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Oh, come on...did you REALLY think I would leave you in suspense all weekend? Pish! That would have been a cruel and unusual punishment - something I save only for the Binas of the world. ha ha.

Here you go, a bonus chapter, just for you!

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Chapter 27

~X~

Fili's hands clenched and unclenched as he secretly followed Sier down the corridors and stairs, using all the stealth he had learned when hunting prey. He could feel his rage welling up inside of him, feeling his jealousy consume him as he dared to think of his wife with another dwarrow. Was he not rich enough to tempt her to stay? Had he not been good enough to her? To their son? What would have caused her to stray…to seek out another? And to imagine that it was Dwalin who had caught her attention…why? He was at least three times her age…maybe more! He held no title, other than what which Thorin had gifted to all those in the company. And the old warrior had such a surly attitude, that Fili could not imagine any dwarrowdam wanting to spend more than five minutes in his presence. So why was Sier now heading right for his chambers?

Fili pulled back and hid himself behind a pillar as he watched his faithless wife scurry to his former friend's door. Looking left and then right, she quickly knocked. Moments later the door opened and Dwalin ushered her inside, also poking his head out in order to check for any stray observers. Seeing none, he shut the door behind him, leaving Fili in a frenzy of fury.

Reaching back with both hands he pulled his twin blades from their scabbard, testing his grip against the smooth hilts, and gearing up for battle. He knew it would not be easy, for Dwalin was the best fighter there was, perhaps even better than Thorin himself. And yet, he also knew how the old warrior thought, what moves he would go for, and how to avoid getting his head lobbed off by one of his axes in the first few seconds of a fight. If he made it past that, the prince stood a fair chance of winning, or at least wounding the dwarf enough that he would never think of touching what was Fili's again!

With a burning determination he stormed towards the door, ready to kick it in, and reclaim his rightful treasure!

His treasure?

Where had he heard those words before? Who did he sound like? Suddenly Fili knew…Thorin! He sounded exactly like Thorin, when he had been consumed with the gold sickness…when he had been driven mad by it!

NO!

Fili backed away from the door, his hands dropping to his sides as he lowered his weapons. What was he doing? This wasn't right! Stumbling sideways he braced himself against a wall, taking in a few ragged breaths as his mind slowly began to clear. What had come over him? He had been about to do the unthinkable, all because he had allowed the curse of his line to affect him.

Fili's mind went back to the day of the great battle, when Thorin had stood on the barricade and threatened to throw Bilbo to his death for daring to trade the Arkenstone for peace, calling him a thief and a traitor. On that day, had Fili not defied his uncle and refused to play a part in that atrocity? Yet here he was, doing exactly the same thing, laying blame upon the innocent, on two individuals who had earned his trust many times over.

Yet unlike Thorin, it had not been gold, wealth, or a literal treasure that had gripped Fili so, desperately calling to his dwarfish blood. No, it had been a dam…his wife, Sier! The crown prince now better understood his uncle, what he must have gone through, how he had let his greed and desire take over his mind…and he truly pitied him. He could only thank Mahal that he had managed to pull himself out of it before it had been too late, before he had done the unconceivable. Dwalin was his friend, his brother in arms, and one of his closest kin. He owed him more than he could say, and yet he had been ready to throw it all away over a jealousy that he was foolish enough to believe was warranted.

And Sier…what cause had she ever given him to doubt her? Granted she was being evasive with her answers, and had secretively gone to Dwalin's chambers, but what proof did he have it was for anything nefarious? She had suffered much because of her association with him, and in return, what had he given her? Apparently not his implicit trust.

He was a fool! A bloody fool, and he chided himself for almost destroying so many lives. Thorin might have understood the compulsion, but would Kili…or his mother? Nay. And he felt deeply ashamed at the thought of their disappointment. He was better than this! He had seen the effects of gold sickness…this curse of the line of Durin, and he would be damned if he ever let it overtake him again!

Standing up straight, he took several deep breaths, clearing his mind and his head of all such hurtful thoughts. He would not go in there with accusations on his lips…no, he would be calm, ask questions, and only decide the right course of action when he had all the facts. He loved Thorin more than anything, but he had seen what this sickness could do to a dwarf and those around him. Fili would not succumb to its effects…not now, not ever!

Sheathing his blades, he took one shaky step, then another, until he found himself at Dwalin's door. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the handle, testing it and finding that it turned. This was it. He would either learn that he had been an utter idiot…or his life would be over.

Holding his breath, Fili pushed open the door. And there he saw it. Dwalin…standing in the middle of the room with his arms around Sier! No…wait, not around her, but more like about her. One on her shoulder, and one on her waist, almost in a dance like fashion. As he stared, his mind spinning with a myriad of different possibilities, he finally came to a conclusion.

Yes…he was an idiot.

