I'm back! Apologies for the delay in posting, promise it'll be more regular again from now on.

Thanks very much for your reviews on the last chapter to animexchick, LilyRoseBlack24, Filisgirl251, MissRuthless, nerdalertwarning, Aquamarine, Mia, Erikawaskiki, DawnScarlet19610, Raven with a Writing Desk, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx and marcelabm! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think!


A few hours later, the druid was sat in a tavern near the marketplace, her hands wrapped firmly around her jug of ale as she looked across the table at Bofur, who was returning her gaze. A small hint of disbelief still remained in his eyes, though he was smiling brightly at her. It made the druid's heart ache and full at the same time to sit opposite him like this, after so many years of thinking that she would never see her friend again.

"I cannot believe that you are actually here. I feared we'd never see you again," Bofur muttered, turning his own tankard around in his hands without actually taking a sip. He shook his head slightly, trying to get his head around it all. "You haven't aged a day."

"That is kind of you to say but hardly the truth," Arinna answered with a soft smile and the dwarf reiterated his words with an emphatic nod. The druid took a deep breath, not quite knowing what to say. Her fingers tapped lightly against the tankard in her hands. She had never imagined that she would come across any of her old friends in Dale. She had thought that she could stay here for a while, in the mountain's shadow, and that this would give her enough time to build up the courage to go and see them in the mountain. Finally, she let out a small sigh and gave the dwarf a warm smile. "It is so good to see you again, Bofur. And with your toy shop."

Bofur inclined his head slightly, the smile still playing around his lips. "Aye, I always thought I might open one someday," he replied. "Although I've only had a proper stall for two years. It was actually my wife who convinced me that I should take my business to Dale, that they would pay good money for dwarven craftsmanship here. Even if they are just toys. And, as usual, she was quite right."

He looked up to see Arinna staring at him with wide eyes upon his explanation, a bright smile pulling at her lips. Bofur had missed seeing that smile on her, remembering her tearful departure from the mountain eight years ago. "You are married?" she asked him softly, her smile widening as he gave a quick nod.

"Oh, yes," he chuckled, his happiness obvious, as he took in a deep breath and leaned his elbows on the table. "I knew her even before I left the Ered Luin. She was a waitress in a tavern there and I used to go in every day, not to drink if you can believe that, but just to see her. Her name is Marla. It is funny, actually, remember when I gave you and Fili those courting beads, when we were on our way to Erebor? They were originally meant for her, you see. I never found the courage to ask her before I left for Thorin's quest. That's why I was still carrying them around with me at the time."

He looked up at her, trailing off as he noticed that her smile had faltered slightly as he recalled the memory. He cleared his throat quickly, silently chastising himself, as he reached out his hand to cover hers. "I'm sorry, Arinna, I didn't mean to bring up anything painful, I –"

"No," the druid interrupted softly, blinking a few times before she shook her head with another smile. He watched her closely, as she sent him an earnest gaze and a nod. "There's no need to apologise, Bofur. Really. Please, tell me more about her. I want to know everything. Do you have any children?"

The hatted dwarf gave a proud nod. "Two," he answered. "Bilur and Thuri, a little boy and girl. Bilur is six and Thuri has just turned four."

Arinna looked at him in amazement, giving the hand that still covered hers a friendly squeeze. "That is incredible," she replied, feeling a whole whirl of emotions rising up inside her as she thought about it. "I am so, so happy for you, Bofur."

"You must meet them," the dwarf said brightly, though he began to frown a little, when she visibly hesitated. He put his tankard aside, not having drunk from it anyway, bringing up his second hand to cover hers on the table as he gave her an intent look. "Don't tell me that you would come all this way without visiting Erebor?"

Arinna took a deep breath, tilting her head slightly as she avoided Bofur's gaze. She took a few moments to answer, inclining her head as she did. "To be honest, I had not made my mind up completely. I was not sure how welcome I would be."

