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Some of you guessed right, I patterned my bad pony owing character off of Bill Ferny from LOTR, who sold Sam the poor sickly looking pony in Bree. But since at the time this story takes place, Bill Ferny probably had not been born yet, or was very little, I decided Tom Ferny could be his equally rotten ancestor.

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Chapter 24

~X~

Just as Fili predicted, news of Sier's attack on Tom Ferny spread throughout the mountain, and soon his wife was the talk of Erebor. However, none of it was negative, for dwarrow took immense pride in the fighting strength of their females, and the fact that the new princess was not afraid to take down a man three times her size, brought her great renown. But none appeared more proud than Fili himself, his chest sticking out a bit farther every time he heard the story recounted by the inhabitants of Erebor.

The pony, which Sier had named Storm, remained a rather skittish thing around all males, but this was quite understandable. After years of having a master like Ferny, no one could fault the little grey for being distrustful. Sier however, had no trouble handling him at all, in fact he acted as if he would do anything in the world to please his new mistress. Storm held completely still while she brushed and washed him, and even allowed the stable groom to clean and tend his hooves, just as long as Sier stood at his head speaking soft words to him. No one doubted that a bond of trust had been formed when she rescued him.

It was several days after this that Fili, having searched for over half an hour for his family, found them in the stables tending to Storm.

"I think you spend more time with that pony than me," he huffed, suddenly feeling a bit jealous of all the attention it was getting. Sier was sitting on a nearby crate, putting the final stitches in the hem of a warm blanket that would grace Storm's back when the weather turned cold. While Flinn was perched on the back of the pony, leaning forward as he did his best to weave several braids into its mane. "Is that safe?" Fili asked, gesturing towards his son. "I thought he didn't like anyone male?"

"Storm loves Flinn," she assured him, glancing up from her work to give him a reassuring smile. "He is never anything but gentle with him. Besides, the ground is covered in soft hay, if he falls he will more than likely just bounce." She paused in her work and raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Are you going to tell me that you never fell off a pony, or did anything even remotely dangerous, when you were a dwarfling? And don't try and tell me any tales, because I can find out the truth from your mother."

Fili gave her a sour look, knowing full well that if Dis knew half the things he and Kili had done as children…well, he was sure there would now be more streaks of grey hair in her head than in Thorin's.

"Why did you name him Storm, anyway?" he questioned, attempting to change the subject, steering it away from him.

"Because he is grey like a storm cloud, and he has also weathered the storm of adversity," she explained, looking at the small equine with an affectionate smile. "I think it suits him, and he even answers to it when I call." As if to demonstrate she raised her voice. "Isn't that right, Storm?"

The little pony lifted his head from where he had been munching on some hay and turned in her direction, causing Flinn to give a huff of frustration as the movement pulled the locks of hair out of his little fingers.

"Hold still!" he told the pony, grabbing hold of its mane to begin again.

"What are you doing, son?" Fili asked, turning away from his smirking wife and stepping a few feet closer, though far enough away so as not to spook the pony.

"I am braiding his hair," Flinn announced, looking up at his father with a wide grin. "This one is his warrior braid," he said, holding up the closest one to him. "And this one is his family braid." Pointing at the next.

"What is the one you are working on now?" Fili questioned.

"I don't know," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I thought he should at least have as many as you, Adad."

When he heard Sier give a snort, he looked back to see her trying to hide her mirth behind her hand.

"You think that is funny, do you?" he scolded, though not in earnest. "While I realize it is difficult to compete with something as great and wonderful as a grey pony, I would like to think that being your husband, and Flinn's father, might buy me a little attention every now and again."

"Oh, Fili, I'm sorry," and this time she truly sounded sincere. "We did not mean to ignore you. But with all the time you've been required to spend on preparations for the Durin's Day celebration, we thought it best to stay out of your way."

"Well…perhaps not this far out of the way," he huffed, coming over to sit beside her. "It seems that I have become accustomed to having someone waiting for me when I come back to our quarters in the evening. But then all I hear about lately is Storm this, and Storm that…even from my own son."

"Nothing could ever replace you in Flinn's heart," she soothed, doing her best to placate the obviously miffed prince. "You are his father, and he adores you. He would gladly spend every second of his time at your side if he could."

"And you?" Fili asked, turning his head until he was looking directly into her eyes. "Would you rather spend your time with me…than with your new pony, lady wife?"

