, almost sending the group crashing to the floor. Once they had steadied themselves, the two newcomers stared abashedly at little Flinn and Sier. At last Bofur cleared his throat, stepping forward to make introduction.

"Bifur, Bombur, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, little Flinn, and his mother, Sier," he said proudly, gesturing to each in turn.

"You're the toy maker!" Flinn squealed with glee, wiggling out of Thorin's hold and racing up to the odd looking dwarf with a salt and peppered beard and what appeared to be a large healed-over dent in his forehead. Yet the lad did not seem to even notice such things, and stared up at the dwarf in awe. "Bofur made me a pony on the way here, but he said I would have to ask you if I wanted a dwarf warrior to ride on it."

"Aye," Bifur grunted. He was still working on regaining his power of speech, now that the orc's ax blade had been removed from his skull. "I make good dwarf soldier for lad."

"Thank you, thank you, Mister Bifur!" Flinn cried, jumping up and down as he clapped his hands together in glee, bringing a huge smile to the older dwarf's rough face.

However, before another word could be spoken, a second group of dwarves entered the room, this time led by Ori. From the slight resemblance between him and two others, Sier could easily guess that they were his brothers...Dori and Nori, if she remembered right. The young scribe had spoken of them often on their trip to the mountain, extoling the virtues of both to the highest degree, as only a younger starry-eyed brother could do. Yet the other two in their party were a mystery to her, one sporting a handsomely woven ginger-red beard, while his companion's face was framed in a distinguished grey, with intricately designed braids as well.

"It would seem that news of your arrival has traveled fast," Thorin commented, giving both Flinn and Sier a smile of approval. "May I introduce the final few of our illustrious company, Dori, Nori, Gloin, and our head physician, Oin"

While Dori and Gloin bowed politely, it was Nori who stepped forward, reaching out to take Sier's hand, sandwiching it between his as he gave her a welcoming smile.

"It is indeed a great pleasure to see you again, Miss Sier," he told her. "And looking as fair as a ruby set in mithril."

"I...I am sorry, Master Nori...have we met before?" she asked, desperately trying to remember when they might have been introduced. He certainly had the silver tongue when it came to speech.

"No, not officially. Or at least not that you would recall," he assured her, giving her a flirtatious wink before dropping her hand and stepping back to stand beside his brothers. Yet had he looked over at the two princes, he would have seen both of them giving him a threatening glare…Fili a bit more so than Kili, but never was the younger sibling not prepared to stand behind his brother.

"And while I am certain that you would not remember me either, my lady," Oin chuckled good-naturedly. "I do believe that you seem quite familiar with my old travel cloak."

Sier's eyes grew wide and her face reddened with shame as she realized that the garment she had borrowed from the healing rooms so many years ago - and was in fact the very one she currently wore - obviously belonged to the dwarf in front of her.

"Oh, Master Oin, I must beg your forgiveness for absconding with your personal property!" Sier gasped, having often felt guilty over having taken it, yet it had served her so well over the years that she couldn't bring herself to part with it. "I had no idea who it might have belonged to…or that it held a small purse of money. Please, allow me to return it now, and I swear that I will see you get the money back, with interest!"

"Nonsense, lassie," Oin said, waving her off with an amused laugh. "It was a mere pittance and I never missed it. In fact I would hazard a guess that I spend more than that on an evening's worth of ale down at the pub in Dale! As for the cloak…keep it. It looks far better on you than it ever did on me."

His kind words and generosity made Sier blush, and she was only able to mumble a few words of gratitude while looking down at her lap in embarrassment.

"Now," Oin spoke up, walking over to where little Flinn still stood beside Bifur. "Let me have a good look at this young lad! My, my, but you seem exceedingly healthy…perhaps a bit on the small side, but I would hazard a guess that he will sprout up right quick."

"My ama says I am going to be tall, just like my adad," Flinn responded back, sticking out his chest and beaming with pride.

"What's that you say?" Oin asked, placing his trumpet to his ear as he strained to hear the child. "You have a ball and it makes you sad?"

"No…tall, like my adad!" Flinn all but shouted this time.

