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"Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?" - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Three days had passed since Signi watched Prince Kili disappear into the darkness, and yet the mountain carried on as though he were still there. Fili and Gimli trained each morning as they normally did. Dis spent hours in the living quarters making sure the new residents were settled. Thorin spent dinners in conversation with Balin and Dwalin, his gaze wandering the length of the table now and then to watch Signi as she sat with Lifa and Dis. Kili's absence was nothing more than a minor hiccup in conversation.

Signi could not wrap her mind around this lack of reaction. Surely they missed their prince. Even if the guard had not notified the king of Kili's late night walk, Signi would have expected the king to send a search party after him to drag him back to Erebor.

On that third day, Signi could not stand waiting for him to return any longer. After her usual breakfast with Dwalin and Balin, she headed outside for a walk to the lake. Perhaps the king would not notice if she took leave and ventured down to Esgaroth to find Kili herself.

It was still early in the day, but Signi felt herself beginning to sweat in the beating sunlight. Cursing the fabric of her dark blue dress, she rolled her sleeves above her elbows and pushed her stocking down into her boots. It made little difference, but at least some of her skin would be exposed to any errant breezes when she reached the lake.

She was halfway down the slope when she heard a voice calling behind her.

Lady Dis was moving toward her, flanked by two guards, her crimson skirts flapping as she strode quickly down the hill. Her walk was similar to her brother's with heavy sure steps and straight shoulders. To Signi's chagrin, she wondered briefly if this is what Thorin would look like in a dress.

"Good morning," smiled Dis when she finally reached Signi. "You are up and about early."

Signi nodded and returned Dis' greeting with a smile of her own. "Yes, I do prefer spending the morning out of doors."

"As do I," the lady replied. "Would you walk with me a bit?"

Signi raised a quizzical brow but consented, allowing Dis to loop her arm around hers and lead the way. She was aware of the guards following them as they continued toward the lake, but they made no effort to dissuade the ladies.

After a few moments, Dis broke the silence.

"I suppose I had better cut to the chase," she sighed. "I know that my brother has forbidden you from going to Dale and from touching weapons of any kind."

Signi nodded slowly, watching Dis warily. She was not fool enough to complain to the king's sister about his ridiculous demands, but she also suspected that the lady was in some form of agreement with her.

"I also know that you have disobeyed the king's orders – on one account anyway."

Dis' gaze was as piercing as Thorin's and Signi felt herself shrink away from the intimidating dwarrowdam. But Dis held fast to Signi's arm and did not allow her to escape.

"You must know," continued Dis. "He is not without reason for his orders. He is obstinate and old-fashioned, there is no doubt about it, but he has the right intentions behind his actions."

Signi snorted and looked away. Dis sounded like her son and Signi wondered if Thorin had put them both up to it.

Dis's grip tightened on her arm, but her expression remained passive when Signi turned her attention back to the lady. "Did you ever hear how our mother passed?" she asked.

Signi shook her head slowly. The library was full of books describing the deaths of males, whether it came by war or sickness or execution, but never detailed the passing of ladies. In fact, most women were left out of the extensive family trees illustrating the pedigrees of the great dwarven households. Only Lady Dis had made it into the annals as the sole bearer of the line of Durin.

"She died when Erebor fell," Dis said. Her voice was distant but held a certain bite that Signi had come to associate with the royal family. "She was not in the mountain at the time. She had gone to Dale to help with the sick. An illness had been coursing through the city's poor at the time and our mother took pity on them. She had gone against my father's better judgment and without the king's consent."

Signi had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going. Despite the chastised blush crawling across her cheeks, she continued to listen to Dis with rapt attention.

"After Smaug crashed through our gates and Thorin managed to evacuate all he could, we realized that Mother was gone. First we searched the crowds of dwarves. Then we searched the dead around the mountain. We had given up all hope of finding her when the guard that went to Erebor returned. I will not go into detail of the nature of her death, but I will say that her tomb serves as nothing but a memorial."

