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Thank you all for each and every review!

Now on to the telling!

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Chapter 61

~X~

As they walked back to the apartment Bergie and Dwalin shared, Sier couldn't help thinking about the last time she had been inside those chambers. Fili had followed her there with murder and jealousy in his eyes, thinking that she and the now married warrior had been having an affair behind his back. Only to find out that Dwalin had been giving her dance lessons instead. Looking back now, she could laugh…but at the time, she had still been unsure of Fili's feelings, not to mention her own, so it had been a rather frightening incident. Still, she and Fili had come a long way, and now they were going to have a second child…together! If only Bergie was not having so many misgivings over her pregnancy, things would be perfect.

"Would you like me to come in and fix you something?" Sier asked, taking note of the slightly green hue of her friend's skin. "Dry toast and some ginger tea often helps with the queasy feeling."

"No, thank you," Bergie replied. "I'm afraid I can't blame the way I am feeling right now on morning sickness. This is just plain, old fashioned fear."

"I really do hope once you and Dwalin speak about this, that it will calm your worries," Sier told her sympathetically. "You two should be rejoicing, not fretting."

"Oh, I am sure he will rejoice…I am just going to need some time to wrap my mind around all this." She shook her head once more, looking down at her stomach in wonder. "A baby…our baby."

"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to send for me," Sier told her, watching her friend enter her apartment as if in a daze. "And be sure to lie down and rest…it is the best thing for you right now."

"I will," Bergie nodded, shutting the door with a grateful smile…even if it did not quite meet her eyes.

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Once she was alone in the hallway, Sier's mind quickly turned to her own good news, and just how she was going to tell Fili. She had been relatively certain of her condition for a while now, but without confirmation, she had not dared speak a word. Fili had been so excited about the idea of them trying for another dwarfling, that she feared disappointing him if she had been wrong. But now all she wanted to do was run straight to him and blurt out the wonderful news.

But where was he? Fili had left that morning mentioning something about overseeing the opening of a new mineshaft, of helping Thorin with plans for the new guard rotation schedule, and a few other things that could have taken him anywhere in the mountain. Sier supposed she could wait until later when he arrived home…but she just didn't want to!

Thorin! He would know where Fili was, and he was probably the only one who could order him to leave his work without drawing any undue suspicion or panic. She could ask Dis to seek him out, but she was minding Flinn today, and if his mother were to suddenly seek him out, he would quickly assume something had happened to their son. No, Thorin was her best bet, and picking up the pace, she hurried towards his council chambers, hoping to find him unoccupied.

Unfortunately, he had been in a private meeting, and Sier had to wait for an agonizing half an hour before she could see him. But when the guard at last ushered her in, she couldn't keep the wide smile off of her face.

"Ah, Sier, what a pleasant surprise," Thorin said, standing up from his seat and moving to pull out a chair for her. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"I…I need to ask you a favor," she began, sitting down as Thorin returned to his own chair. "I am desperate to speak with my husband right now, and I have no idea where he is."

"I am certain that if you asked any one of the royal guards, they could easily locate him for you," Thorin told her, looking a bit confused by her request. "After all it is their duty to know where the royal family is at all times."

"Yes, but if I did that, it would cause Fili to worry that something is wrong…when in actuality everything is wonderfully right," she explained, her excitement bubbling over. "While a summons from you would not be met with suspicion, or any undue concern."

"I see," he muttered, leaning back as he reached up and stroked his neatly trimmed beard thoughtfully. Over the past few weeks, Thorin had proven to himself, and everyone else, that he was not exactly intuitive where females were concerned. And yet, as he stared at Sier's smiling face, her cheeks flushed with excitement, he felt that he could hazard a guess as to the cause. "And might this sudden need to speak with him have anything to do with…a new addition to our family, perhaps?"

"It…might," Sier revealed, a blush spreading over her face, her smile never fading.

Thorin was on his feet and at her side in seconds, bending down to engulf her in a warm and gentle hug.

