RE: I only own my two OCs, the slight adjustments of the plot, and the small side plots. The story and characters belong to J.R.R. Tolkien and the makers of The Hobbit films.

Chapter 2

[][][][][]{Thorin}[][][][][]

The stone hallways of Erebor were smooth and held a warmth that most rock did not. If you pressed your cheek to the surface of the stone, a heat would spread through you like the mist from a sorely needed warm bath. Throughout the ages, the walls had been eroded by hands that had traced softly along the stone and by bustling Dwarves who were much too eager to slowly and calmly pass each other.

Once, in a time gone by, he had been considered one of these Dwarves but now he was just another aged whisper of a Dwarf who passed along slowly and carefully as if he had lost his way. But he knew where he was going, and the idea of getting lost didn't even stray into his mind. He knew these halls.

His footsteps led him past the royal chambers and away from the offices where the paperwork lied in abnormally large heaps and bundles. It was as he neared the door of the Throne Room that he stopped, hands clenched at his side and his ears alert at the sound of familiar voices. The deep baritone voice of his father, his grandfathers equally deep monotone and the harsher higher sounding voice of his brother

A hand, thick and scarred with the signs of labor and work reached to touch the wooded door, but before he could run his hands along its edge, he was interrupted.

[][][][][][][][][][]

"Seriously Kili, were you dropped on your head as a Dwarfling?" a voice asked, shattering Thorins dream and pulling him both abruptly and frustratingly out of sleep, "people don't put milk in peppermint tea, they put it in normal tea."

"It was probably you who dropped me," a voice, Kili, shot back.

Rolling onto his back, Thorin let out a deep sigh through his nose, wishing he could snap at his nephew and niece for interrupting his dream. He had almost reached the door.

Lecturing them would do no good though. He had arrived home earlier in that afternoon unbeknownst to his sisters sons and daughter, no doubt Mili and Kili had only just arrived back from work at the tavern. Fili would arrive a bit later from the blacksmiths.

The thought of their work made Thorin want to spit; his niece and nephews worked in bars and at the back of blacksmith shops. The three of them, heirs of Erebor, they were noble Dwarves, they deserved the best of the best. Mili and Fili were in line for the Throne, and in a way Kili was as well, they were a Princess and two Princes…

"Ewww, Kili that's gross," Mili's voice cut in once again, "seriously, if you need to break wind go do it outside you imbecile."

Kili let out a snorting laugh and there was a harsh slapping sound, "…Oi, that hurt!"

"Aye, it was meant to, it'll be your backside next," Mili responded with a laugh. She had an odd sort of laugh, not quite a cackle but more of a slightly loud giggle that she had retained since being a baby.

Thorin decided swiftly to end all thoughts of Mili, Kili and Fili being any future ruler of Erebor for the sake of his sanity and instead slid out of bed. He grabbed the first available tunic and pulled it over his head before shoving his feet into a pair of thick boots.

To his utter amazement, the moment he stepped outside his room he was met with an arrow in his face and an axe head against his neck.

The shocked widening stares of his youngest nephew and only niece stared up at him before removing their weapons and rushing into Thorin for a bone cracking hug, "Mahal," he gasped as he forced his arms to wrap around his kin.

They let go of him, and at once, Thorin was reminded of the key trait all three siblings shared, "I'm sorry if we woke you…"

"…we didn't know you'd come back," Mili said with a smile of pure innocence.

"Aye, only a couple of hours ago," Thorin said, and raised an eyebrow as his gaze bore into a hooked axe Mili was clutching, "where did you get that?" he asked.

Eyes darted to the weapon and she began closing and opening her mouth like a fish, "…erm… I was cutting wood?"

"With a battle axe?" Thorin asked in a 'try again' tone that he had become so accustomed with using for his nephews. He slipped past her and into the kitchen, intent on getting some sort of dinner started.

"Nay, t'was a gift," she admitted ducking her head, "Fili's idea really, he said he didn't need it."

