Thank you again to all of my wonderful reviewers! It is hard to believe how close we are to the end of this story. I am doing my very best to have the final chapters posted much faster than my usual rate of posting. Let me know what you think :)

Oh! How heartily did she grieve over every ungracious sensation she had ever encouraged, every saucy speech she had ever directed towards him. For herself she was humbled; but she was proud of him. - Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

At dinner, it felt like she had never left. Signi was seated at her usual spot to his right, and Thorin felt like the weight of the mountain was suspended in the air above them. Dis sat at the other end of the table, her pointed looks digging into him, but nothing could dissuade him from studying Signi like a man starved.

Princess Vara, with her blond braids and her grandfather's friendly temperament, had eagerly seated herself beside Signi. It seemed that she was determined to maintain her new friend's attention for the entirety of the evening. Thorin had a thousand questions, a thousand declarations he wished to make, but they could all wait. Seeing Vara's face alight once again, something he thought he would never see again after Stonehelm's dismissal, was enough to sustain him until he could speak with Signi alone.

Turning his attention to his other guests, Thorin addressed Ulfir, seated beside Balin. "I understand you have traveled to meet with merchants from Rhûn. Erebor is a great distance from the sea."

"Aye, Sire," Ulfir chuckled. "It seems that my business partners are eager to join the markets in Dale. They could not wait until our meeting concluded before traveling. So I met them here."

Thorin felt a self-satisfied smirk forming as he listened to Ulfir's explanation. Dale's markets had grown significantly in the passing months as merchants from all of Arda scrambled to settle in Esgaroth's ports. It began with the farmers in Ered Luin and the ore from the Iron Hills. Wool and grain from the Shire followed, thanks in large part to Bilbo's efforts there. Dale was established already with Dorwinion, and the moment Erebor gold began pouring into their markets, the Easterling countries were quickly vying for their own wares and spices to be sold.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to invite you to meet with me tomorrow. Erebor craftsmen have been busy the last few years and would like to see their merchandise sold in the East."

"Of course, Sire," Ulfir said quickly, his eyes wide with surprise. "It would be an honor."

Pleased with this plan, Thorin soon found his attention returning to Signi and Vara at the mention of his nephew.

"And how was Prince Fili when you saw him last?" Signi asked her companion with a smile. Only Thorin could see the tightness of it. He was aware that her last impression of Fili had been that of abandonment, and he hoped dearly that his nephew could be absolved of all wrongdoing in her eyes.

Vara's own smile widened at the mention of her cousin. She had grown fond of him in Ered Luin. "He was well, though he was eager to return to Erebor. I am sure his current campaign is only increasing his longing to return home."

"One would be hard-pressed to find a home as grand as Erebor in all of Arda," Signi said. "It is no wonder he wanted to return home. I am sure he was dreaming of gemstones, and hot springs, and Dorwinion wine the whole time he was traveling through the wilds."

Vara's smile turned sly as she answered, "Oh he was dreaming of things he missed, though as I recall, it was red-haired lassies who could shoot an orc between the eyes."

When at last dinner was finished, and all of the plates taken back to the kitchens, Thorin's guests gathered around the fireplace for some entertainment. Bofur was quick with a song, and Dwalin followed after. With a little encouragement from her uncle, Vara was easily persuaded to play her harp.

"You must sing as I play," Vara said, her grin glowing as she tugged on Signi's hand. For a moment, Thorin thought that Signi would decline. But with one nod from him, he saw her resolve fade and she was easily led to the front by Vara.

At the first notes of the song, the murmuring in the room became quiet and all of their attention was turned to the young ladies. Signi recognized the intro right away, and her voice was as clear as it had been the first night he had heard her sing.

There is a time

For love and laughter

When days all pass

Like summer storms

When she turned her head, the firelight shone upon her cheek with golden light. Thorin felt his breath seize. This scene that had filled so many of his dreams of late was once again in actuality. He dared not move lest it dissolve like mist.

