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Welcome to your Wednesday chapter. Remember, I will be posting three times a week, so your next one will be on Friday.

Now let's see what other troubles we can toss into this story...

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Chapter 96

~X~

By the time Fili and Kili finished informing their troops, it was already past dinnertime. Fili knew that Sier would have saved him something, but Kili headed off to the kitchens to scrounge up a bite to eat for himself, before heading off to bed. As he entered his chambers, Fili could hear the happy sounds of his family, and it made him smile. He loved coming home to such joyful noise, his sons and daughter's laughter mingling with that of his beautiful wife. No dwarf could ask for more.

"Adad!" Flinn cried racing towards him as Fili lifted him up in his arms. Frerin was only a step or two behind, and was soon wrapped around his father's legs. Freya too wiggled out of her mother's hold and toddled over to Fili, holding her hands up in a pleading gesture. With his arms full, and his legs now entrapped, the poor dwarf gave his wife a pleading look, begging for assistance.

"Oh, no," she said with a shake of her head. "I've been juggling all three since breakfast…you're on your own." She then sat down, possibly for the first time all day, and gave him a gleeful grin.

"I have such a cruel wife," he teased, doing his best to squat down and untangle Frerin's arms from around his body. When he was at last successful, he reached out and scooped all three into his strong arms. They each giggled as he packed them over to the sofa and sat down, the children still clinging to him with joy.

"Cruel you say?" Sier repeated, raising an eyebrow at her now half buried husband. "If I am such a horrible wife, then why did I bother to save you some dinner?" she questioned, standing up and heading to the kitchen.

"Obviously because you pity me," Fili called back, making her laugh. "It's the only explanation that makes sense. For you could have had any dwarf in all Middle Earth, and yet you lowered yourself to marry me."

"Oh, yes," Sier agreed sarcastically, exiting the kitchen with a tray of food, covered with a cloth. "And I suffer daily for my poor choice in husbands, having been foolish enough to marry a prince. Poor me, how ever shall I go on?"

"Oh, Ama," Frerin laughed, snuggling into his father's embrace. "You're funny! We know you love Adad."

"Yes, I do," she agreed, setting the tray down on the table in front of him and picking Freya up so that he might be able to eat. "I love him very much and he knows it."

"Just as I love her," Fili grinned, extracting his arm from Frerin's grip as he reached out and grabbed Sier by the hand, pulling her down to him so that he could prove just that. The moment their lips touched, however, they were assaulted by moans of protest from Flinn and Frerin.

"Ewwww, don't do that in front of us!" Flinn begged, looking as if he were about to gag.

"Yah, that's icky!" Frerin agreed, covering his eyes with his hands so that he didn't have to see such repulsive things. Freya kept her opinions on the matter to herself.

Fili just laughed at this sons, gave Sier one more kiss for good measure, and then dug into his plate. He had not realized just how hungry he was until he smelled the food.

"Tell us about the mission, Adad!" Flinn insisted, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. "When are we leaving?"

"We?" Fili questioned, his fork halting midway to his mouth as he looked at his eldest son in confusion.

"Yes…Frerin and I want to come with you," Flinn explained, looking exceptionally confident. "Uncle Dwalin says I'm getting very good with a sword now, and Uncle Kili has been teaching me to shoot a bow. I'll watch over Frerin, so you don't have to worry about him."

"Flinn," Fili began, giving Sier a side glance, noticing her concern as well. "This is not the type of journey I can take you on. We are going to battle, and it could be very dangerous."

"I don't want you to go if it's dangerous!" Frerin cried, throwing his arms around Fili's waist and holding on tight.

"Don't worry, Adad is brave and strong," Flinn insisted, waving off his little brother's protest. "Nothing will happen to him. But I still think we should go along just to make sure." It was apparent that the dwarfling was not going to let this go easily.

"I'm sorry, Flinn," Fili replied, his tone a bit stronger, yet no less sympathetic. "But you and your brother simply cannot go."

"But…but you were going to let me and Frerin travel with Uncle Thorin to the Shire to visit Frodo!" he argued. "That trip would have been lots longer."

