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Happy Monday!

As you saw from the last chapter, the reason I had our group run into that pack of orcs, was not to let them capture our two lads, but to give Fili a good reason for not sending them back to Erebor without many of his soldiers for protection - soldiers he could not afford to spare if he wants his mission to be a success. So they HAD to go with them.

Now, back to our story, so we can take a look at how Flinn and Frerin are doing, as well as our two lovers.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 103

~X~

The rest of the evening went better, with Flinn and Frerin snuggled in on either side of Fili, the two lads overjoyed to be out of that wagon and with their father at last. And while they knew they had done wrong, and that they would pay dearly for their folly when they got home, at the moment, they couldn't have been happier.

They had all finished eating and were now sitting around the campfire, talking, smoking, and enjoying each other's company.

"You know," Dwalin said, removing his pipe from his lips long enough to speak. "This reminds me of the time that you and Kili snuck away from home and followed Thorin on that hunting trip."

"Yes, Kili pointed that out to me as well," Fili nodded, looking down at his two lads sternly. "Yet just because your uncle and I were foolish enough to do something similar, does not excuse you of your wrongdoing."

"That's right," Kili stated. "Your Uncle Thorin punished us right good for what we did too…and with excellent cause."

"Still, you can't blame the lads too much," Nori chuckled. "At least they come by it honestly."

"Aye, that be the truth," Bofur laughed. "There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a child turn out exactly like their parent…that is what's called getting your just deserts." He gave Fili and Kili a sly wink. "And no one deserves it more than you two."

"Oh?" Tauriel asked, her interest piqued at this. "What do you mean by that, Mister Bofur?"

"Well, lassie," Bofur piped up. "Allow us to elaborate."

"I really wish you wouldn't," Kili grimaced, shooting an embarrassed look at Tauriel. He had been hoping to appear dignified in front of her, not like a childish prankster.

"Too bad, laddie," Dwalin chuckled. "There are some stories that simply need to be told. Like the one where you and your brother went catfishing in the bogs and fell in. They came back home covered in slime and mud, but little did they know they picked up a whole passel of blood sucking leeches as well. Oh, we all thought Dis was going to faint dead away when she stripped them down to get them cleaned up!"

"I remember that one," Oin laughed, having been using his ear trumpet so as to catch every word. "Dis was so upset, she thought they were going to die! And after Thorin found out what they had done, the lads thought so too."

"Or how about the time the two of them filled the long hall in Ered Luin with soapy water and slid across the floor on their stomachs?" Nori reminded everyone, much to Fili and Kili's horror.

"You did that, Adad?" Flinn asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes, but don't you and your brother get any ideas," Fili insisted. "It might have been fun at the time, but when Thorin caught us, we spent the rest of the day mopping it up and making sure the floor was completely dry and soap free."

"Every prank, and every trick, have their consequences," Kili nodded, remembering how the mop he had been given to use had been twice as big as him.

"You mean like how Uncle Thorin got back at you when we accidentally dumped that bucket of water on his head?" Flinn asked, recalling that night very well.

"Oh, that was the best prank ever!" Dwalin laughed, recollecting how mortified the younger prince had been. "Taking your clothes from the bath house had been a stroke of genius on Thorin's part. And the look on your face when you came up those stairs, buck naked with only a tiny shield to cover you…oh, that was rich! I think there are still dams in Erebor who talk about seeing you sneaking through the halls wearing not a stitch."

At this Kili buried his face in his hands and gave a low groan. That was the last thing he wanted Tauriel to ever find out about!

"Oh, Mahal, I swear that I will never forget that sight as long as I live," Dwalin continued, laughing heartily.

"Neither will Bergie, if memory serves me right," Fili pointed out, causing the gruff warrior to sober up immediately. He could tell his brother was beyond embarrassed, and hoped this might silence all this reminiscing.

"Oh, my," Tauriel giggled, placing her fingers over her lips as if trying to hide her mirth. "It would appear that life in Erebor is far more exciting than I imagined."

"Yes…well," Kili stammered, his cheeks beet red and a scowl on his face. "Isn't it time we set up watch? I think we have gabbed enough for one night."

"Kili's right, we promised to take guard duty tonight," Fili reminded them. "And if I recall correctly, you, Nori, and Tauriel are up first, Dwalin."

"Aye, that we are," the bald warrior nodded, snuffing out his pipe and getting to his feet. "We'll wake the lot of you when it's your shift."

"As for you two," Fili continued, looking down at his two sons. "There's a whole stack of dishes to wash before you can head off to bed. You better get to them."

"Yes, Adad," they both sighed, though they were smart enough not to give a peep of complaint.

