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Here starts part 2 of 'Little Son of Durin' - Thorin and Dwalin's tale! I hope you enjoy what I did for them and their little hobbit lasses. Thanks for sticking with me while I took time off to write it.

If you recall, we last left Fili and Sier in each others loving arms...at last, little Flinn is coping well, Thorin and Dwalin are in a tizzy about their feelings for Marigold and Bergie, and Dis is determined to meddle in Thorin's love life...maybe even Dwalin's. Oh, and Kili is still as adorably clueless as ever.

Enjoy!

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Part 2

Older Sons of Durin

Chapter 44

~X~

Much to everyone's displeasure, the plan to get Bina and Colm out of Erebor did not take place the following day. Mostly due to no one having had much sleep, as well as the fact that Dain had kept Thorin up until way past dawn drinking and talking. When he at last headed off to his chambers for a much deserved rest, the dwarf king looked quite flustered…and even a bit disturbed.

And as much as Thorin had wished to keep the whole affair under wraps, news of the abduction of the princess and little prince spread like wildfire around the mountain, garnishing a lot of ill-will for the three prisoners being held in Erebor's dungeons. Many of the guests, such as Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of the hobbits, were aghast at what had taken place while they had unknowingly slept, waking only to find that everything had once again been set to rights. Frodo had been especially worried for his new sword brother, but no matter how much he begged his parents to take him to see Flinn, they staunchly refused, claiming that the family needed time alone to recuperate.

By the time Balin was able to round up everyone legally required to be in attendance for the sentencing of prisoners, it was already far too late in the day for Dain and his company to start their journey back to the Iron Hills. Bard, who had returned to Erebor late that afternoon, at Thorin's summons, was only too happy to take Tom Ferny off their hands. After hearing all that he had done to Sier and Flinn, the king of Dale was beyond furious, and swore that the man would not only be consigned to a lifetime of hard labor…he would be doing so in faraway Rohan.

Apparently, the last time Bard had heard from Sigrid, she had mentioned that there seemed to be an endless amount of land that needed to be cleared, and numerous structures to house both humans and horses that required building. Bard was certain that Ferny's idle hands could be put to good use - for once in his miserable life - paying dearly for his folly of throwing in with the likes of Bina and Colm. He also promised Thorin, that once he notified Thengel of Ferny's past crimes, the prince would make certain that the sorry excuse for a man would settle his debt to society…and then some.

Thorin openly expressed his gratitude to Bard, while doing his best to conceal his pleasure over the fact that Storm had gifted Tom Ferny with at least three broken ribs. And while Oin had done his medical best to bind them securely, the long trip south would still prove to be quite a painful journey.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, was all anyone had to say about him.

Bina and Colm, however, had been brought to one of the small court chambers, where most of the company gladly stepped forward to testify. Relating, in great detail, their knowledge of the crimes the father and daughter had committed against the crown prince, his wife, and son – not to mention the good name of dwarves everywhere. The guard who had witnessed their two henchmen sneak them out of Erebor was also called upon, eager to tell all that he knew. When it came time for the two prisoners to have their chance to speak, to offer up a word of defense, Bina stepped forward, ready to plead her case. Yet to the shock of all - Bina none the least - Colm silenced her with a few harsh words and a threatening look.

"We offer no excuse for our heinous actions," Colm told everyone present. "We were wrong and therefor can only beg for your forgiveness. We throw ourselves on the mercy of the court."

"WHAT?" Bina screeched, looking at her father as if he had lost his mind. "He might feel that way…but I do not! I am innocent in all this. I was led astray, tricked into everything by that man Ferny…and…and my father! He told me to do it…every bit of it. And being a dutiful daughter, of course I had to listen to him. It is all his fault." She then emphasized her accusation by pointing a bony finger directly at him.

The look of utter betrayal Colm gave his daughter could not have been more pitiful if she had stabbed him in the chest with a literal knife. He did not say anything though, simply shook his head in regret and ignored her from that moment on, not even glancing in her direction. She had, in essence, severed all ties with him with that final denunciation.

Thorin, having heard every word Bina had spoken the previous night at their camp, believed none of it. And while he was not willing to pardon Colm for the part he played in the abduction and attempted murder of his kin, he did find that he felt a twinge of pity for the dwarrow over the betrayal of his own daughter. Yet the dwarrow had been the one to raise her…he had no one to blame but himself.

With the staggering amount of evidence against them, it did not take long for a judgment to be settled upon, and just as planned, Dain accepted the responsibility to see that it was carried out…in the Iron Hills.

