.

Awww, so nice to see so many familiar screen names! What a nice welcome back!

All your kind reviews has spurred me on to writing faster, and while I always keep a nice stockpile of finished chapters on hand for 'non-pressure-posting' I plan on only putting up a new chapter as I finish writing another new one. And LOOK...I got one done today...so here you go!

Now, let's see what Fili remembers...shall we?

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Chapter 2

~X~

"Fili?" came a voice through the haze, pulling him from his slumber and into the glaringly painful reality which was the morning. Oh, his head hurt! "Fili…time to wake up."

"Go away, Kili," the grumpy dwarf moaned, squeezing his eyes closed all the harder as he felt his brother shaking him. "Leave me alone to die in peace."

"As much as I wish I could, Amad has summoned us to her chambers for breakfast," his younger sibling announced. "And I don't know about you, but I for one do not wish to get on her bad side less than a day after her return."

Fili gave another low moan as he opened his eyes and forced himself to focus on Kili.

"How is it that you drank just as much as I did and you look as fresh as a daisy?" he questioned, struggling to even sit up without the world spinning around him. "How do you do it?"

"Positive thinking, a healthy diet, and clean living, Brother," the dark-haired prince laughed.

Fili knew full well that both of them were only prone to perhaps one of the virtues he had mentioned. Still, he could always count on his younger brother to put a cheery spin on things.

"Now, get up and bathe quickly, or mother will come looking for you, and probably stand outside your door just to make sure you washed behind your ears," Kili warned.

This made Fili chuckle slightly, an action he quickly regretted as it caused his head to pound even more.

"I would hope that since you and I have traveled across Middle Earth, battled with orcs, goblins, giant spiders, and a dragon…not to mention fought in a war with five armies, Mother might begin to treat us like adults and not her little lads anymore," Fili mused, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands for a moment, gearing up to rise at last.

"Not a chance," Kili said with a firm shake of his head. "Amad will forever see us as her little dwarflings, even when we are old and grey, and our beards are brushing the floor."

"First you would have to grow a beard, Nadadith," Fili teased, laughing once again as he looked up in time to see his brother stick his tongue out at his harmless jest.

"It still wouldn't help," Kili said with a sigh. "The only way our mother will ever see us as adults, is when we give her grandchildren, and I do not see myself doing that any time soon," he stated, before glancing back at his brother questioningly. "Hey, why were you sleeping in that chair? You do have a perfectly good bed, you know. Why not use it?"

It was then that Fili's eyes fell upon the aforementioned piece of furniture, causing his eyes to open wide as a certain memory flooded back to him.

"Because there was a dwarrowdam in it!" Fili blurted out, standing up as he took a few steps closer, his mind conjuring up visions of the maiden he was certain had lain there the night before.

"Well then, you must really have been drunk, Brother. For in my book, that would be even more of a reason to have slept in your bed!" Kili laughed, imagining that his older sibling was simply recalling a dream he had.

"No, I'm serious," Fili insisted. "Look, the bed's been slept in, has it not?"

"Yes, by you, I'm sure," he said in response.

"Yet if I had used the bed, why did you find me here in the chair?" came Fili's sound reasoning. "And you know that all the beds in the royal wing were made up in anticipation of Amad's arrival. So if I didn't sleep in the bed, then someone had to…and I say it was the stunning dwarrowdam I saw in there last night!"

"You mean you're not joking?" Kili questioned, looking a bit less skeptical.

"Would I jest about something like that?" Fili demanded, appearing deadly serious.

Eyeing his brother as if he was still not sure if he was serious, or simply recalling a drunken fantasy, Kili walked over and grabbed the pillow, bringing it up to his nose and inhaling deeply.

"Vanilla," he muttered, pressing it to his face a second time. "Vanilla and…roses?"

"There, that proves it!" Fili stated. "When have I ever smelled like those things?"