Dis appeared beside him, but Thorin did not acknowledge her presence. "I recall a conversation many months ago," she said quietly as to not detract from the performance. "A conversation in which you told me of meeting the foolish girls Dain wrest upon you in the Iron Hills in an effort to dissuade you from making the journey to Erebor by inspiring thoughts of matrimony. Does that opinion still hold now that those same girls have lived and left your mountain?"

Thorin scowled in the dark, his eyes still fixed upon the dwarrowdam across the hall. "As you have reminded me all these years, Sister, the only fool is myself."

Signi rose early the next morning, having not slept a wink the night before. Thorin had followed her into the hall as they retired for the evening, and though her aunt and uncle walked ahead for privacy, she suspected that they heard every word. Thorin did not seek to renew the affections he had laid out so ardently five months prior. Nor did he administer compliments thick with the honeyed insincerity favored by most suitors. Instead, he reaffirmed his earlier sentiments, that he was pleased to see her again, and asked that he might call upon her in the morning. Signi was surprised by this request as she could not think of a single occasion in which Thorin had called upon her. He was king. He demanded that dwarves come to him, not the other way around. Of course, she could not refuse him, and she accepted his request with silent nod.

Back in their rooms, Arna and Ulfir were careful not to mention Thorin's request. But Signi could see plainly that they had deduced that Signi's acquaintance with the king was much more intimate than she had previously described. Desperate to be free from their knowing looks and her own embarrassment, she insisted on going to bed far earlier than she typically would.

But sleep did not come, and long into the night, Signi found herself thinking about all that had changed in Thorin since they last met. She did not hate him – she could never truly have claimed to have hated him – but the disgust that had once prevented her from accepting his affections had been replaced by the respect he deserved. In fact, she was ashamed that she had ever disliked him as she did when they first met. So much of his true disposition was hidden by the flaws that her own stubbornness had exaggerated. True, none could disagree that Thorin was boorish and quick to anger, but could not this behavior be excused in one who had spent centuries ensuring his people had the home and security that they needed to survive in a cruel world? Did his efforts for good not outweigh the slights that Signi had perceived? Mahal, Signi could hardly claim such piety that her own faults could be overlooked. Why had she not seen that in him?

The fire had burned down to nothing but a few simmering coals, but still Signi sat awake in her bed reveling in the gratitude she now felt when thinking of her king. He need not have accepted her presence in his halls. He could have cast her out and denied her admittance into the mountain. Or worse, he might have ignored her completely, walking past her in the hall as though they had never met. Her sharp tongue was certainly deserving of such treatment. No man or dwarf should have to host the woman who rejected them as vehemently as she had. Yet Thorin had not hesitated to ask after her family, to greet her uncle as friends, to pick up as though she had not called him coward to his face.

In the morning, Arna and Ulfir were eager to continue their tour of Erebor. Signi suspected that they were hoping that she would have the opportunity to speak alone with Thorin when he arrived, in case his visit should be fruitful enough to require an announcement to follow. No matter, she was thankful that they would not be present for his visit.

Two letters were delivered by the maid shortly after Arna and Ulfir left. One a raven message from Lifa, the other a note from Elin. Signi studied the outside of Elin's note, puzzled by its arrival. She had yet to see her sister since returning to Erebor, though she was told that by the maid that it was not unusual for Elin to be gone all of the day and night with her friends.

Sitting by the fire, Signi decided to start with Lifa's letter.

"Signi, I have terrible news to share with you. Father has taken leave to Dorwinion, and I fear harm will come to him, for he is pursuing Thorin Stonehelm…"

When Thorin arrived, not a half hour later, Signi was in such a tearful state that she could barely string two words together.

"Signi," he breathed, his hands grasping her cheeks, thick thumbs wiping away the tears that continued to fall. "What has happened? Why are you crying?"

She lacked to strength to refuse when he pulled her to him, his arms coming around her, and holding her against his solid chest. Pressing her face into his hair, Signi returned his grip, her hands clenching the fabric of his coat.

"I should have told her," she cried. "But I didn't, and now she is lost forever."