Life in prison, with little chance of ever seeing daylight again, seemed adequate to most…but apparently not all. Dis and Dwalin had stood off to the side during the proceedings, both wearing deep scowls on their faces as they watched the two prisoners being led back to their cells for the night. When they turned and locked eyes, the princess and the war-chief nodded conspiratorially to one another, then left the chamber separately, each heading in different directions.

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The following day, as Dain made ready to leave, the royal family gathered to see him off. Fili and Kili stood next to Dis, with Dwalin on the other side of Thorin.

"It was good to see you again, cousin," Thorin nodded, slapping the red bearded dwarf on the back as they walked out to where his mount waited. "Next time, be sure to bring that pretty wife of yours, as well as both your children. I am anxious to see if you are gifted with another son…one you are welcome to name after me as well, by the way."

"I keep telling you," Dain huffed. "I named my lad after Thorin the First!"

"Then perhaps it should be a daughter this time," Dis suggested, giving the two males a wide grin. "And then you can name her after me."

"Now that is a fine idea! For other than my own blushing bride, I can't think of a lovelier or more gentle dam than you, Dis," Dain smiled, taking up his cousin's hand and kissing it gallantly.

"And what about my bride?" Fili asked, sounding a bit miffed, though the cheeky grin on his face said differently. He had managed to drag himself away from his happy little family long enough to say his farewells, for he felt he owed him that, and so much more. Fili was grateful to his cousin for taking the prisoners off their hands, and getting them as far away from Erebor as possible. He did, however, insist that Sier and Flinn remain behind in their chambers…he did not want either of them to have to look upon Bina and Colm ever again. "I thought you said that my Sier was the beauty of Middle Earth."

"Ahhh, 'tis true," Dain said, giving a hearty belly-laugh. "Erebor is indeed graced with many stunning gems, and not all of them mined from the earth. Yet, now I must take my leave of you all, for my own precious jewel awaits me."

It was then that the guards chose to march Bina and Colm out into the open, both bound and fettered as they were loaded into a wagon headed for their new home in the Iron Hills. However, everyone was quite startled to see that Colm was not the only one who had been divested of his mantle of honor. For all the hair on Bina's head had been shockingly shorn off, as if done with the blade of a curiously dull knife. And if one had bothered to look closely, for the lass kept her head bowed, too humiliated to meet the stares of anyone as she passed, they would have seen she also sported a rather painful looking black eye.

Thorin, while not arguing the point that she deserved nothing less, was instantly outraged that someone would have done such a humiliating thing to a prisoner without his express permission. He was the king, and he had outlined their punishment, thus he would not have any of the jailers second guessing his decisions. He glared at the dwarrow guards who were ushering them along, yet not one of them dared to meet his stern gaze. However as he opened his mouth to question who had been behind such a thing, he felt a hand on his arm, drawing his attention down to his sister.

"Let it go, brother," she instructed quietly, a smug grin on her face. "Just let it go."

Thorin paused, eyeing Dis through narrowed eyes until realization struck him. She was not asking him to pardon the guards for taking such an action, she was telling him to not bother with an inquiry…for the perpetrator now stood beside him!

"Dis?" Thorin questioned.

"Amad?" Fili added, coming to the same conclusion as Thorin.

"No one threatens the ones I love without tasting my fury!" she growled in her defense. "That Bina witch got what she deserved…do you deny this?"

When Thorin, Fili, or even Kili for that matter, spoke no words to contradict her, Dis nodded her head in satisfaction and gave a slight huff.

"Then we shall let it rest," she said with a tone of finality. "And perhaps this will stand as a lesson to all, that when someone messes with my sons, or their families, they shall feel my wrath." And with that Dis turned and strolled back into the mountain, a wide grin on her face.

"Thorin," Dain spoke up, gaining the king's attention. "If I am blessed with a daughter…I will be calling her Dis, if for no other reason than in hopes that some of her sass and fighting spirit will rub off on my youngling by the taking of that name. You have a very exceptional sister there."

"That I do," Thorin nodded, though a part of him was just a bit frightened by what he knew she was ultimately capable of. He would make a point to remain on her good side…out of self-preservation.

They all stood there and watched Dain depart, with Fili and Kili turning at last to head inside as well. After they had gone, Thorin took note that Dwalin appeared to be attempting to hide a small smirk.

"And what part exactly did you play in all this?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest as he stared at his oldest friend and cousin. "I can't believe that any of my guards would not notify me if someone requested access to the dungeons without my permission…not even my own sister."

"I am as innocent as a newborn lamb," Dwalin claimed, looking anything but. "However, if I decided that the guards on duty needed a very well deserved break, and a few pints of ale…well, who can fault me for that? I was with them the whole time, they can all vouch for that, and I never once laid eyes on either of the prisoners." At this he held up his hand, as if to swear to the fact.