"Yes, but that journey was to see friends and family, not do battle and rescue a bunch of dwarves and men," Fili reasoned. "And once your Aunt Marigold has her baby, and the weather turns nice once again, that trip will be back on. But this mission is not for dwarflings…so you cannot go."

"I'm not a dwarfling anymore!" Flinn argued, crossing his arms over his chest and stamping his foot in anger. "I'm ten years old and a warrior! Uncle Dwalin said so! This is unfair! I don't want to stay behind…why can't I go with you?"

Fili could tell that he was getting nowhere reasoning with his son, and like many times in the past, he decided to fall back on Sier's tried and true method for parenting.

"Flinn, I am sorry you feel it is not fair, but you are not going because I said so, and that is final." Fili hated to pull rank on his children, but sometimes it was necessary. Flinn and Frerin were usually very obedient children - except when it came to bath time - yet his older son had apparently inherited some of Thorin's stubbornness, and it was presenting itself right now.

"NO!" Flinn cried, his face growing red with disappointment and frustration. He stared at his father for a moment longer, before racing from the room and slamming his chamber door behind him.

Frerin appeared unsure as to what he should do, but ever his brother's staunch supporter, he jumped off the sofa and quickly followed Flinn. Fili couldn't say he was surprised by this, yet he hated it when his children were upset with him.

"Da?" Freya said, looking down at her father with concern in her little eyes.

"Don't you start begging to go as well," Fili moaned, sitting back and shutting his eyes in defeat. He felt bad, but not bad enough to relent and allow his sons to accompany him on a dangerous mission. "I probably could have handled that better," he told his wife, feeling the cushions dip as she sat down beside him, Freya still in her arms.

"No, you did just fine," she assured him. "There's simply no way you can win this one. Flinn has his heart set on going, but it's just too dangerous. You are telling him no for a very good reason, because you love him and want to protect him. He will understand this in time."

"But until then, he hates me," Fili grumped. "They both do."

"They don't hate you," Sier chuckled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Flinn is just upset, and Frerin goes along with whatever his brother is feeling. Don't worry…they will both be fine by morning."

"I still feel bad," Fili said, reaching out to take hold of his daughter and pull her onto his lap once more. "But you still love me, don't you, Freya?"

"Da, da, ma, ma, da," she babbled, patting at his face with a bright smile.

"That's what I thought," he grinned, kissing her on the top of her little blond head. "You will always be my favorite little lass."

"Excuse me?" Sier huffed, giving her husband an amused look. "If she is your favorite little lass…what does that make me?"

"You are my favorite bigger lass," he assured her, his arm snaking out and pulling her close to him. "And I don't know what I would do without you."

"Thankfully, you will never have to find out," she grinned, resting her head on his shoulder as they sat there silently for a bit. "But you know…if you would like to appease your sons…" she began, her voice one of contemplation.

"Yes?" Fili prompted, desperate for anything that might get him back in their good graces without having to give in on his declaration.

"Ilin mentioned to me the other day that she and Bombur are taking their children on a trip to Esgaroth day after tomorrow," Sier said, sitting up and looking Fili in the eye. "They plan on camping along the way, fishing on the lake, and staying for about two weeks. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if Flinn and Frerin went along, and it would be a good distraction for them. I know it's not a trip with their father, but it's much more exciting than staying home."

"That's a fabulous idea," Fili grinned. "I'll go ask Bombur immediately!"

"First you finish your dinner," Sier ordered, holding up her finger to him when he opened his mouth to protest. "And no arguing. The last thing I need are three pouting dwarflings in this house."

"Yes, my love," Fili laughed, moving Freya over to his left arm so that he could use his right to continue eating, much to his wife's delight.

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"It's not fair!" Flinn stated in anger, pacing around their room with a scowl on his face. "Adad has to let us go…he just has to!"

"I don't know," Frerin said, sitting on his bed and shaking his head. "He didn't sound like he was going to change his mind."

"Then we'll just have to make him change it," Flinn insisted. "And you can't give in, Frerin. Show him your sad puppy dog eyes…that works every time. And no matter what he says, keep arguing and don't give up!"

"I don't want Adad mad at me though," Frerin pleaded.

"He won't be…I promise," Flinn came over and sat down beside his brother. "Once we convince him that we will be a big help, he'll be happy to take us along. You'll see."