Signi bowed her head in respect. Her heart ached for Lady Dis and her family, including the king. They had seen such hardship and loss over the mountain's treasure halls, it was a wonder that they wanted to make it their home again. She had read a book once that detailed the lives of elves. It described their life force as a light. Death and war cast such a shadow on their light that many elves sought reprieve by sailing to the Undying Lands. Dwarves had no such escape – they simply packed the calcified remains of their memories and worked hard, simmered longer, never forgetting their wrongs until their hearts were diamond hard and cold like ice. Nothing could break vengeful dwarf.

"I am sorry –" Signi said softly.

"No," Dis interrupted, fixing her icy blue eyes on Signi again. "Do not apologize. You did not kill my mother. Nor should you feel guilty for taking pity on Dale. I am telling you this so you understand why Thorin will not budge on this issue. He blames himself for her death – he believes that he should have stopped her from going to Dale, that maybe he should have told the king instead of turning a blind eye to her trips."

"So you would have me stay locked in the mountain because the king feels guilty about something that was beyond his control?" Signi did not mean to sound like a child, but the sheer indignance was more than she could bear.

Dis chuckled, unfazed by Signi's tone. "Mahal, no. I am determined to sway Thorin on this issue. I just ask that you wait until he has agreed before you venture down to Dale again. I do not want deal with the aftermath in the unlikely event that something should happen to you down there."

Signi nodded, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Lady Dis made a good point and Signi cursed her silliness on the matter. Her pride was turning her into one of the foolish girls that the king had thought her to be back in the Iron Hills.

"Now that that is done," said Dis, smiling warmly once more. "I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" questioned Signi with a raised brow. She could not imagine what the King's sister would have in store for her.

"Yes, I am need of some lessons," Dis said. Her eyes were twinkling with mischief, reminding Signi distinctly of Kili when she first told him that she needed his help to sneak into Dale.

"What sort of lessons?"

Dis grinned widely, conspiratorially. "I need to learn how to use a sword and something tells me that you are just the person to teach me.

Lifa hid a smile behind her wineglass as she watched Fili make an absolute fool of himself. She sat half-lounging on a soft blanket spread beneath a towering oak on the eastern side of the mountain. Remnants of their picnic lunch lay scattered across the blanket.

It all began when Fili opened one eye, glancing up from where he napped after the meal, and saw Lifa attempting to cajole a soft brown rabbit into eating from her palm. The little animal would tentatively hop forward, enticed by her soft words and the clover in her hand, only to dart madly away when she reached closer. This went on for some time and Fili watched with amusement from his prone position until he could stand it no longer.

"Whatever are you doing, My Lady?" he asked, rolling on his side and leaning on his elbow. His mustache braids quivered in his effort to contain his mirth.

Lifa blushed, possibly from exertion as well as embarrassment. She knew that her endeavor was lost as the bunny had disappeared into the bushes the moment Fili spoke.

"I was hoping to pet the rabbit," she said, not meeting his twinkling eyes.

"Oh, but hasn't anyone told you the dangers of petting a rabbit of Erebor?" he asked, his face serious.

Lifa shook her head, her eyes wide. She had heard nothing of the sort. Perhaps they should warn newcomers to stay away from Erebor rabbits.

"The rabbits here are the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodents you ever set eyes on!" he exclaimed. Pointing toward the bushes that the rabbit had disappeared into, he narrowed his eyes and growled, "That rabbit's probably got a vicious streak a mile wide. It's a killer!"

Lifa's eyes widened even more as she stared at the bushes. If these rabbits were as dangerous as Fili described, how could the king let them come so close to the mountain.

Fili was on his knees, holding his fingers to his mouth in imitation of fangs. "He's got these sharp – arghh!"

He dove out of the way the sweet roll that was expertly aimed at his head. Clutching at his belly, he lay on his back and roared with laughter.

"That was not funny!" pouted Lifa, crossing her arms.

"Yes it was," he said, rolling on to his side to face her and taking a bite of the roll that he had dodged just moments before. "You really believed me for a moment."

"I did not," she scowled. But try as she may, she could not stay angry at the prince.

Crawling across the blanket, not minding the food that he trampled in the process, Fili kneeled before her and took her hand in his. Cupping her cheek to turn her head and capture her gaze, he gave her his best apologetic grin.

"I am sorry, My Lady. My jest was in poor taste. Can you forgive me?"

Lifa turned away, feigning annoyance as she thought of a way to pay him back for his transgression. A smile tugged at her lips, but she schooled her expression and tried to replicate the stern looks she had seen on the king many times before.