"Yes…I see," Thorin said, narrowing his eyes as he put all the pieces together in his mind. Distracted guards, a sneaky sister, and an equally devious accomplice…yes, this reeked of Dwalin and Dis. Still, what was done was done and there was no lasting harm, at least none that was not well earned. So he decided to do as Dis requested…he would let it go. "Well then, I say that is settled. All three of those villains are gone for good, and will trouble us no further. Now we can get on with our own lives, and see to this agricultural project."

"Ahhh, yes," Dwalin nodded, his eyes taking on a bit of a twinkle. "And what shall we be doing with the two pretty lasses who came to assist us in this endeavor?"

"You may do as you please," Thorin told the bald warrior, pulling himself up to his full height, tugging at his tunic a bit as if to straighten any wrinkles. "I however, have not decided what to do, and I shall not be dragged into anything in a hasty manner…if I allow myself to be dragged at all! I am the king, and I will act accordingly."

"But…but Marigold is your one," Dwalin gasped, giving him a look of shock. "You cannot deny your one…it is simply not done!"

"Who is to say that Miss Brandybuck truly is my one?" Thorin challenged, turning to glare at his friend. "And for that matter…how do you know that Miss Bracegirdle is yours? You were there, you heard what Gloin and Bombur said, and can you say without any doubt in your mind that the two hobbit lasses fit all the criteria?"

"What do you mean?" Dwalin was not liking this line of thought in the least.

"Have you dreamed of Miss Bergie on your wedding day?" he questioned. "Or of any children you might one day share?"

"I have not seen the inside of my bed chambers for more than a few hours since I met her! So how in Durin's name am I supposed to dream, when I have not slept?" he blustered. "Besides, not all dwarrows do that, even Gloin said so. And how do you explain the sudden attraction I felt the moment I laid eyes on Bergie?"

"You met the lass in the heat of battle where she saved your life," Thorin said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Could be that you are simply enamored with her, and grateful that she saved your life."

"And the fact that Marigold seemed to fascinate you…her hands especially?" Dwalin pointed out. "Care to explain that?"

"They are new…different. I have always been intrigued by unfamiliar things," Thorin shrugged. "Just as Bergie's feet are unlike those of a normal dam." When Dwalin opened his mouth to further protest, the determined king played his final hand. "Has she awakened you?"

Here Erebor's war chief stalled, closing his mouth as he looked away, appearing disappointed.

"No," he replied.

"Then until any of these signs present themselves, I think it best that we do not make fools of ourselves chasing after the lasses that may, or may not, be the ones that Mahal has chosen for us," Thorin insisted, sounding all wise and knowing. "After all, they are hobbits, and do we even know if they bond in such a way? Do they mate for life, like we do? Are our two races even compatible in the ways that count? For as much as I admire our friend Bilbo…what I know of hobbit's ways, customs, and physiology could fit on the head of a pin."

"Then perhaps it would be wise of us to ask," Dwalin persisted.

"Would you care to broach these subjects with Mr. Baggins?" Thorin offered, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"No," came the warrior's response once more, looking somewhat mortified by the prospect.

"It is settled then," the king under the mountain nodded in finality. "We will do nothing. Avoid being put in any position that would lead to awkwardness, and just see if these feelings pass. I, for one, believe them to be nothing more than a reaction to something new…that is all."

"I suppose that is a possibility," Dwalin agreed, be it reluctantly. He then gave an exasperated sigh and shut his eyes in defeat. "And since I have lived almost two centuries without finding my one, I guess waiting few more days to know for sure is not going to kill me."

"That's the spirit," Thorin commended him, giving him a hearty slap on the back. "Now, let us head in, breakfast is calling, and I for one am starved." So the two dwarrow reentered Erebor, determined to be strong.

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Meanwhile, another dwarrow was doing all he could to remain strong as well, but for a completely different reason.

"So," Kili began, throwing his arm around his brother's shoulders as they made their way towards the royal wing. "How is married life treating you these days…now that you and Sier know for sure you are each other's ones?"

"I thought you did not want to know any of the particulars," Fili stated, eyeing his little brother skeptically.

"I don't!" Kili insisted, pulling back in alarm. "I just wanted to know…well…is it all you thought it would be? Are you happy?"

"Happy?" Fili repeated, stopping in his tracks and staring at his brother as if he couldn't fathom the question. "I…I have never been this happy in all my life, Nadadith! I knew I had feelings for Sier before, but to now find out that she is my one…I can't even describe to you the joy I am feeling. It is like nothing I have ever experienced."

Kili looked at his brother for a few moments before a wide grin spread across his youthful face. "I am glad, truly I am," he assured the blond prince. "And seeing you and Sier so in love…well, it almost gives me hope that one day I might feel the same way about a lass." He then got a sly smirk on his face and continued his way down the corridor. "Of course I will not make such a mess of things, like you did. I will recognize her as my one immediately, and she will be spellbound by my captivating good looks, witty charm and stunning physique. Just wait and see, I will show you how it is done, big brother."