With a flick of his wrist, he slammed the door closed, the noise startling the two in front of him.

"Fili!" Sier gasped, as Dwalin spun her around so that she was now facing their uninvited guest.

"Oh, Mahal!" Dwalin groused, stepping back and looking both irritated and embarrassed. "I told you not to tell him, or his blasted brother, about this!"

"I…I didn't," she stammered, suddenly realizing how this might appear to her husband…her in another dwarrow's rooms, with his hands upon her person! Even if it was all innocent, she felt her face flush in shame as she quickly tried to explain. "Fili…it is not what you think! I swear that it is not what it looks like!"

"Really?" Fili questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrow skeptically. "It is not what it looks like, you say? For to me, it would appear that Dwalin, our most fierce and stern war chief…is giving you dance lessons." At this point, Fili could no longer hold a straight face and he began to chuckle…then to howl with laughter. He was not sure why he found this so amusing, but the simple relief of knowing the truth seemed to overwhelm him. Sier had not betrayed him. Dwalin was still his loyal friend. And Fili had conquered his own form of gold sickness. It was either laugh…or cry!

"And if you dare to breathe one word of this, lad," Dwalin began to fume, shaking his fist at his prince, "You will learn just how fierce and stern I can be!"

By now Fili was doubled over, hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. He ended up falling back into a chair that had been pushed against the wall, obviously done so to make room for dancing. It was then that Dis came back into the room, a tray of tea and biscuits in her hand.

"Fili…what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at her hysterical son and then at a flustered Sier. "Did you tell him?"

"No! I never said a word," she insisted, feeling very confused by her husband's reaction. She had thought for a moment he had been angry, but now…now she worried for his sanity.

"It is true," Fili said, gasping for air. "Sier, never told me a thing!"

Before he could say any more, the door suddenly burst open, allowing a very frantic looking Thorin and Kili to come racing in. Kili appeared a bit disheveled, but then again he usually looked that way, but Thorin was dressed in a loose fitting tunic and pair of breeches, with the tips of his long hair soaking wet and dripping all over the floor. Both stopped short as they took in the scene, not finding at all what they had expected. The laughing Fili seemed to garnish most of their attention, but the shocked looks on everyone else's faces was equally puzzling. Turning to Kili, Thorin shot him a narrow eyed glare.

"I thought you said Fili was going to kill Dwalin?" he questioned, sounding none too happy about the accusation.

"If the lad does not shut his pie-hole and stop that laughing, I will be the one doing the killing!" Dwalin roared, his face turning an unhealthy shade of red.

"Oh…but you are killing me, Dwalin!" Fili continued, tears now running down his cheeks at humor in all this. "I swear my sides will split and I will die from laughter!"

"By Durin's beard! Will someone tell me what the blazes is going on here?" Thorin insisted, staring at each one in turn. "I do not appreciate being dragged from my bathwater by a frantic Kili, who insists that my other nephew is about to commit murder! And on the captain of my guard, no less!"

"Fili…you, what?" Dis questioned, eyeing her older son with the critical eye of a mother. "Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

"It was all a mistake," Fili was finally able to get himself under control, though the smile never left his lips. He was just too darn happy! "I…well, I assumed something that was untrue…but I promise that I had come to my senses before I entered the room. What I saw only confirmed how wrong I had been."

"You…you truly thought that Dwalin and I were…that we might be…" Sier could not even finish the sentence. Sier had immediately understood how things might have appeared…but to actually hear that Fili had believed such things shocked her. Sure, she held the older dwarf in very high regard, almost as a father figure or close kin, but to imagine that Fili had thought…no, she would not even entertain the idea.

"As I said, I was horribly mistaken, and I know that now," Fili stated, all his mirth vanishing as he looked at Sier with deep regret.

"Well…let's not go putting the notion completely out of the realm of possibility!" Dwalin huffed, suddenly feeling a bit insulted. "I am still a dwarrow in his prime, and I have been known to turn the heads of a few lasses in my day."

"Of course you have!" Dis insisted, instantly sticking up for her brother's oldest friend. "In fact, many of my friends attempted to catch your eye over the years!"

"Yes, yes," Thorin muttered, rolling his eyes. "Now that we have all established that Dwalin is a favorite with the lasses, can we safely say that there will be no bloodshed tonight, and allow me to return to my soak?"

There was a mumble of agreement, with most of the dwarrow present looking sheepish, embarrassed, or just still very confused. But suddenly something occurred to Fili.

"Kili…if you are here," he began, getting a rather concerned look on his face. "Who is watching Flinn?"

"Bofur," Kili was quick to placate the worried father. "Right after you left, I scooped him up and dropped him off on my way to Thorin's. You might have some explaining to do when you go fetch him though, since I practically threw him into Bofur's arms the moment he opened the door, and then ran off without a word."