Pulling back, Thorin's palm rested on Signi's cheek again, his eyes searching hers as though he could find his answers in her gaze alone. "Who is lost?" he asked patiently.

"My sister, Elin. She has run off with Stonehelm to Dorwinion. She is with child. She has no family or connections there."

Thorin's gaze grew dark, and Signi felt the arm still wrapped around her waist tighten.

"I should have told her, but I wanted to shield Princess Vara. What a fool I have been – "

"No," Thorin bit out. "It is I who have failed. I should have rid the mountain of that swine when I had the chance." Allowing his arms to fall, he took a step back, his expression growing stony.

Signi's tears renewed, but she busied her hands by opening Lifa's letter again. "She left nearly a week ago. The maid found this on her table just today. They said that she often spent her nights out. How did no one think to stop an unmarried dwarrowdam from staying out all night? Did her friend, her supposed chaperone, find it to bothersome to reprimand Elin for her foolishness? My father has left for Dorwinion, but he has little chance of finding her there. I haven't the smallest hope."

Thorin stepped away, moving closer to the door. He could barely look at Signi, and she wondered what he might be thinking. She supposed that what affections that had brought in him the transformation these months passed had slipped away the moment she revealed that her sister had acted dishonorably. What king would want to marry a dwarrowdam whose family could not even be bothered with following the tenets of basic morality?

"You will be returning to the Iron Hills then," he said.

Signi nodded, but could not find the words she wished to say.

"I will leave you to prepare for your trip. May Mahal give you and your family strength." He made no move to reach to her again. With a slight bow of his head, he fled the room in fury.

Signi collapsed in the chair again, her face in her hands as she mourned more than the loss of her sister, but also the happiness that she dared dream would return the king to her.

"I don't understand," Kili said, his eyes following Thorin as he paced his study. "Why must you go to Dorwinion?"

Just that morning, Thorin had been in an uncommonly good mood. Kili had watched him smile his way through breakfast, joking with Dwalin in a manner that he hadn't done since they lived in Ered Luin. He was planning to visit with Signi over the course of the morning, which Kili had strongly suspected to be the source of his good cheer.

But just a few hours later, Thorin's mood completely devolved to that of rabid warg. He had provided a mount for Signi's uncle who was hurrying away to Dorwinion, but did not linger to bid Signi farewell as she left for the Iron Hills. This change was so sudden, but none would explain what had occurred. At best, Kili hoped that Signi had been called away home. But he strongly suspected that when his uncle finally made his feelings known, Signi had refused him. What other reason would he have to act like a wounded bear, and she to flee Erebor?

The stone-headed lot of them! He was mocked time and time again for loving an elf, but he and Tauriel had never failed to acknowledge that their love existed. How could they not do the same?

As quickly as Signi had left the mountain, Thorin had thundered up to his study with Kili in tow.

"It matters not why I must go," Thorin growled, collecting items from his office that he planned to take with him. "I need to do this, alone. And I need you to serve as regent until I return."

Kili did not like the sound of that. "And when exactly will you return?"

Thorin hesitated as he attached the Orcist's scabbard to his belt. He lifted his head toward Kili, but could not quite meet his eye. "I do not know."

"And you will not take guards?"

"I must do this –"

"Alone! Yes, you said that already!" Kili could not stand these riddles much longer. "Please, Thorin. You must understand how this appears. The king has suddenly run from the mountain with nothing but his sword to keep him safe. How do I explain this to your council? To the citizens?"

Thorin stepped forward, clapping a heavy hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Your questions will be answered, I promise. But I must travel quickly and alone. If I take a guard I will be noticed and targeted. I don't believe that I will be gone long – a few weeks at most. But I can't send anyone else, and I will be damned if I let this go unattended."

Kili pinched the bridge of his nose, an action he had seen his uncle do countless times, but had only recently found the value in it. "I will give you two weeks. Two weeks! If you do not return in that time, I will recall Fili. I swear, I will."

Thorin grinned and leaned forward, thumping his forehead against Kili's. "Do not worry yourself. I sent his orders to return home yesterday."