So while the remainder went to their bedrolls – or dish duty - the three on duty split up and took their places at the designated spots where they could watch over the entire camp with ease. When Flinn and Frerin were done with their chores, Fili tucked them in, snugly wrapping them in several blankets to ward off the night chill, before laying down beside them.

Kili had positioned himself on the other side of his nephews, the two princes bound and determined to protect the lads at all costs. Yet even after everyone began to drift off, Kili could not find sleep. He had been highly embarrassed by his friends' tales of him as a child…as well as revealing the fact that he had been caught walking naked through Erebor. He could only imagine what Tauriel must think of him now! There was no possible way she would ever consider him as anything but a prankster and a fool now. Dang that Dwalin and his big mouth, he thought to himself. I should have spilled the beans about how I caught him dressed like a lass and having tea with Talin! That would have served him right!

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Tauriel had been lost in her own thoughts when her keen ears detected the faint sound of footsteps behind her, and since it was still too early for her relief to be awake, she drew her dagger and spun on the intruder.

"Careful! It's just me," Kili whispered, holding up his hands in defense.

"Kili? What are you doing up?" she questioned, slipping her blade back in its sheath. "It is not time for your shift yet."

"I know, but I couldn't sleep," he told her, coming over to join her on the large boulder she was sitting on.

"Is something troubling you?" Tauriel asked, noting Kili's somber expression.

"No…I mean, yes…" he mumbled, not sure how to broach the subject. "I was just wondering…well, what you thought of me?"

"What I think of you?" she questioned, not sure what he was getting at.

"After what Dwalin and the others said about me tonight, about the pranks, the silly things I've done…the whole walking through Erebor naked." He had to stop and swallow a bit of his pride to even speak such words again.

"Kili," Tauriel said, sounding as if she finally understood his mood. "I do not think any less of you because of what I heard. I thought you knew that I enjoyed your lively humor. Hearing those things tonight amused me, they did not cause me to think badly of you." When he looked less than convinced, she tried a new tactic. "Do you recall the first thing you ever said to me?"

"Ummm…throw me your dagger?" Kili asked, thinking back to their meeting in the woods.

"No, in the cells," she grinned, watching as his face reddened slightly.

"I…I asked if you intended to search me as well," he admitted, looking away. "Suggesting that I might have a weapon down my trousers."

"Aye…and it was then that I realized that you were different than I expected," Tauriel revealed.

"You mean foolish?" he grumped.

"No…interesting," she corrected, causing him to look up hopefully. "I had never met a dwarf before, and what I had been told of them did not fit with who I perceived you to be. It was then that I decided I wanted to speak with you again, to learn more of you, because you showed humor…you were interesting."

"Well, I guess interesting is not so bad," he said with a sheepish grin.

"No, it is not bad at all," she nodded. Tauriel then looked down at her hands, suddenly a bit shy as she asked her next question. "What about you, Kili? What do you think of me?"

"Where do I begin?" he said, his voice full of awe. "You amaze me. I mean I had never been around elves either, until I followed my uncle on his quest, and I had no idea what to expect when I did. At Rivendell they were quiet, solemn, and rather hard to speak to. Yet you…you made conversation easy, and I found I could talk to you all night, and often did. You found ways to make even simple things sound fascinating, and I can't say I ever looked at the stars the same way since."

"Stars are memory," she reminded him. "And some of my most pleasant memories are of sharing them with you." Tauriel looked down at her hands once more, averting her eyes from his searching gaze. "I know you had to leave, you had a mission to complete, and I am happy that you succeeded. Yet, is it wrong of me to admit that I missed our conversations, your company…and you?"

"No, it's not wrong," he insisted, reaching out to take one of her hands in his. "Because…I missed you too."

They sat there, both of them staring at where their hands connected, feeling the warmth and the exhilaration that flowed between them. Still, neither one dared to take it any further.

"You…you should try and get some sleep," Tauriel said at last, reluctantly pulling her hand from his grasp. "It will be your shift for watch duty soon and we can't have you falling asleep in the saddle tomorrow, can we?" She did her best to keep her tone light and teasing, while inside she was anything but.

"No, I suppose not. It would only give Dwalin and the others something else to tease me about," he joked back, yet his smile was only halfhearted. "I…I will bid you goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Kili," she nodded, hating to see him go, but knowing he must. She stared at him until he disappeared from her view, wishing she had the nerve to call him back. But what good could come of it? He was a dwarf…and a prince at that…while she was an elf with no noble blood. The fact that they were of different races was enough to make her thoughts beyond foolish, and yet, despite all that, she found herself still dwelling on them. What if…what if they could come true?

