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Happy Wednesday!

The reunion is here!

Also, there won't be a movie quote in EVERY chapter, but in quite a few. So if you happen to find one, let me know, and win a free snippet!

Onward!

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Chapter 113

dashshat - Sons

~X~

As they were pushed and shoved down the tunnels towards the prison cells, Fili made several attempts to speak to Bofur, desperate for information about Flinn and Frerin. Yet each time he opened his mouth, their guards would silence him with a vicious slap to his head, or a strike on the back - more than once eliciting a grunt of pain from the prince, but nothing more.

When they at last came to a stop, they were deep inside the mountain, with a large iron door before them.

"More prisoners for ya to take care of," the large orc informed those standing guard. "Open up."

And so the doors were unlocked and the five dwarves were roughly thrown inside, before it was slammed shut behind them.

Fili immediately turned to Bofur, the only one of them who didn't have his hands bound, holding his own up to the miner.

"Get these off me, quick!" he begged, his eyes already scanning the dimly lit chamber, desperately searching for any sign of his sons. Bofur made quick work of the ropes and then turned to assist the others. But Fili had a one-track mind, spinning around he began to call out frantically, praying that they had indeed been put in the same cell where they had taken his lads. "FLINN? FRERIN? Where are you?" he shouted, noting that only a handful of the prisoners looked up or even batted an eye at his calls. But then, his prayers were answered, and there came a small voice from somewhere behind a large rock.

"Adad?" It was quickly followed by the sight of a little blond head popping up into view. "ADAD!"

Fili's legs went weak with relief as he watched Flinn and Frerin scurry out from where they had been hiding, and run towards him. He fell to his knees and opened his arms, pulling them into a crushing embrace as he buried his face between their heads.

"Oh, Flinn…Frerin, I was so worried," he said between ragged breaths. "I never want to feel that way again!"

"We're sorry, Adad," Flinn cried, his tears wetting his father's coat. "We didn't mean to get caught."

"I know," he assured them, pulling back and planting a kiss on each of their foreheads. "I'm not mad at you, just so very, very glad you're all right." By now Bofur had untied the rest of them, and Kili was instantly there on the floor beside his brother, just as eager to give the two lads a hug.

"I bet you'll think twice before following us on any mission again, won't you?" Kili said, ruffling Frerin's hair affectionately. Yet while he was overjoyed for his brother at getting his sons back safe, the dark haired prince was still dying inside over the loss of Tauriel. Kili still couldn't bring himself to believe that she was gone, yet the more time that passed, the more he feared it might actually be true…and that was just too heartbreaking to even think about.

However, before any more could be said, everyone's attention was captured by a sudden intake of breath from Dwalin, who was now standing at Fili's left. When they looked up at the Erebor capatin, he was staring at something just ahead, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock.

"F-f-flinn?" the bald warrior whispered, unable to believe his eyes. "Is…is that you?"

"Hello, Dwalin…it's been a long time," the blond dwarf nodded, stepping forward from where he had apparently been hiding with the two lads. He then gave the warrior a curious look. "What happened to your hair?"

"I…we…we thought you were dead!" Dwalin stammered, ignoring Flinn's question out his bald head and focusing on the more important thing…the fact that his friend was still alive!

"Many times I thought the same thing, old friend," Flinn replied, doing his best to make a joke, yet his heart was just too full at the moment to do much more than stand there and stare at the two dwarrow kneeling on the stone floor, holding his grandchildren in their arms. Fili and Kili…his sons. They were alive and oh, so strong and handsome looking. He could not have been more proud at that moment if he had tried. "Hello…Fili, Kili. I…I can't believe how much you two have grown since I last saw you." Flinn felt like he should say more, but for the life of him, he didn't know what. It wasn't as if he hadn't dreamed of this moment for nearly a century…yet, now that it had come, he was literally speechless. Thankfully, there were others present that had no trouble with talking.

"Look, Adad….we found your adad!" little Flinn blurted out, pointing at their grandfather.

"And we know he looks kind of messy…but he's really not that scary once you get to know him," Frerin added, earning himself another reprimanding jab in the ribs from his older brother.