"All right," the little dwarf nodded, eager to believe anything his older brother told him. "I will not give up until he says yes!"

"That's the spirit!" Flinn grinned. "Now, here is what we need to say…"

The two brothers ran over ideas and perfected their lines for the next hour, in their mind giving their father plenty of time to rethink his unreasonable decision. Yet before they could leave the room to find him, Fili sought them out instead.

"Flinn…Frerin?" he asked, sticking his head inside their door. "May I speak to you for a moment?" When he got a nod from both of them, he stepped inside, moving to sit on Flinn's bed as he looked at them both hopefully. "I know you're upset with me, and I am sorry about that."

"Then say we can go and everyone'll be happy," Flinn offered, a bright smile on his face.

"Flinn, that is not going to happen," Fili stated firmly.

"But why?" the blond dwarfling whined. "Don't you love us? Don't you want to spend time with us?" Flinn knew he was playing dirty, but he really wanted to go with his father.

"Of course I love you…I love you both more than I can say," Fili assured them. "And I would rather spend time with you two than do anything else in all the world. But I have to go on this journey, and I have to do it without you. It's not safe and I never want anything bad to happen to you. You have to understand that." Fili watched as Flinn crossed his arms over his chest once more, a scowl on his adorable little face. Frerin quickly copied his brother, also leveling his father with a disgruntled frown. Still, Fili pressed on, attempting to stem any further objections. "However, I do have an alternative for you. How would you and Frerin like to go on a camping trip with Bram, Tam and Tae? Bombur and Ilin are taking them on a two week trip in just a few days, and they said they would love it if you two came along. What do you say?"

Flinn sat there in silence, his expression unchanging, apparently thinking on the idea. Frerin, sticking to the original plan, quickly spoke up, rattling off the things his brother had coached him to say.

"But we wanna go with you, Adad!" the dark haired dwarfling pleaded, pouring it on thick with his puppy dog eyes. "You're always so busy and we never ever get to see you." Frerin knew that was a lie, for their father spent a great deal of time with them, but if it helped their cause, it was worth a try. "If we came with you, you could spend more time with us…and we'll be really good and careful…and…"

"And we would love to go camping with Bombur and his family!" Flinn broke in, cutting his little brother off mid-sentence. "That sounds like fun! When would we leave?"

If Fili was shocked by his son's sudden turn around, Frerin was even more so. He turned and looked at his brother as if he had lost his mind, yet Flinn gave him a quick look that silenced any protest.

"Well…you would leave first thing in the morning, day after tomorrow," Fili told them, a bit confused as to why it had been so easy. "You two would be halfway to Esgaroth before your Uncle Kili and I even left the mountain."

"Can we start packing now?" Flinn jumped off his bed and ran over to his trunk, pulling out a pack and looking around for things to fill it with.

"I…um…sure," Fili nodded, standing up as his son continued to race around the room with a happy smile. Frerin still appeared confused, but Fili knew if Flinn thought it was a good idea, then his younger son would soon be on board as well. "I'll go tell your mother to start preparing some food for you to take on your trip." He then walked to the door, giving one last shocked look back at his sons before exiting the room.

The moment their father was gone, Frerin hopped off the bed and came over to stare at Flinn.

"I thought we wanted to go with Adad?" he questioned, still unable to figure out how the plan had changed so quickly.

"We do," Flinn assured him, dropping his pack and taking hold of his little brother by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. "And that is exactly what we're gunna do."

"Huh?" Frerin was really confused now. "But you told Adad that we'd go camping with Mister Bombur."

"That's what they will think we're doing," Flinn explained with a sly grin. "But really, we'll be going along with Adad and Uncle Kili…they just won't know it until it's too late."

"Ohhhhh," Frerin said with a smile and a nod of his head. But then his face fell. "I don't understand."

"Well, let me explain it to you, Nadadith." Flinn then proceeded to lay out the plan he had come up with, watching as his little brother's eyes grew wide with excitement.

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"Well?" Sier asked as Fili emerged from Flinn and Frerin's room. "How did it go?" She had since put Freya down for the night, the little lass having fallen asleep almost instantly.

"Better than I expected…I think," Fili told her, still looking back at his sons' room in slight confusion. "They loved the idea of going camping with Bombur and can't wait to leave."