Grabbing a sack of potatoes and another one of carrots he beckoned the two of them over, "and why were you out of the house with it?" he asked with pure curiosity before giving her a sudden sharp look, "…don't tell me you were cutting wood."

She exchanged a nervous glance with her brother before following Thorin into the kitchen and grabbing a peeling knife, "Dwalin is teachin' me things, just a few though, didn't want me getting hurt or anything."

Thorin thought a bit, Dis would not have been happy to hear of her daughter learning battle, but he himself had mixed feelings. Most Dwarrow-dams learned to fight, it was something that was frankly, very necessary in everyday life. It was only nobility that never really taught battle to Dwarrow-dams, and Dis refused to raise Mili and her brothers as anything but nobility.

The problem was that Mili, Fili and Kili lived and associated with a lot of Dwarves and races who were anything but nobility. Most of the nobles of Erebor had moved to different kingdoms after the fall and it was only those that were of the Durin bloodline that had remained. Not that Thorin could blame them.

In his mind, every Dwarrow-dam should learn to fight in battle whether they would fight in battle or not. And judging by what the Wizard was advising him to do, Mili would need to fight very well if he wanted to bring her with him.

"What have you learnt?" Thorin asked, tossing a fully peeled potato to the side.

Mili seemed slightly surprised, "Oh, I've done a good bit with my aim but I'm not so good. We did no weapons, like fightin', and I was good at that… better than Kili… ouch, it's what Dwalin said you moron," she glared at her younger brother who had slapped her upside the head, "he showed me what to do with an axe today but he said I'd probably be workin' with swords for most of the time in the future."

It was Thorin's turn to be a little surprised and he glanced at his niece, studying her. He'd been gone for five months and to his surprise, she'd changed more than he realized. She'd gotten tanner and her cheeks were rosy unlike the paleness that Dis had always tried to get her to be… paleness apparently proved nobility in some way.

She'd also become a little more robust and muscular, a clear sign that she'd been training, "hasn't Dis noticed?" he asked skeptically.

Glancing up and realizing Thorin was studying her Mili frowned, "nay, she hasn't noticed," she said, "and it'd be best to keep it that way, it would."

Thorin eyed her up and down skeptically, "how she hasn't noticed is beyond me," he murmured, tossing a peel of potato into the bin.

"Stop peeling that one, what are you looking for? Its seed?" Kili asked Mili skeptically, snatching a heavily peeled potato from her hands.

"You don't have to be so grabby," she said rolling her eyes, "and anyways, since when are you so perceptive?"

"Ever since you started using my arrows to sharpen your charcoal," he snapped back.

"Hah, that's a laugh," Mili snorted with mild amusement, "I've been doing that for years now. Nay, you're only perceptive whenever that bar wench comes your way with dishes. And it isn't the dishes you've been oglin'."

Kili turned a vibrant shade of red and Thorin gave his niece a hard glance, "Mili."

"Sorry," she muttered, desperately trying to quell her giggles while Kili looked mortified.

Thorin fixed her with a look and she immediately went back to the potatoes. The silence was broken by the front door bursting open and an elated Fili practically sprinting in, "Uncle! Master Darragh told me you were in town," he said, practically skipping to the kitchen space.

Thorin grasped his oldest nephew by the shoulders with a smile, "Aye, I arrived earlier in the afternoon."

"Did you find any word of grandfather?" he asked, barging in between Mili and Kili to grab a skinning instrument before putting himself at work with a carrot.

Thorin's face sobered rapidly and both Mili and Kili stepped harshly on Fili's foot in sync; Fili let out a loud whimper, "No, I met with a Wizard who told me much that confirms my worst fear," Thorin said solemnly, "yet he told me much more than just so, and tonight, after dinner I will speak to you all."

All three siblings glanced to Thorin but he ignored their gazes.

Gandalf the Grey, a well known wizard had approached him in Bree at the Prancing Pony and challenged him with recapturing Erebor. Thorin had been hesitant at first – until Gandalf affirmed rumors that darker powers were looking towards the mountain for their own sinister uses.