"True…you usually smell like sweat, pipe weed, and ale," Kili muttered, eyeing the rumpled bedsheets with intrigue. "So what did she look like?" he asked, now very interested in the details. "And what was she doing in your bed, of all places?"

"I have no idea," he told him with an amazed shake of his head. "But she had long raven hair, and a beautiful face, the likes of which I have never seen, nor will I quickly forget. I had intended to wake her and ask her purpose for being here, but I must have fallen asleep before I could muster up the boldness to do so. And now she's gone." The last statement brought a frown to the young prince's face.

"So, let me get this straight," Kili stated, crossing his arms and looking at his brother with a glare of annoyance. "You came back to your room to find a pretty little lass in your bed, and you did nothing about it? You disappoint me, brother! How am I expected to emulate you when you let a golden opportunity like this slip through your fingers? And Uncle Thorin believes that you are worthy to be king one day? Unbelievable!"

"Hey!" Fili interjected, a bit miffed by Kili's accusations. "And just what would you have done, Nadadith?"

"Oh, I would have done a lot more than simply passing out on a nearby chair, I can guarantee you that!" he told him, giving a wide grin and waggling of his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "I must ask, why was such a bit of fortune wasted on you? More than likely, you would have carried on a friendly conversation with her and then politely escorted her out of your room and back to her own."

Fili blushed slightly, recalling that he had planned to do exactly that last night, even if it had not been the first idea that had occurred to him.

"Well, it hardly matters now what I would have done, the lass is gone and I have no idea who she was, why she was here, or where I can find her again," Fili stated with a heavy sigh. If she had been only a dream, he might have been content to put the whole thing out of his mind…but knowing she had been real was going to torment him until he knew the truth.

"Maybe we can put Nori on the case?" Kili suggested, rubbing his stubbly chin in thought. "He's good at finding things, especially things that should not be found…or taken."

"Perhaps," Fili nodded, at last heading for the washroom as he began to strip off his rumpled clothes. "Give me just a few minutes and I'll be ready to go to breakfast. Like you said, we best not keep Amad waiting."

"All right," Kili said, sitting down in the chair his brother had vacated. He then raised his voice and shouted towards the half closed door. "And don't forget to wash behind your ears!"

His order was met with a loud grumble and the slamming of the door, causing Kili to burst into laughter.

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Meanwhile, over in Dis' room, Jade was setting out dishes for her mistress' breakfast companions, her hands practically shaking from nervousness. When she had been informed that both Fili and Kili were joining their mother for the morning meal, she had panicked. Thankfully, Dis showed no signs of noticing the odd behavior of her lady's maid.

"If I know my sons, and I think I do, they will have drunk far too much last night and will both be late for breakfast," the older dwarrowdam said with a slight chuckle. It was obvious that she had missed both Fili and Kili very much, and was anxious to see them again and catch up on all they had been through. "Do what you can to keep the food warm until they arrive and then you are free for the rest of the morning while I visit with them," she informed the lass as she busied herself getting ready.

Dis was very independent, and could easily take care of herself, leading Jade to quickly realize that she had most likely taken her on only out of concern for her wellbeing, and not due to any great need. The princess had been the first person to welcome her upon arriving at Ered Luin, when most of the other dwarves had looked at her with suspicion. Jade supposed that a lone female appearing out of the wild with no knowledge of her family, and no one to speak for her, had been a bit odd. Yet she had left her childhood village in hopes that by returning to her own kind, she might find answers to her past. This had proven unsuccessful, for no one knew anything about her or the ones Ursa and Gunnar had described as her possible parents. And all she had to go on was the small pendant that hung around her neck…and even that had proven disappointing.

However, Jade enjoyed working for Dis, and the affection and acceptance the stately princess had shown her had not gone unreturned. She had grown rather attached to the older dwarrowdam over the past year, and when Dis had informed Jade of her desire to return to Erebor, she had agreed to follow her without hesitation. For in her heart, Dis was now the closest thing to family she had…all except a couple cousins through her foster parents. But one had recently remarried, leaving her not time to spend on Jade, and the other had ridden off to join the armies of Rohan over a year ago, and she had not heard from him since. So, for good or bad, Jade had been forced to make new acquaintances and form new ties, which she had happily done with the Lady Dis.