Yet all of this went completely unnoticed by Fili and Kili, who slowly rose from the floor and stood as still as stone, staring at the dwarf they had never thought to see again outside the Halls of Mandos. He didn't seem to be as tall as Fili remembered, though perhaps a bit more muscular from living such a hard and cruel life. His blond hair was shaggy and unkempt, sporting only a few messy braids with no clasps to hold them in place. His clothes looked ready to disintegrate, the rips and tears allowing one to see the many scars and marks that spoke of heartbreaking mistreatment. And yet, he was whole, he was alive, and he stood there before them, despite all odds against such a thing.

"Adad?" Fili whispered in disbelief. "Is…is it really you?"

"Aye, son," Flinn nodded, holding his arms out to his side, palms up, as if offering him visual proof. "I wasn't sure you'd remember me, you were still so young when I…when I went away," he finished, stumbling over the right way to explain his absence. "I never wanted to leave, you know. I never meant to abandon you two…or your mother, I swear."

Yet before he could say another word, Fili practically flew across the room and embraced him tightly, still unable to believe that he was actually hugging his own father once more. It was almost surreal, and yet as the strong and calloused hands reached out to hold him as well, Fili knew it was true…their father had returned to them.

After a few moments, they pulled back, not letting go, but enough so that they could look at each other through tear filled eyes. Flinn reached up and brushed away one of Fili's tears, smiling at his son with such pride. He truly did look so very much like him, just as Dis had predicted. Then he let his gaze drift over to Kili, who was still rooted in the same place, his eyes wide with shock.

"Kili…you remind me so much of Thorin when he was younger," Flinn said, his eyes drinking in the sight of his once infant son. Oh, he had missed so much with Kili - his first steps, his first tooth…his first word. Would it have been Adad, like Fili's had been? He guessed he would never know now, for all of that had been lost to time, just as they had been lost to him. "I realize that you probably have no memories of me…but I remember every detail about you. How you loved to be sung to sleep, how you hated carrots with a passion, and how you used to laugh and giggle every time you got the hiccups. I had so little time with you, Kili…but I never loved you any less, my son." And daring to hope, Flinn held out his hand, inviting the now misty-eyed dwarrow into a fatherly embrace.

Kili could remember so little of his adad, only feelings and sensations associated with his name. Yet, when Kili heard his voice, a flood of memories came back to him. Of his father singing, of him laughing, and of him saying over and over how much he loved him. And just like that, Kili knew he wanted nothing more than to be held by his adad, to feel his warm embrace, and be assured that everything was somehow going to turn out all right. So without any hesitation, he accepted the offer, erasing the years with each step until he was safe in his father's arms again - both he and his brother holding on as if they would never let go.

"My dashshat," Flinn sobbed, now burying his head between theirs just as Fili had done with his own two lads moments ago. It was truly a touching moment, one that had reduced Dwalin, Nori and Bofur to tears as well.

They remained that way for a long time, none of them wanting that moment to end. Yet when they felt two pairs of arms wrapping themselves around their legs, they pulled back, each laughing and wiping their eyes as they stared down at little Flinn and Frerin.

"Why are you crying, Adad?" Frerin asked in a confused voice, holding out his arms in a plea to be lifted up. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I am, Frerin," he assured his dark haired son, as he picked him up and rested him on his hip with a wide grin. "I don't think I've been this happy in a long time! This is truly an unexpected joy."

"Where have you been…Adad?" Kili asked, stumbling a bit over the word, yet knowing it felt so right the moment he said it. His adad!

"Yes, Flinn…what happened?" Nori asked, as the other three approached, now that the private family moment had concluded.

"Nori?" Flinn questioned, recognizing the brown haired dwarf as his old friend. "And Bofur? I can't believe you're all here."

"Unfortunately, neither can we," the hatted miner said with a sad shake of his head. "We came to rescue the prisoners here, but ended up captured as well. Not the most successful prison break we ever planned, I have to admit."

"You came to free us?" Flinn asked, looking at the five dwarrow surrounding him. "But…but why would you bring the lads with you? I don't understand."

"Well, that is a very long story," Fili said with a sigh, giving little Flinn an exasperated look – one that caused the dwarfling to look down at his boots in shame. "So why don't we all find a seat and we will tell you our tale, if you tell us yours."