The days passed slowly in the Iron Hills, and yet no news on Elin and Stonehelm arrived. Mikel was gone for the first week, but his health did not allow him to travel for long. Ulfir had relieved him of the search, promising to send word as soon as he found them. But it had been nearly a week since Mikel retuned, and yet no message came.

Lifa and Signi spent much of their days debating the very reason that this event took place.

"She is too poor to tempt him, and far too silly. At most I would expect a flirtation and nothing more from him. But to elope, no that does not seem likely at all," Lifa said one night as they readied for bed.

"But she has a title, something that Stonehelm had lost," Signi said, remembering Sigrid's letter. King Thorin, as rightful punishment for a number of crimes, had stripped Stonehelm of all titles and rank. He could not even claim the Iron Hills as his seat to inherit.

But Lifa did not agree. "Dain will not honor King Thorin's wishes on that. And with the Iron Hills remaining an independent nation, it is a punishment that can't be enforced."

"Mahal," Signi groaned, laying back on the bed. "I told Papa that she was a flirt and she would bring shame upon our family, but I never dreamed she would go so far as to lay with him and run away."

Lifa was quiet as she paused brushing her hair. In the mirror, Signi could see the pained expression on her face. "Do you really think we have all been shamed by her behavior?"

Signi thought about Thorin's actions when she had told him. He had become so cold, so quickly too, but he had remained polite. Perhaps they were not ruined, but it would certainly prevent any members of the royal family from making an offer any time soon.

"I do," she said finally, rolling away from her sister. "We will all pay for her behavior."

It was near noon when the message finally did arrive. The rider, a man from Dorwinion, had rode through the night without rest to deliver the note from Ulfir. Lifa and Signi waited anxiously while Mikel read the letter, and Bara, who had been confined to her rooms with grief, emerged the moment she learned that the note had arrived.

"What news is there, husband?" she asked, her voice carrying the same shrill tone it had carried the last two weeks. "Is she to be married? Oh tell me that she has accepted."

Mikel cleared his throat, cutting off his wife from further ramblings. "It appears that Ulfir has met with Elin and Stonehelm. They are not yet married, nor does it appear that there was ever intention to be married."

At this news Bara immediately fainted, saved only from hitting the floor by Lifa. Signi responded in kind with unmaidenly curses, which earned a reproachful look from her father, but she did not apologize. Stonehelm, that mongrel.

"However, Ulfir has made arrangements for their marriage to take place, assuming I fulfill certain requests."

Lifa joined her sister in scowling. "What does he ask for? He certainly deserves nothing."

"I couldn't agree more," Mikel said tightly. "But it is not such a large request. He seeks a guarantee that she will receive her inheritance and he wishes that I settle his debts in the Iron Hills. All of this debts in Erebor and Dale have been repaid."

"Will you agree to these terms?" Signi asked. It seemed so little when Stonehelm was in a clear position to demand more.

"What choice do I have? Who would have thought the little lordling of the Iron Hills would seek so little in a wife? How can I deny such a generous offer?"

Bara had chosen that moment to regain consciousness, the word 'wife' breathing life into her once more. "Married? My youngest? Oh, Mikel, can you believe it? To the young Lord of the Iron Hills. And an heir on the way already! Mahal has blessed us!"

It soon became clear to Signi, as the family waited on news that the wedding occurred, that her father now owed a great debt to Ulfir. She quickly realized he had paid Stonehelm's debts out of his own pocket, but he did not seek repayment. Although his letter did not speak of the specific amount of Stonehelm's debts in Erebor and Dale, her communication with Sigrid revealed a massive sum that far exceeded the income of her father. How reckless had Stonehelm been! He was like a fissure deep in the mine shaft – deceptively hidden in the dark, but one slip, and all within the mine would be washed away. A few gold coins owed here or there barely dented his father's purse. But those few gold coins became heaps of debt that he had no intentions of paying.

Yes, Stonehelm asked so little of Lord Mikel, but he gained more than the dwarf's net worth. They owed a very great debt to Ulfir. And Mikel had no hope of returning the money.