"Well, I might be able to forgive you. But there is one condition."

"Name it," Fili breathed, raising the hand he held and brushing his lips against her knuckles.

Lifa felt her expression falter at his administrations, but did her best to appear as stoic as possible.

"I will forgive you if –" her breath caught when Fili moved his lips from her knuckles to her wrist. He kept his eyes trained on her, smirking at her distraction.

"I will forgive you if you can catch me one of these vicious Erebor rabbits."

Fili laughed at her ultimatum. Turning loose of her hand, he jumped to his feet. Pressing his hand to his chest, he gave her a formal bow.
"As you wish, My Lady," he chuckled before stalking over to the bushes.

Lifa did not know how long she intended to let Fili terrorize to poor rabbit. She had no desire for him to actually catch it, but it was almost too funny to bear watching him scramble in and out of the bushes after it. She suspected that the rabbit had long ago figured out that Fili had no hope of catching it and was now playing with the dwarf prince.

Tired of its own game, the rabbit finally veered away from the circle it had been making around the cluster of bushes and moved to a new section a few feet away. Fili ran after it, howling moments later when he became unmercifully tangled in the brambles that the rabbit had easily slipped under.

Lifa could not hold back her laughter as she ran over to assist Fili with his predicament. Thorns pulled at his tunic and were caught in his braids. Lifa bit her lip when she saw his sheepish expression and carefully pried the branches away from his head.

"I failed to catch the rabbit," he said miserably. "I am not forgiven."

Lifa allowed her hand to still on his cheek for just a moment, giving him a comforting smile. "I think I can make an exception this time, My Lord."

Fili beamed at her, his hands twitching as though he wanted to capture hers again, but he was still caught in the thorns. Yanking his arm out of the bushes, he winced when the tiny prickles snagged on his skin.

"Have patience," admonished Lifa, unable to hide her grin. "I will have you out of there in a moment."

Quickly she moved to release him, careful to stay out of reach of his free hand. He meant to distract her again and would undoubtedly succeed, but then he would never be free of the brambles.

Finally, he was out of the bushes with no injury other than a few scratches on his arm and some snags in his fine tunic. Lifa lamented over the angry red marks on his arm, running her thumb gently across his skin.

"Perhaps you could kiss me and make it all better," he teased, giving her a hopeful grin.

Lifa's face flushed and her stomach fluttered at the thought.

"I believe the phrase is 'kiss it and make it all better'," she said, attempting to cool her voice. She knew that she was not fooling anyone with her feigned aloofness, but it would hardly be proper for her to go around kissing the prince when they had not even entered formal courtship.

"Same difference," he shrugged, his silly grin still in place.

He made no more mention of his suggestion as he took her hand and led her back to the picnic blanket. Flopping down once more, he pulled her to lay beside him with her head on his shoulder.

Lifa was sure that he could feel her heart pounding through their contact, but did not have the will or desire to push away. Her mother would be horrified to see such a display, but Lifa could not stop the happiness from bubbling up in her chest and clouding her judgment. There was no one to see, so what did it matter if she and the prince enjoyed each other's company in such a manner?

"I suppose you can't capture someone that doesn't want to get caught," Lifa mused as she ran her finger along Fili's mustache braid where is hung alongside his mouth.

"Hmmmm?" he questioned, his lips twitching as she stroked the braid once more.

"I was thinking of the rabbit," she clarified. "You can't capture someone that doesn't want to get caught. That seems to be true with people as well."

"How so?"

Lifa hesitated. It made sense in her head, but she was worried that Fili would think that she sounded silly. "Well, Signi for one. She has no interest in finding a husband. Until she changes her mind, no amount of effort on any dwarf's part will catch her."

Fili slowly turned on his side so he hovered slightly above her, his head propped on his hand. "I see what you are saying… Could you give another example?"

Lifa scrunched her nose. "Your brother would be another example."

"I am afraid my brother is most certainly captured," chuckled Fili.

"Yes, but he wanted to be caught. You told me before that he was always fascinated by elves and that he was ogling the elf maids at Rivendell. He did not even try to run away when this one set him in her sights."

Fili shook his head, still smiling at Lifa's explanation. "I have a feeling that she was the hunted, not he."