Thorin had to admit, the Mountain seemed slightly unreachable but there was no way that he'd let anyone but a Dwarf of the Line of Durin take it. Not while he lived.

He had questioned the Wizard of his father but the conversation had been brief, and disappointing. The Wizard had spoken of him but little was said and Thorin had a good idea of what had come of his father.

"…take back your homeland," Gandalf had said, and if Thorin had his way, he was going to just that with his nephews and niece right beside him.

"How was work sister?" Fili asked, glancing down to Mili beside him.

They were standing in the order of their ages ironically enough. Mili as the oldest – only by ten minutes, Fili wouldn't let her forget that – Fili as the second oldest, and Kili as the youngest.

Mili and Fili were twins, and unless Mili married a noble of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk, Fili had the right to rule. Normally when something like this happened there was a lot of tension between siblings, but Fili and Mili got along perfectly. Perhaps because there were twins (they were the first twins born to the line of Durin) or simply because they had done practically everything together since birth.

Mili was small but by no means petite, she was stocky and muscular at the height of 4'3'' with natural curves. She had hair that was identical to her twin; blonde and tangled with a number of braids that showed she was of the royal line of Durin, that she was of age, and that she was in line for the throne. Her face was different from Fili's and in fact, was strangely similar to Thorin's. She had sharp cheekbones, a slightly upturned nose (gotten from her mother), a general sharp look to her face and tanned skin. Her eyes, although the same shade as Thorin's, held a warmth and sugar that Fili's held in a lighter shade of blue.

Fili was small for a Dwarrow, uncommon in the line of Durin; even Dis was tall. It had been assumed that both twins were small because they were… well, twins. He stood at a height of 4'5'' while most Dwarves were 4'8'', but Fili was incredibly stocky and muscular and was probably stronger than Kili who was stood at a impressive height. He shared his sisters hair, wavy, tangled and blonde although his fell just a little below his shoulders and ended there. He had a thick but short beard and two braids that hung off of his moustache, they were for decoration and held no significance. He had the same braids Mili had (other than one that said he was of age, only Dwarrow-dams wore those) and his face was much different.

Fili took after his father, a thick but slightly pointed nose, tanned skin, rosy cheeks, and blonde eyebrows. His eyes held the same sugary softness Mili's held but were much lighter in color.

Kili was tall. Very tall. In fact, Kili was 4'10'', only an inch shorter than the tallest Dwarf they knew (which was, in fact, Dwalin). He could be mistaken for a short man on account of his rather leaner build and shorter than average beard. His hair was black like Dis' and most of the line of Durin's but it had a thickness to it he could only have gotten from his paternal side. He looked a lot like Mili facially with sharp cheekbones, a thin nose and arched eyebrows. His eyes however were a soft brown which singled him out from all of his relatives. It had been a long time in which a child of Durin did not have blue eyes.

All three siblings had a similar smile, crooked and full of a mischief that made Thorin and their mother extremely suspicious. They had been troublemakers since the day they were born and Thorin, who had practically raised them blamed his younger brother Frerin who had influenced Mili quite a bit. Even now, he still held influence over her.

"…and he poured it all over her tunic," Kili was saying, annoyance staining his voice as he finished peeling a turnip, "one would have thought it was an ale mug the way he was going at it."

"It was a mistake Kili," Mili said rolling her eyes, "he can barely see straight."

"Of course you'd say that sister," Fili said with a smirk, "you have a crush on him."

"I have a… a what?" Mili asked in shock, "I do not have anythin' of the sort, he's a very nice Dwarrow and that's it, anyhow, he's not my type."

"You have a type?" Kili asked at the same as Fili asked; "what's your type?"

Mili gave Kili a look before glaring at Fili, "none of your business older brother, anyways, it's of no matter."

Thorin's eyes moved to his nieces face soon enough to see the frustration and sadness flash across it. Perhaps he should have said some comforting to her in that moment, but he didn't, he wasn't Frerin and he didn't know what to say in those moments.

Fili, sensing her annoyance and angst pressed his forehead to the side of her head, in a sign of affection. Then the moment was ruined.