Heading back into the small kitchen area, Jade placed another few lumps of coal into the belly of the cookstove, attempting to regulate the temperature in order to keep the breakfast warm. Upon arriving the previous day, Jade had been mightily impressed with the layout of the apartments afforded to the royal family. Each one supposedly had similar amenities, including a kitchen, a sitting room, another room that could serve as an office, the bedchambers, and of course their own private bath that sported hot and cold running water. On their way to Erebor, Dis had explained the marvels of dwarf ingenuity, and how pipes and slues had been incorporated throughout the mountain long ago, making wonders such as these possible.

The small room allotted to Jade had a connecting door that led to Dis' living quarters, allowing her to tend to her mistress whenever she was needed, yet the exit that led directly to the hallway afforded her a measure of independence as well. All in all, the young dwarrowdam was very impressed, and a bit overcome, by the opulence of it all, having never been surrounded by such grandeur in all her life.

When Jade heard the knock at the door, she felt her body freeze. The princes had arrived! She fretted about whether she would be required to admit them, but a quick call from the other room told her that Dis was not about to stand on formality, and had gone to answer it herself. Jade knew she would eventually have to come out and present herself, if for no other reason than to serve the breakfast, and she could not help but fear the outcome. Would Fili by chance remember her…or was the truth of her nighttime wanderings to be kept a blessed secret?

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"There you are!" Dis greeted her sons as they both stepped into the room, pulling them to her as she gave them both a big hug and kiss on the cheek. "Come, sit! For we have so much to catch up on. I'm sorry I had to retire so early last night, but I fear that I'm not as young as I used to be, and all that travel had worn me out."

"What nonsense is this, Amad?" Fili asked, taking her hand as he guided her over to the small table that had obviously been set up for dining. "You're as young and fresh as ever, and the most beautiful dwarrowdam in all the seven kingdoms."

"Not to mention the kindest and most forgiving," Kili added, their words causing a blush to spread over their mother's proud face.

"You are only saying that so that I will not scold you further for being so late," Dis laughed, reaching out to cup her younger son's cheek affectionately.

"It was all Fili's fault," Kili insisted, earning a glare from his brother. "He apparently drank too much and it was near impossible to get him up and going this morning. Not to mention the little surprise he found when he got back to his room."

"Oh? What might that have been?" Dis asked, picking up the pot in front of her and filling their cups with tea.

"Nothing, Amad," Fili assured her. "It was nothing. Kili's just trying to stir up trouble, as usual."

Dis smiled and nodded, deciding to not press the matter any further, even though she could easily see that her oldest son was hiding something. A mother could always tell.

"I hope you're hungry," she began, before stopping to laugh at her own words. "What am I saying, of course you two are hungry! When have you ever not been?" It warmed her heart to know that she could once again dote on them both, especially after spending so many sleepless nights worrying that she might never see them again. The journey to reclaim Erebor had been fraught with dangers, the fire breathing dragon having been her greatest fear of all. However, she had never anticipated her lads being forced to engage in a war that encompassed five armies. She had acquired a few more grey hairs when the ravens had delivered that particular piece of distressing news. Yet, by the grace of Mahal, they, along with Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, and the rest of the company, had lived to tell the tale. Dis realized that all too soon she would be back to schooling her wayward sons over the mischief they constantly seemed to get into, but for now, she only wanted to keep them close and shower them with love. "Jade has been keeping the food warm until you arrived, but if you'd taken much longer, it might have ceased being edible."

"Jade?" Fili asked, taking a sip of the tea she had poured. "Who might that be?"

"My new lady's maid. She traveled with me from Ered Luin," Dis explained, realizing that she too had some interesting tales to tell.