"Sounds fair," Flinn nodded, gesturing for them all to find a place where no other prisoner had yet occupied, allowing them a bit of privacy.

"You go first," Dwalin instructed as they all got comfortable – or as comfortable as they could while sitting on hard stone. "Yours has to be the much more exciting of the two."

"I don't know about exciting…but it sure feels long," Flinn said with a heavy sigh.

"Thorin told us how you were cut down in battle, fighting the orcs outside Ered Luin," Kili prompted, that tale etched in his mind since childhood. "He said he saw you fall…what happened after that?"

"I remember being sliced open by the orc's blade, a wound that should have killed me by all accounts," Flinn assured them, lifting his tattered tunic enough to display the scar he wore across his stomach. Even Dwalin flinched just a bit and turned away, aware of how painful it must have been. "I can still hear Thorin's voice, as if from a great distance, shouting my name, and that was the last thing I remember before darkness took me. When I woke, I was a prisoner, stripped down to my britches with no weapons, and no boots. They even stole the pendant your mother had given me on our wedding day."

"Amad still has it," Fili spoke up, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "It was found among the slain, along with your sword, and she has worn it around her neck ever since."

"She has?" Flinn was very touched to hear this. "My precious diamond has not forgotten me?" He had often referred to Dis as such, choosing this particular term of endearment due to her inherent strength and rare beauty. Oh, how he longed to hold her in his arms once more.

"Forgotten you?" Kili repeated in disbelief. "Not a day goes by when Amad doesn't speak of you fondly, or finger that pendant with a wistful look in her eyes. She never stopped loving you, Adad. And she never let us forget you either."

"You don't know what hearing that means to me, lads," Flinn sniffed, reaching up to wipe away a fresh set of tears.

"But how did you survive?" Fili asked, wanting to hear more. "From the looks of your wound, you should be dead…just like Uncle Thorin believed."

"And I probably would have been too…if it hadn't been for an elf," Flinn nodded, his face turning sad.

"An elf?" Dwalin questioned. "How so?"

"The orcs who took me, along with a few others, also had an elf as a prisoner. They had captured him on his way to the Grey Havens, he having the intent to sail to the Undying Lands, but they kept him prisoner because he was a healer. The orcs used him to heal those of us who were wounded, and then sold us to slavers as soon as we were strong enough to fetch a good price. I never knew what became of that poor fellow, after parting from the orcs…but from the way he seemed to have lost all will to live, I don't imagine he lasted much longer. At first I hated him for saving me, for robbing me of a warrior's death and leaving me a prisoner of those filthy beasts. Yet now, after being reunited with you two…I will bless his pointy eared hide for the rest of my days."

"So…you've been a prisoner all this time?" Fili asked, his brow furrowing in pain at the thought.

"Aye, yet not a day went by that I didn't think of you two, or your mother," Flinn assured them. "I never gave up hope, and I never stopped trying to escape…trying to find a way home to you."

"Amad is going to faint from shock when she sees you!" Kili stated, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Won't she be surprised?"

"Your mother must have changed a great deal if you think she would faint like some frail dam," Flinn laughed, trying to picture his strong, brave Dis doing such a thing. "Yet, I don't care what she does…I can't wait to see her again." He then gave them a proud smile. "Though according to your sons, Fili, had I managed to escape and made my way back to Ered Luin, I would have been looking for you all on the wrong side of Middle Earth. So Thorin finally retook Erebor, did he?"

"That he did!" Dwalin nodded, crossing his muscular arms over his chest in pride. "Thorin is now King Under the Mountain, just like he always should have been. And Dis has at last returned to the home of her birth."

"And Fili and Kili are bona fide princes," Bofur smiled, slapping Kili on the back. "Thorin's heirs, and Fili here will be Erebor's next king."

"He…he will?" Flinn looked over at Fili who blushed slightly. "But I thought that Frerin said Thorin took a wife…wouldn't his own children be his heirs?"

"No, he named Fili as the crown prince," Nori explained. "The residents of Erebor would not have agreed to any of his own bairns taking the crown after him…since he married a hobbit."