To Bara, there was no better sport than to spend her days gossiping to all of her friends and relations throughout the Iron Hills about the impending marriage of her youngest. She was not concerned that her daughter had eloped with a dwarf who had no intentions to marry, nor was she concerned that Elin had conceived a child. This dismissive attitude of the obvious wrongdoing led to many disputes between Mikel and his wife, including one argument in which he insisted "There is one house in the Iron Hills they will not be welcomed in, and it is this one!"

Signi regretted telling Thorin about Elin's disappearance with Stonehelm. For most, the incident could be easily concealed, now that the couple were getting married. There would be little reason to share the shameful beginnings of their relationship. But Thorin knew the truth of it, and Signi did not believe for a moment that she would ever be so well received in Erebor because of her sister.

This dreadful revelation pained Signi more than she cared to admit. She had come to realize, far too late, that Thorin was exactly the kind of dwarf she wished to marry. There were none who could claim to know her mind as well as he, and she suspected that none could see his true disposition and strength the way she did. Both had short tempers, but she brought out the generosity in him, and he enriched her mind by granting validity to her intelligence. In him, she saw more than a king. And in her, he saw a queen.

Another week passed before the couple was wed and returned to the Iron Hills. For all of his insistence that the Stonehelm and Elin would be unwelcome in their home, after receiving news that Stonehelm had been given a position as captain in Thakalgund, Mikel reluctantly agree to allow them to visit before traveling north.

Signi did not know what she had expected. That Elin would feel some remorse for her actions? That her flirtatious behavior would be replaced with conduct more appropriate of a wife? And that Stonehelm would finally have gained the humility he lacked. Would the consequences of their behavior finally sink in?

Much to Signi and Lifa's dismay, neither Elin nor her husband showed any indication that they understood or cared about the gravity of their situation. Elin flaunted Stonehelm proudly on her arm, bragging to all that would listen that she had married before her sisters. And when she wasn't clinging to her new husband, she smoothed her skirts over her unchanged belly, insisting that the babe was growing big and strong. Stonehelm was no different than his childish wife. He joked that perhaps Elin's sisters should take a page out of her book if they wished to be married. Mikel's expression grew uncharacteristically dark at this comment, and he did not hesitate to cuff Stonehelm on the back of the head.

At dinner, Signi made no attempts to join the conversation. There was little opportunity to speak between the incessant prattle of Elin and her mother. Stonehelm, who was seated beside her, made several inquiries as though nothing had changed between them. Signi was not so easily tempted into friendly banter, and the few answers she gave were short and cold.

"To think, it has only been three months since I went back to Erebor," Elin said, ignoring the eye rolls of her sisters. "I never dreamed I would return home married! Erebor, my sisters, that is where one should go to get husbands. Go back to the mountain, I will find you partners."

Across the table, Mikel stabbed his meat with great force, his fork screeching against the plate.

Signi could not bear it any longer. "I thank you for the offer, but don't bother. I don't like your way of getting husbands." Sending her sister a scathing glare, she stood up and stomped away from the table.

A few days later, despite her efforts to avoid the new couple, Elin finally managed corner Signi. Stonehelm had gone to see his father, leaving Elin to visit with her family. Signi was reading in her room, her eyes going over the same sentence again and again, her thoughts distracting her from any hope of comprehension. Elin did not knock, but let herself in and flopped on Signi's bed.

"I never got to tell you about my wedding, Signi. You weren't there when I told the others."

"Bore me another time," Signi said through gritted teeth. "I have no desire to hear about your wedding."

But Elin was persistent. "Nonsense, you will be greatly amused by it. How could you not? We were married in a Dorwinion temple, for there were no dwarven chapels in the city we stayed in. I had a new dress, though it was bought from a market stall as there was little time to make one new. I had hoped that Stonehelm could wear his uniform, but we did not have time to fetch it. Nevertheless, he was a fine looking groom. Uncle was quite unpleasant about the whole thing, but not nearly as unpleasant as King Thorin when he officiated –"

"King Thorin?" Signi asked quickly.

