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Bonus Chapter!

So don't get mixed up and read the chapters out of order.

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Chapter 114

agnât'nadad = brother-in-law

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Flinn approached his youngest son, who was sitting against the wall, his head still bowed in grief. He had lost so much time with his children, that the older dwarrow feared his lack of experience in these matters. Father and son talks should come easy…or at least he had always imagined they would as Fili and Kili grew. Yet now, they were practically strangers, and Flinn was afraid he might say the wrong thing and make it worse. Still…he had to say something.

"Kili, may I sit with you a while?" Flinn asked, not wishing to intrude if he wanted to be alone.

"I…I suppose so," came the muffled voice of the dark haired prince, not even bothering to raise his head.

Flinn eased himself down on the floor beside him, mirroring his position with his legs. They were stiff and tired from a hard day's labor, but he knew that his pain was nothing compared to what Kili was feeling right now. To lose your one…well, that was the deepest wound a dwarf could feel.

"I'm very sorry about your Tauriel," he began. "Would you tell me about her?" He heard his son sniff a few times, obviously trying to abate his tears, and after a while he raised his head, leaning back against the wall as his glassy eyes stared at nothing.

"She's perfect," Kili whispered at last, his voice hoarse and raspy. "She can wield a blade and shoot a bow like no one I've ever met. She has beautiful, long, red hair, and eyes the color of grass on a spring day. Her smile is like sunshine and her laugh…oh, I love it when she laughs."

"She sounds wonderful," Flinn nodded, hearing the love Kili felt for her in his words. This was not something his son would simply get over.

"She was…I mean, she is!" Kili insisted, his face turning hard and determined. "Tauriel is not gone, she is not dead! She can't be."

"And perhaps she's not," Flinn agreed. "Stranger things have happened. Take me for example, I was thought to have died almost ninety years ago…but here I am." He reached out and placed his arm around Kili's shoulders, pulling him towards him in a comforting gesture. "All I'm saying is…don't give up hope until you must. Hope is sometimes all we have to cling to, but often it is enough to get us through. And if it should fail you…I'll be here for you, son. I'll do all I can to help in any way."

"And you're not angry or disappointed that my one turned out to be an elf?" Kili asked, looking up at his father with heartbreaking insecurity.

"Not in the least," Flinn assured him. "A one is a one…and none can deny Mahal's choice, no matter what shape or size they come in. Do you think everyone was pleased that the princess of Erebor chose to marry me…a penniless miner turned warrior? Hardly! And yet, they could no more deny our bond than we could. And believe me, I tried! Thankfully, my stupidity was curtailed by your mother's iron will." He stopped here and gave a bit of a chuckle. "Only the foolish attempt to deny your mother anything, and I, thank Mahal, was no fool."

"I'm glad," Kili nodded, allowing a small grin to touch his lips…if only for a moment. "Do…do you think she could have loved me?"

"I have no doubt that she did, Kili," Flinn said assuredly.

"And you would have accepted Tauriel as my wife?" he continued, his eyes full of hope.

"I would have rejoiced with you, my son, and loved her as a daughter," Flinn guaranteed him.

"Oh, Adad," Kili moaned, leaning his head against his father's shoulder. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because it was real," Flinn reasoned. "The truest love is always the most glorious…as well as the most painful. Be comforted in that fact, my son…for many dwarrow are never fortunate enough to find their other half. And even if you have lost her, her memory will remain ever clear and unstained in your heart. And while that might not sound like a comfort now, in time, it will help lessen the pain…if you allow it."

"Thank you," Kili said quietly, knowing the words were true…even if he couldn't feel it right now.

"No…thank you," Flinn countered. "Thank you for accepting me. For not spurning me for leaving you and your brother to grow up alone. Though it was not my choice, it kills me inside to know that you had no father to care for you, to teach you as you grew. I will never forgive myself for that."