"Oh…I see," Flinn nodded, a bit saddened by this unfair notion. Still, if Thorin was all right with it, then why shouldn't he be? After all, that meant his own son would one day be king. Fili…a king...it was a bit overwhelming. He then looked over at Dwalin, a smirk on his face. "I hear you also took a hobbit wife, old friend. I have to admit…I'm rather shocked that you gave up bachelorhood."

"Not half as much as I was! But Bergie was my one," Dwalin laughed heartily. "Mahal certainly has a good sense of humor, that's for sure."

"And twins?" Flinn pressed, digging for more information.

"A lad and a lass," Dwalin nodded with pride. "Torin and Talin, named after Thorin and Balin, and no finer youngens you will ever hope to meet," he looked down at little Flinn and Frerin, giving them a wink. "Present company excluded, of course."

"How is your brother?" Flinn grinned, having fond memories of Balin.

"Just fine, serves as head counsel in Erebor," Dwalin stated.

"And your family Nori? How is that wee little Ori doing? Is Dori still as smothering as he used to be?" Flinn laughed.

"Worse!" Nori assured him with a roll of his eyes. "And Ori has sprouted, he's almost as tall as Fili here, though not exactly warrior material. He's the official scribe of the mountain, and he loves it."

"And before you ask," Bofur cut in, knowing what was undoubtedly coming next. "Bombur is doing well too. Married and has three little ones of his own. While me and our cousin, Bifur, still remain single, much to the delight of the ladies."

This of course brought on a round of laughter and groans at the hatted dwarf's expense.

"But how long have you been here?" Kili asked, turning the conversation back to his father. "It sickens me to think that you have been so close to Erebor…and yet we never knew."

"I was sold into labor to Gorbash about twenty years ago, by my best guess," Flinn said with a shrug. "He had just started digging for iron and ore, and was in need of strong backs who knew how to mine, and who better than dwarves. He bought or captured all he could, but when there was still not enough to fill his quota, he started bringing in men. There has been an elf or two over the years who fell into his clutches, but they are not exactly built for digging or living underground, so sadly, they didn't last long." He then looked over at Fili. "But now I want to hear your story. How did you learn of this place, and what on earth are my grandsons doing here?"

And so over the next half an hour, the five dwarrow told the tale of how Glorfindel had stumbled upon the mine by pure chance, then raced back to Erebor to inform Thorin. Their explanation was interspersed with additions and clarifications provided by the two eager dwarflings, especialy when they got to the part where they had stowed away in the supply wagon. Through it all, Flinn listened with rapt attention, hanging on every word. However, when Fili began to describe how he had found Kili, frantically trying to dig Tauriel out of a cave in, it was not only Flinn who was shocked to hear this.

"NO! Not pretty Miss Tauriel!" Frerin cried, burying his face in his father's lap as he began to cry.

"She's…gone?" Dwalin asked, despair in his eyes. For while it had been apparent that she had been missing, no one had gotten the chance to ask what had happened.

"Oh, Kili…we're so sorry," Bofur murmured, pulling off his hat in respect.

"She was a fine lass," Nori stated, reaching out to place a hand on Kili's shoulder.

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Kili yelled, shrugging off Nori's hand as he sprang to his feet and stormed across the room. Finding himself a spot on an empty wall, he sat down, bringing his legs up and burying his head in his crossed arms.

"Fili?" Flinn questioned, not quite sure what had set his son off this way. Obviously, this Tauriel had been a valued member of their company, yet as he looked at the others, and the way they stared after Kili with eyes full of sympathy, he knew there was more to this than they were saying. "Is there something else I should know?"

When Fili seemed to hesitate, reluctant to betray his brother's confidence, Dwalin spoke up.

"Fili has most likely been sworn to secrecy," the bald warrior explained. "But that has not stopped the rest of us from putting two and two together."

"Aye, it was as plain to us as the nose on Kili's face…or perhaps something a bit lower," Bofur said, blushing a bit over his wording. "The lad's gone and woke up over the elf lass."

"You all knew?" Fili gasped.

"Of course we did," Nori nodded. "I've even been taking bets on how long it would take for Kili to confess his feelings to Tauriel." He then glanced over at the heartbroken prince. "I guess no one wins on that wager either….least of all Kili. Poor lad."

"You mean to say that Kili found his one…in an elf?" Flinn asked, sounding as if it was impossible to believe.