"That's good though…right?" It was, after all, what he had gone in to convince them of.

"Yes…but it just felt like they gave in too quickly," he muttered. "I thought they would at least try a little harder to talk me into taking them along. But the moment I mentioned the camping trip, Flinn jumped at the idea."

Sier gave her husband a sympathetic smile as she wrapped her arms around him. No father in Middle Earth doted on his children more than Fili, and she could tell he was a little hurt by their easy acceptance.

"Fili," she said, loving the way his own hands snaked around to engulf her in a warm embrace. "Flinn and Frerin would rather spend time with you than anyone else, and you know it. In their eyes, the sun rises and sets with you…and only you. They're obviously trying to make the best of things is all, they know they can't go with you, and that you are not going to change your mind. So going with Bombur is an acceptable alternative to staying home with their boring old mother."

"You, my love, are far from boring…or old," Fili grinned, leaning down to kiss her tempting lips. "And I suppose you're right. But I honestly expected them to put up more of a fight."

"Oh, Fili," Sier laughed. "And if they had argued further you would have complained about that. Just be grateful that everything is settled and be happy. Don't go borrowing trouble." She then got a sad look on her face, allowing her fingers to play with the strings at the neckline of his tunic. "Instead, it's me you should be worried about throwing a fit that you're leaving. I mean, I know why you must go, and I understand it's your duty as crown prince, but that does not mean I won't fear for your safety, or worry about you every moment until you return."

"Now who is the one borrowing trouble?" Fili asked, tipping her chin up with his finger until she was looking into his eyes. "I will be just fine. I'll have Kili, Dwalin, Nori, Bofur and Oin along to watch my back. Not to mention Prince Bain and that elf captain from Mirkwood."

"That's right…Tauriel!" Sier gasped, as if suddenly remembering the silent exchange the two of them had in the throne room. "So that's the elf that caught Kili's eye all those years ago?"

"In the flesh," Fili nodded.

"She is very lovely," Sier mused. "And I could see that she has not lost any of her fascination in Kili's eyes. You will have to watch over him carefully on this mission…in more ways than one."

"Agreed," the dwarf prince nodded. "I just hope that my little brother has matured enough to realize the kind of trouble pursuing a relationship of this nature would cause." He then thought back to the look he had seen in Kili's eyes the moment he had spotted the pretty red haired elf. "And yet…I highly doubt it."

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Meanwhile, back in his own room, Kili had changed into his night clothes and slipped into bed…and yet sleep would not come. He lay there, staring at the darkened ceiling, his heart beating wildly and his mind racing. Tauriel was here! She was only a few miles away in Dale at that very moment, and soon they would be traveling together for a fortnight. Days filled with seeing her…nights graced by her presence, and a myriad of opportunities to speak with her again.

Kili thought back to all the conversations they had shared in the Mirkwood prisons, their talks about the stars and his tale of the fire moon. She had seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, and he, in turn, had hung on her every word. Kili found himself cringing as he recalled how he had flippantly joked with her when she had tossed him in the cell, asking Tauriel if she planned to search him like they had done his brother. Had he truly said he could have anything down his trousers…to a lass? He moaned at his stupidity…she must have thought him a fool. And yet, her witty comeback about how he could also have nothing down them at all, had made him smile at the time.

Kili suddenly sat up in bed, his eyes wide with fear. What if Tauriel really did imagine he had nothing in his trousers? Was that what she truly thought? He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands, as his traitorous mind conjured up an image of the pretty elf lass pointing at him and laughing.

"Oh, Mahal," he moaned, falling back against his pillow. "Am I being a complete idiot? Is there even a chance that she remembers me at all? Or am I just the most foolish dwarf in all Middle Earth to hope otherwise?" Unfortunately, no answer came to him in his darkened room, only adding to his fear and doubt. Still, as visions of her beautiful face, her long, crimson hair, and her emerald green eyes danced before him, Kili knew he had to try. Tauriel had haunted his dreams for years…he would not give up that easily. He had two weeks to ascertain her feelings…and try to figure out his own for her.

Kili would not go down without a fight…and what a fight it would be!