"But we did, Adad. We did have a father…of sorts," Kili assured him. "Uncle Thorin helped raise us after you…after you went away." He realized he could obviously no longer say his father had died, for it was more than clear he hadn't. "Amad was grief stricken, yet she was determined to remain and care for Fili and me. Uncle Thorin moved in to our home and saw that we had food, clothing, and a good education, both in book learning and weapon skills. You would be very proud of the way he stepped up, even Amad says we would not have made it without his help."

"Thorin did all that?" Flinn was both shocked…and yet not. He knew his agnât'nadad's character, and though Thorin was hot tempered, stubborn as a goat, and more driven than any dwarrow he had ever met – Flinn was also well aware of his caring side. The side that had led his people across Middle Earth and found them a new home in the Blue Mountains. The side that had not opposed his little sister marrying a lowly dwarf from miner stock. The side that had shed tears the first time he had held Fili and Kili in his arms as children. That was the Thorin who had shouldered the responsibilities that had originally been Flinn's, filling in for him when his little lads needed a father the most. "I will be forever in his debt for the kindness he bestowed upon you three. I owe him much."

"Fili was also a fine big-brother," Kili felt obligated to add. "Ever since I can remember, he has always looked out for me. Sometimes I think he grew up too fast, trying to fill your shoes in one way or another. Oh, we still played and had fun, pranking everyone we could any chance we got, but Fili always knew that the mantle of responsibility would fall upon him one day, and he began preparing for it early."

"You mean being king?" Flinn asked, concern for his older son in his tone.

"Yah…maybe, but in other ways as well," Kili mused. "Fili was always watching over me and Amad, making sure we were safe, keeping a close eye on me especially, as if he feared I might get hurt or disappear."

"Like I did?" Flinn guessed.

"You can't be held accountable for things that were out of your control," Kili was quick to say. "But, yes, perhaps your death…or supposed death…could have played a factor. I just think that Fili takes after you in more than looks. He's the more strong and steady type, while I was always wild and reckless."

"Ahhh, you take after your mother, do you?" Flinn chuckled, fully aware of his wife's temperament.

"Many have said so," Kili nodded, not at all insulted by the accusation. "Her, or maybe Thorin…take your pick."

"I look forward to learning more about you both so I can form my own opinion on that," Flinn smiled. "But first…we need to find a way to get out of this mess or our reunion will be short lived and rather depressing."

"Got any ideas?" Kili asked, hopefully.

"As a matter of fact I do," Flinn replied, his eyes falling on his youngest grandson, who was now curled up in a ball in Fili's lap, sound asleep.

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~XXXX~

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Meanwhile, back in Erebor, the dams and the children silently crept through the tunnels until they came to a door that Dis claimed led to Nori's chambers.

"Now, we need to be careful," the princess warned as she went to trip the latch that would open the secret door.

"Because the enemy might be inside waiting for us?" Marigold asked, holding up her long knife and pushing Rose behind her protectively.

"Well, yes, that is a possibility." Dis nodded. "But I meant be careful because this is Nori's domain…and you never know what that sneak has done to booby-trap his chambers."

"He wouldn't!" Sier said, sounding shocked.

"Oh…he would," Dena muttered, having known the company a lot longer than the younger dam. "Dis is right, be on guard."

And so they entered, each one watching where they stepped and what they touched. The children were eventually settled on the large bed, each one of them quickly falling asleep, for it was far past their bedtime. This allowed the five dams to search for the elusive key, unfettered by their youngens.

"Why on earth would Nori have this?" Bergie asked, holding up an extremely expensive looking tiara, the gems glistening in the lamplight.

"MY CROWN!" Dis shrieked, stomping over and grabbing it from the startled hobbit's hands. "I have been looking everywhere for this! That dirty rotten sneak!"

"Nori stole from you?" Sier was shocked.

"Well…it was my fault really," Dis muttered, looking a bit sheepish over the confession. "I made some offhanded joke that he could never pinch anything from one as watchful as I…so I guess this was his way of proving me wrong. Still, he will get his ears boxed when I see him next!"