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Morning came, bringing with it the promise of another day's ride, for despite the addition of the two dwarflings, they still had a mission to complete.

Fili and Kili had just saddled their ponies when Flinn and Frerin came running up.

"Can I ride with you, Adad?" Flinn begged, looking up at his father anxiously.

"And can I ride with you, Uncle Kili?" Frerin added, giving the dark haired prince his best puppy dog eyes.

Fili stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't know," he said in a stern voice. "You two already chose your form of transportation when you hid inside the supply wagon. Should I now reward you both for your deception by allowing you to ride with us, or would you learn your lesson quicker by insisting you ride in the back of Oin's medical wagon?"

Flinn and Frerin's faces fell, and they lowered their heads in shame.

"We…we understand, Adad," Flinn told him, though he did not sound happy about it. "We'll ride in the wagon." The two of them turned and trudged towards where Oin was climbing onto the buckboard, their shoulders slumped and their feet dragging.

Kili looked over at Fili questioningly, but upon seeing his brother's sly grin, he knew what was coming.

"Wait," Fili said with a sigh and a shake of his head. The two lads turned and looked back, hope shining in their eyes. "I suppose, if it's my aim to protect you…it would make more sense for you to ride with Kili and me." His sons waited for a moment more, anxious to hear the words they longed for. "Come on…you can ride with us."

"Yippeeeee!" they both squealed, rushing forward as the two princes scooped them up and put them on their ponies, before climbing up behind them.

"Am I too soft hearted, Kili?" Fili grinned as he nudged Storm into motion.

"Nah, you are soft hearted to the proper degree," he assured his brother. "And don't you ever change."

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As they rode on, Flinn and Frerin peppered them with questions, asking about this and that and everything they saw along the way. It was not long before many of the others were riding nearby in order to hear the jovial lads, tossing out comments and answers of their own when possible.

Tauriel had been riding beside Kili for a while, watching and listening to the exchange between the children and adults. She was enjoying seeing this new side of the dwarves…the family aspect. For years she had been led to believe that dwarves were stern and stoic beings, interested only in gold and gems, hiding in the mountains to avoid the rest of the world. Yet after traveling with them now for the past few days, Tauriel saw that she had been grossly misinformed.

It was obvious that Fili loved his sons, but it surprised her to see that the others doted on the lads just as much. Tauriel could understand why a father would respond this way to his offspring, but the way Kili acted, one might have believed that they were his progeny instead. She did not know why, but watching Kili interact with little Frerin made her heart quicken and her pulse race. He had been so kind to the two distraught lads the previous night, and his gentle nature had nearly brought her to tears. She was not sure why…but it had awoke a strange longing deep within her, one she had never known was there. Now, as she watched uncle and nephew laughing and talking, she found that she could not wipe the smile from her face. Why did dwarf children have to be so darn adorable?

"I don't know, Frerin, you will have to ask her," Tauriel suddenly heard Kili say, realizing that she had been so lost in her thoughts she had missed what the dwarfling had said.

"Ask me what?" Tauriel posed, figuring since she was the only female around for miles, the question had been directed at her.

"Can…can I ride with you, Miss Tauriel…please?" Frerin asked, leaning back against Kili shyly, though he kept his expectant eyes on her.

"You wish to ride with me instead of your uncle, little one?" She was surprised by this, and also quite flattered. "Of course you may…if your father gives his permission."

"He has it," Fili nodded, grinning at his bold son. Everyone did say that Frerin was a lot like Kili…perhaps he too was attracted to elves?

Kili smiled as he rode closer to Tauriel, allowing her to lean down and pluck the sturdy lad from off the pony to sit in front of her.

"My, you are much heavier than I thought you would be," she mused, knowing that elf children that age weighed next to nothing. However, once her words were out of her mouth, she feared she might have just insulted the lad. Yet when he turned around and grinned at her wildly, her fears were put to rest.

"I'm going to be big and strong like my adad and uncles!" Frerin informed her, apparently pleased by what he considered high praise. "I've also started weapons training with Uncle Dwalin too!"

"My, you are practically grown up then, aren't you?" Tauriel told the bright eyed little tyke.

"I'm more grown up than him," Flinn was quick to announce, not to be left out of the conversation.

"I can see that," the she-elf nodded, flashing the little blond prince an impressive smile. "And am I to assume, that after your father, you will one day be king under the mountain?"

"I will!" he assured her proudly, turning to look up at his father. "Isn't that right, Adad!"

"Aye, it is," he laughed. "Though after your mother gets done with me, you might be ascending the throne quicker than expected."

"Aw, Adad," Flinn laughed. "You know that Ama could never be mad at you."