"Oh, my dear, I am so happy to hear this!" he laughed, pulling back but not letting go of her trembling hands. "I cannot think of more joyous news, than that of a new heir of Durin!"

Suddenly, Sier's face fell and she looked up at Thorin with questioning eyes.

"Would it be?" she asked. "I mean, if it is a son…would he be your heir? Would he, Flinn, or even Fili still be in line to inherit the throne?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Thorin asked, a bit taken aback by her question.

"While it is not common knowledge to most of Erebor…I know that you are actively courting Marigold with the hopes of marriage," she explained, looking slightly embarrassed, as well as a bit nervous. "If you achieve your goal, and have children of your own, would they not come before Fili and Kili in the line of succession?"

Thorin stood back, looking at Sier questioningly.

"Would it matter to you?" he asked quietly. "If your husband was no longer in line to inherit the throne, would it make a difference to you?"

"No, of course not," she insisted emphatically. "In some ways it would make my life a whole lot easier, as well as the lives of my children. And yet, I do not wish for him to be disappointed. Fili has trained so hard, taken on so much responsibility, and all to live up to his role as crown prince. And while he would step down in a heartbeat, should you have an heir of your own, it would be a difficult pill to swallow."

"I agree," Thorin nodded, leaning back against the table as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her thoughtfully. "I agree with everything you said. It would be a shame to disregard the amount of effort Fili has put into preparing himself to one day rule Erebor. Yet, I know he would willingly forfeit any right to the crown, if I were to name a new heir. However…" Here Thorin allowed a little smile to play at his lips. "I will not take the throne from him, not now, not ever. Fili and Kili have always been my legal heirs, and they will remain so, even if I should be blessed with a dozen strong sons."

"Truly?" This news came as a shock to Sier. "But why?"

"I now realize that Marigold is my one, that we were meant to be together," the king explained. "Yet from the beginning, I knew that should we wed, and have children, no dwarf would accept them as a legitimate heir to the crown. Only a full blooded dwarrow from the line of Durin may sit on Erebor's throne."

"Oh, Thorin…I'm so sorry," Sier said, true sympathy in her tone.

"Don't be," he replied with a shake of his head. "Just because they can never be king after me, does not mean I will not love and care for them as my greatest treasures. And besides that, any children I sire will then be afforded the greatest gift of all…the gift of choice."

"Choice?" the dam questioned.

"They will have the freedom to be whatever they choose to be," Thorin clarified. "I was not given that luxury…and I am ashamed to say that neither were Fili and Kili. I grew up with the knowledge that one day, after my grandfather Thrór, and my father Thrain, I would take my place as Erebor's king. Fili too understood this from an early age, and all that this destiny would entail. Kili's responsibilities have always been far less, and yet, he also knew there might come a day when he would be forced wear the crown. Yet my children will never be burdened with such a weight, they can be anything their heart desires…a miner, a gem cutter, a tailor, or even the captain of my guard…assuming they can best Dwalin in an honest fight." Here Thorin paused, the idea of a son, or daughter, of his defeating his friend and cousin, caused him to beam with pride. "But the bottom line is, Fili will always be my heir, and Flinn after him. And now, this new little one as well."

"It could turn out to be a lass, you know, Thorin," Sier giggled, patting her stomach and raising an eyebrow.

"That only means I will love her twice as much," the king assured Sier, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "The same way I love you, my dearest of nieces."

"So far I am your only niece," she pointed out, causing the king to chuckle heartily.

"Very true…but you will always be the first, and most likely my favorite, no matter what," he assured her. "Besides if Kili doesn't stop acting like a childish scamp, I can't see any lass ever giving him more than a passing glance, let alone wanting to marry him." He punctuated his words with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. "And I have not forgotten that I still owe him for that bucket of water he dumped on my head."

Sier did her best to hold it in, but it was no use and her laughter bubbled forth, causing Thorin to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I am sorry to laugh, Thorin," Sier confessed, trying to regain her composure. "But, I will never forget the look on your face, it was simply priceless. And I know for a fact that Kili has been living in fear of your retribution ever since."