Bofur shook his head in disbelief, squeezing her hands slightly to make her look back up at him. He felt a sting of pain at the sudden sadness he saw reflected in her eyes. "Arinna, do you realise how much everybody has missed you?" he said genuinely, trying to make his words go through to her. "My children know you almost as well as I do from all the stories that I've told them. In fact, the mountain could even do with someone like you, I only just talked to Ori about it a few days ago."

The druid frowned slightly, confused by his words. Bofur sent her a small smile. "Oin is looking for an apprentice."

"An apprentice. He is retiring?" Arinna asked with some surprise. She couldn't imagine the old dwarf doing anything else but care for people. It had always seemed to be his calling and he had embraced it gladly, much like she had. But it had been a long time since she had last seen him, perhaps things had changed.

"No," Bofur snorted, shaking his head. "Oin will probably still be handing out medical advice on his deathbed. But he says he's getting too old to handle it all himself. It's a big mountain full of people, after all."

Arinna nodded her understanding with a smile, lowering her gaze to the table as they sat together in comfortable silence for a few moments. Bofur finally took a sip of his ale and she did the same, feeling the amber liquid flowing coolly down her throat. It was strange to sit here and talk to Bofur so freely again, as though no time had passed at all since she had last seen him. Though, of course, it had. He was married now and had two children. Oin was planning to retire. She wondered how the lives of her other companions had changed. Eight years were a long time, after all.

"Is it because of Fili?"

The druid looked up sharply at Bofur's quiet question, not having realised that he had been looking at her closely this whole time. He sent her a knowing, compassionate look as she drew in a shaky breath. Still, after all this time, the mere mention of his name affected her.

"Is what because of him?"

"I don't wish to bring up painful memories, I just…" Bofur uttered quietly, trying to find the right words as he looked at her, seeing her fingers wrap tightly around her tankard. "Is it because of him you hesitate to come to Erebor?"

Arinna lowered her gaze once more, Bofur's kind eyes too much for her to handle for a moment. He had always been a perceptive person, and so kind-hearted that he always cared enough to ask even the more difficult questions. The truth was, that she wasn't really sure. She had spent the past year thinking about what would happen if she followed Senias' advice and returned to Erebor, yet had not been able to come up with a conclusion. She did not know how she felt about it, either, even as she was now a mere day's ride away. Part of her was filled with joy, another with pure fear. She longed to see Fili, as she longed to see all of her friends, yet she was so afraid of how he would react if he ever saw her again that it almost paralysed her.

She finally let out a low breath, bringing her gaze back up to look at Bofur, as she gave him a helpless but honest shrug. "I am not sure," she answered him genuinely, hesitating before she added her next words quietly. "How is he?"

"He is well," Bofur uttered slowly, thinking about it carefully. "Healthy. He's a good king to our people. I'm… I'm sure he would be pleased to see you."

Arinna just gave a small nod when Bofur trailed off, unsure of what else to say. She had never had any doubt that Fili would make a great king, that he would fill the role that he had been involuntarily cast in with duty and care. She was glad to hear that he was doing well.

Bofur cleared his throat slightly, giving her another encouraging smile, as he changed the subject. "Where are you staying?"

"I thought I'd get one of the rooms here," the druid answered thoughtfully, nodding toward the back of the tavern where a set of stairs led up to a few guestrooms. Bofur nodded, giving her hands another squeeze before he leaned back, looking at her intently. Arinna returned his gaze, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm riding back to the mountain tomorrow morning," he explained carefully, yet with hope mirroring in his eyes. "Should you decide to come, which I sincerely hope with all my heart, I will be waiting for you by the main gate."

Arinna took a deep breath as she considered his words. "Let me sleep on it," she answered and Bofur gave her an accepting nod, content with that answer.