"Well…maybe it is time we go retrieve him," Fili suggested, holding out his hand in invitation to Sier. When she stepped forward and took it without hesitation, the worried prince gave a sigh of relief. Perhaps he had not messed everything up with his baseless accusations after all. He then turned to look at Dwalin, shame reflecting in his eyes. "I offer my most humble of apologies, dear friend, for having doubted you, even for a moment. It shall never happen again."

"Ah, lad," Dwalin chuckled, his stern expression melting into one of understanding. "If I had a lass as pretty as Sier, I would probably go insane every now and again as well. I am just glad that I didn't have to make Kili the new crown prince tonight."

"Me too!" Kili barked, not liking the idea of being promoted one little bit.

"I think we can all agree on that," Thorin nodded, taking hold of his youngest nephew by the arm and pulling him towards the door. "And as long as you appear to have some free time on your hands…I have a very wet bathroom floor that could use a good mopping!"

This caused everyone, except Kili, to laugh as they left the room. They were quickly followed by Fili and Sier, as Dwalin kindly offered to see Dis back to her chambers. On their way to Bofur's quarters, Fili did not know what to say. He realized he had acted like the biggest idiot, and he worried that Sier might harbor some resentment towards him for his suspicions. But he hardly expected her to speak to him…or for her to actually apologize.

"I am sorry that I led you astray," she told him as they made their way down the corridor. "I know that my actions were very suspicious, and you had every right to assume the worst."

"No, I didn't! Don't you see that?" Fili argued, stopping and gently turning her to look at him. "Yes, you were holding things back from me, but in no way did you deserve my suspicion! I can only blame it on my Durin blood, and the fact that…well, we dwarves can become very jealous and greedy at times. It was wrong of me to even think such thoughts without a shred of proof, and I beg your forgiveness. It will never happen again."

"Fili, I do hope you know that I would never…" she began, but he cut her off.

"Yes…I do know," he nodded. "And as long as you know that I would never either, then I say we call the subject closed and forget about it."

"Agreed," she smiled, happy that it was over.

"Though I still don't understand why you would not have simply come to me to help you learn the Kaz'ängler," Fili said as they once more began their journey. "Why did you ask Dwalin?"

"Well, technically, I asked Dis," Sier admitted with a laugh. "She is the one who suggested Dwalin. And he in turn swore me to secrecy, fearing that word might get out that he knew how to dance…and rather well, I might add. I just lament that I did not get to have my final lesson. With his help, I might not shame you at the celebration after all."

"You could never shame me, Sier," Fili insisted. "If anything, you will only make me look better than I truly am. And I have to say, this will be the first Durin's Day dance I will enjoy in…well, a very, very long time." He then got an idea, his face lighting up at the thought. "How about we reschedule your final practice session with Dwalin for tomorrow night. I will go with you and bring my fiddle, that way you can have musical accompaniment."

"Would you?" she asked, her smile telling him all he needed to know. "That would be wonderful. I never did get to practice with music."

"Then it shall be done." Fili nodded, hoping this might make up for some of his idiocy.

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When they arrived at Bofur's place, they found Flinn and the jovial miner on the floor, showing the young dwarrow his treasured rock collection, a sample of all the best stone he had mined over the years. Fili decided to simply blame Flinn's sudden appearance at his door on Kili…saying his brother was insane. Bofur did not argue the point, and let the subject drop, having thoroughly enjoyed his time with the lad.

Back at their own chambers, Sier took Flinn directly to his room and readied him for bed, while Fili tidied up. He was still feeling a bit shameful over his actions that evening and was not up to offering his son a bedtime story. The madness that had overcome him weighed heavy on his mind, and he prayed that he would never experience such a sensation again. He was just turning down the lamps when he passed by the little dwarrow's room, and Flinn's voice caught his ear.

"Tell me about the first time you ever saw Adad," the little dwarrow begged.

Fili felt his gut clench, for that tale was not one he cared for his son to know about. Bina had not been mentioned between him and Sier since she first arrived back in Erebor, and he held his breath, fearing what she might say.

"The first time I ever laid eyes on your adad," she began, her voice not sounding at all nervous. "He was talking with a group of miners, right here in Erebor. He didn't see me, of course, he was far too busy, but I stopped and watched him."

Fili could not believe his ears. Was this just another fanciful tale Sier now wove for their son, invented to cover over how they had truly met?

"While he was talking to them, one of the older dwarrow became a bit dizzy, too long in the mines that day in the thin air, I could only assume," she continued. "Your adad quickly took hold of his arm, guided him over to a bench, and even got him a drink from the water barrel nearby. Now you might not think that was anything special, but for me, to see a prince show such concern for one of his working class…well, that was a very big thing indeed."