They continued to open drawers and cupboards, each searching for a key that was oddly shaped. Among other things, they found two dozen broaches, a set of hand crafted throwing knives, eighteen different smoking pipes, and an odd collection of wine bottle stoppers…but no key.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding it, when Dena let out a cry of fright. Turning, the other dams gasped in shock as they saw their friend entangled in some kind of net that had fallen from the ceiling, trapping her beneath the heavy ropes.

"Get this blasted thing off me!" Dena snarled, fighting against her sudden prison. "I'm going to kill Nori for sure!"

"Oh, Dena!" Sier called, rushing to her aid. "Here, let us help you."

Within minutes the flustered dam was free once more, but that did little to quench her ire for the brown haired dwarf who had just made her short list.

"What did you do to trigger that?" Dis asked, tossing the heavy net to the side.

"Nothing! I just pulled open this drawer, and bam! Net, all over me!" Dena complained.

"That could only mean one thing," Dis said with a gleam in her eye. "You were getting close to the good stuff!"

Dena's look of anger turned to delight as she tugged at the drawer once again - all five dams looking up nervously, half expecting another net or trap to spring out of nowhere. Thankfully, none came, and they all crowded around the drawer to examine it together. There were a number of things in there, some worth a great deal, while others looked like junk, and a few they had no idea even what they were. But the thing that caught everyone's eye was the large metal looking object in the center.

"Do you think this is it?" Marigold asked, picking up the oddly shaped thing that resembled a key.

"If it's not, then I can't think of what else it would be used for," Sier stated, nodding her consent. "I think we found it!"

"Now we need to get it to Thorin and the others," Dis said in a determined voice. "For the faster we free them, the faster we can overturn this invasion and rid ourselves of this Hagen's filth."

"Agreed," Marigold nodded, yet looking longingly at the bed that still held the four sleeping children, she gave a heavy sigh. "I hate to wake them, it must be nearly dawn and they have hardly slept a wink. They are all so exhausted."

"As are we," Sier agreed, trying to hold back a yawn. "Yet, we can't stop to rest now. Time is of the essence."

"I say we take the blankets and pillows and make a bed for the children in the tunnels," Dis suggested. "It would serve Nori right to come home to a stripped mattress. Steal my tiara, will he?" she huffed.

And so, with bundles of bedding in their hands, the dams and the children slipped back into the tunnels, leaving Nori's room quite a mess.

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In the dungeons, Thorin was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, while everyone tried to catch a bit of shuteye. He was running on pure adrenalin now, but he felt he had to remain alert. He was the king, and his mountain was under siege, he couldn't sleep until everyone was out of danger. His internal clock told him that dawn was approaching, and he feared what this new day would bring. At least he knew that his beloved Marigold and little Rose were safe, as well as Sier, Freya and Dis. Bergie had been very brave to have allowed her twins to deliver the message, and he could just imagine Dwalin's chest sticking out with pride when he told him of Tor and Tal's contribution to their rescue.

"Assuming it ever happens," Thorin mumbled to himself. Not that he doubted Dis and the others, but there were a lot of other factors they had very little control over…specifically their enemy. Hagen was a wild card, unpredictable and dangerous, and Thorin only hoped that he would not find out what they were up to. He had half expected that traitorous villain to have been down to interrogate them sooner, but perhaps Hagen was resting up himself, choosing to be fresh for when he demanded the location of the Arkenstone.

Well…Thorin would not allow his enemy to get the upper hand! He needed rest if he was to combat the enemy, and right now, he felt as if he could sleep for a year. So, sitting down and leaning his head against the stone wall, he shut his eyes, instantly seeing the smiling face of Marigold and Rose. Perhaps if they kept him company in his dreams, he would not feel the pain of loneliness and fear in his heart so much. They were his strength…he would prevail for them.

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Bard too had been up all night, readying his men and making his plans. Just before sunrise, he headed for the aviary with a letter, sealed with his signet and bound tightly with a string. He turned it over to Olev with orders to see that it was sent out at first light. Telk, who had managed to get some food and rest, flapped his wings in excitement, offering to be the one to deliver it for the king. Once that was settled, Bard joined his mounted and armed men at the gate, ready to make their way towards Erebor. Yet before he could head out, a call from Tilda stopped him.