They finished their drinks and then ordered some food, which they ate together among quiet conversation. Bofur told her of his wedding, which had happened almost exactly one year after they had reclaimed Erebor, soon after Marla had travelled there from the Ered Luin with a company of others, among which had also been Lady Dis, Thorin's sister and mother to Fili and Kili. He told her of how he had founded his toy shop, how he had given up on his dream for a while after the battle and had been inspired again after the birth of his son. In turn, Arinna told him how she had spent the past eight years, first travelling back West with Bilbo and Gandalf. She told him how she had taken up her former place in Evendim. She told him all about Senias and how they had later begun to travel together, and that it was him who had encouraged her to go East once more.

They spoke until late into the night and Bofur only went to find his own sleeping quarters in a guesthouse further up town a few hours past midnight. He only slept for a few hours, and when morning had broken, he was sat on the small wagon he used to get his stall to and from Dale underneath the main gate that opened out onto the road that led straight to Erebor.

He looked up when he heard the sound of hooves approaching and felt his face break into a bright smile.


"If you don't mind me saying, Your Majesty, I do believe that perhaps we ought to re-evaluate our trade contracts with Dale."

Fili looked up from the parchment he had been about to sign. It was an agreement sent to him by Bard, who was now King of Dale, about the continuation of their previous trading deals. It concerned mainly grain, meat and cloth in exchange for gold that flowed into the town's reserve. Lord Thrakur cleared his throat slightly, though he didn't waver under the king's heavy gaze.

"Re-evaluate them in which way, Lord Thrakur?" Fili asked sternly, leaning back in his chair and nodding for the dwarf to explain his reasons. He wasn't inclined to re-negotiate the terms of these contracts with Bard, remembering how they had agreed on them many years ago. It had seemed a fair deal then, and it was a fair deal now. Yet, if his councilman could provide him with solid reasons for the proposal, he would still consider them.

"Perhaps they are a little too generous, your Majesty?" Thrakur said seriously, looking around at the other councilmen, who murmured quietly, some in agreement, others in dismissal.

Fili raised his eyebrows slightly. "You feel they are too generous? What would your suggestion be?"

"A quarter less than we are currently paying," Thrakur offered, his voice matter-of-fact, as he returned the king's gaze. Fili looked at him silently for a long moment, before he let out a small breath.

"Lord Thrakur," Fili uttered, putting his palm on the parchment before him as he looked at the dwarf opposite him with a small frown creasing his forehead. "These terms were agreed upon during the year after the mountain was reclaimed. They built the foundation for the friendship we have with Dale today."

Lord Thrakur inclined his head. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said. "However, if I may say so, the terms were agreed upon at a time in which Dale was just starting to be rebuilt. It would only have been understandable – and very much in the King's generous nature – to offer more than might have been strictly necessary. Today, Dale is prosperous and no longer in need of charity."

"I do not believe it to be charity," Fili answered earnestly, but firmly, suppressing a sigh. "Rather, I do not see the need to haggle for cheaper trade, when we know we are paying the true value of the goods and labour provided by Dale. To do so would seem rather like greed to me, disguised as economic prudence. Attempting to hoard our riches will not yield anything worthwhile."

His words hung heavily in the room, as he looked around to the rest of the dwarves gathered at his table. "What does the rest of the council think of the matter?"

He listened to the first two lords that offered up their opinion, one stating his agreement with Thrakur, the other agreeing openly with the king. The third, Lord Berlif, had just opened his mouth to speak, when there was a sharp knock at the door, before it opened swiftly to reveal one of the guards. Fili's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the armoured dwarf, who was breathing heavily, as though he had run all the way to the council chambers.

"Your Majesty, I am sorry to interrupt," he spoke quickly, knowing how inappropriate it was to barge in on the king's council, and he bowed his apologies to Fili, who just waved the gesture off with his hand. He nodded for him to speak, frowning as he listened to the dwarf's hastily spoken words. "We've detained an intruder in the main hall."

"An intruder?" Balin uttered in surprise and slight disbelief, before Fili could say anything, exchanging a look with the king and Dwalin, who both looked equally as confused. Nevertheless, Dwalin was quick to stand up, nodding toward the young guard.