"Perhaps," she said.
"And tell me, do you think that I am in danger of being captured as well?" he asked, his eyes trained on the coppery curl he wrapped around his finger.

Lifa felt her face burn. "I do not know, My Lord, are you?" she breathed.

Fili allowed his eyes to catch hers, holding her fast in a heated stare. "That depends."

"On what?" she questioned.

With a slow grin, he released her curl and moved his hand to cup her cheek. "On who is doing the capturing. With you as my huntress, I would willingly walk into any trap you set."

The library was blissfully quiet. Thorin was aware that he was not alone, but the others in the room did not attempt to disturb him. Ori worked at one of the high wooden desks under a row of torches, furiously working to transcribe the ruined pages of old books onto new parchment. Signi sat wrapped in a shawl away from the fire, squinting in the faltering light to read another page of the book she studied.

Staring into the roaring fireplace, Thorin allowed his thoughts to dwell on Kili's whereabouts. He did not need the guard to tell him that Kili had snuck out again. It was inevitable and Thorin was not about to waste his soldier's efforts on tracking down the foolish prince. If he wanted to lay with elf scum, so be it. Thorin had much more pressing concerns to deal with.

Above the crackling fire, Thorin heard the thump of a heavy tome closing followed by Ori's shuffling steps out of the library. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his senses hyper-aware of the girl sitting a few feet behind him. She shifted in her seat, the leather creaking against her movements, but she made no other sounds.

He wanted to say something to her, but did not want to disturb her in the process. He had greeted her when he came in the library, but nothing further was said between them.

Thorin knew that Signi was still upset with him, although he had yet to determine the true cause of her anger. He had hoped to spare a moment to apologize and smooth things over, but she was actively avoiding him it seemed. The only times he had seen her the last three days was at dinner, but she had chosen to sit at the other end of the table each night. She was careful to ignore his entreating stares and disappeared as soon as dinner was over. He half expected her to flee from the library when he entered and took a seat by the fireplace. But she remained and he was planning his attack like he was trying to capture a skittish doe.

Before he could strike, the library doors boomed open and Dis clattered across the marble floors followed by Balin. Thorin sighed deeply, allowing his gaze to linger on Signi as she continued to read before turning to greet his sister.

"Good afternoon, Dis," He grumbled, gesturing toward the chair beside him for her to sit.

"Hello, dear brother," she mocked. "You are difficult to find in this mountain."

"Perhaps because I did not want to be found," he said darkly.

"Perhaps," she sniffed, unperturbed by his demeanor. "I have news from Ered Luin."

"Oh?" he asked sitting up straighter in his chair. They did not receive news often from their former home between visits from Dis unless it was something important. "Pray, is it good news?"

"Oh it could be very good news," she chuckled, sharing an amused glance with Balin. "Although I have a feeling that you will regard it as very bad."

Over his shoulder, Thorin heard the sound of Signi's book closing.

"Don't toy with me," he growled. "What word did we receive?"

"Very well," smirked Dis. "It is our aunt who sends word. She will be leaving in four months' time to be here in time for Durin's Day."

Thorin groaned and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his aching temples.

"Come now, Thorin. It is quite an honor that your aunt will be gracing our festivities," said Balin, with a cheeky grin.

Thorin glared at his friend and drummed his fingers angrily on the armrest. The creaking of leather once more sounded in the corner and was followed by Signi's quiet footsteps. She was trying to sneak past them it would seem, but his sister noticed the girl right away.

"Signi, did you hear the news?" Dis called gleefully, waving for Signi to join them.

"Aye," she replied softly, carefully avoiding Throin's gaze. "I could not help but to hear."

"Tell me she is travelling alone," the king growled.

Dis' grin widened wickedly. "Oh, but that is the best part. She is bringing Ana with her. She seems to think that if the mountain won't come to her daughter, she will bring her daughter to the mountain."

"And I assume His Majesty is the mountain," Signi snorted.

"Exactly," confirmed Balin.

Thorin grit his teeth and clenched his hands in tight fists. "I will not allow this," he spat.

"Oh but you must," said Dis. "She is your betrothed after all."