The door burst open and in came Dis, the mother of Thorin's niece and nephews, and she was furious, "will someone please explain to me why my daughter was said to be at the training grounds this morning with an axe?" she asked loudly… not that she could speak any other way, "an axe?!"

Mili's, Fili's and Kili's eyes widened suddenly and Thorin raised his eyebrows, not bothering to look around at his sister. He was more than used to her outbursts.

"Mili, daughter of Vili, my daughter, heir to the Throne of Erebor, a noble, was… Thorin?" the tone of anger completely dissipated when she caught sight of her older brother.

He turned this time, "sister," he said, wrapping her in a hug, "we have much to discuss…"

"Aye, what have you been eating? You feel like you've lost, eight stone," she said, poking and prodding at his chest, "you look like a whippet mated with a worm."

Thorin wasn't amused and his eyes were following his niece and nephews who had been slowly making their way out of the room, "Get back over here," Dis snapped, "I haven't finished with you… and that means all of you Fili, I'm not daft, if one of you've done something wrong, all of you have done something wrong."

Thorin resisted the urge to smile, somehow Dis hadn't even turned around in all of that. She just knew her children.

The three siblings lined up back at the counter, varying looks on their faces as Dis continued her assessment of her brother, "tell me, what word have you heard of father?" she asked, blue eyes staring up into Thorin's.

Thorin repeated to her what he told his nephews and niece and her face fell but she didn't look surprised, "aye, I had a feeling," she said, walking around him and pulling a medium sized pot of the cupboard, "Fili, go with your sister and get two rabbits from Dana's… and Kili go fill up this pot. I want you three back here in fifteen minutes so I can scream at you."

The three of them practically sprinted out of the house and Thorin glanced down to his sister who, in fact, wasn't much shorter than he was, "Mili needs to know how to fight," he said abruptly.

Dis's gaze shot up to Thorin's as she pulled out five plates, "pardon?"

Leaning on the counter he stared into his sister eyes, Thorin knew Dis and she was almost blindly stubborn, especially when it came to her children, "I met a wizard in Bree and he told me that darker powers are looking towards Erebor. That Dragon has sat there long enough Dis, I will not stand by and watch someone else claim our home and our gold," he said, "in addition, the three of them are of age and I am only getting older. I will go to Erebor, I will claim our homeland… and I want to bring Mili, Kili and Fili with me."

Dis's gaze narrowed for a moment, studying her brother, "are you mad?" she asked, "you'll get killed, and how do you know to trust a Wizard? They speak in riddles."

"Aye, but there were a few things that this Wizard said clearly to me," he said, "someone is out for my head and I need to reclaim my homeland. I will not do this without my kin beside me."

Dis was still looking at Thorin as if he was insane as she pulled utensils out, "well… then bring Dwalin. Actually, don't bring anyone Thorin, you've done so much for our people, we've a home here in the Blue Mountains. You don't need to do this."

"Kili, Fili, and Mili all sleep in the same bedroom on the same bed," Thorin countered, "Mili's a barmaid. She gets leered at everyday by men who don't know she's a princess. Kili washes dishes in the back of that bar and is cheated out of his pay at least twice a month. Fili works in the back of a blacksmith's where he's called names and underpaid. We do not have a home here in the Blue Mountains, we have a residence."

"Bloody Child of Mahal," Dis said, her eyes widening as she shoved the bowls and utensils in Thorin's arms, "you're serious…"

She almost laughed for a moment before catching herself and shaking her head. Finger raised she made her way over to their small hearth, "…well I can tell you one thing Thorin Oakenshield, you're not taking Mili or Kili, let alone Fili on this wild goose chase of yours."

Thorin swallowed his frustration as he went to place everything at the table, "Dis, listen to me, Mili, Kili and Fili are of age, they can make this decision for themselves," he said as his sister began tossing wood into the hearth.