"Can't say I'm not curious," he uttered gruffly, while the guard nodded quickly at him. "Let's see this intruder then."

"Yes, Captain," the young dwarf said formally, turning and leading the way, while Fili and Balin also stood, the king shortly addressing the rest of the council.

"You are dismissed," he said very curtly, as he followed Dwalin out of the door. "We will continue this tomorrow."

The small group walked swiftly, following the young guard, who was leading the way down the many corridors that led to the main hall. Fili was still frowning as they made their way through the mountain. There had never been an intruder before, he wasn't even sure what the guard meant by it exactly. However, guests of the mountain were normally announced beforehand, and Fili wasn't entirely sure how to handle this situation. Though in case that this 'intruder' meant any harm, there would be no choice but to throw them in the dungeon or make sure they left the way they came. After all, what was one unwelcome intruder against the whole of his guard?

Finally, they came to the top of the large stairway that led down into the main hall and as they made their way down the stairs, they could already hear the commotion that was going on downstairs. Fili heard the young guard that had alerted them begin to call out loudly, as he descended the stairs ahead of them, his voice echoing off the walls.

"We caught the toymaker trying to smuggle her inside, Your Majesty!"

"Smuggle!" Bofur's voice carried over to them and Fili looked up in confusion at the sound of the familiar voice, the frown still playing on his face as he beheld the situation. "We came in through the main gate, you call that smuggling, you big dolt?! If I was trying to smuggle her in here, I'd have stuffed her in a barrel of fish. This is outrageous, you –"

Fili didn't hear the rest of Bofur's sentence, his eyes finally having found the so-called intruder. He stopped abruptly in his tracks, coming to a sudden halt only a few steps from the bottom of the stairs. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe, feeling the air leave his lungs as though he had been hit hard in the stomach. He swayed slightly, suddenly feeling dizzy as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. She wasn't looking at him, but at Bofur, and he could see her mouth moving as she tried to quietly appease the hatted dwarf, while he continued arguing with the other guard that had one hand wrapped firmly around her upper arm. Fili stared dumbly, disbelieving, not noticing that Balin and Dwalin had stopped just a few feet ahead of him, as well.

He drew in a sharp breath, the air passing almost painfully through his lungs, as he took in her appearance, his thoughts suddenly whirling in his head. She looked almost exactly as he remembered her. Her long, raven hair was plaited into a neat, thick braid that hung over her shoulder, her skin was pale, her eyebrows slightly drawn together, though her expression was otherwise soft and patient. Fili felt his heart clench and stop, before it began to beat wildly in his chest. He rather wished for something to hold on to, as he forced his feet to slowly make the last few steps down the stairs.

"Release her," he said, struggling to speak past the lump in his throat as he addressed his guard. The dwarf looked up, though it wasn't him that Fili was looking at. Still, his gaze was set on the druid, who now turned her head sharply in his direction upon the sound of his voice, and he was suddenly confronted with a pair of dark green eyes that he had never thought to see again. The sight sent a sharp pain through his chest. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him in turn, and Fili watched as she drew a deep breath before he forced his gaze away and looked at the guard, who was still keeping a firm hold on her.

"But, my King – "

"I said, RELEASE HER!" Fili barked suddenly, surprising even himself, and making everyone flinch, as his angry voice echoed through the hall. It was enough to make the guard's hand fall from Arinna's arm at once, and Fili noticed out of the corner of his eye how her hand came up to rub the spot lightly, though he avoided her gaze. He did not know where to look, or what to do next. What was he meant to say? How could she be here? Fili had the urge to reach out and touch her, to make sure that she was truly real, but he did no such thing, his fingers merely twitching slightly at his side, as he clenched his jaw.

Arinna hadn't been sure what she would feel when she saw him again, or how he would react. Though, nothing could have prepared her for the whirl of emotions that had invaded her body and mind when she had first heard his voice. In all the times she had allowed herself to remember him, his voice had always been something that her mind had refused to conjure up from her memories. To hear it now, echoing off the walls of the big main hall, so close and familiar, had been enough to make her heart stop.