"Not just any elf," Dwalin said in her defense. "One even I had come to admire. Tauriel was an amazing fighter, and damn nice to boot."

"And she was really, really pretty too," Frerin sniffed, still wiping at the tears that filled his blue eyes.

"She was going to teach me and Frerin to fight with knives," little Flinn added, looking just as forlorn as his brother.

"You aren't going to berate Kili over this, are you?" Fili asked, looking at his father as if he feared the answer. "It was Mahal's choice…just as Marigold was for Thorin, and Bergie for Dwalin. Kili's love for her was no less real than mine is for Sier. Tauriel was indeed his one."

"Trust me, Fili," Flinn said, resting his hand on his son's shoulder with a compassionate smile. "I am fully aware of how it feels to find your one. When I met your mother, it was as if I had been living my whole life till that point in a haze, and she made everything crystal clear. It wouldn't matter to me who my sons chose to love…just as long as it was true. Be his one an elf, a hobbit, or a daughter of men, as long as Kili was happy, I would be too." He then turned and looked at his younger son, still sitting against the wall in despair. "And yet, I also know how it feels to lose your one. It creates a hole in your heart, one that can never be filled by anything else. I lost my Dis to time and distance…where Kili has lost his to death. My heart bleeds for him…my poor lad."

"Will you speak to him…Adad?" Fili asked, touched by what he had just heard. "I…I don't know how to help him, for I've never been through what he is feeling. I just fear that he might…well…you know, lose his will to go on after this. Amad was able to survive after losing you, but only because she had us to take care of. But Kili…I'm so afraid for him, Adad."

"Nothing will take away his pain, Fili," Flinn said sadly. "But I will do what I can to help. I didn't just find him, only to lose him to grief. I will do whatever it takes to keep him on this earth." Standing up, Flinn drew on every ounce of knowledge, wisdom, and fatherly instinct as he slowly made his way towards Kili.

"Oh, Mahal…give me the right words," he silently prayed. "Help me help my son through this."

Well...was it all you hoped? I am so happy for all of them, although it would have been much better if they had met somewhere besides a prison cell. Right?

Now we know what happend to Flinn...and we all pity that poor nameless elf who saved him - let's hope he did eventually escape and made it across the sea.

Poor Kili...so sad that his Tauriel is gone. Or is she? (wink wink)

I hope Flinn the Elder has the right words to help his son.

More with those in Erebor in the next chapter.

Guest Reviews:

Dean: I am so sorry that my story is distracting you...err...um...not really! I am tickled that you find it so entertaining. ha ha. But please do not let it hamper your life...or your livelihood. I hope I am posting fast enough to satisfy your need for more chapters. There is lots more to come! Thanks.

AppleCreamPie: Hey, I bet you had a lot of chapters to catch up on that way! Glad to have you back. Wow, re-read it multiple times? I'm flattered and impressed! No! Don't get distracted from finals! Thorin will come after you with a sword if you fail to get your education (he is a firm believer in that). You know, I never thought about having Thrain come back...probably since I knew he died in Dul-Gordur (sp?) with Gandalf. But Flinn the Elder...well, no one knows what happend to him, so it was easy to spin him a new tale. ha ha. I am sorry you have to wait for chapters now...how horrible! I pity you. But I will keep posting quickly, I promise. Thanks.

abc: You do not have to get an account, and I love your continued guest reviews! Well...was the reunion epic enough? And yes, Flinn the Younger kind of did introduce them... in his own cute way. Yep, a battle is indeed coming! Probably several of them. Bard is indeed heading that way, but as to what end...guess you will find out soon enough. And things will be pretty action packed from here on out! So buckle up! Thanks.

Feu d'Argent: ha ha, you are a coat person? Sier will have to make YOU one then! I hope you enjoyed the reunion chapter and continue to like where I am taking all this. Thanks.

Aranel Mereneth: Did the reunion chapter come fast enough...and did it satisfy?

Emrfangirl: Drat! Isn't that the worst? I hope you remember what it is eventually. Oh yes, Tor and Tal will be swapping adventure stories for years to come! Yep, that key was a big deal...or at least Thorin is hoping it will help. Now Dis and the others just have to FIND it. ha ha. And you just go ahead and guess whatever you want when you want!