"You need to remind Fili to cut more wood tomorrow… anyways, Kili still thinks venison and mutton are the same thing," Dis shot back, "sure, they're of age but that doesn't mean they're wise enough for such a journey. And anyways, you've seen Mili. She's completely avoided every potential suitor that has come her way, meanwhile, Fili has genuinely expressed to me his wish to not become King. And we both know Fili, he's not a King."

"Perhaps not, but they know nothing of the world Dis and you are by no means helping," Thorin said, his anger suddenly bursting out, "my niece and nephews may not want to have anything to do with ruling Erebor but I don't believe they've been taught correctly."

Dis spun on Thorin a finger held in the air, "Hey! you've raised the three of them just as much as I have Thorin!"

"Aye, and that's why I'm telling you now that it'd be good for them to come with me to Erebor," he snapped, "give me a chance to show them what being a leader really is, I've failed them."

Dis shook her head as she set the wood alight, "you're doing this for yourself Thorin, you haven't failed anyone and I won't let you take my children on a quest to prove it to yourself," she said.

"And when you don't allow Mili to learn battle skills that are vital if she were to continue here in the Blue Mountains, who are you doing that for?" Thorin barked.

Dis sighed deeply, "Hey, so perhaps I am doing that for myself but that means nothing in the greater scheme of things. I am not allowing any of my children to go with you Thorin," she said, "I may be being selfish in this, but they are all I have left of my husband."

Thorin stepped forwards, placing his hands on her shoulders, "yet the future of Erebor rests on their shoulders Dis," he said.

She crossed her arms and stood to her feet, admiring the drawings of all three children on the Mantlepiece. Mili with Fili, and Kili by himself, "…I… I will allow Fili and Kili to go," she said quietly, "not Mili, she's a Dwarrow-dam and that… that'd just be madness."

Thorin let the ends of his lips lift in a small smile, "you know that your children do not work separately," he said, "Fili and Kili will not go without Mili."

It was at that moment that Fili, Kili and Mili burst in followed by Dwalin, "My Lady Dis, it was my idea to train your daughter…"

"Mahal you can say that again," Dis said in reference to what Thorin had said. She placed her hands on her hips, "aye, well was it Dwalin? I assume you know about this wild goose chase that my brother is sending my children on?"

Dwalin looked confused along with the three siblings, "sorry? Oh, aye… maybe… 'ah think so."

"This is the Dwarf that's training my children? I'm impressed," Dis said sarcastically, moving over to the table and switching the forks and knives around to their correct places, "Thorin you never get this right… anyways, Master Dwalin better be there to protect them when the time comes. If not the two of you'll not be having any heirs to replace them, I can promise you that."

Dwalin looked to Thorin with a look that clearly said, 'what in the name of Mahal is going on?'

Thorin let out a deep sigh, "I obviously have a lot to explain."

Dis fixed her children with glares, "and so do you three, don't think you're getting away with hiding this from me."

Mili proceeded to open and close her mouth like a fish and Dis gave her a look, "Mili, that's not becoming of a lady."

Mili shut her mouth and gave a wince of acceptance. Kili snickered until Fili elbowed him around Mili and Thorin gave his nephew a look which moved to Mili when she smirked smugly, "come, the three of you have a lot to listen to… and Dwalin?"

"Aye?"

"Fetch Balin, t'will be a long evening," Thorin commanded as Dis glared heatedly at her children, "a very long evening."

[][][][][]{Mili}[][][][][]

Dinner was awkward, there wasn't really another way to describe it. I was shoved in between both Kili and Fili… and can I just venture to say that Kili has terrible table manners. Terrible. Honestly, I already pity the lass that is going to marry him.

Amad had finished cooking (all the while glaring heatedly at Fili, Kili and I) and Dwalin had arrived for the second time with an unimpressed Balin who had been interrupted… he was doing something called work. Never heard of it.

Uncle had been brooding – not that he knew how to do anything else but brood – and I had set the table with the two idiots who I was now seated next to. Fili stepped trying to snatch my bread, Kili kept picking the carrots out of his stew with his fingers, and Amad kept glaring at me when I tried to use my fork to eat the rabbit meat first. Apparently the princess's having good table etiquette was important.