"Oh, really?" Fili laughed, hurrying to catch up. "I can't wait for that day to come…so I can rub it in your face."

"My handsome face, you mean," Kili corrected.

"Sure…whatever you say," the crown prince laughed, rolling his eyes. After a few seconds of happy silence, Fili cleared his throat. "However...as happy as I am, I have a bit of a problem."

"Oh?" Kili asked, stopping once again as he eyed his brother in concern. He really hoped he was not going to ask for advice or divulge any intimate details.

"You see…well, I have an issue with privacy," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Ever since the abduction, Flinn will not leave our sight. I mean not even for a moment. Not that I blame him at all, it was a very frightening thing he went through, and he has every right to be a bit clingy. But he is there when we wake, he is there during the day, and he even insists on sleeping with us like he first did when he came to the mountain. From the moment Amad brought him back to our room, I have not had more than two minutes alone with Sier…and well…I really, really want to be alone with my wife!"

"Is that all?" Kili laughed, though seeing the desperation in his brother's eyes, he quickly sobered. "Then leave it to me…I will do what I can to take the dwarfling off your hands for the evening, not bringing him back to your chambers until he is good and tired and ready to fall right to sleep…in his own bed. How does that sound?"

"Like you were sent from the Valar," Fili smiled, reaching out and pulling his brother into a warm embrace. "Thank you, Nadadith."

"Save that for Sier," Kili joked, feeling a bit uncomfortable with all this romantic talk. "Now, let's go find your bride and son and head to the dining hall. There we can have a nice breakfast and then and I will do my best to coax your son away. Perhaps I can enlist the aid of Frodo and let them play together…so that you and Sier can run off and play as well."

"I could not have asked for a better brother than you," Fili grinned, the two of them heading off with their arms over each other's shoulders.

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Already in the dining room, feasting on a sumptuous breakfast were Bergie and Marigold, amid many of the other hobbits, Drogo, Prim and Frodo included.

"So…" Marigold began, pushing her eggs around her plate in a distracted fashion. "What do you think we should do today?"

"Hopefully more than yesterday," was Bergie's reply. And while she knew that many in the mountain had been busy dealing with the two heinous villains, she was anxious to see her handsome tattooed warrior again. "Though I know it will probably take a few days before things settle down, just coming off a celebration and all."

"Not to mention what happened with Sier and Flinn," Prim spoke up, unconsciously reaching out and pulling her own son a bit closer. "I am simply sick over such a horrible thing taking place, and on the very evening we arrived too."

"But…Flinn is all right now, isn't he?" Frodo spoke up, staring at her with wide and anxious eyes. He had not seen his new friend since the night of the party and it worried him that no one would allow him to go in search of his sword brother.

"Yes, my little duckling," Prim assured him. "Flinn is perfectly fine and safely back in Erebor. His family would simply like some private time together after such a frightening event, is all. Just be patient."

Unfortunately, patience was not one of Frodo's strong suits, and he gave a huff of frustration as he took another bite of his breakfast. For even as upset as he was, a hobbit never passed up a meal.

"Well, harrowing experience or no, I think it is time we all begin to lay out our plans for this project," Bergie spoke up, wiping her mouth and tossing her napkin in the middle of her empty plate. "And I for one intend to start by having someone give me a tour of the store houses. I need to see if any renovations are required so that all the produce will keep through the winter months. Lots to do, and so little time." She was just about to march her way out of the room when Thorin and Dwalin entered, the two so deep in conversation that neither one noticed the way the two hobbit lasses stared at them as they made their way to the royal table. "On second thought," Bergie muttered, sitting back down and pouring herself another cup of milk. "I believe the view in here just improved tenfold…and I see no reason to rush off so quickly. How about you, Mari?"

Yet as the older hobbit turned and stared at her niece, she could see that Miss Brandybuck was already spellbound, completely unaware that there was anyone else in the room – other than the handsome king under the mountain.

"I am glad you agree," Bergie chuckled to herself, taking a sip of the milk, yet never allowing her eyes to drift from the handsome tattooed warrior she had set her sights upon. "Oh, yes…and what a view it is."

Thorin and Dwalin are just like sweets in a candy store window...fun to look at, but so much better when you get your hands on them. ha ha. At least that is what Bergie and Marigold think. Better watch out boys!

Poor Fili - he and Sier need some private time...NOW!

And way to go Dis...no one messes with her loved ones!

Hope it was worth the wait! And I will you again on Wednesday!

T.O.W.G.