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Not terribly far away, in one of the guest rooms at the king's home in Dale, Tauriel unlatched the window and pushed the shutters open. It was a beautiful starlit night, with a full moon rising over Erebor. She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the sill, gazing at the magnificent kingdom before her. She had managed to avoid the Lonely Mountain for almost sixteen years, doing her best to not think of who resided there. Whenever King Thranduil had been invited to the home of the dwarves, she had always found one reason or another to remain behind. Tauriel felt like a coward, yet in her heart she knew her greatest danger lay not in battle…but in the soft brown eyes of the young dwarrow prince.

Kili.

It was amazing how his name still caused her stomach to flutter, made her heart race a little faster, and always brought a smile to her lips. Tauriel had been shocked to see that he had matured some in the past years, his body a bit more filled out, and a touch more wisdom in his eyes. Still, Kili appeared just as light hearted and handsome as she remembered. It had been pure torture not to allow herself to gaze upon him unabashedly when in his presence, yet she had schooled her emotions and tried to appear as unaffected as possible.

However, all she had longed to do was hold his gaze and smile at him, hoping that he in turn would offer one back. Tauriel had missed his infectious laugh, his witty humor, and the way he had always made her feel special. She knew the dwarves had been her prisoners, enemies of her king…and yet Kili had never been that to her. They had spoken many times in the darkness of the dungeons, telling him things she had never dared admit out loud, even to herself. And it had felt so natural…so right. Yet when Tauriel had found the cells empty, and those she had been charged to guard newly escaped, she had been heartbroken. Not because she had failed at her duty…but simply because he had not even said farewell. Which was silly, she knew, for if he had dared to speak such words, it would have given away their plan. No, Kili had done nothing wrong, and yet, Tauriel had felt the loss of his presence keenly in her heart.

Well…now she was here, and going on a journey with the one dwarf in all Middle Earth she had fought so hard to forget. Yet, even after a decade and a half, Tauriel had not been able to purge Kili from her mind. So when Glorfindel suggested that she go in his place, leading the dwarves on this rescue mission, she had seen it as fate's way of pressing the issue. If she was unable to forget him…perhaps there was a reason, and she saw only one way to find out. After this journey, the Mirkwood captain would know for sure if there was anything between them. And if it turned out to all be in her mind, then she would completely forget about Prince Kili and go on with her life…or at least she hoped she could.

Tauriel gave a heavy sigh and stepped back, shutting the window and heading for her bed. It would be a long two days before she saw Kili again, but she knew in the meantime he would appear to her in her dreams.

He always did.

Well, now we know what Tauriel is thinking...as well as what she is hoping. Now we just have to see if they are smart enough to actually speak to each other and work this all out. But don't hold your breath...this is a Durin boy we are dealing with. ha ha.

Oh, dear. Flinn and Frerin's plans do not sound good. Foolish dwarflings!

Guest Reviews:

Punky warhammer: Glad to have you aboard the Hobbit train with us! And I did indeed take your suggestion under consideration, and went back and changed the the word you suggested. Thanks!

gginsc: As you can now see, Tauriel does indeed have her eye on Kili...she is just playing it cool. Allowing HIM to make the first move. ha ha. Hope that makes you feel better.

Aranel Mereneth: Yah, I wanted to find a reason to get them out of the mountain - new scenery, new goal, new everything. ha ha. Thanks!

Guest: I really hope you didn't actually tinkle your trousers. ha ha. But thanks for the fine compliment. Yah, we have ugly rainy weather here too...but it is perfect for sitting at home and writing! Oh, you bet Kili has it bad...and apparently so does Tauriel. They are perfect for each other. ha ha

abc: Fili knows his little brother well, he can tell that he is over the moon for this elf lass. As you just read, yes, Tauriel is eyeing Kili too. Yes, let's hope no one gets hurt on their mission, but instead they find lots of fun and romance. ha ha. Thanks.

CubitalFossa: Cuddle away...they don't mind! And yes, Freya will have a hard time finding a dwarf willing to face Fili, Kili, Thorin and Dwalin in order to vie for her hand. ha ha. He will be one dead duck. Well I am not done with Kili's story yet, so I can't be DONE...but one day...I will have to be. ha ha. Thank YOU very much for taking the time to review!