Sier was not quite sure what to make of his question. Was he still joking around, or was he in earnest? If she answered with her heart, then her reply would be yes. Yet, dare she?

"Help!" came Flinn's urgent cry, pulling both adults' attention towards the stall. There they saw that the little dwarfling had lost his balance and had slipped down around the pony's neck, hanging on the underside and only holding on by its partially braided mane.

Fili jumped to his feet, anxious to go to his son's aid, but he worried about approaching Storm, fearful that the pony might become spooked and harm Flinn. Yet Sier's hand on his arm held him back.

"Wait…" she urged, nodding for him to watch.

Fili opened his mouth to protest, but shut it quickly when he saw that instead of becoming agitated by the small squirming dwarf hanging from his neck, the pony instead slowly began to lower himself down. Kneeling so that Flinn was hovering over the hay covered floor by only an inch or two, requiring that he only let go. When he was at last on solid ground, Storm then got back to his feet, leaning his muzzle down and giving the lad's tummy a little snuffle, making him laugh.

"I told you that Storm would never hurt him," Sier said with a smug smile.

Fili just shook his head in wonder and approached the stall, watching as the pony took a few cautious steps back, eyeing him warily. Bending down, he reached through the fencing and grabbed hold of Flinn's hands, pulling the little dwarf out on his back.

"Hello, Adad," Flinn grinned, looking up at him from where he still lay.

"Hello, Flinn," Fili smiled in return. "How about you and I head off to the kitchens and see if Bombur ordered any sweets baked today?"

"Yes!" he cried, scrambling to his feet and allowing his father to scoop him up. "And if not…Bram told me where he hides them."

"Well, then, it would appear we are guaranteed success," Fili chuckled, doing his best to remove the stray pieces of straw stuck in Flinn's hair. He turned to look at Sier, who had retaken her seat, continuing with her sewing project. "Now, if you will excuse us," he told her, looking very self-satisfied. "My son and I are going on a treasure hunt, and should we discover a hoard of delicious spoils, we might even save one for you."

"I look forward to benefiting from your adventure," Sier assured him.

"Let's find an apple too!" Flinn suggested suddenly. "Then we can bring it back to give to Storm!"

Fili's look of triumph disappeared, and he shot the pony an irritated glance before rolling his eyes. He just couldn't win, could he?

"It is a sad day for the line of Durin when I must play second fiddle to a pony!" he grumbled. He then looked at Flinn and asked hopefully, "Can we make that a carrot instead? I am not really keen on apples these days," he suggested, heading out the door, purposefully not giving his snickering wife a backward glance.

Sier did her best to hold in her laughter until he was far enough out of earshot.

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Talk of Durin's Day increased more and more as it approached, leaving only a few weeks to go, when Fili dropped a piece of news that did not sit well with Sier.

"We have to what?" she asked, turning around from where she stood by the stove, cooking dinner.

"We will need to open the first dance of the evening," Fili repeated, picking up a puzzle piece and helping Flinn fit it into place on the table where they were working. "Not just us…but the entire royal family. Thorin will dance with my mother, and Kili…well, he can usually find some dam willing to stand in as his partner. But it is tradition, and everyone will be expecting us to do so."

"Which dance?" She was not at all pleased by this.

"The Kaz'ängler," he told her, proudly watching as Flinn found the next piece himself and snapped it together with the rest.

"Oh," she nodded, doing her best to keep the panic out of her voice. She had seen the dance done before, but only once, and a very long time ago. She was not familiar with the steps and from what she recalled, it was very intricate, and not something one could simply pick up on as they went along. What was she going to do?

Unfortunately her worry over the subject made her careless, and before she knew it, her right hand came in contact with the hot pan. She sucked in her breath, giving a loud hiss, as a burning was felt in her fingertips.

"Sier?" Fili called, leaping to his feet as he hurried to her side, noting that she was now holding her hand gingerly in the other, with a very painful expression on her face. "What happened? Let me see."

"It…it is nothing," she insisted, though her voice said different. "I just touched the pan by accident."

"Come, let's get your fingers into some cool water," he instructed, holding her wrist with one hand while he placed his other on the small of her back as he guided her over to the water basin. First he filled the metal container from a pitcher and then gently placed her injury within, going slowly so as not to cause more harm. "There, does that feel better?"

"I feel foolish," she huffed, knowing she had been too distracted by her thoughts to have watched what she was doing.

"Are you hurt, Ama?" Flinn asked, coming over to her side and looking up at her with fear filled eyes.