"I thought you decided long ago to do without a maid?" Kili spoke up. "If I recall, after old Mela passed on, you swore you would never take one on again."

"That's true, I did say that," their mother nodded. "For it seemed that if the maid was young, I would only just get her trained before some lovesick dwarf would make a petition for her hand. Then off she would go to care for her own home, husband, and children, leaving me to start all over again. And if I were to choose one who was past her prime and no longer cared about looking for a mate, in the end I would be the one taking care of her! It also seemed rather foolish to have one, for I'm more than capable of lacing up my own dress and fixing my hair. Yet, Jade is different, and taking her on as my maid seemed the best way to help the young lass acclimate herself to our ways and customs, for she knew very little of dwarves when she arrived at the mountains."

"Jade is not a typical dwarf name," Fili pointed out, his brows pursing together in concern. "And what do you mean, she's different? Is she not of our kind? I don't think Uncle will agree to you housing a non-dwarf within the halls of Erebor. While he has recently grown somewhat tolerant of the race of men, and in a very small way, that of the elves, our king is far from ready to invite them to live within the mountain."

"Fili, do you honestly think me ignorant to Thorin's stubborn and pigheaded ways?" Dis all but laughed. "I know good and well that my cantankerous brother would threaten to toss me into the dungeons were I to bring a non-dwarf into Erebor!"

"I would like to see him try and place you anywhere you did not wish to go," Kili snorted, knowing just how easily his mother could put Thorin in his place.

"Well, regardless," Dis nodded, appreciative of her son's vote of confidence, "I can fully assure you that Jade is a dwarrowdam. Here, allow me to prove it." With that she called out towards the kitchen door, using the lass' name and bidding her to come forth.

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From where she had been sitting in the kitchen, Jade could hear that Dis and her sons were talking, but she had been unable to catch any of the words. However, she could now easily recognize her mistress' voice as she called her by name. Deciding that she could not simply ignore the summons, Jade reluctantly extracted the food from the oven and placed it on the large serving tray, knowing it was time to bring it in.

"Well, here goes nothing," she whispered to herself, praying that the next few moments would not bring an end to her dignity…or her employment.

Jade nudged the door open with her shoulder and stepped into the room, doing her best not to make eye contact with either prince as she dutifully brought the tray over to the small table.

"Your breakfast, My Lady," she said in a quiet voice, doing all she could not to bring any undue attention to herself. She hoped Dis would quickly dismiss her, allowing her to escape the room and go about her duties…yet that did not happen.

"Jade, may I present my sons, Fili and Kili," Dis introduced. "Fili, Kili, this is Jade, my lady's maid."

The young dwarrowdam heard the scraping of chairs and knew that both brothers had stood respectfully, leaving her with no choice but to raise her eyes in order to acknowledge them. As she did, Jade was presented with two very different reactions. The younger of the two, the dark-haired Kili, was grinning from ear to ear and giving off a very happy and joyful air. Dis had always called Kili her happy little Bâhzundushuh, a word she was told meant raven in Khuzdul, the secret language of the dwarves…something she was still attempting to learn. Now that she had met him in person, Jade could understand why, easily seeing how Kili resembled the sleek bird with dark feathers and keen eyes. For he too had raven black hair and a brilliant sparkle in his eyes, one that instantly drew you in.

Yet when she allowed her gaze to move to Fili, she felt her heart stop in her chest. Unlike his brother, the golden-haired prince was not smiling – in fact he appeared thoroughly stunned. He was looking at Jade with recognition in his eyes, staring at her as if he was seeing a ghost.

Oh, Mahal…he knew!

Yep...you can't get anything by Fili...he's smart! ha ha.

So, looks like the jig is up, how WILL Jade deal with this awkward situation?

Tune in next time to find out.

Thanks.

Guest Reviews

Emrfangirl: Hey, welcome back! I had made it my goal to start posting at the start of the new year, and look...I did it! And yes, that IS the real issue here...Fili not wasting his ale, now THAT would have been a real tragedy! Thanks.