After apparently giving up with me, Amad fixed her gaze on Uncle and Fili managed to steal my bun. Letting out a squeal of outrage I jabbed him in the stomach – to no effect – and continued eating calmly and orderly whilst desperately ignoring the looks that Uncle, Balin and Amad were giving me.

Uncle was glaring because I had made a loud noise and he was against any loud noise that was not him yelling at us to shut up. Amad because getting angry at Fili for stealing my bread wasn't polite, and Balin… well Balin looked irritatingly sympathetic.

Dwalin didn't give a rats ass as usual.

Anyways, all gazes finally turned to Thorin who was at the head of the table and on the other side of Fili. My Uncle grabbed the bun from Fili's plate and placed back into mine (to Fili's absolute horror) before turning to face us seriously, "I was in Bree in return of Dunland after I searched for my father… your grandfather. I met Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey… Balin and Dwalin, you know of him," Thorin said whilst I gave the two older Dwarves curious glances.

"He's a wizard lass," Balin said, "…and a good one at that, a bit strange in his ways but a wizard nonetheless."

"He spoke to me of reclaiming Erebor and convinced me to travel to speak to different Dwarf Lords in preparations of our travels," he said, his blue eyes boring into each of us, "I ask it of you to join me…"

"Keeping in mind that it was a Wizard who advised Thorin to do this," Dis interrupted.

I glanced at my mother awkwardly, unsure if Thorin was asking me or not. It didn't seem to matter, "No."

Fili was the first person to answer, he had that stubborn tone in his voice that he got very rarely. It only happened if (1) Kili wanted to borrow one of his daggers, (2) I wanted to borrow a dagger or (3) If he was asked to do something that Kili and/or I weren't allowed to do.

Thorin gave Dis a long look that seemed to say a lot of things that I couldn't quite catch, "…No?" Kili practically asked, unsure why Fili said no but agreeing nonetheless.

I stabbed at a piece of rabbit with my fork, "you two should go," I ventured to say.

When I glanced up at Fili, he was looking at me like I had sprouted two heads, "Nay we should not go without you," he practically snarled at me.

I furrowed my brow at him, "calmdown, why're you so annoyed?"

He looked a little blown out at my sharp tone and I winced slightly. Fili and I very rarely argued, it was mostly me and Kili while Fili… instead of breaking up the fight, laughed from the sidelines.

"Fili, you may be King one day," Thorin said in an odd sort of stiff way that clearly said he was uncomfortable with what he was saying, "you should come."

Kili, obviously understood what we were talking about at this point, "aye but Mili could be queen one day," he pointed out dryly, "what of that?"

"Mili is a Dwarrow-dam Kili," Amad said as if she was speaking to a toddler – and no offense to Kili but sometimes she basically ways, "… and a noble."

"Aye but she's better than me with a sword," he shot back, he was the only person who would argue with Amad other than Thorin. And he won quite a lot, "and at fighting."

I decided not to point out that he was only arguing that point because he wanted to win the argument.

"I will not go without Mili," Fili said stubbornly.

"Fili, perhaps…"

Fili shot me a silencing look and I obeyed feeling both miserable and proud at the same time. Stabbing at a hunk of rabbit I glanced around the table slowly, Balin seemed unconcerned whilst Dwalin's face was hard in expression as he glanced at Amad. Kili looked annoyed, Fili looked bloody infuriated, Uncle… looked relatively calm and Amad looked… she had the look.

The Line of Durin was a line of royal and stubborn Dwarves. Very stubborn. Not one of us wasn't stubborn – although Kili was the better side of stubborn – and Mother was possibly the worst of them all. She was making a face that included raised eyebrows asking for a challenge and a general expression of nonchalance.

Uncle Thorin was really the only person who seemed to have any idea of how to deal with Amad in these situations and sometimes I thanked Mahal for him. But only sometimes.