Outside the door, Fili was shocked by what he had just heard. He could only vaguely recall that incident, it not having been anything monumentous to him at the time. Yes, the miner had been light headed and bit fatigued, but after resting for a few moments, he quickly returned to health. To Fili, offering his assistance had been second nature and nothing out of the ordinary. Yet suddenly, he could see how it might have appeared to a young dwarrowdam who had spent her whole life as a servant, treated poorly by her highborn employers. He had no idea she had seen that…no idea that Sier had ever laid eyes on him before that day in Bina's room.

"And that is when you fell in love with him?" Flinn asked, the excitement showing in his voice.

"Well…something like that," Sier laughed. "Now, off to sleep with you. Can't have you nodding off during weapons practice, now can we?"

"Oh, no," Flinn agreed, his tone turning serious. "Uncle Dwalin would not be happy about that!"

"Uncle Dwalin?" Sier repeated, the laughter apparent in her voice.

"He said I could call him that…just like Uncle Thorin," Flinn explained. "It's alright, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, and I am sure he loves hearing it too," she assured him.

Fili heard her kiss him goodnight and then the lights were dimmed within the room, causing him to scurry away, not wanting Sier to think he had been listening at the door…which he had. But what he had overheard had truly touched him, making him wish that he had somehow met Sier under different circumstances. Would he have noticed her if they had passed in the halls? Would he have stopped and asked her name, wishing to know more about the lovely dam with the dark hair and soft brown eyes? He knew he would not have cared one lick that she was not a highborn lass, and he would like to imagine that she would have been brave enough to stop as well, possibly even smiling up at him.

Oh, things might have been so different for them if Bina had not intervened. And who knows…he might have even come to discover that Sier was his one. Yet now…now things were far too confusing. The feelings he had for her were undefined and so very unclear. Yet after tonight, after he had nearly gone insane with jealousy over the idea of losing her, perhaps they were not so hard to figure out as he thought. If only there was a way to know for sure! Fili knew he could no longer go on living with such questions, he had to find out. But how? There was no way around it, he would have to face any embarrassment and broach the subject head on. He would talk to her and sort out his feelings once and for all.

But not tonight, nor tomorrow even…but after Durin's Day. He would not risk ruining things between them just before such a special evening. But come dawn on the following day, Fili would know the truth…and to Mordor with the consequences! He only hoped that should the answers at last be found, they would be the ones he wanted so desperately to be true.

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"Uncle…" Kili whined as he crawled across the floor on his hands and knees, mopping up puddles of water with a large cloth. He had hoped Thorin had only been kidding about doing cleanup…but apparently not.

"Shut up and keep working," Thorin told him, once more submerged chest deep in his large tub, the water inside returned to a steamy temperature. He reached over to the table beside him and brought the glass of wine to his lips. "The operative words being shut up, since your sniveling is ruining my mood."

"But…but, Fili is the one who was going to kill Dwalin!" he protested. "Shouldn't he be the one doing this…or at least helping me?"

"Perhaps this will cause you think twice before assuming your brother is foolish enough to try anything as suicidal as taking on Dwalin," Thorin told him. "Apparently he was blinded by jealousy at first, but thankfully Fili has more sense than Mahal gave geese, and obviously came to that conclusion himself. As you should have as well, preferably before you got my naked arse out of this bathtub. Now…keep mopping!"

Kili did as he was told, but he grumbled like a petulant child the entire time. He would get Fili for this! His mind began to whirl with ideas and suddenly his frown turned into a sly grin, one he quickly hid from his uncle. Oh, yes…Fili would pay dearly.

There...is that better? No big cliffie here for you to dangle off of by the tips of your fingers.

So...did you like how I handled Fili's 'gold sickness' and how he came out of it on his own and didn't make a complete idiot of himself, or get killed in the process - cuz you know Dwalin would have had his guts for garters. ha ha.

Look out Fili...Kili is out for revenge!

Have a nice weekend and see you on Monday!

Guest Reviews:

Guest F: I will NOT stop...until the story is done. Then I kind of have to. ha ha. Thanks for reading.

Guest H: Yep, a cliffie...I do like to toss them in from time to time. But look, I just gave you a bonus chapter too, so nope, can't be mad at me! A month? *gasp* I would die if I had to wait a month to post! Awww, my guest review spot thanks you! As do I.

Guest: ha ha, you never know do you, how dwarves will react. Did she surprise ya? Dis really didn't have to do much, but I am sure she would have stepped in and saved the day had there been more of a brew-ha ha. Thanks for your review and for your concern for them...they appreciate it.

enilorac44: I DIDN'T! See how nice I am. Can't have you in agony on the WEEKEND! Thanks for the review.

Guest: Flinn is rather cute, right? Fili might be the eye-candy, but I use Flinn like bait on a hook to lure you all in. Worked good too, didn't it? ha ha.