"No doubt about it, lad…no doubt about it," Oin agreed at last able to make out the words correctly.

The littlest dwarrow was quickly enthralled by the ear trumpet, asking if he could inspect it in order to see if it did indeed help one hear better. It was during this moment, when everyone was focused on Flinn, that Fili chose to glance over at Sier, catching her attention as his own eyes begged for answers. When the only one he seemed to get was a slight nod of her head, he was left wondering exactly what she had just affirmed. That Flinn was his son? That she was willing to speak with him alone? Or perhaps that she blamed him for all the hardship and trouble she had been put through over the past five years? Fili had to know!

Standing up, he crossed the few feet that separated them and stared down at her with a pleading expression.

"Will…will you grant me the honor of speaking with you alone…Miss Sier?" he asked, so nervous that he almost choked on his own words.

This was the moment Sier had been dreading for five long years. While a part of her feared what the prince might say - especially once they were out of the company of others - she also knew that any words that needed to be spoken were best done away from Flinn's innocent ears. So with a heavy sigh, she nodded once, and rose to her feet. Fili gestured to the set of double doors at the back of the room and she slowly made her way towards them. Yet as Fili went to follow, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dwalin's hand shoot out and block his path, causing the crown prince to halt and stare at him questioningly.

"Mind yourself now, lad," the gruff warrior commanded, his tone neither angry, nor kind…more as if he were stating a simple fact. Apparently finding that to be a sufficient enough warning, Dwalin stepped back, allowing them both to continue. Yet just as they made it to the doors, Flinn broke away from his conversation with Oin and ran over to Sier.

"Where you going, Ama?" he asked, still holding the physicians ear trumpet in his hands.

"I am just stepping into the next room. I promise that I will be right back," she told him with a warm smile, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. This earned her an exasperated sigh as her son quickly raised his sleeve to wipe away her endearing token.

"Not in front of everyone, Ama!" he begged, rolling his eyes just a bit.

"I am sorry, I keep forgetting that you are not a little dwarfling anymore, but practically all grown up," she said with a playful wink. "Now why don't you take that back to Master Oin, and maybe you can get King Thorin and a few of the others to tell you more tales about their adventure to reclaim Erebor." She then lifted her head and looked over at the king with a raised eyebrow. "Just none that involve spiders, please."

"How about three hungry trolls who wanted to nibble off our toes and squish us into jelly?" Kili was quick to speak up, always up for a good tale.

"Trolls?" Flinn squealed in delight, happily leaving his mother's side as he raced over to where the dark haired prince sat, eager to hear the tale. The room quickly grew loud from a plethora of voices, as everyone attempted to speak at once, sure that only they could tell the story correctly. Flinn's actions drew even more laughter, as the cheeky little dwarrow placed Oin's trumpet to his ear, not wishing to miss a word.

In all the commotion, Fili and Sier quietly slipped out of the room, the conversation they were now about to share being long overdue.

And there you have it...Fili knows he is a daddy now...but what will he DO about it?

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. They do make me so very happy.

And while I will never hold a chapter hostage for reviews, I will confess that the more feedback I get, the quicker it makes me want to post.

Guest Reviews:

Mjean: I am happy you liked my other story as well! Don't feel bad, I have a hard time remembering screen names myself, I usually go by the writer's icon picture...and I did change my screen picture for this one, since I wanted the shot of Fili holding Flinn's hand. But it is still ME. ha ha.

Arveldis: I am so happy you like and understand Sier...creating an OC and making them likable but not a Mary Sue is HARD! I had a lot of fun with the frog scene, and I think Flinn's sly little grin looks just like Fili's did when Kili and he were playing that joke on Bilbo. Rotten boys. ha ha. I will keep updating as quickly as I can - I hate to draw out a story since if there is too much space between chapters, the readers loose interest or they forget what happened last. ha ha. (or at least I do!)

Aranel Mereneth: Sorry I could not update 'now' when you asked...so how about NOW? ha ha.

Guest: Oh yes, Thorin and company are all smitten with little Flinn. Probably does not matter what Fili has to say, Thorin is not letting him get away now. Sier would be a fool not to accept Fili...any way she can get him!