"Da!" she said, hurrying to his horse's side, dressed in britches, boots, and a man's tunic. "Let me come with you."

"Tilda," Bard said with a reluctant smile. "While I know you are as capable as any of my men, I dare not." He reached down and touched her cheek lovingly. "With Bain away, you must rule in my absence. And while I pray that this is no more than a simple misunderstanding, and I will return within the hour to all share a good laugh…Dale must have a king, or in your case, a queen."

"I understand," she said, bowing her head in respect. "Yet I would still rather go with you."

"And I would have enjoyed your company," Bard assured her. "However, it is not to be. Stay here, keep watch and make sure the ravens deliver my message as soon as the first ray of the sun lights the sky."

"I will, Da," she nodded, her chin coming up in a gesture of determination. "I will not fail you."

"Oh, what a fine queen you will be one day," Bard complimented, giving her a wink. "Will there ever be a man out there worthy of your hand, my amazing daughter?"

"If there is, he will have a very big pair of boots to fill," she grinned, giving her father a loving smile. "Now, ride hard and come home safe."

"At your command, my lady," Bard agreed, returning her smile with a wink. And kicking his horse into a gallop, he led his battalion of men out into the darkness, determined to reach the mountain at first light.

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Deep in the mountain, in the king's chambers, Hagen strutted before the full length mirror, admiring himself wearing Thorin's royal tunic and crown.

"Hand me the coat," he demanded, snapping his fingers for his servant to bring him the fine garment, the gold buttons gleaning in the lamplight. As he slipped it on, an evil laugh escaped his lips, causing him to grin with satisfaction. "Thorin has rather fine tastes, I will give him that. And though I have yet to lay eyes on this hobbit bride of his, I'm willing to bet that she is at least a beauty. For what other reason would a descendant of Durin be willing to mix his blood with an inferior race? I look forward to meeting Erebor's queen."

"We have not yet found where she is hiding, my lord," his soldiers standing near the door reported.

"Then keep looking!" Hagen snarled, adjusting the crown on his head. "I will not be thwarted due to your incompetence when I am so close to getting what I desire. My father might be the ruler of our clan…but soon, I will be the king of Erebor, and all will bow to me!" He gave himself one final look of approval before turning towards the door. "Now….I think I've allowed Thorin and the others to stew long enough. How about we all go down and see if they are ready to listen to reason, and tell me where the Arkenstone can be found. If not…well, there are always other ways to make that stubborn old dwarf talk!" And with a look on his face that made even his own companions shiver in fear, Hagen stormed towards the dungeons.

OH dear...Look out Thorin...danger is coming!

So the dams found the key, or at least they HOPE it is the key. And poor Nori, he will have some cleaning to do when he gets home.

And what did you think of Flinn's first Father/son talk with Kili?

What idea might he have on how to escape? Friday's chapter will tell you.

Guest Reviews:

Aranel Mereneth: I am glad you liked the reunion. It was one of my favorite chapters to write. And yes, let's hope that Tauriel does help in some important way and win over Thorin. Guess you will have to wait and find out. Thanks!

abc: Yes, Kili really needed that hug too. His life is kind of upside down right now. Maybe not in the NEXT chapter, but soon, I promise. Thanks and how did you like the bonus chapter...was that fast enough for ya?

Feu d'Argent: Oh boy, I live for TEARS! ha ha. And yes Freya is good a button picking, even at her tender years. I'm glad my chapter made your day better. How did this one do? Kili is about as subtle as a brick to the head. ha ha. Gotta love him. Tauriel is trying really hard not to be dead, ha ha. Just give her some time. Thanks for the review!

Dean: That is good of you. And yes, Flinn the Elder is like Fili on steroids. ha ha. Totally awesome in ever way. How could he not be with two sons like Fili and Kili? I did have a lot of fun with his character. Thanks