"Just a little bit, my lamb," she assured him, putting on a brave face. "I will be just fine in a few minutes."

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" the tenderhearted little dwarrow suggested.

"That is very nice of you to offer, Flinn," Fili broke in, noting the redness on the tips of Sier's first three fingers. "But maybe a big hug would do the trick this time, I don't think your ama wants anything to touch this burn right now, not even a kiss."

"Yes, a hug would be just the thing," she agreed, grateful for Fili's thoughtful suggestion. When Flinn threw his arms around her legs and gave her a big squeeze, she used her good hand to try and hug him back, making a happy humming sound at the same time. "Oh, that was perfect, I feel all better now. Thank you, Flinn."

Right then a knock came at the door, and Fili sent Flinn off to answer it while he got some ointment from the washroom, applying it to the burn along with his best field dressing.

"It is not a serious burn, and it shouldn't blister. But do try not to use those three fingers for at least a day," Fili instructed as he tied off the cloth bandage.

"Thank you," she said, impressed by his skill and knowledge. "I get the feeling you have done this kind of thing before?"

"You tend to pick up on things like this when on a dangerous journey," he smiled. "But most of my medical experience comes from fixing up Kili when we were kids. My clumsy brother fell out of more trees, stumbled over more rocks and cut himself on more blades than anyone I ever knew. Tending to his scrapes was a full time job." He then turned his head at the sound of laughter coming from the living area. "Come, it appears my nadadith has arrived, and if we leave him and Flinn alone too long, no telling what trouble they might get in to."

When they both entered the other room, they found Kili sitting by the fire bouncing a happy dwarfling on his knee.

"There you are," he said, turning to look as they came in. Yet seeing Sier's bandaged hand, and how Fili was hovering, he grew concerned. "What happened?"

"Ama burned her fingers," Flinn spoke up, supplying his uncle with the answer. "But I gave her a hug and she is all better now."

"I just got my hand a little too close to the pan while making dinner," Sier began, yet she suddenly spun around with a startled look on her face. "Dinner! It is going to be ruined."

"I will get it," Fili assured her, motioning that she sit down as he hurried back into the kitchen area to see to things. He called back in just a few moments, saying that everything was fine, it was all still edible.

This caused Sier to give a sigh of relief, for she would have been twice as upset if her worry over the dance had also been the cause of everyone going hungry. Yet true to his word, Fili was able to salvage the meal, and soon the four of them were sitting down to a fine feast.

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"Oh, I couldn't eat another bite," Kili stated, sitting back as he patted his full stomach. Flinn, having watched his uncle closely, did the same thing, also declaring that he could not eat any more food. This made everyone laugh, as Fili leaned over and ruffled his son's hair affectionately.

"That is too bad," Sier told them both in a disappointed voice. "I guess Fili and I will just have to eat the pie I made, all by ourselves."

"Pie?" Kili and Flinn asked in unison, suddenly acting far less stuffed than they had previously indicated. "Well, now, I always have room for pie," Kili assured her.

"Me too!" Flinn cried, not wanting to be left out.

"Hmmmm, funny how that works," Fili told them both with a skeptical raise of his eyebrow. He then glanced over at Sier. "It is not apple pie…is it?"

"No." she smiled back sympathetically, having heard how his ride down the river in the wine barrel, one made from fermented apples, had left him very sensitive to the smell…or taste…of that particular fruit. "It is a blackberry pie."

"She cooks, she sews coats, defends helpless ponies, and she bakes pies as well?" Kili stated, listing Sier's fine qualities off on his fingers as he looked at his brother in amazement. "How in the world did you get so lucky, Nadad? And where can I get a wife willing to do all these things for me? Do you by any chance have a sister, Sier?"

"I wish." She grinned, doing her best to keep the blush out of her cheeks over his flattering words. "And if I did, I would not hesitate to recommend you to her, Kili. For she would have to search the ends of Middle Earth to find a kinder, or more handsome, single dwarrow than you."

"Did you hear that, Fili?" the raven haired prince said, leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head with a smug smile. "Your wife just said I am the most handsome dwarrow in Middle Earth." Kili purposefully left off the single part of her statement, apparently hoping to get a rise out of his big brother.

"Well," Fili began, not acting fazed at all, "she also agreed to marry me, so we can hardly trust her eyesight or her sanity, now can we, little brother? For in truth, I think you more closely resemble a troll."