"Oh, would you care to make a bet on that, Flinn?" Nori joked. "I've seen your mother downright furious before, and I would never want to be on her bad side."

"However, the one you really should be worried about is Dis," Dwalin pointed out.

"Truer words were never spoken," Fili said with a longsuffering sigh. "You know, I think she's been giving Sier lessons," Fili agreed. "That has to be what goes on at those tea parties of hers."

"Your mother?" Tauriel asked, suddenly very interested in this subject. "Was she the lovely dark haired dam I saw bidding you both farewell when we left Erebor?"

"Yes, that was her," Kili mumbled, recalling how she had treated him like a baby in front of everyone. "But don't be fooled by what you saw, she might have been acting sweet at the time, but that is hardly her usual nature."

"Aye, the lady Dis has been known to scare a pack of wargs with only a glare," Dwalin teased.

"She also used to be the only one who could put Uncle in his place, until he married Marigold that is," Kili added.

"From the way you speak, one would think the females of your race are frightening creatures," Tauriel mused.

"Oh, but they are," Bofur assured her. "They carry all the power, and they know it too. For only a dam has the ability to bring a dwarrow to his knees with a simple look."

"And we do love them for it, too," Nori chuckled.

"Aye, that we do," Bofur agreed.

Frerin, who had been listening to all this turned around once again and patted Tauriel's arm reassuringly.

"Don't believe a word they said," he told her, his grin quite infectious. "N'ama Dis is really nice. She reads us stories, plays soldiers with us, and gives us cookies before dinner."

"Frerin!" Flinn scolded. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone that!"

"Oops!" Frerin gasped, slapping his hand over his mouth. "Sorry."

However, instead of being upset, this only set Fili and Kili to laughing.

"Oh, how things have changed," Fili said when he could at last speak. "Where we were never allowed anything that would spoil our dinner, to them she gives cookies!"

"There is a big difference between a mother and a grandmother, that's for sure," Kili agreed.

"But, speaking of mothers," Fili said with a heavy sigh, looking down at Flinn. "I think it is time I sent a message back to yours telling her about your little stunt."

"Do you have to?" Flinn whined, looking rather forlorn about the idea.

"I have put it off long enough," he told his son, lifting him off his pony and handing him to Kili. "I'll be right back."

Kili called for a short break, halting the company so that his brother could write a quick note and call a raven. He could tell that Fili was not looking forward to this, and he could understand why. Sier was very protective of her children, and she would not take kindly to the idea of them being on this mission. Still, it was hardly Fili's fault, and keeping the lads with them was truly the best choice at the time.

Kili looked over at Tauriel, who was talking quietly to little Frerin. The lad seemed just as mesmerized by the tall, slender elf as he was, and for a split second he felt his stomach tighten in a fit of jealousy. Especially when he watched as she reached up and ran her long, slender fingers through the lad's hair.

Oh, what Kili wouldn't give to be in that little dwarfling's boots right now.

Maybe if Kili asked nicely, Tauriel would let him ride with her too. ha ha.

Well, nice to know that Tauriel likes Kili's playful side, and she is not turned off by his checkered past and pranks. ha ha.

And oh, looks like those two darflings have made our elf lass yern for a few of her own? Wonder if we could find a dwarf willing to make some with her? ha ha.

Guest Reviews:

Emrfangirl: I am glad my extra chapters helped, for whatever reason. Yep, it was like watching a train-wreck...Tauriel just couldn't take her eyes off of it and she was not shy about making her gawking plain. ha ha. As you can see, the Elf/dwarfling interaction has begun, and there is more to come. As for Bombur...thankfully his camping trip will be going on for a while, so he won't hear about this stowaway business until he gets back to Erebor. And the raven is on its way with the news...prepare yourself Sier!

Kurohane Ookami: Well I think you told me quite eloquently! Thanks for your kind words. I am tickled you like Sier and Bergie so much, since they were my own creation. And Kili and Tauriel's romance has been a lot of fun to write. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Feu d'Argent: Thanks for the cookies. And of course Fili and Kili have already done everything and anything those kids could dream up. ha ha. And Tuariel is indeed learning just how adorable dwarflings are...I think she wants one too! And you know what...I did hear some crazy high pitched squeal...that was YOU? ha ha

abc: Yes, Kili knew just how to get Fili to see the error of his thinking. Smart brother. And doing chores and stuff will indeed punish the kids but also build character and make them learn responsibility. As for Sier...yes, she might have more ideas on their punishment too when they get home. So how did you like the Tauriel/dwarfling interaction? She seemed to like them well enough. ha ha.

Aranel Mereneth: Thorin would be laughng his head off right now if he knew his words were being used by Fili and Kili...turns out they were listening to him after all. ha ha.