"By refusing to allow Mili to go to Erebor with me, you prevent Fili and Kili from going," he said, "Dwarrow-dams have gone on journeys…"

"Aye but not quests and adventures, they don't do fighting… at least nobles don't," she snapped, taking a dainty bite of bread whilst I chomped on mine. She gave me a crude sideways glance.

"She wasn't raised as a noble Dis," Thorin said, Dis's gaze flew to him and I swear sparks flew, "she was raised, along with her two brothers in a tiny shack. She used to feed pigs for payment Dis, that is not nobility."

I suddenly began to wonder why in the name of Mahal was Thorin arguing for me and I put down the bread and fixed him with a stare of blatant curiosity. He noticed and raised his head a bit, as if asking me to speak, "…why are you fightin' for this?"

All eyes turned to Thorin and he glanced around the table, seemingly surprised with the question before he fixed his gaze on my face, "because Frerin would've wanted it. He did want it."

Amad set her bun down suddenly, her gaze focused on Thorin in complete shock. Kili looked blatantly confused when I made a small noise but Fili grasped my shoulder. I closed my eyes for a moment before slowly glancing up into my Uncles eyes, "…how do you know that?"

"He told me, he said the day that we went to recapture Erebor he would bring you along and be the first person to show you your home," he said glancing down before meeting my gaze.

I nodded slowly before turning and staring straight at my mother, "I'm goin'."

She seemed to want to argue before she met my gaze fully and she closed her mouth. Looking to Thorin she glared at him before wrinkling her nose in thought, "…hunk of a Dwarf?"

I was confused until Dwalin rolled his eyes, "Aye M'Lady Dis?"

"Is my daughter suitable for a quest?"

There was a long silence and Dwalin glanced up to Amad, his ice blue eyes boring into hers, "M'Lady Dis, your daughter is more ready for this quest than Kili is," he said evenly.

I had never seen Amad shut up so quickly and Thorin took this chance to glance to Fili and Kili – the latter of which was rolling his eyes, "well? Will you three join me and recover our home? Our Erebor?"

"Aye," Fili, Kili and I said at the same time before glancing to each other for a moment.

"Will a share of gold be included?"

Kili and I glared at Fili who winced slightly, "bad timing?"

"Aye," I said crossly before turning to face Uncle and ignoring him. Kili raised an eyebrow but did the same

"So, tell us Uncle, what does this quest entail and who is coming with us?" Fili asked, not in the least bit fazed.

The conversation was long. Uncle Thorin would be leaving the next week to speak to distant relatives about the quest and he'd raven the meeting place in the next few weeks. We knew not who was coming with us but that didn't lessen the excitement that practically flowed out of Fili, Kili and I.

I had never before wanted to go to Erebor so much. It had been a dream and a scary one at that and I had been okay with letting it sit there, I might have been okay with not going on the quest if Fili and Kili had gone. But when I learned that Uncle Frerin had wanted me to go I knew I was going, so had Amad, that's why she hadn't argued.

No doubt she was grilling Uncle about playing that card right now.

I lay in bed, squashed between my two brothers, no one had fallen asleep for once. Usually Fili went first, then was me and then was Kili. But excitement for an adventure was still coursing through us and sleep wasn't close. Then I realized I had never really thanked my brothers.

"Kili?"

"Aye?"

"Fili?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you both for stickin' up for me," I said.

Fili sat up in bed, I could see the outline of his smirk in bed, "never thought I'd hear you say it sister."

"Sorry?"

"…looks like you have a heart in you just yet," he said and a snicker came from Kili on my right.

I snorted and whacked him on the arm good naturedly, "usually people say you're welcome after that you dolt."

Fili settled down in bed and there was a silence for a moment, "any time sister," both he and Kili said at the same time.

I didn't respond but smiled widely into the dark. We fell asleep at our own paces, first Fili, letting out slight snorts and then me. Kili came some time after, who knows how long although I imagine it was soon.

[][][][][][][][][][]

So, that's the second chapter done, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear any advice.

Also, does anyone know where I can find a good Khudzul translator or anything, I'm a bit nervous to add things in there that aren't words like Amad or Adad.

Loads of love, Medusa101