"Good," he said with a smug smile. "I rather like the sound of that. And I will be getting him back, I promise you. I have just not decided on how…yet."

"Best not tell Fili what it is when you do figure it out…he would feel obligated to warn his little brother, even though he had originally been the main target of the prank to begin with," Sier confided.

"Yet you would not tattle on me?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, no," she said with a shake of her head. "I know when to hold my tongue. And I would never betray my king's trust by divulging his secret battle strategy…even if it meant sparing my beloved brother-in-law a bit of harmless embarrassment."

"It is nice to know I have at least one loyal subject," Thorin nodded, enjoying the comfortable teasing shared between them. Sier was easy to speak with, and he knew that Fili could not have chosen a better wife than her.

"Well, it is only fair, since I am trusting you with a secret of my own," she reminded him, placing her hand over her stomach. "But I still need your help to find Fili, so I can let him in on it as well."

"Of course, of course," he nodded, quickly going to the wall and pulling on a braided cord. Within seconds one of the royal guards entered the room, ready to do his king's bidding.

"Find Prince Fili immediately, and tell him I wish to speak with him in my personal office," Thorin ordered, watching as the guard bowed and left the room. "Now," the king grinned, assisting Sier to her feet. "You go wait for him there and deliver the news that I am sure will have him shouting for joy. However, I fear that information of this caliber will not remain secret for long. So to allow you both to announce these tidings personally, I will organize a special dinner tonight and invite all the company, as well as a few of our closer hobbit friends." Once more he leaned in and gave her a fatherly kiss on her forehead. "Now, go, don't keep your husband in suspense any longer."

"I won't," she grinned, skipping out the door as she headed for Thorin's office.

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Fili and Kili were both waist deep in rock and rubble, having jumped in to assist the miners in clearing out the debris being excavated from the new shaft. It was backbreaking work, but nothing they had not done before. Being born princes had not excused them from any duties that would help feed and clothe their family. Thorin had always taken on the lion share, but as Fili and Kili came of age, they too pitched in where they could, trying to make things easier on their mother, who had already suffered so much heartache. The golden prince had just tossed another large boulder into one of the mining carts when he heard his name being called from up above.

"Prince Fili?" came the voice of a palace guard. "Your Highness, your presence has been requested by your uncle and king."

"What do you think that is about?" Kili asked, stopping to wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm.

"I don't know, but if it was anything important, or the mountain was in danger, he would have asked for us both," Fili deduced, trying not to read any more into this than necessary.

"I'm not so sure," Kili said with a furrowed brow. "I think Thorin is still a little upset with me about taking Marigold on that tour. Not to mention plotting to get me back for that stunt with the water bucket."

"Well, I don't know about either of those things," Fili laughed, striding over to grab hold of the rope that would pull him out of the shaft. "But Uncle would never let any petty grievances get in the way of calling on one of his best warriors in times of danger."

Kili nodded, seeing the wisdom of his words. Still, he couldn't help but shiver slightly at the thought of his uncle seeking retribution on him for the prank.

"Would you like to come along anyway?" Fili offered, a sly grin on his face. "Maybe now would be a good time to talk with him about it…you know, mend fences?"

"Are you kidding?" Kili gasped. "I am hoping he will forget all about it with his mind currently occupied with Marigold! The last thing I want to do is run the risk of reminding him about it."

"Suit yourself," Fili laughed, almost feeling guilty over how much pleasure he was deriving from his brother's discomfort. Still, Kili had originally plotted with his own son to douse him with that water…so he pushed away any such thoughts and tugged on the rope. "I will let you know if it is anything of importance."

"You know where to find me," Kili called back with a friendly wave.

"Wherever Thorin isn't?" Fili asked as he began to rise up the shaft.

"Exactly!" Kili laughed.

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Sier had been pacing in Thorin's office for some time, wringing her hands and going over and over in her mind exactly how she was going to tell him. Yet none of her words seemed right! She wanted it to be perfect, for him to learn of his unborn child in a way that was completely opposite from how he found out about Flinn. The existence of his son had come as quite a shock to him after all, so this time, she wished to break the news gently. Yet, still the right words failed her.