She stood motionlessly, unable to tear her gaze away from the dwarf before her, though he wasn't even looking at her now. In all the years that she had not seen him, age had not seemed to change Fili much at all. His hair was longer, as was his beard, but still golden like the heavy-looking crown he was wearing on his head. His pale blue eyes were focused on the guard that had held her, his face set in a stern frown. He looked a little older, yes, she thought, but mostly his features looked more serious, less joyful than she remembered them to be. She opened her mouth to say something, though no words came out, and before she could think of how to address him, another guard talked over her.

"What are we to do with the intruder, Your Majesty?" The younger of the two guards asked, finally breaking the silence that had settled heavily over the small group. He looked to his king expectantly.

"Would you stop calling her that, she's not –" Bofur started indignantly, though it was Fili who interrupted him, his stern voice silencing the hatted dwarf at once.

"She is a guest," the blond king said, his voice quiet but firm, as his eyes slowly fell back on the druid. Arinna felt her heart beat faster as she held his gaze for a moment, before she lowered hers, feeling suddenly very uneasy under his grim, thoughtful stare. The guard was about to reply, when Fili's eyes found him, and he closed his mouth quickly at the hard look the king gave him. Fili looked around for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts with little success. He could not form one coherent thought in his head, the feeling in his chest tightening uncomfortably. He had to get out of here, said an urgent, anxious voice in his mind, the only thought that came to him with absolute clarity.

"Balin. If you would be so kind as to show… our guest to a chamber in the royal wing. It shall be at her disposal for as long as she intends to stay," he said formally and quickly, before he looked at Dwalin. "Inform the rest of the guard that she is a guest of the king, and that she is to be treated as such."

He waited until Dwalin gave a quick nod, and then turned around without another word, walking swiftly back up the steps that he had come down. The druid watched as he disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs, letting out a shuddering breath as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She stood stiffly, barely noticing as the guards bowed to her lightly, and rather unwillingly, before they also disappeared down the hall together. The silence stretched for a few moments, as she stared at the spot where Fili had disappeared, before she was ripped out of her thoughts by a bark of laughter.

"Mahal," Dwalin grinned, his usually gruff face illuminated with unreserved joy as he met the druid's wide-eyed gaze across the small distance between them. "I hardly believe my eyes, is it really you? Pinch me, brother, for I think I might be dreaming!"

"I'm with you, brother," Balin chuckled beside him, shaking his head in amazement as he stared at the woman before him. Arinna couldn't help her own smile now, tears springing to her eyes as she looked at her old friends. She stood awkwardly for another moment before both dwarves moved forward, laughing happily as they each enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Lass," Balin spoke with a happy, slightly tearful smile as he put one hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "It has been too long. Too long. We've missed you dearly."

"Aye," Dwalin agreed, exchanging a small look with Bofur who was smiling brightly. "The others will want to know about this. Balin, why don't you show her to that chamber? Bofur and I will gather the rest of the Company for supper. What do you say, Arinna?"

The druid faltered slightly, not sure what to say. Though she gave a short nod after a moment's hesitation, feeling her heart fill with joy at the prospect of seeing the rest of her companions again. "I would like that very much," she said softly. "But I don't want… I don't want to be any trouble. If this is too unexpected –"

"Lass," Dwalin answered, before she could even finish her sentence, or indeed her thought. "Everyone will be over the moon to see you! This calls for a feast, wouldn't you say, brother?"

"Absolutely," Balin agreed, giving Arinna's shoulder another encouraging squeeze. She looked at the old dwarf at the gesture, feeling herself relax at the familiar kind smile he offered her.

"Well, in that case," she uttered, taking another deep breath as she straightened herself up. She didn't know what her decision of coming here would bring, didn't know whether it had been a wise decision at all, judging by the stiff welcome she had received from Fili. But if she were to only spend one evening with her friends, then it would already have been worth it, she thought. "Lead on, Balin."