With his face reddening beneath his beard, Thorin hazarded a look at Signi. The girl seemed to be equally amused by his situation, smirking down at him from where she stood, her eyes cold. For some reason this irritated him more than all of Dis' teasing.

"She is not my betrothed. Our aunt fails to understand her place and makes demands that I will not fulfill."

"Oh surely you can put aside your prejudices for once. You are not getting any younger after all," Dis cried, her eyes twinkling with mirth." She may not be as accomplished as the dwarrowdams you seek, but I assure you she would do the job well."

"It amazes me how young ladies these days can become so accomplished," mused Balin. "I assure you I have not met a blue-blood lady who was not introduced with a list of her accomplishments. Just this morning I was introduced to Lady Miri, just arrived from Ered Luin, and was given the most rapturous description of her skill with the loom."

Thorin knew that Balin was goading him, but it was a welcome distraction from the topic of his cousin and their "betrothal."

"I find that the label is applied too liberally to ladies today," Thorin replied. "I cannot boast knowing more than half a dozen truly accomplished maids in all my years." It was true, he had met several intelligent and accomplished dwarrowdams over the years, but most of the ladies seeking his attentions since reclaiming the mountain were of the silly, childish variety with impressive needlepoint skills but nothing more than gold on their minds.

"No more than half a dozen?" said Signi, her tone biting. "Goodness, My Lord, you must have high expectations to have met so few accomplished ladies."

"Oh yes," chuckled Balin. "As I recall it, to gain Thorin Oakenshield's approval a lady must be well versed in all things music and dance, must have mastered weaving, needlepoint, as well as smelting and smithing. She must know her lineage all the way back to Durin and be well educated in the modern languages."

"Don't forget, she must be trained in weaponry and military strategy," added Dis, "And she must aid in the improvement of her mind through extensive reading."

Signi turned her gaze upon him, her eyebrows raised. "It is a wonder you have managed meet six ladies with such accomplishments."

Thorin's lip curled as he noted the derision in her voice. "Are you mocking me?" he asked lowly.

"Mahal, no," Signi answered, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I am merely observing that such a lady must surely not exist. I have never met such a dwarrowdam – she would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold. Perhaps if His Majesty did not place such restrictions on the ladies of Erebor, he would know many more than six accomplished ladies"

With that, Signi turned and excused herself to Dis and Balin. Thorin watched as she left the library, her irritation barely disguised in her heavy footfalls.

He continued to stare after her, despite the massive library doors swinging shut and blocking his view into the hallway. It seemed that there was nothing he could do get past her anger. He knew that he was not the most polite dwarf in the mountain, but he could not imagine what he could have done that offended her so badly.

"Well that could have gone better," muttered Balin as he turned a watchful eye on the king.

"No it couldn't," scowled Dis. "My brother may be a great king with infinite wisdom of how to rule a kingdom, but he hasn't the first clue how to behave around dwarrowdams."

Thorin did not reply. Slowly he stood, giving both of them a stern nod before turning to exit the library. He as he walked to his quarters to ready for dinner, he replayed the conversation in his head, his mind's eye lingering on Signi's cold glare for the duration of the discussion. Her derision pained him far more than it should.

In the silence of his private hallway, Thorin acknowledged that Signi had somehow managed to attract him far more than he desired. He had not need for a wife, no want for one. But Signi, in all of her intrigue and indifference appealed to him in ways that no other dwarrowdams had managed to achieve.

It would not do. Thorin did not want to even consider a courtship or attraction of the basest variety with any lady. Determine to remain steadfast as King of Erebor, Thorin decided there at his door that he would meet Signi with nothing more than the indifference of a king. Additionally, he would double his efforts to find a suitable wife for Fili. The Durins needed an heir and it was up to Fili now to secure the line.

Ok, some have you might have noticed the shameless Monty Python reference in there. I could not resist! I kept picturing a seen in which Fili was chasing a rabbit for Lifa (no idea why) and the rabbit with "pinty teeth" came to mind.

I also borrowed a lot from Ms. Austen in conversation betwenn Signi and Thorin. It is one of the best scenes in Pride and Prejudice, so I didn't want to disturb the original too much.

Let me know what you think. As stated above, I love reviews! Thank you all for reading this story, and for all of the favs and follows. Your support spurs me on to post two chapters in one weekend :)