Sier didn't know whether to laugh or be offended, but she was saved from having to choose when Kili gave a shout of indignation and made a lunge for his brother. Soon the two were wrestling around on the floor, each one trying to get the upper hand, while Flinn danced around them, cheering his father on. Yet all too soon, the brothers grabbed the dwarfling and brought the squealing child into the fray - though they were much more careful with their roughhousing after that.

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Later, once they were all stuffed full of pie, Fili and Kili treated them to a little music, courtesy of their fiddles. At first the tunes they played were lighthearted and merry, causing Sier and Flinn to get up and twirl hand in hand around the room, laughing until they were exhausted. But as the night wore on, Fili's playing turned soft and slow, the notes he pulled from the instrument evoking strange feelings within Sier. It made her want to smile, laugh, and cry all at the same time, drawing her eyes to him as if spellbound by the movements of his fingers across the strings. She knew she could sit and listen to him play forever.

After Kili left, Fili offered to tuck his son in while Sier got ready for bed. He had just pulled the covers up around his little chin when Flinn startled him with a shocking question.

"When will I get a brother, Adad?"

Fili did not know what to say…not at all. There was only one way they could give the lad what he asked for, and at present, this was a near impossibility.

"What brought up this question?" he asked, trying to forestall giving an answer.

"I was just wondering," Flinn shrugged. "You have uncle Kili as your brother, and N'ama Dis has Uncle Thorin as her brother, and even Tae and Tam have a brother, Bram. When do I get one?"

"Well Flinn, you just can't plan these kinds of things," Fili answered truthfully. "It is not something we dwarves can schedule…it either happens, or it doesn't. And as much as I would love for you to have a brother, or a sister, to play with and love, there is no way I can promise that you ever will. We will just have to wait and see. Do you understand?"

The look in Flinn's eyes told Fili that he did not fully comprehend his father's words, yet the obedient little dwarfling nodded his head just the same, willing to trust he knew what was best.

"But…you will try and get me one…won't you?" Flinn asked hopefully.

"I…I will do whatever I can," he nodded, deeply afraid that in this endeavor he was doomed to fail his son. "Now…how about a story?"

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Sier had removed the bandages around her fingers while she bathed and washed her hair, doing most of the work with her uninjured hand. Yet when it came to replacing her marriage braid, she was finding the work more than frustrating. She was about to give up in defeat when Fili came in, a satisfied look gracing his face.

"Sound asleep! Even if it did take me two stories to get the job done," he laughed, absentmindedly pulling off his tunic before digging out his night clothes from the drawer. Sier quickly turned her head, yet even then she could still see him clearly reflected in the mirror in front of her. "I thought for sure you would have been asleep yourself by now."

"I…I took a long bath," she explained, blushing slightly as she tried not to stare at the rippling muscles of his bare chest. "And my fingers seem to be giving me more trouble with my braid then I anticipated."

"Here, let me help you," Fili quickly offered, coming to kneel at her side. "You know, technically it is the duty of a husband to tend to his wife's hair, and vice-versa. I just never offered before since…well, you know…it didn't seem right. But if you will allow me, I would be happy to assist you until your fingers heal." Yet even though his proposition was done out of kindness, he was puzzled when Sier refused to even turn her head and look at him, preferring to keep her eyes glued to the far end of her night table. "Sier…what is the matter? Have I offended you?" Fili asked, suddenly confused.

"No…it is just…I mean…" she stammered, turning redder with each word. "Wouldn't you like to…well, get dressed first?"

Fili looked down and suddenly realized he was no longer wearing his tunic. He flushed a bit himself, quickly standing and pulling on his night shirt. When he was sufficiently covered, he came and stood next to her once again.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing towards her hair.

"Thank you," she nodded, giving him permission as she turned her head so that her left temple was facing him.

Fili had always been very quick with braids, having had enough practice through the years doing his own hair, as well as helping Kili a good share of the time. Yet, even though he knew he could whip out a braid in nothing flat, Fili found that this time he did not feel the need to rush. Sier's hair was amazingly soft and smelled like a summer's meadow just after the rain. He had been wanting to do this ever since they married, knowing that if theirs had been a conventional union, it would have been his duty from day one. Yet Sier was not his one, and he had feared offering might have been overstepping his bounds. Still, the fact that she allowed it now meant a lot, and he could feel his heart warm at the intimacy of the act. He wondered how difficult it would be to imagine that they were a true couple, one who had married for love, and not duty.