"Sier?" came Fili's voice from behind her, causing the young princess to whirl around, staring at her husband's perplexed face. "I was told that Thorin wished to see me…is he here?"

"No…no he isn't," she stammered. "He…I mean…it was I who wanted to speak with you. Thorin only sent the guards to find you on my behalf."

"And why is that?" The crown prince was quickly going from confused to concerned. "Why couldn't you summon me yourself?"

"To avoid that very look of worry you are wearing on your face," she insisted, now only wanting to calm his fears. "There is nothing wrong, but I knew if I sent for you, you would assume the worst."

"Of course I would," he confirmed, striding over and taking hold of her by the arms as he looked her over, searching for any signs of injury. "But you are all right? Truly?"

"Completely," she nodded, taking his hand and leading him over to a nearby bench, forcing him to sit beside her. "But I have some wonderful news to tell you and it couldn't wait another moment."

"Oh?" he questioned, still looking a bit anxious.

"Do you remember when you told me about that dream you had?" she began, coming at it from a completely different angle than she had originally practiced. "Where I was pregnant with our child…our second child?"

"The one where Flinn asked if it could be a puppy?" Fili nodded with a smile, recalling just how adorable his son had been in his dream. Yet it only took a moment for the pieces to click into place, causing his grin to fade and his eyes to grow wide in shock. "You…do you mean that…are you…" he stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Yes…I had it confirmed by Oin only an hour ago," she nodded, almost giddy by now. "I am pregnant, Fili…we are going to be parents, again!"

"OH, SIER!" Fili cried, scooping her up and cradling her like a babe in his lap. "I love you so much! You can't believe how happy this makes me…deliriously happy in fact!"

"I'm pleased too," she assured him, snuggling into his chest as he kissed the top of her head over and over.

"A baby…another baby!" he repeated to himself many times. "And this time, I will be here to help you, to care for you, and spoil you rotten while the babe grows inside you. Anything you want, no matter the time of day or night, I will happily fetch it for you. Just name it."

"Even if it's for those expensive salted nuts only sold by that one vendor in Dale?" Sier asked, having already formed an odd craving for them over the past week. She had of course not mentioned it before, since she had been trying keep this all hush-hush.

"Anything!" Fili laughed, mentally calculating how long it would take for him to ride at top speed, there and back. "Oh, my love…I can't believe it. We are going to have a baby! A BABY!"

"Or a puppy," she teased. Yet before she could say any more, he silenced her with one of the most passionate kisses she had ever experienced. Oh yes, it was pretty safe to say that Fili was very pleased to hear he was going to be a father…again!

Sorry that Dwalin being told will have to wait. There is simply never enough time in a chapter for everything. ha ha.

Wasn't Thorin sweet with Sier.

And those who are worried that Fili will not be king if Thorin and Marigold have kids...see, all fixed.

Now they need to tell Flinn and Dis!

Guest Reviews

Emrfangirl: Do you feel better about Thorin and Marigold now? Fili's crown is safe. As for Frodo...well, maybe Flinn won't have to share (wink wink)

Obsessed reader: I HAVE NO IDEA! Do you? I mean men I know are 9 months, but is that the same for dwarves or hobbits? Too bad Tolkien did not think of telling us THAT! They are a month apart right now, or so Oin said. But we will see when the time comes.

Guest: Oh I know, a bit of girl talk is fun and often a tad dangerous...or so Sier found out. ha ha.

Aranel Mereneth: Fili and Sier sooooo deserve another baby after all they went through. More's the merrier!

Guest: So you want to know if Fili and Dwalin will have a boy or a girl? Wonder no longer. Yes...they will indeed have a boy or a girl. Feel better now? ha ha ha ha At least they won't have a dragon...or a troll. Right? And yah...umm...Thorin, talking about his 'feelings' I just don't see that happening. ha ha. Thanks for the review!