"Oh yes, he was there," Elin said. "Oh, but I wasn't supposed to say anything. What will Stonehelm think if he knew I revealed –"

Signi heard little of her sister's rambling after that, her mind too preoccupied on speculating the nature in which King Thorin attended and officiated her sister's marriage. For when she had told him of the elopement, he grew cold. And when she left Erebor, he had not seen her go. If that was not any indication of his feelings on the subject, she did not know what was.

Although she had no intentions of sharing Elin's secret, Signi could not stand to be excluded from the full truth for a moment longer. As soon as Elin's attention was diverted elsewhere, Signi ran to the home of her aunt, insisting that she explain at once the reason for Thorin's presence at the wedding.

"I had not thought that he did not tell you," Arna said, her expression puzzled as she led Signi into the parlor. "It was from you that he had heard the news, and had he not been so determined to prevent any repercussions to fall on you, I doubt very much that would have bothered to make the trip. He is a king after all. "

Signi sucked in a breath and bit he lip as she tried to make sense of her aunt's words. "I can hardly believe that I had any bearing on his actions. But I still don't understand it."

Arna watched her niece skeptically, but made no more mention of the motivation behind Thorin's gesture. "Ulfir had not been in Dorwinion more than week when the king arrived. He said that he had found them in the city and had spoken with Stonehelm. He had to have left Erebor right after we did, for I can't imagine any way he would have gotten there so quickly. He insisted that all blame be laid on him because he knew of Stonehelm's worthlessness, but had allowed him to continue reside in Erebor in hopes that he might finally reform. He also felt that he had failed in ensuring that Elin was receiving adequate care while she was staying in the mountain. Ulfir told him that Elin was not his responsibility, but the king was so insistent that he could not argue with him further.

"It took many conversations with Stonehelm and Elin to reach an agreement. Elin was quite determined to stay with him because she believed that he wished to be married, and Stonehelm was determined to remain unmarried because he hoped to reclaim his position and retain the opportunity for a more advantageous marriage."

Signi swore excessively at this revelation, which Arna listened to patiently with a slight smile. "Your king said much the same as he explained this to Ulfir. His anger had not yet cooled, though I doubt it will.

"It was King Thorin who convinced Stonehelm to take responsibility for his actions. He removed the debts that Stonehelm had accrued, and granted him a position in the new fortress, in exchange for an honorable and faithful marriage to your sister. He also reminded him that the law in both Erebor and the Iron Hills allowed for the male relatives of the family to seek their own justice, even if it meant death, for daughters taken by their lovers without consent. Lord Mikel was free to appoint any representative from within the House of Durin to see this justice through, including any member of the royal family. Ulfir said it was as if Stonehelm's mind was suddenly cleared of stubbornness and he quickly came to his senses, accepting the King's plan without further refusal."

Signi could hardly believe the tale that her aunt gave. Why would Thorin give so much to see these two wed? Stonehelm's debts were considerable. He deserve many things, but to be absolved of wrongdoing seemed like too great a gift for such a horrible person. And then to give him a paid position, one of rank, in the new fortress so they may not starve once the babe was born? The king was far too generous.

Arna seemed to read Signi's expression perfectly, and she leaned forward, taking Signi's hands in her own. "Don't you see? The king was so insistent that he bear all of the responsibility for these two, but he wished that Ulfir did not mention it. He did not want your father to feel indebted to him. Ulfir of course did not want to take credit where it wasn't due, and had we not thought that the king's interest in the subject was due to another, he would not have agreed at all."

Signi's cheeks reddened at her aunt's words. Such a bold claim to make! But this only seemed to spur her aunt further as she added with a sly smile," King Thorin has proven to be quite an agreeable dwarf, though I do believe he could do with a little liveliness in his life. I do think a good Queen could brighten his demeanor a great deal. Do forgive me for being presumptuous, but you must remember your dear aunt when you wear the crown. Our last tour of Erebor was cut short, and I will not be happy until I have had a full tour led by the queen herself."