"You are very good at this," Sier told him, breaking him from his thoughts. "Though, I knew you were already, from watching you take care of Flinn's hair."

"My hands respond best when gripping cold steel," he laughed, meaning his swords. "But I am pretty handy with a brush and a comb as well. I had to be, with a brother like Kili. You know, for a dwarf who can hit the center of a target with an arrow every time, he is surprisingly less coordinated when it comes to hair. As it is, Kili hardly ever makes an effort to do anything with his unruly mop, unless it is a special occasion."

"Like for the Durin's Day celebration?" she asked, completely enjoying the sensation of Fili's fingers working their magic through her hair. She literally could have shut her eyes and fallen asleep from the soothing sensation.

"Especially then!" Fili laughed. "Thorin would bar the doors and not let him enter the hall, if he dared to show up looking like a scruffy mongrel. There will be far too many dignitaries gathered that night for him not to be all spit and polished. But that will be Amad's job this year, not mine. I have my own scruffy pup to look after."

Sier turned her head slightly and gave him a quizzical look.

"You know I mean Flinn, right?" he laughed. "I would never dare call you such a thing, not after seeing what you did to that Ferny guy."

"And what would you call me then?" she joked back, not realizing how leading the question sounded, until it was too late.

Fili's fingers stilled and he found that he could not take his eyes off of her. It felt like he had so many things welling up inside of him; words he wished to say, actions he wanted to take, and yet all he could do was utter one word.

"Beautiful."

Sier too was frozen, wishing she could find a way to quell the fire that was raging inside her once again. Why did he have to be so kind, so wonderfully attentive, and say such amazing things? Did he not know that he was killing her by acting this way? She had to do something, and fast. So reaching up, she pulled the braid from his fingers and snapped the Durin clasp at the end. Turning her head back towards the mirror, she prayed that he did not notice the deep blush spreading up her neck and into her cheeks.

"Thank you," she told him, rising from her seat and quickly heading over to the bed. "You best go finish changing for bed. I am sure you have a very busy day ahead of you."

"Yes…I do," he nodded, feeling let down and relieved all at once. "I will only be a moment, and then I will stoke the fire and turn down the lamps." Grabbing his sleeping trousers he headed into the washroom to undress, doing his best to avoid making eye contact with his wife. While he was there, the prince quickly poured a helping of cold water into the basin and splashed it on his face, looking up in the mirror as the droplets fell from his mustache.

"Fili," he said to himself. "You are in one heap of trouble."

My thanks to 'CookandBaker' for her idea of Flinn asking when he might get a brother of his own. hee hee.

Yep, Fili is one sunk ship.

Sooooo, how did you like the part with the pony? Fili is a bit jealous. ha ha.

Poor Sier, she has to do a complicated dance! What will she do?

Hair braiding can be very erotic. ha ha.

Guest Reviews:

Emrfangirl: I know you sent in your guest review back on chapter 13, but I am not sure how fast you read, so I thought it best to respond on a chapter farther in. Thanks for reading my story and I am so tickled you stopped to review. I do indeed plan to END this story, never abandon it, but I did have to take a break to write more...but I am BACK and pulling into the home stretch as we speak. Looking forward to hearing from you again. Thanks,

enilorac44: Sorry you are sick. I hope THIS chapter helped push you over the line to healthy again. Get better.

mjean: Well, if I made you laugh, then my job here is done! *packs up super hero cape and heads off to find a new purpose in life*

purplecrayola: I am so happy you love it. A writer NEVER gets tired of hearing THAT! I hired Flinn to be my adorable little draw for this story...think I am getting my money's worth? ha ha. I tend to plan a story out from start to finish before I start writing, then I don't post anything until it is either done, or mostly done, and that allows me to post at any speed I want. And I like FAST. ha ha. Yes, 'out of the mouths of babes' is right, ha ha. Yep, every dwarrow in Erebor knows not to mess with Sier! Especially her husband. ha ha. I am having so much fun with Kili, Dis, Dwalin, Bofur, Nori and especially Thorin. While I do enjoy a good Fem-Bilbo story (The Broom Bearing Baggins of Bag End being one of my favorites) in my story Bilbo is all male. ha ha. Now...we are not saying that ALL the hobbits coming WITH Bilbo are boys, though. *wink, wink* And yep, you guessed right, the evil pony guy is some ancestor of Bill Ferny, the previous owner of Sam's beloved pony. Thanks so much for popping up to say hello!